Sometimes Things Are Bad, And That's Okay
either it will work or it will not work [Eric Upchurch]
Hey guys! As you may have noticed, the theme of this week on the blog is "nah." When I thought to myself "I should start a Michigan blog" back in 2004 I did not anticipate that about every three years things would descend into a melee of recriminations and stupidity. Insofar as it's possible I am opting out of this edition.
I could point out various reasons that things aren't going well again, but what's the point? I've already said the things, and people willing to listen have already read them. What's the point in arguing with this guy who's all up in my inbox?
Brian, your mattress story ,while creative in another genre, makes michigan football fans look like a bunch of smoked out , entitled, arrogant assholes. How so? It puts an emphasis on quirky,smarter than the rest of football fan bases,and takes away from the team of mostly working class players whom have little in common with you or most of your followers.
Its time to end this little money making with little to no sweat, blood,or tears called mgoblog while profitting off the Michigan athletes and get a real job...oh wait, that is not in your genetic makeup.
There isn't one. Nor is there a point in arguing with people who don't think Brady Hoke and his #37 and #20 2014-15 recruiting classes don't still have an impact on Michigan's performance. While assaulting previous regimes for failures has been somewhere between plausible and a holy quest, to do so after this start from Harbaugh...
In Harbaugh’s first season, Michigan doubled its win total from five to 10 and improved from 48th in S&P+ to fifth. The Wolverines won seven games by at least 21 points and lost to only three opponents (Utah, Michigan State, Ohio State) that combined to go 34-7. Against Utah, they lost because of a pick six. Against Michigan State, well, you remember that one. Not a bad debut.
In 2016, Michigan came within a spot of the Big Ten East title. If officials mark J.T. Barrett’s fourth-down conversion attempt slightly differently, the Wolverines go to the Big Ten title game and likely go to the College Football Playoff. As it stands, they merely backed up the previous season with another 10-3 record, another top-five S&P+ finish, and losses by a combined three points against Ohio State and Florida State teams that won 21 games. All this despite a late-season shoulder injury to quarterback Wilton Speight.
...given Harbaugh's track record is asinine. To do so after Michigan returned the fewest starters of any Power 5 team and lost their top quarterback, left tackle, and wide receiver to injury is brain dead. Yes, I thought things would be going better, but my preseason prediction didn't bake in injuries to Speight and Black; without those the chances that Michigan is headed towards 9-3 at worst are what, 90%? Have we already forgotten what a truly bad team looks like?
I get it if you're a rival and you're getting your yucks in. If you're a Michigan fan and your reaction isn't along the lines of "well, this is very disappointing but lets see what happens next year" I don't want to talk to you. Because what good would it do?
October 24th, 2017 at 1:35 PM ^
It's still pretty much the only website I look at. Anything else is news - and news generally sucks.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:27 PM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 12:28 PM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 12:29 PM ^
Here come the guys with the Dave Chappelle avatars to start a flame war.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:29 PM ^
well obviously I want you guys to keep doing this forever. if you do ever have "to end this little money making [sic] with little to no sweat, blood,or [sic] tears called mgoblog," then I look forward to following you at A Very Professional Mattress Blog.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:30 PM ^
Spot on. Yeah, this year has been frustrating & ugly at times, but things like that happen, esp. when there are major injury issues. Even freaking Urban Meyer went 8-5 once at Florida, Nick Saban did so at LSU, and Les Miles did so as well - the year after a national championship.
I mean, I'm glad that the things I sometimes mutter (or shout) during a game don't end up on the internet for all to see, because in the emotion of a game, it's easy to get carried away. But anyone sitting in (what should be) the cooler rationality of a Tuesday afternoon, worrying deeply about whether Harbaugh & Don Brown are the right guys is just not worth engaging with.
Here's to keeping some sanity while the process unfolds.
October 24th, 2017 at 2:11 PM ^
Largely because MSU broke his QB's left arm (the one that is still crooked today). We went 10-1-1 the next year and won the Big Ten the year after.
Shit happens - just have to wade through.
[If we could just find an effective OL ...]
October 24th, 2017 at 3:41 PM ^
That's what it really boils down to- Hoke really wiffed on OL recruiting his last two years, and now we are seeing the results. If you look at the "Depth Cart By Class" and see how loaded it is with Frosh/Sophs, you'll see it will take several years until the line has both experience and depth. There isn't a QB or RB in the world (well, maybe Barkley?) who can work effectively behind a poor offensive line, and we are reaping what Hoke sowed...
October 24th, 2017 at 12:30 PM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 12:30 PM ^
Losing to a good penn state team is fine and whatever. Losing to a mediocre michigan state team that is worse than you despite youth at home coming off a bye was bad coaching and what turned this season from fun rebuilding year with upside to teeth gnashing.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:35 PM ^
-5 TO margin against a team that has struggled with fumbles in every other game this year. That's so many standard deviations out that sometimes you have throw up your hands and just accept that football is weird.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:51 PM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^
Lewerke recovered his own fumble (though it resulted in a TOD so *shrug*) and their punt returner had a muffed punt go right back into his hands after it bounced 15 yards backward.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:58 PM ^
Luck. It's not like MSU didn't put the ball on the ground.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:55 PM ^
sorry, but this is weak. Three of those turnovers were trying to throw in a monsoon with our backup QB in his first start because we played the worst first half on the season. Everybody knew that storm was coming. Michigan State coached and played with urgency in the first half that Michigan did not have. Now Michigan State has a real shot at winning the division and that is because Michigan was not prepared to play that game. Pointing to the turnovers exclusively ignores reality and creates a false narrative.
October 24th, 2017 at 1:31 PM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 2:59 PM ^
Look, I get it. Everyone was hoping that they would suck again this year. And they haven't exactly set the world on fire against an underwhleming schedule but they are 6-1 and finding a way to win ballgames. They don't "suck". Turn the ball over 5 times against a B1G team that isn't Illinois or Rutgers and you're going to almost always lose that game.
October 24th, 2017 at 4:07 PM ^
people keep acting like we lost to a 3-9 team. We didnt. They were a 4-1 team that is now 6-1, and tied for first in the division.
October 24th, 2017 at 4:11 PM ^
But let me reiterate. Just because you yukd it up all off season with the 3-9 jokes, doesnt mean we lost to a 3-9 team.
Side note, my good friend Dave who is a Sparty fan posted that Tyrone bigguns meme that said Got any of them 3-9 jokes, that everyone here was so in love with right after the game.
I couldnt help but laugh. It was funnier when he posted it by the way.
October 24th, 2017 at 7:16 PM ^
Someone who knows whaf he is talking about. Thank you..Yea , you.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:54 PM ^
Well yea, it sort of is. I'll grant you that the paucity of msu fumbles seems random, but even if they don't turn it over once, you don't get to -5 without some non-weird occurances. Just as an example, if we have some initial offensive success, we aren't forced throwing INT after INT during a monsoon.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^
Plus I can't help but wonder what would've happened if we'd played MSU at a more usual time like Noon or 3:30 and get a full 60 minutes of clement weather. I've got to believe we might have been able to avoid a couple of the turnovers and pull out an ugly win.
October 24th, 2017 at 4:36 PM ^
"clement weather". For whatever reason in never occurred to me that the opposite of "inclement" would be "clement". Thanks for the word of the day.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:48 PM ^
That Michigan State team is 6-1 and is probably going to finish 9-3. But yes, please continue telling me they are mediocre.
October 24th, 2017 at 1:10 PM ^
Have you watched them play?
October 24th, 2017 at 1:15 PM ^
their defense hold Indiana to three field goals (two with short fields) and dispose of their two minute drill with comic ease a week after they went 75 yards on us in 40 seconds. I saw that part.
October 24th, 2017 at 1:29 PM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 3:19 PM ^
have Penn State at home with PSU coming off a Michigan/OSU back to back. They do have to go to OSU, who they led in the 4th quarter last year and beat the year before at OSU. The rest of their schedule is cake. I think they locked up 9-3 last week, now it is 10-2 on the table with a possible trip to Indi that would be very bad for Michigan.
October 24th, 2017 at 2:12 PM ^
"they are not going 9-3."
October 24th, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 1:16 PM ^
Let's stipulate that the coaches didn't have their best day vs. MSU. By all means, criticize some play calls and question why -- compared to, for example, Penn State -- the coaching staff wasn't able to take advantage of the bye week. But what follows from that? I know -- let's get rid of the current staff and hire coaches who don't make questionable decisions, but are at least as good as the present staff in winning, recruiting and developing student-athletes, running a clean program, etc. Sounds reasonable to me!
October 24th, 2017 at 1:41 PM ^
Nobody is really calling for mass staff turnover, People have been dissapointed with Drevno but that is about it. But this staff gets paid to be elite and win championships. That is what we are rooting for. So yes sports fan aren't entirely rational, if we were we wouldn't be sports fans.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:33 PM ^
Yeah, and get a haircut too - a haircut like the kind Johnny Unitas had!
Seriously, though, Brian is right. We should take this season to focus on family, friends, good dental hygiene, and regular excercise.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:34 PM ^
There's a haircut you can set your watch to!
October 24th, 2017 at 1:11 PM ^
Shouldn't we focus on that every season? If not, I'm doing this wrong.
October 24th, 2017 at 2:34 PM ^
You can ignore your loved ones and pretty much let yourself go to hell during a good season.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:31 PM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 12:33 PM ^
And as for "there are teams out there doing more than less," there are over 100 teams out there, and so you will always find some doing more with less. You might even find two (Wisconsin and MSU) who consistently do more with less. If you would really take the next ten years of Wisconsin or MSU over the next ten years of Harbaugh, then I wish you all the best with that.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:31 PM ^
Well said. Watching this fanbase eat itself this season has been incredibly unpleasant. This team is probably going to win 8 games and might swing 9. Harbaugh didn't suddenly forget everything that's made him great everywhere he's been.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:31 PM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 2:28 PM ^
There is no reason we can't beat Wisconsin, OSU, or both! Fucking who knows what happened to our defense this week but I got 19 weeks of Don Brown Michigan defense tellling me that shouldn't be the expectation moving forward. Even Alabama normally lets up 43 to an Ole Miss team now and again.
And when your defense can hold a team to 14 or less points any given week, you have a shot. 10-3 isn't my expectation but it falls under the realm of possibliity.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:31 PM ^
Thanks, Brian. The blog is my break away from the negativity in the world but lately it's been just as bad because everyone is loudly yelling about stuff. I appreciate the post.
October 24th, 2017 at 1:11 PM ^
Yes! I love this blog but it's tough to come here when it's filled with people losing their shit because they find something unacceptable. We lost. It sucks. But some of the hot takes were just embarrassing. Sports will not always go the way you want them to.
October 24th, 2017 at 12:32 PM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 1:16 PM ^
think it is more of a phenomenon where some people who were actually real fans are becomming trolls without even realizing that it is happening to them. Example:
Real fan - "Michigan State came into the big house with a very good game plan on how to exploit our defense and we did not have an answer. That sucks, but we will see them again and we are going to come to East Lansing and get some pay back."
Troll fan - "Oh my good five turnovers, in a rain storm! That loss doesn't even count, it really should not even be in the record books! Harbaugh's real record against rivals is 4-1."
Real fan - "Wow, that is twice this season that Michigan has played a team that looked more prepared for the game than we did. This is disappointing. We have not looked good on the big stage and the coaches have got to get this figured out ASAP."
Troll fan - "What, you are criticizing Harbaugh? I think I am going to take the head coach over you! You want him fired or something!?! Brady Hoke coached here 3 years ago, what do you want Harbaugh to do about that???"
Many of the troll fans are mistaking themselves for real fans because they won't discuss the reality of the situation. It is denial. To question and discuss the performance of the coaching staff doesn't make you a troll. To deny and avoid discussing even very legitimate questions and concerns is trolling.
October 24th, 2017 at 1:20 PM ^
"Oh my good five turnovers, in a rain storm! That loss doesn't even count, it really should not even be in the record books! Harbaugh's real record against rivals is 4-1."This is a straw man. No one is arguing that his record against them "doesn't count" but that it should be taken into context; he's had very bad luck (e.g. how often do you lose a game on a fumbled punt?) and one would expect that to even out over time.
October 24th, 2017 at 1:28 PM ^
there were quite a few people saying almost exactly that after the State game. OK, "shouldn't be in the record books" was kind of a joke, but for the most part that reaction was a real thing and was quite prevalent.
He's had bad luck. He has also been outcoached. In each of the events where luck became involved there were ample opportunities to take luck out of the equation well before it mattered. I can say that, and still like him and want him to be the coach here. That is what some people can't seem to understand.
October 24th, 2017 at 2:07 PM ^
So we didn't really lose those games. They were taken out of context. Haha. That is a joke before people get all uptight.
Comments