OSUbeBetter

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 11:17 p.m.

The answer is simple, Michigan did to florida what App state and Toledo did to Michigan, caught them with their pants down by a scrub team they didnt prepair for.

Robbie Webb

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 10:54 p.m.

I wish I had a better answer for App State, we just blew it. But injuries really hurt in the beginning of 07. But we still beat the defending natinal champions who rocked OSU the year prior.

OSUbeBetter

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 10:42 p.m.

".....Michigan had Henne, Hart, Maningham, Arrighton, Long, and a very good defense....." So why did they walk into a bowl game with 4 losses, including an all time meltdown against a 1AA App State? doesnt sound like that great of a team to me. ".....the cupboard was bare....." If i remember right wasnt the #1 HS quarterback in the nation ready to take over duties for michigan? A fellow named Ryan Mallet? but RR couldnt figure out how to use a guy like ryan, a Monster, and instead spent his days and nights on the phone with Terrelle, and ended up losing Both. So if you claim the cupbord was bare it was because RR threw out all the food. ".....That has been fixed and we have some depth to work with now....." Again, Based on what? Wasnt it that 'Depth' that alowed a 95 yard Td in the spring game? ".....To me, this is Rich Rod's second year. 08 doesn't count for me....."????? Okaaaaaay. Why not call this Rodriguez's Third First year? Better yet lets just wait until he has some sort of success and at that time we will start the clock on his career as a michigan coach? but the fact is that he took the job in Jan 2008, so why not just start counting there.

Terry Star21

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 10:36 p.m.

I think what's lost in the talk is it's a simpler defense for UM to understand, which means it would confuse the secondary B10 schools like msu, osu and others. Robbie... wouldn't spend too much time arguing with the attackers. They post fabrications and illustrate absolutely no knowledge of football what so ever. Main goal is to try to upset the UM faithful, get a fight going - absolutely no other intention they have. Continue to post good writing on UM FB and take the attackers for what they are, a comic act.

Macabre Wolverine1

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 10:05 p.m.

I just read two articles submitted by the commenter OsuBeBetter - which made absolutely no sense at all. I came to these comment pages to read up on Michigan football, but one might assume there are posters here that have no knowledge of football what so ever - and try to initiate fights amongst other other posters. It does not have any rational benefit, to ague nonsense - shouldn't we be discussing football issues here with knowledgable people?

Robbie Webb

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 9:04 p.m.

Look at Carr's players in 07 and look at what Rich Rod had to work with in 08. Michigan had Henne, Hart, Maningham, Arrighton, Long, and a very good defense. Then they graduated after that year and the cupboard was bare for Rich Rod. If you don't recall Threet and Sheridan (A walkon quarterback) started. The quarterback position is the most important on the field, and those are not Michigan caliber quarterbacks, which is why they did not succeed. And as you saw in 09 with a true talented quarterback in Forcier, they lead the big ten in scoring offense. Michigan's problem was not offense, although there were mistakes, it was a defensive problem. There were two walkons on the field, and youth and inexperience. Brandon Graham was great, but the line wasn't the problem, it was the secondary. That has been fixed and we have some depth to work with now. And yes, I know Michigan has won one championship in the last 50 years, I use that as one of my points why change was needed. Rome wasn't built in a day. It takes time. To me, this is Rich Rod's second year. 08 doesn't count for me. Michigan is a sleeper this year and is going to turn a few heads in surprise. Unfortunately, September 4th is still a ways a way.

Man in the Mirror

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 8:53 p.m.

If it's a simple defense then couldn't the opposing team figure it out easily especially after a few real games? IDK just asking.

OSUbeBetter

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 8:42 p.m.

".....You're saying eight years is a short time?....." Considering michigan has 1/2 nc since the end of WW2 (Under Lloyd, not Glen), and michigan fans insistance in bring up stats from the 1880's, Yeah i think 8 years is a pretty short amount of time. Put it this way the coaches today are the same coaches they had 8 years ago. ".....Michigan got smart in Carr's last game by installing the spread and beating the defending national champions....." Kinda makes it sound like installing a spread is an easy thing to do, Lloyd did it in 4 weeks, and all he had to work with were those damned big fat and slow 'Square Pegs'. So why is it that Rodriguez has 2 years and can only beat Indiana?

Robbie Webb

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 7:34 p.m.

And one more thing, as for the 97yd spring ''Practice'' touchdown. That was the second string defense, and they wern't going full speed. You have to give the offense credit when they do well and the defense credit when they make stops. You can't call them out for what you saw in practice.

Robbie Webb

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 7:21 p.m.

And exactly! OSU did go to a championship game two years in a row and got stomped by Florida and lost to LSU. Which further proves my point that the big ten isn't up to speed because they just run the ball. So thank you for proving my point. OSU has done well recently in conference play, but like I said, it's not competative when all they do is run and once OSU plays teams like Florida, they get it handed to them. Michigan got smart in Carr's last game by installing the spread and beating the defending national champions. So again, times have changed and Michigan is making that change and doing what they do best, which is lead. I'm all for those two losing seasons because I know we're heading in the right direction.

Robbie Webb

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 7:15 p.m.

You're saying eight years is a short time? I'm going to out on a limb here and say you're an OSU fan based on your name. So you're saying that six years in a row is a short time since the last time we won? Just saying, eight years is almost a decade, which in my book is a long time. And the fact that they didn't play an SEC team makes me think they probably would have lost that game if they did. And I wasn't saying Florida and Michigan are the same, I was stating that people don't think the spread will work when it obviously has, we did it against Florida and won, and we lead in offense last year. And not only has the SEC has not only been going to championship games recently they have been winning because they are adapting to how football and talent has changed. No one is scared of the big ten. And the defense is a great idea based on the athletes we have, great coaches install a defense to match different offensive opponents and looks. If you didn't notice, OSU ran a 3-3-5 against Michigan. It's all about matching up against your opponent. It's not a ''High school defense.'' That's just not a smart thing to say at all. And as it is explained in this article, they are not running a straight 3-3-5 all day and night, that would be stupid. Especially against a conference that prides themselves on running. So I'm glad they are adding more to their package to stop opponents. Michigan's defense last year was young, inexperienced and had a lack of depth, hence our poor peformance.

OSUbeBetter

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 6:24 p.m.

Ok so the only team michigan handeled last year was a high level hs team, which provided 80 points toward their false title as a leader in anything in the big ten. other then that one game michigan looked just like the 10 th best team in the big ten, and needing a questionable call in the final seconds to squeeze past lowly indiana. saying michigan and florida both run the spread and therefore are alike, is like saying me and Warren Buffet are alike because we both own stocks. ".....hence why no one in the conference has won any championships recently....." Dude its only been like 8 years, and they played in the championship game 2 times since then. only 2 teams in the world have had more success in that amount of time. They just beat Oregon, the biggest "Speed and Spread" team of them all. ".....And this defense is a great thing....." Based on what? they couldn't even slow down michigan offense last week. 95 yard pass play for a TD? come on i know it was a practice game but it was a practice game for the Defense as well.

Robbie Webb

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 10:58 a.m.

No offense gatling64, but you can't judge any team based on a spring game, so you wasted your time. The wern't going full speed, especially since they're going against their own team, and they kepth the scheme very vanilla. You wont see them rock anybody until September 4th.

Robbie Webb

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 10:55 a.m.

And you're welcome for my explanation. You clearly didn't and probably still don't understand, otherwise you wouldn't say things like high school level defense and offense. Especially when we lead in offense last year. You're speaking about the big ten like it's a tough conference at this point. The big ten is behind, which is why Michigan is changing their ways and doing what they do best, which is lead. You and everyone else will see Michigan rise this year and then we'll see what you have to say. But the fact is, is that the big ten prides themselves on running the football, hence why no one in the conference has won any championships recently. And back when OSU won the last one it wasn't against an SEC team, so they got lucky there. Success and change was not going to happen over night, I'm not worried about our record, it's for the better. You can say what you want about Michigan, but calling there defense and offense high school sounds like you don't watch much football, again, especially since Michigan lead in scoring offense. The ONLY reason Michigan has struggled was injuries, youth, and lack of depth. Any coach would have struggled.

gatling64

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 10:50 a.m.

After studying the spring game in slo-mo four times,play by play,I see no indication htat the D is simpler.They used a lot of 4-3 and 5-2 along with the trad 3-3-5.Incidently Ohio State used the same defense.Its up to the coaches to provide a good game plan and the players to carry it out.The freshman should provide us with 2-3 players or even starters on D.Our present kids hit hard and are going to be good against the run but who will step up and shut down guys like the Toon kid from Wisconsin.Our Dbs must very good players.Guys like Furman,Dorsey, Robinson and Christian have 27 practices to learn the system.

Robbie Webb

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 10:44 a.m.

High school level offense? I hope you know teams like Florida run the spread. And we lead the big ten in scoring offense last year. So that debunks that argument. And this defense is a great thing. Lining up like this confuses opponents and can give multiple looks, not just one that is good against one part of the game and exposes another.

BowlForBlue

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 9:33 a.m.

Actually Robbie, no where in that article does it say 'dumbing down', I have only heard that term once and was regarding the osu football team of course. As mentioned earlier, pryor there is running on fumes and D.Rob passes him midway through the season, and the highlight is our new defense is simple, so simple even osu can't figure it out and pryor sacked 7 times first half, doesn't return. All this talk about defense and dumming down has made me hungry... Burger King came to mind, but then I threw up a little bit in my mouth.

OSUbeBetter

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 12:28 a.m.

Robbie read the title of the article, Michigan is Dumming down its new D. It now has a HS level D to match its HS level O. And thank you by the way for explaining to me what a defence does, i wasnt quite sure. I alwats thought tackeling and the ability to shed blockers stopped ball cariers, now i know its all about position and understanding.

Robbie Webb

Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 12:13 a.m.

OSUbebetter, you don't understand. Defensive schemes isn't about making things complicated it's about effectively stopping the other teams offense with understading of a players position and where he should be.

OSUbeBetter

Wed, Apr 28, 2010 : 11:14 p.m.

MIchigan is comfortable running a simple D, The rest of the Big Ten also thinks its a great idea.

orlandomichfan

Wed, Apr 28, 2010 : 11:04 p.m.

JUST WIN DARN IT ALL.. DONT CARE WHAT KIND OF DEFENSE WE HAVE, JUST GIVE US SOME "W"s

mgobluegold

Wed, Apr 28, 2010 : 9:15 p.m.

@ Tater, TerryStar, BowlFor,Robbie and Azwolv... love that thinking 9-13 wins... it is a reality! Some people think we're unrealistic, but those five games msu, ill., iowa, purd & osu just one or two mistakes, and were 10-2. And critics said we were bad last year! We have a lot to look forward to this year and I wouldn't trade our coach and team for anyone else. Michigan, I don't think is ready to dominate this year... but I think with none to very few turnovers, we win those 10 games... we must be perfect, we must read, cover and execute and we will be successful. It truly is a great time to be Michigan football fans... GO BLUE!

azwolverine

Wed, Apr 28, 2010 : 9:01 p.m.

Robbie, I agree that 13 games is what Michigan will win this year. There is absolutely no reason under the sun, with the talent assembled and the schedule before us that Michigan will not go undefeated and win the NC. It's a foregone conclusion and anything short of that would be completely unacceptable.

Robbie Webb

Wed, Apr 28, 2010 : 6:54 p.m.

And by the way, yet again, the 3-3-5 can be used to give multiple looks, including what others use to stop the run game. The goal of the 3-3-5 is to confuse our opponent, get more athletes on the field, and to give multiple looks depending on what type of offense we're against. Roh, for example, can play at linebacker or move up on the line and rush the passer which means one of the strong safetys can move up to the linebacker position if needs be.

Robbie Webb

Wed, Apr 28, 2010 : 6:51 p.m.

Jaxon5, how many more points do I have to make in order for you to understand that this team is going to work magic this year? The 3-3-5 gives multiple looks, and I'm glad they're doing this. If you think this team is going to win less than what they did in 08 then that's not a very smart thing to assume, especially since that will not happen. Oh and by the way, if anything you got the wins and losses switched around. Michigan wins 9-13 this year.

BowlForBlue

Wed, Apr 28, 2010 : 5:27 p.m.

@ TerryStar21. I just went back and read that - 'Big Ten opponents punting and punting... first down difficult task...confuses Big Ten offenses... record of foe's punting... full return touchdowns...RichRod our King.... 10-13 wins, a crystal bowl..', man that is classic stuff!

Jaxon5

Wed, Apr 28, 2010 : 4:47 p.m.

3-3-5 when multiplied together equal the number of points scored by the opposition. I knew the 3-3-5 was not going to be a once-in-awhile defense - it is the defense. UM = W 2 L 10 in 2010.

BowlForBlue

Wed, Apr 28, 2010 : 4:18 p.m.

I like this new set-up, 'simpler-defense' to Michigan, 'devastating defense' to foes... secondary teams like msu and osu will be wondering what hit them, left wolverine tracks on their back, and buried them in the turf. The king and his men will be be forcing punts on every series, as foes try one step forward only to be knocked 6 steps back. You'll love it, Michigan Football!

NoBowl4Blue

Wed, Apr 28, 2010 : 1:37 p.m.

The great and all knowing wizard says "D" will be similiar to the one to helped the team to a LAST PLACE tie with Indiana last year. Bye bye king

Terry Star21

Wed, Apr 28, 2010 : 1:08 p.m.

Sounds like Michigan needs to really spend time on special teams, like punt returns (for touchdowns), because Big Ten opponents are going to be punting, punting.... and then punting some, er.. a lot more! Getting a first down will suddenly be a very difficult task against the king and his men this fall. Michigan's new defense this coming fall, confuses all Big Ten offenses with the ball. We'll see a record of foe's a punting, and full returns for touchdowns a running. So credit to RichRod, our king and his court, 10-13 wins, a large crystal bowl for their fort. Michigan Football - 486...... Opponents - 0 or less.