"Our Defensive Backfield Sucks" and Other Things You've Said Every Year Since 1997

Please be aware that the writing of this post was rudely interrupted by the great "Titties Twitter About Tate" fiasco.  It was supposed to be about how nobody should panic over the Woolfolk injury because having a crappy and/or inexperienced secondary is as much of a Michigan tradition as winged helmets, the inability to stop running quarterbacks, and predictable offensive playcalling.  I mean, you were likely to be calling for Cullen Christian to get in the game by week two anyway.  So here you go.  The future is now.

And let me be the dispenser of all the "everything's gonna be all right" kool-aid tonight...Forcier is going to transfer at some point anyway, it's part of his genetic code, so if tonight's the night, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

Probably not the time for this type of musing, but this post is all over the place anyway, so I should mention that barring what I would perceive as a miracle, this is likely Rodriguez's last year as the Wolverine coach.  As you might know, it's not as simple as stay or go.  It's much more black and white...much more concrete.  He is going to be fired, or he's going to get a contract extension.  College coaches don't play out final years of contracts, they get extensions so they can assure recruits that they are going to be here.  So if I told you that those are the options...fired or extension...which one would you bet on happening at the end of the 2010 campaign?

I want to believe.  I want to imagine that Michigan will be walking out of the Horseshoe in November with heads held high, whether it be in victory or defeat, and that I won't be home for New Year's.  I just don't see it....yet.

Some other things you should know:

• The New York Times wrote an article about Joe Paterno, and how he is nearing retirement.  The amazing thing is, they wrote the article in 1989.


• Craigslist lovers will appreciate this well-made spoof on WLA.


• The Journal picked up a John U. Bacon article on Zoltan.


• Michigan picked captains the old fashioned way.

Pausing for Effect

Water is wet, the sky is blue, Tom Izzo qualifies for midget benefits in 14 U.S. states, and I don't spend enough time on this site.

Ya, well, I'm busy.

But we're getting close to things getting serious around here, so my efforts are bound to pick up.  Besides, I can sum up the whole summer in a few paragraphs...

Practicegate is a complete sham.  Whatever went wrong had nothing to do with Coach, and was perpetrated by a couple guys with an agenda.  Brad LaBadie was one of those people...he's gone.  Scott Draper will be next.  Pizza Man ain't f'n around.  Coach is going to be given every opportunity to be successful by Brandon.  He knows we are better united.  Meeting with the NCAA this past weekend did nothing except rack up frequent flyer miles for the twittering media members.  There's going to be some kind of judgement at some point, and I don't expect anything to be added to the self imposed wrist slap.  And quite frankly, I don't care at all about it.  Wins.  I only think about wins.

RB Vinnie Smith's repaired knee apparently is ready for action.  Is it just me, or doesn't 9 months seem be a little quick?  Torn ACL to starting running back in 9 months.  Despite the optimism coming out of Fort Schembechler, I'm thinking mid-season action at best.  Unfortunately his replacement Michael Shaw, the heir-apparent if you will, is an asshair away from being academically ineligible.  I think we find out more about that this week.  After that the depth chart is just another edition of "I hope that (fill in Freshman here) can make an impact."

Demar Dorsey didn't get admitted to Michigan, the first of two five-star DBs to exit the program in the last few months.  For those that were in the "we should just let the kid into Michigan" camp (that would include me), it looks like it was more than just a checkered past that needed to be ignored, as he has yet to appear on the roster of any other school.  JT Turner, redshirted last year for arriving late for weight and academic issues, showed up fat for camp again this year, and after being placed on the third string defense, likely given a solid blue wingless helmet, and probably being asked to run...alot....he decided his future was better served at another school.  He also will require the services of Goody's tattoo guy to fix the block M on his forearm.  Rainbows and whatnot.  So how thin are we at DB?  Godfather's hair thin.

Tate Forcier, who won your heart by pointing with both arms in the air as he slayed the Fighting Irish, who started every game last year, who made you buy a t-shirt...is, by expert witness accounts, not the even the second best quarterback in fall camp.  Denard or Devin?  Yes.  What does this mean?  4 different starters in 4 years.  So much for continuity.

Anyway, as it has been for the last couple years, the field is the best place for us to fix things.  It's by all accounts a pivotal year.  How many wins will it take for Coach to keep his job?  7?  8?  9?  While wins are obviously important, I think a lot of it has to do with how we play late in the season.  A strong finish could be the deciding factor.  That and beating Sparty, because I can't deal with 3 straight years of those little bitches running their mouths.  This "1000 days since" shit that they've been peddling really pisses me off.  Joining the numbers club, I say 8 with a MSU and a bowl victory and Coach gets the OK.  Less and it's iffy.

Soon we'll talk tailgate! GO BLUE!

19 days.

Agenda?

From AnnArbor.com yesterday...

Instead, compliance office administrators spent more than a year-and-a-half cajoling football administrators to turn in the Countable Athletically Related Activities forms, but never copied Rodriguez on the e-mails.

With the university and Rodriguez headed to Seattle for meetings Friday and Saturday to defend themselves against allegations they broke five NCAA major rules, there are still no answers about exactly why the compliance office never told Rodriguez about the missing forms.

He'll Walk

Rich Rodriguez has a strict policy that he will only talk about players that play for Michigan.  He never commented on Terrell Pryor.  He didn't discuss Mallet's departure.

The exception to this rule is Brock Mealer.

Brother of Elliott Mealer, he was paralyzed from the waist down in a car crash.  That crash resulted in the tragic death of Elliott's and Brock's father and Elliot's girlfriend.

I've personally talked about this several times, but it is definitely a story that has flown under the radar locally despite it's appearance nationally on E:60 a while back.  Today, the Angel updates the inspiring story in the Detroit News.  This kid from Columbus is going to lead the 2010 edition of the Wolverines on to the field on September 4th...because of Rich Rodriguez and his staff.

"He'll walk," Barwis said firmly as a statement of fact, not as a hope or dream.

There was no agenda here.  This happened right when he got hired.  This isn't snake oil or a publicity stunt.  This is a good guy folks.

Jordan Walsh Knows More Than You

Maybe it takes a teenager to tell you about your coach...albeit a 6'4'', 270lb teenager, but regardless...

"We talked a lot about (different) stuff, and not always about football. He told me about the new additions to the Big House, the town, and everything. I like him. I guess you could say he's different from how he is portrayed. He's a really cool, laid-back person. He's always smiling, and the way he talks about things, you kind of just feel good talking to him."

Exactly.  Kind of a cool story too, with his parents being Fab 5 fans and Jordan "verbally declaring" to Michigan when he was still in diapers.