I don't think this bodes well for Michigan. It's possible that the rejection of the settlement by the COI reflects their feeling that the settlement terms were too lenient, but the more likely explanation is that they think the terms were too lenient. But either way, there is likely to be some suspension in 2024 that will affect the Texas game. And, if the suspension is for six games, it will affect three Big Ten games, including MSU. Remember that JJ, Blake, Donovan, Will, and most of the offensive line will likely be gone, so the 2024 season was going to be a challenge anyway (Texas, Wisconsin, UCLA, USC, and OSU). It's not beyond the realm of possibility that Harbaugh will go to the NFL if he feels the NCAA has screwed him, especially if he happens to win the national title this year, and even if he doesn't, the speculation -- which is already out there -- will hurt recruiting. Add in that Warde has put Harbaugh's contract negotiations on hold, and this looks like a potential train wreck. It's really too bad this couldn't have been wrapped up this year. Ugh. Am I being too pessimistic?
Aren’t attitude and intensity something a coach can coach? Oops, I forgot. Our coach isn’t around because he couldn’t control his temper. Will be lots of criticism — justified — if this team misses the NCAA tournament. Howard will go from coach of the year to dud of the year.
I'm wondering if there's something more going on here than meets the eye….
John H announces -- in a surprise move -- that he is firing Martindale. Do you think he would hire MacDonald away from Jim H? I wouldn't think so unless he knows that Jim H is planning to leave Michigan anyway, in which case John H could hire MacDonald without dissing his brother. If I'm right about this, then Jim H has decided weeks ago -- before John H fired Martindale -- that he was leaving, in which case Jim H has been toying with the school, the team, recruits, and us all this time.
Many thanks for this post. Triggers a lot of fond memories. I was 9 years old in 1957, and my dad had Lions season tickets so I got to attend every home game that season, including the championship game. (The Colts game was notable for the come-back but it also taught us a lesson never to leave early -- we left the game when the Lions were down 27-3 and heard the Cassidy TD on the car radio on our way home.) Growing up, though, my favorite player was #37 Doak Walker. He retired after only a few seasons, but I got to see his last name in '55 or '56. Ah, those were the days.
The Forbes article -- based on an earlier Quinn article -- recounts that the coach and his wife were running away from the plane when he stopped and looked back, saw others trying to exit the plane, and then went back to the plane to hold down an evacuation slide so that others could get out safely. This reminded me of something I read a few years ago about Sully Sullenberger, the USAirways pilot who safely landed his plane on the Hudson River after birds had flown into the plane's engines.
People were calling Sullenberger a hero, but he would have nothing of that. He said something to the effect that a hero is not someone who runs out of a burning building to get to safety but someone who runs into a burning building to get others to safety.
That's our coach. He ran back to a plane with a smoldering engine and a full fuel tank. He put himself in danger to save others. Makes him a hero in my book.
Attended all four games and saw each and every play. What a thrill. So proud of the coach and the team. Didn't want to change the karma so I wore the same clothes for four days. Getting them washed quickly so I can wear them again on Friday....
I've been surprised by the various comments that Michigan didn't seem prepared for ND's switch from zone to man coverage in the second half. Given Michigan's success against the zone in the first half, I assumed that ND would try something else in the second half and would have thought our coaches would have anticipated that.
That led me to think more broadly about Michigan's second half adjustments. It seems to me that there were a number of times when when needed a good start to a second half and simply didn't get it (e.g., Purdue) or needed to maintain a lead and couldn't (e.g., ND) because the other team seemed to make adjustments when we didn't.
Can/has anyone done a systematic look at how we do after half-times? What if we looked at how Michigan did in its games in the first five minutes of the second half and/or up to the first TV time out in the second half to see if there is a pattern here?
Maryland is a good team (despite the loss to Minnesota). Too bad Michigan didn't play as well at OSU as it did at Maryland today. That was the game we should have won ... and the one that we may well wind up regretting the most.
Calvin's retirement is about the most damning indictment possible of a professional sports team. Combined with Barry Sander's retirement, we have instances in which two of the most accomplished football players in the history of the sport quit the game -- and gave up millions of dollars and potential football records -- rather than continue playing for a franchise that offered no hope whatsoever of achieving success. Shame on the Ford family.
Let me start with two premises. First, if anyone had offered me 9-3 at the beginning of the fall, I would have taken it. Second, Harbaugh et. al are terrific and will only get better.
But having reflected on the game for a while now, I am disheartened with how poorly prepared we were and how poorly we played. There were no assurances, of course, that we would win, but who could have expected a blow-out like that? Even Hoke's teams managed to play OSU competitively.
