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Logged in for the first time…

Logged in for the first time in quite awhile to chime in:  keep your head up, Brian!

You'd be hard pressed to find another writer that so perfectly translates the zeitgeist of a team/program/school into words. Michigan fans are so lucky to have you. For perspective:  I've read this blog almost daily for 16 years -- more than half the time I've been alive. For many of us, your fandom has become a sort of institution synonymous with our own fandom and we are all better and more entertained for it.

Just hang in there a bit longer. Better times are coming. Take a day to reflect on all the success you've had! 

I dont know where to find it…

I dont know where to find it, but there was a game @ND in the 80s where they interviewed Regis on the sideline. He guaranteed ND would win, only for the camera to pan away from his interview to a long Michigan touchdown (help me Wolverine Historian).

RIP

Logged in to disagree…

Logged in to disagree. Crisler was packed, even the upper level, for a 7-6 Penn State team. The place was a graveyard 10 years ago for a game like this. 

It may not have been a raucous crowd, but you know, 7-6 Penn State/winter break/etc.

There are a few dozen

There are a few dozen different projects going on that are really starting to make an impact, but the highlights are the District Detroit being built around Little Caesers Arena and what seems like a couple dozen new buildings being built downtown as well as in the surrounding area. I get that this is a vague description, but the District Detroit developments really have changed an entire swath of Detroit. 

In general, the demolition of so many thousands of abandoned homes has helped with optics.

Here are a few things to check out:

New Detroit skyscraper, to be tallest in MI:  

https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2017/12/14/detroit-…

A list of random new developments:

https://detroit.curbed.com/maps/development-detroit-transform

A better, more comprehensive list with a bunch more developments (apologies for any overlap):

https://detroit.curbed.com/detroit-development

Add in the smaller developments  like the PGA tour stop at the Detroit Country Club and this much bigger news from Ford and it's starting to feel like a lot is happening at once!

Wouldn't you think that the

Wouldn't you think that the amount of experience around starting freshmen would be the most important factor, there? I agree with you, but... Tarik Black was most likely headed toward a big positive impact.

You also made me wonder how much our struggles are based on not having high caliber upperclassmen at certain position groups over the past 5-7 years. For positions like OL, we haven't exactly had a cohesive starting 5 serving as examples of how to get from point A to point B as an incoming freshman. On the other hand, we have definitely had that benefit on the DL. As an OL here right now, there isn't someone ahead of you to watch (other than Cole) on the practice field to demonstrate what successfully playing the respective position looks like.

"I would say there is a

"I would say there is a schematic issue caused by that change in philosophy, which may or may not end up sticking. Survey says: probably not."

Do you mean that you think the schematic issue won't continue to be a problem, or that the change of philosophy won't stick?

I wonder if there's a middle ground where we could have a ground game predicated on surprise (high volume of formations and plays) that uses zone blocking instead of man. I don't have the savvy to know if we're already attempting to do that or not, though. 

It's tempting to say we should just choose a blocking scheme and stick with it, but it doesn't seem to matter right now considering personnel. It may matter down the road, though, even if we did hire Frey with the purpose of running zone, knowing he was a zone guy.

Excellent catch, I did not

Excellent catch, I did not notice that. The NK may also have chosen Viserion due to the fact Viserion was in the middle of incinerating large swaths of the wight army and flying toward the NK, while Drogon was stationary.

The NK noticed that Drogon would be burdened by many riders, so maybe he opted to kill the smaller, unburdened dragon that was in the midst of tearing up his army, then go after Drogon after. That still wouldn't excuse why it took so long for him to throw the second spear, but it seems viable. That strategy had the potential to kill two dragons instead of just one.

Yeah, I hear you on not

Yeah, I hear you on not throwing the second spear quickly. Why not "slow down time" on screen ala when Jon crawls to Longclaw and kills his first white walker at Hardhome? This would allow you to get all of the reactions to the dragon dying fit in without sacrificing a feeling of reality. Or even just have one of the characters comment on how they're running out of food on that island after days of being stuck so that we have an idea of how much time has passed. 



Some of these irregularities will have logical answers in time, I'm sure. But not all of them will. 

Much of it is definitely just "writers and showrunners." But there's more at play here, too. GoT fans love to complain (no offense to you, of course, because your complaints are warranted and well-articulated) and they extrapolate small plot holes into superlatives about how the show is going down the drain. They also complain regularly now about predictability. It makes me wonder if the season script being leaked didn't have a huge negative impact on the show because of the echo chamber nature of the forums where GoT fans discuss the series. Everything seems more "predictable" when a subset of your fans already know what's going to happen and spread their "predictions" to everyone else. It's a huge bummer. Although maybe at this point the fact that the show is in "end game" mode inherently makes it more predictable in some ways since we're almost entirley dealing with big picture conflicts now.

My attempt to explain, in the

My attempt to explain, in the order you presented:

-  Notice that Viserion exploded in flames when the Night King hit him? He then fell into water, extinguishing said flames. If you hit Drogon, then yes, you kill many main characters, but you only get a skeleton dragon (which can't fly as it does not have webbed wings anymore) and the other 2 likely fly away and are lost. Subsequently, you now have no tool to dismantle the Wall, which is the biggest obstacle the army of the dead faces to bear down on the realms of men.

-  Omnipresence isn't "supposed" to be as easy as the show is making it out. Bran and other greenseers can only see small fragments of the past and present (and future...?) in the books and then have to piece it together. However, it's hard to do this on screen and keep a cohesive story. There's also the matter of Bran not being able to know based on scouting/visions that the Night King laid a trap. And the Night King is a greenseer too, but with thousands of years more experience than Bran.

-  Euron has tons and tons of ships ("a thousand ships"). Many of them are able to fling fiery cannonballs (or whatever they're using). Trying to burn a thousand ships from the air with juts three "units" or even a fleet means you're the primary target to hundreds of these catapults, plus arrows. You know they'd aim for Dany/the dragons above all else even if Dany brought her fleet, which she now barely has. It's too risky.

-  I think in terms of plot armor, the show could do better at portraying how it was realistic for characters to escape difficult situations. However, it's worth noting that this is the story of Jon and Dany, Ice and Fire. Of course they're going to live! Their story IS the story. 

1.  Saquan Barkley, PSU2.

1.  Saquan Barkley, PSU

2.  Jamarco Jones, OSU

3.  The 3 top QBs on OSU's depth chart. I'd like our chances of beating them if they have an unseasoned, 4th string QB coming into the Big House.

Logged in to say:  yes,

Logged in to say:  yes, please. The first memory that comes to mind when I hear waltzy-Victors is Chad Henne tripping over the goal post on his way to the locker room after the '07 MSU comeback in true water buffalo fashion.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-3n-MgwtTU

Ah, gotcha. Considering Vue

Ah, gotcha. Considering Vue is relatively new, that doesn't surprise me. I'd imagine you could still save some money going from Xfinity, for example, to an a la carte arrangement, but probably not enough to be worth it.

I'm only paying $125/month for Xfinity Blast + Digital Preferred. Digital Preferred is pretty darn good, with most the FS channels, HBO, Showtime, BTN, NatGeo, etc included. It seems like a pretty good value.

Can you still get HBO through

Can you still get HBO through the Vue subscription? Have to have Game of Thrones. 

I haven't posted in about four years, can't believe this is what brings me out of the woodwork.

I don't mind this comment.

I don't mind this comment. But we don't have to be experts in finding a new AD. We're just experts at knowing how terrible the last one was.

But remember, some of us are mudbloods, Elliot...

The only thing I don't like

The only thing I don't like is how the wording makes it sound like M fans were the ones writing the caustic and condescending e-mails. Let's be clear here that while the e-mails were not exactly brimming with joy, Dave's responses were the acidic part of the interaction.

