Why do you say that past tense?Buuuuttttttt, since you're a fellow Fairfield Countian whose drank at the Orange Carpet......you can have it.
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- Thread starter Thump
- Start date
Thanks Thump...I printed it out and taped it to the wall here at work where everyone will see and enjoy.
gregorylee
I'd rather be napping!!
Here is the article
http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/09/26/43379283dd423?in_archive=1
Problems abound for this Michigan team
story image 1
By Gabe Edelson: Honest Gabe
September 26, 2005
MADISON —
Dear Michigan Football Doubters,
I can’t say we were on the same page after the Notre Dame loss two weeks ago. Sure, I was disappointed to see the Wolverines drop a home game to a team that was so obviously lacking in the talent department. Of course it hurt that Michigan took a hit in the loss column in just the second week of the season. And it would be an understatement to say that I was troubled by the offense — or, more appropriately, the lack thereof.
But like a loyal Michigan fan, I had hope. Rationalization was my defense mechanism. I reasoned that, since I didn’t actually expect the Wolverines to go undefeated in the first place, a loss at the hands of the Irish was actually the best possible scenario. After all, a single nonconference loss to a ranked opponent doesn’t sound so bad, does it? I figured, if that’s what it took to get the kinks out of this squad, I’d accept it and move on. A BCS berth was still eminently possible, and a Big Ten Championship was squarely in the crosshairs.
Needless to say, my world came crashing down around me in Wisconsin on Saturday. I watched — at times from high above the field in the press box, at others from the sideline in the game’s closing minutes — as Michigan blew a 10-point halftime lead, failed to mount any viable offensive attacks in the second half, dropped its Big Ten season opener and sent Wolverine Nation into despair. At this point, the Wolverines find themselves barred from the Rose Bowl beyond a shadow of a doubt. A bid to the Orange, Fiesta or Sugar bowls seems extremely unlikely. Central Florida is looking like an attractive New Year’s destination right now. Michigan tumbled out of the polls for the first time since 1998. And maybe worst of all, the Wolverines find themselves looking up at a heap of names in the young Big Ten standings.
As senior co-captain Jason Avant said, “Right now, we suck.”
So it is in this atmosphere, Michigan misanthropes, that I present to you my list of grievances in the hopes that you, with your long-standing pessimism, will lend a sympathetic ear. Here goes:
What’s the deal with road openers? It’s a stat that we’ve had shoved down our throats a million times, but the shock value remains: Six straight losses in road openers. Seven of the last eight. And every time, Michigan has entered with a higher ranking than its opponent. Why can’t these guys get their act together? Why can’t they ever get up for the first away game of the season? You would think the adrenaline would be flowing, that the Wolverines would relish their role as enemy. At least that’s how many other teams view traveling to a hostile environment, especially during conference play. But these letdowns are becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. And the most disappointing part might be that, in each of the past six losses, Michigan has been just one score away from winning or tying when the clock ran out. This is officially something to be concerned about. I know I am.
No, it wasn't Vince Young running wild for 192 yards and four touchdowns in last year’s Rose Bowl, but it gave me a case of déjà vu when Wisconsin quarterback John Stocco kept the ball and crossed the stripe for the winning score in the final minute. For all the talk centering on the Wolverines’ inability to stop running quarterbacks, I thought it was pretty ironic that a pocket passer would clinch the game on a draw play. Afterward, Lloyd Carr even admitted that he expected a handoff, while the Michigan defenders displayed various levels of confusion on the field. It’s pretty clear that the quarterback scramble is still a big problem for this team.
• And don’t even get me started on Michigan’s inability to contain talented running backs this season. After Northern Illinois’s Garrett Wolfe ran for 148 yards in the season opener, you would’ve thought the Wolverines would be prepared for Brian Calhoun. But after holding the Wisconsin rusher to 64 all-purpose yards in the first half, the Michigan defense collapsed. Calhoun picked up another 102 rushing yards and 48 receiving yards — to go along with a touchdown — in the final 30 minutes alone. Screen passes and quick runs to the outside did the Wolverines’ defense in. Michigan just didn’t seem to have anybody fast enough to catch Calhoun, who accounted for an amazing 214 of the Badgers’ 287 total yards of offense. That should raise some red flags.
Michigan offensive captain Jason Avant (8) and head coach Lloyd Carr walk off the field after Michigan’s loss to Wisconsin on Saturday. (RYAN WEINER/Daily)
• It sure seems to me like Chad Henne is in the middle of the dreaded “sophomore slump.” To tell you the truth, I didn’t pay much attention to the preseason talk that the Michigan signal-caller would flounder in his second campaign. I had no doubt that his record-setting freshman year would be followed up by even greater accomplishments. Well, it’s fair to say that I’m looking pretty foolish for my false sense of security. Henne is not the same player we saw last season. In the Wolverines’ only two games against quality opponents, Henne hasn’t even completed half his passes, and he’s only thrown one more touchdown pass (3) than interception (2). Last year, Henne completed over 60 percent of his attempts, and he had more than twice as many scoring tosses as picks. Something doesn’t compute, and I’m starting to think that things aren’t turning around anytime soon. Henne’s arm has been underwhelming, with passes thrown too deep, too short and generally off target. At times, it’s been hard to believe he’s actually aiming at one of his receivers. Both interceptions this season came at crucial moments. The first, against Notre Dame, was picked off on the goal line to end a promising Michigan drive. The second, in the fourth quarter on Saturday, temporarily stalled a drive with Michigan down by three and looking to regain the lead. In both cases, Henne made poor decisions to throw the ball into coverage. These weren’t flukes. Only cornerback Grant Mason’s interception of a Stocco pass two plays later preserved the Wolverines’ hope and set up Henne’s flea flicker to true freshman Mario Manningham. Suffice it to say that I’m not sold on Henne right now. I’m confident we’re on the same page here.
• I’m also worried that Steve Breaston might have picked this season to do his best Invisible Man impersonation. You remember Breaston, right? The guy everybody kept calling the most exciting player on this team? Maybe even one of the best playmakers in the country? Yeah, I know you’ve been complaining about him, too. But let’s look at the numbers anyway. Against Wisconsin, he had one catch for negative-one yard. That’s right, negative one. He actually moved backwards over the course of the game. I guess that’s even worse than being invisible. For the season, he has six catches for 43 yards. Manningham picked up more yardage than Breaston’s season total on one catch Saturday night — the 49-yard flea flicker. Five Wolverines have more receiving yardage than Breaston, who thus far has struggled mightily in his attempt to slide into a deep threat role. Even in the return game, where Breaston has made the most noise during his Michigan career, the redshirt junior has been an unmitigated flop. Aside from a 72-yard return against Eastern Michigan, Breaston isn’t even averaging five yards per punt return. On kickoffs, he’s gaining almost nine fewer yards per return (15.7) than he did last year (24.6). Whether this drop-off is due to injury, pressure, expectations or more attentive coverage, I’m not one to say. All I know is, I feel like I just got a great present. But when I opened the box, the toy was broken. You know what I mean?
I’ll avoid the traditional complaints here. I’m sure you don’t want to hear about over-conservative play-calling or the team’s inability to win big games. It’s all been said before. But I’m not beating around the bush. Michigan has some problems. And they need to be addressed quickly, or we could be looking at a catastrophic season by Michigan standards. You, the doubters, will be the first to point out that the Wolverines are well on their way. After all, when things go wrong for the Maize and Blue, you’re never reluctant to criticize, point the finger or call for sweeping changes. Usually, I nod my head while politely ignoring your ranting and raving.
But I have to admit it: I’m thinking about changing my tune, at least until I see some evidence to the contrary, some proof to believe that things will turn around. And with no apparent hope in sight, I’ve got a question for you:
Where do I sign up?
— Gabe Edelson can be reached at [email protected].
http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/09/26/43379283dd423?in_archive=1
Problems abound for this Michigan team
story image 1
By Gabe Edelson: Honest Gabe
September 26, 2005
MADISON —
Dear Michigan Football Doubters,
I can’t say we were on the same page after the Notre Dame loss two weeks ago. Sure, I was disappointed to see the Wolverines drop a home game to a team that was so obviously lacking in the talent department. Of course it hurt that Michigan took a hit in the loss column in just the second week of the season. And it would be an understatement to say that I was troubled by the offense — or, more appropriately, the lack thereof.
But like a loyal Michigan fan, I had hope. Rationalization was my defense mechanism. I reasoned that, since I didn’t actually expect the Wolverines to go undefeated in the first place, a loss at the hands of the Irish was actually the best possible scenario. After all, a single nonconference loss to a ranked opponent doesn’t sound so bad, does it? I figured, if that’s what it took to get the kinks out of this squad, I’d accept it and move on. A BCS berth was still eminently possible, and a Big Ten Championship was squarely in the crosshairs.
Needless to say, my world came crashing down around me in Wisconsin on Saturday. I watched — at times from high above the field in the press box, at others from the sideline in the game’s closing minutes — as Michigan blew a 10-point halftime lead, failed to mount any viable offensive attacks in the second half, dropped its Big Ten season opener and sent Wolverine Nation into despair. At this point, the Wolverines find themselves barred from the Rose Bowl beyond a shadow of a doubt. A bid to the Orange, Fiesta or Sugar bowls seems extremely unlikely. Central Florida is looking like an attractive New Year’s destination right now. Michigan tumbled out of the polls for the first time since 1998. And maybe worst of all, the Wolverines find themselves looking up at a heap of names in the young Big Ten standings.
As senior co-captain Jason Avant said, “Right now, we suck.”
So it is in this atmosphere, Michigan misanthropes, that I present to you my list of grievances in the hopes that you, with your long-standing pessimism, will lend a sympathetic ear. Here goes:
What’s the deal with road openers? It’s a stat that we’ve had shoved down our throats a million times, but the shock value remains: Six straight losses in road openers. Seven of the last eight. And every time, Michigan has entered with a higher ranking than its opponent. Why can’t these guys get their act together? Why can’t they ever get up for the first away game of the season? You would think the adrenaline would be flowing, that the Wolverines would relish their role as enemy. At least that’s how many other teams view traveling to a hostile environment, especially during conference play. But these letdowns are becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. And the most disappointing part might be that, in each of the past six losses, Michigan has been just one score away from winning or tying when the clock ran out. This is officially something to be concerned about. I know I am.
No, it wasn't Vince Young running wild for 192 yards and four touchdowns in last year’s Rose Bowl, but it gave me a case of déjà vu when Wisconsin quarterback John Stocco kept the ball and crossed the stripe for the winning score in the final minute. For all the talk centering on the Wolverines’ inability to stop running quarterbacks, I thought it was pretty ironic that a pocket passer would clinch the game on a draw play. Afterward, Lloyd Carr even admitted that he expected a handoff, while the Michigan defenders displayed various levels of confusion on the field. It’s pretty clear that the quarterback scramble is still a big problem for this team.
• And don’t even get me started on Michigan’s inability to contain talented running backs this season. After Northern Illinois’s Garrett Wolfe ran for 148 yards in the season opener, you would’ve thought the Wolverines would be prepared for Brian Calhoun. But after holding the Wisconsin rusher to 64 all-purpose yards in the first half, the Michigan defense collapsed. Calhoun picked up another 102 rushing yards and 48 receiving yards — to go along with a touchdown — in the final 30 minutes alone. Screen passes and quick runs to the outside did the Wolverines’ defense in. Michigan just didn’t seem to have anybody fast enough to catch Calhoun, who accounted for an amazing 214 of the Badgers’ 287 total yards of offense. That should raise some red flags.
Michigan offensive captain Jason Avant (8) and head coach Lloyd Carr walk off the field after Michigan’s loss to Wisconsin on Saturday. (RYAN WEINER/Daily)
• It sure seems to me like Chad Henne is in the middle of the dreaded “sophomore slump.” To tell you the truth, I didn’t pay much attention to the preseason talk that the Michigan signal-caller would flounder in his second campaign. I had no doubt that his record-setting freshman year would be followed up by even greater accomplishments. Well, it’s fair to say that I’m looking pretty foolish for my false sense of security. Henne is not the same player we saw last season. In the Wolverines’ only two games against quality opponents, Henne hasn’t even completed half his passes, and he’s only thrown one more touchdown pass (3) than interception (2). Last year, Henne completed over 60 percent of his attempts, and he had more than twice as many scoring tosses as picks. Something doesn’t compute, and I’m starting to think that things aren’t turning around anytime soon. Henne’s arm has been underwhelming, with passes thrown too deep, too short and generally off target. At times, it’s been hard to believe he’s actually aiming at one of his receivers. Both interceptions this season came at crucial moments. The first, against Notre Dame, was picked off on the goal line to end a promising Michigan drive. The second, in the fourth quarter on Saturday, temporarily stalled a drive with Michigan down by three and looking to regain the lead. In both cases, Henne made poor decisions to throw the ball into coverage. These weren’t flukes. Only cornerback Grant Mason’s interception of a Stocco pass two plays later preserved the Wolverines’ hope and set up Henne’s flea flicker to true freshman Mario Manningham. Suffice it to say that I’m not sold on Henne right now. I’m confident we’re on the same page here.
• I’m also worried that Steve Breaston might have picked this season to do his best Invisible Man impersonation. You remember Breaston, right? The guy everybody kept calling the most exciting player on this team? Maybe even one of the best playmakers in the country? Yeah, I know you’ve been complaining about him, too. But let’s look at the numbers anyway. Against Wisconsin, he had one catch for negative-one yard. That’s right, negative one. He actually moved backwards over the course of the game. I guess that’s even worse than being invisible. For the season, he has six catches for 43 yards. Manningham picked up more yardage than Breaston’s season total on one catch Saturday night — the 49-yard flea flicker. Five Wolverines have more receiving yardage than Breaston, who thus far has struggled mightily in his attempt to slide into a deep threat role. Even in the return game, where Breaston has made the most noise during his Michigan career, the redshirt junior has been an unmitigated flop. Aside from a 72-yard return against Eastern Michigan, Breaston isn’t even averaging five yards per punt return. On kickoffs, he’s gaining almost nine fewer yards per return (15.7) than he did last year (24.6). Whether this drop-off is due to injury, pressure, expectations or more attentive coverage, I’m not one to say. All I know is, I feel like I just got a great present. But when I opened the box, the toy was broken. You know what I mean?
I’ll avoid the traditional complaints here. I’m sure you don’t want to hear about over-conservative play-calling or the team’s inability to win big games. It’s all been said before. But I’m not beating around the bush. Michigan has some problems. And they need to be addressed quickly, or we could be looking at a catastrophic season by Michigan standards. You, the doubters, will be the first to point out that the Wolverines are well on their way. After all, when things go wrong for the Maize and Blue, you’re never reluctant to criticize, point the finger or call for sweeping changes. Usually, I nod my head while politely ignoring your ranting and raving.
But I have to admit it: I’m thinking about changing my tune, at least until I see some evidence to the contrary, some proof to believe that things will turn around. And with no apparent hope in sight, I’ve got a question for you:
Where do I sign up?
— Gabe Edelson can be reached at [email protected].
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BuckBackHome
Wolverine is largest member of weasel family
The best was when some of his teammates then said he did not mean it. This was at a press conference earlier this week in which it was specifically noted Avant was not present.
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3yardsandacloud
Administrator Emeritus
This might work better Dry. This is the Michigan Daily's PDF file of the front page:
http://www.michigandaily.com/pages/pdf/2005-09-26pg1.pdf
http://www.michigandaily.com/pages/pdf/2005-09-26pg1.pdf
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Bucktastic
Troy Smith for HEISMAN
Any chance one of our forum Photoshopers could take off the "Right now" part of the headline???
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3yardsandacloud
Administrator Emeritus
Here's the Article only in jpg format at 72 dpi:
EDIT: Guess I'll have to load this at PhotoBucket. Give me a minute.
EDIT: Guess I'll have to load this at PhotoBucket. Give me a minute.
Last edited:
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If you e-mail them, they will send you some. Just e-mail the author or paper but just don't tell them you're a Buckeye fan.
One member on here pm'ed me and said they are sending him 3 of them.
I think just printing the pdf link 3yards offered at like kinkos or something would be better anyways.
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