Uche says fan criticism has lift a fire under team. I want so bad to believe him.

Submitted by realblue on October 14th, 2019 at 4:23 PM

Interesting quotes here from Josh Uche. There's been a ton of talk, obviously, about how M has performed this year.

Uche says among other things that the fans and media criticism, specifically talk of the defense being "soft" and not being able to stop the run, has lit a fire under the team and given them more motivation. 

Some guys, I take what they say with a grain of salt (Patterson "make a statement" before Wisconsin game). 

That being said, I obviously hope Uche is right about the team being more fired up going forward. Happy Valley would be a perfect place to start backing all the talk up.

MGoThoughts?

https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/2019/10/14/michigan-football-josh-uche-run-defense-media-fan-criticism/

Teeba

October 14th, 2019 at 6:39 PM ^

It's put up or shut up time. For me, it's a road game against a ranked opponent. Until they show they can win one of those, it's just talk.

Maize4Life

October 14th, 2019 at 6:58 PM ^

Well...that so called "Fire" was a smoldering ember against Illinois..sorry not buying it..we have to face facts...we are NOT very good

bluepalooza

October 14th, 2019 at 7:16 PM ^

I don't think anyone who straps on college or professional football gear is soft.  I remember being on sidelines in an NFL game and hearing the bodies colliding on a kickoff.  There is not a soft person alive that could endure those type of collisions. College and Pro football have no physically soft players.  Let's get that out of way.

I think a better way of stating the soft comment is the mental collapse that Michigan has seen the last couple years.  Last game at PSU, last game against OSU, Wisconsin and last two bowl games.  All those games saw a team that looked defeated mentally.  If there is anything about Michigan right now, it is the inability of the coaches to make in game adjustments when things really go sideways.  EVERY team faces adversity, but somehow the coaches have to scheme the players back into game.  Remember the Colorado game, Michigan got smacked in the mouth right out of gate.  Somehow the coaches scheme the team back. For whatever reason, the coaches just don't seem to have the ability to do that now.

jigsmcgee

October 14th, 2019 at 7:47 PM ^

Psu will expose them unfortunately.  We don’t win these types of games.  Harbaugh is soft.  Team is soft, not their fault though.  (trying to pile on in hopes of building a larger fire)

kjason

October 14th, 2019 at 8:49 PM ^

There is a part of me that wishes the players read the beautiful disdain that Brian writes sometimes, just hoping it connects with them

LabattsBleu

October 14th, 2019 at 9:49 PM ^

Fan posts have Zero outcome on the game being played on the field...

if the team really cares about what fans think, they are spending too much time on that rather than the actual game planning....

losing 35-0 nothing into the 3rd quarter of a game causes the criticism, not the other way around

DeepBlueC

October 14th, 2019 at 9:59 PM ^

Gee, wouldn't it have been easier just to play as well as they're capable of right off the bat? Instead of saying, "Hey, why don't we play sloppy so that the fans will criticize us and get us motivated"?

HollywoodHokeHogan

October 14th, 2019 at 11:15 PM ^

I’m sure they are pissed about it, but being pissed won’t fix what’s wrong with the team.  And I don’t think most of the blame should be put on the players for the problems they have.

consultant22

October 14th, 2019 at 11:54 PM ^

The players lack collective confidence. If fans and the media getting mad at them actually leads to them playing passionate football then we should always be throwing them under the bus. I think we'll know what we have pretty early in the PSU game. IMO, this game will decide the season's direction. 

ReverendBlueJeans

October 16th, 2019 at 12:44 AM ^

Of course I believe him. And, outside the Wisconsin game, I haven't really heard much criticism against the D...the other side is the being criticized and rightly so. 

Here's the problem: fire or no fire, does anyone think it'll really matter or produce a different result on the field? I have no doubt he and many others are fired up. I'm glad for them and hope it vaults their draft stock while maintaining my skepticism re: the results. This is our team. It is what it is and it's not getting any better. I don't put that on the players but on the guys calling the shots.