Bo Schembechler- The Glory is Departed

To: Bo Schembechler

From: GOD

RE: My UM/OSU party

Dear Bo,

For a while now, I’ve had the pleasure of watching the annual Michigan/Ohio State football game with a friend of yours, one Woodrow AKA “Woody” Hayes.

Well, Bo you know that Woody can be a little one sided in his game commentary so I’ve decided to call upon you to balance out my game watching experience. I have to warn you though, Woody keeps talking about how bad he wants a re-match of the 1969 game. You guys will have to work that one out yourselves.

Don’t worry about bringing anything. I’ll have it all covered.

Sorry I had to call you before your television segment was filmed- I know how you love the cameras- but there are a lot of people here who want to talk to you. Some guy named Ufer has been honking a horn for the last 24 years and can’t wait for you to hear his play-by-play from the 1998 Rose Bowl. And Fritz Crisler and Fielding Yost want to have a long talk about how your teams threw the ball WAY TOO MUCH for their tastes.

Don’t worry about the folks down in Ann Arbor- BTW one of my favorite places on earth- they won’t ever forget about you. The impact you’ve made on countless lives insures that while you’ll be missed you will NEVER be forgotten.

I have a feeling it’s going to be a GREAT GAME. Sorry I didn’t run this by you beforehand but I know how stubborn you can be.

GO BLUE!*

GOD

* Come on now- you knew all along whose side I was on. I made the sun maize and the sky blue for heavens sake!

September 13, 2006April 26, 2012

Notre Dame Return to Glory?

Saturday evening will bring answers to questions that Wolverine fans have had since the beginning of the season.

Is the defense really that good?

Is Mike Hart fully recovered after an injury-plagued 2005 campaign?

Can Chad Henne get it done on the road in a big game?

How will fans remember the last phase of Lloyd Carr’s career?

Yeah, that’s the elephant sitting in the corner at Schembechler Hall right now.

There’s no doubt that Carr’s teams have heart. But over the last couple of seasons they’ve been unable to win the big games. Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Bowl opponents have owned the Wolverines.

Sure Michigan has been competitve but that’s a small consolation for Wolverine fans.

One of the things that Lloyd Carr tells recruits is that if they come to Michigan they will PLAY in big games.

But will he be able to tell recruits that if they come to Michigan they will WIN big games?

I’m not saying that Michigan football will collapse if the Irish prevail in South Bend on Saturday. Surely the Wolverines could concievably rally and win the Big Ten. The world will not fall off its axis. Recruits will still flock to Ann Arbor and Michigan will still win its share of big games.

But if the Wolverines lay an egg in South Bend you have to seriously question the likelyhood of the team making amends for last season’s 7-5 record. And anything less than a stellar season will mean that Lloyd Carr’s legacy will continue to tarnish.

So Wolverines- what will it be? Another season of quiet desperation or a return to greatness?

The Irish are heavy favorites on Saturday. The game is in South Bend where the Wolverines historically have a hard time playing well. The stage is set for the Irish to exact revenge for the 38-0 beating they took at the hands of the Wolverines a few seasons back.

Sauce foir the goose.

The Wolverines will show that they ARE back by defeating the Irish on national television.

They will show the college football world that last year was an aberration.

Surely the Victors will ring throughout Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday and the Wolverines will reclain their place among the college football elite.

Go Blue!

September 10, 2006April 26, 2012

GAME 2- MICHIGAN 41 CMU 17 Game Grades

2006 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL GRADES

Game 2 Scoreboard

“We think we can run the ball on any team.”

Mike Hart, RB

“Our whole offensive line we just want to run the ball, that’s what we’ve worked hard on.“

Jake Long, Michigan Offensive Lineman

Phil’s Game Grades

Offense	A
Defense	B
Special Teams	A-
Coaching	B
Overall	B+

A systematic demolishing. The most exciting thing about this game was the hour long lightning delay.

Offense- 41 points- that’s more like it. Lots of people got to touch the ball during this one.

Defense- Another good game but the secondary looks like might be suspect. Next week against Notre Dame will tell us more.

Special Teams- Two nice field goals and some kick returns.

Coaching- This game didn’t tell us much except that we need to worry about our defensive secondary.

August 20, 2006April 24, 2012

7 is the Loneliest Number

There have been many changes since last season.

Gone is long time defensive cooridinator Jim Herrmann, Also gone is offensive coordinator Terry Malone.

There are even rumblings that Head Coach Lloyd Carr is on the hot seat.

A 7-5 record will do that at a place like Michigan where expectations are high every season.

But sitting in the eye of the storm is Michigan Quarterback Chad Henne. Henne, who swept in to Ann Arbor in 2004 as the surprise starter when incumbent Matt Gutierrez went down with a shoulder injury. He took the Big Ten by storm but struggled last season as the offense suffered through injuries to offensive linemen, receivers, and running backs.

Chad Henne- Superstar?

When considering Chad Henne it’s difficult to reconcile his stellar 2004 season with his dismal 2005 performance. In retrospect, he wasn’t as good as his 2004 statistics nor as bad as his numbers in 2005.

