Wisconsin Wrap

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.”

Could his Head be Bigger than his Gut?

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

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

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:

Boren Family Values = WWKD

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?"

Stalking is What Internets Are For

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

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.

2008 Michigan Football Spring Game

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.

Add Martavious

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.

McGuffie Is In

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)

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.

And, Terrelle Pryor is . . .

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'.

WVU Meltdown -- The Australian Waters Syndrome

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.

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

New Weight Room

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

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.

Mallett and Loeffler to UCLA. . .

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.

A Great Way to Send Out a Great Man

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.

Memo to Rod

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!

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: