Ramzy from 11Warriors has spoken!

Interesting piece, thanks for the link OP. Personally I find all of the articles about Ryan Day having blown the game on Saturday to be nonsense. Some of his calls were debatable in hindsight but IMHO they didn't cost OSU the game.

Michigan played almost flawlessly. We had no turnovers and we picked off 2 McCord passes. We made all 3 of our FG attempts. We scored on every drive in the 2nd half except one. Yes, we ran a couple of unexpected/gimmick plays that were successful but they weren't TDs. We won the game by 6 points at home without our head coach because we are a little better than OSU and played excellent football.

I have watched this rivalry game since I was 10 years old in 1973. There is majesty to it, both teams tend to go on victorious streaks (or at least mini-streaks) over the years, but there's no magic. Sometimes there are bad/weird bounces, bad calls, etc. but both teams are usually very good to excellent.

Ryan Day is an excellent coach and his reaction to Zak Zinter's injury suggests that he is a decent human being. He wins 89% of his games, recruits 5* talent and seems to use available resources to his considerable advantage in running what is essentially a professional football program.

If he initiated the private investigation into our program, or instigated it somehow then I hate him for it but stepping back objectively he is an excellent coach. I doubt that he "doesn't get" the Michigan rivalry; that is insider nonsense. He'll probably beat us at some point soon enough, if for no other reason than the game is at OSU every two years and we do in fact graduate many of our best players this coming spring.

From my vantage point, this rivalry game is so big that the loser is often left doubting themselves. That's not abnormal human behavior. Day's track record against us is not as bad as Harbaugh's was against OSU only 3 short years ago. Day has a decent shot at turning things around unless he truly doubts himself for more than a few days after the game. But...he probably should give up play calling since that seems to be very difficult for elite coaches to do and still win at the highest level. Harbaugh had to make the same choice afterall.

A fun read, though maybe not a sound idea. Definitely high-quality work, though. 

Michigan's 'it' is apparently scouting the team in front of them instead of chasing ghosts of seasons' past. Michigan's 'it' is also not shying away from its strengths during big moments (4th downs in particular). How is that not SOP for any team in a big game? I can't imagine Day is really chasing ghosts of last year this year. Dude made bad decisions in a tight game with a QB who isn't the same caliber of dudes he had in the past. And if OSU scores on their last drive, does Moore not get 'it' because he ran conservative 3rd down calls on Michigan's last drive? 

Also, I'm not sure the piece needed to be as long as it was, but Ramzy had a bunch he needed to unload, and I respect that.  

This should foster a culture recruits will lust after. Your Alumni trash you for not having gold pants. Nothing is good enough if you exhibit any human flaw. Virtuous.

Makes the decision to not come back easier...so there's that! Slight salary increase at the next level too.

It's a good read.  As crazy as it sounds, I think I enjoy it more that Ohio State had a better net success rate last year and this year and still lost.  Goes along with his point that Michigan scouted better and won those games on the margins and by making less mistakes.  In general I enjoyed when Michigan was on the far right side of those graphs like they were most of the season, but this is a different type of enjoyment.

That said, Michigan can't be getting outgained on a per play basis against Georgia or likely any of the semi-finalists and expect to win.  It's possible, but we should probably focus on playing our best game and kicking ass like we have most of the season.

It's probably the most honest assessment that a bucknut has given his own team.  

I actually read this whole thing, and when i was done, my first thought was that the quality was such that it could have come from this site.  Good article.

After losing five straight, Harbaugh said Michigan would beat Ohio State or die trying and immediately went to extraordinary lengths to maximize every possible advantage, one of which kept him off the field the past three weeks.

Oh good grief.

Ohio State sucks but Ramzy is an awesome writer. Good stuff from him as usual. 

“Both of those jobs are exhausting. One man cannot do them both at the level required.”

And yet, Moore did three jobs at once.

Engineering perspective here,

This article is written after the fact.  It is all selective memory and 20-20 hindsight.  What are the measurables?  He cherry picks certain plays.  He explains little.  We do not know what any of the coaches were thinking or what they do or don't understand.  

I remember Springs slipping on wet grass and giving up a Streets touchdown for the win.  I remember Wolverines slipping all over wet grass as Beanie Wells raced for the end zone twice.  I remember Charles Woodson slipping and given up a touchdown to David Boston.  Fortunately, that last one didn't determine who won.  

In summary, put the ball in the hands of your playmakers, call good plays, don't turn the ball over, hope for the best, and outscore your opponent.  Far more coaches are fired than retire on their own terms and I am supposed to believe this writer has some insight on how to win the big game?

So the real insult is that Day doesn’t need Just For Men to look like that. Pretty decent piece by Ramey. 

Looks like Ramzy is broken as well! What a waste. But, oh goody! Let's feast on this :) 

Eh. This is a well-written, eloquent article with not much to say, and boy does it take a long time to get there. Summary: Day doesn't "get it"; he shrunk in the moment. 

