Dumpster Fire

[Eric]

I really, really, really don't care about the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. I spent the last six hours watching a Breaking Bad marathon on AMC instead. But checking back and forth with the game, the defense looks awful. Morris looks okay and guys are dropping passes left and right. This is probably the 10th time I've said this here, but I've gotten so sick of this middling crappiness that I just don't care right now. I can't even care about 2014, because this is not going to get appreciably better. Hoke is bringing in the recruits, but it's not going to matter with this coaching staff.

I kind of expected a loss with Morris tonight. I took Michigan with Gardner, but that would've been tough enough. A guy making his first start was the nail in the coffin from the get-go.

[Old Ducker]

I really, really, really don't care about the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. I spent the last six hours watching a Breaking Bad marathon on AMC instead. But checking back and forth with the game, the defense looks awful. Morris looks okay and guys are dropping passes left and right. This is probably the 10th time I've said this here, but I've gotten so sick of this middling crappiness that I just don't care right now. I can't even care about 2014, because this is not going to get appreciably better. Hoke is bringing in the recruits, but it's not going to matter with this coaching staff.

I kind of expected a loss with Morris tonight. I took Michigan with Gardner, but that would've been tough enough. A guy making his first start was the nail in the coffin from the get-go.

I'm sorry. Please don't change your avatar again.

[Eric]

I'm sorry. Please don't change your avatar again.

I don't plan on it.

I'll wait until next November after we finish 8-4. Again. And lose to Ohio State. Again. And don't win the Big 10 division. Again. And get prepared for a bid to the Outback/Gator Bowl. Again.

This team has no toughness at all. The tackling is average and clunky. The running game is nonexistent. The RB experience won't even matter since it squarely falls on the shoulders of the offensive line. And then I don't know what this coaching staff plans on doing between the young QB that can make throws like a traditional Michigan QB and the veteran Human Mistake Machine. Bottom line: 2014 will have a QB controversy, a coaching staff on the hot seat, a young defense that is incapable of making big plays when it matters, a soft offensive line, and a non-existent running game in a still-weak Big 10. Which will equate to a meaningless 8-4 season which will in turn result in a lot of hemming and hawing from the administration on whether or not they should change direction or not. "Oh, but the recruiting!" will be the general rally cry in favor of Hoke from these people with the fan base in a deep malaise, as if ticking off recruits who may or may not pan out in the first place is the primary area of concern. Hoke has done great in recruiting, but we have zilch to show for it. I see young guys and young teams all over America step in and play well. Being young isn't necessarily a detriment to success. There's something wrong with that locker room and something wrong the chemistry and something wrong with the player development. Whatever it is, it's awful.

End of rant #24 of the season . All I can say is thank God it's over. Well, it's not because it'll carry over into 2014 and it will be a sour offseason.

[warrriorsfan808]

Similar reaction from my better half only she called it the The Walking Dead Bowl (no offense to The Walking Dead). She talked me into the same Marathon on AMC! I did check in twice to make sure nothing bad was happening to K-State. After a 2-8 start things are better, now I'm at 6-9 after tonight's win, 3 of 4 today! let's see what happens Monday.

[Derek]

Not to pour fuel on your dumpster fire, but Notre Dame also won their bowl game.

[Spence]

Not to pour fuel on your dumpster fire, but Notre Dame also won their bowl game.

Yes, but they looked like crap doing it.

[strawman]

Hey, at least Morris' mom is cougar - grrrrrrroowwwwlllllll

[Eric]

Hey, at least Morris' mom is cougar - grrrrrrroowwwwlllllll

I would bet dollars to donuts that he doesn't finish his career as a Michigan Wolverine. I bet you he transfers by the end of the next season. Maybe I'm just pessimistic, but my money is on Gardner beating him out, Gardner playing poorly yet never getting benched because Hoke is so resistant to change out of inertia and some kind of fear of doing anything drastic, and Hoke getting fired. Morris decides to go elsewhere out of spite, or something like spite and to get away from the uncertainty of the coaching change. Speight is coming in and I think he'll eventually outplay Morris for the starting job.

I mean I can't predict the future, but I'm used to all of our pocket passers leaving us in the dust (Mallett, Threet, Forcier ).

[Derek]

Hey, at least Morris' mom is cougar - grrrrrrroowwwwlllllll

Uh. I need some links.

[donovan]

Hey, at least Morris' mom is cougar - grrrrrrroowwwwlllllll

Uh. I need some links.

Down boy....

[Eric]

Michigan made their first move back towards respectability by dumping Al Borges yesterday and (likely) replacing him with Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, who has had a fair amount of success in recent seasons. I'm actually a little excited for the future now. Now all they need to do is hope the offensive line gets better overnight, and we might actually have a competent offense to speak of.

[billybud]

I haven't watched much Michigan...

But...if they can get decent QB play, some protection, and a running game to keep teams honest, they will be OK. If Magnusen and Braden develop at OT in the off season, I think that the O line will be much better

The QB play is crucial. No team can play at a high level with mediocre QB play. That big RB (I don't have the name handy) could be a power runner (his size reminds me of Dane) if he gets more blocking up front.

Having a new OC could not hurt.

[Spence]

Michigan success has always been centered around a QB. When RR came in and changed that dynamic, he killed their success.

[donovan]

Michigan made their first move back towards respectability by dumping Al Borges yesterday and (likely) replacing him with Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, who has had a fair amount of success in recent seasons. I'm actually a little excited for the future now. Now all they need to do is hope the offensive line gets better overnight, and we might actually have a competent offense to speak of.

Borges has always been keen offensive mind, his consistent comment that players did not execute gets old, because you need plays players can execute. His success has come when he was with a coach that played a more "wild offense," and very complicated patterns. I am not sure Michigan was not looking for scapegoat,though it was certainly time for Borges to leave. No one wants to work where they are not wanted.

[Eric]

Michigan made their first move back towards respectability by dumping Al Borges yesterday and (likely) replacing him with Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, who has had a fair amount of success in recent seasons. I'm actually a little excited for the future now. Now all they need to do is hope the offensive line gets better overnight, and we might actually have a competent offense to speak of.

Borges has always been keen offensive mind, his consistent comment that players did not execute gets old, because you need plays players can execute. His success has come when he was with a coach that played a more "wild offense," and very complicated patterns. I am not sure Michigan was not looking for scapegoat,though it was certainly time for Borges to leave. No one wants to work where they are not wanted.

I agree that Borges may be a scapegoat, but he really had some baffling playcalling tendencies and something had to change after last year. I think Michigan had two games where they finished with negative rushing yardage. I know they finished 100th in the country in rushing offense over the course of the year.

Billybud, Derrick Green is the running back we got out of Virginia this past year. I'm pretty excited about his future. DB Jabril Peppers is another guy supposed to be coming in that I think will have a great career. We'll have to see. Michigan had a gap in recruiting at the offensive line position so they were forced to play some young interior guys and had little depth to speak of. I don't think that excuses their play against Iowa, Northwestern, and Michigan State which were historically bad. I don't think I'm exaggerating by saying that Brady Hoke has had better offensive line play while he was at San Diego State and Ball State.

I should also note that Hoke is going to have his work cut out for him to save his job. I'm not positive that 8-4 will be good enough if it doesn't come with marquee wins. Michigan has to face Michigan State, Notre Dame (with Golson), and Ohio State all on the road this season. Maryland needs to stay healthy and they will be a player since they have the athletes and Penn State will be a dangerous team in the East division. Utah might wind up decent, and then we still have to worry about the draw from the West by hoping we don't get Nebraska or Wisconsin.