Maryland commuter program helps businesses save money by easing employee travel

Maryland commuters spend an average of 30 minutes sitting in traffic traveling to work – resulting in diminished productivity, extreme frustration, and lost time. To mitigate traffic congestion and support both the mobility, health, and wealth of its community, environment, and business partners, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has launched Commuter Choice Maryland. 

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/maryland-commuter-program-helps-businesses-save-money-easing-employee-travel/

Wolverine Wednesday: Michigan Beats Ohio State

That headline is refreshing, isn't it?   Michigan Basketball had a dominating win in the second half over the Buckeyes 65-49.   For those of us not in attendance we had to watch the beginning of the game on the ESPN App as the prior game went into OT.  The ESPN streaming feed was in Spanish.
As you know by now, the game was highlighted by Zavier Simpson who was the 6th player in Michigan history to record a triple double.

The game in the first half and early into the second was a pretty ugly affair.   Both teams had terrible offense and Michigan was struggling with OSU's Zone.   The Wolverines clearly ran away in the second half with better outside shooting and good defense.   To top off Simpson's night, his triple double came with zero turnovers.    Poole went for 15 and Iggy had 14 in a win on a cold night in Ann Arbor.  

• Coach B tied Johnny Orr in Big Ten wins at Michigan (120) last night. 

Interesting and Funny Tweets:

just learned that sky hook in spanish is “sky hook”

— Ace Anbender, fan of basketball, the only sport (@AceAnbender) January 30, 2019

Tom Brady’s been playing for so long, he already has his own coaching tree. Former Patriots’ backup QB Kliff Kingsbury is now the Cardinals’ head coach and former Patriots’ QB Kevin O’Connell is now the new Washington OC.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 29, 2019

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/wolverine-wednesday-michigan-beats-ohio.html

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission celebrates 100 years of clean drinking water

Serving 1.8 million residents throughout the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan region, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is known as the eighth largest water utility service in the country with a perfect track record of meeting and exceeding federal standards. We recently sat down with chief information officer Vennard Wright to learn more about WSSC’s efforts in Maryland.
 

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/washington-suburban-sanitary-commission-celebrates-100-years-clean-drinking-water/

Michigan Tuesday: Defense Gets Help and Loses A DL/LB

There were two reports last night that might effect the future of Michigan Football on the defensive side of the ball.  A new analyst/staff member and a defensive lineman looking for a new home.

The defensive lineman that has put his name in the portal is Reuben Jones.   Reuben has been in the program for 3 years as LB/DE, he did redshirt which should leave him 2 years of eligibility at his new school.   If he is able to graduate this spring, he would be eligible to play right away.

Reuben played in 11 games at Michigan and had one tackle per Mgoblue.   He is from Florida and I wouldn't be surprised to hear he ended up at UCF or USF.    Good Luck Mr. Jones!

Reports are that Jimmy has added a new analyst to his staff, former Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Nate Woody.  Nate was rumored to be taking the Army DC job and also a role at Georgia State, but the latest reports from 24/7 and Footballscoop.com is that he is heading to Ann Arbor.  Prior to GT, Woody spent 4 years as App. State's DC.

Your probably wondering what is the upside of this hire?   There is two areas that Jimmy is expecting Nate to contribute to the team.

 #1 Michigan has Army on the schedule next year which is a very difficult team to prepare for.  Also expect Army in the top 25 to start next season.  Coming from GT, Nate should have plenty of background on how to stop the triple option.

#2 Nate has run a 3-4 defense and is a specialist in zone coverages.  That's right folks,  I said zone coverages.  If Don Brown opens his mind a bit, this could be a very nice partnership.

• Michigan Basketball takes on Ohio State tonight at 9:00 on ESPN.  OSU is 3-5 in the Big Ten.  Stay Warm if your headed to the game or even if your not! 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-tuesday-defense-gets-help-and.html

Michigan Monday: A Good Week For Walk-On's

The final signing day for the 2019 class is 10 days away and it seems Jimmy and staff could care less.  They took a shot at some DT's late in the early signing period but didn't get them and there was some rumors about flipping an Alabama commit at RB, which doesn't look to be happening either.

Michigan has been hosting a ton of players but all of them are in the 2020 class.  So a week from Wednesday will be about 2 players:  Safety Quinton Johnson (who many have said signed in the early period but asked the coaches to keep it quiet so he could sign with his teammates on NSD) and Slot WR Amauri Pesek-Hickson, the latest sleeper find out of St. Louis.   I usually ask you to take work off to have fun as the commits come flowing in.  Not this year, go to work and read the BHB at your regular time.  😃

In somewhat of a surprise move, Jimmy gave 3 scholarships last week to walk-on's.  Which seems the final sign to set sail on the 2019 class and any potential graduate transfers.

Congratulations to the following:

-Senior WR Brendan White
-Senior DB Louis Grodman
-Sophomore DB Hunter Reynolds 

• Michigan Basketball had an impressive win in Assembly Hall on Friday night.  The Wolverines started to game on fire and where able to blow out the lifeless Hoosiers.    Michigan plays twice in the next 5 days, a late 9:00 tip at Crisler against Ohio State on Tuesday and 6:30 at Iowa on Friday. 

• ND seems to be moving forward with Stanford's RB coach, which means Mike Hart is probably staying at IU. 

• Higdon ran 5 times for 18 yards in the Senior Bowl on Saturday.  Winovich sat out with a foot injury. 
• OL Nolan Ulizio is doing his grad transfer year at Pitt. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-monday-good-week-for-walk-ons.html

Michigan Friday: Breaking News 2020 4 Star LB Commits

Just a few minutes ago, 4 star 2020 LB Osman Savage committed to Michigan.

Osman is 6'2 and 225 pound OLB from Baltimore.  He is ranked a 4 star from 24/7 Composite, and the 15th OLB.  His national rank is 250.

Savage (which will look great on the back of a Blue jersey) has offers from Georgia Tech, Maryland, UMass, MSU, Pitt, Syracuse, and WVU.

From 24/7: Osman Savage, who is the No. 15 outside linebacker in the 247Sports Composite class of 2020, is a high-energy player who runs well, is physical and has a very good change of direction. He is a high-caliber athlete and he plays hard, which is why so many school are on him already. He is visiting West Virginia for its game against Oklahoma in late November, and Michigan, Michigan State, Virginia Tech and Maryland are recruiting him hard. His ability to play against the run and also cover in the passing game makes him a coveted player.

Fun Facts:  Osman's HS head coach is Biff Poggi and Jimmy first saw Savage as an 8th grader in one of his summer satellite camps. 

Welcome Savage!  

• Michigan Basketball hits the road again tonight against Indiana.  IU will be without Green and Davis who are regular contributors.  It's an early 6:30 tip on FS1.  I hope Michigan plays better then they have during the last two games. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-friday-breaking-news-2020-4.html

Floor & Decor distribution center coming to Tradepoint Atlantic

Floor & Decor, a leading specialty retailer of hard surface flooring, is planning to open a 1.5 million square-foot distribution center at Tradepoint Atlantic in eastern Baltimore County. The project is expected to create 150 full-time jobs by the end of 2023. 

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/floor-decor-distribution-center-coming-tradepoint-atlantic/

Michigan Thursday: Mike Hart Interviewing For ND RB Job

This tweet text is from Pete Sampson but I'm thinking Mark Dantonio really wrote it: "Indiana running backs coach Mike Hart is a candidate on Notre Dame’s short list of replacements for Autry Denson. Notre Dame will interview for the vacant position this week. Hart is Michigan’s all-time leading rusher. 

Good Luck to Mike, but I wish other top programs wanted him like Oklahoma or something.

• 2020 WR Marvin Harrison, Jr. got a Michigan offer.  His dad is in the Hall of Fame but has had some questionable actions off the field.  

• Fred Jackson's son Josh who is the starting QB at VT is transferring (he broke his leg this past season):  Per Freddie, he has Brady's brain, Rodgers arm, runs like Vick, and has the likability of Manning.   Josh played his HS ball at Saline. 

• Sam Webb now believes Pep Hamilton is going to be on staff this year.  Yes, folks Michigan will have a $1.4M QB/WR coach. 

• Chris Hinton got his 5th star back on the 24/7 composite.  Which is nice!  

• Here are 24/7's final rankings (not composite):  HT to Fishaw Twitter 

23. S Daxton Hill
38. RB Zach Charbonnet
47. DT Chris Hinton
109. OT Trente Jones
160. WR Cornelius Johnson
161. OT Karsen Barnhart
170. DT Mazi Smith
179. OG Nolan Rumler
184. OT Trevor Keegan
220. DE David Ojabo
233. WR Giles Jackson

• Amauri Hickson isn't a top recruit but he moved up 372 spots!
• 
  
  from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-thursday-mike-hart.html

Wolverine Wednesday: Basketball Issues

usnews.com

Michigan's Basketball team is ranked #5 in the nation and is struggling right now.   Nobody was upset by the loss to Wisconsin, playing on the road in cold conditions is difficult to do.    Last night's win, looked more like a loss.   Let's take out the Matthews buzzer beater for a second and really look at what is troubling the Wolverines.

• Lack of offense - Michigan is completely stagnant without Teske in the game.  Poole is struggling with his shot, Iggy started the game 0-7 before getting hot, Simpson is not an outside shooter, and Matthews has been finding the lane very crowded.   All this leads to some ugly offense and isolation 3's.   Michigan shot 3-22 at the 3 point line last night.  

• Can't find a backup to Teske - Michigan is struggling to find a replacement a center.   Austin Davis is too slow, Livers and Johns are really forwards, and Castleton is no where close to being ready.   When Teske leaves the game, Michigan is way worse on both sides of the ball.   

• Plenty of Tape Available - Nobody is surprised at what Michigan is running now.  So the Big 10 teams are putting together defensive formations to stop Coach B's offense.   

• Teams are getting better - Michigan got out fast this season but other teams are starting to catch up with better play. 

• Too Streaky - It seems Matthews, Poole, and Iggy have to hit a layup before they can shoot the ball effectively.   Lately those 3 have been ice cold to start the game.  Poole scored 3 points last night and had 4 foul shots.  

Michigan won't be able to beat any Big 10 team on the road the way they played last night.  The Wolverines should have beaten Minnesota by 20 points.  They travel to IU on Friday and Coach B has plenty of things to work on before then.  The good news is this team has been through this exact same thing this season already.   Let's hope they can find their way out of this slump on the road like they did to start the season.  

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/wolverine-wednesday-basketball-issues.html

MOI moves back home to Baltimore

Commercial interior solutions firm MOI is returning to its roots and moving back to Baltimore City in February. With an accessible commute and adjacent amenities, the company believes its new location at McHenry Row will help recruit and retain the talent needed to take the company to the next level in 2019. 

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/moi-moves-back-home-baltimore/

Michigan Tuesday: 4 Former Wolverines Played in All Star Games This Weekend

JBB and Tyree Kinnel played in the East - West Shrine Game is St. Pete, Florida.  Brandon Watson and Lawrence Marshall played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Pasadena, California.

