SALINE, MICHIGAN AUGUST 19, 2006 The Ann Arbor News featured an interesting piece on new Michigan linebacker’s coach Steve Szabo, a college and NFL journeyman who’s in his first season at Michigan. His resume is impressive: – 3 years playing halfback and defensive back at Navy, played with Roger Staubach.– He served in Viet Nam after leaving Navy.– NFL stints with Jacksonville, Buffalo, and for the Patriots, where he got his Super Bowl ring.– College stops with Iowa, Ohio State, Iowa State, Toledo and Western Michigan. To me, here’s the most interesting part of the article, where Szabo describes his relationship with Lloyd Carr: Szabo said his familiarity with Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr drew him to Ann Arbor. As defensive coordinators in the early 1990s, he and Carr would occasionally talk Xs and Os. Earlier, Szabo was an assistant coach at Ohio State when Carr started as an assistant at Michigan in 1980, and the two staffs had a lot of contact with each other. I understand that there is a coaching fraternity. These guys often hop from team to team (as demonstrated by Szabo), and just like in politics like to keep a friendly relationship with all the players. But swapping Xs and Os, and that they “had a lot of contact” with each other? I wonder if…
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Malone, Herrmann Out at Michigan
Offensive and Defensive to have new leadership in 2006 SALINE, MICHIGAN FEBRUARY 12, 2006 It is confirmed that Terry Malone and Jim Herrmann are out as Michigan’s head coordinators. Both men will leave to take jobs in the NFL. Here’s what you won’t hear anyone admit, but they were basically fired. Coach Lloyd Carr has always provided little info when firing his assistants, and in this case, just basically said they were moving on to bigger opportunities. Sorry, but O and D coordinator at Michigan is bigger than one of the assistants on any NFL team. Carr huddled with both men after the season (and Herrmann is a close friend) and clearly told them it was time to move on.
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Give Lloyd Carr Credit for the Depth
Another point of view on a common criticism of Carr EVANSTON, ILLINOIS OCTOBER 30, 2005 Lloyd Carr consistently gets criticism for not challenging for national titles despite having highly ranked recruiting classes year after year. This is certainly a valid discussion point, but I hardly ever hear Carr praised for delivering the depth and talent that Michigan possesses. There are several dimensions to this. First, this criticism kind of assumes that, by virtue of the winged helmets and “tradition”, Michigan simply opens the doors to Schembechler Hall and lets the top talent line up for scholarships. This implies that Carr has no hand in, a) actually recruiting the top prospects and, b) continuing to create a desirable program that kids want to be a part of (5 Big Ten titles, 9 straight New Year’s day bowls, let alone a place that parents are proud to send their children). These critics assume that anyone could come in and continue dragging in top talent year after year. I’m not so sure this is as easy as it seems to come to Carr and his staff. Second, I don’t hear Carr praised when the value of these deep recruiting classes actually makes a difference. Look at this season. This team continues to lose its top players yet there’s always a Wolverine back-up ready…
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Henne Finds Manningham to Sink Penn State 27-25 (2005)
Michigan reverses fortune with the final second winSALINE, MICHIGAN OCTOBER 15, 2005 This team is getting pretty frustrating to watch. Nothing is coming easy for them, so it’s nice to take this one away as a win. The three loses clearly could have gone either way, and now Michigan’s two big wins are in the same category. Chad Henne drilled a pass through the Penn State secondary on the final play of the game, right in the hands of Mario Manningham for another glorious Michigan come-from-behind 27-25 win. This presents another chance for Michigan to redeem themselves and somehow the downtrodden Blue is still in the Big Ten race, at least for a share. A lot of this they control: Michigan needs to beat Iowa, Northwestern and Ohio State and hope for at least 1 more loss out of Wisconsin or Penn State. PSU hosts Wisconsin on November 5th. My take: Michigan will stumble again. Takeaways:– This Season. It seems every major game is coming down to the final few plays, and in most cases, seconds. It really shouldn’t be, Michigan should be putting these teams away. M is getting into a cycle of surrendering double digit leads and having to attempt a comeback. Twice they’ve pulled it out (MSU, Penn State), and twice they’ve failed (Minnesota, Wisconsin). I can’t…
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Irish Prevail over Bumbling Wolverines 2005
First clever ND drive, poor Henne play stop #3 BlueANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN SEPTEMBER 11, 2005 There were certainly a lot of questions going into the annual rematch with Notre Dame. The Irish were coming off a decisive win over ranked Pitt, and Michigan’s defense showed some holes in their win over Northern Illinois. But in one of the most baffling performances in recent times, the Wolverines stepped on themselves leading to their first home loss since 2002. To show you how dumbfounding this game was, check out the table below. To the left, the conventional wisdom on the street before kick-off. To the right, what actually happened during the game. Some of the pre-game hype was validated, but most left you scratching your head: Pre-game conventional wisdom/What Actually happened The game would be a shoot-out. The over/under was just around 60 points.Both offenses struggled for the most part, in the 17-10 score. The Notre Dame win over Pitt was meaningless. On Friday night Pitt lost to Ohio.Notre Dame scored at will against Pitt and moved the ball right down the field in one of the most impressive opening drives witnessed in Michigan stadium (12 plays, no third downs!). That said, the Pitt game wasn’t meaningless – Notre Dame has talent. Notre Dame couldn’t stop Michigan’s brilliant offenseNotre Dame stopped Michigan’s…
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Letter to Mitch Albom: Willingham Dismissal was Just
Rambo fires back at Mitch By Mike Kennedy DETROIT, MICHIGAN DECEMBER 9, 2004 [Editor’s note: This is a letter to Detroit Press sports writer and author Mitch Albom in response to Albom’s December 1, 2004 column criticizing Notre Dame for firing coach Tyrone Willingham. You can read Albom’s column Here] Mitch, I read with great interest your column in the Free Press with regard to the Tyrone Willingham firing. While I commend you for not playing the obligatory race card like most other pundits, I must take issue with the general premise of your article. You call the move coldhearted, but if you have followed the Notre Dame Football program closely during this tenure, you would notice some glaring problems that resulted in Notre Dame’s program slipping to mediocrity, with no tangible evidence of recovering. Sub-par recruiting efforts, horrible overall technique exhibited by the players, lack of player development, a general lack of game preparedness, and non-existent game day adjustments are but a few of the problems that have led to the regression of this program and the subsequent firing. Further, a multimillion dollar buyout is hardly the coldhearted equivalent of Joe Six Pack getting a pink slip from the mill. If the acceptance of mediocrity at a program as storied as Notre Dame is your idea of normal, then…
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Jim Tressel Bio
Who is this guy who keeps beating the M? Named as the Ohio State Buckeyes 22nd head coach Jan. 18, 2001, Tressel led his first Buckeye squad to a 7-5 record that included a dramatic road win over archrival Michigan in the regular-season finale and a berth in the Outback Bowl. Last year, Ohio State literally came from out of nowhere to capture the school’s and the Big Ten’s first consensus national title since 1968. The Buckeyes achieved the elusive title by posting a 13-0 regular-season record and then upsetting top-ranked Miami in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3 in a 31-24 double-overtime thriller. Tressel was showered with accolades following the 2002 campaign. He was named National Coach of the Year by the America Football Coaches Association (an award he won three times at Division 1-AA Youngstown State), thus becoming the first person in the history of the AFCA to win that honor at two different schools. He also received the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award from the Football Writers Association of America. Additionally, Tressel was selected as the Bobby Dodd and the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year. He also was the choice of the Touchdown Club of Columbus and the Pigskin Club of Washington D.C. as National Coach of the Year. Prior…
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Michigan falls in Bo Bobblehead Game (Ohio State 26, Michigan 20 – 2001)
It was a painful medley of futility, mistakes, and missed opportunities, as Michigan lost to Ohio State 26-20. With the loss, the Michigan Wolverines blew its chance to claim the Big Ten title and the automatic BCS bid. On a brighter note, #1000SSS passed out Bo Bobbleheads! Read on:
