As the trade deadline came and went I realized that Joe Dumars has given up on the season, and counting his money for next year.

So, while there is still 2+ months left in the season, I will give up too.  Time to look back.

Chauncey Billups was apparently (if we didn't already know) the glue that held this team together.  Perhaps, while Rasheed can clearly be seen to be the emotional leader on the floor, Billups was the actual basketball leader.  Lacking such a strong presence of leadership, and lacking a level-headed, strong basketball mind, there is no balance to contradict 'Sheed.  Without that balance and glue, a group lacking a super star (sorry AI) simply can't get it done.

It seems everyone on the team has given up.  Not even Iverson who has millions of dollars at stake this offseason, seems to be motivated.  Such apathy can only be attributed to Rasheed Wallace. 

It seems that not only has Sheed given up on trying to emotionally encourage and motivate his fellow teammates, he has also formed an alliance against Iverson.  This team is lost and done.

While I am guilty of being the guy who has wanted Sheed shipped out of town for the last 3 seasons, I think its clear the Pistons need him out of town in a hurry.  I want Rodney Stuckey to become the leader in the locker room, not a clown whose idea of getting his team fired up is getting a technical foul. 

The fact is that Stuckey cannot grow or assume the role as leader until Sheed and Iverson are out of town.  And that is why this season is over.

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Today’s post is brought to you by Valentines Day. Not because it’s a stupid Hallmark holiday and its sole existence is to drive sales of retail stores nationwide during a financial down time, but because ONLY girls like it. When I say only girls like it, I mean absolutely NO guy would ever care if it didn’t exist. In fact most would be happier. This stupid “holiday” appeals to like 25% of the nation but like everyone is roped into celebrating (or not celebrating) it with someone else. I wish there was a holiday where a girl is forced to deliver guys a six pack of beer and a pizza in like August or something. Get on that sh*t Budweiser!

So, like Nate, I too have been busy/lazy and haven’t really had the time I would like to write a post about steroids and how they relate to the Baseball Hall of Fame (its coming sometime I promise.) So I want to take this time to look at the rest of the Michigan basketball season.

Michigan has only two home games remaining, those being Purdue and Minnesota. The other games are all away, those being at Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Northwestern. Michigan is currently 15-10 overall and 5-7 in the Big Ten. The ONLY way Michigan has a chance to get into the field of 64 is to finish with a Big Ten record of 9-9. This really looks like a daunting task. Michigan would have to win both home games against Purdue and Minnesota (both ranked), and steal road victories most likely at Northwestern and at Iowa. Saying Michigan can actually pull that off, they also would need to add a first round win in the Big Ten tournament in my opinion. All of that mixed in with the UCLA and Duke victories should give us the nod at like a #9 seed. I promise there is not a single #1 seed team that wants to play Michigan knowing what they can do against quality opposition.

With all that being said, sadly it looks like a #1 NIT seed for Michigan yet again this year. To be honest, a #1 NIT seed is still leaps and bounds better than Michigan’s bruising 10-27 record a year ago. The growth of this team over the course of a year has been nothing short of astonishing and there is no need to think that it will stop next year. C.J. Lee is the only graduating senior and all signs point to DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris coming back for another year. Coupled with the core of the team staying together is the addition of Darius Morris. Morris is a Rivals top 100 player for next year who is already committed to Michigan. Fortunately for us, he also plays PG. Morris will be able to actually handle the ball effectively and be able to distribute the ball to players like Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims. This will increase their productivity as well as lower team turnovers. Sims can complete his post game, Harris can actually play the small forward position, and Morris can drive and dish effectively. If that all happens, players like Stu Douglass and Lavel Lucas-Perry should have way better OPEN looks at three point attempts.

College Basketball is all about good guard play and if Darius Morris can achieve these things at the tender age of 18, Michigan will be in shape for a top 5 finish in the Big Ten.

On a horrible side note…with the NFL Draft looming close by I have a prediction. Put it in Stone, Mark Sanchez will be a better NFL Quarterback than Matthew Stafford.

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The result of February being a down time in sports and an increased academic schedule results in this short and only relevant for about 2 more hours post. Sorry, but instead of writing another post about something I really don't care about (see: Michael Phelps' drug problem or A-rod's, well, drug problem), I am just copying and pasting an email I wrote to several MSU fans earlier today regarding the Michigan-Michigan State Basketball game. I will try and give a few quick thoughts about the game after it's conclusion to make it up to you.

Here are my predictions and keys for victory for tonight's game.

