Michigan Needs to Make a Change - NOW!

Five losses in six years to Ohio State....four straight bowl losses....the final straw has come....now a loss to a I-AA team.....when is enough, enough?....the Michigan football program is on a downward spiral and will continue to falter unless the University of Michigan administration makes a move right now - fire Lloyd Carr as head coach - effective immediately.....

Let me say this, I take nothing away from Appalachian State....they are a well coached, very good football team....they deserved to win....but the fact is, they are still a I-AA team....and a program of Michigan’s caliber and history should not lose to a I-AA team....but they did....and someone has to take the hit on this....

The Michigan football coaches did a poor job in preparing this team for this game....the team had miscues and played undisciplined throughout the game.....but in all honesty, the Michigan administration will not do one damn thing....they do not have the guts to replace Carr....therefore, Carr should do the right thing and resign....if he truly cares for Michigan football and its fans, he should turn over the reigns to another coach for the remainder of the season....but in all honesty again, that won’t happen.....

Instead Carr will sidestep the hard ball questions that are asked of him by the media....next week the offense will come out with the same old lame playcalling....the defense will talk tough, but will not be able to finish the job....at one point last year, defensive coordinator Ron English looked like the real deal....instead he is just another Jim Hermann who allows his defensive unit to give up the big plays....in the end, nothing will change....maybe, just maybe, at the end of the season, Athletic Director Bill Martin will fire the entire coaching staff and start fresh with new young blood....but this is Michigan we are talking about and they don't do things like that...

Therefore, don’t be surprised if Ohio State comes into Ann Arbor once again and hands Michigan its fourth straight defeat in the series....all I know, a disgrace like this would not happen in Columbus....Congratulations to Appalachian State...

Best Damn Fans in the Land?

Something I found on ESPN...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A former Ohio State University president who cracked down on game-day behavior during her tenure at the school lambasted Buckeyes fans in a recent job interview, saying they looked for any excuse to riot.

"When you win a game, you riot. When you lose a game, you riot. When spring comes, you riot. African-American Heritage Festival weekend, you riot," Karen Holbrook said last week during a videotaped interview for the president's job at Florida Gulf Coast University.

She told officials there that she confronted a culture of rioting when she arrived at Ohio State in 2002 and that she witnessed people doing "disgusting things, unbelievable things" on a videotape she ordered made after the Ohio State-Michigan game that year.

"They think it's fun to flip cars, to really have absolute drunken orgies. ... I don't want to be at a place that has this kind of culture as a norm," she said.

After her comments, released by the Florida university, got back to Ohio and the 52,000-student university, she softened her tone, noting that her negative remarks represented five minutes out of 10 hours of talks with officials of the Florida school, much of which focused on Ohio State's positives.

"People have ignored every other wonderful thing about a great institution that I bragged about, and that is what concerns me," Holbrook said Thursday from her Florida home.

Holbrook said she was barraged with complaints after she led a crackdown on tailgating and game-day behavior after 2002 riots made national news.

"They said, 'You're a goodie two-shoes. You don't understand what it is to be a Buckeye,'" she said. "Maybe that's true, but I didn't think this great university deserved the black eye to its reputation for this kind of behavior."
Holbrook oversaw a crackdown on tailgating and game-day behavior after 2002 riots made national news. She retired in June with a $250,000 exit bonus, then applied for the Florida Gulf Coast job this month. Holbrook later withdrew from consideration for the Florida job.

Quick links

Detroit Free Press reporter Shawn Windsor writes how Michigan tailback Mike Hart deals with the death of his little sister when he was 8-years-old.... “When he bursts through Michigan Stadium's tunnel Saturday to begin his final season as a Wolverine, the memory of that night isn't what will fuel him. The fury that drives Hart when he runs has never been about conjuring up the tragedies of his life.” .....

Shawn Windsor

Detroit Free Press sports columnist Michael Rosenberg writes about the greed of the Big Ten.... “Big Ten bigwigs can talk about evil Comcast taking away your precious games. The truth is that last year you got a lot of those games. The Big Ten wants more control, more exposure and, most of all, a bigger slice of the pie.” ...

Michael Rosenberg

Los Angeles Times reporter Chris Foster writes how the UCLA Bruins will go as far as quarterback Ben Olson takes them..... “Reaching goals the Bruins players covet -- a Pacific 10 Conference title and a berth to the Rose Bowl -- require offensive consistency that eluded UCLA in 2006. That would seem to make Olson's success essential.” .....

Chris Foster

San Francisco Chronicle’s Michelle Smith writes how the Stanford Cardinal have very realistic goals - be competitive..... “Jim Harbaugh has had his share of quotable moments since he took the Stanford job, but he won't be cajoled into predictions about the Cardinal's win-loss potential.” .....

Michelle Smith

Washington Post sports columnist and PTI host, Michael Wilbon, writes how Michael Vick’s apology is a first step, but he still has a long way to go.... “It was good to hear Vick apologize unconditionally, for not just what he did but what he facilitated. It was good to see the same man who has presumed all along he was bulletproof and completely outside the law show what appeared to be actually humility. I didn't think Michael Vick had that kind of performance left in him, to be quite honest.” ....

Michael Wilbon

Updates on this week's college games

Today are feature stories of a few of this week's college games....

Georgia Tech at Notre Dame
Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Mike Knobler writes how Georgia Tech tight end Colin Peek is talking about the Yellow Jackets running the table this season.... “It’s just about can we stay focused and will we stay healthy, and hopefully we can run the table." ....

Mike Knobler

South Bend Tribune’s Eric Hansen writes about Notre Dame’s new versatile wide receiver.... “And he's a good enough center fielder in baseball that the left-hander, drafted in the 42nd round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, has an open invite to join the Irish baseball team after the football season is over. That's despite missing most of his senior baseball season with a torn ligament in his thumb.” ....

Eric Hansen

Tennessee at Cal
Nashville Tennessean’s Bryan Mullen writes how Cal quarterback Nate Longshore was rattled last season while playing at Tennessee.... “The junior admitted he was a little startled when he stepped in front of 106,009 orange-clad fans at Neyland Stadium. He never looked comfortable and Tennessee jumped out to a 35-0 lead, eventually notching a 35-18 win.” ...

Bryan Mullen

Knoxville News Sentinel’s sports columnist John Adams writes how Cal has been waiting a year for revenge against the Vols.... “Collectively, the Golden Bears flunked their Neyland Stadium test in the 2006 season opener. And like so many of his teammates, Follett had his own haunting play for a Tennessee souvenir.” ...

John Adams

San Francisco Chronicle’s Rusty Simmons writes how redemption has been the word of the week at Cal practice..... “The overwhelming theme being spewed from Cal camp this week is "redemption," and for two Bears, it isn't merely a company line.” ....

Rusty Simmons

Youngstown State at Ohio State
Columbus Dispatch football reporter Bob Hunter writes how Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel has been answering questions all off-season about playing Youngstown State..... “"I remember when Earle Bruce was sitting right here when he called (Youngstown) on my behalf," Tressel said. "I remember in his calm way he said, 'You can win there!' " ....

Bob Hunter

Youngstown Vindicator football reporter Pete Mollica writes about the family affair between the Heacock brothers... “Heacock, who enters his seventh season as the Penguins' coach with a 43-27 record, spent seven seasons as an assistant coach to Jim Tressel, who is now the coach at Ohio State. And there's Heacock's older brother, Jim, who is in his 12th season as an assistant coach with the Buckeyes.” ....

Pete Mollica

Blogging - missed days

Just a note to my readers that I have not been blogging the last few days because I was at a conference in Columbus on Friday then was sick the last few days....I'll be up and running either later today or tomorrow....

Stiles Points