In 2004 he benefiited greatly from all-world receiver Braylon Edwards.

Many are quick to crticize Edwards for occasionally dropping “easy” passes but considering the acrobatic catches that he was forced to make due to Henne’s inaccurracy he was probably shocked to see a ball actually come right to him.

In 2005, the roof fell in around Henne but he showed great resiliency if not great results as the Wolverines suffered, by their standards, a horrible season.

So what of this season?

Chad Henne is the focal point of Michigan’s hope for this season.

With the transfer of Matt Gutierrez the Wolverines are paper thin at the quarterback position.

A severe injury to Henne will almost insure a .500 (or worse) season. A poor season by him will mean almost the same thing.

You can replace an injured offensive lineman or two. The Wolverines have talented if unproven running backs and wide receivers but there is NO ONE to replace Chad Henne. It would be like 1984 all over again when Jim Harbaugh broke his arm and the Wolverines struggled to finish 6-6.

So watch Chad Henne as he plays this season, and hope that he gets up after every play.

Not only does Chad Henne hold the Wolverine’s prospects for a great season in his hands but perhaps Lloyd Carr’s future as well.

August 13, 2006April 23, 2012

Michigan Needs to Instill Fear in Rivals

In track they tell runners to push through the finish line.

In baseball, they tell hitters to swing through the ball.

I think it’s time for the Michigan coaching staff to start delivering a similar message to their players.

You’ve heard it over and over since the disappointment of last season. Michigan *MUST* beat Notre Dame and Ohio State. I don’t disagree. But it seems like the team is so focused on the importance of these games that they freeze whenever things don’t go their way.

Ghosts of Notre Dame?

Remember 2004 Notre Dame in South Bend? The Wolverines dominated the first 3 quarters of the game, only to have Notre Dame storm back to win 28-20.

In 2005 the Wolverines fumbled twice within their own 10 yard line, losing 17-10, while totaling up nearly 100 more yards than the Irish on offense.

No matter how well Michigan played it they seemed to just be waiting for the myth of Notre Dame trip them up. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Wolverines hear stories of Irish luck in games past and then as soon as something goes wrong they fold.

I have a novel approach for playing the Irish this year.

Treat them like a team that’s just 15-9 over the last two seasons with a new coach at helm.

Forget about Knute Rockne, Rocket Ishmael, and Joe Montana.

You can be sure the Notre Dame coaching staff isn’t talking about Michigan tradition.

Treat them like any other non-conference for and put a beating down on them.

Buckeyes on the brain

Since Jim Tressell has taken over in Columbus he’s owned the Wolverines compiling a, 4-1 record. And if you ask any pundit they’ll tell you he’s the best coach in the Big Ten. Critics of Lloyd Carr are quick to point out that if you take take away his undefeated 1997 season that his record is mediocre at best.

Lloyd Carr 90-34 .725 (1995 through 2005 minus 1997)

But what if we do the same to St. Tressell?

Jim Tressell 37-13 .740 (2001 through 2005 minus 2002)

Of course you need to take into account that Tressell’s success against the Wolverines and the stellar track record his players have in the classroom and community during his tenure.

The fact remains that if not for his success against Michigan OSU fans would probably be hanging him in effigy.

Fan of the both teams should be demanding more from programs who have the tradition and resources of these traditional rivals.

Why hasn’t Michigan played in the BCS championship game under Lloyd Carr?

Considering the number of players that Ohio State consistently sends to the NFL (not to mention jail) why haven’t they returned to the BCS championship game?

You have to wonder if Maurice Clarett’s troubles surfaced duirng the 2002 season rather than afterwards would the Buckeyes have the National Championship that year?

Enough excuses.

Beating Notre Dame and Ohio State isn’t enough

Many fans say that this season will be successful if Michigan can beat the Fighting Irish and the Buckeyes. I say beat them, and while you’re at it beat everyone else.

The Wolverine need to instill fear again

Remember the OSU game last year when the Buckeyes got the ball back with around a minute to go and drove down for the winning touchdown? They don’t fear us anymore. They couldn’t wait to get on the field.

And it’s just not the Buckeyes. You only need to look at the losses from last season.

Teams used to be intimidated heading into Michigan Stadium, now they know that the Wolverines are vulnerable.

I say the best way to stop that nonsense is to hang a beating on Vanderbilt and Central Michigan prior to the thrashing Notre Dame.

LIKE THIS

No more glorified scrimmages. No more holding back half the play book.

NOT THIS

Get the swagger back- early. If the Wolverines come out firing this season the Irish will be the ones worried.

With OSU breaking in a number of new defenders a high powered Michigan offense might be just the thing to stop the trend of OSU domination.

New message- beat them all!

There’s no easier way to put it…As the the late and great Fielding Yost said, “…Who are they to beat a Michigan Team?”

Don’t call it a comeback
I been here for years
Rockin’ my peers
Puttin’ suckers in fear
Makin’ the tears rain down like a monsoon
Listen to the bass go boom
Explosion, overpowerin’
Over the competition, I’m towerin’

It’s payback time.