That is how I feel about this Big 10 season, Michigan Football, Jim Harbaugh, and Don Brown. The fans, the coaches, and Big 10 parents pushed Big 10 football back on the field. What did we get for all of that?
- Wisconsin cancelling 2 games and maybe a 3rd on the way? How do you prepare for Michigan with nearly 30 players and staff not being able to practice or even in a limited manner?
- Purdue maybe moon walking into the Big Ten Championship to face Ohio State who continues to be an NFL expansion team.
- Both Penn State and Michigan reeling with loses and best players opting out. You can add Minnesota to that list if you like.
- Nebraska getting shut down on playing an FCS school
- Big Ten put OSU on the easiest road to the CFP's I've ever seen.
Now to Michigan:
- Definition of Insanity = Don Brown's Defense
- I've always been a strong supporter of Harbaugh, that support took a major blow last weekend
- I've never seen a program do less with more then the Michigan Football program in the last 6+ years
- What the hell is going on with Bob Shoop and his zone defense? I know we don't have any details, but damn this couldn't have happened at a worse time.
- Who should be fired for the CB recruiting? Someone should
- There have been whispers that Jimmy's is not a guy that gets his players going with a pre-game speech. Neither was John Beilein, find an assistant or a player do it. Michigan was clearly not "up" for the MSU game last weekend and the no fans in the Big House almost was a disadvantage for the Wolverines.
- How about that for another 2020 thing: The Big Ten road teams have the advantage in an empty stadium this season. Out of 6 Big Ten games last weekend, 5 road teams won.
- Shea Patterson and De'veon Smith was on FS1 last night in the Spring League.
- Ryan Glasgow got signed to the Patriots practice squad
- The MAC was back last night
- How is Michigan -3.5 Saturday? I know IU hasn't won in 32 years, but hell they should be favored. Wait, I forgot for a second that Big Ten road teams have the advantage!
10 comments:
I recently watched the "All or Nothing" Michigan football documentary on Amazon Prime. I found it to be really good and enjoy it immensely. The behind-the-scenes, the sidelines, and the locker room stuff was all very interesting. However all Jimmy's pregame speeches, locker room speeches, and team meeting speeches were uninspiring. That was one thing that really stuck out for me but other than that I enjoyed it. BTW Don Brown was very firery.
szanreno, it's been a couple years but that was a take away I had as well. Jimmy is no Bo....."the team, the team, the team" kind of inspiring speeches. He comes off as a regular joe in the series and a banner father, but not much of a Ted Talk fellow. That is ok as long as you have others that will pick up that duty for you. Brown if firey but still not the speech kind. Not sure who does that in the locker room for them. Maybe the team captains?
We are over-reacting to the MSU loss to the same degree that we over-reacted to the Minnesota win.
Let's all relax. If we spent as much energy on our own professional/personal lives than we do criticizing our football coaches, our lives would be much better.
Don't blame COVID, either - our country grossly over-reacted to this virus. Schools should be open and football/sports should be played - with fans. If anything, our "closing" society has harmed the natural herd immunity that we would significantly developed by now to the virus. Europe, which reacted even more draconian that we did, are now worse off than we are (except Sweden who is doing well and didn't have a lock down). Don't give me BS about how "wrong" I am about this, I'm a physician. The B1G blew this totally. Dr. Schlissel in particular - and he hasn't treated a patient in a long time - he's a bureaucrat, not a physician any more.
Go Blue; If we beat Indiana we are in pretty good shape. We have a lot of talent; our coaches need to adjust. OK, let's do it.
I don't think anybody was blaming covid. Think about all the games that have been canceled and the players that have it now. And that's under a very strict conditions. Imagine what it would be like if we opened it up. A lot of schools have opened up only to shut down a short time later with out breaks. This season is limping along as it is. If we did what you say it would be dead in the water in a short period of time. Herd immunity. Everybody talks about it but nobody does it, and we're not Sweden.
Kind of have to win this game. Indiana playing well, but have some cracks. UM has some cracks that are becoming caverns, especially with two starting LB not playing. Elite teams don't go in a lose to the IN teams, even though they are good. Gotta see what kind of stones these guys are hanging between their leggs. Are they really brothers or are they spoiled babies that fade when things don't go right. And if not now, when? Schedule only gets harder. The crescendo builds to Cockeye U and mono e mono....let's keep punching eachother in the mouth and see who keeps playing. Now or never Jimmy. Don, might be too late unless you can stop these great offenses, especially sockeye U.
GO BLUE!
Unknown said he is a physician.....Thank God he is not mine.
One of the issues that I struggle with is separating my fandom from my objectivity regarding Michigan. I'd like Michigan to whip everyone because I'm a fan but when they just lay down, it bothers me and I ask myself why? In one of my last comments I mentioned Michigan's national ranking amongst other schools in returning production from last season at #125 which also makes them "last" in the B1G conference. The school that's next the last is...MSU at #117.
When you look at Michigan's roster what do you see? Talent yes but very young talent and with little overall experience. Michigan has only what amounts to be a handful of returning starters (or starting position groups) on that roster. By starters I don't mean 1-3 starts, I means something like 10+ starts (real starters). Most of the current starters now saw playing time but they didn't have consistent "starts" throughout the season. For example:
DB: No starters (Corners or Safeties) [Very important]
LB: Cam Mcgrone
DL: Carlo Kemp, Kwity Paye, Aidan Hutchinson
QB: No Starters (Very important)
OL: Jalen Mayfield (Very important)
WR: Ronnie Bell
RB: Same returning group of rotators
TE: Same returning group of rotators
That is why Michigan is ranked so low in terms of returning production from last season. Has nothing to do with talent just lack of starting and in some cases playing experience. We can't undo last season but going forward I want to see Michigan play with an edge (attitude) as well as smart play. MSU didn't have the talent that Michigan had but they gave 100% all throughout the game. Their coach insisted on it, ours should have but didn't. We may not win every fight, but we have to be willing to die when we go out to fight, no middle ground. A strong fighting spirit is infectious. We must do better. IMHO!!!
VOR, At this point I guess you're saying the days of reloading are over and going forward every year is going to be a re-building year. Seems like every year we're saying "just wait until next year".
szanreno,
Michigan arguably for the first time in years has a solid roster of talent at every position. These guys are very good and just based upon talent can "compete" but has limited playing time or starting experience. This pandemic has touched many teams as you know but for the Alabama's, Clemson's, osu's they have been so deep for years and therefore early departures do not affect them quite as much.
I don't expect Michigan to play for a National Championship with a QB that had only taken eleven snaps (or passes) in his collegiate career or have an OL that has only one returning starter especially since we're taught that OL's need to jell together as a unit.
Nevertheless, even though we have to play with the cards that we are dealt we still can play well (compete), smart and with an attitude of aggressiveness and eliteness (win or lose). We can be smarter about how we prepare our players in the current seasons for future seasons...that is what I expect. IMHO!!!
Good thoughts VOR. I've said before and I'll say it again I don't expect to win every game, but I do want to be competitive in every game. Good luck to us.
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