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Date Title Body
Dude is about to crack. He's…

Dude is about to crack. He's cracked before. There are signs. He's close.

Not in my collection! You

Not in my collection! You highly recommend?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/12f

https://www.dropbox.com/s/12f8uybsrw220wx/2017-06-26%2023.15.11.jpg?dl=0

You need to mess with the default. The deluxe version, while still not totally eliminating the issue you point out, changes everything so that all players are off balance. Again, embed not working from DropBox, so link above.

 

 

 

 

Good advice!
Sort of saving

Good advice!

Sort of saving it. I do hear it is the bomb. Running hard with Great Western Trail and Agricola now, so waiting for a lull.

That's because he is

That's because he is (hopefully) leading you onto new gaming heights, of which Catan is a pale imitation. A link to a shot from my collection (one shelf). The embed was not working.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rry3wnkuaetooqt/Collection.jpg?dl=0

That was well said. I would

That was well said on the football side. I would further add on the Brian front, he should have SC on staff to give all technical posts a once-over. By accident, I got into coaching lacrosse (having never played, but had kids that played at a high level) and had to learn on the job. I had a ton of success, but I always had an assistant that could  save me from myself; a lax guy who could stop me from being stupid (quite a chore).

BC needs that.

NO POLITICS HOWEVER.

Great to hear from you, SC. I

Great to hear from you, SC. I am in full agreement. My visits to this page have declined mightily over the years (go back to the Haloscan days, as do you) because snark rules on this site, not football expertise (I am not an expert). For Brian, it's analysis by statistical averages and transitive theory, and I can think of fewer sports more likely to violate that theory. I give him credit for being a good writer and prolific with the data, but prognostication? LOL, never.

Keep preaching!

Common sense. Eat foods

Common sense. Eat foods closest to their natural form. Whole food the body loves. It knows what to do with it. A Dorito? Might as well eat poison.

In the cardiac surgery

In the cardiac surgery business. This is not 100% correct.



It is 1000% correct.



Refined carbs also are a primary source of inflammation. A healthy artery is in no way bothered--actually, probably quite pleased--eating this glorious concoction.

Let me see if I can guess the

Let me see if I can guess the plot.

  1. People traveling in space.
  2. Find deserted ship.
  3. Do not land close to ship, so they can hike over desolate landscape to ship.
  4. Search ship and find nothing...
  5. ...until they find egg-like things deep inside.
  6. Person stares closely at egg-like thing.
  7. It opens...
  8. ...and an insect/alien thing attaches to person's head!
  9. People now concerned and return to ship...with person who has alien attached to them (don't do it!)
  10. Alien insect is pupating alien and uses unfortunate person as starter food and escapes.
  11. People hunt alien...poorly.
  12. Alien kicks ass except for random female who is tough as shit and kills alien.
  13. Robot is invovled. Evil robot.
  14. Alien comes back unexpectedly!!
  15. She kills it again.
  16. She goes into hypersleep.
  17. The end.

Sorry for the spoiler!

Seriously, I just wish these people had enough respect for viewers to try something new. Along with the Star Wars people (1. There's this death star...)

Take a close look at clip of

Take a close look at clip of Mo driving at the top of this post. That play is by no means an easy layup after the fake; DJ's defender is in position to slide and contest the shot, probably to foul hard. It takes DJ perfectly selling the three—he flashes, hands out for the catch precisely when Mo gets a step—thereby exploiting the Louisville coaching directive to close out on all shooters. I even think Mo puts a little extra wide arm movement in there to implant the idea of a kick-out.



That is sophisticated coaching. I coached for 20 years (at low levels), and getting kids to understand how to sell action off ball—and how to time it—took an act of God. DJ records a nice assist there.

Indeed! I go so far as to

Indeed! I go so far as to pack in extra peanuts, walnuts and almonds. Sometimes dried fruit as well. Smooth peanut butter is for four-year-olds who want it scraped thin with grape jelly over crustless white Wonder Bread.

No argument.

No argument.




