Annual Big Ten Network Practice Visit Tweet Dump
![latest[1]](https://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/Annual-Big-Ten-Network-Practice-Visit-Tw_C3D3/latest1.png "latest[1]")
this does not seem functional for several reasons I will now elucidate
For a while there it looked like Harbaugh had taken the Big Ten Network guys' phones and given them the Tom Brady treatment, but Dave Revsine must have a backup, because he's providing a rare glimpse inside Blue October.
In past years this has been something more than a post-length manual retweet of one guy; Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith also gave their thoughts. So far this is the only thing we've gotten from them:
@HowardGriffith @gerrydinardo pic.twitter.com/3IIY6Vp89I
— Derek Shaw (@Derek_Shaw) August 19, 2015 Hopefully they'll poke their heads out at some point. Tom Dienhart skipped twitter for a couple of articles on the BTN website. One is for real. One is described as "fun notes":
[Graham] Glasgow also told me he is living with his grandmother for the semester. A good way to focus.
That is one way to make sure you don't trip up on your probation.
Following blockquotes are from Revsine's twitter feed unless otherwise noted. BTN will broadcast their react from Michigan practice at 6 PM.
GENERAL
Tom Dienhart had some general thoughts on twitter:
A very business-like practice at Michigan today. No music blared. A classroom environment with lots of teaching. Nobody walked or lingered.
Dressed in his uniform of a blue “M” cap, long-sleeve shirt and—what else?—khakis, Harbaugh spent most of time with QBs. Always instructing.
Staffers describe the Michigan camp as a “submarine.” It is all business with no distractions.
Glad to hear they got rid of the lingering. Hate lingering. Almost as bad as loitering. By the way, if you want to find lingerers and loiterers just check the replies to any Dienhart tweet.
Some non-position-specific stuff from Revsine:
Harbaugh is incredibly involved in the passing game at practice - gives a lot of feedback - very hands-on with that group
It's obvious they're really, really well coached. Practice was all business, drills were efficient, feedback was great
Update: Dinardo has a few general thoughts as well.
Much like in the past few years team has more talent than most B1G teams they play except for the 2 best.
As always starts w O/D lines no lack of talent in either area They've recruited well in both areas & r good enough
I would not be surprised if both QB played in opener against Utah. Game play sometimes is best way to decide
Defense very solid good depth & has good young players that will have time 2 develop. Off needs more dynamic skill
QUARTERBACK
QB - Morris consistently took 1st snap in drills - but no idea if that means anything - it does at some places, it doesn't at others
QB - if I had to guess, I'd say both Morris and Rudock would play against Utah - not sure there's clear separation
It's tough to say - both had their moments. Morris has a great arm. Rudock doesn't make many mistakes. Tough call
Asked about Morris:
His arm - he can really spin it. Issue will obviously be TO's - have to be dramatically better there as a team
Dienhart was more decisive about the QB battle:
1. Jake Rudock figures to win the quarterback spot. The Iowa senior transfer is the one signal-caller who gives Michigan the best chance to win out of the gate. … Rudock threw the ball well today and worked with the top units along with junior lefty Shane Morris. Rudock is a savvy vet with lots of starting experience.
FWIW. I'm betting that the quarterback battle will legitimately go until the day before the Utah game and that Rudock wins it decisively.
Zach Gentry looked "tall"; a fan asking about him was advised that this was a two-man race.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Other obvious trouble spot LY was OL. I think that group will be vastly improved.They have always had talent there - evident again 2day
No real surprises on OL - looked like Cole, Braden, Glasgow, Kalis, Magnuson. Drevno singled Blake Bars out as having had good camp
Even if we're nervous about Braden at guard, I'd be more nervous about guys flipping everywhere like we've seen the last few years.
They are really well coached on the OL - constant constructive feedback. Would be shocked if they're not better
Easy call to make with 5-ish returning starters and Tim Drevno running the show.
Dienhart noted the second team line:
The second unit had junior Logan Tuley-Tillman at left tackle; junior David Dawson at left guard; junior Patrick Kugler at center; sophomore Juwann Bushell-Beatty at right guard; senior Blake Bars at right tackle.
That's as expected until you get to JBB at guard and Bars at tackle.
RUNNING BACK
On the starter:
Hard to tell - I did notice Smith a few times. Guess would be by committee at 1st & see if someone emerges
RB - lots of good well-known options here - again, I think difference in OL will help immensely.
On Isaac:
Big - man he has great size for a RB. Because of the structure of practice, I didn't come away w great feel for RBs
Dienhart gave Smith the slight edge; Ross Taylor-Douglass is apparently a tailback this week.
WIDE RECEIVER & TIGHT END
Revsine literally shouted out everyone on the roster who was practicing at TE.
TE could be a real area of strength - obviously we know about Jake Butt, but Poggi, Winovich, Williams (nice TD grab) all look solid
Did I mention Hill and Bunting? They're good too. Lot of interesting options there.
Wheatley is probably on the shelf for a bit, so that's everybody. Apparently Hill is back at it?
