WTI: The Return

WTI: Cake!

Craig:	Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Whatever This Is. I'm Craig Barker, thanking our service veterans...
Geoff:	And remembering the 90th anniversary of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Geoff:	So Saturday was more than a little unexpected.
Craig:	It's a good feeling around these parts, a strange and missing feeling this season. We're looking at Michigan, a winner!
Geoff:	It's been a lot longer than we're used to since we could say that.
Jeremy:	It reminded us how fun winning is - especially winning unexpectedly.

Craig:	Indeed. The difference between enjoying a win and praying we don't lose is hugely different
Geoff:	I thought that with Threet out, the way our defense had played at Purdue, and the way Minnesota had simply handled Illinois, we were looking at a missing Jug until 2011. I'd assured the Gopher in the office of it. But then Minnesota went three and out, and we drove down to score. It was only a field goal, but then it was another three and out.
Jeremy:	Pretty soon Sheridan was leading the receivers on screen passes, Justin Feagin was breaking off 40 yard runs, black was white, and up was down.
Craig:	And for 60 minutes on Saturday, almost everything clicked.
Jeremy:	And in the end, the one enduring constant remained as it should be.
(h/t: Varsity Blue)
Geoff:	It wasn't quite a fully-functional battle station, but it was a reasonable facsimile.
Craig:	And it proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt: Michigan is a dome team.
Geoff:	It's too bad about Purdue and Toledo. We would have dominated in the Motor City Bowl.
Geoff:	The most satisfying part of Saturday's performance, for me, was the defense. Time and time again, they stepped up.
Craig:	Indeed. Punishing hits across the board. The way Morgan Trent blew that Gopher up, it was like he was Carl from Caddyshack.
Jeremy:	It's frustrating that it took the players themselves to request they play in a 4-3, but their wish was granted and they delivered.
Geoff:	They made Adam Weber look like he was constantly overwhelmed, a mediocre-at-best Big Ten QB.
Craig:	But the question is, what does this mean for this weekend?
Craig:	I was shocked to learn that Michigan is favored (screwing me mildly on my annual bet on the Michigan/NU game.)
Jeremy:	It means a jubilant, warm welcoming as the team takes the field.
Craig:	It means that we can hopefully get one wave in this season.
Geoff:	Win or lose on Saturday, we should hear "Thank you, seniors."
Geoff:	We'll at least have The Cake.
Craig:	And it will not be made of ashes and rusty nails.
Jeremy:	The Cake! And we're inching ever closer to the moment when the music now known as "the blues" will exist only in the classical record department of your local public library.
Craig:	Thankfully, according to Change.gov, "the blues" may have earned a stay of execution until 2012.
Geoff:	Forget the library, I want to know what "the blues" will be known as in The Future.
Jeremy:	Until 2004, it was set to expire in 2006. I guess, like most things, it will happen when Carl says it happens.
Geoff:	Maybe he'll get another request to take a number out of the mix.
Craig:	As long as Carl and his spotter stop fighting this season like they're in an Pinter drama. (Seriously, I may be alone on this, but no other season has seen Carl and the spotter who puts down and distance up on the scoreboard disagree as much over yardage as they have this year.)
Geoff:	They need to talk to the down and distance guy at Notre Dame
Jeremy:	That guy was *immediate.*
Craig:	That guy was spot on all the time
Geoff:	Do we know what the "America Rocks" show will consist of? "Born in the USA"? "R-O-C-K in the USA"?
Craig:	Oh please say "No More Kings" and "I'm Just a Bill".
Jeremy:	Opens with "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen. Then "America" by Neil Diamond. Then "God Bless the USA" complete with standard biyearly American flag unfurling
Craig:	Because you can't boo freedom?
Geoff:	Even in Columbus.
Jeremy:	Trying to guarantee applause at OSU, I guess.
Geoff:	I'm hoping that Kafka starts for Northwestern. Not because I think he's a step down from Bacher, but because the jokes write themselves. "Kafka appears to have woken up this morning as a giant bug and not a QB"
Craig:	You gotta get contain on the bug though
Geoff:	He'll hurt you if you don't.
Craig:	It'll be a real Trial
Geoff:	His offensive line is trying to put up a Castle around him
Craig:	He's the kind of quarterback Rhett Miller writes love songs about
Jeremy:	I'm no good at these jokes. I'm waiting for the quarterback named Calvinandhobbes or Spartanmarchingband.
Craig:	It's years of quiz bowl experience, Jeremy, which means these jokes are really just therapy for Geoff and myself.
Geoff:	Meanwhile, the Michigan hockey team took their biennial trip to Fairbanks
Craig:	Michigan's effort in Alaska is what you expect. Win one, lose one, see Russia from the rink.
Geoff:	We got a split, which is decent. With all the injuries, I've revised my expectations for the team down a bit.
Craig:	I think we are compelled to do so. Two key defensemen. Michigan can still play with any team, but they're not blowing the doors off everyone.
Geoff:	I think this is the kind of team to scrap its way into the tournament and see what happens. It's not the kind that'll have the regular season we saw last year.
Craig:	They're going to need to win the games they should win on paper
Geoff:	We do have the good fortune to play a lot of games at home in the second half of the season.
Craig:	Yes, the schedule does seem to favor Michigan down the stretch. It also appears that there is no team stepping out in front and saying "We're the ones to beat" yet this season
Geoff:	All I want to see is an NCAA tournament berth and a placement in the Grand Rapids regional, and then we can take it from there.
Craig:	Works for me
Jeremy:	the Grand Rapids regional would make too much sense.
Geoff:	Yeah. I'll buy my tickets again only to see Huntsville come back to town.
Craig:	By the way, it's been a while so my mad props to the Yost crowd for their Halloween weekend effort. Tremendous across the board! Well done!
Jeremy:	Did Frankenberry make it?
Craig:	Yes, and Frankenberry, if you're reading, PLEASE get your costume cleaned. You can send HSR the dry cleaning bill.
Geoff:	With that inspirational message, I think it's about time to call it a day.
Craig:	Indeed. Until next week, enjoy the cake, enjoy the seniors last home game, and above all, Go Blue!
Jeremy:	And while we still can, enjoy Scotty B and his Blues Band. Go Blue!
Geoff:	Go Blue.

WTI: RickRolled

Craig:	Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Whatever This Is. I'm Craig Barker, and I am holding myself together way better than a majority of our brethren...
Geoff:	I feel like I'm making progress. My therapist says I'm doing well.
Craig:	Did you get your shoelaces back yet?
Jeremy:	I don't want anyone to die or be fired, and judging from everyone else around me in the stands, I feel like I'm in the minority there.
Geoff:	There's a clear difference between being unhappy with the present and not believing in the future.
Craig:	Exactly. I'm not thrilled about now, but I can accept that this is the reality and wishing it better doesn't make it so.

Craig:	All right, let's talk about the Rockets' Blue Glare. Hats off to Toledo, they beat Michigan by making the most of their opportunities, a wee bit of luck (how does that bounce in?) and some just plain awful from Michigan.
Geoff:	It was awful to see the defense picked apart on those little 6-yard routes.
Craig:	And yet, you're right, it was, but it was a defense that only allowed two (ok three) field goals. If your defense allows six points, short of actually scoring the ball themselves, what more can they do?
Geoff:	I would've been fine with that output if we could've forced Toledo off the field earlier on their final drive or if I'd seen some better adaptation of the game plan. Example: Toledo kept showing us a formation with two receivers split wide in a sort of stack. Six times they deployed that formation, six times it was a run, and (if I'm not mistaken) it led to 5- and 8-yard gains late in the fourth quarter. The first time I saw it, I called "run". If *I* can see that, why can't we stop it?
Jeremy:	But among those two camps, I'm in the "but 350 yards and 20 catches" camp. That coverage was pillowy soft. We're now deathly afraid to give up the big play, since we saw how that worked vs Illinois
Craig:	So basically it's either gaping stab wound, or death by a million cuts?
