Issues:
1) Terrelle Pryor is playing for Ohio State, putting into ink what has been the common sense prediction since his conception. He will join a largely awesome class and will destroy the Big Ten for the three years that he plays. Ohio State is the King of the Conference right now, and unless Rodriguez turns in a 1969 Schembechler-esque performance in Columbus this next season, Ohio State will run the table, and get destroyed by SEC de jour. Again.
Orrrrrrrr Terrelle Pryor busts, gets moved to wide receiver, has disciplinary problems, or generally sucks at college. I'm betting the former - but a Michigan fan can hope right?
2) Justin Boren has quit the program at Michigan. I direct you to mgoblog for a better analysis of the move than I can provide. I will say that Justin deserves to pursue whatever option he and his family feel is the best for his development. This is his decision, and as such, should be a selfish one. I'm not happy with his public attack on the program, but I'm ok with the transfer.
3) Ryan Perrliouxuousx is (gasp!) going to play next fall? This couldn't possibly be because the Tigers are dangerously thin at QB could it? Michigan fans? Are you reading this stuff? Still want Les?
4) I know you already know all of this. I have been literally all over the place this past week. And its the off season. Enjoy the tournament this weekend, and I'll work on some stuff for next week.
Showing posts with label Ramblin' Gamblin'. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ramblin' Gamblin'. Show all posts
Friday, March 28, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Ramblin Gamblin Takes an Independent Study
Carty Drops Bomb, Explosion Still Pending: There has been a considerable amount of smoke rising from Michigan message boards regarding a piece by Jim Carty at the Ann Arbor News about the academic requirements of athletes at the University. That piece has dropped. The Upshot: Michigan athletes take independent studies with one professor at an alarming frequency. Said professor then doles out A's for work that...shall we say...is less demanding than other academic courses. Michigan responds to the accusations as such. Read the .pdf's to get a better idea of where they're coming from. I'm sure that Champ will have some thoughts on this, but to me it seems like a steaming pile of absolutely nothing. If Carty's goal was to tell me that athletes at big-time programs take easy classes, then mission accomplished.
Then again, I was an athlete at a less than big-time program, and I took some easy classes too. This piece just doesn't do it for me - it's too long, all icing, and no cake. If I'm going to get worked up about a scandal, I at least need there to be substance to get worked up over. Perhaps parts 3-4 will have some sort of "LOST" like reveal that he's been building up to, but until he can prove that athletes were given A's for nothing (which doesn't seem to be the case) or that athletes were able to enroll in classes that non-athletes were forbade from (again - not the case) then this is hardly the smoking gun Michigan fans were bracing themselves for.
UPDATE: Part II is up, and it's more of the same.
RichRod Talks Spring: It wasn't pretty, but they got through it. Sounds like my first time (it never gets old, does it?). Michigan started spring workouts, and as expected, it was...ugly. Audio can be found here. Some of the more interesting bits:
On how the kids feel about the new strength program: "I really haven't asked their opinion … don't care. They will work hard. They don't have much choice. But I think they are getting more confident in themselves.
On whether the quarterbacks on staff have any experience with his type of offense: "I didn't know and didn't ask. I almost have a blank canvas for all the guys. We watched a little film from last year, but none of the quarterbacks played so it's wide open there. I know they are eager and they are learning pretty well. They made some mistakes, but they'll be able to quickly rectify those … at least I hope. Coach [Rod] Smith will watch the film with them Monday and start that process.
"It's a focal point and a concern simply because they've never played … that and running a different system, we'll see what they can do. But I like their attitude."
On who is working at quarterback besides Steve Threet and David Cone: "Nick Sheridan. He was the No. 3 guy last year, I believe, and he did a nice job. Nick and Steve are taking most of the reps with the first group, and David will get in there, too. They'll all have a shot. One thing about the quarterbacks is you can see pretty quickly if they are picking it up."
On whether Carlos Brown might take snaps: "We haven't got to that. If we did it would be a secret and I wouldn't tell you."
On whether he might play a spring game at the University of Toledo: "No. What state's that in?"
Rodriguez then stood up, handed the interviewer a cloth and stated "Here, you've got some knowledge on your chin."
In all seriousness, this is like manna from heaven for Michigan fans, who are used to Fort Schembechler being locked down in DefCon 5 permanently. To have a coach willing to discuss certain points is...refreshing. The more I hear from Rodriguez on a football level, the more I like him. I especially like the "What state's that in?" response. I think he gets it.
OMG Recruit to announce this week: According to this from the Altoona Mirror website. He's down to two schools, and according to The Wiz and Kevin at We Are Penn State, Penn State's out. That leaves...UM and OSU. I've long considered UM off his list. My guess is he commits to OSU this week.
Then again, I was an athlete at a less than big-time program, and I took some easy classes too. This piece just doesn't do it for me - it's too long, all icing, and no cake. If I'm going to get worked up about a scandal, I at least need there to be substance to get worked up over. Perhaps parts 3-4 will have some sort of "LOST" like reveal that he's been building up to, but until he can prove that athletes were given A's for nothing (which doesn't seem to be the case) or that athletes were able to enroll in classes that non-athletes were forbade from (again - not the case) then this is hardly the smoking gun Michigan fans were bracing themselves for.UPDATE: Part II is up, and it's more of the same.
RichRod Talks Spring: It wasn't pretty, but they got through it. Sounds like my first time (it never gets old, does it?). Michigan started spring workouts, and as expected, it was...ugly. Audio can be found here. Some of the more interesting bits:
On how the kids feel about the new strength program: "I really haven't asked their opinion … don't care. They will work hard. They don't have much choice. But I think they are getting more confident in themselves.
On whether the quarterbacks on staff have any experience with his type of offense: "I didn't know and didn't ask. I almost have a blank canvas for all the guys. We watched a little film from last year, but none of the quarterbacks played so it's wide open there. I know they are eager and they are learning pretty well. They made some mistakes, but they'll be able to quickly rectify those … at least I hope. Coach [Rod] Smith will watch the film with them Monday and start that process.
"It's a focal point and a concern simply because they've never played … that and running a different system, we'll see what they can do. But I like their attitude."
On who is working at quarterback besides Steve Threet and David Cone: "Nick Sheridan. He was the No. 3 guy last year, I believe, and he did a nice job. Nick and Steve are taking most of the reps with the first group, and David will get in there, too. They'll all have a shot. One thing about the quarterbacks is you can see pretty quickly if they are picking it up."
On whether Carlos Brown might take snaps: "We haven't got to that. If we did it would be a secret and I wouldn't tell you."
On whether he might play a spring game at the University of Toledo: "No. What state's that in?"
Rodriguez then stood up, handed the interviewer a cloth and stated "Here, you've got some knowledge on your chin."
In all seriousness, this is like manna from heaven for Michigan fans, who are used to Fort Schembechler being locked down in DefCon 5 permanently. To have a coach willing to discuss certain points is...refreshing. The more I hear from Rodriguez on a football level, the more I like him. I especially like the "What state's that in?" response. I think he gets it.
OMG Recruit to announce this week: According to this from the Altoona Mirror website. He's down to two schools, and according to The Wiz and Kevin at We Are Penn State, Penn State's out. That leaves...UM and OSU. I've long considered UM off his list. My guess is he commits to OSU this week.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Ramblin Gamblin Gets Popped
Noel Devine Busted: Devine and three others (also Mountaineer footballers) plead no contest to battery charges after being arrested Thursday. This isn't the first time Devine's been popped. In fact, his character issues were such a problem that most major programs wouldn't touch him, despite his ability to snap ankles like twigs. At this point, West Virginia is scaling the Fulmer Cup like it's Mount Everest, and they've got altitude sickness. Currently, they sit 4th with an expected move up after the most recent points are added.
Michigan will stand for a lot of things. I think they will truly be patient while Rodriguez more than likely struggles to an 8 win season next year. But the one thing that Michigan will absolutely not stand for is anything remotely resembling a problem with the character of their football team. Rodriguez has made a living off of recruiting...um...marginal characters at West Virginia: Pacman and Chris Henry to name a few. The first time a Michigan player makes it rain, Rodriguez will be out the door so fast he won't even have time to shred his playbook.
The logical answer to this is, of course, that in order to be competitive at WVU, Rich had to recruit marginal guys with talent. This is well and good, except that old habits die hard - ask Kelvin Sampson about that. At Michigan, Rich won't need to recruit marginal characters - but that doesn't mean he won't. I'm not panicking, and I'm not making predictions, but it is something to keep an eye on.
Bill Simmons Loves "The Wire": Read the column first. Got it? A prep all-star in Los Angeles got killed by some gangbangers, and Bill Simmons went to the funeral? You with me? DISCLAIMER: This isn't necessarily a true fisk job, as I do appreciate Bill for what he does, which is essentially write a Boston sports blog on a nationally "syndicated" website. However, I was appalled that he would take what was shaping up to be a pretty good column about what happens when tragedy and sports mix, and completely submarine it into a confluence of references from multiple episodes of "The Wire."
I know it's a gritty show. I know it's realistic. I know white people like it. But the show's getting 86'd because nobody watches it. I don't watch it. Thus, a column that could have been a poignant take on culture and sports (which Bill usually does very well) was denigrated to references from a TV show that nobody watches, thus axing about 3/4 of his readership from actually understanding the column. I normally get a kick out of the thousand or so pop culture references in Simmons' columns. This time, under these circumstances, it was a bad move.
Clemson Football (gasp) a Real Football Team!: You've heard, no doubt, about Ray Ray's recent...um...problems with the Clemson football team - namely the fact that he isn't good enough to play for them. You've read The Wiz and EDSBS about how much of a prick Bowden is. If you don't know what I'm talking about, start from the beginning here. It's too complicated to recap at this point.
I will say right now that Clemson got a raw deal on this one. Scholarships are gold in today's football. They're what makes big D-1 football go. If you don't believe me, look what limiting scholarships does to a program like Alabama. Hell, look at what the probationary status placed on Michigan Basketball did to its program. There's a reason these punishments kill entire programs for decades or more - you NEED scholarships to compete. That's why Clemson had their hands tied on this one. Ray Ray is an inspiring story. But he's not that good at football. And when you're not that good at football, you get cut. Clemson was kind enough to allow him to continue his education for free, and earn a degree that will serve him much better than pipe-dreams of playing in the NFL ever will. College football is all about the W's baby - and you can't get them by keeping players who aren't very good on scholarship. What Tommy was forced to do sucked, but he had no choice. I typically don't like the Bowdens, and I've got a bad taste in my mouth from sticking up for one, but Clemson's trying to become a BCS power. You don't get there by keeping sub-par players on scholarship.
Michigan will stand for a lot of things. I think they will truly be patient while Rodriguez more than likely struggles to an 8 win season next year. But the one thing that Michigan will absolutely not stand for is anything remotely resembling a problem with the character of their football team. Rodriguez has made a living off of recruiting...um...marginal characters at West Virginia: Pacman and Chris Henry to name a few. The first time a Michigan player makes it rain, Rodriguez will be out the door so fast he won't even have time to shred his playbook.
The logical answer to this is, of course, that in order to be competitive at WVU, Rich had to recruit marginal guys with talent. This is well and good, except that old habits die hard - ask Kelvin Sampson about that. At Michigan, Rich won't need to recruit marginal characters - but that doesn't mean he won't. I'm not panicking, and I'm not making predictions, but it is something to keep an eye on.
Bill Simmons Loves "The Wire": Read the column first. Got it? A prep all-star in Los Angeles got killed by some gangbangers, and Bill Simmons went to the funeral? You with me? DISCLAIMER: This isn't necessarily a true fisk job, as I do appreciate Bill for what he does, which is essentially write a Boston sports blog on a nationally "syndicated" website. However, I was appalled that he would take what was shaping up to be a pretty good column about what happens when tragedy and sports mix, and completely submarine it into a confluence of references from multiple episodes of "The Wire."
