Colin Cowherd: "These Anti-Harbaugh People Are Crazy"
October 25th, 2018 at 9:55 AM ^
Beat PSU first please. Hype is getting out of control.
Question though, do people really believe in "body blow" theory? PSU is playing Iowa and if its a slugfest, is that good for us? Bye week came at a good time, but I feel like M was on a roll and would've liked to carry momentum and rhythm in beating PSU to pulp.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:01 AM ^
I do believe in it. Its good for us, in a bad way. The more banged up/injured PSU gets, the better off we are. Imagine if McSorley is injured and cannot play vs us. Imagine if Miles Sanders is injured and cannot play vs. us. Hell, what if their starting left tackle is injured etc...
Now with that said, its a shitty way to look at bettering our chances of winning, but injuries happen, and happen more when the other team is tough and hits the shit out of a player on every tackle. I couldn't imagine playing against Ray Lewis. I would call in sick that game if i was a running back.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:31 AM ^
Spanellis and Herbert say BELIEVE IT
Rested, Fresh, Healthy: bye week edition pic.twitter.com/CzaF3mCL7x
— Stephen Spanellis (@Big_Spanellis78) October 23, 2018
October 25th, 2018 at 10:45 AM ^
I'd rather play against Ray Lewis than hang out with him on his off time. Safer.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^
There is the potential for injury, but barring that overall the fatigue factor of playing a tough opponent the week prior and then having to go on the road is likely to be a bigger influence.
I think most important is the two weeks of planning/scheming that M has vs. PSU, who has to spend a week focused on Iowa. The team is way more tuned this year to be able to execute on a specific gameplan than in the past and Franklin presents some unique opportunities to exploit.
This is why I like the lead-up to the OSU game. With Rutgers/Indiana the two weeks prior, it affords the opportunity to spend some extra energy toward prepping for OSU and still playing and staying in a rhythm.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:15 AM ^
I think the theory is more about overall team fatigue than injuries. People get injured in practice (or punching coffee tables), so that can also happen in any game. If the whole team is tired a week after a bruising game and then has to hit the road, that’s almost a double whammy.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:27 AM ^
I think there's something to it. There's stats about teams whose opponents lose games after they play the,. I think Oregon's opponents are o-fer on the season the week after they play the Ducks. Might not even be injuries...could just be a tough, hard hitting game, that physically and mentally exhausting and the following week, a missed tackle...a missed block..shanked punt...overthrown ball can change the game.
October 25th, 2018 at 12:51 PM ^
Or a person he wants to murder
October 25th, 2018 at 10:03 AM ^
I have stopped really believing that what happens one week has that much of a carry over effect on the next week. I have previously bought into the "up/down theory," the "momentum theory," the "rest and preparation" theory etc. etc. Each of these beliefs as to carry over effect is blown up 3 or 4 times with different examples from around the country. Obviously injuries carry over, that is one specific and tangible aspect of things. But I don't think it is possible to gauge what will happen one week from what did or didn't happen to a team the week before.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:27 AM ^
This is one of the few sensible takes I've seen from you.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:35 AM ^
Thanks, I guess.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:03 AM ^
So you no longer believe in "feels" that always give our opponent the intangible edge?
October 25th, 2018 at 11:20 AM ^
The last two times I had "feels" were:
1. Michigan State basketball was going to beat us soundly in East Lansing. Had been a house of horrors for us and we were coming off a heart breaker to Purdue. Not an ideal situation for us heading in and thought we would play without emotion.
2. Nebraska was much better than they had played through 2 games and would come to Ann Arbor with a "save their season" type mentality and play us really tough.
In consideration of my last two "feels," I have decided that perhaps I am not the best resource for predictive rhetoric.
October 25th, 2018 at 12:33 PM ^
Agree mostly, with the caveat that the up/down theory works very well in the NFL, less so in college
October 25th, 2018 at 3:08 PM ^
What about the "He who smelt it, dealt it" theory?
October 25th, 2018 at 10:06 AM ^
I believe it, but I think people misuse it. I don't think back to back hard games constitutes a body blow theory game. I think it is a stretch of hard games, like if we didn't have a bye week between Wisconsin, MSU, and PSU. Now I do believe PSU will be in a body blow spot when the come to Ann Arbor because the lead up will be MSU (87 plays defensed), Indiana (100(!!) plays defensed), and Iowa (physical team) before playing a very physical Michigan team.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:07 AM ^
I feel like the bye week came at the perfect time for recovering from injuries and finishing off certain position battles. Karan, Mason, Soloman, Dwumfour, Gary, Bush, Kinnel, Black, and the OL could all use some time for rest to recover from the last two weeks against Wisconsin and MSU. Nordin needs time to figure out his kicking game because it has been inconsistent as compared to last year.