Michigan basketball is the very definition of a bubble team, but they are also a team that no number 1 seed wants to see sitting in a 9 seed. That said, I believe that today is their defining moment. Will they impress the selection committee with a strong victory at home against yet another top 10 ranked opponent, or will they fade into the oblivion that is the NIT?

I was asked about my thoughts on how Michigan could pull an upset today. I will do that, but first allow me to explain what I expect to happen. I honestly believe that Michigan will lose by 15 points today. Michigan’s weakness is, unfortunately for me, Michigan State’s strength: rebounding. Our short line-up and zone defense has resulted in second opportunities for opponents all year long. Because MSU will likely outrebound Michigan by 15-20 boards, Michigan likely has no chance to keep it close.

That said, lets talk a minute about the UCONN game. In that game, Michigan was outrebounded 46-21 and still managed to keep it close. The way they did that was 2 fold: (1) they intermittently ran a 2-3 zone to try and combat the Connecticut advantage in size; and, (2) they caused 17 turnovers by constantly changing defense types and through the solid defensive play of Zack Novak and C.J. Lee. What killed Michigan was that they shot below 35% from three and UCONN (a team that does not shoot the 3 very well) made 6 three pointers.

While State should expect to see a steady mix of 1-3-1 zone, 2-3 zone, and man-to-man, I respect State’s outside game more than Connecticut. Because of this fact, Michigan will likely be forced to play mostly man defense. That plays to state’s favor with their advantage in size and rebounding ability.

So, to sum up. Here is what Michigan needs to do to win:

1. Shoot 35% or above from three. (likely meaning they will make at least 12 three pointers)
2. < 20 rebounding differential
3. Cause double digit turnovers.

Again, all 3 of these are not likely. Michigan’s three point shooting has not been good as of late, mostly a result of Lavel Lucas Perry losing confidence in his shot. In addition causing turnovers is difficult to do when you are trying to steal from a very good ball handler in Kalin Lucas.

So, while I am not looking positively towards this game, I am still excited. It really is do or die; win and Michigan is in.

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Name	Position	ESPN	Rivals	Scout	Under-Amour	Army	Early Enroll
Isiah Bell	S	81	3*	3*	X
William Campbell	DL	79	5*	5*		X	X
Vladimir Emilien	S	80	4*	3*			X
Tate Forcier	QB	81	4*	4*			X
Jeremy Gallon	WR	77	4*	3*		X
Brendan Gibbons	K	77	2*	3*		X
Cameron Gordan	WR	78	4*	3*
Thomas Gordan	S	77	3*	2*
Brandin Hawthorne	LB	78	3*	3*			X
Mike Jones	S	77	3*	3*			X
Teric Jones	RB	78	3*	3*
Anthony LaLota	DE	80	4*	4*		X	X
Talor Lewan	OL	80	4*	4*	X
Denard Robinson	ATH	81	4*	4*
Craig Roh	DE	83	4*	4*	X
Michael Schofield	OL	77	4*	4*
Vincent Smith	RB	77	3*	3*			X
Je'Ron Stokes	WR	82	4*	4*		X
Fitzgerald Toussaint	RB	79	4*	3*
J.T. Turner	DB	80	4*	5*		X
Quinton Washington	OL	82	4*	3*	X
Adrian Witty	DB	40	2*	2*

For RichRod’s first class in which he had more than two months of recruiting players, you have to be impressed. There is obviously great disparity in how these kids are ranked, probably more so than in year’s past: ESPN ranks Michigan’s class #14, while Rivals has them at #7 and Scout at #11. Those of you that think U-M was being out recruited by the Spartys, you are sorely mistaken. Chris Norman is the only kid that RichRod went hard after, and, quite frankly, the kid was born and raised a Spartan. U-M also got the best player in the state, Big Will Campbell. Trust me, there isn’t even a close second. This is big seeing as in the past two years USC has came in and snagged the best in the state see: Ronald Johnson and Nick Perry. RichRod also went down and pulled 8 recruits out of the state of Florida which should bring speed and athleticism to the program. These are skills that are certainly needed to run RichRod’s system, and were lacking as you can see by last year’s game play. Unfortunately, the Wolverines lost two solid DT recruit in Pearly Graves and DeQuinta Jones that were committed until signing day. The loss of these two players will certainly be felt as the program will be lacking depth at DL next year and LB in the near future. Despite those losses, U-M bounced back with two huge commits in QB Denard Robinson and WR Je’Ron Stokes that solidified other positions of need. Brian has keep you up to date on the past de-commits and recruits so I won’t dwell on losing recruits to Tulsa (yup you read that right, It says Tulsa. You know the Golden Hurricane? Yes, they have a football team). U-M did a great job of getting kids at the positions where they lost recruits to decommits. In most cases they actually got better players to replace them (see Bryce McNeal-Je’Ron Stokes). I’ll give you a quick summary of this year’s class from a little different perspective.

Isaiah Bell 6-2/205: He impressed at the Under-Amour game playing mostly LB. He played a lot of safety in high school, but I fully expect him to grow into a LB that fits into the 3-3-5, if Greg Robinson decides to run that. He would bring some quickness to the LB corps that they have been lacking, and brings good coverage skills for a LB. Some questioned his coverage skills as a safety and U-M has had problem in the past, see: every safety U-M’s had since 2000. Bell might see playing time as a true frosh on special teams.

Next Year Prediction: Redshirt

Career Prediction: Potential 2-year starter at LB. All-Big Ten.

William Campbell 6-5/315: A flat-out stud. Check out his film if you get the chance. He is a real man-child with potential to be a Top 10 NFL draft pick. He is able to play both ways, but I expect to see him on the DT, because it’s his best position and U-M needs him there. He must keep his weight down and not fall into the trap of laziness as some past U-M DT, and also needs to focus on his fundamentals, instead of relaying on his strength. He could be special, especially when paired next to Mike Martin. Expect immediate playing time, especially if we stick with the four man front.

Next Year: Significant PT, potential starter

Career: Potential All-American

Vlad Emilien 6-1/190: Probably the only player in this class who is a true safety. His commitment sort of came out of now where and he was injured for most of his senior year. I would expect him to redshirt, but given U-M’s past struggles at safety, early playing time is there for the taking. Hopefully, he won’t see the field this year and he gets the chance to develop, but I think he has great upside.

Next Year: Redshirt or back-up special teams depending on health

Career: 2 or 3–year starter at safety

Tate Forcier 6-0.5/183: The name should sound familiar as his brother Jason transfered out when Ryan Mallet rolling into town. It’s too bad because he would have been the starter last season. Tate graduated early and had a personal QB coach so he should be further along than most freshman. The kid has a good arm, accurate both in the pocket and on the run with decent speed. His skill-set fits RichRod’s system well and will battle Threet for early PT. I expect him to be starting by the time Big Ten games roll around if not sooner. Don’t expect too much, but he will be an upgrade over last year.

Next Year: Starter by default

Career: Depends on future QB recruiting

Jeremy Gallon 5-9/175: He turned heads at the Army All-American game practices. He played mostly QB out of the Wildcat formation in high school, which means it will take some time to get used to the slot. He is the perfect slot for the spread. The talent is there and he seems to just have that “IT” factor when the ball is in his hand. His PT next season will depend on Terrence Robinson’s health, but a red shirt is unlikely. He will bring added excitement on the return teams.

Next Year: PT at the slot, KR, PR

Career: Future starter in the slot, All-Big Ten potential

Brendan Gibbons 6-0/210: U-M offered after Anthony Fera decommitted. He was an Army All-American. I like his attitude and he has potential to punt as well.

Next Year: Starter for FG and KO

Career: Add punter that list. Possible All-Big Ten

Cameron Gordon 6-3/210: Gordon is a heck of an athlete, perhaps the best in the state of Michigan. He is from Inkster, which is also home to top 10’ QB Devin Gardner. Plays both outside WR and LB. U-M offered pretty late as there seems to some controversy as to where he will play. His upside seems to be at LB, but as of now he’s a wide out.

Next Year: Redshirt

Career: Back WR, Possible starter at LB

Thomas Gordon 5-11/205: Teammate of Big Will and Teric Jones at Detroit Cass Tech where he played QB and S. He is known in the internet community as “Prison Abs,” because he is a work out fiend. He is fairly raw at this point and I would expect a redshirt, but should make an impact on ST with a decent upside at S.

Next Year: Redshirt

Career: Back-up S, special teams contributor

Brandin Hawthorne 6-0/197: He is a teammate of Vincent Smith out of Pahokee, FL. Brian seems to really like this kid, and I can’t argue that he has potential. He seems a little skinny at this point and could use a year or two in Barwis’ program. He seems like a good fit at outside LB in RichRod’s system, but needs some more development. He is a hard worker, and I expect him to reach his potential whatever it may be.

