Chapter 1: It's ALL about me!
Lol, JK. But a little background. I might be the luckiest man in the world. Almost won the mega-millions once amongst other things. I've been married 15 years on Thursday and I'm posting from Maui, where I was married. I'm 44 1/2 years young...feel a little older but look a little younger. I have 2 beautiful children. I graduated from Fordson High School in 1990...we had a great team that had a bad day, losing in the first round of the playoffs at home in my senior year. I played for Coach Charlie Jestice, who passed a few years ago, and learned a ton of football from him.
I peaked athletically as a freshman. I was a 5-11 175 pound tailback. I ran a 4.55 hand timed and 4.69 electronic at Michigan Football Camp. I long jumped just short of 21 feet, and ran an 11.0 100 M (hand timed). I also played basketball, regretfully...as I tore my ACL in a summer league practice and it was all down hill from there.
Currently I'm 6'0 225. If I had to, I could bench 225 15-20 times depending on the day. I could still beat Rich Eisen in the 40 and have no desire to ever dunk a basketball again with my 2 surgically repaired ACLs and an old-man's back.
I love Michigan! My daughter's name is Hailee Victoria...you should all know why. When I first started playing sports, I was a Sparty fan (boo, hiss, boo). But living in Addison, Mi at the time I was highly exposed to Scott Skiles and MSU basketball...I was young and dumb.
Thankfully I moved! And started playing football. In 1985, a guy named Jim Harbaugh was raising the Michigan Football teams from the ashes of Bo Schembechler's worst season. We finished the year 10-1-1 and finished #2. The next season Harbaugh was a Heismann finalist, and I was hooked.
I'm also pretty smart....graduated from Michigan with a degree in Kinesiology. I went to school with the Fab 5, two Heismann Trophy winners, and the GOAT QB in NFL history! We won a Natty in Basketball 2 years before I got there and a Natty in football right after I left. Throw in 2 Final 4s and another undefeated season in football while I was there...how many people can say that? You know, besides the 100,000 other students that were there during that period (1990-1995
Chapter 2: Brady Hoke is a Michigan Man
I will never understand the criticism he gets from this fan base. Yes, he was over his head. No, he probably should not have been hired in the first place. No, he is not Jim Harbaugh...
But without Brady Hoke, we do not get Jim Harbaugh. He rescued this team from the Richrod fiasco and did everything better than his predecessor. He was a great recruiter and a great ambassador for the University. He fixed a broken roster and moved the team from a bad spread team to a good pro-style team. And while I agree that his development lagged some, it tends to when you are forced to play freshmen and sophomores before they are ready. The bottom line is that Hoke deserves a lot of credit for turning the program in the right direction so that Harbaugh could hit the ground running.
No I did not like the MSU apology. I think the Morris situation was overblown and his AD did him no favors. I think he would have had a better record if the AD had stayed out of the way. He should have hired better coaches. He should have recruited more/better QBs.
IF the day ever came for him to come back, I would welcome him with open arms (as long as it wasn't as the head coach).
Chapter 3: The State of the Program
So where do we stand in the grand scheme of NCAA Football Powers. To me, the program is defined by the head coach and recruiting prowess. The season-to-season record varies due to experience, QB play, injuries, schedule and quite frankly...a lot of luck. So far, Lady Luck has not smiled on Harbaugh with 2 of the most unlucky losses in program history coming over the last two season vs. our rivals...
With good luck I think Harbaugh is the third best coach in the NCAA. Saban is #1 and may go down as the biggest winner in history. He doesn't do it the Michigan way, but the results are unprecedented in modern college football.
As much as it pains me to say, Urban Meyer is #2. He might be the luckiest coach in history, but with 2 natty's at 2 different schools (like Saban), you can't argue with the results. And he is also a phenomenal recruiter like Saban. It seems that Bama and the Buckeyes get mostly anybody they want and leave the scraps for everybody else to fight for.
As of today, I'd probably put Jimbo Fischer ahead of Harbaugh. He's got a natty and a Heismann winner. If there's a third best recruiter out there it's probably him.
So is Michigan currently the fourth best program in college football? It's pretty close. We have to see what Dabo does without Deshaun, but Clemson is rolling and return a ton sans their QB. Bob Stoops has done well at Oklahoma after a bit of a renaissance and thanks to Baker Mayfield. So I'd probably put us at #6 with room to advance. But USC or Penn St could slip past us (temporarily, IMO) if their QB play is as good as it was last year. It's hard to tell, though, with the young coaches (Helton and Franklin) to know what they're gonna do year-to-year. But both guys did great jobs rallying their teams after horrific starts. And I really don't think Franklin is that good, but you gotta give credit where credit is due even if it is begrudgingly.
Chapter 4: The 2017 Season
This is the year that Harbaugh earns his sizable salary. He inherited a deep, talented and experienced team and molded them into championship contenders. This year, he loses a great deal of those players and replaces them with the youngsters he inherited. This is the year he excels where Hoke failed...getting freshmen and sophomores to play like juniors and seniors.
The key? QB play....the most underrated element of college football success. Brady Hoke did wonderful things with good QB play and then things got rough when Denard hurt that elbow and couldn't throw (which was never his strength, but was good enough to keep defenses honest). I like Speight...he was pretty good until he got popped vs. Iowa. And he had 2 horrific plays vs. Ohio State (while still injured, btw). I don't think Peters will be quite ready, but agree with others that IF he wins the job, it bodes very well for the season. O'Korn is a great insurance policy and MIGHT be a key if we start implementing more spread this year. I can see him playing a key role for a few series per game (pure opinion).
I like our RBs...I think Isaac is better than given credit for. But even if he isn't we're looking at Evans, Higdon and Walker contributing. We have the best FB in college football and a solid backup. We'll miss Asiasi...that transfer was a blow to the program. But we'll miss him more in 2018, IMO, when he could have played some FB/HB to soften the loss of Hill/Poggi. Wheatley and Bunting will be better than average and have tons of potential. They'll play on Sundays, IMO.
The OL will need to grow up over the season. The addition of Frey gives us that ability. Ulizio is unproven and wasn't highly coveted as a recruit, but he could be the key to everything. If he plays well and can keep Speight clean on the blind side, I think the offense can be very good.
We lose some talent at WR. Remember just 2 years ago people were saying Hoke didn't recruit WR well...but now we will probably have 2 guys drafted? Patience, people...patience. I'm hoping Drake Harris makes a Darboh/Chesson leap this year. If not Crawford or DPJ will need to step in. Our slot guys are solid and might play a huge role on quick hitters if the OL can't protect in the early season.
On defense, I LOVE our DL. We lose 3 guys that will play in the NFL and might be BETTER! Mone obviously has to stay healthy, but Hurst and Gary are future first rounders and I expect Rashan to have a Jevedeon Clowney type sophomore season. Winovich proved in a limited role that he can get to the QB. The second half of the rotation is inexperienced, but I really like the potential of Solomon and keep hearing good things about Kemp and Ron Johnson. I still haven't given up on Marshall...he could be in the mix as could Reuben Jones. I think Vilain could push for PT as a backup WDE this year IF he earns it.
At LB, returning McCray is humongous. But we still have to replace Peppers (OT....how can you call yourself a Michigan fan if you've been criticizing him?) and Gedeon, who was spectacular last year. If Bush stays away from the head shots, he will be very valuable to this team. We need Furbush to have his best season, but all reports are that he will do whatever it takes...he's big, strong, fast and smart...but he might be a WDE (IMO). So it will be interesting to see if Brown schemes the Viper as more of LB/DE hybrid or a LB/S hybrid. My guess is he will do both depending on the team we play...which will be an advantage over Peppers last year.
The secondary is a big concern after losing all 4/5 starters from last year. Sorting through the returning talent will be the challenge. Will Metellus, Glasgow or Hudson play Viper? Can Watson be the veteran presence we will need? Is Kinnell ready to take over the secondary calls? Is Long healthy? We have the bodies and talent, but need to grow quickly.
The schedule sets up nicely. We have a strong OOC game to open the season to keep the kids motivated during the summer. I think we are better than Florida. Then we get a few games to grow in September before hosting Sparty after a bye. The only way I see them even challenging us is if they get back on the roid regiment. We get a couple of road tests vs Indiana and then down to Happy Valley...I've seen lots of predictions saying we lose to Penn St., but I don't see it happening because I just don't believe Franklin can beat Harbaugh without superior talent...he might have more experience, but I don't see McSorley winning a bunch of 50/50 throws against us. I'm not saying it's a lock....if this game was played in September, I would favor PSU. BUt it's not, and we will grow and defeat the Nittany Liars mid season. Rutgers, Minnesota and Maryland will take beatings before we head to Madison. Again, we should be rolling and ready by this time and will win the tough road game before beating Ohio St at home.
That's right...we win all 12 in a rebuilding year!
Actually, probably not...the thing about young teams is they tend to stub their toes unpredictably. And we need to say healthy, especially at QB. But the potential is there. And if we don't get it done next year, I'm doubling down on 2018 when we only replace Hill, Cole, Hurst, and McCray from the starting lineup.
Chapter 5: ALOHA! And GO BLUE!!!!
And if you made it this far, God Bless You and thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts.
