The regular season stopped being important a long time ago.
Alabama has won multiple national championships without even winning their conference. One of them....they didn't even win their division.
Ohio State almost got a chance to play for a national championship in 2022, even though they lost their division and conference. Lost the last game of the season, but still got into the playoffs.
Teams are routinely rewarded for playing in weak conferenced OR playing crap out of conference games.
At least with 12 teams, we have the playoffs to truly give us a bunch of very good games, and the champions will have to navigate a much harder path every year.
The easiest way to fix that is to put in a rule that if the ball goes out of the end zone - during a fumble, then the ball gets placed back to where the fumble started (no advancement of the ball, during a fumble). The offense keeps the ball, and the ball doesn't get advanced.
I've been reading this Blog since the very first few months of Brian starting it. I couldn't get enough, but I didn't create an account until a few years later. I had that account, but still didn't post much. I then lost access to that account (forgot my password to the email that it was attached to), so then I created this profile.
Over the years, this blog has just gotten better and better. Seth (in particular) has been a WONDERFUL addition.
Cause, Michigan playing FULLY LOADED (not the roster depleted "opt out" versions of) Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State without their head coach and an injured QB weren't "battles".
Beating the SEC Champions (who went UNDEFEATED in the SEC) wasn't a battle.
Milton will get drafted, because some NFL team will be "googly eyed" when he is his normal "practice champ", and displays his ridiculous arm strength. There's zero doubt. Especially after Anthony Richardson not only got drafted, but got drafted high, because of his "potential". Someone will see that potential with Milton, for sure.
I'm gonna say that Clemons, Morris, English, Morgan, Moore, and O'leary will probably have a say in the starting WR lineup.
Clemons, Morris, and English were all highly rated 4 stars, and we all have seen Morgan and Moore get some play this year. O'leary had the awesome Spring Game.
Not to say I'marion Stewart and Channing Goodwin won't be in the mix. Just think those other guys will be bigger factors in the lineup.
"Figuratively" means that you figured out a creative way to describe something. "Literally" means you're telling something that really happened, as it really happened"
Every use of the word "literally" was used when it was describing something as it really happened, not as a creative way to describe something that happened.
So, it seems you're figuratively going insane for the wrong reasons. You figuratively need to get a life.
This poster is a friend of mine, so your incorrect criticism is vexing.
This was a post on the Facebook fan page "Maize and Blue Sports Fans", which I think is the best Michigan fan group. This is a very fair post.
"Long post warning:
I am not the person who calls for a coaching change, but Howard is not producing. Reminds me of the Brian Ellerbe reign. Nice guy, but not getting it done.
For those people who go, "Everyone wanted Harbaugh gone, too". I LITERALLY created this page, because I thought that was nonsense. I (and a couple of others) was doing nothing but defending Harbaugh and was getting called "homer", because I predicted a one loss season in 2021 (yes, I have receipts. Lol).
The thing is.....it's an apples and tomatoes comparison. Harbaugh took over a program that was in shambles since the end of the Carr era. They were literally 5-7 before he took over. Harbaugh IMMEDIATELY turned around the program, and dumb people decided to move the goal post.....as if OSU hadn't built a two decade head start on roster development.
They focused on the half Covid season as "proof", but blatantly ignored the facts of that "season", because it went against their narrative. Michigan was literally the 2nd most inexperienced team - IN THE NATION- that season. Their best players literally opted out right before the season started. Covid protocols prevented proper (normal) practices, so they couldn't adequately "coach up" the inexperience. Teams with a lot of experience had an advantage (see Indiana, Northwestern, Iowa, Iowa State, etc....). On top of that.....several players went through the game weeks without practicing, because of Covid protocols. Michigan also had a Covid outbreak.
It was just bad all around, and not a fair measuring stick. When I pointed all that out.....I was said to be "giving excuses".
Well....I was right.
Now.....on the flip side.
Juwan Howard took over a team that was in the middle of it's most successful era since the Fab 5. LITERALLY played in TWO national championship games in the previous 6 seasons, before Howard took over. They won 30 games the year before Howard took over, which was the year after they won 33 games and played in the national championship game.....with SEVERAL players who were on the team when Howard took over.
Howard jumped in with an experienced team, and took advantage of the Covid season.....similar to the football season for Indiana.
He also had the NUMBER ONE recruiting class.
All seemed to be coming up roses.
The only problem was that success was reliant on the health of Isaiah Livers. With Livers.....they were fantastic. Without Livers.....not so much.
Since that season......Michigan has done nothing but regress back to pre Beilein levels.
Howard's best season was the Covid season.....which was 23 wins. His other seasons? 19 wins, 19 wins, 18 wins (last year), and they are 5-5 right now. The last time Michigan basketball had back to back sub 20 win seasons? In the 2002-2003 season, when Tommy Amaker was head coach.
Howard is literally working on 4 out of 5 seasons below 20 wins. 🤷♂️
I can't see any justified reason to keep him as head coach.....other than "nostalgia" from him being a beloved alum and Fab 5 member.
Watching this team the last few years has been hard to watch. That's 100% on coaching.
It just might be time to make a change.....and that's not some "knee jerk" reaction. This has been a several season evaluation."
Oh no! Not a "show cause" for the Head Coach. Oh the horror! Yeah, that seems like a totally fair punishment for over 200 violations.....where 18 of them were level 1.
Give me a break. Michigan just lost their head coach for the 3 most important games of the season, because the conference wanted it to happen. Michigan has lost it's head coach for 6 games this season (and potentially more) for the dumbest shit, and Michigan just rolled over and showed their belly.
If any team should have gotten the "death penalty", then it should have been them. Yet, there they were just a couple of years later a win away from going to the playoffs.
Tennessee (along with their government) threatened to sue, and the NCAA ran away. Michigan does the exact opposite, and just eat shit (with a smile, like they won the moral ground). It's bullshit.
There's nothing good about Michigan not even trying to stop the 3 day suspension......that they PUBLICLY said that they were going to fight (SEVERAL times). The conference got EXACTLY what it wanted. Michigan is actually in a WORSE position than they were last Friday, because they essentially just admitted that they did something wrong.....without an investigation being completed. Any non Michigan fan IMMEDIATELY now assumes that, "well, I guess they are guilty and are cheaters".
There's nothing good about Michigan's head coach not coaching for it's 1,000th win, or coaching against OSU, during our best chance for a national championship, since 1997.
Spin the narrative all you want, but there's NOTHING good about this. Just shows that the Michigan athletic department continues to be a bunch of spineless fools, who are the ONLY athletic department that would allow this kind of shit to happen.
Tennessee had 200 violations, and 18 (!!!!) of those were level 1. They got nothing for that. Yet, Michigan just continues to bend over and take it. Because.......reasons.
Makes me have flashbacks of the Ed Martin thing, and it's complete bullshit that it's happening again.
"I’m frustrated as hell. I know I’m going to cheer this team on like no other for the remainder of this season. But as far as the future goes, this has really zapped a lot out of me in regards to my love for college sports."
The letter literally addresses how - what you just put in "bold lettering" - that doesn't apply to Jim Harbaugh. Actually, several times.
Either you're blatantly disregarding that fact - to bolster your narrative, or you lack the ability of reading comprehension and rational deductive reasoning.
Pick one, because those are the only two options here. Bottom line is that you've just proven that ANYTHING you say should be ignored.
You're purely looking at Clemson and Florida State through a Football reputation lense. If you really look more deeply, then you'll see that they both make more sense to the BIG than the SEC.
-Clemson is ranked #77 in the college rankings (higher that several other Big 10 schools). Clemson brings in a new TV market (the Carolinas) and a lot of views (because Clemson is popular). Clemson is also a very solid athletic institution, and would add to the overall perception of the conference it is in. Why wouldn't the BIG be interested? The SEC only makes sense based on athletics. The BIG makes sense in every way.
-Florida State is ranked even higher in college rankings (#55), so they fit in very nicely with the BIG. Florida State brings in even more views and "fans" than even Clemson does. Florida State also brings in the state of Florida (which the SEC already has). Florida State has a very successful athletic program as well. The university of Florida DOES NOT WANT them in the SEC, and adding FSU really brings minimum value to the SEC. However, they bring in tons of value to the BIG. Why wouldn't the BIG be interested?
The two North Carolina schools would bring value as well, but they both would QUICKLY be scooped up by the BIG 12.
You are mistaken. The entire recruiting class was ranked #17, when the transfer class was added in. That's not what the transfer ranking was. Michigan had either the #2 or #3 ranked transfer class. They were #1 for a long time, but eventually got passed up.
You do realize that it's 9 months before he can sign an LOI.....in the EARLY SIGNING PERIOD, right? A lot of recruitments start way before they sign. It just happens to be that he's a very high profile kid, and his recruitment is being extensively covered. I'm willing to bet that a lot of our 24 recruits were being recruited in 22 and 23....not just him.
I would rather him take his time and make a solid decision than commit and change his mind. Which basically would destroy the recruiting class, if that happened.
Or.....worse yet.....take the Xavier Worthy route and take up a bunch of time in recruiting and a spot from another possible recruit, just to ask for a release to his LOI, after he signed.
To be fair, if the strip sack touchdown should have counted, then so too should have been the Wilson TCU touchdown. We walked away from that possession with zero points instead of the 7 they earned. We lost to TCU by 6 points.
So, Georgia was the only loss that wasn't decided by the refs stealing a valid touchdown.
The statement about other big time programs firing their coaches for going 3-3 vs MSU, 0-5 vs OSU, and 1-4 in bowl games lacks a lot of actual context.
No matter how much we all love our Wolverines.....the program was no longer a "big time program". Wasn't for a decade. Truly wasn't for a couple of decades. Michigan was a tire fire before Harbaugh took over. That is the actual "FACT" here. Also, let's stop pretending that in this day and age of the best players opting out of bowl games, every year, is some sort of inditement on the head coach's ability or inability to win a game....that has literally zero relevance.
Michigan was trash before Harbaugh took over, while BOTH Ohio State and Michigan State were on top of the college football world. Anyone that didn't have an agenda and could look past the emotion of losing those games could see what was really happening. Harbaugh immediately turned the program around, and played above their heads to compete with a MUCH more talented OSU squad, and got robbed of one victory and really had a chance in another. He immediately flipped the decade long dominance that MSU enjoyed over Michigan.....to a point where MSU is once again considered a disappointment when we lose, instead of an expectation of a loss. All three losses were close, full of controversial things, and were full of just bad luck. Yes, they were still losses, but they weren't the drubbings that Michigan was taking on a yearly basis, before Harbaugh’s arrival.
So.....with all that taken into account. Knowing that there's really not any obvious better options. Warde giving Harbaugh another chance wasn't exactly some charity decision. It was based on logic, and rationalized perspective of where Michigan was before and where it was going.....especially when you look at the same criteria for OSU and MSU, during that same time.
I get tired of people completely ignoring the final years of Carr, the RR Era, and the Hoke Era. It was MISERABLE to be a Michigan fan. Harbaugh’s arrival changed that. Did it magically flip Michigan into Alabama's level (instantly), like the delusional fans expected? No, but it was clearly better, and you could see the growth, and that was important to recognize.
The offensive coordinator/WR coach was one of the best recruiters on the staff. He left.
The defensive coordinator left (which made everyone wonder what a new DC could do)
The longest (non Harbaugh) tenured coach on the staff, the D-LINE coach left.
The Safeties coach suddenly becomes the Wide Receivers coach.
The Tight Ends coach suddenly becomes the Safeties coach.
A Grad Assistant suddenly becomes the Tight Ends coach.
A brand new Defensive Line coach joins.
A brand new Defensive Coordinator joins
NIL still within it's first full year.
The transfer portal is unprecedented in what is going on there.
