Before I get into the awesomeness that happened at 6:30 on Sunday night I want to take this time to apologize for my extended absence from writing. I have been busy, but mostly I just haven’t been struck by anything in particular to write about. As Nate put so eloquently, there is a ton of stuff going on this week so I too plan on being an active participant this week.
On that note, today’s post is brought to you by procrastination. Why post today? I can ALWAYS wait till tomorrow…sorry guys.
Ed DeChellis (Head Coach at Penn State) and Tom Izzo split the coach of the year award in the Big Ten this year. Congratulations to both of them are in order for very productive and successful years. Now that my manners are out of the way, I want to tell you that it’s bull crap that both of them won this award over John Beilein.
DeChellis’s Nittany Lions went 15-16 last year and finished seventh in the Big Ten with a 7-11 conference record. Compare that to this year at 22-11 and 10-8 and you can see a significant improvement over the year. Izzo on the other hand, led his Spartans to a 27-9 record last year with a 12-6 Big Ten record. This year the Spartans went 26-6 and 15-3 respectively. Izzo maintained the excellence he so frequently demands and gets out of his players this year.
John Beilein on the other hand went 10-22 last year with a second to last place 5-13 Big Ten record. This year, not only did the records change to 22-10 overall and 9-9 Big Ten, but Beilein’s Wolverines are NCAA Tournament bound for the first time in ten years. After changing around his starters for a big portion of the non conference schedule, he finally settled on starting 4 guards and one forward for most of the Big Ten schedule and into the post season. In a conference loaded with talent (MSU I am talking about you) Michigan starts a pudgy, white freshmen shooting guard at power forward (Zach Novak.) Michigan also starts a committee of walk-ons at point guard or occasionally the defensive liability Kelvin Grady. With not a single starter taller than 6’8 and no smell of a 5 star recruit since the ‘sigh’ Ellerbee days, Beilein was able to completely flip the teams record in one year from the worst in school history to being NCAA Tournament bound.
When it all comes down to brass tacks, DeChellis did a lesser form of what Beilein did but with more experienced players and no past NCAA sanctions looming over his head. Izzo had a great season and his Spartans won the conference out right for the first time since 2001, but does he start any walk-ons? When was the last time Izzo was ever as talent deprived as Michigan is now? Oh yeah, I know, it was before Michigan got in trouble by the NCAA. Congratulations Tom for doing exactly what everyone thought you would do, win, and do so with excessive amounts of talent. So, although both Izzo and DeChellis had admirable seasons, neither of them stacks up even close to what Beilein has accomplished in his short tenure at Michigan.
As for Thursday’s game against Clemson, I pretty much agree with every bit of analysis that Nate has brought up. Although on paper Michigan is an underdog (10 seed and +5.5 points to Vegas,) they are by no means EXPECTED to lose. With Clemson not being very tall either, our 1-3-1 zone may actually be somewhat effective too.
Remember our team’s motto; shoot first, cross the timeline later. When that doesn’t work remember that DeShawn Sims is on your team. Death to Clemson. Its Great to be a Michigan Wolverine.
John Beilein...
This is NOT about A-Rod or Brett Favre
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.
National Signing Day 2009
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.
Here's to you Darren McCarty
Today’s post is brought to you by “Tell it like it is Guy.” You know when you are at a party or social gathering and there is always this slightly intoxicated tough guy who makes it his own personal agenda to tell everyone the “cold, hard facts?” Well, here’s to you buddy, you are finally getting your just due. Everyone loves you for saying it and we all really appreciate it. If only I could type sarcasm…
The only sport played on a professional level that is completely “self policed” is golf. What I mean by that is that there are no referees or umpires or line judges to tell you when you are breaking rules or cheating. Golf has a book of rules that is updated and printed on a yearly basis and is put out in mass distribution by the USGA. All golfers are expected to follow those rules every time they walk out onto the course.
Laced with pride and tradition, golfers adhere to these rules to keep the game that they know and love the same as it has been for centuries. This means no moving your ball in the rough while no one is looking because there is a tuft of grass in your way that could impose ill will on your shot. It also goes as far as the equipment a golfer uses. Playing with USGA approved balls and clubs throughout the entire tournament as to avoid disqualification. Both of these things are illegal and both of them are very easy to “get away with” when playing in a tournament. Professional golfers don’t do things like that in order to protect the sanctity and tradition of the game.
Although there are referees in hockey, both golf and hockey are “self policed.” Hockey doesn’t exactly have a rule book for its policing, but it does have fists. Yes, fighting is what hockey players use to keep the game in line. There are referees to make sure that things don’t get out of line, but if there is some sort of misunderstanding between two players, fighting is there to solve their problems. Because of hockey’s fast paced nature and physicality, things can get touchy and fighting solves this issue. Without fighting as a way to “solve” ones anger a hockey player can turn to cheap shots to impose his revenge on another player. A great example of this would be what happened to Stephen Kampfer against Michigan State (my last post.) Sadly, due to liability issues, fighting is not allowed in collegiate hockey and has been strictly banned by the NCAA. But, fighting is legal in every level of professional hockey.
All hockey players, like golfers, greatly respect their game. Fighting has been a part of hockey since the first puck was dropped in 1875 in Montreal and it is a part of the game to this day. Two men get into a fight over a big hit earlier in the game or about whose girlfriend is hotter and they settle it between themselves. Four fists and a temporary break in the flow of the game. After all is said and done the two players skate away from each other and the game continues. That exact process is what keeps the game in line and keeps Happy Gilmore from taking off his skate and trying to stab someone with it. All hockey players respect this and all hockey players know that if they get out of line, a fight is more than likely headed their direction.
Exciting and entertaining for the fans, fighting will always be a part of hockey. Because of many “made” careers in the NHL, fighting is not as prevalent at that level as it is in lower professional levels (Grand Rapids Griffins.) But fighting will always be there and will always be hockey player’s way of keeping order out on the ice.
People who disagree with the allowance of fighting within professional ranks will argue its true meaning to the game itself. I would respond by asking what the true meaning of the BCS is to college football. Both might not have direct influences on the game, but both are serving a purpose and both aren’t going away for a long, long time.
Criminal Intent
First on the docket is a general announcement from yours truly. With the growth of this blog and my personal desire to participate with its expansion, it is my goal to post every Thursday. This policy will start with this week Thursday so look forward to something creative and inspiring or...curt and opinionated (haven't quite settled on a topic yet!). Hope you all enjoy!
Today’s post is brought to you by Wendy’s 3conomics. Seriously those three value menu sandwiches are totally awesome. I strongly suggest a Double Stack, Junior Bacon Cheeseburger or a Crispy Chicken Sandwich from there anytime you are hungry and short on cash.
So, Michigan played Michigan State last weekend in hockey. I personally have been to Yost Arena two times, and let me tell you, it is absolutely CRAZY there. The game atmosphere and the crowd are extremely intense. If you are a hockey fan, or a Michigan fan, you should seriously consider going to a game or two; you won’t be disappointed.
Michigan finished off a season sweep of the Spartans on Saturday to end up 5-0 against MSU this year. Michigan is currently rated the number eight team in the nation and could be in line for a number one seed heading into the tournament this year. Michigan is currently 18-8 and atop the CCHA standings. Michigan State, however, is a direct antithesis to our boys in blue and are sitting at 7-15-3 and in the leagues basement.
Rivalry games are always hard fought, tough victories. Saturday’s game however, was a bit more than a rough victory for the Wolverines.
Ridiculous Michigan State Frustration
Above is a video link to the hit during the game I am referring to.
After watching this in total disgust there are a few things you should know. First, fighting is NOT allowed in collegiate hockey. Second, Stephen Kampfer is actually alive and conscious. And third, Kampfer’s Dad has been speculated to have gone into the Spartan locker room and had a bit of a “tussle” with Corey Tropp (the second MSU player in on the action.)
The two Spartan players involved are Corey Tropp (mentioned earlier) and Andrew Conboy. After the game MSU’s coach said that Tropp would likely get a two game suspension and Conboy would “likely stay home” next weekend when State goes to Lake Superior State University.
Folks, that is NOT a punishment; it isn’t even a slap on the wrist. These kids are getting out of a few games each amidst a dismal season at best as a result of violent and malicious behavior out on the ice. Kampfer put a good legal hit on Tropp and the two retaliated and put Kampfer in the hospital and their punishment is a two game suspension? Ridiculous! These kids should be kicked off the team for good. There is absolutely no place for that kind of action on any playing field much less in a college atmosphere where fighting isn’t even legal. The NHL would have came down on them WAY harder and at the professional level of hockey, where fighting isn’t even banned.
The punishment administered by the CCHA is supposed to be released on Friday, but anything short of a complete dismissal isn’t enough. If Tropp and Conboy did this exact same action out on the street they would be charged for assault and battery and would be staring jail time right in the face. Also, anything short of a complete dismissal will more than likely lead to complete Armageddon on ice next year between the two schools.
So please CCHA; “for your Mother’s sake and for your Daughter’s sake,” kick them out of your league.
Thank-You John Elway
Today’s post is brought to you by Circuit City. Thanks for tanking like crazy and folding like a little girl playing dodgeball to Best Buy. If it wasn’t for you I would have had to pay like twenty dollars more for another Playstation 3 controller. Friendly suggestion, go there, stuff is crazy cheap.
This post should be brought to you by John Elway because he is a lot of the reason why Michigan’s new defensive coordinator Greg Robinson has the pedigree he does.
Anyway, Greg Robinson is the new DC at Michigan and as I am sure most of you have heard, he just got fired from Syracuse; the same Syracuse who doesn’t have Donovan McNabb, Dwight Freeney, or Marvin Harrison anymore. That’s important because it was also the last time Syracuse had major recruits enrolling in their athletics department. Greg Robinson inherited a terrible situation at ‘Cuse and, for lack of a better explanation, didn’t make it better. Syracuse was his only real experience as a head coach and in this time he lost a recruit to Central Michigan and also made the best out of a defense which was astonishingly deprived of talent.
Other notes of accomplishment of Greg Robinson are that he was the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos for six years and won 2 Super Bowls with them. His defenses finished at or near the top ten in four of those years. After his tenure with Denver he took a job at Kansas City which I am sure he would like to forget. His defense at Kansas City finished near the basement of the NFL for all three years in which he was DC. It is my personal opinion that his performance there was not his fault at all. Kansas City put little to no money into their defense during the time he was there and they expected great things to happen. Sound familiar Lions fans? After being let go by the Chiefs he took a job being a DC for Mack Brown in Texas. That year the Longhorns finished with the best defense in the Big-12 and ended up beating Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Mack Brown loved him and so did his players. After a stellar year with Texas he took the Syracuse head coaching job which I know he regrets.
So now that Robinson’s background is out of the way, here is my opinion.
At first thought I hated the hire because he has a terrible track record as a recruiter and to me, recruiting is one of the most important aspects of college football. Upon further review I am talking myself into liking it more. Rich Rodriguez loves recruiting and so does most of his staff. Jay Hopson (Linebackers Coach) is a big time recruiter on the defensive side of the ball as well. Having Greg Robinson on staff who holds two Super Bowl rings brings instant credibility to the staff and Rich Rodriguez and his recruiting staff could really exploit that. Greg Robinson himself? Not so much. I like his credentials and I am assuming that he is good schematically (Rich Rod took a long time trying to find the best available person for the job) so I am hoping for good things for next year. But, its not like he is replacing greatness either. Scott Shafer didn’t exactly light the world on fire with his “worst defense at Michigan in forty years.”
All in all I seem to like him a lot when he has talent to work with and only has to worry about setting up a defensive scheme. If he has increased responsibility from that I will be legitimately worried, even more so if he actually has to hit the recruiting trail. That being said, walking into a family’s living room with the winged helmet in hand is vastly different from doing the same with a Syracuse helmet.
Always remember...“Those who stay WILL be champions!”
A Man Among Boys
Today’s post is brought to you by expired college ID’s. Seriously my Calvin College ID has saved me a few hundred dollars over the years past its expiration. Doesn’t really compare to the thousands I gave that place while I was there I guess.
I want to reach out a bit and write about a person in college sports that I really admire. Someone who puts a face to a college program and actually gives it a good name. Not a person like Colt McCoy who is the face of the Texas Longhorns and has been arrested for drunk driving, or a person like Michael Vick who loved killing man’s best friend. No. I want to take a stance and say that I truly admire Tim Tebow.
Coming out of high school as somewhat of an uber-recruit, Tim Tebow’s name was scattered all across the college football landscape as the kid that everyone wanted. Before every college football head coach in the nation was calling his house, sending him letters and e-mails, Tim Tebow was living in the Philippines with his parents doing missionary work for his church. Spreading the word of God to countless people overseas that need it and are persecuted for it. After an entire childhood in the Philippines Tim headed back to the states so he could play football for a high school. Tim starred as a dual threat quarterback on the field; and off the field, every summer; Tim went back to the Philippines to help his dad with the mission work and his family’s orphanage.
After accepting a full scholarship to play at the University of Florida, Tim played a major role as a freshmen QB splitting time with the nominal starter Chris Leak. The two QB’s ended up leading Florida to a national championship over Ohio State. The next year Tim took over the reigns as starting QB since Chris Leak had graduated. Tim went on to become the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy and he led his team into the Capitol One bowl against Michigan. Healthy for the first time really that year, Michigan went on to win that game and send off Lloyd Carr as a champion. This was somewhat ironic because Michigan was in on the recruitment of Tim Tebow almost until the bitter end (he ended up choosing Florida over Alabama.) Heading into the offseason many people said that in 2008, Florida, with Tebow at the helm, was going to be the team to beat. That again proved to be true as Tim Tebow led Florida to its second National Championship during his tenure there.
Because Tim Tebow plays QB differently than a prototypical NFL QB does, his draft status isn’t exactly the same as someone like Sam Bradford or Matthew Stafford. Understanding that leaving early for the NFL draft probably is not a good idea, Tim decided a few days ago to stay at Florida for his senior year. Florida again will be the cream of the college football crop with Tebow back for his last year, but that’s not all Tim plans on doing next year. He will also graduate with a degree in Family, Youth and Community Sciences. Even though Tim would not be a first round selection in the NFL draft, he very easily could ditch out on his senior year and take the money provided to him by some NFL team. Instead he plans to stay in college, graduate, and try to leave his mark of college football as one of its all time greatest players. This such honor would place him along sides of people like: Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Archie Griffin, or even Tom Harmon (Michigan’s “everything” HB from 1939-40.) But in my eye Tim is already a step ahead of all of these people. What Tim does in the Philippines with his family is unmatched by any one of the so-called College Football Greats.
I am sure that if any one reading this actually watched this years BCS National Championship you probably heard countless times about all the great things Tim has done. But seriously, they are all said for a very good reason. I am not trying to say that if you spend 5 minutes with Tim Tebow your life is suddenly better; rather I am saying to admire him for what he has done on and off the gridiron. Tim Tebow truly is a man among boys.
Seguir leyendo...A Beaverless year...
Welcome readers, today’s post is brought to you by the ineptitude of Davenports WiFi network. Seriously guys, wireless networks aren’t that hard to control.
In any event today’s post is going to be about one of my favorite topics, Michigan Football recruiting. Most people don’t get caught up in recruiting until signing day but I guess I am not most people. Keep in mind that everything I say is NOT set in stone in any way.
So…Shavodrick Beaver decommited and then switched schools to Tulsa. Yeah, uh, maybe he really does want to be the next Shaun King? Different school, pretty much the same scenario. Folks, this actually is kind of a big deal. Right now Tate Forcier is the only scholarship QB Michigan has on its list of recruits for next year. Right now Michigan is targeting Denard Robinson from Florida. He is listed as an athlete on rivals and is a 4 star recruit who actually is rated slightly about the Beaver. If he came to Michigan he would have a chance at QB but most likely would end up at receiver or CB (based mostly on need) after a red shirt year. He is a possibility but he isn’t exactly the answer I think we were all looking for. Michigan is putting a lot of eggs in Tate’s basket but frankly I can think of worse baskets to be in.
Other less likely options for QB in this class include Tajh Boyd and Eugene Smith. Tyrik Rollison (Rivals #2 dual threat QB) most likely wont qualify academically so is not being recruited for that reason. Tajh Boyd has been committed to West Virginia and Tennessee but as of right now isn’t committed anywhere. Michigan is not realy recruiting him to hard which is somewhat strange because he is very talented, but they may be sold on the fact that he truly is either committing to Oregon of Ohio State. Eugene Smith is a current West Virginia commit and Rivals #5 dual threat QB. Smith maintained interest in Michigan for roughly a month with Beaver and Forcier still committed at the time. He is most certainly an option still for this year, but given his current commitment to WVU it may be hard to persuade him to come to Michigan where there will be more competition.
On a brighter side, if my idea for the starting QB spot is actually correct (Tate Forcier to end up being the starter by the end of the year and possibly earlier,) then any other QB who would have signed with this class would more than likely be red shirted. That being the case, maybe saving a scholarship for the likes of Devin Gardner (2010 QB from Inkster, MI) isn’t a half bad idea. He is a teammate of current 2009 commit Cameron Gordon and is projected as a top 50 ish player for 2010. I am not trying to say that losing the Beaver was in any way a good thing, but it may have a silver lining with Gardner. Aside from Gardner, AJ Westendorp is also an option to be a preferred walk-on to Michigan for 2009. He is from Holland Christian and has picked up quite a bit of a buzz around West Michigan. Currently he holds an offer from GVSU but that’s it. I don’t think he will ever get an offer from Michigan, but he is a smart kid and could get academic scholarships from UM. Maybe scholarships mixed in with an opportunity to play QB at Michigan will be enough to sway him our way.
As for Michigan recruiting for positions other than QB, we landed Will Campbell (again) to no ones particular surprise. Rich Rod needed a big year recruiting the defensive line and he got it. Will Campbell, Craig Roh and Anthony LaLota are all in the Rivals 250 and big Will is Rivals #25. Michigan also currently has Pearlie Graves and DeQuinta Jones who are both 4 star recruits. A decommitment from one of the two is possible but in my opinion, not probable. This years defensive line recruits, if all stay committed, could be really special and could make us forget quickly about the loss of Terrance Taylor, Will Johnson, and Tim Jaimison.
To be honest the only positions we really need to add more depth to are: QB (as stated earlier), CB, OL, and WR. Michigan just lost the commitment of Dewayne Peace, a 3 star WR who was a camp offer in the summer. Losing Peace, this leaves Cameron Gordon as our only true outside WR in this class. Adding Je’Ron Stokes is a definite possibility though as he is visiting Ann Arbor this month. CB on the other hand is a bit more of a reach. A few high profile guys have us on their list like Dre Kirkpatrick, but I would say we have about as good of a chance at getting him as we did getting Ted Ginn Jr. a few years back. The most likely CB prospect currently for Michigan is Jayron Hosely out of Florida. He is a 4 star recruit and you can expect Michigan to push hard for him. After that it gets a little dicey. Michigan may have to add a few “shots in the dark” type of recruits to get the number of needed CB’s for this year. Michigan currently has 2 pretty good OL recruits in Taylor Lewan and Michael Scholfield. Adding Quinton Washington (4 star) is possible and at this point probable. After that I might expect maybe one more OL to be added.
Please let this not discount from that fact that I really really want Jelani Jenkins. He would be an immediate starter at linebacker and he is arguably the best recruit in all the land. Also remember it is severely doubtful he actually does go to Michigan, my guess is a Florida lead for him.
It is conceivable that Michigan could end up with a couple more 5 star recruits and a few more 4 star recruits. It is also possible that they add a few more mediocre players and are done for the year. As always I am hoping for the best of the best, but the exciting part about tracking recruiting the way I do is the fact that recruits constantly change their mind. You never know what kind of “snake oil” could be in Michigan’s future.
Seguir leyendo...The Lions "Super Bowl" and Recruiting Update
This post is brought to you by Davenport University. That is where I will be attending starting in January and further adding me to the potentially unemployed list starting in the calendar year of 2009. If that happens you can be rest assured that my posting will increase significantly…
0-14.
That’s where we sit with the New Orleans Saints coming to town Sunday afternoon. As everyone knows, the Lions and whether or not they finish their perfectly blemished record off this year has been a very hot topic nationally, locally and on this blog.
I did something yesterday I thought I would never do, I called into a local radio show. I always thought the only call I would ever make would be to Jim Rome mainly because he runs the only radio show available in Grand Rapids that I actually respect. But…I called into the Huge show. Ugh. My main reason of calling was to name drop Ryan Terpstra on his show and get a response from Huge. All hilarity aside I really just want to comment on his topic from that show. Huge as well as many of his listeners think that its OK to call yourself a Lions fan and still root for them to finish perfectly blemished. That’s crap. If you call yourself a fan it is absolutely never acceptable for you to wish defeat upon them. Huge made a comparison after I got off the line about the Lions season and your fandom being similar to your “favorite” restaurant serving you terrible food for 16 straight appearances. I had to think this was just completely absurd because I am fairly certain that if you received a terrible meal once from your so called favorite restaurant, you would not label it your favorite any longer. Sports and fandom are completely different. Hard times or good times, you should absolutely always root for your team to win.
Which leads me into justifying my post from a month or so ago about the Lions finishing “defeated.”
I, like anyone, want to see the Lions win the Super Bowl. Next to a U-M national championship I personally can’t think of anything better in the sports world for me.
So long as Bill Ford Sr. is running this team we can all keep it locked in our heads as a pipe dream until his resignation or death. Some form of change is going to happen and we all have no idea what that may be but one thing is for certain. The Lions are loosing money as we speak, lots of money. Ford Field is half empty every game now and that hits this organization where it hurts the most, their pocket book. Seeing red numbers thrown around on an Excel spreadsheet like Macy’s red stars on shopping bags at Christmas time is never desired. Sadly though, the Lions have been here before finishing not to long ago at 2-14. This team has never smelled the Super Bowl much less contended in the regular season since “his greatness” Barry Sanders unexpected departure. What I think going 0-16 might do, would be to add that extra slap in the face to Bill Ford Sr. possibly encouraging him to hand the team over to his eager son. I can’t predict the future but if that were to happen this season could potentially have a silver lining. Without that exact course of events I just simply don’t see any radical changes being made.
So when Sunday comes along and I am wanting to gouge my eyes out watching this team more than likely put up another “Epic Fail,” just know that I am not rooting for a loss. I care to much about this team to wish defeat upon them, hell I feel like 14 times is enough for one season. Also know that this team will be playing as if they were in a Super Bowl. NO player wants to have the “Only team ever to go 0-16” label affiliated with their name. This is their last chance at home to prove their worth and you know they will come with everything they have. Hopefully for a select few players whom actually deserve a win (Kevin Smith, Calvin Johnson…) they get it, but also know that they are basically the only ones who deserve a W. This organization DESERVES 0-16. Its sad that the players are the ones who really have to live with the label…
Quick U-M recruiting update!
2009 recruiting class
Since my first recruiting post Michigan has added: OL Taylor Lewan, DB Vladimir Emilien, ATH Cameron Gordon, and DT Pearlie Graves, all 4 star prospects. We have also lost by decommitment LB Jordan Barnes. All 4 additions are great and have good upside for the class. I personally don’t believe losing Barnes was a big deal. He was a 3 star LB and Michigan knew he was wavering and didn’t put in a real effort in keeping him. Maybe because Michigan likes its chances with Jelani Jenkins? Doubtful. But LB isn’t a huge position of need now with the current kids in the class and the kids from last years class.
Right now we are sitting at the number 7 overall recruiting class for 2009 and we still have a few needs: Will Campbell, maybe another offensive linemen, and some more defensive backs. Obviously there is always room for the likes of Jelani Jenkins or WR Reuben Randle (the number one overall rated prospect for 2009.) Although they would be nice, don’t get your hopes up. I give it a 10% chance we land either and that may be on the high side…
Michigan Basketball???
Today’s post is brought to you by Sony Playstation. Thanks for building a great controller that literally breaks while I am playing Bioshock. Real cool. Its not like it cost me 55 dollars to get another one or anything. I’m not bitter. Ass hats.
So really? Michigan basketball? Yeah! I’m serious everyone, these kids are gonna be fun to watch this year. As everyone knows last year was about as painful as this years version of anything but “ninja” football. John Beilin has his kids playing hard and playing with a purpose. Another year into the system and big wins have already succumbed to reality. Unranked Michigan upsets UCLA. I watched every play of that game completely expecting to get blown out. They didn’t, they played right along with UCLA and their number one rated recruiting class. Eventually the clocks hit 0:00 and Michigan was singing “Hail to the Victors!”
Could this have been a fluke? Most certainly, but I would like to propose to you why it isn’t. The following day after the UCLA victory Michigan went into another game against a top 5 team in Duke and played VERY competitively. Yes they lost by 15, but last year they would have lost by 40. Michigan survived a scare from Savannah State about a week ago and then went into hostile territory in Maryland last night. Michigan lead at the half only to lose in the end. Normally this would make me upset but given the current state of Michigan hoops I will literally take any minor victory. But seriously, they played hard and gave this Maryland team fits who not to long ago put a whooopin’ on MSU. I am in no means saying that Michigan is better than MSU at basketball, but you can clearly see development. Manny Harris and Sims are making huge strides and Stu Douglass can hit 3’s from all over the court. Adding LaVell Lucas Perry (LLP) to the mix at guard will eliminate a walk on (Merrit) and increase the teams offensive productivity immensely. Defensively this team has been great using the 1-3-1 zone to its advantage, and I have to say, so far I really like it. The team is quick enough defensively to not get burned and they have created a lot of turnovers. I am somewhat concerned about its longevity however. I would like to see some man to man defense so they can be more versatile defensively.
Because of my huge love for Michigan Athletics, I am always excited about basketball season. This year everyone else should be too. They have been competitive and have even won games they have no business winning (UCLA.) Support this team. Go to games. You will be happy in the end of the year when John Beilin has this team in the NCAA tourney. Yes, put it in stone, this team WILL be in the tourney this year. I know its bold and I know I am a homer, but this kind of development is not a fluke. The Big Ten is great as a conference, but John has these kids playin’ well and LLP is only going to add to the mix. With the UCLA victory and a better than .500 mark in the Big Ten this team will make the tourney (probably as like a ten seed or something.)
Watch the development of this team because next year could be special…
Future Maize n' Blue...sadly...
Welcome, todays post is brought to you by Drew Rosenhaus. Only he can smooth talk around the fact that Chad Johnson er…Ocho Cinco slept through a team meeting at 8:30 PM. Spot on buddy.
It has been made known to me that some readers may be interested in learning more about exactly what shape Michigan may be in concerning next years recruiting class. I want to start off by saying that I am in no way an expert on this matter, but I follow it closely. All the information that I have is researched through either rivals.com or espn in one way or another. Oh and my good ole buddy Brian at mgoblog also helps me form my opinions.
First a word about star ratings and what they mean. Kids can be rated anywhere from a 1 star to a 5 star prospect. How many stars kids get is strictly based upon how many different coaches are recruiting the specific prospect. 1 star prospects rarely happen and are generally equate to a walk on at a college. 2 star prospects are generally kids who have came on to the recruiting scene late in their football career and little information about them is widely known. 3 star prospects are very common and can mean a ton of different things. They can be very talented kids of whom little is known about or kids with a ton of speed or kids with a great body type who haven’t really “grown into” their body yet. Other times 3 star prospects can be very polished kids who play for very popular schools and may not have a large upside to them but simply have a lot of exposure because of their situation. These types of players make up a very large portion of D-1 college teams. 4 star players again are very similar to 3 star players but either have more hype about them or are the star of their current high school team. There are a lot less 4 star recruits than 3 star recruits that are available. 5 star recruits are what you would call uber recruits. Everyone in the nation wants them and you can be rest assured that USC is making a big run for them. Most years there are only about 3 dozen kids in the nation who get labeled a 5 star recruit. Michigan’s last 5 star recruit was Donovan Warren.
Star ratings by no means are a guarantee. For example, Kevin Grady was a 5 star “can’t miss” prospect and Mike Hart was a low 3 star recruit. Coaching is still the ultimate determining factor of success or failure, but having a highly rated recruiting class sure helps out a bit.
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2009&School=44
Above is a link to Michigan’s current list of commits for 2009. I’m not going to go through every individual on that list, but I will highlight a few who are good and also a few that I want/hope ending up committing at a later date.
Shavodrick Beaver: A dual threat QB commit from the Friday night lights state of Texas. He played in a nationally televised game against Tyrik Rollison (Rivals 100 recruit) and completely outplayed him. He lists a 4.5 40 yd. dash so he has a ton of speed. Needs some work throwing the ball. My guess is that if at all possible he ends up redshirting his freshmen year because of….
Tate Forcier: Younger brother of ex Michigan QB Jason Forcier. He also is a great dual threat QB recruit out of San Diego. Aside from being very fleet of foot he also owns the nations highest completion percentage for high school QB’s. With a probable early enrollment (along with Beaver) he hopefully will be able to step right into the starting role next year with Threet as his backup.
Both QB’s are enrolling early. This is without a doubt the best news Michigan has in the offseason.
Justin Turner: A defensive back recruit out of Massillon, Ohio. Most likely projects as a safety which we are in dire need of. Right now he is our highest rated overall recruit. This guy is good and if all goes the way I see it he will start along side Stevie Brown next year at the SS position.
Craig Roh and Anthony Lalota: Both are DE recruits which we are also in dire need of. With the graduation of Tim Jaimison and the impending departure of Brandon Graham to the NFL, one if not both could see playing time next year. Craig Roh is the more polished of the two so my money is on Roh to see playing time next year. It would be nice to redshirt Lalota. Both are 4 star prospects and both are in the rivals 250.
Fitzgerald Toussaint: A 4 star RB recruit out of Youngstown, Ohio. Usually this city is pretty much dominated by OSU but somehow Fitz decided that Tressel is a d-bag and wanted to come up north where it smells less like old hot dog water. He is listed at 5-10 and every bit of video I have seen on this kid just screams athleticism. Unfortunately for him, he plays a position that Michigan actually has depth at. To make a bold comparison he would be similar to Felix Jones. Not a starting RB, but a significant change of pace back. Probable redshirt.