It's a lot of feelingsball that just trots out the same narrative everyone is pushing. He comes up with some plays cherry-picked as "evidence" to support the narrative; more so than other OSU articles have done thus far. But he doesn't do much to sway me to his opinion. As others have mentioned, if MHJ gets a TD on the last OSU possession, does Day suddenly "get it"?  Does Moore "not get it" cuz he kicked a FG on 4th and 6?

What's notably lacking is any football technical analysis AT ALL. Which really just makes it his opinion, man.

Michigan has won because it's done a tremendous job of developing talent that on paper wasn't as good as OSU's when it was recruited. Michigan has taken an inordinate number of 3 stars and made them into NFL players. It's developed many of its 4 stars into draftable players for the top few rounds of the draft. Is this sustainable?  I hope so. Next year will be an interesting litmus test with the max exodus about to unfold. 

Nice writing.

Turns into garbage with the bullshit about signs.

More whining.

11W is still putting up headlines about Stalions lol. So is the Freep. The stupidity never ends...

This is pretty well written but the underlying messaging is still too simplistic.  He keeps talking about how OSU only has feint weaknesses, how Michigan didn't have playmakers on offense like OSU does, how the special teams coordinator is awful and cost them in these games, how this is all about Day not "getting" this rivalry.  It keeps treating Michigan like a plucky upstart that is moneyballing these wins instead of a team that has a ton of talent that is just better than a team with basically the same amount of talent.  Oh, and the Stalions horse beating continues and is yet another example of this myopic viewpoint.

OSU probably should have lost a couple more of these games under Meyer; he should have lost one to Hoke and at least one to Harbaugh.  OSU won a couple of coin flips and that happens but for some reason Ramzy seems to think Day losing these games is because he's playing last year's opponent when it's more that he just can't keep winning 51/49 games 100% of the time because in your head you still think they're 90/10 affairs.

Well written and spot on. 

The more I think about this, the more I dislike it.

It is just feelingsball.

Why MGoBlog is so much better: Brian and Seth (and others!) have learned football. They can more or less explain what is going on in some detail.

Ramzy is a clown. He writes well, but doesn't know much. We should ignore him and his OSU brethren.

Read Seth's comment above for more info on Ramzy.

That was actually a pretty good read. Thanks! 

That was deliciously dark

Those are both beautifully written articles. He had many takes I can sympathize with.

Day not truly understanding this rivalry has and will continue to benefit us. And he's a coward in the big moments. Even when his plans to gain an advantage had come to fruition, he still couldn't seize the opportunity. Instead, he only cemented his legacy as Cooper 2.0. The greatest fear OSU fans had coming into this game is now true. Our era of dominance is here to stay.

This felt like a waste of time. It’s so easy to say someone doesn’t “get it” and doesn’t “go for it on fourth down.” But it took this writer a very long time to say that. He also added some beard dying propaganda and thinks Harbaugh orchestrated signgate. This article lacks thoughtful analysis. It’s a bunch of silly feelingsball, with a couple cherry-picked efficiency charts. His solution? Have Day be OC or coach, but not both. That’s delicious because, extrapolating, if Day had done that, OSU wins. Yet Michigan did that (Moore wore several hats), and Michigan won. Further, even if Stalions is somehow an extension of the win-or-die-trying mentality (the author claims this), OSU also did that with this PI bullshit, which led to the Harbaugh suspension midseason, the distraction for the players…

This article sucks. The truth will out. It did on Saturday. 

Id like to know his source on Day not coloring his hair.

Im not buying it.

I read both of the articles and what stands out to me is how both entitled and ruthless the OSU nation is. They love to preen about the signal thing but at their core they’re pissed because they know damn well their buying of players for 20+ years is supposed to be a vastly superior scheme.  And I agree with them, it should have been enough to guarantee victory in perpetuity. So when it fails, it’s apocalyptic.  And they are ruthless with judgment on their “ student athletes”.  But with Buckeye Nation it’s ok to hate on them (McCord came closer to winning than either of the Stroud debacles…) because they know something most do not, they can savage these people as if they were pros because they mostly are!

Absent a lifetime of indoctrination and kool aide I can’t understand why any athlete would want to play for this fan base. 
 

Michigan is doing the entire universe a favor  

The comments are gold.  

Especially this one from a poster that thinks that Ryan Day must go:

I hope he loses his shit and punches a Louisville LB.

Talented writer who suffers from the same program wide delusions. Says Michigan’s receivers wouldn’t get into their WR room. Would any of you trade Wilson for Egbuka? CJ for Fleming? I’m not saying those guys aren’t fine receivers, it’s Ramey’s dismissal I take issue with. We don’t sling the ball around like they do. Also rather dismissive of Michigan’s skill in general, but at least we “get” the rivalry.

A very good piece with a few vital flaws in his analysis:

1: John Cooper's empire was not decaying at the end of the 90's. Suggesting such says the talent was on the wane, but it was not. Tressel could not have won it all without John Cooper's upperclassmen leading the charge in 2002. Cooper was still recruiting at an elite level, but suffered a wicked 1999 season and Ohio simply had enough after one final loss to M in The Shoe the next year.

2: He is spot on that what happened to Michigan in the second half of the twentieth century was Ohio State. That was the title drought. However, he also forgot to mention that after Michigan hired Bo, Michigan was equally what happened to Ohio State until Tressel came along and caught lightning in a bottle with Cooper's defensive stars, offensive line, and a freshman running back.

3: Ramsey's - and every other Buckeye's - and even a lot of recent Michigan fans' assumption that Ryan Day should be fired or somehow the program in Columbus is massively disappointing when losing to M is deeply flawed by recency bias. This flawed assumption is based on two facts: Ohio consistently out-recruits Michigan in recruiting rankings; and, Ohio went on an all-century run to open the 21st century.

However, these thinkers forget the buckeye run was only possible because an aging Lloyd Carr did not retain the mettle to challenge in the rivalry and lost complete control which led to a reach and disarray with Rich Rod followed by Brady Hoke, and even spooked the unflappable Harbaugh for five years until the Covid year provided room for a breather and a chance to rethink our program's existential crisis of identity and confidence and direction.

4: The truth of this rivalry is when both programs are operating at their respective levels it looks more like the Ten Year War with elite teams trading results rather frequently. Bo went winless across four seasons and in five of six. He also took three in a row from Woody and beat him 5-4-1. The truth is not Ohio on top - or even winning as expected. It's violence and chaos and seasons crushed - which will not happen with such ferocity and remorselessness again come the playoff.

Many are still blinded by Ohio's recent success and think that should be the standard. The bucks should be on top and a coach down south who can't deliver that every year should be fired. But they are wrong. These programs should be trading heavyweight blows like Ali and Frasier and nothing less. And these streaks should be nothing more than annual to five year streaks of back and forth. Not the 21st century shit show that Michigan is still trying to reset in the expectations and minds of fans and foes alike. 

5: The truth was not even that Ohio dominated the first two decades of the 21st century. The truth is that Michigan failed to hold up their end of the rivalry - that is, producing an elite program. Ohio routinely preyed on a weakened Michigan who produced only two or three seasons in 20 worthy of their level. However, Michigan did dominate an elite Ohio program in the 90's. 

Still, this rivalry is better when both are at their best. That's why the Ten Year War was so epic. Both programs were running like unstoppable mid-century freight trains and they collided every fall in an awesome spectacle of fire and metal and emotion. Finally there was some true parity and the collisions were titanic.

The buckeyes and wolverines, and the rivalry itself, are all equally traumatized by the later epochs of these battles like long years of colonialism and the scars of neverending pain and powerlessness it leaves behind. Cooper. Tressel. Meyer. Lose 'em all. Win 'em all. Lose 'em all again..

Maybe, just maybe, this rivalry is not about to crater into another period of occupation (as fun as it is to think about for us M fans). Maybe it's about to start firing on all cylinders again like it hasn't since Bo and Earle, but fans are simply too afraid to see it. 

At least right now the script of fear and pain has flipped and Ohioans are terrified of another period of interminable occupation and are panicking. At least right now that much is fun to revel and savor. But who really knows where it goes?

For now, M still has a lot of winning to do to live down the memory of nearly two decades of total program failure.

Ramzy gets it in a way that Ryan Day doesn't.

I find it disgusting that they hold Meyer in such high regard. 

There are some good lines in there, but there are really only three points worth making and he spent most of the article wallowing and trying to reference the "cheating" without coming out and saying "they had an unfair advantage".

The two points that I thought were well-put were:

1.  Ryan Day puts his trust in his passing game and overall elite talent, and will only take risks where those things can be leveraged.  This means he is much more likely to fail to seize 4th down chances, especially when he does not trust his OL (and probably shouldn't!).  This is a weakness that will show up in The Game, when elite talent exists on both sides.

2.  The winning strategy for OSU (and other teams with that kind of elite talent) is to leverage it *and* keep on doing it until your opponent stops it, then take advantage of the weakness they've introduced.  Both sides clearly had plans to stop each other's elite talent, and the in-game move-counter was NFL-level.  

The point that he glossed over was:

3.  This Michigan team was elite, and in particular was *better* than OSU on both lines.
  a.  Winning the line of scrimmage goes a long way towards mitigating any other talent advantage.  If OSU wants to fix that, they need to get those top recruits *and* coach them up.
  b.  OSU tried to leverage MHJ and succeeded some of the time, but Minter and the Michigan D were just that good.  M spent the whole year with two deep safeties specifically to prepare for The Game, pulled out everything and the kitchen sink (and dear deities, think of all the practice time they had to have spent repping NFL-level coverages schemes *just for one game*!) and rolled it out for the first time Saturday.  And OSU caught the shield, shifted to get us to reveal our coverages and chucked it back.

In short, I think Ryan Day is at least a good coach, a top offensive mind, and wants to win at least as much as any armchair QB.  He has built some of the top offenses in the country, year after year, and it took an NFL-level coordinator, a year's worth of preparation and sandbagging, and a tremendous effort by every player on defense to hold them down.

I think Day does get it.  I think that, far from being a Cooper moment, this is a Woody moment, when an at-least equally elite Michigan team narrowly beat his team.  The rabidly unreasonable OSU fandom isn't going to accept that, though, especially in this context.