In the day and age when recruits continuously talk about things like "relationships with coaches" and "development". How can you simply overlook all of the staff turnover and lack of established relationships and changed relationships (since coaches that were recruiting players are no longer coaching that position) as the main factor?
Not to mention the whole, "Michigan is slow to adapt NIL, like the rest of the schools".
Sure.....let's just go with the narrative that Jim Harbaugh’s (open and honest) dalliance with the NFL was the reason for the class rankings. Sure. Makes sense. 🤷♂️
Narratives are fun, but sometimes a little bit of actual thought goes a long way.
Two pick 6's, and refusing to "keep" on the read option when it was clearly the right choice.
Also, why keep throwing the out route when the defense clearly has that downloaded. There was almost another INT on that throw, as well. Not to mention throwing directly at the defender (good thing he dropped it).
The offense clearly went into to this game with too much arrogance, and it seems like they overlooked TCU.
NC State was not only ranked all year long, but they were even seen as a "quality win" for Clemson, when the argument for Clemson being ranked over Michigan. Yet, Maryland hasn't been ranked all season long, and wasn't viewed as a "quality win" for Michigan.
That's why perception shouldn't be the thing that determines who plays in the playoffs. Thank goodness for the 12 team playoffs that are coming.
Basketball is a hell of a lot easier to "turn around" than Football is.
Also, Beilein's final recruiting class was a very good class, and Howard's first recruiting class was AWESOME. Meaning that roster was very talented, even with the 3 starters leaving. From a program that played in the National Championship game in 2018 and 2013.
The Basketball "program" was seen as top tier, because it had a lot of recent success, so it was easier to recruit top level players.....which Basketball only needs a couple of great players to be awesome.
Conversely, the Football "program" hadn't seen any success during the entire lifetimes of the recruits. In a sport that not only needs "stars", but they need a ton of them to be successful, because injuries are almost a given.
Looking at the overall condition of the program is more important than anything you just mentioned. So.....just as you just said to that guy. Do better. 🤷♂️
----Also, Hoke took over a team with talent. To say otherwise is nonsense. Not saying that the team was national championship level or anything, but the "talent" was there. He also recruited a lot of "talent". All of his recruiting classes were filled with highly ranked players. The problem was that he couldn't do anything with that "talent", and they looked poorly coached. Dogfights with teams like UCONN and losing to a SHIT Rutgers team were prime examples of that. The best thing Hoke did was bringing in Mattison. Hoke inherited a fantastic offense and a defense with talented players, but didn't know how to play defense. Mattison coached up those talented defensive players and taught them how to play. That's why 2011 was successful. Not because of Hoke. Also, 2011's team was the luckiest team I've ever seen. Go back and watch those games. Easily could have been a terrible season, if not for miraculously lucky breaks all season long.
Conversely, Harbaugh took over a talented roster and had to not only teach them how to play, but teach them how to "win". Not only that, but Harbaugh also filled roster holes with players he recruited and/or identifying successful position switches (like Chase Winovich). A lot of Freshman players played his first two years. Not to mention Jake Ruddock (which Harbaugh brought in, before the "transfer portal" was a thing). Harbaugh’s worst (full) season was equal to Hoke's second best season, and all of his other seasons were about the same level (or better) as a normal Carr season.
2018's team went into the OSU game with 1 loss and undefeated in the conference. They "shared" the East Division Championship with OSU even after losing to them. The OSU loss was very disappointing, but if you really paid attention, then you'd realize that Michigan was decimated by injuries that game (which they didn't have the depth needed to make up for it).....to ALL of their best players. Only Chase Winovich (who didn't really play vs OSU) was recruited by Hoke, and he never played for Hoke.....also didn't play the position that Hoke recruited him for.
The bowl game had the majority of the best players "opt out", which we've seen now that kills the quality of bowl game play.
So, Harbaugh took over a program in shambles, immediately turned them into a "respectable" program again, had a great 2016 season, had a very very good 2018 season, and was still trying to build a program and not just a few good players. Obviously, 2021 and this season are ones for history books.
Conversely, Howard took over a program that was playing in the National Championship game two years before he took over, and had a pretty good recruiting class and team nucleus when he took over the team.
Any bowl games the SEC wins = "See, the SEC is better".
Any bowl games the SEC loses = "They didn't take it seriously" or "So many players opted out that it wasn't the same team".
Either way, the SEC narrative wins.
Bowl losses for SEC coaches = don't ever mention it, when discussing the success rate. Unlike other conference coaches that get looked down upon for losing the last game of the year.
Bowl wins for SEC coaches = "They are the best coach ever!". 😂
With ESPN in control of the narrative, then that's just the way it is. 🤷♂️
Hmmmm.....Captain of the team. Lost his starting spot to an underclassmen. When he came in for backup duty.....he suffered a season ending injury. Yet.....the guy never left the team. He stayed around and was still "involved with football" even though he could have just bolted. It's good to build QB depth next year with a guy like that.
I hope you're right, but both 247 Composite and On3 Consensus have him as a 3 star.....in the mid 500s ranking. Mason Graham ended up as a 4 star, and in the mid-high 200s.
It would be awesome to get another guy that is awesome but under valued by the sites, though.
Every team gets crushed by Alabama, in most years, INCLUDING the SEC. It makes me laugh when people just overlook the fact that Alabama usually goes undefeated in the SEC. Meaning....nobody in the SEC is beating them either.
Michigan got beat by Georgia in the playoffs, last year, by 23 points. Well....Alabama (SEC team) got beat by that same Georgia squad by 15 points, 10 days later. If that were a BIG 10 team, then everyone would be beating their chests about SEC superiority, but it was SEC vs SEC, so everyone just ignored it. Drives me crazy.
Louisville and Kentucky hate each other just as much as Michigan State and Michigan do.
Football isn't as big, down here, so basketball is king. So, Kentucky is essentially the Michigan in this scenario. Super successful and all time winningest program vs instate rival who hates being the afterthought.
Louisville used to be able to brag about Football dominance, but not anymore. Kind of like MSU and Michigan basketball.
I live across the river from Louisville Kentucky and I run into MSU fans (in Louisville) all of the time. Even got to know one of their former players, who lives there. I see a TON of Michigan fans, though, as well.
The miracle win vs Northwestern, during the Hoke Era comes to mind. A hail Mary throw.....caught, with very little time on the clock and no timeouts. The kicking unit runs out on the field. The holder literally slides to get into position, and the kick is good.....with the game winner.
We had no business winning that game, but it happened. 😂
What will happen is (after that transpired a couple times) they would then get rid of the locked in yearly game, because a championship game is more exciting and it's only once a year. The problem is.....that would piss off half the fan base. It's still the most logical solution, though.
Corum said something about "energy vampires", and comments like this make me believe he was one of them. The transfers from the 2020 team were pointed at as an indication of the program failing, but those who were transferring seem to be addition by subtraction.
Joe Milton, Zack Carpenter, Zach Charbonnet, and Giles Jackson have all taken unprovoked shots towards Michigan, in interviews. Only Charbonnet has had any success, and he was almost a 5 star, so of course he is. But....has he done better than the guys he fell behind in the depth chart? Nope.
He took over a team that was 7-6 (that had increased it's win total every year of RR's 3 years), and ended his time at Michigan at 5-7 (that decreased in win totals every year of his 4 years).
That's "leaving the program in better shape than he found it"? Please, explain that logic. 🤔
A program that started 3-9 (because there was a mass exodus before the coach got there and the "cupboard was bare"), then went 5-7, and then went 7-6 (leaving the program with Denard Robinson, Devin Gardner, and a bunch of other good players).
vs
A program that went 11-2, then went 8-5, then went 7-6, and then went 5-7.
7-6 > 5-7
He was a nice guy and he recruited well, but his on the field results don't add up to your conclusion. 🤷♂️
I'm just happy that I don't have to see East German Judge posting the same negative shit on EVERY post.....OVER AND OVER AGAIN. ?
Kinda hard to do that to a guy that just won the conference championship game (after beating OSU), and now is in the national playoffs. A guy that just won the national coach of the year award. A guy that now has had 6 FULL seasons, and has won 10+ games in 4 of those 6 FULL seasons. A guy that has went into the OSU game 3 out of 6 FULL seasons with a chance to go to the conference championship and playoffs.
How's that Matt Campbell guy doing, right now?
How about that Tom Allen guy doing, right now?
Maybe I should post nonstop memes with Ned Stark, saying "Brace yourself ~insert excuse here~ is coming", when he comes on to defend his stance that those guys were awesome and Harbaugh sucked. Lol
He wasn't a "big time" recruit, either. Imagine what those guys were getting. Lol
For what it's worth. He also went on a recruiting trip to Michigan. Nothing like that happened with Michigan.
I also have another friend who actually was on Michigan's roster, and he told me that a bunch of schools were giving him cash on recruiting trips (before signing with Michigan), but Michigan wasn't one of them.
True story. A friend of mine ended up playing receiver at Kentucky, because his best friend was Tim Couch. I say that so you can 100% know the time frame here. Well, he told me that while on his recruiting trip to Tennessee......not only was he getting handshakes with cash, but he had $10,000 waiting under his door, in his room.
This is when Tennessee was a "power". Imagine what they are doing now. ?
Where did your "following recruiting for 25+ years" expertise have Kwitty Paye ranked? I'm sure you had him at a 5 star level, right? Because he was rated as a very low 3 star, who was drafted in the first round.
As far as his film vs AVS goes. Graham is being ridiculously productive in the hardest level of California high schools. AVS is playing against Michigan high school competition. Nobody in their right mind will confuse Michigan high school football with the highest level of California high school football.
"The Revenge Tour team that did seem like a playoff team lost a cosmically dumb and stupid and dumb game against Iowa, and then ate The Spot a couple weeks later."
That was the 2016 team. The "Revenge Tour" was the 2018 team, which only lost to 3 teams that finished in the top 10. It also lost Juwan Bushell-Beatty, David Long, Zach Gentry, Devin Bush, Rashan Gary, Chase Winovich, and Grant Perry for the OSU game. Not to mention, it had Shea Patterson get hurt (but kept playing, because Dylan McCaffery was out with a broken collarbone) in that game.
Why does everyone keep overlooking the 2018 team?! ?
It literally tied for the best record in the entire conference, which would have been a (shared) conference championship in the Bo and Lloyd Eras. Those Eras had a LOT of those types of "championships".
It just boggles the mind that 3 seasons ago is so easily dismissed.
Absolutely. I was playing basketball, for our local league. I was tripped and thought I sprained my right hand (I'm right handed). I played the rest of the game with my wrist taped up. Luckily, I could shoot with both hands, and even made 4 three pointers with my left hand, so I left the game on a high note. I went home and went to sleep, and woke up (several hours later) in agony. Went to the doctor, and found out that I completely broke my wrist. I just thought it was a minor injury, when I was playing, because of the adrenaline.
Recent Comments
The regular season stopped being important a long time ago.
Alabama has won multiple national championships without even winning their conference. One of them....they didn't even win their division.
Ohio State almost got a chance to play for a national championship in 2022, even though they lost their division and conference. Lost the last game of the season, but still got into the playoffs.
Teams are routinely rewarded for playing in weak conferenced OR playing crap out of conference games.
At least with 12 teams, we have the playoffs to truly give us a bunch of very good games, and the champions will have to navigate a much harder path every year.
The easiest way to fix that is to put in a rule that if the ball goes out of the end zone - during a fumble, then the ball gets placed back to where the fumble started (no advancement of the ball, during a fumble). The offense keeps the ball, and the ball doesn't get advanced.
This post prompted me to actually log in, so I could give this comment.
Very well done and well written! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
I've been reading this Blog since the very first few months of Brian starting it. I couldn't get enough, but I didn't create an account until a few years later. I had that account, but still didn't post much. I then lost access to that account (forgot my password to the email that it was attached to), so then I created this profile.