Lol, JK. But a little background. I might be the luckiest man in the world. Almost won the mega-millions once amongst other things. I've been married 15 years on Thursday and I'm posting from Maui, where I was married. I'm 44 1/2 years young...feel a little older but look a little younger. I have 2 beautiful children. I graduated from Fordson High School in 1990...we had a great team that had a bad day, losing in the first round of the playoffs at home in my senior year. I played for Coach Charlie Jestice, who passed a few years ago, and learned a ton of football from him.
I peaked athletically as a freshman. I was a 5-11 175 pound tailback. I ran a 4.55 hand timed and 4.69 electronic at Michigan Football Camp. I long jumped just short of 21 feet, and ran an 11.0 100 M (hand timed). I also played basketball, regretfully...as I tore my ACL in a summer league practice and it was all down hill from there.
Currently I'm 6'0 225. If I had to, I could bench 225 15-20 times depending on the day. I could still beat Rich Eisen in the 40 and have no desire to ever dunk a basketball again with my 2 surgically repaired ACLs and an old-man's back.
I love Michigan! My daughter's name is Hailee Victoria...you should all know why. When I first started playing sports, I was a Sparty fan (boo, hiss, boo). But living in Addison, Mi at the time I was highly exposed to Scott Skiles and MSU basketball...I was young and dumb.
Thankfully I moved! And started playing football. In 1985, a guy named Jim Harbaugh was raising the Michigan Football teams from the ashes of Bo Schembechler's worst season. We finished the year 10-1-1 and finished #2. The next season Harbaugh was a Heismann finalist, and I was hooked.
I'm also pretty smart....graduated from Michigan with a degree in Kinesiology. I went to school with the Fab 5, two Heismann Trophy winners, and the GOAT QB in NFL history! We won a Natty in Basketball 2 years before I got there and a Natty in football right after I left. Throw in 2 Final 4s and another undefeated season in football while I was there...how many people can say that? You know, besides the 100,000 other students that were there during that period (1990-1995
Chapter 2: Brady Hoke is a Michigan Man
I will never understand the criticism he gets from this fan base. Yes, he was over his head. No, he probably should not have been hired in the first place. No, he is not Jim Harbaugh...
But without Brady Hoke, we do not get Jim Harbaugh. He rescued this team from the Richrod fiasco and did everything better than his predecessor. He was a great recruiter and a great ambassador for the University. He fixed a broken roster and moved the team from a bad spread team to a good pro-style team. And while I agree that his development lagged some, it tends to when you are forced to play freshmen and sophomores before they are ready. The bottom line is that Hoke deserves a lot of credit for turning the program in the right direction so that Harbaugh could hit the ground running.
No I did not like the MSU apology. I think the Morris situation was overblown and his AD did him no favors. I think he would have had a better record if the AD had stayed out of the way. He should have hired better coaches. He should have recruited more/better QBs.
IF the day ever came for him to come back, I would welcome him with open arms (as long as it wasn't as the head coach).
Chapter 3: The State of the Program
So where do we stand in the grand scheme of NCAA Football Powers. To me, the program is defined by the head coach and recruiting prowess. The season-to-season record varies due to experience, QB play, injuries, schedule and quite frankly...a lot of luck. So far, Lady Luck has not smiled on Harbaugh with 2 of the most unlucky losses in program history coming over the last two season vs. our rivals...
With good luck I think Harbaugh is the third best coach in the NCAA. Saban is #1 and may go down as the biggest winner in history. He doesn't do it the Michigan way, but the results are unprecedented in modern college football.
As much as it pains me to say, Urban Meyer is #2. He might be the luckiest coach in history, but with 2 natty's at 2 different schools (like Saban), you can't argue with the results. And he is also a phenomenal recruiter like Saban. It seems that Bama and the Buckeyes get mostly anybody they want and leave the scraps for everybody else to fight for.
As of today, I'd probably put Jimbo Fischer ahead of Harbaugh. He's got a natty and a Heismann winner. If there's a third best recruiter out there it's probably him.
So is Michigan currently the fourth best program in college football? It's pretty close. We have to see what Dabo does without Deshaun, but Clemson is rolling and return a ton sans their QB. Bob Stoops has done well at Oklahoma after a bit of a renaissance and thanks to Baker Mayfield. So I'd probably put us at #6 with room to advance. But USC or Penn St could slip past us (temporarily, IMO) if their QB play is as good as it was last year. It's hard to tell, though, with the young coaches (Helton and Franklin) to know what they're gonna do year-to-year. But both guys did great jobs rallying their teams after horrific starts. And I really don't think Franklin is that good, but you gotta give credit where credit is due even if it is begrudgingly.
