Just watched the Amazon documentary. I didn't expect to like it so much. There were a lot of moments that made re-living the losses somewhat less irritating.
Random reactions:
+ Pep was obviously someone the producers focused on. He came across as very genuine and likeable. Of course, there were times when they'd discuss different QBs (esp. O'Korn) and he looked like a "Housewife from New Jersey" on a reunion show when they tell her that her ex-husband got the restraining order lifted and is backstage to come out for a "chat."
+ Denial ain't just a river in Egypt. It was pretty clear by season's end that no one was excited about the QBs -- maybe including the QBs. But they were putting as brave a face as they could on the situation.
+ John O'Korn, CEO. O'Korn, to me, came across as a guy who said and did all the right things -- including the little pep talks he gave himself -- without necessarily believing them. But by God he was going to stick to the company line no matter what. This seemed particularly true WRT the "brother's bond" with Speight. I don't think Speight reciprocated.
Overall I thought O'Korn came across really well as a kid who worked really hard but who, through no fault of his own, didn't have the talent to match the moment. Maybe he could have been a game manager with a really good OL and running game but, of course, that was not the hand he was dealt. It wasn't his fault he wasn't up to the task and it certainly didn't seem it was for a lack of preparation or effort.
I think the next time we see or hear about Mr. O'Korn he will be well on his way to success in his chosen field (obviously outside of football).
+ Funniest moment for me was when Speight was telling his dad that Nick Baumgardner doesn't know what he's talking about. Mrs. Varnsen said "gee, I follow Nick on twitter. He usually has a lot of smart things to say about Michigan football."
I didn't even know she knew who Baumgardner was, let alone followed him on twitter. I'm going to have to start stepping up my game around her.
+ Second funniest moment was when I realized Mark Harmon was narrating and asked Mrs. V if she knew that Mark was Tom Harmon's son.
She gave me the same look I gave my son when he recently asked me -- the son of a college professor -- if I knew what "tenure" meant.
Again, the woman is gaining ground on me both WRT knowledge and intensity. No wonder the kids are leaving the house and the dogs are scared.
+ Brandon Peters is an enigma wrapped in a marshmallow swaddled in gauze. He seemed to greet the prospect of starting for Michigan with the same unbridled enthusiasm my son displayed after he received the news that if he can't find a good research job this summer he'll make $5 more a loop caddying at the country club.
And maybe this is just the fan in me remembering the Outback Bowl and me telling my brother "that kid wants no more of this game" but after he got his eye poked it seemed like one of those moments when Pep remembered he was on camera. Because it seemed like he wanted to leave the booth and go down to the sidelines and slap Peters back into coherence.
Pep was telling BP "you got this" when both of them knew it was a lie.
+ We remember the days of hearing that Brady Hoke "liked" his team. Well, I'm not sure Harbaugh liked this one. Or maybe it was just like being a parent and having a kid get into a stage where you still love them but you have no idea how to reach them. Regardless, it seemed like he didn't have a real sense of connection, let alone control.
+ Greg Frey -- "where's Waldo?" You'd think the guy spent the season in the witness protection program. I think I saw him twice. And he's about as easy to miss as a continent.
+ Drevno -- lack of connection, Part Deux. Unlike some other reviews, I didn't come away disliking the guy. But he seemed to be another guy who is enigmatic. I'd chalk that up to the conflict behind the scenes.
+ Not to dwell on a sore point (ok, who am I kidding?) but it's just so laughable that Pep was supposed to be splitting time with the WRs. It's just a real head-scratcher to wonder how someone could think that would work out. Especially with a young but talented group. Glad it's been addressed. But the whole time they're showing him with the QBs before games or at Thanksgiving I'm thinking "who's with the WRs?"
+ I understand that speeches don't win football games. But they can set the tone and help to focus a team.
I think that Harbaugh is capable of commanding a team's attention -- and John and Jack both certainly can, so genetics seem to be operating in his favor. But he did seem awkward.
Just another head-scratcher. Don't know if it says more about him, the team, or both. I'm betting "c," both.
+ I'm as concerned as the next guy about the D not closing out. I think they were victimized by the offense -- and, late in the season, by lack of confidence in the offense. It seemed pretty clear they knew they had to hold the other team to two scores or less -- and once that threshold was crossed, it was "oh, oh, here we go again."
+ It has got to be so incredibly hard, as a coach, to say goodbye to kids like Mo Hurst and Mike McCray without them ever having beaten Ohio State. That just cannot happen with Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich. It. Just. Can. Not.
+ Of course nearly every kid came across very well and I found myself rooting for all of them even more. But Hurst, McCray, and Grant Newsome are three special young men and I'll always be rooting for them.
+ Higdon's daughter has "it." What an adorable young lady and terrific family.
+ A friend of mine played HS football with Chase W's dad. He's an OSU fan but when Chase committed he told me that Michigan got a special kid and what a great guy Chase's dad is. He closed by saying "great guy, but he's got a screw loose. In a good way."
The apple did not fall far from the tree. That kid is a football player.
+ I'm not going to pile on but I am glad that Wilton Speight made the decision he did. And the fact that Borges took one QB in that class and passed up other prospects to recruit him tells you everything you need to know about why Borges didn't succeed. How you could look at those dying quails, the way he carries himself, and his build and think "ooh, that's my guy"? Wow.
+ The scene with Rashan and his mother talking about Rashan's lack of a relationship with his father is heart-breaking. Couple that with his reaction to the MSU loss and you realize that, with that young man, still waters run very, very deep.
+ I really, really hope DCaf is ready to play this Fall.
+ I know how it burns a hole in my heart that we've beaten OSU twice since 2001. I cannot imagine the agony that causes for those in the program now and all those who played for Michigan over the years.
I was also struck by the fact that the last two seasons have seen the worst QB play I can remember since 2008 -- and, other than 2008, the worst I've ever seen at Michigan. Given that level of play, it's such an incredible shame that we lost to OSU in 2016 and 2017. Plug in any other starting QB from 1984 through 2007 and we win both of those games. Even with our sieve-like OL.
+ I was glad that Harbaugh was honest in the locker room after the Outback bowl and admitted they just gave that one away. What a horsecrap effort.
+ Obligatory "I love Don Brown" (and I do) note. Hard to imagine a defensive coordinator you'd rather have your son play for.
But we need to get @totchman and @MaizeNBlue1817 and some of our other big hitters to get Don and his wife a house in AA. We need that man heavily invested in the area. Maybe a compound with the Mattisons where they can have their entire clans come together.
Mattison and Brown seem to have a great working relationship.
***
There are a lot of pieces in place for 2018. There are also huge, unanswered questions -- some of which are squarely on the desk of our fearless leader (and right next to about what, three bottles of Tums?).
If you like drama and mystery, Michigan is the program for you right now. About one of the only real certainties I came away with was that Rashan Gary is going to have a very, very big season in 2018.
Random reactions:
+ Pep was obviously someone the producers focused on. He came across as very genuine and likeable. Of course, there were times when they'd discuss different QBs (esp. O'Korn) and he looked like a "Housewife from New Jersey" on a reunion show when they tell her that her ex-husband got the restraining order lifted and is backstage to come out for a "chat."
+ Denial ain't just a river in Egypt. It was pretty clear by season's end that no one was excited about the QBs -- maybe including the QBs. But they were putting as brave a face as they could on the situation.
+ John O'Korn, CEO. O'Korn, to me, came across as a guy who said and did all the right things -- including the little pep talks he gave himself -- without necessarily believing them. But by God he was going to stick to the company line no matter what. This seemed particularly true WRT the "brother's bond" with Speight. I don't think Speight reciprocated.
Overall I thought O'Korn came across really well as a kid who worked really hard but who, through no fault of his own, didn't have the talent to match the moment. Maybe he could have been a game manager with a really good OL and running game but, of course, that was not the hand he was dealt. It wasn't his fault he wasn't up to the task and it certainly didn't seem it was for a lack of preparation or effort.
I think the next time we see or hear about Mr. O'Korn he will be well on his way to success in his chosen field (obviously outside of football).
+ Funniest moment for me was when Speight was telling his dad that Nick Baumgardner doesn't know what he's talking about. Mrs. Varnsen said "gee, I follow Nick on twitter. He usually has a lot of smart things to say about Michigan football."
I didn't even know she knew who Baumgardner was, let alone followed him on twitter. I'm going to have to start stepping up my game around her.
+ Second funniest moment was when I realized Mark Harmon was narrating and asked Mrs. V if she knew that Mark was Tom Harmon's son.
She gave me the same look I gave my son when he recently asked me -- the son of a college professor -- if I knew what "tenure" meant.
Again, the woman is gaining ground on me both WRT knowledge and intensity. No wonder the kids are leaving the house and the dogs are scared.
+ Brandon Peters is an enigma wrapped in a marshmallow swaddled in gauze. He seemed to greet the prospect of starting for Michigan with the same unbridled enthusiasm my son displayed after he received the news that if he can't find a good research job this summer he'll make $5 more a loop caddying at the country club.
And maybe this is just the fan in me remembering the Outback Bowl and me telling my brother "that kid wants no more of this game" but after he got his eye poked it seemed like one of those moments when Pep remembered he was on camera. Because it seemed like he wanted to leave the booth and go down to the sidelines and slap Peters back into coherence.
Pep was telling BP "you got this" when both of them knew it was a lie.
+ We remember the days of hearing that Brady Hoke "liked" his team. Well, I'm not sure Harbaugh liked this one. Or maybe it was just like being a parent and having a kid get into a stage where you still love them but you have no idea how to reach them. Regardless, it seemed like he didn't have a real sense of connection, let alone control.
+ Greg Frey -- "where's Waldo?" You'd think the guy spent the season in the witness protection program. I think I saw him twice. And he's about as easy to miss as a continent.
+ Drevno -- lack of connection, Part Deux. Unlike some other reviews, I didn't come away disliking the guy. But he seemed to be another guy who is enigmatic. I'd chalk that up to the conflict behind the scenes.
+ Not to dwell on a sore point (ok, who am I kidding?) but it's just so laughable that Pep was supposed to be splitting time with the WRs. It's just a real head-scratcher to wonder how someone could think that would work out. Especially with a young but talented group. Glad it's been addressed. But the whole time they're showing him with the QBs before games or at Thanksgiving I'm thinking "who's with the WRs?"
+ I understand that speeches don't win football games. But they can set the tone and help to focus a team.
I think that Harbaugh is capable of commanding a team's attention -- and John and Jack both certainly can, so genetics seem to be operating in his favor. But he did seem awkward.
Just another head-scratcher. Don't know if it says more about him, the team, or both. I'm betting "c," both.
+ I'm as concerned as the next guy about the D not closing out. I think they were victimized by the offense -- and, late in the season, by lack of confidence in the offense. It seemed pretty clear they knew they had to hold the other team to two scores or less -- and once that threshold was crossed, it was "oh, oh, here we go again."
+ It has got to be so incredibly hard, as a coach, to say goodbye to kids like Mo Hurst and Mike McCray without them ever having beaten Ohio State. That just cannot happen with Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich. It. Just. Can. Not.
+ Of course nearly every kid came across very well and I found myself rooting for all of them even more. But Hurst, McCray, and Grant Newsome are three special young men and I'll always be rooting for them.
+ Higdon's daughter has "it." What an adorable young lady and terrific family.
+ A friend of mine played HS football with Chase W's dad. He's an OSU fan but when Chase committed he told me that Michigan got a special kid and what a great guy Chase's dad is. He closed by saying "great guy, but he's got a screw loose. In a good way."
The apple did not fall far from the tree. That kid is a football player.
+ I'm not going to pile on but I am glad that Wilton Speight made the decision he did. And the fact that Borges took one QB in that class and passed up other prospects to recruit him tells you everything you need to know about why Borges didn't succeed. How you could look at those dying quails, the way he carries himself, and his build and think "ooh, that's my guy"? Wow.
+ The scene with Rashan and his mother talking about Rashan's lack of a relationship with his father is heart-breaking. Couple that with his reaction to the MSU loss and you realize that, with that young man, still waters run very, very deep.
+ I really, really hope DCaf is ready to play this Fall.
+ I know how it burns a hole in my heart that we've beaten OSU twice since 2001. I cannot imagine the agony that causes for those in the program now and all those who played for Michigan over the years.
I was also struck by the fact that the last two seasons have seen the worst QB play I can remember since 2008 -- and, other than 2008, the worst I've ever seen at Michigan. Given that level of play, it's such an incredible shame that we lost to OSU in 2016 and 2017. Plug in any other starting QB from 1984 through 2007 and we win both of those games. Even with our sieve-like OL.
+ I was glad that Harbaugh was honest in the locker room after the Outback bowl and admitted they just gave that one away. What a horsecrap effort.
+ Obligatory "I love Don Brown" (and I do) note. Hard to imagine a defensive coordinator you'd rather have your son play for.
But we need to get @totchman and @MaizeNBlue1817 and some of our other big hitters to get Don and his wife a house in AA. We need that man heavily invested in the area. Maybe a compound with the Mattisons where they can have their entire clans come together.
Mattison and Brown seem to have a great working relationship.
***
There are a lot of pieces in place for 2018. There are also huge, unanswered questions -- some of which are squarely on the desk of our fearless leader (and right next to about what, three bottles of Tums?).
If you like drama and mystery, Michigan is the program for you right now. About one of the only real certainties I came away with was that Rashan Gary is going to have a very, very big season in 2018.
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