What will it take to get you enthusiastic about this season?
There seems to be a general malaise on the board surrounding this upcoming football season. Something as innocuous as camp helmet stickers, and the first practice video are generating extreme levels of snark. Despite my username, I lean towards the optimistic in virtually all aspects of my life. It is no different with Michigan Football. I'm like Harbaugh, I've had the dream and I'm revved up for the season. It's a new year, some new players, some new coaches, and it's MICHIGAN FOOTBALL!
If I didn't give up after suffering through the RichRod years, I'm definitely not losing enthusiasm after the most abnormal year (football and everything else) in our lifetimes. Last year was quite rough, the losses to OSU have been unnerving, the lack of reaching our lofty expectations of the Harbaugh era have been demoralizing. But, I love this university, and because of that I love this football program. It's a new year! In the immortal words of Bob Marley - "Lively up yourself, and don't be no drag"!
What do you need to get enthusiastic other than football season and MICHIGAN?!
I agree. Sadly, Harbaugh has lowered our expectations so much that your post seems reasonable.
For me, Michigan football was like when you get a package in the mail from Amazon. Now, it would be as if every time I get a package the delivery person kicks me in the nuts. Soon I’m gonna stop being excited about packages. Then I’ll stop ordering. Being apathetic towards Michigan football is a conditioned response at this point. Show us something to get optimistic about and we’ll get back on board. Keep kicking us in the dong and we’ll continue to find better things to do with our time and our emotions.
What I like to say about the Detroit Lions is that being a Lions fan is like giving a homeless crackhead $20 every single day and hoping today will be the day he spends it on food or clothing.
I'm starting to feel that way about Michigan Football as well.
Nothing. I'm always enthusiastic about every season. Even if things go to hell this season, I'll be glad that I got to watch another season of M football. But I'm totally expecting the team to prove the doubters wrong this year.
Damn right! I told a colleague the other day that I think we're going to surprise folks this season. I truly think McNamara might be the qb we've been asking for. Gattis still worries me, but Cade might be able to overcome some intermittent bad playcalling. And, I think the defense will be superb. Don Brown had grown too predictable and had been exposed by OSU. Once teams started following the OSU model, too many games became a struggle for the defense. I have that Wisconsin game circled. That will be the weekend where the nation will have to take notice!
August 9th, 2021 at 11:59 AM ^
It’s not healthy to drink heavily every day.
Beat Washington. I will take the win any way they can get it, but looking competent on offense and actually moving the ball would be nice to see. We have heard that the Huskies have a huge O-line so Michigan figuring out a way to limit the damage on the ground will be key. Unfortunately I feel like it will be like that Wisconsin game against RR where they basically never threw a pass.
Nothing is gonna work for this season for me. Too many disappointments to get enthusiastic before the season. I’m still gonna watch but my expectations are pretty much gone. If we won say 10 games and were competitive in all then they would be back for next year, with some cautious optimism. I think you can love Michigan but also be realistic as well.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I’ll always watch but the only expectations I have are negative at this point. I might even lower the bar and say 8-9 wins and being competitive in all would bring some excitement back for me. The being competitive part is the biggest one for me. The ass-kickings suffered against OSU and Wisconsin in recent years were painful. The loss to MSU last year hurt the most though. I’m not one to throw around the unacceptable word, but that loss just zapped any enthusiasm I had left for now.
I'm starting off with a low level of enthusiasm, expecting around a 7-5 season.
To make me more enthusiastic:
- Offensive competence, including attempts to be more explosive / less conservative
- Defensive progress / improvement, even though I think the road to an excellent B10 defense takes a couple years here.
- Game planning that takes advantage of opponent weaknesses (on offense) and schemes to limit big plays (on defense).
- Improvement at the QB position, whoever plays.
- A mentally strong, motivated team that limits avoidable mistakes and still plays with an edge.
The Washington game will tell us a great deal about how the season will go.
These sound like hopes for a pee wee or recreational youth football League. I think its ok to have higher expectations for division one football program at The University of Michigan. We are beyond the Capri Sun and Orange Wedge level of football here. We have a staff that at one time received the opening kickoff and called timeout before running a play. I will be enthusiastic when they start doing what a football program at this level should be capable of doing. At least stop embarrasing yourselves. But of course I will watch every game lol.
I'm happy that you've had the dream and are revved up like Harbaugh. Now, if you could coach and develop a QB you'd be hired as HC and we'd all be enthusiastic.
