this should be required reading for every coach in the WHAC most especially our HC
I struggle to make it more than a few paragraphs into any Ramzy article. It's 20% substance, 80% flourish. The only good parts were the additions by Jones.
I get the Cooper comparison, it's easy to make. If that's your opinion it's hard to have much proof otherwise until Day gets another win. But I also think it's lazy. Cooper routinely lost to mediocre Michigan teams regardless of circumstance, and while I can't find the quotes I'm looking for, he never took it very seriously until he realized that game was his legacy.
Also, I don't think Cooper is a bad dude, seems pretty likeable outside of his shortcomings, but his teams would've absolutely folded in 2020 after facing constant testing and a shifting availability roster. His team also would've gotten shitcanned in the Rose Bowl last year.
Until everyone who walks into the WHAC recognizes and respects that threat every single day, Ohio State won't win another CFP - much less a division title - anytime soon.
This and the fact that Day needs to hand over playcalling are the only meaningful takeaways. For 2 decades we were gifted with glorious wins and beatdowns to the point of many fans viewing The Game as a speed bump rather than something to respect. The real concern was beating Alabama, Clemson, and the SEC flavor of the month. The culmination of this was the most base cowardice by Harbaugh to avoid humiliation and the loss of his job, and I think this finally led to some in the program and Day himself to let their guard down. The respect was gone, and it was all about revenge instead of winning.
That mantra of revenge might've worked prior to 2021. In fact, I'm almost sure it would've. Harbaugh would do something stupid, have a melt down, and a 17-10 game would've ballooned to 48-17 by the 4th quarter. But these teams are far different than any Michigan has fielded in years. That's why I can forgive '21, when a young team had their manhood taken from them by upperclassmen. But I can't forgive the staff not taking a step back and re-analyzing the threat they posed prior to 2022. Instead, the focus was inward and about showing how tough they were by making it a point to gain yardage a certain way.
I don't think Day has to be indoctrinated or watch a bunch of Cooper's losses from the 90s to understand. He hates Harbaugh, and I genuinely think he hates Michigan. But what he needs to do is take them seriously, and not worry about how they win, or how tough they look, or if he can embarrass them.
Dispense with the bullshit and just win the fucking game.