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Michigan vs Ohio State 2018

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MWmetalhead
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Re: Michigan vs Ohio State 2018

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Dec 29, 2018 3:33 pm

Well, the Wolverines shit the bed yet again today. What an embarrassment.

I don't want to hear any talk from players on the team about how they're building something big, how they are a great program again, etc., etc. The fact of the matter is that they haven't accomplished anything impressive. As a group, they are underachievers.

The storyline with Harbaugh needs to be this - his teams in Ann Arbor, with the exception of his inaugural year, have a pattern of finishing WEAK.

Happened two years ago (starting with the road loss at Iowa), happened last year, and definitely happened again this year.

Michigan plays good - even great - against middle-of-the-pack power conference teams & below. They seem unable to hang with the country's elite & near-elite teams.

This season ended with a gigantic THUD. Back-to-back embarrassing losses. At least two years ago, with Rudock at QB, Michigan showed great tenacity in its bowl matchup against FSU in what turned out to be a highly entertaining game. Today, the team looked flat and unmotivated.



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Re: Michigan vs Ohio State 2018

Post by Matt » Tue Jan 01, 2019 7:34 am

MWmetalhead wrote:
Sat Dec 29, 2018 3:33 pm
Well, the Wolverines shit the bed yet again today. What an embarrassment.

I don't want to hear any talk from players on the team about how they're building something big, how they are a great program again, etc., etc. The fact of the matter is that they haven't accomplished anything impressive. As a group, they are underachievers.

The storyline with Harbaugh needs to be this - his teams in Ann Arbor, with the exception of his inaugural year, have a pattern of finishing WEAK.

Happened two years ago (starting with the road loss at Iowa), happened last year, and definitely happened again this year.

Michigan plays good - even great - against middle-of-the-pack power conference teams & below. They seem unable to hang with the country's elite & near-elite teams.

This season ended with a gigantic THUD. Back-to-back embarrassing losses. At least two years ago, with Rudock at QB, Michigan showed great tenacity in its bowl matchup against FSU in what turned out to be a highly entertaining game. Today, the team looked flat and unmotivated.
I'm not going to get too bent out of shape over a loss in a game where four starters, including two captains quit the team. Devin Bush Jr. is debatable, because he hadn't been cleared to play at the time he announced, but Rashan Gary and Karan Higdon, come on... Also, JBB apparently had turf toe. My expectations were not high with 2 of the top defenders and the best offensive player out. It also seemed like there was a general malaise with playing Florida for the third time in four years (there's a number of teams in their own conference they haven't played that frequently!)

Also, to your Rudock comment, he was only here in 2015. Speight was the QB in 2016 and played against FSU. The best two QB years were pre-Pep Hamilton years. I suspect Pep will be out, and I am somewhat optimistic that Jedd Fisch might return. He was the QB coach for the first two years. QB play noticeably fell off when he left. Shea had a good, not great year, but I think a lot of that was on his natural talent. Michigan did not utilize the weapons that it had in the receiving corps to their full potential. DPJ and Collins had strong years that could have been even better. I would like to see the offense move to tempo-based or at least back to the 2016 model with a veteran o-line and receiving threats. DPJ, Collins, and Black are more talented than Darboh and Chesson.

The defense is what let them down the last two games, and Michigan might be looking for a new DC, with Temple opening up again. I would not be surprised if Don Brown got the offer for that head coaching job and took it. If he does, Michigan can go external or stay in house. Greg Mattison could easily pop back into the DC role, perhaps as a co-DC with Chris Partridge. The aggressive man to man defense that Don Brown runs will be successful against most of the schedule, but Michigan needs to spend some practice time on zone defense. The secondary should be very strong next year, with the return of Lavert Hill and perhaps David Long. Daxton Hill is likely to be special at the safety position. The front seven will be good, but perhaps take a step back, losing Gary, Winovich, and Bush.

Overall, while the season did end on a sour note, Harbaugh is building the program. This was a program that was winning 6.5 games a year for the seven years prior to his arrival. In four years, he's averaging 9.5 per year. They're not where a lot of people would like them to be, but they're moving in the right direction. The HAVE to beat Ohio State. Beating Ohio State, winning the conference, and making the CFP changes the narrative a lot. They're not really that far off. It's also noteworthy that Harbaugh has a better record after 4 years than Dabo Swinney did at Clemson. How's he doing these days?


What's more pathetic: harassing an old man who is paying to do a radio show or supporting a grifter like Trump?

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MWmetalhead
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Re: Michigan vs Ohio State 2018

Post by MWmetalhead » Tue Jan 01, 2019 8:38 am

Also, to your Rudock comment, he was only here in 2015. Speight was the QB in 2016 and played against FSU.
My mistake. Thanks for setting the record straight. :)

I agree with a good portion of what you wrote. By no means am I one of the folks calling for Harbaugh's head, at least not yet. Even I - with my pessimistic tendencies - recognize the fact the fact the football program is performing better now than it did during the Rich Rod and Brady Joke years.

I mean - if Harbaugh goes, who do you replace him with? Dabo isn't going to come here. Urban Meyer sure as hell isn't going to come here, and I for one wouldn't want that sleazebag to come here.

I'm worried about the front seven next season. Key departures, and we saw the result this week without Gary and Bush being in the lineup.
It also seemed like there was a general malaise with playing Florida for the third time in four years
Could be. It's disappointing to see the team not treat the game with more respect I agree that the Ohio State game is a must-win game. It was a must-win this season, and Michigan - at least on defense - dropped the ball in spectacularly destructive fashion.



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Re: Michigan vs Ohio State 2018

Post by craig11152 » Tue Jan 01, 2019 10:48 am

Old guy that I am I started paying attention to Michigan in 1969 when Bo showed up.
I recently built a spreadsheet of seasons that I update weekly.
Over the last 50 seasons Michigan's record in the last two games of the season is 43-55-2.
So somewhere a long time ago I went from a fan with expectations to fan who only hopes.


I no longer directly engage trolls

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