LOL Here's the thing, I think Harbaugh can coach and develop a quarterback. He's had a bad run with a few guys, and he pick a few bad guys. But, maybe Cade fell to Harbaugh for a reason. Some of the other guys had hardwired flaws already. O'Korn and Milton couldn't handle pressure or dissect defenses. Peters and Speight were a little mentally soft. McCaffrey was fragile. Some things can't be coached up. I'll argue, though, that Wilton Speight was on his way to being a very, very good quarterback. Even after the shoulder injury against Iowa, he was valiant in the controversial loss to OSU in 2016. If Harbaugh had not made the mistake of bruising Speight's ego with a qb competition with O'Korn the next season, we'd have seen a more confident, productive Speight versus Florida the following season. After those 2 pick sixes and the subsequent fan upheaval, Speight was lost for good. That All or Nothing documentary was quite telling.
I thought I was the only one here who thought Speight was very good and wish he stayed and we stuck with him. He had great presence and a great spin move and he stuck it to d'Antonio good... but to blame his confidence going awry with bringing in OKorn..that's on him... It's was reasonable a program with new coach needs another QB for depth. He didn't step up and that's on him. After they brought in Shea and essentially promised job to him, that's what pushed Speight away, and that was unfortunate...because I'd have rather had a seasoned upperclassman Speight, than Shea... and am not knocking Shea here.
If I'm being honest I'm not sure I ever will again. It's not the losses (Lions fan) I can over look those. The Anderson report has broken my fandom. Send me to Bolivia, I don't blame you, I just have a hard time with "Leaders and best" and everything the program has claimed to stand for. Finding out that when it mattered they let kids down in the worst way.
I agree that the Anderson report tarnishes the view of the program. Leaders and Best isn't all mythology, though. Mistakes were made in the past, and there is no one still around who can be held accountable. Although, extremely hurt and disappointed, I chose to move past it, because it is in the distant past. I understand where you're coming from, though.
Get it. It's unfortunate to learn those we look up to made mistakes or worse and the effects those errors have caused. The University has an overall positive impact on society and if handled correctly we learn and grow from those past errors in judgment. Their are evil people in the world and how the actions and behaviors of bad people are confronted and dealt with is part of our human condition. Those awful actions should not take away from the the well intended students, professors, coaches and support staff that still deserve the backing of the Michigan community. It is because of this opportunity to demonstrate and prove this I will be enthusiastic when rooting for everything Michigan, especially the football team even if I'm wearing a Michigan Volleyball tee-shirt doing it this season.
This is where I’m at. Unless other action is taken before the season I won’t be watching any of the football games. Thankfully we’re a basketball school anyways. Since I’m used to shitty football I can give them the Lions treatment and so something productive with my day.
I’m with you. I hope I can regain my enthusiasm at some point but the Anderson report just pulled the rug out from under me, as far as my blind fandom for Michigan goes. I’m so disillusioned and disappointed, and the powers that be have done nothing since the report came out to make me feel otherwise. I hoped they would make a strong symbolic statement by renaming the building and removing the statue. Yes I know that takes time but enough time has passed, and not doing those things makes their statements of support for the victims ring hollow and sends the wrong message.
I’m still a fan, I’ll always be a fan, but my enthusiasm is very subdued at this point.
This exactly, I worry the school is going to pay all this money, move on and never think about it again. Statue is still up, hall still named.
Being undefeated going in to the B1G Championship game . I will be enthusiastic then .
Maybe it’s Covid. Maybe it’s growing up and having kids. Maybe it’s work and other things to deal with but Ill never follow Michigan football like I once did.
If I could see the future and see Michigan not being terrible and not losing by 30 points to OSU.
We will know by October 3rd how this season will go, at the latest. We may know by September 12th.
If we beat Washington at home, which I am pretty confident we will, enthusiasm will be peaking. The big bar will be going to Madison and looking not lost like we did in 2019. If we start 5-0 or 4-1 with a close competitive loss to Wisconsin, I think we can expect a good season (9-3) with looking good for the future.
I recognize we didn’t hire Harbaugh to go 9-3 in year 7, but I am willing to take this as a short leash reboot year. We are incredibly young, and if this can be a year like 2015, I can buy back in to the program.
A bad loss to Washington however, and the Harbaugh experiment should be over.
Agree with your last statement. A bad loss at home, at night, with a sold-out “maize-out” crowd would be unbelievably embarrassing and devastating.
