Go Blue - 4 Loses in 2004!
What the fuck is wrong with Lloyd Carr? As evidenced by the touchdown drive in the fourth quarter (by which time it was already too late), Michigan has a potent offense. So, why was Carr willing to settle for field goals for the vast majority of the game? In the third quarter, Notre Dame pulled within two points on one good play. What was Michigan's offensive response? Run up the gut, run up the gut, short pass on a third and long, punt. Was Coach Carr aware of what was happening in the game? Did he perhaps think his team was winning 28-7 when the score was 12-7? That's the only way I can explain his lackadaisical attitude.

And who the fuck thought going to a 3-4 defensive formation was a good idea? Notre Dame's offensive line was porous against BYU, yet we were able to put almost no pressure on Brady Quinn. I do not know if the decision was made by Jim Herrmann or Lloyd Carr, but whomever is responsible for the 3-4 and our subsequently ineffectual pass rush should hang his head in shame. As feared, Markus Curry and Marlon Jackson are not nearly as good as they believe they are, nor as good as their press clippings would lead one to believe.

Chad Henne will one day be a good quarterback, but right now he's a scared little boy who prefers to throw short passes rather than wait and see if a downfield receiver can get open. I pray Matt Gutierrez is hurt, because if Henne is starting solely because he is our best quarterback, we are in real trouble. It was nice to see Braylon Edwards drop one pass and deflect another into the waiting hands of a Notre Dame defender. I've said he was overrated since the day he arrived and I say he's overrated now; it is an embarrassment that he is allowed to wear no. 1. I sincerely wish that he had entered the NFL draft, because as long as he's here he will continue to have too many balls thrown his way and will drop an unacceptably large number of them.

Prediction: This year, we will lose three or four games. I think we will lose four, but I GUARANTEE we will lose three. If Michigan finishes the season with fewer then three losses, I will write Coach Lloyd Carr a letter - not an email, but a letter - apologizing for my lack of faith and I will publish the aforementioned letter here at the Secret Base. If Michigan loses more then four games, I retain the right to leave bags of flaming poo on Coach Carr's porch.

It is going to be a long, frustrating, heartbreaking season. *sigh*