2) Lloyd allows Bill Martin to conduct a nationwide coaching search without significant interference.
3) That nationwide coaching search settles on two names: Les Miles and Brian Kelly.
4) The janitor at Schembechler Hall hands Mike Debord a large cardboard box and tells him to put his shit in it. Bill Martin hands him a check, thanks him for his efforts, and kicks him in the scrotum before unceremoniously booting his ass to the curb.
5) Ditto the strength and conditioning coaching staff.
6) Les Miles is hired.
7) Miles' first act as head coach: Conduct a nationwide search for the finest offensive coordinator money can buy.
Second act: Drive down to Columbus and take a dump in Jim Tressel's hot tub. 9) Ryan Mallett is told to find Greg Mathews and to go out onto Elbel Field and throw footballs until Greg's hands bleed. Do this for the next 200 days.
Moving on....
This was supposed to be the biggest game of the year. This was the game that would define the legacies of not only the seniors, but also the coach. This was the game that everyone thought Michigan had to win.
The result: Three points. 8 first downs. 89 yards total offense.
It's difficult to wrap your brain around that kind of suck. How did 11 guys--arguably the finest collective of offensive talent ever to wear the block M--only manage to accrue 89 yards of offense in 60 minutes of play? The three points scored represents the lowest point total for Michigan in the rivalry since 1962--the depths of the pre-Bo dark years.
There are disappointing games: Kordell's hail mary, MSU's extra second, Troy Smith's 4th-and-4 toss to Gonzales. And then there are the bad games: Games so overwhelmingly awful that the bad moments remain largely undiluted by anything positive.
Prior to this season, my list of the worst games would have read:
1) USC 05
2) Tennessee 02
3) OSU 01
After this season, my list reads:
1) AppSt 07
2) Oregon 07
3) OSU 07
4) USC 05
5) Tennessee 02
Three out of the top five worst games I have ever witnessed happened this season. In between, we struggled with everyone save Purdue and Notre Dame. Everyone. Even Eastern Michigan came into Michigan Stadium believing that it could beat the Wolverines.
The Michigan I knew as a child is dead. The teams that used to swagger into the Horseshoe and beat the snot out of Ohio State are gone. We have lost the swagger. We have lost the fire. We play gutless, uninspired, sloppy football, and we've been doing it for years.
There are lessons to be learned from this season:
--Michigan is a team with elite talent that no longer plays at an elite level. In the last four seasons, we've played seven elite teams: OSU 04-07, USC 04, 06, Oregon 07. We lost all seven games. Most were not close.
--Michigan does a poor job training and developing its players. Exhibit A: Shawn Crable. Crable is a senior--a defensive captain--and one of the most talented physical specimens ever to come through the program. He's strong enough to line up at DE, and fast enough to play linebacker. He can jump over people. In the biggest games, however, Shawn Crable misses tackles, misses FG blocks, and commits backbreaking penalties. He is only one of a long line of noted Wolverines that have largely failed to live up to their billing while in Ann Arbor. (See also: Gabe Watson, Prescott Burgess, Tom Brady, Chad Henne)
--The zone running game is a failure. Introduced after the 2005 debacle, the zone attack was initially heralded by critics after Mike Hart had a career season in 2006. It is now clear, however, that the zone game has failed. Four reasons: (1)It tends to leave more men unblocked, (2) The zone stretch plays seem to allow defenses more time to recognize and swarm to the ball carrier, (3) It severely restricts our ability to run play action, (4) it requires a runner like Mike Hart to operate effectively.
--The running game is built around Mike Hart. Carlos Brown, Brandon Minor and Kevin Grady are talented running backs. They are not, however, as good as Mike Hart--the best RB to ever play for Michigan. Mike Hart has been the only thing propping up the running game for the last three years. When he's out, the zone running attack has failed spectacularly. The fact that Brown, Minor and Grady struggle so heavily when pressed into relief is not an indictment against them--its an indictment against the zone running system, and a testament to how good Mike Hart is that he's able to run well in spite of it.
--We have one of the most predicatable offenses in the Big Ten. I don't think this needs any explanation.
--Ron English is an excellent defensive coordinator. Getting this defense to play like it did during the home stretch of this season was a miracle.
