Last Monday Of July...Two A Days Have Begun!!!

Last Monday of July and Football players have reported for pre-season camp.  4 weeks of practice leading up to the first game. 

Wojo interviewed DB for the DetNews.  You can read it all here, but if you don't have the time or just want the juicy stuff, a few excerpts:

Q: You’ve said 7-6 is unacceptable, so the perception by some is that Hoke’s job is on the line this season. What’s your response to that?

A: It’s not. Every football coach in America lives under enormous pressure, so I don’t need to apply any more. We’re the winningest program in the history of college football, we know what the expectations of our fan base is. Nobody has to tell Brady that. And I have all the confidence in the world that he’s bringing in the right kids, that he continues to do the right thing in terms of getting his staff lined up. I’m convinced we’re heading to a very, very good place.

Q: The regents’ vote was viewed by some as a shot across your bow. Did you take it that way?

A: No. No. If I took things like that personally, I couldn’t function in this job. You know what, I’m happy to accept their decision and move on. We can’t always do everything we want to do.

Q: How much pushback do you get from older Michigan fans and alums?

A: I don’t get nearly as much as you might think. I don’t pay a lot of attention to the social media stuff because I don’t know who those people are and what their motives are. You can’t be in this job and do a litmus test with every decision and find out what’s the most popular thing

Q: How did that happen, two straight trips to Michigan State?

A: There’s no conspiracy, although people want to think that. There’s a computer firm in Chicago and the Big Ten has this algorithm, and you plug in all the variables and the computer spits out what’s do-able.

They sent me the schedule and I called and said, ‘Is this some kind of mistake? Have you people lost your mind?’ Well, then you dig a little deeper, and Minnesota’s coming here two years in a row and they’re not too happy. Everybody is a little bit sore about something, and that was our thing to be sore about

Q: Michigan has a streak of 251 straight games of 100,000-plus attendance. Are you concerned that could end this season?

A: No. That’s why we’re marketing tickets. We’ve had a little slippage in our season tickets, but not a lot. We lost about 1.5 percent, only a little bit more than we normally have.

Our season-holder ticket base is predominantly fine. The difficulty we have is with our student section. It went from just under 20,000 last year, to we’re projecting around 12,000. That creates capacity in the seats above the student section, but we don’t want to sell those as season tickets because we have a strong feeling next year (the demand) is going to be different.

We’ve heard from the students, and No. 1, they’re always impacted by the momentum of the team, so 7-6 didn’t help. They’re clearly impacted by strength of schedule. And the third thing is, last year we implemented general admission seating and they hated it.

In an effort to try to solve a problem – they’re either arriving late, or some games we had 5,000-7,000 no-shows – we found out what other stadiums were doing, and they were all doing general admission. It was an incentive to get students there earlier, to get a better seat.

Big Ten Media Days - Are in Full Swing in Chicago.....You can check out a link to that here and here.

There's A New President In Town - And you can read about what he has to think here...

And Finally:

Here's what Hail looks like when enough falls that you can shovel it.  Happened Sunday Afternoon in White Lake...We camped out in the Tiki Bar (which survived!) and we we're getting pelted with ricochets!!!  Wild Storm...

Fridays Odds and Ends

Fall Weddings - Don't

Yesterday I sent a link in an e-mail to The Distribution.  I’ve decided that I’m either old enough not to care what people think or I don’t care what family thinks either, but there are certain “things” in life that anyone can believe is sacred. It's a personal choice, what you believe is sacred.  It can be anything, really.  Some choose family, others choose work...whatever has the most meaning for the individual. 

For me, Football Saturday in the fall is one of those things.  I’m not even stating that with as much of my tongue in my cheek as you might think.  I know Ufer used to refer to Michigan Football as the Religion and Saturday was the Holy Day of Obligation.  And as I get older, well….I’m really starting to agree with that statement more and more.

There’s always going to be SOMETHING that gets in our way, but when it’s a wedding, come on folks!  There’s plenty of other Saturdays in the year for a family celebration and and I think you can find one day out of the other 40 Saturdays available every year to have a wedding.

