Touchdown
Tommy Stealing a Page From Peyton
Not that he
needs the money mind you, but I have a feeling that TTB and Peyton must have a
little side action going on who can make the most outrageous commercial…Peyton
is still way in the lead mind you, but with a couple more like this, Touchdown
Tommy Brady could be closing in on the title!
Death
Not An Option Voting Closed!
I didn’t push
it too much because I really wanted to see what would happen. 38 of you voted and it would appear that Florida is the strong favorite (with
18 votes) as the program that Michigan fans would trade its own for, right
now. And PSU was another program (with 12 votes) that had been in the
dumpster and looks better than Michigan, right now, at least from the fan’s
view point. Which, wow…I have to take
all the baggage with that trade and there are people that would have happily
traded all the crap that PSU has
been through to get rid of where Michigan stands at this point in time? That’s severe…and should be given some
careful thought. At least nobody thought
Texas would be a good trade…But I
could argue that Texas is now in better position than anyone to return to
glory.
So, what is
that telling us? Granted, it’s a small
sample size. But statistically, I’m
betting that’s a pretty good cross section of opinions. And it tells me that the average fan can see
good decisions and better promotion of the other institutions’ brands and
support for their teams than Michigan
has done for the last 5 – 10 years. That’s
saying something about programs that have the same won-loss football record as
Michigan. It’s saying a lot.
If Florida makes the right hire (That
should have been a BIG IF), I believe they can solve quite a few of their
offensive woes immediately. The right hire should bring the fans back and
voila, problem solved in Gatorland. Penn State got the chance to give an enema to the entire shit-house
and flushed it clean, and that seems to be bringing about some positive results
in the eyes of some of the fans. Michigan has gone from one bad coaching
hire (or rather, an AD and support staff that didn’t properly support the first
coaching hire after Lloyd) to another hire (by a crappier AD) that they
supported with the highest paid coordinators in all of college football, and
they are still not getting it done on the field. So I can see the fans concerns…which are the
same as mine. What next?
A SAVIOR
is required….but who?
Harbaugh:
Enigma Surrounded by Mystery wrapped up in a Riddle
Wojo’s latestDetroit News Column sums up the Harbaugh situation nicely. I had already written most of mine, but Ifigure I’d link to his as he has a more positive conclusion than the ‘oleMMQ Angelique Chengelis also tweeted
that the one and only Lloyd Carr (Anyone
but Les Miles) has verbally thrown his support of bringing Jimmy back
to Ann Arbor. Huh…I really thought Lloyd
had left the building a while ago….
All that
said: I’m having some real difficulty
seeing Jimmy come back. But I’m changing
my “NEVER” position to “Definite Maybe.”
Why have I been
so vehement in my opinion that there was no way Harbaugh was coming back? For the reasons listed below, mainly, but for
many others not mentioned, too.
-The bridge(s)
have been burned
-Nasty
statements made about the University of Michigan where he once played
-He and Lloyd
didn’t/don’t see eye to eye
-His wife “likes
San Fran”….whatever…she only spends it, she doesn’t make
it…
-And the fact
that he was enjoying the NFL life, the time and the luxuries that go with that
would keep any sane mind (That was successful in the NFL, mind you) from coming
back.
As far as the
first three go….well, maybe time in fact does heal all wounds. And maybe Michigan LOSING heals
them a hell of a lot faster and makes Lloyd Carr’s opinion a non-issue. So, forget about those for the moment. I want to address the one that I thought was
the real deal breaker: The
NFL lifestyle and the NFL analysts favorite statement: “Successful Pro-coaches don’t go back to
college.”
But when I
look at a random list of coaches that have come back from the “Not
For Long” organization and see what they did – were they a bust or did
they enjoy a level of success in college:
Nick Saban – National Title
Pete Carrol – National Title
Cam Cameron (OC for LSU) – Success….
Charlie Weiss - BUST
Lane Kiffin - ????? (success and bust?)
Steve Spurrier – Success, but no National Title
AFTER returning…
Mike Riley – A little Success….at Oregon State…AND NOW ON
TO NEBRASKA!!!
Lou Holtz – I DIDN’T KNOW EITHER! Coached the Jets in 1976…One Season –
National Title
Butch Davis – Success?????
Bobby Petrino - ???? Let’s face it-He doesn’t wreck a motorcycle
and he’s still at Arkansas and who knows???
Rich Brooks – Success – Kentucky…
It’s amazing
how quickly you could conclude then, without even having to look too closely,
that if you were successful in college, went to the NFL, and came back…it gives
you an edge. Charlie Weiss is definitely
in the head scratching column of, “Huh…it should have worked”. But for every rule there’s an exception and
Charlie puts a point on it, so to speak.
And I’m not sure Charlie ever coached at the collegiate level before he
went to the pros (I’m not looking it up but I don’t think he did)…so he didn’t
know what he was doing, which was self-evident.
The only problem with this list:
All of the coaches here sort of sucked in the NFL…Except for Weiss. Go figure.
So, it would
seem then that Harbaugh may find the glory he seeks at the collegiate level a
whole lot EASIER than it will be to achieve in the NFL. I’m convinced that if you put together a good
program at the collegiate level, you’ve got a better shot at the “Big One” success. I’m sure that’s a big part of the reason that
Urban Meyer decided, “One more time!” at ohio.
Don’t let the
whole façade of “I don’t think about tomorrow” that Harbaugh’s putting out
there fool you, either. He’s carefully
manipulating his way to his next gig because it’s clear even to him that the
management at the 49ers is fed up and ready for a change. But, is it better to walk away, get traded to
another NFL franchise (that isn’t of your choosing), or get fired and grab the
NFL gig (or college gig) that you really want?
There’s ways to do everything.
Jim’s probably one step away from getting the boot due to a cleverly
crafted rant against a game official, or his team’s lousy performance, setting
him free. Depending on the outcome of
the Niners regular season, of course.
Based on this
and some other evidence, not to mention that I’m sure Jimmy’s ego and
over-inflated opinion of himself is getting stroked in all the right ways by
everyone who wants him to come back…Well, let’s just say I’m starting to let
myself believe…a little. Wojo
is at 40%...I’m not quite that high.
Maybe 20-25%? Again, I
won’t be surprised at all if Jimmy just says no. Move along.
Michigan and I are done…for the next 10 years at least.
Where does
that leave us? Who knows….All the names
are getting bandied about by the usual talking heads. Gatorland
has finally figured out its $7.5M
problem with McElwain, which, okay…but
that’s a lot to spend for a flash in the pan that has only done
it for 2 years…But I guess Foley is a craps player and likes to roll
dem bones!!!!
Nebraska took very little risk and went with Mike Riley from OSU, and I’m personally not entirely
sure about that hire….And, yes, I will admit that this seems eerily familiar…Solich,
a 5 season 9-10 games a year winner gets canned and Nebraska brings in a former
pro coach…Callahan. Who absolutely
sucked…and Pelini replaced and now back to Riley, a former pro-coach with an
extremely questionable record but a great personality…Isn’t that what they say
about someone if you ask them what they look like?
Editor’s Note:
for the record – I can’t stand Colin Cowherd and hate to
even put anything out on my blog that he’s opining about. But there’s this (and
additional evidence supporting that there may be some truth behind it):
Colin Cowherd
is Tweeting on Twitter with a “Source” (one of the coaching vetting - hiring firms) that says Michigan will announce their
coach this weekend (And it’s a coach who IS IN FACT COACHING THIS WEEKEND) and
it’s not a guy that’s on a board anywhere, but that all the fans will be
pleasantly surprised and even excited about.
Soooo excited, that we’ll all say “Of course! Why didn’t we think of that!” I’ve got NO IDEA who ANY individual is that
would make me think or say that. Right
now, anyone is going to be more of a, “We’ll see!” reaction from me. IF Cowherd’s source is accurate (And
I don’t believe it for a second that he
actually has a source that would tell him ANYTHING Legitimate – even if he had
one) and IF I had to guess: Think
of Offensive or Defensive Coordinators or possibly….Bedlam? My “SMART” Money is on a
In any event,
Harbaugh,
Smart…Whoeva’, IMHO there’s no way Michigan
(Hackett) can whiff as badly as Nebraska and they probably won’t gamble as much
as Florida….Leaving us with….I dunno’…
Championship Week’s
Picks!!!
Arizona vs. Oregon (-15.5):
Interesting spread. I had the Ducks at about two TDs in my head based on
their average points/game vs. the Wildcats avg. pts/game. So, I see what Vegas did. I just wonder if Rich Rod has made the
adjustments he needs to make and if Mariota is going to make a final statement
to win the Heisman. I guess it boils
down to what you believe about the Ducks and what they can do to a team in the
4th quarter…..but it is the Championship….Crap….
Take Arizona and the 15.5 for $40
Wiscy vs. ohio (+4):
Another interesting spread. Two
teams that will try to play ball control.
One team (Wiscy) that can be Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to their QB….But
with an awesome RB that may just treat ohio’s D like swiss cheese. Michigan had it’s 4th highest
point total of the season against ohio. First
start for the 3rd string QB….If I’m a suckeye….I’m nervous.
Take Wiscy and lay the 4 for $60
Georgia Tech vs. FSU (-4):
Every time Paul Johnson is on the verge of getting canned, he goes and
rips off a 10 win season – and beats Georgia.
The Yellow-jackets have a quirky offense capable of putting points on
the board and keeping the ball away from Famous Jameis. My guess is the Seminole’s ride just might be
over Saturday….But they could still win a close one! Therefore:
Take Georgia Tech and the 4 for $60
Mizzou vs. Alabama (-14.5):
This spread surprised me a little…I was actually thinking it would be
around the 17-21 mark, but I guess Bama doesn’t kick many field goals. The question is: Can Pinkell devise a game plan for Matty Mauk
that keeps the ball away from the Bama offense and score enough points to keep
it close? I hate to doubt Gary, as he
did let me down last year against Auburn.
But, the pressure is on Bama….
Take Mizzou and the 14.5 for $30
Oklahoma St. @ Oklahoma (-21):
Another surprising spread for a rivalry game. And I know, it’s not a championship….It’s not
even a difference maker in the Big 12…but it’s Bedlam, fergodsakes!!!!
I like OKIE STATE
getting 21 for $30
Huh….Have you
ever looked at your bet sheet and said to yourself, “Jeez….I want to change my mind
on EVERYTHING!!!” I just had one
of those moments….
Parlay:
Mizzou – GT-Arizona-Wiscy $30 pays $400
Bank:
$498
Total Bet: $250
Bank:
$248
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