Chapter 4: The 2017 Season
This is the year that Harbaugh earns his sizable salary. He inherited a deep, talented and experienced team and molded them into championship contenders. This year, he loses a great deal of those players and replaces them with the youngsters he inherited. This is the year he excels where Hoke failed...getting freshmen and sophomores to play like juniors and seniors.
The key? QB play....the most underrated element of college football success. Brady Hoke did wonderful things with good QB play and then things got rough when Denard hurt that elbow and couldn't throw (which was never his strength, but was good enough to keep defenses honest). I like Speight...he was pretty good until he got popped vs. Iowa. And he had 2 horrific plays vs. Ohio State (while still injured, btw). I don't think Peters will be quite ready, but agree with others that IF he wins the job, it bodes very well for the season. O'Korn is a great insurance policy and MIGHT be a key if we start implementing more spread this year. I can see him playing a key role for a few series per game (pure opinion).
I like our RBs...I think Isaac is better than given credit for. But even if he isn't we're looking at Evans, Higdon and Walker contributing. We have the best FB in college football and a solid backup. We'll miss Asiasi...that transfer was a blow to the program. But we'll miss him more in 2018, IMO, when he could have played some FB/HB to soften the loss of Hill/Poggi. Wheatley and Bunting will be better than average and have tons of potential. They'll play on Sundays, IMO.
The OL will need to grow up over the season. The addition of Frey gives us that ability. Ulizio is unproven and wasn't highly coveted as a recruit, but he could be the key to everything. If he plays well and can keep Speight clean on the blind side, I think the offense can be very good.
We lose some talent at WR. Remember just 2 years ago people were saying Hoke didn't recruit WR well...but now we will probably have 2 guys drafted? Patience, people...patience. I'm hoping Drake Harris makes a Darboh/Chesson leap this year. If not Crawford or DPJ will need to step in. Our slot guys are solid and might play a huge role on quick hitters if the OL can't protect in the early season.
On defense, I LOVE our DL. We lose 3 guys that will play in the NFL and might be BETTER! Mone obviously has to stay healthy, but Hurst and Gary are future first rounders and I expect Rashan to have a Jevedeon Clowney type sophomore season. Winovich proved in a limited role that he can get to the QB. The second half of the rotation is inexperienced, but I really like the potential of Solomon and keep hearing good things about Kemp and Ron Johnson. I still haven't given up on Marshall...he could be in the mix as could Reuben Jones. I think Vilain could push for PT as a backup WDE this year IF he earns it.
At LB, returning McCray is humongous. But we still have to replace Peppers (OT....how can you call yourself a Michigan fan if you've been criticizing him?) and Gedeon, who was spectacular last year. If Bush stays away from the head shots, he will be very valuable to this team. We need Furbush to have his best season, but all reports are that he will do whatever it takes...he's big, strong, fast and smart...but he might be a WDE (IMO). So it will be interesting to see if Brown schemes the Viper as more of LB/DE hybrid or a LB/S hybrid. My guess is he will do both depending on the team we play...which will be an advantage over Peppers last year.
The secondary is a big concern after losing all 4/5 starters from last year. Sorting through the returning talent will be the challenge. Will Metellus, Glasgow or Hudson play Viper? Can Watson be the veteran presence we will need? Is Kinnell ready to take over the secondary calls? Is Long healthy? We have the bodies and talent, but need to grow quickly.
The schedule sets up nicely. We have a strong OOC game to open the season to keep the kids motivated during the summer. I think we are better than Florida. Then we get a few games to grow in September before hosting Sparty after a bye. The only way I see them even challenging us is if they get back on the roid regiment. We get a couple of road tests vs Indiana and then down to Happy Valley...I've seen lots of predictions saying we lose to Penn St., but I don't see it happening because I just don't believe Franklin can beat Harbaugh without superior talent...he might have more experience, but I don't see McSorley winning a bunch of 50/50 throws against us. I'm not saying it's a lock....if this game was played in September, I would favor PSU. BUt it's not, and we will grow and defeat the Nittany Liars mid season. Rutgers, Minnesota and Maryland will take beatings before we head to Madison. Again, we should be rolling and ready by this time and will win the tough road game before beating Ohio St at home.
That's right...we win all 12 in a rebuilding year!
Actually, probably not...the thing about young teams is they tend to stub their toes unpredictably. And we need to say healthy, especially at QB. But the potential is there. And if we don't get it done next year, I'm doubling down on 2018 when we only replace Hill, Cole, Hurst, and McCray from the starting lineup.
Chapter 5: ALOHA! And GO BLUE!!!!
And if you made it this far, God Bless You and thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts.
