So, Michigan has a coach.
I know there is much rejoicing among many of the loyal fans to the Maize and Blue. I also hear there is a lot of rejoicing at some of our toughest competitors...
Before I give you my opinion, let's break this down into the X's and O's that we will soon be hearing about.
First, the Bad and Not So Good.
1. Rodriguez wasn't on my short list. To review my assessment from very early in this process:
11. Rodriguez - West Virginia - he turned down Alabama stating he was in his dream job...Or was he just saying that to make WVU fans happy? My guess is he knows that WVU will always be a 2nd tier to the Big Schools, one of them being Michigan. Beline might have paved the road for Rodriguez....No Michigan ties...100-1
So, Michigan landed a 100-1 (my opinion) shot from the Big East, and if everything holds true, it would appear that we paid top dollar, and I do mean TOP DOLLAR to do it. Rodrigues had a $4.5M dollar buyout in his contract. No doubt, Michigan will be paying for two head football coaches next season - Rodrigues and whoever West Virginia hires..
2. About 6 years ago, another Big Ten school was looking for the "hot" coach with an innovative offense. They looked to the Big East at a coach who had led an obscure team to 5 straight bowl appearances and was highly regarded for many coaching positions in the country, but this Big Ten school landed the "coach" and everything in the Big Ten was going to change for the better and the school had "finally gotten it right." That School: MSU, affectionately known here as Sparty. The Coach: Louisville's John L. Smith....So when did the Big East become a hot bed for Big Ten Coaches???? I am not saying that Rich is John L., but the comparisons make me a little ill....I would have preferred paying top dollar for an SEC coach that is playing in the National Title Game....Granted, Rodrigues was one bad loss from that game, but his team still lost...
3. I am not overly impressed with the current WVU hire (Beeline) in the Men's Basketball Program....We have lost to Harvard and the coach we canned and we have now lost to Central - BADLY - and I am beginning to wonder what the heck we are doing...
4. My guess is he is a short term solution if things don't work out immediately (3-5 years) Why? Well, he's too young to let what happened to John L. happen to him. If he thinks his system won't work in the Big 10, he'll be gone to the first opportunity where it will work.
The Good
1. I know many of you like what Rich has done at WVU and think the Slaton and White thing would look SO GOOD at Michigan...Well folks, I am here to tell you that this system with the right athletes is a far cry from where Michigan currently stands today...Whether or not that's good or bad remains to be seen, but I am correct in saying that THINGS ARE GOING TO BE DIFFERENT FROM NOW ON! I believe that the days of the Big Time Receiver at Michigan have come to an end...I know, it's hard to believe that we had the "days of the Big Time Receiver", but this offense is truly a "misdirect and run first" offense, it's just not run off left tackle first down every game.... I think some of the receiving and passing records that were set at Michigan may stay there for awhile, just a hunch....
2. He turned down Alabama and the SEC, meaning he understands that things can go up and down and didn't want to be part of that circus...Yes, that's a good thing...
3. Rodriguez is a proven coach. He will have success at Michigan, to what degree remains to be seen. He will graduate kids and he will run a relatively clean program, if what we have seen at WVU is any indication.
4. His overall record of 104-62-2 will most likely improve.
5. Will he win? That remains to be seen. - Read: Can he beat OSU and win a Bowl Game????
The Questions:
We already know he is bringing his secondary coach with him. That's probably a good thing based on Michigan's secondary. Michigan has stated they want to keep Jackson, Campbell, and English, which prbobably leaves DeBord looking for a job...Another good thing...
The Press conference is at 9:00 A.M. this morning, and I will submit another post after digesting what's said and not said....
Overall, I can say this:
It's a good hire. But the way it was handled (Martin is still a Boob) from the get go after the Rose Bowl last year has to go down in the history books of what not to do when looking to hire a head coach when you have 1 year of warning...
I actually think Mary Sue Coleman deserves a lot of the credit for this. My guess is we are going to hear a lot in the press in the next couple of days regarding how she hired Ferentz and how she got involved to sell the University of Michigan to Rodriguez and get him to come here. Just a hunch...
GO BLUE AND BRING ON THE NEW ERA!!!!
The MMQ
Monday, December 17, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Monday Morning - Still no Coach.....
Well, I don't know what else can be said...If you have been following along, you know this:
1. Martin is a Boob....Double D
2. Did I mention that Martin is a Boob?
3. Les Miles will not be the Michigan Head Coach next year - or will he?
4. Ferentz is out
5. Schiano is out
6. Others that are reportedly out (Before they were ever in): Cameron, Payton....
7. New Names in: Marvin Lewis, Jerry Lewis, Louis and Clark, Huey, Duey and Louey, You, Me, and whoever else that HASN'T taken his name out of consideration (But UM will still talk to them anyway)
8. Mary Sue Coleman is (finally) getting involved, if she wasn't already...
9. Lloyd Carr has been mysteriously silent throughout all of this...
10. If you have been reading this blog, you know as much as everyone else....At the end of the day, that's not much. Discuss....Like all the talking heads on every radio show have been doing....
The latest in an ever frustrating string of events has the Boob and the Boob's boss calling Les Miles last Friday asking for "advice" on who HE thinks the next head coach at Michigan should be. Now, bear with me for a minute while I ramble: Michigan is supposed to be a top notch program with links and people all over the football community. I would think, THINK, that once the "word" was out that Michigan needed a coach and that if there was anyone who met the qualifications and was interested, don't you THINK that maybe Michigan would know about it? Why pursue Ferentz if he expressed non-interest once? I mean, do we need to sell Ferentz on the Job? He knows the job...He's at Iowa and he is a man of character...He's there to stay. Why pursue Schiano, when he's made it clear that he wants to coach PSU or stay at Rutgers and let the world know that you were going to pay the RUTGERS head coach $2.2M for 5 years....That just made the price tag on whoever you get that much higher. No offense, Schiano's a good coach and all, but he is still a Big East Head Coach at Rutgers. And the coaching fraternity is small...they might even have support groups that talk to each other and give each other advice about who wants what job where...Maybe...Do you think that goes on???
But more on this Miles Development...What play are Mary Sue and Bill making? Did the two get together and the cooler head among them,let's say that's Coleman, because the Boob has botched everything except the spelling of Michigan's name up to this point, decide to open a dialog with Miles to convince him that this is the place he needs to be? Michigan (Coleman) may have finally realized that just because you're Michigan doesn't mean that the world comes running...So maybe they figure that by talking and exploring the "suggestions" of names from Les and after they run those down, and after Les wins a National Title at LSU - he will, of that I am pretty sure, that maybe Les starts to realize his University truly does need him...And they make their play and make him an offer that he reponds to just like Bear Bryant, "Boys, Momma's calling." As the MMQ, all I am saying is don't count Miles out yet...ESPECIALLY IF MICHIGAN HASN'T FORMALLY TALKED TO ANYONE ELSE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. The heat will be off after that...Bowl Games, distractions...No one will care. But the week leading up to the Championship Game will be exactly like the week we had leading up to the SEC title...and if LSU wins, expect a slightly different result...Maybe...
BUT THIS ALL COULD HAVE HAPPENED 2 MONTHS AGO!!! That's what's really pissing most of the loyal Michigan faithful off...They have watched this thing unfold and realize it could have been handled so much better. Explore the possibilities - quietly - and then go back to Les and say, "Hey, you're School needs you." DO NOT LET LLOYD announce his retirement until the week of the bowl game or right after the bowl, and have Miles ready to go a day or two after his National Title, if his team was playing in the game...Makes sense now, doesn't it? It would have made sense to me awhile ago, also, when I would have had the conversation with Miles....
But nooooooooo....We parade the University of Michigan around like arrogant idiots and make offers that others use to get better offers from their own University or we completely screw up the one situation that falls in our lap - Miles. And the parading of the University is what really makes us look bad. I mean, at least with Arkansas, you can look at it and say, "Well, who in their right mind would take that job? The guy just beats the number 1 team in the land and they can the head coach? What kind of atmosphere is that?" But with Michigan, it's supposed to be a job for life....How can you possibly go wrong...And we couldn't lure a guy away from Rutgers???? Martin, you are a Boob...I thought the Halo was bad, but you are raising the bar, to exceedingly dizzy heights with your incompetence.
Lloyd Carr's silence is worth commenting on as well....Is he silent because he isn't getting what he wants or is his silence a form of protest that his guy isn't getting the consideration he should? Sources (mgoblog - others) have stated that if it can't be English or Deboard, than Carr is pulling for Brady Hoke. No offense, but other than being a head coach and assisting under Carr, what's he done? Check the record...It's nothing to write home about. Which brings me to my final point in this week's late submission:
Is Lloyd Carr really doing what's best for Michigan or is Lloyd doing what's best for Lloyd Carr, his buddies, and everyone else? I know we have all said great things about Carr the last couple of weeks. I will continue to say those things and remember what a great guy he was. But, like I said earlier, the buck no longer stops with Lloyd, it stops with Martin and Coleman. I would hate to think that Lloyd would put his buddies before the University, but I get the feeling that maybe he is a bigger part of the problem than previously thought...And if that's the case, than powers that are in control need to address that ASAP...
OSU didn't hire Tressel until January when they canned Super Cooper...So, I am still not worried - but I am getting there quick. I hate the way it's developed up to this point. The process and the plan suck, and that is all on Sailboat Bill and his one man band of ineptness...
1. Martin is a Boob....Double D
2. Did I mention that Martin is a Boob?
3. Les Miles will not be the Michigan Head Coach next year - or will he?
4. Ferentz is out
5. Schiano is out
6. Others that are reportedly out (Before they were ever in): Cameron, Payton....
7. New Names in: Marvin Lewis, Jerry Lewis, Louis and Clark, Huey, Duey and Louey, You, Me, and whoever else that HASN'T taken his name out of consideration (But UM will still talk to them anyway)
8. Mary Sue Coleman is (finally) getting involved, if she wasn't already...
9. Lloyd Carr has been mysteriously silent throughout all of this...
10. If you have been reading this blog, you know as much as everyone else....At the end of the day, that's not much. Discuss....Like all the talking heads on every radio show have been doing....
The latest in an ever frustrating string of events has the Boob and the Boob's boss calling Les Miles last Friday asking for "advice" on who HE thinks the next head coach at Michigan should be. Now, bear with me for a minute while I ramble: Michigan is supposed to be a top notch program with links and people all over the football community. I would think, THINK, that once the "word" was out that Michigan needed a coach and that if there was anyone who met the qualifications and was interested, don't you THINK that maybe Michigan would know about it? Why pursue Ferentz if he expressed non-interest once? I mean, do we need to sell Ferentz on the Job? He knows the job...He's at Iowa and he is a man of character...He's there to stay. Why pursue Schiano, when he's made it clear that he wants to coach PSU or stay at Rutgers and let the world know that you were going to pay the RUTGERS head coach $2.2M for 5 years....That just made the price tag on whoever you get that much higher. No offense, Schiano's a good coach and all, but he is still a Big East Head Coach at Rutgers. And the coaching fraternity is small...they might even have support groups that talk to each other and give each other advice about who wants what job where...Maybe...Do you think that goes on???
But more on this Miles Development...What play are Mary Sue and Bill making? Did the two get together and the cooler head among them,let's say that's Coleman, because the Boob has botched everything except the spelling of Michigan's name up to this point, decide to open a dialog with Miles to convince him that this is the place he needs to be? Michigan (Coleman) may have finally realized that just because you're Michigan doesn't mean that the world comes running...So maybe they figure that by talking and exploring the "suggestions" of names from Les and after they run those down, and after Les wins a National Title at LSU - he will, of that I am pretty sure, that maybe Les starts to realize his University truly does need him...And they make their play and make him an offer that he reponds to just like Bear Bryant, "Boys, Momma's calling." As the MMQ, all I am saying is don't count Miles out yet...ESPECIALLY IF MICHIGAN HASN'T FORMALLY TALKED TO ANYONE ELSE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. The heat will be off after that...Bowl Games, distractions...No one will care. But the week leading up to the Championship Game will be exactly like the week we had leading up to the SEC title...and if LSU wins, expect a slightly different result...Maybe...
BUT THIS ALL COULD HAVE HAPPENED 2 MONTHS AGO!!! That's what's really pissing most of the loyal Michigan faithful off...They have watched this thing unfold and realize it could have been handled so much better. Explore the possibilities - quietly - and then go back to Les and say, "Hey, you're School needs you." DO NOT LET LLOYD announce his retirement until the week of the bowl game or right after the bowl, and have Miles ready to go a day or two after his National Title, if his team was playing in the game...Makes sense now, doesn't it? It would have made sense to me awhile ago, also, when I would have had the conversation with Miles....
But nooooooooo....We parade the University of Michigan around like arrogant idiots and make offers that others use to get better offers from their own University or we completely screw up the one situation that falls in our lap - Miles. And the parading of the University is what really makes us look bad. I mean, at least with Arkansas, you can look at it and say, "Well, who in their right mind would take that job? The guy just beats the number 1 team in the land and they can the head coach? What kind of atmosphere is that?" But with Michigan, it's supposed to be a job for life....How can you possibly go wrong...And we couldn't lure a guy away from Rutgers???? Martin, you are a Boob...I thought the Halo was bad, but you are raising the bar, to exceedingly dizzy heights with your incompetence.
Lloyd Carr's silence is worth commenting on as well....Is he silent because he isn't getting what he wants or is his silence a form of protest that his guy isn't getting the consideration he should? Sources (mgoblog - others) have stated that if it can't be English or Deboard, than Carr is pulling for Brady Hoke. No offense, but other than being a head coach and assisting under Carr, what's he done? Check the record...It's nothing to write home about. Which brings me to my final point in this week's late submission:
Is Lloyd Carr really doing what's best for Michigan or is Lloyd doing what's best for Lloyd Carr, his buddies, and everyone else? I know we have all said great things about Carr the last couple of weeks. I will continue to say those things and remember what a great guy he was. But, like I said earlier, the buck no longer stops with Lloyd, it stops with Martin and Coleman. I would hate to think that Lloyd would put his buddies before the University, but I get the feeling that maybe he is a bigger part of the problem than previously thought...And if that's the case, than powers that are in control need to address that ASAP...
OSU didn't hire Tressel until January when they canned Super Cooper...So, I am still not worried - but I am getting there quick. I hate the way it's developed up to this point. The process and the plan suck, and that is all on Sailboat Bill and his one man band of ineptness...
Friday, December 7, 2007
Martin's a MORON!!!!
How Dumb Are We????
Okay, let's run this down and count the ways:
First Candidate (But not the Boob's top choice):
1. Les Miles - signed a contract extension with LSU through 2012 after receiving a vote of no confidence from Michigan....
2. Kirk Ferentz - I like Iowa.
3. Greg Schiano - I like Rutgers - and I LOVE PENN STATE!!!!
The Boob is saying, "Now What??? bibbibibbibbiddy....(this is the finger over the lips noise you make when you have no clue what's happening)"
Now, I am REALLY starting to think that I could have handled this search a WHOLE LOT BETTER than the Boob has up to this point, I would have known about all of these candidates and their respective interest in Michigan long before "Right Now". You knew Lloyd was gone. There was Bo's funeral and memorial when Martin and Les could have "chatted" and he could have decided then on Miles and made a statement on him early. There are Big 10 Coach's meetings (that the AD's regularly attend) where a quiet dinner could have been had with Ferentz...Schiano - I pick up the phone and call Jim Carty of the Ann Arbor News and who was a beat writer in Jersey, who knows Schiano well and ask him to arrange an introduction and then I tell Jim to get lost. All things that could have happened BEFORE YOU WERE ON THE NATIONAL STAGE WITH THE CLOCK TICKING, RECRUITS WATCHING AND EVERYONE CONTEMPLATING YOUR NEXT MOVE....
So, If the Boob is as predictable as we all think, then I guess we're on to
4. Gary Pinkell? - See Greg Schiano. This guy has a big ego and has built Mizzou into what it is today..He has a hot QB and only lost to Oklahoma this year...He's not leaving that for Michigan...Even though he is from Ohio and coached Toledo...That's my guess...
5. Jim Tedford - (California) Why would I go to Michigan?
6. Brady Hoke - Sure, I'll coach Michigan...Why not?
7. Peyton -New Orleans Head Coach...He's got a great job in the NFL...why go back to college?
Nope....I am telling you right now that the UM Job is starting to scare the candidates and the next guy they talk to will know that they weren't the 1st,2nd, or 3rd choice...And that will probably turn a lot of guys off to any offer Michigan makes. How you handle the search, per the Boob's "PLAN", is critical. And if his PLAN included bringing embarrassment and a look of incompetence to the AD department, than, by golly, THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THEIR GOALS WITH FLYING COLORS!
I would like to go on record right here that I am embarrassed, maybe that isn't the right word, it's more like HUMILIATED that the University that I associate myself with is showing a greater incompetence in this process than all the other universities out there searching for head coaches combined...
Bill Martin's head should be on a platter and we should also be looking for an AD that knows how to run a department, or at least knows how to handle Public Relations and the press....And understand the politics in the most important sport that his Univeristy is involved with....
MMQ
Okay, let's run this down and count the ways:
First Candidate (But not the Boob's top choice):
1. Les Miles - signed a contract extension with LSU through 2012 after receiving a vote of no confidence from Michigan....
2. Kirk Ferentz - I like Iowa.
3. Greg Schiano - I like Rutgers - and I LOVE PENN STATE!!!!
The Boob is saying, "Now What??? bibbibibbibbiddy....(this is the finger over the lips noise you make when you have no clue what's happening)"
Now, I am REALLY starting to think that I could have handled this search a WHOLE LOT BETTER than the Boob has up to this point, I would have known about all of these candidates and their respective interest in Michigan long before "Right Now". You knew Lloyd was gone. There was Bo's funeral and memorial when Martin and Les could have "chatted" and he could have decided then on Miles and made a statement on him early. There are Big 10 Coach's meetings (that the AD's regularly attend) where a quiet dinner could have been had with Ferentz...Schiano - I pick up the phone and call Jim Carty of the Ann Arbor News and who was a beat writer in Jersey, who knows Schiano well and ask him to arrange an introduction and then I tell Jim to get lost. All things that could have happened BEFORE YOU WERE ON THE NATIONAL STAGE WITH THE CLOCK TICKING, RECRUITS WATCHING AND EVERYONE CONTEMPLATING YOUR NEXT MOVE....
So, If the Boob is as predictable as we all think, then I guess we're on to
4. Gary Pinkell? - See Greg Schiano. This guy has a big ego and has built Mizzou into what it is today..He has a hot QB and only lost to Oklahoma this year...He's not leaving that for Michigan...Even though he is from Ohio and coached Toledo...That's my guess...
5. Jim Tedford - (California) Why would I go to Michigan?
6. Brady Hoke - Sure, I'll coach Michigan...Why not?
7. Peyton -New Orleans Head Coach...He's got a great job in the NFL...why go back to college?
Nope....I am telling you right now that the UM Job is starting to scare the candidates and the next guy they talk to will know that they weren't the 1st,2nd, or 3rd choice...And that will probably turn a lot of guys off to any offer Michigan makes. How you handle the search, per the Boob's "PLAN", is critical. And if his PLAN included bringing embarrassment and a look of incompetence to the AD department, than, by golly, THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THEIR GOALS WITH FLYING COLORS!
I would like to go on record right here that I am embarrassed, maybe that isn't the right word, it's more like HUMILIATED that the University that I associate myself with is showing a greater incompetence in this process than all the other universities out there searching for head coaches combined...
Bill Martin's head should be on a platter and we should also be looking for an AD that knows how to run a department, or at least knows how to handle Public Relations and the press....And understand the politics in the most important sport that his Univeristy is involved with....
MMQ
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Can New Coach Survive?
I know I just posted yesterday, but these thoughts keep coming at me faster than I can type....
Here's a scenario: Once the Bumbling Boob (Come Sail Away With Me Bill Martin) finally does name a permanent or temporary head coach, is there any way the individual can survive?
What do I mean by that? Well let's look at what the "new" guy is going to be faced with:
1. Replacing Lloyd Carr. Yeah, we all know what we "think" now, but history will say that he won 75% of his games. First one he loses, we will all be talking about how Lloyd maintained the record at Michigan...
2. He won't be Les Miles. This one might, just might, be bigger and get more run than #1. If Les Miles continues to win down at LSU, I mean, he stays on top for 5 years or more, this will end up being the hardest thing for the new guy to live down....He will FOREVER BE IN THE MILES Shadow and Miles didn't even coach here....But we will believe that all the victories Les rolls up would have been Michigan victories...His record will FOREVER be compared to Miles. Yep, that one's going to be tough and Michigan will only have itself to blame.
3. No one is going to give him a chance...This one is also very much a reality. Think about it: Michigan Fan's have been abused in this process. So, whoever gets the nod, we are going to know what could have been - and we'll be pissed and who better to vent against than the guy that the Head Boob (DD, I might add) hired to be on the sideline...When it's the Head Boob's Head that we really want on the platter...Not the coach who's busting his hump trying to please the masses...
4. Is Michigan more like Florida, or are they more like Notre Dame? This goes into the "I know what you're thinking, but before you answer" category... Let's go back 6 years ago and look at what was happening. Florida was getting ready to can Zooky...They knew he was gone in September. He just didn't fit there and couldn't successfully replace Spurrier. Notre Dame was also considering dumping Bob Davie - and they knew it. Urban Mayer at Utah had a buyout clause for Notre Dame and Michigan in his contract....Notre Dame figures, "Well, I don't need to talk to this guy - he wants to come here!" So, when they fire Bob, they THEN pick up the phone and say "Hey, Urb, how about coaching the Domers?" Urban, hand over his mouth, with the other hand behind his back and his fingers crossed says he is committed to Utah and a week later goes to Florida...Florida had ALREADY CALLED AND MADE A QUIET DEAL with Urb before they canned Zooky. DomerLand hires and fires O-Leary in the same week and then finally settles on Losingham....Who is canned 3 years later and again the Domers don't have a guy lined up and they settle for the Weasel.....So, which are we more like? Well, from the cheap seats, we're starting to look a lot like the Domers...AND THAT, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE REALLY PISSES ME OFF!!!!! So the new guy will be stepping into a situation that he didn't create but will need to do a whole lot of winning right away to stay out of the 3 years and out scenario...
5. Who, after completely reviewing the facts, would take this Job now? This is probably the most interesting question. Bear with me while I ramble...Everyone who was thinking that Michigan was a dream job was probably thinking, like everyone else, that Miles was the Man. So, now that he's not, anyone who is considering it is probably making a list JUST LIKE THIS ONE and deciding does he want to put himself, his family, and everyone eles connected with him through the scrutiny that is going to come after accepting a job where you were the Fan's #2 candidate? That will be tough, and it's going to either take an EXTREMELY confident individual that knows he can come in and win immediately - and that's not going to be easy to find....Maybe Harbaugh, 'cause he doesn't care what anyone thinks....
6. He better have Michigan Ties. The Fans will go easier on a Michigan Man and give him more time...Anyone else will certainly be the target of pitchfork and axes type rallies for blood if he should go 0.500 in his first 6 or 8 games....We were ready to take Lloyd's head after an 0-2 start...Think a new guy could weather that storm any better? Especially if he wasn't Michigan Maize and Blue???
So, it's getting easier to see that The Boob will probably look towards an interim solution and let the program continue to slip into disparity rather than making the move he needed to make quickly and decisively....
MMQ
Here's a scenario: Once the Bumbling Boob (Come Sail Away With Me Bill Martin) finally does name a permanent or temporary head coach, is there any way the individual can survive?
What do I mean by that? Well let's look at what the "new" guy is going to be faced with:
1. Replacing Lloyd Carr. Yeah, we all know what we "think" now, but history will say that he won 75% of his games. First one he loses, we will all be talking about how Lloyd maintained the record at Michigan...
2. He won't be Les Miles. This one might, just might, be bigger and get more run than #1. If Les Miles continues to win down at LSU, I mean, he stays on top for 5 years or more, this will end up being the hardest thing for the new guy to live down....He will FOREVER BE IN THE MILES Shadow and Miles didn't even coach here....But we will believe that all the victories Les rolls up would have been Michigan victories...His record will FOREVER be compared to Miles. Yep, that one's going to be tough and Michigan will only have itself to blame.
3. No one is going to give him a chance...This one is also very much a reality. Think about it: Michigan Fan's have been abused in this process. So, whoever gets the nod, we are going to know what could have been - and we'll be pissed and who better to vent against than the guy that the Head Boob (DD, I might add) hired to be on the sideline...When it's the Head Boob's Head that we really want on the platter...Not the coach who's busting his hump trying to please the masses...
4. Is Michigan more like Florida, or are they more like Notre Dame? This goes into the "I know what you're thinking, but before you answer" category... Let's go back 6 years ago and look at what was happening. Florida was getting ready to can Zooky...They knew he was gone in September. He just didn't fit there and couldn't successfully replace Spurrier. Notre Dame was also considering dumping Bob Davie - and they knew it. Urban Mayer at Utah had a buyout clause for Notre Dame and Michigan in his contract....Notre Dame figures, "Well, I don't need to talk to this guy - he wants to come here!" So, when they fire Bob, they THEN pick up the phone and say "Hey, Urb, how about coaching the Domers?" Urban, hand over his mouth, with the other hand behind his back and his fingers crossed says he is committed to Utah and a week later goes to Florida...Florida had ALREADY CALLED AND MADE A QUIET DEAL with Urb before they canned Zooky. DomerLand hires and fires O-Leary in the same week and then finally settles on Losingham....Who is canned 3 years later and again the Domers don't have a guy lined up and they settle for the Weasel.....So, which are we more like? Well, from the cheap seats, we're starting to look a lot like the Domers...AND THAT, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE REALLY PISSES ME OFF!!!!! So the new guy will be stepping into a situation that he didn't create but will need to do a whole lot of winning right away to stay out of the 3 years and out scenario...
5. Who, after completely reviewing the facts, would take this Job now? This is probably the most interesting question. Bear with me while I ramble...Everyone who was thinking that Michigan was a dream job was probably thinking, like everyone else, that Miles was the Man. So, now that he's not, anyone who is considering it is probably making a list JUST LIKE THIS ONE and deciding does he want to put himself, his family, and everyone eles connected with him through the scrutiny that is going to come after accepting a job where you were the Fan's #2 candidate? That will be tough, and it's going to either take an EXTREMELY confident individual that knows he can come in and win immediately - and that's not going to be easy to find....Maybe Harbaugh, 'cause he doesn't care what anyone thinks....
6. He better have Michigan Ties. The Fans will go easier on a Michigan Man and give him more time...Anyone else will certainly be the target of pitchfork and axes type rallies for blood if he should go 0.500 in his first 6 or 8 games....We were ready to take Lloyd's head after an 0-2 start...Think a new guy could weather that storm any better? Especially if he wasn't Michigan Maize and Blue???
So, it's getting easier to see that The Boob will probably look towards an interim solution and let the program continue to slip into disparity rather than making the move he needed to make quickly and decisively....
MMQ
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Is Bill Martin an Idiot - Or Genius?
As I write this, Michigan still does not have a head coach.
Rumors, speculation, bungled PR, non-communication and accusations - that stuff, Michigan has - in abundance.
If you believe half of what is being written about what happened between last Friday afternoon and the Les Miles Press conference on Saturday, I am really starting to get concerned that the powers in charge of handling the most important hire of this University since Lloyd Carr are not able to figure out how to deal with press, media, agents, and don't know how simple communications work.
A rundown in case you haven't followed it:
LSU played hardball on Friday Night - Saturday Morning with Les Miles and threw a contract at him 3 different amounts, depending on when he accepted. Before, after the game, and after the game with a win, and after the game with a loss. Now, being a Michigan Man and a Man of his word, he had not spoken directly with anyone at Michigan. However, he did tell his agent to get Martin on the phone and find out what the status was and how interested Michigan was.
Here's the confounding part: Martin couldn't be reached. Gone Fishing - Or Sailing...Whatever. Down in Key Largo while events were unfolding that would forever brandish the University he represents...on vacation. Ho Humm......
I'm not going to sit here and say that Martin should have picked up the phone and said, "Yeah, were going to hire Les on the spot and we are going to match any offer LSU makes." On the contrary, I think they could have paid Les a little less than what LSU was offering because they were offering Michigan. All Martin had to do was say to the agent, "Per my discussion with the AD at LSU, I have asked for permission to speak to Les after the game and Michigan's interest in Les has not changed."
How hard would that have been? A non-committal statement that would have at least told Les - Yes, we want to talk to you, but we are keeping our word and promise to the AD. Les' agent could have explained the situation with LSU to Martin, how aggressively they were trying to get Les to agree to a deal before the game with huge incentives and Martin could have simply said, "That's a decision that Les needs to make or address with LSU - I won't go back on my word to the AD at LSU." And then, Bill Martin, could address the press and state that he was available to discuss with Les per the AD's request, after the game. And then, Les would have made his decision at least armed with information that Michigan was still interested.
That, in my humble MMQ opinion, would have been a WHOLE HELLUVA LOT BETTER than being a man that who is supposed to be at the forefront of the most important coaching search in the country and would have at least shown that Michigan was aware of the situation. Instead, the University of Michigan looks like a bunch of bumbling idiots that don't know how to answer a cell phone...
I am not saying Les was the guy. I am still wondering about that...But I can't argue with his track record, 500 former players and associates saying he's the man, and the fact that he was a Michigan Man- they are all hard to ignore....And it's also worth speculating that LSU was not, I repeat, NOT going to let Les go no matter what....They may have decided that with Pellini going to Nebraska and with so many other open positions that they didn't want to hop on the Merry Go Round this year and said, "You know what? He's our guy...Who else could be possibly get?"
But, that still doesn't explain Martin's actions....He is supposed to be a great businessman...well, in business, you can say one thing and honor it, but do everything within the letter of the law that gets information passed back and forth...
I read somewhere that Les refused to "Dance for Lloyd" and kneel down and kiss the Championship Ring...Honestly, from what we know about him - that doesn't sound like Lloyd...It just doesn't pass the MMQ sniff test again...Lloyd is all about redemption, second chances, and facing adversity....No, this one has someone else's fingerprints all over it...And if it's NOT Bill Martin, than who???
Is he being manipulated by Mary Sue Coleman, that wants her boy Ferentz from Iowa to come to Michigan? If that's the case, and it could very well be, because she has been awfully quiet throughout this ordeal...Maybe she is letting Martin twist in the wind and it's all on him anyway should Ferentz come in and fail, he will be the guy that DIDN'T get Miles...
Or is Bill Martin just a babbling buffoon that decided to go down to the Key Largo Coral Reef Yacht Club Classic Regatta Weekend and leave his blackberry, cell phone, computer, and somehow managed to not even turn on ESPN on Saturday morning and think, "Gee, this is the guy I really want and they are saying things about him and Michigan...I wonder what's going on - maybe I should call into the office.." Frankly, Beeline hasn't produced, to date anyway, results that make me feel very confident in that hire...I'm sorry, but in case you haven't heard, Michigan Men's Basketball lost to HARVARD - and 1st year coach Tommy Amaker...Yeah, irony....
Either way, I am a concerned fan that is beginning to get VERY concerned over how this whole thing is unfolding...Whatever the outcome, I won't feel confident that Michigan "Got their Man", I will feel like we finally got someone that is as inept at public relations, background manuevering and manipulation as Martin is...Or maybe as inept as Mary Sue is making him out to be....
Rumors, speculation, bungled PR, non-communication and accusations - that stuff, Michigan has - in abundance.
If you believe half of what is being written about what happened between last Friday afternoon and the Les Miles Press conference on Saturday, I am really starting to get concerned that the powers in charge of handling the most important hire of this University since Lloyd Carr are not able to figure out how to deal with press, media, agents, and don't know how simple communications work.
A rundown in case you haven't followed it:
LSU played hardball on Friday Night - Saturday Morning with Les Miles and threw a contract at him 3 different amounts, depending on when he accepted. Before, after the game, and after the game with a win, and after the game with a loss. Now, being a Michigan Man and a Man of his word, he had not spoken directly with anyone at Michigan. However, he did tell his agent to get Martin on the phone and find out what the status was and how interested Michigan was.
Here's the confounding part: Martin couldn't be reached. Gone Fishing - Or Sailing...Whatever. Down in Key Largo while events were unfolding that would forever brandish the University he represents...on vacation. Ho Humm......
I'm not going to sit here and say that Martin should have picked up the phone and said, "Yeah, were going to hire Les on the spot and we are going to match any offer LSU makes." On the contrary, I think they could have paid Les a little less than what LSU was offering because they were offering Michigan. All Martin had to do was say to the agent, "Per my discussion with the AD at LSU, I have asked for permission to speak to Les after the game and Michigan's interest in Les has not changed."
How hard would that have been? A non-committal statement that would have at least told Les - Yes, we want to talk to you, but we are keeping our word and promise to the AD. Les' agent could have explained the situation with LSU to Martin, how aggressively they were trying to get Les to agree to a deal before the game with huge incentives and Martin could have simply said, "That's a decision that Les needs to make or address with LSU - I won't go back on my word to the AD at LSU." And then, Bill Martin, could address the press and state that he was available to discuss with Les per the AD's request, after the game. And then, Les would have made his decision at least armed with information that Michigan was still interested.
That, in my humble MMQ opinion, would have been a WHOLE HELLUVA LOT BETTER than being a man that who is supposed to be at the forefront of the most important coaching search in the country and would have at least shown that Michigan was aware of the situation. Instead, the University of Michigan looks like a bunch of bumbling idiots that don't know how to answer a cell phone...
I am not saying Les was the guy. I am still wondering about that...But I can't argue with his track record, 500 former players and associates saying he's the man, and the fact that he was a Michigan Man- they are all hard to ignore....And it's also worth speculating that LSU was not, I repeat, NOT going to let Les go no matter what....They may have decided that with Pellini going to Nebraska and with so many other open positions that they didn't want to hop on the Merry Go Round this year and said, "You know what? He's our guy...Who else could be possibly get?"
But, that still doesn't explain Martin's actions....He is supposed to be a great businessman...well, in business, you can say one thing and honor it, but do everything within the letter of the law that gets information passed back and forth...
I read somewhere that Les refused to "Dance for Lloyd" and kneel down and kiss the Championship Ring...Honestly, from what we know about him - that doesn't sound like Lloyd...It just doesn't pass the MMQ sniff test again...Lloyd is all about redemption, second chances, and facing adversity....No, this one has someone else's fingerprints all over it...And if it's NOT Bill Martin, than who???
Is he being manipulated by Mary Sue Coleman, that wants her boy Ferentz from Iowa to come to Michigan? If that's the case, and it could very well be, because she has been awfully quiet throughout this ordeal...Maybe she is letting Martin twist in the wind and it's all on him anyway should Ferentz come in and fail, he will be the guy that DIDN'T get Miles...
Or is Bill Martin just a babbling buffoon that decided to go down to the Key Largo Coral Reef Yacht Club Classic Regatta Weekend and leave his blackberry, cell phone, computer, and somehow managed to not even turn on ESPN on Saturday morning and think, "Gee, this is the guy I really want and they are saying things about him and Michigan...I wonder what's going on - maybe I should call into the office.." Frankly, Beeline hasn't produced, to date anyway, results that make me feel very confident in that hire...I'm sorry, but in case you haven't heard, Michigan Men's Basketball lost to HARVARD - and 1st year coach Tommy Amaker...Yeah, irony....
Either way, I am a concerned fan that is beginning to get VERY concerned over how this whole thing is unfolding...Whatever the outcome, I won't feel confident that Michigan "Got their Man", I will feel like we finally got someone that is as inept at public relations, background manuevering and manipulation as Martin is...Or maybe as inept as Mary Sue is making him out to be....
Monday, December 3, 2007
How Many Disasters Can You Have in 1 Season?
I really didn't know how to title this week's issue....but what I finally put there seems fitting...
If you were going to list them all, it would be an issue on it's own, but a shorter version would be:
1. Michigan - App State...This was the hole in the dike...
2. Stanford - USC - Monumental - USC isn't in the Championship game due to it...
3. Unprecedented number of #2 teams losing (7 out of 9 weeks)
4. Unprecedented number of #1 teams losing....
5. Pittsburgh v. West Virgina -
6. Coaching Carousel....
7. Les Miles Debacle...
8. And so on...
This Weekend:
Mountain Boys vs. the Pitt Panthers: Normally, I wouldn't even write this game up...I, wrongly, assumed that as bad as Pitt was and due to how well WVU was playing - they had put 50+ on a very good U-Conn team the week earlier, that they would win this game walking away. This was a choke of epic proportions...Everything on the line and you lost it to your rival that was having a 4-7 year...To say that this is the worst of all the events is probably an understatement, as WVU probably will never be as close to the BCS titl game as they just were...It's too bad, but in a way, I am GLAD the Big East won't be there...It wouldn't have been right.
LATERS vs. MIZZOU: Well, I told you that Stupor would find a way to win this game, I just didn't realize how convincing it would be...And Mizzou has paid the price, getting knocked out of the BCS for a 1 loss Kansas team. That, in my humble opinion, is a load of garbage. If I am a coach in a BCS conference with a playoff, and I am pushing for a rule that says if you are in the title game, you are automatically your conferences 2nd option for a BCS berth - See Pinkell and Fullmer....More on that in a minute..
LMU vs. Cremesicles: UT kept it close and if it hadn't been for a couple of Ainge brain farts late in the game, this outcome may have been different, given LMU's track record in OT games...
The Les Miles Debacle
Now, I wrote last Friday, based on some information I had seen on some other, more reliable blogs that Les Miles was probably going to be the Michigan Coach...I have learned that until the situation is actually final, in other words, he is standing on the sideline wearing Maize and Blue, that nothing is 100%. However, Saturday morning seemed to confirm the earlier indication that Les was "locked up". In case you missed it, Kirk Herbstreit, A SUCKEYE, reported from internal sources at Michigan that Les was all but signed to a contract and he was bringing a Defensive Coach from Georgia Tech with him to Michigan. While I was willing to believe it, I was a little concerned about the timing and the whole thing didn't pass the MMQ "sniff test".
1. Why let it leak Saturday Morning? What point was someone in the Michigan camp trying to make? And if it's going to leak, why not through Desmond Howard, also on Game Day and HE IS PART OF THE SEARCH COMMITTEE FOR THE NEXT COACH? Unless Howard asked Herbie to leak it, which if he did, he's a moron - OR - he did it as a "favor" to someone else....(Lloyd Carr????)
2. Why would Les, if he is a man of his word, spoken at all to Michigan? That I believe, at least right now, didn't happen. Les himself never spoke to Michigan....
3. Why would a Michigan insider want to hinkey the deal, unless that's exactly what they WANTED to happen...knowing that Les would go off....
My take on this: The money Michigan was willing to put on the table leaked out. Bill Martin is no idiot, and he wanted to make sure there was a deal in place before the perfunctory interview took place. There were some 2nd and 3rd party phone calls, and Les' agent probably said, "That amount will work." His agent then went to LSU and said, "Look, we have a deal with Michigan and Les is going. What do you want to do?"
The Following is FACT (In case you haven't heard or read it): On Friday night - Early Saturday Morning, LSU hammered out a contract that paid Les different amoungs for three different scenarios:
1. If he accepted the contract before the game
2. If he accepted after the game and LMU won
3. If he accpeted after the game and LMU lost...
My guess is there was a $1 Million dollar sliding window in those 3 offers...That's just how the SEC does things...Now, Les probably couldn't walk away from offer number 1. It was probably just too sweet, and when it all comes out, we will probably say, yeah, he did the right thing...But, according the the Coach himself, this was never about money...Or was it?
And maybe someone wiser in the Michigan Camp knew we were getting used..hence the leak. Let's say Lloyd, trying to test the subject, may have called Herbie and said - "Kirk, we have a deal with Les. It's all but done. You can go ahead and report that on Game Day." Lloyd would get the opportunity to see how the new guy would perform under pressure and the "punch in the stomach" and see if he was really the right man for the job, especially when LSU came with their gold....
So, maybe Michigan knew that this was the only way to get out of the Les deal and do it somewhat gracefully - yet it still looks bad - without having to explain their actions to all the fans...
The Detroit Spin Doctors are already trying to say that Les was a jerk for his news conference on Saturday, he wasn't the right guy for Michigan, etc...Right now, I am torn. I would have liked to see someone with that kind of fire come in here and see what could happen...But clearly, Les more or less "used" Michigan to get himself Satan Money - and that's it at the end of the day. Les can try to spin it any way he wants - if I could be in two places at once, I really hate making the decision I made, etc....But at the end of the day, the Maize and Blue got used...Plain and Simple.
I don't know, but there is probably a lot more on this story still to come. I love to put the pieces of something like this together in the aftermath and figure out who was thinking what and when...But my guess is that each side got exactly what they wanted, even though each side is looking embarrassed and upset after the outcome....
So, Who's Left?
Ferentz - OUT
Miles - OUT
Kelly - OUT (He is also someone, and I don't know how, that pissed off Michigan, so forget about this one....)
Schiano - I still say this guy wants the PSU job
Tedford - (California) - Do I really want a guy that lost the last 6 games of the regular season, including one to Stanford?
Grobe - (Wake Forest) - I just don't know much about this guy...
Pinkell - Mizzou -His named surfaced, but how does Michigan think it can get anyone that is on top of their program right now to leave? Have they checked the Ego's of Division 1 coaches lately?
The Bowls (Not all of them, just the relevant ones....)
For a list of all, the Bowls, click here.
Capital One: MICHIGAN vs. GATORLAND....Well, here we are..... Michigan will meet it's evil nemesis from the South...And Lloyd will get a chance to shut up Urban Oscar Mayer Whiner Legend once and for all...This game has a TON of intrigue nationally, not only if you are a reader of the MMQ...(If Michigan STILL doesn't have a head coach, my guess is Lloyd interviews Urban at halftime)
BCS Championship: LSU vs. OSU - Satisfied? Me either....A week ago I was looking at the Mizzou Tigers vs. West Virginia...Now, the Suckeyes, who haven't played since November 17th, slide sideways into this game along with another sideways team, LMU..The Michigan Man that isn't vs. the Vest..I hope they remember the 41-14 thing because it might be a repeat.....Interesting game, but the whole BCS thing sucks...I don't know who the two best teams are, but one of them might be playing in...
The Rose Bowl: USC vs. Illinois I like USC here...Zook is going to find out exactly how hard it is to win out there...but if he can pull if off, great!!
Fiesta Bowl: LATERS vs. West Virginia: Can the Moutain Men Rebound...I doubt it...The largest point spread of any of the BCS games...
Orange Bowl: HOKIES vs. Kansas - Hokie Nation, consider this a gift....You wouldn't have wanted to play Mizzou, but I really can't figure out how Mizzou got bumped out of this game for Kansas...
Sugar: Gergia vs. Hawaii - The Rainbows almost lost Saturday, and that would have been fitting...Instead, we have another evening where we can all go to bed early and get some sleep...
Outback: Cheeseheads vs. Cremesicles - Wisconsin is gonna have their hands full with the Cremesicles...
Chick-fil-a: Tommy vs. Tommy: Twotone vs. Bowden's Boy....Should be a good game - look out for Clemson here. Auburn will be pissed they didn't get a better bid...
Independence: Crimson Satan vs. Colorado - Satan could lose his bowl game, too....
Champ Sports: SPARTY vs. BC - Hey Sparty! You made it to Florida! I know you were dreading having to make that drive to Ford Field...but things are looking up when you make the sunshine state in the Big 10...I even like your draw. You can beat BC....
Cotton: Mizzou vs. Arkansas...so, get this...By only losing twice to the same team that is better than their ranking (Oklahoma) the Mizzou Tigers get to play in the coldest Bowl Game on New Year's day in Dallas...If I am Mizzou fan, I am pissed...and rightly so...I should be eating Oranges not Cow Pies....
Coaching Carousel
Pellini in at Nebraska...Maybe he can restore the Pride...
Dorrel (UCLA) - Gone.....
So, that's it for this week....Next week, maybe Michigan has a new head coach to talk about...
MMQ
If you were going to list them all, it would be an issue on it's own, but a shorter version would be:
1. Michigan - App State...This was the hole in the dike...
2. Stanford - USC - Monumental - USC isn't in the Championship game due to it...
3. Unprecedented number of #2 teams losing (7 out of 9 weeks)
4. Unprecedented number of #1 teams losing....
5. Pittsburgh v. West Virgina -
6. Coaching Carousel....
7. Les Miles Debacle...
8. And so on...
This Weekend:
Mountain Boys vs. the Pitt Panthers: Normally, I wouldn't even write this game up...I, wrongly, assumed that as bad as Pitt was and due to how well WVU was playing - they had put 50+ on a very good U-Conn team the week earlier, that they would win this game walking away. This was a choke of epic proportions...Everything on the line and you lost it to your rival that was having a 4-7 year...To say that this is the worst of all the events is probably an understatement, as WVU probably will never be as close to the BCS titl game as they just were...It's too bad, but in a way, I am GLAD the Big East won't be there...It wouldn't have been right.
LATERS vs. MIZZOU: Well, I told you that Stupor would find a way to win this game, I just didn't realize how convincing it would be...And Mizzou has paid the price, getting knocked out of the BCS for a 1 loss Kansas team. That, in my humble opinion, is a load of garbage. If I am a coach in a BCS conference with a playoff, and I am pushing for a rule that says if you are in the title game, you are automatically your conferences 2nd option for a BCS berth - See Pinkell and Fullmer....More on that in a minute..
LMU vs. Cremesicles: UT kept it close and if it hadn't been for a couple of Ainge brain farts late in the game, this outcome may have been different, given LMU's track record in OT games...
The Les Miles Debacle
Now, I wrote last Friday, based on some information I had seen on some other, more reliable blogs that Les Miles was probably going to be the Michigan Coach...I have learned that until the situation is actually final, in other words, he is standing on the sideline wearing Maize and Blue, that nothing is 100%. However, Saturday morning seemed to confirm the earlier indication that Les was "locked up". In case you missed it, Kirk Herbstreit, A SUCKEYE, reported from internal sources at Michigan that Les was all but signed to a contract and he was bringing a Defensive Coach from Georgia Tech with him to Michigan. While I was willing to believe it, I was a little concerned about the timing and the whole thing didn't pass the MMQ "sniff test".
1. Why let it leak Saturday Morning? What point was someone in the Michigan camp trying to make? And if it's going to leak, why not through Desmond Howard, also on Game Day and HE IS PART OF THE SEARCH COMMITTEE FOR THE NEXT COACH? Unless Howard asked Herbie to leak it, which if he did, he's a moron - OR - he did it as a "favor" to someone else....(Lloyd Carr????)
2. Why would Les, if he is a man of his word, spoken at all to Michigan? That I believe, at least right now, didn't happen. Les himself never spoke to Michigan....
3. Why would a Michigan insider want to hinkey the deal, unless that's exactly what they WANTED to happen...knowing that Les would go off....
My take on this: The money Michigan was willing to put on the table leaked out. Bill Martin is no idiot, and he wanted to make sure there was a deal in place before the perfunctory interview took place. There were some 2nd and 3rd party phone calls, and Les' agent probably said, "That amount will work." His agent then went to LSU and said, "Look, we have a deal with Michigan and Les is going. What do you want to do?"
The Following is FACT (In case you haven't heard or read it): On Friday night - Early Saturday Morning, LSU hammered out a contract that paid Les different amoungs for three different scenarios:
1. If he accepted the contract before the game
2. If he accepted after the game and LMU won
3. If he accpeted after the game and LMU lost...
My guess is there was a $1 Million dollar sliding window in those 3 offers...That's just how the SEC does things...Now, Les probably couldn't walk away from offer number 1. It was probably just too sweet, and when it all comes out, we will probably say, yeah, he did the right thing...But, according the the Coach himself, this was never about money...Or was it?
And maybe someone wiser in the Michigan Camp knew we were getting used..hence the leak. Let's say Lloyd, trying to test the subject, may have called Herbie and said - "Kirk, we have a deal with Les. It's all but done. You can go ahead and report that on Game Day." Lloyd would get the opportunity to see how the new guy would perform under pressure and the "punch in the stomach" and see if he was really the right man for the job, especially when LSU came with their gold....
So, maybe Michigan knew that this was the only way to get out of the Les deal and do it somewhat gracefully - yet it still looks bad - without having to explain their actions to all the fans...
The Detroit Spin Doctors are already trying to say that Les was a jerk for his news conference on Saturday, he wasn't the right guy for Michigan, etc...Right now, I am torn. I would have liked to see someone with that kind of fire come in here and see what could happen...But clearly, Les more or less "used" Michigan to get himself Satan Money - and that's it at the end of the day. Les can try to spin it any way he wants - if I could be in two places at once, I really hate making the decision I made, etc....But at the end of the day, the Maize and Blue got used...Plain and Simple.
I don't know, but there is probably a lot more on this story still to come. I love to put the pieces of something like this together in the aftermath and figure out who was thinking what and when...But my guess is that each side got exactly what they wanted, even though each side is looking embarrassed and upset after the outcome....
So, Who's Left?
Ferentz - OUT
Miles - OUT
Kelly - OUT (He is also someone, and I don't know how, that pissed off Michigan, so forget about this one....)
Schiano - I still say this guy wants the PSU job
Tedford - (California) - Do I really want a guy that lost the last 6 games of the regular season, including one to Stanford?
Grobe - (Wake Forest) - I just don't know much about this guy...
Pinkell - Mizzou -His named surfaced, but how does Michigan think it can get anyone that is on top of their program right now to leave? Have they checked the Ego's of Division 1 coaches lately?
The Bowls (Not all of them, just the relevant ones....)
For a list of all, the Bowls, click here.
Capital One: MICHIGAN vs. GATORLAND....Well, here we are..... Michigan will meet it's evil nemesis from the South...And Lloyd will get a chance to shut up Urban Oscar Mayer Whiner Legend once and for all...This game has a TON of intrigue nationally, not only if you are a reader of the MMQ...(If Michigan STILL doesn't have a head coach, my guess is Lloyd interviews Urban at halftime)
BCS Championship: LSU vs. OSU - Satisfied? Me either....A week ago I was looking at the Mizzou Tigers vs. West Virginia...Now, the Suckeyes, who haven't played since November 17th, slide sideways into this game along with another sideways team, LMU..The Michigan Man that isn't vs. the Vest..I hope they remember the 41-14 thing because it might be a repeat.....Interesting game, but the whole BCS thing sucks...I don't know who the two best teams are, but one of them might be playing in...
The Rose Bowl: USC vs. Illinois I like USC here...Zook is going to find out exactly how hard it is to win out there...but if he can pull if off, great!!
Fiesta Bowl: LATERS vs. West Virginia: Can the Moutain Men Rebound...I doubt it...The largest point spread of any of the BCS games...
Orange Bowl: HOKIES vs. Kansas - Hokie Nation, consider this a gift....You wouldn't have wanted to play Mizzou, but I really can't figure out how Mizzou got bumped out of this game for Kansas...
Sugar: Gergia vs. Hawaii - The Rainbows almost lost Saturday, and that would have been fitting...Instead, we have another evening where we can all go to bed early and get some sleep...
Outback: Cheeseheads vs. Cremesicles - Wisconsin is gonna have their hands full with the Cremesicles...
Chick-fil-a: Tommy vs. Tommy: Twotone vs. Bowden's Boy....Should be a good game - look out for Clemson here. Auburn will be pissed they didn't get a better bid...
Independence: Crimson Satan vs. Colorado - Satan could lose his bowl game, too....
Champ Sports: SPARTY vs. BC - Hey Sparty! You made it to Florida! I know you were dreading having to make that drive to Ford Field...but things are looking up when you make the sunshine state in the Big 10...I even like your draw. You can beat BC....
Cotton: Mizzou vs. Arkansas...so, get this...By only losing twice to the same team that is better than their ranking (Oklahoma) the Mizzou Tigers get to play in the coldest Bowl Game on New Year's day in Dallas...If I am Mizzou fan, I am pissed...and rightly so...I should be eating Oranges not Cow Pies....
Coaching Carousel
Pellini in at Nebraska...Maybe he can restore the Pride...
Dorrel (UCLA) - Gone.....
So, that's it for this week....Next week, maybe Michigan has a new head coach to talk about...
MMQ
Friday, November 30, 2007
The Search for the Coach - Day 12
Yes, it's only been 12 days since Lloyd announced his retirement from the Maize 'n Blue. In that time, in case you haven't been following, head coaches heads have been rolling all over the land...Some obvious, others, well, let's just say that I don't know what some schools, fans and alumni are thinking when it comes to their programs and the expectations of said programs. And what they expect one man to do to right the ship given the set of circumstances they currently find themselves in...
Reflecting on this, I believe that Rutgers Coach Schiano, Boise State Coach Peterson, and Southern Florida Coach Leavitt, Kansas' Mangino, and others have screwed things up royally for many coaches at the big names schools, and I will explain why. Previously, these small, no name schools were known for one thing and one thing only: Be the fodder for the big Name, Big Budget National Title Contenders - Nothing More. We don't want Cinderellas in College Football, it ruins the delicate balance of nature (of the beast). All the Big Names want the small guys to stay small - and beatable - so they can get their victory and move on to a 10 win season...But the little guys haven't been paying attention. The Knight Report that came out a few years ago, for those of you that remember, and foreshadowed this kind of landscape with unrealistic expectations for all schools in Division 1A. And here we are. Small market, small alumni schools with a shot at winning the whole ball of wax, West Virginia and Missouri, and one of the teams isn't even FAVORED in their Title game...What's more, one of the schools that could slip into the title game (Georgia) won't even play in their CONFERENCE TITLE GAME...and that's what has everybody at smaller schools steaming...Look at these little guys and why can't we be them? Where is the next unknown BIG TIME coach that can take us to the promised land?
Schools like Southern Mississippi canning their head coach with 14 out of 17 winning seasons - for having a 7-5 record...Schools like Arkansas canning a head coach after beating the #1 team and said coach was immediately scooped up by Ole Miss, who canned their guy when Nutt became available - regardless of what went on at the strip club 2 years ago. Ole Miss has told the world that they can live with that if you get us to 9 wins and a New Year's day Bowl. Georgia Tech firing Chan Gailey for being competitive in the ACC with 2nd rate talent out of the State of Georgia...because he didn't meet with the school's expectations of mingling with the Boosters the right way - and didn't beat Georgia...These schools figure that if small market schools can do it, why can't they? Even though these schools compete in conferences that are powerful and have perennially tough teams at the top...
I guess what surprises me the most is not that these schools are doing this, but have they looked around at what could be waiting for them by trading the known for the unknown? Have they seen what can happend to once great programs like Nebraska? Notre Dame? (Jeez, I hate these guys) Do they somehow think that their schools and programs have more tradition, allure, and attraction to recruit better coaches and talent to go there and take them to, well, where exactly? Is it really reasonable in the BCS Day and Age to expect Georgia Tech to compete annually for a National Title? Okay, they won one under Bobby Ross way back God-knows-when, but is that reasonable to expect that goal on an annual basis from that school? I don't expect that as a Michigan Alum - and remember, I am a slappy fan...I figure, realistically, that if you can get a sniff at a National Title once every 5 years or so, you're doing pretty good among the elite schools that are out there competing for the same goal every year...
So, this post wasn't so much an update on the Michigan situation - and I will do that, but as a lead in to the comments on what I think about Les Miles and what my expections are from the next head coach at Michigan, whoever that may be.
Yes, Bill Martin has finally gone public and asked for permission to speak to Les. My guess is that Michigan has a contract ready, regardless of what Lloyd Carr thinks or feels about Les Miles. Lloyd isn't the guy whose ass is on the line for the next 5-10 years with this decision (See Tom Goss Hires Tommy Amaker...Was he the Best Thing for Michigan? He was a Duke Guy and not a Michigan Man...I know - you can't compare Michigan Basketball to Michigan Football, but you had better learn from the last AD who got canned in front of you) And it's hard to ignore 36-4 in the SEC over the last 3 years with some of the best talent in that league...Yeah, I know, Satan recruited them...But Miles developed them. So, think what you want. Do I think Miles is the next coach? Well, given the fact that Lloyd's pick was Ferentz - I think that's going to come out if you watch mgoblog and the story that's unfolding there, told Michigan, "Nope, I am happy at Iowa." And thank your Maize and Blue Lucky Stars he IS HAPPY at Iowa...Because I would have not been happy with the Ferentz hire.....
So, I think Les is your next coach. Is that a good or a bad thing? Well, let's look at the good (with MMQ comments thrown in):
The GOOD!
1. He is a Michigan Man (MMQ Comment: I have thought about this a lot the last couple of weeks and after all is said and done - So what? Can he win here is all that really matters...I think he can and it helps that he played in the Game and understands what it takes to beat OSU...So, it matters a little, but not as much as people think..I'M a Michigan Man - Me - The MMQ...Does it matter? Really?)
2. He "Gets" the Michigan OSU Game...(Recently speaking, this is getting to be kind of a big deal - so this is a plus - a Big Plus....)
3. He Can Recruit - Bill McCartney credits Miles with the 5 year turnaround that he oversaw at Colorado... (This hasn't gotten a lot of press - but it's the first I have heard someone give Miles behind the scenes credit for early work...)
4. I don't care whose players they are or how he has won the games, he is 36-4 in the SEC... You can't ignore numbers like that (All Right - this one time and ONE TIME ONLY - I will admit - God, I hate doing this - That the SEC might be a better conference than the rest - MAYBE. Caryl Brown, I know you will throw this back in my face for the rest of my life)
5. He's brash and outspoken (This can work both ways. Schembechler was outspoken, but was a legend, so he could get away with it. IF Miles doesn't win, His Big Talk will get old with the Alumni really fast..)
6. He surrounds himself with good coordinators (For now. Will the Michigan Loyalty take over when he gets here or will he continue to look for the best coaches who find the new wrinkles in the game?)
7. He will probably coach here until he hangs up the whistle (This, if he maintains the integrity of the program and the winning tradition, is a good thing - trust me....)
8. He beat Stoops twice while he was at OSU, Urban Legend twice while at LSU, and these guys are supposed to be big game coaches...(He can win big games against guys who are supposed to be the best X's and O's coaches out there - read Tressel)
9. He is two OT games away from the National title game this year....(I know - So What? Can he do it here? is the question that needs to be answered...)
10. He Loves Michigan....(So What? We ALL LOVE MICHIGAN! Right????)
The Not so Good
1. Game Decisions. Say what you want, I don't see how you can call for an end zone pass with 12 tics on the clock when a field goal wins the game agains Auburn. BAD CALL. (This is at the top of my worry bead list. You can get away with calls like this when they work and you have talent, but when they don't, oh man...You will be hung in effigy by the 2nd guessers and, ahem, Monday Morning Quarterbacks!)
2. Tunnel Vision. I think, after watching LSU a lot this year, that they seem to stick with what works - even when it's not working... While that's not a bad thing, I am still a firm believer in adjustment and taking what the other guy is giving...Which is probably why I am not a head coach...But I think LSU could have beat both Kentucky and Arkansas if they hadn't been quite so stubborn...)
3. LSU fan boards seem to be 50-50 on whether or not they want the guy to hang around, saying he is not that good of a coach...(So What? Every Coach who isn't winning the National Title this year in the SEC is on someone's sh!t list Blog...See Urban Legend, Satan, Tommy Tutone, Sly Croom, Richy Rich, The Ole Ball Coach, Etc.)
4. He's 54. If he follows the Lloyd route, he's here for 10 years, and might be gone...But I think he may coach for a few more years than Lloyd...
5. Can he out-think and out-scheme the Vest? (This remains to be seen. I am actually starting to get a little intimidated by The Sweater Vested Troll.... The Luckeyes seem to have the Big Ten figured out and the recruiting train is at full speed...How does the new guy derail the juggernaut? Is Tressel Woody re-incarnated? Is OSU the Midwest Powerhouse? Is it 1968 all over again in 2007? History does repeat itself, you know....and we all know what happened in 1969... Read: Bring on 2008!)
The Really Bad
1. We just don't know....(I know, I hear all of you out there saying, "WTF MMQ! Come On! We have been living with Lloyd "boring" Carr for 13 seasons - at a .750% win rate...Loosen up and move forward...Yeah, well, Lloyd did give us 1997 and 2006, even if 2006 didn't end that great...And I saw what happened to the other "Great" programs that tried "moving forward" One is literally in the sh!tter and had to revive the last living legend to come back to right the ship - if the "Titanic" known as Nebraska Football can be saved from sinking and the other is literally wallowing and sinking in the greed that they let consume them (Domers)with no turnaround in sight (Weis will get the ax before next Turkey Day).....I don't think this will happen to Michigan (it didn't happen to LSU with two head coaching changes), but how can you really KNOW? - Bottom line is you can't - there is always risk....
2. Is there a better guy that we aren't "seeing"? See number 1. What if Les Miles gets here and he's the boob that everyone in the SEC is saying he is and he has just been lucky down there? What do we do then, Sports Fans? What do we do when we are Nebraska or the Domers and we are looking for the "next" guy and he's already coaching another school that he doesn't want to leave? Is there a better choice out there right now that we aren't looking at as closely as we should be based on the fact that Les has too much clout and can't be ignored?
Anyway, What you are really reading this for - My Expectations of the Next Coach:
1. Don't lose the Michigan tradition. I want to be able to watch the Wolverines on New Year's day.
2. 1st year OSU Bye...Unless you want to establish your legend and beat the Suckeyes like Bo did his 1st year....Then, by all means, kick their asses in Columbus...and I mean beat the ever living sh!t out of those inbred, mealy mouthed, truck driving, sister-kissing, one-syllable vocabulary, monkey-loving, nut-sucking, braying-hyena morons...Yes, I am a little preturbed that we haven't beat them in awhile...Can you tell?
3. Let's mix up the offense a little bit and attack the spread a little more aggressively....There has to be a scheme that works against that offense and a mobile QB...and if we can come up with a better play then tailback off left tackle on first down, then by all means, let's use it and use it regularly...
4. In Mallet's junior year, if he is that good, with the defense that got a lot better this year maturing...I think a whiff of a National Title in in your 2nd year as head coach isn't unreasonable...That's the slappy in me coming out...Of course, this means you beat OSU, too....
5. Beat MSU, The Domers, and everybody else.... (Or at least beat all the DII schools on the schedule...Sheesh... and re-establish the rivalry with OSU - meaning we beat those little c_cks_cker_! Remember: you can't spell that word without OSU!)
First Season: 9-3 or 8-4....Anything less and you better have a good explanation...
2nd Season: See above...I think we should be looking at a shot at the BCS National Title Game given where other programs are currently and will be in two year's time...and you better figure on beating OSU - did I mention that?
3rd season...Same as 2nd season....
After that, we will need to see how good a recruiter the new coach is and what he can do with his own talent....and beat OSU....
Tough Job with High Expectations? You bet. But Florida had high expectations, OSU had high expectations, as did LSU, as did Alabama (snicker) as will LSU again if Les leaves....
Bring on the new coach and let the new Era Begin!
MMQ
Reflecting on this, I believe that Rutgers Coach Schiano, Boise State Coach Peterson, and Southern Florida Coach Leavitt, Kansas' Mangino, and others have screwed things up royally for many coaches at the big names schools, and I will explain why. Previously, these small, no name schools were known for one thing and one thing only: Be the fodder for the big Name, Big Budget National Title Contenders - Nothing More. We don't want Cinderellas in College Football, it ruins the delicate balance of nature (of the beast). All the Big Names want the small guys to stay small - and beatable - so they can get their victory and move on to a 10 win season...But the little guys haven't been paying attention. The Knight Report that came out a few years ago, for those of you that remember, and foreshadowed this kind of landscape with unrealistic expectations for all schools in Division 1A. And here we are. Small market, small alumni schools with a shot at winning the whole ball of wax, West Virginia and Missouri, and one of the teams isn't even FAVORED in their Title game...What's more, one of the schools that could slip into the title game (Georgia) won't even play in their CONFERENCE TITLE GAME...and that's what has everybody at smaller schools steaming...Look at these little guys and why can't we be them? Where is the next unknown BIG TIME coach that can take us to the promised land?
Schools like Southern Mississippi canning their head coach with 14 out of 17 winning seasons - for having a 7-5 record...Schools like Arkansas canning a head coach after beating the #1 team and said coach was immediately scooped up by Ole Miss, who canned their guy when Nutt became available - regardless of what went on at the strip club 2 years ago. Ole Miss has told the world that they can live with that if you get us to 9 wins and a New Year's day Bowl. Georgia Tech firing Chan Gailey for being competitive in the ACC with 2nd rate talent out of the State of Georgia...because he didn't meet with the school's expectations of mingling with the Boosters the right way - and didn't beat Georgia...These schools figure that if small market schools can do it, why can't they? Even though these schools compete in conferences that are powerful and have perennially tough teams at the top...
I guess what surprises me the most is not that these schools are doing this, but have they looked around at what could be waiting for them by trading the known for the unknown? Have they seen what can happend to once great programs like Nebraska? Notre Dame? (Jeez, I hate these guys) Do they somehow think that their schools and programs have more tradition, allure, and attraction to recruit better coaches and talent to go there and take them to, well, where exactly? Is it really reasonable in the BCS Day and Age to expect Georgia Tech to compete annually for a National Title? Okay, they won one under Bobby Ross way back God-knows-when, but is that reasonable to expect that goal on an annual basis from that school? I don't expect that as a Michigan Alum - and remember, I am a slappy fan...I figure, realistically, that if you can get a sniff at a National Title once every 5 years or so, you're doing pretty good among the elite schools that are out there competing for the same goal every year...
So, this post wasn't so much an update on the Michigan situation - and I will do that, but as a lead in to the comments on what I think about Les Miles and what my expections are from the next head coach at Michigan, whoever that may be.
Yes, Bill Martin has finally gone public and asked for permission to speak to Les. My guess is that Michigan has a contract ready, regardless of what Lloyd Carr thinks or feels about Les Miles. Lloyd isn't the guy whose ass is on the line for the next 5-10 years with this decision (See Tom Goss Hires Tommy Amaker...Was he the Best Thing for Michigan? He was a Duke Guy and not a Michigan Man...I know - you can't compare Michigan Basketball to Michigan Football, but you had better learn from the last AD who got canned in front of you) And it's hard to ignore 36-4 in the SEC over the last 3 years with some of the best talent in that league...Yeah, I know, Satan recruited them...But Miles developed them. So, think what you want. Do I think Miles is the next coach? Well, given the fact that Lloyd's pick was Ferentz - I think that's going to come out if you watch mgoblog and the story that's unfolding there, told Michigan, "Nope, I am happy at Iowa." And thank your Maize and Blue Lucky Stars he IS HAPPY at Iowa...Because I would have not been happy with the Ferentz hire.....
So, I think Les is your next coach. Is that a good or a bad thing? Well, let's look at the good (with MMQ comments thrown in):
The GOOD!
1. He is a Michigan Man (MMQ Comment: I have thought about this a lot the last couple of weeks and after all is said and done - So what? Can he win here is all that really matters...I think he can and it helps that he played in the Game and understands what it takes to beat OSU...So, it matters a little, but not as much as people think..I'M a Michigan Man - Me - The MMQ...Does it matter? Really?)
2. He "Gets" the Michigan OSU Game...(Recently speaking, this is getting to be kind of a big deal - so this is a plus - a Big Plus....)
3. He Can Recruit - Bill McCartney credits Miles with the 5 year turnaround that he oversaw at Colorado... (This hasn't gotten a lot of press - but it's the first I have heard someone give Miles behind the scenes credit for early work...)
4. I don't care whose players they are or how he has won the games, he is 36-4 in the SEC... You can't ignore numbers like that (All Right - this one time and ONE TIME ONLY - I will admit - God, I hate doing this - That the SEC might be a better conference than the rest - MAYBE. Caryl Brown, I know you will throw this back in my face for the rest of my life)
5. He's brash and outspoken (This can work both ways. Schembechler was outspoken, but was a legend, so he could get away with it. IF Miles doesn't win, His Big Talk will get old with the Alumni really fast..)
6. He surrounds himself with good coordinators (For now. Will the Michigan Loyalty take over when he gets here or will he continue to look for the best coaches who find the new wrinkles in the game?)
7. He will probably coach here until he hangs up the whistle (This, if he maintains the integrity of the program and the winning tradition, is a good thing - trust me....)
8. He beat Stoops twice while he was at OSU, Urban Legend twice while at LSU, and these guys are supposed to be big game coaches...(He can win big games against guys who are supposed to be the best X's and O's coaches out there - read Tressel)
9. He is two OT games away from the National title game this year....(I know - So What? Can he do it here? is the question that needs to be answered...)
10. He Loves Michigan....(So What? We ALL LOVE MICHIGAN! Right????)
The Not so Good
1. Game Decisions. Say what you want, I don't see how you can call for an end zone pass with 12 tics on the clock when a field goal wins the game agains Auburn. BAD CALL. (This is at the top of my worry bead list. You can get away with calls like this when they work and you have talent, but when they don't, oh man...You will be hung in effigy by the 2nd guessers and, ahem, Monday Morning Quarterbacks!)
2. Tunnel Vision. I think, after watching LSU a lot this year, that they seem to stick with what works - even when it's not working... While that's not a bad thing, I am still a firm believer in adjustment and taking what the other guy is giving...Which is probably why I am not a head coach...But I think LSU could have beat both Kentucky and Arkansas if they hadn't been quite so stubborn...)
3. LSU fan boards seem to be 50-50 on whether or not they want the guy to hang around, saying he is not that good of a coach...(So What? Every Coach who isn't winning the National Title this year in the SEC is on someone's sh!t list Blog...See Urban Legend, Satan, Tommy Tutone, Sly Croom, Richy Rich, The Ole Ball Coach, Etc.)
4. He's 54. If he follows the Lloyd route, he's here for 10 years, and might be gone...But I think he may coach for a few more years than Lloyd...
5. Can he out-think and out-scheme the Vest? (This remains to be seen. I am actually starting to get a little intimidated by The Sweater Vested Troll.... The Luckeyes seem to have the Big Ten figured out and the recruiting train is at full speed...How does the new guy derail the juggernaut? Is Tressel Woody re-incarnated? Is OSU the Midwest Powerhouse? Is it 1968 all over again in 2007? History does repeat itself, you know....and we all know what happened in 1969... Read: Bring on 2008!)
The Really Bad
1. We just don't know....(I know, I hear all of you out there saying, "WTF MMQ! Come On! We have been living with Lloyd "boring" Carr for 13 seasons - at a .750% win rate...Loosen up and move forward...Yeah, well, Lloyd did give us 1997 and 2006, even if 2006 didn't end that great...And I saw what happened to the other "Great" programs that tried "moving forward" One is literally in the sh!tter and had to revive the last living legend to come back to right the ship - if the "Titanic" known as Nebraska Football can be saved from sinking and the other is literally wallowing and sinking in the greed that they let consume them (Domers)with no turnaround in sight (Weis will get the ax before next Turkey Day).....I don't think this will happen to Michigan (it didn't happen to LSU with two head coaching changes), but how can you really KNOW? - Bottom line is you can't - there is always risk....
2. Is there a better guy that we aren't "seeing"? See number 1. What if Les Miles gets here and he's the boob that everyone in the SEC is saying he is and he has just been lucky down there? What do we do then, Sports Fans? What do we do when we are Nebraska or the Domers and we are looking for the "next" guy and he's already coaching another school that he doesn't want to leave? Is there a better choice out there right now that we aren't looking at as closely as we should be based on the fact that Les has too much clout and can't be ignored?
Anyway, What you are really reading this for - My Expectations of the Next Coach:
1. Don't lose the Michigan tradition. I want to be able to watch the Wolverines on New Year's day.
2. 1st year OSU Bye...Unless you want to establish your legend and beat the Suckeyes like Bo did his 1st year....Then, by all means, kick their asses in Columbus...and I mean beat the ever living sh!t out of those inbred, mealy mouthed, truck driving, sister-kissing, one-syllable vocabulary, monkey-loving, nut-sucking, braying-hyena morons...Yes, I am a little preturbed that we haven't beat them in awhile...Can you tell?
3. Let's mix up the offense a little bit and attack the spread a little more aggressively....There has to be a scheme that works against that offense and a mobile QB...and if we can come up with a better play then tailback off left tackle on first down, then by all means, let's use it and use it regularly...
4. In Mallet's junior year, if he is that good, with the defense that got a lot better this year maturing...I think a whiff of a National Title in in your 2nd year as head coach isn't unreasonable...That's the slappy in me coming out...Of course, this means you beat OSU, too....
5. Beat MSU, The Domers, and everybody else.... (Or at least beat all the DII schools on the schedule...Sheesh... and re-establish the rivalry with OSU - meaning we beat those little c_cks_cker_! Remember: you can't spell that word without OSU!)
First Season: 9-3 or 8-4....Anything less and you better have a good explanation...
2nd Season: See above...I think we should be looking at a shot at the BCS National Title Game given where other programs are currently and will be in two year's time...and you better figure on beating OSU - did I mention that?
3rd season...Same as 2nd season....
After that, we will need to see how good a recruiter the new coach is and what he can do with his own talent....and beat OSU....
Tough Job with High Expectations? You bet. But Florida had high expectations, OSU had high expectations, as did LSU, as did Alabama (snicker) as will LSU again if Les leaves....
Bring on the new coach and let the new Era Begin!
MMQ
Monday, November 26, 2007
Championship Monday - The B(C)S - What a Week!
What Happened over the Weekend?
LMU - LOST to the Piggies.....Great game that finished in OT on Friday, in case you missed it....What's really funny is that the Razor Backs Coach, Houston Nutt, after beating the #1 team, is probably going to get canned...Go figure the SEC.
BORDER WAR - Mizzou beats Kansas. And they looked good doing it. If they can slip past the Laters, they rightly deserve a shot in the national title game...More on that in a minute..
Hokies defeat Virginia - Set up the ACC showdown with a rematch against Boston College and one time Heismann front runner Matt Ryan. Can they pull off the rematch?
IRON BOWL - Auburn Kitties over Crimson Satan. Figure the love for Satan, if not gone completely, is going fast...You can't lose to Lousiana-Monroe and your arch rival after nearly beating LSU and still get love...I don't think Mike Shula ever lost to a SWC team in his tenure...
GATORLAND - Defeated "weak" in state rival FSU to keep their 9-3 record in tact...
CREMESICLES - needed 4 OT's in one of the best games over the weekend to beat Kentucky and win their way into the title game against LMU....
cornsuckers...Man, what happened to Nebraska football? They let Colorado hang 41 points on them in the 1st half and over 60 total points for the game? No wonder Callahan got canned...
DOMERS (Jeez I hate these guys)- Won their "Bowl Game" against the Cardinal after some really weak play calling by Jim Harbaugh...But 3-9 is still a nice record...I will be the first to predict that The Weasel is not .500 next year and will get the Ax by Turkey Day...Notre Dame faithfull just won't be able to take anymore.
The B(C)S Mess (and how it stands today):
The reason the (C) is in parentheses is that if you take it out, as Lou Holtz says, you have the perfect Initials BS Standings
1. Mizzou (Big 12)
2. West Virginia (Big East)
3. Ohio State (Big Ten)
4. Georgia (SEC)
5. Kansas (Big 12)
6. Virginia Tech (ACC)
7. LSU (SEC)
8. USC (Pac 10)
9. Oklahoma (Big 12)
10. Florida (SEC)
11. Boston College (ACC)
12. Hawaii (WAC)
Now, to clarify for all the SEC people out there...It looks like right now the "dominant" conference is the Big 12 with 3 teams in the top 12. That Florida nod at 3 losses is a gift, by the way. Be glad you have a QB that has 20 rushing and 26 passing TD's this season and everyone wants to see him play on New Year's Day. However, that shouldn't change the fact that the Big 12 is probably the conference that gets screwed this year - along with the SEC. But that's a good thing - I will explain in a minute...Oregon finished themselves off with the help of UCLA beating them 16-0...I feel bad for that team. They are great with Dixson and they are nothing without him...
So, what happens now, MR. MMQ? WVU, for all intents and purposes, is an automatic. They are playing about as well as they have played all year and only have to get past a weak Pittsburgh team in the Backyard Brawl on Saturday. So, figure they are in. And, I hate to say it, but I think it's going to be tough for Mizzou to be up again in a week to play the Okie Dokie Laters...and I think the Laters will be looking for respect in San Antonio...I like Bob Stoops in a one game showdown... I don't know what the spread is, but Mizzou will probably be favored and they will find themselves in very unfamiliar territory playing for the title. That means, if the Laters pull of the not so big upset - they already beat this team once - that the OSU (s)Luckeyes will find themselves in the title game against WVU. Which means that everyone in the Big 10 moves up a notch in the Bowls and Michigan becomes a lock for a New Year's day game...and if it had not been for that loss to (ARRGGGGHHH!) App State, maybe even the Rose Bowl...
Yep - I can always get it back to how it all affects the Michigan Wolverines, sports fans....
And Fans, this is WHAT WE WANT THIS YEAR. I figure if there is any time that you have 3 Big 12 teams in the top 10, three SEC teams in the top 10 and neither one of them makes the Title Game, and two of the "weakest" conferences slide teams into the National Title Game and the also get an at large bid (Illinois) for all the dough.... well, you can bet that there will be plenty of screaming from 24 teams (maybe 34 if you throw the Pac 10 in there) in the NCAA that will want either an 8 or a 12 team playoff...And deservedly so. I can't look at one team in the top 12 (with the exception of Hawaii) that didn't play their butts off this year and they should somehow get a shot to win it all if they can put 3 or 4 games together at the end of the season to make a run to the Championship...But we don't have a play off, so it will be two conferecnes that don't have multiple teams in the top 12, much less the top 25, that will get to play for all the marbles...does that make sense in this crazy college football world? This year...Anything makes sense...
Coaching Carousel
I would say hot seat, but the seat is always hot when your coach...
Callahan - (Cornsuckers)GONE
Franchione - (Texas A&M) Gone
Orgeron - (Ole Miss) Gone
Carr - Retired
Hot Rumors (or fact):
Bo Pelini - Interviewed Sunday by Osborn
Mike Sherman, Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator- Texas A&M
Kirk Ferentz - Daily Iowan is reporting that Kirk is going to Michigan to rejoin Mary Sue Coleman.. Vegas has Kirk 2nd in the odds department at 9-2 and
Les Miles at 2-1 for the Michigan Job...But that keeps slipping with each loss...
Games of the Week
LSU and the Cremesicles - Right to play for the Citrus bowl when Georgia gets the SEC At Large Berth...
BC and the Hokies - Rematch on a neutral field...can the Hokies take advantage?
Mizzou and the Laters - The game that decides EVERYTHING....
MMQ
LMU - LOST to the Piggies.....Great game that finished in OT on Friday, in case you missed it....What's really funny is that the Razor Backs Coach, Houston Nutt, after beating the #1 team, is probably going to get canned...Go figure the SEC.
BORDER WAR - Mizzou beats Kansas. And they looked good doing it. If they can slip past the Laters, they rightly deserve a shot in the national title game...More on that in a minute..
Hokies defeat Virginia - Set up the ACC showdown with a rematch against Boston College and one time Heismann front runner Matt Ryan. Can they pull off the rematch?
IRON BOWL - Auburn Kitties over Crimson Satan. Figure the love for Satan, if not gone completely, is going fast...You can't lose to Lousiana-Monroe and your arch rival after nearly beating LSU and still get love...I don't think Mike Shula ever lost to a SWC team in his tenure...
GATORLAND - Defeated "weak" in state rival FSU to keep their 9-3 record in tact...
CREMESICLES - needed 4 OT's in one of the best games over the weekend to beat Kentucky and win their way into the title game against LMU....
cornsuckers...Man, what happened to Nebraska football? They let Colorado hang 41 points on them in the 1st half and over 60 total points for the game? No wonder Callahan got canned...
DOMERS (Jeez I hate these guys)- Won their "Bowl Game" against the Cardinal after some really weak play calling by Jim Harbaugh...But 3-9 is still a nice record...I will be the first to predict that The Weasel is not .500 next year and will get the Ax by Turkey Day...Notre Dame faithfull just won't be able to take anymore.
The B(C)S Mess (and how it stands today):
The reason the (C) is in parentheses is that if you take it out, as Lou Holtz says, you have the perfect Initials BS Standings
1. Mizzou (Big 12)
2. West Virginia (Big East)
3. Ohio State (Big Ten)
4. Georgia (SEC)
5. Kansas (Big 12)
6. Virginia Tech (ACC)
7. LSU (SEC)
8. USC (Pac 10)
9. Oklahoma (Big 12)
10. Florida (SEC)
11. Boston College (ACC)
12. Hawaii (WAC)
Now, to clarify for all the SEC people out there...It looks like right now the "dominant" conference is the Big 12 with 3 teams in the top 12. That Florida nod at 3 losses is a gift, by the way. Be glad you have a QB that has 20 rushing and 26 passing TD's this season and everyone wants to see him play on New Year's Day. However, that shouldn't change the fact that the Big 12 is probably the conference that gets screwed this year - along with the SEC. But that's a good thing - I will explain in a minute...Oregon finished themselves off with the help of UCLA beating them 16-0...I feel bad for that team. They are great with Dixson and they are nothing without him...
So, what happens now, MR. MMQ? WVU, for all intents and purposes, is an automatic. They are playing about as well as they have played all year and only have to get past a weak Pittsburgh team in the Backyard Brawl on Saturday. So, figure they are in. And, I hate to say it, but I think it's going to be tough for Mizzou to be up again in a week to play the Okie Dokie Laters...and I think the Laters will be looking for respect in San Antonio...I like Bob Stoops in a one game showdown... I don't know what the spread is, but Mizzou will probably be favored and they will find themselves in very unfamiliar territory playing for the title. That means, if the Laters pull of the not so big upset - they already beat this team once - that the OSU (s)Luckeyes will find themselves in the title game against WVU. Which means that everyone in the Big 10 moves up a notch in the Bowls and Michigan becomes a lock for a New Year's day game...and if it had not been for that loss to (ARRGGGGHHH!) App State, maybe even the Rose Bowl...
Yep - I can always get it back to how it all affects the Michigan Wolverines, sports fans....
And Fans, this is WHAT WE WANT THIS YEAR. I figure if there is any time that you have 3 Big 12 teams in the top 10, three SEC teams in the top 10 and neither one of them makes the Title Game, and two of the "weakest" conferences slide teams into the National Title Game and the also get an at large bid (Illinois) for all the dough.... well, you can bet that there will be plenty of screaming from 24 teams (maybe 34 if you throw the Pac 10 in there) in the NCAA that will want either an 8 or a 12 team playoff...And deservedly so. I can't look at one team in the top 12 (with the exception of Hawaii) that didn't play their butts off this year and they should somehow get a shot to win it all if they can put 3 or 4 games together at the end of the season to make a run to the Championship...But we don't have a play off, so it will be two conferecnes that don't have multiple teams in the top 12, much less the top 25, that will get to play for all the marbles...does that make sense in this crazy college football world? This year...Anything makes sense...
Coaching Carousel
I would say hot seat, but the seat is always hot when your coach...
Callahan - (Cornsuckers)GONE
Franchione - (Texas A&M) Gone
Orgeron - (Ole Miss) Gone
Carr - Retired
Hot Rumors (or fact):
Bo Pelini - Interviewed Sunday by Osborn
Mike Sherman, Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator- Texas A&M
Kirk Ferentz - Daily Iowan is reporting that Kirk is going to Michigan to rejoin Mary Sue Coleman.. Vegas has Kirk 2nd in the odds department at 9-2 and
Les Miles at 2-1 for the Michigan Job...But that keeps slipping with each loss...
Games of the Week
LSU and the Cremesicles - Right to play for the Citrus bowl when Georgia gets the SEC At Large Berth...
BC and the Hokies - Rematch on a neutral field...can the Hokies take advantage?
Mizzou and the Laters - The game that decides EVERYTHING....
MMQ
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
The Search for the Coach..(Wednesday, November 21)
Yes, this is one of the most prestigious jobs in all of college football, and the title head coach carries with it amazing responsibility. Responsibility to young athletes, Alumni, student bodies...Name one alumni freind from a major university that doesn't identify with it's athletic team...even a little. It's tough, but everyone out there is proud of it's football or basketball tradition. That's just the way it is.
Bill Martin has a monumental task on his hands and rumor has it that 20 names exist on a "super secret" list that Bill put together starting as early as last year...and with Nebraska, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and others sure to be looking as the coaching carousel begins, it's going to be tough to land the "right" guy....
So, who's on the list MR. MMQ????? Allow me to speculate:
The Obvious (With Ties to Michigan):
1. Les Miles.
Why he's not the Man:
Lloyd might not like him. He's never come out publicy and said as much, but Lloyd's decision on this will count....So, Strike one. Bo Was pissed at him before he died - that is true. Strike Two. LSU doesn't seem to be that upset that he might be leaving....Do they know something we don't? Curve Ball coming, do you swing??? Has already stated that he won't be part of 3 ring circus.
Why he is the man:
A man of integrity (we think). Either hire him, or he's staying at LSU. But Les is a smart guy. He knows that he is only as good as his last win at LSU. One 9-3 or 8-4 season at LSU after this season, 2007, and he's as good as gone anyway and looking for another head coaching job somewhere.... Michigan won't do that. He'll be coach here until he hangs up the whistle. Clearly, Michigan is where he wants to be and if it's smart, Michigan will take him and let him mature into this job the way Lloyd did - If Lloyd can let by-gones be by-gones......Concerns: McGuppy wasn't offered a scholarship at LSU...He has committed to Michigan. Will Michigan make a decision based on a recruits wishes?
Side Note: Les's wife Kathy is a former Michigan Women's Basketball assistant and has been rumored to have been shopping for a home in Ann Arbor....She wants to come home.
Odds: 2-1
2. Mike Trgovac - Defensive Coordinator under the Carolina Panthers...Played for Bo...Could be a potential upset possibility to Les Miles....We just don't know much about him and is unproven at the head coaching spot...Even Bo was a head coach before he came to Michigan. The only guy without head coaching experience before he got the job??? Lloyd Carr.
Odds: 4-1
3. Brady Hoke - (Ball State) - He almost upset the 2006 Michigan Wolverines and was a field goal away from upsetting a lousy Nebraska team....Don't be surprised if he makes the headlines sooner rather than later...He was an assistant under Loyal Lloyd....But I still see Hoke as a long shot...
Odds: 10-1
4. Kirk Ferentz - Hired by former UM President Mary Sue Coleman at Iowa, who was a dear friend of the late Bo Schembechler - she spoke at his memorial. But, he is the HIGHEST PAID Big 10 coach...Did Iowa really know what they were doing or has the recruiting trail in Chicago dried up because of The Weasel in DomerLand??? Kirk has been rumored a lot. But would the Big Ten prey on its own and start something that no one wants to see? This is a longshot at best...
Odds: 50-1
5. DeBord - De NOOOOOO......Central Michigan Fiasco...Enough said...
Odds: How do you write the infinity sign again? - to one.
6. English - Timing is not on Ron's side. If Michigan would have won it all last year, the euphoria would have let this happen...But when the D gives up 1,000 yards in the 1st two games, 572 to a DII school, it's considered "Bad Timing". Given time, maybe. Right now, uh-uh....
Odds: if there had been a Championship and OSU victory in 2006: 2-1
Today: 200-1
7. Harbaugh - If he could have kept his mouth shut....
Odds: See DeBord
The Not-So-Obvious - No Michigan Ties...
8. Schiano - Rutgers. Wants the Penn State Job. Enough said.
9. Pellini - LSU defensive coordinator...May answer momma's call (See Bear Bryant leaves Texas A&M to go to Alabama) and go back to the Corn Fields of Nebraska
10. Bob Stoops - His name continues to get thrown around. The Michigan connection isn't clear. He was an assistant at Iowa under Fry in 1983, but that doesn't mean anything. I think the reason Stoops name comes up is he is CLEAN. He kicked his QB off the team for violations and sacrificed the rest of the team's success in the process. Michigan likes that...
11. Rodriguez - West Virginia - he turned down Alabama stating he was in his dream job...Or was he just saying that to make WVU fans happy? My guess is he knows that WVU will always be a 2nd tier to the Big Schools, one of them being Michigan. Beline might have paved the road for Rodriguez....No Michigan ties...100-1
12. Urban Mayer - had in his contract at Utah options to get out for the Domer job and Michigan. Florida AD made a quiet deal with Urban and Domers lost out publicly...Badly...Don't think the back door thing did anything to enhance his image at Michigan, much less his 2006 tirade to get into the National Championship game, which was probably going to happen anyway...
13. Brian Kelly - This one doesn't make a lot of sense...Thought to be a lead candidate for the MSU job - which doesn't make sense that his name keeps coming up for the Michigan job...No one is clear why he was taken out of the mix for MSU or if he took himself out. But is he going to be looking for the next job if he comes to Michigan? Look for Kelly to land at one of the other vacancies where he will probably do better than the Michigan selection...
Odds for all: 500-1
The Guys I Call to see How Are They Treating you Lately? (No Michigan ties)
14. Pete Carrol - Hear me out, because I know you're laughing. Pete is a guy with a big ego, but I think he is a traditional down to earth guy, too. He tried the pros and came back. And let's not forget that he understands the Big 10 and the "Game"....He coached under Earle Bruce. And he might be looking to make one last statement somewhere that people would really appreciate. Let's face it: In LA, you are either winning National Titles, or you are standing in line waiting for a table at the local hotspot like everyone else....
Odds: 500-1
15. Chris Peterson (Boise State) - This guys name was on every list LAST year after he beat Oklahoma, but nobody is talking about him this year. He would bring a new offensive scheme to Michigan, and he would be cheap. And he's young. At 41, He will outlive whoever makes this decision. ....But does he have the cache to pull off what needs to happen at Michigan for the next 3 years?
Odds: 1000-1
Left Field
16. Mike Belloti (Oregon) - Yeah, he's winning now...But he might listen to an offer...
17. Mike Stoops - If you can't get Bob, he may be on a list to grab after little success at Arizona.....but I think Texas A&M may have their sights set on Bob's Brother...At least they have more to the rivalry game than just the game if they get Stoops competeing against each other...
18. Tommy Bowden - I know - I don't like it either. But I am sure he has worn out his welcome at Clemson and He is probably tired of dealing with their expectations as well...And he might be the Arkansas answer in the SEC with Nutt getting canned. But he is the son of a legacy...
19. The Ole Ball Coach - This was thrown out on some radio station, but the guy made sense...South Carolina will never compete in the SEC the way Spurrier wants them to, but Michigan in the Big Ten with the right QB (Mallet - his arm fits well with the fun and gun offense, and a good defense - and in the weak Big 10 no less - and Spurrier finds himself in the National Title game for 1 or 2 years in a row and he has a chance to win it all one more time at a prestigious University like Michigan.......That's just ond of those Spurrier scenarios that might make him go Hmmmmm, Why Not Indeed? Lloyd would have to approve and he would be a short term solution at best...Golf season is too short and weather is not to his liking....
Odds for all: 2000-1
20. An Unknown....Remember the headlines in the Detroit News from 1969
Odds: 500-1
"BO WHO????"
MMQ
Bill Martin has a monumental task on his hands and rumor has it that 20 names exist on a "super secret" list that Bill put together starting as early as last year...and with Nebraska, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and others sure to be looking as the coaching carousel begins, it's going to be tough to land the "right" guy....
So, who's on the list MR. MMQ????? Allow me to speculate:
The Obvious (With Ties to Michigan):
1. Les Miles.
Why he's not the Man:
Lloyd might not like him. He's never come out publicy and said as much, but Lloyd's decision on this will count....So, Strike one. Bo Was pissed at him before he died - that is true. Strike Two. LSU doesn't seem to be that upset that he might be leaving....Do they know something we don't? Curve Ball coming, do you swing??? Has already stated that he won't be part of 3 ring circus.
Why he is the man:
A man of integrity (we think). Either hire him, or he's staying at LSU. But Les is a smart guy. He knows that he is only as good as his last win at LSU. One 9-3 or 8-4 season at LSU after this season, 2007, and he's as good as gone anyway and looking for another head coaching job somewhere.... Michigan won't do that. He'll be coach here until he hangs up the whistle. Clearly, Michigan is where he wants to be and if it's smart, Michigan will take him and let him mature into this job the way Lloyd did - If Lloyd can let by-gones be by-gones......Concerns: McGuppy wasn't offered a scholarship at LSU...He has committed to Michigan. Will Michigan make a decision based on a recruits wishes?
Side Note: Les's wife Kathy is a former Michigan Women's Basketball assistant and has been rumored to have been shopping for a home in Ann Arbor....She wants to come home.
Odds: 2-1
2. Mike Trgovac - Defensive Coordinator under the Carolina Panthers...Played for Bo...Could be a potential upset possibility to Les Miles....We just don't know much about him and is unproven at the head coaching spot...Even Bo was a head coach before he came to Michigan. The only guy without head coaching experience before he got the job??? Lloyd Carr.
Odds: 4-1
3. Brady Hoke - (Ball State) - He almost upset the 2006 Michigan Wolverines and was a field goal away from upsetting a lousy Nebraska team....Don't be surprised if he makes the headlines sooner rather than later...He was an assistant under Loyal Lloyd....But I still see Hoke as a long shot...
Odds: 10-1
4. Kirk Ferentz - Hired by former UM President Mary Sue Coleman at Iowa, who was a dear friend of the late Bo Schembechler - she spoke at his memorial. But, he is the HIGHEST PAID Big 10 coach...Did Iowa really know what they were doing or has the recruiting trail in Chicago dried up because of The Weasel in DomerLand??? Kirk has been rumored a lot. But would the Big Ten prey on its own and start something that no one wants to see? This is a longshot at best...
Odds: 50-1
5. DeBord - De NOOOOOO......Central Michigan Fiasco...Enough said...
Odds: How do you write the infinity sign again? - to one.
6. English - Timing is not on Ron's side. If Michigan would have won it all last year, the euphoria would have let this happen...But when the D gives up 1,000 yards in the 1st two games, 572 to a DII school, it's considered "Bad Timing". Given time, maybe. Right now, uh-uh....
Odds: if there had been a Championship and OSU victory in 2006: 2-1
Today: 200-1
7. Harbaugh - If he could have kept his mouth shut....
Odds: See DeBord
The Not-So-Obvious - No Michigan Ties...
8. Schiano - Rutgers. Wants the Penn State Job. Enough said.
9. Pellini - LSU defensive coordinator...May answer momma's call (See Bear Bryant leaves Texas A&M to go to Alabama) and go back to the Corn Fields of Nebraska
10. Bob Stoops - His name continues to get thrown around. The Michigan connection isn't clear. He was an assistant at Iowa under Fry in 1983, but that doesn't mean anything. I think the reason Stoops name comes up is he is CLEAN. He kicked his QB off the team for violations and sacrificed the rest of the team's success in the process. Michigan likes that...
11. Rodriguez - West Virginia - he turned down Alabama stating he was in his dream job...Or was he just saying that to make WVU fans happy? My guess is he knows that WVU will always be a 2nd tier to the Big Schools, one of them being Michigan. Beline might have paved the road for Rodriguez....No Michigan ties...100-1
12. Urban Mayer - had in his contract at Utah options to get out for the Domer job and Michigan. Florida AD made a quiet deal with Urban and Domers lost out publicly...Badly...Don't think the back door thing did anything to enhance his image at Michigan, much less his 2006 tirade to get into the National Championship game, which was probably going to happen anyway...
13. Brian Kelly - This one doesn't make a lot of sense...Thought to be a lead candidate for the MSU job - which doesn't make sense that his name keeps coming up for the Michigan job...No one is clear why he was taken out of the mix for MSU or if he took himself out. But is he going to be looking for the next job if he comes to Michigan? Look for Kelly to land at one of the other vacancies where he will probably do better than the Michigan selection...
Odds for all: 500-1
The Guys I Call to see How Are They Treating you Lately? (No Michigan ties)
14. Pete Carrol - Hear me out, because I know you're laughing. Pete is a guy with a big ego, but I think he is a traditional down to earth guy, too. He tried the pros and came back. And let's not forget that he understands the Big 10 and the "Game"....He coached under Earle Bruce. And he might be looking to make one last statement somewhere that people would really appreciate. Let's face it: In LA, you are either winning National Titles, or you are standing in line waiting for a table at the local hotspot like everyone else....
Odds: 500-1
15. Chris Peterson (Boise State) - This guys name was on every list LAST year after he beat Oklahoma, but nobody is talking about him this year. He would bring a new offensive scheme to Michigan, and he would be cheap. And he's young. At 41, He will outlive whoever makes this decision. ....But does he have the cache to pull off what needs to happen at Michigan for the next 3 years?
Odds: 1000-1
Left Field
16. Mike Belloti (Oregon) - Yeah, he's winning now...But he might listen to an offer...
17. Mike Stoops - If you can't get Bob, he may be on a list to grab after little success at Arizona.....but I think Texas A&M may have their sights set on Bob's Brother...At least they have more to the rivalry game than just the game if they get Stoops competeing against each other...
18. Tommy Bowden - I know - I don't like it either. But I am sure he has worn out his welcome at Clemson and He is probably tired of dealing with their expectations as well...And he might be the Arkansas answer in the SEC with Nutt getting canned. But he is the son of a legacy...
19. The Ole Ball Coach - This was thrown out on some radio station, but the guy made sense...South Carolina will never compete in the SEC the way Spurrier wants them to, but Michigan in the Big Ten with the right QB (Mallet - his arm fits well with the fun and gun offense, and a good defense - and in the weak Big 10 no less - and Spurrier finds himself in the National Title game for 1 or 2 years in a row and he has a chance to win it all one more time at a prestigious University like Michigan.......That's just ond of those Spurrier scenarios that might make him go Hmmmmm, Why Not Indeed? Lloyd would have to approve and he would be a short term solution at best...Golf season is too short and weather is not to his liking....
Odds for all: 2000-1
20. An Unknown....Remember the headlines in the Detroit News from 1969
Odds: 500-1
"BO WHO????"
MMQ
Monday, November 19, 2007
Lloyd - The Accidental Head Coach
He was a man that didn't want the job. And were it not for a drunken night by his own boss and good fried at Excalibur Restaurant in Southfield, we may have never come to know Lloyd Carr. And everything he stands for and everything that he has done for the University.
Gary Moeller, in what can only be described as a day that he will regret every time he wakes up for the rest of his life, was out at the University of Michigan. Joe Roberson, then AD, tapped Lloyd on the shoulder and told him he would be the interim head coach. Lloyd told him he was crazy, that he needed to find someone else for the job. Roberson said, "No, you're the man for the job." LLoyd lost that argument and has lived with the loss for the last 13 years.
It would have been interesting to see where Moeller, longtime Bo assistant, Head Coach at Illinois, an OSU team captain, could have taken the program. That is always an interesting question. Would he have maintained the program in the same manner as Lloyd? Could he have motivated the team the way Lloyd did in 1997? Would there have been a National Title? Would there have been More? Or None? We'll never know...
But what is nice is that, as much as he would let us, we got to know this Jimmy Stewart of a head coach who was never too loud, almost continuously mellow, and only got excited or emotional when someone challenged or made a comment about one of his guys. Bash Lloyd all you want, but don't say Navarre can't throw over a 5'11" nose tackle without hitting him in the helmet. Never state that the Michigan DB had a brain freeze in a critical loss. Nope, you couldn't go after his guys because he was going to come after you. And I like that.
Top things I liked most about LLoyd
1. Until this year, you were going to get an honest effort. Effort that was filled with intensity and desire. Effort reminiscent of the days of Bo and a work ethic that made blue collar look easy.
2. When most coaches don't know when to quit - Bowden, JoPa - Lloyd knows that to be the best, you need to do everything you can do and so much more. He knew those days and that effort was behind him. So, why not make way for the new era? Make way for someone that can give it 110% and more when it's required.
3. The smile and laugh of the victory coach on Michigan Replay.
4. His professionalism, class, and outright love for the University of Michigan.
Top things I won't miss about Lloyd.
1. Off left tackle, Off Left Tackle, 3rd down pass, and punt the ball.
So, whether we like it or not, Michigan must find a new Ambassador. Someone to fill the shoes of the most photographed, quoted, and spotlighted employee of any major Division 1 School. That's no true you say? All right - who is the President of the University of Florida? Thought so.....
Yes, this is one of the most prestigious jobs in all of college football, and the title head coach carries with it amazing responsibility. Responsibility to young athletes, Alumni, student bodies...Name one alumni freind from a major university that doesn't identify with it's athletic team...even a little. It's tough, but everyone out there is proud of it's football or basketball tradition. That's just the way it is.
MMQ
Gary Moeller, in what can only be described as a day that he will regret every time he wakes up for the rest of his life, was out at the University of Michigan. Joe Roberson, then AD, tapped Lloyd on the shoulder and told him he would be the interim head coach. Lloyd told him he was crazy, that he needed to find someone else for the job. Roberson said, "No, you're the man for the job." LLoyd lost that argument and has lived with the loss for the last 13 years.
It would have been interesting to see where Moeller, longtime Bo assistant, Head Coach at Illinois, an OSU team captain, could have taken the program. That is always an interesting question. Would he have maintained the program in the same manner as Lloyd? Could he have motivated the team the way Lloyd did in 1997? Would there have been a National Title? Would there have been More? Or None? We'll never know...
But what is nice is that, as much as he would let us, we got to know this Jimmy Stewart of a head coach who was never too loud, almost continuously mellow, and only got excited or emotional when someone challenged or made a comment about one of his guys. Bash Lloyd all you want, but don't say Navarre can't throw over a 5'11" nose tackle without hitting him in the helmet. Never state that the Michigan DB had a brain freeze in a critical loss. Nope, you couldn't go after his guys because he was going to come after you. And I like that.
Top things I liked most about LLoyd
1. Until this year, you were going to get an honest effort. Effort that was filled with intensity and desire. Effort reminiscent of the days of Bo and a work ethic that made blue collar look easy.
2. When most coaches don't know when to quit - Bowden, JoPa - Lloyd knows that to be the best, you need to do everything you can do and so much more. He knew those days and that effort was behind him. So, why not make way for the new era? Make way for someone that can give it 110% and more when it's required.
3. The smile and laugh of the victory coach on Michigan Replay.
4. His professionalism, class, and outright love for the University of Michigan.
Top things I won't miss about Lloyd.
1. Off left tackle, Off Left Tackle, 3rd down pass, and punt the ball.
So, whether we like it or not, Michigan must find a new Ambassador. Someone to fill the shoes of the most photographed, quoted, and spotlighted employee of any major Division 1 School. That's no true you say? All right - who is the President of the University of Florida? Thought so.....
Yes, this is one of the most prestigious jobs in all of college football, and the title head coach carries with it amazing responsibility. Responsibility to young athletes, Alumni, student bodies...Name one alumni freind from a major university that doesn't identify with it's athletic team...even a little. It's tough, but everyone out there is proud of it's football or basketball tradition. That's just the way it is.
MMQ
It's Over and It's Over...... (November 19, 2007)
Well, I can't really say much about what I saw on Saturday, except that I'm glad it's over...This season, starting out so dismally, ended the same way with two losses from an uninspired team and even worse effort from the coaching staff...That's not to say that I didn't like what I saw in the first possession. Hurry-Hurry offense, taking OSU's defense out of the mix was an indication to this fan that the Wolverines had finally figured it out...Take it to them, put them on the defensive, make the young QB throw. But after the first series, I never saw that imaginative offense again. It was like we decided just to give up, the OSU defense was too good.
Thoughts that ran through my mind sitting there in the rain: The 2007 season was eerily similar to 2005. The Heart Attack kids were banged up and lost 5 regular season games, and then lost to an over rated Nebraska team. But that team played OSU much better and actually led the game before folding in the 4th quarter....
Lloyd will be missed, and has announced his inevitable retirement. While I can't say right now, I will miss him, I can say that there will be times with the new guy, whoever he is, when we are asking, "Why can't this guy win late in the game like Lloyd did?" Some numbers, before and after the 2000 season, to show what Lloyd was and what he is now.
He is 6-7 against Ohio State (Thanks Super Cooper), and 75-16 against everyone else in the Big Ten. He went 1-6 against Jim Tressel, but 9-2 against Joe Paterno. Through the 2000 season, he was 11-1 against opponents ranked in the top 10. Since then, he is 6-8.
He has lost six of seven to Ohio State, but he started 3-0, when the Buckeyes' national rankings were 2, 2 and 4.
With his long tenure, Michigan has had seven head football coaches in 79 seasons. Notre Dame has had seven in 33.
So, if nothing else, I guess you can say that Lloyd came in with a bang and went out with a whimper, save for the 2006 Season that could have been. I still think about that OSU game and wonder what would have happened had we won. I do believe the 2006 Wolverines were a better team than last year's OSU team and they could have played with anyone in the country in November of last year.
On to the rest of the mess:
LATERS: Ooooooops Stooooooops! How many teams ranked in the top 5 are going to lose to non-ranked opponents in decisive fashion? The Laters showed that were human and knocked themselves out of title contention with the loss to Texas Tech...
Crimson Satan: Hey, don't look now, but my guess is all those people that met Satan at the airport and welcomed him with open arms are probably ready to tie his butt to a rail and run him out of town. You can't lose to Louisiana-Monroe after nearly upsetting the number 1 team in the country. Yep, watch for the "Fire Satan" signs a the next home game...
SPARTY: Congrats. You finally figured out that the season DOESN'T end after losing to Michigan. Maybe next year you can somehow figure out how to play the middle games after the opening 5 games and last 2.....Oh, by the way, Ford Field is nice at Christmas....
DOMERS (Jeez I hate these guys): I have never ever in my life seen a team celebrate like that after beating Duke. Now I have seen teams celebrate after beating Duke in Basketball, but not Football. Well, so much for the 1 win season. I guess that Duke victory will be something you can really build on, though....And I hear the Weasel is going back to his New England buddies to figure out what went wrong this season and how he can be better next year. Hey Coach Wuzzles: First thing you need is a Michigan QB - kind of like Brady - to take your program out of the dumps...
Cornsuckers: By weeks are nice because at least you're not in the news....
HOKIES: Way to crush the Gangstas when they're down...This game went on with so little hype that I kind of forgot it was this weekend. But the Showdown with Virginia Looms and then the re-match that everyone is waiting for....Can you guys make history?
KANSAS: The little Engine That Could keeps chugging away...If Kansas wins a Nationa Title, I am really going to start wondering about the state of College Football in General.....
GATORLAND: Still beating up on little guys, looking for someone to help them out in the SEC East....May The Rambling Wreck can pull off the upset....
HOT SEAT:
Morris (Baylor): GONE!
Oscar Mayer Whiner: Going...Maybe
SATAN: Watch this close...
Callahan: Even a week off can't stop this one...
Games of the Week
Kansas vs. Missouri - for all the Big 12 Marbles....
Colorado vs. Nebraska - It's still a good match-up....
Texas vs. Texas A&M - See Colorado Nebraska
Auburn vs. Alabama (If Satan doesn't show up for this game....)
Gatorland at FSU - Hmmm....Can Bobby's Boys pull the upset?
MMQ
Thoughts that ran through my mind sitting there in the rain: The 2007 season was eerily similar to 2005. The Heart Attack kids were banged up and lost 5 regular season games, and then lost to an over rated Nebraska team. But that team played OSU much better and actually led the game before folding in the 4th quarter....
Lloyd will be missed, and has announced his inevitable retirement. While I can't say right now, I will miss him, I can say that there will be times with the new guy, whoever he is, when we are asking, "Why can't this guy win late in the game like Lloyd did?" Some numbers, before and after the 2000 season, to show what Lloyd was and what he is now.
He is 6-7 against Ohio State (Thanks Super Cooper), and 75-16 against everyone else in the Big Ten. He went 1-6 against Jim Tressel, but 9-2 against Joe Paterno. Through the 2000 season, he was 11-1 against opponents ranked in the top 10. Since then, he is 6-8.
He has lost six of seven to Ohio State, but he started 3-0, when the Buckeyes' national rankings were 2, 2 and 4.
With his long tenure, Michigan has had seven head football coaches in 79 seasons. Notre Dame has had seven in 33.
So, if nothing else, I guess you can say that Lloyd came in with a bang and went out with a whimper, save for the 2006 Season that could have been. I still think about that OSU game and wonder what would have happened had we won. I do believe the 2006 Wolverines were a better team than last year's OSU team and they could have played with anyone in the country in November of last year.
On to the rest of the mess:
LATERS: Ooooooops Stooooooops! How many teams ranked in the top 5 are going to lose to non-ranked opponents in decisive fashion? The Laters showed that were human and knocked themselves out of title contention with the loss to Texas Tech...
Crimson Satan: Hey, don't look now, but my guess is all those people that met Satan at the airport and welcomed him with open arms are probably ready to tie his butt to a rail and run him out of town. You can't lose to Louisiana-Monroe after nearly upsetting the number 1 team in the country. Yep, watch for the "Fire Satan" signs a the next home game...
SPARTY: Congrats. You finally figured out that the season DOESN'T end after losing to Michigan. Maybe next year you can somehow figure out how to play the middle games after the opening 5 games and last 2.....Oh, by the way, Ford Field is nice at Christmas....
DOMERS (Jeez I hate these guys): I have never ever in my life seen a team celebrate like that after beating Duke. Now I have seen teams celebrate after beating Duke in Basketball, but not Football. Well, so much for the 1 win season. I guess that Duke victory will be something you can really build on, though....And I hear the Weasel is going back to his New England buddies to figure out what went wrong this season and how he can be better next year. Hey Coach Wuzzles: First thing you need is a Michigan QB - kind of like Brady - to take your program out of the dumps...
Cornsuckers: By weeks are nice because at least you're not in the news....
HOKIES: Way to crush the Gangstas when they're down...This game went on with so little hype that I kind of forgot it was this weekend. But the Showdown with Virginia Looms and then the re-match that everyone is waiting for....Can you guys make history?
KANSAS: The little Engine That Could keeps chugging away...If Kansas wins a Nationa Title, I am really going to start wondering about the state of College Football in General.....
GATORLAND: Still beating up on little guys, looking for someone to help them out in the SEC East....May The Rambling Wreck can pull off the upset....
HOT SEAT:
Morris (Baylor): GONE!
Oscar Mayer Whiner: Going...Maybe
SATAN: Watch this close...
Callahan: Even a week off can't stop this one...
Games of the Week
Kansas vs. Missouri - for all the Big 12 Marbles....
Colorado vs. Nebraska - It's still a good match-up....
Texas vs. Texas A&M - See Colorado Nebraska
Auburn vs. Alabama (If Satan doesn't show up for this game....)
Gatorland at FSU - Hmmm....Can Bobby's Boys pull the upset?
MMQ
Friday, November 16, 2007
26 hours and Counting...(Friday, November 16th, 2007)
THE GAME: Michigan vs. OSU
Point Spread: Doesn't Matter
Team Records: Doesn't matter (OK - Matters a little)
Team Statistics: Doesn't Matter
Location: Doesn't Matter
History: Well, that matters a little bit....If you have been paying attention.......
We are a mere 26 hours away from The Game. I wrote of memories of games in the past during last year's epic event...but it's interesting to see which games bubble up in memory the most every year, given where Michigan and the Suckeyes are ranked, what the expectations are, and what the press is saying...If you haven't been following, Michigan Sucks and OSU should win by 4-7 points, based on the spread...Hmmmmm...Memories of being the Underdog....
Dateline 1993 - John Cooper, "Super Cooper" had come to OSU from the then hot PAC 10 where every coach was the greatest coach ever and the PAC 10 was turning into the latest version of the Super Conference. Cooper had OSU playing and looking like an aerial assualt, having lost none with one tie against the Cheeseheads... I believe that "Big Daddy" Dan Wilkinson (Thank you for the Correction Trooper! - a lot of this is from memory...) was on that version of the OSU team... Michigan was a Big Underdog at home that year and we were not playing our usual style of football. OK - let me restate the last - We SUCKED...We had lost to Sparty, Illinois, the Cheeseheads, and the Domers (Jeez, I hate these guys....) and we were a Double Digit Dog in the Big House...Everyone was questioning Gary Moeller and whether or not he could get the team to compete at the level of the "new" OSU...I remember going to the game thinking I was going to witness another loss and suffer through an off season of losing the Game...
But, deep in the recesses of your mind, you remember that this is Michigan vs. OSU. Everyone talked about how records didn't matter in other games, but for this one, it really is true...And this is EXACTLY how you can recapture a season and make it truly successful - BEAT THE BUCKEYES!
And then it started to unfold...a quick turnover by the Suckeyes deep in the Northern End Zone...The crowd goes nuts as Michigan hangs a quick 7 on the Suckeyes with a circus catch by Mercury Hayes.... There is still some apprehension, like we might have been witnessing a mirage. I think everyone thought that the Suckeyes would get it back...But they didn't - and they hardly moved the ball against a stingy Meeechigan Defense. When it was all said and done, Che Foster, Ed Davis, and John Ritchie scored TD's and the 6-4 Wolverines had improved to 7-4, beating the heavily favored Suckeyes 28-0. Beating an arch rival is one thing...Blanking them, well, that's something really special. "Super Cooper" commented after the Game, "This is one of the most embarrassing games I've ever been involved with. They out played us on offense, on defense, and in the kicking game. If you'd told me we would come up here and get beat 28-0, I'd have probably stayed home."
Super Cooper - Welcome to the GAME....
1995 - Again in the House - Heismann Trophy Winner Eddie George, Receiver Terry Glenn and the Suckeyes come in ranked #2 and undefeated...and Glenn commented that "Michigan's nothing", and they weren't much... At 8-3, the Amaizing Blue had lost to Northwestern, Sparty, and JoePa...But, it's the Game and who should show up but "Touchdown Tim" Tshimanga Biakabutuka and rush for 313 yds against what was supposed to be an impenetrable Suckeye Defense...
Eddie and Terry - Welcome to the GAME.....
1996 - The Shoe....Super Cooper manages to always get the Suckeyes to the Game undefeated and usually ranked number 2...But another wounded Wolverine was cominig in at 8-3 to deny them the opportunity to finish undefeated. Scott Dreisbach went down and Brian Greise emerged as the QB of the future when he and Tai Streets hooked up for a 2nd half score and once again crushed the Buckeyes hopes of an undefeated season...
So, to the Fans out there thinking Michigan doesn't have a chance this year with a beat up Hart and Henne, 3 losses on the record, a coach that may or may not be with us next year, I have this to say:
I think we have the Suckeyes right where we want them......
"What the Mind can Conceive and Believe, The Mind can Achieve...
And Those Who Stay Will Be Champions!"
-Bo Schembechler, University of Michigan Locker Room
Is it Saturday yet?????????
MMQ
Point Spread: Doesn't Matter
Team Records: Doesn't matter (OK - Matters a little)
Team Statistics: Doesn't Matter
Location: Doesn't Matter
History: Well, that matters a little bit....If you have been paying attention.......
We are a mere 26 hours away from The Game. I wrote of memories of games in the past during last year's epic event...but it's interesting to see which games bubble up in memory the most every year, given where Michigan and the Suckeyes are ranked, what the expectations are, and what the press is saying...If you haven't been following, Michigan Sucks and OSU should win by 4-7 points, based on the spread...Hmmmmm...Memories of being the Underdog....
Dateline 1993 - John Cooper, "Super Cooper" had come to OSU from the then hot PAC 10 where every coach was the greatest coach ever and the PAC 10 was turning into the latest version of the Super Conference. Cooper had OSU playing and looking like an aerial assualt, having lost none with one tie against the Cheeseheads... I believe that "Big Daddy" Dan Wilkinson (Thank you for the Correction Trooper! - a lot of this is from memory...) was on that version of the OSU team... Michigan was a Big Underdog at home that year and we were not playing our usual style of football. OK - let me restate the last - We SUCKED...We had lost to Sparty, Illinois, the Cheeseheads, and the Domers (Jeez, I hate these guys....) and we were a Double Digit Dog in the Big House...Everyone was questioning Gary Moeller and whether or not he could get the team to compete at the level of the "new" OSU...I remember going to the game thinking I was going to witness another loss and suffer through an off season of losing the Game...
But, deep in the recesses of your mind, you remember that this is Michigan vs. OSU. Everyone talked about how records didn't matter in other games, but for this one, it really is true...And this is EXACTLY how you can recapture a season and make it truly successful - BEAT THE BUCKEYES!
And then it started to unfold...a quick turnover by the Suckeyes deep in the Northern End Zone...The crowd goes nuts as Michigan hangs a quick 7 on the Suckeyes with a circus catch by Mercury Hayes.... There is still some apprehension, like we might have been witnessing a mirage. I think everyone thought that the Suckeyes would get it back...But they didn't - and they hardly moved the ball against a stingy Meeechigan Defense. When it was all said and done, Che Foster, Ed Davis, and John Ritchie scored TD's and the 6-4 Wolverines had improved to 7-4, beating the heavily favored Suckeyes 28-0. Beating an arch rival is one thing...Blanking them, well, that's something really special. "Super Cooper" commented after the Game, "This is one of the most embarrassing games I've ever been involved with. They out played us on offense, on defense, and in the kicking game. If you'd told me we would come up here and get beat 28-0, I'd have probably stayed home."
Super Cooper - Welcome to the GAME....
1995 - Again in the House - Heismann Trophy Winner Eddie George, Receiver Terry Glenn and the Suckeyes come in ranked #2 and undefeated...and Glenn commented that "Michigan's nothing", and they weren't much... At 8-3, the Amaizing Blue had lost to Northwestern, Sparty, and JoePa...But, it's the Game and who should show up but "Touchdown Tim" Tshimanga Biakabutuka and rush for 313 yds against what was supposed to be an impenetrable Suckeye Defense...
Eddie and Terry - Welcome to the GAME.....
1996 - The Shoe....Super Cooper manages to always get the Suckeyes to the Game undefeated and usually ranked number 2...But another wounded Wolverine was cominig in at 8-3 to deny them the opportunity to finish undefeated. Scott Dreisbach went down and Brian Greise emerged as the QB of the future when he and Tai Streets hooked up for a 2nd half score and once again crushed the Buckeyes hopes of an undefeated season...
So, to the Fans out there thinking Michigan doesn't have a chance this year with a beat up Hart and Henne, 3 losses on the record, a coach that may or may not be with us next year, I have this to say:
I think we have the Suckeyes right where we want them......
"What the Mind can Conceive and Believe, The Mind can Achieve...
And Those Who Stay Will Be Champions!"
-Bo Schembechler, University of Michigan Locker Room
Is it Saturday yet?????????
MMQ
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Countdown to Showdown (November 15, 2007)
Thoughts on Thursday before the Big Game:
Is there a better time than the ones we live in? I know things in the economy aren't great and life is always coming at you...But isn't it nice to know that some things never change?
I would like to thank those that have made this tradition so special....45 times this game has determined the Big Ten Champion.....how many of you can recall any or, if you're good, all of the following: Bo Schemblecher, the Ohio State gold pants award, Woody Hayes, the 1969 Game, Fielding Yost, Fritz Chyrsler, Archie Griffin, Tom Harmon, Art Schlister, David Boston, Rex Kern (on his stern), Brian Griese, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Tom Brady, Elvis Gerback, Johnny Wangler, Anthony Carter, President Gerald Ford, Earle Bruce, John Cooper, Chris Spielman, Desmond Howard, Gary Pearson, The Ten Year War, Jim Mandich, John Hicks, Jim Stillwagon, Mike Lantry, Mike Wallace, Dan Dierdorff, Brian Griese, Randy Gradishar, AJHawk, Troy Smith, Jim Brandstatter, Jamie Morris, Hopalong Cassidy, Maize and Blue, Scarlet and Gray, Hail to the Victors, Script Ohio, FANS, FANS and more FANS, O-H-I-O, Jack Nicklaus, 1997 National Championship, 2002 National Championship, Chris Carter, The Shoe, The Big House, Buckeyes, Wolverines, the 1950 Snow Bowl blizzard with 45 punts, Robert Smith, Jim Harbaugh, The Gaurantee, John Kolesar, Charles Woodson, Jim Tressel, Les Miles, Mike Vrabel, Eddie George, Craig Krenzel, Lloyd Carr.....
It's the 3rd Weekend in November......Are you ready?
MMQ
Is there a better time than the ones we live in? I know things in the economy aren't great and life is always coming at you...But isn't it nice to know that some things never change?
I would like to thank those that have made this tradition so special....45 times this game has determined the Big Ten Champion.....how many of you can recall any or, if you're good, all of the following: Bo Schemblecher, the Ohio State gold pants award, Woody Hayes, the 1969 Game, Fielding Yost, Fritz Chyrsler, Archie Griffin, Tom Harmon, Art Schlister, David Boston, Rex Kern (on his stern), Brian Griese, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Tom Brady, Elvis Gerback, Johnny Wangler, Anthony Carter, President Gerald Ford, Earle Bruce, John Cooper, Chris Spielman, Desmond Howard, Gary Pearson, The Ten Year War, Jim Mandich, John Hicks, Jim Stillwagon, Mike Lantry, Mike Wallace, Dan Dierdorff, Brian Griese, Randy Gradishar, AJHawk, Troy Smith, Jim Brandstatter, Jamie Morris, Hopalong Cassidy, Maize and Blue, Scarlet and Gray, Hail to the Victors, Script Ohio, FANS, FANS and more FANS, O-H-I-O, Jack Nicklaus, 1997 National Championship, 2002 National Championship, Chris Carter, The Shoe, The Big House, Buckeyes, Wolverines, the 1950 Snow Bowl blizzard with 45 punts, Robert Smith, Jim Harbaugh, The Gaurantee, John Kolesar, Charles Woodson, Jim Tressel, Les Miles, Mike Vrabel, Eddie George, Craig Krenzel, Lloyd Carr.....
It's the 3rd Weekend in November......Are you ready?
MMQ
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
I Stand Corrected - And I Am STILL A FAN!!!
Countdown to Kick-off:
68 hours, 15 minutes
Last year, there was a buzz in the air like no other that I could remember from the greatest week there is in all of college football. As you know, I am a fan. And being a fan means that one of the things I think about when I wake up is The Game,the BIG GAME, and one of the last things you think about falling asleep is The Game. Last year at this time, with two undefeated Titans of the Gridiron getting ready to do battle down in Columbus made me realize why its so much fun to follow The Game. What else can get you so charged up?
And then, the inconceivable happened with Bo's death the day before The Game and not knowing how to feel the next day. We should be celebrating and feeling the fire of wanting to beat OSU, but there we were in a moment of silence in Buckeye Stadium, no less, for our coach. At least the OSU fans showed some class and kept their yaps shut.
Then, we lost the game and got the shaft from the BCS system, only to lose an unispired game against USC.
And then, the beginning of this season, after a long hangover from losing to the aforementionedSuckeyes and Trojans, brought the program national attention of the wrong kind with a disaster of historic, even epic proportions that every Michigan Fan will have to deal with every day for the rest of their sports recall discussion life.
But Ladies and Gentlemen, I am here to say that I have been re-inspired by friends and associates. That this Saturday, November 17, 2007, is a Holy Day of Obligation, and Michigan Football is the Religion. Let's not forget that Ohio is a 4 letter word and that all the JB Hunt Trucks south of the border will shut down for 4 hours on Saturday, so all the OSU grads can tune in to the game...and wish they had tickets in the Big House.
There have been great responses to the MMQ columns. Remember 1998 they said...Remember 1980 they said...and the words of one Bob Ufer, "Those first two games this season were Flukes! You have proven yourself to be the greatest football team in the land and you will go out and win the Rose Bowl, giving coach Bo his first Rose Bowl Victory!"
There was another great response from the Cleveland Connection:
HEY MMQ!!!!
Nothing is OVER until we decide it is! Was it
over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! And it ain't over now.
'Cause when the goin' gets tough . . . the tough get goin'! Who's with me?
Let's go!"
"What the F&ck happened to the Michigan I used to know?! Where's the
spirit? Where's the guts, huh? Oooh, we're afraid to go with you Mike
(Hart), we might get into trouble." Well just kiss my @ss from now on! Not
me!! I'm not gonna take this. Domer, he's a dead man! Sparty, dead!
Buckeye, . . "
"DEAD. We could do it with a conventional offense, but that could take
weeks and cost millions (and continue to bore our fans). NO, I think we
have to go all out. I think this situation absolutely requires a really
futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part. We're just the guys
to do it."
SO LET'S DO IT. Let's get back to basics and beat the Suckeyes!!!!
GO BLUE!
So my friends, Saturday will soon be here and I for one am Ready and Believing in Michigan Again!
68 hours, 15 minutes
Last year, there was a buzz in the air like no other that I could remember from the greatest week there is in all of college football. As you know, I am a fan. And being a fan means that one of the things I think about when I wake up is The Game,the BIG GAME, and one of the last things you think about falling asleep is The Game. Last year at this time, with two undefeated Titans of the Gridiron getting ready to do battle down in Columbus made me realize why its so much fun to follow The Game. What else can get you so charged up?
And then, the inconceivable happened with Bo's death the day before The Game and not knowing how to feel the next day. We should be celebrating and feeling the fire of wanting to beat OSU, but there we were in a moment of silence in Buckeye Stadium, no less, for our coach. At least the OSU fans showed some class and kept their yaps shut.
Then, we lost the game and got the shaft from the BCS system, only to lose an unispired game against USC.
And then, the beginning of this season, after a long hangover from losing to the aforementionedSuckeyes and Trojans, brought the program national attention of the wrong kind with a disaster of historic, even epic proportions that every Michigan Fan will have to deal with every day for the rest of their sports recall discussion life.
But Ladies and Gentlemen, I am here to say that I have been re-inspired by friends and associates. That this Saturday, November 17, 2007, is a Holy Day of Obligation, and Michigan Football is the Religion. Let's not forget that Ohio is a 4 letter word and that all the JB Hunt Trucks south of the border will shut down for 4 hours on Saturday, so all the OSU grads can tune in to the game...and wish they had tickets in the Big House.
There have been great responses to the MMQ columns. Remember 1998 they said...Remember 1980 they said...and the words of one Bob Ufer, "Those first two games this season were Flukes! You have proven yourself to be the greatest football team in the land and you will go out and win the Rose Bowl, giving coach Bo his first Rose Bowl Victory!"
There was another great response from the Cleveland Connection:
HEY MMQ!!!!
Nothing is OVER until we decide it is! Was it
over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! And it ain't over now.
'Cause when the goin' gets tough . . . the tough get goin'! Who's with me?
Let's go!"
"What the F&ck happened to the Michigan I used to know?! Where's the
spirit? Where's the guts, huh? Oooh, we're afraid to go with you Mike
(Hart), we might get into trouble." Well just kiss my @ss from now on! Not
me!! I'm not gonna take this. Domer, he's a dead man! Sparty, dead!
Buckeye, . . "
"DEAD. We could do it with a conventional offense, but that could take
weeks and cost millions (and continue to bore our fans). NO, I think we
have to go all out. I think this situation absolutely requires a really
futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part. We're just the guys
to do it."
SO LET'S DO IT. Let's get back to basics and beat the Suckeyes!!!!
GO BLUE!
So my friends, Saturday will soon be here and I for one am Ready and Believing in Michigan Again!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Without H&H, we're in Barney....Rubble...TROUBLE! (Nov.12, 2007)
Check out this special Link for the Tailgate Traditions!
Well, to say I didn't warn you wouldn't be exactly right. I predicted in the preseason forecast that the Cheeseheads would be looking to exact some revenge on the Woleverines this year after being the only blemish on an otherwise perfect season last year. And, I think that the Wolverines, Coaching staff down to the Players, knew that this game, while important, in the new Goals for the season, just didn't mean that much. In other words, we played flatter than a pancake....Of course, I do want to say that the refereeing in the 1st quarter was superb...Not allowing the Defense to "touch" the QB for Wisconsin was simply wonderful...NOT! However, Wisconsin was playing more inspired ball and we looked like we were "Trying" to win, and not playing like it was life or death..
But, we knew last week that the Cheeseheads didn't matter. Everyone else has at least 2 losses in the Big 10 and Michigan holds all the tie breakers. Therefore, to say that we were looking ahead to the Suckeyes is probably accurate...That's the game everyone wants to win. However, the Amaizing Blue still had an opportunity to pull it out if the defense would have just shown up once the offense closed it to 2 points in the 4th...
But this week is THE GAME. There is nothing more important in the life of a Michigan or OSU Football player than this week and this Saturday. I know Michigan looks like they are beginning their late season fade, but let's not rush to conclusions just yet...The Game is in the Big House and we will be up...You can bet Hart, Henne and Long spent many nights this off season, and this season, thinking about 60 minutes of football that will commence at noon in Ann Arbor on Saturday. They are 0-3 against the Suckeyes, and you know they want them bad....Speaking of the
SUCKEYES - what happened? Did Zooky come in there and show you what a mobile QB can do to a "great" defense? Thought so...In case you missed it, Mark May called this game and said that the Illini would win..Impressive pick. I felt that we escaped from Champaign by the skin of our teeth and knew that they could give OSU a game, but to pick them to beat OSU? That's tough....
SPARTY...Hey! You beat your little brother and became Bowl Eligigle. Granted, it will be the Flea Bag Bowl, if someone takes you over a sentimental Indiana...Which, given the situation with their coach and all, could get interesting. Better to beat JoPa's kitty cats and secure the bowl...or you might just be able to turn the equipment in next Monday...Oh, btw Sparty - here's another thought: If we beat OSU, Michigan gets the automatic BCS Berth. And, there is a GOOD CHANCE that OSU is an at large BCS pick...So, that opens up one slot in the Big 10. Sparty - do you get it yet? You need to cheer for the Wolverines in order to give yourself a secure shot at making a bowl and getting the extra 20-25 practices in for the year that you desperately need..... Or do you morons still believe it's better for Michigan to lose no matter what?
GATORLAND - Oscar Mayer Whiner whips the Ole Ball Coach...The Ole Coach is finally figuring out that just being a great coach at a lesser school doesn't necessarily mean that you can win...But, I still believe that if The Coach wants to go back to Florida, they take him in a heartbeat...especially if Florida ends up playing in the Outback Bowl against...Michigan....
domers - Okay....Now listen, this is very important. In order to preserve the one win season, you need to be VERY CAREFUL this weekend against Duke. I mean, they are beatable, but they should be up for you. I have every confidence they can win, so just don't show up in some sort of last ditch, build some momentum for next season effort...If you lose to them, I don't think you can beat Stanford that beat USC this year...So, the one win "Weasel's 3rd year" season will be in tact for all history to observe...
Children of the Corn - Hey! You can score. I have a feeling Callahan figured that he is already in deep doo-doo than so why not run up the score?
HOKIES - So it begins...You got some help from Maryland beating BC and you did your job against the seminoles. ACC championship is in your sights IF you can knock off Virginia....
BCS Mess
1. LSU
2. Oregon
3. Kansas
4. Oklahoma
5. Missouri
Hmmmmm.......3 of the top 5 teams are from the Big 12 and they don't include Texas or Nebraska....Strange Days we are living in my friends, strange days...So, the team that gets Royally Shafted this year: Oregon. They will suffer Michigan's fate from 1 year ago. It boils down to the fact that Oregon doesn't play a ranked opponent and Kansas, or Oklahoma, or Missouri will have big time wins coming...Sorry Oregon, but you will be one fumble away from the title game....Too bad, so sad. And what's really sad? It's starting to look more and more like havgin that title game inadvertently rewards the conference. The at large bids will probably go to Big 12 or SEC teams, even thought the PAC 10 is deserving of having 2 teams in...It goes back to an earlier post where I stated it's time for all the conferences to get 12 teams, everyone plays everyone in Conference - enough of the SEC playing the Little Sister of the Poor to pad their records, and let there be a play-off...Maybe, in our lifetime, the dream will happen...
________________________________________________________________
Games of the WEEK
OSU at Michigan...There can be only one.....Welcome ESPN GAME DAY CREW!!!! Looking forward to seeing Kirk, Chris, and Lee on Campus...but I know Lee is going to put that Suckeye head on at the end of the show....
_____________________________________________________________________
Hot Seat
Callahan: Scoring 73 doesn't save the job
Franchione: Texas A&M coach that likes to deal in inside information is gone...
Satan: Crimson Satan needs to beat, regularly, Mississippi State...Losing to them isn't going to sit well with the Tide faithful
The Ole Ball Coach: Never thought they would let him go after paying him big bucks, but he's not producing results...
Oscar Mayer Whiner: I'm standing by this one...If the Ole Ball Coach gets axed, there's a good chance this can happen...
Well, to say I didn't warn you wouldn't be exactly right. I predicted in the preseason forecast that the Cheeseheads would be looking to exact some revenge on the Woleverines this year after being the only blemish on an otherwise perfect season last year. And, I think that the Wolverines, Coaching staff down to the Players, knew that this game, while important, in the new Goals for the season, just didn't mean that much. In other words, we played flatter than a pancake....Of course, I do want to say that the refereeing in the 1st quarter was superb...Not allowing the Defense to "touch" the QB for Wisconsin was simply wonderful...NOT! However, Wisconsin was playing more inspired ball and we looked like we were "Trying" to win, and not playing like it was life or death..
But, we knew last week that the Cheeseheads didn't matter. Everyone else has at least 2 losses in the Big 10 and Michigan holds all the tie breakers. Therefore, to say that we were looking ahead to the Suckeyes is probably accurate...That's the game everyone wants to win. However, the Amaizing Blue still had an opportunity to pull it out if the defense would have just shown up once the offense closed it to 2 points in the 4th...
But this week is THE GAME. There is nothing more important in the life of a Michigan or OSU Football player than this week and this Saturday. I know Michigan looks like they are beginning their late season fade, but let's not rush to conclusions just yet...The Game is in the Big House and we will be up...You can bet Hart, Henne and Long spent many nights this off season, and this season, thinking about 60 minutes of football that will commence at noon in Ann Arbor on Saturday. They are 0-3 against the Suckeyes, and you know they want them bad....Speaking of the
SUCKEYES - what happened? Did Zooky come in there and show you what a mobile QB can do to a "great" defense? Thought so...In case you missed it, Mark May called this game and said that the Illini would win..Impressive pick. I felt that we escaped from Champaign by the skin of our teeth and knew that they could give OSU a game, but to pick them to beat OSU? That's tough....
SPARTY...Hey! You beat your little brother and became Bowl Eligigle. Granted, it will be the Flea Bag Bowl, if someone takes you over a sentimental Indiana...Which, given the situation with their coach and all, could get interesting. Better to beat JoPa's kitty cats and secure the bowl...or you might just be able to turn the equipment in next Monday...Oh, btw Sparty - here's another thought: If we beat OSU, Michigan gets the automatic BCS Berth. And, there is a GOOD CHANCE that OSU is an at large BCS pick...So, that opens up one slot in the Big 10. Sparty - do you get it yet? You need to cheer for the Wolverines in order to give yourself a secure shot at making a bowl and getting the extra 20-25 practices in for the year that you desperately need..... Or do you morons still believe it's better for Michigan to lose no matter what?
GATORLAND - Oscar Mayer Whiner whips the Ole Ball Coach...The Ole Coach is finally figuring out that just being a great coach at a lesser school doesn't necessarily mean that you can win...But, I still believe that if The Coach wants to go back to Florida, they take him in a heartbeat...especially if Florida ends up playing in the Outback Bowl against...Michigan....
domers - Okay....Now listen, this is very important. In order to preserve the one win season, you need to be VERY CAREFUL this weekend against Duke. I mean, they are beatable, but they should be up for you. I have every confidence they can win, so just don't show up in some sort of last ditch, build some momentum for next season effort...If you lose to them, I don't think you can beat Stanford that beat USC this year...So, the one win "Weasel's 3rd year" season will be in tact for all history to observe...
Children of the Corn - Hey! You can score. I have a feeling Callahan figured that he is already in deep doo-doo than so why not run up the score?
HOKIES - So it begins...You got some help from Maryland beating BC and you did your job against the seminoles. ACC championship is in your sights IF you can knock off Virginia....
BCS Mess
1. LSU
2. Oregon
3. Kansas
4. Oklahoma
5. Missouri
Hmmmmm.......3 of the top 5 teams are from the Big 12 and they don't include Texas or Nebraska....Strange Days we are living in my friends, strange days...So, the team that gets Royally Shafted this year: Oregon. They will suffer Michigan's fate from 1 year ago. It boils down to the fact that Oregon doesn't play a ranked opponent and Kansas, or Oklahoma, or Missouri will have big time wins coming...Sorry Oregon, but you will be one fumble away from the title game....Too bad, so sad. And what's really sad? It's starting to look more and more like havgin that title game inadvertently rewards the conference. The at large bids will probably go to Big 12 or SEC teams, even thought the PAC 10 is deserving of having 2 teams in...It goes back to an earlier post where I stated it's time for all the conferences to get 12 teams, everyone plays everyone in Conference - enough of the SEC playing the Little Sister of the Poor to pad their records, and let there be a play-off...Maybe, in our lifetime, the dream will happen...
________________________________________________________________
Games of the WEEK
OSU at Michigan...There can be only one.....Welcome ESPN GAME DAY CREW!!!! Looking forward to seeing Kirk, Chris, and Lee on Campus...but I know Lee is going to put that Suckeye head on at the end of the show....
_____________________________________________________________________
Hot Seat
Callahan: Scoring 73 doesn't save the job
Franchione: Texas A&M coach that likes to deal in inside information is gone...
Satan: Crimson Satan needs to beat, regularly, Mississippi State...Losing to them isn't going to sit well with the Tide faithful
The Ole Ball Coach: Never thought they would let him go after paying him big bucks, but he's not producing results...
Oscar Mayer Whiner: I'm standing by this one...If the Ole Ball Coach gets axed, there's a good chance this can happen...
Friday, November 9, 2007
Who I Read and What I Watch..(Nov. 9, 2007)
I would like to think my tongue in cheek style is mostly my own...But that would be unfair to the regular sportswriters that I read on a daily or weekly basis that have helped shaped the writing style, if you can call it that, that I use...Which is a third person, some facts, some fun, and lots of name calling included in the mix. If you like reading the blogs and e-mails, other people that I know you will enjoy reading:
Mike Lopresti - USA Today. I usually always read Mike's column, and he always adds a little personal insight into the facts that he presents. Some of the best stuff he does is for college football and if you go back to the 2006 November articles he did before the UM-OSU game, you will see why he is a must read for me...
Pat Forde - ESPN.com. Pat Forde and the "Forde Yard Dash" where he references 40 teams, players, coaches or "Dashettes" in his column is a weekly MUST READ for any fan who likes a little, no make that a lot, of insight and humor in his sports digestion. Pat does a great job of hosing down those that need it and has some of his own nicknames, including the "Scourge" Ty Willingham, who he believes was so unjustly run out of South Bend that he will never forgive the Domers for the act...So the guy can't be all bad. I also like the "Dashettes" - or did I already mention that???
Bob Wojonowski - The Detroit News. Wojo is a Michigan Man and always has the right perspective on Michigan when they are good or bad, and seems to be able to add the perfect amount of humor and insight into his opinions...
Angelique Chengelis - The Detroit News. While I didn't like "The Angel" at first, she has developed nicely as the Wolverines Beat writer for the news, keeping it light and adding insight.
Writers that I read and make me believe that I could work in the industry - OR - How can these clowns still have a job?
Drew Sharp - Free Press. This guy has to be not only the worst Sports Writer in D-town, but he has to be the most negative person when it comes to Michigan and Detroit Sports in general... This guy would complain after hooking up with a Playboy Playmate that the sex wasn't what he expected... When he truly went into the toilet for me: January, 1998 - "Michigan's National Title will always be tainted by the fact that the press and voters believed that Nebraska was a more representative National Champion"...What the hell? He's the local guy saying that Nebraska is better...Moron, Idiot, Jerk, and As#$hole are all too nice for descriptions of this guy..
Erik Smith - USA Today. This guy is supposed to pick and forecast the weekends games, but he rarely picks an upset, and he doesn't like Michigan....Annoying, but I read him because it usually kicks off the weekend...
Christy Brennan - USA Today....This woman knows so little about sports, and even less about writing about them...Makes you wonder how she got the job and how she keeps it...
What I like to Watch and Learn From:
College Game Day: Is there any other place you would rather be on Saturday Morning, if you're not at the Tailgate, than in front of the tube getting a fill of the day's action from Chris, Kirk, and Lee? I especially like Kirk Herbstreit - I know, he is a Suckeye, but I think he is one of the most insightful college football minds out there. And his Saturday Schedules are fun to follow...The guy starts his day in one place and by Saturday night, he is usually 1,000's of miles away....Corso - you gotta love the old coach and the guts he has to pick the upsets in the opposing teams stadium when he pulls out the opposing team's mascot helmet or garb...
Lou Holz - I disliked him as a coach, but ole Lou knows the game and he knows who's good and bad...but he still has a blindspot when it comes to the Domers...
Mark May - Very insightful and probably has a better handle on who's good and bad in college football than most of the ESPN guys...
Sunday Morning: College Game Day Final...The last dose until the following Week...
Mike Lopresti - USA Today. I usually always read Mike's column, and he always adds a little personal insight into the facts that he presents. Some of the best stuff he does is for college football and if you go back to the 2006 November articles he did before the UM-OSU game, you will see why he is a must read for me...
Pat Forde - ESPN.com. Pat Forde and the "Forde Yard Dash" where he references 40 teams, players, coaches or "Dashettes" in his column is a weekly MUST READ for any fan who likes a little, no make that a lot, of insight and humor in his sports digestion. Pat does a great job of hosing down those that need it and has some of his own nicknames, including the "Scourge" Ty Willingham, who he believes was so unjustly run out of South Bend that he will never forgive the Domers for the act...So the guy can't be all bad. I also like the "Dashettes" - or did I already mention that???
Bob Wojonowski - The Detroit News. Wojo is a Michigan Man and always has the right perspective on Michigan when they are good or bad, and seems to be able to add the perfect amount of humor and insight into his opinions...
Angelique Chengelis - The Detroit News. While I didn't like "The Angel" at first, she has developed nicely as the Wolverines Beat writer for the news, keeping it light and adding insight.
Writers that I read and make me believe that I could work in the industry - OR - How can these clowns still have a job?
Drew Sharp - Free Press. This guy has to be not only the worst Sports Writer in D-town, but he has to be the most negative person when it comes to Michigan and Detroit Sports in general... This guy would complain after hooking up with a Playboy Playmate that the sex wasn't what he expected... When he truly went into the toilet for me: January, 1998 - "Michigan's National Title will always be tainted by the fact that the press and voters believed that Nebraska was a more representative National Champion"...What the hell? He's the local guy saying that Nebraska is better...Moron, Idiot, Jerk, and As#$hole are all too nice for descriptions of this guy..
Erik Smith - USA Today. This guy is supposed to pick and forecast the weekends games, but he rarely picks an upset, and he doesn't like Michigan....Annoying, but I read him because it usually kicks off the weekend...
Christy Brennan - USA Today....This woman knows so little about sports, and even less about writing about them...Makes you wonder how she got the job and how she keeps it...
What I like to Watch and Learn From:
College Game Day: Is there any other place you would rather be on Saturday Morning, if you're not at the Tailgate, than in front of the tube getting a fill of the day's action from Chris, Kirk, and Lee? I especially like Kirk Herbstreit - I know, he is a Suckeye, but I think he is one of the most insightful college football minds out there. And his Saturday Schedules are fun to follow...The guy starts his day in one place and by Saturday night, he is usually 1,000's of miles away....Corso - you gotta love the old coach and the guts he has to pick the upsets in the opposing teams stadium when he pulls out the opposing team's mascot helmet or garb...
Lou Holz - I disliked him as a coach, but ole Lou knows the game and he knows who's good and bad...but he still has a blindspot when it comes to the Domers...
Mark May - Very insightful and probably has a better handle on who's good and bad in college football than most of the ESPN guys...
Sunday Morning: College Game Day Final...The last dose until the following Week...
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Oh Sh*t....Season's Over...(9-4-07)
All,
I was temporarily stranded on a deserted island for the last 72 hours without phone, cable, internet and paper news media.....Can anyone tell me the score of the Michigan App. State game?
Thanks, MMQ
Okay - I am officially off suicide watch - thank you for all the inquiries and letters of support.....
Michigan, even running the table, cannot possibly be considered for a Championship berth....I am not sure how they get considered for a BCS berth over any other 1-loss team.....so, what are all the guys that came back playing for? Pride? I doubt it.....I think we will probably lose 3-4 more games this season because no one will want to get hurt and blow their pro prospects.....That's what I think......And the Michigan program will start losing juniors left and right if they believe they can't play for a National Title....This could be the beginning of the end for this once mighty program.....I am considering burning all my Michigan memorabilia becoming a USC fan.....
That noise you heard coming from Ann Arbor?
Bo Schembechler rolling over in his grave, actually clawing his way out of the ground to kick some Wolverine butt this week......
My wife commented on Saturday that it wasn't like we lost to Eastern, which I had to explain to her would have actually been BETTER than losing to this App State team. If you are a fan, you better come up with a good comeback to "Hey, Michigan, you lost to a Division II School....." Some ideas:
"Yeah, but we still regularly kick your butt."
"What's your record against the Mighty Maize and Blue?"
"Uh, excuse me, but does your program lead all NCAA football teams in winning percentage?"
"All right, care to wager on the rest of the season?"
"Yeah, but PS3 with NCAA 2008 playing these two teams on the computer had Michigan winning 71-3"......and lastly,
"Uh, yeah, we suck.....
While all of these comebacks sound like sour grapes (except for the last one), they will help put Sparty, Domers, and other fans back in their place, but it will take YEARS to overcome this...Lifetimes.....Speaking of years, the unfortunate thing is that the Michigan kids don't even know what they have done. When they are 52 and it's 2037 and they bring this class back for it's anniversary, you know what they are gonna say? Hey - wasn't that the team that lost to App State - the school that doesn't exist anymore?
What is the Magnitude of this upset and what can you compare it to? How can we put this loss into perspective? Let's count:
1. This is like a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament losing to the 16-seed...
2. This is like the Lions winning the Super Bowl...
3. This is like Northwestern (or MSU) winning the National Football Championship in the modern era....Or Michigan Men's Basketball winning the title again....
4. This is like the Tennessee Women's basketball team playing any Division 1 Men's team in exhibition - and winning....
5. This is like the US Olympic Hockey team beating the Russians in 1980....
6. This is like ME, the MMQ, a 14-16 handicapper going out and beating Tiger Woods in a straight up 18 hole Match at Augusta...
For Non-athletic related comparisons:
1. This is like Ron Paul winning the presidency as a write in....
2. This is like Perot winning on the independent ticket in 1992
3. This is like KIA becoming the number one seller of Automobiles in the USA
4. This is like a small upstart software company creating a windows competitive package and taking over Microsoft......
All kidding aside here are some noteworthy comments/observations:
1. Michigan has not won a game since Bo died - This is a coincidence - maybe, but I will feel better when they put a W on the board.....
2. Michigan has collectively given up nearly 1350 yards in the last three games they played, compared to, if you recall, a total of 88 yards rushing through 7 GAMES last season......
3. Apparently, App State has been trying to get games with ACC, Big East and even SEC opponents who have all shied away from them....(did you hear that Bill????). Well, my guess is they just royally screwed up their chances to get a game with any of them at this point....so much for big paydays (Michigan gave these guys $400,000 to be a door mat, and they let them win........)
The Blame
There is so much of this to go around, that I don't even know where to begin. But let's do it anyway...
1. Bill Martin. What moron schedules a game that cannot benefit the University or the program at all? Even as a tune up, they aren't representative of teams we are going to face in the rest of the non-conference or conference for that matter. Better to schedule a BIG NAME SCHOOL, pump the team up and if you lose, you take your lumps and move on....but now, what have we gained? Nothing, absolutely nothing....and we have LOST EVERYTHING that this program has stood for in one game....Bill Martin, you can turn in your resignation anytime. Thanks for your effort.
2. Lloyd - the L stands for Losing - Carr......Yeah, he stood up and took it, but I didn't hear anything about why we were unprepared, why we underestimated this team, and where the lack of pride in being a Michigan Man went.....My brother in law informed me that while golfing on one of the 23 courses in Hilton Head in July, the guy he was golfing with noticed his Michigan head covers and commented that he would point out the house that Lloyd just purchased a few months ago....his retirement home. Lloyd, if you're going to retire, go now and let us salvage the season.....I have been an apologist for you too long. I have no more excuses....Yes, you are to blame for this loss and the 1997 season seems like a long time ago.......See ya and thanks for the memories....
3. Assistant coaches - Look, you know you have to keep these kids focused....They all read the papers and know that Vegas was too afraid to try and put a spread on this game....Those are things you need to continuously make kids aware of that it doesn't matter. This team is looking at this game, had it circled, and worked all summer to make the most of this opportunity....You had better not go out and lay an egg in front of the home crowd on opening day....
4. The Offense - Yes, you were offensive....OK, Hart, I'll give you a little credit....Henne, I am ready for you to graduate. While you have played great in some big games, you are inconsistent....You will probably be the NEXT Lions draft pick once they figure out that Stanton sucks....
5. The Defense.....You are slow, you didn't attack and the quarterback wasn't touched, as near as I could tell from listening to this on the radio (THANKS COMCAST), for the entire first half.....
6. The fans - this one included - maybe not treating this game properly. I did pull out the sacred flag at half-time and set it up in my drvieway....I considered repeating an accident involving a sealed, unopened fifth of Big Game in my garage before the opening game of last season, but I didn't do it.....A report from some of the regular tailgate attendees stated that the team was not welcomed with it's regular excitement....But how could we? It's Labor Day weekend and we are playing a D-II school....Who wants to get up for that? Come on, this fan still blames Martin for his non-participation....You schedule somebody worthwhile, and I will be there in full colors....
Everyone else who played this weekend and handled your preseason foes, congrats. It looks like you all got through cupcake weekend unscathed and ready for the real season to begin. I will now change this report to include Michigan at the end after the Division 1 report and the MAC report......Michigan is no longer worthy of being the first mentioned.....
MMQ
I was temporarily stranded on a deserted island for the last 72 hours without phone, cable, internet and paper news media.....Can anyone tell me the score of the Michigan App. State game?
Thanks, MMQ
Okay - I am officially off suicide watch - thank you for all the inquiries and letters of support.....
Michigan, even running the table, cannot possibly be considered for a Championship berth....I am not sure how they get considered for a BCS berth over any other 1-loss team.....so, what are all the guys that came back playing for? Pride? I doubt it.....I think we will probably lose 3-4 more games this season because no one will want to get hurt and blow their pro prospects.....That's what I think......And the Michigan program will start losing juniors left and right if they believe they can't play for a National Title....This could be the beginning of the end for this once mighty program.....I am considering burning all my Michigan memorabilia becoming a USC fan.....
That noise you heard coming from Ann Arbor?
Bo Schembechler rolling over in his grave, actually clawing his way out of the ground to kick some Wolverine butt this week......
My wife commented on Saturday that it wasn't like we lost to Eastern, which I had to explain to her would have actually been BETTER than losing to this App State team. If you are a fan, you better come up with a good comeback to "Hey, Michigan, you lost to a Division II School....." Some ideas:
"Yeah, but we still regularly kick your butt."
"What's your record against the Mighty Maize and Blue?"
"Uh, excuse me, but does your program lead all NCAA football teams in winning percentage?"
"All right, care to wager on the rest of the season?"
"Yeah, but PS3 with NCAA 2008 playing these two teams on the computer had Michigan winning 71-3"......and lastly,
"Uh, yeah, we suck.....
While all of these comebacks sound like sour grapes (except for the last one), they will help put Sparty, Domers, and other fans back in their place, but it will take YEARS to overcome this...Lifetimes.....Speaking of years, the unfortunate thing is that the Michigan kids don't even know what they have done. When they are 52 and it's 2037 and they bring this class back for it's anniversary, you know what they are gonna say? Hey - wasn't that the team that lost to App State - the school that doesn't exist anymore?
What is the Magnitude of this upset and what can you compare it to? How can we put this loss into perspective? Let's count:
1. This is like a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament losing to the 16-seed...
2. This is like the Lions winning the Super Bowl...
3. This is like Northwestern (or MSU) winning the National Football Championship in the modern era....Or Michigan Men's Basketball winning the title again....
4. This is like the Tennessee Women's basketball team playing any Division 1 Men's team in exhibition - and winning....
5. This is like the US Olympic Hockey team beating the Russians in 1980....
6. This is like ME, the MMQ, a 14-16 handicapper going out and beating Tiger Woods in a straight up 18 hole Match at Augusta...
For Non-athletic related comparisons:
1. This is like Ron Paul winning the presidency as a write in....
2. This is like Perot winning on the independent ticket in 1992
3. This is like KIA becoming the number one seller of Automobiles in the USA
4. This is like a small upstart software company creating a windows competitive package and taking over Microsoft......
All kidding aside here are some noteworthy comments/observations:
1. Michigan has not won a game since Bo died - This is a coincidence - maybe, but I will feel better when they put a W on the board.....
2. Michigan has collectively given up nearly 1350 yards in the last three games they played, compared to, if you recall, a total of 88 yards rushing through 7 GAMES last season......
3. Apparently, App State has been trying to get games with ACC, Big East and even SEC opponents who have all shied away from them....(did you hear that Bill????). Well, my guess is they just royally screwed up their chances to get a game with any of them at this point....so much for big paydays (Michigan gave these guys $400,000 to be a door mat, and they let them win........)
The Blame
There is so much of this to go around, that I don't even know where to begin. But let's do it anyway...
1. Bill Martin. What moron schedules a game that cannot benefit the University or the program at all? Even as a tune up, they aren't representative of teams we are going to face in the rest of the non-conference or conference for that matter. Better to schedule a BIG NAME SCHOOL, pump the team up and if you lose, you take your lumps and move on....but now, what have we gained? Nothing, absolutely nothing....and we have LOST EVERYTHING that this program has stood for in one game....Bill Martin, you can turn in your resignation anytime. Thanks for your effort.
2. Lloyd - the L stands for Losing - Carr......Yeah, he stood up and took it, but I didn't hear anything about why we were unprepared, why we underestimated this team, and where the lack of pride in being a Michigan Man went.....My brother in law informed me that while golfing on one of the 23 courses in Hilton Head in July, the guy he was golfing with noticed his Michigan head covers and commented that he would point out the house that Lloyd just purchased a few months ago....his retirement home. Lloyd, if you're going to retire, go now and let us salvage the season.....I have been an apologist for you too long. I have no more excuses....Yes, you are to blame for this loss and the 1997 season seems like a long time ago.......See ya and thanks for the memories....
3. Assistant coaches - Look, you know you have to keep these kids focused....They all read the papers and know that Vegas was too afraid to try and put a spread on this game....Those are things you need to continuously make kids aware of that it doesn't matter. This team is looking at this game, had it circled, and worked all summer to make the most of this opportunity....You had better not go out and lay an egg in front of the home crowd on opening day....
4. The Offense - Yes, you were offensive....OK, Hart, I'll give you a little credit....Henne, I am ready for you to graduate. While you have played great in some big games, you are inconsistent....You will probably be the NEXT Lions draft pick once they figure out that Stanton sucks....
5. The Defense.....You are slow, you didn't attack and the quarterback wasn't touched, as near as I could tell from listening to this on the radio (THANKS COMCAST), for the entire first half.....
6. The fans - this one included - maybe not treating this game properly. I did pull out the sacred flag at half-time and set it up in my drvieway....I considered repeating an accident involving a sealed, unopened fifth of Big Game in my garage before the opening game of last season, but I didn't do it.....A report from some of the regular tailgate attendees stated that the team was not welcomed with it's regular excitement....But how could we? It's Labor Day weekend and we are playing a D-II school....Who wants to get up for that? Come on, this fan still blames Martin for his non-participation....You schedule somebody worthwhile, and I will be there in full colors....
Everyone else who played this weekend and handled your preseason foes, congrats. It looks like you all got through cupcake weekend unscathed and ready for the real season to begin. I will now change this report to include Michigan at the end after the Division 1 report and the MAC report......Michigan is no longer worthy of being the first mentioned.....
MMQ
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