Today was another win for the good guys, and we should celebrate all wins. There were plenty of good things to go around today, but there was a head-scratcher or two for every good thing.
The contrast from last year to this year couldn't be more pronounced.
Last year, we were one of the least penalized teams in the nation. This year, not only are we committing penalties, but they are stupid mental errors.
Last year, we won the turnover battle. This team is a turnover machine.
Last year, we didn't miss tackles. This year, we're missing all kinds of tackles.
Last year, we had leaders all over the place. This year, we are void of any obvious take-charge leaders.
Excuses:
Ten new starters on offense.
Five new coaches. New HC, OC, DC.
Everyone left for the NFL.
Reality:
Ten new starters on offense.
Five new coaches. New HC, OC, DC.
Everyone left for the NFL.
The QB situation is on life support.
The O-line has been below average and bad in pass-pro,
Play calling has been hit-and-miss at best.
Personnel decisions have me scratching my head.
The D is a huge question mark.
The questions:
What is the team Identity?
Is Sherrone in over his head?
Is the culture beginning to crack?
Is Wink the right hire?
Can this team improve enough to be a factor this year?
What players are going to step up and lead?
The hope:
I hope Sherrone is not in over his head.
I hope the team will get better and stop all the self-inflicted wounds.
I hope some playmakers will emerge.
I hope The team will be competitive in the conference.
Today:
Today, I thought Sherrone had a bit of frustration in his eyes. Who could blame him?
He will have time to grow into the job, but this looks like a rebuilding situation.
The run game worked, and the pass game didn't. The D looked bad, then good, and then bad again.
We had another 29-yard punt and successfully threw to the other team.
Neither quarterback looked great, but both showed flashes of something.
We stopped the run all day, but once again, we didn't put much pressure on the quarterback, and the back end of our defense looked weak.
We didn't see our best player because we didn't attempt any FGs.
Our second-best player hurt his shoulder and may be out next week.
Mullings is a surprisingly nimble back for his size and has excellent vision.
Don ran harder this week, moving the pile a couple of times. His vision is not as good as Mullings's.
Mullings looked gassed a couple of times, and maybe that's why he isn't an every-down back.
No one stood out for the receivers.
The Oline has a lot of work to do.
Harbaugh had some ups and downs here, but a trademark of his era was very limited mental mistakes. I remember a few. The punt vs MSU is the biggest.
My observation is that usually, when a team starts the season undisciplined, they remain so. After three games, it looks like there isn't a lot of steel in the spine with this group.
My three greatest fears are...
The wrong staff hires
Talent deficit.
No team leadership.
To some degree, all three have been on display.
Conclusion. The degree of improvement we need to be in the hunt is not impossible but unlikely.
There is no way Michigan should be in the QB position they are. That statement is true for several position groups.
If Harbaugh had one blindspot, it had to be his casual approach to recruiting. Maybe he was handcuffed by the AD, or maybe he just thought whoever he had could beat whoever you had. I don't know, but it left us in a bind.
NIL? Portal? Recruiting? Michigan needs to figure it out. We are no longer ascending.
I'm praying for massive improvement this week. USC will be a huge challenge. If we can find a way to win that game, it could propel us to a great season. I'm praying for snow.
Go Blue!
The contrast from last year to this year couldn't be more pronounced.
Last year, we were one of the least penalized teams in the nation. This year, not only are we committing penalties, but they are stupid mental errors.
Last year, we won the turnover battle. This team is a turnover machine.
Last year, we didn't miss tackles. This year, we're missing all kinds of tackles.
Last year, we had leaders all over the place. This year, we are void of any obvious take-charge leaders.
Excuses:
Ten new starters on offense.
Five new coaches. New HC, OC, DC.
Everyone left for the NFL.
Reality:
Ten new starters on offense.
Five new coaches. New HC, OC, DC.
Everyone left for the NFL.
The QB situation is on life support.
The O-line has been below average and bad in pass-pro,
Play calling has been hit-and-miss at best.
Personnel decisions have me scratching my head.
The D is a huge question mark.
The questions:
What is the team Identity?
Is Sherrone in over his head?
Is the culture beginning to crack?
Is Wink the right hire?
Can this team improve enough to be a factor this year?
What players are going to step up and lead?
The hope:
I hope Sherrone is not in over his head.
I hope the team will get better and stop all the self-inflicted wounds.
I hope some playmakers will emerge.
I hope The team will be competitive in the conference.
Today:
Today, I thought Sherrone had a bit of frustration in his eyes. Who could blame him?
He will have time to grow into the job, but this looks like a rebuilding situation.
The run game worked, and the pass game didn't. The D looked bad, then good, and then bad again.
We had another 29-yard punt and successfully threw to the other team.
Neither quarterback looked great, but both showed flashes of something.
We stopped the run all day, but once again, we didn't put much pressure on the quarterback, and the back end of our defense looked weak.
We didn't see our best player because we didn't attempt any FGs.
Our second-best player hurt his shoulder and may be out next week.
Mullings is a surprisingly nimble back for his size and has excellent vision.
Don ran harder this week, moving the pile a couple of times. His vision is not as good as Mullings's.
Mullings looked gassed a couple of times, and maybe that's why he isn't an every-down back.
No one stood out for the receivers.
The Oline has a lot of work to do.
Harbaugh had some ups and downs here, but a trademark of his era was very limited mental mistakes. I remember a few. The punt vs MSU is the biggest.
My observation is that usually, when a team starts the season undisciplined, they remain so. After three games, it looks like there isn't a lot of steel in the spine with this group.
My three greatest fears are...
The wrong staff hires
Talent deficit.
No team leadership.
To some degree, all three have been on display.
Conclusion. The degree of improvement we need to be in the hunt is not impossible but unlikely.
There is no way Michigan should be in the QB position they are. That statement is true for several position groups.
If Harbaugh had one blindspot, it had to be his casual approach to recruiting. Maybe he was handcuffed by the AD, or maybe he just thought whoever he had could beat whoever you had. I don't know, but it left us in a bind.
NIL? Portal? Recruiting? Michigan needs to figure it out. We are no longer ascending.
I'm praying for massive improvement this week. USC will be a huge challenge. If we can find a way to win that game, it could propel us to a great season. I'm praying for snow.
Go Blue!