Next Year: Redshirt

Career: 1 or 2-year starter at outside LB

Mike Jones 6-2.5/200: He is another kid out of FL, who enrolled early. Played safety in high school, but I expect a move to LB soon. Although he might play the tweaner, a chance is there is a move to the 3-3-5, similar to the rover used by John L. Smith a couple of year’s ago. He is obviously tall and skinny, and it’s a good thing he is there early to start his Barwisizing.

Next Year: Redshirt

Career: 2-year starter at rover

Teric Jones 5-10/194: He is really fast and has allegedly run a sub 4.4 forty. He is listed at RB, but has excellent pass catching abilities. Don’t be surprised if he moves to the slot. He is a workout buddy of Thomas Gordon, and I think he will make a good third-down back as well.

Next Year: Redshirt (but will contend for PT)

Career: Never a starter but a solid contributor at several spots

Anthony LaLota 6-5/260: He was originally listed as a five start recruit on some sites, which is surprising considering he has only played football for two plus years. He focused on hoops early on, and he is a heck of an athlete. He seems to have a really good head on his shoulders, and being at U-M early will certainly help him. He is listed as a DE, but I would suspect a move to DT with the lack of depth there. His best position is probably somewhere on the O-Line, but he seems adamant on playing defensive.

Next Year: Redshirt

Career: One year starter at DT

Taylor Lewan 6-6.5/270: He has great upside although he might need a couple of years to develop. He is tall, quick, and fits into the system extremely well. He should be an anchor on the O-Line for years to come, probably at LT. I highly doubt he plays next year, as the depth seems to be pretty good there.

Next Year: Redshirt

Career: 3 or 4-year starter. All-Big Ten potential.

Denard Robinson 6-0/185: He and teammate Adrian Witty committed on signing day, although he was once thought to be a FL lock. He is fast, real fast. He really wants to play QB, and will get his shot. This kid isn’t Justin Feagin; he has much better potential. I think it will be hard for him to beat Forcier or Threet out this season, but I suspect that he will get playing time in certain packages. His future will be dependent on future QB recruiting as U-M will certainly get one and possibly two more in the 10’ class. A move to CB is certainly possible, and he projects well there too.

Next Year: PT at QB in some packages

Career: Pending, but will contribute

Craig Roh 6-5/225: He is a teammate of Taylor Lewan, and has family ties to the state. His stock rose after a strong Under-Amour week, where he was constantly around the ball because of his tremendous motor and quickness. I really wish they could find a way to redshirt him, but I am not sure if they will be able to keep him off the field. DE depth is solid but not great behind Graham. He will need to shore up his run stopping ability, but can get to the QB.

Next Year: PT especially in passing situations

Career: 3-year starter. All-Big Ten

Michael Schofield 6-6/270: He is another impressive physical talent. He played in the Hawaiian All-American game, where he was fairly impressive. He will need a year or too, and won’t be rushed into playing early because of the depth they have there. He will most likely be a tackle, but that situation is certainly fluid.

Next Year: Redshirt

Career: 2-year starter

Vincent Smith 5-8/165: He is a small guy, but a very hard worker. He is in tremendous shape. I wasn’t so sure about his game when he first committed as U-M has been recruiting a plethora of slots and scat backs. He’s been growing on me, and I could see him playing some this year. He will probably end up as a RB and a return man.

Next Year: Special teams demon and return guy

Career: He’ll get carries, but probably never be a starter

Je’Ron Stokes 6-0.5/178: He is a great late pickup and a perfect example of RichRod’s recruiting skills. Stokes games fits either the outside spot or the slot, which gives him ample opportunity for early PT. He has very good speed, which along with his versatility creates matchup problems that RichRod will certainly exploit. He younger brother is a junior dual-threat QB with U-M interest so keep an eye on him.

Next Year: PT at both WR spots

Career: I expect him start somewhere for 2-years. Potential All-Big Ten

Fitzgerald Toussaint 5-10/185: Besides having the coolest name in this class, he also has the best film. He is a pleasure to watch and has some crazy moves. I actually like his film better than McGuffie’s last year. He just doesn’t jump over people! He will play next year in my opinion, and could return kicks as well. I think he is underrated and will surprise some people.

Next Year: This year’s version of Shaw in terms of PT

Career: I don’t think he is the starter type but will get a lot of carries

J.T. Turner 6-2/185: Early commit out of Ohio (that isn’t easy by the way), whose stock rose over the year. He was debatable the top DB at the Army game. He can play either safety or corner. It will depend on the development of others, as I expect Warren and Cissoko to be the starters. He could be starting at one of the safety spots, and possibly slide to corner on passing downs with him on the outside and Cissoko covering the slot. Either way, he will see the field early and often and might be our best recruit.

Next Year: Starter or a lot of PT at DB

Career: 3-year starter. All-American

Quinton Washington 6-4/322: I think he has the most potential in this class behind Campbell and Turner. I would call him a sleeper as a 3* on Scout, but ESPN has him as U-M’s top recruit making for an unfair assessment. He has a chance to be in the two deep this year, but like the other O-Linemen a redshirt would be ideal. He is the most physically ready of the three to play early, expect a major impact.

Next Year: Backup and will see some time

Career: 3-year starter if he doesn’t redshirt. All-Big Ten and possibly All-American potential

Adrian Witty 6-1/185: I can’t really give a fair analysis of him. U-M didn’t just offer him because of his connection with Denard Robinson though. They would have taken him even without a Robinson commit. He is fairly athletic and can play receiver as well. My guess is they will try him in at DB, as it is a more pressing need.

Next Year: Redshirt

Career: Special Teamer, depth

Overall, this class is a definite top ten with top stud recruits in Campbell and Turner and two QB’s, which was the programs biggest need. U-M also has several players on the O-Line that could become multiple year starters. They also brought in several players that are much better fits on offense for what RichRod is trying to do, as well as some great athletes on the defensive side of the ball. U-M’s class varies in ranking by the services quite a bit (although MSU has about 20 spots difference depending on where you look). It’s probably not as high as Rivals ranks them and not as low as Scout does. These recruiting services have there own agendas in mind when ranking these kids and classes (I will post on that some day). What is important is that you fill your team’s need with quality players. Even if the class is lower ranked, filling needs makes the class more valuable to the school. I am extremely happy with this class especially considering the 3-9 season and the negative recruiting surrounding the RichRod and the program. For those that took shots at the program last year, you might be eating your words in the very near future (paging Mark Dantonio…..)

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Today’s post is brought to you by my neighbors “broken” washing machine. Seriously the trap is just clogged and a wire hanger coupled with some Drano will do the trick. No need to call the land lord, or use my washing machine for a month…

Well another year of recruiting has came and passed as of yesterday. Rich Rodriguez has his first year of recruiting under his belt and everyone in the 2009 class was recruited by him. In this post I will outline every position and what recruits Michigan got at those respective positions. Also, I know not everyone who reads this blog is a Michigan fan, so I will briefly outline recruiting classes for Michigan State as well as Notre Dame.

But…first things first! Michigan’s 2009 recruiting class by position accompanied with horribly optimistic comparisons.

At QB Michigan landed 4 star recruit Tate Forcier (enrolled in January) as well as 4 star ATH Denard Robinson. A good comparison to Forcier is Colt McCoy. Both are a little undersized and both don’t have the strongest arm. On the other hand both are quite quick and are deadly accurate throwing the ball. Denard Robinson is not listed as a QB to Rivals, but has played QB his whole life. He too is a little undersized, but runs a sub 4.4 40 yard dash. Direct comparisons to Pat White are inevitable. Overall Michigan got 2 QB’s which they desperately needed and both of them fit Rich Rodriguez’s system very well.

At RB Michigan received commitments from 4 star recruit Fitzgerald Toussaint and 3 star recruits Teric Jones and Vincent Smith. With current depth at the RB position this was not a pressing need in this class yet Michigan still landed a pretty good change of pace back with Fitz Toussaint. A good comparison to all of these RB’s would be a person like Steve Slaton or CJ Spiller. All three are small, quick types that do best running outside the tackles.

At WR Michigan landed 4 star recruits Je’Ron Stokes, Cameron Gordon, and Jeremy Gallon. All of them are in the Rivals top 250 and Stokes is close to the top 100. Stokes and Gordon are more of an outside WR type to compliment Greg Matthews who is better suited as a #2 WR. Stokes is a game changer and I think compares well to Derek Williams out of Penn State. Both can stretch the field vertically and both are very reliable catching the ball as well as being reliable running routes. Gordon is more of a bigger possession type receiver who compares well with Jason Avant. Jeremy Gallon will play slot WR and (hopefully?) can return some kicks. Gallon is lightning quick and really can make plays out of nothing. Unfortunately, Gallon was a QB in high school so he will have to learn the WR position a little more. Depth at every WR position was an issue and is no longer an issue. Great group coming in and also two great WR’s coming in 2010 (Ricardo Miller and Jeremy Jackson.)

Michigan recruited no TE in this class because there are many on the current roster and Rich Rodriguez doesn’t really utilize the TE position very much anyway.

At OL Michigan landed 4 star tackles in Michael Schofield and Taylor Lewan. Lewan was kind of a late bloomer and is said to have a massive up side. Schofield has been a top 250 recruit all along. Michigan also got 4 star guard Quinton Washington, another top 250 recruit. Because OL are very hard to project I am going to spare you all the uselessness. On the other hand, all three are rated very well after a year where Michigan took six OL so we now have depth on the OL that won’t make you want to vomit (2008.)

At DB Michigan landed 4 star recruits Justin Turner (borderline 5 star) and Vladimir Emilien, 3 star recruits Thomas Gordon and Mike Jones and 2 star recruit Adrian Witty. Turner is a stud who locked down top rated receiver Reuben Randle in the Army All American Game. He will be looked on to help almost immediately by playing slot DB or possibly safety, but ultimately his future is certainly at CB. Direct comparisons to any tall lockdown CB are in order so why not just say Charles Woodson. Emilien is a big safety who was hampered by an injury his senior year. Everything I have heard about him recently is very good as well, and he has enrolled early. Early playing time could also be in order for him with a comparison to one of my favorite Wolverines, Marcus Ray. Thomas Gordon, Mike Jones and Adrian Witty are all depth type of players. Unless something miraculous happens I don’t really see them becoming starters, rather being involved in nickel coverage and special teams. A position switch for Mike Jones is also possible to LB. Although we added 5 recruits at this position, I really would have liked one more quality guy here. Jayron Hosley was our closest bet and sadly he chose Virginia Tech. Quality is not an issue in 2009, but talented depth could be.

At LB Michigan received commitments from 3 star recruits Isaiah Bell and Brandin Hawthorne. Bell (borderline 4 star) played very well at the Under Armor All America Game, but at safety. His future is somewhat of a question mark. I personally believe he will end up at LB at Michigan with a little help from Mike Barwis to add a few pounds. Brandin Hawthorne is a recruit that I outlined in my first recruiting post. I really like this kid. Although he is somewhat undersized (possibly knocking him down to a 3 star) he hits very hard and seems to have a knack for finding the football. Both of these recuits are hard to project because they play a LB/S hybrid type of position which hasn’t really been seen at Michigan before. I guess the best example would be Cato June (played S while at Mich.)

At DE Michigan was somehow able to keep Brandon Graham away from the NFL for one more year, thus making the position a little less of a pressing need, but still a big need none the less. 4 star recruits Craig Roh and Anthony LaLota were both top 250 guys and both played in All America games. During those games, Roh saw his stock drastically rise (borderline top 100) and LaLota’s fell a bit. Roh is a speed rusher who is very polished and could have an impact as soon as this year. LaLota on the other hand is a strong side rusher who only has one year of football under his belt. Because of a lack of experience LaLota will most likely have to red shirt. I really think Roh will end up being a VERY good player and I think comparing him to Jason Taylor is very reasonable.

At DT Michigan landed 5 star recruit William Campbell (Thor) and that’s it. Although Big Will is an awesome recruit, depth at DT was a necessity and Michigan suffered decommitments from DeQuinta Jones and Pearlie Graves. This sucks. Because of a lack of depth at the position (Taylor and Johnson graduated) Big Will is penciled in as a starter along side of Mike Martin. After those two there is a severe lack of depth. Graves and Jones were both 4 star recruits and it would have been nice to be able to keep at least one. It is possible to add a DT who has struggled with grades or a 2 star that still is yet to sign. Hopefully that happens…

Michigan also received a commitment from 2 star kicker Brendan Gibbons (kickers don’t really get rated above a 3 star.) Apparently Gibbons was hitting 60 yard field goals in practice, so he has a good leg. He will be playing right away.

Rich Rodriguez talking about his 2009 class...

All in all this class is very good I think. After having forgettable season last year Michigan finished with the #7 overall class for 2009 according to Rivals (I personally dislike Scout so I go strictly by Rivals results.) QB needs were addressed as well as needs at DE and WR. Man would I have liked another DB and DT though. I guess you can’t get everything you want can you?

Michigan State finished the year with the #16 overall class for 2009 finishing third in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State and Michigan. State even beat out Penn State for the number three spot. State cleaned up in the state of Michigan picking up 12 commitments there. Headliners for the class include RB Edwin Baker (top 100), OL David Barnett (top 100), QB Andrew Maxwell (top 250) and LB Chris Norman (top 250.) Michigan State has a VERY balanced group of kids coming in and all in all seemed to do extremely well. This is a great class for Mark Dantonio and could set up well for him in the future.

Notre Dame finished the year with the #21 overall class for 2009. This was somewhat of a down year for ND recruiting. A mixture of recent success recruiting and lack of production on the field could be a factor here as well as the uncertainty of Charlie Weis’ future. Highlights from this year’s class include LB Manti Te’o (#12 overall recruit), WR Shaquelle Evans (top 250), OL Chris Watt (top 100), LB Zeke Motta (top 100), and RB Cierre Wood (top 250.) Obviously Manti Te’o is a huge recruit being ranked as highly as he is and him paired with Zeke Motta will do wonders for their LB corps. This class also included two kickers, a long snapper, and Mike Golic’s son Jake Golic who is a 2 star recruit probably strictly because of his last name. Overall this class has to be disappointing to ND fans.

If you made it this far maybe you to are as obsessed with recruiting as I am, or maybe you are just a State or ND fan and had to scroll all the way to the bottom. Needless to say, a lot happened yesterday on National Signing Day.

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I have to say, I am disgusted with the NFL officiating this year. The entire year has been about as bad as before they implemented Instant Replay. And to cap things off, the ending of the Super Bowl was probably the most controversial play of all. Not to mention, all fans of the NFL were deprived of seeing the most exciting play in football, the Hail Mary, to end the Super Bowl!!!!

Just how bad was the officiating this year? Well, an NFL official has publicly apologized for making the wrong call twice. Once was the infamous Jay Cutler “incomplete pass,” which I blogged about earlier in the year. The other, while not being as controversial, was the Tomlinson “forward pass” that happened at the end of that fantastic Chargers-Steelers game, and resulted in a devastating loss for my fantasy team. There was also the Santonio Holmes catch against Baltimore, which I am still skeptical as to if the ball actually crossed the plane. Lastly, a little closer to home, there was the Leigh Bodden “pass interference” call against the Minnesota Vikings, which cost the Lions their only win of the season.

And now, to cap off a year of lackluster and potentially game changing officiating, the refs blew two calls in the last minute of the Super Bowl. The first was the Santonio Holmes ball prop celebration, and the far more egregious “fumble” call.

While we could go back and forth all day about that particular call, I will begin by simply displaying the video.



Due to the piss poor camera angle, the best way to analyze is to look at Warner’s body movement before Woodley hits him. As you can see his hips and shoulders are moving forward before Woodley hits him. However, this is one of the closest fumble/incomplete pass plays I have ever seen. So, this play is one of the closest plays ever, in one of the best games of all time, and the replay official isn’t even going to take more than one look? Not even going to get another set of eyes on it? **COUGH** STEELERS FAN **COUGH COUGH**

No matter how you look at the Warner play, you have to admit it was handled poorly. Decisions like these are the difference between wins and losses, between champions and losers. After such blunders as those listed above, there has to be a change. Lucky for you, I have the solution: technology.

If football is a game of inches, technology could make it a game of nanometers.

If you know anything about microeconomics, you know that incentive will encourage innovation. The NFL has a huge incentive to fix this problem because replay isn’t enough, and they also have very deep pockets.

So, what am I proposing exactly? Just a complete revolution! The NFL already relies on computers and technology with video replay, using more technology and more advanced technology is just the next logical step towards the goal of a perfectly officiated game.

Any change in the review system has to be a balance of four things: (1) increase objectivity, (2) maintaining quick game pace, (3) decrease mistakes, and (4) maintain the tradition and sanctity of the game.

My first suggestion is to have a goal line invisible fence. Such a fence would probably use similar laser technology to those already widely implemented in golf simulators. Basically, the function of this fence would be to tell if the ball crossed the plane, but at a higher level it could also make the determination of if a player was down before the ball crossed the plane. If the invisible fence were to have a timer on it, the fence machine could measure the exact time the ball crossed the plane. By syncing the game clock with the invisible fence and the TV broadcast, a review official could fast forward the review to the exact millisecond when the ball crossed the plane and simply look at a freeze frame to determine if the player was down or not. Video review of that play would be a snap shot rather than a moving picture guess.

Together with the above stated technology, you could immediately improve a vast number of things. Simply by inserting sensors in the ball itself, measuring in correlation to the invisible fence, a computer could easily tell what direction the ball was moving, as well as how far away from the goal line the ball is. These two relatively wide spread pieces of electronics would vastly improve ball spot accuracy and eliminate the fumble/incomplete pass dilemma. If this technology is employed, the NFL could also simply add sensors to the first down chains or another invisible fence type gadget to quickly determine first downs or not.

Lastly, if feasible, include a touch sensor on the ball, somehow measuring ball control and possession. This last part is more than likely science fiction with today’s present technology, but if the easily implemented NFL officiating technology is successful and profitable, innovators and companies a huge incentive to create.

Each of these pieces of technology accomplishes three out of my four goals. Objectivity and accuracy are obviously accomplished, while the game pace would certainly improve because most of these additions would actually speed up video reviews or provide instant feedback.

But in order to maintain the sanctity of the game, I am not proposing firing all officials. Instead maintain the replay rules. Each team gets 2 challenges, but a technology challenge would be part of it. Instead of simply correcting an eye level human call with a technology result, a red flag would have to be thrown to see the result of the NFL officiating technology.

The NFL could team up with television companies like ESPN, FOX, CBS, and NBC. The technology the NFL implements could be synced and shown to all the people at home in unique and aesthetically pleasing ways, enhancing thee viewer’s experience Of course there would probably have to be some rule delaying broadcasters from showing the technology results until after the coach has a chance to challenge. The red flag challenge would be decided not by coaching intuition, but simply because someone associated with the team was watching NBC.

The NFL needs to change something so winners and losers are not determined on close (non-reviewed) plays. Technology such as what I have suggested is the next logical step. The NFL should entice innovators with large contracts to create the technology to solve their officiating predicament.

NOTE: If you have lots of capital and happen to be an entrepreneur and would like to start a business with me and my ideas, please email me at Dashiz008@gmail.com. I do have an electrical engineering degree...☺

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I hope that everyone enjoyed superbowl XLIII as much as I did. I must say going into this game I was a little nervous about the Cardinals hot streak continuing but Big Ben and the Super Steelers were able to pull out an EPIC win.

Now some may ask - "why do you care about the Steelers, I thought you were a Lions fan?" - so let me give a little context as to my Pittsburgh allegiance before I talk a bit about the game. Growing up, my best friend was from Pittsburgh. I spent many a hours watching Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Panthers, you name it games. I have grown to love the city for its sports and it doesn't hurt that Ben Roethlisberger is a stunning replica of myself at about 6-5, 245. What a stud.

Back to the game. The first half could have provided a little more excitement - who has ever heard of Gary Russel or Ben Patrick? The highlight of the first 30 minutes was the doritos crystal ball - until James Harrison made the longest play in superbowl history. His pick 6 (Good call Bishop!) was a game changer and really looked like it would deflate the Cardinals' hopes and dreams. What a play and what an amazing athlete. Bill Cowher is a great coach but how did he not see the potential that this guy had? He cut him 3 times! Another reason Mike Tomlin should be coach of the decade but we can save that for another day...

Halftime: Bruce Springstein = Legendary. Not gonna lie I was a little distracted and didn't catch the whole thing but that guy still knows how to rock...

Needless to say it was nothing but excitement heading into the second half for the 2% of us in the world actually rooting for the Steelers instead of the underdog Cardinals. Harrison's play was a game changer and looked to set the tone for a blowout. However all that excitement would quickly turn. 

Larry Fitzgerald has proven himself to be one of the greatest recievers to ever play the game and he showcased his superiority over every other reciever in the league in this one. Look at his versatility - scoring a 1 yard touchdown where he simply outjumped and outplayed the defender and a 64 yarder where he outran everyone including the defensive player of the year in the regular season - Harrison - and arguably the best defensive player in the postseason - Polamalu. These catches will get the highlights but he made a few others for first downs that kept the Cards in the game and gave them the ability to make their comeback. This kid is sick. I think I will take him in the first round of every fantasy draft I ever take part in for the rest of his career. 

While Larry got all of the props this postseason for recievers (deservedly so...), the catch that Santonio Holmes made to win the game was incredible. Though I was getting nervous toward the end because of all the bad Lions karma Terp tried to rub on me with his #20 Lions jersey (as beautiful as it was...), Santonio saved the day. He showed up HUGE tonight (wish he woulda done that in the regular season - the super bowl MVP and my 5th round pick did a lot of good for me this year) and made arguably one of the best catches in Superbowl history. Though Big Ben with always be my MVP, Holmes deserved the spotlight and recognition he got because he won the game for the Steel Curtain with that catch. Not only was this Superbowl better than last years but that catch was more impressive than David Tyree's. What a way to cap off the game.

Congrats to both the Steelers and Cards on an amazing and entertaining game - the best football game I have watched in years.

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