We Want It All

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Uploaded by mgovideo on 2012-08-02.

(HT: Maize and Blue Nation) The MGoBlue.com video series "Countdown to Kickoff" highlighted Michigan's May trip to California where they trained for three days with the Navy SEALs.  It gets a little boring toward the end, but it's definitely worth watching.  Three takeways:

1)  Brady Hoke's old school Michigan polo now has a Rose Bowl pin or logo next to the helmet, either a sign that the team goal is the Rose Bowl, or something he pinned on for their trip to the Pasadena for a youth football camp.  I'm guessing the former.​

2)  The team motto is "We Want it All," revealed at the 3:05 mark.

​3)  There's a shirt emblazoned with "#EATING" which no doubt refers to Denard's two-handed post-big-play eating move.  It also is perfect for tailgating.  I will have one.

UPDATE:  ...or not, seems it's a shirt ​from Martavious Odoms Hope for Pahokee organization (Thanks to super team insider MGoJen for the info).  They're available, and they're for charity, so get one for yourself.

Poll-ish

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30 days before we play, and 4 days before we start practice...yet we have a poll.  Michigan clocks in at #8 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and Alabama is #2.  This locks in the prime time showdown on September 1st as a battle between top 10 teams.​..and that's exactly what the "powers that be" wanted.  It's going to be a ridiculous spectacle.  It's going to be a huge Saturday night opening audience.  It's going to be a chance for Michigan to make a grand opening statement.

Three other Big Ten teams are in the top 25: Wisconsin (12), MSU (13), and Nebraska (16).  Ohio State is not eligible for this poll, nor is Penn State.  Which makes me wonder, what other Big Ten team is going to crack the top 25?  Nobody else even appears in the "others receiving votes" section, but I envision a couple finding themselves ranked as we hit mid-October:

The Hawkeyes (SB Nation Preview), despite having running back trouble like Rich Rod's Michigan teams had cornerback trouble, have Northern Illinois (at Soldier Field), Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Central Michigan, Minnesota, and a bye week before travelling to East Lansing on 10/13.  If they can find a way to get past the seemingly yearly hiccup that is Iowa State, they should be 5-0 in mid-October​, good enough for a ranking in the late teens to early 20's, depending on style points.

And I'm high on Northwestern (Chicago Now Preview) this year.  Transfer 6'5'' 220lb WR Kyle Prater got a pass from the NCAA so he could play this year, and he'll be getting balls from Kain Colter.  Kain played early in the season in place of the injured Dan Persa, and showed he has a Tebow-esque skill set.  Their season starts at Syracuse before returning home for Vandy, BC, South Dakota, and Indiana.  Then they travel to Penn State and Minnesota.  They could easily be 7-0 before hosting Nebraska on 10/20, at which point you'll be sick ​of hearing about Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats' cinderella story.

Yes, it's just a poll, and it's a preseason one at that.  But what the hell else do we have to talk about?   ​

Weekend Roundup: Big Ten Meetings Edition 7-30-12

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My god it's nearly August.  Jet plane for Jerry's World leaves in less than a month.  Game with defending national champion in 32 days.  Whoa.​

Here's what happened across the internets while you pondered how much it would cost to actually become Batman:​

  • ​AnnArbor.com takes a look at Michigan's new roster, which now includes the incoming freshmen.  Of note, everybody is fully embracing the Gittleson plan, packing on pounds and no doubt getting slower, namely Jibreel Black and Craig Roh.  We are about to Lloyd the shit out of this team.  Soon after its release, Mgoblog took that roster and analyzed it like it was their job...which I guess it is.   You wish your job was that cool.
  • Denard comes out of games for injuries.  You've seen it.  I've seen it.  His style of play makes it an inevitability.  So it's a good idea to have a good back up.  We have a serviceable one whose abilities have yet to be tapped...and we've decided that he needs to get time at wide receiver.  I guess we've got to appease him before Shane Morris gets here and forces him to switch positions in the name of pro-style philosophies., but does it make sense for THIS season?  Anyway, the Freep says he's busy adjusting to his role.
  • From ESPN...Brady speaks at Big Ten Media Days about being the preseason Big Ten favorite, moving Roh and Black, and Will Campbell's abs.
  • ​Denard Robinson, whose 3229 rushing yards is just 667 shy of Randle El's Big Ten QB record, spoke at the Big Ten media days.  
  • Black Shoe Diaries covers the six top recruits that have decided to reaffirm their verbals to Penn State.  I sympathize ​with what the Penn State blogosphere is going through...it sucks and its not your fault it sucks.  I also appreciate the fact that this is good news for Penn State right now.  I also want to be clear that these six kids will not be signing with Penn State in February.  You'd have to be bat shit crazy to sign up for four years of no bowls, a team short on scholarship athletes, and no ability (short of a fifth year of eligibility) to reap any benefits of your efforts.
  • Urban Meyer's camp "Friday Night Lights" debuted in Columbus this weekend.  From the sound of the Eleven Warriors recap, it was a resounding success, and it gave onlookers a chance to gaze upon the horseshoe's new scoreboard and new and louder music.  And the scoreboard wars continue....​
  • Boiled Sports presents 2012's pivotal Boilermakers, players that are going to need to step up to get them the success they pine for, which is apparently 8 wins.​
  • Derrick Walton, who is about a year from his arrival at Michigan, lead his AAU team to the Adidas Super 64 Championship in Las Vegas on Sunday, and was named the tournament MVP.  UMHoops has more.
  • Iowa has beaten Michigan three times in a row, a first in the series that dates back to 1900.  No player our team has beaten Iowa.​..or Michigan State for that matter.  Damn you Rodriguez Years!  Anyway, Hawk Central reminds you of your Hawkeye problem.
  • For all things recruiting, you need yourself some UM BBQ.  Maize and Brew covers the event in great detail.​
  • People in glass houses are occasionally allowed to throw stones.  So, despite this...I still take great pleasure in this.​  Maybe if Brady and Urban get together they can universally decide not to have their players miss playing time in a closed door meeting.  That way, nobody can talk shit about the other, and Fitz can start in Texas.
  • AnnArbor.com covers Brady Hoke's proficiency in night games.  3-0 last year....9-0 in that Ball State miracle year.  Good news considering the schedule is skewed toward the latter part of the day on Saturdays this fall.​
  • They're going to let students into the Big House to watch the Cowboys Classic on the big screens.  Very cool.  Good luck keeping the alcohol out of there on a Saturday night on welcome weekend.​
  • Jalen Rose will join ESPN College Gameday...the hoops version...this fall along with Bruce Pearl.
  • Eleven Warriors doesn't exactly pine for Shane Morris, but they certainly do pine for there own version of this recruiting recruit.​

Revisiting and Reliving and Re-Getting Sick to My Stomach

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​#37 Visits Our House

Ugh.​

Migrating the site to this new setup hasn't been easy.  Sure, making the pictures native to the site is time consuming, and re-formatting old posts also sucks.  But reliving 2010 has been absolutely brutal.  It's like reading Three and Out all over again...and I am dreading the fact that I have 2009 and 2008 to get through next.  And then the 2007 opener is looming large.​  Perhaps I should just erase those years from history?  Nah...it must have made us better, stronger fans, right?  Plus, perhaps the greatest tailgate of all-time occurred in 2010.  It was UCONN, it was a victory, and we made food for the masses at an unmatchable level.  Also, Jarrett Irons was there.  

Here's a link to the game page....that's right, a game page...a not so new feature of the site that you might recognize if you've been coming here since the beginning.  It seems to organize things better.  I hope you enjoy it and the rest of the 2010 Season (now a clickable main link), at least from a tailgate perspective.

​Be sure to click on the UMTailgate Tailgate Recap link on the page...it outlines the ridiculous amount of food that we turned out that day.