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That you don't recognize the

That you don't recognize the same thing can be said about the other candidate is a remarkable revelation.

This issue is vastly bigger.

This issue is vastly bigger. What is your point? Am I to get a lecture from my mechanic on relations with Austria, a commentary on immigration with my Starbucks, a breakdown of debt from my Uber driver? No. 

This is a business. And I buy what's here (in a sense, although I have donated a decent amount) because the model allows me to ESCAPE from random opinions from amatuers. If I want news or political opinion, I will seek it out.

Say what?

Say what?




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That's my point. I don't want

That's my point. I don't want to hear their political opinions, and I won't click on the link. This is my caution—feedback that echoes a significant portion of Brian's clientele—that their business model is successful in part because they "just stick to sports." 

If Brian wants to kill off mgoblog, I'm not sure which would kill it off quicker: switching back to Haloscan, start writing glowing articles about OSU, or regularly opine on politics.

I don't got the a

I don't go to a herpetologist for heart surgery, not do I ask a heart surgeon if my king snake is brumating. I don't mind that one has an opinion about the other, but when the herpetologist wants to do a TAVR on my father or argue the value of on vs. off-pump surgery, I draw the line.

Live in Cleveland (yes, I

Live in Cleveland (yes, I know). I am telling you, no one has did more with less since MacGuyver. Sometimes I think he printed up a QB on a 3D printer, ran him out there, and got production. Hue Jackson gets some credit on that front too, but this guy managed an interesting and bizarrely effective offense on a train wreck of a team (talent-wise).

Great hire, IMO.

It's your judgment that those

It's your judgment that those gimmick plays would work, and it's his judgment that they would not. Crazy to me that all those who espouse certain changes feel that they will work without a hitch. He knows his limitations. We do not.




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I agree, but is it that

I agree, but is it that simple? Harbaugh was clear last year that Ruddock was his guy, and there were many doubters. He knows QBs. What if Wilton has simply not recovered (either physically or mentally) from the stretch run?

His assessment may be that the best he has right now is damaged goods in Wilton, better than the chaotic goods in JOK. There's nothing he wants to do more than stretch the field, but he chooses not to. I am guessing it is not incompetence, but the harrowing knowledge that Wilton is not capable.

An Explanation for the Bad Playcalling

Reading as much as I could before my eyes started to bleed, I could see the rage over the playcalling. There were some head-scratchers. However, I offer an explanation: Harbaugh cannot (and/or will not) gimmick his way to yards and points a la Meyer or Peterson or with any of the other middle school, QB running with hair-on-fire playcalling that dominates CFB.

Harbaugh can be a great coach and still call draws or screens for Deveon—they are not mutually exclusive, because dominant football in his mind is not about scheme, but about a blend of a certain type of talent, system, preparation, and intensity. He has the system, preparation, and intensity, but not the talent to run it on offense. When he does not have the proper talent, his system—pro-style—can be defended by althletes too easily. In paricular, QB and OL. Without an OL and RB that can move the ball and a QB who can punish defenses with play action, his system will frustrate. When Stanford was 12-1, he had these things. If he had Stanford's offense on this team, it would be a co-favorite to win the playoff.

Some might argue he should adjust. Perhaps (he's not without faults), but coaches cling to their systems, and it's not like he didn't have success this season, a few more than five points short of undefeated. Harbaugh is a complete coach, and a brilliant one. He just needs an OL and QB for his Death Star to be fully operational.

Then look the fuck out.

 

 

The good news is that,

The good news is that, according to Sam Webb, Wilson was not an immediate impact player, like Filiaga. Wilson was raw and would take time to tap his potential. Still would like to have had him (of course), but I view Filiaga as more important because it addresses next year.

Not panicking, but it is

Not panicking, but it is critical we get Ruiz, Filiaga, and one of Becton or Bateman (if he qualifies). The only thing standing between Harbaugh and a fully weaponzied Michigan Death Star is a peak Stanford OL. If we whiff on these guys, then panic.

