Attack Each Day Podcast Spring Football Tidbits
I was listening to Attack Each Day and Harbaugh gave some very detailed information about the defense.
He listed the DL two-deep:
Anchor: Hutchinson, (back up not given)
3T: Jeter, Ben Mason
NT: Kemp, Mazi Smith
DE: Paye, Vilian
In addition to this he listed the starting CBs as Ambry Thomas and Vincent Gray. I think Hill has been hurt some so this is likely just in his stay, but it does reveal something about the depth chart at CB. Nickle Corner is Brad Hawkins, and the safeties are Metellus and Jamarick Woods.
First reaction to the DL depth chart is that it seems less than ideal to me to say the least.
What say you?
In addition to the discussion, feel free to add other spring tidbits from the podcast as he talked about the offense as well.
A little concerned that Ben Mason has already cracked the two deep.......but Bench Mason on the other hand. Ohhhh Boy is he going to mess some people up.
Can't wait to see him knock an OL onto his back. I like QB pancakes made by DLs.
That starting DL is what I expected, especially given that Dwumfour is out right now. Paye is probably the backup Anchor, with Uche and Vilain both being options at End.
Thought Jeter would be Nose and Kemp 3T, but Kemp is very strong. Think Dwumfour can compete at both these spots.
I think that DL depth will be okay once Dwumfour is back and Hinton is on campus. I like our DEs, but we have to stay healthy there.
Think Dax Hill changes that DB depth chart once he comes in, both at Nickel and the FS spot.
Fwiw, he list Uche as a SAM backer. But, we know that Uche will be a situational DE as he was last year.
Exactly. He is an LB that is sometimes putting his hand in the dirt.
We have Mike Danna coming in from Central at DE in the Fall. As you and another poster note below, Uche will also be in the rotation there with his hand in the dirt at times. We should have good depth at that position.
Yep. He could cause one of Paye or Vilain to kick over to Anchor (probably Paye) part-time, depending on how he plays.
We also have the CMU transfer coming in this fall who will add to the depth
I'm really trying to stay optimistic but damn that sure seems like a long way down from last year's two deep at this point in the year.
Starters: SDE Rashan Gary, WDE Chase Winovich, DT Aubrey Solomon, NT Michael Dwumfour
Reserves: DE/DT Carlo Kemp, DE Kwity Paye, DT Bryan Mone, DT Lawrence Marshall, DL Donovan Jeter
I guess we're gonna find out if Brown really is a mad magician with scheme design cause it sure doesnt seem like he's has the horses he did last year up front.
I think it was the recent presser with Metellus talking about more guys knowing Brown's system compared to this time last year. Brown doesn't just play a couple simple schemes as we know. He's not new now of course but the defense was surprisingly good last year after losing a lot, and it's possible there's still another bump in collective knowledge of the system. As long as they can stay healthy and not be fine on the interior DL, I feel good about the rest of the defense. And optimistic overall since I think the offense will be much improved.
I am torn on this.
My optimistic self thinks: hey he did more with less at BC; these guys have to better than the athletes he had at BC.
My pessimistic self this: man this is going to be a huge step back with the talent we lost
Look what Rich Rod did with lesser talent at West Virginia. Imagine what he'd do if he came to Michigan.
annnnd fully pessimistic... thanks
My optimistic self thinks we'll beat Army.
My pessimistic self thinks we won't beat Army.
The defense is going to be fine. They have recruited well. These players are going to surprise people. They have seen what it takes to be a great defense. The last 2 games were a result of injuries not being prepared. The Florida game was definitely a lack of motivation and players worrying about the NFL and not finishing their college career on a positive note. Not sure why Higdon didn’t finish the season strong because at best I believe he is a practice squad guy in the NFL. The osu loss stung the team and they were not interested in that bowl game. The goal is and has to be much bigger. The offense being better and able to sustain drives will help the defense as well with not being on the field as much and iron sharpens iron. If this offense is as advertised, they will be raising each other’s play every day. Dax is going to be a game changer by the time he gets on campus. He’s an athlete that can change the complection of a game in a heartbeat. I believe more so than Gary ever did. Ambry and Dax are explosive athletes that this team needs to take advantage of. Hopefully Hudson takes two steps forward after taking one back last year. I believe Don Brown is going to put that defense in position to make plays. I believe this defense could be as good or better than last year. The talent is there and they will be well coached up!!
Go Blue!!
Losing a 1st rounder and 2nd rounder will do that.
Also, Gary was hurt, Solomon missed 1/2 the year (and wasn't himself when he came back), and Villain never played so it's not like last year was the tippy top that it looks like on paper versus what is coming this year.
A step down, sure. A cliff? We'll see.
What we hoped that starting unit would be last year never materialized. Solomon and Dwumfour were okay when available, and Gary was hurt.
We'll get similar production from this year's DL, and it might even surprise to the good. It won't be the 2017 DL, but it will be good.
Being optimistic too, maybe this puts more importance on our offensive strategy. Now, we can’t relay on our defense to keep us in the game. Hopefully, this means no more wasted downs by running power up the middle
I expect a lot more blitzing this year. Whether it works or not, who knows, but I'll bet this defense looks a lot more like Brown's first one here.
No mention of Dwumfour? Is he out this spring, so they're not listing him or did they simply not mention him as part of the 2-deep?
Yes, he had minor surgery to repair something he tweaked in the bowl. He's probably a starter? come fall, if he's healthy for all of fall camp.
I thought anchor is supposed to have a bigger, stronger player than the other DE spot. Shouldn't Paye be anchor with Hutchinson and Uche at weakside?
And yeah DL looks a little scary in the interior. Hopefully Hinton does well, Mazi slims down, and Dwumfour comes back healthy.
Hutchinson is taller and heavier than Paye. Probably not as developed muscularly yet, but he has the more Anchor-like frame. Shouldn't be long with Herbert before he has the strength.
Hutchinson backed up Gary early last year and then Paye switched over when Gary went down so Hutchinson became his back up.
I think Paye is the #1 Rush right now because we don’t have another option at this point. We have 3 Rush guys right now. It seems (even though he’s up to 250) they want to keep Uche as a situational pass rusher and the #1 Sam. Mike Danna the transfer isn’t on campus yet. And Villain has just gotten healthy.
Once the season starts I believe Paye will be the starting Anchor with Hutchinson the #2. The Rush will be a rotation of Danna, Uche, and Vilain.
Less than ideal? Sure, given they lost 5 guys out of the position groups you mentioned and haven't seen a ton of production out of the guys listed, but what would be "ideal?"
Smith is an EE so him being #1 at NT would be shocking. Dwumfor is hurt so him not being listed isn't concerning.
The only other true freshman on the DL who you would expect to make an impact as a freshman is Hinton and he's a fall enrollee.
CBs are the 2 guys who were mentioned last year as being the 2 ahead of everyone else. It's Hill, Thomas, and Gray which is nothing new. Would be nice to see Sims in there somewhere. Or Green, but those 3 are the expected starters.
Dax Hill isn't on campus yet so the Safeties are who we thought they were going to be. No JKP isn't great, but Metellus and Woods aren't out of left field.
Nickle Corner being Hawkins isn't great given he's not a great space player, but again, Hill isn't on campus yet and the other guys vying for that spot are mostly RS freshmen.
It's a spring depth chart. What would be your ideal for the DL depth chart at this point? I guess I don't understand what you could be looking for that's different. I, for one, am encouraged to see Vilain listed.
Dwumfour is left off due to an injury that won't carry over to the fall. Mason is mentioned due to the small numbers of healthy bodies at the position. Multiple productive players are gone. They have to be replaced with players we've seen much less of. Mike Danna is one that has been productive, not listed because he's not here yet.
Making panicky, doom-filled assumptions about the upcoming year based solely on early spring depth charts is one of the venerable annual traditions at MGoBlog.
Another one is making ridiculously optimistic predictions about a backup player who makes a nice catch in the spring game.
You forgot believing hype from spring and fall ball which usually doesn't result in on field results.
Hey, September and October are usually pretty good!
November and January, not so much.
Still no JKP? Interesting
Vilain stepping right into the 2 deep is awesome.
Ben Mason back-up 3T is not. Woods as a starting safety is not - he takes terrible angles and does not understand last line of defense (but yes he's a hitter). Hawkins at nickel corner doesn't sound great, he does not seem like a corner in any way. Is Kelly-Powell hurt? Disappointing to not hear his name.
Unless Mason is bulking way above his listed weight of 254, I'll believe he sees meaningful snaps on the interior DL when it actually happens.
Kwity Paye played on the interior as part of a pass rush package on throwing downs. Mason could conceivably do the same. They look for a disruptive force in that role, which is how they're talking about Mason. I think that's more likely than any other role on the DL. He'd have contain responsibility at DE and would have to be better at reading plays.
Good point. That seems more suited to Mason than being a conventional every-down 3tech who's lining up outside the guard and is expected to disrupt running plays as well as passing plays. I wonder if he's quick enough to get past OL though.
Mason is heavier than that, and can get heavier if needed. I was told he’s mid 260’s all day long. My source is reliable.
All day? Even in the morning after a super strong cup of coffee?
Offense is going to have to average 40+ per game.
Also, seems to be quite a few guys on defense and offense who are dinged up or injured and out.
Also thought Zach Gentry was a great guest on the pod. Sounds like helped significantly on the recruiting trail when hosting kids on officials. Gained a lot of respect for Zach & will be cheering for him at the next level
Yeah, seems like there are a lot of names missing that will be in discussion by the end of Fall Campl
My thoughts hit the front page just as you posted this ha.
Hawkins at Nickel is not ideal, hopefully that's just filling a gap until Hill comes back. They've taken enough of a beating last year at nickel.
Watson was boom or bust, he was stellar against lesser teams, but below average vs good teams. He was just average over all, but along with Long and Hill made for a really strong cover corner trio.
Can Hill be our #1 corner? Thomas certainly wasn't ready last year, I think he will be good this year, not as good as Hill was last year, but good.
Frankly, I'm most worried about losing Bush. While I think we have players who can fill in nicely, he was the most hard to account for defender we had.
If we can replace the Bush/Gil snaps with Ross/Not-Gil I think it could be a push. I can only hope McGrone or Anthony are upgrades.
Gil and Glasgow were boat anchors for the defense when they were on the field. Love their contribution to the program but I really hope some of the younger guys pass them.
It's a retooled and thin D Line. I think it will be OK as long as it remains healthy. We're bound to have an injury or two, if it's a light year for injuries we should be good to go, if it's a little heavy it could be really tough.
That two deep plus a new unproven (at Michigan) DL coach isn't something anyone will be happy about. However, there's a long way to go until football season.
Our DT's are going to struggle big time this year. Not sold on our safeties either. I think Vincent Gray is going to be a good player though.
One person no one mentions as a big loss is Tyree Kinnel, he was the teams leading tackler last season. I know he got beat occasionally, but he was more than solid back there.
He was a liability in coverage. Not long or twitchy enough. Got burned badly vs anyone athletic.
I suspect we'll miss Bush most of all, Winovich next. But we'll be much happier with safety play and overall speed. We shall see.