jabrill peppers must be cloned

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[Barron/MGoBlog]

News bullets and other items:

  • Devin Bush Jr. is acclimating himself well at LB. Sounds like he could step in with little drop off right now.
  • Kenny Allen would have kicked FGs at Rutgers, but the competition is still ongoing. No decision has been made this week since it’s just Wednesday.
  • Partridge added that the issues Allen has had have been mechanical, as it’s difficult to adjust your swing plan when you’re doing three different things.
  • Quinn Nordin’s healthy enough to participate in the kicking competition
  • I highly recommend reading what Partirdge had to say about Peppers’ attention to detail and drive, as well as his summation of the program’s culture.

Your thoughts on Jabrill’s [punt] return? There was an awful late flag that came in there. What did you see on that play?

“Phenomenal play by Jabrill, obviously. Kind of jumped in the air and then spun and ducked somebody at the same time, so phenomenal play. Questionable. Questionable. But, you know what, it happens. We’ve got to be real careful. I tell those guys all the time, let’s just get him to the dance. Get on your blocks as long as possible and just know if it’s ever questionable peel off and go find somebody else and let him make a move. We’ve got a phenomenal player back there, so we’ve got to get him the ability to make a play. Frustrating that we didn’t finish it, but we’ve got to learn from it and move on.”

Several of the veterans had some downtime last week. What did the kickers do? Were they going right along?

“Yeah, they continued to work, but we had to be smart and give them some downtime, too. We scheduled their kicking early in the week and then the young guys continued to work throughout the week, improvement week, just like the rest of the players.”

Coach said the competition’s always ongoing, but is it maybe a little bit more settled than it was coming out of the game before Rutgers?

“No, I don’t think it’s ever going to be settled here. I think we’re always going to compete and challenge those guys, and they know they have to perform at a high level or there’s going to be someone ready to perform. We’re still competing. About equal reps and keep working. About equal reps for the next few weeks.”

You can evaluate it in practice, but if they’re not kicking in a game, even the Rutgers game, is it hard to simulate what that experience is like?

“Yeah. I mean, of course I’d like to get a try there in a game to have that pressure, but we’ve got to just try to do our best in practice to be ready for the game when it comes. But yeah, of course. There’s nothing like game reps.”

[After THE JUMP: Partridge evaluates Peppers, JBB, what it’s like to work for Harbaugh, and his own coaching]

Four_Horsemen_by_MarkWilkinson1

Previously: We drafted teams.

As is tradition, in lieu of a short hot-takey preseason all-conference list, this past offseason the MGoBlog staff drafted entire teams from the pool of Big Ten players. This provided interesting content to those who tend to watch the rest of the league, and generated ire from those who’ve convinced themselves these are fantasy teams.

We check in at the midpoint to see how our expectations have fared.

1. MGoBlog’s Mid-Season All-Big Ten team:

Pos Ace Adam Seth Brian
QB Barrett (OSU) Barrett Barrett Barrett
RB Barkley (PSU) Barkley Samuel (OSU) Barkley
WR Darboh (M) Carr (NW) Godwin (PSU) Godwin
WR Carr Darboh Carr Fumagalli (WI)
TE Butt (M) Butt Kittle (IA) Kittle
Flex Samuel Samuel Butt Butt
OT Gates (NE) Ramcyzk (WI) Ramcyzk Ramcyzk
OT Ramczyk Gates Gates Gates
OG Price (OSU) Price Feeney (IN) Price
OG Kalis (M) Roos (PU) Price Kalis
C Elflein (OSU) Elflein Elflein Elflein
NT Glasgow (M) Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow
DT Replogle (PU) McDowell (MSU) Replogle GodinHurst (M)
SDE Wormley (M) Wormley Wormley Wormley
RUSH Watt (WI) Watt Watt Charlton (M)
MLB McMillan (OSU) Gedeon (M) McMillan Gedeon
WLB Cichy (WI) Cichy Cichy McCray (M)
SAM Scales (IN) Peppers (M) Peppers Peppers
CB Conley (OSU) Lewis (M) Lewis Lewis
CB Lewis Stribling King Stribling
FS Hooker (OSU) Hooker Hooker Hill (M)
SS Peppers Travis (MN) Hill Thomas
K Carpenter (MN) Carpenter Carpenter N/A
P Johnston Johnston Johnston Johnston
K/P ret Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers
Honorably mentioned: Godwin Igwebuike (S-NWern), Josiah Price (TE-MSU), Jerome Baker (LB-OSU)

Seth: It seems we mostly agree on things. In choosing between Godwin and Darboh I knocked Darboh for some badly timed drops, though his Wisconsin TD is Michigan's most important catch of the season. I wanted to include so many more TEs: Kittle added scary downfield threat to his great blocking, Josiah Price is playing like an All-American, and Troy Fumagalli is Wisconsin's best offensive weapon. McDowell or Replogle was a tough decision for everyone.

Ace I take it you put Peppers at safety to get out of splitting hairs between Igwebuike, Travis, and Delano Hill. But I'm surprised you put Scales above Jerome Baker, who's been a huge part of Ohio State's tough run D.

Ace: I put Peppers at safety more because there are a bunch of linebackers I’ve liked so far. I seriously considered Baker, Ben Gedeon, and Josey Jewell. What I’ve seen from Scales has been really impressive, though. He leads the conference in solo tackles to go with 7.5 TFLs, two sacks, a pick-six, a forced fumble, and a couple pass breakups. The Indiana defense has improved quite a bit, and he’s the player that leaps out to me from that unit.

Brian: I regret nothing.

BiSB: You hired Ace.

Ace: Image result for expressionless emoji

Seth: Godin over Hurst?

Brian: FIXED

seriously though

Ace: I’ll admit I tried not to come off as too homery and the defense made that exceptionally difficult.

Seth: I mean I'd argue but Mathlete just put this in our slack chat:

image

If you're standing on Michigan and use a telescope you might be able to make out an average Top 10 defense.

Ace: @brian just saying, you’ve got some honorable mention slots for D-linemen 6-9.

Brian: Seriously though

I'm serious

[Hit THE JUMP for more SERIOUS THINGS]

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[Fuller/MGoBlog]

News bullets and other items:

  • There’s a chance Jourdan Lewis, Taco Charlton, and Bryan Mone play this week. As Harbaugh said, they might “graduate from the training room back onto the field.”
  • Peppers is unlike anyone Harbaugh’s ever coached. He’s played 11 positions at Michigan, and Harbaugh said there are more that he could play well.
  • Speight’s elbow was injured on the strip-sack early in the game, which was a result of a missed assignment. This raised Speight a rung in the team’s esteem because he walked it off and, as Harbaugh put it, “…this isn’t track, this is football and playing that quarterback position, that’s part of the game.”
  • Harbaugh’s wife’s doctor described the punt block that was returned for a TD as a slippery watermelon. The ultrasound went well, by the way.
  • Harbaugh loves his defense so much that sometimes he watches them play even when he feels like he should be preparing for the next drive

I wanted to talk to you first about Michael Jocz and what he’s bringing to special teams—I know he had a block in the last game—and also what he does in the classroom.

“He had his first catch last week. It was great to see. And he had a blocked punt this week that resulted in a touchdown—great to see. He’s consistently been our, second year in a row, smartest player on the team in terms of grade point average. He’s already graduated in mechanical engineering and he’s on track to do his master’s in one year instead of the normal two, so he’s cutting that in half. He’s really been figuring things out, as you’d expect from a mechanical engineer. Great teammate. Really happy for his on-field success now, as well.”

And then also Erik Magnuson, if you could assess his play through three games and also the spirit he brings to you team.

“Yeah, Mags is good in both of those regards. Has long brought a lot to our team. He’s probably been our most consistent, best pass protector so far. Likeable guy. Everybody likes Mags. He’s a good leader and a good guy. A genuine, down to earth, good person.”

Two turnovers through the nonconference, only 10 penalties—can you assess the job you feel like your team has done in those areas?

“Those two areas have been good. We’re getting…turnover margin has got to be on the plus side. Don’t know exactly what it is, but we’re on the plus there. I feel like we’re playing—we had a few penalties. More this past week than we have had, so I think we’re playing good, legit penalty-free for the most part football.

[Next person with the microphone thinks it’s their turn to ask, but alas, there’s more. Harbaugh’s taken this pause to reflect and wants to share his thoughts.]

“See, I don’t just give one word answers. That would have been a perfect time to just say, ‘We’ve been good in those two areas.’ I tried to elaborate. I hope to get some credit for that.”

[After THE JUMP: many multi-word answers]