The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, September 15, 2009 - 9 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, September 15, 2009 - 9 Blue more cohesive in Ryan's second season There are several reasons to get more excited about the NFL than college football - at least according to Daily editor Ian Kay. Realfootball is played Despite dropping two on West Coast road trip, 'M' looking forward By TIM ROHAN Daily Sports Writer Eight games into the season, its apparent the Michigan women's soccerteamcan applythe old adage that a happy worker is a productive worker. Even though the Wolverines are coming off a 2008 campaign in which they finished with a 4-10-5 record, Michigan is feeling good and playing well this season. "The girls that I kept from last year and the girls that have come in have just a great camaraderie and chemistry," Michigan coach Greg Ryan said. "They love each other. They love playing together. ... That's what we've really devel- oped over the year and a half that I've been here." The Wolverines (3-5) are back in Ann Arbor after losing two games in California this weekend, includ- ing a 2-1 loss Sunday against the Southern Cal. Michigan has had its share of injuries, and six players who started Sunday's game had primar- ily come off the bench this season. Michigan gets a chance to Each has started only three games match its win total from last year or fewer games this year. Three against Oakland tomorrow in Ann players made their first starts of Arbor. Last year, the Wolverines the season over the weekend. beat the Golden Grizzlies 6-2 in Ryan also said last week that key Ypsilanti. But Michigan also start- players like senior quad-captain ed the season 3-4-1 in its first eight Kylie Neschke and sophomore for- games and finished the rest of the season with a 1-6-4 mark. With or without a victory tomor- row, the players helieve in Ryan's They love each emphasis on camaraderie. And despite the premature end to her other. They season, Neschke isn't tuning out 1v pa g her coach's message. ove playing "If yourteam chemistry is there, t 1 you can do so many more things, and make things possible,"Neschke said. "I think it is areally important aspect we are trying to build with this team, on top of making it bet- ward Claire Stachel are out for the ter as a program, talent-wise.We're season with undisclosed injuries. trying to get everybody together Stachel had not appeared in any as a team, making sure everyone's games this season, and Neschke there with the same goals and the had played in just three contests, same attitude." but the team's work ethic indicates Michigan is certainly feeling they are moving past it. the love, but after a season with "What's kind of fun is that these only one Big Ten victory and just guys are giving it a great go in four games overall, Ryan knows he spite of the fact that we don't have doesn't have conference champi- a complete set - the kind of depth onship-caliber talent yet. other teams have," Ryan said. "... "Last year went about exactly It's a fun challenge for us to contin- as I expected it to, based on the ue to improve. We've said with this players that we have," Ryan said. team all along, we're never goingto "This is a team that needed, and judge ourselves in wins and losses still needs, a huge influx of talent," - just gettingbetter." Ryan said. ike a lot of football d hards in Ann Arbor, trouble sleeping Frid night. Saturday promised Michi most important football gam over two years. Could Tate F stomach the pressure of his first nationally televised game? Could Boubacar Cissoko hold, his own against Notre Dame's standout wide IAN receivers? yY Could Charlie Weis devour Michigan Stadium's entire s of cheese nachos before kick Those were the thoughts ingthrough myhead as Icot Denard Robinsons jumping goalposts until finally driftii to sleep. Unlike most other people campus, I also had trouble sl ing Saturday night. Even aft( Michigan football completec Return to Glory, I had too m gridiron fever to go peaceful the night. Why? Because Week One loomed less than 12 hours av You see, I'm an NFL junk While I haven't missed a gar the Big House in three years college ball is a nice diversio real football is played on Sur Real football - with bone-r collisions and rocket-armed ers and TV-star wide receive Real football - without mar bands or triple options or clt stopping first downs. I realize we only have fou years to be a true part of the lege game. But that's certain justification for ignoring the superior pro product. Here a few reasons why: SUPERSTARS: College ce has its heroes. Tim Tebow is the most recognizable athlei the country right now, and o regions will never forget He Walker or Barry Sanders. Bu that's hardly the norm. Ham by only four years of eligibili on Sunday ie- limited endorsement opportuni- their fa I had ties, even the biggest college stars FANi lay of one season can be gone from the ber whe national consciousness within a Jenning gan's few months - just ask 2004 Heis- down p ne in man Trophy winner Jason White. Chicago orcier Not so in the League. Tom hand. W Brady is more than a football the end: player. He's a celebrity, an icon. and unl Whether you love Terrell Owens would h and Chad Ochocinco or can't stand Woods. them, they're undeniably recog- couldn'r nizable. When you see an enor- game. B mous man gesticulating wildly Jenning over a fallen quarterback, you thatpla know that's Shawne Merriman. point cc As much as Roger Goodell tries to down it curtail the endzone celebrations eral tra: and silence the Twitter feeds, the ensued. upply NFL and its players have personal- Ther off? ity in a way that college football ball fan float- can't holda candle to. NCAA's unted NO CUPCAKES: When defend- teams, over ing national champion Florida and fre ng off took on Charleston Southern on likely p Sept.5, the game kicked off with a esimat on 73-point spread. Appalachian State will dra eep- jokes aside, the question for the year, an er Gators wasn't whether they would makese d its win, but by how much. Asa fan, erwisei uch how can you get pumped up for must-w lly into that type of game? In the best case have a I scenario, you're watching scrubs involve( run halfback dives for the entire Whil way. second half. Worst case, you're Saturda ie. subjected to a defeat thattakes game at me at years to live down. ups, I p and The NFL prides itself on being to muc n, a league of extreme parody. I didn't ndays. While it's frustrating that more Michig: attling and more teams seem to finish have ar pass- with records between 7-9 and because ers. 9-7 every year, the upside is in to watc ching the unpredictability. The Lions NFL ga sck- may have been the worst team are ske' in the history of the sport last evancel r season, but they're still likely to systems col- beat a few opponents in 2009. tasy foo ly no Maybe. Unlike in college, when touchdc far- fans can circle a few rivalry NFL far re a matchups every season and rest searchi easy through the remainder of but I'll I rtainly the schedule, every week is a big scoutin one of one in the pro game. Every team me unc tes in has players worth watching, and Colston 'ertain outside of that one torturous bye rschel week, there isn't a single Sunday it from September through Decem-, strung ber that an NFL fan can wake1 ity and up and be 100-percent certain of r vorite team's destiny. TASY FOOTBALL: Remem- en Aaron Rogers hit Greg gs with a 50-yard touch- ass Sunday night to beat ? I jumped out of my seat as the ball left ogers's lhen Jennings glided into zone, I screamed "Yes!" eashed a fist pump that ave impressed Tiger Packers fan? Nope, t care less who won the ut I have both Rogers and gs on my fantasyteam and y, along with the pair's rely unnecessary two- inversion hookup, locked iy Week One victory. Sev- sh-talking text messages e's a small college foot- tasy movement, but the excessive number of ever-changing rosters quent lopsided scores will revent college fantasy ver going mainstream. An ed 25 million Americans ft NFL fantasy teams this ad the reason is clear: it every game exciting. Oth- meaningless tilts become atch nailbiters when you key player from your roster d. e I'll watch the weekly y night ESPN college end other marquee match- robably wouldn't tune in h NCAA football, even if spend my Saturdays at an Stadium. I just don't ooting interest. But e of fantasy, I have reason h almost every single me. While college stats wed to the point of irrel- by specialized offensive S and weak schedules, fan- otball makes yardage and 'owns paramount to the n. After all, I've never gone ng for NCAA box scores, pore over game logs and g reports for hours if helps over the next Marques before everyone else does. - Ian Kay roots for the New York Giants and his fantasy team, in that order. He can be eached at iankay@umich.edu. EVERY THREE WEEKLY, WE'RE CALLING YOU OUT. DAILY-E3W FLAG FOOTBALL GAME. WE DARE YOU. ANDYREID@UMICH.EDU 0 N iNmm Umm amwa wiM hIi 6 e n cHRIS DZOMB THE FROZEN FOUR IS IN DETROIT THIS YEAR. GET A JUMP ON THE " ACTION BY BUYING MICHIGAN HOCKEY STUDENT TICKETS. SALES END SEPT.16. GO TO MGOBLUE.COM/TICKETS FOR MORE INFORMATION.