|
|
|
|
"True loyalty is that quality of
service that grows under adversity and expands in defeat.
And Stay The F&@#$ Off Our Court.... After a weekend sweep of tosu in hockey, I figured the rivalry gods wouldn't allow us to continue our streak. But some clutch play in a raucous Crisler allowed our Wolverines to hold on to the win, keeping "DrayDray" chirping for a couple of more weeks. Don't worry munchkin, we don't like you guys either. Michigan went thru its usual cold shooting in the middle of the second half but fought out to the lead in the last minute of the game. All I pictured was Simms' jersey being ripped off his back by another cheatinspartan allowing msu to come away with an unearned win. But we hung on, played tough defense right to the buzzer and came away with the win. Now the goal is to grab a couple of road wins. GO BLUE!! And A Go Blue New Year.... Although ugly in every respect, our Wolverines came out of New Orleans with a win. Our defense gave up some frustrating plays but held tough when it counted. Even worse, the offense struggled the entire evening reverting to bad habits which cost the team games in the regular season. In the end, the much maligned kicking game won the game for Wolverine nation and the celebration began. We lose a few key players heading into the new season but have a top recruiting class coming in. The schedule is brutal next year so we'll need an off season of improvement. Go Blue!!! Great Closer.... Although at times I thought we were going to give it away, our Wolverines closed out the season with a heart pounding win over tosu and ending the season with ten wins. Whoda thunk?!? Not me. My concerns that the coaching staff would try to play man ball with spread players raised its frustrating head several times during the season but the coaches seemed to get more comfortable with calling plays out of the shotgun as the season progressed. And not enough can be said about the turn about of the defense, improving to one of the best in the nation with essentially the same personnel. But this week was about beating an old nemesis, a rival with fans that could not stop running their mouths about their win streak as if Michigan's win streak over Cooper never occurred. Denard was magnificent all day making the right reads. The running game simply pounded tosu. And despite a couple of mistakes, the defense did just enough to seal the victory. Grerat job, boys. Great season Wolverines. Now go get us that eleventh win while you enjoy some warm weather. Go Blue!! Welcome To The B1G.... Never expected that result but it was a lot of fun to be a part of it. An absolute thrashing welcome to the Big House by our Wolverines. And now it is down to the final game of the regular season, the traditional season ender against tosu. Hopefully our fans have remained on the bandwagon and haven't sold their tickets to opposing fans to avoid the embarrassing sea of red I have witnessed over the past few years. We all want this one bad. The season has progressed far beyond anyone's expectations but one more regular season win would top it off perfectly. Untie shoelace. Bring the defensive front. Crush some nuts. GO BLUE!!! Road Warriors.... Wasn't pretty. At times frustrating as we watched our Wolverines miss several opportunities. But it is a road win and as several other teams in the BIG have learned, winning on the road against even the worst teams is not a gimme. I still find it incredibly pleasing the way the defense has been able to make stops on 3rd and short all season. Sure would be nice to grab these last two games at home. We start with the newbies to the BIG, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. They have found it tough sledding in the BIG after entering the season believing they had their invite to Indianapolis guaranteed. The Wolverines will need to get a lot better on offense and I am hoping we will stop "saving" Denard from getting hurt. Only two regular season games left so you have to wonder what we are saving him for....let him loose!! Go Blue! Road Woes.... I just can't figure out if it is a youthful team heading into enemy stadiums with young trepidation or a coaching staff that tries to play conservatively on the road but the starts of our road games are killing us. An unfathomable stubbornness for I-formation power football with personnel not suited for that type of play certainly has quite a bit to do with the slow starts. Then when it becomes too late, the team realizes success out of the shotgun.. My feeling is that Illinois is much more hostile towards Michigan so it will not get any easier this coming week. Need to open up Denard and company right from the beginning to quiet the Illini crowd. Look for us as we take our annual RV roadtrip, this time in mid-November. Not Exactly Exciting.... But after the last couple of years, getting off to a good start in the second half of the season was necessary for all Wolverines. Missed my first kickoff in many years as I tended to the tailgate and walked into the stadium with Michigan down seven early. But it was all Wolverines after that as we methodically put away the Boilermakers. Second stringers played most of the fourth quarter! Back on the road now, first to Iowa and then the RV roadtrip to Illinois. Need the win against Iowa as they seem to always find some weird way of beating us in the cornfields. Lets bring it home boys! Go Blue!! Back To Football (and Tailgating).... After being at the first six games, most of them home tailgates, I was looking forward to the break of October. But now it is back to tailgating and football as we celebrate homecoming. Purdue is in town and it is time to get off to a confident start to the second half of the season. John Bacon's new book is being analyzed by all the blogs and it describes in detail the downward spiral we endured during the second half of the last three seasons. Also time for a second wind to the tailgating season so come on out and join us as we cheer our Wolverines on to victory. Frustrating But Foreseen.... I had no magic dream that our Wolverines would go undefeated as each week exposed weaknesses that would at some point haunt us. When it became evident the game against Wayne State Spartans would be played in a tornado, my fears mounted as I have personally witnessed the Wolverine passing attack for six straight weeks and shortcomings were clear. Being tied at halftime gave me hope as our coaching staff had been making their best judgments at halftime. Yet when it all played out, I am of the opinion our staff was out coached and made several poor play calls that hurt any potential comeback. For now, it is time to make sure we improve from this mid-season speed bump and get back on the winning track. We have several very winnable games in front of us and it is up to that same coaching staff to ensure our slides from past seasons does not occur again. Magnificent Roadtrip.... It was quite summer like in the Windy City as Wolverine fans invaded northern Illinois. Maize and Blue shirts could be seen everywhere especially on game day as Michigan fans waited for the evening match up. Ugly mistakes by the offense resulted in a halftime deficit but once again the right adjustments were made and the Wolverines outscores NW 28-0 in the second half. This week it is the annual match up with little brother as Michigan travels to East Lansing for what should be a much tougher ( and clearly more hostile) road environment. The forecast calls for a lot of wind which should make passing and kicking the ball an adventure. The green and gold (the schizophrenic school doesn't even know what their team colors are) will likely stack the line of scrimmage so it will be up to the boys in the trenches to create the gaps. Big rushing day for our entire backfield will bode well for our Wolverines. Go Blue!! We've Been Here Before.... Before everyone tips over the bandwagon, keep in mind we have been in this exact same spot the last couple of years. Yeah, it feels a lot different because we seem to be better prepared, especially on defense but two games on the road will tell us even more about this team. Though in the past years we never spanked even the bad teams. By any measure, a 58-0 score in the Big Ten is a complete game. The defense will get a good test this weekend as we head to Northwestern and a weekend in the Windy City. We'll know a lot more next week. Go Blue!! Improvements.... As we close out the non-conference portion of the Wolverine schedule, it is clear the defense has improved over what we have seen over the last few years. Certainly there are times when players appear to be out of position or have taken the wrong angle but simply using the metric of points allowed shows the improvement. But we've been thru undefeated Septembers the last couple of years only to be steamrolled in the Big Ten schedule so I think everyone is maybe holding their breath a bit to see what October brings. This week is the battle of the Little Brown Jug as Minnesota comes to town fresh off of a terrible non-conference slate. Many thought they wouldn't be too bad when they played USC close but they look to be a team that was correctly picked to finish last in their division. Keep the Jug in Ann Arbor another year boys! Adjustments....
One accolade I have to extend to the current coaching staff is their
willingness and ability to make adjustments when the game is not going the way
we all expect it to. The prior regime was far too stubborn to change to
accommodate the personnel on the field but this staff seems to work with in the
parameters of their skill set. It makes for very slow starts in games but at
least adjustments are being made. Of course, you have to wonder when they will
abandon their season game plan right from the beginning of a game but the
changes seem to be coming earlier each week. The match up this week is quite
intriguing as the Wolverine coaching staff is very familiar with the players on
the SDSU roster. This is not a gimme game so we can use all the help we can get
in anticipating what the opponents may do. It is alos the last non-conference
game before we head into the Big Incredible But Troublesome.... I've seen a lot of games over the years, plenty of heartbreaks along with some spectacular endings. But to watch first an incredible comeback by our Wolverines only to be followed up by a way too easy of an ND touchdown almost made my head explode. Fortunately, Shoelace had thirty more seconds of spectacular play left in him as he and the rest of the Wolverines knocked off the Irish to create the most raucous atmosphere I have ever witnessed at Michigan Stadium. Nobody left. For twenty or more minutes after the game was over, fans stayed in the stadium watching the Wolverines celebrate while pumping their fists to one tune after another over the new sound system. But the good was only one quarter of the game. The bad and the ugly left me steaming thru the first three quarters. Fortunately, Coach Hoke is spot on with his message that this Michigan team still needs a lot of hard work if they want to play for something worthwhile when we get to November. Although fundamentals such as tackling are considerably better, there are still times when guys are simply out of position. But we passed our first real test and have our second directional game for Washtenaw County bragging rights. It is also the annual Après Tailgate so come on out and enjoy the fall day. Incomplete.... Mother Nature prevented the game against WMU from being completed and it sure did look like the Wolverine rebuilding process still has a ways to go. At times, the Michigan defense allowed the Bronco offense to move down the field easily and quickly. Sure, the turnovers prevented the WMU offense from scoring but they seemed to run their plays at will. Clearly it will require regular blitzing to stop top tier offenses. Hopefully, we'll see considerable improvement as the season progresses. Up next is the first night game at Michigan Stadium against Notre Dame which require a marathon tailgate. Slow and steady is the call of the day. Come join us!! Getting Close.... The first game of the season is just days away and the tailgate preparations are well underway. Don't forget to check the menu page frequently and let me know what you plan to bring so we organize a well coordinated tailgate. A new feature added to the menu page are approximate times we hope to serve food. This was in part necessitated by the tailgate marathon the ND game will require with nearly 18 hours of tailgating. After each tailgate, come back to check out the photos from the previous week as we prepare for the next tailgate. Make note now of the annual Après Tailgate which will be held week three following the EMU game. Hope to see you on Saturday and Go Blue!!! We're Back.... After a bit of a software glitch following a computer upgrade, we're back online and ready for the new era of the upcoming season. The Wolverines are putting the finishing touches on their two-deep roster and GarsWorld is starting to bring together the tailgate equipment for the upcoming season. A September full of home games including the first ever night game makes this preparation exciting yet important for a successful season. All the GarsWorld participants can make everything easier by giving some forethought to your contributions to the tailgate and letting me know in advance what you will be bringing. The current plan is for three meals for the ND marathon so start thinking ahead a couple of weeks. Hope to see you all out at GarsWorld!! GO BLUE!!! New Era, Square Pegs.... The start of the 2011 season keeps growing closer and the talk of the Wolverine blogsphere is the use of our offensive weapons in the new scheme. The spring game gave us a taste of Denard and company trying to run a power I and it didn't look good. I keep telling everyone I hope I am wrong but I'm concerned our Wolverines will struggle again because of the stubbornness of the coaching staff. Our personnel on both sides of the ball are older and more experienced but to now try and change all they have learned could result in a steep learning curve. We also may not have the big bodies needed to run the power I. Again, I hope I am wrong but we'll begin to get some answers in a few short weeks. Go Blue!! Spring Football.... Certainly looks to be a work in progress as the new look offense never seemed to find a rhythm. The defense looked to be improved if only from the multiple sets and schemes Coach Mattison brought to the Wolverines. My initial thought is that we may be looking for our defense to carry the day early in the season. We'll see in little over four months. We've Moved.... If you are still looking for us at Ann Arbor Golf & Outing. you need to get up to date and check out the maps found elsewhere in this website. After some searching, we settled on a reserved spot at Pioneer. Updated maps and directions can be found in the Tailgatin' section. Ideas From The True Blue
|