I am getting more enthusiastic as we get closer to the season but this is by far the least enthusiasm I've had for a season since my freshman year.
The OSU loses are bad enough, but that MSU loss last year really left a mark on my enthusiasm....
if Cade plays well and our defense looks promising against the Huskies I'll have some excitement..... but I won't be fully back until I feel we have a shot against OSU.
The kickoff.
To me it’s not even Michigan football that has me not enthusiastic it’s just college football in general. People complain that like the NBA is boring because it’s the same teams but that’s all college football is. So it’s hard to get excited when it’s going to be Alabama Clemson and Ohio State in the finals with a random other team there like USC or Oklahoma. The whole system is just blah
We just don’t have the playmakers in way too many positions.
We have had playmakers in the past and likely have some now but a conscious decision not to use them in playmaking capacities is a head scratcher. Staff prefers to use them as decoys or blateantly telegraph upcoming actual useage. This staff has a very odd understanding of how footballing works in this century.
a thirty year or so rewind.
Also, let's gooooooooo!
Man, those players out there busting their asses is enough for me. It's a new season, everyone is 0-0, let Team 142 (ish) carve out their own path, they have my support even if we suck (again...)
as an aside, I've started listening to Marley again for the first time since college, so many great tracks
Man, I get so frustrated by folks who only associate Bob Marley with marijuana. I had a conversation with a colleague a while back where I had to explain to them that there are 100+ songs on the Bob Marley box set, and I can think of about 4 or 5 that even reference marijuana! Bob Marley's music is about love, justice, equality, unity, culture! It's good to see a fellow fan!
I'm excited but I'll really get excited once we finally best Ohio St
I will probably repeat what a lot of posters are saying, but here are some things....
- Fans and crowds cheering on the team as a sign that college football is back will be huge. As the NCAA crumbles amid chaotic change (NIL, realignment, playoff changes, etc) what still makes college better than the NFL is the passion of the crowd.
- I am excited to see a team of players who wants to be here. For many (mostly understandable) reasons, much of our talent last year didn't want to be on the field or got hurt enough that it wasn't worth trying to get back in such a weird season. Those who stayed might not be champions this year, but they want to be here.
- I want to see how the coaching staff changes show up on the field and if it gives us a reason to be excited for the future.
- I will be excited if the team looks organized, interesting, and competitive. I am not delusional enough to think they can truly contend, but losing close games that are played well while cutting down on bone head systemic issues will go a long way.
- Haskins getting 100+ yards and Hutch getting a couple sacks in the first game aught to do it....
I want Corum getting 100. Cornelius Johnson 100 rec yds too.
If they beat Wisconsin, I'll know things have changed.
An excellent, concise response. Beating Washington will give me some enthusiasm, but it'll be off the charts if we beat Wisconsin at Camp Randall. That is not an easy task.
August 8th, 2021 at 10:17 PM ^
Bravo! Playing Wisconsin is never an easy task. They are always a hard nosed, very physical football team that will test an opponent's character and man-hood. Beating them requires an equally tough mindset and coaching discipline. They are always a tough out. UM beats them? Now I, as Buckeye fan become very concerned about the "Game".....
Nothing. I'm enthused, and honestly excited to see the team in action, the development of the offense with QB who's practiced it for a long time now, the revamped defense in case it unleashes Dax and Hutchinson to rain fire on opposing offenses.
If it all comes crashing down again, so be it, but I'm excited for now.
I can be enthusiastic about the season while thinking we’re going to be bad.
Honestly, I'm looking for 2015 to happen again. A slow start that builds over time as the QB play and play calling improves with a strong finish and a bowl win that gets folks excited again and sparks a strong recruiting class that builds towards what should be a very strong 2022 team with lots of upperclassman.
I'm not looking for Joe Burrow numbers, the top offense in the country, or Mo Hurst, Alan Branch, Steve Hutchins, Jake Long, Taylor Lewan, David Molk, and David Baas to walk in that door. We have guys at WR, RB, DE, and S that are proven playmakers. LB and CB are questionable, but I pretty much know what to expect there. But, I'm looking for some advances at QB, o-line, & DT.