There.  That’s out there.  Yes, I’ve missed games because of weddings.  I’m not saying it was the end of the world – missing a game, I mean – but it’s certainly something that can easily be avoided.

So, if you’re still reading this and you agree with it (I know SOME OF YOU DON'T!!) AND you hear about a family or loved one that is planning a wedding and looking for dates, it’s YOUR JOB as a college football nut to advise the blissfully unaware couple that any Saturday in the fall would be a BAD IDEA.  There’s plenty of people that will thank you for that later, whether you are aware of it or not.

Here’s the link to the 11 Warriors Blog entry.  Worth the giggle if nothing else.

 

ohio Cans Its Band Director

Unbelievable…But is it?  The school down south has canned Jonathan Waters from its band director position due to lewd and obscene activities during band practice and band get togethers.  Those activities included but were apparently not limited to:  Marching sans uniform (some members in underwear – others naked), dirty nick-names, sexually oriented limericks texted to band members and other uncomfortable practices.  At least, they were uncomfortable for some of the band members who didn’t live their lives like an open sex book…or at least that’s what I’m surmising.  I’ve always said band geeks were a little different and the head band geek at ohio has more or less been outed as the most different of all. 

He only lasted 2 years in ohio and I doubt he’ll be able to find any kind of work in this particular industry again.  Sad, in a way, as ohio did have some of the best half time shows that actually put the “marching” back in to marching band.  I have to admit that the “Best Damn Band in the Land” was the best under his direction and made me a little envious as a fan….

 

MMPG - Levert, Walton, and Irvin

I’ve had a couple of discussions with some College Basketball Junkies this off-season and I made mention of the fact that Caris LaVert may in fact be Nik Stauskas in disguise as he migrates from his sophomore year to his junior year.  I went so far as to say I thought that Caris might even be more Staukas-ish than Stauskas was.  Meaning that Stauskas was a freshman that you took notice of him, but unless you were really paying attention, you really didn’t know what he could blossom into as a sophomore..and did he ever blossom.

Well, here’s a couple of photos (HT:mgoblog.com) that has the Ole MMPG thinking I’m more right than wrong.  And in a way, I’m excited for College Basketball to get underway!!!

Here’s a photo of LaVert in high school….

 

And here’s a recent photo of the 2 Juniors and the Sophomore leaving the weight and conditioning room…If you can't see or notice the transformation, well....I guess you'll see it come November!

 

 

 

Yeah, if I wasn’t a Michigan Fan, I’d be nervous looking at this picture, too!!

The Regents Unite Against DB

So, the regents are saner than the collective at 1000 SSS.  Last Thursday, they voted down the fireworks idea for reasons of noise, safety and believe it or not, the one thing that the AD department under DB seems to have forgotten about....

Tradition!!

You can read about it in the News here....

2014 Pre-Season Spectacular!!!

49 Days to Kick-Off!!!    I know it’s only July….but College Football LOOMS!!!

I’ve seen many of you over the off-season and I really do appreciate the feedback and ideas for making the blog better.  I feel like this is a “community” blog and more of a reference go to place for links to other resources, but never the less, I get to say my bit and you all get a giggle or two out of it, hopefully.

This off-season has been quieter that the last several…no Johnny Football scandal…no FSU QB scandals…well, RECENT scandals.  There was crab-leg gate that consumed a lot of the spring news, but the MMQ didn’t jump in on that…I figure everybody else could have some fun with that and really, at the end of the day, what more could be said?

