first
damnit, missed my shot at FIRST!
D-line recruiting worries me but but i think they are waiting for camps to offer some of the more under the radar O-line guys that we need.
i feel dirty for doing that, so here's a real comment,
just watched the WVU vs. VT 2002 game and I'm feeling pretty good about RR and this year. Their rushing attack was very good at springing relative no-names for huge gains. although it was mostly spread option, there was a lot of i-form toss zone-blocking plays. one went for like 50 yards because the playside OLB was over committing to contain. FB took out the MLB and there was a huge hole.
so I'm not too worried about the scheme not matching our players. we can run lots of toss sweeps and zone dives.
That was RR's second year and that win made them 8-3 over a ranked (if reeling) VT team.
But what really impressed me is the intelligence of the offensive scheme, there's the base plays but there's lots of wrinkles that are set up once the D tries to take something away from you. I thought that was something we did really well back in the late 90's with reverses and screens but kind of got away from in the last few years of 'pro-style' passing attacks. even in the magical 97 run, we pounded you to death with the off tackle play, but really killed you with the boot to tuman or streets. and we had about 4 or 5 wrinkles on just that play.
so I'm pretty optimistic that RR will have us around 7-5 or better next year. crossing my fingers for 10-2 (this is about a 2 game bump up from my prior predictions before I started watching old WVU games)
About DU burning down, that sucks. That frat was never a happening place, but it was a historic building and I feel bad if any guys had their stuff in the building over the summer. I don't think that they ever caused any trouble and it never struck me as a date rape frat (as far as I know). That's too bad.
Also, looks like we've hit a slow period in the recruiting process.
monday recruitin on... monday?
This is old news, but I am pretty happy for Owen Schmitt making the cover of NCAA 09 for PSP. He is a good blue collar player who played at FB of all positions. He started out at JUCO but went on to play at and graduate from WVU this year. His TD run in the Fiesta Bowl against OU was just magical. Apparently he was a fan favorite. I don't that much about that, but congrats to the fullback on his cover honor.
Monday...er, Monday recruitin'
Is there any historical recruiting data on how Michigan's recruiting classes of the 1970's and 1980's stacked up nationally?
I have a problem with Schmitt being so popular.
The reason he's popular? He's white. There are a ton of mediocre football players or good players at minor positions who become popular because they're seen as "hard-nosed white guys."
Don't believe me? Try to explain why Cory Schlesinger was so popular for the Lions. How about David Kircus? Nobody gives a damn about the 6th receiver when he's "just another black guy," but if he's a white guy, he's a fan favorite.
If you still don't believe me, try naming another college fullback from last year (not named Mark Moundros or Vince Helmuth).
I was reading Brian's blog over at Fanhouse, specifically re: Schiano's status as the next PSU coach. It's tough to tell which fanbase is more ridiculous: Rutgers or PSU. PSU, on one hand, looks at Joe Pa like he's some sort of Italian Sky Wizard whose obviously the best dude ever. Rutgers fans talk about their program like its predestined to become a powerhouse. I mean, I guess two back-to-back seasons above .500 will buoy ones hopes, but to that degree?
OMG DickRod doesn't know what he's doing! We'll never pass it'll be all run! We'll never get another bigtime receiver only these little guys who no one else wants! Why didn't we hire Les Miles!
Oh, wait, what's that? We signed a badass WR from Minnesota? We're on the final list for a 5-star WR from California?! Oh........uh.........um........OMG LOOK A SASQUATCH!
/idiots
Thank god your right Magnus
@chitownblue
forgive me if I'm not too giddy about the list of attendees for the 1 day camp.
big gay heart, where have you been these last few days??
@Magnus:
Jacob Hester.
Ninja,
Agree about the chicken little sentiment, but...really, I'm becoming concerned about OLine and D recruiting. Two of Michigan's biggest position of needs and it DOES seem like every week names are dropping off the board at an alarming rate.
I said this before: I think taking a relatively unknown D-Coordinator was an unusual choice that is going to negatively affect Def. recruiting and, probably, take several years to become recover as he establishes himself.
OLine I just don't get. Who focuses on that area of recruitment?
"several years to recover as he..."
@ Ninja
Jacob Hester was part-halfback, part-fullback.
HA! Scouting reports on Hester and Schmitt: (Strengths)
Hester: Tough and a hard worker...An instinctive runner...Does a nice job in short-yardage situations...Has good hands and runs good routes...Versatile...Has a great motor and always gives 100%...Team player...Loves the game...A terrific special teamer.
Scmitt: Has good size and a solid frame...Really tough, strong and powerful...Outstanding blocker...Runs hard and is a load to bring down..Has good hands and runs decent routes...Effective in short yardage situations..Hard worker and a true team player.
True about schmitt love from whiteness - but there's nothing wrong with liking him cause of that I dont think. I love it whenever I hear about a black hockey player. haha
Henne for Heisman - just busy at work.
Why is it that when I suggest - citing numerous factual realities - that Notre Dame has a racist slant, I catch all types of shit but when Magnus calls EA sports/a huge portion of the news media racist - while citing what can only be loosely referred to as anecdotal evidence - he gets non-responses and gentle nods of agreement?
BGH-
you can't deny, however, that with the presence of western michigan, kalamazoo is generally less intelligent than other similarly populated areas.
western michigan is mostly populated with sluts and dudes who wear graphic tees. other than that, kalamazoo is alright.
big gay heart | 06.02.08 - 10:57 am | #
HOW DO YOU KNOW ME SO WELL?!?
Keegan-
I'm from Kalamazoo, and I know absolutely fucking everything, so maybe it has something to do with living in this fine city.
MRG & Ninja-
The show kicked ass, I will not lie. I will tell you this to feel better though, Ninja: Red Bull sponsored a party a few months ago for the college of aviation at a local bar here and handed out lanyards that served as free passes to the Race Club in Detroit, right at show center. Race Club=free Red Bull, food and cheap beer. Unfortunately, no one remembered the lanyards were tickets. My entire group bought tickets to the Windsor side and nobody realized we had free tickets to the best seats in the house. In the U.S. no less.
Pilots=FAIL
No wonder the industry is moving to unmanned aerial vehicles.
MRG,if you thought the Super Hornet demo was sweet, you have to see the Blue Angels. Everyone loved that high-speed pass, but it is nothing compared to the sneak pass during a Blues' show. Imagine the same noise, but twice as close and even lower. Now look the opposite direction, because you are locked onto following the diamond formation, and forget the solo's even exist. The BOOM! and accompanying skull-rattle is not something you'll forget.
Went to a flea market with the wife over the weekend. One vendor had a Russian "stacking doll" with Henne on the outside; open it up and there's one of Mike Hart. I didn't go further, but I wonder if (a tiny) Jake Long was third?
M - Flightsci, the real question is, are you are a slut or a dude in a graphic tee? or both?
I'm convinced a big reason why so many fucking idiots out there LOVE Brandon Inge and think he is anything more than a medicore baseball player is because he's white.
Agreed, Jay. I've never seen a guy who hovers just above the Mendoza line be so popular.
Um...isn't Jacob Hester white as well?
And yeah, the white guy as "tough, hard-nosed, scrappy" guy is probably the most abused sports-writing trope around, in all sports.
Jacob Hester is white, but he played a lot of tailback.
Inevitably, when white dudes are successful, writers talk about their work ethic, their drive, etc. When a black dude succeeds, sports writers merely chalk it up to natural ability.
The most hilarious was during the World Baseball Classic, and sportswriters were talking about the Japanese team's "cerebral" and "analytical" approach to the game - because you know, Asians are good at math.
BGH -
Being from Kalamazoo I can personally attest to the fact that you can be both.
And I am. And it is fun in an otherwise cheerless town.
Jay beat me to the brandon inge comment.
Chitown & Magnus,
Wasn't Bobby Higginson always described as "tough and scrappy?" The sad thing is that a good guy like Tony Clark Became the symbol of everything that was wrong with the Tigers in the mid to late '90s and was hated by many while Higginson was beloved and praised by many idiot fans even though Clark had similar numbers to Higginsons'. Oh, and Tony Clark was never accused of being on the juice like Higginson has been.
@ Flightsci - That Blue Angels thing sounds cool. I think I'm going to have to check out more airshows because I really liked the exhibitions even without the qualifying. As an engineer when I heard the Super Hornet was cruising at Mach .98, I should have been prepared for silence followed by the monstorous noise when it was right on top of me, but I didn't really think about it.
@ Jay - Nobody likes Brandon Inge except for Lynn Henning and middle aged housewives.
MLB - Jacoby Ellsbury?
NBA - Rick Barry? Any white guy?
New post.
Nobody likes Brandon Inge except for Lynn Henning and middle aged housewives.
FAIL. go to any ball park in the state. 1/3 people will be sporting tigers shirts. 1/2 of them will have Inge jerseys. this is exactly what i have seen at every tryout for the A2 hardball league.
We love Brandon Inge
Yes, but everyone bought those jerseys three years ago after he actually hit and stuff. This is all anecdotal, but I think people destroy Inge beyond even what he deserves.
The really dumb thing about the "hard-nosed" comments, and any other comments that relate to effort is this:
If you're a starter on a major league baseball team, odds are, you are one of the 300 best people at playing baseball on this earth. Same with any sport. It's virtually impossible to reach that level of accomplishment without working your ass off along the line - whether it be practicing the component skills, conditioning, whatever. Every person at that level works their ass off.
Magnus,
Eric Hoskins
FlightSci:
Having free tickets and free Redbull to mix with Jager, plus models thrown in at the RedBull tent (trust me they were there) and not taking advantage doesn't equal Fail, it equals criminality.
Personally, I think Owen Schmitt stands out because he HITS HIMSELF IN THE HEAD WITH HIS HELMET UNTIL HE BLEEDS.
Black, white, whatever: that will get you attention. As will continuously making plays from the fullback position. He has rare speed, power, and even hands for a fullback. He was one of two players drafted from WVU. Maybe that's why he's a fan favorite.
Brandon Inge made a nice play defensive play last night in the 8th and was the go-ahead run in the 9th. He may not be the best third baseman in the league or division, but he's a defensive upgrade from Guillen. Thats why people like him, believe it or not.
Thanks again to Jay for his sourpuss ramblings on how much he hates each and every member of the Tigers.
BGH,
If it were a black or latin american guy at 3rd base and was a human fucking windmill at the plate hitting .220, it wouldn't be tolerated by the fanbase and the masses would be calling for the guy's head.
Also, do you really want to play the Guillen card? ANYBODY and this point is an upgrade over him in the field. The poor bastard is falling apart right before our eyes. He's a 32 year old man with the the knees of a 80 year old retired carpet installer. Ramon Santiago would do a very solid job at 3rd base as well and would be just as pathetic as Inge at the plate and would cost a helluva lot less than Inge.
Ninja, no models (it was on top of a parking garage). But yes, free red bull. I need a flask so so bad
BGH-
I, like gjp, fit both of your illustrations.
MRG- what was really funny was seeing the confusion when the announcers called up the next fly-by as the high-speed pass... only to have the bug come sliding past high-alpha at 85 knots! They corrected themselves but I don't think many people heard it and there was definitely some confusion. A couple non-flying types with me were like "?????uh that was real fast," semi-seriously
Magnus - here at Texas A&M, one of the fan favorites was Chris Alexander this past season. So much fun to watch him crush LBs. He is black.
White, Black, whatever...football fans like watching good football players.
NFL GMs don't care about the ethnicity of players. They just want the best player available. Schmidtt was the 1st FB drafted because....he was the best player at his position.
Please resist the temptation to play the "race card."
Brandon Inge is still the most maligned member of the Tigers. People feign frustration with Miguel Kabrera but they'll come around if he plays well for an extended period of time.
I'm not sure what your Inge rant has to do with anyhting. The Tigers tried to move him and can't. He's a good fielder with very good range. As long as he's being played, shouldn't we try to use him? Shouldn't he get a shot when other players are failing to perform?
My biggest problem with your whining, Jay, is that you never really talk in terms of tangible solutions. You just hate certain players and feel the need to critcize them. But here's the thing: since you're obviously smarter than Leyland, how would you dig the Tigers out of this hole? Or would you just complain, call the players overpaid whiners, and hope for the best? Because, really, that seems to be the sole output of your meandering negativity.
I mean, come the fuck on.
New post.
Jay | 06.02.08 - 12:39 pm | #
QFT.
"As long as he's being played" should be
"As long as he's getting paid "
Inge Sucks, people liked him before we acquired Cabrera which means that they liked him before he became a defensive upgrade for Guillen. Tim Kurjkan (?) was talking about the Tiger's failures last year and ran a stat about the most check swings in baseball (which signifies that you didnt recognize the pitch til after you began your swing) and lowest contact per swing and Binge was the leader of both last year. He also was our second highest paid infielder last year also. Any team could pull up anyone from the minors to bat .220, thats why no one has offered more than a crappy reliever for him.
Oh and he led our team in strike outs even though he was the number 9 hitter and had less at bats than any other starter and was #4 in the whole league in strikeouts also. While 3 others did finish with more strikeouts in the Majors, Binge still managed the least HR's out of the top 10 strikeout leaders with the exception of Alex Gordon who was a rookie and had less at bats and strike outs than Binge
@ UmichAg
First of all, it doesn't really count if you're a Texas A&M fan (or a local) and you can name their fullback. That's why I said Vince Helmuth and Mark Moundros don't count.
Secondly, you helped make my point for me - Owen Schmitt IS (or might be, anyway) the best player at his position. What is that position? FULLBACK. In modern football, nobody gives a damn about the fullback. It's like putting a left guard or the long snapper on the cover of a video game.
I'm not saying that fullbacks aren't valuable, but there have been very good fullbacks in the NFL who haven't received as much publicity as Mike Alstott and Owen Schmitt (who are both white), such as William Henderson, Lorenzo Neal, Sam Gash, and Larry Centers.
how bout all the fucking idiots who want to keep evaluating richrod's WV teams in order to predict the future of Michigan football just stop. you're pointless debates are just that, pointless.
Not sure if you'll see this, BGH, but I think I suggested that Ramon Santiago would do just as well as Inge for a fraction of the cost. I get that you love the fucking guy. Don't make him out to be anything more than he is. If Inge were to be the fulltime catcher next year when Pudge is out the door, I'd be fine with him and his weak ass stick batting 9th. Just don't give me this crap about all of the plays he makes at 3rd. Again, Santiago could do the same thing for a fraction of the cost. Its not like other GMs were burning up DD's cell phone with trade offers for the fucking guy, either. That should tell you something.
Magnus,
Owen Schmidtt's popularity isn't skewed because he is "blue collar" or white it's because he has high football IQ.
Geeeeeeez.
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