I feel as though Michigan could also use the extra time to perfect their offense more. The more practice and training the OL can get from Warinner, the better. Shea needs to continue to develop his trust with his WR core and give them more chances down the field. The playbook will continue to open up more, and they will need to with the big games they have remaining on the schedule. This bye came at the perfect time, IMO.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:13 AM ^
I agree about the bye coming at exactly the right time. Hopefully we can shake the rust off quickly and put PSU away early.
And for the record I think we're going to pound the fuck out of Penn State.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:30 AM ^
Agreed.
It would have also been mentally tough to get back "up" after such an emotional win. Not to mention, the "noise" surrounding the team will be far less next week.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:33 AM ^
Phrasing...
October 25th, 2018 at 11:00 AM ^
#B1GAfterDark
October 25th, 2018 at 11:09 AM ^
I remember being very down on bye weeks under Hoke. Because, every time, we would come out of the bye running some bland offense that completely ignored our athletic QBs, and inevitably we'd look terrible. Or Borges would install a 1-game gimmick.
It's like Hoke looked at the extra time and said, "Great! Rather than improving, we're gonna use this time to attempt to morph into a smash mouth team!"
At least RichRod used bye weeks to install Minor Rage and the like.
These days, I cackle with glee knowing that the bye week is going to be Don Brown scheming against James Franklin. That's just not fair lol.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:31 AM ^
I agree completely. After 2 tough games, the latter of which was MSU, Michigan could use the extra week to re-ground and re-focus themselves. Typically, Michigan comes out flat in the week after the MSU game. The extra week reduces the chances of that. Of course, it also give the team a chance to get some injured guys back, and fix the other issues you mention.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:48 AM ^
I wonder if Tarik -back in- Black getting injured hindered Shea's confidence a little bit losing such a huge weapon. IMHO the down field pass game will see exponential growth with Black back in the line up and Shea's restored confidence (albeit a small %). Really looking forward to the Death Star being Fully Operational.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:53 AM ^
And it gives Tarik a week of practice to get back into game speed.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:15 AM ^
I feel bad for people like you. I honestly didn't believe people when they said the goalposts would continue to move, even if they beat MSU. This is why the season is fun. Are we supposed to just sit back and act all grouchy about everything and say "not till we beat the next team! Nope! Never gonna get excited!"
I guarantee if we run the schedule and beat OSU, someone's inevitably going to chime in with "let's not celebrate until we win the Big Ten!"
October 25th, 2018 at 10:19 AM ^
You have the wrong guy. Please go back to ND thread, I was one of less than 10 people who was ENCOURAGED by our play. Heck I posted even on the "neck sharpie OT doom thread!" that OTs did fine. The last person who is unhappy about the season. All I'm saying is beating PSU (not even OSU) would further validate how good M is and not to get a big head. M is top of the division but the tough portion of the schedule continues.
BTW, I used similar lines in FFFF from seth (moving goal posts etc). Biggest opponent of making FFFF teams looks like Bama since Nebraska? Yea...me.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:21 AM ^
Okay fair enough. Didn't mean to put you in with everyone else. I just assumed based on your comment that you felt that way.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:46 AM ^
I can see that. Mostly I'm curious which is advantageous more: momeuntum/rhythm vs rest/reset. Would be a nice "mathlete" study to do to see if teams benefit from bye week (statistically significant).
October 25th, 2018 at 10:26 AM ^
I don't think he is moving the goal posts. There is just a lot of work for the team to do this season. Beating MSU was awesome, but it was very much "it's own thing." We still have two of the toughest games on our schedule yet and there is the risk of people over-selling this team a little bit and then all of the sudden we go 10-2 and play in a non Rose Bowl NY6 games and then everybody is talking about how Harbaugh "underachieved." It is fun to discuss where we are right now, but I think important to temper it a bit with the understanding that this season still has the potential to go a few different directions. If anything, I think he is doing his best to "keep the goal posts in the same spot" as opposed to the opposite.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:44 AM ^
Can the take be, "It's exciting what we've done so far. Big wins again Wisky and MSU feel like real momentum. Now let's keep this train going." ???
Or, as Bo says, "There is no game bigger than the one you are going down the tunnel to play today. NOW LET'S GO!!"
Big goals, big ideas... gotta win to keep those goals in sight.
Excited about the past, focused on the future.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:18 AM ^
Not that I like the hype but it is part of the business, and I am sure that JH, his staff and players will focus on the next game, then the game and not be taken over by the talks.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:20 AM ^
In case people forgot what it’s like to be 5-7, 7-1 with Cowherd talking about us is much nicer.
Michigan fans are some kind of crazy.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:18 AM ^
I believe that Penn State just isn’t very good, and they will lose their next two games because they’re not the better team.
I also believe that football is brutal and you take rest whenever you can get it. Rest is never a net negative.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:17 AM ^
This.
PSU has not been impressive all season. They’re S&P numbers were propped up by App State and ppl put a lot of stock in their loss to osu. Since losing to osu psu lost to msu and osu hasn’t looked all that good. And Harbaugh has only lost to psu and Franklin once. I was far more worried about last weekend than I am psu. Their offense is one dimensional which is a recipe for disaster against Brown and this D and they have 2 weeks to prepare. My feeling was that if UM made it to the bye with one loss than the rest of the season would be about beating osu and not beating themselves.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:33 AM ^
Did you break open a coconut and sprinkle the dust before making that prediction, Rafiki?
October 25th, 2018 at 11:39 AM ^
A line I never thought I would read going into this season is that Penn State's S&P numbers were being propped up by App State.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:49 AM ^
Also, Iowa is a good team and a difficult type of opponent for many.
That seems to have gotten overlooked with the common narratives about the Big Ten west. Iowa played well enough to be undefeated. They were completely overshadowed by Wisconsin, a team they mostly outplayed and now we all want to talk about Purdue. Iowa would be the toughest opponent in the CCG. OK, not for OSU, but they're not getting in.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:31 AM ^
If Rashan Gary's mom is right (and I have no reason to doubt her) about our practices being just as intense as games, then we don't even have a bye week. I am confident Harbaugh and the leaders will continue moving this team forward. I believe this may be the year that the better team wins, and Michigan is the best team in the conference as of right now.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:45 AM ^
The PSU/Iowa game is going to be a grinding slugfest. 7-3 final is not out of the question.
We are getting a noreaster beginning Friday night continuing into Sunday. 1-2" of rain and cold/strong winds are expected.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:10 AM ^
I feel like the emotional high after MSU may have harmed psu prep a little bit, so everyone has a few extra days to reset and we also benefit from seeing how Iowa attacks PSU as well.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:12 AM ^
Yes but I don't think the effect is entirely a physical issue. Like (I think) Brian mentioned in one of the MSU game articles, MSU playing a close game with Penn St made them use a lot of the tricks and constraint plays they they would have otherwise saved for Michigan. Playing in a stretch of difficult/close games means that you have to keep breaking out more and more of the schemes that you have been hoping to save and there's only so much of that you can replace in a week.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:21 AM ^
I'll trade momentum for the chance to get Black, Gary, and Evans back and healthy for Penn State.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:45 AM ^
Not sure how much I buy into the momentum killing aspect, this team is on a mission and has been very focused for their Revenge Tour (TM). Plus it gives Gary and Black more rest, or getting back up to speed time.
Brown has mentioned last year's PSU game has haunted him, essentially, so giving him two weeks to prepare to annihilate them is quite fine by me.
This team just feels different, yeah the D has been stellar in Harbaugh's tenure, especially since Brown came on, but this team just feels more cohesive and focused about taking care of business. I just don't see the bye doing anything but fueling their hatred for PSU and OSU and getting them focus even more.
October 25th, 2018 at 12:18 PM ^
The bye week is good. The season is a grind and giving the players bodies a little break this week will be good while PSU will be in a war with Iowa. We can get healthy and scheme for them. It should have no negative effect on how we’ve been playing
October 25th, 2018 at 12:42 PM ^
Agree, people went from wanting to slit their wrists to acting like there's no way we could ever lose a game. It's never as good or bad as you think it is.
October 25th, 2018 at 12:59 PM ^
GET HYPE YO.
I'm amped up for the rest of this season! I don't know why folks want to calm it all down and say "focus on PSU". Screw that. This team feels special, in a way that not even 2016 felt. For once I'm not nervous to see them play a big opponent, I'm excited. I was anxious before the Wisconsin and MSU games, because we all know how the team looked last year. Well the results are in, this year ain't last year. Penn State is not the same without Moorehead and Barkley...they rely far too much on McSorely, and that is a recipe for disaster against this Michigan defense. The best part? Even if Don Brown doesn't completely shut down PSU (and honestly that's a big "if" lol), our offense has demonstrated the ability to control large chunks of games, and if Shea can put it all together they can go from pretty good to downright dangerous.
ALL ABOARD THE HYPE TRAIN WOOT WOOT!
October 25th, 2018 at 10:00 AM ^
Does anybody know a Michigan "fan" that actually wants Harbaugh gone or is anti-Harbaugh. All of my M friends love the guy and even after the ND loss, just wanted him to change a few things but not be fired.
We aren't idiots and still remember the RR and Hoke years (and late Lloyd ones too).
October 25th, 2018 at 10:01 AM ^
We’re you not here after ND? There were LOTS of folks calling for Harbaugh’s head. WAY too many (as in more than 0).
October 25th, 2018 at 10:45 AM ^
Sure. Drunk posting on an anonymous internet message board, is one thing but that’s just anger/ unhappiness. I don’t think/ know of anybody that actually wanted him fired.