BIG SATURDAY

Tomorrow is a huge day in the Big-Ten. I would like to go over a few games and make predictions on each one. By the way, that over there, it's called press coverage. In the words of Danny Hope "get used to it".
Let's start with some dandies.
MSU @ ohio - even neutral fans seem to be up and down on this one. With no clear winner, I think I know who will be victorious. Before the ohio @ Miami game, I witnessed both teams play and came to a conclusion that ohio could not win the game. It was a mismatch athletic wise. Msu may not be as athletic as Miami but is more experienced at QB, WR, RB, the o-line is a bit weak, so is ohio's DL. They gave up six tackles for loss to Colorado and on the other side of the ball, Colorado's QB had plenty of time to throw. I again can't see ohio winning and the fact that they have FR. QB and are thin at WR, MSU walks out a winner. MSU 24 - ohio 16

Nebraska @ Wisconsin - Nebraska has had some problems giving up points to inferior opponents and Wisconsin is not that to say the least. T. Martinez is a nifty runner but his passing skills are lame and slow. Wisconsin should slowly take the sails out of Nebraska's D and kill them with play action. Wisconsin 30 - Nebraska 20

PSU @ Indiana - Indiana sucks but does have a descent passing game. PSU loses one of these irrelevant games every year but it will not be this one. PSU's D is too much and the passing game will be solid against IU's D. PSU 34 - IU 17

NU @ Illinois - People questioned Illinois after a bit of a struggle against WMU. WMU has a good offense and with Prsa back, so does NU. As good as Illinois has been this year, it's for a good reason. Illinois is a better team offensively and defensively but a close one. IU 23 - NU 20

ND @ Purdue - Purdue had a week off and destroyed SE Missouri ST. two weeks ago. So, Purdue piled up over 500yds of offense and gave up only 160 defensively last time they played. ND struggled with Pitt last week and M. Floyd was contained a bit. Purdue may play well again but ND is too much on both sides of the ball. ND 35 - Purdue 17

Minnesota @ Michigan - Minnesota is terrible and may be without Gray. It's up to Michigan to stay awake this week and not play down to their opponent. This is a game to get Denard's passing up to par before next weeks matchup with NU at night. Michigans D has given up one TD in the last two weeks, they will keep that scoring D low once again. MICHIGAN 40 - Minnesota 9.

NOT BAD!

I didn't get to see the game Saturday because I was out of town in WV for a wedding. At noon on Saturday I cruised on down to the lobby to a computer where I would pick up play by play on MGOBLOG. Here is where things get weird. As I get off the elevator and turn down a hallway to my destination, I peek over to a big screen T.V. to catch the score of the ND-pitt game. If it wasn't bad enough being surrounded by Marshall and Va. tech fans on their way to Huntington for the game. I caught the profile of a man sitting there by himself looking bitter and totally unapproachable. A man with his publicist (I think) sitting in the corner, this man was watching the game with a remote control in his hand and nobody around him. As I got a closer look, I understood why he had no companionship. That's right folks...there he was...in the flesh..MR. Rich Rodriguez. I didn't know if I should smack him in the back of the head and ridicule him for the last three disatrous years of Michigan football or shake his hand and congratulate him for the recruitment of Denard Robinson. I kept my distance.

As far as Michigan football goes, I followed play by play for a majority of the first half and liked what I heard and could gather from it. As the day went on I followed the score and enjoyed the way it turned out. I figured, hey, one TD in the last two games. Kept Hillman in check for what he has been doing lately, I think. Four turnovers and still controlled the game, nice. I returned home last night and went to a friends to watch the game this morning that he had DVR'd. This team understands what they do well and they do it. They run up and down the field like a track team. My friend was wondering why teams still get a heavy dose of Denard running the ball? This is what I told him, " some good teams have their guy, if you play Stanford then you get Luck, when you play OK State, you get Blackmon, when you play Oregon you get James and when you play Michigan, you get Denard". He needs to become a better passer, we all know that but he will be working on that until he leaves as a senior.


Defensively, I was impressed and I will not apologize for it. This team could have been caught napping and it didn't happen. Mattison is excellent in rotating guys to keep hungry players in the game. Blake Countess is a stud and was an absolute blanket in coverage. Lindley is a good QB and could do nothing but dink and dunk 9 yard passes all day. Late in the fourth quarter the defense was priding themselves on not letting them into the end zone. They were successfull and really played hard and intense throughout the game. People were flying to the ball and causing turnovers once again. Hustle was noticed throughout and it paid off with plays like Jake Ryans FR. Getting Countess some time let them know where he stands and that was huge, that kid can cover. This team is getting better defensively every week and that makes Michigan a serious contender for a big-ten championship.

Check out these national defensive numbers folks.

Rush D - 86th, but has only given up one rushing TD this season
pass D - 41st, keeping opposing QB's under 57% and 200 yds a game. Only 4 TD's and 3 int's as well.
Total D - 71st, 5td's and 3 fg's on the season.
Scoring D - 13th, 13.67 points a game.
Fumbles recovered - tied for 2nd with 7
Turnovers gained - tied 5th, with 10
Red zone D - 3rd, 1td and 3 fg's
32nd in turnover margin.
This is why the D is so much better.

BIG TEN POWER POLL
1.Wisconsin 4-0, no doubt about this. They run, they throw , they play D. Wilson is the only player keeping denard from another guaranteed OPOTY.
2.Nebraska 4-0, Consistent, nothing has changed. One of these two teams will drop next week after the conference game of the week between Wisconsin and Nebraska.
3.Michigan 4-0, A heavy dose of Denard, Toussaint and Smith and emerging D keeps a solid 3. Minnesota next
4.Illinois 4-0, the last of the undefeated teams. A bit of a struggle with WMU but wins and sets up next weeks rivalry game with Northwestern.
5.MSU 3-1, veteran QB, 3 productive RB's and good WR's. Statistically, the No.1 D in the country currently.
6.Iowa 3-1, Putting it together and Vandencrack is a pure passer. Coaching is key with these guys.
7.Penn State 3-1, Having some injury problems and QB questions but they nip osu because they are a hair better today. They will beat IU next week.
8.ohio 3-1, B. Miller did some nice things but still struggled with 5 of 13 passing. Next week starts a brutal four game stretch with MSU coming to town.
9.Northwestern 2-1, they lost to army but get Persa back in time to travel to Illinois for a huge conference game. They will have two weeks to prepare though being off this week.
10.Purdue, off this week as well and play ND next week.
11.Minnesota, Whatever, unless they upset Michigan and then they are awesome.
12. Indiana, Fart sounds

AFTER THREE WEEKS!

Let me answer one question that was asked on a website. YES, we should worry about SDSU. Michigan is getting better but far from guaranteed wins against teams like the Aztecs. Yes, they are a 9 point favorite and yes SDSU has to travel across country for an early game but Michigan must play well. That leads me into some research I have been doing. We all have realized that Michigan's defense, especially, has been getting off to slow starts. So here is some stats I have noticed.

First off are these numbers.

Passing Offense is 93rd in the country.
Rushing Offense is 19th
Scoring Offense is 46th
Scoring Defense is 24th, what? WOW, are things really changing?

I Don't know, you see, the rushing defense is an awful 103rd. The difference is that there have been big stops in clutch situations and the turnover difference is off the charts. The passing defense on the other hand has been fantastic and I don't have the national ranking but it is somehere between 28-45 range.

Here are some numbers by quarters for the defense.

quarter by quarter yardage they have given up this season

1st quarter

rushing passing
223 167

2nd quarter

rushing passing
131 162

3rd quarter

rushing passing
155 260

4th quarter with the exception of WMU

rushing passing
47 97

As you can see, the defense gets better in the fourth quarter. Even with the exception of WMU's fourth quarter, they were coming from behind so the rushing yards would not be much higher than it already is.

The rushing defense is the only huge problem currently and that is because of slow starts. With SDSU coming in with a quality offense and productive RB, there is no room for error. A team can only start slow so many times before it bites em in the butt. This team is one that could hurt them if they get out to a substantial lead.

Here is the deal folks. This defense is good, getting better and building depth, But there is no room for mistakes like I said. At his time last year I would have said that SDSU was a favorite in this game but the intensity, focus and toughness is there. I was watching some of the EMU game last night and the sweeps were killing them early. Soon after, they caught on and it went away, this tells me that adjustments are being made and players are put in the right place. All of this is very optimistic for me personally. Every game is huge right now, and 4-0 would be a great start.

GETTING BETTER!

