"...I am very frustrated with the level of play that is going on with the B1G and it isn't getting better if bowl games are any indication. OSU is headed in the right direction and it seems that Michigan is also, assuming we get the skill players we need beyond QB. When you start going beyond a hand full of teams, the B1G is really not competitive. At some point, if this doesn't change, viewership and attendance will start dropping; it already has in several programs. ..."
You could have made this same post 10 years ago, and it would have been just as valid then.
SEC is money-driven and the geographic territory is responsible for most of the great collegiate and professional players we see in modern football. B1G is not money-driven and basically just fights over kids from Ohio and Pennsylvania - which isn't as big as Texas, Florida, and everything in between. Bottom line? B1G is not the SEC. Stop comparing the two. And, some school outside the SEC and B1G are always going to challenge by dominating in certain recruiting markets (Oregon, Stanford, Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma, Texas).
As Popeye says, "I ams what I ams." Why must their constantly be hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing over "the state of the B1G." 3-4 teams in the Top 25. Lose just over half our bowl games in most years. I just watch and enjoy the football.
Head Coach and Athletic Director: Bo Schembechler
Co-Offensive Coordinators: Fielding Yost and Fritz Crisler
Co-Defensive Coordinators: Gary Moeller (my personal favorite - he could coach anything) and Brady Hoke
Quarterback: Tom Brady
Halfback: Tyrone Wheatley
Halfback: Tom Harmon
Fullback: Leroy Hoard
Spit End: Anthony Carter
Flanker: Desmond Howard
Slotback: Denard Robinson (needs to be in the team and get touches somehow)
Tight End: Jim Mandich
Tight End: Ron Kramer
Tackle: Jake Long
Tackle: Greg Skrepenak
Guard: Steve Hutchinson
Guard: Dan Dierdorf (speed and size make him better-suited as guard with these elephants)
Center: David Molk
End: Brandon Graham
Tackle: Rob Renes
Tackle: Mike Martin
Tackle: Chris Hutchinson
End: Glen Steele
End/Linebacker: Lamarr Woodley
Linebacker: Erick Anderson
Linebacker: Steve Morrison
Linebacker: Jarret Irons
Corner: Ty Law
Corner: Charles Woodson
Nickel: Leon Hall
Safety: Tripp Welborne
Safety: Tom Curtis
Punter: Zoltan Mesko
Kicker: Remy Hamilton
I understand your point, but weren't we 10-2 int he regular season to Ohio's 12-0? Two games back?
We definitely played a harger schedule last year (and this year) than they did this year. In a 4-loss season, we ended up playing both teams that made the NCG, and the only other undefeated team outside ND. And, Brasky could be a 1-loss Rose Bowler when it's all said and done.
Not at all.
My quick math says Devin was 4.5 YPA minus the big play to Roundtree, and Denard was 5.5 YPC without his big play. Not sure how to feel about that.
That last holding call killed us. I remember a soft pass interference call also, but they had one, too.
I'm not an expert, but I don't think this is necessarily a correct interpretation of how Chris Brown says the "Theory of Constraints" should be appied to football. (http://smartfootball.com/offense/why-every-team-should-apply-the-constr…)
In general, Brown's real premise is that teams should not focus on adaptive plays that trick a defense but rather build a base package that suits the strength of the offense, has succes, and forces the defense to overplay something. Now, Ohio certainly looked to overplay the run, but it wasn't because we were particularly good at it (We have good players making big plays but not consistent offensive output).
The way I see it is that Al doesn't really have a very well-developed base package of plays that can consistently get us yardage. Therefore, the defense never really overplays anything we do.. We can pretend running (obv. I-form is neither suited for us nor successful and goes against the basic premise of what a "base package" should do) is succesful for us, but in reality, teams aren't overplaying our run, they are just commiting more defenders to it, because our passing game is shit.
If anything, I fault Borges for not really developing any semblance of a base package or series that really suits our players' strengths or has succes in recurrent situations. What did we run all year that managed to gain yards consistently in key situations? If we don't have a successful base, then constraint plays never work, because the defense doesn't fear anything, and thus, it never sets itself to overplay one thing over another.
I'd probably be happier if State hadn't turned out to be a fraud. That was a satisfying win at the time, but now it doesn't make up as much for the close losses (and could have beens).
However, I really love this class of kids. I don't know if I'll be as personally invested in group of players as much as these guys. I really wanted these guys to succeed, and as we get farther and farther from these years, I think everyone will look back and be very pleased with what we had, what we did, and how they did it.
Shouldn't he be? Shouldn't Denard be the whole running game? He is/was our best running back? It bothers me that the one year RichRod runs Denard into the ground, he barely misses playing time. But, the two years we try to "keep Denard fresh," he gets seriously hurt, and our offense is severely affected by it. Irony.
Our offense has playmakers for sure. For me, the issue is consistency in specific situations.
What do we go to on a regular basis that can get us the yards we need on 2nd and 8, 3rd and 6? An offense should know what they can do on 3rd and 3 to get the yards. Something they can call that has worked, should work, and usually will work unless the defense makes a play. We call things that only works if the defense misplays us.
Our offensive production is akin to playing cricket when you're drunk. If you throw with enough conviction, sooner or later you're going to hit a bullseye and win some games. You just hope everyone ignored the 7 and 2 you hit with your other two darts.
I'd ask Al something like, "now that the B1G season is over, what do you think worked best for us as a series of plays or base package on third and short this year versus conference opponents?"
He's not likely to answer that however.
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