This stuff scares the hell

This stuff scares the hell out of me because I purposefully ignore the wreckage caused by this game on human lives. If I look directly at the problem, I will see too much and lose the game I love.

I am reminded of Nick Nolte waking up in North Dallas Forty. That has always stuck with me. This is why I am pissed beyond belief that these players have the shittiest CBA, and worthless baseball players enjoy guaranteed contracts and long careers playing a country club sport. THEY should get the guarantees, THEY should get the big money.

Upvote. Nothing said today is

Upvote. Nothing said today is more true. We shat the bed on the road closing out big games.

OSU is an unholy lock,

OSU is an unholy lock, unfortunately. If Washington and Clemson win, we have our four teams, no matter what happens in the B1G championship game. If one of those two lose, the B1G champion joins Alabama, OSU and the other 1-loss team.

I think that we are all

I think that we are all reacting to struggle the OCs have in creating effective plays. You point to a key: the power source of a operational Death Star Harbaugh offense is the OL that can run the ball against a standard front all day long. Then, when they load up the box, you have a Harbaugh QB (i.e., Luck) there with play action to punish that decision.

Not that JH will lose his creativity when a monster OL is in place, just that an actual, effective run game is the missing piece that necessitates things like Peppers and the Train.

I actually think next year's OL may be a superior run-blocking line (assuming Newsome returns to form): Newsome-Bredeson-Cole-Owenu-JBB (or frosh?).

I certainly agree we can

I certainly agree we can criticize the play calling and be all in for the regime. What I shake my head at is the meme that existed about all the creative plays that were being saved up for "the Game." Brian would wryly complain about showing this or that clever play design against weaker opponents, thinking such a play deployed in the Game would be deadly. I disagreed with that, assuming that Harbaugh was creating more film to watch and playing off of those tendencies.

But we saw a regression in key November games (I acknowledge QB issues), and the decoy aspect of that regression—especially in light of how effective OSU was in using our fear of Samuel in that capacity—is most troubling to me. Harbaugh has shown a surprising tendency that I hope the pain of this season's finish will make him rethink: he played not to lose with leads in big games on the road.

I think a fully weaponized Harbaugh offense with healthy and skilled QB play will make this observation moot, but I was stunned at how he managed MSU, Iowa and OSU when holding leads in the 4th quarter.

My only thought is that

My only thought is that against teams that had a defense, OSU has struggled: Indiana, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Northwestern.

Against teams with no defense, they dominated: BG, Oklahoma, Tulsa, Rutgers, and Maryland.

The two abberations are Nebraska (supposed defense) and MSU (no defense), where their performace—for various reasons—was inverted.

Michigan has a great defense. I certainly fear this game, but I don't see a bad outcome being anything like last year. I do see a defensive struggle. Michigan 17, OSU 13.

He played scared. After the

He played scared. After the interception on the wheel route, he packed it in.




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Say no to drugs...and

Say no to drugs...and everything in this post. Playing not to lose -- on both sides of the ball (Don Brown, I am looking at you) -- will bite you in the ass. It's as if I discovered that Harbaugh has a rare serious disease; I am shocked, concerned, and would crawl on my knees through broken glass to secure a vial of cure for him. It's not about the blow out that fans wanted, it's about bad football, ugly demoralizing football. I'd rather lose being aggressive than to turtle. In the end, we'll be better off.




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Couldn't agree more.

Couldn't agree more.




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It's not that the players did

It's not that the players did anything but play their hearts out, and we are proud. It's that the coaching staff freaked out, froze, shat the bed, and played not to lose with functionally a prevent defense and Carr offense. It bodes ill for the next big game.




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hyperbole
[hahy-pur-buh-lee]

hyperbole
[hahy-pur-buh-lee]

noun, Rhetoric.
1. obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2. an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”.
Expand

That's not the point. This

That's not the point. This was not a win over a good Spartan team. This is a freaking team that gave up 54 points to Northwestern. This is a team that got trucked by Maryland. This is a team that was down 17 points as we approached the red zone, and the coaching staff imploded and let them back in the game. Like it or not, style points count if we legitimately have bigger goals. All we did was put on tape how our defense can be beat.

Not so good second half? That

Not so good second half? That is the understatement of the millennium. It was an abomination. Harbaugh flinched for the first time.

A huge assist to the coaching

A huge assist to the coaching staff for turtling in the second half. It didn't go according to plan in the first half, when Michigan State failed to prevent us from scoring on any one of our five drives. Only when we surrendered the notion of a diverse offense after an interception did we give Michigan State a chance to make a game of this. I'm happy for the win, but, with all the Michigan State Spartans in my family, they're celebrating as if they won. We had a chance to put a stake in them, and the coaching staff decided to try to run out the clock starting late in the third quarter. Baffling.

Harbaugh played not to lose

Harbaugh played not to lose and tried, for the first time in the history of football, to run out the clock starting late in the third quarter. An abomination. All this bullshit about stepping on the throat and running the score up was a mirage, and you think he would've learned not to fuck with Michigan State last year.




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I sincerely hope whoever

I sincerely hope whoever kidnapped Jim Harbaugh at halftime and replaced him with Lloyd Carr in a Jim Harbaugh Halloween outfit returns him in time for Ohio State, because there's no way our beloved coach could have produced that abortion in the second half if he were actually there.








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Still the best thing ever,

Still the best thing ever, this column is (a little Yoda lingo there).




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Sorry, but this "biggest game if the year" thing

Sorry, but this "biggest game if the year" thing is horseshit, IMO. Maybe against lesser coaches, against Hoke, Rod, or Carr, but not with this team against this staff. Doesn't mean State can't win, but it will take an Act of God (torrential rain, seven turnovers, returns, etc.) and have nothing to do with it being their Superbowl. That shit is good for a series or two, but a talent discrepancy this wide will out.

Getting in the habit of

Getting in the habit of saying this every week, but OW is simply the most entertaining thing on this blog. Bravo, again.

I sincerely hope the slights

I sincerely hope the slights against Michigan continue right up until Armageddon. I want an edge to our team; OSU has earned the slobbering love because of past results, and I am delighted they beat Wisconsin so that their young players can internalize all that praise and love. I'd even prefer we drop to number 5 leading into 11/26, getting passed by Clemson and Washington (assuming all undefeated).

 

Hilarious! Thank you.

Hilarious! Thank you.




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Many thanks! Great work!

Many thanks! Great work!




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The St. Ignatius freshman

The St. Ignatius freshman lacrosse team would schedule public varsity teams in the area, but there would be cancelations every year due to those teams not wanting to lose to a freshman team. 

The cool thing is that it makes for a series of cool road trips and marquee games at the varsity level. Iggy had a home and home with Gilman and Paramus Catholic (when Peppers was there). The AD has to schedule the right teams.

As one who visits Ohio State

As one who visits Ohio State and Columbus weekly (I know, I know), I can save him the trip. Here's a pic:

Exactly right. Here is my

Exactly right. Here is my son's lacrosse schedule for his senior varsity year at St. Ignatius in Cleveland. Go to the competition.

They shouldn't be on the

They shouldn't be on the schedule. I coached a lacrosse feeder team for St. Ignatius here in Cleveland, and I sent 14 of my 19 kids there (one to St. Edward). The local high school got a couple guys.

My sons played lacrosse for St. Ignatius (same situation as football), and they do not play any of the local high schools except the one or two mega-public high schools. Our teams travel to Birmingham Brother Rice, Country Day, Culver Academey, Shadyside, Moeller, Xavier, Hill Academy (Canada), etc. 

The AD is not scheduling correctly. The private schools have no desire to play the local high school and win by 70.

And 99% does not involve recruiting, it involves pulling from a massive geography and parents of talented kids leveraging that talent for a premium education. My sons were instructed by almost all masters level teachers and the curriculum is insanely hard. If you can get that sort of college prep, you reach out and get a needs based scholarship.