JBB played 20 snaps and got a grade from PFF at 67.8  
Tyree played CB had a fumble return and played 42 snaps
Marshall also had a fumble recovery and graded out at 74.4
Brandon Watson played 55 snaps and graded out at a low 60.1

PFF Average Grade is 64 (couldn't find Tyree's grade)

• Michigan Basketball is down to #5

• Michigan vs. Minnesota tonight at Crisler 7:00 BTN

• Congrats to for former Wolverine Blake Countess on making the Super Bowl with the Rams.  Blake had a 15 yard Chop Block penalty on a punt this past weekend. 

• Here is an ESPN article on Gary starting his own agency.

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-tuesday-4-former-wolverines.html

Start planning: National Plan for Vacation Day is around the corner

How often have you used a vacation day for something other than an actual vacation? The issue became so apparent that the U.S. Travel Association began Project: Time Off, which encourages people to make the most of their vacation days. The last Tuesday of January is officially National Plan for Vacation Day, and Maryland is fully on-board to participate in the much-needed cause. 

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/start-planning-national-plan-vacation-day-around-corner/

Michigan Monday: Tom In the Super Bowl Again

Raise your hand, if you knew Tom Brady would be the greatest QB in NFL history when he was at Michigan?  I assume many of you (like myself), had no idea.   He was always a smart QB and seemed to make the right reads at Michigan, but I was concerned about the next level.  I thought maybe he would have a Todd Collins type of career, being a solid back-up.  

I sure was wrong, Tom is the greatest QB and again proved it last night for anyone that might have forgotten.   A fun fact, Tom was on Michigan's 1997 National Championship team as a freshman.  He passed 15 times, completed 12, for 103 yards that season.

Congrats to the GOAT!

• Michigan Basketball suffered its first loss of the season.  It was only a matter of time as winning Big Ten games on the road is no easy task.  11:00 AM local start, a slippery surface, and Iggy/Mathews combine for 5 points is recipe for an L. 

• I wonder if that guy that missed that call in the Saints/Rams game ever was a referee in the Big Ten? Because it sure did look like it.  

• If you think the news regarding Michigan closing the 2019 class has been quiet, you are exactly right.  Michigan had two 2019 visitors his weekend:  Collin Duncan is a 3 star WR without an offer and FL CB Josh Sanguinetti a 4 Star CB with a ton of offers.    The WOTS is that Michigan is trying to set up a big recruiting weekend for this weekend.    As the focus has clearly turned to 2020 and future classes.  For the 2019 class, I think the Wolverines would love to close with a DT, RB, and either a WR or CB.  

• Speaking of DT's, Jimmy and new DT coach Shaun Tua were in Houston this weekend to recruit, Rice Graduate Transfer Zach Abercrumbia. Pretty much every school is trying to recruit Zach to their program as a rent-a-DT for next season. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-monday-tom-in-super-bowl-again.html

Michigan Friday: What About Pep?

Maizenbrew

The strangest situation hovering around Michigan's program right now is the status of Pep Hamilton.  His replacement has been hired (Josh Gattis) but he still remains on staff and is owed some pretty big money.   Pep is still under contract and is owed $1M this year and $1.25 next.  I don't know about you, but I'm not walking away from $2.25M anytime soon.

This situation also effects "coach in waiting" Ben McDaniels (brother of Josh OC of the Patriots).  His twitter profile says he is the WR Coach but officially he isn't.   With the hiring of Shaun Nua yesterday, Michigan is full at 10 coaches.   Ben has been out recruiting and now has to come home to get some rest.   As the Wolverines can only have assistant coaches out on the road recruiting.

We know Pep has been interviewing for other jobs but hasn't found anything yet.  The NFL jobs are filling up fast and time is ticking away.   So what happens if Pep doesn't find another job?  Two things could happen:

1) Michigan might have the highest paid WR/QB coach in the nation
2) Pep would resign and walk away from the $2.25

Drevno walked away in late February last season, so there is a precedent here, but as I mentioned before that is a ton of cash to walk away from.  

• Speaking of NFL assistant coaching jobs Larry Foote is the new LB coach at Tampa Bay. 

• Michigan is carpet bombing the 2020 and 2021 class right now with offers. 

• Mel Kiper's latest Mock has Gary at 9 (Bills) and Bush at 20 (Steelers).

• Michigan might have its toughest road game of the year on Saturday at noon against Wisconsin.  I watched MSU for the first time last night and they are for real.  Michigan and MSU should have some great match-ups later this season. 

• Enjoy Sunday to see if the 🐐 can make another Super Bowl.

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-friday-what-about-pep.html

Michigan Thursday: You Nua I was Right!

As I mentioned in yesterdays post, all signs point to Shaun Nua from ASU taking the Defensive line coaching job at Michigan.   All the services are reporting that its a done deal but Michigan has yet to officially announce the hire.   Shaun sounds like a good young players coach and I'm looking forward to seeing him develop some serious talent at Michigan.   Some of the media that covers ASU says that Shaun really connects with his players and they play hard for him.   He will also bring some serious ties to recruiting out West.  If you need a backgrounder on Shaun, please check out Wednesday's post.

Welcome Big Man! 

This should end Michigan's staff changes this year if you consider the following:  Pep is still expected to find a new gig and McDaniels is also expected to named WR coach as soon as Pep does.

