Nov 2, 2009

It's Time to Step Up

by Brad


 In times like these, I like to ask myself, "What would Bo do?"

It seems cliche to pick apart every minor detail of this Michigan football team right now. The internet, television, radio call in shows...have all been lit up with detractors and fans all questioning the heart and will of this team. The offense is young and over-matched. The defense looks lost. All in all, we're struggling. No doubt about it. But what the 2nd half last week showed us is that, when you have a very young football team, things like this can happen.

For the first 30 minutes of the game, aside from Illinois' opening drive, Michigan was in control. About to go up 20-7, all things looked good for Michigan. Then, the collapse. 4 shots at the endzone from the 1 yardline and we didn't get it done. Illinois then drives 99 1/2 yards to go up 14-13. From then on, Illinois had all the momentum and control. Michigan was reeling and could not get it back. For a young team and a new coaching staff...that's not easy to come back from.

I find fault with certain things that Michigan could have done better...of course, we all do. But at the time it was all unraveling, it was chaos. It showed that age trumps youth in situations like that. Illinois may not have better players than we do, but they had experience and momentum. And when it was all said and done, all we can do is look at the mistakes we made...get better and play another game this week.

There are those out there that will look at this game as the beginning of the end for Rich Rodriguez at Michigan. Those same people will also hope that the NCAA investigation of "practice-gate" will turn up some bad things that will lead to Michigan getting reprimanded and Rodriguez getting fired. Believe it or not, there are people out there who have read the Rodriguez contract to know that if such a thing occurs (a serious NCAA ruling against the program), that Michigan has the right to terminate Rodriguez's contract without penalty.

I really don't think it will come to that. But some people do. Some Michigan "fans" hope that we lose the next three games and not become bowl-eligible.

I am not one of those people.

To me, there is no Michigan "bandwagon". You're either a fan, or you're not. If you're on the "bandwagon", then you're not really a fan of the program. If you don't want to see Michigan do well and watch these young men succeed...then go watch another team. Go watch Michigan State and bury your head in the sand in East Lansing.

Michigan doesn't need bandwagon fans. Never have.

What they do need is for the true blue fans to rally behind these young players. We have three games left. Purdue is a team that we can beat. Wisconsin and tOSU are very good teams that offer unique challenges that this team hasn't seen yet. But it all starts this week against Purdue.

The cards are stacked against us right now. The players, coaches and program as a whole are down. The loss to Illinois was a huge blow. It is probably the worst loss of the season so far. But the real question is how is this team going to react?

We'll know this weekend. And, I'm happy to say that MBN will be covering the game from the pressbox again. We'll be "All In" with access to give you the best coverage we can of all the action on Saturday. So tune in, come to the Big House and get behind this program...they need it more than ever now.
Labels: , at 11:09 AM

1 comments:

  1. Well, starting with what Bo would do, he would grab the first person he thought responsible and rip his head off and put it on a pike at the 50 yard line during practice as a warning to the rest of the team. Then he'd get mad! Bo teams didn't have this issue much because Bo was such a stickler for the fine details. I remember a Free Press article on how he would walk practice with a yard stick and measure the distances between players hands and feet and all and if it wasn't where it should be he'd smack that player with the stick. So when it came to wrapping up a player like Juice, the kids knew what to do. It's not just Michigan, it's a good chunk of the defenses in the NCAA that don't do the fundamentals. It's a lost art of a bygone era.

    Purdue is a team that we can beat. Dang I hope so. I'm dragging my wife and 2 kids (age 7 and 10) from just outside of Charlotte, NC to the Big House for the Purdue game. 12 hours in the car for a 3 hour game and 12 hours back. But because I am not a bandwagon fan, I'll gladly make the trip for my team. Besides, it beats a day at work! And the asst principal at the school is a UM grad so the trip is already excused as a "learning event"!

    I have seen flashes of what Rich Rod is bringing. I can't wait to see it in a couple years when it's completely installed. The defense will get better and the offense will be unbeatable. It just takes time. Carr may have won a couple more last year, but it still would have been a painful year.

    Now if in 2 years, with 4 recruiting seasons under his belt Rich Rod is still stuggling in the Big 10, then yes, he'll have to go. But until over 75% of the players are his recruits (including the vast majority of the starters), he gets leeway.
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