The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1051817
DECEMBER 2018 THE WOLVERINE 5 FROM OUR READERS junior-high motivational techniques to succeed. Coach Bo made it no secret that he valued and cherished good leadership from his veteran players. Seniors were expected to use their experience to lead the younger players. Controlling one's emotions and avoiding hurting your team is part of that. Remember that one represents one's teammates and school. Don't waste one's time and energy on petty and juvenile conflict off the field, and let one's play on the field do the talking. Play by the rules and avoid costly pen- alties. There is no doubt that a lot of heal- ing needs to take place between the Wolverine and Spartan football pro- grams. I'm not saying that all the com- batants need to hold hands around a campfire somewhere and sing "Kum Ba Yah." I'm just urging everyone in- volved — players, coaches, fans, etc. — to try to be more thoughtful and classy. Lou Hoekstra Kalamazoo, Mich. A SIMPLE REQUEST, PART II Dear The Wolverine, I have been a Wolverine fan since the 1950 "Blizzard Bowl" against OSU and the 1951 Rose Bowl win over the California Golden Bears. So, naturally, I was elated with Michigan's win over Michigan State Oct. 20. This restored "bragging rights" to me over my brother, who is an MSU grad and avid practitioner of "Spar- tan Will." I have to confess, though, that I was disappointed with the conduct of the players and coaches of both teams in the pregame and postgame activi- ties. The players and coaches have a rich heritage that they represent. Duffy Daugherty, "Sonny" Grande- lius, "Bubba" Smith, Kirk Cousins and other Spartans were class acts for MSU, just as "Bo" Schembechler, Bob Timberlake, Tom Harmon, Tom Brady and other Wolverines were for Michigan. But the "clothes line" antics on the part of MSU and the mid-field "scuff- ing" by Devin Bush, as well as the "bush league" and "B.S." comments by Coach Harbaugh and Coach Dan- tonio during their press conferences, added nothing to what should have been an intense, enjoyable rivalry. The frequent "unsportsmanlike conduct" penalties assessed to both teams during the game, including three to Michigan on MSU's final possession of the game, detracted from that rivalry and from the rich heritage of both schools. We live in a world where divisive comments and behavior have, un- fortunately, become the norm. Let's keep it off the field and out of the press conferences! GO BLUE (with class)! Robert Zinnecker Penfield, N.Y. One poster posed this question that elicited quite a few responses: junior Shea Patterson is the most talented U-M QB since … • I used to think Chad Henne; now I'd take it another step and go Drew Henson. bri7pf • Ever. Tom Brady is obviously the GOAT [Greatest Of All Time], but Shea has been better at Michigan. If he comes backs for another season … wow. pestkan • He's more dynamic than Henne. I'd say Henson. 19NatlChamps97 • Talent-wise Henson, but I think he has a better upside due to better coaching. BlueTarski • It's just a different game these days. Sure is fun to watch. Hard to try and compare back that far. GR_Blue3 • Definitely Henson. Shea made some plays [against Rutgers] that were emblematic of Henson to me, especially the throw across his body to Donovan Peoples-Jones and the Oliver Martin TD. Tempus1225 • Henne, although Denard Robinson was pretty darn good too. WolverineGrad00 • Henson. He's a better all-around QB than Henne. Kraut2k11 • Well, to twist the answer to the question of the original poster, I'd say Ryan Mallett, he was so talented. But Patterson is the best performer since Henson, yes, and pure talent. Henne, as good as he was, it felt that he was very good, not magic. Patterson every time he drops is a good adventure. He's a modern-day Fran Tarkenton back there. Too bad Tate Forcier and Devin Gardner didn't have Jim Harbaugh as a coach too … RUSMOKING • I'm going with Henson for one sim- ple reason — he was the last QB to win in Columbus. There are lots of what ifs around Henson's career here: What if he didn't injure his foot? What if he came back his senior year? I don't want the what ifs with Shea. I want the Ws. kittyaa2 • Shea is just like Jim Harbaugh in 1985. Exactly like him. If we get the 1986 Harbaugh next year? I'm predict- ing a top-five Heisman finish. mich90 • I'd say Devin and Denard had bet- ter talent, but there's no question that Shea is great. Devin's skill set would've been incredible for the offense we're running this year. GDA • Been a fan since the early '60s so not to diminish what Shea has done I will say two things about him: No. 1, he's had the best 10-game start of any quarterback I've seen in my years watching — disclaimer, he had prior experience at Ole Miss. No. 2, He has been the biggest improvement from one quarterback to the next, and it came at a time when the program needed it the most. 911Blue From Our Website Through 10 games, junior quarterback Shea Patterson has completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,927 yards and 17 touchdowns against just three interceptions. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN