If you even have to ask the question, you're probably the answer.
Let me preface this by saying: I've never booed my own team at a sporting event, but I can completely understand why someone would. Especially if they're a Lions fan, if only because they make it so easy. And I was tempted to add this to the laundry list I posted earlier of reasons that I want a new head coach for this team.
But Jim Schwartz's comments to fans after Sunday's game, and the firestorm that ensued, were far more fascinating to me than anything that happened on the field that day, because they serve to illustrate how out-of-touch players and coaches really are with their fanbases sometimes, and how misdirected their ire can be. Instead of lashing out at a team that was about to complete the biggest choke job in Detroit sports since the Tigers' 2010 season that ended in a heartbreaking game 163, Schwartz took his anger out on a fanbase that had finally had enough of his asinine in-game management and giving up with time still on the clock in regulation.
However, this isn't about Schwartz's screw-up, but rather about the "how dare you express your displeasure" mentality that found itself on display this week. After letting the fans have it not once, but twice during the game, he had a few more choice words afterwards: "Our fans have been great for us, but we needed them on our side in overtime." Except that it wasn't overtime yet! You still had a chance to win in regulation, and you got scared and let it go to OT instead. Seems an entirely worthy reason for the crowd to let you have it, in my mind.
Even better was the remark by Schwartz that "I don't know how you cannot" pay attention to the jeering fans. Well, you get paid $6 million a year to figure that out. If you're that rattled by booing that you let it get in your head badly enough to start yelling back, then clearly you don't have the mental toughness to be a head coach in the NFL.
Somewhat overshadowed by Schwartz's response this week were the remarks made by Matthew Stafford's girlfriend, who should really just go back to sitting there and looking pretty. Per her Twitter: "You wouldn't even know we were playing at home the way these fans are booing our home team. #unbelievable" Of course, she left herself wide open for @DetroitKoolAid to win the internet for the week with this comeback "You wouldn't know Stafford played for the Lions the way he keeps throwing to the other team." Ya know, it's all well and good you want to stick up for your man. But next time you have a thought like that, maybe don't post it to Twitter where the most piled-upon fanbase in pro sports can see it.
The other argument I always hear against booing your team is "Well, how would you like it if we came to your work and did it to you?" Clearly, anyone who says this has never worked in customer service. Because as a guy who's worked in foodservice for almost a decade, I'd take booing over some of the shit I've taken there! I can't recall how many times people have said downright nasty and vile things to me because their food was five minutes later than they were told, and threats of violence towards us are not at all out of the ordinary. Spare me your bullshit and come have people screaming in your face on a daily basis for $7.40 an hour. Then we'll fucking talk about who has it worse.
It comes down to this: You pay the price of admission to go to the games, you have the right to criticize or boo the team on the field, or the coaches on the sidelines. Period. Obviously, common decency should prevail (I mean, don't go out of your way to be a dick about it), but just because they're on the field doesn't make them above criticism. And if they can't tune it out for millions of dollars a year... I'll gladly let 'em come toss pizzas with me.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
The War On The "War On Christmas" Has Officially Gone Too Far.
It seems like this comes up at some point every year: The "war on Christmas." The belief that by not going out of their way to acknowledge their religion and only their religion, the rest of the world is clearly trying to bring down Christianity as we know it. A war that's apparently being waged any time some minimum-wage Walmart employee wishes you "happy holidays" instead of "merry Christmas," or anytime a town doesn't erect a nativity scene at city hall, or whenever some dipshit complains to a school district about religious music being played at their kid's band concert.
But it's been at least a fairly non-violent war. Until now.
A Salvation Army bell-ringer was accosted by a woman in Phoenix who took particular offense to the 'holiday' greeting. That's right: Saying "Happy Holidays" is akin to declaring jihad on Christianity, but jaw-jacking somebody for saying it, even someone who's trying to raise money for charity, is entirely acceptable. Because clearly, the Salvation Army is the enemy here. You know, that bastion of atheism and homosexuality, the freaking Salvation Army.
And people wonder why I'm not a practicing member of anything anymore. Are we seriously at the point where we're getting outraged over well-wishes from people? That's really the most offensive thing to you, is someone wishing you well, simply because they don't celebrate the same religious holiday you do? I mean, never mind that Jesus, whether you're a believer or not, is not the "reason for the season," but rather the winter solstice and accompanying pagan celebration, which were in existence long before December 25th was declared by the church to be Jesus' birthday. But even to acknowledge that, god forbid, another holiday exists between Halloween and the new year is something worthy of physical violence?
But that's just one example of how Christianity is being "oppressed" this holiday season. Then, you've got this: a Christian group covering up an atheist display with a banner, then complaining that they're the ones whose right to free speech is being suppressed. Now, I guarantee that if some atheist group were to put a banner over a nativity scene or something similar, Christians would be up in arms over it, and rightfully so. So why is it okay to do it to another group? Part of me is hoping this is a hoax, just because I don't want to believe anyone is this stupid.
What I don't understand is why in the hell it has to be this way. Christians: Your holiday is already recognized by the federal government. Every store on Earth has Christmas sales out the ass. Damn near every show on TV has a Christmas special of some sort. How much more public acknowledgement do you fucking need? Enjoy your holiday and quit shoving it further down everyone's throats. Atheists and whoever the hell else doesn't celebrate a holiday in December: You either have the day off, or you're likely getting time-and-a-half to be there. Let 'em have their damn Christmas songs without complaining that they're trying to indoctrinate you. Enjoy the fucking day off and don't be such a goddamn buzzkill about it.
I'm sorry, but this whole thing has "first-world problems" written all over it. Y'know, there are plenty of examples of freedom of religion being trampled on around the world, and the worst we can come up with here is some vapid talking heads on cable news fretting about whether Jesus and Santa are white. For the love of fuck, it's not like anyone's being arrested or killed for practicing their religion (or lack thereof) however they want to, so why in the hell can't we just live and let live? You go believe whatever you believe, I'll do the same, and neither of us will go start a media firestorm about the other. Deal?
But it's been at least a fairly non-violent war. Until now.
A Salvation Army bell-ringer was accosted by a woman in Phoenix who took particular offense to the 'holiday' greeting. That's right: Saying "Happy Holidays" is akin to declaring jihad on Christianity, but jaw-jacking somebody for saying it, even someone who's trying to raise money for charity, is entirely acceptable. Because clearly, the Salvation Army is the enemy here. You know, that bastion of atheism and homosexuality, the freaking Salvation Army.
And people wonder why I'm not a practicing member of anything anymore. Are we seriously at the point where we're getting outraged over well-wishes from people? That's really the most offensive thing to you, is someone wishing you well, simply because they don't celebrate the same religious holiday you do? I mean, never mind that Jesus, whether you're a believer or not, is not the "reason for the season," but rather the winter solstice and accompanying pagan celebration, which were in existence long before December 25th was declared by the church to be Jesus' birthday. But even to acknowledge that, god forbid, another holiday exists between Halloween and the new year is something worthy of physical violence?
But that's just one example of how Christianity is being "oppressed" this holiday season. Then, you've got this: a Christian group covering up an atheist display with a banner, then complaining that they're the ones whose right to free speech is being suppressed. Now, I guarantee that if some atheist group were to put a banner over a nativity scene or something similar, Christians would be up in arms over it, and rightfully so. So why is it okay to do it to another group? Part of me is hoping this is a hoax, just because I don't want to believe anyone is this stupid.
What I don't understand is why in the hell it has to be this way. Christians: Your holiday is already recognized by the federal government. Every store on Earth has Christmas sales out the ass. Damn near every show on TV has a Christmas special of some sort. How much more public acknowledgement do you fucking need? Enjoy your holiday and quit shoving it further down everyone's throats. Atheists and whoever the hell else doesn't celebrate a holiday in December: You either have the day off, or you're likely getting time-and-a-half to be there. Let 'em have their damn Christmas songs without complaining that they're trying to indoctrinate you. Enjoy the fucking day off and don't be such a goddamn buzzkill about it.
I'm sorry, but this whole thing has "first-world problems" written all over it. Y'know, there are plenty of examples of freedom of religion being trampled on around the world, and the worst we can come up with here is some vapid talking heads on cable news fretting about whether Jesus and Santa are white. For the love of fuck, it's not like anyone's being arrested or killed for practicing their religion (or lack thereof) however they want to, so why in the hell can't we just live and let live? You go believe whatever you believe, I'll do the same, and neither of us will go start a media firestorm about the other. Deal?
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Delayed Reaction and Airing Of Grievances: Jim Schwartz Needs To Go, NOW.
(Editor's note: So, I'm once again guilty of neglecting the blog for weeks at a time. And as such, today's gonna be a day-long hate-fest, with all the ranting that I, or the two people who still read this, can handle. I wanted to do this on Monday, to coincide with Festivus and all that, but my real job got in the way of that plan. But that doesn't mean that I still haven't got a lot of problems with you people, nor that you're not gonna hear about 'em. So, here goes.)
This is what I get for making bold predictions about the Detroit Lions.
Hell, this is what I get for having the slightest bit of faith in the Detroit Lions.
I wrote it in this very space, after the Turkey Day victory over the Packers, so I guess I'll take my beating for it now:
And at the risk of looking like an idiot come the end of this season, it's bold prediction time: The Detroit Lions will be your 2013 NFC North champs.
Obviously, that won't be happening, as Sunday's loss to the G-Men guarantees that no matter how badly Chicago and Green Bay tried to hand them the division on a silver platter, the Lions won't take it now. I could go into the details of Sunday's choke job, but what's the point? You already know what happened, even if you didn't watch the game: Matthew Stafford turned over the ball a ton and threw a pick-six (in this case, to a guy who was in jail the night before); Reggie Bush fumbled at a key point in the game; Calvin Johnson dropped a pass, and is still trying to play through injury; the defense made some no-name receiver look like Calvin Johnson (seriously, who the hell is Jerrel Jernigan?), and Jim Schwartz was awful at managing the play clock again. I could write this very recap at any point in the last month, and it would be entirely accurate.
And that is all the more reason the Jim Schwartz era in Detroit needs to meet it's merciful end.
The same problems that have plagued this team all season, and the last few seasons, were all too visible
on Sunday. And nothing has really been done to correct them; in the case of Stafford, at least, they're actually getting worse. Even his biggest apologists can't argue that Stafford hasn't regressed this season. And considering how great he looked in that 2011 season which ended in their first playoff appearance in over a decade, it's not a lack of talent on his part. Whether it's bad mechanics, or something else, clearly a new coach is needed that can fix a broken quarterback.
The NFC North was essentially gift-wrapped for the Lions this season. They actually had a solid draft; Ziggy Ansah, Darius Slay, and Larry Warford have all made an immediate impact, and they found an undrafted gem in Joe Fauria. There were even some decent free-agent signings in Reggie Bush and Glover Quin. Most importantly, the only other competitive teams in their division lose their starting quarterbacks and other key players for large chunks of the season. And yet... here we sit, on the outside looking in, as Green Bay and Chicago play Sunday to decide which team wants it less. That is inexcusable, and the entire coaching staff should be shown the door immediately following the Minnesota game on Sunday.
There's no reason the Lions should have had another second-half collapse this season. All the talent was there. On paper, this team was as good as any in the league. Yet, they couldn't manage to string together four consecutive quarters of good football if their lives depended on it. How many times have we watched this team blow what should be a fairly safe lead in the fourth quarter this year? Since their win in Chicago, it's been five. And at some point, that has to come back on the coaches. Clearly the players have the ability, but there's something else, whether it's an offense that is, at times, overly conservative late in games, or stupid penalties that bring a successful drive to a screeching halt, or hand a first down to the opposing team, that keeps them from closing out games. And that last part comes back to the clubhouse culture, it's something that has reared its ugly head many times during the Schwartz regime, it's something that really came to the forefront in the arrest-plagued 2012 offseason, and it's something that falls squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff.
How long can you really give a guy to turn around a franchise, even one that sunk to the depths that it did during Matt Millen's tyrannical reign of terror? And how long can you continue to make excuses for this team based on what happened five or more years ago? Wake up: It's not 2008 anymore. Only three players from that roster are even still on this team: Calvin, Andre Fluellen, and Dominic Raiola. What happened back then should have no bearing on what this team does now, nor the expectations that should be set for it. You've had virtually complete turnover of the roster since then, five years of solid, if not spectacular, drafting, and a GM that's given you a roster that provides you every opportunity to win. And yet... here we sit, on the outside looking in. And somehow, Schwartz doesn't consider this to be a failure.
In the post-Millen era, mediocrity is no longer good enough, and underachievement cannot be tolerated. And if Martin Mayhew and the Fords want to send that message, they know what they need to do.
This is what I get for making bold predictions about the Detroit Lions.
Hell, this is what I get for having the slightest bit of faith in the Detroit Lions.
I wrote it in this very space, after the Turkey Day victory over the Packers, so I guess I'll take my beating for it now:
And at the risk of looking like an idiot come the end of this season, it's bold prediction time: The Detroit Lions will be your 2013 NFC North champs.
Obviously, that won't be happening, as Sunday's loss to the G-Men guarantees that no matter how badly Chicago and Green Bay tried to hand them the division on a silver platter, the Lions won't take it now. I could go into the details of Sunday's choke job, but what's the point? You already know what happened, even if you didn't watch the game: Matthew Stafford turned over the ball a ton and threw a pick-six (in this case, to a guy who was in jail the night before); Reggie Bush fumbled at a key point in the game; Calvin Johnson dropped a pass, and is still trying to play through injury; the defense made some no-name receiver look like Calvin Johnson (seriously, who the hell is Jerrel Jernigan?), and Jim Schwartz was awful at managing the play clock again. I could write this very recap at any point in the last month, and it would be entirely accurate.
And that is all the more reason the Jim Schwartz era in Detroit needs to meet it's merciful end.
The same problems that have plagued this team all season, and the last few seasons, were all too visible
on Sunday. And nothing has really been done to correct them; in the case of Stafford, at least, they're actually getting worse. Even his biggest apologists can't argue that Stafford hasn't regressed this season. And considering how great he looked in that 2011 season which ended in their first playoff appearance in over a decade, it's not a lack of talent on his part. Whether it's bad mechanics, or something else, clearly a new coach is needed that can fix a broken quarterback.
The NFC North was essentially gift-wrapped for the Lions this season. They actually had a solid draft; Ziggy Ansah, Darius Slay, and Larry Warford have all made an immediate impact, and they found an undrafted gem in Joe Fauria. There were even some decent free-agent signings in Reggie Bush and Glover Quin. Most importantly, the only other competitive teams in their division lose their starting quarterbacks and other key players for large chunks of the season. And yet... here we sit, on the outside looking in, as Green Bay and Chicago play Sunday to decide which team wants it less. That is inexcusable, and the entire coaching staff should be shown the door immediately following the Minnesota game on Sunday.
There's no reason the Lions should have had another second-half collapse this season. All the talent was there. On paper, this team was as good as any in the league. Yet, they couldn't manage to string together four consecutive quarters of good football if their lives depended on it. How many times have we watched this team blow what should be a fairly safe lead in the fourth quarter this year? Since their win in Chicago, it's been five. And at some point, that has to come back on the coaches. Clearly the players have the ability, but there's something else, whether it's an offense that is, at times, overly conservative late in games, or stupid penalties that bring a successful drive to a screeching halt, or hand a first down to the opposing team, that keeps them from closing out games. And that last part comes back to the clubhouse culture, it's something that has reared its ugly head many times during the Schwartz regime, it's something that really came to the forefront in the arrest-plagued 2012 offseason, and it's something that falls squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff.
How long can you really give a guy to turn around a franchise, even one that sunk to the depths that it did during Matt Millen's tyrannical reign of terror? And how long can you continue to make excuses for this team based on what happened five or more years ago? Wake up: It's not 2008 anymore. Only three players from that roster are even still on this team: Calvin, Andre Fluellen, and Dominic Raiola. What happened back then should have no bearing on what this team does now, nor the expectations that should be set for it. You've had virtually complete turnover of the roster since then, five years of solid, if not spectacular, drafting, and a GM that's given you a roster that provides you every opportunity to win. And yet... here we sit, on the outside looking in. And somehow, Schwartz doesn't consider this to be a failure.
In the post-Millen era, mediocrity is no longer good enough, and underachievement cannot be tolerated. And if Martin Mayhew and the Fords want to send that message, they know what they need to do.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Despite Nathan Signing, Fister Trade Still Among Dombrowski's Worst
Somewhere, Jon Daniels and Dayton Moore are laughing their asses off. Dave Dombrowski has done something that hasn't happened since the deal that sent Omar Infante to Atlanta for Jacque Jones: he got absolutely fleeced in a trade.
It was fairly obvious from the start of this offseason that at least one starting pitcher was going to get traded. Dombrowski had made it clear that Drew Smyly would be in the rotation come 2014, so somebody had to go. And sure enough, it was Doug Fister that got shipped out to Washington, to join an already solid pitching staff in Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, and some other guy. But the return was far less than anyone could have anticipated.
Keep in mind before we get too far into this: Doug Fister is a top-25 pitcher in this league, without question. Per Fangraphs, he ranks 9th in WAR, 13th in FIP, and 20th in ERA over the last three seasons. A lot has been made by factions of this fanbase that we're overvaluing Fister, but those numbers don't lie. And the free-agent market for pitchers is so bad, that the Royals just gave Jason Vargas $32 milion, and the Twins gave Ricky Nolasco $49 million! Hell, Scott Kazmir was just handed a two year, $22 million deal! Not to mention, the last time a pitcher of Doug's caliber was traded, he commanded the best position player in Kansas City's farm system and a decent pitching prospect as well. Fister is projected to make, at most, $15 million over the next two years. That being said, what does a top cost-controlled pitcher in this league get you in trade?
Not very much, evidently. The players expected to make an immediate impact are filler at best. Steve Lombardozzi makes yesterday's signing of Don Kelly entirely redundant. He had an OPS+ of 69 last year (a league-average player's is 100, and Kelly's was 76), and hit .259/.278/.338 in that same season. Technically he can play second, third, short, and left, but he doesn't have the arm to play any of them capably, save for maybe second. Then, there's Ian Krol, whose upside is 2012 Phil Coke. In 27 innings last year, Krol had a 3.95 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, 28 hits and 22 strikeouts. Not particularly impressive numbers, and his splits against righties are absolutely dreadful, making his ceiling as a LOOGY and not much more.
Then we come to Robbie Ray, the centerpiece of this deal that Trader Dave is high on, for some reason. Ranked #7 in the Nationals' system, it's hard to see why. His ceiling seems to be #3 starter, but it's almost as likely that he ends up in the bullpen as well. At any rate, he's not expected to be major-league ready until 2015 at the earliest. He, too, has some rather ugly platoon splits, not to mention command issues.
It makes you wonder, how he couldn't do any better. If you believe ESPN's Keith Law, there's several other GM's around this league wondering the same thing. This is the best we could get? No Taylor Jordan? No Drew Storen? No Tyler Clippard, even?
Then, what do the Tigers do with the savings from Fister's deal? Why, go and overpay for a 39-year old closer coming off a career year, of course. To be fair, I like the Joe Nathan signing a lot, and it gives this team the shutdown closer it really hasn't had since... I dunno, Willie Hernandez? Sure, Jose Valverde and Fernando Rodney had their spots, but they also had some abysmal years as well. Nathan, on the other hand, hasn't had a down year since the Giants converted him from a starter in 2002, save for a shortened 2011 campaign in which he was coming off Tommy John surgery.
The Nathan signing is definitely one that needed to happen, given the Tigers' complete lack of a bullpen at the moment. But that said, let's hope that Trader Dave isn't done working magic yet. Because if this team goes into 2014 with Andy Dirks as its everyday left fielder, and Coke, Krol, and Luke Putkonen as it's primary go-to bullpen pieces, next season's gonna hurt a hell of a lot.
It was fairly obvious from the start of this offseason that at least one starting pitcher was going to get traded. Dombrowski had made it clear that Drew Smyly would be in the rotation come 2014, so somebody had to go. And sure enough, it was Doug Fister that got shipped out to Washington, to join an already solid pitching staff in Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, and some other guy. But the return was far less than anyone could have anticipated.
Keep in mind before we get too far into this: Doug Fister is a top-25 pitcher in this league, without question. Per Fangraphs, he ranks 9th in WAR, 13th in FIP, and 20th in ERA over the last three seasons. A lot has been made by factions of this fanbase that we're overvaluing Fister, but those numbers don't lie. And the free-agent market for pitchers is so bad, that the Royals just gave Jason Vargas $32 milion, and the Twins gave Ricky Nolasco $49 million! Hell, Scott Kazmir was just handed a two year, $22 million deal! Not to mention, the last time a pitcher of Doug's caliber was traded, he commanded the best position player in Kansas City's farm system and a decent pitching prospect as well. Fister is projected to make, at most, $15 million over the next two years. That being said, what does a top cost-controlled pitcher in this league get you in trade?
Not very much, evidently. The players expected to make an immediate impact are filler at best. Steve Lombardozzi makes yesterday's signing of Don Kelly entirely redundant. He had an OPS+ of 69 last year (a league-average player's is 100, and Kelly's was 76), and hit .259/.278/.338 in that same season. Technically he can play second, third, short, and left, but he doesn't have the arm to play any of them capably, save for maybe second. Then, there's Ian Krol, whose upside is 2012 Phil Coke. In 27 innings last year, Krol had a 3.95 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, 28 hits and 22 strikeouts. Not particularly impressive numbers, and his splits against righties are absolutely dreadful, making his ceiling as a LOOGY and not much more.
Then we come to Robbie Ray, the centerpiece of this deal that Trader Dave is high on, for some reason. Ranked #7 in the Nationals' system, it's hard to see why. His ceiling seems to be #3 starter, but it's almost as likely that he ends up in the bullpen as well. At any rate, he's not expected to be major-league ready until 2015 at the earliest. He, too, has some rather ugly platoon splits, not to mention command issues.
It makes you wonder, how he couldn't do any better. If you believe ESPN's Keith Law, there's several other GM's around this league wondering the same thing. This is the best we could get? No Taylor Jordan? No Drew Storen? No Tyler Clippard, even?
Then, what do the Tigers do with the savings from Fister's deal? Why, go and overpay for a 39-year old closer coming off a career year, of course. To be fair, I like the Joe Nathan signing a lot, and it gives this team the shutdown closer it really hasn't had since... I dunno, Willie Hernandez? Sure, Jose Valverde and Fernando Rodney had their spots, but they also had some abysmal years as well. Nathan, on the other hand, hasn't had a down year since the Giants converted him from a starter in 2002, save for a shortened 2011 campaign in which he was coming off Tommy John surgery.
The Nathan signing is definitely one that needed to happen, given the Tigers' complete lack of a bullpen at the moment. But that said, let's hope that Trader Dave isn't done working magic yet. Because if this team goes into 2014 with Andy Dirks as its everyday left fielder, and Coke, Krol, and Luke Putkonen as it's primary go-to bullpen pieces, next season's gonna hurt a hell of a lot.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Disjointed Thoughts: On The Rivalry, The Title Game, And Other B1G Musings...
While I normally don't like doing these sort of catch-all posts, I realize it's kinda necessary if I really want to get my thoughts on the weekend in college football out there before the next weekend in college football. Story of my life: too much to write about, so little time to do it. Therefore: bullet points!
-The Big Game. Give credit to the Wolverines for making this far closer than it had any right to be. The offense got about as aggressive and creative as we've seen this year. Even as injured as he was, Devin Gardner threw for 451 yards and 4 touchdowns, and the running game came up with 152 yards of their own. It leads one to question: Where the hell has this been all season? Al Borges couldn't have pulled out any of these plays when Michigan was still playing for something? Clearly if they can hang with the 2nd-ranked team in the nation, they should have had no problems against Akron and Northwestern, right?
-The play. Despite what many will tell you, going for the two-point conversion was absolutely the right move to make. Given that nobody expected this game to be this close at the end, Devin Gardner was near death, and you essentially had no kicker, going for the win in regulation was the only option. Unfortunately, the execution left much to be desired, and it was only made worse by the fact that they ran a play that the Buckeyes saw coming from a mile away, which linebacker Ryan Shazier admitted after the game. Even more so when you consider that OSU called a timeout to adjust to the play they knew was coming, and the Wolverines came back onto the field in the exact same formation, having changed absolutely nothing. And they wonder why the play failed so miserably.
-The decision. Much has been made of Taylor Lewan's claim that Brady Hoke polled the seniors as to whether they should go for the two points. The players all agreed that they should, and this has been held up as proof that Hoke isn't a good coach in his own right. And while there's probably a case to be made for that, this isn't it. Clearly he knew he was going for two before using his ask-the-audience lifeline during the OSU timeout, and would have done so either way, so just stop it.
-The vote of confidence. Much as Dave Brandon gave it to Brady Hoke earlier in the week, Hoke did to his staff today, announcing that everyone will return next year. Whether Dave Brandon sees it that way is yet to be determined, but if so, that raises the bar higher than at any point in Hoke's tenure here. Even a sacrificial offering of Borges or Darrell Funk would probably buy Hoke more time to right the ship, but if he does indeed stay the course, the only acceptable outcome in the 2014 season can be winning the Legends/whatever-the-hell-they-name-the-division next year. Anything less should result in Hoke and his entire staff getting the boot. No excuses. This team hasn't made any progress since his first season, when he took a team comprised mostly of RichRod's players to the Sugar Bowl.
-The B1G Game. If you're Michigan State, you should be damn thankful right now that the Wolverines just gave you the blueprints on how to beat Ohio State in next weekend's conference championship game. The Buckeye pass defense had no answer for Devin Gardner all afternoon, and the Wolverines' pass defense managed to neutralize Braxton Miller's passing game, but couldn't do much to stop him and Carlos Hyde from running all over them. But, while Ohio State has the #1 rushing offense in the country (Hyde by himself has put up 7.8 yards per carry this season), Michigan State just happens to have the #1 rushing defense, allowing the fewest yards per carry (2.23) by any team in the last 4 years. If Connor Cook can buy himself enough time in the pocket to make big plays, and the Spartan defense can contain the running game, you might just be looking at an upset in Indy this weekend.
-The Big Game. Give credit to the Wolverines for making this far closer than it had any right to be. The offense got about as aggressive and creative as we've seen this year. Even as injured as he was, Devin Gardner threw for 451 yards and 4 touchdowns, and the running game came up with 152 yards of their own. It leads one to question: Where the hell has this been all season? Al Borges couldn't have pulled out any of these plays when Michigan was still playing for something? Clearly if they can hang with the 2nd-ranked team in the nation, they should have had no problems against Akron and Northwestern, right?
-The play. Despite what many will tell you, going for the two-point conversion was absolutely the right move to make. Given that nobody expected this game to be this close at the end, Devin Gardner was near death, and you essentially had no kicker, going for the win in regulation was the only option. Unfortunately, the execution left much to be desired, and it was only made worse by the fact that they ran a play that the Buckeyes saw coming from a mile away, which linebacker Ryan Shazier admitted after the game. Even more so when you consider that OSU called a timeout to adjust to the play they knew was coming, and the Wolverines came back onto the field in the exact same formation, having changed absolutely nothing. And they wonder why the play failed so miserably.
-The decision. Much has been made of Taylor Lewan's claim that Brady Hoke polled the seniors as to whether they should go for the two points. The players all agreed that they should, and this has been held up as proof that Hoke isn't a good coach in his own right. And while there's probably a case to be made for that, this isn't it. Clearly he knew he was going for two before using his ask-the-audience lifeline during the OSU timeout, and would have done so either way, so just stop it.
-The vote of confidence. Much as Dave Brandon gave it to Brady Hoke earlier in the week, Hoke did to his staff today, announcing that everyone will return next year. Whether Dave Brandon sees it that way is yet to be determined, but if so, that raises the bar higher than at any point in Hoke's tenure here. Even a sacrificial offering of Borges or Darrell Funk would probably buy Hoke more time to right the ship, but if he does indeed stay the course, the only acceptable outcome in the 2014 season can be winning the Legends/whatever-the-hell-they-name-the-division next year. Anything less should result in Hoke and his entire staff getting the boot. No excuses. This team hasn't made any progress since his first season, when he took a team comprised mostly of RichRod's players to the Sugar Bowl.
-The B1G Game. If you're Michigan State, you should be damn thankful right now that the Wolverines just gave you the blueprints on how to beat Ohio State in next weekend's conference championship game. The Buckeye pass defense had no answer for Devin Gardner all afternoon, and the Wolverines' pass defense managed to neutralize Braxton Miller's passing game, but couldn't do much to stop him and Carlos Hyde from running all over them. But, while Ohio State has the #1 rushing offense in the country (Hyde by himself has put up 7.8 yards per carry this season), Michigan State just happens to have the #1 rushing defense, allowing the fewest yards per carry (2.23) by any team in the last 4 years. If Connor Cook can buy himself enough time in the pocket to make big plays, and the Spartan defense can contain the running game, you might just be looking at an upset in Indy this weekend.
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