Why should we be optimistic about 2018 M football?
I am trying to stay positive about the 2018 football season. However, through no fault of my own, I was flipping around & came across BTN Football in 60 & they're showing the IU game from last year. OMG! This is a real stinker!
I have a gift for selective memory. I easily delete from my memory bad things. Which is why I have no memory of this game.
We are playing terribly. Terrible offense. Mediocre defense. Suspect coaching. We look confused, undisciplined, unfocused. There is only 1:05 to go & we are only up 3 to a bad Indiana team. We just committed another bad penalty. IU is driving on our "great" defense. They just tied it to go to OT.
So, with the brutal schedule this year, why should we be optimistic? Help me here. I'm always optimistic about our team but watching this game just have me a jolt! HELP!!
/thread
April 14th, 2018 at 10:22 PM ^
April 14th, 2018 at 10:59 PM ^
I believe it would have been if he was just the OL coach and no coordinator duties.
April 16th, 2018 at 11:44 AM ^
One of my largest reasons for optimism w/ Warinner, along with his amazing track record.
April 14th, 2018 at 10:45 PM ^
April 14th, 2018 at 11:47 PM ^
April 14th, 2018 at 11:58 PM ^
I didn't know Kuegler was a 5 Star. smh
On the other side of the coin: did you know Michael Dwumfour was a 3 Star ranked #947 in the Nation?
And that kid could put away some groceries.
(From what I heard. Over. And over. And over...)
April 16th, 2018 at 11:47 AM ^
The first couple of games of the year I just though we were that crappy. Then I started watching Kugler, especially while at the game, and realized how horrible he was at getting all the calls and reads right. I think Ruiz as center is going to be the largest up grade at the start of this year compaired to the start of last year. (prime wording is the start of the year)
Is a big if. Putting hopes into a "maybe" is a dangerous thing to think about.
Because if he's not eligible, the position will be another massive question mark. And in Y4 of this regime, that's not OK.
I don't disagree. But based on reports that "maybe" is like 75% a yes or so. I'll take it, and if eligible he provides us with above average QB play that would've won us all but the Penn State game last year. If he's ruled ineligible then yeah, the QB position becomes a reason for skepticism.
April 14th, 2018 at 10:57 PM ^
April 14th, 2018 at 11:02 PM ^
I don't think you know Urban Meyer or OSU in general if you think they took any aspect of the Michigan game lightly. They handled Sam Darnold because they had a month to prepare, Meyer is a MUCH better coach than Helton, and USC wasn't that good and benefitted greatly from a very weak Pac-12. Competent QB play changes the Michigan-OSU game dramatically, probably into a victory for us.
you trying to say having a competent quarterback would not be a benefit to us last year because teams would gameplan for a good qb as opposed to a bad one? Well shit, why even try to have better players at any position? You can't win more games because defenses will prepare for your better players, no point in trying.... wow
April 15th, 2018 at 11:03 AM ^
This season might as well be a repeat of last year if Shea isn't eligible.
Apparently Caff is still behind Peters and Peters doesn't evoke any sense of confidence judging by that bowl game.
April 14th, 2018 at 10:16 PM ^
that Caff is behind Peters. If true, I hope it's because Peters has improved. Just wondering if you are going on what you think, heard, or someone has actually seen because without the last, well you know......
April 14th, 2018 at 11:08 PM ^
The last update Brian wrote about the team? Or was it Seth?
Edit: It was Seth
What we’re hearing: Multiple practice observers believe Patterson is well ahead of the other two, and the gap between him and Peters/McCaffrey is about equal to the gap between those two right now and where they were last year.
First the scouting. Harbaugh on his podcast said Shea Patterson has the best release and that he really shines when going off-script. Insiders are spitting out super-foobally platitudes: He’s “a leader.” He “makes plays.” That jives with his seat-of-the-pants film at Ole Miss and the general “Tate Forcier Except Goes to Class” impression we got from that. The insiders are way more bullish. The “he’s a leader” thing got emphasized by all three of my “SOURCES”, with one saying he’s probably the best offensive juice guy Michigan’s had since Harbaugh got here.
Brandon Peters throws the best ball, which is again something we knew. The biggest mover is Dylan McCaffrey, last year’s scout team player of the year, who benefited the most from Herbert in the offseason, and who gets rave reviews about his pocket command.
April 15th, 2018 at 12:05 AM ^
I don't think this implies that McCaffrey is behind Peters at all. It's oddly worded, but I think the gist here is that Seth is stating that Shea is as far ahead of Peters and McCaffrey as Peters and McCaffrey are ahead of their respective selves last year.
Keep in mind that rumors floated around last season that McCaffrey was right with or passing Peters around the time that we were struggling with O'Korn at the helm.
This is scant evidence to suggest that there's any situation different than what the other rumblings have hinted, which is that McCaffrey is at least right there with Peters.
April 14th, 2018 at 11:19 PM ^
We manhandled OSU 2 years ago -- all we needed to win that game was the official's proper spot of the ball. We could very well have won this year with a major problem at the QB position. Harbaugh is putting out team in a position to win -- and they will be winning these games. We have a good football team with huge numbers of strengths. We need some positions to improve and we will be the better team this year. Yes, we need to win -- it kills me as much as anyone -- but let's get of Harbaugh's back about this.
April 18th, 2018 at 12:36 AM ^
April 14th, 2018 at 11:20 PM ^
We manhandled OSU 2 years ago -- all we needed to win that game was the official's proper spot of the ball. We could very well have won this year with a major problem at the QB position. Harbaugh is putting our team in a position to win -- and they will be winning these games. We have a good football team with huge numbers of strengths. We need some positions to improve and we will be the better team this year. Yes, we need to win -- it kills me as much as anyone -- but let's get of Harbaugh's back about this.
Total yards:
M 310
OSU 330
First Downs:
M 17
OSU 24
Yep, that's some manhandling.
April 15th, 2018 at 10:04 AM ^
April 15th, 2018 at 10:42 AM ^
But OSU rushed for 4 yds per carry, and we managed just over 2 yds per carry. We should have beaten them by at least a TD in regulation, but we weren't "manhandling" them. "Manhandling" is beating them 31-3 or 28-0 like we did in '91 and '93.
Doesn't matter in the big picture—just beat them by one fucking point.
April 15th, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
While the fumble at the goal line was bad, the ensuing OSU possession was the Peppers INT that led to a TD anyway, which was essentially the same situation with less time on the clock. Far more implicating to me was how constipated the offense was for a quarter and a half mixed with potentially biased and actually incompetent refs.
I just checked the espn play by play. You're right that Michigan got the ball right back in OSU territory and scored. But it wasn't the Peppers interception. Aftert the fumble, OSU picked up one first down, then a few plays later tried a fake punt at their own 19 and failed.
April 15th, 2018 at 10:57 AM ^
C'mon man. Top 10 defense. Ridiculous WR crew recruited a year ago. Stud RBs. Master working the OL levers, and Drevno shown the door. Oh, and we have Shea Patterson, 5* proven mobile QB w a gun of an arm. I'm bullish.
April 15th, 2018 at 12:25 PM ^
And don't forget the new strength and conditioning regime. Last year was a perfect storm in several ways, but I think a largely unheralded factor was player fatigue late in the game. You can see it on both sides of the ball.
It's going to be a long off season.