wtka roundtable

Things Discussed:

  • Favorite basketball candidates. Craig has some off-the-wall ideas (Cornell's HC, Eli Brooks) but we have four we're mostly focused on, plus a pipe dream. Lavall Jordan: no, but floated the idea (Sam's) of Beilein doing a year with Lavall as AHC. Seth: don't like that. Let's get a coach in and start building a program, because that's a long-term deal.
  • The four gettables (in probable order):
    • May: We may be competing with L'ville? Downside is you'd like to see it go longer.
    • Medved: Seth & Brian like. Efficient from 2 vs Virginia: that's coaching.
    • Devries: Comes with his best player (his son). Has been doing more with less a long time.
    • Abdur-Rahim. Think he's an interesting idea, but after Devries, which is the "You can get that guy" line.
  • McDermott? Sam thinks you kick the tires, make him say no. Seth & Brian: Okay, and then he'll say no. But maybe not says Sam.
  • A fifth: Jerome Tang.
  • Our brackets: Seth likes Creighton, Brian thinks Purdue breaks through (that's what happens when you lose to a 16 seed right?), Sam hasn't made his picks yet, Craig believes in McNeese State.

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Things Discussed:

  • Tony Alford: What does it say about Ohio State? Ryan Day's program might have a culture problem. If he loses to Michigan [they get to play one or two more times but] he's out, right?
  • Seth checks OSU's schedule; somehow they got just @Oregon and vs PSU out of the Big Ten powers, so yeah, he could get to Michigan unscathed.
  • You'd think Alford wouldn't be worried about job prospects if Day is fired; he pulled the ripcord early, which means there's something making being the RB coach under Ryan Day/Chip Kelly intolerable. Brian: Could be the offense doesn't let the RBs do their thing.
  • Tony Alford: What does it say about Sherrone Moore? Guys wanna come work for him. Sam: They lost Adegoke because it got leaked so they kept this one quiet. Brian: That speaks to Moore's organization that they got the background checks and everything done.
  • Seth: Taking a coach 2 practices into spring is bigger than getting their signs because by this point they have a plan, and they've already started talking about what they're doing for The Game.
  • Sherrone: Good early signs. Had a competent assistants process, has a plan with recruiting, prevented Martindale from using up a staff spot. Making big baller moves, like how Harbaugh came in with satellite camps, etc.
  • Losing Hart: Plenty. He was a *great* RB coach, a great judge of talent, and a great Michigan player.
  • Seth: This exposes OSU culture issues. The Mattison comp: Matty got a title bump and $600k raise, but money can't buy the kind of Jerry Hanlon love he gave up to go to OSU, so there had to be something else. It turned out that something else was Don Brown was a Buddy Ryan, and as much as we love Brown it was a sign that Michigan needed a culture change.
  • Quinten Johnson: not a small deal. Good NIL (more valuable to college than pros), great for Michigan, not a replacement for Sabb but does allow them to maybe start Q-Jo and try Moore at nickel, which can ameliorate the loss of Mike Sainristil, who was the QB of the defense at nickel.
  • Wink Defense: Need to stop overplaying the differences between him and Minter, because Giants defense had more plays than any other NFL team inside their own 40, also once you have Jyaire Hill ready to go you can play a lot more man.
  • Break: Sam mentions more guys who wanted to come work for Sherrone.
  • Wink: You guys are doing stuff I wasn't even doing with the Giants. Brian: That's the Mikey Factor.
  • Pernell McPhee for support staff: Pahokee guy that Rich Rod wanted, Ravens guy under Mike Macdonald who can step into LB job in the future.
  • Lionel Stokes: Defensive analyst who worked with Morgan at Louisiana, been a DC and DB coach at Jackson State, gonna have big shoes to fill from Mallory.

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Things Discussed:

  • NCAA no longer regulating NIL: Brave New World? Ha. Maybe for Michigan. Sam has us make our case, which is the same we've been making forever. Craig worries about a Texas A&M situation, Seth & Brian push back hard.
  • How should Michigan do it? Supplement what they're doing now but don't lose *THEIR* guys because of money. Bryce Underwood is the classic example.
  • Schools can't afford to keep paying what they're paying out right now. Michigan included.
  • Warde Manuel: Absolutely wrong guy to show leadership. One thing he's doing is he's the leader of the CFP committee that's coming up with a 14-team disaster that's just the B10 and SEC forcing autobids for $$$.
  • Brian: Anyone who's an administrator at a college is expendable; teachers are not.
  • Sam: Time to get the collectives in on Bryce Underwood.
  • Sam: Trust me, Sabb didn't leave Michigan for money; he woulda had a Benz here too.
  • Seth: I'm bored by Sabb talk; we lost our 3rd safety to starting at Alabama. That doesn't mean there's a problem it means we had the best three safeties in America and football has two starting safeties.
  • Juwan Howard: Probably not getting fired until Warde Manuel is (everyone: so fire Warde!)
  • Who you hiring? Brian: McDermott (Creighton)->Shaka->TJ Otzelberger (ISU)->Mark Pope. Craig: Will Wade (all: !!???!!!)->Otzelberger (good defense!)->Anthony Grant (Dayton, fun offense)->Lamont Paris (SCar)->Mark Byington (JMU). Seth: Nate Oats->Fred Hoiberg->Darian DeVries.
  • Sam: Talk to me about Nate, but Bama has been supporting him well, and then you have Brandon Miller/Darius Miles in proximity to a murder. The other thing—put a hand on a player on the court—seems like nothing.
  • Seth/Brian: Details of the murder are important; the Missouri thing doesn't move the needle.
  • Dusty May? Caught fire with this group, but has only been at FAU, would like to see more of a track record.

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Sir, are you or have you ever been in charge of a vacuum refurbishment company?

Amorion Walker could jump back to Michigan right now if he wants to. Do it!

They've never downloaded any of those songs on Napster, which I have all of them.

It's clear they wanted us to sign him and fight them in court.

That guy's making 7 figures a year and telling other people not to get paid.

He didn't even get the Nick Saban; he's working for Bert!

There's a lot of people out there who have to start thinking about next season; I'm not one of those people.

That linebacker wasn't sucked inside; he was sucked out of the airplane.

Saban's problem is he was coaching players who weren't as good as the players across from them.

They don't hate us, Jim; they hate you.