This picture is heartbreaking

This picture is heartbreaking to me, somehow. 

I hear ya, man. You make a

I hear ya, man. You make a great point. I just think that a lot of people feel that there's enough (quantitiatively and qualitatively) evidence at this point to believe those random tweets. Their Michigan fanhood is choking on the smoke of all the tiny pieces of evidence to the point where they're paranoid of stuff like this sendoff.

Brandon did say he was

Brandon did say he was competing with your television...

oh my god

he told the truth!

"Outstanding" relationship

"Outstanding" relationship with the students? I can personally attest to that statement being a lie. Even last year, when this hadn't come to a head yet, very few (if not NONE, but I don't want to be so absolute) amongst my friends at Michigan had anything positive to say about Brandon. And we're talking maybe 50 other students I had this coversation with throughout last year.

Fast forward to this year, when I spent all of my Sunday night copy pasting the petition link to every M student I know. Not a single person declined to do it, and most messaged back expressing gratitude that someone had started the petition.

That isn't an outstanding relationship.

Stop politicking, Dave. It isn't going to work and we don't believe you.

Meh. I think it's cool that

Meh. I think it's cool that they like him, but being cool to 1% of the people who love Michigan and an asshat to the other 99% means you're still an asshat.

I will add my two cents here

I will add my two cents here as well, FWIW. To me, it boils down to the principle belief that Dave Brandon is eroding the relationship between students, alumni, and the football program (and Michigan Athletics at large).

This is supported by a multitude of evidence, some of which we can all link official documentation for, and some of which we cannot.

One example of the evidence I cannot document to you:  what I hear from older alums, especially ones that tailgate in the parking lot adjacent to the Big House/Crisler, who have been repeatedly jostled by Brandon and who have had to fend off repeated attempts to nickle and dime them into moving their tailgate locations to Pioneer. I believe it is these small acts of disrespect that have curried the overall sentiment that Brandon is just...well, kind of a dick who doesn't care about Michigan fans unless they're worth millions. 

On the student side, I can personally attest how frustrating the GA policy was from the getgo. I don't care about cell phone coverage in the stadium. In fact, I'd rather not have it, because I enjoy getting the flood of randomly timed texts after the game when I'm finally sitting down, relaxing, and relishing in the fact I just enjoyed Michigan Football. I want to sit with my friends. But what if one part of my group of friends enters later than I do? This was the case for me and it ruined my senior year game experience because, well, shit, I'm a senior and want to enjoy my last memories in the Big House as a student with my friends, not random students and 1-2 friends. No offense, random M students! It's just not the same.

Don't even get me started on the basketball ticket fiasco. I worked 20-30 hours a week the entire way through college to afford things like basketball season tickets. To have someone then say (mind you, AFTER I spent hundreds on them) that you're not actually guaranteed any of them and that you will have to ratrace against other students to make sure you get one...that's not a good way to treat your students.

So that's really the essence of it, in my mind. He's alienated every group who isn't a rich donor at some point or another, and without remorse. He's slowly eroding the culture of fandom that makes Michigan so special in the first place. 

That's without mentioning any of the crap he's pulled lately. It doesn't take a genius to gather that Hoke truly is a good guy (albeit in over his head) and that abandoning him yesterday to take bullets in that press conference is just par for the fucking course for Brandon. 

These are just a FEW of the reasons I think he has to go. Other posters have covered some of the other reasons; I hope I do not seem like an entitled former student here, though I would not fault you for thinking so. I feel how I feel and there's been so many occurrences with Brandon that have made me feel that way, that now I believe it's rather justified.

Thank you for bumping this.

Thank you for bumping this.

I think there might be a way

I think there might be a way to sign up for a temporary UMID, but don't quote me on it. I'd fiddle around a bit with the page, give it a try. 

I wish there was a way to have a petition open to all Michigan fans, though. 