Jeremy Gallon: A 4 star WR from Apopka, Florida. He most certainly projects to the newly acquired slot WR spot on the team. This kid is ridiculously fast and athletic. He fits the RichRod style of offense perfectly. I really have no idea if he would redshirt or not but Michigan did take a few slot receiver types last year. Doubtful that they are as quick as he is though.
Brandin Hawthorne: A 3 star LB out of Pahokee, Florida. I know he is a 3 star prospect, but from what I have read I really think he will turn into a special prospect. He plays at a perennial powerhouse in football in the talent rich state of Florida and many kids have commented on how hard he hits people. Michigan’s linebacking core has been lacking recently and adding some intensity to it could really help. He attends the same school as current WR Martavious Odoms, and according to rivals, Pahokee is just loaded with potential for 2010 and 2011. Michigan getting their foot in the sand here could yield huge benefits for years to come.
Obviously other kids could have an impact, all of this is wild speculation by yours truly. That being said its also important to know that none of these kids have signed letters of intent yet because national signing day isn’t until next year. On the contrary, all these kids have expressed a verbal commitment to Michigan for 2009. DeQuinta Jones and Dewayne Peace are kids to watch out for a possible decommitment.
Other kids to look at who MAY commit to Michigan…
William Campbell: 5 star DT recruit from Detroit Cass Tech. Thomas Gordon and Teric Jones, two of his teammates, have already committed to Michigan. He is very likely to commit seeing how he already was committed at one point and has been at basically every Michigan home game this year. He projects to either offensive or defensive line, but I really see no reason why he wouldn’t want to remain at DT. Besides, Michigan needs another quality DT to play aside Mike Martin next year because of the departure of Will Johnson and Terrance Taylor.
Jelani Jenkins: 5 star OLB recruit out of Maryland and the number 4 recruit in all the land. This is somewhat a long shot, but he has maintained Michigan in his top five all year. The only real piece of info about what he wants out of a school was an article about what kind of city he wants to live in and what type of college fits him the best. He essentially described Ann Arbor to a T, but that really means nothing. He would be a HUGE addition to next years class because he plays a position of need and is an uber recruit.
Je’Ron Stokes: A 4 star recruit who is currently committed to Tennessee. He is an outside WR and with the decommitment of Bryce McNeal, this position is very weak in this class. Tennessee lost Phil Fulmer and as we all know coaching changes make a big difference to kids planning on attending that school. He has mentioned Michigan right along with Tennessee so he is a possible recruit, this may take a little bit of snake oil from RichRod.
There are more potential recruits on the horizon, but these are three of the big time ones. Right now Michigan is listed as having the number 8 overall recruiting class for 2009. Most likely adding Will Campbell and filling in the rest I would guess we finish right around that number, give or take 4 spots or so. Athleticism is a very big trend in this class and that trend is continuing into 2010 with the early commits from Ricardo Miller and Jeremy Jackson, both big time WR prospects.
Hopefully all that wasn’t too much for everyone but it was meant to be informative and to shine light on the fact that RichRod is out there getting great players to fit his system and to fill specific needs of the team. Help is on the way everyone!
Hopefully all these kids will be singing “Its Great to be a Michigan Wolverine” in the near future.
Finishing up Defeated
Today’s post is brought to you by my crackberry… for reasons to be explained later in this post.
Last week I went to Detroit with some friends and got to watch the Wings beat the Devils and Marion Hossa score a freakin’ sexy goal. But the following day I got the distinct pleasure of watching the Lions and their Epic Fail against Jacksonville.
Heading into the game I was fairly certain that not only would the Lions get destroyed, but Daunte would do something completely retarded. Come to find out his first completion as a Lion was to the other team, good job, at least you tried your best. I also knew heading into the game that I would spend a few minutes on my crackberry checking my fantasy football team, little did I know that it would be the very thing that kept my sanity throughout the debacle Rod Marinelli orchestrated.
The Lions are 0-9 and on a fast track to being the first winless team in the history of the NFL. Many ‘fans’ are actually rooting for such a thing to happen which I think is ridiculous but it may actually be the ONLY thing that Bill Ford Sr. will notice. Essentially everything within the Lions program is a disaster save Calvin Johnson and a few others.
I want to take a stance and say that I truthfully want the Lions to finish only defeated, no wins, just defeated. I want this to happen not because I think it would be the most hilarious thing to happen to any professional team but because of embarrassment. I want Bill Ford Sr. to actually be embarrassed about his business decisions over the last 30 or so years. Maybe being labeled the worst team in the history of sports will actually provoke some positive action, some good hires, and a resurgence of talent via the draft. If finishing 0-16 isn’t enough to inspire change then the Lions truthfully are hopeless. I love the Lions and want nothing more than for them to be the New England Patriots, but the Fords need to do something big and they need to do it now.
Put this in stone, the only way real change will happen with the Lions is a 0-16 season. So ‘root’ for the loosing season if you will but do it strictly for the purpose of inspiring change, not just the first draft pick.
Which leads me to my next point, did Matt Millen accidentally stumble upon a talented player who actually cares about winning? Kevin Smith sincerely put a smile on my face upon hearing his comments about the game. A third round draft pick from UCF, kind of a hard knocks type of player who has worked hard to get where he is at, and HE is the one who takes a stand for the whole team. Amazing. Hey at least Gosder Cherilus and Jordan Dizon are on track, countless holding and procedure penalties and whiffed special teams tackles respectively. Kevin Smith is the man and I feel terrible that he is forced into such a culture that is the Lions.
Michigan Football and Fandom
Welcome readers, today’s post is brought to you by that guy who takes a poop in the men’s room while you are in there and leaves without washing his hands. It’s because of people like you that normal self- respecting people might be self conscious about shaking your hand.
Onto what may be the most disappointing Michigan game since that opener last year. So much for being undefeated against current MAC teams and so much for our diminishing bowl hopes huh? Aside from pages and pages of expletives that I would like to use to describe my real feelings about the game, I would like to respond to a few other opinions I have heard about the game. Many people have voiced their displeasure with RR not simply lining up and running off tackle with Grady or Minor, simply saying that because we are Michigan we should just be able to out tough Toledo and get out with a win. This is a load of crap for a few reasons. First, our offensive line is absolutely terrible, they can’t block for a zone read stretch play any better than they can for the spread zone read. Second, Grady and Minor both love to fumble the football and have yet to prove that either are a reliable ball carrier. I am certain that if either of them displayed better ball security that RR would go to this far more often than he does.
I also have heard things such as losing to Toledo is “unacceptable” or “not tolerated at Michigan.” My response to those people is…What is acceptable? Lloyd lost to a 1-AA team for cryin’ out loud! I am in no means trying to justify this joke of a game Michigan played, but this team is young and inexperienced and they are all trying to learn an offensive system that maybe 20% of them have ever played before. In addition to that, many of them flat out are just not that talented. This may sound ridiculous but it is evident by just how many different people have played different positions; WR, RB, QB, OL and kick returner have all seen countless different players just to find out who is least likely to screw up. Its sad to say but it is mildly obvious that Lloyd’s recruiting had gone downhill in his last years. This is most evident with the lack of depth in the DE, OL and LB positions. I really dare you to look at the depth chart of those positions and not want to vomit.
Rich has been dealt a more difficult hand than he or any one of us could ever imagine, but he is doing the right thing. He is recruiting well and filling needs all over the field. He also is trying to install his offense and get as many kids as possible as familiar with it as they can. This is very important for next years team. Rebuilding like this is going to take a while and unfortunately we probably can’t expect the world out of this team until probably 2010, just in time for the expansion to be finished!!!
