Gary hasn't practiced with the team yet, I don't think any coach is putting him with the starters already.
Gut feeling from Webb is very reliable, as the poster states above. He only says this when he knows. Has to a be a coach or someone very reliable who's said this. Remember Gary spent his spring break in Ann Arbor. Don't know if he was able to contact coaches during that peirod, but he may have been working out at the facility.
In any case, it could just be a coach talking about how good Gary is, how much they like him, so good in fact that they've penciled him in as the Day 1 starter. Yes if he's beaten out during practice, he won't start. That's obvious.
If Sam said it, then someone who knows told him. That's just how he operates.
This could be just as much of a reflection on where they like Wormley/Hurst as it is Gary. If DB really wants Wormley at 3tech and he's better than Hurst, then Worm kicks inside and you need a starter at Anchor. Now it's Gary v. Lo Marshall & Chase Winovich which is as poor of a matchup as our game against jet lagged Hawaii in week 1.
Or maybe his gut can actually talk to people, like that one girlfriend Jerry had with the stomach with the voice? Sam just knows really important, connected people and his gut says "HEELLLOOOOO".
And when it ties in with the Kramerica Oil Bladder test...gosh. God bless Seinfeld.
I think DrMantis is on the right track. If Sam got intel about Wormley being a 3tech, then there are some fairly logical conclusions you can make to come up with a "gut feeling" about what that means for the rest of the two deep. Or maybe Doc Brown gave him the keys to the Delorean and Sam has already seen what happens in fall camp.
is that a coach is telling him that's their projection at this point. But that is ever fluid and could change once they start fall camp and players actually get to compete.
Regardless, they still have plans for their incoming freshmen before they arrive. They have a pretty good idea of how talented they are, and for the most part use fall camp to test that knowledge/verify their assumptions. Yes, every position is under fire, but that doesn't mean they go into fall camp blind as to what they'd like to accomplish. Harbaugh prepares for everything - You know their depth chart is always current and edited as no information comes in regardless of the time of year.
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My thoughts on this are that It will provide depth and possibly maximize talent. First of all This allows them to go two deep with A quality lines, rather than go A+, B+. Secondly, I believe Wormley has added some weight since last season and may provide the most upside at the 3 Tech, as opposed to SDE. Secondly, it's possible that the skillsets of Glasgow/Wormley and Mone/Hurst match the best. It kind of makes sense to me to pair Hurst with the most stout guy, which is probably Mone.
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Welcome back you naughty little bastard. We've missed you
Gary would have a nice soft 3 games to get his feet under him as a starter before Penn State rolls into town...so a nice soft 4 games to get his feet under him.
Looks like we basically have 6 dudes that could start on any team anywhere, and 2 backup ends that we know nothing about. The ability to truly rotate two full lines is totally predicated on how Marshall and Winovich have developed.
Great point. I'd much rather see him in the 2nd line with Marshall at WDE.
and insert Mone/Hurst into the interior if necessary.
I think "the next replacement who starts due to an injury" could start anywhere.
And the versatility of Wormley/Hurst/Gary gives us even greater depth. If Hurst rotates in for Wormley, Wormley could come back in to spell either Hurst or Gary. Gary can probably play either end spot and 3T eventually as well. We got dudes.
More than anything else, a dominant D-Line is the common ingredient of all National Championship teams.
Whoo Hoo!
Not to hijack this thread, but how PSU could convince any hot shot quarterback to go to Penn State after seeing how they utterly destroyed Hackenberg is beyond me. I mean, you could say the same about how we did Gardner such a disservice, but in our case we replaced the roller coaster with a head coach who is known as a QB guru.
+1 - I will always upvote "fuck penn state"
He had a conversation 1-on-1 with Lawrence Marshall, and he made it clear that he's known him since his Sophomore year of high school.
Essentially Sam threw out a comment to Marshall about how he looks different or something like that, referring to his weight gain (up to 270+). Marshall then proceeded to say something like "yeah, but that's not all that's changed. I'm a grown man now" - again, not referring to weight but maturity.
Sam said he could tell that something was different about Marshall with how he talked as if he learned from what put him in the dog house. I'm guessing that the "Marshall on two-deep" bit actually came from the coaches or he wouldn't have used the "gut feeling" on that one. Sounds like the coaches are seeing a difference in him as well.
Sarah Conner?
Sam Webb has no clue on this one. He knows the DL starters 3 months before the season. LOL
I don't think Sam would risk the confidence people have in his 'gut' if he had no clue. I'll concur that it seems a bit premature, but he definitely heard something to make such a proclamation.
And we can at the very least trust Sam will try to preserve his own professional reputation.
He's a Michigan homer, but I think the reason a lot of people like him is he doesn't go too far out on limbs to the point where his credibilty comes into question. His "gut feelings" are his trademark. Leaves a bit of wiggle room, but usually I interpret that to mean, "barring something truly unforeseen happening, this is happening."
Gary is the type of player a coach (even Harbaugh) guarantees a starting job to, at least until he plays himself out of it, and all the other guys started last year. I bet if you put you mind to it you could name the stating backfield (except QB) receivers, TE, guards, and corners. It's not that hard.
You could probably name the O'Quarterback as well.
I'd put my O'Gut Feeling on it
Even deSpeight what we're hearing about another quarterback?
If you repeat it often enough...
Plus--and I'm no expert so football gurus please correct me on this if I'm wrong--I don't think the D-Line is nearly as difficult to learn compared to O-Line.
Granted, I'm sure there are different blitz packages to earn and the like, but it seems to me a good percentage of D-Line is geared towards in-the-moment reactions and techniques to how the O-Linemen are blocking. It's more instinct & reacting (and therefore easier for a young player to pick up assuming the physical talent & techniques are already there) compared to the O-Line. Less of a strict playbook to memorize so less risk that "mental mistakes" would keep a kid off the field compared to the O-Line.
Definitely agree. DE has high upside potential with lower risk than most positions. Hard to give up a sack or a big play.
Two DE's with 0 starts would make a top DL? One of them has been playing DE for 3 months. Pump, pump, pump the breaks.
What is "one of the best" vs. what is "respectable"? Is Ohio University respectable? Winovich would definitely start at Ohio.
Look, he and Lo might end up being fine, but Chase is 6'3 & 250lbs and has played 3 different positions before switching to DE 3 months ago. Marshall has had to go through drastic weight gains while working his way out of Jim's doghouse and looking extremely mediocre in the few snaps he got last year. They might progress into reliable backups this year, but to say they could go and start anywhere other than very low level D1 schools based on the evidence we have is irresponsible. They wouldnt crack the 3 deep at Bama. We just don't know anything about their ability to play DE at this level yet.
I would agree if he was predicting the starting lineup for The Game, but we're talking pre-conference schedules. What better way to get their feet wet given the talent they have to offer?