Well, well, well....... Here we are again. Let's take the first quarter out of these three victories and Michigan is a stellar team. For example, look at todays win over EMU. First quarter defensively, gave up 122yds on the ground and racked up only 34yds for themselves. By the end of the game, Michigans defense gave up a total of 207yds on the ground and only 29yds through the air. When you break it down, Michigan only gave up 85yds rushing for the final three quarters and played with a passion. Offensively, rushed for over 300 yds and passed for roughly 95.

I was saying a couple days ago that less than a thirty point victory would be a shame but that wasn't the case. Let me make something clear, Vincent Smith is a stud RB that produces and has excellent vision. Denard takes over games but he needs to work on his passing skills. His passes sail, even on short throws to open recievers. This group of WR's are good downfield blockers and do not drop passes often. Yes, it took a while for the OL to take over, but they did and it was obvious. I have been waiting for the one back to get a majority of the carries but I am OK with what is going on currently.

On the defensive side of the ball, what boggles my mind is how long it takes for them to settle in. They have gotten away with it for three straight weeks. Here I am watching what looks like last years disgusting defense and the next thing you know they are stuffing the run and shutting down the pass. I am just not used to watching these adjustments work so well over the past few seasons. These guys are playing tough, rarely missing tackles and hitting hard. Thomas Gordon, Jake Ryan, Brandin Hawthorne, Kovacs, Campbell, are just a few players who have absolutely stepped up and Mattison is getting everything from these guys. When is the last time Michigan has given up only 3 points, 29yds passing, and only 85yds rushing over the last 3 QTRS? How bout the turnovers this year folks? Here was EMU's drives today......fumble, FG, downs, int, punt, punt, punt, downs, punt, punt, punt.

Yes, Michigan has plenty of work to do on both sides of the ball but the changes are happening and they are getting better. These slow starts need to change and SDSU will be in ANN ARBOR next week and anything can happen. This team is different, something new happens every week, turnovers are going their way and somebody new steps up on a weekly basis. One thing is for sure though, Denard is good....



BIG TEN POWER POLL

1. Wisconsin - this is the only big-ten team that can play on a national level right now.

2. Nebraska - Martinez was efficient, D struggled a little but they were on the road and can't take them out of the 2 spot for that.

3. Michigan - Yes Michigan... the D is playing well and they run all over the field.

4. Illinois - I liked them at the beginning of the season and are 3-0. Playing better than expected on both sides of the ball.

5. MSU - Lost on the road to ND, it wasn't an upset. Still a good team and have Central Michigan and osu in their next two games.

6. Iowa - They lost to Iowa State last week but have a nice passing game. Play ULM next week and a bye before PSU.

7. PSU - Struggling with Temple is discouraging, so are QB questions, especially after a beating from Bama.

7. osu - I have osu tied with PSU at the seven spot. No QB, new coach, and lacking playmakers. They miss herron, posey and adams something fierce.

8. northwestern - A loss to Army looks bad, but they are still playing without Persa. Should get better when he returns.

9. Purdue - 59-0 are you serious? Only gave up 153 total yards? Are you serious. They are the best of the worst this week.

10. Minnesota - Getting big plays from Marquise Gray. They may surprise someone this year.

11. Indiana - Whatever


OTHER NOTES

Do not forget about FLORIDA

BAMA and LSU are both big and bad

Oklahoma's D showed me something and Landry Jones is BIG TIME in pressure situations

IF YOU DON'T THINK THIS WEEKS GAME IS IMPORTANT, THINK AGAIN

It was this same time last year that Michigan was 2-0, just coming off two impressive victories over UCONN and ND. Stepping onto the field against an inferior UMASS squad was a confident Michigan football team. This was the game where you build some depth and tighten the defense up before heading into the conference schedule. Unfortunately, UMASS piled up roughly 450 yds of offense and any objective Michigan fan became skeptical immediately. Yes they won the game, but damage was done, they were exposed by a 1AA team. This game was followed up by another offensive explosion against Bowling Green and a squeeker with Indiana. Michigan would then lose 5 of the next 7 games, including MSU and ohio.

Game three last year was a turning point in the season in my mind. UMASS rushed for 217 yds and threw for 222, a nice balance of offense against a confident Michigan team, on the road. This cannot happen again this year. If this team plays down to EMU's level then this may be another long season. An impressive win for Michigan would go something like this. Offensively - 250 - 300 yds on the ground, led by Toussaint but spread between Shaw and Smith as well. Maybe even a Rawls sighting would be a sign of an OL domination. A couple hundred yards passing with no problem of finding open recievers. Devin Gardner would be a nice changeup in the second half with no worries of a tight game.
Defensively - 250 yds of total offense and most of that in garbage time. There is no reason this defense should have struggles against EMU. Alot of pressure from the front four should be expected without a ton of blitz packages. Also, plenty of playing time for backups and freshman players would be a relief to see around halfway of the 3rd quarter mark.

It may sound corny but these are things to keep an eye on. The last thing I want to see is a struggling running game looking to Denard to get them out of another jam as if they are playing a top tier Big-Ten team. Would be discouraging to watch a defense that has to cause turnovers to win a gimme like this. There is no reason to platoon guys every other play competing against Easter Michigan. So with some interesting games this coming weekend, FSU and OK, Miami-OSU, let's keep in touch with this nooner and hope there are no signs of struggle. They are favored by 29.5 folks. Anything less than a 30 point victory would be a shame.

THE SCANDAL LINGERS ON?

Is it true? This latest investigation involving the current suspended players and some from the past relating to charity events? Is this why the players suspended for game 1 have not returned yet? Is it true that Terrele Pryor is the one that is talking now behind closed doors, spilling information regarding the last few years? Sources are saying all of this is true. Do I believe it? Ofcourse I do, why wouldn't I? I know, I know ohio fans, you want to complain about Bama, Auburn and Oregons problems and not look deeper into yours. I also thought it was over, but as a fan of a Big-Ten team, justice needs to be served.

If all these latest allegtions, piled on top of the old ones, are true, then We have watched a decade of dominance turned into a decade of bullshit. Seriously, a year and a half after the initial " tattoo scandal" things are still arising? What should all the other Big-Ten teams think of those losses to a buckeye team who is labeled a bunch of cheaters? If more is coming out then when does it end? How serious are other football fans to take ohio's football team? Are they relevant with this crap still going on? Or is it safe to say that until all of tressels recruits have graduated or made their exit from the university, they shouldn't be relevant? That is a question all Big-Ten fans should answer without the help of ohio fans. So if it is true, ohio would not be back on good terms until this years freshman class is gone. That my friends, would be the year 2015.

ROPE A DOPE!

Muhammad Ali made it famous against George Foreman, it's not a mystery, you all remember, right? What a gameplan. Let the bigger, stronger undisciplined monster wear himself out by throwing haymaker after haymaker, just hoping he doesn't knock you out early . When things don't go his way, he starts to make mistakes. Soon he is missing huge punches and leaving himself open, leading with the chin. After a while, his legs start to give, he starts to stumble around....He is tired. This is when the smaller fella makes his move because he is a little fresher and knows it's now or never.

This may be kind of a silly analogy but that's what was running through my mind Saturday night. I watched ND run up and down the field against Michigans defense with no problem. Without even breaking a sweat, ND was up 14-0 and showed no signs of letting up and more importantly, Michigan had no answer. I said earlier in the week that ND whipped up on USF statistically but turnovers killed them. ND came into this game a favorite and with no intentions of last weeks disaster. One thing I have noticed being a Michigan fan, over the last few years, when a team turns the ball over early in the season it tends to follow them throughout the year.

It was 17-7 at half and Michigan had nothing going their way it seemed. Michael Floyd was visibly laughing at the coverage he was getting and I couldn't blame him. But somehow, the defense would make a few stops at very important times of the game, a couple third and short yardage situations come to mind. With the game 24-7 late in the third quarter, I got up from my seat at a friends house and said "I'm going home". As pathetic as things were, I had all intentions of watching the rest of the game at home. That is where the miracle happened. As soon as I returned home, Michigan scored their second TD, making it a 24-14 game.

We all know what happened from this point but something needs to be said about this Michigan team. First thing is Michigans defense made stops and caused a few turnovers. Other than Reese's self made fumble, Michigan was putting helmets on the ball and recovering the fumbles they caused. Yes, they gave up over 500 yds of offense, but let me tell you folks that ND will put up those numbers consistently this year and Michael Floyd will get his against any team in the country. Michigans defense never gave up and realized they had a chance late in the game and stepped it up a bit.

Last thing is Denard is as resiliant as a 5 yr old child. Is he an NFL QB? Hell no. IS he a great passer? Hell no. What he is? A happy go lucky young man who has put Michigan on his back more than a couple times and led them to victory. Seriously, how many kids can play so inconsistent and put it together in the clutch like he did? This team isn't great but Denard is a great player who's positive vibe and attitude rubs off on his fellow players. So once again, the rastafarian look alike's legs and inaccurate arm pushed his team to a win while a nation of onlookers giggled and shook their heads. This is one of those games where Rodriguez would have said "what a great victory" with a huge smile on his face. Brady Hoke says "we have a lot to work on". GO BLUE

BIG TENS POWER POLL
1. Wisconsin- Russel Wilson really takes this team up a level
2. MSU- Great QB, good skill players and solid D
3. Nebraska- Defense
4. Michigan- Some stops on D and Denard is enough currently
5. Illinois- This offense is better than advertised
6. osu- Still undefeated and defense is the key
7. Northwestern- playing good football without top player, QB Dan Persa
8. Iowa- Took a loss this week but Iowa is fundamentally sound and always rebounds
9.PSU- I know, that may be a bit low but they lost and the QB situation is terrible.
10. Minnesota- they suck, but not as bad as Indiana and purdue
11. Indiana- bad
12. Purdue- worse



Other notes from college football

Bama and LSU are the two best teams in my mind

osu and Miami will be interesting Saturday night

ND and MSU is a huge game

Florida State is loaded and plays Oklahoma Saturday

Florida is also loaded and nobody is talking about them

Dymonte Thomas!

Caught up in all the excitement of Saturdays Michigan victory over ND, 2013 RB/DB Dymonte Thomas has made his verbal commitment to the Wolverines. This makes the second commitment for the 2013 class. Five star QB Shane was the first. Dymonte is a 4 star player himself and is a great pickup for Michigan, should play Safety at the college level.

NOT A SHOT?

The line on the Michigan VS. Notre Dame game this week is floating back and forth between 3.5 and 4.5 points. A majority of the sports talk radio personalities like ND as well. This stems from the lopsided statistics in the ND, South Florida game. Notre Dame, in a tough loss piled up twice as many yards as South Florida but turnovers killed them in the end. After Dayne Crist left the game, SO. Tommy Rees came in and damn near brought the team from behind in a long drawn out game that lasted roughly 5 1/2 hours.

Michigan on the other hand struggled a bit early defensively, giving up a long drive to start the game against MAC school Western Michigan. Halfway through the second quarter Michigans defense threw a potpourri of blitz packages at WMU and that resulted in turnovers and points. Offensively, Michigan was productive, with some long drives of their own. No turnovers and an excellent running game buried WMU in the long run. With no fourth quarter and fresh legs coming into this week should be a plus for the wolverines. All of this and the fact that starting SLB Cam Gordon, OG Ricky Barnum and MLB Marell Evans didn't play.

Remember that Denard didn't get going by any means and had a fantastic game against the Irish last season. I see no reason why Robinson shouldn't have a stellar game again this year. Offensively Michigan will score enough points to win this game but the defense is why people are picking ND this week. Michigan must get pressure on the QB, If Rees has time then they are in for a long evening. ND has plenty of weapons and Michael Floyd is my biggest worry. Woolfolk should be on him a majority of the game, he will need safety help without opening up the field too much for Eifert, Riddick and Jones. The verdict is still out on Michigans defense and this weeks game will answer questions, not just for this week but the rest of the season. Michigans front four must be much better than last and counting on those turnovers isn't as easy as the WMU game.


Here's the deal. Michigan is tired of hearing about how loose their defense is. They are underdogs at home for the first night game ever at Michigan stadium. I wonder if they are sick of hearing how hungry ND is and that their desire to win this game has taken a backseat? Maybe people have forgotten how good Denard Robinson is? I am sure Brady Hoke will bring this to the attention of the team. I expect to see a hungry, fired up Michigan football team who refuses to lose such a huge game under these historic circumstances. There is no room for error and anything less than a victory will be a total letdown. Bring it home.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL, WEEK 1.

What we have all been waiting for, the start of the season. All Michigan fans were focused on one thing and one thing only, what is the defense going to be like? Let me tell you what I seen yesterday. I will compare it to a pitcher in baseball who gives a up a HR to his first batter and then eight innings later he has scattered 5 hits, but still only one run has scored. He settles in if you will. WMU comes out the first drive, goes 74 yds on 15 plays, scores a TD and we all look at each other and shake our heads " Not this again for a whole season". For the rest of the game, the WMU QB throws for roughly 100 yds because of pressure in his face, sacks, hurries, and the frustration set in. He did a great job of finding holes in the zone early and putting the ball on the money.

WMU Alex Carder is no bum by any means throwing for 3,300 yds and 30 TD's last season, and WR Jordan White is a quality player as well. It was a little discouraging watching them be successful running that cutback play a few times but the defense got better as the game went on. Before the plays I would scan the field to see who was lined up at each position. I seen various looks that were surprising and successful as well. I witnessed press coverage, LB's and safeties reading plays, open field tackling and no missed tackles. Turnovers, tunovers, turnovers, get pressure on the QB and good things happen. CB's need to do a better job of turning around to find the ball, I hate that faceguarding shit. Right before the game was suspended for the second time, I watched the defensive staff chew the defense out right after a Van Bergens fumble recovery. LOVE it, Mattison has the experience to go into the film room and get better on the field. This defense got faster as the game went on, not thinking and reacting is a good sign.

Offensively

No turnovers,this offense looks faster than last year as well. They only needed three quarters to totally disect that D. This offensive line looked
nice and Denard had time to throw. I was looking for a 20 carry guy and if the game went on for another quarter, Fitz would probably had 15. All the backs were productive, no dropped balls and good downfield blocking. Then there is the fact that they only played three quarters, so the team will be fresh for next week.


OTHER NOTES FROM THE FIRST WEEK

MSU - finally got it together against YSU Friday night. They have three good backs and an excellent QB. Shouldn't face anybody until week three anyways.

Wisconsin - They look to be dangerous with the emergence of Russel Wilson. They are absolute bullies up front and they have the best RB's in the big ten. Some people were questioning the D but it is week 1 you know. You can't say much about the competition either.

Nebraska - swarming D and a nice game from Martinez, won't face competition until Wisconsin in week 5.

Iowa - Typical Iowa. Sound QB play, good defense and another injured RB. They play a tough one next week against rival Iowa State.

osu - Fundamental defensively, may have found a go to reciever until Posey gets back in TE Stoneburner. May not face adversity until week three when they play an athletic Miami team on the road.

Out of conference

Florida is good. They had an epic recruiting class two years ago and it is starting to show.

I am convinced if the big Ten put together an all star team that Bama would still beat them by twenty. At Fla. OCT. 1st and at LSU NOV. 5th should be the only games holding this team back from an undefeated season.

Oregon is fast as hell but not big and strong enough to wear an SEC team down.

Les Miles is a good ass coach no matter what anybody says. LSU is just a step behind Bama. Their Defense is loaded with NFL players.

Florida state just may be back. I can't wait to see them play Oklahoma Sep. 17th. They look like those old Fla. state teams with DL running down ballcarriers.

ANY QUESTIONS?

Two days away from the season opener and things atleast feel different. I mean, this team is pretty solid with the two deep and no injuries to be worried about. There is no Richrod discouraging the fans with his negative body language and attitude just days before the first snap. Michigans RB's have went from being questionable and unassuring in the past to a deep unit of capable backs, and it's the same group. Hemingway has transformed from an injury prone dissapointment to a fierce downfield threat who needs to be double teamed.

Was the coaching that unsatisfactory? I know they have not played a game yet but the last three years felt like impending doom before they started. Defensively, some guys have been moved. Cam Gordon was so out of place at FS that a majority of Michigan fans were saying to themselves " he is out of position" over and over again. Is it the way Hoke has came in and absolutely lit up the recruiting scene? Maybe it is the confidence knowing deep down in your gut that Greg Mattison is and will get everything out of his defense, and he has players where they are supposed to be.

So yes, there are questions, but not of the past. My thoughts are the same as yours. Will Craig Roh be better than a half a sack coming off the edge? Who will solidify the WLB position? Is this secondary upgraded enough to play some man to man defense? Is Nathan Brink really good enough to play SDE? yes, all these questions and feel more positive than ever. I can't explain it but it feels right. It's not about about coming out of the tunnel pumped up and ready to play, I have seen that the last three years. I'm banking on a team who gets better as the game goes on, level headed kids who stay poised and do their job, but not too much. Most of all, a coach and his staff that coach and not bitch at every unsuccessful play. It's time folks, it's now or never.