This leads me into a huge annoyance I have with many Michigan fans. As much as I hate to say it, there are a ton of terrible Michigan fans. Many people sit in the bleachers and curse the name of Rich Rod because M isn’t undefeated this year or they boo a team whose average age is probably 19. Seriously guys give them a break. I am one of the biggest Michigan fans around and I can honestly say that when I heard boo’s at the Illinois game I personally was disgusted. This team is young and our coach is new and they both need our support. I am not saying to cheer wildly every time someone fumbles or misses a tackle or Stevie Brown blows countless amounts of downfield coverage’s, but just to be respectful. Save your boos and your poor opinions of whats currently happening for 2010 when this team has had a chance to mature and develop. I never thought this year would be this bad, but I know for a fact that I don’t need to make it any worse. I guess after 40 years of winning seasons we all can be in for a little dose of humility. I strongly suggest for everyone to take theirs like a winner and put faith in our team, our coach and our progam.
As always, GO BLUE!
A Silver Lining for the Lions...
Todays post is brought to you courtesy of my favorite band in the world, Nickelback. Genius lyrics, talented musicians and a wide display of diversity are just a few things this band does absolutely worse than every other band in the world. Save Three Days Grace.
Unless you are living in a sports gossip vacuum I am certain you have heard the instantly popular words out of William Ford Jr.'s mouth yesterday: I would fire Matt Millen if I were in charge of operations here. Does someone in that organization actually have a brain? Actually care if the team wins or loses? Doubtful, but I think Bill Jr. is realizing that the team's performance is going to hit them where it counts, their pocket book. I doubt there will be another Gardner-White to bail them out of another potential black out game. So the real question is: does firing Millen improve the Lions chances at being a NFL contender once again? The answer.....can it really hurt?
To start things off we can all save the thought that the Fords are ever going to sell this franchise, its theirs and it makes them a lot of money, and lets face it, owning a professional team of any sort just screams baller.
Currently it would take three straight undefeated seasons for the Lions (under Millen) to climb their way back to a .500 record. Under Millens reign the team, based upon win percentage, is the worst team in the league, and during this time teams like the Arizona Cardinals have gone from historically one of the worst teams in all sports to a real contender. Hey if they can do it Millen can too right??? As GM of the Lions Matt Millen is directly responsible for the talent on the team whether that be draft picks, contract extensions, free agent signings and team coaches.
Lets take a look at Millens draft day decisions.
-Joey Harrington
-Charles Rogers
-Mike Williams
-Kevin Jones
-Shaun Rodgers
ALL of these players are no longer with the team and 4 out of 5 of them are first round picks. What do the Lions have to show for them? Leigh Bodden...a cornerback who just got a starting role on possibly the leagues worst defense. I also can not forget what happened on draft day a year and a half ago, second round begins and we have already taken Calvin Johnson and David Harris is still available. Eager with anticipation I look at my roommate and distinctly remember saying Harris is the guy...he has to be...I swear even Millen can't screw this one up. He did. The Lions select Drew Stanton. Great so what does that mean? Paris Lenon is the starting middle linebacker and could quite possibly be the most incapable one in the history of organized football. Out of every draft that Matt Millen has been involved with the ONLY players that really worked out are Calvin Johnson, Ernie Sims, and Roy Williams. Its a little early to tell but Kevin Smith should work his way onto that list as well.
Onto contract extensions. Jeff Backus? Corey Redding? These guys are some of the highest paid players at their respective positions and probably would be sitting on the bench on any contending NFL team. There are countless more, but these current ones really drive me crazy.
Really what this all boils down to is that the "talent" Millen is providing just isn't cuttin' the cheese so to speak. Using this year as an example, players are often in the right position and are making good decisions, but not executing. To the average person this looks like a coaching problem and I would have to differ. The Lions have had 5 coaches under Millen and these execution problems haven't changed, even with a coach like Rod Marinelli who preaches fundamentals and displays them by wrestling a bear similar to the way Will Farrell does it in Semi-Pro. Folks, this is the NFL and every guy on any team is there because of how good they were in college or in another lesser football league, they all know how to make plays; some are just better than others. It is Matt Millens job to discern between these players who exactly is cut out for a starting role on an NFL team and which ones are destined to be NFL journeymen because their talent is never really up to par. Congrats Matt, your draft day success is somewhere around 5%.
Will the firing of Matt Millen make this team do a 180 and compete to be one of the best teams in the NFC? No. But like I said earlier, it sure can't hurt. It would give the fans something to reside in for another year of embarrassment. A shining light could be at the end of this seemingly endless tunnel of pitch black.
Hey, I hear Marty Shottenheimer is lookin' for a job...
Until then, GO CHARGERS!!! Even though my heart will always be with these lowly lovable Lions...
Tigers Offseason Suggestions and College Rivalries
Todays post is sponsored by the phenomenon of getting a song stuck in your head for days at a time. If you can successfully do this there is no need for an Ipod...how do ya like that Apple???
Instead of heading into the playoffs leading the AL Central, the Tigers are wavering somewhere between third and last in the division. Instead of scoring over 1,000 runs this year like Jim Rome predicted they are currently 12.5 games out of first in their league and its the Texas Rangers scoring the most runs in the league. Baseball, such a predictable sport huh? The truth behind the season is that the Tigers still did score a ton of runs, but as all of us know they also have given up even more. Even though I predicted the Tigs to win the world series (absolutely no homerism in that choice) I would beg to argue that this type of season was somewhat predictable.
Heading into the year Curtis Granderson was injured and that proved to be a far bigger problem than anyone of us could ever envision. The starting pitchers were Justin, Kenny, Jeremy, Dontrelle, and Nate. Justin really is the only solid pitcher of the five and that was obvious from the beginning, on top of that I personally am not to keen of him being the Ace. Kenny is getting old, Jeremy is soooo hit or miss, Dontrelle was a huge mystery (even more so because Florida basically gave him away to us), and Nate is a fifth starter who never should have left the bullpen. Not exactly a recipe for a great pitching staff. Don't even get me started on the bullpen...if ANYONE has seen a Tigers game this year I am certain you all are well aware of their "struggles."
So how does Dave Dombrowski go about fixing this beautiful mess? I would like to propose a few options. First, keep Curtis, Miguel, Polanco, and Justin; everyone else should be tradeable. See exactly if you can pick up a second starter from a team who needs some pop in their lineup. I would certainly trade Maggs at this point for a pitcher in the likes of A.J. Burnett or Joe Saunders. Second, I would take a look at my payroll in comparison to where it was at a year ago. Jonesy will be gone (take away 7 mill), Pudge is gone (10 mill), Edgar hopefully will be gone (6 mill). Just with those three players alone roughly 23 million dollars is off the payroll. Now if my observations are correct and that the Tigers have ZERO reliable lefthanded pitchers on staff (this assumes they have to resign Kenny which I feel is VERY unlikely) there is obviously a HUGE hole to fill in that rotation. Maybe Dave should try to find a HUGE type of left handed pitcher to fill that void and make a serious run at C.C. Sabathia. This guy is just a freakin' stud and is a free agent at the end of the year. You know the Brewers can't afford his new contract and we are losing a very large chunk of our payroll. This IS a serious option, but out bidding the Yankees is a minor problem. Not only would we pick up an Ace relieving Justin of that spot, we wouldn't significantly alter the payroll from a year ago. This would give us C.C. as one of our lefties and the other spot would go most likely to Dontrelle or Nate, maybe not the best option but they would be a fourth starter and the other could find a nice home in our bullpen significantly bettering that department. If all else fails, Derek Lowe is a free agent and from Michigan. He would also be a great addition.
The other problem which will still exist is the role of closer, which I think is the most over-rated position out on the baseball field. Again this could be addressed by trade but most likely not. Unfortunately I don't have a great answer to this simply because I truthfully believe that ANY major league pitcher should be able to get three outs fairly easily. If a trade is not possible I reluctantly wish to stay the course here. This years draft was specifically geared toward the bullpen and the Tigers picked up some really good players here including a kid who can throw "103" and has 3 different pitches. Blaine Neil, our AAA closer had a heck of a season this year and was the closer on the olympic team. And, lets not forget just how dominant Zumaya and Rodney were in that 2006 campaign.
So, what would the team look like offensively? Ramon Santiago would most likely start at short and really thats all that would change from right now saying no trades were made. Our pitching staff would be FAR ahead of where it is now and contending for the AL Central crown would be a far more fiable option based on the newly acquired offensive and pitching balance.
So put this in stone, without offensive and pitching balance, the Tigers will never contend and staying the course keeps them WAY behind the curve set this year by the White Sox and Twins.
As you also know Michigan has three main rivals: OSU, Notre Dame and Michigan State. Local radio was talking about ranking them in order of "importance" to Michigan fans. Obviously OSU is far ahead of the other 2 so the real debate is which one is second most important. Notre Dame or Michigan State? Right now in the present day I would say that Notre Dame is more important for a few reasons: State just hasn't been competative, I hate Charlie Weis, I hate Jimmy Clausen, and Notre Dame has actually beaten us a few times in recent history. In these two rivalries, to me, competativeness is the deciding factor. If State was more competative lately I don't think for a second that anyone would rank Notre Dame ahead of them but that just hasn't been the case. Home state bragging rights and just a 45 min. drive away is what sererates the two schools (other than a history of winning and national respect.)
Michigan is the only school in the nation with three ligitimate rivals and the really tough part of it all is that the three schools involved don't really have another rival. Notre Dame kinda does with USC but lets face it that hasn't been competative since the late 80's when Lou Holtz was still coaching. Fast foreward twenty years and there is now a statue of Lou even though the golden domers basically ran him off their property all but tarred and feathered. Every State and OSU fan completely despises Michigan strictly because they have no other rival.
Michigan has to bring their absolute best for three games a year, take three times as many massive hits and try to come out victoriously in all three just to retain bragging rights for the year. Simple task huh? What does this mean for this year and for RR's first go at these teams? I think it means to win one. Wolverine fans have accepted this years fate as to not be up to par with years past, but we all have too much pride to be able to sit well with an 0-3 record against our rivals this year. Thanks to turnovers, poor officiating, and inclimate weather ND is out of the picture. So please Rich, beat one. Just for me?
More Football...
Welcome all...this post is brought to you by Prozac. Somewhat self explanitory if you watched U-M or the Lions last weekend.
Well as I said in my previous post, I would be shocked if we lost to ND and I still am shocked that it happened. As much as it pains me to say it, congratulations are in order for them to perservere in a game played in some of the worst possible conditions. Not self imploding is the only thing that won the game for them and to be honest, in a game like that, it may just be the most important thing.
Michigan is now 1-2 and I am really struggling to see how they are going to keep their streaks alive (bowls and winning seasons.) Lets take a look at the positives. Sam McGuffie?!?!?! At least I can say I predicted this one right. Did he ever have a hayday! I hope that this was his breakout game and he can continue to impress like this. I am not asking for 200 yards out of him every game because he will face FAR better defenses in games to come but seriously, he was a man among boys out there.
Congratulations also should be in order to Steven Threet. As wolverine fans wanted, he stepped up to the challenge in a big way. Took control of the team and made some serious D-1 throws downfield. Miscues happened and will continue to happen but this team is his now. Steven really showed signs of leadership and also proved on the field that he has the talent to quarterback this team this year and also be a factor in the starting QB for next year.
Furthermore I would also like to commend Rich Rodriguez. He basically has half of his offense as true freshmen and is somehow still able to find offensive innovation. The turnovers from the game are strictly because of inclimate weather and freshmen nerves, this will change. When this team matures and learns all the ins and outs of RR's offense they will really be a force to recon with. Aside from his coaching prowless, RR is also doing one hell of a good job recruiting. Filling major needs left and right all signs point to a very successful campain for years to come.
This loss hurts, even more so because its to a hated rival, but I have never watched such a sloppy loss and walked away more confident than I did last saturday. Not to say that I think the team will rebound this year and contend, but just knowing that things are headed in a very good direction for the future.
On another note, I am SO glad USC kicked the crap out of Ohio State. What the heck was Tressel thinking not playing Pryor more?!?! Coaching decisions like that are exactly what keeps them far from competative against other conferences. Tressel was stubborn to a flaw and unless he fixes it it will ultimately be his undoing.
Out.
A bunch of things...
Welcome. This post is brought to you by our frost advisory last night??? Seriously dude...its September.
To reserve myself from blairing out obscenities about why Michigan Football has blown chunks so far this year I waited until the ND game to speak openly about my feelings. First and foremost, I will honestly be shocked if we lose to them. Did you watch any of their game??? SDSU looked like a normal respectable MAC team! Sam McGuffie and Michael Shaw should have a hay day against ND's torrid defense.
But on to the real issues. After reading Nate's post about Steven Threet, like usual, I agreed with 90% of what he said in there. My opinion on the matter is a little different though. Steven Threet was the higher rated passer heading into camp and I think that we as fans get ourselves wrapped up in who is supposed to be better rather than who IS actually better. Steve has the size, the look, the moxie even, but has he really performed well enough to just hand the starting job over to him? No. Has Nick "The math nerd" Sheridan drastically played worse than him? No. The truth of the matter is that if either QB has done anything to seperate himself from the other there would not be a dual QB system. They just don't work. Either Steven or Nick has to step up to the plate and make a few plays and stop over throwing every wide reciever out on the field. I mean is it just me or does Steven's whole throwing motion just look terrible? Upon being recruited that was supposed to be one of his best qualities. Some one please just step up to the plate and just "manage" the game, get the ball to one of our many playmakers and good things WILL happen.
That brings up another point. Since Mark Oortman decieded to get injured Michigan has to start a walk on left tackle for up to a month. This is about the worst possible news the offensive line could recieve. The most important part of the line, blocking the QB's blind side, is going to be held down by a walk on 6'9" flag pole of a white kid. His height would be fine if he weighed like oh maybe 100 lbs. more! This is just a recipe for disaster against ANY team with a decent defensive end. I really hope he works out better than logic says he will. This really leads to a new QB having severe issues being able to just manage the game. So please, don't just huck the ball up in the air to the middle of the secondary for anyone to intercept it.
I am reluctantly staying with my prediction of 8-4 but only because I don't want to renig on my earlier decision. What I am honestly hoping for is a winning season and a bowl birth just to keep up our streak. Meanwhile I will eagerly anticipate the arrival of Shavodrick Beaver and Tate Forcier to come to the rescue of our beloved Wolverines.
Onto my next topic...the USC v. OSU game. While I was listening to sports talk radio this morning I heard a local radio guy say that he is rooting for OSU for the good of the Big Ten. This is fine but only considering he is a state fan. He was asking his audience though, if there were any Wolverine fans who would root for the spawn of satan OSU against the Trojans. Having been a Michigan fan for my whole life I was instantly reminded about the 2002 BCS Title game featuring none other than OSU and Miami. In a brief nostalgic moment I recalled a huge desire to want the game to end in a tie with all the players severely injured to end the game. That didn't happen and OSU won. Since then across the nation Tressel is viewed in the same light as Pete Carrol and all that has happened to us Michigan fans is a bunch of hopes and dreams (2006) washed down the drain. So I ask myself can I root for OSU on Saturday? The answer in a word? NO! Don't get me wrong I want the Big Ten to get some national credibility back but if that credibility hinges upon the shoulders of Jim Tressel I would rather root for a team in the likes of Miami or, in this case, USC. Find me one Michigan fan who is a true blue fan who honestly wants OSU to win saturday, and I will find you a liar. Hopefully all night on Saturday, the only thing I hear is "Fight On" and all I see on TV is a gorgeous student section all with V's for victory lifted high in the air.
Michigan Media Day and more...
Brought to you by the purple jolly rancher...shit those things are gross.
So my roommate was kind enough to invite me to to along with him to cover Michigan Football Media Day with him last sunday. I have never been to an event like this before so it was rather exciting. So here are my thoughts from the day and probably some long winded thoughts about football for this year.
Rich Rodriguez is awesome.
Mike Barwis is the most intimidating man I have ever met.
Will Johnson can bench 575 lbs.
If I could hang out with anyone on the team it would definately be Terrance Taylor. That kid is hilarious.
There are a lot of positions on this team that I truly believe we are absolutely stacked at. And then there is the offensive line and quarterback. Having been there and also watching the big ten network special for Michigan's practice I can safely say I am truly scared for both of these positions. Steve Schilling is the only returning starter on offensive line and I think we can all remember last year if there was a sack...it was probably his fault. Aside from the inexperience, there were two o line guys injured when we were there bringing our grand total of eligible offensive linemen to like 8.
So barring incredible improvement, the offensive unit is going to struggle. This useful bit of information makes me understand a little better why Steven Threet is not set in stone as the starter. Nick Sheridan isn't a statue standing in the pocket and can avoid the massive onslaught of defenders who will most certainly be in the backfield at will. Now comes the next problem...I literally don't think he is capable of completing a pass longer than 15 yards. Not to mention he looks like a kid I would ask to fix my computer when it breaks, not be the starting QB for the University of Michigan. I can't help but think that our offense is going to look something like Joe Tillers offense at Purdue, but with a worse QB and FAR better position players. Sheridan might actually get the start against Utah...but I promise it won't last long due to either injury or just sheer lack of talent.
Other things of note...
Michael Shaw is going to be a stud and is wearing number 20. Upon talking to him he sounded supremely confident and displayed the kind of moxie one looks for in a potential star athlete.
Donovan Warren is a pretty boy who I am sure can bag pretty much any tail he wants at Michigan, including mine... But in all seriousness I really think he can be the next Charles Woodson. Rumors of plans for him returning kicks and/or punts along with guaranteed greater amounts of interceptions will sky rocket his popularity and value to the team.
Sam Mcguffie doesn't like people...and if he didn't already have a freakin' sweet nickname (White Lightning) it would most definately be Sabre Cat.
Look out for Obi Ezeh's mean face...it was on display for all to see at media day.
If this team is going to finish in the likes of 9-3 it will be almost completely be because of the defense. I believe that if the offense can just put up around 20 points a game, and not be ridiculously turnover prone (shot in the dark I know), the defense can carry this team to 9 wins.
(Farns)Worthless...
Brought to you by Chuck Hernandez and Jim Leyland always pulling the starting pitcher at the wrong time. Shit.
As to avoid saying rash things about my sincere distaste for the Pudge/Farnsworth trade, I waited a few days to completely respond. THEY DID WHATTTTT??? For who?????
That also being said...I like trading Pudge so long as they intend on Brandon being the full time catcher and assuming that he is solid enough behind the plate to do it for the forseeable future. So I was thinking we could get a starter maybe? A closer maybe? Some prospects maybe? NO! We got Kyle freaking Farnsworthless, astonishly bringing our total 8th inning guys to approximately 4. Jones on the DL with an undisclosed shoulder injury. How many 8th innings are there in baseball seriously. Last I checked there was one. Good news is our set up guys can have an order similar to the group of starters.
This trade gets us no where. Trying to get something out of Pudge is fine but did we even really strengthen our bullpen? Without a closer and without a solid 4th and 5th starter I don't see how we improved at all.
I sure hope Dombrowski is right about this cause back in 2005 I was extatic to get Zach Miner for him, and I think Kyle was even happier he got to leave Detroit. Bad blood both ways between him and the fans, giving up 2 home runs on sunday, and a mediocre tenure in New York just don't seem like good terms to bring someone back on.
How 'bout Jamie Walker for Magglio next???
I hope I'm wrong...
A little catch up...
Sorry for the ten day absense Put it in Stone viewers. My football team took a lot out of me.
This post is brought to you by...Jennifer Granholms huge mole. The irony is that her husbands name is Mohlner...tricky huh?
So I realized today that I have been "writing" for this blog for approximately a month now and have yet to make mention of my absolute favorite team in all of sports. Michigan Wolverines football. Yes even more than the Lions, I know its hard to believe.
Given the RichRod hire and all the massive departures for the NFL/whining of Justin Boren, I have been anticipating this coming college football season for seven months now. I don't intend to preview their season and tell you which games are going to be won or lost, but I do wish to share what I think are keys to success and just exactly how I define "success."
First and foremost is EXECUTION. RichRod's offense and defense is all based so severely upon timing that as long as the players know where they have to be and when they have to be there, plays will be made. I have complete faith in RichRods coaching to select plays where this can easily be attained. Star QB or not, losing countless numbers of offensive linemen and almost every key offensive position, I firmly believe that if these players can excecute Michigan will put up a fight in every game this year.
Second has to be Steven Threet. In this new offense how can he spread the ball around? How will he handle the sudden pressure of being the starting QB on the first day RichRod actually coaches a game infront of all those fans sitting on the edge of their seats critiquing every last move the team makes? This is the time for Steven to live out his dream out on the field. We all know he has the arm strength, but how are his feet? RichRod is going to make him run a bit whether its running to the sideline to stretch the defense out and gain more time to throw or even just trying to stay on his feet knowing that the O line only returns ONE starter from last year. My hearts with ya Steve...good freakin' luck.
The third way to a successful season is the defense. They are stacked. RichRod has NEVER had a defense this good to work with so I am certain he is chomping at the bit to run his D with all the stud players who are returning. This D has to make up for the growing pains of the young offense. No one in the nation outside of Michigan will say it, but I really think we have the best secondary in the Big Ten, and one of the best front four in possibly the nation. These guys have to create turnovers and get sacks and give the young offense a short field as much as possible. Could a 3-4 be in our future???
Sam McGuffie...you finally are going to get a hand off in Michigan Stadium. I can't tell you how excited I am about that, probably even more excited than he is! Darryl Stonum, Michael Shaw, Roy Roundtree (snake oil), Terrance Robinson, and Boubacar Cissoko all look to have time out on the field as freshmen in key positions. Not to make light of the fact that possibly two true freshmen could be starting on the O line, Dann O'Neil is for sure!
Assuming people want me to make a prediction I will take the easy way out and say they will finish 8-4 and play in the Alamo Bowl. I have no idea which games they will win or lose but I may visit that in another post closer to the start of the season, but you can put 8-4 in stone. Maybe some sort of really soft stone haha!
All this being said I can't freakin' wait till kickoff in the Big House against Utah. Not because I think we are going to win the national championship (like I did last year...) but just so I can finally see exactly what we as Michigan fans are in for for the next (hopefully) ten to fifteen years.
P.S. I really hope Tim Jaimison or Terrance Taylor runs over to the OSU sideline during the game and bitch slaps Justin Boren. I am glad that bull shit is over. OSU is the perfect place for cry baby offensive linemen who love giving up sacks!
