 | The Beatles - Revolution |  |
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Michigan 38, Notre Dame 34; 2-0
There were many, many good qualities about Michigan Football before Rich Rodriguez arrived. Bowl games were a certainty. Dominance of Michigan State was a guarantee. Breaking even against Notre Dame and Ohio State was commonplace for the most part, and they reached a level of excellence and dominance to the point where they were placed in their own echelon along with Ohio State - The Big Two and the Little Eight/Nine.
And there were comeback victories. Minnesota in 2003 and 2004. Penn State in 1999 and 2005. Michigan State in 2004 and 2007. The one thing about these comebacks though, and this isn't necessarily a bad thing, they seemed...scripted. They seemed robotic. The final 7:30 of the 4th quarter of the 2007 Michigan State game felt as if you were a young boy sitting by the fireplace curled up with some hot chocolate while your grandfather read you a story. The knives that Chad Henne stuck in the Spartans with every single deep out he completed almost seemed predetermined. There will be a wide receiver in this spot, and when he reaches this spot, a ball shall be there. That was one of the subtle and yet dominant aspects of that era of Michigan. There was structure; a strict inside-the-box type of going about things that sometimes made you appreciate the machine-like efficiency aspect and sometimes made you rip your hair out because we were such a bunch of squares and sometimes the oblongs made us look prehistoric. There was never any place for any kind of improvisation.
Well, things have changed. We wanted a revolution. For some of us, we embraced the revolution the moment it arrived. For others, it took some time. Many joined the cause on Saturday. Others remain unconvinced because they don't want to be. These types of people frequent the comment sections on Youtube videos, or yell "down in front" at football games. Well, in case you didn't hear on Saturday, the revolutionaries have the upperhand. And if you couldn't hear...well, you must be Jimmy Clausen, and you must be burning timeouts because the Michigan fanbase has been stirred to life in every facet, and is turning Michigan Stadium into a hornet's nest. At the end of this season, we're going to thank Michael Rosenberg, ironically. His irresponsible witchhunt has galvanized the supporters of this revolution. The silent majority is finding its voice. They were heard late in the second quarter of the opener, and they were heard relentlessly against the Irish, elevating the Big House to decibel levels unheard of (no pun intended) in Ann Arbor.
A quick message to the "old guard", whether they be crotchety old fans, foolish internet loons, know-nothings paraded out on ESPN or other media outlets, or actual people inside the athletic department trying to sabotage this because you're too close-minded to see how good it is and how good it will be: You're not going to win. This is a battle you will be on the losing side of. Why? Because Rich Rodriguez is going to win. Because the quarterback who plays for Michigan is outside of the box you have confined yourself to for 40 years. You will expect him to go one way, and he will go another. You will pressure him, and he will escape. You are Darius Fleming. He is Tate Forcier. And soon, you will eat the dust left in his wake.
And there were comeback victories. Minnesota in 2003 and 2004. Penn State in 1999 and 2005. Michigan State in 2004 and 2007. The one thing about these comebacks though, and this isn't necessarily a bad thing, they seemed...scripted. They seemed robotic. The final 7:30 of the 4th quarter of the 2007 Michigan State game felt as if you were a young boy sitting by the fireplace curled up with some hot chocolate while your grandfather read you a story. The knives that Chad Henne stuck in the Spartans with every single deep out he completed almost seemed predetermined. There will be a wide receiver in this spot, and when he reaches this spot, a ball shall be there. That was one of the subtle and yet dominant aspects of that era of Michigan. There was structure; a strict inside-the-box type of going about things that sometimes made you appreciate the machine-like efficiency aspect and sometimes made you rip your hair out because we were such a bunch of squares and sometimes the oblongs made us look prehistoric. There was never any place for any kind of improvisation.
Well, things have changed. We wanted a revolution. For some of us, we embraced the revolution the moment it arrived. For others, it took some time. Many joined the cause on Saturday. Others remain unconvinced because they don't want to be. These types of people frequent the comment sections on Youtube videos, or yell "down in front" at football games. Well, in case you didn't hear on Saturday, the revolutionaries have the upperhand. And if you couldn't hear...well, you must be Jimmy Clausen, and you must be burning timeouts because the Michigan fanbase has been stirred to life in every facet, and is turning Michigan Stadium into a hornet's nest. At the end of this season, we're going to thank Michael Rosenberg, ironically. His irresponsible witchhunt has galvanized the supporters of this revolution. The silent majority is finding its voice. They were heard late in the second quarter of the opener, and they were heard relentlessly against the Irish, elevating the Big House to decibel levels unheard of (no pun intended) in Ann Arbor.
A quick message to the "old guard", whether they be crotchety old fans, foolish internet loons, know-nothings paraded out on ESPN or other media outlets, or actual people inside the athletic department trying to sabotage this because you're too close-minded to see how good it is and how good it will be: You're not going to win. This is a battle you will be on the losing side of. Why? Because Rich Rodriguez is going to win. Because the quarterback who plays for Michigan is outside of the box you have confined yourself to for 40 years. You will expect him to go one way, and he will go another. You will pressure him, and he will escape. You are Darius Fleming. He is Tate Forcier. And soon, you will eat the dust left in his wake.
3 comments:
Brian:
I am in total agreement with your "revolution" post in all ways. As a graduate in 1981 and season ticket holder since living in Cleveland I believe I speak for many that absolutely LOVE the new environment at the stadium. At the Western game I damn near got into a fight in the first quarter with a woman for god sakes who asked me to "step outside" because I wouldnt sit down and stop yelling. I'm 6'5" and 260 pounds so calmer heads prevailed but you get the idea. I love the noise....I love the music...I love the fact that it's going to be HARD to get plays off and call audibles. I tailgate weekly with a group of about 8-10 graduates who were convinced last year that we had hired the worst coach in the history of football. No matter what I told them about Rich Rod's past history they were convinced he was over his head. Just as the loyalists were at WVU....and Tulane before that.
Anyways your writing is somewhere between fantastic and superb. Your post "the culture of agenda" should be manditory reading for all students of journalism! Keep up the very, VERY good work guys!
Revolution. As usual you're right on target. Go Blue!
Great post & couldn't agree with you more. I was embarrassed when ABC said we used to be "Symphony Fans".... How pathetic a description of our stadium crowd is that?!? Glad to see we're finally getting our heads out of our rears & using the largest stadium in North America to our advantage!!
One historically painful year in trade for what is looking to be a very bright future in the RichRod era!! Now hopefully all his detractors will STH up!!
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