• Slick Nick Sheridan

    November 8, 2008 /

    To the victor goes the spoils, look who was seen with #8 in Minneapolis after the game: So let’s get down to it:* Sheridan played great, not just good. I, like you, expected a train wreck today so give him a lot of credit.* His final passing stats don’t do justice (18-30, 203 yards and 33 rushing). He played smart, he protected the ball, and actually threw a handful of very nice balls downfield, at least two of which were flat out dropped by the receivers.* Give Sheridan half the credit, the rest to Scott Shafer and the defense for protecting the Little Brown Jug, which will now be held in the familiar confines of Schembechler Hall until November 2011. How ’bout dem apples!:

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  • Jug Deal: Win One, Get two Free

    November 7, 2008 /

    The original Little Brown (White?) Jug, from Historic Michigan Football Photos. HT: Caught this nugget on Sam Webb’s show this morning and it really hurts. The winner of Saturday’s battle will keep the Little Brown Jug for not only a year, but until November 5, 2011 (!). Bollocks! Yes, due to the way the schedule shakes out the Wolverines and Gophers don’t meet for another three years. Thankfully that game is in Ann Arbor (kick-off time hasn’t been determined quite yet). That’s our jug! As Lloyd Carr reminded everyone last year, we bought it, they stole it. It’s ours–let’s keep it. Should we fail, it’ll be the longest stint that the jug’s been in Minnesota since a four year stretch from 1960 until Michigan won it back in 1964. Previous to that, Minnesota’s great Bennie Bierman-led Depression era teams held the receptacle from 1934-1942.

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  • Braylon’s Bad Bet

    November 7, 2008 /

    Recall that earlier this year former Michigan WR Braylon Edwards made a friendly wager with his workout pal Michael Phelps: JUNE 26 – ANN ARBOR, MICH. …Edwards was sure this was taking his fitness to another level. So he and Phelps made a friendly wager. “For every gold you win in Beijing,” Edwards told the Olympian, “I’ve got to score two touchdowns this year.” ——— AUGUST 16 – BEREA …Phelps called Edwards from Beijing soon after he won his final gold medal and reminded him of their bet. “I got eight,” Phelps said, “so that means you’ve got to get 16 touchdowns this year.” “News flash,” Edwards said. “I did that last year. I’ll give you 17.” News flash, it’s not looking so good for Bray. His mere three touchdown catches this season with seven games remaining mean Edwards better put up a truly Phelpsian performance and haul in a couple per game from new quarterback Brady Quinn. If last night was any indication, it’s not looking to good. Quinn and Edwards hooked up just once for fifteen yards.

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  • Index is no Joke

    November 7, 2008 /

    A comment on the current Power Index from reader ‘M Fan’: You’re joking, right? Your “power index” has Michigan ranked ahead of Purdue? By what logic??? I suspected this all along, but obviously, this index is idiotic. Response: Nope, this isn’t a joke this is very serious. The Big Ten has approached me* about using the Index to determine the order of bowl selections after the Rose. Read ‘How it Works’ and note a few things to understand: A team that is .7 of a point ahead of another team isn’t really “ranked” ahead of the other. Statistically it is insignificant.  Both teams equally blow. M Fan’s implied argument is that Purdue beat Michigan last week, therefore how on earth could Michigan be slotted higher than Purdue? This isn’t the AP poll. The index asks the pollsters to rate each team in the index against each other each week as if they were going to meet on a neutral field. If you came away from that game Saturday thinking that Purdue was clearly the superior team, that’s fine, but that’s not what the guys in the index saw. Most, including me, believe a game on a neutral field would be a toss-up. (At least today). Finally, I still get notes/comments suggesting that this is a clearly Michigan-biased poll, which might…

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  • Power Index Week 10

    November 5, 2008 /

    The index pretty much held this week with the exception of the Irish and Northwestern switching slots after Notre Dame’s tough loss to Pittsburgh. Michigan State had a great win over Wisconsin who’s leadership has to be questioned after they way they handled the closing moments of that game. Here’s the index: Comments from the pollsters: Gilliam the Badger “Well, Texas Tech beat Texas, and leapfrogged PSU, on their bye week. So…does Penn State have a chance to get back into the BCS title game? Someone tell me. Michigan State couldn’t stop PJ Hill or John Clay, but a series of bad mistakes and inability to finish games puts the talented Badgers in last place. That last one was frustrating. Probably about as frustrating as throwing a pick-six with :12 left to Northwestern. At home. On homecoming. That’s all I know. This is my worst season as a Badger since 1989!” Lew, the Hoosier“Good win for Sparty, but what in the world was Bielema thinking calling a timeout to let Sparty settle its field goal unit for the game winner? It’s tough being a Michigan fan this year, but it’s gotta be tougher being a Badger fan. And speaking of M fans, good to see the majority of you are on board (at least with Coach Rod) based on the…

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