Lil' Bro n' Such

Ask and you shall receive, commenters.

I'm back after a short vacation to give you all your fill of totally biased and irrelevant sports talk.

First off, if you are looking for someone to blame for the gap in between posts, look no further than part-time NRTTS contributor The Swinging Gate for setting me back a couple days in school work by having the gall to get married on a Michigan Football Saturday (last week vs. Eastern). Congratulations are in order, and we at NRTTS wish the new Mr. and Mrs. Gate the best. One quick caveat about the wedding: if there was one thing I was counting on by attending a Kardos wedding it was this; I would not have to sit there and endure endless Ohio State rah-rah music. This was all going as planned until the spiky-haired DJ snuck in "That God Damn Charlie Brown Song" (as Papa Coach Deuce calls it - Hang On, Sloopy for you readers a little slow on the upkeep). If The Swinging Gate was Cyclops, that DJ would have a hole in his chest the size of Mike Hart. There are also unconfirmed rumors that The Gate and Old Man Gate gave the DJ a 3D (Dudley Death Drop) through his table when he asked them to pay their bill. Either way, hell froze over that day - luckily global warming has thawed it out.

Now onto the sports landscape:

• Michigan escaped with a win against Indiana over the weekend. The offense spent the entire period between the 2nd quarter and 8:00 to go in the 4th doing their best 2008 impression. The freshman QBs looked like freshman, and whenever some kind of rhythm was established Guard-Turned-Center David Moosman did his best impression of Trey Junkin. The defense looked very average, but this was expected to start the year. Considering the fact that Oregon Clay native and walk-on Jordan Kovacs is the starter at safety now shows you how little depth this defense has. Kovacs was the victim of a few big plays last Saturday where his lack of speed cost the Wolverines. In his defense, he is very good when he plays near the line of scrimmage, as he made a few nice plays in the running game. That will be a key to watch this Saturday, as Michigan State loves to run the ball and throw play-action off of it.
• Speaking of little brother, do not let their 1-3 record fool you. They will be ready come Saturday. I will have more in the upcoming week as far as a preview goes, but I fully expect Michigan State to play an A+ game. Factoring in that the game will be played in East Lansing, this is Michigan (and the freshman QBs) first road game, and I have the Coach Deuce Line at Michigan State -2.5. This has to do with the questionable health of Tate Forcier, the "backs against the wall" mentality they will have, and the fired up crowd they will have behind them. Again, more to come on this game as the week progresses, but Michigan will be in for a dog fight.
• I thought the Bucks looked outstanding against Illinois. Their defense continues to impress me, as Brian Rolle has turned into a legit Butkus Award candidate. The reason for his play can be attributed to that nasty D-Line he has in front of him. If there is a better front 4 in America, I would like to see it. Offensively, they did what they needed to do with those weather conditions. I'm not really sold on either Boone Herron (thank you, ABC color man for giving us the story about how his dad actually calls him Boone...for Daniel Boone) or Brandon Saine. Terrelle Pryor is what he is; a freak of an athlete playing quarterback. In games like that, he will excel because he doesn't have to make plays in the passing game. The real test will be when he gets in the 2nd and 3rd and long situations and has to make plays through the air. Either way, the Buckeyes looked impressive and will definitely be in the mix for another Big 10 Championship and BCS Bowl.
• Has there been anyone more overrated these past 3 years than Juice Williams? He got all the talk about he lead the Illini to a win over Ohio State in the 'Shoe two years ago, but since then hasn't done squat. He has not developed as a passer, and some in the Illini Nation are clamoring for backup Eddie McGee (who did not look much better). Either way, Juice is very one dimensional, and his prospects for the NFL are looking bleak. Now that I've said this, he will run for 150+ and throw 2 long TD passes against Michigan.
• Poor Browns fans - wait, never mind. Poor Braylon Edwards. This born winner is stuck on an abysmal team with no QB and no RB. Not too mention he is too handsome for Cleveland. That city hasn't seen someone that suave since Roger Dorn was playing 3rd base.
• I love all the overreactions we see out of the media after 3 weeks of the NFL. Last week we heard all about how the Patriots and Tom Brady were doomed. All they did was go out and handle a very good Atlanta team, with Brady throwing for 277 and a TD - in the rain. That is the problem with today's media market. It is so "what is the story now" that analysts are forced to make claims that are entirely premature so that they can have something to talk about on the 6 o'clock Sportscenter.

That's all the time I have for today, hope you enjoyed it. I will be back sometime later this week with an MSU/UM preview, among other things.

As always, NRTTS

Coach Deuce

Clean Sweepin'

Karma.

That is the only plausible explanation that could come out of last weekend's college football games.

It was a weekend that I had seen blow up in my face all too often the past couple years. Michigan is playing a big rival in Notre Dame, Ohio State has a huge game in the national spotlight, and Michigan State has an easy MAC opponent. Inevitably, Michigan would fall to Notre Dame in some pitiful fashion, Ohio State would squeak by its opponent by some miracle of Tressel Ball, and Michigan State would give it's fan base false hope once again.

So at roughly 11:30 p.m. when that last Terrelle Pryor pass fluttered to the turf, I had to take a moment and pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The clean sweep had happened; Michigan wins, and its three big rivals (OSU, ND, MSU) all fall in epic fashion. The last time this happened you had to go all the way back to October 2nd, 2004; Braylon Edwards was still playing for Michigan. That same day, Mike Nugent proved he was human, missing a game winning FG as time expired. OSU would lose to Northwestern 33-27 in OT. Michigan State got throttled by Drew Tate and the Iowa Hawkeyes, 38-16. Notre Dame lost a squeeker to the Wilford Brimley-led Purdue Boilermakers, 41-16. So what state of mind does this epic occurence leave me in nearly four days later?

I am frightened like a Pizza Hut lunch buffet when Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel walk in.

Somehow, the tempered expectations for Michigan just went from "7-5 is a good year" to "OMG National CHAMPS!!!" The baseline for our freshman quarterback duo went from "manage the game" to "be Tim Tebow." To say the national media has blown up Tate Forcier and Matt Barkley's performances on Saturday would be like saying Antonio Henton likes prostitutes, Charles Haley missed his calling as a porn star, or Marques Slocum has some weird pets. All of these factors have me terrified for the first time Forcier acts like a freshman. Terrified when someone finally takes advantage of an undersized Michigan defense for a full 60 minutes (Thank you, Charlie for out thinking yourself yet again). Terrified for when a hyped up Ohio State defense led by future NFL first rounder Brian Rolle rolls into the Big House to take on the Wolverines.

But I would not have it any other way. There is an excitement back in Michigan football for the first time since Appalachian State came in and exposed Lloyd Carr's team as a lazy, over-confident, and slow bunch of individuals. Now, fans of Michigan have a team that is united behind a previously-under-fire coach, a freshman quarterback that probably just learned how to unhook a bra, and a legion of fans that are thirsting for more. This is what we had in mind when we hired Rich Rodriguez; an exciting brand of football that will make us forget about the 20-17 snoozefests of the Lloyd Carr/Mike DeBord era. Michigan may not be "all the way" back yet, but they took a big step forward last Saturday.

Your time is running out, Big Ten. You better get your shots in while this team is still young. There will be no more 42-7 beat downs at The 'Shoe on a Nick Sheridan led Michigan team. Optimism is again in the air at The Big House, and I can't help but still be......terrified.

As always, Never Run The Toss Sweep.

Coach Deuce

Prediction Time

It's Friday, which only means one thing around these parts. One more day until Christmas. We are about 30 hours away from kicking off one of the greatest rivalries in the Midwest, and I could not be any more excited. Fat Charlie will lead his much ballyhooed troops into The Big House to take on Coach Rod's Michigan Wolverines, in which the winner should gain some much needed confidence going through the rest of the regular season. Before I get to far into this one, there is one other game I want to talk about..

USC vs. Ohio State

Some would say this is the "main event" of the evening, but I think it will be more like 1991 WWF wrestling. More people wanted to watch Mr. Perfect and Bret Hart fight it out for the Intercontinental Title than watch Hulk Hogan take on "Iraqi Turncoat" Sgt. Slaughter. Two huge superpowers in the sport, but somehow you thought that the guys fighting before them were going to be the future of the sport. In this case, Notre Dame would clearly be Mr. Perfect, not fulfilling its potential and dying prematurely. Anyways, back to the game; there a couple key match ups that I believe will dictate the outcome of this one.

• OSU D-Line vs. USC O-Line - The OSU defensive line is what I perceive to be the strength of their team. With Cam Heyward leading the way, they have a couple serious NFL prospects. That being said, USC also is loaded with talent up front. OSU needs to consistently get pressure on true frosh QB Matt Barkley so that he becomes rattled and makes some freshman mistakes. If Barkley is allowed to sit back there and get comfortable, his natural talent will take over and it will be an uphill battle for the OSU defense.
• Terrelle Pryor vs. USC Secondary - Pryor needs to be better in the passing game. USC will eat "Boom" Herron and the running game alive if they are allowed to stack 8 in the box. Pryor did not show me that he could complete the timing routes against Navy, instead showing the 2008 Pryor who relied on scrambling ability and wide open receivers to gain yardage through the air. That will not work against USC. They will track TP down much faster than any Midshipman could. MLB Chris Galippo is a legit future NFL starter, and his spy game with Pryor will be another key match up to watch. If TP cannot loosen up the USC defense than it will be a long night in Columbus.

So who wins? Fight on, Trojans. All the nonsense about wanting the Big Ten to win goes right out the window in this one. I root for four teams: 1) Michigan 2) OSU's opponent 3) ND's opponent 4) MSU's opponent.

USC 38, Ohio State 20

Now to the game that matters most to me. There a couple key match ups that I will be watching in this one..

• ND's Passing Attack vs. UM Front and Secondary - This is probably the biggest match up in the game. Last year, Notre Dame relied on a lot of max protection to afford Jimmy Clausen some time to throw the ball against Michigan's terrible secondary. I look for them to do much of the same this year, only Michigan is much, much improved on defense. If Brandon Graham and company can still get some pressure on JC Superstar, than the Michigan defense will be successful. If they cannot get pressure, than it will be a long day for them. Michael Floyd, Golden Tate, and Kyle Rudolph are too talented to be shut down. The big plays scare me in this one, so if Michigan limits them they will have an advantage.
• UM Rushing Attack vs. ND Front Eight - I say front 8 because I believe ND will stack the box, especially with Junior Hemingway being listed as questionable. If Michigan does not have a deep threat, there is no reason for the Irish safeties to be playing 12-15 yards off the ball. Michigan must be able to run the football and break some big plays off the running game. Brandon Minor is listed as probable, but he is still a bit gimpy so I think we see more of Carlos Brown and Michael Shaw. They both proved they could fill in nicely, but they are still not Brandon Minor. The wild card (or wild cat?) in this situation is Denard Robinson. If Shoelace can break a couple long ones that will relieve a lot of pressure on Tate and the passing game.

So who wins? Who do you think wins?! I like Michigan in this one, if for no other reason than I cannot pick against them. I'll admit, I'm not overly confident about this one, as the Irish have a ton more experience on offense. Somehow though, I think Michigan pulls this one off. I think the main reason I expect that is because of the huge chip on their shoulder. They have a big "Eff You" attitude going right now, and with Charlie "To Hell With Michigan" Weis coming into town, they will be sky high. The crowd carries them through to a victory - Go Blue!

Michigan 27, Notre Dame 21

NRTTS

Coach Deuce

Growing Pains

For those interested, I've joined on with the guys over at The Inside Handshake to try to bring some NRTTS perspective into their mostly Buckeye world. My debut post is up there right now. Updates will still be frequent and most important over here at NRTTS, so do not fear (for the two or three people that actually still read this damn thing).

Coach Deuce

All's Quiet on the Western Front

I was there. Its a standard unlike anyother. It doesn't make you better, but it gives you a different perspective. We all love to tell people "I was there"; Even if you weren't. I was there when Woodson ran the punt back. I was there for App State. I was there for Western Michigan.

Why would anyone care if I was there for WMU? Because this was the start of a new era. 3-9 is a thing of the past. Today we spring with eternal optimism for the first time in 3 years. Its week 2 and we're still in the hunt. No, I'm not calling this a National Title year. Yesterday was a huge step forward for the Michigan football program. The pictures and sounds do not do this event justice.

The renovations are incredible. You don't realize how big they are til you're standing right there in awe of the Even Bigger House. The boxes haven't opened and the construction workers are the only ones to sit in the new club seats. But the environment in Michigan Stadium has changed 180 degrees in 9 months. Even without the glass reflecting sound back there was an energy within those stadium walls that hadn't been felt in 10 years. Chants of Rich Rod-riguez showed that the man was where he belonged. We were ready for this.

Watching Tate Forcier direct traffic and lob a perfect pass to the Junior Hemmingway was a play this fanbase has been waiting for. When Shoelace Robinson bobbled a snap, moved right, cutback left and put it in a gear unknown to Michigan Stadium we thought "Finally". We were on the right side of playmaking. And now we've got two playmakers behind center. The bomb to Junior that hit him perfectly in stride was another play not seen in years. And at every one of these intersections the fans cheered.

And the offense wasnt the only thing to cheer about. The defense played an aggressive style not seen in these parts since the days of Woodson and Steele. There weren't a ton of blitzes from but the front four did their part to put pressure in the backfield and force Western to think more than twice each play. But the real story of the day for the defense was TACKLING. With the loss of Morgan Trent we now have to corners on the edge who can play man to man and make a tackle on an island. The defense always seemed in control of themselves and knowing where they were going.

One of the best moments of the day was after the game was already decided. With Western pinned deep in their own endzone the defense starts urging for the stadium to get loud, a feat usually met with a few yells and a huge letdown, and the stadium responded. You could see the players were feeding off the energy of the crowd...then the officials couldn't figure out how to run a clock and after 3 solid minutes of uproar the crowd finally dwindled down enough for WMU to get out of their own end. While not effective at that juncture it makes you feel positive about a similar situation in October and November with the outcome still in doubt.

Another point that needs addressed. At the final second there were more people in the stadium than I've seen aside from the 1997 OSU game. While I think part of it was the strong desire to see an ass whipping most of the credit has to go to the new use of multimedia. A fairly boring second half was kept entertaining by choruses of "Don't Stop Believing" and "Sweet Caroline" sung mostly by the fans. The All In For Michigan Video and soundtrack kept the stadium electrified and focused on the field.

You are supposed to get better through the course of the year. And if this team follows that mold the Buckeyes had better look out. Yup, I'm looking ahead. But watching this team was like night and day. As the team came over to chants of BEAT THE IRISH, BEAT THE IRISH order felt restored and a new day had dawned on our beloved Wolverines. We have our confidence back, and we've got a team with swagger back.

Its only been one game but this feels like the kind of team that if you get it rolling you better get the hell out of the way. These two QBs seem oblivious to the pressure that sits on their shoulders and the Defense has its swagger back. This could be the year we look back and say, "We should've seen it coming during the Western game" I'll be able to say "I was there

Let the Gate Swing Freely and remember, BEAT THE IRISH!!!

Note- The thought of Navy going in for the tie against the Buckeyes started the day out strong. All of section 35 was hoping for the PA announcement "Final Score from Columbus...." It never came. The only let down of the day.

I almost forgot....THERE'S NO WALL....This renovation made one mistake...and that's getting rid of this wall...my Grandfather peed on that wall...I someday hoped my boys would pee on that wall...and they took it out...a sad day indeed.

Musings on Week One

Wake up, Junior!

So week one of the college football season is all but in the books, with only another "terrible offenses masked by the notion that people think we still have elite defenses" Miami vs. Florida State game. Here are my thoughts from around the college football world...

First the Michigan game:

• The first thing that jumped out at me was how much more speed this team has than last year's team. Denard Robinson adds something as a change of pace quarterback, which should be his role on this team for the rest of the season. Troy Woolfolk and Michael Williams brought speed to the safety positions. However, the biggest impact came with guys that were not even on the team last year. Kelvin Grady impressed the hell out of me at the slot receiver position, showing he has some play making potential. Craig Roh also brought great energy and speed from the Spinner position. Loved what I saw from the "speedsters" in week one.
• Junior Hemingway had a helluva first game, showing that he has real potential to be a #1 receiver. Something UM lacked last year was a guy that could stretch the field, which really allowed teams to focus on bubble screens and bring pressure. With Hemingway providing a deep threat, safeties will not be able to crowd the line of scrimmage, opening up running lanes and bubble screens.
• The third cornerback is still a bit of a mystery. This needs to be worked out ASAP with Notre Dame's outstanding receiving trio of Michael Floyd, Golden Tate, and Kyle Rudolph coming to town. Floyd was an absolute mismatch for the Irish last year, so here's to hoping that a healthy Donovan Warren can help limit him. JT Floyd may have just opened up the door for freshman Justin Turner to grab the #3 corner spot and never look back.
• Great to hear the enthusiasm at the Big House! That was the loudest I had heard the Big House in a long time, and I hope that continues. The "Rich Rod-rig-uez" chant was awesome, and just shows that all the fans that "count" are ALL-IN for UM Football!

The Ohio State game:

• There shouldn't be too much panic about the Buckeye's struggling against Navy's option attack. It is such a unique system, and it is run with near perfect execution, so I think that even the best defenses would struggle with it. What I would be concerned about is the big plays given up in the secondary. Navy does not have big play receivers, yet they were able to get behind the Ohio State secondary for huge plays that almost cost the Buckeyes the game. They need to shore that up, or Matt Barkley will carve up the secondary.
• I didn't see much progress in Terrelle Pryor's throwing game. This is a huge concern if I am a Buckeye fan. While his stats were still impressive, I did not see much of a "pocket passing" game. Where Pryor excelled was when he improvised and guys were wide open. Against better teams, they will have to be able to complete the timing routes to keep the pressure off the running game.
• Brian Rolle is going to be a helluva player. The guy flies from sideline to sideline and makes plays. James Laurinaitis will not be missed very much with Rolle patrolling the middle.

From other games:

• How poor did Oklahoma look without Sam Bradford? Give credit to BYU, but Oklahoma was supposed to have so many offensive weapons that it shouldn't have mattered if Bradford was out. I saw an offensive line that was rattled after BYU refused to give in. Once Bradford went down, there was no leadership out there on the field. Sorry, Big Game Bob, you will have to wait another year for your next national title appearance.
• I really do not like Nick Saban coached teams. Alabama played with a swagger that was way more of a cockiness than a confidence. Rolando McClain made some huge mental errors that led to a Virginia Tech touchdown, and that will not fly against the big boys in the SEC.
• Tyrod Taylor did not impress me one bit. Taylor tried to prove that he had improved his passing game, but in doing that he got away from what made him such a threat in the first place. He is still a poor passer, and if he is not using his legs than he is really of no use to anyone. A lot of unfulfilled hype in the season debut for Tyrod. How much of that is chalked up to an elite Alabama defense we will find out.
• The rule allowing for Northern Iowa to get off two last second field goals in their game against Iowa needs to be changed. There should be no circumstance that should allow a team to get two chances, unless it is a Leon Lett-style bonehead play.

Overall, it was a pretty good first week for college football. By definition, any weekend with college football is amazing; this just proved to be a bit above the "good" amazing. Next week is going to be huge, with the Big Ten having the chance to prove it's detractors wrong. Except Ohio State, they can die.

Go Blue and NRTTS

Coach Deuce