The Nation is Born

New is in. New is the new old. New is back. Old school out...new skool in.

Change is natural, its what keeps the ebb and flow of humanity from getting complacent.

Consider this moment like when Michigan changed its away uniforms from the block M on the sleeve and gaudy maize and blue block letters and stripes, to the sleek and simple unis we have now with the nicely appointed pin stripping and less gaudy numbers.

Scot Loeffler Inc. had a good run. But as the tide changes for this Michigan team this season, and the Carr/DeBord/English trio starts flexing its muscle, its time for all of us here to get behind the entire legion of coaches, players, family, staff & fans that make up "Maize and Blue Nation".

We are one voice. We make it possible for good things to happen for this team. We support them, we cheer for them, we sweat, bleed, and cry for them. We don't boo them, we don't curse them, and we don't vilify them. Maize and Blue Nation strives to represent all that is good about college football and most importantly the Michigan Wolverines.

Please join us as we continue our journey through the rest of this season. Lets try and see within ourselves what this team has been able to accomplish so far this year...a redemption unlike we've ever seen in Ann Arbor. True leadership in every sense of the word. Taking responsibility for whats happened, and moving forward with confidence knowing that tomorrow is another day.

Maize & Blue Nation is more than just a quirky blog name, its an idea, starting all the way back in the days of Fritz Crisler. From Harmon to Desmond to Woodson to Hart. From Yost to Elliot to Bo to Carr. From Dierdorf to Skrepenak to Jansen to Long. Michigan football needs its Nation. Without it, there's no soul to this team, this school, this legacy. Ann Arbor Saturdays, Rose Bowls, The Little Brown Jug, The 10-Year War, The Paul Bunyan Award, The Victors. All these are meaningless without the Nation. Old fans both here and gone, their children, their grandchildren...the legacy of the Nation has been passed down through the years as not just a tradition, but a right of passage.

Our job now is to nurture that idea. Celebrate it every weekend in the fall, not only because you can, but because you should. Go nuts, but act like you've been there. Tell the stories and reflect on why they mean so much to you. Past games, tailgates, watching games with friends and family. Its all there. The idea that the game is bigger than it seems, its everything.

We aim to cherish those memories, and look ahead to whats to come. We'll have some laughs, some moments of heartache, and moments of valor. But the important thing is that we'll have them together...as one, as a Nation. Go Blue.