Still Dissappointed Michigan Football

Its been 2 weeks since I watched Michigan lose another Rose Bowl. Its hard to watch a team that stared out 11-0 drop both of their last 2 games and finish the season ranked 8th. It adds one more season to the lists of seasons that we could have won the national championship.

Every year it seems that we have a shot at it and every year be come back without a National Championship and without a Bowl Win.
The last 3 years:
2006 preseason ranking: 14 Final Ranking: 8
2005 preseason ranking: 4 Final Ranking: Unranked
2004 preseason ranking: 8 Final Ranking: 14
2003 preseason ranking: 4 Final Ranking: 4

Every year we start in the top 15. So why has it been a decade since our last national championship? The answer is quite simple. Lloyd Carr gets out coached in every big game we play in. Through the last 4 years Lloyd Carr's record vs Top 10 teams is 3-5. His bowl record in the last 4 years is 0-4.

Its not just that he cant win the big games that bothers me. He also has trouble winning games that should be gimmes. In the last 4 years we have lost 5 games vs unranked teams. (Oregon 2003, Note Dame and Ohio State 2004, Wisconsin and Minnesota 2005). This is completely unacceptable. And although we didn't lose to an unranked team this year, things were eerily quiet in the big house during the 4th quarter of the Ball State game.

Lets look at how the team has done against the spread. The spread being the predicted margin of victory should give a good idea of how well a team is playing.
Michigan Football Against the Spread:
2006: 7-5-1
2005: 5-7
2004: 5-7
2003: 8-4-1
In the past 4 years 25-23-2 against the spread. In the past 4 bowl games we are 1-3 against the spread. This year we missed the spread in all 4 of our non conference games. We didn't barely not make the spread, we missed the spread by an average of 12 points a game.

So why is our team struggling so much? Is it the talent? No. every year we have top recruiting classes and just as much talent as any other top program. Is it the facilities? No. We have the largest stadium in college football and some of the best training facilities. Is it low support from alumni and student? No. I don't think anyone can argue that the University of Michigan isn't nuts about Michigan Football. Is it injuries? No. Our team is usually healthy. So what is it?

Its Lloyd Carr's refusal to adapt to his opponents. Offensively our scheme hasn't changed. We continue to run the ball up the gut in a "three yards and a cloud of dust" style that worked for Schembechler but isn't imaginative enough for today's game. Our Offense is so predictable, we run the same stretch play that never gets more than 4 yards. When was the last time that Michigan ran a trick play. When was the last time we've had a mobile quarterback. When was the last time we did an option. And if you consider the direct snap to Bass to be witty I don't think their is one defensive coordinator that doesn't know what will happen when Henne lines up in the shotgun with Bass at HB. On defense we can't stop the pass and don't produce sacks or turnovers that many top teams do. In the 2004 Rose Bowl Vince Young ran all over us in the first half. We we came out in the second half and he still ran all over us. We knew what a threat he was on the ground and we still weren't able to stop him. With our level of talent we shouldn't be letting teams like Ball State score 26 points on us.

I don't think that Michigan will ever win another National Championship with Lloyd Carr at the helm. And as long as him and Bill Martin are butt buddies things aren't looking good. How can we support a coach that took a number 4 preseason ranked team and had them unranked by losing a bowl game we were expect to win by 10 points.