The Conquering Heroes

Forcier Squared

2009-04-16T21:58:00.003-04:00

Greg Paulus was at Michigan Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the spring game. And, he claims to have an offer from Michigan. This isn't corraberated by anyone other than Mr. Paulus, who has also reported that he worked out for the Packers. Paulus, a Duke point guard of varying minutes over the last four years, has completed his basketball eligibility and may be interested in rekindling his football career. In 2003, Paulus was the New York State Gatorade Player of the year.

Video:

Michigan Daily has an interview with Jason Forcier. Jason, Tate's oldest quarterbacking brother, played at Michigan until he transferred to Stanford when Ryan Mallett appeared the successor to Chad Henne. Jason will graduate from Stanford shortly and enroll at Michigan as a Sports Management graduate student. Jason has already applied to the NCAA for a waiver to permit him to play a 4th year at Michigan.

The NCAA has changed the Ryan Mundy rule. Mundy graduated from Michigan and then played at WVU to complete his 4th year of eligibility. Which is what Jason now wants to do. But now a waiver is required. A waiver he seeks:

I’m in the same boat. I played three years of football and you have four to play. I have one more year. I’m graduating this year. I potentially can play football for one more year. You do have to apply for waivers. There’s a rule in the NCAA that used to allow you to graduate and go to a different school. You can go play without a penalty. That rule is no longer accepted. I don’t know what happened. I believe within the next couple years, I think they will have a grandfather clause with it. because all rules kind of have a grandfather clause with it. If you were an athlete at the time, which i was. So technically, you do appeal to the NCAA. I don’t know as far as what they’re like, how they go about that stuff.

Regardless of whether and if for Paulus, J. Forcier should be in the fold provided an NCAA waiver. We could use a senior quarterback with some talent and experience, whether this year or next.

Where's RichRod?

2009-01-31T16:53:00.003-05:00

We wind down the recruiting frenzy in the next few days. Michigan will be chasing around the uncommitteds, and probably some committeds between now and February 4, and you can watch Rich's whereabouts here. Tulsa was the location yesterday to visit committed Pearlie Graves. Palm Beach today, which could mean Denard Robinson or any number of potential commits.

Big Will, Southern Hospitality

2008-12-29T22:57:00.007-05:00

Big Will Campbell update.

So Big Will says he's down to Florida, Miami and LSU. We'll see soon enough. Count me skeptical. He says he likes the "Southern Family Thing":

In describing what he liked most about Florida, Miami and LSU, Campbell said during the Rivals.com interview that "they all showed the Southern family thing.

The entire interview, with some nationwide type rivals guy is here. I'm still not convinced, this a pretty off the cuff type interview with some "dude" breaking some news. FWIW Big Will mentions Chris Davenport a Defensive Tackle from Mansfield Louisiana, who received an offer from Michigan, but who has verbally committed to LSU:

Army Check-in: William Campbell @ Rivals Video

I'm guessing that Big Will doesn't have a lot of "southern family". I'll also take a stab in the dark and say Will probably has some family in Detroit that he really does like. What part of family is it that Will was thinking about when he called Davenport a real cool guy and declared LSU, Miami and Florida his temporary recruiting leaders? Or was he just toying with the media, and M fans?

Leslie Miles Offers Southern Hospitality.

LSU does have some experience with that southern hospitality, though. There are many types, but this is the type of family recruits can expect to see when they visit LSU:

The NYT just posted an article on the recruiting battle for Jamarkus McFarland. It doesn't have any direct relationship to Big Will, but there are certainly some interesting anecdotal comparisons:

On Oct. 25, McFarland, his mother and his grandmother attended a catered meal at the home of Tigers Coach Les Miles.

“He was very dry,” Adams said of Miles. Adams was further turned off by L.S.U., she said, when she saw hostesses sitting on the laps of recruits.

And, LSU also offers this style of southern hospitality:

Ulitimately, McFarland chose Oklahoma. The "southern hospitality" turned off his mother so much she prohibited him from going to LSU.

One of her dislikes about Louisiana State was that a maid would clean her son’s dorm room weekly.

And though Texas offered parties, drugs and girls, he and Mom said "no" and he ultimately chose Oklahoma. Let's hope that Big Will is having some of the same issues, and comes around.

The NYT article is worth a read. Not only does it offer a small glimpse into the big time sleeze recruiting in the SEC and Texas, but it also says something about Texas Coach Mac "Falt Screen" Brown. For instance:

Flat-screen televisions were in every room, and there were two outside.“Whose house do you like better, Bob Stoops’s, Les Miles’s or mine?” Adams recalled Brown saying.

Tate is the Man

2008-12-27T13:14:00.002-05:00

Reading between the lines of these quotes, Rod2 (Rod Smith and Rod-riguez) are very high on Tate Forcier and have all but told him the starting job is his to take. This is a sentiment we expressed some time ago, and the quotes lately have only reinforced the liklihood, bold is our emphasis:

Tate:

"I'm actually heading out there in less than two weeks. Right away right when I get out there, (quarterbacks) coach (Rod) Smith and coach (Rich) Rodriguez both told me I'm going to be spending most of my time with them learning that playbook. And with (strength and conditioning) coach (Mike) Barwis getting me prepared for next season - that's the main goal right now, to get ready and hope to lead Michigan to a good season next year."

Tate:

I think there’s always something to work on. I’m only in high school, I have a lot of things that I’ve got to look forward to. If I had to say, I’d say it’s my balance. I have everything you want in a quarterback. I’m not the tallest guy, but I know how to get the job done. I have a feel for the game. I feel the pressure. I have a great feel for everything. I have great arm strength. I have good enough speed. Overall it’s just the balance of me as a quarterback. I’m not over the top on anything, but that’s what the Michigan coaches are going to try to get me to do – be the best of the best. Like I said, that’s why I’m choosing them, to make me be the best that I can be.

And, sounds like the Beav decommitment was on the radar for some time, despite his consistent renouncements of a decommitment:

Lage:

"What was your reaction to (Shavodrick) Beaver recently decommitting and going to Tulsa?

Tate:

"It didn't really phase me, I wasn't worried about him. I knew I was going to have to come in and compete regardless of whether it was against him or against Threet. Him leaving it didn’t phase me. They actually thought it was going to happen at the very start. It’s kind of funny when you look at it, I was the third quarterback to commit, but I’m the only one quarterback to stay."

Tateriffic:

Watch more YouTube videos on AOL Video

The Conquering Hereos Philosophy

2008-12-27T12:17:00.006-05:00

The rumors of the Conquering Heroes demise were largely overstated. We write this blog for our enjoyment and satisfaction, not yours. If you want to read and contribute, we welcome you. But, ultimately, we have jobs, and family, and choose not to live in our basements confined to the dark, damp, lightless dwellings as do countless other webligans* who flourish the interwebs. And, so it is that from time to time, whether we are too depressed from Michigan's ghastly football season, busy at things that actually matter, or listening to a golden retriever bark at a chickadee from the window, we may not post daily, or weekly, or even monthly. There are no apologies from the Conquering Heroes for our posting habits. It is what it is. We do not write this blog for money. This blog is for our enjoyment, and we hope that if y0u read this blog it brings you infinite enjoyment that cannot be matched by any other life experience, or at least that you crack a smile, or learn something about Michigan Sports.

*"webligan". A noun that describes one, often a basement dweller, who practices acts of webliganism. Webliganism is the act,character and propensity of a person to commit acts of violence, malice, or general discredit to objects or person through the written word posted on interwebs, blogs, or message boards for self gratification. (note: This blog has, and will continue to exhibit fleeting characteristics of weliganism, especially directed to Ohio State Buckeyes, Buckstaches, or Sparty, however, as these occasional references do not envelope the identity of this blog, its authors cannot legitimately be called "webligans")

Ho Ho Ho

2008-12-22T23:42:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas.

2008-12-22T01:32:00.001-05:00

ps. Rob Parker is an Ass.

Remember It Fondly

2008-11-12T22:41:00.002-05:00

As Rod said is his press conference today, each of the senior, playing in their last game at the Big House, will remember this game, in this stadium, on Saturday, moment by moment and play by play than any other game in their career.

This season was always a rebuilding year. How much we never knew. But noone expected this. Yet, through the many coaching errors, inflexibility, and general mistakes, most of which seem to be improving over the course of the year, one thing that might seem surprising to outsiders, those who follow college football regularly but Michigan casually, might be that this team has stuck together, without incident, without any noticeable fingerpointing, despite the single worst season in most of our collective memory of Michigan football. Certainly the staff plays a rll in not only the losing, but also the sticktogetherness this team has displayed. And the effort that the team has played with each week. At the same time, we have not heard about player issues during this awful season, other than Mr. Milano thankyou very much -- which obviously wasn't a problem between he and his teammates. During this season of dredgery, this is no small feat. It is expected. But at other places, at lesser schools, the effort is not the same every week in this type of season.

The players look like they have continued to fight. Continued to play hard. Continued to try to win and never gave up.

As dissappointed as you are, as I am, as we all are following this record breaking season thanks is due to our seniors Saturday. Not only for the years that they contributed to the victorious seasons before this one, but for their dedication and effort in this terrible season.

Thankyou:

Doug Doutch
Shakir Edwards
Jason Gingell
Sean Griffin
Brandon Harrison
Tim Jamison
Will Johnson
Brandon Logan
K.C. Lopata
Mike Massey
Austin Panter
Charles Stewart
T2 (Terrance Taylor)
John Thompson
Morgan Trent

In the words of Mike Massey, the sole senior on offense:

"These are the cards we were dealt," he said. "Somebody had to be seniors during the first year.

"I'll feel just as much a part (of future Big Ten or national championship teams) because of what we went through this year."

I will be cheering loudly for each and every one of these seniors, and their parents on Saturday. I hope you will be, too.

Geniusness and stuff.

2008-11-10T22:33:00.006-05:00

Schematic Genius?

Charlie Weis is a is a big thinker, a self proclaimed genius. After 4 years of exercising his genius powers at what is now known as Northwest Indiana State, he has taken that program to heights last experienced under Gerry Faust.

And he only has 6 more years left on his contract. Charlie came into NWIS with a pure bred pedigree. By himself, he molded Tom Brady into the best quarterback in the NFL. He designed new and crazy offenses. He won a superbowl. He leaps 8 story buidlings in a single bound. He discovered that Pluto was not a planet.

When Charlie came to NWIS, he proclaimed that he would tower over all other NCAA programs because he had such an advantage coming from his unique pedigree. His success has been, well, not exactly resounding, despite his overwhelming superiority over any other merely mortal college coach. The Sun Times has captured how well this Weis superiority has turned out. Highlights:

This is his bailout package. Because the most-hyped coach in college football history has been one big failure. Never has so much hope and hype been built from hot air. But when you sell yourself on spec, as Weis did, sooner or later, the finished product comes in.

And the South Bend Tribune chimed in:

All of the schools in the aforementioned sampling faced similar or larger hurdles than did ND in the area of academic standards, coaching changes, lack of tradition and exposure or some combination thereof. And if recruiting rankings are anywhere near an accurate measure of actual talent, none of the schools on that list is in Notre Dame's stratosphere.

So the process of elimination brings you back to the X's and O's, which was supposed to be the one area Weis held an absolute edge.

"I think as you evolve into the college football world, there are many lessons you learn," Weis said when asked about his four-year-old boast of having a decided schematic advantage as a college head coach. "As the pieces of the puzzle come together, the picture gets clearer. When the pieces come together, I'll let you know."

Jug Win #66

2008-11-08T22:20:00.008-05:00

The Big Putty Jug.

Fielding Yost began coaching Michigan in 1901, and was undefeated. On October 31, 1903 Michigan rolled into Minnesota. Yost feared that the Minnesotans would spike the water, and instructed a young trainer, Tom Roberts, to obtain a receptacle to store potable water. Roberts went to a century old version of The Dollar Store, and bought a pottery jug:

The Crazed Minnesotans Kidnap the Jug.

Michigan was ahead 6-0 with 2 minutes left in the game. The team drank from the Jug clean water without a taint of spkeage. With 2 minutes in the game remaining, Minnesota tied the score. The 20,000 fans in attendance rushed the field. Roberts left the Jug behind, it having served its purpose as a safe harbor for Michigan's water. Michigan went on to win the National Championship, which was Yost's 3rd in 3 years as Michigan's coach. The sole blemish in Fielding Yost's first 4 years, was this tie, coming to the crazed Minnesotans.

Jug Reclamation.

Michigan didn't play the Minnesotans again in 1904 following the fans rush onto the field which ended the game with 2 minutes remaining. But, in 1909, Minnesota wrote to the Wolverines reminding them that the Jug had been kidnapped following the fans rush on the field. Michigan accepted the challenge to take back the Jug and won the game 15-6.

66-22-3

Since, that pottery jug has become the most famous game trophy in football. It's been painted and glazed, and bears the record of 66 Michigan victories, only 22 by Minnesota and 3 ties.

But, The Little Brown Jug sounds better that the Big Putty Jug. And, it looks better, too:

66th Celebration Of Jug.

This year, the Little Brown Jug was far from a gimme. Michigan was an underdog for the first time in as long as I can remember. And after the coaches, especially the defensive coaches, put together a nice gameplan which allowed Morgan Trent and D. Warren and Brandon Harrison to blow up Minnesota receivers; and Rich actually purposefully used clock with a lead in the last 10 mnutes of the game, a celebration is long overdue.

So, in celebration of of the first win in 6 games, and in the theme of this victory, I offer you these Little Brown Jugs:

Sweet Victory!

* Thanks to John Woodford, whose archive at umich.edu contributed to this rendition of the storied Jug.

36.5

2008-11-05T22:53:00.002-05:00

That's the number the spread should be if Nick plays the whole game Saturday. Which is possible. Word is that S. Threet may be out with a concussion. Believe it or not, the spread as of tonight is hovering at 7.5 - 8.0. And, it hasn't moved much at all from the open. So, apparently, the makers already knew, or they don't expect a major offensive drop off. I do. And, with Rod's propensity to run the hurry up regardless of how many 3 and outs we have, or the time in the game, it could get real ugly.

If Threet doesn't play, we may get to seee Feagin. They've already burned a year of eligibility for him on special teams, and Feagin has been moved back to qb, at least for now. We'll see. As immature as he may be, it would be intersting to see a speedster back there, just for kicks.

Hope Threet plays. Otherwise it may be a 36 point game.

Conference Call.

Here.

Darryl Stonum has been charged with dui. He'll play though. He was disciplined on the 4th when Michigan

Rod is preaching opportunity for recruits.

Drew Sharp asked whether Michigan will be like 'Bama next year.

Asked what he knows about the Jug: "I think it goes back a hundred years"

Purdue Presser!

2008-11-03T23:06:00.002-05:00

What do we have left to play for?

The Jug, Dammit. The most famous football trophy in all of college football. Unlike that Big Bunyan Trophy that is secondary to the game, this trophy is something special. The trophy makes the Game, Rich. Obviously the games haven't been enough, maybe the trophy of trophies can.

I won't point fingers

I thought he actually looked calm. He looked better than many of the conferences. He looked like he was in command. And, although I would never expect him to show it, he sounded like he truly thougth/thinks that Shafer is doing fine. And, as much as I question the schemes, the passing yards given up, and the bumbling secondary play, I will be very glad if the coaches have not turned on one another.

This season has evolved into a practice. A year long practice. For the coaches to know the players. The Players to know the coaches. The coaches to know the coaches who aren't part of Rich's infamous "we" from WVA.

But, Rich every one of these next 3 practices are as big as your first 9. The battle for the Little Brown Jug is key. We want the Jug. You will lose some of the pressure that has mounted from Michigan's patient base if you can win the Jug.

That game is followed by the last home game of your first year. Mark my words, other than a victory at Ohio State, there is not one thing that you could do at this juncture that would ease your enty into the 2009 season more that an strong offensive showing vs. NW and giving up only single digit scoring. And while that's impossible, a victory would go almost as far, even if it's 48 -47.

And, of course The Game.

I suggest you start now. Don't downplay the Jug.

I am Michigan.

2008-11-02T22:17:00.006-05:00

Dear Coach Rodriguez:

You talk about "we" interchangeably between your staff and Michigan. How Tiller brought the spread to the Big 10, but how "we" have been running it a long time. And, while I see tremendous hope in the offense when Brandon Minor could not be stopped despite a horrendous offensive line, it frustrates beyond no end that you cannot beat the worst team in the conference, which started a quarterback who has never started a college game. Who played running back last week.

And, while "you" brought your "program" here; you are not "we". Your staff is not Michigan. Michigan is not your staff. You are no doubt hurting. But, you are not Michigan. You have no idea. My neighbor in Section 6 is Michigan. My fellow alumni down the street is Michigan. Together, me, my fellow season ticket holder, my fellow alumus, my neighbor are I.

And I am Michigan.

And I am upset. And, while I can live with losses in well a played game, I am frustrated at coaching errors. I am frustrated by coaches who play freshmen who fumble punts. I am upset by poor clock management. I am bewildered by a secondary who has regressed so far since last year. And, while I know that this loss is merely one, it is one of at least seven and what looks like ten. It is one that I will never forget because it marks your place in my history. I know that not even Bump or Mo, with all of his delay of game penalties, could match this mark. I know that this loss was better played than most this year. But, I believe that Les Miles, or Greg Schiano, or Ron English, or Brady Hoke or god forbid Mike DeBord would not have resulted in this depth defying nosedive.

Still, I want to believe.

But, Rod, your lips move, and I can't hear what you're sayin'.

I can't explain. You would not understand. This is not how I am.

Hopefully . . .

2008-10-31T22:27:00.011-04:00

Joe's Gone Fishin' tomorrow and the snake oil salesman gets him. (P.S. I do know that there's a white margin on the right side of this image, but, I figured, if Michigan's offense can play halfass, and our secondary covers halfass, and our coaches coach at best halfass, then dammit, on Halloween Night, I can post a halfass Tiller retirement image while watching Appalachian State vs. Woffard play for something meaningful!)

Wilford Brimley is Old, But . . .

He's all for instant gratification. In fact he brought it to us, and paved the way for Rich:

"Young people like to throw and catch and run around and high five each other and enjoy having fun playing the game," Tiller said. "I think the style of offense is a fun style, I guess, to participate in."

Tiller, who graduated from Montana State in 1965 with a B.S. degree in secondary education, sounds more like a sociologist when he talks about the spread.

"It's almost, to me, a reflection of our society, in that things can happen in an instant in the spread offense," Tiller said. "I often times refer to our society as being an instant gratification society, so the spread offense fits right in. We've just done our part to help America be better."

Like I said, Joe may be old, but he knows foxy ladies.

Foxy LaFon, that is. Foxy is a secretary for Wilford Brimley. Wilford is happy. Wilford spared Foxy from the 2005 Purdue Purge.

It's come to this. There's nothing interesting to say in preview of the actual game. We're 2 and 6. It's likely this is our last best chance at a win, especially coming off the loss to the bill board toutin' chumps from toiletville.

I guess I could say that Michigan is about last in pass defense, and Purdue isn't very good. But, you already knew that.

Prediction.

Michigan 47, Purdue 200

Oh, that was total first half yardage.

Let's try a score: Purdue 31 Michigan 20.

Go Blue!

Sparty On . . . .

2008-10-29T21:26:00.008-04:00

You may have already seen this:

A lot of Spartys I've talked to think it's great. Some thought it over the top.

I think it's funny. Not what the billboard says. The words aren't funny. In fact, even for a Spartan, the words aren't much at all, except to remind each MAC alumnus who saw it that after a big win they don't think about a good game, instead they criticize their nemisis. Were I a spartan, I would be sad.

Which is why I think it's so funny. Picture it:

Mr. Bitter Rivals calls the billboard company days ahead to reserve the space. He has already lined up those fantastic quotes like "Leaders and Best. In your dreams maybe." It took him 12 months to come with these great lines, save the funniest, Holy Toledo" which took about 3 weeks.

Michigan plays another mediocre second half and the guy who was so fortunate to sit in Michigan Stadium instead of Huntington Bank Field is now, literally, peeing his pants over that billboard. He hurries to the car after the win. Starts it up. Hustles on back to 23 North, thinking how badly he wished he could have bought that sign in Whitmore Lake to show all of those Wolverines how great State is. How awesome it was to win in the Big House. But, he is at least comforted that he was able to buy that billboard in East Lansing.

He turns left to merge onto 96 West and he can hardly stop from laughing out loud to the universe. He thinks how great it will be to have all of Spartydom look upon his creation glowing with the knowledge that "Oh Well. There's Always Men's Basketball. Oh Wait. My Bad."; "Roses are Red. Violets are Blue. Your Football Team's Terrible. And Your Basketball Team, Too."; and of course "Leaders and Best? Seriously?? Lately?? You've got to Be Kidding". Because, you know, it just wouldn't be enough to say "Congragulations to the Michigan State Spartans".

Nope, instead, he reminds all of Spartydom that it wasn't a congragulatory moment, it was an opportunity to put down the school that they look up to on the field, in the classroom, and at the workplace.

And here is the Wizard of Rival explanation of why he spent 12 months to come up with wonderful quotes like "Where's the Arrogance Now?"

Yep, I did it, paid for it and sprung it on the Michigan faithful immediately after the game......and here's why.

I have attended every MSU vs. U-M game since 1992 and have never experienced such arrogant, mean-spirited gloating as I felt last year. This premeditated, choreagraphed and orchestrated display of classlessness was led by the little runt Mike Hart.

I've heard Michigan fans say "Act like you've been there". Does that include mocking the opposing Coach by pointing to an imaginary watch like Mario Manningham did last year after catching a TD late in the game?

How about Mike Hart standing 5-yards from our sideline before last years' game and trash-talking until he was physically pulled away. That's what Coach D was referring to when he mentioned "look what they were doing before the game". I saw it first-hand and knew what he was referring to.

Did U-M fans forget when their (heavily-favored) team knelt down at mid-field after the game and openly mocked our team and fans. Then in post-game comments continued to rub our noses in a crushing defeat. Gracious? Classy? No, orchestrated and mean-spirited.

Finally, I have witnessed the unfurling of a 30-foot sign in the visitors section of Spartan Stadium glorifying the arrogance of Michigan fans in games they won in our own back yard (anyone remember the "Pardon Our Arrogance" sign?). They did it again last year and I vowed to myself that I would return the favor in spades this year.

Someone posted that they wished there was a billboard on U.S. 23 so the Michigan fans would see it every day they drove home from work. I tried to get the Whitmore Lake billboard expressly for that purpose but was turned down flat. I wanted all the U-M and Spartan fans returning from the game to see that board lit up immediately after the game. They refused to take my money because they feared the University's response. I even offered to pay them 1/2 of the weekly fee to post it for only 3 hours after the game and was turned down as well. That's the God's honest truth.

Is it gloating? You betcha. Were the billboards designed to rub it in the Michigan fans faces? Absolutely.

If you want to criticize me for being petty and vindictive, I am guilty as charged. But, if your Michigan friend tries to take some kind of moral high ground on this, please remind him that they taught us that this type of response is acceptable and expected in this rivalry.

Or have they forgotten when Jalen Rose rubbed his butt on the block "S" in the Breslin Center.

When a Michigan fan questions why we're so elated about beating a team we were favored to beat, remind him when Chris Webber stood up on the scorers table and did a victory dance after his heavily-favored team beat MSU in OT in the early 1990s.

Hey, we didn't make the rules but now that we know them it's game on.

But, I assume, sir, that you, sir, are probably not a 19 or 20 year old kid. I assume, sir, that you, sir, are not a college student. I assume, sir, that you, sir, didn't jump up on a scorers table in the heat of an emotional overtime victory, but rather spent 12 months of planning this wonderful billboard endeavor and still thought it was a great idea. I assume, sir, that you, sir, were one of the idiots gloating over Michigan State's flag planting turf bouncing brilliance on the gridiron years past.

But perhaps, sir, I have underestimated you. Maybe you, sir, are really so enamored with the University of Michigan that you can't get us off of your mind. Maybe you, sir, are simply one among Spartydom that cannot define himself without saying "Michigan" or "Leaders and Best" in the same sentence. And, that, sir, is why you, sir, are my little brother. And for you sir, in my very best impression of a Budweiser commercial so appropriate for you, sir (and a good deal of your Sparty mates):

"So here's to you Mr. Sparty Bitter Rivals Celebrating A Victory Over Your Arch Rival Like A Real Amateur Guy -- You're an Inferiority Champ."

Newsflash, Mr. Inferiority Champ. After Michigan takes you to the shed at Huntington Bank Field next year, and the year after, and the years after that, we will celebrate our victories and know that we've made it about halfway to a Big Ten championship. We'll be proud of our team, of our school, of our players. We'll save the congragulatory billboards for the National Championship.

Forceeeeyay!

2008-10-28T19:52:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of Mgoblog. Tate.

Yeah!

Pressers!

2008-10-28T00:52:00.006-04:00

I Am Disturbed

Best comment I've heard from Rodriguez all fall.

"The number of big plays was really disturbing".

He sounded upset. I've got to say, that this might have been the best example of a genuine statement from this staff that they realize they have failed in coaching. Finally. Hey, I can accept the fact that you tried to come up with a scheme, tried to get the players to learn the plays, but couldn't do it. This is significant progress from the continued mantra about how well the team is improving in practice, and how the offensive staff has THE gameplan and preparation, but execution failed. I'm actually glad hear this self critique, which seemed genuine, even if directed at the defensive staff. After all, Rodriguez knows he's responsible for the D ultimately.

On the other hand, the clip may also be one of the best examples of poor coaching and strategy. On a critical 3rd and 3, State is offsides, but the call isn't made. The left side of the line doesn't move. Threet throw downfield to Matthews incomplete, as the offense apparently tries something of a trick play. The same thing happened in a game between Tulsa on Sunday night, only the penalty was called. Shaun King was doing color on the game. He explained that the play is called the Freeze Play. The idea is to emphasize the off sides. But, why? If its offsides, run the play with all 11 players.

"We tell them assume the penalty won't be called."

Then why would you handicap yourself by throwing the ball away on a 1 receiver route? If the penalty isn't called, then you've got more than one option by not runnig the "freeze". And if it is, it's a Free Play, not a freeze.

I like Steven Threet. I think he's been tough. From watching only 8/12ths of my first season of this Spread thingymajigg Rodriguez keeps talking about, it's clear to me that he has improved, and that he can run the ball to a degree. He is light years beyond the 2nd string quarterback in abilty, if not decision making. But, in the comment for the video above, there was a reference about Rodriguez knowing what has to be done to win.

And if there wasn't any question to what he was referring, it should be clear here when he may as well have said "We expect Tate Forcier to compete and start":

"Some of the needs will be addressed in recruiting, which is obvious".

We've Got To Get More Athletic on Defense

A Wide Angle View.

2008-10-26T22:50:00.005-04:00

There are a lot of things that aren't clear from watching tv. You can watch all of the replays from Musberger and Spielman, and even watch twice, but not understand what really happened on any given play. The pesrpective of watching the o-line protect and the pass receivers run routes is something that just can't get unless you watch the game from the stadium.

So, what did I see against State?

Positives:

The defensive line. Obviously. Brandon Graham and Terrance Taylor player particularly well. Brandon Graham was a terror. TT had several outstanding plays and had pretty good penetration for most of the game. And, although I have said this before, I will say again that the Bawis Ginsu Ninja Warrior training techniques appear to be paying off for these guys, because they do not look tired on the field, not even in the 4th quarter.

Now, you would think this stamina would be paying off on the field, yes? No. It isn't. It may next year.

The defensive backs. Ok. You're going to call me nuts. And that's fine. But, it is very clear that our dbs are talented and fast, and hit hard. This was not expected coming into the season. Morgan Trent played well last year, and D. Warren was solid for a freshman. Both of these guys showed glimpses of their former selves Saturday, despite the carnage.

Offensive line. This isn't an actual positive. It is a relative positive. I expected worse. They played relatively well, and there was less backfield penetration on running plays than I expected. Pass protection could have been better, especially in the 4th quarter, but all in all, not as bad as I had anticipated.

Running backs. Brandon Minor played ok. He played tough. We need a second option. Carlos Brown anyone?

Wide receiver blocking. A Michigan tradition has been maintained. The receivers more often than not got a head on a man and made decent blocks. On a couple of bubble screens, the blocks were maintained well.

Field Goal Defense. Awesome. They were in on the kicker each kick. Tremendous rush from the left side of the line.

Kevin Koger. He is the real deal. We may not have tight end of his caliber since Jerame Tuman.

Negatives:

Everything else? That would be a copout, so . . .

Defensive Backs. How can you list them as a positive and negative? Easily. Although there is talant at the corner position, the coaching staff has wasted it. The defensive backs positioning is poor. As a unit, they look and play confused. This = points. I am very concerned. The level of confusion is astonishing for 8 games into the season. I'd think about a play by play analysis, but there were just so many I can't pick. Boubacar has some speed, but his lapse cost a touchdown against Sparty. Unlikely Morgan Trent makes that mistake.

Quarterback. I've given the nod to S. Threet this year. And, frankly, he's played close to the level of Chad Henne is his first year. Threet obviously has a lot less talent at receiver to throw to, and a line far worse than Henne had. Henne also benefited from a pro style passing game which has utterly escaped this staff -- more on that later. But Threet threw too many interceptions, and missed some passes that should have been made. On Stonum's drop in the end zone, the ball should have been thrown about a second earlier. It ended up late, and slightly off target. And, whether by design of the coaching staff or Threet's mistakes, he throws too many balls down the sideline which should have been passed in the middle of the field, including a missed post pattern on the Brandon Minor touchdown/nontouchdown.

Wide Receivers. When will Daryl Stonum learn to catch? Same for Matevious Odoms. A couple of big drops by these guys really hurt.

Clock Management. Please, please, please someone consider hiring an assitant coach to tell the offensive staff that when you're going 3 and out, in your own end, at the end of half you might want to consider moving away from the hurry up offense? With 3 minutes left, Michigan runs the hurry up, 3 and out, and punts the ball away to State with too much time on the clock and after having used no timeouts. With the timouts remaining, State had the option to run the ball, and immediately scored. Maybe it happens anyway, and Michigan did go down the field before haltime and score after State was up 14-7, but this just has to stop. It is pure stupidity. I could actually understand this to a point, if 3 and out wasn't the norm. But it is.

Uuugh. There is a serious lack of improvement on Saturdays from the offense. Rod says we just can't see all those wonderful strides made in practice -- he said it again in the press conference. I don't believe it. I believe he is simply too stubborn to be able to adapt to a downfield passing game, which is what the personnel on this team is better suited for than a quarterback lead running game. In fact, it is just damn depressing to watch our pass patterns becuase it is clear that there is nothing even remotely resembling a sophisticated pass offense.

Sidewayz Yards. And I suppose that we knew this coming from the run game, but on Saturday it looked like every Brandon Minor carry was a sweep running sideways. I trust Rodriguez on this one, and assume this was at least in part because the Threet running option was minimized in an effort to keep him healthy throughout the duration of the game.

State Week!

2008-10-23T22:25:00.002-04:00

Mark Dantonio.

He's going to use what he has to motivate his players. Huh. Well here it is:

Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother. Little Brother.

Feel better, Mantonio?

Brandons.

Brandon Minor has Brandon Graham covered.

Wow. Another Presser!

2008-10-22T22:40:00.003-04:00

I think this makes three.

The over under is 5. The Huge show. Really. Here goes.

Rod says that competing in practice equals will. I don't agree. You can practice as hard as you want. Compete every play. But, ultimately, that does not have anything to do with, nor does translate to having players and coaches, and a Unit that has the will to win, the will to overcome the adversity in the game, and to take it to the next level. At this point, the next level is a victory.

Feagin has repped some. But doesn't sound like he's a viable alternative based on what appears to be an insurmountable lack of experience.

Unbelievable.

He says the rumors have been unbelievable. Clemson. Decommits. Etc, etc. He clearly doesn't get it. He has been treated with the ultimate Kid Gloves. It is amazing, to me, that he would even hint at fans, or anyone, complaining about his performance. Read Mgoblog. Read it this year. Read it last year. Read it in '06. Do the same for the other blogs. The amazing thing is that Ricardo has been given a free pass for a 2-5 season where the team has looked like it is often without a gameday coach. Yet, many of the same people chastised Lloyd Carr because we didn't beat OSU in '06. Listen, Ricardo, if you think you have it bad now, imagine what will happen if you go 2-5 next year.

Of course, all of this is compounded by continued remarks that He Ricardo is going to rebuild Michigan. Here he says the goal is to get Michigan back to a top 10 team. Hello? Where is that we have been the last 10 years?

2007 AP #18/espn #19
2006 AP #6/espn usa today #9
2005 unranked
2004 AP #14/espn usa today #12
2003 AP #6/espn usa today #7
2002 AP #9/espn usa today #9
2001 AP #20/espn usa today #20
2000 AP #11/espn usa today #10
1999 AP #5/espn usa today #5
1998 AP #12
1997 Nat'l Champs!

So yeah. We must have just sucked.

Rich: Suck it up. Knock it off. Coach your offense. Coach your players. Hold a few less press conferences. And, maybe talk to Lloyd about how to draw up some sophisticated pass routes. We like you. We are giving you a chance. We want you to succeed. But, we don't want to be reminded how awful the Michigan program performed before you, our savior, appeared on the scene!

Transcript of Monday Presser here.

No Fake, It's a Bruised Elbow

2008-10-21T20:49:00.006-04:00

Injury Telegraph

Remember the days when Lloyd Carr was asked about the condition of an athlete and the reply went something like this:

"Chad is a little knicked up. I'm not telling you whether it's a hair follicle or a torn acl, but it will be a game time decision"

Those days are gone. The oddsmakers and our opponents probably appreciate knowing which arm they should go after when Threet drops back in the pocket. Prime example from Mlive:

University of Michigan quarterback Steven Threet pointed to a spot on his right arm just above the elbow Monday.

"Basically from about here down, my whole hand tingles," he said, describing the sensation he felt in two recent games. "It's not necessarily pain, because you can play through pain, but I can't grip a ball."

And, Freep:

"It's more just a matter of not being able to move it," Threet said. "It's weird to describe because you think it's a bruise on the back of your elbow, but it just stops (the arm from stretching). I can't use my right hand to touch my right shoulder at points during the game."

A little misdirection wouldn't hurt, would it? The article also goes on to quote Threet as having taken shots during each of the last 2 games. To help reduce swelling against Toledo, and for pain relief at half vs. They Are.

In fact, we even know how and when the injury occurred:

The tingling sensation, which first occurred when Threet was tackled out of bounds and landed on his elbow during the second quarter of an Oct. 11 loss to Toledo, caused him to miss the second half of that game. It also forced him from last Saturday's Penn State loss in the third quarter.

Running Threet.

Clearly Rod isn't going to adapt his offense. He had the opportunity early when it looked like Michigan's personnel simply wasn't going to be up to the task of running the qb zone read as the predominant play in this offense. There are spreads that utilize short passes, yes? Yes, there are.

This isn't necessarily a complaint. I obviously think flexibility would have been productive for this team. This team did not have to be 2-5. On the other hand, I assume Rod saw some light flashes in practice that gave him hope. I can live with that decision (unlike poor clock management or ridiculous in game strategy).

But now it is painfully obvious that Michigan cannot win if they have to rely on Nick Sheridan. No offense to Nick is meant here. He is a walk-on, though, and it really shouldn't surprise anyone that our offense stalls when a short, relatively slow, walkon quarterback with a poor arm plays quarterback. He does what he can, but he just doesn't have enough sockets in the ol' toolbox.

Knowing this, wouldn't you do what you could to preserve and protect Mr. Threet? Sure, running off tackles and zone reads with the quarterback was semi-productive, but only in a perverted sort of way. Kind of like taking a short cut out of the parking garage over those spikey backward tire hole puncher things. Multiply that by two if you don't have a spare tire.

Presser!

2008-10-20T23:30:00.003-04:00

I dunno about any rivalry, but that Bunyan Trophy. . . . That's somethin'.

Hail to the Victors Valiant . . . .

2008-10-19T11:41:00.006-04:00

Alex Hunt Kills It.

Alex Hunt and the Michigan Wolverines Volleyball team kicked the Hoosiers in Bloomington Saturday. Hunt had 16 kills and 4 blocks in a phenomenal effort versus Indiana.

Game Recap here. Michigan stats:

   Michigan               |     ATTACK      |SET| SERVE |SRV|DEF|  BLOCK |GEN
## Name                 GP|  K   E  TA   PCT|  A| SA  SE| RE|DIG|BS BA BE|BHE|POINTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1  Rood, Veronica......  3|  5   3  11  .182|  1|  0   0|  0|  1| 0  1  1|  0|   5.5
2  Karpiak, Beth.......  3| 12   3  25  .360|  0|  0   1|  0|  1| 0  4  0|  0|  14.0
6  Bruck, Karlee.......  3|  6   1   9  .556|  0|  0   0|  0|  1| 0  4  0|  0|   8.0
8  Hunt, Alex..........  3| 16   3  32  .406|  0|  0   0|  0|  3| 0  1  0|  0|  16.5
17 Zimmerman, Lexi.....  3|  3   2   8  .125| 51|  0   1|  0|  8| 0  6  0|  1|   6.0
18 Paz, Juliana........  3| 13   5  34  .235|  0|  2   1|  0| 13| 0  2  0|  0|  16.0
3  Donhoff, Sloane.....  3|  0   0   0  .000|  2|  0   2|  2| 11| 0  0  0|  0|   0.0
5  Bower, Megan........  3|  5   2  12  .250|  1|  0   0|  1|  7| 0  0  0|  0|   5.0
12 Busch, Maggie.......  2|  0   0   0  .000|  0|  0   0|  0|  0| 0  0  0|  0|   0.0
16 Hance, Kerry........  3|  1   0   3  .333|  1|  1   1|  0|  6| 0  0  0|  0|   2.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals..............  3| 61  19 134  .313| 56|  3   6|  3| 51| 0 18  1|  1|  73.0

Michigan plays Iowa, at home at Cliff Keen arena Friday at 7pm. Get out and support the Wolverines. Go Blue! I look forward to singing Hail to the Victors in a winning effort (or least a competetive one).

Being John Beilein.

Mark Snyder of the Free Press relates his starring role. An interesting look into the game day prep at Crisler.

Slurs from the Peanut Gallery.

Lou Holtz puts his ass in his mouth in criticsm of Rich Rod, and ineffectively explains his comment.

Note to Rod Smith.

I Am Available Saturday. If Steven Threet can't go on Saturday, I am willing, and I can't do any worse than Nick Sheridan. If I get hurt, the season ticket holder to my left could also fill in at the same level as Nick. Please give me a call, we want to help.

And, as long as I'm on the subject of how to keep Steve Threet a little bit healthier, here's Rod Smith's comment from the Detroit News:

Smith said maybe the coaches consider running Threet less -- he had 14 carries for 50 yards in the game -- but the injury came on a pass play.
"The thing is, Steve didn't get hurt on a run, he got hurt when he was throwing," Smith said. "He got hit on a sack, on a play-action, the kid came from the back side, and that's when he hurt it. He ran the ball well. He likes doing that once in a while."
The drop-off at quarterback is the issue now. Sheridan, who started the season opener, entered with the game tied and took a safety, giving Penn State its first lead. He was 3-of-9 for 5 yards and clearly struggled, as did the entire offense.
"We've got to find some plays somehow once Steve goes out," Smith said. "I thought Steve did some good things. We've got to get someone to step up and get ready to fill his shoes if he's not in there."

R0d, just because I couldn't perform any worse than Nick Sheridan doesn't mean we'd have any better chance to win, so let me help you out.. Could you consider running spread offense with 4 wideouts and quick passes from Threet to the wideouts, or is that just too complicated an adjustment? Maybe mention that to Ricardo, huh. And, in case you haven't scouted your opponent for Saturday yet, their dbs, are shall we say, suspect.

This Is A Clock. It Keeps Time.

2008-10-18T19:47:00.007-04:00

Time is Important in Football.

Three minutes left in the first half. Michigan's ball on the 16 yard line (or so).

Ricardo: "ok, guys let's go out there and run the hurry up as fast as we can, line it up, snap it, and go 3 and out. We want to use as little clock as possible."

Fred Jackson: "Coach, I really think maybe we should try to use that 40 second clock some, force some timouts and punt."

Ricardo: "You must be crazy! We have a program. We have an attitude. We never use more than 15 seconds between players regardless of the situation. Clock management, we don't use them big words in Appalachia, Freddy"

Fred Jackson: "You know, I've coached a long time, and I really learned a lot about the will to win, about game strategy, and about clock management while I was on Coach Carr's staff, Rich, and I just think you're dead wrong. Heck, Lloyd once told me we that game we lost down in Columbus in '06 that we just didn't use enought clock on offense. We just left the defense left out there by themselves."

Ricardo: Aw, shucks, Fred, you know that we ain't never worried about clock management! I once heard some guy named Miles talk about it, but he didn't seem to know what he was sayin'"

Fred Jackson: "No, he didn't. I do, though."

. . . . . .

Meanwhile, Michigan runs a no huddle on first and second down for 2 yards, after which Penn State calls timout. And, yes, you guessed it, results in one of a long line of 3 and outs. And, instead of giving Penn State the ball with no timeouts and less than 1:30, we give it up with 2 minutes and 1 timeout.

. . . . . .

With about 20 seconds on the clock -- about 40 seconds after time would have run out had Michigan forced a timeout after first down or refused to run a hurry up offense up by 10 points in the 1st half, Penn State scores a touchdown. Had that nasty Michigan tradition of clock management been employed, best case scenario is a Penn State field goal.

. . . . . .

Fast Forward 30 minutes

. . . . .

After 39 straight points, Penn State beats the 24.5 point spread. Unbelievable. I saw the single worst half of Michigan football in my life. Michigan loses 46-17. And, Darrin Clark, Penn State's quarterback is interviewed after the game:

Stupid Reporter: "Darrin, what was said at halftime?"

Darrin Clark: "Not much, really. The last drive of the first half really gave us a lot of confidence, and we knew we could come back out in the second half and play our game."

. . . . .

Of course, there were many more problems. Of course, any time that Nick Sheridan takes a snap and Michigan is not up by at least 40 points with 10 minutes or less left in the game should be chalked up as a likely loss. Of course, the offense in the second half had problems under both Threet and Sheridan.

Yet, really, the difference in the game, the point where we knew Michigan was done, the point that singlehandedly guarenteed that the Good Guys would lose their first of 10 meetings against Penn State was Penn State's touchdown at the end of the first half due to Ricardo's clock management. Sorry, I mean lack of it. It is a sad day, indeed, when the opposing quarterback calls out Michigan's head coach as the confidence inspiring source of its 39-0 comeback.

Oh; and No, I don't really believe we lost the game becuase of this. As soon as Nick Sheridan walked the field, the game was lost for good. What is amazing is that Threet came back in and played after he had been sat for injury. Begs the question, yes? Is he hurt, or did he sit? I assume he was injured. I assume that Ricardo's statement that he would play both regardless was horsecrap. If it wasn't -- Wow. As we, and anyone who has watched Michigan this year knows -- Nick Sheridan might be able to start at quarterback for a large high school team. Other than that, not so much.

But, if you don't believe me already, which you should after the Illinois first half, The Clock, will guarantee games are lost that should not be with Ricardo until something changes. This year. Next year. And yes, even in that year when we might be playing for a big ten championship. And that is simply unacceptable.

Where Can I Return My Defective Rodriguez?

2008-10-11T21:59:00.009-04:00

I was angry. For about 6 minutes (instead of 6 weeks). Which may be the most telling of signs about how far and how fast Michigan has fallen.

We were forgiving, almost as an entire fanbase. We have chastised fumbles, and pointed out poor strategy decisions by Rodriguez, but here, and most everywhere, the Michigan fanbase has treated Rodriguez with kid gloves during this "rebuilding" period. We have trusted that the "rebuilding" was a necessary evil to institute this spread thing which Rodriguez brought with him.

The kid gloves are off. Our trust has ended.

In one half season, with the most difficult part of the season left, Rodriguez has managed:

1. to lose as many games as Lloyd Carr ever did in a regular season;
2. to lose to a Mid-American Conference team for the first time ever;
3. to accumulate the worst record through 6 games since Bump Elliot's 1967 team, which went 1-5 and finished 4-6.
4. to amass one of the worst performing offenses in the nation: 109 of 119 (Offensive Genius??)
5. to be dead last in fumbles lost (the ncaa doesn't track fumbles not lost but is there any doubt Michigan would be last there as well?)

Some have compared the transition we're seeing to Bo's start in '69. We've heard about swearing by coaches, and we reminded that Bo was no angel. We're reminded about how the practices under Bo and Rod have both been tough. We're told that the players run, run, run in practice, all of the time under Rod, and that Bo also had his team running crazily during practice. We've heard that players quit between 68 and 69 because practices were so tough, and see the comparison to the players who left early or transferred.

But, Rodriguez doesn't appear to be anything like Bo. Not even Bo's first year as Michigan head coach did Michigan get blown out as badly at home as they did by Illinois. In 1969, Bo's squad lost by 23 to Missouri in Ann Arbor. The score was 17 - 40. But, Missouri was also damn good, ending as co-champions of the Big Eight and going on to an Orange Bowl berth. Illinois will not be a champion of any type this year.

The Missouri loss was a turning point for Bo. After being crushed at home by Missouri on October 4, 1969, Bo's teams went on to win every home game played until November 22, 1975. 41 games. 6 years. 72 months. 2,240 days. Michigan won 4 big ten championships and finished in the top 10 every year. It took Rodriguez all of 6 days to lose his next game.

When Bo's team next lost at home, they lost to Ohio State, which was ranked 4th in the nation coming into the game, won the big ten, and was ranked number one in the country at 11-0 until they lost in the Rose Bowl to UCLA. Rogriguez lost to Toledo. The first ever Michigan loss to a MAC team. And a team which will likely finish in the bottom half of its mediocre conference.

There may still be Rodriguez apologists after today. Those who claim that Michigan lacks offensive talent. That we don't have the players to fit the system of this offensive genius.

I suppose apologists could argue that fumbling is merely random and that players fumbling have nothing to do with coaching. Some have. They are wrong. Fundamentals are taught. Holding onto the ball is emphasized. You won't hear me or anyone else say coaches can prevent fumbles altogether, but when that frequency of fumbling is so far above the average over six games, there is clearly a coaching issue. But, hey, it does take a player to fumble.

But, it doesn't take a player to botch clock management. Against Wisconsin, Michigan ran a hurry up offense on it's 10 yard line with about 2 minutes left in the half. They could have run, huddled, and ran the clock out. Instead, Rod runs a hurry up offense which forces a punt.

Or woefully fail to see clear audibles. Versus Illinois, in the third quarter, Michigan was on the goal line, going into score. The Illinois defense lined up with nobody over center. Threet took the playcall from the sideline. Instead of the coaches noticing the obvious qb snea which looked like it would have ended with Threet running clear until Section 8 row 7, Rod calls a pitch sweep which started 6 or 7 yards deep.

Or to call an atrocious game. In Michigan's last drive against Toledo, Sheridan led Michigan to the 10 yard line with about 40 seconds left. After a 9 yard gain on first down, it was 2 and 1 on the 10. The next to playcalls were passes. Why not run the ball and get a first down. There was pleny of time left. There was no reason to hurry up to kick a game tying field goal. Take advatage of time and the situation and the downs. Michigan likely would have won the game had it run the ball once or twice in that last 40 seconds, picked up a first down and managed the clock.

Toledo. Wow.

So. . . . how'd that volleyball team do?

The Preparation and The Plan Is All There?

2008-10-11T20:00:00.011-04:00

With due respect, Coach, you may want to reconsider

Stamina, Speed, Skill and Will

2008-10-08T22:04:00.006-04:00

Barwis is a maniac. Rodriguez an offensive genius. Schaffer an agressive s.o.b. But that is not all it takes.

Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have late minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.

-Muhammed Ali

Stamina. Check.

Speed. Check.

Skill. Defense Check. Offense, half check.

Will. Maybe not. According to Rod:

"You can run full speed and still be soft. It's a physical ballgame, and there comes a point in time where you have to play physically. You can't catch people. You can't allow them to block you -- you've got to want to block them. ... Unless we become a tougher football team mentally and physically, we'll have a lot of problems."

He wouldn't go into detail about what he would do to correct the problem, but he said some of the responsibility falls on the coaches because it's their job to motivate the players who are not self-motivated.

Hopefully, that is intended a self reflection and not that of the players. The lack of will or softness as Rodriguez called it is primarily on the offense. Granted, there is tremendous youth, and it is not entirely fair to place blame on a coach if a player isn't motivated. But it is in good part the staff's job, from position coach, to coordinator, to head coach. There is no reason for a team ahead 14-3 to lose a game like Michigan did Saturday. There was a lack of will. Hopefully, the Rod staff knows something about will, and they haven't let what was a mentally strong team under Lloyd Carr become mentally soft.

The difference between a successful person and others is not lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of will.

— Vince Lombardi

I think they do know something. I don't think they have let it go. But, another game like Illinois, another game where offense loses its focus and drive, and we need to begin to wonder.

Dirty Little Secret?

2008-10-02T23:20:00.009-04:00

Did You Know . . .

Tony Mandarich did steroids at Michigan State. Amazing. How'd we all miss that one? Michigan might have beaten MSU that year but for the steroids. We only lost 17-11.

I kind of felt sorry for Mandarich. Everyone knew he was juicing. He was the 6th pick in the draft. He had great expectations, and went to a team, Green Bay, where he could have been a hero. LA Times:

Mandarich: There are other factors that were involved that nobody knows about that were way more of an effect on why I had the huge downfall in Green Bay than steroids (such as) drug and alcohol abuse. I was injecting a drug called staydal ... and it was euphoric. I went from doing one injection on that one day, and a week later I was doing between 5 [to] 7 shots a day for the next three years.

Armen Keteyian: You went into Green Bay essentially a drug addict?

Mandarich: Mmm hmm, not the same, not the same person they drafted. I got to the point where it was a struggle to workout three or four times a week because the priority of getting high was above the priority of working out.

Instead, he was gone in 3 years, and had a lot of personal problems.

The real story here is not the revelation that he juiced. It's that it is now obvious MSU's "investigation" regarding the widespread steroid use on the "87 Spartan team was a fraud. It's long been rumored that a large portion of that team was juicing, and that George was complicit. Perles:

"Twenty years ago, we went through with an investigation because we suspected things," Perles said. "We checked it out and there wasn't a problem. There was nothing there.

"Obviously, now if he says this you've got to believe him. You've got to take him at his word. But how it slipped through the cracks at the Rose Bowl and with the NFL and him being the second draft pick, I don't know."

My, My, . . . . Maya Sakura

Tony and his wife are now photographers. They shoot models. And, boy, do they shoot models. I didn't attach the shot (or three) above for the heck of it. It's a Mandarich. So is this.

In my little corner of the world, Tony has gone a long way toward redeeming himself.

I Can't Hold It Anymore.

2008-10-02T08:46:00.003-04:00

Rodriguez comments.

Rod's big ten call audio is here. Our offense isn't clicking. Really?

Because It's West Virginia.

I've thought that, perhaps, there's just too many people, incuding me, picking on the appalachian americans. Really, I'm sure Bill Stewart is a very nice man. The fact that he is Barney Fife in a parellel universe isn't his fault. But, just when those thought slowly creep into the crevices of my brain . . . .

Another example of why we make fun of them pops out. Seems a driver in West Virginia had a few too many and decided he'd drive home. What resulted, however, is, shall we say . . . felonious odiferous?

Cruz was pulled over early Tuesday for driving without headlights, police said. According to the criminal complaint, Cruz smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and failed three field sobriety tests before he was handcuffed and taken to a police station for a breathalyzer test.

As Patrolman T.E. Parsons prepared the machine, Cruz scooted his chair toward Parsons, lifted his leg and "passed gas loudly,'' the complaint said.
Cruz, according to complaint, then fanned the gas toward the officer.
"The gas was very odorous and created contact of an insulting or provoking nature with Patrolman Parsons,'' the complaint alleged.
Cruz acknowledged passing gas, but said he didn't move his chair toward the officer nor aim gas at the patrolman. He said he had an upset stomach at the time, but police denied his request to go to the bathroom when he first arrived at the station.

"I couldn't hold it no more,'' he said.
Cruz said the officers thought the gas incident was funny when it happened and laughed about it with him.

Wisconsin Wrap

2008-09-30T22:59:00.005-04:00

Mostly Stuffed Curds.

Michigan's defense stopped Wisconsin cold in the 2nd half (and for that matter, most of the first as well). But for the last game-almost-tying drive, Wisconsin was held in check. The numbers for the 2nd half didn't turn out quite as impressive as it seemed at the time. In large part because the last and 2nd to last drives did cover 141 yards.

The 2nd half numbers for Wisconsin:

Rushing yards: 47
Passing yards: 195

Consider that for the vast majority of the 2nd half, Wisconsin's game plan was to grind the clock and the game, the 47 yards is pretty impressive. Equally impressive, until the 2nd to last drive (that one ending in a fumble) Wisconsin's longest drive was 42 yards (their first). Wisconsin's remaining drives were all 3 and out (or less): -3, 7, 0 (interception return for TD), and 9.

Defense Returns the Favor.

The Michigan D did its part to make up for the first half fumblerama with an interception return for a touchdown and a key Brandon Graham forced fumble deep in Michigan territory. The key forced fumble, plus another in the first half with three sacks gave Brandon Graham Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Kill Brandon Kill.

Brandon expects to continue the performance against the Illini. How do you neutralize Illinois quarterback Juice Williams: "Gotta attack him early. Hopefully he'll crack."

It hurts.

David Gilreath, Wisconsin WR, sounds devastated:

Stamina.

I know you have noticed how the motor for these guys keeps going. I haven't seen hands on hips on the defensive side of the ball yet. You do remember TT last year, yes? That's changed.

Steve Schilling from the Freep:

"There were a lot of times Coach Barwis put us through workouts where a lot of people would have quit, but he wouldn't let us quit," Schilling said. "Getting through those workouts in the summer, the hard practices in camp ... that mentality has been set into the team from the start."

Threet:

‘I don’t think we get very tired during games".

Obi:

‘Conditioning, I feel like we can outlast a lot of teams." and "There's always the will to win, and when you have that, that's good, but when you have the conditioning we have, you have some tools to use, too."

Brandon Minor:

‘I’d have to say it’s the conditioning part. At the end, you could see they were tired, but we kept on going.’

Run Baby Run.

While Brandon Minor only carried the ball twice, he had the run of the game, and looked pretty fast doing it. He says it was set up perfectly, from the News:

"It was set up perfect because the two linebackers blitzed, so I just had to beat the safety one-on-one and outrun the corner," Minor said. "I just give it up to my linemen for holding their blocks."

Monday's Off.

This isn't anything new, but it does seem a good idea to get the emotional ups out before the week starts. Rodriguez from Big 10 presser:

“The way we approach the practices and the way we’ll approach each game, we’ll think about it for the 24 hours right after, and then we’ll move on. That’s one reason we practice on Sundays and give them Monday off, so we can get that game, good bad or indifferent, out of our system. A lot of people during the week may still be talking about it, but there’s so many challenges in front of us and so much work we’ve got to do, because we’re very average in a lot of spots and below average in areas, so we’ve got to get that corrected.”

Just Execute.

R2 claims that there isn't a difference between the offensive game calling from the 1st half to the 2nd despite dramatically different results agains Utah, ND, and Illinois. I'm not buying it at this point. But, FWIW:

“A couple games, we have started off scoring on the first drive and then didn’t do anything for the few series after that. It’s funny, some of the same plays that were working effectively at the end of the game were the ones we were calling at the beginning of the game; we just executed better. It’s more of a matter of execution as opposed to plays. We’ve got to look for things that maybe get confidence and get our quarterback in rhythm. That’s the plan anyway. For us, it’s just the plan of executing early and not having those turnovers. Those are the things that are killing us, taking away possessions and any chance we have, so we’ll continue to stress that.”

Obi says the difference is from a lack of urgency. From the Blade:

‘We usually go in at halftime losing and come out with more of a sense of urgency that we should be playing with the whole game,’ Ezeh said. ‘That’s kind of what our aim is, to play that way the whole game, but we haven’t been able to do it. Hopefully we can come out and do it against the Illini.’

And this falls into Rod's life philosophy:

"If I ever had a team that did (quit), which I haven't, I would be more embarrassed," Rodriguez said. "If I ever had a team that somebody said they looked like they quit or they were soft or they were lazy, that would be the most embarrassing thing somebody could tell me. I've told the team that. Worst thing somebody could tell you is that you're soft or lazy.
"If you run the wrong route or have the wrong technique or make a bad decision or something, that's not good, (but) we can get those corrected. But if you're soft and lazy, that's something you can control every day in every game."

Shafter Gets After the D.

About Scott Shafer:

Nose tackle Terrance Taylor jumped on the ball in another example of the kind of hustle for which defensive coordinator Scott Shafer meticulously watches.

"He sees who's flying to the ball, who's turning around, running," Graham said. "A lot of people were turning around a lot of hats were on the ball. We were hitting them high and low."

Shafer, who pays attention to the number of times defenders don't go all out during a game, counted fewer "loafs" than at any point this season, according to Graham.

Michigan Stadium Rocks Recruits.

From Freep:

"There were a whole lot of people and it was crazy,” said South Carolina offensive guard Quinton Washington who was in Ann Arbor for his official visit. “It was real live – the (most live) I've ever seen anything and just a fun experience.”

"That crowd was so hyped. Even when they were down 19 points, the crowd was still cheering them on,” added Pahokee, Fla., linebacker Brandin Hawthorne, another official visitor who has already made a verbal commitment to Michigan.

Jordan Barnes: “I think we came out with a win because we are so much more conditioned than everybody else,” Barnes said. “Even when they were down at halftime, the (team) was still into it pretty well and I liked their commitment.”

Last Complaint Until the Chinchillas Come Back

2008-09-30T00:03:00.005-04:00

Ridiculous. Atrocious.

"At same time, if it is a lack of discipline from carrying ball in the wrong hand to not putting it high and an tight when contact is about to hit you then we need to as coaches, and we got to emphasize that."

Yes. You do.

Video: "The return game is atrocious," says Rich Rodriguez about his special teams

Victory grabbed from the Clutches of Defeat!

2008-09-28T13:14:00.007-04:00

After watching 90 minutes of 11 wet chinchillas trying to catch an acorn on a slip-n-slide, this was an unexpected victory. Let us hope for more downfield passing, less option pitches, and maybe some glue.

And, maybe this meeting will help:

Highlights of Wisconsin here.

Let There Be No Mistake

2008-09-27T16:49:00.004-04:00

There is 5 minutes left in the first half, and whatever happens the rest of the game, one thing is clear. Rich Rodriguez has a VERY SERIOUS problem here. I have NEVER, EVER seen a Michigan (or for that matter any "good" team) ever fumble the ball like Michigan has the last 2 games. There are some that may blame players. It is not so. There is a complete and total lack of fundamentals, even from those who should know better (Greg Matthews and Morgan Trent); but it IS THE COACHES JOB to teach (and practice) basics. PERIOD. This is uncacceptable.

Like hold the ball in your armpit, not as a loaf of bread.

And hold the ball in your outside arm.

Moreover, with 1:30 on the clock in the first half, instead of trying to burn the clock ON YOUR 10 YARD LINE Michigan chooses to run the hurry up offense. This is very basic strategy. Very basic. Also unacceptable.

Wisconsin Preview

2008-09-26T00:41:00.005-04:00

Wisconsin is 3-0, as usual. Unlike most years, Wiscy did schedule a nominally difficult presason game against Fresno State. On the road.

While Fresno may not be the BCS buster many that claimed heading into that game, it was a big test. Wisconsin passed 13-10. I watched a good deal of that game, and it was competitive though it probably should not have been as close as it was, especially since the homer refs really piled it on for the home team. Don't discount the significance of that win, the Bulldogs were jacked, the fans were rabid, the WAC refs were pulling hard for the home team, in a game on national television, on a weeknight at 10:30 edt. All of that in the single biggest game that Fresno State has ever played at home (possibly ever, ever).

Wisconsin's remaining schedule is typical Badger fare, beating Akron 38-17 and Marshall 51-14. As you probably already know, they had last weekend off. What, if anything, can we learn from the Fresno game?

Fresno rushed for about 200 yards against Rutgers and Toledo in 24-7 and 55-54 wins. Wisconsin held Fresno to 118 yards on 33 carries for a 3.5 yard average. Fresno veraged 5.3 per rush against Rutgers. 5.0 per rush against Toledo. That is significant. Wiscy also held Akron to 70 yards on 22 rushes. And 29 rushes for 75 yards by Marshall. All in all, expect a stout run defense, and a significant number of bubbles and short passes to the short fast guys.

Wisconsin's offense is . . . . Wisconsin's offense: Large thundering cheese curds in front of lumbering sausage. We've seen it before, and we'll see it this year, and again and again . . .

Michigan will have to pass to move the ball. Steven Threet has looked good, and has been officially graced with the starting role. If he can pass as well as he did against Notre Dame, the game should be competetive; provided Michigan doesn't turn the ball over 6 times, or fumble twice inside of its own 20!

Tacopants Is Russian

2008-09-25T22:30:00.000-04:00

Tacopants has been located in London. Surprisingly, Tacopants is a woman. Mini-me is happy.

The particulars:

Svetlana Pankratova
Ht. 6'4"
Legs 4'4"
Home Volvograd, Russia

This should end Steven Threet's strange looking passes 4 feet over his receivers, which occurred with disturbing frequency against Utah and Miami Ohio. The famous Eastern European receiver is rumored to be looking for a scholarship with another NCAA program. It is rumored she is being recruited heavily by Bill Stewart.

No bailout for Rod

2008-09-24T22:08:00.002-04:00

At least someone has taken responsibility for losses. Another quote, this time from the Detroit News, that the special teams coaches are responsible for the Notre Dame loss:

"I just hope we catch the ball," Rodriguez said, smiling. "We've tried out just about everybody back there. There have been seven, eight guys back there, catching kicks every day. We try to put then in pressure situations, but it's different in the game.
"You've got to be able to do it, and focus and just catch the ball first and know we're going to get some short kicks and balls that aren't kicked right down the middle. We've got to be able to handle that. As much as we've worked on it, we should be better at it. If not, I'll be very disappointed."

Rodriguez said just who will return kicks Saturday remains unclear. Players who have practiced returns are defensive backs Morgan Trent , Brandon Harrison and Boubacar Cissoko , receivers Martavious Odoms and James Rogers and tailbacks Avery Horn , Michael Shaw and Sam McGuffie .

Couch Fire!

2008-09-21T12:44:00.004-04:00

Gomer Pyle?

No, that may be generous. I'm thinking Barney Fife.

And, the couches are now fully aflame:

I have never been so embarrassed than last night.
Stewert is no head coach he looked confused and clueless on the sidelines last night. It appears his playbook is about 3 plays thick. Devine student body right and left and the qb draw. What a drive killer he is with the play calling 3 and short well lets pass, oops almost intercepted. 2 minutes to go in regulation lets not try to get out of bounds or run a few high success plays to get some yardage to let pat try a field goal. I am totally disgusted and I bleed the blue and gold of WV, have since I was 6. Last night was a disgrace. I knew we were going to have problems with Stewert when he made the comment before the first game that he doesn't do the coaching, that's why he has coaches that do that kinda stuff. Well Bill what exactly do you do? All I can say is we have the exact same line as last year, a line that continually opened holes for the running game and its gone what has Bill Stewert done to that line? What has Bill Stewart done to the Mountaineers? Bill needs to step down he is way out of his league at WV. Bill is just a good ole boy from West Virginia and not BCS Championship coaching material.

Posted on: 9/19 12:35 pm

Comparisons to Bobby Williams here. And, the Appalachian-Americans have even created their own still shot video:

Lute is Cheating

2008-09-21T10:38:00.003-04:00

I've written before about the college hoops malignant tumor that is the AAU. I mentioned it when Beilein was hired. And through the Tim Green"backs", Alex Legion, and the Prophet Reverend Legion soap opera.

The crux of the problem is that college programs are funneling "donations" into the 501(c)(3) corporations that are set up for the AAU coaches who run these programs.

Lute went a step further. He directly solicited donations from Arizona basketball boosters for an AAU tournament put by University of Arizona staff called the Cactus Classic. Lute claims he didn'do it. He says someone on his staff created and printed the letter with his electronic signature. From the Tuscon Citizen:

A letter was sent this spring to the Rebounders Club board of directors from Olson's office, encouraging members to donate to an amateur basketball exhibition tournament at UA, Livengood's report said.

The letter was printed over Olson's electronic signature and went out marked "personal and confidential," said the report Livengood sent to Ron Barker, the associate commissioner of the Pacific-10 Conference.

Olson "adamantly denied" knowledge of the letter being sent and later sent a retraction, Livengood said in his report.

Whether Lute was directly responsible or not is pretty much beside the point. The Arizona basketball program sought direct contributions from its boosters for an AAU tourney. Really, that's all that need be said.

Rod's Riddler

2008-09-17T21:35:00.009-04:00

This didn't start with Batman. Or the Riddler. In fact, I started with a listen to Rod's phone conference with the Big 10 today. This not only covers the theme of the day, but also one of my favorite tv shows growing up:

And on to Rod's Riddles we go ---

How Can a Coach Avoid Fumbles?

Rod had a question and answer about the Notre Dame game. The audio link from Mlive is here. Basically, Rod spent a few minutes saying this:

--Brandon Minor's "fumble" was supposed to be a forward pass.
--We have to coach it up on the kick receiving team, although they caught it "pretty well" in practice.
--The unforced turnovers have got to be corrected (no kidding!)
--Brandon Graham has played "pretty well". But he is still learning the new scheme and terminology, which has slowed him down.
--ND executed deep ball well and handled conditions well.
--ND handled the ball better than we did.

I would have added something like this: We will not start a true freshman at kick returner in the first road game of the year. We will not start a true freshman at kick returner in the first road game of the year. We will not start a true freshman at kick returner in the first road game of the year.

There's One In Every Group.

At the end of the session, Jeff Rabjohns, an Indianapolis Star reporter, asked whether there are more missed field goals in college are a result of the wider hashmarks in college as compared to the pro game, and whether college should adopt the pro hashes.

Uhh. Let me think about that. . . .

Not The World's Hardest Riddle, but . . .

The answer to Rabjohn's Riddle is actually a little closer than you might think. Here's the World's Hardest Riddle:

I turn polar bears white
and I will make you cry.
I make guys have to pee
and girls comb their hair.
I make celebrities look stupid
and normal people look like celebrities.
I turn pancakes brown
and make your champane bubble.
If you squeeze me, I'll pop.
If you look at me, you'll pop.
Can you guess the riddle?

Think about this one. It might take a couple minutes.

Rabjohns' Riddle.

Rod actually nailed the answer and the reason to Rabjohns' question. The reason: No dumbass, there are more made field goals in the pros than college becauase they are pros. Incidentally, Jeff, there are also more field goals in college than high school despite wider goal posts and the use of tees. Huh, go figure.

You know I really wanted to make fun of Rabjohns. Rip him up a little. Not like Drew Sharp or Terry Foster ripping, that wouldn't be warranted. Maybe something more like this:

But, I actually took some time to read some of his articles. Here's an example of a good one, which is yet another riddle: How young is too young? I don't know if Jeff would like Detroit or not, but we can certainly make room for you, Jeff. If you like Ann Arbor, Jim Carty needs to get out of town. Or, if you'd like the big city paper you could replace Rob Parker, Drew Sharp, and Terry Foster together, and save the papers some payroll expense.

And the answer to the World's Hardest Riddle Is . . .

No.

Responsibility Noted

2008-09-15T23:21:00.004-04:00

Now Get It Fixed.

Before you go all random stats, bad luck, and the obvious effect of the state's poor economy on Michigan's turnover margin Saturday, please take a minute to realize that a significant portion of these turnovers came in the first half, without weather -- or at least not weather of the Hurricane Ike variety. And, that rule numero uno for any kick return team is to catch the ball, first.

I've also had a chance to step back, breathe deeply, and let the effects of a few adult beverages wear off. The result: I apologize to Rod and the remainder of the staff for accusing them of being 75% responsible for the kickoff fumbles which put Michigan in such a hole. They were only 50% at fault.

Rod did accept responsibility for his share of the miscues Saturday, and vowed to work on the kick returners ability to catch the ball:

Video: 'The sky is not falling,' says Rich Rodriguez

I Can See Russia From My House!

No this doesn't really relate to Michigan football, exept that Michael Phelps was on. But, I've got a soft spot for Tina Fey, and if you haven't see this yet, it's pretty funny, regardless of whether you support a milf or a boner shrinker:

Mmmmmm, Chicken Wings

2008-09-13T21:16:00.006-04:00

The Whale has prevailed in no small part as a result of the unfathomable intake of wings which led to his whalelike agility on display before half. And so, we shall, in sporting fairness, tip our doughnuts to Charlie with this honorarium for the week.

And, Now For A Few Parting Words . .. .

2008-09-13T18:55:00.004-04:00

Who Wants To Start The Insanity?

It is truly depressing that you will hear how Michigan didn't get to practice in rain, blah bla blah bla blah bla, but that there ain't no excuse Jim. And the players won't offer excuses. I hope Rod accepts the responsibility for this loss himself. You cannot. Ever. Spot anyone, much less the domers, 14 points in 5 minutes.

I am Speechless (almost).

But there was still opportunity to keep the whale beached. Alas, with 6 turnovers (at least -- I stopped counting after all the fumbles -- Sheridan might actually have made it 7) it is impossible to win a game. And, while you can blame the players (and you need to -- at least a little bit) it could not be more obvious that the turnover epidemic (half of which occurred without crazy weather) is 75% coaching. This cannot last.

I am Costanza, Lord of the Idiots.

As the last example of the mindlessness of the coaching staff, after Sheridan gives away any last glimmer of hope, they reinsert our now clear starting quarterback for the last 2 minutes. Hello. Newmannnn!

Beached Whale at Half

2008-09-13T17:18:00.004-04:00

They watched as the blob washed upon the sand, having left his home of the green sea. And so Charlie Weis washed out of the South Bend gridiron and into the Club Car which carted him to teh bowels of the stadium. He shall not return.

Uugh. Rich Rodriguez should remove his head from his ass. You can't have a kickoff return that puts you in good field position unless your returners can first catch the ball. I'd turn a responsible eye toward Boubacar, but after 2 in a row there is only one person responsible.

Another Uuugh. Whoever the hell called a 2 yard route on 3rd and goal from the 7 (read Rich Rodriguez here) should be permanently removed from the sideline (or booth as the case may be). Unforgiveable.

Positives: Steven Threet looks like the real deal. Great first half by Threet. McGuffie Rocks. Morgan Trent and D. Warren have played pretty well given the situations presented. Greg Matthews has played terrific and hasn't dropped a ball yet - unless you're the ref ND paid to call the touchdown an incomplete pass and D. Warren's breakup an interference. And, nice piggy back ride for KG.

Negatives: Our run defense has revisited Utah first half, which was a major issue coming in. We have not pressured the emu enough. But worst of all -- our coaching staff has really had some atrocious game and clock management decisions. Say what you will about the open offense, the game breakers, etc; but what is clear from the first half is that we have no problem giving the ball back to the other team instead of using the clock to run the half out; nor do we have any problem rushing no huddles to a 3 and out after 2 straight 12 yard drives and a shellshocked offense. The personnel will change as the spread players are recruited and the young guys now playing get some more experience, but if these types of decisions don't change, there is a major, major problem in A2.

Optimism reigns. We've given Weis 14 points. The refs took away 7 from us, and we're still only down 28 -17. Our offense is alive. But the weather has arrived. That may actually benefit Michigan as a result of the impact on the ND long ball.

Go Blue!

ND analysis

2008-09-12T21:32:00.008-04:00

Michigan vs. NotreDame
(NOT Really Enough Doughnuts At MEaltime)

It was wings last year for Charlie. Obviously that didn't cut it. This year he's going doughnuts. Hopefully he's a few short. I think he will be:

The lines started in ND's favor between a point and a point and half early this week. They've changed. Michigan is now the favorite. At Notre Dame. By one to one and a half. This could be for one of two reasons: A) fans are betting on Michigan, and hence the line has moved ( I personally find it difficult to believe that anyone who has watched Michigan's passing game would possibly bet on us) or B) Something about Notre Dame going into a bad weather situation without a running game against a good defense is scary to the odds makers (this is possible). Most likely, some loonies somewhere have actually placed wagers on Michigan. How looney are they?

ND was a 1.5 favorite at opening line. I'll start there.

Michigan:

-1.5 for opening spread.

Michigan offense will not pass downfield successfully = O points. But, Steven Threet will hit short flares, and we'll move the ball relatively consistently on those short gainers with a couple of long breaks mixed in = Michigan field position = 6 points.

Michigan running game vs. ND line in bad weather = 8 points, but take 1 away for not enough Brandon Minor, take away another for Nick Sheridan playing at all, take away another for critical offensive line mistakes by a very young group in a hostile stadium = -3; but add points for Carlos Brown plays qb and doesn't get injured, add one for new short yardage phenom Kevin Grady, and add one for you can't tackls Sam McGuffie for less than 8 yards after he's outside of your defensive end. Total running game points = 8.

Add baseline of 6 points for KC Lopata. but subtract 3 for bad weather = 3 points.

Michigan Defense: Huge defensive line rush results in 2 turovers and 5 sacks = 5 points.

Rich Rodriguez really, really does not want to lose his first rivalry game = 2 points

Michigan's qbs could singly handedly lose this game even against Ann Arbor Pioneer if they have a bad day = -4 points Michigan

Michigan Total Points 18.5

Notre Dame:

Notre Dame passing. Notre Dame passed successfully against SDSU. 14 points. But that was SDSU, which is a horrible horrible team = -8 points. And Jimmy didn't get sacked agains SDSU but will be crushed by Michigan's defensive line as they run over the guys who didn't get enough doughnuts at lunch even when he completes 5 or 6 yard passes, subtract another 4 points. Subtract another 2 points for bad weather. But add 3 points for Golden Tate running by Stevie Brown. Passing game = 3 points

Notre Dame running. It should help ND that the weather will not be hot. They've got a lot of doughnuts on that offensive line who ask what Kobeyashi Would Do as often as Justin Boren's family. Still, the Michigan defensive line should be quick and strong enough to have quite a number of tackles for loss on running plays. But, there will be at least 2 sustained drives by ND given inevitable run gains of 5-6 yards against a defense that couldn't stop Utah's run game in the first half. 4 points.

Notre Dame kicking game. It stinks. The weather is going to be bad. -2 points.

Notre Dame at home = 3 points

Weis is an offensive genius with screen passes = 2 points ND

Notre Weis Total Points = 10.

TCHSpread: Michigan by 8.5.

Final score guess Michigan 20 Notre Dame 10.

Anthony LaLota Picks Michigan

2008-09-12T20:55:00.006-04:00

Philosophy says: I don't believe in verbal recruits because, well, they're verbal. And because, like Urban Crier says, a verbal really only tells you who your competition is. And, like, Kevin Newsome, Jai Eugene, Roy Roundtree, bla blahh bla blahh bla blahh. But, hey, there's probably at least a 50/50 shot he stays. And for that we deserve some info:

LaLota plays both sides of the ball, but wants to play defense. He will liklely start at defensive end -- for which we have a serious need. He runs a mid 4.__ 40 yard. He's pretty big: 6'5" 260ish. There is much free already written about Mr. LaLota that you can read here, here, here and here.

Yeah. Maybe Will Campbell knew something we didn't. Or, maybe he really just wanted to think about it and will still join Michigan for a really super awesome defensive line class.

Could his Head be Bigger than his Gut?

2008-09-10T21:55:00.010-04:00

Be Nice to Weises.

Charlie is feeling picked on. He can't understand why Michigan would use his comments from this summer as chalkboard material.

He says any real Michigan fan would understand the significance to "To Hell with Michigan" as harkening back to the days of Bo. He is right about Bo's "To Hell with Notre Dame". But the Whale has again shown his extraordinary arrogance -- especially for a guy who has woefully underperformed, and may find himself coaching South Bend High next year.

It's not the "To Hell with Michigan", its the presumption that Michigan would come in whining about all of our inexperience, etc, and use it as an excuse for a loss at South Bend. No such luck you Arrogant Whale. In fairness Michigan should come in whining. But it's not. Stevie Brown:

When Charlie, Coach Weis, used to recruit me, he kind of had an arrogance about him, so I figured it’s just him being him. I didn’t think too much of it. We’re just going to go in there with no excuses, and we’re just going to play hard and try to win the game.”

Not So Fast, My Friend.

What nobody has really said in the press is that even more arrogant than predicting Michigan's excuses is his backhanded cut at Rod. Charlie's statement wasn't directed to remind Michigan fans about Bo. We already know. It was directed to remind us, and Rich Rodriguez that he Rodriguez didn't know. The Whale's purpose wasn't to remind us of Bo, it was to cut and make fun of Rod for using Bo's saying as Michigan bulletin board material.

O yee Ginamourous Blob o' jelly, thou shouldst think carefully before trespassing upon the Destroyer of the Stairmaster. Thou shalt suffer the wrath of the Wizard.

Arrogant Whale Live

2008-09-08T23:18:00.004-04:00

This cannot be true.

Brian noted that there was music playing during the game, and not played by the band. I agree that this is completely unacceptable. In fact, I think the pregame music is unacceptable. We don't need or want RAWK MUSIC played in the stadium on game day. I'm all for a little Limp Bizkuit or DMB in the stadium, but let's leave that to a Bill Martin fundraiser concert for Crisler Arena.

Arrogant Whale.

Whale Boy, was defending his poor season last year by saying they don't use excuses at Weis U. More or less, he said Michigan will come into South Bend the 2nd game of the season whining and complaining:

“Then we'll listen to Michigan have all their excuses as they come running in saying how they have a new coaching staff and there’s changes,” he said in a video widely viewed on YouTube. “The hell with Michigan."

Notre Dame's black transfers, and anyone who's ever listened to the Whale, already knew Charlie is an arrogant bitch. But, you've gotta give Stevie B credit for pointing it out:

When Charlie, Coach Weis, used to recruit me, he kind of had an arrogance about him, so I figured it’s just him being him. I didn’t think too much of it. We’re just going to go in there with no excuses, and we’re just going to play hard and try to win the game.”

And with Charlie on the brink of entering the no excuse zone, I have a suggestion for the South Bend P.A. announcer -- play the Wholesome Love Atari Mix.

Still a chance at Nick Perry?

I wrote at signing time, that Nick Perry have been a great addition to the Michigan Class. Perry is a Defensive End who is a freshman at USC, which he picked over Michigan. Perry is having issues qualifying.

More Than An Ugly Win

2008-09-06T19:41:00.010-04:00

Sometimes a win is a win. Sometimes a win is more than just a win.

A coach's first win, is more than just a win. Even if it's only over a MAC opponent. Coach Rodriguez has his first W wearing the Maize and Blue. Rod admitted it wasn't pretty. And, normally, I would have a lot of complaining to do only beating relatively poor Miami, Ohio but not today. This win is also more than just a win because:

--Rodriguez avoided losing Michigan's first game ever to a MAC team;
--Michigan avoided going 0-2 for the second straight year;
--Without this win, 32 straight bowl seasons was in serious jeopardy (could still be);
--In the words of the greatest crime fighter of all time:

Austin: [the guard has just fallen in molten lava] What a... burn?
[laughs]
Austin: That sort of thing could get a man... fired?
[laughs]
Austin: I think he was... hot... for... you?
[laughs]
Felicity Shagwell: That's enough.
Austin: Yeah.

--And more heat, Rodriguez needs not.

Postgame video:

09-06-08: U-M vs. Miami of Ohio postgame press conference

Celebrate Young Man:

And deservedly so. Aside from a couple of potential big passes that were just missed by Miami, (only one of which was a blown coverage) the defense played pretty well and gave up only two field goals. The front looks pretty good, and TT, Brandon Graham, and Obi Ezah played well today. If they can keep up the pressure from the last 3 halves, and the secondary can turn it up small notch, they should really hold Weis U to less than 250 yards on offense. Barring an offensive meltdown (which is no gimme) we've got a reasonable shot to win next week against whale boy.

Quarterback Found.

Steven Threet was erratic at times. But, he had far better command of the offense than did Nick Sheridan. Sheridan was supposed to be the runner. After today, Not So Much. Whether Threet knows the offense better, fakes better, or what, its pretty clear we have a #1. We'll see if Rod sticks with him, or continues to juggle. Please, no more juggling, unless it's in the bag, or Threet completes more than 5 straight passes to Tacopants. At one point, Threet had a couple of long completions to Tacopants on the sideline. Despite that, it's hard to remove the better passer, when he's also the better runner, in command, and moving the offense.

Running Backs.

Honestly, did anyone ever think that Steven Threet would outrush Brandon Minor in any game? Threet 5 for 26; Minor 1 for 15. Better question: Why did Brandon Minor carry only once?

I like the use of many backs. One thing about the 2nd half of Lloyd's tenure that bugged me was his propensity to lean on one back excessively (Anthony Thomas, Chris Perry, Mike Hart) when there were other backs very capable who could have contributed. But, Brandon Minor had the best run of the day, clearly. Shaw and McGuffie also looked good, but why not get the senior the ball more than once? I was also glad to see Grady get the short yardage carries, this makes mucho sense.

More Confirmation That Andre Ware Stinks:

Miami qb pitches left, the ball is fumbled, but the ref blows the whistle thinking it's a forward pass. Andre keeps rambles through the play and the referee discussion following a replay. Had he listened to the explanation by the ref, he and his partner would have known that "by rule, repeat 3rd down". Instead, Andre wonders aloud with his partner whether Miami would go for it on 4th down, and why isn't the Michigan staff yelling that the refs have missed changing the down markers.

Team Comparisons.

Weis U. barely beat San Diego State, who was blasted by Cal Poly; OSU had a similar game to Michigan's against a worse opponent Ohio U; Wisconsin struggled in the first half against MAC opponent Marshall. While there is a lot of work to do on offense, Michigan wasn't the only team to horribly struggle today -- and with the learning curve of a new offense, it could be worse.

SuperCrazy Stats of the Day:

Pat White:

20 rushes for 97 yards
4.9/carry
0 td
11/18 passing
72 yards
0 td
0 int

Steven Threet
5 rushes for 26 yards
5.2/carry
1 td
6/13 passing
63 yards
0 td
0 int

This is Scary.

Miami linebacker Clayton Mullins says we're pretty similar to CMU, and that after a few adjustments, they handled what Michigan was doing. I don't necessarily agree. I think there was more to Michigan's lackluster last 3 quarters than Miami's D, but still:

"They did a few things that we weren't expecting to start off with. With Butch Jones being on [Rich Rodriguez's] staff and now at Central Michigan, I'm pretty sure some of that stuff is exactly what Central Michigan is doing. We adjusted to it. I felt like we played pretty well after that first drive until the last drive. We felt like we could make it happen and that we would be able to stop them. We made the adjustments that we needed to make. After we did that, the defense came together, and we wanted to get back on the field. We just felt like we had everything starting to click, but then we had a few breakdowns at the end."

Couches Are Igniting In A World Of Shit.

in Morganstown (you thought I meant east lansing, and it's probably 50/50 they are after crushing the little emu; but I'm strictly talking mountaineers here. And rightfully so:

Why is it when you try to be honest about Gomer Pyle, I mean Bill Stewart, people say you're not a real fan. I''m 35 and have been rooting for them as long as I can remember. If 7-5 is good with you, waht kind of fan are you. RR created an expectation level of greatness. We didn't always reach it, but we cam close. Stewart is overmatched, and this will become more evident as the year goes on. Is it possible the Oklahoma win is the worst win in WVU history? There's a reason he wasn't a candidate before that game.

Oh, how true that is. Both as to unexpected expectations Rod brought, as well as the cluster**** the wva administration made of the whole mess and Gomer's hire. Nice guy, that Gomer. But, West Virgina Fans: You Are In a World of Shit:

Miami Guess

2008-09-05T23:22:00.003-04:00

Note to self, this week shall not be a prediction (last week's was denoted a "prediction" -- see how that turned out!) Anyway, it's been a quandry around these parts. There is no possible way for a part time blogger like me to keep up with the gazillions of press conferences and public appearances by Rich the Rod Roddy Piper Rodriguez. If you bother to read the freep, the detnews, the Carty Crapper, and, yup, mgoblue.com, you're getting at least 10x the info you got last year from reading those sources plus the competent blogs, rivals, etc (don't include me in the competetent blog category).

So what is it that this blog has denegrated to? I dont know. Computer issues last week forbade me from posting. Ahhhhh. Sweeet Rich you are spared the wrath of the Ron English Spankboard.

So, what is it that we are left with. For this week, simple. The Michigan Miami guess (note that this will not be a prediction). Here it is:

Repeat last week for opening and halftime. Save, perhaps the Blues Brothers at half.
Steven Threet starts.
First play, zone read right FAKE long pass right to Matthews, but a check to the rb left.
Michigan 68 yards rushing 1st quarter, 50 yards passing. 10-0 Michigan.
By halftime, Michigan 17- Miami 3. Carlos Brown has 35, Minor 20, McGuffie 50 on a long run. Threet has played the whole way.

Michigan stops Miami 3 and out first possesion. Bubble right for 30 yards, followed by 5 plays and in. 24-3 Michigan.

By the end of the third quarter, Michigan has given up 13. Score 27-13. Uugh. This does not bode well for the game next week.

Sheridan enters with 14 minutes in the 4th. Qb keeper fake, and Miami safety burned long for a touch. Michigan 31- Miami 13.

Final Score Michigan 31, Miami 16.

Domers: We will, we will Whalerock You.

Utah Prediction

2008-08-30T00:49:00.002-04:00

Pregame:

Rich Rodriguez will don the Navy Addidas shirt with a block M over the left chest and a navy block M Michigan cap, with the black Oakley shades covering his eyes. The Cool Zones are blowing. It's 85 and mostly sunny.

The Meeeechigan Marching band takes the field to a roaring chorus of the Hail to the Victors for the first time since the New Year.

The fans clamor about the o-line, the qb's, this Rodriguez guy who shows up on t.v. every day, and the fact that they walked into the stadium at 2:30, but didn't get to their seats until 3:00, and didn't even hit the bathroom or grab a dog.

Onto the field runs first Morgan Trent and Brandon Minor to leap and touch the banner. The Victors blares. Trent stops just short of the West sideline, turns, and is mobbed by a blue mass. They hop. And, hop.

Michigan wins the toss. We kick.

Kickoff.

There's a slight breeze from the North. The kick is to the South end zone. It's high, and comes down on the 10. Utah returns the kick to the 15, cuts left, and up the sideline only to be run out of bounds on the 30.

Nick Sheridan and Steven Threet stand nearby Rich Rodriguez.

1st Quarter.

The first play from scrimmage, pitch left, fumble, Brandon Graham recovers. Michigan ball 35 yard line.

Nick Sheridan takes the field with Carlos Brown and Brandon Minor. Excitement in the stands. But the excitement is tentative. There is a remarkable quiet before the snap. Sheridan takes the snap, fakes to Minor and rolls right, fakes a pitch to Brown and turns upfield. 3 yard gain.

By the end of the first quarter: Michigan 13 and Utah 10, after recovering a pitch fumble inside Michigan territory.

2nd Quarter.

Three makes his first appearance. McGuffie gets a few reverse pitch carries. Michigan hits another field goal.

At the end of two, Michigan 16, Utah 10.

Halftime.

Fans are nervous. They look ok. But it's closer than expected. Threet looked good, they should play him more. Why hasn't Carlos played qb yet? Morgan Trent and Donavon Warren look like All-americans.

Michigan has 150 yards rushing. 80 passing.
Utah has 75 yards rushing and 103 passing.

3rd Quarter.

Shaw takes the kick return to the 35. Michigan passes the first 3 plays, and picks up a first down. Drive stalls at the 50. Space Emporer punt to the 5 yard line.

By the end of the third:

Michigan has 200 rushing yards. Minor has 100. Brown 30.
Michigan 23, Utah 10.

4th Quarter.

Donavon Warren gets drawn in on a fake run, and thrown over. Harrison blows deep coverage, and Utah scores on a 60 yard pass to make it 23-17.

Michigan mounts a drive to finish on the Utah 40. Zolt boots another deep inside territory. Utah mounts a sustained drive, capped by a 17 yard field goal with 6:0o minutes to play. The sun is heading behind the stadium. The sky is clear. Michigan 23, Utah 20.

Sheridan leads Michigan down the field after a kick return to the 30 yard line. After 3 first downs on 9 running plays, Michigan is on the Utah 20. 2:15 on the clock. After a tv timeout, Sheridan pitches to Brown, who cuts outside, and to the 7 yard line out of bounds. 2 plays later, Sheridan takes the snap from the 9 yard line, rolls left, fakes right, and pumps to the corner of the end zone to Greg Matthews. The Utah corner turns his head to look for Matthews and Sheridan takes it to the pylon, just beatine the Utah linebacker. Michigan 30, Utah 20 after the extra point.

Utah has the ball, down by 10, with 1:25 on the clock and one timeout. Brandon Graham takes out the qb on 3rd and 7 from the Utah 40. On 4th down a long pass to the West sideline fall incomplete over Warren, Harrison and the intended receiver.

Michigan 30. Utah 20.

Ute Preview

2008-08-25T23:19:00.007-04:00

Utes?

And, this guy who looks like he ate some of those magic grits that cook up in 5 minutes. As Vincent Gambini asked the eyewitness who saw the Utes:

Vinny Gambini: Are we to believe that boiling water soaks into a grit faster in your kitchen than anywhere else on the face of the earth?
Mr. Tipton: I don't know.
Vinny Gambini: Well, I guess the laws of physics cease to exist on top of your stove. Were these magic grits? Did you buy them from the same guy who sold Jack his beanstalk beans?

While you might think you know what Yutes look likefrom afar, I doubt they'll look the same in person, at the Big House. For a primer of what some yutes looked like last year:

BlockU also has some insight into the Utah scrimmages, mostly pulled from the official Ute site here.

Jopprus in the House. Bennie Joppru was a tight end at Michigan. Bennie was an all american for those of you who don't remember:

A four-year letterwiner and two-year starter at tight end, Bennie Joppru played in 46 career games and made 24 starts. An All-Big Ten second team selection in 2002, Joppru caught 85 career passes and eight touchdowns. He was named to the All-America first team by Pro-Football Weekly and was a member of the Associated Press third team as a senior after setting a team record in receptions for a tight end (53). Joppru ranked second on the team in receptions in receptions (53) and in receiving yards (579) in his final season at Michigan. Joppru capped a spectacular senior campaign with a career best 80 receiving yards in the 2003 Outback Bowl victory over Florida. The Wayzata, Minnesota native was the first of six Wolverine selected I the 2003 NFL Draft, joining the Houston Texans with his second-round selection.

Bennie's younger brother plays for the Utes:

"I was really excited. It was big news. I called my brother right away and talked to him about it," Chris said. "We were both pretty excited. I think he's probably going to go to it."

Prediction tomorrow.

WE'LL BE BACK

2008-08-16T23:45:00.005-04:00

R2 could use this speed in the spread-n-shred:

We'll be back in a little more than 9.68.

PS. Leave it to the Domer Network not to show this video when it happened, and to prohibit Youtube, BBC, and anyone else I've looked at from posting this video in the States.

Boren Family Values = WWKD

2008-05-02T19:17:00.009-04:00

There's word on the street that one Justin Boren has left the University of Michigan for greener pastures, 'er well piggier pastures, at least. Justin was a starter on the Michigan offensive line as a sophomore. His father, Mike, wore number 40 for the Maize and Blue as a linebacker in the 80's. And Mike was a good one. Justin's little brother was widely expected to be a Wolverine until Coach Carr retired, and then became open game.

Father Mike settled the recruitment of his son, once and for all when he proclaimed that both sons would play at the same school (apparently the Borens like to belly up to the trough for extended periods of time, and couldn't swallow the idea of losing quality eating time (mmmmm, we mean family values) intently watching more than one game each Saturday.

Rumors have circulated that Lloyd Carr helped ol' Mike allow his son to transfer from the Maize and Blue to the dark side. Those rumors have now been dispelled. Seems the Colombus Dispatch lacks the investigatory fortitude of Cleveland's Channel 19 Action News.

The reason for Justin's departure has been oft discussed, debated, and even deliberated. Yet, the Borens' proclamation about Justin's departure remains the best evidence for his sudden exodus. Justin delivered his proclamation in writing. It was in writing not because Justin and Mario shared Wonderlich results, but because Justin was simply too busy hanging with his boys Alex Mitchell and Jeremy Ciulla.

We have put together a montage of the family we find most similar to the Borens, which has been sponsoooooorrred by The Pizza House:

Before Justin's lawyers got ahold of him, Justin intended to release his own prepared statement explaining his surrender:

We feel bolemic, anarexic;
Weight loss, we cannot stand it;
We need to get back at it
The Boren Family

The Big House Cannot Hold Us
And Rich Rodriguez Told Us
That Barwis Will Destroy Us
The Boren Family;

Doo doo doo doot

(More)

Doo doo doo doot

(Cheese)

Doo doo doo doot

(Please)

So get another pizza;
Or five for us, Mitchell and Ciulla
With Rod around, we'll see 'ya;
The Boren Family

Carl Monday did attempt to interview the Borens about this amazing development. When Carl showed up in the Boren family Colombus bathroom, Father Mike became irate, and handed a bracelet to Carl with the following inscription: "WWKD?"

Monday Blues

2008-04-28T22:06:00.004-04:00

Quick and depressing (at least mostly) musings for this Monday:

Uuugh:

1. Mario Manningham's burning significantly depressed his nfl value, moving him from "high" 2nd round to a 3rd round pick;

2. Adrian Arrington really should have stayed in school. He would have been far better off than going to the Saints in the 7th (that's right, the seventh round);

3. Mike Hart has always been slow (that's depressing by itself) but apparently he was so slow that he couldn't get drafted above these running backs when he was drafted the 202nd pick, in the 6th round: Jerome Felton of Gurman, Matt Forte of Tulane, Tim Hightower of Richmond, Xavier Omon of Northwest Missouri State, Marcus Thomas of UTEP, Owen Schmitt and Steve Slaton of WVA, and Jalen Parmele of Toledo.

4. Jamar Adams didn't get drafted.

5. Ryan Mundy leaves the Michigan program, is chastised and universally referred to as Ryan Yards After Mundy by Michigan bloggers and many nonblogging Michigan fans, is drafted in the 6th round (ahead of Mike Hart, even);

6. Epkeh Udoh still hasn't announced he's not transferring (is this like waiting for RoJo to commit to USC?)

Not so Uuuugh:

1. YAC Mundy was drafted, but only after transferring to the West Virgina Frauduversity where he studied ginsu ninja warrior techniques under the zen master Mike Barwis who is now teaching ginsu ninja warrior techniques to the University of Michigan.

2. Mike Hart was drafted ahead of Jehuu Caulcrick (who was not drafted at all) Poor little brother.

3. Steve Slaton, Owen Schmitt and Ryan Mundy were all whipped into shape by and drafted in part because of their ginsu ninja warrior zen master Mike Barwis.

4. Jerome Felton from Furman did 30 bench press reps, the most of any running back, in the combines, and is referred to as an extraordinary short yardage back. Maybe he can actually make the team:

Compares To: JEROME BETTIS-ex-Pittsburgh...Felton is much quicker than Bettis, but both display the powerful frame that allows them to break tackles and drag multiple defenders in attempts to gain additional yardage. Felton is a devastating scorer when near the goal line and has shown decent receiving skills out of the backfield. He might be a better fit in a one-back offense, but he has enough hip snap to play tailback and the upper body strength to play fullback, making him a valuable prospect due to his versatility.

Draft Day

2008-04-26T15:04:00.063-04:00

So, it's draft day '08 and I'll try to follow the significant events for Michigan fans and picks of local interest.

1. Jake. No further words necessary. (The first of two likely Wolverine first round picks. (Hey Millen, how about taking Chad after trading down a few notches?? -- Or maybe you could just take another MSU wide receiver. That'd be a good idea.)

2. Long Number 2 is expected, according to the espn guys and The Doo (Mel Kiper, also known as TD).

Aaaannd: Yes, The Doo nailed it.

3. Atlanta is supposed to take Matt Ryan. The Doo is going to continue to gush over him the next 10 minutes. Trade?

Bonus Material: Did anyone at ESPN consider telling Shannon Sharpe that he looked like a circus clown?

Aaaannd: No surprise, other than Sharpe's outfit.

4. Oakland. Will they stay with the offense for Lane Kiffin, or will Al Davis stick it to his coach and take a defensive star after Lane wanted to fire the defensive staff, but Davis wouldn't let him? If offense, it's McFadden. If defense, I'd guess it will be Dorsey.

Aaaaand: Kiffin wins.

RED WINGS: GOOOOOOOAAL. 1-0 WINGS.

5. KC on the clock. This is a toss up, as far as I'm concerned. KC could use some Dline help. They should go with Dorsey. We'll see.

Aaaand: Dorsey it is. Wow, Herbstreit trying to cover up his buckeye favortism by saying that Dorsey is the best DL in the draft and the best DT in 13 years.

6. Jets: McFadden is gone, who they surely would have taken. Would they take VG if Dorsey is gone to KC?

Bonus Material: Not that my vote counts, but with the way this is potentially shaking out, I'd love to see the Cowboys give the Lions some draft picks for Roy Williams here. Can't imagine that Matty would make a smart move, but . . .

Aaaaand: FWIW, they should take a look at Chad or Flacco here. Pennington is, shall we say, very bad? That probably doesn't cover it, actually.

VG it is.

7. It doesn't seem possible, but New England is picking 7th. Doesn't seem right, does it. Will they take VG? Will they trade down? We know they aren't taking Vernon. I really have no idea who they'll actually take here. But, I'd be thinking defense were I Belichek.

Will it be Rivers? Personally, I'd like to see them trade down. But who's going to jump up here? Maybe Millen to draft a receiver?

Aaand: TRADE! Sean Payton, huh. We know him. We contacted him. How about Rivers?

Ellis. I think this is a great pick. I actually believe he could be better than Dorsey and Ghoston. I was hoping he'd be there at the Lions pick. O'well.

8. Already, Jacksonville moves up to Baltimore's pick. Mort says they have the guy in mind. Thought he said Harvey. Missed part of it. The Doo likes Mendenhall in this area on his chart.

Aaand: The Doo says they'd be crazy to move up to pick the "23rd best player in the draft". Wow. Harvey. Dumb move, in my mind. He would have been there later. Why would they trade all the way to 8th to take Harvey. Why not try to trade with Chicago, the Lions, or someone a little lower?

BTW, what a GREAT trade for Baltimore. 4 picks for one. Nice move.

9. Cincinnati: Who will become the next felon?

Aaand: Looks like Rivers as he's crying before the commercial break.

It is so.

10. New England is back. They missed out on Rivers, if they wanted him. They needed LB help.

Aaaand. Mayo. Darn it. That's a Lions pick, too. Major bummer. Maybe they did miss out on Rivers, as Mayo and Rivers play the same position, and Rivers universally higher ranked by the pundits, and The Doo.

GOOOOOOOAAAAAL. Franzen. 2-0

GOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLL! 3-0. Right between goalie legs.

11. Buffalo: I missed this entirely while watching 2 goals in a minute by the Wings. Missed The Doo. They took the CB McKelvin.

12. Denver. All set at quarterback are the Broncos. Henne won't be it.

Aaand: Ryan Clady, Boise. Tackle. Good pick. This is the type of guy that we can expect to see on Michigan's OL athletically in tye next 4-5 years.

GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAL Henrik. 4-0 Wings.

Followed by a McCarty fight!

13. Panthers. Missed it while watching the Wings score again, but Jonathon Stewart the 2nd back taken? Really? Why not Mendenhall? I shouldn't wonder after watching what he did to our sieve defense v. Oregon. But, I'm surprised. This is good for Mendenhall to Lions proponents, though.

14. Chicago: They're going to steal Mendenhall from the grasp of the Lions, were I a betting man. But, I've never bet. Not even on the Wolverines in the NIT in Vegas. So I don't know what I'm talking about.

I cannot imagine anyone taking Felix Jones in this range. He shouldn't go until the end of the 1st, for my money.

Aaaand: There goes one of the Lions 2 possibilities at tackle. Now probably Mendenhall of rhe tackle out of VT.

15. Millen's Miserious Lions: Conventional wisdom is Mendenhall or a tackle. As much as they need a wide out, I'm still hoping for a trade down for multiple picks. If not, Henne, Henne.

Please take Henne. Please take Henne. Please take Henne. Kitna must go. Stanton, muh, not so much. With Martz gone, we've got to think pounding the ball with play action passing, unlike Martz-ball. Henne would be perfect for this. But, he's also probably still available in 8 spots from now.

Hey, wow. Lions war room. Matt had his finger in his nose.

Wooooo. Trade to KC. Awesome move! This is good. Millen, Millen, Millen (what am I thinking?)

So, what do the Lions get: To pick two spots later, and. . . . Meh. The 5th round probably doesn't matter. They do, though, move up 10 spots in the 2nd round, so I guess that'll work out, so long as Arizona doesn't take who the M&M boys want--presumably Mendenhall.

KC takes: Brandon Albert from UVA. Intersting pick considering that he's not supposed to really be ready to play tackle. I thought the idea was to find out whether Coyle could hack it. Not sure how a nonstarter is going to do that.

16. Arizona takes a corner the Lions probably had no interest in, so, good trade and looks like they get Mendenhall at 17.

17. Millen's Not Quite as Miserious Lions:

Aaaaand: Noooooooooooooooooooo! Gozder Cherilus?????? Whyy?

Really. Why not just take the kid from UVA at 15? I like taking an offensive lineman. I don't like this offensive lineman at this spot. The Doo says a "C" grade.

18. Trade to Baltimore = Flacco. Ok. I guess. Cam Cameron takes Flacco instead of Chad. Huh. Chad will be next qb to go. Cam must have been lured by the helmet.

19. Eagles. This should be an offensive lineman. The guy from VT is still available. Trade. Jacksonville takes. . . .

Aaaaand. Otah. Well, there's a tackle Millen could have taken and expected to play. I do agree with The Doo, though, that Jacksonville gave up quite a bit.

20. Bucs. I dare you, Jon. Take the State receiver.

Aaand: I like it. DB from Kansas. Aquib alone is a great name. Not to mention Talib sounds really stinkin' good with Aquib. Nice pick, I think. I would've taken him for the Lions at 17. Apparently, though, Aquib does have Manningham Burning tendancies.

21. Redskins. Trade to Hotlanta. Sam Baker. USC. Interesting move by Atlanta. 6'5" OL to go with Matt Ryan. We're coming up to Chad Henne range here.

22. Dallas. Don't expect Dallas to take Henne, obviously. I'm betting Mendenhall. Maybe Felix.

Aaaand. Felix it is. Can't believe they took him before Mendenhall, really. I guess Mendenhall is a little more like Barber than Felix. Felix probably a little faster and trickier, but not as tough as Mendenhall. At what point does Detroit look to trade up a little to try to pick up Mendenhall?

23. Steelers. Some teams are smart. Others are not. Pitt falls in the former category. The Lions in the latter. The Lions reach to take an OL that probably would have dropped to the 2nd round. Maybe not, but certainly farther than they took him. On the other hand, Mendenhall drops all the way to 23, and Pitt pulls the trigger. Nice pick. This will be a little like having Bettis in the backfield, only Mendenhall may be better.

Aaaand. Mendenhall it is.

24. Tennessee. This could be a slot for Chad. If he doesn't go here, it looks like he could fall to the 2nd round. Well, considering that Nashville actually plans to use Vince Young as its quarterback (though I don't think he'll be around in 2 years) I suppose they really can't take Chad here. ESPN guys talkin' up Devin Thomas. Were it me, I'd take an OL to bolster that line.

Aaaand: Chris Johnson. Wow. Would not have expected a running back here. But, if a 4.24 is a real 40 time, that's amazing. Still wouldn't have pulled the trigger here for this team.

25. Seahawks. Huh. Trade to Dallas, and Dallas picks cb Mike Jenkins. I thought they picked up Pac Man? This guy is blazingly fast. From South Florida. And he returns kicks, including a 100 yarder last year. The 'boys will not be hurting for speed in this draft after taking Jones and Jenkins, plus they'll have Pac Man, who at least before being evicted from the NFL was pretty fast.

26. Texans. Duane Brown. Tackle. VT. Quite the run on OLs. This is a guy who does not look as athletic as Gozder. I'll give the Lions credit here. The Doo had him ahead of Gozder.

Ok. So I took some time off. I realize I have wrongfully called Keshawn, Shannon Sharpe. Sorry Shannon. The rest of the first round went off without much fanfare. The lions took a short linebacker from Colorado with their second pick. Don't know anything about him. I also, suppose it's too much too ask for Detroit to draft good, strong q.b. I mean, you know, they have Drew Stanton. He'll be perfect for the continued mediocrity the Lions are headed for.

Wow, Brian Brohm before Chad. That's surprising to me. Maybe Green Bay wants somebody more mobile than Chad, a la Brett Favre. Still Surprising, Chad's the better pro.

Wooooooooooooh for Chad. Best spot he could've gone. He'll start in 2 years. Parcells will be putting together a tough, running team, and Chad will be perfect for that type of offense. And to go to Miami with Jake. Wow. As much as I would've like to see Chad in Detroit, it's good for his career not to become part of the death star that is the Detroit Lions. Favorite new AFC team = Miami Dolphins.

Neewwwwwwsome

2008-04-24T18:25:00.002-04:00

It's official, well at least as "official" as an unofficial verbal commitment can be -- see Jai Eugene, Roy Roundtree, Sam McGuffie et al. NOnetheless, this is a very good commitment for RichRod, the Michigan Spread Option era, and Mr. Neeewwwwwwwsome himself.

A rounding applause, ladies and gentlemen, for . . .

. . . The villain of the Scoop Carty nonstories. . . . .

Shar --- eeee ---- Aaaa ---- Cho. Kevin Newsome and his family gave Shari very kind remarks:

While visiting Michigan, Newsome and his family were able to meet and discuss the academic aspects of Michigan with academic advisor Shari Acho, something Newsome's mother specifically referred to as a highlight of his April 12 weekend visit

"I loved Miss Shari too," Newsome said. "I believe I want to major in Business type subjects and Michigan's Business School [compared] around the United States is one of the top, so that's already a great advantage for Michigan."

Take that, Scoop!

Stalking is What Internets Are For

2008-04-23T21:07:00.005-04:00

The Pistons were not on here. (No, seriously, they weren't on -- uggh Charter. I mean, yeah, I have cable, not dish or direct tv, but I have full cable, and pay a fortune for it. This aggression simply will not stand, man.) And the Tiger game got a little out of hand in the 6th, so . . . . yes, Internet Stalking. On our newest potential QB recruit, one Kevin Newsome. These are one hitters on Newsome pulled directly from, for the most part, keyboards with which I have no familiarity, and could be as trustworthy as Drew Sharp or even Terry Foster. So read these, with the possible exception of certain track facts which have been repeated more than just the link provided here, with several grains of Alder Smoked Salt.

1. This guy thinks that K.N. is going to be all that, and maybe more.

2. ESPN recruting service:

At times will look very robotic in relation to fundamentals and at others, shows a smooth release and delivery mechanics look sharp. Accuracy is the biggest thing with him right now as he can be right on the money or really spray the ball around.

3. Could be playing at another high school next year? Unsubstantiated rumor:

I've heard that Newsome will actually play for Hargrave this year instead of his HS. Given UK's move to keep players away from Hargrave, this can't be good news for the Cats.

4. Hurdle extraordinaire. 14.1 in 110 Hurdles and 7.5 in 55 M.

5. Chesapeake, his hometown, spared the highway gunman his life in 2003. Remember that one?

Chesapeake made national headlines in 2003 when, under a court-ordered change of venue, the community hosted the first trial of convicted murderer Beltway sniper Lee Boyd Malvo for one of the 2002 terrorist-style attacks. A jury spared him a potential death sentence, choosing a sentence of "life in prison without parole" instead for the young man, who was 17 years old at the time of the crime spree. A jury in neighboring Virginia Beach sentenced his older partner John Allen Muhammad to death for another of the attacks.

6. Kevin won the Ace Parker Athletic Award of Excellence:

In track, he was runnerup in the district in the 55-meter hurdles indoors and in the 110-meter hurdles outdoors. He was runnerup in the 110-meter hurdles and runnerup at the state meet. So far, this year he has the state's best time in the 55-meter hurdles indoors at 7.44.

The 6-3 Newsome has a 4.3 clocking in the 40.

7. State hurdling title in Indoor this year.

8. Kevin has academic sights on something other than general studies?

QB Recruit

2008-04-21T22:57:00.006-04:00

Kevin Newsome is a 6'2 210 lb quarterback from Chesapeake, Virginia. He runs a 4.57 40 per Rivals. Offers from a variety of programs, the cream of which are: Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Illinois, and Michigan.

If you really, really enjoy screaming high school cheerleaders and cowbells turn up the sound on this video. If not, just leave it off, because this clip may include every completed pass by Kevin in the entire 2007 season -- it is 10 minutes long! Regardless Mr. Newsome has a familiar song to those of us over 30 up on his myspace page, which was pointed out to me by Varsity Blue.

Mmmmm Chickens

2008-04-21T22:17:00.003-04:00

In time for the big race in Pennsylvania tomorrow is this classic youtubes:

This is one of those youtubes that just can't be beat. After watching this youtube, you may feel like Barack Obama is being unfairly picked on, unfairly portrayed, and generally taken advantage of. I have a solution for Mr. Obama:

2008 Michigan Football Spring Game

2008-04-13T23:15:00.004-04:00

The Spring video from Big Ten Network is embedded below. It took quite awhile to get through when I played it -- a lot of breaks as downloading. The video quality, if you can get by the breaks. is very good, and there's pretty accurate commentary to help identify the players you may not be familiar with. I warn you, have another couple windows open or be watching tv, or something when you try to watch the video, it is comparatively slower loading than John Navarre's 40 time.

Some of the plays looked familiar from the Cap One Bowl, specifically some of the swing passes and reverse looks.

Steven Threet looked pretty good. The timing on Threet's passes were actually pretty good from what I saw. There is one very badly underthrown bomb, which was still completed. Potential issue is an apparent side arm delivery, though it might be limited to swing passes. He does NOT have a Chad Henne gun, though.

Sheridan looked bad. Slow delivery. And, at least at the beginning of the tape, he couldn't complete a swing pass on the clips here.

Cone is big. And he did not look good.

Brandon Minor looked very fast on the first touchdown run. Basically untouched as he weaved through defenders. Kevin Grady also looked strong, and appears over his injury. Avery Horn got quite a few carries and looks pretty fast. It would have been interesting to see how he compared at this point to Carlos Brown. While all will likely get playing time in the fall, I would think that Minor leads the way, and will assume that Brown is 1B with Kevin Grady 2.

Note that you'll hear, I think, the names of Stonum, Martell Webb.

Defensively, Brandon Graham looked very good. Stevie Brown had 3 picks, and looked to break nicely on one of them. The others looked like pretty darn bad passes.

MVictors has audio up, including an interview with Steven Threet that is worth a listen.

Varsity Blue also has a short summary up, you might want to look at, including starting offensive line projections.

You Stay Classy East Lansing

2008-04-11T00:54:00.003-04:00

Carl Monday is disgusted that these classy Spartans didn't whip it out for CedarFest. Maybe there just wasn't a library closeby. Even the lowly Sparty was too classy to whip it out in public like Buckeye Michael Cooper. You stay classy Sparty:

And only a classy university . . . . er, like the michigan agricultural college in spartandom, would one expect an "Official Video" of this important outcry of public protest against the brutal oppression suffered upon the weak and insturdy at . . . . CedarFest:

Well, at least I won't get drunk.

2008-04-11T00:22:00.003-04:00

5-4 Domers in OT..DAMMIT!

I will drink the Wolverine hockey team to a win.

2008-04-11T00:05:00.003-04:00

Ok, it's the frozen four. We started the game with a pathetic showing and were down 3-0 and the end of one period. It is now 4-4 after three periods heading into overtime. I have the solution. You will all thank me after the Wolverines win this one. I decided that since Kevin Porter is our captain and likely Hobey Baker winner, I needed to spur him on by drinking Breckenridge Vanilla PORTER during the OT. The game is being played in Denver...the beer is brewed in Denver...coincidence??? I think not. So lets hope it doesnt go into triple OT, because I might not make it that long if I have to keep drinking the whole time! GO BLUE!

New iPod to focus on individual Universities

2008-04-10T21:08:00.003-04:00

Apple has announced a new line of the ever popular iPod. The new version will come pre-loaded with the fight song, video clips and photos pertaining to individual colleges and universities. I was a bit disappointed to learn that Michigan State is the first University to be released. It is an iPod touch, pre-loaded with the fight song, Sparty photos, and a movie clip of the ever annoying "What is your occupation??? SPARTAN!" that they play every 5 minutes at football games. I'm wondering if it will also include a training video from hockey coach Rick Comley teaching the fine art of diving. He is definitely the leading mind in college hockey on that subject! Anyway, back to the actual iPod - it was made available this week on Apple.com and should be in local retailers by early May. Here is a sneak peak at the new advertisement:

It's Carl Monday Time

2008-04-09T22:27:00.008-04:00

In my perusal of the Pringle's chipcapades, I came across another Penn State masturbation incident. Spencer Ridenhour played Safety for the Nittany Lions. He transferred to UMass. But he took a few cans of Pringles with him to uncork at UMass.

It is obviously time for internet investigative hero, Carl Monday to invade the land of JoPa. Carl Monday is a Cleveland television reporter. He's seems about 1/4 as entertaining as our good friend Bill Bonds. But, Carl is the right man to break this masturbation ring in Happy Valley. Carl is renowned for busting Buckeye Michael Cooper, Cleveland's most famous masturbator:

But Carl Monday, didn't leave it there. He buried Buckeye Michael Cooper:

I see visions of trenchcoats at the Pattee!

Holy Masturbation, Batman

2008-04-09T14:56:00.007-04:00

I'll give the Lions $2.00 not to sell that hand lotion:

According to the criminal complaint, a woman said Pringle sat down on top of a desk behind her and asked if she wanted to purchase some hand lotion he was selling for the basketball team.

Seems that Michigan's Larry Harrison is not alone in the dash to the Olympic Medals for athletes masturbating in public. In the footsteps of Larry Harrison, Penn State basketball point guard, Stan "the Penis-Man" Pringle has been busted for following a young lady with his pants down and "hands on" in the Pattee library. Pattee Library. You mean to tell me that Stan the Penis Man Pringle was patting it in the Pattee!

What is even more er' hardening, is that this young lady was also followed into her dorm a couple weeks earlier by the Penis Man Pringle, who managed to uncork his can of chips in a dorm stairway then, too. I feel sorry for this girl. Maybe it's a snack food thing:

Stay the Heck Out of This Doghouse!

2008-03-21T17:10:00.003-04:00

Hit it with steel:

New Michigan Strength Coach Mike Barwis

"I don't want to challenge Coach Barwis in anything," junior wideout Greg Mathews said. "I just want to stay on his good side, stay out of the doghouse, and go to class so I don't have to do any kind of punishment. Barwis was a cage fighter. He was 36-0 and never missed a match. He was telling us about 50 different injuries and never missed a match, and some of those injuries probably would have ended my career."

Jim Carty you will be crushed!

Buckstache Primaries

2008-02-12T00:42:00.000-05:00

Did you know that our friends in Ohio may actually decide the respective nominees of both the Democratic and Republican primaries this year? The primary will be held on March 4. As of yesterday, Hillary Clinton and John McCain have respective leads over Obama and the suspended Romney campaign and the Huckster. What does this have to do with Michigan sports ask you? The Buckstache, or course:

Conquering Heroes Poll says a suprise victory for Ron Paul:

Conquering Heroes Poll says Ohio goes for Clinton:

R2 Legal Setback

2008-02-11T23:48:00.001-05:00

The federal district judge assigned to the WVU vs. Rodriguez case has ruled the federal court does not have diversity jurisdiction over the case. This was based upon a four factor test. The most meaningful factors being that the prospect of money is a benefit to the state, not just WVU, and that WVU is not autonomous from the state of West Virginia (more fodder for the continuation of Governor jokes) .

This is a blow to Rodriguez because, in the unlikely event of a trial by jury, the jury will be comprised of Morgantown yocals absent a change in the venue county arising from the potential inability to pick an impartial jury. More importantly for R2, this result will most certainly play a role in whatever offer to settle the case comes nex, and the subsequent negotiation. There should be no mistake that this procedural issue will have a significant impact on the result of the case.

Perhaps Rod should break out his Tiller Snake Oil and magic hat and lace the yocals with the same spell he cast upon Roundtree.

Debbie Clemens 8 Healthy Secrets

2008-02-11T01:06:00.000-05:00

Debbie likes to work out:

So that she can look like this:

And, here is her secret. Basically, she likes to work out easy. Not too hard. Yet, she expects, and does, look pretty damn good, right. Read and utilize her 8 step process, and you will too:

8 healthy habits of highly successful fitness fans

1. Try to be the best you can be – decide what your goal is that best suits your body. Find a weight and try to maintain it.

2. Focus on a balanced exercise program

3. Make a weekly plan - I change mine every week because I get bored doing the same thing over and over again.

4. Always eat something an hour or two before you workout. I usually eat a mesotech light bar or some kind of energy / protein bar.

5. I love a buddy system! Try to find others who have the same goals and interests about being fit. It is always helpful to call and keep one another motivated.

6. Never go more than 2 weeks without exercising. Sometimes we all take a break or get distracted, or life has a way of having other priorities that are important. Try not to go too long before getting back on track.

7. Remember you always feel good after a great workout and are so happy you did it! Smile and congratulate yourself for the great work you put in for yourself and your good well-being!

8. Never go more than 4 weeks without taking a shot in the rear of HGH. Not only does it help build your abs, but when you're taking them, you're cy young winning husband can plausibly deny that he took a needle in the ass for his arm. It wasn't for his arm, it was for my ASS!

Add Martavious

2008-02-10T23:47:00.000-05:00

Martavious Odoms of the "U" track scholarship is a Wolverine. Link to Brian for more, and the video follows. Fast. And, bonus, he catches the ball with his hands. According to Scout he's 5'8" (read 5'6" probably) and runs a 4.5. Watch the video. Some nice catches. Looks like he can cut, and then turn it up to a fifth gear reminiscent of Stevie B. Looks like maybe catches the ball better that Stevie -- of course it's a highlight film, so I guess if he didn't look that way he wouldn't have been recruited in the first place.

The track schollie offer from Miami indicates a good fit for a slot in R2 offense. Short passes and reverses. He has the speed and the trickiness for lots of yac.

2007 Wolverine Recruiting Roundup, pt 1

2008-02-06T22:25:00.001-05:00

The 2011 class thus far:

- Ricky Barnum, OL
- Boubacar Cissoko, CB
- Mike Cox, RB
- Kenny Demens, LB
- Justin Feagin, QB/Ath
- J.B. Fitzgerald, LB
- J.T. Floyd, Ath/S
- Taylor Hill, LB
- Rocko Khoury, OL
- Kevin Koger, TE
- Mike Martin, DT
- Elliot Mealer, OL
- Brandon Moore, TE
- Dann O'Neill, OL
- Patrick Omameh, OL
- Terrence Robinson, Slot WR
- Roy Roundtree, WR
- Michael Shaw, RB
- Brandon Smith, DB
- Darryl Stonum, WR
- Kurt Wermers, OL
- Marcus Witherspoon, LB

There were a few bumps along the way, but we're close to done. Looks like the only remaining question, albeit a big one, is Terrelle Pryor. Pryor's dad wanted him to consider PSU, so he will.

Mom says that the family doesn't have a consensus yet, though she doesn't care where he goes. I'm going to assume, and I could be wrong though I doubt it, that Pryor is pretty sure where he's going, and that it's Michigan or OSU (wow, I'm out on a limb there, huh?). He'll visit PSU. He won't commit there. He says Oregon is in it now that he doesn't need to make an immediate decision -- you see he now has the extra time to see Phil Knight and the Autzen boys. My guess is that he won't even visit there. If he does, watch out because the best qb prospect in the country will be pitting Adidas vs. Nike if he does! In the end, my gut feeling is he will choose Michigan over OSU. But, if he really does visit Oregon, that's likely the competition. I firmly believe he wants to play in a spread.

As mentioned below, youtubes hero Sam McGuffie has, in fact, now sent in his LOI. McGuffie is a short, fast, caucasian running back with a penchant for hurdling defensive players. This was a good get in October. He's a good keep.

Ricky Barnum was a surprise OL pickup today. He verbally committed to Florida January 12. He's a four star center. Ricky is supposedly 6-2, 265lb. "He's got great feet and can get to the next level," Lake Gibson coach Keith DeMyer said. He played Guard in HS, but is a candidate for center at Michigan. From this article, it sounds like Rod had him at WVA, and did a nice job in recruiting to Michigan. Props to Lloyd's staff, too:

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, who visited Lake Gibson after Barnum committed to Florida, was a major factor in his decision. Barnum noted that he likely would have gone to West Virginia had Rodriguez stayed there. His visit to Michigan also played a part.
'When I went up to Michigan, everything was nice,'' he said. 'They run the same offense we ran, the spread offense. They graduated three starting offensive lineman and four backups. Where could you go possibly wrong with that one?''
Barnum called the Florida coaches Tuesday night to tell them of his decision and noted that they were a bit upset.

Awww. Poor Urban.

Boubacar rocks. His only potential downfall is his height: 5'8". Definite contributor. Probable All Big 10 by the time he's done.

Mike Cox is a 6'0" 3 star running back from Connecticut. That is all.

McGuffie Is In

2008-02-06T21:56:00.000-05:00

McGuffie had a temporary brain freeze today. One of his teammates said he got cold feet on his way to the alter. He didn't show up at school today. The message boards were running scared that we had lost Sam to Cal after a visit there last week. But tonight, McGuffie sent his LOI and confirmed the verbal that he made in October.

Interesting comment by the recruiting guru about Mallett, that perhaps he was one of the reasons that Sam may have chosen Michigan in the first place. Perhaps that explains some of the last minute trepidation.

Nick Perry A Wolverine? (Updated)

2008-02-05T23:56:00.001-05:00

Update:

Baahh. Uggh. University of Salesman Carroll. I don't understand how a guy like Perry decides to go play for a team with more 4 and 5 star players than all of the big 10 teams combined save Michigan and Tofu. Oh well. I will say that I overstated the importance of Perry last night in my crazed lunatic fringe mindframe induced by the Terrelle Pryor commitment not to commit. In retrospect, (not revisionist history -- there is quite a difference) Perry was probably the 3rd of 4th best state prospect, behind at lease Bobo and Dan O'Neill. Here's to riding the pine at USC, Nick.

Nick Perry has eliminated MSU.

So, where will Nick go? His brother says he ranks UM and USC equally. Maybe it's just me, but this doesn't sound like a kid who's headed to South Beach or LA:

What Perry and his wife, Debra, did insist upon was humility. It was a trait they were taught, and it's something they passed on.
And as the last of nine children, Nick Perry, despite his physical presence, is as humble a person as you'll likely meet.

Kind of old news for those of us following the rectuiting track regularly, but:

"I have been up there quite a few times, but getting around the new coaches was cool. I am feeling comfortable more and more each time I (visit). I felt good about it."

My opinion: Nick Perry is as big, if not bigger recruit for Michigan than Terrelle Pryor. Michigan has no business losing the top recruit in the state two years in a row, regardless of how crazy RoJo and him mother may have been last year.

Just Because Recruiting Is Creepy . . . Sort of Like Clowns

2008-02-05T23:37:00.000-05:00

My wife's favorite superbowl commercial. Creepy.

Seemed appropriate given tomorrow's signing day. Oh, and according to those in the know, at 12:05 tomorrow, Terrelle Pryor is a Wolverine. Link courtesy of Brian at Mgoblog.

And, Terrelle Pryor is . . .

2008-02-04T23:35:00.000-05:00

Going to OSU; considering Penn State; going to Michigan, will visit Oregon or not, and will announce on Wednesday February 5, 2008 signing day, or maybe he won't.

Rod brought the cavalry with him:

I'm a little concerned that Pryor has already made up his mind to attend Tofu. I am not aware that we offer a criminal justice program at the Ann Arbor campus. I had never heard of one, anyway. And, a quick search, while not exhaustive, didn't turn up a criminal justice program.

So, why do we care about that? Because Terrelle told Rivals at the Army All Star game that the only major he was interested in was criminal justice. He said that each university had a good criminal justice program. Hopefully he means the sociology department, which is ranked

Have you decided on what you want to major in yet?

Does any school listed appeal more to you because of your major?

Pryor - "Criminal Justice. That's the only thing that is interesting to me.

"The major I picked, everyone has and they're good at it.

Check this out:

Oregon: No.

Michigan: Dearborn!

Tofu: Whooa Nelly (what did you expect from a land grant school?)

You think I'm crazy. An 18 year old kid is not going to choose Tofu over M because of a major. You're probably right. But of the words actually said by Pryor, or according to a reporter anyway, this is one of the only clear things that has been said. I don't believe it, just sayin'.

Nepotist Knight

2008-02-04T23:08:00.001-05:00

Coach Robert Montgomery Knight retired mid-season today. He has had enough. He says he is tired. He also says that he wanted to preserve a good transition for his son Pat Knight to take over the Red Raiders. In depth story from Indianapolis paper here.

I don't know whether Pat Knight had a contract, I suspect not, to succeed Bobby. No better way to assure a season Pat Knight reasonable finish, recruits by Pat Knight, and a reasonable chance to retain the job with a team which will have significant experience next year. I guess he's earned that right. But if the same happened here (which would be like Lloyd Carr retiring midseason this year to let DeBord take over) I'd be livid.

Bobby Knight highlights:

You will not put ME in this *&%$'in position:

Readily Identifiable Flying Objects:

And, the future is becoming clear:

I will miss Bobby in March.

Bullshit Coutersuit

2008-02-03T23:41:00.000-05:00

The fact that Rod and his lawyers admit that he did not comply with 90 day notice period in his counterclaim is pretty strong evidence that the countersuit will be dismissed if WVU brings the appropriate motion. On the other hand, the allegations do have merit regarding to the extent that they focus on material breaches by WVU during the contract. If WVU did materially breach before Rod quit, they do not have the ability to enforce the buyout clause. DetNews blurp about countersuit, here.

Rod QB #1 and Recruting

2008-02-03T23:19:00.000-05:00

Justin Feagin:

He's from a small school in Florida, who plays mediocre talent. He looks pretty good, at least running the ball. Passing, can't tell. In the video, he throws a lot of long balls with A LOT of air under the pass. Encouraging out pattern completion, but there is only one on this highlight film, and therefore can't tell whether that was a second lightning strike or something somewhat regular. I vote for Steven Threet.

Update: Jaron Brown

Uggh. Jaron Brown chooses Clemson over Michigan. I'd like to chalk this up to a late coaching change, in the middle of recruting. However, I am concerned that we may have lost our edge in WR recruiting enjoyed with our prostyle offense. This is disconcerting, if true.

Update: Terrance Robinson

Terrance Robinson is a short, fast, tricky qb/all purpose guy. He will play WR at Michigan. He committed today:

"I took my visit to Michigan last weekend and was just blown away," Robinson said. "The opportunity to play at a school with that kind of history and that kind of fan following really sold me. The academic part of the equation was also very important because I hold academics high on my priority list."

Hantachova vs Sharapova

2008-01-24T00:05:00.000-05:00

Barring a great comeback, Daniela Hantuchova will play Maria Sharapova in the 2008 Australian Open finals at Rod Laver Arena. A matchup repeat of the 2006 finals in Melbourne. A preview of what you'll see:

Daniela Hantuchova:

And, Maria Sharapova:

And, in the case of an epic comeback, it's possible that we'd see Ana Ivanovic:

Yeah.

WVU Meltdown -- The Australian Waters Syndrome

2008-01-15T23:01:00.000-05:00

The Charleston Gazette reported that the WVA athletic department has accused Rich Rod of destroying school and personal player records with his video editor after returning to WVA from Michigan after his formal introduction in A2 as Michigan's head coach. A couple of the more poignant quotes from the Gazette:

West Virginia officials are wondering if assistant coaches aren’t all that Rich Rodriguez took with him to Michigan. They believe he may also have destroyed all or most of the paperwork files relating to every player on the current Mountaineer roster and virtually all of the activities conducted by the program over the past seven years.

Let's consider that statement, for the mere time it might take Charlie Weis to scarf down a bucket of Spot's wings. West Virgina officials actually thinking is quite an endeavor for them, especially if the reporter is actually referring to ol' Eddy Pastilong. Second, they "believe" R2 "may have" destroyed all or "most of the paperwork files". What!? To believe is not fact. It is simply a thought, with or without merit, mind all of you, that something occurred. Further qualified by the "may" as in, well you know we kind of think that someone might have destroyed files. You are kidding right? These WVA officials "went public" with something they think might have happened, but aren't so sure? And why the reference to "paperwork files". Is this a tacit admission that they still have all of the "electronic version files" of the same documents?

Let's consider this story even further:

Most disturbing, though, is the absence of all of the players’ personal files, which included, among other things, contact information, scholarship money awarded, class attendance records and records on personal conduct and community service, be it positive or negative.

Mr. Pastilong, you unnamed source you, cannot be serious. Does WVA really, truly, honest abe, actually expect anyone to believe that the only records for a Div 1A program's athletes scholarships, class attendance, and disciplinary records are contained in the private office files of its head coach? Does WVA have a compliance coordinator? Maybe not. You can actually apply for the position here.

As an example of what other schools do, here is link to the Maryland Athletic Department compliance staff, which actually contains descriptions of duties and responsibilities for various aspects of compliance. Just in case you couldn't write your own, Ed.

Mike Brown is R2's agent. He issued a nonresponse response this afternoon. The Freep and Jim Carty picked that up. There was also a follow up by Angelique here. Interesting quote from a phone converation between Angelique:

"I have to question the source of this information, or may I put it more correctly, misinformation," Brown said Tuesday night in a telephone interview. "This is a continued effort of misinformation and statements that are untrue made by people involved at West Virginia University since Rich left."

And, or course,

Rodriguez will not comment on the legal proceedings, Brown said. Brown, however, said aspects of the suit will be publicly discussed at the appropriate time

Update:

ESPN is reporting more than mere misinformation, which is what Mike Brown mentioned to Angelique. Brown states that many of the statements are downright false. This is good. Quote from Brown:

"The head coach and each assistant coach received hard copies of the strength progress," he said. "So I would think coach [Bill] Stewart and others would have those, too."

And, each assistant coach received copies of all player performance files, so Bill There a Still in My Backyard Stewart would have copies of the information allegedly taken.

Brown does implicitly acknowledge, however, that some personal files were taken by R2 from his office:

"The head coach and each assistant coach received hard copies of the strength progress," he said. "So I would think coach [Bill] Stewart and others would have those, too."

This, or course, is not surprising or unusual. It is not illegal. And, it is maybe, or maybe not, a violation of that employment contract we keep hearing about. It will be interesting if the information taken, if any, by R2 relates to his position that WVU did not perform its obligtions under his employment contract. He may intend to use this information in connection with the suit.

Update Number 2:

Mlive has significantly more than ESPN last night in its story today. Mike Brown did specifically point out WVU serious compliance issues in his phone remarks last night, going as far as to say that if the Gazette story was true it was indicative of "serious institutional control" issues. Well, yeah, and as of October they didn't even have a compliance director for day to day operations, leaving that activity to two assistant A.D's. Ooops. WVU looks worse everytime "Unnamed Source" Pastilong opens his mouth.

Update Number 3:

The WVU admissions office denies the forever lost story put out there by Eddy Unnamed Source Pastilong here.

University spokeswoman Amy Neil said the WVU Office of Admissions and Records maintains grade and attendance records in a separate location, so no student-athlete's academic career is at risk.

"We're not sure what records are missing, but all student records, including those of the football team, are kept within the Office of Admissions and Records," she said. "Those records are secure."

Neil said she believes it would not be unusual for the head coach to have copies of his own records to ensure players are maintaining their required grade-point averages or meeting scholarship requirements.

Mike Brown, Rodriguez's agent, has said Moutaineers head coach Bill Stewart, as a former assistant, should have copies of each players' strength and conditioning tests because multiple copies were made. He also said the university should have any records involving the finances of the summer camps it ran.

And, though the article is a bit stale from the days after Rich Rodriguez was hired, the substance of the quotes of at least one major donor seem very appropriate in light of this week's shananigans:

Earl G. ‘‘Ken’’ Kendrick Jr., part owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks and significant financial donor to the university, are demanding accountability for what former employees have termed ‘‘a very, very unappealing work environment.’’

‘‘That environment is directly related to those (people) leaving,’’ Kendrick said. ‘‘As of (Wednesday) when I spoke out, I’ve begun to get e-mails from former employees (of the WVU athletic department). They said, ‘Thank you, finally somebody sees our pain.’ ”

‘‘One side shouldn’t be the only side the public hears,’’ Kendrick said. ‘‘If there is more than one side — in this case I think there is — it should be told. I am not embarrassed about shining a light on this area.

‘‘It’s very clear to some of us, there’s a lack of institutional control and good management practices within the athletic department. The institution needs to move forward. Do we want to leave that in the same hands?”

Here are some of the points it made, according to Kendrick:

There’s no business plan; no tactical plan; the department doesn’t give any reviews of its employees, meaning there’s little opportunity for advancement as he sees it; there are no staff meetings; it doesn’t have a human resources function; it doesn’t do any employee training; and it doesn’t allow employees to go to off-site training facilities.

‘‘They came away with some very, very strong recommendations,’’ Kendrick said. ‘‘If the university can do anything with something like this, it needs change.

Wow. Does that explanation, given on December 20 accurately foreshadow the shred-gate? I think so.

This meltdown, which some might call the China Syndrome, may actually burn beyond the center of the earth, past the gravity point, and straight to the Australian Waters of the Indian Ocean.

The Ghost of Gerry Faust

2008-01-15T11:30:00.000-05:00

We cannot pass up this opportunity to belittle (yeah, right!) Charlie the Big Tuna Weis. I recevied this youtube from a friend. It's pretty classic. When you have a worse record than a high school coach at ND, I think you deserve this:

It's In The Game!

2008-01-13T22:23:00.001-05:00

WOLV TV: Great job guys. They interviewed R2 on their "show". Favorite movie: Gladiator. Really guys, nice work.

Buckstache Alert

2008-01-13T20:29:00.001-05:00

James Jahnke wants extra tickets to Oohi State Games. He says Terrelle Pryor would be better becoming a buckeye than a Wolverine. His rationale is pretty dim. Like this:

Rich Rodriguez’s zone-read offense is tailor-made for Pryor.

And this:

The other advantage for a quarterback avoiding a straight-up zone-read offense is longevity. Every time Pryor runs the ball, he risks blowing out his knee. He would, of course, also run at OSU, but not as much as at U-M. You can get hurt in the pocket, too, but it’s much safer in there than out on the edge, trying to juke safeties and linebackers diving at your legs every play.

And, what?

If he were to attend OSU, he’d probably back up incumbent Todd Boeckman next fall, playing a series here and there and causing havoc in the red zone. Then, after Boeckman graduates, the offense is all his in 2009. Sound like Tim Tebow’s career to anyone.

Oh yeah, and this gem:

This will be mostly a business decision for Pryor. If he wants to start right away, it’s Ann Arbor. But if he wants to groom himself for an NFL future – and know what it’s like to win the last game of the regular season – it’s Columbus.

Of all of this fantastic rationale, the only one with any shred of truth is the last. I mean, if Terrelle Pryor is really interested in a "business decision" like, for instance. Maurice Claurette, he would certainly choose to attend Tosu. Hey Terrelle, if you are looking for cash the next 3 years, go to Tosu.

And, one other thing, This Janke fellow, turns out he's an unabashed Tosu apologist, AND a Spartan. Wow. No wonder he wants Pryor to attend Tosu:

When the MSU football team beat top-ranked Ohio State in 1998, I cried for two days. I walked around campus with my head down for the rest of the month, muttering under my breath how ironic it was that my own school ruined everything for me and my favorite team.

Last football season, I stood like a pillar of Buckeye hope, smack dab in the middle of the Spartan student section. My student section. The place where I have held season tickets during my entire collegiate career.

Nice objectivity, friend. Good to see you let us know your unbiased opinion in your crap article. Thanks to Chris Burke for pointing out the bias.

New Weight Room

2008-01-13T10:53:00.000-05:00

Mark Snyder has a good article in today's freep here on Barwis. Barwis sounds intense. Word of warning, don't be late to practice:

"Our previous strength and conditioning coach didn't do half of what Barwis did. I don't want to say it was a joke, but with that coach before, if we were late for a workout by a few minutes, we'd have to do 10 up-downs. If we were half a minute late for a Barwis workout, we'd have to do a tire workout, extra conditioning and put on heavy vests and run the stadium steps for as long as he wanted.

Michigan replaced all of the existing equipment, as you've heard. And, apparently Barwis is hard enough on players that some have left the WVU program. He hopes that doesn't happen here, and says the players are dedicated enough to make that realistic.

"In the past, people have moved away from the program because, historically, maybe it was a little too difficult for them or the workload was a little bit more than they wanted," Barwis said. "I hope that doesn't happen here. We've got tremendous athletes with great attitudes, and I don't think it's going to happen. If it does and it's too much for them, then the program comes first and the success of the program is what's important.

But, you can bet that there will be some attrition. Oh, and there will apparently be many that find the equipment pictured above useful:

"He would kill us all throughout the year," Serena said. "I would say, over the summer, that probably hurt you the most. You'd come back from home, and he would start the hypertrophy, the opposite of atrophy. It was very high reps and very little rest time. For us, it was the bench press for tight ends and linemen, four sets of 12. You'd get off the bench after one, do 10 clap push-ups, have about a minute rest, then go again.
"He'd strategically place garbage cans throughout weight rooms, because guys like myself would puke in them. It shocks your muscles into getting used to what's coming."

More Terrelle Pryor

2008-01-10T23:32:00.000-05:00

Now that Ryan Mallett is gone, the door now open to Terrelle Pryor to compete with Threet for the starting position next year, or at the likely minimum to platoon time with Threet. As of yesterday, Terrelle Pryor is supposedly down to Florida, Oregon, Tosu, Michigan (and Duke). Of the teams that actually run a spread (or version of it) that he would be comfortable in, the contenders get smaller: Michigan, Oregon and maybe Florida. Michigan was added, as you know, when it hired RRod.

On Dec. 16, the day that Rodriguez accepted the Wolverines' position, Pryor was driving to the local mall when he received a phone call from Rodriguez. "He showed me a lot of respect by saying I want you to know this before you see it on the news," says Pryor, who will play in the U.S. Army All-American game in San Antonio on Sunday. "I immediately considered Michigan again because of his [spread] offense."

Perhaps you read the quote a week or so ago that he didn't know who to trust, as in whether teams would really play the spread offense or not. Obviously he was referring to Tosu and to a lesser extent Florida. But he actually has come right out and expressed concern about Tosu in the past:

“That concerns me about Ohio State because they’ve never run an offense like the one we run at my high school or that they run at West Virginia, Florida, Oregon or other places. I’d like to see them run it first so I could believe they’ll change it but I’m obviously not going to get to see that so it creates doubt.”

the Rock of Journalistic Integrity as you may know it, the NYT Quad Blog, also notes the discrepancy between his addition of Oregon lately, where it did not appear only a couple weeks ago. Perhaps Oregon has simply taken WVU's spot. Or perhaps he's really down to Florida and Michigan. Either way, Oregon has been percolating on Pryor's list for some time. How seriously is anyone's guess -- though he has not visited (The only school which he has formally visited in Tosu).

This is taken from a Rivals board, and appears courtesy of mvn.com. In an old December 11 article in SI, he says:

"Oregon is now on my list," said the 6-foot-6, 235-pounder. "I spoke with coach Mike Bellotti this week when he came out to visit. I think he was in New York with Dennis Dixon for some award anyhow, but they've been recruiting me hard for a long time and I really like the offense. They run pretty much the same stuff that we do. I'm thinking about taking an official visit out there."

And, while Pryor doesn't expect to start August 30, 2008, he is interested, real surprise huh, in early playing time. Re Oregon:

"The quarterback situation out there looks pretty good as well. I don't believe anyone who tells me I'll play from snap one, that's just not the way it works but coach Bellotti never told me that, he was honest and up front."

He also says he's not going to announce until signing day:

"I don't have a leader right now, I'm staying open and I'm not going to decide until Signing Day. I still have some other visits to schedule. I might trip out to Oregon, I am looking at Florida and Tennessee and I've seen Penn State a lot so I'm just focusing on finishing our season undefeated."

Which he did. And here are some highlights, and an interview. The highlights are choppy, but there is a good touchdown catch by Pryor shown. The interview alone is worth the time. I won't spoil the youtube for you, but will say that I like the Jeanette Jayhawk offensive philosophy.

Crazy. A high school senior with his own football card.

Ricky Hollywood

2008-01-03T22:34:00.000-05:00

Twenty Questions. Who would say this? The Man in Black. But who is this man in black:

"I was naive and reckless," he said. "I took some missteps that didn't need to be taken. . . . I was out there probably too flamboyant, too in-your-face, and if you get down to the core of it, probably insecure about going up against the guys like the Mack Browns and Tom Osbornes and John Mackovics -- the illustrious longtimers that had cut their teeth long before I'd gotten into the business. "I just didn't want anybody to think I was scared. I was going 100 mph. I just didn't want to look like I was going to back down. I just went too fast. . . . There was a time where, OK, they gave me the keys to the car and I'm going to drive it fast, instead of checking to make sure everything was in order." He said he began to get more comfortable in the job, however, and was a more mature -- and secure -- as the years passed.

Is it a male: yes. Is it someone related to football: yes. Is it a football player for a college team: well, surprisingly -- no. Well, sure, it must be pacman jones. Not so much.

While he sounds like an 19-23 year old kid, its actually a 46 year old coach. Who?

The guy UCLA just named its head man. Maybe that's good. Maybe not. Depends who you are. UCLA alumni, maybe so with the excitement of a new coach. UCLA administration, well maybe as excited as Michigan's administration would have been had Les Miles been hired here -- not at all. What about recruits? Probably not so much, at least if you're the father of an already somewhat immature 19 year old 6'7" quarterback named Ryan Mallett. Former quarterback named head coach = pretty good. Fomer cheater, gambler, and generally sleazy dude after going to Michigan where your coach is a pillar of society = uuugggh (Ryan, you're not serious, are you?)

Mallett and Loeffler to UCLA. . .

2008-01-03T21:11:00.000-05:00

Not So Fast My Friend.

As I've said before, Mallett and Loeffler don't exactly see eye to eye (well, sure, figuratively and literally, Mallett being 6'7" and Loeffler 6'1" or so). The rumors of Mallett to UCLA with Ricky Hollywood from the Toledo Blade (only rumor here, no facts) seem plausible enough. Except that Loeffler has also been mentioned. In fact, the Loeffler rumor appears to have actual fact attached to it.

So, if there's any truth to the rumblings that Loeffler and Mallett aren't getting along, Mallett may not be transferring to UCLA. I hope not. I'd like to see him playing a Glenville State style Rodriguez "spread". You know, the kind that Henne just played against Florida.

The one that looks like Ryan Mallett's high school team:

Either way, look for Steven Threet to give Pryor and/or Mallett a run for the starter/platoon position. I look for RM to stay through spring ball and figure whether he can cut it. Of course, that would require some maturation on his part -- which according to Lloyd he may be starting to find. As Lloyd has so often said, 18 year olds will make mistakes. And Mallett, if you're reading this, you and you're dad should really look at the above youtube, while remembering that crazy scramble for TD this year vs. the JoPa Lions. Don't make the mistake to go play out west with Ricky Hollywood. Well, unless, you can't run an offense prolific at Glenville State.

Chevy Trucks and Lloyd Carr

2008-01-02T17:37:00.000-05:00

Like A Rock.

A Great Way to Send Out a Great Man

2008-01-01T23:59:00.000-05:00

A Great Win!

I sat on the edge of my seat and screamed as loud as I do when in Michigan Stadium. And, in the end, a fantastic victory in a fantastic game. Great performances by Henne and Arrington and Trent and Brandon Graham. And a nice bowl win -- something we needed.

But, this game was about more than a bank sponsored bowl game. About more than the last game for Chad, Jake, Mike and Englemon (and maybe Arrington and Manningham). About more than Hart's career 5,000 yards. About more than assistant coaches going out with a resume builder. About more than the final score (41-35, Crier). This game, after consecutive losses to an ohio state university and consecutive bowl losses, is a fitting way to send out a Great Coach, a Great Leader, and a Great Man.

Try to listen to the audio at Mlive. There are some great quotes. To paraphrase: Crable: Lloyd Carr is a great man. He tought me what I know about being a man. Arrington: Coach is a great man, a great leader. Which makes it unanimous, as Jim Mandich also calls Lloyd Carr one of the greatest leaders he's ever known (see article below; and yeah, Tom Brady and Jim Mandich what do they have in common other than perfect nfl seasons? Uuuh. Guess.) And, listen to Crable on Tebow -- not exactly fearful of a quarterback power running game.

There's some good stuff on the internets about Lloyd. Here's one. Lloyd Carr and Michigan allowed a reporter to tag along for the days leading up to the Citrus Bowl and the pregame, halftime, and post game. It's not a well written article, but it is an interesting account and offers unique access to Lloyd's thoughts and statments. I like this:

Captain Shawn Crable points to the door, signaling for a visitor to leave, too, so that the defensive players can be alone for a ritual they've done for more than a decade under the well-read Carr.

"I've never been in there, but I know they recite one of Rudyard Kipling's poems," English says while waiting for an elevator.

"Do you still know it?" English asks graduate assistant coach Glen Steele, who helped Michigan win the 1997 national championship as a defensive end.

"The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack," Steele says, ending the passage without hesitating in an elevator.

The Law for the Wolves

A poem. Joseph Rudyard Kipling:

Now this is the law of the jungle, as old and as true as the sky,
And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.

As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the law runneth forward and back;
For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.

Wash daily from nose tip to tail tip; drink deeply, but never too deep;
And remember the night is for hunting and forget not the day is for sleep.

The jackal may follow the tiger, but, cub, when thy whiskers are grown,
Remember the wolf is a hunter—go forth and get food of thy own.

Keep peace with the lords of the jungle, the tiger, the panther, the bear;
And trouble not Hathi the Silent, and mock not the boar in his lair.

When pack meets with pack in the jungle, and neither will go from the trail,
Lie down till the leaders have spoken; it may be fair words shall prevail.

When ye fight with a wolf of the pack ye must fight him alone and afar,
Lest others take part in the quarrel and the pack is diminished by war.

The lair of the wolf is his refuge, and where he has made him his home,
Not even the head wolf may enter, not even the council may come.

The lair of the wolf is his refuge, but where he has digged it too plain,
The council shall send him a message, and so he shall change it again.

If ye kill before midnight be silent and wake not the woods with your bay,
Lest ye frighten the deer from the crop and thy brothers go empty away.

Ye may kill for yourselves, and your mates, and your cubs as they need and ye can;
But kill not for pleasure of killing, and seven times never kill man.

If ye plunder his kill from a weaker, devour not all in thy pride,
Pack-right is the right of the meanest; so leave him the head and the hide.

The kill of the pack is the meat of the pack. Ye must eat where it lies;
And no one may carry away of that meat to his lair, or he dies.

The kill of the wolf is the meat of the wolf. He may do what he will,
But, till he is given permission, the pack may not eat of that kill.

Lair right is the right of the mother. From all of her years she may claim
One haunch of each kill for her litter, and none may deny her the same.

Cub right is the right of the yearling. From all of his pack he may claim
Full gorge when the killer has eaten; and none may refuse him the same.

Cave right is the right of the father, to hunt by himself for his own;
He is freed from all calls to the pack. He is judged by the council alone.

Because of his age and his cunning, because of his gripe and his paw,
In all that the law leaveth open the word of the head wolf is law.

Now these are the laws of the jungle, and many and mighty are they;
But the head and the hoof of the law and the haunch and the hump is—Obey!

And obey many have done. Perhaps the best example: Adrian Arrington. After a horrendous off season, in which Lloyd in his press conference acknowledged was pushed to his limit, got his act together, and performed for the entire season as Michigan's most consistent wide receiver, if not offensive player. He ran steps. He matured. He became a man. Lloyd said in his press conference the words that he has repeated in recent weeks. That when he became coach, University President Fleming told him that he approaches every day with the premise that college students are kids. And kids will make mistakes.

It is what kids learn from these mistakes, and how they persevere in the face adversity that are the lessons which are the most valuable. These are the lessons that Lloyd Carr, as coach and as leader of the Michigan Wolverine football team, and as a leader of men, has tried and for the most part succeeded to instill in his student athletes.

The Leader of the Pack

The strength of the wolf is the pack. Lloyd Carr has been with Michigan 28 years. He was a defensive coordinator whom many criticized before being named as Michigan's head coach. He entered his leadership in an interim role. He has accomplished much as a head coach. He obtained these achievements and received these gifts because he was given the reigns to the greatest football program in the nation.

And the strength of the pack is the wolf. Lloyd has been the leader of this pack for 13 years. His leadership ends tonight. He led the pack with the grace and tenacity of those who came before him, and continued Michigan's place as the most storied and most successful college program in the nation. The pack is stronger for Lloyd than it was before him. And that strength is perhaps the greatest measure of Lloyd's leadership and success.

Assistant Coaches

2007-12-23T14:49:00.000-05:00

Rod fired everyone. And, now he's rehiring. What we think:

Fred Jackson: Fred has already been rehired. Consensus that this is a positive development for the recrutiment of one Sam McGuffie, youtuber extraordinaire. Want = 80% Probability = done.

Erick Campbell: This guy is a flat out great coach. And, he's a very solid recruiter. He should stay. Want = 85%. Probability 50%.

Scott Loeffler: Wildcard. I think he's a great quarterback's coach. He has recruited well, and helped develop some outstanding quarterback talent. The Wildcard part comes in with the spread running offense. We know Loeffler can teach dropback qb's. Can he teach a spread qb to read the defense too. Probably. We'll see. Want = 75%. Probability = 35% Want would be higher if not for the new potentially running based offensive qbs. Oh, and since Loeffler and Mallet don't get along (read Mallet immaturity here), consider a transfer by Mallet to be indicative of Loeffler staying, or if Mallet stays that Loeffler probably isn't.

Mike Debord: Want = 0%. Probability = done, as in NO WAY, Rod has an OC/Asst. coming with him.

Ron English: Want = 50%. Probability = well that depends. Is he willing to take a demotion? If so probability = 60%. If not, 10% (assuming they name the DC coming with Rod as an Asst. H.C. or something which allows for essentially 2 DC's -- which is also unlikely.) Ron is a good young coach. He should become an average to good head coach within the next 5 years assuming he is willing to use this as a jump to another power conference DC position (Washington?) or to an HC at a lower level (something like a San Jose State).

Vance Bedford: Want = 80%. Probability = 50% Vance is a good coach, who has really brought along several db's, including Donavon Warren, who was terrific in his true freshman year -- and Morgan Trent, who's progress at Michigan has been nothing short of fantastic. Morgan has gone from a liability to a defensive asset.

Andy Moeller: Want = not really. Probability = 5%.

Steve Stripling: Want = 20%. Probability = 60% His name has been mentioned as a possible rehire. The D Line progress has been, well, meehh.

Memo to Rod

2007-12-18T10:11:00.000-05:00

Rod, you're new here. We'll cut you some slack. We won't give you a hard time if you don't go 12-0. We don't expect to go to the MNC every year. As much as we'd like to think so, we don't even expect to beat OSU every year. We're looking forward to your long and successful tenure at this great University.

There are mistakes that we can live with. And yeah, ND and MSU are big rivalries. No doubt. Michigan v Michigan State might be similar to your WVU v Pitt game. Or Alabama v Auburn. Or USC v UCLA. But if you learn only one thing in your first week at Michigan it had better be this:

Michigan v osu is not one of the biggest rivalries in college football.

IT IS THE BIGGEST RIVALRY IN ALL OF SPORT.

I'm going to cut you some slack. You probably had about 3 hours of sleep in three days when you stood at that podium in Schembechler Hall. This time. After today, if there is one thing you have learned, it must be the significance of THE GAME.

Farm System . . . . Doh!

2007-12-18T00:40:00.000-05:00

Watch the presser of Bill Martin and Rod on Mgoblue.com if you get a chance. It was choppy for me, probably b/c so many were watching it. But if you get a chance to watch it -- please do. It is worthwhile. Among other things both Bill Martin and RRod took pains to avoid any discussion of the search process, or when he was first contacted by Michigan. My only point here is that, unlike the basketball hire where Bill Martin made it known that he had filed away Johnny B's name for future reference, Bill claims no such intent this time. Mmmm. Not so much, because, well, like yeah: Rodriguez > Schiano > Miles > English > Hoke > Debord. So, ok, I guess.

This article is damning. Of the supposed list that contributed to Rod's departure (not that he wouldn't have gone anyway) some may have been in WVU's control:

• Allow at least an additional $100,000 in bonus money for his assistants.
• Allow scholarship players to retain possession of textbooks at the end of each term, which meant they could have sold them, as apparently happens at other programs.
• Waive a $5 ticket fee for each high-school football coach attending Mountaineer home games, a fee that generates an estimated $5,000 for the university each season.
• Hire seven graduate assistants and a new recruiting coordinator, to ease the duties performed by secondary coach Tony Gibson.

So, ok you can understand this reaction:

But after Beilein, now Rodriguez, and this:

Mr. Hartley said he found it "amazing" that in the last year, WVU lost its basketball coach, John Beilein, to Michigan; the head of the Mountaineer Athletic Club, Whit Babcock, who was instrumental in last December's rally that kept Mr. Rodriguez, to Missouri; the swimming coach, Sergio Lopez, after winning the Big East title, to a Jacksonville, Fla., high school swimming program; and women's soccer coach, Nikki Izzo-Brown.

the natives are way beyond restless. Worse yet, that 2.5 million buyout for Beilein which Michigan lawyers negotiated to 1.5 million -- that's going to be close to what the Rod buyout is after taking into account that only 2 million of the 4 was due by fall 2008, and the remainder in 2010, compounded by WVU's possible failure to live up to its obligations of the contract which may negate in part the buyout in the first place:

Some of the items discussed were part of the contract extension signed Aug. 24, more than eight months after the details were first hammered out last December. Mr. Rodriguez's representatives maintain that university administrators agreed to other requests that haven't been met, though they decline to publicly specify them. In short, it means Mr. Rodriguez might contest the $4 million he owes WVU to buy out his contract, by claiming the university acted in bad faith or fraudulently.

Not like we needed any more help. And, the WVU donor, they're not particularly happy about their status:

"Maybe we should be a farm system," Mr. Hartley added, "until our coaches get good enough that they can coach at Michigan."

Ed Pastilong, How Do You Feel:

Terrelle Pryor

2007-12-16T14:42:00.000-05:00

Has a website all his own. He also now has Michigan on his list. Expect Mallet transfer rumors which have persisted to become true, and that Steven Threet may be Michigan's quarterback on August 30, 2008.

Pryor Youtubes. Turn the volume off before you watch it. Trust me. Oh, and if we bring this guy in, Pryor and McGuffie = LOTS OF RUSHING YARDS.

On Pryor:

For West Virginia, the most important fan among the 60,000 in attendance tonight will be Terrelle Pryor, a Pennsylvania high school quarterback. He’s the consensus No. 1 player in the country and seemingly an ideal fit for the Mountaineers’ spread offense. Terrelle Pryor is most often compared to the former Texas quarterback Vince Young and has narrowed the list of universities recruiting him to Ohio State, West Virginia, Florida, Penn State and Tennessee.
In this interesting diary in The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Terrelle Pryor talks about how he’s rooting for W.V.U. and O.S.U. to play in the title game. Terrelle Pryor is 6-foot-6, 225 pounds and as prolific a thrower as he is a runner. He was scheduled to play in a playoff game this afternoon for Jeannette High School and make it in time for kickoff.
The West Virginia staff couldn’t have scripted a better environment for Terrelle Pryor’s visit. The atmosphere here is expected to be the best in the history of the state. If you don’t believe the hype on Terrelle Pryor, pick your poison on these You Tube clips. You don’t need to be Tom Lemming to see Terrelle Pryor’s boundless potential.

Rodriguez to Michigan

2007-12-16T14:12:00.000-05:00

Metronews Morgantown now confirming that Rich Rodriguez will announce today that he is Michigan's new coach.

According to WVU players, at a team meeting Sunday afternoon at the Puskar Center, Head Football Coach Rich Rodriguez announced that he is leaving West Virginia University to take over the football program at the University of Michigan.
Rodriguez left the meeting without talking with reporters.
Rodriguez's wife, Rita, was seen crying both before and after the meeting.
She did speak with reporters but would not comment on what was said at the meeting.

Who's Next

2007-12-16T11:09:00.000-05:00

There are rumblings that Rod could receive an offer. There is also a report that Michigan may also have interest in UConn's coach Edsall.

ESPN's Joe Schad reported Thursday that Michigan officials have contacted Edsall about the job that opened when Lloyd Carr announced his retirement Nov. 19.

"A source familiar with the situation said that intermediaries from Michigan have reached out to Edsall several times to see his interest in becoming head coach," Schad said on ESPN.

Edsall Wiki here. UConn site here.

Youtubes. There's a short view in here of Edsall in the post victory locker room:

No Offer -- There is a Big One on the Line

2007-12-15T21:17:00.000-05:00

www.collegefootballtalk.com is reporting there is no deal. In other words, Schiano II. I was reading the infamous EErhole earlier today and thought that Rod might not be happy with the administration at WVU -- statements like lost all faith etc. (EErhole appears to be in the WVU A.D.) CFN confirms that Rodriguez may be ready to take any job.

RODRIGUEZ, MICHIGAN DON'T HAVE A DEAL
Although there was talk late Friday that West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez was close to an agreement to leave for Michigan, we're hearing that that is not the case.

However, we're also hearing that because Rodriguez does not have a good relationship with West Virginia Athletic Director Ed Pastilong, Rodriguez will consider any high-profile job that comes along as long as Pastilong is his boss.

As for Pastilong, he told the Associated Press of the meeting Rodriguez had with Michigan, "Rich has not mentioned anything of that nature to me. ... I think it would be unusual that he would be doing that without sharing it with us."

However, Tom Dienhart of The Sporting News reports that West Virginia has given permission for Rodriguez to talk to Michigan.

You can track all the latest coaching news at the College Football Talk coaching changes page.

I see two possibilities. Either we have a fish on the line no one is actively talking about; or I may have jumped the gun when I said that UM had no interest in Miles. I don't believe we have an interest in Miles. I think we're done, and were done with him before the search even started.

RRod Contract Stuff

2007-12-15T13:11:00.000-05:00

Apparently, RRod and WVA have STILL been working on finalizing the contract Rich signed after flirtations with Alabama. President of the school with all of those fantastic lawyers we know so well from the hoops hire says that they have spent 50k working on tax deferrment issues.

Intersting:

One ranking University official said the news was surprising because they were under the impression after the last contract was signed just a few months ago that Rodriguez would retire at the university.

The official said WVU is in the process of putting the finishing touches on a critical part of the new contract that allows Rodriguez to defer large amounts of his salary to avoid a huge tax burden.

That single aspect of the contact cost the university an estimated $50,000 just to put together.

And this tidbit:

Meanwhile, a longtime friend of Rodriguez, who spoke confidently, said he could understand if the coach were interested in the Michigan job. The friend complained how some Mountaineer fans reacted after WVU lost the Pitt game, ending chances for a national championship.

Some fans booed and criticized Rodriguez, while kicker Pat McAfee, who missed two field goals in the game, reportedly received death threats.

RRod Presser

2007-12-15T12:19:00.000-05:00

The Question: Has Michigan Decided to Offer RRod or Not? There may still be 2 or 3 other coaches "in play". RRod's comment after his Fiesta Bowl Presser today:

"It may be disappointing to you, but I'm not going to talk about any rumors or innuendos or jobs or whatever else is floating out there. I'm not going to talk about that at all," Rodriguez told reporters. "I'm not talking about anything other than this year's team, this season and this year's bowl preparations."

When pressed, Rodriguez told reporters "You all have not understood what I just said. One more question and unfortunately this conference will end."

Rodriguez You Tubes

2007-12-15T10:37:00.000-05:00

Last is a CFB live interview with RRod where he talks about this team and emphasizes the tempo involved in practice and the game. Definitely worth a listen.

RRod Returns From Toledo:

Desmond on RRod:

Glenville State Celebration:

WVU Celebration:

Tempo