Nonplussed
James Carville clearly doesn’t think much of Michigan football, but we find his characterization of A2 as “Antarctica” more baffling than insulting, especially since he’s comparing it to Minnesota. A writer to the News, however, sees fit to respond with an equally perplexing riposte: “Think I’ll prepare some visuals for Carville from this ’swing state.’”
I’m probably going to get shot for saying this, but in a way he is right. It seems like every other play is “Run up the middle”. And they seemed pretty uninspired as they lost to Notre Dame Saturday. So I don’t think Carville is going to be wearing egg anytime soon.
(Site note: Kozzie does love the Maize and Blue but sometimes it is frustrating to see the run up the middle).
posted by Kozzie on September 15th, 2004 at 11:51 pmI’m with Kozzie. I often wonder if Bo (who still has an office at UM) is calling the plays. They ran themselves into extinction at Oregon last year, too. I read a tasty blurb on the ESPN site today, of the type you’ll never see in the Ann Arbor News.
posted by Kevin on September 16th, 2004 at 9:03 amThat’s Carville’s way: be odd and regional (and entertaining and -in many cases- right). Southerners take it on the regional chin so many times, James thinks it’s funny to turn it around. Of course Ann Arbour is chaffed. But they did lose to Notre Dame.
I’d love to see UoM play LSU in some bowl just for the Carville remarks, but LSU’s too good for that
posted by Leighton on September 16th, 2004 at 9:05 amU Of M should run up the middle most of the time. In the long run it will be the most sucessful way. Wear down the line with runs, then they expect the run and passes are more sucessful as a result. It’s a given in football if you can run sucessfully you will win more than lose. Look at the Lions with the “Run and shoot” how well has the pass helped them? Bo knew what he was doing.
posted by Ypsidweller on September 16th, 2004 at 9:11 amIt helps, though, if you have a running game, which Michigan currently does not. Anyway, when they did let Henne throw downfield, toward the end of the game, the result was a touchdown. But too little, too late.
posted by Dave on September 16th, 2004 at 9:52 am(ann arbor is overrated) x (football is overrated) = ann arbor football is incredibly overrated
posted by speicus on September 16th, 2004 at 12:07 pm(A2 = O) x (F = O) = O2?
A = SQRT(O)
(A2) * (F) = (A * A) (A * A) = A4
posted by Anna on September 16th, 2004 at 12:28 pmWell, luckily Bears fans can continue with the “Anthony Thomas up the middle” drinking game.
I don’t think you can completely blame them for not letting Henne throw. No way our offensive coordinators call for 3-yard passes to the outside on third and long. In every called pass play, there are several options, and Henne always went for the safest one. I can’t blame him too much, cause he’s just a kid, but it’s pretty obvious that he was in over his head.
Braylon Edwards, on the other hand… gack.
posted by snickerdoodle on September 16th, 2004 at 3:00 pmI will admit that run up the middle is not a bad play. However, in order for it to work you need to have a good line blocking for you. It doesn’t seem like they have that. You also need at least the threat of a passing game to open up the defense a little bit.
I’m sure the Wolverines will do well this weekend though.
sorry, the Wolverines are the only real professional team in the state.
posted by Kozzie on September 16th, 2004 at 3:32 pmLast season, with a fifth-year senior and a Doak Walker-winning running back, (I believe) UM set a single-season record for yards amassed and total points scored. I am the LAST person who will ever defend Lloyd Carr–his conservative tendencies and Schembechler-inspired now-obsolete football sense is killing this program–however to actually concur that Michigan football is overrated and that the Wolverines play “gutless” football (a Carville word) is not only uninformed, but a joke. Michigan has sent seven straight quarterbacks to the NFL and is quickly becoming Wide Receiver University given all the pass-catching talent that has passed through UM (some might even argue that Michigan featured the greatest wide receiver in college football history, Anthony Carter). Those are hardly hallmarks of a gutless or boring program. I am as annoyed with Carr as anyone, however I think it’s pretty weak to be concurring with James Carville about the football program. And to be honest, I think it’s pretty weak to constantly gripe about some utopia you wish would exist in the place known as Ann Arbor. Accept the town and the University for what they are. Criticism and dissent are foundations of this country, and I welcome them. In fact, I find them to be patriotic expressions; I am no George Bush “with-us-or-against-us” type. But, I did spend the best four years of my life in Ann Arbor, and I don’t understand why there is so much negativity about the place.
posted by Joey on September 16th, 2004 at 8:49 pmKozzie - only profesional team in the state????
check out;
the detroit pistons, they won something last year beating a team from (i think) minnessota called the Lakers, though they may have moved or something.
Joey - you forgot that UofM is also Quarterback U - sending QB’s to the NFL like no other team recently, some guy named brady or something, won something like the pistons, I think its called super-something, not to mention a whole slew of other QB’s with various success in the NFL
-as for the Notre Dame loss, it can be minor part of their season IF they can beat Iowa, Minnesotta and Purdue AND win thier bowl game.
posted by just a voice on September 17th, 2004 at 11:34 amI actually wrote that Michigan had sent seven straight quarterbacks to the NFL, however you may have lost it in my rant.
The ND loss should NOT be a minor part of the season because this team, perennially, should aspire to win more than the Big Ten. At this point, The Fort seems to take a non-conference loss in stride and elite teams like Miami, Oklahoma, USC, and (as much as I hate to admit it) OSU don’t stand for that kind of bullshit. With its alumni base, facilities, academic preeminence, heritage, and national exposure, Michigan should be the Duke Basketball of the college football. Actually, Michigan should be Miami, a program that has won five national titles in the last quarter century and is annually in contention for another. I would not want their criminal past nor, in general, to root for any program aside from Michigan, however Miami has shown that consistent excellence–not just very good efforts–can be expected, and it kills me and the program that more Michigan fans and coaches don’t think this way. Why not actually be the “leaders and best”?
posted by Anonymous on September 17th, 2004 at 12:08 pmWhen I said professional, I meant football. As for the Pistons, don’t follow basketball so I don’t really care. Although it was nice to see them win a championship. It was even nicer to listen to the announcers say how the Lakers could still pull out as the Pistons were chilling the champagne.
posted by Kozzie on September 18th, 2004 at 9:08 am