• Jalen Hurts is going to Oklahoma.
• Texas QB Shane Buechele is in the portal.
• One of Alabama's top recruiters Tosh Lupoi is leaving for the Browns DL coach role. Nick Sabin has some hiring to do. 

• Michigan 2019 Signed WR Giles Jackson will play in Hawaii this weekend at the Polynesian Bowl.  Its on at midnight on Saturday on CBS Sports network.   Hopefully, we see some highlights of the young man in space on Sunday.  

• Remember when Devonte Dobbs a 2019 Belleville recruit that was rated as a 5 star OT and the Michigan coaches weren't giving him a ton of attention?  Dobbs of course committed and signed with Sparty.   Many Michigan fans that saw him play in high school, didn't believe he was a 5 star talent and was confused on his ranking.   Dobbs goes to the UA All American Game and preforms the same way.  Rivals latest/final rankings has dropped him out of the 5 star range.  The highest Dobbs was rated on Rivals was the #25th player in the nation, in their final rankings he is rated at #122.

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-thursday-you-nua-i-was-right.html

Wolverine Wednesday: Nua Rumors and Tate Transfers To South Beach

There seems to be some pretty strong rumors that Jimmy and Don Brown have offered the DL coaching position to Arizona State's DL coach Shaun Nua.   We could get confirmation either way in the next day or two.

Here is a bit of a backgrounder:

• 1 year at ASU, prior was 6 years as the Dline coach at Navy
• Played and Graduated from BYU, he was also a GA there
• Drafted in 7th round and played 3 years for the Steelers and 1 year for Bills
• Born in 81 and is a native of Pago Pago, American Samoa

I don't know a ton about Shaun but I like he has some recruiting ties to the West Coast, a younger  coach, and has NFL playing experience.  He also has a Super Bowl Ring for being a rookie on the Steelers 2006 team.  

• Do you remember a QB in the Big Ten with the first name Tate that had a lot of moxie?  Who transferred to Miami after he was concerned another QB was going to beat him out for first team snaps?  It's happened again but this time it's Tate Martell for OSU.   He has decided to go play for the U and will have to sit out a year.   Jalen Hurts is also considering Miami but he will be a graduate transfer and can play next year.   Justin Fields OSU's new transfer QB from Georgia will have to get an NCAA waiver approved to be eligible next season.   If that waiver is not approved, OSU could have some issues next year at QB. 

• Former Michigan player and coach Roy Manning is now a DB coach at Oklahoma.  If you remember, Roy struggled as a CB coach for the Wolverines as his expertise was more as a LB coach.  Roy has gotten more expertise since then and we wish him good luck at Oklahoma.  

• 2019 signed recruit Chris Hinton is now a 5 star on Rivals.

• Former Michigan Basketball Player Ricky Dole had to retire due to health issues.

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/wolverine-wednesday-nua-rumors-and-tate.html

Michigan Tuesday: Here Are The Keys Son

Jimmy did his podcast yesterday and it validated what we had heard regarding the hiring of Josh Gattis.

Found out through the grapevine that Josh was considering leaving Alabama to go to Maryland so we reached out and asked if he had any interest in Michigan. I called him at 10 o'clock in the morning and by 3:30 he was coming to Michigan with a signed Memorandum of Understanding," Harbaugh said on this weeks edition of his Attack Each Day: The Harbaughs Podcast. "(Gattis) was on a plane here a day or two later. We've been working here the last couple of days in the office, through the weekend and today. Really, really excited. You can see the resume, the track record of success. When you look at Josh as a coach and the development of players that really jumps out at you right away, wherever he coaches they are successful at really the highest level. All-American at Western Michigan, All-American at Vanderbilt, a couple at Penn State and a couple at Alabama as well. He knows the state and that's also really exciting. He's also a really good player himself at Wake Forest and the Chicago Bears. All in all, just the football ability. Josh is well-regarded across the country and the world of football at all levels. Getting the right person on the bus, somebody I felt that really could coordinate our offense and run the whole offense. Very, very excited about that. We got better."

“I really watched Josh long enough to know, and we talked, (that we) have the same philosophy really offensively… which I like,” Harbaugh said on this week’s edition of Attack Each Day, The Harbaugh’s podcast. “I like the idea of him running it. We have some very fine offensive coaches here, no question about that. They feel like, ‘yeah, let's go! This is the direction that we're going, so let's go and make it great. Let's make it work.’ Everybody has the attitude that Josh has. When I talked to him he said, ‘you're going to get my best.’ When he said that, that's what we're looking for. Somebody that's hungry to make us better, too. We'll get all the final (offensive roles) sorted as we go, but getting the right people on the bus and getting them in the right seats, I think that'll happen really quickly and it's already going smooth so far.”

Josh goes on to talk about Saban yelling at him for taking the Maryland job and leaving Alabama.   He walks out of the office and guess who is on the cell, Harbaugh recruiting him to Ann Arbor.  

• The new rankings came out yesterday and Duke is still #1 with Michigan #2 and then last night Duke loses to Syracuse at home.   Michigan's only game this week is at Wisconsin on Saturday. 

• Michigan OL Nolan Ulizio is in the transfer portal and is expected to find a new school.

• A couple new names in the defensive line coaching search includes ASU's Shaun Nua and Mississippi State's Brian Baker. Former Michigan coach Jerry Montgomery who is currently with Green Bay is also in play, depending on what the new staff in GB does at his position.

• With the surprise hire of Josh Gattis, how does Michigan have room to hire another coach?  Pep is still on the payroll and Michigan still has an opening at DL coach.   McDaniels has not been officially hired as the WR coach yet, which means Michigan still has 9 coaches right now and has room to hire a DL coach.   I expect Michigan will hire a DL coach soon and continue to push Pep out the door.   If your wondering Pep makes way too much money to be a WR coach at Michigan.   

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-tuesday-here-are-keys-son.html

Q&A with adult services provider Itineris

In 2006, a group of dedicated parents, professionals, and advocates in the Baltimore area joined forces to develop a support system for neurodiverse children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who would soon be leaving their school systems and entering the working world. After four years of research and planning, the result was Itineris, Inc., an organization tasked with filling the tremendous gap in adult services specifically for people with ASD, a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. 

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/q-adult-employment-provider-itineris/

UK-based Autolus bringing 170 new jobs to Maryland

Maryland and Montgomery County have announced support for the new U.S. headquarters of Autolus, a U.K.-based biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing treatments for cancer.

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/uk-based-autolus-bringing-170-new-jobs-maryland/

Michigan Monday: #Speed In Space

Michigan fans have been walking in the desert and new Michigan OC Josh Gattis is the water.   He has been on the job for a few minutes and already knows what the Michigan faithful wants to hear.   Here is the water:

The Building Blocks for 〽️Offensively!
1. Be EXPLOSIVE!
2. Protect the Football & Who Has It!
3. Be Aggresive & Score!

DNA➕SCHEME➕CONFIDENCE=💥💥💥💥💥#SpeedInSpace #GoBlue〽️

— Josh Gattis (@Coach_Gattis) January 13, 2019

He made a lot of fans with that tweet!

Michigan Basketball took its record to 17-0 which is a program record for the number of wins to start the season.

The star of the game was clearly Zavier Simpson who went for a career high 24 points and the first half MVP was Jon Teske who went for 17 points in the half.   It's great that this team shares the ball and somebody different is the MVP every game.

The Wolverines have 5 days off before they play in Madison vs. Wisconsin on Saturday.  It will be very difficult to take the streak to 18 in that building.

• Michigan did hire the co-DC from BC Anthony Campanile on Friday.  He is expected to coach DB's and maybe the Viper role.   DL coach is the remaining open spot on the coaching staff.  The expectation is that Pep has moved on, even though nothing has been announced.  

• Michigan has been in contact from graduate transfer DT Zach Abercrumbia  from Rice who has plenty of offers to continue his playing career for one more season.   Michigan needs a DT and a RB through a transfer or in the next few weeks in the 2019 class.   

• OSU Tate Martell seems to be down to WVU, Miami, and Louisville.  Jalen Hurts is also considering Miami as well. 

• Michigan also got a PWO commit from 6'7 300 pound OT Zach Conti this weekend. 

• Former Michigan coach for 10 minutes Dan Enos is now the new OC at Miami.   Alabama needs to hire a few offensive coaches.  

• Penn State has 6 players in the Transfer Portal.

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-monday-speed-in-space.html

Michigan Friday: Jimmy Hired an Offensive Coordinator

This situation seemed to have popped up out of nowhere.  On Thursday morning, Jimmy's coaching staff was full on the offensive side and had two big holes on the defensive side after Ohio State's new coach went fishing in Jimmy's pond.

All of us were expecting two defensive coaches to be hired, as Pep was looking for an NFL job.   Then Jimmy goes out and hires a young OC off of Alabama's staff that was expected to take the same role at Maryland.

Josh Gattis, is a high riser in the assistant coaching ranks.   He has been coaching WR's at Vandy and Penn State for James Franklin before Nick hired him away to Alabama.   Which also means he has gotten to work with Joe Moorhead and new Maryland HC Mike Locksley at Alabama.  Josh is 34 years old and is also known as a very good recruiter.  

At the surface, this looks like a home run hire and one nobody really saw coming.  In fact, earlier in the day, there where reports he was being hired by Maryland.    What he did with Alabama's WR 's this year can be duplicated in Ann Arbor with the current talent at WR and an accurate thrower in Patterson.   I also love how Alabama's offense was nowhere near one-dimensional this year.

Is it too soon to start nicknaming his offense?  The Gattis Gun.  🌝

Welcome Josh!

What does this mean for Pep?  I expect that Jimmy and Pep have had a handshake and wished each other good luck.   Jimmy won't go on record and say Pep has been fired before he has had a chance to find a new job.

• Reports are that Temple has hired N. Illinois coach Rod Carey.  The Don Brown watch should be over.   Unless Northern Illinois comes knocking. 

• Tate Martell OSU backup QB last year in now in the Transfer portal.  Jalen Hurts is also in the portal.

• Jimmy and DB also interviewed Boston College's Co-DC Anthony Campanile for one of their opening on defense earlier this week. 

Michigan Basketball beat Illinois last night 79-69

Its was a bit of a tough watch as Illinois was trying to make up for a lack of talent with a scraping defense.   Illinois got Michigan to speed up and dribble a bit too much, which caused 14 Michigan turnovers.   

Michigan was clearly the better team on the floor and that started to show in the second half as they kept a decent lead most of the half.   A couple of notes from the game, Jordan Poole struggled on both ends of the court and freshman big man Brandon Johns didn't even see the court.  

I love the balanced scoring last night:

Simpson 16

Brazdeikis 15

Matthews 14

Teske 13

Poole 10

Livers 9

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-friday-jimmy-hired-offensive.html

Michigan Thursday: That's a Ton of Airline Myles

Chris Jerrod Hilton played 13 years in the NFL.  He was famously drafted by Denver Broncos and traded for John Elway.  During his career, he played on the offensive line for the Colts, Falcons, and Vikings.  He went to college at Northwestern.   Chris has two very talented sons \, one is headed to Michigan in the 2019 class to play on the defensive line and a 5 star OT in the 2020 class.   Myles the highly ranked OT in the 2020 class picked Stanford last night over the Wolverines.   The Hilton's live in Atlanta and there was a hope Myles would pick Michigan, so the family could just travel to Ann Arbor for games.  This decision wasn't a shock, but the hits just keep coming this week.  

• Michigan Basketball puts their un-defeated record on the line tonight at Illinois.  Michigan is favored by 8 and the hook.  Livers is still questionable with a bad back. 

• Trending is Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey for the Temple job.  

• The Oakland A's are expecting Kyler Murray to declare for the NFL Draft.  He might want to re-think that decision after Bryce Harper signs his new contract for over $300 Million. 

• Michigan's 2019 early enrollees are now in school:  Those players are:  Zach Charbonnet, Mazi Smith, Erik All, Jalen Perry, Cade McNamara, David Ojabo, Mike Sainristil, and Gabe Newburg. Wednesday was the first day of school. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-thursday-thats-ton-of-airline.html

Wolverine Wedneday: So There Has To Be a Plan, Right?

Michigan has lost two key recruiters off its defensive staff to it's top rival the last two days.  Not only is that a bit strange, its also a hit to the staff.  

Staff changes are very common each year, situations like Fred Jackson who was Michigan's RB coach for 150 years is not the norm.   Harbaugh is very respected in coaching circles and hires strong coaches young and old, so it's not a surprise that his staff gets jobs each off season.

I actually thought Michigan could have kept both Mattison and Washington with a new title and few extra dollars.  For some reason, that didn't happen.   Which leads me to believe that there is plan.

I have been batting .000 on predicting these coaching moves, so I will give you what I think.

I expect Don Brown to stay at this point, Temple has expanded their search and are now in contact with Wisconsin's OC, EMU's and N. Illinois's head coaches.  The local paper says they are down to a small group and hope to have a decision this weekend.   Is Don in that group?   Don't know.  But if they wanted Don, I would have expected an offer and a hire by now.

Bust Guess: Don Stays

Don now has 2 openings on his staff.  DL and LB coach, if past history is any indication Michigan won't be in any rush to hire these positions.   The first shoe to drop has to be Don staying and then these positions will get filled.   A name that has started to pop up is former Wolverine and current Raiders DL coach Mike Trgovac.   Former Michigan LB Larry Foote is/was the LB coach of the Arizona Cardinals and is probably available as well.  He is a bit out spoken but could be a strong recruiter with his ties to the area.

I have also heard wishes from fans for Charles Woodson or Brady Hoke.   Chuck has a good job and a wine business, he is also on record on not being interested in coaching.  Brady is a good DL coach and a very good recruiter, but that might be just a little too weird.   I don't believe either to be an option.

Best Guess:  these roles get filled later this month after the Don Brown saga with Temple is over.

Nothing new with Pep and I do expect that he will eventually head to the NFL, once all the head coaching openings are filled and they start hiring offensive coaches.   USC needs a new OC, I'm just saying.

Best Guess:  leaving, but might take a minute.

Some other coaching news:

• Some have pondered Matt Canada as the OC when Pep leaves.   Matt is looking at the IU OC job and is also interested in the N. Illinois job if Rod Carey goes to Temple.  Matt did a fine job at Maryland this year under very tough circumstances.  

• Denard has lost his head coach in the new AAF! Current head coach for the Atlanta Legends Brad Childress is stepping away and Kevin Coyle is taking over.  Yes, Denard is on the roster of the Atlanta Legends which new league is expected to start after the Super Bowl. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/wolverine-wedneday-so-there-has-to-be.html

Michigan Tuesday: Jimmy Are You Watching?

If I could put a game on tape to show everyone what Michigan isn't, that would be the NC game last night.

Clemson has one of the best RB's in the country and rushed for 135 yards.  They threw for 347 yards or like I say, throw to run.   Clemson gets the ball to it's playmakers.

Clemson's defense showed Tua a bunch of different formations and blitzes.   Yes, their front 4 was able to get pressure but the defensive backfield was confusing the talented sophomore QB all night.   They just didn't play the way they have been all year.

Plays don't win games, players do.   I think Jimmy believes just the opposite, but I don't.  I think you have to feed your best most talented players to win big games.   This is mostly true in college football and probably conflicts with Jimmy's NFL sensibilities.

Clemson blew out Bama last night but Bama on offense was also passing to run, their issue was turnover and the defense not being able to stop a Surfer Dude.

----
Well it seems my Greg Mattison post yesterday afternoon, might not hold up a day or two.   OSU has now also approached Michigan coach Al Washington with an offer.  I had heard, that had already happened and Al had turned the Buckeyes down.  That information seems to have been incorrect and Al has a decision to make.   Like I said yesterday, this would be a bigger loss then losing Greg to Columbus.

Jimmy will work hard to keep Al with a raise and probably a promotion to DL coach to replace Mattison.  Hopefully that approach will be successful.  It also seems like there is room for John B the former CMU coach as a special teams coach, if they want to go in that direction.

If your wondering, still no new news on the Temple head coaching search.  Strange they are moving this slow, the longer this takes the more I believe Don Brown is not the choice.



from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-tuesday-jimmy-are-you-watching.html

Some Prespective on the Greg Mattison News

Many Michigan fans and players are freaking out.  How could Greg Mattison go to Columbus to become the DC for Ohio State?  I have heard he has told friends and others that it was a financial decision, as his Michigan contract was due to expire.

