Monday, January 1, 2018

A Nightmare of A Day

You go to bowl games to enjoy yourself.  You want to enjoy your team playing a different opponent and get away for a few days.  Bowl games are not cheap, no matter if you are traveling by plane or car.  You most likely have transportation costs, hotel costs, food, and tickets.   You're investing your time and your money to support your favorite team. 


My favorite team my entire life is the Michigan Wolverines.  I always knew they wouldn't be flashy but they would play hard and compete every game.  I don't know when that changed but it has.  Not even the chosen one Jim Harbaugh has been able to change it.  Something is wrong or broken and for the life of me, I can't tell you what it is.  


I realize I'm pissed off coming off a terrible loss to a terrible team just a few minutes after the game mercifully ended.   This is not the program of my youth or what many of you grew up watching.   Maybe there was a "Tiger Woods" effect when you played Michigan and opponents just feared the Maize and Blue and didn't play well because of it.  


My family and I spent the entire day freezing in 40 degree weather in Tampa, that had a pretty strong wind and light rain.   The first half was one of the worst half's I have ever watched on the offensive side of the ball.   For some reason that half seemed like it took 3 hours and had 100 punts.   It was miserable watching your team play like that in poor conditions. 


As I sat back at halftime and looked at a half empty stadium, you start to wonder if your a sucker for investing in this bowl game.   Michigan then comes out of the locker room and starts to dominate the game, like many (including me) predicted they would.   They score the games only TD and it seems they are on their way to an easy victory up 16-3.   Thoughts like, how is South Carolina going to score on Michigan's defense?


Then Michigan did what they have done all year, they keep the other team in the game when Michigan's offense and Tampa's own Karan Higdon fumbles on the 5 yard line.   A sure Michigan TD is taken off the board and Michigan's tired defense is asked to win the game again.   They didn't and started to fold as the offense kept putting them in terrible positions.    I almost lost my mind when Peters rolled out after a score and doesn't see Gentry running wide open for a sure TD instead throws to WR 3 yards out.   


We all knew the game was over, when Peters throws that terrible pick in the end zone.  Michigan's offense kept a terrible South Carolina offense in the game.  Let's not be confused, South Carolina's offense is as awful as a D1 offense can be.   Which leads to the question, where is Michigan's offense?  


I'm tired of excuses, I'm tired of terrible play, I'm tired of losing to OSU and MSU and I'm tired how this program continues to under achieve year after year.   This is not about a loss to a poor South Carolina team, it's about where is this program going?  It has good recruiting, it has a Super Bowl coach and former QB, it has all the facilities.   What is missing?


As I leave the stadium, freezing from the cold, feeling the light rain on my face, pissed that I just invested so much money into this terrible game.  The one thing I know for sure is, I'm the sucker for falling for it again. 
 


18 comments:

Unknown said...

I felt the same way and I believe it's time to let Drevno go and bring in a young offensive coordinator.Look how great the defense has played and the offense keeps regressing. I hope that Patterson can come in and change things

SecondChance said...

Thanks for your post Bob. As I stated in the preview comments yesterday, I expected a close game today. I have not been impressed with our offense, and they proved that with the inability to move the ball.

Peters did not look very good, and I'm hoping Patterson or Dylan M. can step up for next year. I can't see us going to ND and winning with Peters at QB.

Question - when will we know whether Patterson is eligible for next season ?

SecondChance said...

In addition, keep your expectations for next year modest. The OL is a work in progress, the QB is unknown, and the coaching is questionable.

I could see 9-3 at best, or 7-5 on the downside in 2018.

SecondChance said...

The bloom is off the rose for Harbaugh. How many years does he get before he wins the East ? Three years from now if he is 0 for 6, how many years does he get ?

Yet the staff is probably planning another spring trip to Europe to tiptoe through the tulips and smell the flowers.

EzmoB said...

Bob I feel your pain. Try to stay positive and have faith.

SEcondchance- OL has been a work in progress for how many years now? This excuse needs to stop and they need to deliver. Drevno needs to either produce or he needs to be let go and bring in someone that can make difference. If JH is considered a QB guru he needs to show it. This year so far we had 3 bust QB's while Bama is playing with a true freshman in the playoffs.

OUR OFFENSE SUCKS!!!

Goose said...

Drevno's gotta go, seat warming up for harbaugh. Ugly ugly game. To think Michigan wanted harbaugh to have a lifetime contract not very long ago.

Voice of Reason said...

Its very disheartening to see your team totally implode the way Michigan did today. SC had a good defense but their offense was horrible. If it weren't for Michigan turning the ball over so much, SC wouldn't have any points.

Yes, there is a concern about our OL and QB position groups and Harbaugh inherited a mess at those positions but I was hoping that they would be fixed by now, but they are the two most sensitive and complicated positions groups to get right when you recruit. Then when you take into consideration that the OL doesn't seem strong enough to push/knock even a lighter DL off of the line of scrimmage it points to a real problem; especially a team that wants to run the ball.

I was concerned when I heard the OL configuration was different today with A. Stueber at center, Onwenu at left guard, Ruiz at right guard, and Runyan at RT. JBB didn't even make the trip, and Bredeson was a last minute scratch. This shouldn't have been a big deal but it is a big deal because we haven't had consistency on the OL since last years mediocre line.

This OL group will have their work cut out for them preparing for the fall. Plus, the QB group needed a big boost and the Shea Patterson pick up is excellent if he can play right away. He seems to be far better than what they have that's in line for the job now. Brandon Peters started his what, third or fourth game of his college career against a top ranked national defensive unit no less, and we expected the offense to work today? Really!!!???

I still believe that Harbaugh is going in the right direction. Once he gets these two position groups back on track we will see a marked difference. IMHO!!!

Stevie Ray Vaughan RIP said...

Your post is a common thought for all of us. I've been reading every blog and rec recruiting site for years now. I think the defense is good enough to win a national championship now. It was last year also.

As good as the defense is, the offense is that bad. I think losing Jedd Fisch hurt us a lot. Pep did nothing this year to improve the team. Its time to let Pep go, move Drevno back to the line and find a creative offensive mind that knows when to pound the ball and when to change things up. There is more to it, than shifting in a formation prior to the snap. How about some change in tempo, an occasional shotgun, play action, a home run ball, some misdirection.

Very disapppointing. Trusting Harbaugh fixes things in the off season.

Stevie Ray Vaughan RIP said...

Also we should add a big thank you to Mo Hurst, M McCray and Mason Cole for giving their all. Those 3 deserve a better send off.

South Carolina Wolverine said...

Amen.

South Carolina Wolverine said...

Amen.

South Carolina Wolverine said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Renegade said...

Quotes from Amani Toomer:

"Oh, we’re going to Rome. Oh, we wear Michael Jordan shoes.’ I don’t care! I want to beat Michigan State, I want to beat Ohio State. That’s the passion that I have for the program.”

“I’m a frustrated fan. I think that what Michigan signed up for was a Nick Saban, an Urban Meyer. We signed up for somebody who was going to come in and change the culture."

“He’s getting paid as one of the great coaches in college football that can make chicken soup out of chicken parts, and he’s just not doing that.”



This is Harbaugh's team. What happens is a direct result of his actions. Perhaps it is time to end this Harbaugh love-fest that infests this site and others. If you look at his record as a coach, college and pros, he has had some excellent years and some that are pretty bad. As of this season his record is moving in the wrong direction. I am not advocating his removal, but that fans take a realistic look at his teams and hold him responsible for their records.

Unknown said...

Bob - I feel your pain too. The Harbaugh-coached UM teams always seem unsure of themselves and tight. Too much fear of mistakes? Too complex of a system? Not sure but the team's energy never seems to flow right. Is that Harbaugh's responsibility? I think so. Something needs to change for sure to create more energy and confidence.

Unknown said...

Bob - I feel your pain too. The Harbaugh-coached UM teams always seem unsure of themselves and tight. Too much fear of mistakes? Too complex of a system? Not sure but the team's energy never seems to flow right. Is that Harbaugh's responsibility? I think so. Something needs to change for sure to create more energy and confidence.

Scott K said...

I can't help but wonder if Jim is too involved in the offense and either the OC isn't allowed to do his job, or the offense isn't clear on who is running the squad, etc, etc, etc..... Don Brown (and before him DJ) clearly had full control and call on that side of the ball.

The offense looking so clueless screams of lack of leadership. The play calling that defies common sense, game planning that is so friggin' hit or miss, UGH!

Wilt transferring (as a 2 year starter) rather than coming back, does not give me the feeling that the offense can see light at the end of the tunnel. Peters looked lost, held the ball too long, slid instead of dove for an extra yard that would have been a 1st down and on and on.

Was it coincidence that the only players that were in on Chase's hair dye challenge were defensive, and the DC was the only coach involved? There wasn't a lack of fire and motivation when you saw the defensive players huddled up. The offensive squad looked bewildered and un-motivated.

Maybe its just me, but that's what I saw. Do we need an OC or does our head coach just need to let the OC do his job?

It's going to be another L O N G off season. Hopefully Shea is the answer for 2 years and McCaffrey is the next best thing....

This shit isn't getting old, its BEEN old!

chosuichi inu said...

Seriously???
These opinions are mind numbing STUPID. everyone with knee jerk, the sky is falling reactions. No THOUGHT whatsoever--just gut reaction---SAD! Does it matter we were missing 3 starters from an already shaky O-Line??? Does it matter we graduated 17 last season and were fielding a bunch of frosh and sophs??? Apparently not, huh? If nothing else this season showed me that you all write the saaame trash and create your own drama. what happened to the MEEECHIGAN fan base---this is juuust SAD!!!!!

Unknown said...

I agree with chosuichi inu People forget we lost 17/22 starters. We played a bowl game against an inferior opponent with a 3rd string QB and pissed away the game. All the losses were against teams that won 9 or more games. We will be ok. Keep the faith. Always Blue, thru and thru.