I'm rekindling this blog,  because there is a very real dearth of reasonable talk on the Michigan dedicated blogosphere about Brady Hoke, our coaches, and our team. 

Rather, there seems to be a continuing attack against our coaches, some legit, but a lot far overblown.  You know the reasons:

 . . . doesn't wear a headset
. . . you've had your guys, why can't you win
. . . can't win on the road
 . . .  senior quarterback

The list continues, but these are primary points you've heard, again and again.  Some bloggers who claim to be beat writers, have even gone so far as to sell their tickets, and then write about the game after watching it on TV.  They say Brady Hoke must go.  One in particular, knows very little about football, but claims to know how to coach.

Let's end this bs now!  We've a promising team in Ann Arbor.  The problem is that our talent is young.  Our line is young.  Better than last year, maybe,  but younger than last year.  We've predictably taken a step back in pass  blocking after losing senior tackles, but at least we can now runthe ball 3 - 5 yards up the middle regularly.

Now is NOT THE TIME TO GET ON THE COACHES AND CALL FOR THEIR HEADS!.  Now IS THE TIME to rally behind our players, and bite your tongues about the coaches.  These guys yhave recruited extraordinarily well.  They continue to do so. 

Did you expect to win with freshman and sophomore linemen?  Bear with the team.  Bear with your school.  Bear with its coaches.  Next year, if this team continues to play as it is now, I will eat my hat and deservedly so.  But with the youth on offense, and the very unfavorable schedule, be patent and foforgiving, and most importantly cheer loudly. 

The last thing we want is a coaching change at this point.  The foundation is in.  The house looks like  ccrap with tyvek, but once the siding's up, things will look much, much better. 

Forcier Squared

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?

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

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

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:

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The Conquering Hereos Philosophy

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

Merry Christmas.

ps. Rob Parker is an Ass.

Remember It Fondly

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.