My Take:

I really don't see this as a huge loss.  Greg is 70 and has one foot already towards retirement.  He has been contemplating retirement for a few years now.

He has developed a ton of talent at Michigan but many top level guys never really reached their full potential.   Gary and Taco are two that come to mind.   You could even throw in there Aubrey Solomon if you wanted.

Greg was always a great recruiter but I'm guessing its getting harder and harder to hit the road in your 70's.

That last point, OSU already has a great defensive line coach on staff.  Greg will be co-DC with Jeff Hafley a new hire from the 49'ers.   This is a clear hire to groom Jeff for the full time DC role.

I know Greg has family in Ann Arbor, which is the 100th reason this seems like a strange move.  

The good news:

Michigan already has a guy on staff that is young and a high riser in the profession.  Al Washington who has family ties to OSU was offered a job and turned down Ohio State.  He has coached the defensive line for Don Brown, is also known as a great recruiter, and has very good recruiting ties in Ohio.  

If you put a gun to my head and said, you have to lose Greg Mattison or Al Washington to OSU, pick one.   I would pick Greg.

Good Luck Greg!  I hope your defense gives up 62 points to Michigan next year.   Let's hope this reverses the curse.  





from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/some-prespective-on-greg-mattison-news.html

Michigan Monday: Michigan Assistant Coaching Rumors and National Championship Night

Let's start with the NC game tonight.  Has anyone seen this game before?  Yes, it's the two best teams in college football and its not even close.   I guess the only issue with tonight's game is that its 2000 miles away from each campus and tickets are going for well below face value.  

I expect a fairly close game tonight as this should be a defensive battle.  The wildcard tonight is a true freshman QB for Clemson, who hasn't faced an Alabama defense yet.  I also hear it has been raining hard for the last few days and the field is really a mess.  Better get those helicopters in there!  Alabama 27 Clemson 21

Michigan has some issues on both sides of the football that need to be fixed.

Defense - can't play zone
Offense - is boring and predictable

The way you fix that is through is coaching and both sides of the ball could use some new blood and a some new voices.

Pep -Is expected to move on but nothing on the radar.   The reason is there are so many NFL openings right now and it's expected that Pep will head to the NFL as a position coach.  Lions had some interest and then they fired Jim Bob.

Don Brown - Is still in play for Temple, which opening is expected to be wrapped up this week.   The coaching convention was last week and the rumor mill was saying that Temple would do a number of interviews there.   The latest name is the Northern Illinois head coach, Rod Carey.   Don going to Temple is not a lock.  Rumor is that other programs are also considering Don as well.   Its strange to think Don would be available for other DC jobs, but it seems that might be the case right now.

Greg Mattison - is considering retirement.  My best guess is that he stays at least one more year, but if Don leaves,it could have an effect here.

Al Washington - to Ohio State had a lot of legs the last couple of weeks.  Rumor is that Al was offered but turned it down as it would have been a lateral move.  He also has an opportunity to move up at Michigan if some of the above plays out.   A raise is expected here to keep Al happy.

Ed Warinner - was the best coach on staff last year and helped turn around a dreadful offensive line.  He is also inline for a nice pay raise.
-----

Hello Brandon Johns!

Michigan Basketball took its record to 15-0 last night after a nice 74-63 win over top 25 Indiana.   The "rust" over the last month was gone and Michigan played with intensity from the tip.   With Livers still out with a bad back and Michigan's bigs getting in some foul trouble, East Lansing's own Brandon Johns played 13 minutes and got an 8&8 (8 points and 8 rebounds).   That was his first real playing time of the year and he looked very good on defense and getting some boards.  I expect he will be in the 8 man rotation even when Livers comes back.

The Wolverines were led by strong PG play from Simpson and scoring from Poole and Matthews.   I have a theory that Charles Matthews loves playing on CBS.  He played great in the tournament last year and last night first half might have been his best half at Michigan.   There was a number of NBA scouts at the game and Charles played very well.

Michigan travels to Illinois on Thursday.

• Michigan signed WR commit Cornelius Johnson had two TD's catches in the All American Game All Star game on Saturday.   Dax Hill actually had a couple rough missed tackles but enjoyed himself during the week.  Hilton also had a fumble recovery.  

• Lynn Swann to block Kliff Kingsbury from interviewing with the Jets and the Cardinals is just petty and stupid.   I could see him not allowing other college programs from interviewing him but blocking the NFL is just petty.  

• As expected 5 star QB Justin Fields is transferring to Ohio State.  Tate Martell is probably pretty upset and maybe considering his options.  Haskins is still expected to announce he is entering the NFL Draft but hasn't done it yet.  Justin will apply for a waiver for immediate playing time.  He did have an issue with a Georgia baseball player and that might be the basis for immediate playing time. 

• Michigan Hockey also beat ND in ND Stadium on Saturday.   Having a Michigan win in that building is nice! 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-monday-michigan-assistant.html

Your best life starts in Maryland

We sat down with businesses of all industries and sizes to learn the secrets to their success. We learned a lot about each company, but a resounding theme quickly surfaced: Maryland is a great place to live. So if you’re a Maryland business owner, have confidence that you’re already in the best place to start a new year. And if you’re not in Maryland, what are you waiting for? 

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/2019-your-best-life-starts-maryland/

Michigan Friday: Win Over Penn State

John Beilein's club took the floor to re-start the Big Ten season at Crisler last night.   It was a bit of a defensive battle as both teams only combined for 45 points in the first half.   

Michigan started to find it's offense in the second half and scored 43 points of their own to pull away with a 68-55 win.  If this team can find it's outside shooting they will continue to be difficult to beat as their defense is suffocating.   I tell you what, Jon Teske might be one of the most important guys on the floor as he is great as rim protection, rebounds, and even adds some offense with the pick and roll.  He is also the guy that can get you through a few scoring draughts that all teams go through.   The Michigan scoring was lead by Poole with 17 and Iggy added a double/double with 16 points and 11 boards. 

The bad news on the night was that sophomore forward Isaiah Livers didn't play due to back spasms and is questionable for Sunday's game against Indiana.    This will be the first quick turnaround for the Wolverines in a few weeks and hopefully playing twice in 4 days will be a positive for the young Wolverines offense. 

• On during the same time was the UA All American Game.  So it was really hard to watch both.  I did see some of it and didn't get a good look at any of the Wolverine commits.  I will continue to look for stats as the UA game site is down this morning.  

• Congratulations to Steve Hutchinson and Ty Law being named as Hall of Fame finalists. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-friday-win-over-penn-state.html

Michigan Thursday: Long Gone

David Long yesterday decided to jump to the NFL instead of playing his senior year in Ann Arbor.   Mel Kiper has him rated as the 8th CB in the draft.   Long was a good player and many times you didn't even notice him on the field as opposing QB's would throw away from the talented CB.  Long joins Gary, Bush, and Gentry as early entries to the draft.  

Michigan is doing well at CB depth with the likes of Ambry Thomas, Myles Sims,  Vincent Gray, and the forgotten Ben St-Juste.  Vincent got a ton of positive press in bowl practice and Ben is coming off an injury where he didn't play all year but did get time as a true freshman a season ago.   The Green twins are also in the mix for a CB/Safety role.

Funny fact, the day before David Long declared for the NFL Draft, David Long declared for the NFL Draft.   The second David Long is a LB from West Virginia.   Which should confuse NFL's GM's and Draft boards.

Good luck David!

• Michigan opens the true Big Ten season tonight at Crisler at 7:00 against PSU.   The game is on ESPN.  Let's hope the rest will be a positive as the Wolverines get into the meat of their schedule.  

• Michigan will also have a number of players in the Under Armour All American Game from Orlando tonight at 6:00.  Keep an eye out from Trente Jones, Mazi Smith, and Quinten Johnson. 

• RIP Mean Gene Okerlund

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/michigan-thursday-long-gone.html

Wolverine Wednesday: My Plan To Fix The Bowl System

There are 40 Bowl Games out there now, which is really over kill.  Here is my take on the issues and plan to fix college football's post season.

The issues:

• With a month off, the football is pretty poor. 
• Bowl games are closer to an exhibition then anything else. 
• Bowl games are now about corporate marketing.
• The 4 team playoff system has made the bowl system obsolete.
• Current playoff games have been blowouts
• NFL prospects are sitting out bowl games. 
• Many programs lose money on bowl games with guaranteed ticket allocations.
• Nobody wants to watch a match-up of 6-6 teams.
• Attendance is declining 

The positives:

• Two weeks of extra practice for teams. 
• Young players get more time.
• Fans get to travel to warm places. 
• Bowl games are great for TV.
• Teams get to "bond" out of town.  

Now we know the positives and negatives, how do we fix this mess?

Power 5: 16 team playoff.  All conference champions qualify with wildcards.  Each game in round 1 would be at a regional bowl site.   For example, if Michigan and/or MSU make the playoff and highly ranked, they would host a game at Ford Field.   Miami, FSU, or UF in Orlando or Jacksonville and so on.   Each game would have a corporate sponsor.   No home games. 

Each team would fly in a one or two days before.  No trips to Dave and Busters and steak eating contests, etc.  These are business trips.    As the playoff continues, the bigger bowls hold the later rounds.  

Group of 5: Same 16 team playoff with a few twists.   If one or two Group of 5 teams are ranked in the top 16, they have the ability to join the Power 5 playoff system or be a 1 or 2 seed in the Group of 5 tournament.   Each round will be hosted by the higher ranked teams home stadium, so fans don't have to travel.   The championship game will be at a neutral traditional bowl site.   

These games would be played during the week, so not to compete with the Power 5 tournament.  

Teams that don't qualify for either playoff system:  Get an extra week to Spring Practice.   Two weeks now becomes 3 weeks, or if the team wants to do a week in January they can do that.    The teams that need the work now have an extra week of practice to try to improve.  Teams that make the playoff system, do not get an extra week during Spring Practice.

I know its not a perfect plan and people will yell about finals, starting games in early to mid December,  and the removal of the conference championship games, but I would rather see games with the best teams then a system right now that highlights bad teams.  

• Zach Gentry is heading to the NFL.  Now its basically up to Long and Hudson.  WOTS is that Long is leaning towards the NFL and Hudson is leaning on coming back.    I thought Zach could have used another year in college, but his NFL grade was higher then expected.   I still can't believe he never threw a pass in a trick play at Michigan.  

• Not much info out yet on the Temple re-hire.   Todd Bowles who was just fired as the Jets head coach could be a candidate at his alma mater.   My guess is, if they really wanted Don Brown they would have acted quickly.    They probably watched Michigan's last two games.  

• RIP Tyler Trent

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/wolverine-wednesday-my-plan-to-fix-bowl.html

Happy New Year!

Enjoy a day of Big Ten Football and Urban Meyers last game, for what maybe a year?

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/01/happy-new-year.html