Over the years, this blog has just gotten better and better. Seth (in particular) has been a WONDERFUL addition.
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Lol. "More battle tested".
Cause, Michigan playing FULLY LOADED (not the roster depleted "opt out" versions of) Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State without their head coach and an injured QB weren't "battles".
Beating the SEC Champions (who went UNDEFEATED in the SEC) wasn't a battle.
Clearly biased based opinions.
Milton will get drafted, because some NFL team will be "googly eyed" when he is his normal "practice champ", and displays his ridiculous arm strength. There's zero doubt. Especially after Anthony Richardson not only got drafted, but got drafted high, because of his "potential". Someone will see that potential with Milton, for sure.
Jayden Davis was a 5 star when he committed. Is he all of a sudden a shit QB, because he ended up a 4 star?
That's what this fan base needs to understand. 4 stars that buy into culture > 5 star "me first" guys.
I'm gonna say that Clemons, Morris, English, Morgan, Moore, and O'leary will probably have a say in the starting WR lineup.
Clemons, Morris, and English were all highly rated 4 stars, and we all have seen Morgan and Moore get some play this year. O'leary had the awesome Spring Game.
Not to say I'marion Stewart and Channing Goodwin won't be in the mix. Just think those other guys will be bigger factors in the lineup.
"Figuratively" means that you figured out a creative way to describe something. "Literally" means you're telling something that really happened, as it really happened"
Every use of the word "literally" was used when it was describing something as it really happened, not as a creative way to describe something that happened.
So, it seems you're figuratively going insane for the wrong reasons. You figuratively need to get a life.
This poster is a friend of mine, so your incorrect criticism is vexing.
Don't know exactly what you're getting at here.
It seems his use of "literally" is 100% accurate, in this post.
The only misuse of the term "literally" was you trying to be funny with the part of why he made the page. That was clearly not why he made the page.
Seems you don't really understand the difference between "literally" and "figuratively", but think you want to be the the grammar police.
This was a post on the Facebook fan page "Maize and Blue Sports Fans", which I think is the best Michigan fan group. This is a very fair post.
"Long post warning:
I am not the person who calls for a coaching change, but Howard is not producing. Reminds me of the Brian Ellerbe reign. Nice guy, but not getting it done.
For those people who go, "Everyone wanted Harbaugh gone, too". I LITERALLY created this page, because I thought that was nonsense. I (and a couple of others) was doing nothing but defending Harbaugh and was getting called "homer", because I predicted a one loss season in 2021 (yes, I have receipts. Lol).
The thing is.....it's an apples and tomatoes comparison. Harbaugh took over a program that was in shambles since the end of the Carr era. They were literally 5-7 before he took over. Harbaugh IMMEDIATELY turned around the program, and dumb people decided to move the goal post.....as if OSU hadn't built a two decade head start on roster development.
They focused on the half Covid season as "proof", but blatantly ignored the facts of that "season", because it went against their narrative. Michigan was literally the 2nd most inexperienced team - IN THE NATION- that season. Their best players literally opted out right before the season started. Covid protocols prevented proper (normal) practices, so they couldn't adequately "coach up" the inexperience. Teams with a lot of experience had an advantage (see Indiana, Northwestern, Iowa, Iowa State, etc....). On top of that.....several players went through the game weeks without practicing, because of Covid protocols. Michigan also had a Covid outbreak.
It was just bad all around, and not a fair measuring stick. When I pointed all that out.....I was said to be "giving excuses".
Well....I was right.
Now.....on the flip side.
Juwan Howard took over a team that was in the middle of it's most successful era since the Fab 5. LITERALLY played in TWO national championship games in the previous 6 seasons, before Howard took over. They won 30 games the year before Howard took over, which was the year after they won 33 games and played in the national championship game.....with SEVERAL players who were on the team when Howard took over.
Howard jumped in with an experienced team, and took advantage of the Covid season.....similar to the football season for Indiana.
He also had the NUMBER ONE recruiting class.
All seemed to be coming up roses.
The only problem was that success was reliant on the health of Isaiah Livers. With Livers.....they were fantastic. Without Livers.....not so much.
Since that season......Michigan has done nothing but regress back to pre Beilein levels.
Howard's best season was the Covid season.....which was 23 wins. His other seasons? 19 wins, 19 wins, 18 wins (last year), and they are 5-5 right now. The last time Michigan basketball had back to back sub 20 win seasons? In the 2002-2003 season, when Tommy Amaker was head coach.
Howard is literally working on 4 out of 5 seasons below 20 wins. 🤷♂️
I can't see any justified reason to keep him as head coach.....other than "nostalgia" from him being a beloved alum and Fab 5 member.
Watching this team the last few years has been hard to watch. That's 100% on coaching.
It just might be time to make a change.....and that's not some "knee jerk" reaction. This has been a several season evaluation."
Isaiah.....you are appreciated!
Oh no! Not a "show cause" for the Head Coach. Oh the horror! Yeah, that seems like a totally fair punishment for over 200 violations.....where 18 of them were level 1.
Give me a break. Michigan just lost their head coach for the 3 most important games of the season, because the conference wanted it to happen. Michigan has lost it's head coach for 6 games this season (and potentially more) for the dumbest shit, and Michigan just rolled over and showed their belly.
If any team should have gotten the "death penalty", then it should have been them. Yet, there they were just a couple of years later a win away from going to the playoffs.
Tennessee (along with their government) threatened to sue, and the NCAA ran away. Michigan does the exact opposite, and just eat shit (with a smile, like they won the moral ground). It's bullshit.
There's nothing good about Michigan not even trying to stop the 3 day suspension......that they PUBLICLY said that they were going to fight (SEVERAL times). The conference got EXACTLY what it wanted. Michigan is actually in a WORSE position than they were last Friday, because they essentially just admitted that they did something wrong.....without an investigation being completed. Any non Michigan fan IMMEDIATELY now assumes that, "well, I guess they are guilty and are cheaters".
There's nothing good about Michigan's head coach not coaching for it's 1,000th win, or coaching against OSU, during our best chance for a national championship, since 1997.
Spin the narrative all you want, but there's NOTHING good about this. Just shows that the Michigan athletic department continues to be a bunch of spineless fools, who are the ONLY athletic department that would allow this kind of shit to happen.
Tennessee had 200 violations, and 18 (!!!!) of those were level 1. They got nothing for that. Yet, Michigan just continues to bend over and take it. Because.......reasons.
Makes me have flashbacks of the Ed Martin thing, and it's complete bullshit that it's happening again.
"I’m frustrated as hell. I know I’m going to cheer this team on like no other for the remainder of this season. But as far as the future goes, this has really zapped a lot out of me in regards to my love for college sports."
This PERFECTLY encapsulates my feelings.
I'm SOOOOO pissed over this. Seriously.
Takes a bit of the fun out of this season. Which should be one for the ages.
I'm also way less optimistic about the OSU game than I was just a few weeks ago. Not saying we lose, but just not as optimistic about it.
The letter literally addresses how - what you just put in "bold lettering" - that doesn't apply to Jim Harbaugh. Actually, several times.
Either you're blatantly disregarding that fact - to bolster your narrative, or you lack the ability of reading comprehension and rational deductive reasoning.
Pick one, because those are the only two options here. Bottom line is that you've just proven that ANYTHING you say should be ignored.
You're purely looking at Clemson and Florida State through a Football reputation lense. If you really look more deeply, then you'll see that they both make more sense to the BIG than the SEC.
-Clemson is ranked #77 in the college rankings (higher that several other Big 10 schools). Clemson brings in a new TV market (the Carolinas) and a lot of views (because Clemson is popular). Clemson is also a very solid athletic institution, and would add to the overall perception of the conference it is in. Why wouldn't the BIG be interested? The SEC only makes sense based on athletics. The BIG makes sense in every way.
-Florida State is ranked even higher in college rankings (#55), so they fit in very nicely with the BIG. Florida State brings in even more views and "fans" than even Clemson does. Florida State also brings in the state of Florida (which the SEC already has). Florida State has a very successful athletic program as well. The university of Florida DOES NOT WANT them in the SEC, and adding FSU really brings minimum value to the SEC. However, they bring in tons of value to the BIG. Why wouldn't the BIG be interested?
The two North Carolina schools would bring value as well, but they both would QUICKLY be scooped up by the BIG 12.
You are mistaken. The entire recruiting class was ranked #17, when the transfer class was added in. That's not what the transfer ranking was. Michigan had either the #2 or #3 ranked transfer class. They were #1 for a long time, but eventually got passed up.
Deon Sanders didn't tackle well, and was just fast. During an era where tackling was more important than it is now.
He's considered one of (if not THE) best Cornerbacks, in the history of the game.
…
"Drawn out recruitment"?
You do realize that it's 9 months before he can sign an LOI.....in the EARLY SIGNING PERIOD, right? A lot of recruitments start way before they sign. It just happens to be that he's a very high profile kid, and his recruitment is being extensively covered. I'm willing to bet that a lot of our 24 recruits were being recruited in 22 and 23....not just him.
I would rather him take his time and make a solid decision than commit and change his mind. Which basically would destroy the recruiting class, if that happened.
Or.....worse yet.....take the Xavier Worthy route and take up a bunch of time in recruiting and a spot from another possible recruit, just to ask for a release to his LOI, after he signed.
To be fair, if the strip sack touchdown should have counted, then so too should have been the Wilson TCU touchdown. We walked away from that possession with zero points instead of the 7 they earned. We lost to TCU by 6 points.
So, Georgia was the only loss that wasn't decided by the refs stealing a valid touchdown.
The statement about other big time programs firing their coaches for going 3-3 vs MSU, 0-5 vs OSU, and 1-4 in bowl games lacks a lot of actual context.
No matter how much we all love our Wolverines.....the program was no longer a "big time program". Wasn't for a decade. Truly wasn't for a couple of decades. Michigan was a tire fire before Harbaugh took over. That is the actual "FACT" here. Also, let's stop pretending that in this day and age of the best players opting out of bowl games, every year, is some sort of inditement on the head coach's ability or inability to win a game....that has literally zero relevance.
Michigan was trash before Harbaugh took over, while BOTH Ohio State and Michigan State were on top of the college football world. Anyone that didn't have an agenda and could look past the emotion of losing those games could see what was really happening. Harbaugh immediately turned the program around, and played above their heads to compete with a MUCH more talented OSU squad, and got robbed of one victory and really had a chance in another. He immediately flipped the decade long dominance that MSU enjoyed over Michigan.....to a point where MSU is once again considered a disappointment when we lose, instead of an expectation of a loss. All three losses were close, full of controversial things, and were full of just bad luck. Yes, they were still losses, but they weren't the drubbings that Michigan was taking on a yearly basis, before Harbaugh’s arrival.
So.....with all that taken into account. Knowing that there's really not any obvious better options. Warde giving Harbaugh another chance wasn't exactly some charity decision. It was based on logic, and rationalized perspective of where Michigan was before and where it was going.....especially when you look at the same criteria for OSU and MSU, during that same time.
I get tired of people completely ignoring the final years of Carr, the RR Era, and the Hoke Era. It was MISERABLE to be a Michigan fan. Harbaugh’s arrival changed that. Did it magically flip Michigan into Alabama's level (instantly), like the delusional fans expected? No, but it was clearly better, and you could see the growth, and that was important to recognize.
The offensive coordinator/WR coach was one of the best recruiters on the staff. He left.
The defensive coordinator left (which made everyone wonder what a new DC could do)
The longest (non Harbaugh) tenured coach on the staff, the D-LINE coach left.
The Safeties coach suddenly becomes the Wide Receivers coach.
The Tight Ends coach suddenly becomes the Safeties coach.
A Grad Assistant suddenly becomes the Tight Ends coach.
A brand new Defensive Line coach joins.
A brand new Defensive Coordinator joins
NIL still within it's first full year.
The transfer portal is unprecedented in what is going on there.
In the day and age when recruits continuously talk about things like "relationships with coaches" and "development". How can you simply overlook all of the staff turnover and lack of established relationships and changed relationships (since coaches that were recruiting players are no longer coaching that position) as the main factor?
Not to mention the whole, "Michigan is slow to adapt NIL, like the rest of the schools".
Sure.....let's just go with the narrative that Jim Harbaugh’s (open and honest) dalliance with the NFL was the reason for the class rankings. Sure. Makes sense. 🤷♂️
Narratives are fun, but sometimes a little bit of actual thought goes a long way.
Two pick 6's, and refusing to "keep" on the read option when it was clearly the right choice.
Also, why keep throwing the out route when the defense clearly has that downloaded. There was almost another INT on that throw, as well. Not to mention throwing directly at the defender (good thing he dropped it).
The offense clearly went into to this game with too much arrogance, and it seems like they overlooked TCU.
7 points taken off the board, on a 6 point loss. Targeting not called, when it could have extended the game.
All on a 6 point loss.
Case closed.
Exactly. The zone read has been open all game. If JJ keeps on a few of them, then the defense can't sell out on Donovan, like they are.
NC State was not only ranked all year long, but they were even seen as a "quality win" for Clemson, when the argument for Clemson being ranked over Michigan. Yet, Maryland hasn't been ranked all season long, and wasn't viewed as a "quality win" for Michigan.
That's why perception shouldn't be the thing that determines who plays in the playoffs. Thank goodness for the 12 team playoffs that are coming.
…
Yes. Context matters.
Basketball is a hell of a lot easier to "turn around" than Football is.
Also, Beilein's final recruiting class was a very good class, and Howard's first recruiting class was AWESOME. Meaning that roster was very talented, even with the 3 starters leaving. From a program that played in the National Championship game in 2018 and 2013.
The Basketball "program" was seen as top tier, because it had a lot of recent success, so it was easier to recruit top level players.....which Basketball only needs a couple of great players to be awesome.
Conversely, the Football "program" hadn't seen any success during the entire lifetimes of the recruits. In a sport that not only needs "stars", but they need a ton of them to be successful, because injuries are almost a given.
Looking at the overall condition of the program is more important than anything you just mentioned. So.....just as you just said to that guy. Do better. 🤷♂️
----Also, Hoke took over a team with talent. To say otherwise is nonsense. Not saying that the team was national championship level or anything, but the "talent" was there. He also recruited a lot of "talent". All of his recruiting classes were filled with highly ranked players. The problem was that he couldn't do anything with that "talent", and they looked poorly coached. Dogfights with teams like UCONN and losing to a SHIT Rutgers team were prime examples of that. The best thing Hoke did was bringing in Mattison. Hoke inherited a fantastic offense and a defense with talented players, but didn't know how to play defense. Mattison coached up those talented defensive players and taught them how to play. That's why 2011 was successful. Not because of Hoke. Also, 2011's team was the luckiest team I've ever seen. Go back and watch those games. Easily could have been a terrible season, if not for miraculously lucky breaks all season long.
Conversely, Harbaugh took over a talented roster and had to not only teach them how to play, but teach them how to "win". Not only that, but Harbaugh also filled roster holes with players he recruited and/or identifying successful position switches (like Chase Winovich). A lot of Freshman players played his first two years. Not to mention Jake Ruddock (which Harbaugh brought in, before the "transfer portal" was a thing). Harbaugh’s worst (full) season was equal to Hoke's second best season, and all of his other seasons were about the same level (or better) as a normal Carr season.
2018's team went into the OSU game with 1 loss and undefeated in the conference. They "shared" the East Division Championship with OSU even after losing to them. The OSU loss was very disappointing, but if you really paid attention, then you'd realize that Michigan was decimated by injuries that game (which they didn't have the depth needed to make up for it).....to ALL of their best players. Only Chase Winovich (who didn't really play vs OSU) was recruited by Hoke, and he never played for Hoke.....also didn't play the position that Hoke recruited him for.
The bowl game had the majority of the best players "opt out", which we've seen now that kills the quality of bowl game play.
So, Harbaugh took over a program in shambles, immediately turned them into a "respectable" program again, had a great 2016 season, had a very very good 2018 season, and was still trying to build a program and not just a few good players. Obviously, 2021 and this season are ones for history books.
Conversely, Howard took over a program that was playing in the National Championship game two years before he took over, and had a pretty good recruiting class and team nucleus when he took over the team.
Any bowl games the SEC wins = "See, the SEC is better".
Any bowl games the SEC loses = "They didn't take it seriously" or "So many players opted out that it wasn't the same team".
Either way, the SEC narrative wins.
Bowl losses for SEC coaches = don't ever mention it, when discussing the success rate. Unlike other conference coaches that get looked down upon for losing the last game of the year.
Bowl wins for SEC coaches = "They are the best coach ever!". 😂
With ESPN in control of the narrative, then that's just the way it is. 🤷♂️
"Bird signs? You want to plan out a strategy based on bird signs?!"
😂 😂 😂 😂
He did an interview, about this very topic. He's good to go.
Read this:
https://saturdaytradition.com/michigan-football/olu-oluwatimi-shares-positive-injury-update-heading-into-fiesta-bowl/amp/
Hmmmm.....Captain of the team. Lost his starting spot to an underclassmen. When he came in for backup duty.....he suffered a season ending injury. Yet.....the guy never left the team. He stayed around and was still "involved with football" even though he could have just bolted. It's good to build QB depth next year with a guy like that.
I hope you're right, but both 247 Composite and On3 Consensus have him as a 3 star.....in the mid 500s ranking. Mason Graham ended up as a 4 star, and in the mid-high 200s.
It would be awesome to get another guy that is awesome but under valued by the sites, though.
My wife came back with a very very very bad case of the flu, but I didn't catch it.
Every team gets crushed by Alabama, in most years, INCLUDING the SEC. It makes me laugh when people just overlook the fact that Alabama usually goes undefeated in the SEC. Meaning....nobody in the SEC is beating them either.
Michigan got beat by Georgia in the playoffs, last year, by 23 points. Well....Alabama (SEC team) got beat by that same Georgia squad by 15 points, 10 days later. If that were a BIG 10 team, then everyone would be beating their chests about SEC superiority, but it was SEC vs SEC, so everyone just ignored it. Drives me crazy.
Louisville and Kentucky hate each other just as much as Michigan State and Michigan do.
Football isn't as big, down here, so basketball is king. So, Kentucky is essentially the Michigan in this scenario. Super successful and all time winningest program vs instate rival who hates being the afterthought.
Louisville used to be able to brag about Football dominance, but not anymore. Kind of like MSU and Michigan basketball.
The similarities are endless, actually. 😂
I live across the river from Louisville Kentucky and I run into MSU fans (in Louisville) all of the time. Even got to know one of their former players, who lives there. I see a TON of Michigan fans, though, as well.
The miracle win vs Northwestern, during the Hoke Era comes to mind. A hail Mary throw.....caught, with very little time on the clock and no timeouts. The kicking unit runs out on the field. The holder literally slides to get into position, and the kick is good.....with the game winner.
We had no business winning that game, but it happened. 😂
What will happen is (after that transpired a couple times) they would then get rid of the locked in yearly game, because a championship game is more exciting and it's only once a year. The problem is.....that would piss off half the fan base. It's still the most logical solution, though.
Corum said something about "energy vampires", and comments like this make me believe he was one of them. The transfers from the 2020 team were pointed at as an indication of the program failing, but those who were transferring seem to be addition by subtraction.
Joe Milton, Zack Carpenter, Zach Charbonnet, and Giles Jackson have all taken unprovoked shots towards Michigan, in interviews. Only Charbonnet has had any success, and he was almost a 5 star, so of course he is. But....has he done better than the guys he fell behind in the depth chart? Nope.
I literally laughed out loud on this one. 😂
Well done, sir. Well done. 👏👏👏👏🤣
He took over a team that was 7-6 (that had increased it's win total every year of RR's 3 years), and ended his time at Michigan at 5-7 (that decreased in win totals every year of his 4 years).
That's "leaving the program in better shape than he found it"? Please, explain that logic. 🤔
A program that started 3-9 (because there was a mass exodus before the coach got there and the "cupboard was bare"), then went 5-7, and then went 7-6 (leaving the program with Denard Robinson, Devin Gardner, and a bunch of other good players).
vs
A program that went 11-2, then went 8-5, then went 7-6, and then went 5-7.
7-6 > 5-7
He was a nice guy and he recruited well, but his on the field results don't add up to your conclusion. 🤷♂️
I'm just happy that I don't have to see East German Judge posting the same negative shit on EVERY post.....OVER AND OVER AGAIN. ?
Kinda hard to do that to a guy that just won the conference championship game (after beating OSU), and now is in the national playoffs. A guy that just won the national coach of the year award. A guy that now has had 6 FULL seasons, and has won 10+ games in 4 of those 6 FULL seasons. A guy that has went into the OSU game 3 out of 6 FULL seasons with a chance to go to the conference championship and playoffs.
How's that Matt Campbell guy doing, right now?
How about that Tom Allen guy doing, right now?
Maybe I should post nonstop memes with Ned Stark, saying "Brace yourself ~insert excuse here~ is coming", when he comes on to defend his stance that those guys were awesome and Harbaugh sucked. Lol
He wasn't a "big time" recruit, either. Imagine what those guys were getting. Lol
For what it's worth. He also went on a recruiting trip to Michigan. Nothing like that happened with Michigan.
I also have another friend who actually was on Michigan's roster, and he told me that a bunch of schools were giving him cash on recruiting trips (before signing with Michigan), but Michigan wasn't one of them.
True story. A friend of mine ended up playing receiver at Kentucky, because his best friend was Tim Couch. I say that so you can 100% know the time frame here. Well, he told me that while on his recruiting trip to Tennessee......not only was he getting handshakes with cash, but he had $10,000 waiting under his door, in his room.
This is when Tennessee was a "power". Imagine what they are doing now. ?
Where did your "following recruiting for 25+ years" expertise have Kwitty Paye ranked? I'm sure you had him at a 5 star level, right? Because he was rated as a very low 3 star, who was drafted in the first round.
As far as his film vs AVS goes. Graham is being ridiculously productive in the hardest level of California high schools. AVS is playing against Michigan high school competition. Nobody in their right mind will confuse Michigan high school football with the highest level of California high school football.
Clearly, Graham is a legitimately good player.
"The Revenge Tour team that did seem like a playoff team lost a cosmically dumb and stupid and dumb game against Iowa, and then ate The Spot a couple weeks later."
That was the 2016 team. The "Revenge Tour" was the 2018 team, which only lost to 3 teams that finished in the top 10. It also lost Juwan Bushell-Beatty, David Long, Zach Gentry, Devin Bush, Rashan Gary, Chase Winovich, and Grant Perry for the OSU game. Not to mention, it had Shea Patterson get hurt (but kept playing, because Dylan McCaffery was out with a broken collarbone) in that game.
Why does everyone keep overlooking the 2018 team?! ?
It literally tied for the best record in the entire conference, which would have been a (shared) conference championship in the Bo and Lloyd Eras. Those Eras had a LOT of those types of "championships".
It just boggles the mind that 3 seasons ago is so easily dismissed.
Absolutely. I was playing basketball, for our local league. I was tripped and thought I sprained my right hand (I'm right handed). I played the rest of the game with my wrist taped up. Luckily, I could shoot with both hands, and even made 4 three pointers with my left hand, so I left the game on a high note. I went home and went to sleep, and woke up (several hours later) in agony. Went to the doctor, and found out that I completely broke my wrist. I just thought it was a minor injury, when I was playing, because of the adrenaline.