Monday, July 21, 2008

Carson Palmer is Da Man

I've always liked Carson Palmer, since he days at USC. I always felt that he was a solid quarterback with great field vision and a cannon for an arm. Well Carson has just endeared himself to me even more, and he may be winning some new fans after this verbal takedown of The "University of Ohio State."

I cannot stand the Buckeyes and having to live in Ohio and hear those people talk about their team it drives me absolutely nuts.

As a Michigan fan in Ohio, I couldn't have said it better myself.
Love the Candor, a franchise QB in the Buckeye State just berating the most beloved team in the land. This man has some cajones.

It’s amazing to hear what those guys think about that university and what they think about that football program and Tressel and all the crap I gotta put up with being back there. I just can’t wait for two years from now when SC comes to the Shoe and hopefully we’ll have a home game that weekend and I can go up there and watch us pound on them in their own turf and kind of put all the talk to rest because I’m really getting sick of it and I just can’t wait for this game to get here so they can come out to the Coliseum and experience LA and get an ald [ed. - did he really say "ald?" This has to be a typo, even if he said ald, I'm sure it would have been transcribed as old, so I'm gonna go with a typo]-fashioned Pac-10 butt-whooppin and go back to the Big Ten.


Well Carson I'm with you, I really hope that the Trojans lay a beat down on Tress and the Bucks.

IMO this is without a doubt the biggest non-con game of the year and maybe the best early season showdown since that epic night game between OSU and Vince Young in 2005.
(My early prediction is USC 27 OSU 24. I will cover this game with a nice little preview during the week of the game, as well as my official prediction.)


HT to Jim Rome, who talked about this story on the radio this afternoon.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

The Anti-Carr team - Starting QB

Brian of Mgoblog started this wonderful feature, before unfortunately discontinuing it, however he did leave this awesome post about the d-line: http://mgoblog.com/content/anti-carr-team-defensive-line

I'm just gonna cut to the chase and start with what is in my mind the most obvious member of the Anti-Carr team, and that man is of course John Navarre 2001.

John Navarre burst onto the scene in 2000. His first games playing as a rs frosh for the injured Drew Henson were spectacular. In his first game he was 15-19 for 265 yards with 4 tds (Michigan passing record for tds in a game) with no picks. Nice debut kid.

His next game was a solid effort with 3 tds and no picks. Just one problem, this games were against Bowling Green and Rice.

Navrre's first game against a BCS team was just a disaster, an 8-28 performance, in a horrid loss to UCLA.

Unfortunately for Navarre, I think he lost a lot of fan's good will with this game. The next game didn't help his case, he started out terrible against Illinois, luckily for M fans Drew Henson stepped in and lead to team to victory.

And Michigan fans would not have to worry about Navarre until 2002, as Henson would finish out 2000 and return for a glorious senior campaign in 2001.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. Henson bolted for baseball, and Navarre was the default guy in 2001. But hey whats the worst that could happen right?

The 2001 Painful Numbers

Navarre had 4 games of 50% or less passes completed. That is just horrible. Included in this was a game with 58 passing yards. 58 yards passing, a paltry amount of completions, 5.3 yards per completion (yes completion not attempt0 what is this the Ken O'Keefe offense?

The numbers alone do not describe how bad 2001 Navarre is. All that needs to be discribed is the 2001 OSU game.

Really all I should say here is that Navarre was yanked for Jermaine Gonzalez. Who promptly came in, lined up in the shotgun, watched the ball zip past him for an OSU safety. Well that it for Jermaine Gonzalez, he was yanked after the half. I have to mention though, that those 2 free points came with about 30 seconds left in the half. Navarre was sucking so bad that Lloyd tried to have Jermaine Gonzalez do something with 30 seconds left in the half.

Navarre didn't suck as bad in the second half, but it didn't matter as his incredible suckitude put Michigan in such a deep hole that they were playing catchup the whole time.

Navrre's numbers: 21-47 with 4 picks. Oh and 15 of those completions were to Marquis Walker.

This loss at home, to a very mediocre OSU team, was just awful. Michigan as bad as they had been at times in the 2001 season still was leading the Big Ten and only needed to beat OSU to go to the BCS. Unfortunately, this debacle happened and in Tressel's debut at the Big House he gained the upper hand on the rivalry, and he has not let up.


John Navarre 2001, the Starting Anti-Carr team QB.

(All worked out pretty well for Navarre, he improved over his next two seasons, won a bowl game, and beat OSU.)

Friday, July 18, 2008

Getting the Band Back Together (seriously)

Due to popular demand I am going to fire this baby back up.

My next post (within the next few days) will continue MgoBlogs, sadly discontinued "Anti-Carr" team feature. Brian (of MgoBlog) my have discontinued his coverage of this gripping series due to backlash, but do to said backlash (which I consider to be beyond lame) I am going to carry the torch and finish out the "Anti-Carr" team with a twist!

The twist being that I am going to do it one position at a time, rather than the one position group at a time.

The D-Line has been accounted for, what position will be next? Find out on the next edition of the Anti-Carr team.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Looking back at some predictions

For the NBA I said:
DET over ORL in 6.
BOS over CLE in 5.
LA over UTAH in 6.
NO over SA in 7.

Pistons won in 5, so that was almost right on.
If Boston wins game 6 I will have been 1 game off in that series too.
LA has a chance to beat Utah in 6 - so that could be right on.
NO I really hope beats SA in game 7, if so that would be right on.

A quick note on the NO/SA series - wow how obvious is it that the NBA really wants SA to win? The reffing in that series has beyond awful. San Antonio has gotten so many cheapie calls - simply disgusting. Also, how about Horry nailing David West in the back and no call? Then the San Antonio fans chant "Horry, Horry." As if I needed anymore of a reason to hate those no class pompous asses.

If the Spurs beat the Hornets because West can't go, that will be bull. Kinda like how the SPurs beat the Suns last year because Amare was suspended. The Spurs may have some rings on their fingers, but their are at least 2 *'s on those titles. One for their first championship over an 8 seed in the strike shortened season, and another for beating a Cavs team that was so outclassed in the finals it would have been better to just award the trophy to SA, rather than airing 4 straight beatdowns.

Now on to my NHL picks:
DET over DAL in 5.
PIT over PHI in 6.

With a Wings win that pick will be dead on.

The Pit pick is looking pretty good too if the Pens win game 5 I will have only been off by 1 game.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

The Long Offseason

As the season is looming near, I will actually be posting things.

I will post some Big Ten as well as national predictions just before the season starts. I would post them sooner but with injuries and off season stupidity (Perrilloux) you can never be too sure how a team is going to look until the season is nearest.

However for the time being here are my NBA picks -
DET over ORL in 6.
BOS over CLE in 5.
LA over UTAH in 6.
NO over SA in 7.

NHL picks -
DET over DAL in 5.
PIT over PHI in 6.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Bringing it Back

I'm thinking about getting the blog back together. Actually posting stuff. With the excitement of a new coach, new players and new system, by the time the football season rolls around, I'm hoping to actually be posting a few days a week.

Will it work out? Maybe, hopefully.

Quick Final Four take - UNC over KU, UCLA over Memphis. UCLA 75 UNC 71 in the championship game.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Congrats

Congrats to Harbaugh, Miles and Kelly who all had big, big wins on Saturday.

Hopefully one of these men will be UM's head coach next season.

I'm amazed that Harbaugh can beat USC with a rather pathetic Cardinal team and every time UM plays USC in the Rose Bowl we get blown out.
Our coaching staff needs to get with the times, the game is all about matchups and attacking your opponents weakness. Our coach staff does not believe in this however.

Purdue looked awful against the Bucks, how will they look against UM? The coaches need to watch tape of the OSU game asnd study why they won and craft a similar game plan. Will they do it, HIGHLY doubtful, but as we have seen throughout this college football season anything can happen.

GO BLUE, pleas beat Purdue.

And on a completly unrelated note - Karl Dorell you are done dude, that EMU and his 87 yards passing put the nail in your coffin. Here's a tought - you are on a third string QB in a tie ball game - RUN the football.