What made you think it was a good idea to post this? The board has a no politics rule, so this wouldn't be appropriate on any thread, let alone one about a coach fighting for his life.
Oh of course, Mazi made a dumb decision, there's no way around that. But he's not some dangerous criminal or anything. I could see maybe a game suspension, but no more, and I'm fine with less (or none, which is what happened). Ideally they would have filed charges at the time of the incident, he maybe gets suspended for the Indiana or Penn State game, and then life goes on and you're in this exact same spot without this stuff in the news.
I don't think this really changes anything for Mazi. Reckless driving isn't uncommon, unfortunately, especially among young people. The decision to do so while carrying a loaded gun and ammo and still not officially licensed wasn't a very smart one, but that doesn't make him a terrible person. As others have mentioned, 9:30 am sounds like he was going to a range.
In my opinion, the only person this report affects is the prosecutor. He claimed the reason for the delay in charges was because Mazi wasn't arrested at the scene, which made it harder to collect evidence. This report directly contradicts that claim. Obviously that is not a great look for the prosecutor, but that has nothing to do with Mazi or UofM. Frankly I think this whole matter could have been behind us already if they had just filed charges around the time of the incident.
Yeah, I'm curious about that too. The staffer has supposedly already been dismissed, but I don't think that would prevent the Big Ten from releasing more information.
It's just some random dude on a message board, but just for the record, this was ridiculed on the MSU board too. It might be good for a chuckle or two though.
I don't think any rational MSU fan is taking this crystal ball seriously. Even most irrational MSU fans are skeptical. I, for one, am enjoying the reactions on other teams' message boards. It's been pretty good entertainment.
Neither of those is really accurate. Parting ways with Edmundson wasn't related to Moore. His recovery from his back injury was a concern and they decided to move in a different direction. Now we don't have a QB in this class, so why not make another run at Moore while we evaluate other QB prospects?
Yeah, unfortunately he picked up a back injury (at least I think it was his back) during the offseason which has really limited him. I think he's played a bit this season, but there are some concerns about durability. Hopefully he can find another landing spot, he's supposedly a really good kid.
Justin White (#30) is the last guy to throw McBurrows in Charboneau's video, and Wright (#26) is right next to him, so I assume he got a punch or kick in. I haven't noticed Malcolm Jones (#7) yet so I can't point out what he did. However, if he's getting suspended there's obviously a reason for it.
Edit: Jones is #36 now. 7 was his old number. He's in the scrum that first pulls McBurrows into the hallway.
To me it looks like he pulls #11 Tyrell Henry away and then tries to pull #15 Angelo Grose away but fails. I don't think he was taking swings at McBurrows.
Trying something new with the freshmen isn't a bad idea, but I think I'd rather save them. Let them hit the weight room, work on technique, and learn the defense without getting beat up. Hopefully they can challenge for playing time next year.
Yeah, a lot of people look at all the transfer pickups and think Tucker's main strategy is to build the program through the portal. We had 1 scholarship corner in spring ball in 2021, and he got passed up by 3 transfers and a true freshman and was in the portal after game 4. Tucker had no choice but to take whatever he could get from the portal.
As good as Corum and Edwards are, I think you're doing us a favor every time you hand it off. That's not to say you can't win by running a bunch. You'll get some decent yards on the ground and probably break a few good runs, but it'll be so much easier if you just throw it on every play.
Regarding the secondary, I think getting Henderson back is a big boost that won't amount to much in this game. That sounds weird, but I'll try to explain. Henderson is the captain, leader, coach on the field, whatever term you want to use. With him back, I expect fewer coverage busts due to DB/LB miscommunication and uncovered receivers. Unfortunately, they still can't cover when they do get their assignments right. So, I think instead of WRs being wide open due to miscommunications, WRs will be open because they're just better than the DBs. Against a good passing offense, that probably doesn't make much of a difference. But it could really help us against the likes of Illinois, Indiana, and Rutgers (and who knows, maybe even PSU).
I think we are pretty well-suited from a personnel standpoint, but we just don't do it that much. I would love to see more of Mosley and the tight ends on crossing routes and seams. I kind of wonder if this is partly due to Thorne being a shorter QB and maybe having difficulty seeing over the line. I also think Thorne doesn't trust the O-line and tends to get antsy and lock in on Reed, who is an outside receiver.
I agree with all points. Berger has decent speed and size, but he just doesn't seem to break a lot of tackles and usually doesn't get more than what the blocking gives him. Collins makes guys miss and runs through arm tackles and seems to get more yards than I expect him to on almost all of his carries, but he's just not fast at all. I think Collins is the best of the 3, and should get most of the carries.
Really good breakdown. I think the combination of a healthy Reed and Coleman will make for a few exciting plays, but not nearly enough to put the game in doubt. MSU's offense will be limited for at least another couple years until we can clean up the mess Dantonio left at OL.
I don't envy you having to make sense of MSU's defense. Between injuries, players moving around, and just not being very good, it seems like a nightmare to make a detailed breakdown of everything.
I expect Reed and Coleman will win their share of plays, like any good receivers would, but I don't think there's some major mismatch. But even if your CBs get beat, there's still a decent chance they won't get punished for it. Unfortunately, the O-line is not good, as Alex pointed out. Throw a few blitzes and DL stunts at us and Thorne won't have enough time to take advantage of any potential matchup problems.
I'm a little biased, but Reed and Coleman are a really good pair of receivers and would be a tough matchup for a lot of defenses. If we had even an average OL, I think we could actually have a pretty good offense. However, we're stuck with a bad OL for the 7th (8th?) year in a row and I get to watch us waste a very good WR group.
He's been snake-bitten the last couple years. In 2020 he got covid in the offseason and I think he was out for a month. That killed his strength and conditioning and he just wasn't able to get back to form during the season. Last season, he got a nasty ankle sprain on a TD run against Youngstown State which limited him the rest of the year (and some other dude was the clear #1 back anyway). When he finally got a chance against Maryland this season, he showed vision and an ability to make defenders miss that we hadn't seen from the other 2 backs. It looks like the coaches noticed and have given him more carries since.
Yeah, Rutgers-Northwestern came out as a pick-em and I immediately put money down. I'm now trying to figure out what the oddsmakers saw that I didn't. Even with a backup QB, Rutgers should beat them, right?
I don’t think preparation was the issue against Rutgers. We moved the ball against them, and for the most part the defense did ok too. We just fumbled 5 times, giving them 3 TD drives of less than 30 yards (including one that was just 1 yard).
We actually have some pretty good athletes at WR and RB. The problem is they can’t do anything if the line can’t block and the QB can’t get them the ball, and those have been the main problems in recent years. And then there are major question marks at almost every position in the back 7 on defense which is never ideal. Some good athletes there as well but a lot of them are new and will take time to adjust. Should be a very interesting season - depending on how the transfers work out, this team could wind up anywhere from 3-9 to 8-4.
Of course, which is why I added the (if there is any) part.
In conference games, I expect to lose @IU, @OSU, and PSU. Until I see what the team looks like, I think the rest of them are toss-ups at this point. We can definitely win each of them, and we can also definitely lose each of them. The first 3 (@NW, Neb, @Rutgers) are the 3 I feel best about right now.
For your TEAM WHO MIGHT APPEAR TO BE HANGING AROUND IN THE DIVISION STANDINGS, BUT IS NOT REALLY "IN IT" category, MSU is definitely the pick. Finishing with OSU and PSU will almost definitely be 2 losses to close the season. Silver lining here is that it'll be nice not having a mid-season OSU curb-stomping to derail any momentum we might be able to muster up (if there is any, that is).
Oh hey, it's something about my team. I can't really disagree too much with what you said. Neither is a huge program-changing recruit, but both are good pickups for MSU.
Gates kind of reminds me of BJ Cunningham in terms of style (just style, definitely not predicting that kind of production). He's not exceptionally tall or fast, but good route runner. He won't be a big play threat, but I think he could be a solid possession receiver. Unfortunately Mangham's highlights didn't really show him in coverage much, but it looked like he had pretty good speed.
I think the main reason for optimism is that these are guys Dantonio probably wouldn't have pulled, especially Mangham. So I think Tucker coming in and getting them (along with Houser/AVS) coming off a 2-5 season is a positive sign. It's also good to see the new staff making some in-state connections. The program still has a looong way to go and there's still a lot we need to see, but this class is at least a sign that we might not be in a complete tailspin anymore.
Yeah, MSU most likely isn't going to take another WR. The only way they would take a WR is if it was a can't-miss prospect, and the can't-miss WRs are going elsewhere
OSU was missing one of their starting forwards today (a fact which, as a Spartan, I will happily ignore). I'd be very surprised if they lost in the first weekend. They're certainly capable of a Final Four run depending on their tournament draw.
It's hard to see in the box scores, but I actually think MSU (and Henry) goes as everyone around Henry goes. Henry's a really good player, but not an elite scorer. He doesn't have Cassius Winston's ability to pull baskets out of his ass on every possession, and if no one else can do anything he starts trying to force things and it all unravels from there. If you shut down everyone around him, Henry isn't going to win the game single-handedly.
If you were a recruit, would you rather go to a program that's currently in the top 5, or a team that hasn't had a competent offense in 5 years? Expecting Tucker to beat out teams like Bama, OSU, and ND in year 1 is a bit ridiculous. Even if he somehow got MSU back to the Big Ten Championship, he still wouldn't beat those programs for recruits regularly. That's just reality at MSU.
Also, look at ND's offensive line, and then look at MSU's, and tell me which one you'd rather run behind.
Well, MSU had 2 TEs get hurt this season and had to start a former punter there (who was actually serviceable, props to him), so they could use another TE too. I'd rather have Estime with a whole college career in front of him, but Joiner isn't a bad replacement.
Those 3 weren't expected to sign. VanDeMark and Estime's school has a tradition of signing together in February, and I don't think Benny ever indicated that he wanted to sign early. Right now it's looking like Estime is going to ND, which has pretty much been expected since he got that offer. But MSU may be bringing in Auburn transfer Harold Joiner to replace him.
Edit: Joiner just committed to MSU, so that pretty much confirms the Estime flip
They said they were permanently switching the games between MSU, Indiana, and Michigan. So UM should be traveling to MSU next year and playing OSU in Ann Arbor, then the following year play MSU in Ann Arbor and travel to OSU, and so on. I don't think the programs have officially switched the schedules yet, but that's at least what they said was happening.
It looks like their first priority was scheduling rivalry games that had been cancelled, so in addition to the OSU-NW championship game they scheduled Indiana-Purdue and Wisconsin-Minnesota. Because one of those games is a West-West game, they needed an East-East game, and that would mean Maryland against MSU or Michigan as the non-rematch options. MSU gets the honor as the last place team.
That left Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois in the West, and PSU, Michigan, and Rutgers in the East. PSU had already played Iowa and Nebraska, so they get Illinois. Then maybe because Michigan beat Rutgers, they play the higher-seeded Iowa and Rutgers gets Nebraska. Or maybe the Big Ten wanted to balance out the TV viewers and worried that an Iowa-Rutgers matchup wouldn't get enough.
Recent Comments
What made you think it was a good idea to post this? The board has a no politics rule, so this wouldn't be appropriate on any thread, let alone one about a coach fighting for his life.
Oh of course, Mazi made a dumb decision, there's no way around that. But he's not some dangerous criminal or anything. I could see maybe a game suspension, but no more, and I'm fine with less (or none, which is what happened). Ideally they would have filed charges at the time of the incident, he maybe gets suspended for the Indiana or Penn State game, and then life goes on and you're in this exact same spot without this stuff in the news.
I don't think this really changes anything for Mazi. Reckless driving isn't uncommon, unfortunately, especially among young people. The decision to do so while carrying a loaded gun and ammo and still not officially licensed wasn't a very smart one, but that doesn't make him a terrible person. As others have mentioned, 9:30 am sounds like he was going to a range.
In my opinion, the only person this report affects is the prosecutor. He claimed the reason for the delay in charges was because Mazi wasn't arrested at the scene, which made it harder to collect evidence. This report directly contradicts that claim. Obviously that is not a great look for the prosecutor, but that has nothing to do with Mazi or UofM. Frankly I think this whole matter could have been behind us already if they had just filed charges around the time of the incident.
He has to be joking (right?) but I thought this was funny.
They do this to us every year. Boo Buie kills us for some reason. And every time I turn it on expecting something different and it doesn't happen.
Yeah, I'm curious about that too. The staffer has supposedly already been dismissed, but I don't think that would prevent the Big Ten from releasing more information.
It's just some random dude on a message board, but just for the record, this was ridiculed on the MSU board too. It might be good for a chuckle or two though.
No, he is not optimistic. In the same boat as every other MSU writer.
Sean is much, much less outspoken. Not really a comparison there.
I don't think any rational MSU fan is taking this crystal ball seriously. Even most irrational MSU fans are skeptical. I, for one, am enjoying the reactions on other teams' message boards. It's been pretty good entertainment.
Neither of those is really accurate. Parting ways with Edmundson wasn't related to Moore. His recovery from his back injury was a concern and they decided to move in a different direction. Now we don't have a QB in this class, so why not make another run at Moore while we evaluate other QB prospects?
Yeah, unfortunately he picked up a back injury (at least I think it was his back) during the offseason which has really limited him. I think he's played a bit this season, but there are some concerns about durability. Hopefully he can find another landing spot, he's supposedly a really good kid.
Not sure anyone actually expects that. But yes, they're apparently going to try.
Justin White (#30) is the last guy to throw McBurrows in Charboneau's video, and Wright (#26) is right next to him, so I assume he got a punch or kick in. I haven't noticed Malcolm Jones (#7) yet so I can't point out what he did. However, if he's getting suspended there's obviously a reason for it.
Edit: Jones is #36 now. 7 was his old number. He's in the scrum that first pulls McBurrows into the hallway.
This is the video I've seen where he's in the mix.
To me it looks like he pulls #11 Tyrell Henry away and then tries to pull #15 Angelo Grose away but fails. I don't think he was taking swings at McBurrows.
Trying something new with the freshmen isn't a bad idea, but I think I'd rather save them. Let them hit the weight room, work on technique, and learn the defense without getting beat up. Hopefully they can challenge for playing time next year.
Yeah, a lot of people look at all the transfer pickups and think Tucker's main strategy is to build the program through the portal. We had 1 scholarship corner in spring ball in 2021, and he got passed up by 3 transfers and a true freshman and was in the portal after game 4. Tucker had no choice but to take whatever he could get from the portal.
As good as Corum and Edwards are, I think you're doing us a favor every time you hand it off. That's not to say you can't win by running a bunch. You'll get some decent yards on the ground and probably break a few good runs, but it'll be so much easier if you just throw it on every play.
Regarding the secondary, I think getting Henderson back is a big boost that won't amount to much in this game. That sounds weird, but I'll try to explain. Henderson is the captain, leader, coach on the field, whatever term you want to use. With him back, I expect fewer coverage busts due to DB/LB miscommunication and uncovered receivers. Unfortunately, they still can't cover when they do get their assignments right. So, I think instead of WRs being wide open due to miscommunications, WRs will be open because they're just better than the DBs. Against a good passing offense, that probably doesn't make much of a difference. But it could really help us against the likes of Illinois, Indiana, and Rutgers (and who knows, maybe even PSU).
I think we are pretty well-suited from a personnel standpoint, but we just don't do it that much. I would love to see more of Mosley and the tight ends on crossing routes and seams. I kind of wonder if this is partly due to Thorne being a shorter QB and maybe having difficulty seeing over the line. I also think Thorne doesn't trust the O-line and tends to get antsy and lock in on Reed, who is an outside receiver.
I agree with all points. Berger has decent speed and size, but he just doesn't seem to break a lot of tackles and usually doesn't get more than what the blocking gives him. Collins makes guys miss and runs through arm tackles and seems to get more yards than I expect him to on almost all of his carries, but he's just not fast at all. I think Collins is the best of the 3, and should get most of the carries.
Really good breakdown. I think the combination of a healthy Reed and Coleman will make for a few exciting plays, but not nearly enough to put the game in doubt. MSU's offense will be limited for at least another couple years until we can clean up the mess Dantonio left at OL.
I don't envy you having to make sense of MSU's defense. Between injuries, players moving around, and just not being very good, it seems like a nightmare to make a detailed breakdown of everything.
I expect Reed and Coleman will win their share of plays, like any good receivers would, but I don't think there's some major mismatch. But even if your CBs get beat, there's still a decent chance they won't get punished for it. Unfortunately, the O-line is not good, as Alex pointed out. Throw a few blitzes and DL stunts at us and Thorne won't have enough time to take advantage of any potential matchup problems.
I'm a little biased, but Reed and Coleman are a really good pair of receivers and would be a tough matchup for a lot of defenses. If we had even an average OL, I think we could actually have a pretty good offense. However, we're stuck with a bad OL for the 7th (8th?) year in a row and I get to watch us waste a very good WR group.
He's been snake-bitten the last couple years. In 2020 he got covid in the offseason and I think he was out for a month. That killed his strength and conditioning and he just wasn't able to get back to form during the season. Last season, he got a nasty ankle sprain on a TD run against Youngstown State which limited him the rest of the year (and some other dude was the clear #1 back anyway). When he finally got a chance against Maryland this season, he showed vision and an ability to make defenders miss that we hadn't seen from the other 2 backs. It looks like the coaches noticed and have given him more carries since.
MSU has to go play on the road against a good Purdue team immediately following yesterday's game. Hard to imagine a bigger chance for a letdown game.
Aaaaaand it's back
If I were a betting man, I'd almost certainly take the under.
This will be their 9th trip to East Lansing. Most recently, they were there in 2012 and 2014 for MSU vs. OSU, and in 2015 for MSU vs. Oregon
Yeah, Rutgers-Northwestern came out as a pick-em and I immediately put money down. I'm now trying to figure out what the oddsmakers saw that I didn't. Even with a backup QB, Rutgers should beat them, right?
Hey man, we've all been there. And IMO the title is way more fun with Wingdings
I don’t think preparation was the issue against Rutgers. We moved the ball against them, and for the most part the defense did ok too. We just fumbled 5 times, giving them 3 TD drives of less than 30 yards (including one that was just 1 yard).
We actually have some pretty good athletes at WR and RB. The problem is they can’t do anything if the line can’t block and the QB can’t get them the ball, and those have been the main problems in recent years. And then there are major question marks at almost every position in the back 7 on defense which is never ideal. Some good athletes there as well but a lot of them are new and will take time to adjust. Should be a very interesting season - depending on how the transfers work out, this team could wind up anywhere from 3-9 to 8-4.
Of course, which is why I added the (if there is any) part.
In conference games, I expect to lose @IU, @OSU, and PSU. Until I see what the team looks like, I think the rest of them are toss-ups at this point. We can definitely win each of them, and we can also definitely lose each of them. The first 3 (@NW, Neb, @Rutgers) are the 3 I feel best about right now.
For your TEAM WHO MIGHT APPEAR TO BE HANGING AROUND IN THE DIVISION STANDINGS, BUT IS NOT REALLY "IN IT" category, MSU is definitely the pick. Finishing with OSU and PSU will almost definitely be 2 losses to close the season. Silver lining here is that it'll be nice not having a mid-season OSU curb-stomping to derail any momentum we might be able to muster up (if there is any, that is).
Oh hey, it's something about my team. I can't really disagree too much with what you said. Neither is a huge program-changing recruit, but both are good pickups for MSU.
Gates kind of reminds me of BJ Cunningham in terms of style (just style, definitely not predicting that kind of production). He's not exceptionally tall or fast, but good route runner. He won't be a big play threat, but I think he could be a solid possession receiver. Unfortunately Mangham's highlights didn't really show him in coverage much, but it looked like he had pretty good speed.
I think the main reason for optimism is that these are guys Dantonio probably wouldn't have pulled, especially Mangham. So I think Tucker coming in and getting them (along with Houser/AVS) coming off a 2-5 season is a positive sign. It's also good to see the new staff making some in-state connections. The program still has a looong way to go and there's still a lot we need to see, but this class is at least a sign that we might not be in a complete tailspin anymore.
Yeah, MSU most likely isn't going to take another WR. The only way they would take a WR is if it was a can't-miss prospect, and the can't-miss WRs are going elsewhere
I would rather not
OSU was missing one of their starting forwards today (a fact which, as a Spartan, I will happily ignore). I'd be very surprised if they lost in the first weekend. They're certainly capable of a Final Four run depending on their tournament draw.
It's hard to see in the box scores, but I actually think MSU (and Henry) goes as everyone around Henry goes. Henry's a really good player, but not an elite scorer. He doesn't have Cassius Winston's ability to pull baskets out of his ass on every possession, and if no one else can do anything he starts trying to force things and it all unravels from there. If you shut down everyone around him, Henry isn't going to win the game single-handedly.
So was the MSU team that won at Duke. Turns out Duke just isn't good.
If you were a recruit, would you rather go to a program that's currently in the top 5, or a team that hasn't had a competent offense in 5 years? Expecting Tucker to beat out teams like Bama, OSU, and ND in year 1 is a bit ridiculous. Even if he somehow got MSU back to the Big Ten Championship, he still wouldn't beat those programs for recruits regularly. That's just reality at MSU.
Also, look at ND's offensive line, and then look at MSU's, and tell me which one you'd rather run behind.
Well, MSU had 2 TEs get hurt this season and had to start a former punter there (who was actually serviceable, props to him), so they could use another TE too. I'd rather have Estime with a whole college career in front of him, but Joiner isn't a bad replacement.
It was pretty much expected when he got the ND offer. MSU already went out and got Harold Joiner from Auburn yesterday to take his spot.
He did, as well as Vince Marrow mentioned below.
And I mentioned that Estime is likely gone. But he was never expected to sign early even if he didn't get the ND offer.
Those 3 weren't expected to sign. VanDeMark and Estime's school has a tradition of signing together in February, and I don't think Benny ever indicated that he wanted to sign early. Right now it's looking like Estime is going to ND, which has pretty much been expected since he got that offer. But MSU may be bringing in Auburn transfer Harold Joiner to replace him.
Edit: Joiner just committed to MSU, so that pretty much confirms the Estime flip
I believe that would be Logan Diggs, who just got an offer from LSU
It's flipped the MSU-Indiana game as well. Indiana has come to East Lansing twice in a row now, and next year's game should be in Bloomington.
They said they were permanently switching the games between MSU, Indiana, and Michigan. So UM should be traveling to MSU next year and playing OSU in Ann Arbor, then the following year play MSU in Ann Arbor and travel to OSU, and so on. I don't think the programs have officially switched the schedules yet, but that's at least what they said was happening.
It looks like their first priority was scheduling rivalry games that had been cancelled, so in addition to the OSU-NW championship game they scheduled Indiana-Purdue and Wisconsin-Minnesota. Because one of those games is a West-West game, they needed an East-East game, and that would mean Maryland against MSU or Michigan as the non-rematch options. MSU gets the honor as the last place team.
That left Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois in the West, and PSU, Michigan, and Rutgers in the East. PSU had already played Iowa and Nebraska, so they get Illinois. Then maybe because Michigan beat Rutgers, they play the higher-seeded Iowa and Rutgers gets Nebraska. Or maybe the Big Ten wanted to balance out the TV viewers and worried that an Iowa-Rutgers matchup wouldn't get enough.
Akins has already signed his LOI for MSU, so he's not going somewhere else. Word on the street is Izzo and co. have been supporting Akins in this.