The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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4 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2018 LACK OF AN OPENING STATEMENT Dear The Wolverine, Haven't we seen this movie before? Unless something drastically happens, we're looking at another eight-win sea- son, if we're lucky. Somebody needs to kick — and I mean a really good kick — these O- linemen square in the [butt]! They are dragging this team, and possibly the season, down. I thought Coach Warinner had this figured out, but apparently not. I know it's one game and Notre Dame's front seven is really good, but where is the fire? The grit? The determination? So what's the answer? Is it the re- cruits, the talent? Look what Mark Dantonio and Paul Chryst do with less talent. Is it the coach? Jim Harbaugh played under Bo Schembechler and almost won the Super Bowl as head coach, so he's got a brain. Can't be the weather, besides Michi- gan State played in that monsoon too last year and won. Home-field advan- tage? The schedule? I don't know ei- ther. Might as well break out the pop- corn because it's a long movie. Again. Bradley M. Woelmer Via the Internet SEASON-OPENING LOSS ONLY COUNTS ONCE Dear The Wolverine, After the Notre Dame game, there are a multitude of feelings and emo- tions regarding the current football season. The retired iconic Michigan line coach Jerry Hanlon's final com- ment on his podcast with John Borton on TheWolverine.com was that even if Michigan lost to Notre Dame it was not the end of the season. The game still counts for one game. There is an entire season to be played. That is not sugar coating a significant loss. However, the loss on the road to a ranked team has become a bur- den. That is reality. Is there comfort in the fact that Harbaugh's first game as Michigan's head coach with a transfer quarterback was an away loss to Utah 24-17, followed by a good season? The problem is that the quarterback and offensive line are still issues with the offensive line play being the glar- ing offender. The reality is that those are the guys that Michigan will go to war with, militarily speaking. Patter- son was under duress throughout the night. So were the running backs. We are told that one of the keys to good offensive line play is the commu- nication that develops with experience with your linemates. The line we wit- nessed against Notre Dame lacked that experience, and it showed in spades. Hopefully, it will get better. It is just the first game. At the risk of being accused of over- simplifying things, the following ques- tions beg answers: How much does celebrating a good play during a game become counterproductive? If the team October 2018 • Vol. 30, No. 2 ISSN 1048-9940 Editor John Borton The Wolverine.com Editor Chris Balas Football Recruiting Writer Brandon Brown Staff Writer Austin Fox Drew Hallett Managing Editor Ryan Tice Contributing Editor Steve Downey Layout And Design Jeanette Blankenship Chris Miller Contributing Photographers Lon Horwedel Per Kjeldsen Cover Photo Lon Horwedel Publisher Stu Coman Business Manager Linda Autry Marketing/Merchandise Manager Beverly Taylor Director Of Advertising Michelle Delee-Hamilton Customer Service Cathy Jones, Gail Evans The Wolverine is published monthly. A one-year (12 issues) subscription is $52.99. The Wolverine is printed at The Papers in Milford, Ind. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Wolverine, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702. Periodical postage paid at Durham, NC 27702 and additional offices. For advertising or subscription information, call 1-800-421-7751 or write The Wolverine, P.O. Box 1304, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. The Wolverine is a publication of Coman Publishing Company, 905 W. Main St, Suite 24F, Durham, NC 27701. E-Mail Address: thewolverine@comanpub.com Subscription questions: cjones@comanpub.com Website: www.thewolverine.com Be Heard! Send your letters to: Wolverine Letters • P.O. Box 1304 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Or e-mail: ryantice@comanpub.com Letters may be edited for clarity or length. FROM OUR READERS Michigan put itself in a 21-3 hole against Notre Dame on the road in the season opener and battled to a 24-17 loss with the nation watching. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN