UM vs. MSU pink slips
OFFENSIVE PLAYER WHO SHOULD KEEP HIS JOB
DEFENSIVE PLAYER WHO SHOULD LOSE HIS JOB
Steve Brown, FS. For God's sake, Steve Brown. For God's sake. For. God's. Sake. I had high hopes for Steve Brown. I really did. I watch him run and he's fast. I see him body slam people to the ground on special teams and I cringe. The kid has some sort of mental block or confidence loss when he's at free safety. I don't know what it is, and I don't know how to fix it. I feel bad for him, because I always hear good things about him and I honestly think he tries hard and feels bad when he screws up. But the screw-ups are mounting too quickly for the coaching staff to ignore anymore. I was watching the game at the bar yesterday, so I was distracted a little more than I wanted to be. But he missed an easy tackle on former walk-on Blair White that led to a 61-yard TD pass. He was also the one targeted on the long pass down the left sideline (to Mark Dell, if I remember correctly) where he was in position but just failed to find the ball and make a play. Brown isn't completely useless, since he did make a sack and force a fumble. However, his shortcomings are too significant. I don't care who they put in there. Normally, I'd say Michael Williams, but Williams got a concussion in yesterday's game. Charles Stewart. Move Morgan Trent to free safety and plug in Cissoko at corner (Trent was benched for stretches, anyway). Artis Chambers. Insert Mouton at SS and move Harrison to FS. Hell, burn JT Floyd's redshirt and plug him in there. Something. Anything. But if Brown isn't going to improve (and at this point in his career, I have a hard time picturing significant improvement), the coaches need to start grooming someone to take over the position. The offense will improve in 2009 with every significant player returning. But the defense will have a maximum of two seniors in 2009, and both of those guys are defensive ends (Brandon Graham, if he doesn't declare for the NFL, and Adam Patterson). On such an inexperienced defense, we can't afford to have such horrible safety play. Get a youngster some experience now.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER WHO SHOULD KEEP HIS JOB
October 26th, 2008 at 9:41 AM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 10:13 AM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 10:16 AM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 10:26 AM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 9:44 AM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 10:12 AM ^
I was being somewhat facetious when I said we should burn Floyd's redshirt. My point is, a true freshman probably won't be able to step right in and help, so we need to find someone on this team who can play free safety. Because Brown is most likely not the correct answer.
In regards to Minor, there was plenty of evidence that he could be the featured back this year. Not only has he had some excellent plays in past years (long runs, running over ND's safety/linebacker/whatever), but he looked excellent in spring practice.
I do think that an 80% Minor is better than a 100% McGuffie at this point in McGuffie's career (I do think McGuffie will be a star, but not yet). And if mathematical proof* is necessary 80% of 5.1 yards per carry equals about 4.1 yards per carry (McGuffie's average), and 80% of 5 touchdowns gives us 4 touchdowns (still one more than McGuffie has produced).
*This is kind of a joke, but it's still interesting to consider.
October 26th, 2008 at 10:59 PM ^
October 27th, 2008 at 9:44 AM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 10:09 AM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 10:13 AM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 5:17 PM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 5:45 PM ^
As I've said before, I'm not going to suggest taking a guy's job away if there's no viable backup. On the offensive line, there are no viable backups. They're all injured or true freshmen or a converted DT.
My reasoning does make sense. Stonum isn't a deep threat because we can't complete deep passes. So on run plays, Savoy would be a better blocker; and on pass plays, Savoy could sprint 40 yards downfield and not get the ball just as well as Stonum can.
October 26th, 2008 at 10:25 AM ^
Minor hasn't missed any games. Therefore, he must have been healthy enough to play each game. He may not have been 100%, but lots of players play with nagging injuries. And it's not like he was an "emergency" guy who would only play if the other guys got hurt. He was in the game, blocking, faking, etc., but not getting the ball. If he's healthy enough to block (and he blocks hard), he's healthy enough to carry the ball.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:21 PM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 5:50 PM ^
That's just the point - you shouldn't make decisions based on a fumble or two. If that were the case, Mike Hart would have been benched against Florida in the Capital One Bowl. You don't bench a QB after one interception. You don't bench your cleanup hitter after one strikeout. Etc. Etc. Minor didn't play much against Utah or Miami, and he only had one fumble in those two games. But he was still healthy enough to block, which is even tougher than running the ball because he's actually looking for contact, not avoiding it.
McGuffie did have an excellent game against Notre Dame, but that wasn't until the third game of the season. Minor didn't get significant touches until Week 7.
October 26th, 2008 at 11:05 AM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 11:07 AM ^
Anyone but SB is my new motto. I was cursing that man's name all afternoon.
October 26th, 2008 at 12:28 PM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 12:58 PM ^
I never insinuated that Rodriguez is a moron. However, it's pretty clear that Brown isn't the answer. Therefore, adjustments need to be made, especially if we want to get someone ready to challenge Brown for the starting job in 2009.
Also, when I suggested that Minor should get more carries earlier in the year, I took A LOT of shit for it. I know I'm not the only one who wanted Minor to play, but this isn't about those people - this is about the doubters who think they know everything.
October 26th, 2008 at 4:13 PM ^
Fine, I'll play. I gave you shit for clamoring for Minor. I didn't think he was very good last year. The fact that he persistently fumbled this year made me wary of him.
But this isn't a game of "I was right you were wrong, HAHAHA," because your comment smacks of the same those "who think they know everything" you're complaining about.
I'm happy Minor had a good game against PSU. I never wished him ill, and I never rooted against him. I didn't want him carrying the ball as long as he kept dropping it. Am I convinced that he's "the answer" at RB? Not yet - he had one good game, and one that was roughly as good as anything McGuffie did (I don't put THAT much stock in TD's, as it's largely a context driven stat (ie he's getting the touches close to the endzone)). I hope he is the answer - it would be good to have one somewhere on this team.
I also think it's reductive to look just at Stevie Brown, or the safeties in general. The safeties are looking bad a result of a defensive wide malaise. The linebackers are poor tackler, are not instinctive getting to the ball, and slow making reads. As a result, the Safeties get pulled up closer and closer to the line. Add in that the safeties aren't very good, they have a hard time maintaining their own responsibilites while trying to make up for the deficiencies of the LB's.
October 26th, 2008 at 4:23 PM ^
I don't claim to know everything. The thing is, I'm open to other people's opinions. When I brought up all the good points about Minor, there were several people (not just you) who called me stupid and suggested I know nothing about football. I'm fine with having football discussions, but attacks on my football knowledge are unnecessary.
I agree that TD's don't tell the whole story, but when you look at Minor's touchdowns, several of them have been long runs (see Miami and Wisconsin) or long passes (see Toledo and MSU). Yes, he's had a couple short TD runs, but he's not a near-retirement Jerome Bettis.
Brown's suckitude in pass coverage has nothing to do with the linebackers. The poor linebacker play didn't make him whiff on Blair Myles. The poor linebacker play didn't make him screw up the pass to Dell. I agree that the whole defense has been disappointing, but Steve Brown is a big play (for the opposition) waiting to happen.
October 26th, 2008 at 4:29 PM ^
I thought he actually had pretty decent coverage on Dell.
Agreed, the linebackers didn't make him miss the tackle on White. I'm not attempting to say he's blameless, but he's also, by no means, the only defender missing tackles.
Mediocre safeties are, by definition, big-plays waiting to happen. If a lineman or a LB misses a tackle, it generally doesn't turn into a touchdown. If a safety does - it's 6 points.
October 27th, 2008 at 12:27 PM ^
What does being close to a receiver matter if you can't make a play on the ball? You know who always provided "good coverage" by that standard? Markus Curry. Dude was always right on top of the receiver who usually caught the ball, shrugged off a weak tackle, and took it to the house.
If we are supposed to operate on the assumption that the coaches are never wrong in personnel selection, I suppose it's obvious that Stevie Brown is the best we have. This could very well be true, but Stevie is the kind of freakish athlete that coaches tend to hope will turn the corner and unleash all that talent. It's never going to happen. He misses tackles the same way, every time, no matter the speed, size, or quickness of the wide receiver. He has yet to show any acumen in pass coverage. Either make him the Calvin Bell of designated blitzing - Stevie can run fast, and can better get away with his two-handed touch style of tacking behind the line of scrimmage - or keep him on special teams. Unless he's blitzing, he doesn't make plays - period. I'm not sure why anyone thinks he ever will.
And yes, the LBs all try to tackle without actually holding on to things. Stevie Brown is not the reason the defense is bad, but that doesn't mean that he is adequate out there.
October 28th, 2008 at 10:06 PM ^
October 29th, 2008 at 10:16 AM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 5:52 PM ^
I think the last paragraph here of what you said Chitownblue really sums the defense up. Or what you just summed up is the progression of what leads to the failures of Michigan's defense. It starts with a lack of mental involvement. And then the overload upon the safeties leads to yardage or a quick 6.
Michigans defense is in real trouble for the next years. They will more than likely loose B. Graham now. I don't think he needs to stick around for another 4-7 season. Speculatively speaking of course. But he's a pro talent today. I would imagine a few(if not many agents are in his ear as we speak here on mgoblog). He is playing really inspired and I think that is by and large to the pro attention he is getting. T. Taylor is another top 50 pick. Then you factor in Johnson and Jamison. And you're left with M. Martin, Verbergen, Warren, Ezeh, Smith(has not played) and Mouton. A few more as well. All in all, I hope this develops a resolve in Michigan's future players not to,"stand on the shoulders of giants," and go make your own legacy.
October 26th, 2008 at 12:47 PM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 1:01 PM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 3:58 PM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 5:23 PM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 5:56 PM ^
October 27th, 2008 at 9:31 AM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 3:27 PM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 3:46 PM ^
October 27th, 2008 at 9:33 AM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 4:47 PM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 5:55 PM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 6:12 PM ^
October 26th, 2008 at 6:28 PM ^
To be fair, I think McGuffie's fumble yesterday was on a play in which he was knocked out or got a stinger or something.
Also, I disagree about the reason for the fumbles. I think it's mostly a lack of concentration. But fumbles are strange things, and it's probably pointless to guess at the reasons because we'll never really know. Sometimes you see a guy fumble because he stretches out with the ball or doesn't put the ball in the correct hand, but most fumbles come out for seemingly no reason at all, other than mere chance.
October 27th, 2008 at 12:19 PM ^
MGo poster who should lose his ability to reproduce: Magnus. You sir, are clearly in need of some psychological assistance. If not that, please get a vasectomy. Calling out college kids to get a pink slip, including a true freshman is sick.
Step back from the keyboard and take a deep breath or two and consider your thoughts before posting them for the public.
October 27th, 2008 at 12:34 PM ^
Listen, if and when Magnus asks for scholarships to be revoked or prays that players will get injured, feel free to go at him with all you got. I'm not sure why saying that particular college football players should be benched warrants removal from the gene pool. You must think that coaches are the most diabolical fiends on earth, considering all the true freshman they sit on the bench from time to time.
You get the unintentional comedy award for the day by admonishing someone else to take a breath.
October 27th, 2008 at 6:11 PM ^
Dude, step back from the ledge. I didn't say we should kill them. I didn't say they should be kicked off the team. Do you know what a pink slip is? It's when you lose your job. I think Stonum and Brown should be benched - not stripped of their scholarships - and replaced by other players. Millions of other football fans have said/thought the same thing, including all the Michigan fans who were begging for Sheridan to be benched in favor of Threet.
If you want EVERY college athlete to keep his starting position, then you, my friend, are much crazier than I am.
February 24th, 2015 at 1:44 AM ^
February 24th, 2015 at 1:44 AM ^
February 24th, 2015 at 1:45 AM ^
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