I am looking for a balanced offense with an offensive identity that is effective and builds game to game and a QB that can find the open WR when there is one and make accurate throws. I am looking for the o-line to keep the pocket fairly clean against non-elite DL and make some holes against non-elite DL to establish a running game to make life easier for our QB. I am looking to not have always have to be bigger, faster, stronger, and better execution than our opponent to win. I want to see us use our numbers and our skills to our advantage on offense and keep opponents off balance. But, good execution would be nice and not turning the ball over, while also not feeling like we have to sacrifice play making to do so.
On defense I am looking for the DTs to improve to the point where they can hold up the middle of the line to stuff the run against non-elite OL so the edges and LBs can generate some pass rush. That should be plenty to beat 8 teams on our schedule. I have no expectations to beat OSU, but I'd love to lose by less than 20 pts. And, I'd like to see a close game against Indiana, PSU, Wiscy, & Washington where we have the opportunity to win a few of them (even if that means we trip up somewhere that we probably shouldn't have) and finish with a 9-3 regular season and hopefully cap that off with a bowl win.
We're not losing to OSU by 20+ points again! Don Brown's defenses played 4 games against OSU. In the first 2 they played fairly well. It was only in the last 2 games where Brown had been figured out. His system just didn't have an answer he could deploy. Now, we have a new DC, and the defense will be varied enough where running the same play over and over again won't be effective for an explosive offense. MacDonald's defense won't allow an offense to so easily identify a consistent weakness.
I'm not an exxes and ohs guy, so I have no idea, but ... I'll never understand that. Forget "the system" -- how in the world can you be so unable to adapt to shutting down specific plays over the course of an entire game?! That f*****g crossing pattern ... was infuriating. It wasn't just speed -- the receiver was open by 5-10 yards every damned time! What kind of coverage were we playing to have that guy outpace us by 10 yards within two seconds of the snap ... and why couldn't we drop a linebacker back or something to interrupt it!?
Sure, I understand, dropping a linebacker might open up options for their running game, or something else. I'm not saying we'd have won the game. But do something! It felt like Brown (and, I guess, Harbaugh) just were shrugging and saying, "well, whatareyagonnado?" ... and that's what drove me insane.
In fact, the metaphorical shrugging when the specific game plan wasn't working, on either offense or defense, instead of adapting and actually doing in-game coaching, is what, I think, doomed Brown, and is what will eventually doom Harbaugh. To this day I don't know what Harbaugh was thinking against Army in 2019. "No, no, this off-tackle run into a stacked box will work this time, I know it!"
Gaaaaah!
The vaunted Brent Venables defense had worse stats against Ohio St seven months ago than Don Brown's defense ever had.
And Don Brown has been unfairly blamed for last years defensive drop off. He didn't hire Brian Jean-Mary and Shaun Nua.
August 8th, 2021 at 10:06 PM ^
Don Brown has been unfairly blamed for last years defensive drop off. He didn't hire Brian Jean-Mary and Shaun Nua.
Maybe he didn't hire them and maybe DB took the lions share of the load when the offense wasn't putting up great numbers. But, he also failed to recruit, retain, and develop guys that he needed to play his system. Where were the CBs that could lock down in 1-on-1 coverage? Where were the DTs that could penetrate? After Long, Hill, & Hurst walked out that door (and Thomas opted out) so did our defense and DB didn't have anyone to replace them. Maybe that should have been Sims, St. Juste, Ambry, Solomon, & Irving-Bey, but enough of them didn't pan out and Hinton, Mazi, Perry, & Turner took long to develop to save him. Someone's gotta answer to it. Such is life. He made millions, was praised when he was successful, and got fired when he wasn't. Live and die with aggressive is exactly what DB said he would do and he did. It was a good run and now it's over just as it was meant to be according to the man himself.
August 9th, 2021 at 12:42 AM ^
Your list of blame for him is pretty heavy handed.
Again, he didn't hire Shaun Nua. A lot of the problems on defense would have been solved if Greg Mattison had been coaching the D Line. The D Line would have played better. Everywhere else on defense would have looked better as a result. And suddenly Don Brown looks like a better DC.
Who has to answer to it? Whoever it was that hired unqualified replacements for defensive coaches that left.
We could see what Don Brown was doing with defenses before Michigan. That speaks for who he is as a coach. And we will see what he does at Arizona. That also will speak for who he is as a coach.
What will it take? The team will have to win a game it's not expected to win.
That failing, just covering the spread on the road once / twice would be neat.
1) Week to week progression on defense
2) The offense finally starting to make sense and running effectively.
3) Go beat a team you’re not supposed to beat.