What is state of OL?
Like many of you, I am looking forward to more real news about football. I am particularly curious about the current state of the OL, given Drevno's (and Harbaugh's) track record. The current two deep shows:
| LT | M. Cole | L. Tuley-Tillmann | G. Newsome |
| LG | K. Kalis | D. Dawson | D. Samuelson |
| C | G. Glasgow | P. Kugler | |
| RG | B. Braden |
B. Bars |
J. Runyan |
| RT | E. Magnuson | J. Bushell-Beatty |
How accurate is this? With the commitment palooza, there have been rumblings of medicals and attrition, and I have heard rumors of some of this coming on the OL. Are announcements like this made at any time, or at the beginning of practice in August, or the beginning of the season?
And with commitments from Ben Bredeson, Michael Onwenu, Eric Swenson, and Michigan in the running for Terrance Davis, there is obviously a strong emphasis on bringing in solid OL recruits. I'm thrilled to see this, and also wonder if looking to bring in 4 or 5 on the OL portends attrition on the line. Anyone who can shed light would be greatly appreciated. We want road graders to help both our running backs, and to give time for the passing game to get stronger.
Blake might take exception to this characterization.
If we're now calling all outgoing transfers "trannies" well... I approve.
before the 5-Year Warranty expires?
...or are you talking about something waaaaaaay different?
That 2012 OL class was ranked soooo high....#1 in the country by a lot of sources on OL. Will they end up as the biggest group of busts in history?
Considering 3 of the 4 are likely starting as juiors...no? That doesn't sound like a bust to me. The two stars of that class, Magnuson and Kalis, will likely both be 3 year starters.
I agree that the offensive line improved. It will be a new offense, but hopefully that crew gained some confidence and learned what it takes to perform at a higher level. Toss in a slightly different coaching style and maybe some different terminology, and it might take some work to get there, but I think they can become a solid line.
...it's being very optimistic, IMO, to think the offense will be above average this year. The OL can become solid. No RB on the roster has had a big season before. The WRs seem pedestrian. TE is really just Butt. And while I like Rudock, he's not going to carry anyone.
I don't say any of this to be a downer. I think the team can get to eight wins with defense and special teams.
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"TE is really just Butt."
Jeez, Negative Nancy, tell us how you really feel. I think the TE will be pretty good.
You're probably right that it is being very optimistic to expect an above average offense this year. But at the same time, I think we could still be a double digit win team.
In 2010 the San Francisco 49ers finished 6-10. They had the 24th ranked total offense and PPG game offense, scoring 19.1 points a game (also 24th).
The passing offense ranked around 20th in QB rating, averaging 210 Yards/Game (18th). The 9ers averaged 7.2 Yards/Attempt (12th) on 56.4% completion (29th), throwing 19 TDs (24th), 15 INTS (13th fewest), and being sacked 44 times (tied for 6th most).
The rushing offense ranked 19th in yards, averaging 4.1 Yards/Carry (17th), scoring 10 TDs (21st) and fumbling 6 times (10th least).
The defense that year gave up 327.8 Yards/Game (13th), 21.6 Points/Game (16th), 231.1 Pass Yards/Game (24th best) and 96.7 Rush Yards/Game (6th best).
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In 2011 (Harbaugh's first year) the San Francisco 49ers finished 13-3. They had the 26th ranked total offense, and the 11th ranked PPG game offense, scoring 23.8 points a game.
The passing offense ranked around 8th in QB rating, averaging 183 Yards/Game (29th). The 9ers averaged 7.1 Yards/Attempt (16th) on 61.4% completion (12th), throwing 18 TDs (24th), 5 INTS (fewest in the league), and being sacked 44 times (7th most).
The rushing offense ranked 8th in yards, averaging 4.1 Yards/Carry (19th), scoring 14 TDs (12th) and fumbling 5 times (7th least).
The defense that year gave up 308.2 Yards/Game (4th), 14.3 Points/Game (2nd), 230.9 Pass Yards/Game (16th best) and 77.3 Rush Yards/Game (best in the league).
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Obviously the big improvements there are on defense, but even on offense there were improvements. The offense became a lot more efficient, turned the ball over a lot less, and scored a lot more points per game. Those are the three things Michigan needs to improve on most. It wasn't an explosive offense and it was average or below average in most categories, but the 49ers still had the best record in the NFC that year.
I don't want to write all the same shit out for Stanford from 06-07, but if you look it up you'll see similar trends. We don't need a great offense to be good. It helps, but it's not neccesary.
The only two games I see us being big underdogs in are MSU and OSU. Assuming those are losses for the sake of this exercise, I don't see another game where we are massive underdogs. Utah I think will be the toughest because it's the first game and it's on the road, but even including that game, every other game on the schedule besides MSU and OSU is very winnable. We have the talent and now the coaching, which is the biggest thing we were missing before.
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/s
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Well it's all about continuity and building that chemistry. Each man doing his job and executing his assignment. Over time this builds trust and you know you can count on the guys around you. It's also about pad level and having good bend in the knees. A good tackle drinks Merlot as well. Good guards drink sangiovese. Centers drink table wine. Harbaugh drinks whole milk. Capeeesh?!
Real tackles drink Merlot
Trader Joe's, right?
If any of the starters leave I will yowl very loud and moan in sadness like so many cats trapped in a closet.
I don't get why you are all so offended by our line.
I sleep 20 hours a day and I'm very awake AWAKE AWAKE!
Oline should be better this year. When Drake Johnson started getting carries last season the line started looking pretty good. I hope the big backs get to the hole quicker this year.
would be rejoiced as far as the O-line is concerned. I want to see the passing game and the run.... the whole effing offense needs to step it up and perform. I think that no matter what happens this year, the kids will be giving 110 percent on the field, and that leads to victory.
I like our line this year a lot as long as we stay healthy
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NOT A GOD DAMN THING'S been working for us. Like this goddamn suit doesn't work for me... and this stinking tie... and this goddamned shirt. IT DOESN'T WORK FOR ME. YOU KNOW HOW TO PLAY WINNING HARD-NOSED FOOTBALL? YOU PLAY FOOTBALL LIKE ED GENERRO PLAYED FOOTBALL. A guy who gave his life for this football team. He was a 140-pound halfback, and HE PLAYED LIKE A GODDAMN WILDMAN! NO! LIKE A GODDAMN RAMPAGING BEAST! And that's the way you got to do it! YOU GO OUT THERE! YOU TEAR THEIR FUCKING HEADS OFF, AND YOU SHIT DOWN THEIR NECKS! Let us pray.