Connect with us

Michigan

Former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions discusses sign-stealing, Ohio State signals

Published

on

Former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions discusses sign-stealing, Ohio State signals


play

Former Michigan football staffer Connor Stalions joined the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast on Tuesday to discuss his role in the Michigan sign-stealing scandal.

Stalions, speaking to show hosts with Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, was also asked about his Michigan Manifesto and how he got into deciphering signals as a student coach for Navy football. He also talked about Ohio State football and fired back at former Buckeyes tight end and current Houston Texan Cade Stover.

Advertisement

“It started at Navy. I asked, ‘What do I do on gameday?’ I forget who it was, but one of the coaches said, ‘Well, I don’t know. Let me look into it, but I remember last year we had a guy — he just graduated — who tried deciphering the opponent’s signals in-game,’” Stalions said. “I knew nothing about it. I never did that in high school. I was like, ‘I don’t know. OK.’ But I went in with a blank sheet of paper, a clipboard and a pen. Our first game was Ohio State. That was the birth.”

REQUIRED READING: AD Ross Bjork: Ohio State spending over $2 million more on travel with Big Ten expansion

Connor Stalions said it took three drives to figure out Ohio State’s signals

In his first gameday with Navy on Aug. 31, 2014, the Midshipmen played Ohio State. Though the Buckeyes won the game 34-17, Stalions said it did not take him long to figure out the play calling for Ohio State. He said it took all of three drives to recognize what was going to be called.

“I don’t remember exactly the plays,” Stalions said. “I think they ran power a lot. It’s been a lot of games since then. I just remember getting their offensive signals pretty early and not knowing what to do with the information. I would just yell it out. There wasn’t a structure. No one knew who I was. I’m two weeks into being a student coach. They don’t know who I am. The OC knew who I was, but he was up in the booth, and the director of football ops knew who I was, but that was pretty much it — and the players.

Advertisement

“So I’m just yelling, ‘Power left! Power left!’ And it would be power left. You just got to have a knack for it, but it’s not rocket science. It’s just signals.”

Connor Stalions responds to Cade Stover’s criticism

In September, Houston Texans tight end and former Ohio State star Cade Stover spoke to reporters about his debut. However, he was also asked about the Netflix documentary, “Untold: Sign Stealer” about the Michigan sign-stealing scandal. Stover told reporters he did not need to watch the documentary as he lived through it.

Stover expressed dismay that Michigan could predict a play Ohio State would run in a formation it had never used in a game. When asked about Stover’s comments, Stalions responded that he did not remember exactly what the formation used. But he picked up on context clues.

“Here’s the thing: Ohio State had like eight signalers all year, something like that,” Stalions said. “Everyone signals the formation. Mistake No. 1. Mistake No. 2: They never changed who their live signaler was the entire season.”

Compton and Lewan had the producers pull up the exact play and discuss it with Stalions while watching it.

Advertisement

“Slot Y-Y, they motioned into Slot Y-Y,” Stalions said as they rewatched the play. “They signaled their signal for Slot Y-Y formation, and then the guy who was live the entire season signaled Y then delay. Am I supposed to see that and be, ‘Oh, I don’t know what this is.’ I said, ‘This has got to be a Y-delay screen.”

Stalions was quickly identified as a central figure when news of Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal broke, and subsequently resigned from his position in early November 2023. The Wolverines went on to complete an unbeaten, 15-0 season in 2023, including a 30-24 win vs. Ohio State.

The Buckeyes will rematch against the Wolverines on Saturday, Nov. 30 in Ohio Stadium.



Source link

Advertisement

Michigan

Michigan State Police rule out suspect in Electric Forest baby death investigation

Published

on

Michigan State Police rule out suspect in Electric Forest baby death investigation


Michigan State Police (MSP) detectives shared some more information Friday about their investigation of the infant death at this year’s Electric Forest music festival in Rothbury.

Troopers recently received a tip about a Muskegon woman who was said to have information about the incident, but after interviewing her and completing other necessary investigative steps, MSP said they ruled her out as a suspect.

A restroom vending company employee at the festival found the body of a neonate, a newborn infant who is four weeks old or younger, in a portable restroom in the festival camping area on June 28, according to troopers.

The festival is hosted at the Double JJ Resort, which was locked down to anyone entering the following day as police surrounded the scene.

Advertisement

Troopers are asking for tips from the public at michigan.gov/michtip.



Source link

Continue Reading

Michigan

Harmful algal blooms reported on 2 large West Michigan lakes

Published

on

Harmful algal blooms reported on 2 large West Michigan lakes


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Harmful algal blooms have been reported on two notable lakes in West Michigan: Gun Lake and Muskegon Lake.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says cyanobacteria was reported on Muskegon Lake July 3, but no tests have confirmed it.

The Barry-Eaton District Health Department says a harmful algal bloom was confirmed Thursday on Gun Lake. The lake remains open, but the BEDHD is encouraging visitors to use caution and avoid water that has “visible algae.”

Visitors are encouraged to avoid any contact with water that appears bright green, blue-green, brown or red or has “floating mats of scum.”

Advertisement

Pets should also avoid the water. If they come into contact with the algae, pets should be rinsed off as soon as possible with clean, fresh water.

Exposure to algae can cause a rash or irritation to the skin, eyes, nose and throat. It can also cause stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fever and trouble breathing.

“If you become sick, contact your healthcare provider. Seek medical care right away if you have trouble breathing, severe vomiting, or other serious symptoms,” the BEDHD said in a statement. “If your pet was exposed, rinse them well with clean water and do not let them lick their fur until they have been washed. Contact your veterinarian right away if your pet has vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, trouble walking, excessive drooling, shaking, or seizures.”

Harmful algal blooms are powered by the sudden growth of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria occur naturally in lakes, rivers and ponds but is often boosted by a sudden excess of nutrients, often caused by fertilizer runoff from farms or failed septic systems.

They can last for several days and sometimes even months. The water will look “scummy” or like “spilled paint or pea soup.” They are typically found in the summer and fall — usually peaking in August or September and dying off by the end of October.

Advertisement

You can report a suspected harmful algal bloom to EGLE at AlgaeBloom@Michigan.gov or 1.800.662.9278.



Source link

Continue Reading

Michigan

How two Michigan stamping plants power Stellantis turnaround plan

Published

on

How two Michigan stamping plants power Stellantis turnaround plan


play

Warren — Hulking metal presses line one wall of Stellantis NV’s cavernous stamping plant here, punching out the raw shapes of Jeep doors, Dodge hoods and Ram tailgates in rapid succession.

Nearby, swinging yellow robots continue the tightly choreographed work, gluing and pressing and welding smaller components to the sheet metal that eventually will start to resemble the shape of a truck or SUV.

Advertisement

Seven miles north, in Sterling Heights, Stellantis operates an even larger stamping plant — the biggest in the world, at 2.7 million square feet — that does much of the same work, churning out various shapes of steel and aluminum 24 hours a day.

Together, these lesser-known links in the manufacturing supply chain support all of Stellantis’ big North American assembly plants — from next-door Warren Truck Assembly Plant, where the Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV is built, to facilities in Windsor and Mexico that make minivans and pickups.

play

Inside Stellantis’ Huge Detroit Stamping Plants

The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the automaker’s Sterling and Warren stamping plants, which are key to the company’s turnaround plan.

The Metro Detroit stamping plants, the automaker’s only two such facilities in the United States, have at times struggled in recent years, facing major job cuts and worker morale issues amid slowing sales and shifting production plans. But under Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, the facilities are expected to cram in more workload — and add staff — as Stellantis begins a new five-year strategic turnaround plan, which includes a heavy focus on its most profitable North American market.

Advertisement

The carmaker’s goal: grow sales by more than a third to 1.9 million annually by 2030 as it launches 23 vehicles, including 11 all-new models. The company also is directing billions of dollars of investment into its U.S. manufacturing footprint due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

“Stamping has never really been viewed as the sexy side of automotive manufacturing, we’re relatively invisible,” said Ed Daniels Jr., vice president of North America injection and stamping operations. “Because when you look at the commercials and advertisements, it’s always a beautiful Ram rolling off the assembly line or climbing the side of a mountain.

“But we’re the inception of that vehicle,” he said. “This is where raw materials are turned into commodities and parts.”

Advertisement

The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the two plants that combined employ about 3,000 people. The automaker wanted to show off a newly-installed blanking press at Warren Stamping and other machinery like a high-speed transfer press and a robot that spots flaws in the metal.

Hiring expected

The blanking press unspools long coils of metal and chops them up into pieces that can then be shaped into roofs, fenders and floor pans. Stellantis shipped the massive machine to Warren from its idled Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois last year.

After upgrades to the machine, executives said it’s able to produce as many as 120,000 metal blanks per week. It will save Stellantis money since the plant will no longer need to pay a supplier to break down the coils before the metal arrives there.

The blanker addition is a big deal for the plant and signals that the company wants to bring more work in-house and invest in the facility over the coming years, said Romaine McKinney III, president of United Auto Workers Local 869, which represents workers at the factory.

Advertisement

The plant has already brought back all of its laid-off UAW workers, and McKinney said he anticipates more hiring to get underway if sales grow and new Stellantis vehicles come to market.

In another corner of the Warren facility, one of the fastest press lines in the world — known internally as the Hellcat — pushes as many as 15 pieces of metal through per minute. Dies that weigh up to 50 tons apiece squish the material into the shapes of doors and hoods before robotic arms snatch them out and place them on conveyor belts. Midway through a shift, workers can reconfigure the machine to make a different component, a process that takes just five minutes.

Robots check for quality

Curtis Booth, who manages Warren Stamping, said manual processes inside the plant have become increasingly automated, and safer, over the last couple decades, even as the automaker’s two stamping factories still utilize some presses that were installed in the 1960s.

The latest high-tech addition is the Automated Body Inspection System, or ABIS. It’s a camera system mounted on a robot that automatically checks the quality of components and flags anything in need of repair.

Advertisement

Auto plants of all kinds are increasingly turning to these types of camera systems, infused with artificial intelligence, to catch flaws in sheet metal and other components before they are shipped. Booth said worker visual inspections are still used. But in some cases the human eye has too much subjectivity, and the ABIS removes the guesswork.

Greg Bauer, who manages Sterling Stamping, said his plant has added staff over the past year, and expects to continue hiring as more work is assigned to the facility. There is no space at the plant to add more presses, but officials have figured out how to increase efficiency — quickly toggling back and forth between making doors for a Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Charger on on a single machine, for example.

“We want to bring high-volume parts into the plant, and we want to maximize the capacity of the equipment,” Daniels said.

lramseth@detroitnews.com

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending