| |
...
| Time to pull out the 2010 Maize & Blue colored Crystal Ball |
|
By Tom Crawford Monday, August 30, 2010 First of all, I want to express how excited I am to be your “Michigan Wolverine Connection” every Monday from this point forward at Life In Lansing. This is a tremendous internet site that I strongly believe in. and I am just thrilled to be part of it. My writing approach for both Maize & Blue bleeders as well as Green Belly Backers (i.e. Spartan fans) is to “Info-Tain” you. In other words, I seek to inform you and entertain you at the same time, as I focus the subject category on my true passions when it comes to sports – college football and college basketball and how that revolves around my beloved Michigan Wolverines and my arch-enemy Michigan State Spartans, . As a Michigan grad (1979) during the glorious “Bo era” and a follower of this program as a season ticket holder for over five decades, I am typically bouncing off the wall with enthusiasm and anticipation as we draw closer and closer to the start of the college football season. But here in 2010 during Game Week No. 1, I have to admit to my Blue Belly Blog friends that I am just not feelin’ it yet. I want to be excited but I am so damn guarded about it. I have this strangest combination of anxiety, uncertainty, maybe a dose or two of optimism, a good hunk of pessimism, and overall total cluelessness of what to expect from the dudes wearing the winged helmets. And to risk being too simplistic, my concerns focus on one large variable to this Michigan football program – it’s called the defense (and I use that term loosely)! I mean when I think back to the bottomless pit the Michigan defenders have represented in 2008 and 09 to virtually every caliber opponent, I cry out like George Jetson with a “Jane, stop this crazy thing…” This HAS to change in 2010, and I am hoping the mere fact that for the first time in several years Michigan will have the same defensive coordinator (Greg Robinson) in back to back years there will at least be some coaching stability. Yes, the secondary situation scares the crap out of any sane Michigan fan with the plethora of inexperience and the crushing season-ending injury of lone veteran Troy Wolfolk. Even with the graduation departure of superman Brandon Graham, the D line should be damn fine with veterans Mike Martin, Ryan Van Bergen and Greg Banks returning, and the linebacking unit will hopefully finally get some fire in its belly with co-captain Mark Moundros moving across the line of scrimmage from fullback. But bottom line -- if Michigan “defends adequately” – they win at least 8 games – most likely 9. If the same characteristics these past two years of missed open field tackles, linebackers out of position, and blown coverages reappear – it could be as low as 5 wins. So here is my precise game by game prediction -- I am banking on 8 wins and here as how I see it play out….the Wolverines cop a quick jump out the gate with wins over U Conn, Notre Dame, U Mass, BG, Indiana and yep – over the dreaded Sparties when they march into A2. Then comes reality check time for the Wolverines with a Homecoming loss to stubborn Iowa followed by a Saturday Night WHITE OUT setback up at Happy Valley to Penn State. Then comes two wins in a row (over Illinois at home and at Purdue) and two losses in a row (home to Wisky and the season closer to the evil Buckeyes down at The Shoe). And finally, that slate would also most likely represent a “Rich Rod departure” (regardless how the NCAA rules investigation verdict plays out), a David Brandon phone call to Jim Harbaugh to come coach his alma mater, a couple more years of “re-transition,” before FINALLY – I will be “feelin it” again that Michigan football is back on track. Stay tuned as we will break it down again week-by-week, next Monday after the U Conn conquest. |