And it's difficult to believe that we weren't significantly outcoached -- beginning with trying to block a punt early in a tied game when we were likely to get terrific field position and have a chance to take an early lead. I didn't see much evidence of half-time adjustments. We were down only 4 and had momentum from the end-of-half touchdown, but still came out flat. We got outscored 28-3 in the second half. When is the last time that happened?
I assume things will get better, but this sure was a lousy day.
If we're going to talk about penalties and turnovers, perhaps we should add special teams into the discussion.
Aside from the kick-off and punt return teams that were improvements all season, the rest of the special teams really disintegrated in the last half of the season. Kick-offs returned for touchdowns, punts returned for touchdowns, blocked punt (not even including the MSU game), key roughing the kicker call in this game -- why even go for the block when we would have had great field position in a tie game? -- really set us back. Imagine the outrcries about special teams if Hoke had been the coach!
If we're going to talk about penalties and turnovers, perhaps we should add special teams into the discussion.
Aside from the kick-off and punt return teams that were improvements all season, the rest of the special teams really disintegrated in the last half of the season. Kick-offs returned for touchdowns, punts returned for touchdowns, blocked punt (not even including the MSU game), key roughing the kicker call in this game -- why even go for the block when we would have had great field position in a tie game? -- really set us back. Imagine the outrcries about special teams if Hoke had been the coach!
We should take a breath to let this moment sink in. What a special kid Burke is. Cool. Classy. Clutch. We could have to wait another generation before someone like him comes along again. He will be to Michigan what Magic is to MSU. How luck we got to see him. Go Blue.
We should take a breath to let this moment sink in. What a special kid Burke is. Cool. Classy. Clutch. We could have to wait another generation before someone like him comes along again. He will be to Michigan what Magic is to MSU. How luck we got to see him. Go Blue.
Recent Comments
Correction in line 2: "...COI reflects their feeling that the settlement terms were too onerous, but the more likely explanation ..."
I don't think this bodes well for Michigan. It's possible that the rejection of the settlement by the COI reflects their feeling that the settlement terms were too lenient, but the more likely explanation is that they think the terms were too lenient. But either way, there is likely to be some suspension in 2024 that will affect the Texas game. And, if the suspension is for six games, it will affect three Big Ten games, including MSU. Remember that JJ, Blake, Donovan, Will, and most of the offensive line will likely be gone, so the 2024 season was going to be a challenge anyway (Texas, Wisconsin, UCLA, USC, and OSU). It's not beyond the realm of possibility that Harbaugh will go to the NFL if he feels the NCAA has screwed him, especially if he happens to win the national title this year, and even if he doesn't, the speculation -- which is already out there -- will hurt recruiting. Add in that Warde has put Harbaugh's contract negotiations on hold, and this looks like a potential train wreck. It's really too bad this couldn't have been wrapped up this year. Ugh. Am I being too pessimistic?
No mention of coaching deficiencies? The end of game plays were disasters.
When a team loses so many close games — the Wisconsin game was a fluke on a busted but lucky play — it’s on the coach.
And in only 23 minutes!
Time to start him over Houston.
Time to start Williams over Houston.
I wonder if the Committee will lock Michigan out to send a message to Juwan….hope not.
Aren’t attitude and intensity something a coach can coach? Oops, I forgot. Our coach isn’t around because he couldn’t control his temper. Will be lots of criticism — justified — if this team misses the NCAA tournament. Howard will go from coach of the year to dud of the year.
I'm wondering if there's something more going on here than meets the eye….
John H announces -- in a surprise move -- that he is firing Martindale. Do you think he would hire MacDonald away from Jim H? I wouldn't think so unless he knows that Jim H is planning to leave Michigan anyway, in which case John H could hire MacDonald without dissing his brother. If I'm right about this, then Jim H has decided weeks ago -- before John H fired Martindale -- that he was leaving, in which case Jim H has been toying with the school, the team, recruits, and us all this time.
I hope I'm completely wrong.
Many thanks for this post. Triggers a lot of fond memories. I was 9 years old in 1957, and my dad had Lions season tickets so I got to attend every home game that season, including the championship game. (The Colts game was notable for the come-back but it also taught us a lesson never to leave early -- we left the game when the Lions were down 27-3 and heard the Cassidy TD on the car radio on our way home.) Growing up, though, my favorite player was #37 Doak Walker. He retired after only a few seasons, but I got to see his last name in '55 or '56. Ah, those were the days.
The Forbes article -- based on an earlier Quinn article -- recounts that the coach and his wife were running away from the plane when he stopped and looked back, saw others trying to exit the plane, and then went back to the plane to hold down an evacuation slide so that others could get out safely. This reminded me of something I read a few years ago about Sully Sullenberger, the USAirways pilot who safely landed his plane on the Hudson River after birds had flown into the plane's engines.
People were calling Sullenberger a hero, but he would have nothing of that. He said something to the effect that a hero is not someone who runs out of a burning building to get to safety but someone who runs into a burning building to get others to safety.
That's our coach. He ran back to a plane with a smoldering engine and a full fuel tank. He put himself in danger to save others. Makes him a hero in my book.
Attended all four games and saw each and every play. What a thrill. So proud of the coach and the team. Didn't want to change the karma so I wore the same clothes for four days. Getting them washed quickly so I can wear them again on Friday....
I've been surprised by the various comments that Michigan didn't seem prepared for ND's switch from zone to man coverage in the second half. Given Michigan's success against the zone in the first half, I assumed that ND would try something else in the second half and would have thought our coaches would have anticipated that.
That led me to think more broadly about Michigan's second half adjustments. It seems to me that there were a number of times when when needed a good start to a second half and simply didn't get it (e.g., Purdue) or needed to maintain a lead and couldn't (e.g., ND) because the other team seemed to make adjustments when we didn't.
Can/has anyone done a systematic look at how we do after half-times? What if we looked at how Michigan did in its games in the first five minutes of the second half and/or up to the first TV time out in the second half to see if there is a pattern here?
Maryland is a good team (despite the loss to Minnesota). Too bad Michigan didn't play as well at OSU as it did at Maryland today. That was the game we should have won ... and the one that we may well wind up regretting the most.
Calvin's retirement is about the most damning indictment possible of a professional sports team. Combined with Barry Sander's retirement, we have instances in which two of the most accomplished football players in the history of the sport quit the game -- and gave up millions of dollars and potential football records -- rather than continue playing for a franchise that offered no hope whatsoever of achieving success. Shame on the Ford family.
Think about our coaches ....
As much as we may have been disappointed about the game on Saturday, surely they were more so.
And on Sunday, they had to put the game behind them, at least for a while, in order to attend Chad's memorial service.
And then today, they were on the road working to replenish the troops for next year and beyond ....
Nobody has it better than us.
Let me start with two premises. First, if anyone had offered me 9-3 at the beginning of the fall, I would have taken it. Second, Harbaugh et. al are terrific and will only get better.
But having reflected on the game for a while now, I am disheartened with how poorly prepared we were and how poorly we played. There were no assurances, of course, that we would win, but who could have expected a blow-out like that? Even Hoke's teams managed to play OSU competitively.
And it's difficult to believe that we weren't significantly outcoached -- beginning with trying to block a punt early in a tied game when we were likely to get terrific field position and have a chance to take an early lead. I didn't see much evidence of half-time adjustments. We were down only 4 and had momentum from the end-of-half touchdown, but still came out flat. We got outscored 28-3 in the second half. When is the last time that happened?
I assume things will get better, but this sure was a lousy day.
If we're going to talk about penalties and turnovers, perhaps we should add special teams into the discussion.
Aside from the kick-off and punt return teams that were improvements all season, the rest of the special teams really disintegrated in the last half of the season. Kick-offs returned for touchdowns, punts returned for touchdowns, blocked punt (not even including the MSU game), key roughing the kicker call in this game -- why even go for the block when we would have had great field position in a tie game? -- really set us back. Imagine the outrcries about special teams if Hoke had been the coach!
If we're going to talk about penalties and turnovers, perhaps we should add special teams into the discussion.
Aside from the kick-off and punt return teams that were improvements all season, the rest of the special teams really disintegrated in the last half of the season. Kick-offs returned for touchdowns, punts returned for touchdowns, blocked punt (not even including the MSU game), key roughing the kicker call in this game -- why even go for the block when we would have had great field position in a tie game? -- really set us back. Imagine the outrcries about special teams if Hoke had been the coach!
Going back and forth here. Just can't bring myself to root for either of these teams. Can't they both lose ...
Just when you thought the Lions had hit bottom....
Hard to imagine they could have made a less inspiring pick.
It will take 5 years for the Fords to realize they made a mistake and at least 5 thereafter to clean it up.
Does anyone have the family's address so I can mail a card?
One school
This is simple:
One school looks silly.
One school looks classy.
Our Athletic Department made us look silly. Boo on them.
We should take a breath to let this moment sink in. What a special kid Burke is. Cool. Classy. Clutch. We could have to wait another generation before someone like him comes along again. He will be to Michigan what Magic is to MSU. How luck we got to see him. Go Blue.
We should take a breath to let this moment sink in. What a special kid Burke is. Cool. Classy. Clutch. We could have to wait another generation before someone like him comes along again. He will be to Michigan what Magic is to MSU. How luck we got to see him. Go Blue.