GET IN HIS BELLY*
Annual preview book? Annual preview book. Note that last year we sold out(!!!). The Kickstarter is a guaranteed way to get in, and prices are lower unless you catch me in person at an Alumni Association event. (And we still have books). Plus you get a DRM-free electronic copy, which is a Kickstarter exclusive. Also a Kickstarter exclusive is this year's shirt, which is sure to cause an SEC coach near you to have a conniption fit:
The book contains:
HOLISTIC TEAM PREVIEW by yours truly. This is about a third of the book. Where will we put the VIPER(!!!)? Is he a safety? Is he a linebacker? This is the kind of cliffhanger certainly worth 15 dollars.
HOLISTIC OPPONENT PREVIEW by Ace Anbender with special guest Ross Fulton. How salty will Ace be about a total inability to predict anything about Michigan State, down to whether or not they'll still have a program this fall? Very! Is it possible to get through a Rutgers preview without roasting the poor Scarlet Knights? Probably not!
TWISTED BLUE STEEL
Excellent features this year:
- Quick Burst, Mo Hurts: Adam Schnepp delivers a candid interview with disruptive Michigan senior lineman and Pro Football Focus fave-rave Maurice Hurst.
- No Experience Necessary: Michael Elkon (SBNation/Braves & Birds) compares the young but talented roster of 2017 Michigan to other historical reloads, including last year's Ohio State.
- Life in the East: Alex Cook tracks the unbalanced trajectory of the Big Ten's misaligned divisions.
TECHNICAL DOSSIER
One offense, one defense:
- The Bradyfication of Mr. Speight: SBNation's Ian Boyd discusses the truly pro-style passing offense Harbaugh plans to run with all of these new receiver toys.
- Don Brown's New Dudes: Seth Fisher explores the various hybrids and modern takes on old positions in Michigan's defense, and explains how Brown likes to solves his problems.
TALES OF OLD BLUE
And this section looks set for an all-time performance:
- Billy Taylor's Touchdown: Dr Sap interviewed a dozen participants to cover every angle of Billy Taylor's Game-winning score, including the coach who drew it up and the backup quarterback who called the audible.
- The Original #1: Historian Greg Dooley reintroduces us to the first great receiver to wear the #1 jersey, and the man most responsible for making Ohio Stadium maize and blue: Tall Paul Goebel.
- The Law of the Jungle: Adam Schnepp gathered an oral history from the men who won Michigan their last national championship.
- The Missing Years: Craig Ross goes back to the dark ages of the program, when playing a game at all meant playing four road games vs the Top 5 in a week, then arguing with the local papers over the final score.
Plus our annual roundtable and a page for our lovely sponsors. 128 pages in all. BONUS: For a second straight year Homesure Lending is sponsoring a shipping upgrade from third class to first class so books will arrive in a matter of days instead of weeks.
The choice is simple: sit alone in a dark room until September or purchase this 128-page full-color book full of glorious photos and well considered words. It's no choice at all: CONSUME.
*[This is a preview of the cover of the magazine and not meant to imply any endorsement on the part of anyone pictured.]