Friday Update


So everybody and their brother are talking about Les Miles and whether he is a good fit at Michigan. It's all over ESPN, Radio Talk shows, and Sports Blogs. Is he a fat guy in a little coat or the perfect fit? Some of the more respected members of the media below weigh in on the topic:



So don't expect a lot of news on this topic until Sunday or Monday at the earliest. It seems both parties are going to be running to talk to Les as soon as the clock hits 00:00 on Saturday evening. (I still believe the deal for him to come to Michigan is done) The one thing I'm sure Les understands is, this could be the only time the Michigan job is open during his career. It could be now or never.

A Road Les Traveled

So late yesterday, Bill Martin asked LSU athletic director Skip Bertman for permission to talk to Les Miles regarding the open position at Michigan.

Skip has asked that the contact be made after the SEC Championship game on Saturday. The reason for this is two fold. 1) It allows Les to focus on the game 2) It gives Skip a couple of days to keep his coach.

So here is what I believe has happened. The deal for him to come to Michigan has been wrapped up via 3rd parties. Usually, you wouldn't do something like "ask for permission" for a coach you didn't want to hire, because the PR would be too great if he turned it down or wasn't interested.

Second, I believe Skip is going to break the bank and try to keep Les. I'm hearing Skip will offer in the $3.5 Million a year range. I don't believe Bill Martin will pay that much. I expect Michigan to be the $2.5-$3.0 range. Skip has already met with George Bass, Les's agent on a contract extension. Bass says he has not talked to Michigan.

So it comes down what is more important to Les: His dream job? Or more money?

Only time will tell. Hopefully this is a no brainer for him.


It looks like Michigan's inability of their fans to travel to non-important bowl games is going to haunt them. The Outback bowl has chosen the well traveling Wisconsin Badgers and the Citrus will most likely take Illinois. The Alamo bowl hasn't been impressed on how many tickets they sold the last time they were in town and are leaning towards Penn State. So that leaves Michigan in some other bad Orlando bowl against an ACC team before New Years. Way to go out Lloyd!

A Carr with Les Miles


It seems the tide as turned in the coaching search. Mgoblog is now reporting that it looks like Les Miles is now the #1 candidate for job. Les has a lot of support from some high profile boosters and people in the Administration. One person that doesn't seem to be a fan of Les is Lloyd. There still seems to be some bad blood over a cornerback recruit Jai Eugene who de-committed to Michigan two days before signing day (and of course signed with LSU). This seems to be the #1 reason why Kirk has gotten so much attention this week. Kirk seems clearly Lloyd's first choice to replace him.


So what now? There are unconfirmed reports that the deal is done to Michigan initiating contact on Sunday. I assume the truth is somewhere in the middle. I imagine Michigan has made contact through a 3rd party and working on the package they would like to propose to Les.


Either way it's great news. I still believe Brian Kelly is a great plan B, if Michigan can't come to terms with Les. I don't believe Brian will be employed by the University of Cincinnati much longer either way. There are too many good jobs available right now.

Stay tuned folks this is going to get fun. Look for a new head coach to be announced by this time next week.

Being Bill Martin


"He's the lonely man there on the corner, who he is waiting for I don't know. But he waits everyday now, just waiting for that someone to show" - Phil Collins


What's it like being Bill Martin these days? He has to answer to just about everyone on this historic hire for Michigan Football. This is the most important hire since Bo back in 1969. Here are just a few things that Bill has to think about each day.


  • His current boss most likely wants her BFF Kirk Ferentz, who she hired at Iowa

  • The overall public believes that Les Miles is a lock, since he is a Michigan man

  • Many people that read blogs like this one or mgoblog believe Brian Kelly, Cincinnati Head Coach is a good fit

  • Some in the Media would argue that Jeff Tedford fits the bill at Michigan perfectly

  • Then people start wondering about timing: Do you hire a coach before Bowl Season or after? Before a conference championship game or after? How does it all effect the current list of recruits that have verbally committed? Texas AM and Ole Miss hired their coach of choice in a day. Bill haven't you been putting together a plan since September?

  • Bill has to interview DeBord and English but neither is truly a real candidate. (they better not be - I would take English over DeBord any day).

  • He has to work with this new search committee, which just met for the first time yesterday. Good to hear we have a Heisman trophy winner on the job!

  • and by the way you have a Day job sir! Your new basketball coach with very little talent takes on BC tonight.

Bill has done a nice job saving the Baseball Coach and getting a real Basketball Coach. Now he has the Grand Daddy of all hires looking him straight in the eye. Will he make everyone happy? Nope. That's impossible, but he better make the right decision for the football program and that decision needs to be a fresh face with a new approach. The old school approach doesn't play well around here anymore.


Michael Rosenberg makes his case for Jeff Tedford. It's a good read with some valid points.

Angelique S. Chengelis says that Les will be contacted as early as Sunday. Also the DeBord has support from people like the "golden boy" Tom Brady. Yikes Tom!

A source saying The Captain is staying at Iowa. Maybe we can all take a breathe now.


Post Season Prediction

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Dec. 29 / 4:30 p.m. Memphis, Tenn. ESPN
Tie-Ins: C-USA No. 1 vs. SEC No. 6
Projection: Tulsa vs. Alabama

The Search Continues...............

The big wheel keeps on turning, Proud Billy (martin) keeps on searching...........

In what I believe is an attempt to keep the current coordinators happy, both are interviewing for the Michigan job. Ron English interviewed yesterday and it's Mike DeBord's turn today. Let me be the first to say that if Mike DeBord were to get the job, that would be the quick death of this program. If you want an ex-CMU coach, go get the one that won there - Brian Kelly. The one that lost there likes to run way too many Zone Running plays on first down.

I was told there would be no math? Your right.
How about a story problem then? Ok!

Why would a Dassault Falcon 20 (a private plane) leave Willow Run Airport at 6 EST on Monday and arrive in Cedar Rapids a little more than an hour later. After about 15 minutes leaving and returning back to Willow Run?

The possible answer? Kirk Ferentz

Update: Mgoblog now reporting Kirk was not on this flight.

Don't you just love coaching searches!


I have been puzzled by something lately. How can a State University try to hire the highest paid employee of another State University without letting everyone and their brother know? How can Houston Nutt resign from Arkansas at 7:30 and know he has the Old Miss job in the bag at 10:00PM?

This is how: Chuck Neinas does it. Chuck is a college head coach middle man. See, Chuck knows everyone in coaching and is hired by AD's that want to gauge interest from high profile head coaches in their job openings.

I will give you an example. If Bill Martin wants to see if Urban Myer is interested at all in coming to Ann Arbor, how would he know? He would call Chuck. See if Bill goes to the Florida AD and then talks to Urban, #1 everyone would know and #2 if Urban wasn't interested then it looks bad for Michigan that they are now looking at their 2nd and 3rd choices.

The process is that Chuck would call Urban and ask him if he is interested in the Michigan gig. If Urban, says "no thanks, I'm happy at Florida". No Blood, No Foul.

See Chuck keeps information tighter then Fort Knox. He doesn't use email or write anything down. Everything is verbal so there isn't a trail. Chuck sometimes doesn't even tell who is client is. So the head coaches love him, because he can get them a better job or a raise at their current school. Chuck charges schools about $30,000 - $40,000 and also does deep background checks as well.

Who knows if Chuck was involved with Houston Nutt, but I find it very interesting that Arkansas offers him a 2 year extension that he turns down knowing he has the Ole Miss job.

So when the Iowa AD says he hasn't been contacted by Michigan. I'm sure he hasn't! But that doesn't mean Chuck hasn't contacted Kirk. AD's with top coaches better keep their house in order and make sure their coaches lose Chuck's cell phone number.

Dog Bite During the 2007 Iron Bowl

Police Dog Bites Auburn Player Jerraud Powers during the 2007 Iron Bowl.

The Captain Update

In the words of Vince Lombardi, "What the hell is going on out there?"

Mgoblog is now reporting rumors that Kirk Ferentz has been offered and accepted. This is considered "a loose" rumor because they are coming off message boards and could easily be faked or just rumors. So it's more likely he has been offered. I haven't seen any local Detroit media pick this up yet. With that said, they were a day late and a dollar short with the Carr retirement news as well.

Sporting News Updates us on Kirk and other coaching vacancies
Black Shoe Diaries likes the choice

Update:

Mike Sherman named Texas AM coach. Boy they didn't waste any time!

12:40: Georgia Tech Fires Chan Gailey

12:50: Jim Carty of the Ann Arbor News questions Kirk's character.

12:55: Michigan did not contact GVSU. One part of the rumor is untrue.

1:30: Even an Iowa TV station doesn't know but thinks Brian has a good blog.

3:30: Another Coach goes down! Houston Nutt after beating the #1 team in the nation will be let go from his duties at Arkansas tonight at a 7:30 News Conference.

3:35 Mlive and The DesMoines Register is reporting that Iowa has not been contacted by Michigan regarding Kirk.



So let's take this report with a grain of salt but at the same time if this does happen what does it mean to the Maize and Blue?

"Damn it Jim, I'm a Doctor not a miracle worker"

Pros to hiring Kirk:

  • Good solid coach
  • Safe choice
  • Ties to Michigan's President
  • I think Lloyd likes him
  • The NFL has always thought he was "NFL head coach worthy"
  • He can start this week!

Con's

  • His record this year was 6-6 with losses to Western Michigan, Iowa State, and IU
  • Did you see his record this year?
  • Looks like Mary Sue Coleman is using Cronyism to hire the coach
  • Have they even talked to anyone else? Kelly? Miles?
  • He is way too conservative and we are going to get the same damn results we are used to
  • Not sure how a 6-6 record gets you the Michigan job?
  • If they hire Kirk this wasn't a search it was an inside job all along.

Memo to Bill Martin: Please be smarter then this!

Let's all hope this is just internet rumors. He is a good guy but not what this program needs right now. For goodness sake, OSU hired a nobody out of IAA! How did that work out for them?

Will there be a Post Season?

In a nut shell.... “The most disappointing thing about this season is that we didn’t finish,”Saban said.

Captain Kirk?

What happens if we play Western Michigan?
Brian at mgoblog is reporting a "rumor" with some facts behind it that Michigan has offered it's head coaching job to Kirk Ferentz of Iowa. As you might remember, Iowa got beat by Western Michigan last week.


Why Kirk? Well, Michigan's President Mary Sue Coleman is good friends with Kirk and hired him at Iowa. Kirk is always rumored and has been offered NFL jobs in the past. He is known as a solid coach, but this year was not his best with some bad losses (including Western Michigan and Iowa State). He is also the highest paid coach in the Big Ten and in the top 5 paid coaches nationally. (He made close to $5 million last year!)


Brian believes that "the Captain" will most likely turn down the offer in his loyalty to Iowa and that Michigan will never confirm it was offered.


Brian also breaks a "rumor" that the Grand Valley State's AD has been contacted by two programs doing research on Brian Kelly. Those two schools are Michigan and Norte Dame.


My thoughts:

Kirk is a safe pick for Michigan. He is a solid coach and would continue right where Lloyd left off. I think he is a good man and a good fit for Michigan. With that said, I don't think he is the right fit, right now. The reason being, at Michigan we want things that Lloyd brought to the program including; loyalty, pride, character and always putting Michigan first. I agree with all that, but we also need a good guy that will bring some new ideas and a fresh approach to game strategy. I don't believe Kirk would do that. I believe we would see a lot of the same conservative approach that we all have gotten used to. There has to be a candidate that can bring the Michigan philosophy along with a fresh new approach. Kirk's 6-6 record this year and poor recruiting doesn't bring the change Michigan needs.

If he was hired: I would support it, but not my first choice.


If Mike Debord is hired: I will jump off a bridge.


This also means, Les Miles is not Michigan's #1 candidate.


Glad Michigan is looking at Brian Kelly. Interesting that Norte Dame is as well.
Goodtime Charlie might be on the way out?
Also: There are now a number of jobs available out there and Michigan can not wait to get their top guy. Nebraska and Texas AM are good jobs that some people will jump at. For example, Bo Pelini the DC at LSU might be a candidate for Nebraska and a candidate for LSU if Les left.

LSU gets beat by Arkansas

Well, what happens now? LSU lost last night in an "epic" 3 OT game against Arkansas. What does that mean for Michigan and Ohio State?
  • OSU is sitting at home hoping that West Virgina or Kansas/Missouri lose another game after this weekend. If that happens, then they slip in the backdoor into the National Championship game. Can anyone say Playoffs?
  • Michigan now has an opportunity to hire Les Miles and not worry about interfering with a National Championship game.
  • The rumor mill on the Michigan job search has been very quiet. The Detroit media is reaching for anything. It's obvious they don't have any inside information.
  • It's sort of ironic that Les has to answer questions about Michigan all week, loses and then helps Ohio State.
  • The Columbus Media weigh in on the coaching search. I'm sure he knows what he is talking about.
  • Chris Spielman mentions that Glen Mason should be considered. What John Cooper and Earl Bruce are too busy?
  • I think the only person with a Columbus address that should even comment about the Michigan coaching search is Kirk Herbstreit. Glen Mason is pretty funny. Nice work, Chris!
  • Fox Sports thinks that Les was out coached by a Nutt and that Michigan should be scared on what they saw.

Side Notes: Michigan basketball goes 1-1 in Alaska. Good Coach - very little talent on the floor. 3-4 years this program will be back.

Game Time!! The IRON BOWL










The Crimson Tide (6-5, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) visits Auburn (7-4, 4-3) today at 7 p.m. in the Iron Bowl, aiming to snap a torturous five-game losing streak to its hated rival. Assume that on both offense and defense, few plays will be left undiscovered in the playbook of coach Nick Saban. (Source AL.com)

Follow the Game OnLine @ Fox Sports


Roll Tide!!!

Well at least we have a long snapper!

News from the recruits seem fairly positive about keeping their commitment to Michigan after the retirement of Lloyd Carr. Today we feature a story about a "long snapper" recruit that confirmed his commitment to Michigan.

What wonderful news! I'm sure everyone from coast to coast is shaking in their boots now that we have a verbal commitment from a long snapper.

I'm being told he is going to put Michigan over the top next year. We are now looking at 11 or 12 wins for sure!

Slow news week. Can you tell?

Go LSU! I think? If they lose to Arkansas today that might make it easier for Les to take the Michigan job.

BTW: It looks like USC is back with their domination of ASU last night.

The Liedowns are the same Lions. Nice work on Thanksgiving boys.

Interesting - 'Bama vs. Auburn

Similar to last year, both teams are coming off a loss, with Alabama (6-5) on another November swoon. Auburn (7-4) is ranked, albeit barely at No. 25 in the latest Associated Press poll.

Interestingly, the two teams have had very similar results this year. Both lost to Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State and a Florida school (Auburn to South Florida and Alabama to Florida State), including one overtime defeat.

Alabama was outscored in those games 105-83, while Auburn was outscored 120-81, primarily due to the 45-20 loss to Georgia, which it stewed over last week during a bye.

Both squeaked by Arkansas, defeated Vanderbilt soundly and defeated Ole Miss. Alabama’s biggest win was against Tennessee, and Auburn upset Florida.

But the rumor mill has been swirling around Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville, who recently has been saying similar things to what he said before he left Ole Miss for the Plains, and this is the first time around for Nick Saban, who will try to end Auburn’s string of five consecutive wins.

Full Story @ tidesports.com

LSU AD Makes Interesting Comments

So Bill Martin has been working on his search since September. If he has been working on it for that long you would think he has a good idea of who he wants to hire. Everyone and their brother believes it to be Les Miles. Does even the LSU AD think that?

See the following comments from a local LSU paper.

Should LSU coach Les Miles get offered and accept the head job at Michigan, there is the possibility he could still be with the Tigers for the BCS national title game on Jan. 7 in New Orleans if LSU were to make it that far.


LSU athletic director Skip Bertman said if such a scenario develops, he would want Miles to coach the Tigers in the national championship game before leaving for Michigan.

"If it were to be a national championship and the advantage for LSU to win, it would be my opinion that I'd want the coach (Miles) there to win the game," he said. "But I think that the decision to be made is too premature to even talk about for something like that."


Does he know something we don't? Those comments seem pretty strange coming from a guy that wants to keep his head coach.

I guess the next few weeks will tell, but it looks like Les could be Bill Martin's choice.

The Little 11?



I have always been a huge supporter of the Big Ten against the other conferences. I thought the Big Ten played tough nosed Midwest football that prided itself with good defenses and a balanced offense.


Now, I wonder if that style of football will get you beat by the top tier teams in the NCAA. Now, chill out everyone that says a balanced offense and at good defense does not a good football team make. Just hear me out. This season the Big 11 is way down. This past weekend was a great example of that. Let's take a look, shall we........


Michigan and OSU: Played the awe inspiring 14-3 football game with 367 of total offense between the two teams. Tim Tebow has that before half time.


Penn State loses to MSU: MSU was tied for 10th place in the Big Ten coming into this game. Penn State was ranked in the top 25. Not good for the Big Ten nationally.


Wisconsin barley beats Minnesota: Wisconsin coming off a big win against Michigan at home all most gets upset by a 1-win Golden Gopher team that could be one of the worst teams in Division 1A.


Western Michigan beats Iowa: Enough said here.

IU beats Purdue: I know this is an instate rivalry and IU is looking forward to going to a bowl, but at one point this year Purdue was ranked 15th in the country and just lost 3 straight.

Come Bowl season the most attractive Big Ten school maybe Illinois. I expect them to get a Citrus Bowl invite to play maybe Georgia. I'm not sure their quite ready for that type of game yet.


So we throw in names like App. State, anyone that played Minnesota, and so on. I thinks it's hard to argue that the Big Ten hasn't had an off year.


So what's next? Let's try not to get embarrassed in the Bowl season. Right now the SEC-Big Ten Bowl match up looks heavily favored towards the SEC. Florida could be in the Outback Bowl? - Wow that will be ugly for Michigan or Wisconsin. OSU got a little lucky with Dennis Dixon going down last week and can compete against USC or Arizona State. But if they are to face West Virgina, that doesn't really set up very well for OSU.
There is always next year! Illinois and OSU will be the two top teams in the conference in 2008.

Thoughts on LC and What's next.........


So Lloyd drove his Carr into the sunset yesterday. There is a ton of national reaction, as there should be. I will try to filter some of that for you and show you what I believe to be the important points.


There's no betting in coaching! Is there? Here are the Sportsbooks odds on the next Michigan coach:

Les Miles, LSU coach -- 2/1 Kirk Ferentz, Iowa coach -- 9/2 Mike Trgovac, Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator -- 5/1 Brian Kelly, Cincinnati coach and former Central Michigan and Grand Valley coach -- 6/1 Ron English, U-M defensive coordinator -- 6/1 Bret Bielema, Wisconsin coach -- 7/1 Bobby Petrino, Atlanta Falcons coach -- 10/1 Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay Bucs coach -- 10/1 Jim Harbaugh, Stanford coach and U-M alum -- 10/1 Bill Cowher, ex-Pittsburgh Steelers coach -- 15/1 Field (all others) -- 2/1


Important Tidbits:
  • Lloyd seriously considered retiring after last years Rose Bowl. I wonder what would have happened against App. State if he did?
  • One of the interesting points that came out of Monday's new conference was that Bill Martin has been working on his search since September. He has been doing background checks on a list of 12 guys and hopes to have someone in place by the end of the year.
  • Bill is looking for a current Head Coach with the character of LC and will pay anywhere between $2-$3M a year.
  • Some Wild Card Names that have been mentioned: Jim Grobe, Wake Forest, Tim Murphy, Harvard, Brady Hoke, head coach at Ball State,
  • College Football News: Likens Michigan Football to IBM (I would of used Microsoft) and North Carolina Basketball. That Les might not be the best fit.
  • Les got emotional during his press conference when talking about LSU and Michigan. If offered Les is going to have the toughest decision of his life. Losing the SEC Championship game might be the best medicine.
  • Mitch Albom does another magical job writing about Lloyd.
  • Louisiana columnist says's it will be difficult to turn down Michigan if your Les Miles: Bear Bryant had everything going at Texas A&M. He still left when "momma called" from Alabama.

My Take:


If Michigan wants Les then they need to go after him now. Get a commitment from him and then let him coach out the rest of the year. Keeping it private or going public would be LSU's call. He could keep the Michigan assistant coaches on staff and they could continue recruiting until Les's season is completed in January. I don't think waiting another month for the candidate you want is a big deal. If Les comes to Ann Arbor, he will either be able to lock down the current recruits or go get other ones. I'm not worried about losing a few guys. Also, Bo Pelini his defensive coordinator, is most likely going to back to Nebraska to coach anyway. Having a coach in place by the end of the year might be too aggressive for Bill Martin.


Reading between the lines from comments from Bill Maritn: Harabough, Ron Enlish, and Mike Trgovac is out. (Bill mentioned he wanted to know how many DUI's they had - regarding background checks, and that the next Michigan coach needed head coaching experience)


The one candidate that I don't want to see get the job is: Mike Debord. Please, No! I don't care how close of a friend to Lloyd he is, this is the worst possible candidate.




Recruiting News!

The Alabama coaching staff did receive a major commitment last week from Don’ta Hightower (6-foot-4, 245 pounds), a four-star defensive end from Lewisburg-Marshall County (Tenn.). Hightower chose the Tide over several, including the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Hightower’s commitment gives Alabama’s 2008 class two of the state of Tennessee’s top prospects. Barrett Jones, the top prospect in the Volunteer State from Cordova-Evangelical Christian, gave his verbal commitment to Alabama last week.

The Alabama coaching staff hopes to land Chris Jordan, a four-star running back from Brentwood Academy (Tenn.). Jordan is leaning toward the Tide and is closing in on his college decision.

The commitment of Hightower gives Alabama 22 commitments.

Full Story @ tuscaloosanews.com

Character Questioned!

Saban ripped into his players as harshly as he has all season.

He questioned their character, he wondered why some of them made choices that led to suspensions, he lambasted the leadership, and then assaulted their commitment to winning.

"If somebody who is a senior leader messes up, then the younger guys are going to see that and think, `Oh I can do that,'" Mustin said. "But that's why Coach Saban has to punish people like he has. I might hurt in the short term, but in the long term, it's going to help."

Saban said he does not intend to change the way he handles such issues.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it," he said. "If we can't win doing it the right way, then I won't be here. That's not going to happen."

Full Story @ birminghamnews

Buckeye Update: The Game Edition

Editors Note: I hesitated to put this up on the blog today, with Lloyd's retirement and all, but they did win on Saturday, so the Victors goes the spoils..........

Ahhh…the sweat nectar of victory…….

In a game reminiscent of 1977 rather than 2007 the Buckeyes overcame 111,000+ fans, a cold, rainy day and an emotional Wolverine team playing for their retiring coach, and came away with a hard fought 14-3 victory. The victory sealed the Buckeyes second consecutive outright Big 10 Championship as assured them of a least a trip to the Rose Bowl. Somewhere, Woody Hayes is looking down with a big smile on his face.

The stories of the game were the Buckeye defense (limiting UM to 91 net yards), the hard nosed running of Chris “Beanie” Wells, and the inability of Michigan to run, pass, and/or catch the football. Vernon Gholston (please stay for one more year) was a terror for the Buckeyes on defense recording three sacks and one tackle for a loss. Beanie ran for a career high 222 yards and two scores (abusing Brandent Englemon on both scoring runs). Playing in the rain, the banged up Mike Hart and Chad Henne were unable to overcome numerous drops by Michigan receivers to mount any serious scoring drives after the first quarter.

Todd Boekman, playing in his first OSU-UM game, was adversely affected by both the weather and the heat of the moment and was not asked to do much through the air. The Buckeyes threw the ball only twice in the second half and relied on the inspired running of Wells. In the end, Coach Tressel and the Buckeyes came away with their fourth straight win against Michigan and second consecutive win in Ann Arbor.

Random thoughts…….

-Vernon Gholston dominated the game. He lined up all over the defensive line and spent a good deal of time in the UM backfield. He even recorded the first sack of the year against All-American Tackle Jake Long. I could only laugh at his last sack of Henne.

-After last year’s scoring bonanza, I was happy to see the return of “Tressel Ball.” No need for risky throws, run the ball down their throats and punt when necessary.

-With OSU losing only three starters to graduation (plus the potential to lose up to four or five more to early departure to the NFL) the future appears very bright on both sides of the ball. Here’s hoping that Robiskie, Boone, Laurinaitis, Jenkins and Gholston take the same approach as Henne, Hart and Long and come back next year for a shot at a National Championship.

What’s next……

-OSU will take a few days off to enjoy Thanksgiving with family and friends followed by exams before the holiday break.
-Practice should start again in early December.
-The opponent for the Rose Bowl is yet to be determined. I’m pretty sure it will be the winner of the USC-Arizona State game on Thursday…but I haven’t checked the standings in the Pac-10.
-There’s still a slim chance of getting to the BCS Championship game in the Sugar Bowl. Oregon and Oklahoma losing helps. Several more Big-12 teams need to lose and either West Virginia or LSU needs to lose one more game. I won’t go into all the specifics of what needs to happen. I’m happy with the rare trip to the Rose Bowl.

368 more days (11/22/2008 in Columbus)

Buckeye John

Carr Drives Away.........




In less then an hour, Lloyd Carr will retire from coaching after 25+ years on staff at Michigan. He coached for Bo and Gary Moeller before being rushed into the job after Gary's restaurant troubles (aka Kordell Stewart throw).


At the time, I didn't believe Lloyd was ready for the job and I'm sure he wasn't expecting it either. He grew into the role and took Michigan to an undefeated season and a National Championship in 1997. Lloyd believed in tradition, academics, and doing things the right way. There was never even a hint of probation during his 12 years as head coach.


Lloyd will be remembered as a good person and a players coach. To be fair, the strategy part of the job at times seemed to escape him. I think he recruited well and brought top talent to Ann Arbor, I think his teams practiced well but didn't always preform to their highest level.

This year was a good example of that in many ways. Lloyd was always "way" to loyal to his coaches and coordinators when they weren't preforming. I can't remember Lloyd making any half time adjustments to win a game that showed coaching "genius". He many times played "not to lose" instead of playing to "win", which cost him many games. He also couldn't compete with the Pete Carroll's, Mack Browns, or the Jim Tressell's the last 5 years. Pete made him look silly every January 1 in the Rose Bowl.
So yes, it was time for Lloyd to move on. He is a man with great character, a man his players loved and a man that brought Michigan a National Championship, but the Michigan program is in need of a fresh start and a new leader.

I have been waiting for this day for 5 years but the imagines of what Notre Dame, Miami, and Nebraska have gone through the last few years make me feel a little unsettled. Bill Martin as of Sunday has the toughest job in the State. He will have to find a man who feels that coaching Michigan is his dream job. We don't need a Nick Sabin that jumps for the highest dollar, we need a new leader that will bring new ideas and strategies and plans to stay for a career/legacy as the Michigan Football Head coach.

Today we toast the coach and thank him. Tomorrow the air at Michigan Stadium will be a little fresher and the possibilities endless..............

Done and Done

It's offical. Per the Michigan Daily today:

Lloyd Carr, the third-winningest coach in Michigan football history, will announce his retirement after 12-plus seasons as the Wolverines' head coach, players confirmed today.The official announcement will likely come Monday morning at a 10 a.m. press conference held at the Junge Champions Center.

Carr told his players of his decision at a team meeting this afternoon."He's not going to be here any longer, but he enjoyed the moments that he had to spend with us," senior linebacker Chris Graham said. "It's a sad thing to hear, but I enjoyed every moment of being here with him. He's a great coach to me. He's like another father figure. Just having him here is the whole reason why I came."

"One of the Worst Defeats in Modern Crimson Tide History"

Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium was anything but, and could only be described as drab, morose and lifeless.

And that was just the weather.

The University of Alabama football team was even worse, playing flat and unable to overcome its own lackluster performance, resulting in a 21-14 loss Louisiana-Monroe in what has to rank as one of the worst defeats in modern Crimson Tide history.

Crimson Tide’s season as a whole, which not so suddenly has the familiar look of a tailspin. By losing its third straight game, and eighth overall in the month of November, Alabama (6-5) went from playing for Cotton Bowl bid next week at Auburn to wondering if it will receive a bowl invitation at all.

Story @ tidesports.com

Textbook Ordeal is Over! Players are Cleared to Play against Auburn!

UA learned Saturday morning that the eligibility of starting offensive linemen Antoine Caldwell and Marlon Davis, running back Glen Coffee and safeties Chris Rogers and Marquis Johnson has been restored, effective at the conclusion of the Crimson Tide’s game against Louisiana-Monroe.

The players will be able to play in next weekend’s season finale at Auburn, and head coach Nick Saban expects to use them.

Story @ tidesports.com

Lloyd Carr Retirement on Monday

Reported at mgoblog.com on Monday night. ESPN is reporting that Lloyd Carr will retire on Monday.

That may put Les Miles in a very difficult situation with a game the day after Thanksgiving and the SEC Championship game in the next two weeks. Not to mention the National Championship game if LSU wins out.

Not worth the price of admission.............

Not much to say in this one. The Michigan defense played well, (expect for the long Bennie run) and the Michigan offense was just terrible. Henne couldn't hit the ocean from the beach and Mario and gang dropped a ton of catch-able balls.

With a good Ohio State defense, the Michigan offense didn't execute a damn thing all game. They didn' t turn the ball over they just kept going 3 and out. So was in the rain, Henne 's shoulder, or the OSU defense? The answer is Yes, all three were big factors and the Big Three for Michigan weren't. Sorry boys 0-4 vs OSU is a reality because the offense couldn't move the ball, it's as simple as that.

What does this mean for the program? Hopefully a fresh start with a new team and a new head coach. The Outback or the Alamo really doesn't matter much at this point. This is a team that lost 4 games this year and played like a four loss team today.

Cheers:
  • The Michigan Defense

Jeers:

  • Henne's throws
  • The offense line for not protecting after the 1st quarter
  • Mike Debord for calling a terrible game
  • Mario Manningham for having just an awful day
  • 4 losses

*Update* Suspened Players - Textbook Scandle

University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban is hoping to have a definitive ruling on the five players who were suspended during the school’s investigation into textbook disbursement in the coming days.

“I’ve been told that we may get some indication of that by the end of the week, I don’t know that for a fact,” Saban said after Wednesday’s practice.

“We need to know sometime before [next week’s] game.”

All indications are that the student-athletes, including starting offensive linemen Antoine Caldwell and Marlon Davis and sophomore running back Glen Coffee, will miss Saturday’s home finale against Louisiana-Monroe, which would be their fourth missed game.

However, school officials are still optimistic that they’ll be allowed to play in next week’s game at Auburn.


Full Story @ tidesports.com

Game Time!

Alabama vs. Louisiana-Monroe

The Warhawks (4-6, 3-3) have won two of their last three games, and the only loss was a 43-40 setback to Middle Tennessee. Coming off a 28-14 victory over Grambling, the competition gets much tougher this week in ULM's final non-conference game at Alabama.

Alabama (6-4, 4-3) has suffered two consecutive losses to LSU and Mississippi State and four losses in all have put some serious dents in Alabama's hopes for its first season under coach Nick Saban, but this is no time to give up on what's left of the season. "We can't crawl into a hole now," quarterback John Parker Wilson said. Losses to Georgia, Florida State and LSU were understandable but a 17-12 loss at Mississippi State -- the Crimson Tide's second consecutive loss to the Bulldogs -- was downright painful.

Follow the game online @ Fox Sports

Minutes before the Game

Play with Pride
Play for your State
Play for your Head Coach
Play for your Seniors
Play for a Championship
Play to Win

Hail to the Victors!

GO BLUE!

Michigan Pep Talk

Mike Hart stands up to address the team for one last time. He is about to say something when

Eminem enters the Michigan Locker Room at 11:38 AM on Saturday...............

Look, if you had one shot, one opportunity

To seize everything you ever wanted one moment

Would you capture it or just let it slip?



Carr's palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy

Theres vomit on Tressel's sweater vest already, moms spaghetti

Henne's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs, but he keeps on forgettin what he wrote down, the whole Big House crowd goes so loud

He opens his mouth, but the words wont come out

Henne chokin, how everybodys jokin now



The clocks run out, times up over blaw

Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity Oh, there goes Hart,

he choked He's so mad, but he wont give up that easy?

No He wont have it , he knows his whole A2 city ropes

dont matter, hes dope

He knows that, but hes broke

Hes so stacked that he knows

When he goes back to his dorm home, thats when its

Back to the class again yo

This whole "game" or not,

He better go capture this moment and hope it dont pass him



**Chorus** : You better lose yourself in the music, the moment You own it, you better never let it go You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo



The souls escaping, through this offensive line hole that its gaping

This rivarly is mine for the taking

Make me king, as we move toward a, new world order

A normal life is borin, but superstardoms close to post mortar

It only grows harder, only grows hotter

He blows us all over these offensive holes

Coast to coast shows, hes know as the globetrotter

Lonely roads, God only knows Hes grown farther from home, hes no father

He goes home and barely knows Les Miles

But hold your nose cuz here goes the cold Gatoraide water

The bowls dont want him nomo, hes cold product

They moved on to the next schmoe who flows

He nose dove and sold nada

So the OSU soap opera is told and unfolds

I suppose old potna, but the beat goes on Da da dum da dum da da



**Chorus**: You better lose yourself in the music, the moment You own it, you better never let it go You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo



No more games, I ma change what you call rage

Michigan is about to Tear this mothaf***** roof off like 2 dogs caged

I was playin in the beginnin, the mood all changed

I been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage. (see week 1 & week 2)

But I kept rhymin and step right in the next cypher

Best believe somebodys payin the pied piper



All the pain inside amplified by the fact That I cant get by with my 0-3 record

And I cant provide the right type of life for my family

Cuz man, these goddamn penalites cost me a National championship shot.



And its no HBO movie, theres no Mel Kiper, this is my life

And these times are so hard and its getting even harder

Tryin to feed and water my seed, plus Titta Tatta caught up between bein a leader and a prima donna

Brent Mustburgers mama dramas screamin on and

Too much for me to wanna

Stay in one spot, another Alamo Bowl or not

Has gotten me to the point, Im like a high ankle sprain or not

I've got to formulate a plot or end up with a broken ankle in Mott

Success is my only mothaf*****option, failures not



Bo, I love you, but this losing streak got to go I cannot grow old in tail gating parking lot, So here I go this is my shot. H2O Feet fail me not , this maybe the only opportunity that I got



**Chorus**: You better lose yourself in the music, the moment You own it, you better never let it go You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo



You can do anything you set your mind to

The Preview - The Game



As I watched the HBO special this week, I got a feeling that this game has gotten a bit out of hand in some people's mind. No matter which fan base you sit in, this game has grown to something more then a football game.

It's not a religion or war, it's an athletic contest that will garnish a winner and unfortunately a loser. This game is a gift before Thanksgiving every year and we should recognize that. Respect is lost at times in this rivalry; respect for the players, coaches, and teams. Cheer loudly for your team, but respect them. No mater who wins or loses on Saturday at 3:30pm, shake that persons hand next you and say, "see you next year, good luck in the Rose Bowl and make the Big 10 proud." John Cooper wasn't wrong when he said, "The Michigan Game is just another game", he just wasn't right either. This game is the oldest rivalry in team sports and out dates the Super Bowl and the World Series. Everyone in the country will secretly root for one team or the other on November 17th at high noon. Because you watched this game with your dad and he watched it with his. So bring your pride and your voice to the corner of stadium and main but remember to also bring your respect.

Now on to the game preview:

In this game, you throw everything out the window that has happened all year. The Sweater Vest coaches differently, the players play differently, the crowd is much louder, the pressure is much higher. So where does that leave us? If your going to break down this game you have to look a pure fundamentals, the run game and the passing game. Where does the advantages lie?


Michigan has had trouble stopping the run the last two games. OSU loves to run with The Wells brothers. I expect The Sweater Vest not to spread out the Wolverines as much as he has done in the past. Michigan is expecting that now and seen that formation all year. His advantage is to run the ball right at Michigan for a bunch of long drives and keep the Michigan play makers off the field.

With Michigan's top offensive stars not at 100% this doesn't bode well for the Wolverines. I see OSU scoring often in this game and if Michigan continues it's trouble with run blocking, they could be in for a long afternoon. Michigan's offensive line has played poorly the last few weeks and OSU will bring blitz after blitz to keep Mario from getting deep and trying to knock Chad out of the game.

The Michigan defense will do the same and try to force Boeckman into some bad throws. This will leave huge holes in the defense for Bennie to bust through if The Vest guesses right.

Michigan's only chance in this game is to play through pain and with pride. I know both Henne and Hart will play, but for how long and how effective? If they can play the entire game and play at their best, they have a fighting chance. Trying to predict this game is like trying to guess the lotto numbers. If both of these teams met in a back yard with out fans and with out media, I believe the following would occur: Ohio State 31 Michigan 21



Sing "Hail to the Victors if":
  • H and H are ready to play and play all game


  • The Linebackers play with pride and stop the Buckeye Running attack


  • Crable doesn't make any stupid penalties and has regular encounters with Boeckman


  • The Offensive Line steps up; run blocks and pass protects on a regular basis


  • Zoltan finds his punting power


  • KC continues to make field goals


Start thinking about Lloyd's retirement gift if:

  • The Vest out coaches him in his last OSU game


  • Michigan continues to get fooled on defense and gives up long passes and long runs


  • If Ryan takes any snaps


  • If Hart doesn't take 80% of the snaps at tailback


  • Michigan shoots itself in the foot with a late penalty that costs us the game



Remembering the Coach


Saturday it will be a year since the legend Bo Schembechler passed away. It was a Friday like today and right before a huge showdown between the #2 Wolverines and the #1 Buckeyes. It was a very sad day when it should have been full of anticipation for the greatest showdown in the history of the "Game". My friends still kid me that this was the only time I called them during working hours. It was news they needed know.


I had the great opportunity to meet Bo 3 or 4 times in my life. He always had a handshake or "go blue" for everyone. Bo was a man that loved his players and his university. He will also be the reason that #1 ranked LSU coach will come home to Michigan after the season is over. When Les Miles was asked this week on what his thoughts were about a possible job at Michigan, he quoted his old coach, "Bo would tell me, worry about the job you got!". I think we all can hear Bo saying those exact words.


How ironic was it for Bo to pass away on the eve of the Michigan - Ohio State game? But watching the HBO special this week, I had no idea how ironic it really was. A huge misconception out there is Bo and Woody hated each other. That they would rather rip each others hearts out then be in the same room together. The fact is, they were best friends and became close when Bo coached under Woody at Miami University. Woody visited Bo after his Heart Attack at the Rose Bowl and they always stayed in touch. What struck me in the HBO piece was when Woody was very old and weak they asked him to come down to Dayton and introduce Bo at an awards dinner. Woody was to weak to travel, but he had someone take him down there and he spoke for a half an hour on what Bo meant to him. After that talk, Woody was driven home and quietly passed away.


Bo doing the exact same thing for the HBO piece a year ago, was at Michigan Stadium speaking about his old friend Woody and the great games they shared on the field. That was Bo's last interview, he died the next day. Each man last words were about the love they had for each other, not the hate they had for each other's teams. See it wasn't hate at all, it was respect, it wasn't war, it was young men playing as hard as they could for each coach.


This time of year doesn't seem the same without Bo as I'm sure the Buckeye fans feel the same way about Woody. Coach you are missed. Enjoy Saturday's game with Woody as I'm sure you both will be siting in a couple of old office chairs complaining to each other that both teams are passing the ball too much.


Mitch Albom's take on Bo


Bo and Woody remembered on a special coin during the opening flip.

The "other" Big Ten Games Preview


As you know this is the time of the week, I give you my predictions on what will happen in the Big Ten outside the Michigan game. This week there is one game that will decided the conference champion and a trip to the BCS Rose Bowl and 4 other games that don't really mean much. So you may ask yourself; why read the rest of this post? For my witty insights of course!


On Friday you will see "the game" preview. Should be a fun day being the Game eve and all.


Northwestern at #19 Illinois: Northwestern comes off a nice win over IU and Illinois beat some team in Ohio last week (I think it was Youngstown State). Illinois is finally heading to a bowl and Northwestern at 6-6 probably isn't. Look for the Juice to run loose in this one as Illinois make their stake for a New Years Day Bowl. Northwestern 17 Illinois 31


Purdue at Indiana: This is an interstate battle that never means anything except for some in-state trophy. The old Oak and Bucket maybe? Either way, Purdue at one point had a nice season going and then they ran into folks that could play football. IU is dreaming of a bowl game and would love to be 7-5 instead of 6-6. I think IU will play to win in this one even though Purdue is the better team. Purdue 21 IU 28


Penn State at MSU: If Michigan State is Michigan's little brother then Penn State is their step brother. This was a rivalry that the Big Ten tried to force on us when Penn State joined the Big 11. For my money they maybe should have picked Wisconsin instead, but that's just me. Who knows which MSU team will show up? The one that lost 4 out of 5 Big Ten games or the one that just posted 40+ points on Purdue last week. Either way Penn State is the better team in this very physical battle. Look for PSU to win a close one. Penn State 31 MSU 28


Wisconsin at Minnesota: Anyone that plays Minnesota wins the game. Wisconsin wins easier then a trip to the Mall of America: Wisconsin 42 Minnesota 10


It's the final week of the Big Ten season and Yes there is a non-conference game! Western Michigan at Iowa. Nice scheduling.


2 Days until - The Game.

Thursday News and Notes



  • Mitch Albom has a nice article on Mike Hart.

  • Les was on Jim Rome yesterday trying not to want the Michigan job when his team is #1 nation. Don't worry Les it will soon be over and you can come home.

  • I thought the HBO special was very well done. Check it out if you have a chance.

  • Michigan Basketball has #5 ranked Georgetown tonight. Yikes! Gtown is only favored by 18 points.

  • This is the quiet before the storm, enjoy today because starting on Friday, your blood pressure will start to rise and your nights will get long with dreams of Woody and Bo dancing in your head.

  • Look for the Big Ten Preview this afternoon. (are there really other games this weekend?)

Special Post: The "Game" Preview from Buckeye John




Oh, what could have been………

In the span of a few short hours last Saturday afternoon my anticipation level for “The Game” went from sky high to…well...not so high. It would have been pretty special to take an undefeated team to AA to play the Wolverines for the second consecutive year with the outright Big-10 title on the line (still the case mind you). Add a probable trip to another BCS Championship game, 110,000+ fans, Lloyd Carr’s last OSU game. Wow!! How much more could you ask for?

The stakes are still pretty high. The winner will be Big-10 Champions and get to play in the Rose Bowl. The loser will be playing somewhere in Florida. Since my expectations for this year started fairly low I guess there shouldn’t be too much complaining.

In all honesty, when I looked at this game at the beginning of the year I had Michigan winning. Several factors supported that prediction: The return of Hart, Henne, Long and Super Mario; the loss of Gonzo, Ginn Jr; Troy Smith; almost the entire defensive line; the game is in AA; we’ve won the last three so the hammer has to drop eventually; and many question marks on offense. Some interesting developments have come up since early September. Appy St. and Oregon blew through AA and wiped out any hope that Michigan would be playing for a National Title. Nagging injuries to Henne and Hart have kept them on the sidelines in recent weeks. Their defense has been inconsistent and the offensive replacements go hot and cold from possession to possession. For Ohio St. the offense has been almost explosive for most of the year with Boekman playing at a higher level than I expected. Well up until last weekend that is. The defense started out hot but has shown signs of weakness the past several games.

I believe this game hangs on the shoulder of Henne and the ankle of Hart. I think Hart will be back pretty close to normal but I have some lingering doubts about Henne’s shoulder. It could be worse than advertised. If he is unable to perform as four year starter should I think the game could be wide open. I think both teams will be able to move the ball. If Henne can sling the ball around without having to worry about his shoulder and Hart can find the seams in the Buckeye defense I think Michigan will put up numbers similar to last year. However, if they have to rely on Mallett to win the game, they could be in serious trouble.

There are several wild cards to keep in mind. The game is reportedly going to be Lloyd’s last game in the Big House. I’m sure the team will try to rally around their departing coach and try to deliver one last victory. However, if they couldn’t rally after the death of the legendary coach Bo Schembechler last year, will they be able to do it this year? There is also the game plan that Coach Tressel cooks up for this game each year. Who knows what to expect. It’s been something new every year. Michigan’s health was discussed earlier but Ohio St. has some injury issues too. Beanie Wells has been walking around campus with a brace on his right wrist. Mo Wells has a boot on his leg and Brandon Saine suffered a mild concussion last week. This could spell doom for the running game. There status for Saturday has not been announced…yet. I don’t believe there are any significant injury issues with either defense.

So…how will it go?

With Henne and Hart I think Michigan wins 35-31. Without Henne and a hobbled Hart I think The Buckeyes win 31-21.

See you next Monday with my recap of the game. Best of luck to both teams.

Buckeye John

News and Notes: Wednesday Edition



  • Let's be clear, Brian from mgoblog.com broke the Lloyd Carr retirement story. It was the opening story on SportsCenter last night at 6:00. Brian had it 24 hours before anyone. I am also proud to say bighouseblog.com had it Monday night as well.

  • A nervous AD at LSU responds to questions on whether Les wants to go to Michigan. Les was on ESPN radio yesterday and couldn't hide his love for the Michigan program. LSU better back up the Brinks truck to Les right now if they want him to stay.

  • ESPN makes a good point about a coaching change and recruiting. There is a two week dead period in December. What a great time to make a change and keep the top recruits that have verbally committed.

  • Update: 2 new names that I didn't mention who could replace LC are: 1) Kirk Ferentz - IOWA HC. I wouldn't support this hire. This guy is a solid head coach and has turned down the NFL, but what has he really done at Iowa? I know he is very well respected at U of M. 2) Michael Trgovac - Who? You ask? Mike is the current defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. Born near Youngstown, Ohio, Trgovac was an All-American noseman at the University of Michigan before starting his NFL coaching career. It seems OSU has had success with a coach from Youngstown. I wish I could remeber his name.........

  • Wojo article talks about Carr and the "Game"

  • Don't expect any news on Henne and Hart before Saturday morning. They both will play

  • Michigan Basketball expected to get two recruits today in the early signing period.

  • Look for the special Buckeye John, Michigan - OSU Preview today.

Fix the Wolves Part II


Since we fixed the coaching situation earlier in the day, we will now try to fix the remaining issues with the entire team after the Wisconsin loss.


Health is the currently the number one issue on the team. The playing status of Hart and Henne is the #1 factor if Michigan can upset the #7 ranked Buckeyes. Even Vegas doesn't know how to rate this game without knowing if those two will play or not. The line just came out today, OSU is favored by 3 1/2.
Side Note: the big 3 pictured above have not played a full game together all year.


Experienced Backups - If we have to go with Ryan Mallet at QB and Carlos "Santana" Brown at tailback, Michigan has zero shot at beating the buckeyes. Great experience for next year, no chance this year. The backups on the offense line are not playing well either.


Stopping the Running Game - Wells Edition: Beanie is beat up, nursing his own ankle injury and won't be 100% come game time, but that hasn't stopped him from ripping up defenses in the Big Ten. For some reason we have had more trouble stopping the run in traditional sets then the spreads after Oregon. What's the deal? We need to plug those holes in a hurry or whichever Wells is in the backfield will gash us up the middle all day. The Linebackers better play with some pride this week. English needs to work some magic and put the players in better positions. Even when we knew Wisconsin was going to run, we couldn't stop it. Not Good!


Crable and stupid penalties: Dude, I know your trying to make plays, but use your damn head and don't make another stupid penalty that costs Michigan things like; shots at a national championship, an undefeated Big Ten Season, a turnover, or a defensive stop.


Predictability: Let's not be so predictable, run something different, try to fool someone, use some miss direction, throw on first down, use Butler more (lord knows he can't block), throw cation to the wind, put Carlos Brown at QB and run the spread option.


The Offensive Line: (not Jake Long). Block, Block, Block, Pass Block, Block, Block, Run Block, Block, Block, Block in the zone run, Block in your sleep, Block, Put on Sun Block. Just Block!!!


The DB's: You boys got schooled last year by the Buckeye receivers, don't be fooled again. These guys are pretty good. Stay with your man and don't get beat deep.


WR's: I have given you boys a pass all year long but in the Wisconsin game you didn't help Ryan out at all with your catches. You 3 are very talented and might be the key for Michigan winning or losing this game. Keep your head in the game and catch everything in the 734 area code.


Both teams will be ready to play with the Big Ten Championship on the line. No overlooking here.

Fix the Wolverines Part 1


As you regular readers of this blog know, today's post is all about fixing our Wolverines. With yesterday's breaking news, which won't be confirmed or denied by Bill Martin the AD at Michigan. I will start today's post about my reaction to the news and possible candidates.


Bill's comments per John Heuser of the Ann Arbor News:

In a telephone interview, Michigan athletic director Bill Martin declined to comment on the Web site posting, saying that, like his coach, he preferred to focus on the game with the Buckeyes.

Martin did note, however, that discussion about Carr's future has been a regular topic of conversation as the past few seasons have wound down. "It's like clockwork," Martin said, before reiterating, "Lloyd Carr can coach here as long as he wants to."


I trust Brian would not post that story if he didn't have solid sources so let's say this is a lock to happen. LC will coach his final Ohio State game and his final Bowl game in Florida or California.

Let's all take a minute to thank Lloyd for a National Championship and years of service. Minute up yet? Here is your gold watch and thank you very much.

Bill Martin better be working on his list of candidates and calling Les Miles wife on where she would like live in Ann Arbor. Lloyd is a good guy, he does things the right way, but his time has come and this year was another perfect example of how this game has passed him by. If you know me, I have wanted him to do this for the past 5 years.


Now let's talk about who should be on the list. These guys are in order

  1. Les Miles, LSU. Currently has the #1 ranked team in the land and showed some serious coaching skills this year in wins against Florida and Auburn. A former Michigan player and coach. Michigan is his dream job.

  2. Rich Rodriquez, WVU. Michigan loves to hire West Virgina coaches and Rich could be #2 in less then a year. The guy is a solid coach and has turned down the NFL and Alabama recently. Not sure his interest in guiding the program with the most wins in college football history.

  3. Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys Offensive Coordinator - this is a "hot" young coach with nothing but upside. He has taken the Cowboys to new heights this year and all most got the head coaching job in Dallas. He will be an NFL head coach next year or the year after.

  4. Brian Kelly, Cincinnati - Brian has shown great coaching skills at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, and now in the Big East at Cincinnati. Brian should have been the choice of the Spartans a year ago and now has the BearCats playing winning football. The State of Michigan ties make him an attractive candidate.

  5. Jeff Tedford, CAL - I'm not in love with this choice, but know he will be looked at. CAL has high academic standards and he seems to be a solid coach. He did beat Oregon this year, but his teams seem soft over the years.

Other names that will be mentioned but won't get too much of a look: Jim Harbough, blew it this summer player; Cam Cameron, Dolphins Head Coach - not doing so well this year, Greg Schiano Rutgers - might have mob ties which is a huge upside in my book (just kidding Greg - BTW I don't own any horses).


So there you have it, I believe the next Michigan coach will come off that list. They really don't have a good candidate on staff. Bill, you really don't have a good candidate on staff!


I will focus on what's wrong with the football team in part 2 later today.

Huge Breaking News

Brian who runs the true Michigan Football Blog at mgoblog.com is reporting that Lloyd Carr is going to retire and will announce his offical retirement as early as next Monday or sometime next week.

Brian has 3 sources confirming this story.

Wow is all I can say, we all knew this was coming but for some reason never really thought it would happen. How many questions is Les Miles going to have answer over the next 2 months?

WOW!

Monday's Buckeye Report: Illinois Edition

And the walls…. Came tumbling down………

I’m not going to spend a great deal of time recapping Saturday’s loss. I’ve read numerous posts on other blogs bemoaning the play of Boekman, the inability to stop the run…when we knew they were going to run, some of the coaching decisions and the status of Beanie Wells. Bottom line…..we lost and they won.

Several plays/moments still burn 40 hours later.

#1 What’s the deal calling a time out before the Illinois punt in 4th quarter? I was stunned when Coach Zook sent the punting team onto the field. I didn’t think there was any question about them going for it on 4th down. I heard that OSU only had 10 men on the field for the play. So what!!! We had a chance to get the ball back with plenty of time remaining to mount a drive to tie the score. Did Tressel choke? Not sure about that call.

#2 3rd and 10 from midfield. Could be the play of the year. We know Williams is not going to attempt a pass and risk throwing an interception or an incompletion to stop the clock. Why was “Little Animal” not spying on him? The Read Option play killed us the entire game. Williams runs for the 1st down all but ending the game. Ouch!!!

#3 Boekman’s 3rd interception of the game. I’ve stated several times that Boekman has gotten too comfortable just throwing the ball up assuming that Robiskie or Hartline will come up with the catch. It was obvious double coverage with the safety reading the play the entire way. Poor decision making. I guess I had gotten a little comfortable myself because plays like that had been working the entire year.

#4 Why wasn’t there a review of their 80 yard run to the two yard line? Plays like that have been reviewed in every game all year long. It was on obvious fumble. Well…obvious after watching the slow motion replay anyway. I didn’t think too much about it even after they scored on the next play. I wonder what Tressel was being told from the guys in the booth.
In summary:

· Maybe loosing this game was a good thing. The thought of facing Dennis Dixon running the Oregon offense brought back immediate painful memories from the Florida game. We had been called overrated since we took over the #1 spot in the polls a month ago. I didn’t necessarily agree with that evaluation but I’m glad it was proven out against Illinois and not on the larger stage of a National Championship game….again.

· The game next week still has huge ramifications. The winner being the outright champion of the Big 10 and earning a spot in the Rose Bowl.

· Is Beanie Wells healthy enough to make a difference next week? What is the status of his hand? He was ineffective in the second half save for his touchdown run in the 3d quarter.

· 5 more days!!!!!

See you on Wednesday for my preview of the OSU-UM game.

Buckeye John

Monday's News and Notes



  • As Michigan was losing it's first BigTen football game this week, the John Beilein era started at Crisler Arena. With two nice wins and Georgetown up next. This is the first time, I have been excited about Michigan basketball since the post Fab Five years. Beilein is the first true basketball coach that Michigan has ever had. He has said that, some of the top JR. recruits in the country are calling him to play at Michigan. Manny Harris (pictured above and last years Mr. Michigan) is also playing very well as a freshmen. Things are looking up!

  • I still hate how things went down for Michigan and OSU last week. Both teams should have been undefeated in the Big Ten for this Saturday's match up.

  • Pat Forde of ESPN thinks he knows this Michigan team. But Pat is who we thought he was! A national columnist who really doesn't follow Michigan very closely.

  • Michigan's potential bowl trips include; The Rose (the real winner of the OSU loss) for a potential Pac 10 foe, The Capital One aka Citrus, or OutBack for a SEC Foe.

  • Did anyone notice Tommy Amaker lost his opening game at Harvard by 55 points?

  • Why isn't more people talking about playoffs this year? This is clearly another year why we need an Playoff system.

  • I am going to throw a wild card out there for the next Michigan football coach - Jason Garrett, the OC of the Dallas Cowboys. Think about it. We could keep Ron English at DC if we want him after Saturday.

Look for the Buckeye Update later today

Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue


A few weeks ago, I had a post that said Lloyd Carr channeled Bill Belichick by wearing a hoodie on the sideline. Well, this has gone way too far. Lloyd Carr in his "genius" (and for those that don't know me - enter sarcasm here) decided the Wisconsin game wasn't important and played the 2nd team all day on offense. Lloyd thought he was coaching the 14-1 New England Patriots with the playoffs coming up next week and gave Tom Brady and Randy Moss the week off.


I usually get on Lloyd playing "not" to lose instead of playing to win. Yesterday, he showed something new in his "genius" by playing to lose and maybe winning if Wisconsin decided not to show up on Senior Day.


Why make the trip? When I make a trip to Wisconsin with my beautiful wife, I plan on staying a few days, playing Whistling Straits and enjoying the Kohler Spa. As you know, Wisconsin in November is no place for playing golf. So maybe Lloyd thought, why should we go? I see you working coach. You should have kept the entire team from getting cold or taking the charted flight to Madison. That Central Time Zone can be confusing.
Instead of playing the second team all day, why not just stay home? Sure Ryan Mallett can get some experience playing on the road for next year and throw some key interceptions. Maybe we can see if Mario can get 100 yards receiving on 3 completions? We can see if the defense has learned anything and was able to stop Wisconsin's 3rd string tailbacks? But those seem like trivial items, I think staying home getting some treatment from the training staff makes more sense.

Well, Lloyd didn't listen to me and took his team to Wisconsin for a non-golf trip and got his hat handed to him. What seemed like a game he wanted to lose, he exactly did. Chad Henne played two series and Mike Hart didn't see the field all day. Ryan played like a Freshmen QB by throwing interceptions and showing glimpses of brilliance on a 97 yard pass completion to Mario and a nice deep ball to Adrian Arrington. Michigan's running game was ineffective all day and Michigan's defense couldn't stop the run by anyone that Wisconsin decided to put back there.
For anyone with half a brain, that combination equals a loss in a game that Michigan didn't need to win to go to the Rose Bowl. I guess losing this season doesn't matter much anymore to the Michigan coaching staff and let's be clear that is the unit that lost this game. With that said, Michigan got over powered on both sides of the ball and played from the kickoff like their tee time had been canceled.


I just don't understand this strategy. I can see Coach Carr saying this past week; "Gentlemen, either we beat OSU and go to the BCS Rose Bowl or we lose that game and go the Capital One or Outback Bowls. Either way it's a Win - Win for a team that lost to App. State, Let's check out some great golf courses in the Madison area"


Well in Lloyd Carr's/George Costanza bizarro world, something funny happened. Michigan lost the game they were trying to lose and OSU lost a game they were trying to win. So the game that was going to decide the trip to the Rose Bowl will now decide the outright Big Ten Champion this year. This is one strange year and who knows who will win this one, with Michigan's suddenly porous run defense and Henne's day to day shoulder, I don't think Michigan has a very good shot. If the Sweater Vest is looking for a couple good courses in the Ann Arbor Area, I can make a few suggestions.
Cheers:
  • "You will get nothing and like it!"
Jeers:
  • LC's strategy for the Wisconsin game
  • Ryan for being a Freshman
  • Arrington dropping some very catch-able balls
  • The defense for not stopping anyone at RB
  • Crable for what the "hell are you thinking?" How many roughing the QB calls are you going to get that cost us Big Ten games? Hey Player, that penalty might of cost your team the game.
  • The Linebackers as a unit
  • The offensive line (besides Jake). Block somebody! Anybody!
  • The entire coaching staff on laying down for Wisconsin to try to win a share for a Big Ten Championship against OSU. I thought BO was way too conservative when he was coaching at U of M, but I never saw his team "save" itself for the Ohio State game.





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