Michigan Monday: Big Al On His Way To San Jose

Mlive

This news is a bit out dated as it officially hit on Friday, but since it's interesting and makes me smile  (now we have great coaches), I thought I would lead Monday's post with it. 

I will first take you down memory lane with Tate Forcier joining San Jose State after he left Michigan in January 2011 due to academic issues.  Tate was there for roughly a year before he left that program as well.  He wasn't on scholarship and his family could no longer afford the tuition. 

Now, Big Al Borges has joined San Jose State as the offensive coordinator.   Also, former Michigan assistant Dan Ferrigno will coach special teams and the tight ends.  As you know, Michigan's special teams has been pretty awful the last few years.

Ok, 3 former Wolverines joined San Jose State after leaving Ann Arbor.   Then you look at the rest of the coaching staff and find that Greg Robinson is the defensive coordinator.   Is there some back door negotiation going on here?  Does Michigan have some deal with SJS to hire it's ex-coaches and we will play them in 2030 or something?

I will tell you one thing, having Robinson as the DC and Borges at the OC is a nightmare type of scenario for many Michigan fans.   Good luck with those two in Mountain West.

• Jimmy tweeted this:  "Thought of the day – What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive! – Sir Walter Scott" I wonder what he was referring to? :-)

• BTW: Thomas Wilcher, Cass Tech head coach is mad at Urban Meyer and wants to talk to him.  Mike Weber hasn't tweeted for 4 days. 

Wolverine Wednesday: The 10 Ten Reasons Both Should Go

Non-Michigan fans are saying Fire Brady Hoke because of "concussion-gate".   What they don't realize is there is plenty of reasons to fire him and concussion-gate is just another example.  

Top 10 reasons to fire Brady Hoke

10. Looks like he doesn't do anything on the sideline during a game
9. Darryl Funk
8. Concussion gate
7. Al Borges
6. He lies, examples include Gardner's turf toe and Gibbons "family matter"
5. Prior head coaching experience only at Ball State and SDSU
4. Failure to develop a  talented roster full of 4 & 5 star players
3. His football philosophy is 1970 not 2014
2. Handling of Brandon Gibbons situation
1. Outside of year 1 his Michigan teams have been terrible

Top 10 reasons to fire David Brandon

10.Selling home games to Dallas
9. App State reschedule
8. Only considering "Michigan Men" when hiring Brady Hoke (he coached the defensive line here)
7. Selling coaches titles to donors
6. Waiting until January to fire RR - which lost out on Harbaugh
5. Alienating former players and alumni
4. Alienating season ticket holders
3. Alienating Students
2. Brandon Gibbons situation
1. He thinks he is bigger then the program

When I thought about writing this post, I thought it would be difficult finding 10 reasons for each individual to be fired.   I actually had to cut some.  

Michigan needs to find a way to get out of the headlines.  It just keeps getting worse and worse.  With every loss this story will continue to live.  Remember Texas last year?, it never stopped until they fired Mac Brown.   The media really isn't that interested in a coaching search but they will continue to beat a dead horse until that person is fired. 

I keep waiting for a shoe to drop and there probably isn't anything that will happen until late November.

Wolverine Wednesday: Wishes Josh Good Luck

DB Josh Furman has decided to transfer to Oklahoma State.   Josh never worked out in Michigan's secondary and I had really high hopes for him when he was recruited by Rich Rod.  My hope was he could step right into safety as a freshman.  

That never happened and he bounced from Safety and LB at his time in Ann Arbor.   He now will be playing next year at Oklahoma State and I hope he makes a difference at OK State.

•  Nik, Mitch and Glenn all registered to have their draft status reviewed

• Shane talks about the differences between Big Al and Coach Nuss offense.

Michigan Friday: What To Expect From Coach Nuss vs. Big Al

When Doug Nussmeier came to Ann Arbor he left a few things back in Alabama: his family, warmer weather and a national championship quality team.  

In Ann Arbor he got a few extra dollars, a 5th year QB and an offensive line with a combined 31 starts.   SB Nation did a very nice piece on what to expect from a Coach Nuss offensive vs. a Big Al offense.  I have taken a few excerpts from the article but I recommend you read the entire thing.   It's very detailed and starts to answer why our 5 star offensive lineman struggled last year under Big Al:

Borges' offensive system is one that is fairly complex. It involves a massive collection of plays designed to take advantage of a defense at critical times. The Michigan OC excelled at setting up defenses for devastating play-action passes after noting their overplays of other concepts. Borges' particular methods for doing this also involved a fairly sizable number of overall concepts.

For example, the Michigan offense involved six primary run schemes: power, iso, draw, horn (a tackle lead play), inside zone, and outside zone. It's worth noting here, just for comparison, that NFL run-game guru Alex Gibbs believes that a ground attack should be built almost entirely on just inside and outside zone.

Borges' run game for his baby-faced interior line involved those two schemes plus four others. That's a lot of footwork, technique, and reads for the players to master in any of those concepts. Consequently, the Michigan run game faltered and often failed to set up the team for play action. In fact, Devin Gardner frequently executed a play-fake to the running back only to turn and find not a wide open receiver in his sight lines, but several defenders in his face.

Under Nuss:

The run game will likely be built around inside zone and remain committed to the concept from week to week. Whereas Borges would build a million different constraints and play calls around multiple different run and pass schemes, Nussmeier will run inside zone in multiple ways, from multiple formations, and with different constraints built off of it to counter defensive responses. At Alabama, players would rep inside zone against every single defensive look that might come up, ensuring it could be called against any opponent.

 

Ideally, Michigan's young linemen can focus on their footwork and assignments without being asked to master several different techniques in order to have a dynamic gameplan.

 

To be a great college football coach you have to develop your talent.  Charlie Weiss struggled with that at ND and it seemed Big Al did at Michigan.   There are concepts and techniques that Taylor Lewan could do as a senior that Kyle Kalis couldn't.    This article finally started to answer the question, "How can true freshman step in at other programs (on the offensive line) and play well and at Michigan they are lost?"

 

I'm not sure what Big Al was thinking or trying to do with his approach.   Yes, it's important to come up with good plans but it's more important to execute things your team is able to execute.   I love the approach Coach Nuss has, he is simplifying the offensive line and adding help from H-Backs and Tight Ends.   He is creating a simplified power baseline and building off of it as the guys mature and are able to handle more complex techniques.

 

I'm a big Devin Gardner fan and I thought he had zero chance to be successful last year.   I sure hope he gets a running game and some time to pass this season, so he can get a chance at a career in the NFL.

 

Here is to a fresh approach and hope for a better 2014 season!

 

 

Wolverine Wednesday: Running Back Depth

When Michigan stopped recruiting running backs in the 2014 class, it seemed to make sense for the fact the Wolverines will have two highly rated sophomores and Damien Harris coming in the 2015 class.  

The writing has been on the wall for weeks now that Damien Harris was about to de-commit.  He pulled the trigger on that yesterday and now Michigan has lost their top two recruits in the 2015 class.   I guess this is a result of Brady Hoke having a great summer recruiting and a terrible fall on the field.  

Side Note:  Damien was close with Big AL because his head coach was a GA at Auburn under Big AL.  Damien is a dynamic runner and I want nothing but him to come back in the class.   The Coach Nuss hire is much better long term for the program then where the Big AL train was heading.   If Michigan loses Damien over it, then so be it.   I have a hard time understanding how he could have watched the offense this year and seen himself being successful in it.

Michigan either looked great or had commitments from the following 5 star players this summer:  Da'Shawn Hand, Jabrill Peppers, 2015 George Campbell and 2015 Damien Harris.   Only Peppers stands firm as his commitment as we now are two weeks from signing day.

Here is Michigan's Depth at RB Next Year:

Justice Hayes RS JR
Drake Johnson RS SO (More to come on him)
Derrick Green SO
De'Von Smith SO
Wyatt Shallman RS FR
Thomas Rawls SR

As of right now there isn't a RB in the 2014 class.   Justice was a surprise starter in the Bowl Game and it seems Derrick and De'Von will get the most carries next year.  I expect to see Justice as more of a 3rd down back and maybe playing some slot receiver.   Rawls is rumored to be transferring as it seems he continues to be the odd man out.

A BHB reader questioned my "research" on Drake Johnson and his medical redshirt yesterday.  So let me clear that up if many of you have similar questions:

• Drake sat out the 2012 season and took a redshirt year
• Drake tore his ACL in the first game of the 2013 season against Central Michigan

Drake can apply for a medical hardship waiver which is commonly called a medical redshirt.   This would allow Drake to be on the team for 6 years if approved.  Most of the time college athletes have 5 years to play 4.  Since he was hurt in the first game of the year a medical redshirt would surely be approved.   The issue is, does he need it or want it?  6 years in college is a long time for a RB and if he doesn't fully recover or does recover and ends up being an NFL quality back, he most likely won't stay at Michigan for 6 years. This might be a similar situation to Devin Gardner's as they probably won't apply until they need to. (I know Devin didn't take a regular RS year but they took two years to apply for his medical hardship waiver)

• Michigan Basketball plays a "hot" Iowa team tonight at Crisler at 7:00 on BTN.  This is a big game with MSU looming on Saturday night.

• Nik Stauskas was named the Big Ten Player of the Week.  His dad also told SI this:  “He sees the brass ring, like three inches away from his nose,” [father] Paul Stauskas said. “He knows all he has to do is keep his nose to the grindstone for another couple of months, and there’s a really good possibility he might be able to go pro. He’s working really hard to achieve that.”  I always thought Nik had NBA potential but I thought it would be after 3 or 4 years in Ann Arbor. 

• Under Armour's deal with ND is reportedly worth $90M which exceeds Michigan's Adidas contract. 

Michigan Thursday: Enough is Enough Michigan Gets Nuss

I had a post written for today on Big Al wondering how he could he still have a gig at Michigan.   Then the world changed in about 5 hours last night.  Here are two quotes from the day he was hired that never came true:

• “I’m sure there were times I was driving Brian nuts, because I was being driven nuts. Coaching quarterbacks is more my M.O.” - Michigan offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Al Borges, on watching Brian Sipe coach the QBs at San Diego State the past two years. Borges has coached quarterbacks 22 of his 25 years in college football.

• “The running backs, if this goes how we’d like it to go, they’ll be the biggest beneficiary of the transformation.” - Al Borges, on switching from the spread offense to a pro-style set.

Play calling, offense regression and zero running game, sealed his fate and a tip of the hat goes to Hoke and Brandon for moving quickly and doing this in early January before the 2014 class signs. 

Time to move forward and Michigan did quickly. 

Michigan fumbled its two head coaching searches after Carr retired and RR got fired.   I believe you don't fire a guy without knowing who the next guy is.   About 5 years ago, Ole Miss fired their head coach and during the same press conference introduced their next head coach.  Now that is a little quick, but that is how you want to move forward.

Michigan basically did that last night.  They announced the Big Al firing around 5:00 PM and had Alabama's OC hired before 10:00 PM.   CBS sports reported that Doug Nussmeier decided to move on from Alabama with the great sales job by Brady Hoke and David Brandon.  They are also going to pay Doug a top 5 assistant salary.

Thanks Bob, Tell me more about Doug!

• Played QB at Idaho under John L. Smith of all people (he throws left handed)
• 4th round Draft pick by the Saints in 1994
• As a pro: 3 years with Saints, 1 year with Indy and played in CFL in 2000.

As a coach:

-BC Lions QB coach 2001
-Ottawa QB coach 2002
-MSU QB coach 2003-2005
-St. Louis Rams QB coach 2006-2007
-Fresno State OC 2008
-UW OC 2009-2011
-Alabama OC 2012-2013

Doug has a nice track record of developing QB's with the likes of Smoker, Stanton, Bulger, Price, Locker and McCarron.  He also did a very nice job as an OC at Fresno, Washington and Bama.  

He ran more of a pro style offense at Alabama and was very successful the last two years.   I'm a bit more excited that he worked under Steve Sarkisian at UW who is considers an offensive coach.  I also like he has really developed QB's and was a former QB in college and in the NFL.   Being left handed can't hurt the development of Shane Morris either!

Many analysts consider this a home run hire for the Wolverines, including guys like Kirk Herbstreit.

 Any negatives to this hire?

Few, for some reason it seems that Sabin was trying to push Doug to find another job.  Even though Bama's offense set offensive records this year (for the program) it seems Saban was looking for some other answers.  He brought in his friend Lane Kiffin during bowl practice for his thoughts on the offense.   Lane is interviewing today for the OC job and I expect he will be named later today.    Is this a situation where Saban wanted to hire his friend or was there a reason he was trying to move Doug out?

Was some of the turn around at UW Steve Sarkisian or Doug?

Alabama's offense this year wasn't exactly dynamic or ground breaking even though they did find success.

Overall?

This is a great hire and there were thoughts Doug might get the head coaching job at UW when Sark jumped to USC.  He runs a Pro Style type of offense but did get a bit "spread like" at UW.   He is 43, a good recruiter and understands offense.   There might not have been a better choice out there for the Wolverines.  

Breaking News: Al Borges is Out at Michigan

It happened:

ANN ARBOR, Mich.-- University of Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke announced today (Wednesday, Jan. 8) that offensive coordinator Al Borges will not be retained for the 2014 season.

"Decisions like these are never easy," said Hoke. "I have a great amount of respect for Al as a football coach and, more importantly, as a person. I appreciate everything he has done for Michigan Football for the past three seasons."  Prior to joining U-M in 2011, Borges was a member of Hoke's staff at San Diego State in 2009 and 2010.

The Wolverines will begin spring practice on Feb. 25 and finish with the annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 5, at Michigan Stadium.

Is There Hoke For Michigan Football?

Brady Hoke has good and bad qualities as a head coach.  Many in Ann Arbor feel the good out weighs the bad and they could be right.   He has had a bit of a roller coaster ride since becoming the head coach at Michigan.  He started with a bang and a Sugar Bowl win but his teams have gotten worse as his 3rd year comes to a end.   If year one was the outlier, this program needs some major changes.

One of Brady's good qualities as a head coach is that he is a players coach.  Kids play hard for him and truly see him as a good guy.   The effort on Saturday night reminded me of Rich Rod's last game as Michigan's head coach at the Gator Bowl.  Everyone knew he was getting fired and that game was just the final nail in the coffin.  I don't think Brady will be getting his walking papers anytime soon, but these comments are very troubling:

Frank Clark:  "I think a lot of guys lost the will to play as a family," Clark said after Michigan's season-ending 31-14 loss to Kansas State on Saturday in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. "That's one thing you can't do in football. In football, you've got to stick in there and stay together as a family.

"You have to be able to play as a family, this is football, this is an 11-man team that's going to be on the field at one time," Clark said. "Those 11 guys have to be able to play together at all times. Everyone has a job on the field. If one person doesn't do their job, it (hurts) the whole team. When you've got a bunch of guys who buy into that and buy-in to the family atmosphere, then you'll have a great team.

James Ross: "It was our mindset from the jump, we weren't totally into it I would say," sophomore linebacker James Ross III said. "We didn't come out with a lot of energy. "We have to be better than that." 

If Hoke is losing the locker room and can't motivate the players to play in a Bowl Game, that is an issue.  His two top qualities as a head coach are being a great recruiter and a players coach.  If kids aren't playing hard for him and checked out, we might have a major issue on our hands.  

I don't want to keep kicking the guy but the facts are what they are:

• He is completely hands off on the offense and lets Big Al run the entire thing.  That side of the ball has been a complete failure in 3 years.  (similar situation to RR and the defense)
• Hoke's preferred style of play on offense: "ground and pound" seems to be borderline obsolete at this point.
• Michigan's trade mark running game was one of the worst in the country this year.
• He is a defensive line coach by trade and that unit was terrible this year.
• He has a losing record to OSU, MSU and in bowl games.
• He has a losing record in games away from the Big House.

To be fair he has done some good things as well:

• Done a fantastic job at recruiting top talent (good kids and good students)
• Hired one of the best DC's and recruiters in the country in Greg Mattison
• Has a winning record against ND
• Has only lost 2 games in the Big House

Is this enough?  Can Michigan develop talent?  Can Michigan compete against Urban Meyer and Mark Dantonio every year?  Does Michigan have an elite coach to win Big Ten Championships and get into the playoffs moving forward?

Those are the questions facing David Brandon right now.  I'm sure he would say, Yes, like he did in his rambling "vote of confidence", but are you sold at this point?   Look at some of the names being courted by the NFL and Texas right now:

• Bill O'Brien
• Brian Kelly
• David Shaw
• James Franklin
• Art Briles
• Jimbo Fisher

Places like Vandy and Baylor have "perceived" top head coaches in the country.  Does Michigan have one?  Why aren't other programs coming for Michigan coordinators like they are at places like Ohio State and ND?

Most of us really supported Brady Hoke after he was hired because he wasn't Rich Rod and knew about Michigan tradition.   He pounded his fist at his first press conference and said, "he would have walked to Michigan!".   Sold! We ate it up! 

Many of us are having buyers remorse today after the complete failure of 2013.  This will now be a great test of Hoke's leadership if he is willing to make changes to his staff to improve things at Schembechler Hall. 

If you have a crystal ball, look ahead to 2014 and see how well the offensive line is going to do after two NFL tackles are gone.  Scary isn't it. 

He better find an offensive coordinator that isn't running an offense scheme from 1980, a QB coach, and an offensive line coach that can develop talent.  Or we can just get used to not being an elite program anymore.  

Brady can swallow his pride and make changes to his staff  (on both sides of the ball!  The defense may have just as many challenges as the offense does now) to better the program or he can stick with his staff and go down with the ship.  It's his choice. 

As Bad As It Gets

I wish I had words for what we just witnessed, but I don't.

I'm not angry,  I'm just disappointed that our beloved program is in such bad shape.  This was a Rich Rod type of effort tonight.  This team clearly didn't want to be there and the defense was completely over matched by a mid-tier Big 12 team. 

For the most part, Shane played well.  Big Al went to the well way too often with the Gallon sweeps, but he was just trying to pop something.   He didn't call a screen pass all year and that's all he ran tonight.

Highlight of the issues include:

• No pass rush
• DB's playing 10 yards off the WR's
• Can't get any traditional running game going
• No urgency on offense - Is there a slower tempo offense in college football?
• WR dropping balls
• No offensive line run blocking

Thank goodness this season is over and 2013 only has a few days left.   This has been a terrible year for Michigan Football and I don't see how 2014 could be any worse, the problem is: will it get better?

There has to be staff changes, what they are teaching is not working.  We all know I believe Big Al should get his walking papers and there should be some changes on the defensive staff as well.

This type of effort, lack of execution and poor coaching is not Michigan Football and David Brandon better find away to fix it fast or Michigan is heading down a slope that could be worse than what Notre Dame has been on. 

Brady Hoke has one more year to prove he is a Michigan worthy coach.  After this season of disaster, I think there are more questions then answers if he is the right man for Michigan long term.  

Michigan Thursday: Time To "Break" in The Freshman

So how excited are you to watch the Copper Bowl after this news?

Reports on twitter and other sources are that Devin Gardner broke his foot against OSU and played the 4th quarter with it.    There's the legit reason why Michigan went for the two point conversion. 

Gardner, according to a source, suffered a break in the left foot late in the Ohio State game on Nov. 30. The source requested anonymity because Gardner’s status had not been specifically addressed by Michigan’s coaches.

The turf toe business was clearly just a diversion and Devin is now ruled out for the Copper Bowl.   Shane Morris will start and play the entire game.  The back up will be Russell Bellomy, who might risk losing his medical redshirt if he plays.  

This leads to the discussion whether this bowl and other lower bowls are just glorified exhibitions.  I would never say that about the Rose, Orange, etc, but with the playoffs coming, how can the rest of the world take the BWW Bowl serious?

Yes, I would love to see Michigan finish with a win but you really have to convince me this game isn't anything but a preview of Michigan Football 2015.  (Devin is expected back next year and there is a pretty good case to redshirt Shane with a healthy Bellomy and true freshman Speight on campus in a few weeks).  I'm changing my expectations for the game from a win to getting a look at Michigan's future.  It's The Copper Bowl "Spring" Game.   I hope Shane plays well.

It's going to be fun to see what Big Al has in store for us on Saturday night.  At least he has known for a month that Devin was out. 

• Frank Clark looked into turning pro but will be back next year.   This is a smart decision and he clearly needs another year under GMat.

Michigan Tuesday: Gibby Gone

Merry Christmas Eve Everyone! 

Hoke said two important things during his Copper Bowl Press Conference:  

1. If the game was played today, Devin would be out.   Shane would start.
2. Brendan Gibbons has a family issue and did not make the trip.  

Shane better be ready to play because I really don't think Devin is going to.   This should be interesting to see how good of a game plan Big Al can drum up with a true freshman running the offense.

I feel bad for Brendan having to miss the OSU and Bowl game to end his career at Michigan.  I hope everything is all right on the home front.  There's not too many people that can say they won a BCS game for Michigan.  Congrats on a nice career as a Wolverine.

So Michigan probably won't have their starting QB and kicker for the game.   Saturday night sounds fun! 


More news from a terrible 2013:  Police confirmed Lewan, a projected NFL first-round draft pick, was in the area of a fight involving Ohio State University fans about 12:30 a.m. Dec. 1 in the 1200 block of South University Avenue, but his level of involvement had not been determined as of Dec. 23.  Lewan has not been arrested and no charges have been filed in the incident. Police confirmed an investigation is taking place into the incident, but would not confirm any further details into the incident.

This year just needs to get over for Michigan fans.   Just a week to go.

• Zak Irvin was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
• Alan Branch signs a 3 year extension with the Buffalo Bills.
• Jake Long tore his ACL this past weekend.

Wolverine Wednesday: The News Just Keeps Getting Worse

The Wolverines can't seem to catch a break.  The news since the ND game seems like it just keeps getting worse and worse. 


If you haven't heard already,  the #2 player in the 2015 class George Campbell has de-committed from the Wolverines.   He did it on Friday and didn't want to news to leak out right away. 

He committed to the Wolverines in July on a visit and is teammates with Mason Cole who will be enrolling in Ann Arbor in a couple of weeks. 

George is 6'4, 185 pounds WR and runs a 4.3 40.  He was 1 of only 5 juniors invited to Nike's Opening in the summer. 

Recruiting insiders don't believe Michigan has much of a chance in getting George back in the class.   Florida State, Alabama and others are very high on the WR and he will be looking at all his options with teams not playing in the Copper Bowl.   Not sure you can blame the kid after watching Michigan's offense this year.

I really wonder how much support Big Al has at Schembechler Hall right now  There certainly has to be a better way to spend $700K a year. 

I guess the upside of playing in a Bowl Game in December gives you plenty of time to consider and make staff changes.

• Lewan was selected to the AP Second Team All American Team. 

Michigan Monday: Plate is Full Today!

It was a busy weekend with a loss to the #1 team in the nation and Jabrill Peppers on campus.   Lets first hit a topic from this past Friday:

• Big Al owes Pat Narduzzi $150,000.   When you think about the top assistants in college football, I would guess many of you that follow this blog wouldn't think Big Al would be one of them.   As Voice of Reason pointed out a couple days ago, it's a clear sign that you don't have top assistants when other schools don't come calling to interview them for head coaching positions.   Well, the USA today last week released their database on the highest paid assistant coaches in the country.    Greg Mattison has the 4th highest salary in the country and highest paid assistant in the Big Ten.   Yes, his defense hasn't been great a 100% of the time but I'm on board on the improvements he has made and the great job he does on the recruiting trail.   What blows me away is that Big Al is the 7th highest paid assistant in the US at over $700,000 a year.   He makes more then Pat Narduzzi, Everett Withers and every other assistant in the Big Ten (other then GMat).    If you are going to measure performance with compensation, something is really wrong here.   Normally, you pay your assistants big dollars to keep them for going to other programs.  Which programs are coming for Big Al?   Pat Narduzzi is turning down head coaching jobs at BCS conferences.   BTW if your wondering, Big Al is not known as a top notch recruiter and doesn't hit the road hard like GMat does.

• Michigan loses the lead late against Arizona:  This Michigan Basketball team is still trying to find ways to win.   They lead most of the game against Arizona on Saturday and faltered at the end.   I like the schedule John Beilein put together this year and it's one that top programs play in the pre-Big Ten season.   The issues is, if this team loses to Stanford this week, playing that hard of a schedule is going to be in real question for this and future years with 5 losses before Big Ten play.   BTW:  I hate the defense call where McGary flashes to trap the guard on the top of the key, when you need a stop.  That leaves somebody wide open and you can't do that against a talented team like Arizona.   That call should only be early in the game or early in the second half.    It also seems the 1-3-1 causes the other team a ton of problems, how about we see more of it?

• You looking for a good read over the holidays?  How about a inside look at Michigan's Final 4 run last year by Josh Bartelstein (foreword by Zack Novak).   It's an ebook called We On and you can find it here for less then $8.

• The Spring Game has been scheduled for April 5th.

On to the recruiting weekend:

• Don't you want to be a Pepper to? Jabrill Peppers was in A2 this weekend and it seems he is fully committed to the Wolverines.  To my knowledge he hasn't publically said he won't take other visits yet but he has told other commits that he is 100% committed to the Wolverines and wants to play the next 4 years in Ann Arbor.   That is very good news!

• One guy this is really getting a ton of recruiting buzz lately is 2015 DB Shaun Crawford, who the Michigan coaches were in on early.   Shaun has a crazy good junior season tape and Urban personally came out to offer him.  Shaun was considering visiting Ohio State, but he was also on campus this weekend and his dad tweeted he is 100% blue. 

• No word on Vic Enwere visit yet, he is still expecting to take a visit to CAL in January.   So he will be a late maybe even a signing day decision.   I wonder if the Michigan coaches are willing to hold his spot that long?

• Denard almost had his first NFL TD.  Almost!

Brandon's Vote For Hoke

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  I hope you get to relax and spend time with family today.


The Brandon vote of confidence:

Brandon's Blog: Hoke is the Right Leader for Michigan Football       Brady Hoke is our coach and will be leading our football program well into the future. There is no question about it. Brady has done a great job rebuilding the program and reshaping the culture to the level it was under coaches Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr. Anyone making efforts to stir up a coaching controversy at Michigan is ill-informed and is likely promoting a personal agenda that is not in the best interest of Michigan Football. We don't make excuses at Michigan when we fail to reach our goals, and we never will. We recognize areas we need to address and improve -- and we will. We also know how to hold people accountable for the roles and responsibilities they have as part of the privilege for being a part of Michigan Football -- and we will. However, it is valuable to occasionally step back from the disappointment and frustration that occurs when things don't go as well as expected and consider a few facts that may help put things into proper perspective. Is our program where we want to be? No. We want to consistently compete for championships. That is the expectation at Michigan and that has been Brady's stated expectation from day one. When we don't meet those expectations there's disappointment -- and that starts with Brady, the coaches, players and everyone else that represents our football program. If you saw how hard everyone inside Schembechler Hall works every day, you would understand why they are disappointed. They pour their lives into developing these young people to prepare them to compete at the highest level and consistently win. Many don't remember that Alabama finished fourth in its division during Nick Saban's fourth year with the Crimson Tide. At present, Alabama seems to be doing pretty well!! Stanford had 4-8, 5-7 and 8-5 records under Jim Harbaugh before reaching its current string of consecutive BCS appearances. This shows that it takes time for the right leader to build a consistent winner. We have the right leader, and despite the fact we have lost three very close games (and WE ARE ALL feeling the pain that comes from it!) the consistency will come. There have been speed bumps along the way and unforeseen obstacles that have hindered our progress this season, but the resiliency of this team has been remarkable. Our coaches are recruiting nationally from New Jersey to California, from Michigan to Florida, and continue to bring in the type of young men that can compete on the field and in the classroom at the University of Michigan. The depth that this program needs to be a consistent winner is coming, but it doesn't happen overnight or in one or two recruiting classes. It takes time and probably a little more time than we all anticipated. However, the only threat to our continued success in recruiting is the same old, tired tactic being used by some who wish to see us fail -- to try and scare young recruits into believing that our coach "is on the hot seat" -- which simply isn't true. In fact, this is the same guy that was Big Ten and national coach of the year two seasons ago. Brady inherited a team during his first season that had many juniors and seniors who played key roles in previous years. The senior class was recruited by Coach Carr and had some terrific talent that had simply been underperforming. We only had one freshman crack the depth chart on the offensive and defensive lines during that Sugar Bowl winning season. Right now, this year's team is counting on 11 freshmen or redshirt freshmen in the trenches. Not to make excuses, but to point out the obvious, this shows how much we are investing in young talent that will make huge contributions to our future success. I'm really proud of how the players have bought into the new direction. Our coaches are changing schemes, and that requires a different recruiting philosophy and asking current student-athletes to adapt to a different style than previous years. The transformation and improvement of our defense under the leadership of coach Greg Mattison has been outstanding. Our coaches have worked hard to blend and develop schemes that bridge the gap between what was previously done and what they ultimately hope to run on both sides of the ball. I have seen firsthand what Brady and his coaching staff are doing to make this program better. It takes time and sometimes patience by all of us before we can build the consistent winner that meets our expectations. I can assure you that our student-athletes are working hard every day to get better on the field, in the classroom and in the community. That hasn't changed at any point during the season; this group is fighting through obstacles. I know and see the drive that Brady, his coaches and players have to win -- and win for Michigan. We recognize what makes Michigan so special is the passion and enthusiasm that our fans have for the team. However, those individuals who are spreading inaccurate rumors and saying inappropriate things about our coaches, players and recruits don't know what's happening inside Schembechler Hall or on that practice field. They are only trying to hurt the program and the progress our coaches and student-athletes are fighting to make on Saturdays. Sometimes that progress takes a little bit longer than we all like, but we know the long-term success that it's going to bring. The 2013 season is far from over! We have two more big games to play, and we should all be looking forward to the opportunities they represent for our program. It is important and exciting for our young team to have the opportunity to experience an additional 15 practices, heal up some injuries, and compete in a bowl game at this stage in their career. And, for our seniors, these last two opportunities to play for Michigan are very special. I know that Brady Hoke will finish his career at Michigan as one of the most successful coaches in our program's storied history. And, thanks to our many loyal fans and supporters who will be along for the ride because they care so much about Michigan Football for all of the right reasons! Happy Thanksgiving and Go Blue! Thoughts: Vote's of Confidence are never a good thing.  1) it means your team is struggling and you need your boss to take the heat off you.  2) In the NFL, Votes of Confidence are considered the last thing you get before your fired.     I don't believe Hoke will be fired in the next year or so, but coaches "not on the hot seat" don't need votes of confidence.    The best thing for Hoke is to win on Saturday.  If Michigan loses by 60 on Saturday, this "vote" becomes completely irrelevant. Brandon's long note supports Hoke and Mattison, no mention of Big Al.   His examples of Alabama and Stanford are a few successes in a ocean of (3 year) failures.  There are hundreds examples of coaches failing after 3 years.   Brandon might be familiar with one, Rich Rodriguez.

Michigan Monday: Not Good Enough

First off, the basketball team probably played as poorly as they could yesterday and still almost pulled out a win in the Championship Game.  If not for an air ball miss on a layup by a Charlotte player that was such a bad shot that he could get the rebound, Michigan probably pulls the game out.   Still it was hard to watch all the missed jump shots and little to no attempt to get our All American in the low post some touches.   This team needs plenty of coaching and will get better. 

Now to the team that is not getting better, whose rival is coming to town this week, is nearly a two touchdown favorite, hired the best college coach on the market and hasn't lost a game in two years.    

I have been on the Al Borges must go train for about a year 1/2.  It seems most of the media has finally caught up with that idea.   Let me ask you something?  Where would Brady Hoke be right now if he didn't bring Greg Mattison to Michigan?  Think about it for a second. 

OSU took it's lumps for a year and went out and hired a national championship coach.   After the Rich Rod experiment failed, Michigan went out and hired it's former defensive line coach that had some decent teams in the MAC and the Mountain West.  That MAC/MWC coach also brought his OC that had failed at 8 other programs.   Would he even been a candidate if he hadn't coached in Ann Arbor?  I think not. 

Big Al must go and he shouldn't make it another week in his job.   Why fire him before the bowl game?  Because you let the world know that Michigan's OC job is open and you can really look for qualified candidates.   I 100% believe Michigan missed out on Jim Harbaugh because Brandon let RR coach the disaster which was the Gator Bowl.

Funk's head is probably on the line as well, but I think you keep him until a new OC is hired.  I think you bring in a new OC and he decides if Funk is quality coach or not.    The OL needs to get to work during the two weeks of bowl prep and they need a coach leading that effort. 

I don't think Brandon is ready to run Hoke even after what looks to be a very bad outcome on Saturday.   Borges must go, he has to.   If Hoke decides to stand by his OC, then it's time to send him back to a non-BCS school.   The Hoke/Borges combo won't last another 12 months in Ann Arbor.  That is for sure.



Here is an excerpt from a BHB reader Chuck left in the comments:

Borges is out as Auburn offensive coordinator
Posted by Phillip Marshall, The Huntsville Times December 11, 2007 12:26 AM
Categories: Football

Two seasons of offensive struggles have cost Al Borges his job as Auburn's offensive coordinator.

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville told Borges last week of his decision to make a change. Borges has already left the Auburn staff and will not coach against Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31. There has been no official announcement from Auburn, but that will come soon. It is uncertain when Tuberville will name a replacement or who will coordinate the offense in the bowl game.

In going 8-4 in the regular season, Auburn scored two or fewer touchdowns in six of eight Southeastern Conference games and finished 101st out of 119 Division I-A teams with an average of 298.3 yards per game.


Wow, this sounds familiar.   Note the date when Tommy fired Big Al.

Northwestern Preview

Time: 3:30 EST
Location: Evanston, IL
TV: BTN
Weather:  55, 80% Rain
Line:  Michigan +2.5


This season has sucked the life right out of me.  Can you imagine what Brady Hoke and Pat Fitzgerald feel like?  Michigan played one good game against ND this season and has pretty much looked just awful since.  Northwestern were a couple of plays away from handing Urban Meyer his first loss and now has gone 0-5 in the Big Ten.  The Wildcats haven't even qualified for a bowl yet and they are favored over the Wolverines.   What does that say about our beloved program right now?


There is no reason to do a Tale of the Tape this week.  Both teams are playing poorly, both teams have injuries and both teams will sell their mothers for a win. 


Sing Hail to the Victors if.........................

• If you still can watch a Michigan game with out weeping
• The offensive line at least gets in the way of blitzing Wildcats
• Devin has a ton of quick throws
• Michigan's defense scores a couple of times
• The rain causes the Wildcats offense to struggle

Start to wonder what The Wolverines want on their Pizza Pizza Bowl if..............

• Michigan has negative rushing yards again
• Big Al still hasn't learned anything from the last two weeks
• Michigan's defense can't stop the Wildcats spread offense
• Michigan remembers they are on the road and lays down

This is a match up of the last place teams in the Legends Division.   It's going to be ugly conditions,in the mid 50's and rainy.   The Wildcats are trying to get a win this week and at least one more against MSU or Illinois.    They are not going to score on MSU's defense which leaves this week as a must win if they want to go to a bowl game.  

Michigan on the other hand is in a huge tailspin.  They have lost the last 3 out 4 games and absolutely have zero answers for teams that blitz Devin Gardner.   The offense line can't block anyone and Michigan's OC can't seem to run plays that penalize the defense for their aggressive nature.   Michigan's defense is pretty good, but their weakness is against spread teams that like to light up the scoreboard (see IU game).   Brady Hoke has a terrible road record at Michigan and we don't expect that to change his week.  

Michigan didn't show up last week at home and now they head out on the road for back to back weeks.    This isn't going to end well.   For your health, you might want to take your wife out shopping and get an early dinner instead of watching this game.   If Michigan has any chance of winning the defense needs to score and probably twice!

Northwestern 28  Michigan 12  


Wake me up when November ends.

Wake Me Up When November Ends

Illegal Use of Hand:

How can you blame the kid?   Schembechler Hall just went from a 3 alarm fire to a 4 alarm fire. 

Engineering Schools ranked by US News and Reports:  #7 U of M, #112 Alabama. 

This wasn't an academic decision, it was a national championship decision.  How can you blame him?

This is how I felt when Michigan Basketball was trying to rebuild and was losing kids regularly to Duke.  

His recruitment was over when Saban showed Da'Shawn the trophy case.  "Here are the last two National Championships, here is the space for this year's National Championship"  Did you happen to watch that game in Dallas against Michigan last year?"   Recruitment Over.


Tackles for Loss Allowed:

Worst in the county:  #123 Michigan with a 9.11 yard average
(HT to Mgoblog)



Former Baltimore Raven Defensive Coordinators

The last 3 are Rex Ryan, Greg Mattison and Chuck Pagano.

Rex is the head coach of the NY Jets
Chuck is the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts
Greg is the head coach defensive coordinator of the Michigan Wolverines.  Is the right person in charge of Michigan's program?


AL Borges

Has been an OC at 8 different schools before coming to A2.

1986–1992 1993–1994 1995 1996–2000 2001 2002–2003 2004–2007 2009–2010 2011–present	Portland State (OC)  Boise State (OC)  Oregon (OC)  UCLA (OC)  California (OC)  Indiana (OC)  Auburn (OC)  San Diego State (OC)  Michigan(OC)

His longest time was at Portland State for 6 years.   He lasts a couple years at a program and then is shown the door.   BTW:  Is this the type of coach that should be at Michigan?  A guy that has failed at being an OC at 8 other schools?  Does this show experience or a track record of failure?

Now what?

Sam Webb ‏@SamWebb77 5m

#Michigan offered 2014 Sugar Land TX RB Vic Enwere (Cal commit) & 2014 Berrien Springs MI DE JhonnyWilliams (Mizzou commit) this afternoon.

 

Both players are ranked 3 stars by Rivals. 

Wake me up when November ends. 

Michigan Tuesday: Wonders if Friendship In Coaching Works?

Loyalty seems to be a very strong emotion in major college coaching.   Lloyd Carr protected his staff as much as he could.   No matter how poorly they performed he was pretty adamant on keeping them in the program.   When he did have to let a coordinator go, he usually found some position job in the NFL so they had a soft landing. 

Rich Rod takes his coaching crew wherever he goes.  He points to not having his DC for the reason he failed at Michigan.   Jeff Castell might be a good DC, but I doubt he would have saved RR in Ann Arbor.   The RR team is back together in Arizona and they continue to light up the scoreboard on both sides of the ball.

Now we come to Brady Hoke.  He relied on his friendship on taking away one of the best DC's in the country in Greg Mattison from the Ravens.   He also brought to Ann Arbor a well respected S&C coach in Aaron Wellman from San Diego State.   The issue now is Michigan's head coach seems to be very loyal to Michigan's OC Al Borges who has been with him for many years.    Brady Hoke gives Big Al the entire offense to run, because Michigan's head man is a defensive line coach.    Remember when that joke was cute and funny? 

So that's where we sit today isn't?  After the season is Brady Hoke willing to shake up his staff to try to better the program moving forward?  I'm pretty confident he doesn't want to be faced with that decision.   If the Wolverines finish 6-6 and end up in Detroit for the Bowl Game, he won't have a choice. 

Dead Men Walking?

Big Al Borges =  Has been a disaster since he got to Ann Arbor, he didn't understand how to use Denard and it showed.  He had his back up 5 star QB at WR and now is running the offense he prefers right into the ground.    Not known as a recruiter and very rarely leaves campus to visit high school prospects.

Darrell Funk = The offense line has been awful the past two years.  Michigan has two NFL quality tackles one who will probably be a top 10 pick and they still can't block anybody.    Yes, the team is young but with a boat load of 4 and 5 star prospects, there is no excuse to be this bad.

Fred Jackson = We all love Fred, but it's probably time for him to retire.   The running back position has been very poor the last 4-5 years.   Fitz can't block and somehow Mike Cox can make the NY Giants but could never get any snaps in Ann Arbor.   Fred is known as a great recruiter and maybe they could find something else for him to do. 


I don't see how the top two guys survive to January 1 and I think they can do something classy with Freddie J.   If Brady Hoke is going to give the "keys" to the offense to his OC, he needs a guys that can drive the bus to wins not off a cliff.   Big Al is out of gas and it seems there is no way he can save his job, unless Brady saves it for him.  

Then David Brandon has a different decision to make in a year or two.  I sure wouldn't bet my dream job and $4M a year on my under performing buddy.

Wolverine Wednesday: Asks What Now?

There are really two parts to this question in my mind, this year and next.

This year is pretty clear, the games against Nebraska, Northwestern and Iowa are now must wins.   Nebraska and Northwestern are struggling like Michigan and Iowa continues to rebuild.    I think we all are resigned that OSU is not a winnable game for the Wolverines.  9-3 isn't terrible but it isn't great either.  The big discussion that OSU and Michigan would play in back to back games never happened.  Be prepared for anything at this point, from Michigan winning their next 3 games to losing the next 4.  This week will be key to see where the players head is at.

Next Year:

Brian at Mgoblog took this question from his mailbag, so I will steal a piece of his good work.

We look to be good on defense: 

That will not be the case on next year's defense. A projected starting lineup:

• DL: Clark (Sr), Beyer (Sr), Pipkins (Jr), Henry (Rs So)
• LB: Morgan (Sr), Ross (Jr), Ryan(Sr)
• DB: Countess (Rs Jr), Taylor (Sr), Wilson (Jr), J. Clark (Rs So)

The situation on offense is much more frightening. Michigan hasn't been able to move snap one away from Fitzgerald Toussaint, which is an indictment of Michigan's recruiting or development or both there. Michigan hasn't had a QB who wasn't massively turnover prone since Borges arrived, and there are zero seniors on next year's OL. Does a starting line of Magnuson-Bosch-Glasgow-Kalis-Braden featuring four sophomores and a junior who is a former walk-on entice? No.

The problem as Brian points out earlier in his post, is the 2010 recruiting class was a disaster.  Do you remember that one, let me remind you:

Still around: Richard Ash, Courtney Avery, Jibreel Black, Drew Dileo, Devin Gardner, Jordan Paskorz, Jake Ryan, Jeremy Jackson, Will Hagerup (sort of)

Transferred out : Ricardo Miller, Cullen Christian, Marvin Robinson, Carvin Johnson, Jerald Robinson, Ray Vinopal

Left due to academics : Demar Dorsey, Antonio Kinard, Austin White, Davion Rogers, Conelius Jones

Left due to injury: Terry & Terrance Talbott

Left due to football not working for them: Ken Wilkins, DJ Williamson, Stephen Hopkins, Christian Pace

That is one dumpster fire of a recruiting class, who would be seniors this year.    The ghost of Rich Rod still haunts this program. 

The 2011 class wasn't much better when David Brandon let Rich Rod coach the bowl game, missed out on Jim Harbaugh, and gave Hoke 3 weeks to recruit.    Since Michigan got rolled in the Gator Bowl, I'm guessing that wasn't one of this best decisions as AD. 

The bottom line is Michigan is in a hole that is going to be difficult to dig out.  I'm sure Big Al and Brady reminds David Brandon that every time he walks into the video room to watch tape with both of them.   Next years schedule has ND, Michigan State, Northwestern and Ohio State on the road. 
(Side note: how in the hell is Michigan playing back to back games in East Lansing?  I know they had to change the schedule and conferences - but at least play that game at Ford Field if they can't have it Ann Arbor - Michigan also travels to NW again next year).

As much as we all want Big Al to hit the bricks, he probably won't be fired unless Michigan goes 0-4  and ends up in the Pizza Pizza Bowl with a .500 record.  We are looking for Big Al to turn around the offense like GMat did with the defense.  I think we all know that is not happening, he is no Greg Mattison.

We have at least a couple years of bumpy road, with the hopes that Share Morris is pretty good.

There has been a ton of good work after Saturday's train wreck.   Here is a poster on Mgoblog's board, that researched Brandon's Red Letter games he spoke about at Hoke's hiring and how he has done to date:

2011
Notre Dame (home) – W
Michigan St. (road) – L
Iowa (road) – L
Nebraska (home) – W
Ohio St. (home) – W
Virginia Tech (bowl – neutral site) – W
Total in “red-letter games”: 4-2

2012
Alabama (neutral) – L
Notre Dame (road) – L
Michigan St. (home) – W
Nebraska (road) – L
Iowa (home) – W
Ohio St. (road) – L
S. Carolina (bowl - neutral) – L
Total in “red-letter games”: 2-5

2013
Notre Dame (home) – W
Penn St. (road) – L
Michigan St. (road) – L
Nebraska (home) – TBD
Iowa (road) – TBD
Ohio St. (home) – TBD
Bowl – TBD
Total in “red-letter games”: 1-2, with four such games remaining


Brady Hoke in “red-letter” games to date:
Home: 6-0
Road: 0-7
Neutral site: 1-2
Total: 7-9

Draw you own conclusions on Hoke's  Red Letter record.   (not sure I agree with Iowa being on the list)

Michigan State Preview



Please don't make a Michigan one of these

Time: 3:30 EST
Location:  East Lansing
Weather:  High 47, 50% Rain
TV: ABC
Line:  Michigan +5


A Cook and a Gardner, usually you need both to enjoy a delicious meal.  The Gardner will grow wonderful fruit or vegetables and the Cook will prepare it for dinner.   These two professions work together for your pleasure.  Not on Saturday. 

On Saturday afternoon, both Gardner and Cook will do their best to win this instate rivalry game.   They will work against each other and unfortunately one fan base will feel pain, while the other feels joy.   The other unfortunate fact is both teams success lies directly on both of their shoulders.

Tale of the Tape

Wins: Michigan 68 MSU 32 =  Clearly the Little Brother
Devin Gardner vs. #1 D in the country = MSU
Cook vs. GMAT & Ryan= Michigan
+ or - Turnovers = MSU
Terrible Weather = MSU's Defense
Special Teams = MSU


Well that doesn't look promising, does it?  MSU's defense will be the best unit on the field on Saturday.  There really isn't any argument to that fact.  The key is, what is their weakness?

You really don't need to be a brain surgeon to understand the MSU game plan.   They will try to win it on defense, dink and dunk on offense for first downs and they will definitely run a trick play.   Those plays can win or lose you a game.  A stupid trick play cost MSU the ND game this year. 

Michigan at times this year has played a little defense and this MSU offense is no Indiana.   If there is an offense that Michigan is designed to stop, it's this one.  MSU will run, throw short passes and take a few shots deep.  That's it, their offense is vanilla as offense can get.   Don't let the Illinois game fool you, that offense put 7 points on Purdue in East Lansing the week before. 

 
Sing Hail to the Victors if.............................

• Big AL earns his living and has a great game plan on the road
• Devin doesn't turn the ball over and gets out of bounds when he runs
• Gibbons hits all his field goals
• The Michigan defense shuts down The Cook and the rest of the kitchen

Start making plans for the Outback Bowl if..............

• Michigan has a negative turnover margin
• Brady Hoke's struggles on the road continues
• Big Al's game plan is to run Devin if running straight into the line against the #1 D doesn't work
• The Michigan D is giving up points

What is with the bad weather in East Lansing for this game?  Wasn't there like 40 mile per hour winds the last time they player there? 

Each team knows the other well and the only surprise will be when MSU runs a fake punt from their own end zone.   So here is a list of things I like and don't in this game.

I like:

• Michigan's offense has a high upside but we have only seen it in glimpses
• Michigan's D, should be able to stop MSU's elementary offense
• The Wolverine players will be motivated to win a rivalry game
• Even though it's a road game, it's a very short trip

What I don't:

• I don't trust Big Al's play calling against a good defense
• Michigan does not play well on the road.  They just don't
• This is always a very physical game and I worry about Devin running to much and making it to the end of the game.
• Michigan is starting a walk-on and two freshman on the offensive line against the very good MSU defensive line.
• Bad weather does not help Michigan's offense that needs Funchess and Gallon to have big days.

I would love to see Michigan run some "Nascar" packages on offense to keep MSU's defense a little bit out of sync.  Indiana did put 28 points on MSU.   If Big Al thinks he will be able to win this game by a power run game, I will lose my mind.   Keep a RB in to protect and let Devin win or lose this game with his arm.    The State corners are very physical, find the tight ends and see if you can get the ball to Funchess and Gallon.   I expect MSU to commit at least 2-3 pass interference penalties.  
This is the first game of the year, where Michigan is an underdog.  I hope the Wolverines play hard and smart, because you know MSU will play hard and dumb (with personal fouls etc.).

This will be a low scoring game, like last year and maybe another kicking contest.   Gibbons better have found his confidence.   Michigan can win this game if they show a ND game effort, but we really haven't seen that for a long time. This game is also being played in East Lansing.   I hope I'm wrong. 

MSU 24 Michigan 13

Go Blue!