I know it's a gritty show. I know it's realistic. I know white people like it. But the show's getting 86'd because nobody watches it. I don't watch it. Thus, a column that could have been a poignant take on culture and sports (which Bill usually does very well) was denigrated to references from a TV show that nobody watches, thus axing about 3/4 of his readership from actually understanding the column. I normally get a kick out of the thousand or so pop culture references in Simmons' columns. This time, under these circumstances, it was a bad move.
Clemson Football (gasp) a Real Football Team!: You've heard, no doubt, about Ray Ray's recent...um...problems with the Clemson football team - namely the fact that he isn't good enough to play for them. You've read The Wiz and EDSBS about how much of a prick Bowden is. If you don't know what I'm talking about, start from the beginning here. It's too complicated to recap at this point.
I will say right now that Clemson got a raw deal on this one. Scholarships are gold in today's football. They're what makes big D-1 football go. If you don't believe me, look what limiting scholarships does to a program like Alabama. Hell, look at what the probationary status placed on Michigan Basketball did to its program. There's a reason these punishments kill entire programs for decades or more - you NEED scholarships to compete. That's why Clemson had their hands tied on this one. Ray Ray is an inspiring story. But he's not that good at football. And when you're not that good at football, you get cut. Clemson was kind enough to allow him to continue his education for free, and earn a degree that will serve him much better than pipe-dreams of playing in the NFL ever will. College football is all about the W's baby - and you can't get them by keeping players who aren't very good on scholarship. What Tommy was forced to do sucked, but he had no choice. I typically don't like the Bowdens, and I've got a bad taste in my mouth from sticking up for one, but Clemson's trying to become a BCS power. You don't get there by keeping sub-par players on scholarship.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Ramblin' Gamblin' Rambles On
Jim Tressel Scurred?: In a report by gleaned from The Wiz (and to a lesser extent the Tampa Tribune), Big Ten coaches are making pilgrimages to learn the secrets to defeating the Rich Rodriguez spread. Who is this spread-defeating kryptonite-toting Ravi Shankar? None other than South Florida defensive coordinator Wally Burnham, who has made a nasty habit of kicking the shit out of West Virginia in much the same way West Virginia kicks the shit out of the superiorly talented teams they play. Ohio State has sent down their secondary coach to learn from the great master, who sits on top of the highest hill in Florida eating mostly olives and virgins. Mention to an Ohio State fan that their coaching staff is...um...concerned...will earn you a tongue lashing consisting mostly of incomplete sentences consisting of the term "dickrod."
Is this man scurred?
My own take? The decidedly sub-par performances by West Virginia against South Florida are more a result of the "Northwestern effect" than anything. This effect occurs when two things happen simultaneously. First, your team must think they're pretty good, and must be reading press clippings saying they're pretty good. Second, they must be playing a team that they think is pretty bad. When these two things happen in conjunction, you get the Northwestern effect. Common symptoms include droopy eyes, reported hallucinations involving the color purple, and being down at half 14-3. Teams like Michigan and Ohio State usually overcome the Northwestern effect. Teams like West Virginia do not.
Welcome to the "Somewhat Big House:"
Michigan Stadium Pre-Renovation
You've no doubt read by now that Michigan's newly renovated stadium will not be the biggest house in the land, the title being usurped by Penn State. This is mostly a result of ADA compliance for which I'd love to be pissed about but...well...I feel too much like a douchenozzle. So my anger has been redirected towards inanimate objects such as phones, silly putty, my cat, and the idiots who didn't plan for this ahead of time. At least now the "I'm too old and rich to actually participate in this football game" crowd behind the wheelchair sections won't have to yell "down in front."
Michigan Stadium Post-Renovation (HT 11W)
March Madness: It's upon us! Hide the children! I'll be in Vegas next week for opening rounds. If that sounds like a bad idea to you, you're 100% correct. I plan on parking my fat ass in a sports book and not moving until I get cut off, kicked out, or run out of cash. In other words, I'll be there for an hour or so.
Terrelle Pryor is thinking things over: In response to Champ's post from a few days ago, I would just offer this: we're crazy. I write a website nobody reads (thank you to those who do) about college football because...um...I'm crazy. Absolute window-licking batshit crazy. Normal people don't do this. So, when Terrelle Pryor doesn't decide to choose a school, we go more crazy. The kid will make up his mind when he makes up his mind. I, unlike most buckeyes I know, don't think he's "like, sooooooo going to Ohio State." I think he's genuinely torn between a few options, and is thinking things over. And playing basketball. And being a high school senior. As for the recent fights - see previous sentence. When I was a high school senior, I loved fights. I loved watching them, I loved backing up my boys, and I loved the fact that very, very rarely was a punch thrown. I would only be upset if it came out that his teammates were throwing down, and Pryor didn't back them up. He's not a bad kid, he's not a drama queen, and he's not an attention whore. He's a high school senior who is getting put down from all angles by complete dweebs who write college football websites and post on message boards. I somehow think it'll work out for him.
Above: Not an Attention Whore; Drama Queen
Above: High School Senior
In Honor of St. Paticks Day: I command you, dear reader, to play this on repeat until I post the "Leak/Tebow Spreadin' Like Butter" feature, which at this rate will come out sometime before Memorial Day.
Is this man scurred?
My own take? The decidedly sub-par performances by West Virginia against South Florida are more a result of the "Northwestern effect" than anything. This effect occurs when two things happen simultaneously. First, your team must think they're pretty good, and must be reading press clippings saying they're pretty good. Second, they must be playing a team that they think is pretty bad. When these two things happen in conjunction, you get the Northwestern effect. Common symptoms include droopy eyes, reported hallucinations involving the color purple, and being down at half 14-3. Teams like Michigan and Ohio State usually overcome the Northwestern effect. Teams like West Virginia do not.
Welcome to the "Somewhat Big House:"
Michigan Stadium Pre-Renovation
You've no doubt read by now that Michigan's newly renovated stadium will not be the biggest house in the land, the title being usurped by Penn State. This is mostly a result of ADA compliance for which I'd love to be pissed about but...well...I feel too much like a douchenozzle. So my anger has been redirected towards inanimate objects such as phones, silly putty, my cat, and the idiots who didn't plan for this ahead of time. At least now the "I'm too old and rich to actually participate in this football game" crowd behind the wheelchair sections won't have to yell "down in front."
Michigan Stadium Post-Renovation (HT 11W)
March Madness: It's upon us! Hide the children! I'll be in Vegas next week for opening rounds. If that sounds like a bad idea to you, you're 100% correct. I plan on parking my fat ass in a sports book and not moving until I get cut off, kicked out, or run out of cash. In other words, I'll be there for an hour or so.
Terrelle Pryor is thinking things over: In response to Champ's post from a few days ago, I would just offer this: we're crazy. I write a website nobody reads (thank you to those who do) about college football because...um...I'm crazy. Absolute window-licking batshit crazy. Normal people don't do this. So, when Terrelle Pryor doesn't decide to choose a school, we go more crazy. The kid will make up his mind when he makes up his mind. I, unlike most buckeyes I know, don't think he's "like, sooooooo going to Ohio State." I think he's genuinely torn between a few options, and is thinking things over. And playing basketball. And being a high school senior. As for the recent fights - see previous sentence. When I was a high school senior, I loved fights. I loved watching them, I loved backing up my boys, and I loved the fact that very, very rarely was a punch thrown. I would only be upset if it came out that his teammates were throwing down, and Pryor didn't back them up. He's not a bad kid, he's not a drama queen, and he's not an attention whore. He's a high school senior who is getting put down from all angles by complete dweebs who write college football websites and post on message boards. I somehow think it'll work out for him.
Above: Not an Attention Whore; Drama Queen
Above: High School Senior
In Honor of St. Paticks Day: I command you, dear reader, to play this on repeat until I post the "Leak/Tebow Spreadin' Like Butter" feature, which at this rate will come out sometime before Memorial Day.
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