Jeremy:	Yep. Lose like it's 2005 or lose like you're playing Illinois
Craig:	I was killed by the five penalties, three idiotic personal fouls and two holds. Those things are just glaring execution errors. I can see where people can use that as evidence of RR doesn't have that team in line yet. I could also see it as frustration
Craig:	And, let's face it, I am not sure Toledo's receivers did not have jetpacks on during that game. Seriously, did people see how they skied for some of those balls?
Jeremy:	How come their Tacopants helps them out?
Craig:	They clapped harder for him to come to life than we did
Geoff:	A lot of good teams also take a lot of penalties, but the problem here is that our offense is so poor that a holding penalty is an absolute drive-killer. At least the band won halftime.
Craig:	I thought the band sounded really good this week. And this doesn't even count the RickRoll.
Geoff:	Jeremy, like you said: You called it.
Jeremy:	I was delighted. I'm sure 80% of the people there had no idea what happened, but those who did loved it.
Craig:	It took me about three seconds to realize that wait, that's Rick Astley's music!
Geoff:	The show itself was a good one. I liked the "Paralyzer" arrangement the best.
Jeremy:	The drill was good too. I saw lots of rotating blocks, which are difficult to maintain and preserve as they move.
Craig:	I thought it was fantastic. I will say, I thought that Toledo sounded solid. There was a Buddy Rich joke I had, but it only works if you know about his legendary rants.
Jeremy:	Toledo's band announcer was exceedingly polite, as if begging for our sympathy.
Craig:	Well gentlemen, we do this every year, the half way post-mortem.
Jeremy:	Their incessant stands cheer sounded like "Buckeye Battle Cry" from a distance. With all the annoying repetition of USC's Fight Dirge (oh yeaaaahhhh!).
Craig:	Where are we now and where do we see us in six weeks.
Geoff:	We suck, we will continue to suck. We might beat MSU on a "Sparty, no!", but I don't expect it.
Jeremy:	We didn't expect it in 2004, 2005, or 2007 either.
Geoff:	I think we have a shot at scratching out a couple of victories, but Toledo was the must-win to keep the bowl streak alive.
Craig:	I moved from "this is not a very good team" to "this is a bad team" this week. Right now, I just want to get out of the season relatively injury free and with two more wins, just so we have four. Anything after that is gravy.
Jeremy:	I'm reduced to banking on Spartan Collapse to save face. And I'm sure that, come OSU week, I'll talk myself into thinking we stand a chance.
Craig:	I still believe the Curse of Eddie Brown may save us yet.
Jeremy:	For example: all their wins have come on blocked punts and punt return TDs, and since the Space Emperor is far and away the best player on the team, we'll be fine.
Craig:	Wow, that is epic rationalization. Tremendous work there.
Geoff:	Unfortunately, it looks like the streak against Penn State is on life support. (Streak: "I'm not dead!" John Cleese: "Well, it will be soon, it's very ill.")
Craig:	But it has been an amazing run. 9 straight wins, 11 years without losing to Penn State. It's nigh unfathomable, really.
Craig:	So let me ask you this gentlemen: What was your favorite win in the streak, and why?
Geoff:	There are a couple ones that are neck and neck for me, but I have to go with the epic Judgment Night victory from '97.
Craig:	That was Dave's (my college roommate and friend of the blog) choice as well. He claims that is his favorite Michigan road win of all time.
Geoff:	To go on the road to the #3 team in the country and just bludgeon them like that, it's beautiful.
Jeremy:	2002 was special, as it was the first OT game in Michigan Stadium...
Craig:	2002 was my vote, but I am biased because I got to hang in the Regents' box that game
Jeremy:	I'd have to say 2005. It meant so much for our season at that point (avoiding 3-3), and it salvaged a glimmer of hope in my otherwise dismal senior year in the band.
Craig:	2005 of course is the legend of The New Math 86=1 and handing Penn State its only loss during that year. And yes, it did salvage the Year of Infinite Pain, didn't it.
Craig:	2002 and 2005 also share the "in the gloaming" aspect, where the win comes when it's dark, making it somehow more memorable.
Geoff:	2005 was my #2. It doesn't lead to glory, but on its own it's an awesome game to behold.
Jeremy:	Plus in terms of pure schadenfreude, it was an incredible toe-stubbing on PSU's part. All they had to do was one of these two things: Don't kick to Steve Breaston, or stop the worst Michigan team in 20 years from scoring a TD on the last play of the game.
Craig:	I actually have a soft place in my heart for 2007, which I call the Mutated Sea Bass Game.
Jeremy:	The game was a hard-fought defensive struggle in the first half and a shootout in the second.
Craig:	Because it got us back to .500, we realized that we still had a chance at the Big Ten championship, and it was a return to normalcy after The Horror and Oregon.
Geoff:	The 2006 Quarterback Massacre was also special, especially coming on the heels of the Ordonez walk-off to send the Tigers to the World Series.
Jeremy:	The "let's go Tigers" chant was almost as fun as singing the Victors on the concourse of their stadium that night.
Craig:	And Michigan staving off a five-goal Connecticut rally to beat the Huskies at Yost (Last time I ever buy fall hockey tickets for a road game night with the new ABC Saturday Night Football in place).
Jeremy:	Also:
Craig:	It's been just amazing, truly amazing run, one I am going to miss when it is gone.
Geoff:	It's been great while it's lasted.
Jeremy:	I wonder if the students will rush the field if they win.
Geoff:	That would be sad. For them.
Jeremy:	it would be validation that we mean that much to them.
Craig:	I really wanted the T-Shirt that said "We Are....Ten Straight". But, it was not meant to be, which is probably for the best.
Geoff:	Anyway, thanks for tuning in, everyone.
Craig:	And please, remain calm, remain rational, and know that the present does not guarantee the future.
Craig:	We'll be here through it all, we hope that you can make it back next week.
Jeremy:	Keep cheering, and to quote Mr. Arnold in Jurassic Park: Hold on to your butts.
Jeremy:	Go Blue.
Geoff:	Go Blue.
Craig:	Go Blue.

WTI: Really?!?

Craig:	Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Whatever This Is. I'm Craig Barker, and I just shed three Michigan tacklers to get here...
Geoff:	I just got clobbered, because I'm not holding a football.
Jeremy:	I can't believe I watched Brad Banks and the Iowa Hawkeyes upset Michigan at homecoming again.
Geoff:	The weather was better this time, at least.

Jeremy:	But my heart felt the same in the end.
Craig:	Well, we'll get to the game soon enough, but let's start with a positive from Saturday, Blast From the Past. Geoff, Jeremy, you were there, your essential takes, my friends?
Geoff:	The organizers of that event do a phenomenal job of putting it together.
Jeremy:	The old cheerleaders are simply incredible. Not only do they actually, like, fire people up, but their mirrored handstand gig involves near certain death if one of them makes a mistake.
Craig:	I have to admit, I love the old cheerleaders, but I had someone ask me if we will keep doing the locomotive cheer until all of them pass on to the Big House in the sky.
Geoff:	Yes. Yes they will.
Craig:	And I am OK with that. One of the hardest things about being in the stands for Blast is that you have so many things going on, there's baton craziness in the North End Zone, there's looking for your friends on the field, there's just, it's a lot of things, too many voices!
Jeremy:	It's always great to be back in the tunnel again and play the fight song in the stadium.
Geoff:	It was strange to be so relaxed about everything. See a hole, fill it in. Make up your own rank moves on the parade. Whoever feels like it, let's go play the business school tailgate. And I definitely haven't played that much since I was in the MMB.
Jeremy:	It's all the fun of being in the band with almost none of the responsibility.
Craig:	It does seem nice and loose. John Wilkins certainly is in his element on a day like that.
Jeremy:	He clearly relishes that time with the alumni.
Craig:	I also want to note, I thought the Jersey Boys show was very crisp. And I will tell you, like Jonesy on the Dallas, I swore I heard....singing... It was faint, but it did seem like the crowd was singing along.
Geoff:	The crowd certainly seemed to be into the show from where I stood. Did we have any drum majors playing with fire this year? I know I saw Cavi with the knives in his pack on Saturday morning.
Craig:	I did not see any, but there was a lot going on
Geoff:	One of the things I forgot was how different a view of the game you have from that close to the field. You either have to find a way through the people standing on the sidelines or the ball is right in front of you.
Jeremy:	Yeah, I had to watch most of the first half on the scoreboard because of all the event staff and cameramen standing in my way.
Jeremy:	The lesson here is to sit higher up in those bleachers.
Craig:	But would you want to have seen what was happening in the second half...zing!
Geoff:	I think we just gave up another long touchdown.
Craig:	Third and ten...holy flark!
Jeremy:	Oh, I missed it, I was watching Obi Ezeh crush the running back who did not have the ball.
Craig:	I mean, those were the best ball fakes I have ever seen, replacing the Brandon Minor fake from the week before.
Jeremy:	At least since Dennis Dixon's fake statue of liberty.
Craig:	It was just, it was a demoralizing loss. In part because I bought in to the "turned the corner" delusion.
Jeremy:	The second half really yanked you right back around the corner. It rubbed in that the Wisconsin comeback was more of an accident and outlier than positive trend.
Geoff:	Let's play a little game here. So, Michigan. You've got Illinois in 3rd and 10 and they throw it 6 yards downfield. And you decide that the best thing to do is run wind sprints up the receiver's back. Really?!?
Craig:	You lost by so many points to Illinois that the name "Red Grange" was invoked for the sake of comparison. Really?!?
Geoff:	Instead of throwing a bubble screen to a guy who racked up 129 yards receiving on the day and who has a linebacker basically ignoring him, you run it inside behind a guy who was playing left tackle last week and the guy who was his backup on the bench. Really?!?
Jeremy:	Anyone else surprised Stevie Brown chased down Juice to tackle him at the 2? I figured he'd overpursue it and dive in front of him four yards into the endzone.
Geoff:	Finally: Juice Williams. 420 yards. Most in stadium history. Still called "Juice". Really?!?
Craig:	But, this week is a new week, and Holy Toledo, the Rockets are in town. Will there be Cake? And what is on the half-time slate for this week?
Jeremy:	Halftime is the Modern Rock/Pop show
Craig:	Woo hoo, Modern Rock! Woo! More _____ Pipe!
Jeremy:	Scotty B and his Blues Band will be performing at Northwestern this year.
Jeremy:	MMB songs this week: "Sugar We're Going Down", "Paralyzer", and "Welcome to the Black Parade".
Craig:	Ahh, so it's 2000s Modern Rock. No [Sirius] Lithium show for me. Still, should be interesting. And somehow, "Welcome to the Black Parade" is totally appropriate for this Michigan season
Jeremy:	"Sugar We're Going Down" has been played at basketball games for a couple seasons now. Which means it, like the rest of the show, was arranged by Jamie Nix.
Geoff:	Have we heard anything about him recently? Still at Miami (Yes, That Miami)?
Jeremy:	Yep. University of Miami '10, Doctoral Fellow in Conducting (h/t: facebook)
Geoff:	Switching gears, I have no idea what to expect from Toledo. Absolutely none. Ball State shut them out, but the Fightin' Football Cardinals are a decent team, and the Rockets lit up Fresno State like nobody's business.
Craig:	But FIU, Geoff. NED beat the Rockets. The first time FIU has beaten a FBS team on the road. EVER.
Geoff:	Ned is an American Hero. Much like J Leman.
Craig:	Who will be calling MSU/Northwestern this week. You know, a game with Big Ten title implications?
Geoff:	I believe that should be "Big Ten title implications".
Jeremy:	That is a job that requires a tie. He has to wear the flag tie, right? please?
Craig:	I think it will be a tie made up of dozens of small American flags
Geoff:	I mean, this game might have Capital One Bowl implications, but we still don't know if either one can hang with the top of the conference.
Craig:	Also, as much as we're focused on Toledo, this weekend also marks the return of joy to our lives, as St. Lawrence visits for a pair of games to open Michigan's regular season slate
Geoff:	Ron Mason's alma mater. Let's hope that hockey can put together another good season, even if nobody ends up with a Hobey.
Craig:	I would hope Michigan will come out hot and get off on a good foot. I do not expect the torrid start of last season, simply because the schedule does not look like it will help out. There's dozens of pitfalls early on.
Geoff:	Last year was unbelievable. And I'm not so concerned about the start as the finish.
Craig:	Hey, no games in Denver. Sauer should be fine.
Geoff:	I (we?) close this week with a plea for the football team: Please don't lose to a MAC team. That would suck. A lot.
Craig:	Yes, please, I can accept that some streaks may end this year, but the no losses to MAC schools is one you can never change.
Jeremy:	Indeed. Two very important streaks are at stake this week. A 3-game win streak vs Ohio teams would be a nice one to get this season too.
Craig:	So gentlemen, until another week...I'm Craig Barker.
Geoff:	And I'm starting at left guard next weekend.
Jeremy:	I'm twenty yards into the secondary already. Goodnight and Go Blue.
Geoff:	Go Blue
Craig:	Go Blue

WTI: Ineligible Downfield Receiver Jesus

Craig:	Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Whatever This Is: I'm Craig, and I'm a Virgo...
Geoff:	And I'm Geoff, a Taurus. I enjoy long walks on the beach and watching Jimmah! Clausen bleed.
Jeremy:	I'm a Gemini with similar interests to Geoff. Especially the last one. But especially the beaches.
Craig:	We will get to the offense and Notre Dame in a few, but first, the band!

Geoff:	I think we started off with a couple of strong shows, even if one of those was a surprise.
Craig:	I had the interesting thing where I sat diametrically opposite to my previous seats, so I have been Northwest and Southeast corners during the last two weeks
Craig:	The first show was the Who, one I was pre-disposed to enjoy
Jeremy:	The Who show had identifiable sets, like a pinball path for a large silver ball to travel through and empty out of at the end of the song
Geoff:	Yeah. I enjoyed the GO BLUE set it ended with.
Craig:	I thought the set was solid...But I always think I am more critical of the band when the team is losing at half-time...
Geoff:	The crowd is more receptive when the team is winning, and that can affect perception.
Craig:	I also felt that it, ironically, lacked a little bit of volume (considering the band being covered), but I chalked that up to seat position
Geoff:	I thought the Who show was very good in practice, but a bit more subdued at halftime. I'd say it was decent volume, but by no means overpowering
Jeremy:	I think they've increased the volume from last year, but not quite to the point where it needs to be. (That point is peeling the faces off Row 90 during M Fanfare.)
Craig:	But I did think the arrangements were exceptionally sound and crisp. It did not sound like someone's artistic interpretation of the works of Pete Townshend, but rather a faithful rendition, lovingly performed, with appropriate flourishes along the way
Geoff:	Pregame volume seemed good, but tones and colors seemed to still prevail in halftime.
Geoff:	You can count on Boerma for good arrangements. I always trust that the music side of things will be taken care of.
Jeremy:	Yep, Boerma's made a career out of great arrangements.
Craig:	This week's show I thought proved to me an interesting notion...Stripped of their lyrics, boy band songs are exceptional pop music pieces. And I thought that a not insignificant portion of the student section was clearly in to it.
Jeremy:	I had seats in the student section. The vast majority of the girls LOVED it. The guys grumbled at first -- probably just as they did on family car trips when their sisters made them listen to these same songs -- but eventually embraced it.
Geoff:	Boy band songs are written by professionals who know how to structure a song and build it out of the right chords.
Craig:	Trained professionals Geoff?
Geoff:	A crack technical staff.
Craig:	As opposed to a technical staff on crack...zing!
Craig:	I will be interested to see how the show plays at Notre Dame Stadium
Geoff:	I think the show worked so well because of the commitment of the band, the quality of the arrangements, and the tongue-in-cheek acknowledgements of how cheesy the songs are.
Jeremy:	I think once people realize this is an over-the-top homage and not a sincere, heartfelt performance, they warm up to it.
Geoff:	See, that's always the question I've had since we saw the lineup. It sounds like a good one to do at home, because you can rely on the friendly audience and your target demographic in the student section to see it through. Obviously, this wouldn't play at all at Spartan Stadium or the 'Shoe, but I don't know what to expect from Notre Dame.
Craig:	I'm suspecting polite indifference.
Jeremy:	and ND fans are nothing if not polite.
Craig:	Then again, I will also be interested to see how the offense plays this weekend at Notre Dame Stadium...
Geoff:	We have an offense?
Craig:	Rumors on the internets say...yes!
Jeremy:	The forecast calls for a 90% chance of rain, which might help us, since it's not like we'd complete a forward pass anyway.
Geoff:	An important point. Tacopants had EPIC stats last Saturday.
Craig:	It's just sad that Tacopants is ineligible for the Heisman.
Geoff:	The rain might require something of a running game from us, and I'm not entirely comfortable with that either.
Craig:	You need Hosses on the offensive line, to quote Keith Jackson, and we have Little Joes.
Craig:	But the maddening thing was, the first series, the offense looked like an unstoppable juggernaut
Craig:	Starting with a 50 yard play by Odoms
Geoff:	If the line can even be passable, we have enough guys that someone will come through, I have to believe. And if Threet decides to keep his passes low enough that air traffic control doesn't get involved, I think he could be a Division I (FBS) quarterback.
Craig:	He needs less tangy zip is what you're saying.
Jeremy:	I wasn't terrified of the UFRs. Rodriguez is making good calls, we just have to MAKE PLAYS.
Jeremy:	And not ask Steven Threet to run the option in Hurricane Katrina.
Jeremy:	mgoblog probably made that joke already though.
Geoff:	It's one worth repeating
Geoff:	/choking sounds
Craig:	Maybe this is where we need a Grady?
Geoff:	This is where you'd expect him to be more effective, but I'm worried that he hasn't shown the vision you need with a suspect line.
Craig:	Yes, find the hole, hit the hole.
Craig:	I think, end of the day, I don't think any of us truly realized how spoiled we were in the Henne/Hart/Long era
Jeremy:	were we as spoiled in year 1 as we were in year 4 though?
Craig:	Year 1 had Braylon...
Geoff:	Not as spoiled. But we still made a Rose Bowl.
Jeremy:	right, thanks to Iowa.
Geoff:	Right now we're crashing back to the early Navarre Era
Craig:	As much as I was maddened by the inability to complete a ten yard pass, it really isn't fair to Threetidan that Mathews was out and Hemingway's appearances were as brief as his namesake's sentences. Period.
Geoff:	Losing your (arguably) top two receivers will punish any offense, let alone one as green as this one.
Jeremy:	And then your left tackle goes out with an elbow injury.
Geoff:	At this point, I'm hoping that the offense does enough not to beat itself and that the defense has a good day.
Craig:	I have read repeatedly that Michigan's defensive line will be the best unit on the field, and that will be enough to carry the day I agree on the former, and hope the latter is correct. As an aside, I was finding myself maddened by the defense until I stepped back and said "Wait, they've allowed two field goals. That's pretty darn good." Sometimes you just need to take a breath
Jeremy:	the rain in the forecast could make mean Yackety Sax gets looped three or four times in this year's version.
Geoff:	Brian's made some good points about our defense: The line has been dominating, even if it hasn't been obvious at the time. Linebacker play has been spotty, corners have been good, and safety has been an adventure.
Craig:	That's very true.
Craig:	By the way, can either of you give me a worry/no worry on Lopata after last Saturday
Jeremy:	I feel like his UFRs assign points based on his seething rage at the time. Since we won, we saw -1s for Stevie Brown where we'd otherwise see -3s. What I'm saying is, he was worse than he looked on paper.
Geoff:	If the rain comes on, that could limit the vertical passing game from ND, which was a significant threat versus SDSU, receivers would have a tougher time making the cuts to get away from out defenders, and we should (SHOULD) have an easier job at containing.
Geoff:	I don't know what to make of Notre Dame's running game, since they didn't try to do anything with it.
Craig:	Notre Dame, confusing, or very confusing?
Geoff:	But Armando Allen got his bell rung pretty good on one carry, so you'd expect him to be slightly limited.
Craig:	I mean, it's already the weekend that the statue of Dr. Lou is being unveiled in South Bend...
Jeremy:	Forgot to bring this up during the band discussion period, but what of the "don't fear the reaper" interlude?
Geoff:	I miss "Respect" on the one hand, but it wasn't exactly a well-known tradition.
Craig:	I've already said my piece. Teach the band "Across 110th Street" and have that back the highlights between the third and fourth quarter
Jeremy:	That's... that's just beautiful. I would cry.
Geoff:	This is a fantastic idea. We can't do the organ part perfectly, but it would be magnificent.
Craig:	It's the essence of the thing.
Craig:	I know it seems like a ridiculous notion of a "Michigan Tradition", but when my phone rings with that song, people look at me and say "Michigan Replay?!?" and then say it's awesome.
Craig:	So I mean, I have to go with that. Plus, you cannot benefit from random appearances by Presidential Candidate Yaphet Kotto.
Jeremy:	it would certainly be better than pumping in the rawk music.
Geoff:	Broseph, ya gotta have the rawk!
Craig:	No, really, you don't.
Craig:	Actually, I think this week showed me the difficulty in putting Michigan traditions down on paper
Craig:	We want to help, and we like to think we are, but there's not always the consensus that we believe there to be.
Geoff:	I would just like to avoid jumping off the bridge that assumes we won't get a ten-point lead for the rest of the year.
Jeremy:	I can't complain about enthusiasm in the face of miserable circumstances, but let's not sell ourselves short either.
Craig:	It's still a lot of football left, things will get figured out.
Geoff:	Do we have any expectations for what we'll be seeing out of the Irish this weekend?
Craig:	You mean besides Clipping Jesus?
Geoff:	Illegal Participation Jesus
Craig:	Personal Foul: Leverage Jesus
Jeremy:	Holding Jesus
Craig:	Beyond that, I have no idea. It'll be wet. I know that much.
Geoff:	I figure we'll see a lot of blitzing, which could work in our favor if we manage not to soil ourselves.
Geoff:	On the other side of the ball, Clausen will air it out if we give him time. But with our line, we've got a shot.
Craig:	He can throw that fade, as you have mentioned
Jeremy:	SDSU's corners weren't exactly making plays either.
Craig:	MAKE PLAYS!
Geoff:	I guess we'll see on Saturday.
Craig:	On the third annual HSR Road Trip!
Geoff:	Go blue
Jeremy:	Go Blue!
Craig:	Go Blue!
Craig:	So with that, we bid you all good night!

WTI: Make Sure You're Connected...

For those of you looking for this week's WTI, we've been thwarted by the treacherous internet connection of Geoff. We'll be back next week, we hope, with a full review of the goings on and doings that have been transpiring. In the meantime, if you have not checked it out, the Michigan Football Vault is a lot of fun for a coffee table book and would make a really nice holiday gift for the Michigan fan in your life, particularly if they are enamored of the history of the program. Also, if you have a Costco membership, as I do, the price is exceptionally reasonable relative to list price. Anyway, we'll hope to see you next week for WTI and please stay tuned for further updates as we head in to the weekend.