SchrondingersCat has got you

SchrondingersCat has got you covered. If you didn't know about it, though, just think of how many other people don't either. Spread it. It's worth adding to the pile. On it's own I doubt it's enough, though.

Maybe the mods can be super kind and bump the link (doesn't have to be my post specifically, but it'd be nice if the link doesn't get buried).

Could someone with access

Could someone with access please send them the DB resignation petition? Just get the idea out there in case it's not in their heads already.

Remember to keep sharing it.

Remember to keep sharing it. A huge number of people signing (like 5-10k) would be impossible not to notice. At the very least, I'm sure the Daily will eventually pick up on it.

Also, would someone mind posting something they've sent to the regents? I'm at work and can't really draft one today, but was curious to see a couple. Hopefully people are making tons of calls and sending lots of letters because without a huge amount of volume, this won't work.

As it is, it may take more to get them to listen.

The Purge

The Purge

 

Perhaps that could be interpreted too extremely.

No problem. I don't know how

No problem. I don't know how many people started the letter, but they deserve the real thanks. To quote the secretary in Ferris Bueler, they're righteous dudes.

It was started somewhere

It was started somewhere between 6-8PM this evening. To the poster above, I'm all for lawn camping if that's what it takes. I just still want to support our players. 

While we're at it....sign it,

While we're at it....sign it, don't sign it, it is up to you. But this exists, and if you have a UMID you can sign it. I'm not longer a student and I could still sign it, so it's worth a try even if you're a few years removed.

https://csg.umich.edu/upetition/p/fire-brandon/

I was nervous to start a new thread on this because I rarely post on MGoBlog. I just read.

EDIT:  I do not know how much this will help things, but I'm someone who really dislikes the idea of boycotting games because I still want to support our players. That said, if this gets big enough (and it's growing quickly) hopefully a media outlet will pick it up and run with it.

I read this whole post -

I read this whole post - thanks for the insight! I came out of the woodwork because this post got me to think objectively a bit about some of the good that Brandon has done (and yes, as much as I actually do not like to admit it, there has been some). 

Would you humor me by giving me your best guess at a few questions? It'd beat the hell out of the depression that is M fandom of late.

1.  How is Manuel's style of "progressiveness" different from Brandon? Is he just less of a dick about...everything? Or is it just that he'd do things, like you mentioned, more along the lines of playing a b-ball game on a carrier? I suppose it's a question of what you mean by "style."

2.  Do you think that Manuel won't be pulling off any interesting new events like UTL/Big Chill? I conceed that I think these are among the few things Brandon has done that I've actually liked, but at this point I'm not so sure there're a ton more moons to land on as far as big ideas go.

3.  Do you know how much of the current athletic campus upgrades were planned before Brandon? Serious question, because I'm all for our athletes having the newest and best, but not if it means alienating a huge portion of our fanbase because we have to deal with all the other crap Brandon pulls. I guess I just don't know how much credit goes to Brandon for the upgrades because I'm under the impression that a lot of that was Martin.

Thanks in advance! And no worries if you don't have the time to answer, I figured if I was coming out of the woodwork now it might as well be in a neutral fashion (and no, I'm not about to defend Hoke, I just don't feel I have much to add to the discussion).

Fair enough, I'm just

Fair enough, I'm just flusterated.

Man, I've watched (almost)

Man, I've watched (almost) every game of ours this year (had to work twice!), but I feel like we don't usually leave THAT many shooters wide open. It's starting to stress me out, but survive and advance, I suppose.

Could also just be trying to do too much/jitters, I guess.

In spite of our lead, our

In spite of our lead, our defense looks a bit sub-par...Wofford has had a number of open shots that they've missed. Hopefully we're just shaking off some...uh, rust? 



I'm happy with the lead, just a bit surprised at how many shooters we've left open

A friend of mine who listens

A friend of mine who listens to 97.1 and follows M football pretty closely thinks that Foote's opinion was a bit mis-represented in this article, FWIW.

Hey man!Your numbers are

Hey man!

Your numbers are excellent, but definitely try to get that extra point on the ACT. It does make a difference, though with your extracirriculars and GPA, you're most likely going to get in.

But getting in needn't be your only goal; getting UM to fund a lot of your ridiculously high out-of-state tuition should be the ultimate goal. As someone who was fortunate enough to have their tuition here paid for (albeit in-state), I would ask Michigan if they have a representative for your region/state/area. The county in Michigan I come from, for example, maintained its UM connections through an alum that grew up there (but doesn't live there now). I have a strong feeling that the passionate, strong-willed e-mail and phone call I sent him my senior year of high school drew a lot of attention to my application and may have helped me earn a scholarship.

I was so adamant that M was my dream school and did everything I could to reach out to the few recruiters that would venture to the Upper Peninsula on UM's behalf. Perhaps this method would also help you.

Now I've just graduated (in December) and am looking for entry-level energy sector jobs involving the renewable transition, energy efficiency, consulting, and the like...it's a different animal and a challenge that can be vexing. It's sometimes tough to get enough/consistent contact with companies to the point where you have convinced them that you're someone who will achieve for them. Just need that one chance, as they say.

 

Best of luck and Go Blue!

I pity those who don't read

I pity those who don't read the Game of Thrones (or rather, ASOIAF) book series. If you think the show is detailed, you'd be amazed at the complexity of the books. It's just an all-around excellent series, IMHO.

You have no idea how badly

You have no idea how badly I've wanted to try In N Out for years now. I just haven't had a chance to get out West. 

I don't think I've ever heard a negative review of In N Out, now that I think about it.

Yeah, you're right, and I

Yeah, you're right, and I apologize if that comment read in a very negative way. I don't like stereotypes/generalizations either, so hopefully it didn't across as too aggressive an opinion - really it's just based off of "general" observations in my 4.5 years here. I have met tons of wonderful people here and it's been an invaluable experience regardless of the downers here and there (though I did use the word "most" regarding M students...perhaps I shouldn't have been so severe). 

Nobody is perfect, but I just wish some people would possess a bit more humility/decency at times. Plus, the thread demanded I confess. It's not like I had a choice, you know.

EDIT: I also should have explained my OP a bit more in depth, but who cares.

Had to respond just because

Had to respond just because of #7. Yes, all the way. The patties aren't as greasy (though I sometimes like the grease), the vegetable toppings are crisp, the buns (usually) aren't soggy... what more could you want (from uber cheap food)?

Woop! Surely there will be

Woop! Surely there will be more optimism and debate of substance now, no?

 

EDIT: Funchess, FUNCHESS FOR EVERYONE

 

For my part, while I do

For my part, while I do occasionally log in to defend Michigan students against criticism, I really don't like most Michigan students.

In my experience, a vast majority (not surprisingly) are extremely spoiled and "look down" on everyone else, even other students at Michigan. This applies to them in a sports sense, too. There is little loyalty to the school amongst an alarming proportion of students. The most disappointing are the band students I have talked to this year. Half way through the season, they were hoping we would lose out so that they wouldn't have to travel to a bowl game. Yikes.

Small things reinforce this opinion on a daily basis -- such as kids leaving every plate, cup, napkin, etc. from a meal sitting at their table instead of taking the extra minute to put it on the dish room belt. After awhile, that kind of stuff gets infuriating. 

Of course! It's going to be a

Of course! It's going to be a long 9 months regardless, but if everyone is pessimistic and miserable, it'll be intolerable (as many others have iterated already).

Though I must stress that points #1 and #6 are concepts/adaptations that the coaching staff basically MUST make offensively for us to be a dangerous team (nationally speaking) next year. We cannot have the mentality of out-talenting and running a rigid system in this post-modern age of college football; I wholeheartedly think they should stick to their system, but have some flexibility, sir!

The players, of course, must take responsibility for their performances this year as well. What does that mean? Busting ass and working together in the off-season. It isn't rocket science to say that teams that bust it (together) with the youth + talent we have generally means significant improvement the following year. 

My predictions:Michigan -

My predictions:

Michigan - 38

KSU - 24

 

1.  Michigan's coaching staff stops trying to push the power scheme so much and instead ideologically adjusts to calling what the current players run most efficiently (still in a pro style offense, but adjustable to have more or less spread/power elements depending on personel). This is a trend that continues into 2014 and provides us all much-needed hope. The prototypical example of this is the great frequency at which M tries to make the power I work, with little success. Yes, you must keep defenses honest, but there were a number of times this year where a run up the gut was ill-advised given the personel we have.

2.  Derrick Green makes a strong case for starting RB in 2014 by consistently picking up 3, 4, 6 yards with a few 10+ yarders interspersed. Toussaint plays largely the role of a third down back. Smith shows a bit of that "gliding" running style from the OSU game and appears to be moving into a much-valued change of pace RB role.

3.  The OL looks much more cohesive and as a result, Gardner finally has a chance to spend 60 minutes developing his progressions instead of running for his life.

4.  The team and coaching staff is happy with the win but alludes to a driving will to get vengeance in 2014.

5.  Devin Funchess, having finalized his move to WR with his play this year, has 80-100 yards receiving and a brilliant TD which pushes us into conversation about a potential number switch to #1. His offseason is more than enough to earn him the jersey.

6.  The coaching staff pulls a Beilein and opens up their offensive philosophy for next year. They decide to expand on the "controlling tempo" principle by not just utilizing clock-control offense, but also adding the ability to run offense at multiple tempoes (i.e. no huddle). 2014 revenge tour (a la 2006) commence. 

Thank you, Brian! It's been a

Thank you, Brian! It's been a rough fall and some M fans have shamed themselves. But I hope you don't forget how many people (the vast, vast majority) greatly appreciate what you do.

I have become a more informed and passionate fan from reading your stuff over the years. For Free. That is awesome, and I've never stopped thinking that even in spite of the rough couple years we've had. Thank you!

EDIT:  Thanks to the rest of the staff, too!

Students sell them on a

Students sell them on a Michigan Facebook marketplace, in general. I'm not sure what to expect this year but I can't think of one time the enemy has had a significant contingent of fans in the SS. The rest of the stadium, however... well, we'll see.

Wha? I never thought I'd see

Wha? I never thought I'd see the day when people didn't recognize haikus as a proper expression tool on MGoBlog. Don't diss on an old tradition...c'mon

Borges is not good

Execution excuse sucks

We must improve now

 

 

Or, alternatively...

 

Dear MGoBloggers

WTF happened to you?

Stop falling apart

 

(you know you still love this team, no matter how much you say you don't care if we lose anymore)

9-3...we'll drop one more,

9-3...we'll drop one more, but I think we're going to see an upward trend starting this week ("blah blah, it can't get any worse" -- yes it can. It can be a lot worse than 6-2)

We need to stay optimistic and stick together. All this bickering and nonsense is making us look just as foolish as the loss did. 

We're forgetting the real target:  Ohio State. We still have a chance to beat them.

Because statistically,

Because statistically, relative to the last decade of M b-ball, last year was an anomaly. Though I'd hope we sustain deep tourney success.

EDIT: I see what you're saying after fully re-reading your post, but I just think it takes more than 1 year to have consistency in attendance the way elite programs in CBB do. Furthermore, I haven't been defending a lack of attendance in this thread, but rather pointing out that such complaints after one phenomenal year sound silly coming from a people who would have been sitting in the completely empty Crisler (outside of the Maize Rage) a few years ago.

1 year does not a program

1 year does not a program make, and using LAST year of all years to display your argument when it is so vastly an anomaly from what our program has been in the past decade is a rather small sample size.

I agree that the section should be full. I'm just saying (in other posts in this thread) that it's not as though non-student fans can really complain when it comes to b-ball attendance.