tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136487040752878109.post1043469473711412525..comments2023-03-31T06:54:26.228-04:00Comments on Genuinely Sarcastic: 2007, we hardly knew yeBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483608908590422213noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136487040752878109.post-7165006056924930352007-09-05T15:59:00.000-04:002007-09-05T15:59:00.000-04:00May god bless the U of M nation during this rough ...May god bless the U of M nation during this rough time<BR/><BR/>Signed, <BR/>A Spartan man who knows what all of this is likeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136487040752878109.post-49448179573379522592007-09-05T05:38:00.000-04:002007-09-05T05:38:00.000-04:00I've been a Lloyd supporter for his whole tenure; ...I've been a Lloyd supporter for his whole tenure; not someone who just made excuses for him but didn't really like him, but someone who thought he was exactly what a Michigan coach should be. Someone who thinks that many other people underestimate how difficult it is to have a winning season every year even at a school with such tradition and other overwhelming recruiting advantages. Someone who thought his detractors underestimated the coaching savvy needed to have an undefeated season.<BR/><BR/>Michigan needs to have integrity in its program first, win the big ten as often as possible second, and only then worry about mythical national championships. Michigan in my lifetime has never been about win at all costs. Bo had his games where the team played very poorly against poor opponents (just one example from memory, remembered well because I was at the game; 1981 Michigan v Navy; Michigan played <B>worse</B> in that game than they did v App State, eventually winning by 5 points). Bo's worst season was worse than Lloyd's. They have a similar percentage of Big Ten championships (outright or shares). Lloyd has always seemed to me to be the very model of a Bo-like coach.<BR/><BR/>But this game finally leaves me of the opinion that Lloyd <B>needs</B> to retire after this season, and for the good of the program he really needs to do it without the AD having to fire him. It wasn't just the loss, it was how badly coached the team was, how badly prepared the team was. No excuses; App State may have had slightly better team speed but many individual plays made it clear that Michigan had the talent. Many other plays made it clear that they didn't have the team togetherness, skill, and mental preparation, and that has to be laid at the feet of the coaching staff. I don't care if Lloyd's record is good enough for me, and if you are always taking a huge chance with a coaching change. I can't be happy with a team this badly coached.<BR/><BR/>The final score was not even indicative of the game on the field; App State should have had 7 more points prior to the final five minutes, and they could have scored a TD in the final minute if they'd felt they needed it (and they should have tried at least once just to burn clock regardless of lack of time-outs; spiking the ball is still legal in ncaa isn't it?).<BR/><BR/>I've gone from a solid Lloyd man who fumed at all the !#@%&^&!s who screamed for his head to someone who hopes he will please please please decide to leave now, before the recruiting picture goes badly into the tank. And for heaven's sake we need to find an inspired new head coaching choice who isn't already on staff, because none of the current staff is going to fix what needs fixing. The AD needs to start quietly scouting right now, so the hire can be made with intention rather than under panic conditions.<BR/><BR/>"No FCS team had ever beaten a ranked FBS team. Ever. College football is pretty goddamn old, so when something happens for the first time, it's a big deal."<BR/><BR/>College football may be pretty old as organized sports go, but the split of Division I only dates back to the late 1970's (I think this is the 30th year of the split).<BR/><BR/>"Also, on Hart...I love that man."<BR/><BR/>Holy homonyms, Batman! A huge percentage of the team (as well as the staff) should dedicate the rest of the season as restitution to Mike Hart for this game.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01078754093843762431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136487040752878109.post-33041841395127320122007-09-02T18:20:00.000-04:002007-09-02T18:20:00.000-04:00What we did not realize last year: Bo's death mar...What we did not realize last year: Bo's death marked the end of Bo Ball, i.e., of Lloyd's loyal devotion to playing out the legacy of Michigan toughness. It's gone away gradually. First, the tough defense, most noticeably against the Northwestern spread (to the tune of 50 points); then the tough running game, and finally the team's overall toughness. What's left is a passing game that really began with Gary Moeller, and has looked increasingly weaker as our offensive lines have deteriorated.<BR/><BR/>I was a student through a low period as an undergrad, 1960-64, when Woody Hayes absolutely destroyed Michigan, and thought maybe Bump Elliott would pull the program up. He won a Rose Bowl, but Bo was to become the real redeemer. It's curious that Bo is now identified with "being a real Michigan man," since his coaching heritage was right out of Ohio. <BR/><BR/>So it's clear to me now that Bo's legacy died with him, that Lloyd will figure it out this year, and that he will announce his retirement. Hopefully, Michigan will figure out that it should reach outside the "Michigan Man" legacy Bo created. Time for change. Just ask OSU or MSU.<BR/><BR/>CH '64Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136487040752878109.post-18288348939601137842007-09-02T07:44:00.000-04:002007-09-02T07:44:00.000-04:00'Like the hot, popular girl in high school who dro...'Like the hot, popular girl in high school who drops a book and makes eye contact with you for a millisecond before forgetting you exist, 2007 teased us with the aspirations of grandeur that we have so long desired, and was gone in a blink of an eye, returning us to the reality that has become all too painful to acknowledge, but all too obvious to ignore.'<BR/><BR/>Wow. That is an absolutely superb analogy and I congratulate this author.<BR/><BR/>Being a Buckeye fan and recalling the John Cooper era, I say with utmost sincerity - there are no more excuses to be heard; there is only action to be taken and changes to be made.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com