So, what have you missed by not following CFB for the last several weeks?  How about a few

 Odds and Ends

This is an interesting item:  Purdue will have beer and wine sales for the first time this season at all home Football Games.  And while I get that watching Purdue Football is hard, (Insert any of the multiple jokes about trying to watch 60 minutes of Boilermaker Football SOBER HERE) since Drew Brees left, the Boilers haven’t had a winning season. And when that happens, well, you could GIVE the Beer and Wine away and I’m not sure fans would show up.  But, in case they do and due to the fact that the 'ole Ross-Ade stadium in West Lafayette was in need of a re-model, the south end zone bleachers were torn down.  And they are going to put in a patio!!!  Check it out:

That’s right on the field, folks.  Yep…I’m getting real nervous if Brandon sees this and starts thinking about what to do with the empty seats at Michigan Stadium…Of course, Michigan doesn’t play Purdue for like…ever, (next scheduled game - 2017 in West Lafayette)  but it makes me think that it’s an awfully short road trip for what would be cheap tickets and a chance to quench your thirst with a favorite Saturday beverage whilst watching the game. Yes – Road Trip in 2017...Someone write that down....Oh, I just did.

Texas A&M is going to have the BIGGEST. SCOREBOARD. EVER. To look at during home games.  I guess they figure if people want to watch a big screen, why not put one in the stadium?  How big, you ask?  163 feet wide by 47 feet tall….If I do the math correctly…let’s see…carry the 2…7,661 sq. ft.

Yep…That’s Big.  And it’s going to be 1080 HD.  So, Aggies, when to the lazy boys go in?

And in what has to be the Ass-Hattiest idea that Brandon and crew have dreamed up in recent memory, the Ann Arbor News is reporting...Oh fergodsakes..This…

The Athletic Department has proposed the use of close proximity fireworks during the Sept. 13 Miami University, and Oct. 11 Penn State home games. The Penn State game has a 7 p.m. kickoff time, while the Miami start time has yet to be announced.

 

"To further enhance the fan experience for these important games, the department proposes to hold close proximity fireworks displays as part of the production," the proposal read.

But Mr. MMQ, WHY do you think this is a bad idea?  The Detroit Tigers do it on Friday nights during the summertime after home games on occasion…during the summer when everyone wants to stay up late…with baseball…and losing a regular season game is part of baseball and the fireworks are something to look forward to win or lose…Oh, I see where you’re going now and why you think fireworks in the fall are an enormously stupid idea and a waste of the fan’s hard earned coin. 

 

Yep, okay…got it!

Luckily, the regents still need to approve this and maybe there’s someone with a shred of sanity left who will put their foot down and state openly, “Michigan Football does not need the gimmick of fireworks after the game.  Thanks anyway.” 

I was recently asked what I thought of Brandon as an AD.  I remember penning some words when he was first hired that ANYTHING had to be better than Sailboat Bill Martin…Unfortunately, at this point in time, Brandon is making me wish we HAD BILL MARTIN BACK! 

I hope this answers the question on where I stand with respect to Brandon as AD…Isn’t he supposed to run for governor or something?  When is that happening?

The Michigan Take

With respect to Michigan off-season news, it’s been quiet…too quiet. I normally get an earful or eyeful from some other fans, but there seems to be a bit of apathy within the fan base…I liked it a LOT better when people were either loving or hating the upcoming season.  Right now, it seems like there’s a lot of “meh” out there and not a lot of passion…

Is Brady Hoke’s Job on the Line this Season?  I’ve had that question posed to me by several people stating that his record isn’t that much better than Rich Rod’s after 3 seasons and he should be looking at the door if he only posts 7 wins.  The MMQ will state this:  Brady is better at communicating with Michigan Football fans, the media, and the Michigan Alumni Players (AKA – The Michigan Mafia).  We get his style of football and we understand where it can go.  Yes, Borges was a problem and probably should have been canned before the end of last year if not the end of 2012.  It wasn’t working then and it certainly didn’t get any better last year.  But he's fixed that problem...hopefully, so let's see where this goes...

Long story – Short Question:  Can Michigan find its soul and figure out a way to win the B1G Championship and is Brady Hoke the guy to do that?  I say he still is until he does something to prove otherwise and he is getting closer to having the right pieces of the puzzle in place…

What does the Ole’ MMQ foresee for Michigan this year?  Let’s start with the easy one first:

 Defense

I believe with Jake Ryan returning healthy, leading a solid LB core and Jabril Peppers contributing earlier than anyone thinks, Michigan has the possibility of being the most improved defense in the B1G…if not the NCAA.  Yeah, I know, that’s really putting it out there.  The “D” was ranked 5^th in overall defense last year in the B1G and that was without an offense on the other side of the ball.  I figure if there’s ANYTHING resembling an offense this year the defense will have the luxury of not being on the field for more than 30 minutes a game and should be able to not only hold their own, but play with an up tempo, turn-over producing style that Mattison loves….Yes, look for a defense that could potentially make us think about 2006 and 1997. 

 Did I just write that?  Yep, I did.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it….

Offense

 

 

That’s all I’ve got.  Yeah, DG is back and hopefully 100% healthy.  But Nussmeier is new and there’s a new (albeit streamlined) offensive game plan in place.  Michigan literally has a plethora of RB’s with transfers and incoming freshmen capable of starting.  IF Smith and Green come in at their playing weight and Funchess can play something like Megatron and he gets some help from Canteen and Chesson, among others…Well, it could be interesting...IF the offensive line can gel and get the hang of the Nussmeier mechanics…but if they can’t…  Turning around an offense and playing with a new scheme is like turning around the Titanic.  ITT- It Takes Time….Of course, Aburn did it and ended up in the National Title Game with a brand new offense…So, I dunno. 

The Rest of the Mess

Finally, after harping and complaining about the BCS for 16 years…It’s finally dead and College Football Nation is on to the 4 Team Play-off for a National Title!!  Yes, I’m excited for College Football and the first 4 teams that participate in the play-off will be Jeopardy and Bar Trivia answers for years to come.  I can only hope the Wolverines are one of them…but a lot of things have to happen before that comes to fruition.

Will the fans like the CFB Play-Off?  Absolutely.   Unfortunately, I think the places the play the semis will be completely empty as homer slappys will wait until their team wins and buy their National Championship package afterwards.  I do foresee a day when the play-offs happen on home fields.  You can say you read it here first.

MMQ Top 10

Everyone knows that pre-season Top 10’s are kind of like looking at the wedding cake and predicting that the marriage will last 25 years…All you have is a pretty picture and nobody has done anything yet.  Anyway, I will give you my thinking on who will be in the FINAL Top 10 once the season is over….

1. Florida State – Can’t ignore the possibility of lightning striking twice and with that schedule…Well, let’s just say I will be surprised when this team loses.
2. Stanford  - They will have beaten the 3^rd ranked team in the Final 4 for a chance to lose to FSU in the College Football Play-off.  Yes, the Cardinal will win a tough Pac 12, beating UCLA in the championship…
3. Sparty – As much as this pains me to say it…Look out for Sparty this year having a nice run in the B1G and potentially going undefeated.  They’ve got the schedule to do it and Cook has another year of experience under his belt…Unfortunately, Stanford will remember that they have a passing game and defeat Sparty in the Semis during the Final 4….
4. Satan’s Warriors:  Yes, they will have won the SEC, but they will have a couple of blemishes on the record and will have squeaked into the Final 4.  It’ll be a close game, but they won’t get past FSU to get into the championship game…
5. ohio – Will lose to Michigan and that will be what knocks them out of the B1G Championship Game against
6. Wisconsin – Look out…I may have these guys lower than they should or could be.  IF Wiscy can get past Sparty in the B1G, well, they will be in the Final 4. 
7. Oregon – Another team that could be in the Top 4 come the end of the year…Sparty visits Autzen this season and that will be a HUGE game to decide who might get a Final 4 nod…I like Sparty.  Don’t know why.
8. Oklahoma….They could also be in the Final 4, but it will require perfection without a title game in the Big XXII
9. Missouri – Will be in the Championship against Satan’s Warriors…but lose again…
10. UCLA – Mora could actually win the Pac 12 Conference, but man, its solid top to bottom…

Dark horses to infiltrate the Top 10 (or even the Final 4) with a bit of Luck:  MICHIGAN, LSU, Washington, South Carolina, Baylor, and Auburn (if they get their QB back)…

So, with all that being said, how does Michigan in fact create a dream season and win the B1G and potentially get a shot at the being in the Final 4??  Here’s the entire dream season, game by game!

8-30-14  App State:  I don’t want to say anything about this game.  It’s revenge…JUST WIN!

Michigan 52- App State - 0

9-6-14  @ domers:  As usual, domer nation is all agog over what they are bringing back and who will be playing and they have all more or less accepted the fact that they will be one of the Final 4 due to "how can you not have the domers in the first play-off??"  However, I do believe that Michigan has the domer’s number and no one…NEITHER TEAM wants to lose the last one to be played between these two for the foreseeable future after the chickens backed out of the game…Yeah the game is in the dark in domerland…Big Deal.  Ask the domers how the last two night games worked out for them. 

Michigan 31- chicken dinners 23

9-13-14   Miami (Ohio):  Miami is still a bit of a train wreck and this could be a nice game to get some kinks worked out of the offense before a very good Pac 12 team comes to town….

Michigan 45 – Bo’s Alma Mater  10

9-20-14   UTAH:  This is a pretty good team that has some returning starters and they are really well coached by a guy who is on EVERYONE’S SHORT LIST whenever a vacancy pops up – Kyle Whittingham.  This could be a home game “oops” where Michigan stumbles early and loses a close one.  Or Michigan could get really exposed on defense if they aren’t careful. 

Michigan 24 – Upsetting Utes 27

9-27-14:    MINNESOTA:  Poor Minnesota got stuck with the same “two years in a row at Michigan” deal as Michigan did with respect to Sparty.  Somebody ought to be shot for letting that happen…And I’m sure Gopher fans are thinking the same thing.  Can Kill get a victory over Michigan?  I don’t think so…not after a Michigan home loss…

Michigan 35 – Road Kill 13

10-4-14  @ Rutgers:  Another train wreck of a team that looks nothing like what it used to look like under Schiano…Flood is still trying to figure out which conference his team is in and who his new rival is…

Michigan 42 –Underwater-scarlet-shorts 14

10-11-14:  PENN STATE:  This game scares the BEJEZUS out of me this year…Why?  Because I didn’t mind O’Brien being the head coach at PSU.  He was brought in to clean it up and keep it business like.  But now, NOW PSU has a guy in Franklin that actually cares about the college game and is going to have that team playing PUMPED….This one could get tricky, even though it’s revenge for Michigan…

Michigan 23 – Blue and White Kitties  20 (OT)

10-25-13  @ MSU:   Okay – either it ends here and Hoke re-establishes who is the Football Elite in the state of Michigan…or it’s a slippery slide down into the abyss.  I don’t’ want to slide down into the abyss, so Jesus-Tap-Dancing-Christ… BEAT SPARTY! 

Michigan 35 – Little Brother 33 (OT)

11-1-14  INDIANA:   This team also scares me…and I don’t like to play a game immediately after playing Sparty close.  Indiana will have some tricks up their sleeve and this is a game where Michigan fans may end up asking themselves, “How did we beat Sparty and lose to Indiana???”

Michigan 27 – Who’s Your Daddy 35

11-8-14 @ Northwestern:  The MMQ practically nailed the score and the fact that the game almost went into OT last season.  However, with distracted Purple Kitty Kats everywhere, Fitzgerald is going to find that this team won’t be as formidable as they have been in the past.  I’m guessing that the Purple Kitties go down easier…

Michigan 27 – Kitty Kats 13

11-22-14 MARYLAND:  Maryland Football is a bit of an oxymoron right now. (No Sparty and suckeye fans – I’m not calling them names.  An oxymoron is a play on words where two words are put together that can have opposite meanings:  Army Intelligence, Jumbo Shrimp, Sparty Academics, ohio degrees…see what I’m doing there?)  No Maryland is trying very hard to play football there…It just doesn’t look like football.

Michigan 35 – The Tortoise loses This One 21

11-29-14: @ ohio:  Michigan will have lost two games up to this point, (maybe 3) and again, if they want into the Final 4 and the B1G Championship Game, well…All roads go through Columbus.  Can Michigan finally shake the 11 Year Monkey off their back and have a two-loss season where they BEAT all their rivals?  I think they could!!!

Michigan 21– Suckeyes 16

Big 10 Championship:  Michigan finds a Badger team that plays right into their hands…Wiscy tries to run the ball into the league leading defense and loses a close Championship Game.

Michigan 17 – Wiscy 14

So, will a Michigan team with two regular season losses but with a B1G championship under its belt be good enough to garner a top 4 spot?  Maybe…Maybe.  I know, I have Sparty in the Final 4 and I have Michigan winning the B1G in the Dream Season...Please submit all complaints on the back of a $10 bill and mail to the MMQ....

Idle Thoughts From the Pre-Season

-The off season keeps getting shorter and shorter…

-My nephew is going to UM this fall!!
-THAT…Is hard to believe.
-I don’t feel that old…
-Well, sometimes I do…
-New team of Dierdorf and Brandstatter will make the calls on Wolverine Radio…
-I like Doug Karsch…
-Not saying he should have got the job, but when Dierforf is there..well…
-Sometimes you just have to recognize that you’re good…just not that good.
-I thought the State of Michigan did pretty well in the NBA draft.
-6 Michigan players drafted in the NBA draft in the last 2 years.
-Why bring up basketball during football season?
-“Why NOT?”

-That’s the family Tiki Bar we built over the summer!

-Hey, everyone needs a hobby.
-Two of my favorite hobbies are woodworking and beer…
-So I figured, “Why not combine them?”
-Why not, indeed!
-If you’re ever in the neighborhood, swing by!
-You BET there’s a lot of Michigan stuff hanging inside.
-All the stuff Mrs. MMQ won’t let me hang in the basement...

 

-And it’s all got a good home now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Do I really think that Michigan can win 10 games this season?

-After Auburn…Anything’s possible.
-There’s a lot of desire in Ann Arbor...
-Of course, there’s desire everywhere.
-Hoke is not going to get fired this season…I don’t think.
-But if he does, who’s next?
-Good Question. 
-Took forever to get to Hoke in the first place...
-I don’t want to think about that…not yet, anyway.

The Hot Seat

I can’t believe I’ve been doing the hot seat for 5 years and we are entering the 6^th season of the Hot Seat Mascot!  Truly a milestone of sorts and the careers we’ve helped to get off the ground and move forward by appearing as a Hot Seat Mascot are too numerous to mention.  So, without further ado, the 2014 Hot Seat Mascot for the Pre-Season Spectacular is  - Alison Brie!  You may have seen her in “Mad Men” playing Trudy and she has been in some other stuff as well…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hot Seat Rank

1.  Will Muschamp:  If Brady’s head is on the line, Will’s ass is certainly feeling the heat.
2. Charlie Weis:  Believe it or not, I had to look this up.  I thought he had already been canned at Kansas…Nope.  Still there.
3. Dana Holgorensen:  Here’s another coach that was welcomed with open arms and those same arms are trying to strangle him and desperately want him gone…
4. Pelini:  I’m not sure why I’m putting him on here, but I guess it’s ‘cause he’s Bo and who knows what he’ll do next…
5. Brett Bielema:  Coaches with troubles in Arkansas nation that don’t win are not tolerated very long…Brett’s seat is close to getting really hot…
6. Hazell:  Purdue.  Even though I like this guy, he needs to win some games..
7. Turner:  Florida International…Even though he’s a big name, you have to win a game or two..
8. Norm Chow:  Hawaii.  The Rainbows haven’t mattered in awhile..and that’s a fan base that cares.
9. Beckman:  Illinois.  Another coach that needs some wins…desperately.
10. Satan:  I know, I always put him on the list.  But I have a feeling if he DOESN’T win the SEC or make the Final 4…His seat will get a little warm in Tuscaloosa..

 

FMQ

I haven’t reviewed the entire results from the FMQ last season, but I do know I wasn’t able to give it as much time as usual.  I will try to get back to form this season and we’ll see if we can’t double up on the season with some better picks!