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Game Thread THE GAME: #1 Ohio State 42, #2 Michigan 39 (11/18/06)

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only michigan fans could do the following about a spring game:

- complain about the refs
- complain that they aren't getting enough media love (little national coverage)
- make excuses for only 15k showing up for their spring game ("Nebraskans don't have anything to do")
 
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http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news?slug=uwire-commentaryswaggertitlessor&prov=uwire&type=lgns
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="yspsctnhdln">COMMENTARY: Swagger, titles sorely missing in Ann Arbor</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="7"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> By Sharad Mattu, Michigan Daily
April 17, 2006 (CSTV U-WIRE) ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- I'm supposed to use this space to reminisce about my time in Ann Arbor, and, more specifically, my time at the Daily. I'm supposed to mention the road trips and late nights, and all the great people I've worked with. I'm supposed to joke about how Lloyd Carr, Red Berenson and Carol Hutchins were surprisingly all right to deal with.
But I can't, so I won't ... even though I sort of just did.
Many of us were Michigan fans before we were students, and, hopefully, all of us will bleed Maize and Blue when we leave. But while we're here, it's different. For many reasons, the wins lift us higher and the losses sink us lower when we're students.
And the truth is, the last few years have been a disappointment. It's too late for things to turn around while I'm here, but there's still time for three-quarters of you. We just need to make sure that those in charge understand the trouble that Michigan athletics are in.
First, a quick refresher: Since 2001, the football team hasn't made it out of September without a loss and has gone 1-4 against Ohio State, 1-3 against Notre Dame and 1-4 in bowl games. Not even two Rose Bowls can offset that.
And that only scratches the surface of last season, when the Wolverines finished with five losses and about as many coaching changes.
While it's unlikely we'll have to get used to losing to Minnesota and Wisconsin, the Wolverines can't be considered among the elite until they beat the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish. Last season, both teams marched into Michigan Stadium. Both gutted out victories. So breaking the losing streaks on the road this coming fall will be about as easy as tackling Ted Ginn, Jr.
So why has Michigan struggled in its biggest games? I think it's because when the Wolverines take the field, they lack the swagger that all the other top teams have. Playing for Michigan seems to be a burden, and they seem to be overcoached. I know very little about football coaching, but "letting the players play" is definitely not the Michigan way. Can't you imagine Vince Young on Michigan, scrambling out of the pocket for a 70-yard touchdown run, and, as he returns to the sideline, hears from Carr, "Tyler Ecker was open in the flat?"
As for the basketball team, we've learned that it's not that easy to build a successful program without cheating.
Two years ago, we believed the NIT championship was the turning point. It wasn't. This year, we know making the NIT finals meant nothing. Without Daniel Horton, Graham Brown and Chris Hunter, even the most optimistic fan has to take a wait-and-see approach.
These Wolverines have too many problems to count. Why haven't Dion Harris and Courtney Sims improved since their freshman year? If Brent Petway learned just one post move, how could he be stopped? Are top recruits even considering us anymore?
The difference between the Rose Bowl and the Alamo Bowl, the NCAAs and NIT, can be very small. Thankfully, I'll have two games to think back to: the football team's win over Ohio State to go to the Rose Bowl in 2003 and the comeback overtime win over Michigan State the following year. Hopefully, the freshmen will have games like that to remember when they leave.
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From the sounds of it their D sounded a little better than their offense, but they still talking about how the corners and lbs are struggling in coverage.

I guess they spent alot of the day in a 4-2-5 which would be great for teams to run the ball against IMO.
 
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Thankfully, I'll have two games to think back to: the football team's win over Ohio State to go to the Rose Bowl in 2003 and the comeback overtime win over Michigan State the following year. Hopefully, the freshmen will have games like that to remember when they leave.


They also will have to remember consecutive Rose Bowl losses & 04', 05' losses to tOSU!
 
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crazybuckfan40 said:
they still talking about how the corners and lbs are struggling in coverage.
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That sounds like some Chicken Little fan's worrying. One of the few places these spring practice reviews seem to be somewhat consistent is that our DBs impressed.

Other notable consensuses are that the OL was bad, Henne was still erratic, Carlos Brown was great (and appears to be replacing Bass as opinion QB), walkon Alijah Bradley appears to be set to significantly contribute, and the internet college football scene cares far too much about spring practice, one way or another. Who knows, maybe our WRs are actually poor and our DL is just good.


NFBuck said:
I was thinking the exact same thing. The injury excuse is already being prepared as well.
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That's more of an underpinning of anger that Gittleson (our strength and conditioning coach) hasn't been fired. There's a large group that blames him for the injury bug and poor OL line play we had last year.
 
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That sounds like some Chicken Little fan's worrying. One of the few places these spring practice reviews seem to be somewhat consistent is that our DBs impressed.
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It appears that the new DC has had a positive affect on the D. Defensive intensity has certainly been lacking the past few years.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Michigan: Notebook

Defense's intensity level rises under English

Wolverines say his style, while similar to Herrmann's, is more aggressive and physical.

Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- Michigan's defensive players said they already have noticed an increase in their level of intensity.

That change, they said, is courtesy of new defensive coordinator Ron English. English, 38, is in his first season in charge of the U-M defense, replacing Jim Herrmann, who is now coaching linebackers for the New York Jets.

Michigan, coming off a disappointing 7-5 season, had its final practice of the spring Saturday at Michigan Stadium before an estimated crowd of 15,000.

"There's no difference in the way we play, but there's a difference intensity-wise," junior defensive tackle Alan Branch said. "Coach (English) is a very intense coach. He's going to light a spark under you. We've had really intense and physical practices that I had never experienced here while I've been here so far."

What exactly does that mean?

"The way we go after the ball, the speed that we attack the ball and the mind-set of getting to the ball, how we want to violently want to hit it, attack it and try to get the ball on the ground," Branch said. "It's really just the mental stimulation that we've been experiencing toward going after the ball. Coach is a great motivator."

Senior defensive end LaMarr Woodley said the players have responded to English's demanding practices and expectations.

"Ron English brings a little different coaching style than Coach Herrmann," Woodley said. "Not saying that Coach Herrmann wasn't as fired up as Coach English, but Coach English is very into that. He's just a guy who's fired up every day. When you see him off the field, even at training table, he's fired up. There's not one time you don't see Coach English fired up, ready to go."

Hart's health

Junior tailback Mike Hart , who missed the better part of six games last season because of hamstring and ankle injuries, said he finally began to feel completely healthy in late January.

Hart said he intends to go the preventive-medicine route this fall, icing and rehabilitating even when he isn't injured.

"(I'm going to) treat my body better," Hart said Saturday.

Hart, a 5-foot-9, 195-pounder, said he has worked on building his upper-body strength without adding weight.

"I got a lot stronger," he said. "(I'm) the same weight, it just looks better it looks better for the beach."

Lean and mean

Offensive lineman Jake Long , a 6-7 junior, has switched positions and dropped 20 pounds to a svelte 315. Several players have lost a considerable amount of weight since the bowl game in an effort to gain quickness on top of strength.

"When we came back from the (Alamo) bowl game, we didn't reach our potential like we should have last year, and weight could have been a part of it," Long said. "The coaches wanted us to drop weight, get stronger, get quicker, and we definitely had the intent to do that this year during the winter. Everybody on the team lost the weight they needed to do. That's definitely going to help out."

Long, who has made 14 career starts at right tackle -- he missed the first seven games last season because of a foot injury -- is now the Wolverines' starting left tackle.

"I like it," Long said. "I'm left-handed, and I feel really comfortable with it."

Extra points

Several former Michigan players were on the sideline for Saturday's final practice.

They included Desmond Howard , Bubba Paris , Marlin Jackson , Ernest Shazor , Kevin Dudley , Dave Pearson , Anthony Carter , Braylon Edwards , Larry Foote and Thomas Guynes .

Michigan's fall camp begins Aug. 6.

Carlos Brown , an early enrolled freshman at tailback, saw time at the quarterback position.

Outside linebacker Chris McLaurin recently underwent shoulder surgery, Carr said. McLaurin is expected to be ready for preseason camp.

Safety Ryan Mundy , who missed all but one game last season because of a nerve injury, performed well the final week of practice, coach Lloyd Carr said. He said Mundy is back to full strength.

Quarterback Matt Gutierrez , who transferred to Idaho State from U-M after the Alamo Bowl, was 21-for-29 and 201 yards and four touchdowns in the Bengals' spring game Saturday.

You can reach Angelique S. Chengelis at [email protected]
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MililaniBuckeye said:
They had better step it up, my friend, lest Troy run rough shod over them in his Senior Game...
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being aggressive won't solve some of their problems with troy, but rather make them worse. How many times have crable/burgess had Troy pinned on the sidelines and not contained him... letting him juke behind them for the first down?
 
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TheMile said:
That sounds like some Chicken Little fan's worrying. One of the few places these spring practice reviews seem to be somewhat consistent is that our DBs impressed.

Other notable consensuses are that the OL was bad, Henne was still erratic, Carlos Brown was great (and appears to be replacing Bass as opinion QB), walkon Alijah Bradley appears to be set to significantly contribute, and the internet college football scene cares far too much about spring practice, one way or another. Who knows, maybe our WRs are actually poor and our DL is just good.
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Well it was written somewhere that the linebackers were getting beaten pretty bad on 1 on 1 coverage, and in video I seen the secondary was letting guys get pretty open.
 
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