Why I'm not panicking about last night

It's the fact that it's year 4 and the team plays bad on the road still. Last night we looked slow and scared.

In four years Brady Hoke's Michigan teams have scored a grand total of 2 touchdowns at Notre Dame and Michigan State (those 2 touchdowns are from 2011 and happen to also be the last time we scored a touchdown against MSU). 

 

Brady Hoke has never beaten a team away from the Big House that finished the regular season with a winning record. Even when he went 10-2 he lost on the road to the two teams that finished the regular season with a winning record. His best road win is at Illinois and that team finished 7-6 (6-6 regular season).

 

This is year 4: it's not a coincidence anymore or an injury problem or bad luck or youth. It's a trend.

Be a good team in a bad conference?

Or

A bad team in a good conference?

Just a quick straw poll. No real reference to u of m. Just a big ten / sec question.

We were down at half by 21, and none of those points were produced by turnovers.

I'm panicking because Notre Dame's defense looked like ours was supposed to (probably better, actually...Jalen Smith is a fucking beast) and their receivers looked like ours were supposed to (regardless of our defense helping that notion).  Our everything looked like shit, though it all stems from our lack of development in the trenches, which is a big issue and one that needs addressing in some manner or this program will remain a middling one.  Yes, there is no elite left.  This program is mediocre, regardless of a backed-into fucking Sugar Bowl.

I will say, I think I and many others, including people across the country, have been underestimating 2014 Notre Dame; with Everett Golson clicking back there like he was, regardless of the lack of pass rush though yes it would have helped a tad, they looked like a pretty good team.

I've never played football, I won't pretend too...I'm too short and drink too much.

But can you coach not turning the ball over? I mean, I understand that you can coach to throw the ball away and hold the ball high and tight. But other than that, can you really coach good decision making? Or is it something you just have or not? In the heat of the moment, it's gotta be tough teaching EVERY POSSIBLE SITUATION...not to mention in real time.

Help me out. I've never dealt with it. I've played hockey, martial arts, and baseball semi professionally overseas. But I feel you have 'it' or you don't when it comes to decisions. Which makes recruiting even more of a crapshoot.

Here come the Hoke supporters after the fire has died down trying to spin the results to make it sound like it wasn't a complete ass kicking. This team was beat/broken in the first half. ND was down 5 players and got more out of their freshman starters than Hoke has gotten out of any 3-4 year players. I don't care what this team does next week...there's nothing that can be taken from beating Miami (OH).

We forced no turnovers against App. State.  The turnover battle does not seem like one we're going to win with regularity.  

As Michigan fans we must overreact to everything. I am certainly guilty of this. We overreact to a win over a terrible App State team. We overreact to a terrible loss to a good Notre Dame team. Once Michigan was not able to score early last night and Notre Dame came right back down and scored, I knew we were in trouble. Not 31-0, but in trouble nonetheless. There were a few bright spots (interior DL, namely Glasgow and Henry, and Jake Ryan at MLB) but the most disappointing thing to me was seeing the drop off in apparent talent from our starting CBs to the backups. Lewis and Hollowell looked completely overmatched to me. I think Lewis lost all confidence after the two early PI calls but Hollowell was a glaring weak point. Our CBs were supposed to be our deepest and most talented position group but seeing that all it takes is an injury to a starter to open the flood gates was disappointing. Regardless, I will continue to go to every home game, watch every road game and support this team. Those of you that will choose not to watch or support the team, well all I can say is I find that rather sad. Go Blue!

For me the bowl losses to Miss State and Kansas State were both far worse then last night.  It was ugly but we didn't just get run off the field.  For most of the first half it looked like we were a couple of plays away from getting back in it.  There were penalties and turnovers, but the real killer was the O-line imploding again.  That could get better as the season goes on.

If I'm not mistaken, all 4 of the turnovers happened after we were already down 21-0. All the turnovers did was made comeback completely impossible instead of essentially impossible. I guess I appreciate the fact that people are trying to find hope to cling to, but I've lost all faith in Hoke to right the ship. I've resigned myself to another long, miserable season.

Stockholm syndrome

I'm not panicked either particularly given the state of Michigan's competition going forward. I was at the game and must have had too much pregame fun because I never noticed the loss of Taylor, even when I was aware that Hollowell and Lewis were on the field all night. If you didn't know your team was without its best DB you'd have been puzzled at the string of key 3rd down conversions ND was making. I say Taylor is best because Countess did not look comfortable playing press and hassle man. What I do find bothersome is that Gardner is not the guy you want to bail you out of a 3 TD halftime deficit. He reverted to bad Gardner when trying to make things happen. All of that said, the ground game was working. Funchess is terrific. The LBs are good. With Peppers back and hopefully soon Taylor and Morgan, the defense is going to prove much better than last night. The offense will stick to their knitting and get better. And Michigan won't play Golson again. That guy had a spectacular night.

Our schedule shapes up with great opportunities to get some confidence back.  Obviously an awful game yesterday and we aren't anywhere near looking like a team fans, players, or coaches can be proud of.  But the schedule sets up nicely with a cupcakey-game to work out kinks and get our confidence back, a home game against a team that can beat us, a home game against a decent Big Ten team, and a road game against a middling Big Ten team before our next primetime game AT HOME against a solid team with little depth.

Each week is a step up in difficulty.  I would be there next week if I could, because I'm not ready to lose hope (or Hoke) yet.  I really want to give these guys a chance to prove their mettle, and showing up to support them if I had a ticket would be a good way to do it.  We wait all winter and summer for football season.  Way too early to write us off, especially when we have a chance to build some momentum with the soft part of our schedule.

*disclaimer: yesterday was very bad.  I'm not trying to blow rainbows.  I just don't see the sense in "Fire XYZ" posts after 2 games.  We still get to play @Rutgers, PSU, @MSU, @OSU, and a Bowl Game to change the tune of big game/road woes*

You can be optimistic. Good teams and players improve. Look today. Patriots lost to Miami. Do I think Miami is going to win the division? No. Patriots will improve. And they got Tom Brady. If they improve every week and beat MSU, I will believe. If they trounced by MSU, all bets are off. With this embarrassment, the only thing that will make this better is a B10 championship. We are on track to what MSU did last year, although to a lesser embarrassing loss. They lost to ND. Their QB looked terrible. They improved each week and the Rose Bowl. Hoke has to do it this year. Or needs to go.

If we win atleast 9 games and MSU or OU is included in the 9 then Hoke can stay.

One other thing. I am tired of hearing every year the goal of the coach a d not even come close. If I fail in my goal every year, I will not be employed. I still believe. Let us see what he does at MSU. Improvement each week...

META:  Each new board post must begin with code letters that correspond to the stage of grief in which the poster finds himself.  

For reference:

D = Denial (eg.  we are still young)

A = Anger (eg.  Fire 'x')

B = Bargaining (eg.  If we can finish with 'x' number of wins...)

Dp = Depression (eg. I can't care anymore)

Acc = Acceptance (eg. Michigan, and the Big Ten for that matter, are irrelevant.  But it gives me more time to focus on my other hobby of painting rainbows and pink unicorns!) 

The turnovers don't come close to being the story of that game. Which is why you grazed on several of the actual reasons in the very next paragraph. 3 of the turnovers IIRC came after the game was very much over. It's the same story after every loss. Enough with the excuses, at some point you just need to show that we have improved and not keep saying "if only X,Y, or Z" had gone differently than we would have won

Urgency, passion, and self sacrifice is missing from the top-down with this team. No amount of kool-aid can clout the fact that the issue with the program is with the AD and HC. Pieces are in place for a nationally competitive and championship caliber team with the right men in charge. Only thing permanent in life is change, Michigan needs to start this process now if the season cannot turn around. Hoke is a great guy and a man I respect dearly, just don't think he is the right fit for this program. I would look at Stoops at Kentucky based on family pedigree and Ohio ties or a young NFL coordinator who has experience in college and HC aspirations. Go Blue!