I still think big-play explosiveness will be an issue for this team - no one totally jumps out on that front
Yeah. That contradicts this…
WR looks to be about what it was a year ago - issue will be whether a deep threat can emerge. Better OL play could obviously help there
…because last year they had one Devin Funchess, for all the good that did them. Remember when they just punted it to Funchess like six times a game because their offense was real bad and that was a good idea? I don't either.
The Grant Perry hype train continues unabated:
I'd be surprised if Grant Perry doesn't contribute some at WR. Tough to tell on Brian Cole - kind of up and down
Some nice options at wideout, with senior Jehu Chesson and senior Amara Darboh. Freshman Brian Cole was running with the second unit. I like the kid. Sophomore Maurice Ways also saw lots of action. Grant Perry was another freshman who was active.
Drake Harris was a "young guy who could help"; Peppers did not get snaps on offense, but as Revsine points out that's a thing they would likely keep under wraps when BTN visits.
DEFENSE & SPECIAL TEAMS
Relatively little here. On the DL:
Good group - rotated a lot of guys through. I think they'll once again have a very solid defense
On the secondary:
A lot of known commodities, obviously, on defense. Looks like Lyons will definitely help in secondary.
DE Taco Charlton was leading post-practice sprint drills among linemen. He is an impressive specimen.
Dienhart also provided looks at the two deep at linebacker…
The linebackers look good. One unit had senior James Ross; senior Desmond Morgan; senior Joe Bolden. Another had junior Ben Gedeon; sophomore Jared Wangler; senior Allen Gant.
…and DL:
One front lined up thusly today: Wormley at end; senior Ryan Glasgow at tackle; senior Willie Henry at tackle; Ojemudia at end. The other unit combo was Charlton at end; senior Tom Strobel; junior Maurice Hurst; senior Royce Jenkins-Stone, listed as a LB on the roster.
So Charlton is an SDE, which makes sense since all the other candidates to back up Wormley got moved to TE. Strobel lining up at nose(?!) would be a very, very strange thing. Would expect Godin to be the #4 DT without Mone. No mention of Marshall is odd.
Meanwhile, the secondary:
Stanford grad transfer Wayne Lyons could be a proverbial “cut-above.” The top unit today was Lewis and Clark on the edges with Peppers and Wilson at safety. The other unit had junior Channing Stribling and freshman Tyree Kinnel on the corners with junior Dymonte Thomas and Lyons at safety.
No Delano Hill or Watson mentioned; Clark pushing for the boundary spot will give me the heebie-jeebies until it doesn't.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Potential punt returners and some Peppers hype:
PR looks like it'll be Peppers and Chesson. Peppers looked great overall today and DJ Durkin said he's had an outstanding camp
PK remains up in the air - still doesn't look like an area of strength. Aussie P Blake O'Neill got off some boomers – impressive
This from Dienhart on the three PK options:
Three kickers took turns at the uprights: freshman Andrew David; sophomore Kyle Seychel; senior Kenneth Allen.
August 19th, 2015 at 4:47 PM ^
I have faith Drake Harris will be the deep threat this year.
August 19th, 2015 at 5:14 PM ^
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August 19th, 2015 at 3:51 PM ^
Harbaugh's 2010 team had Doug Baldwin (leading receiver for the Seahawks last year) and Chris Owusu (ran a 4.36 at the NFL combine, second fastest time that year) as its two best receivers, and TE Coby Fleener who ran a 4.5 at the combine and went early in the 2nd round.
That team had plenty of talented fast guys on it, they didn't just suddenly start tricking teams.
August 19th, 2015 at 4:11 PM ^
Is that there are no blown coverages if the defense only focuses on a small segment of the field. Having "reliable" receivers who can make the 4-12 yard plays is all well and good, but you need those plays to be there. Without players who can stretch a defense or a dominant run game that's very difficult.
And even with a dominant run game it can be difficult. Look at what happened to the Giants the year Plaxico Burress went down. They were 12-1, defending super bowl champs, and the combo of Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw was unstoppable on the ground...until safeties started crowding the box when the Giants' 6'6" force of nature shot himself. They were bounced in the first round by the Eagles in a game that was not too competitive.
August 19th, 2015 at 3:10 PM ^
There was the tweet, " Morris has a great arm. Rudock doesn't make many mistakes. Tough call."
I'm interpreting this quote a bit, but if this means Morris is more likely to turn the ball over, then I don't think it is a tough call - you definitely go with Rudock. The defense should be very good, and perhaps great, this year. When you have that, you don't want to blow a 17-13 game in the 4th Quarter with a pick-six.
Besides, it doesn't seem like (except for perhaps Jake Butt) that UM has any game-breakers that a cannon-armed Morris would be hitting anyway. Best to matriculate that ball done the field, and beat some teams 17-10 etc. If we fall behind significantly, then maybe bring in the higher risk/high reward QB. But otherwise, go with the more sure/accurate thing.
August 19th, 2015 at 3:50 PM ^
I wouldn't read too much into that comment. They only saw a few hours of one practice, so there's not much more to it than regurgitating what's common knowledge and what everyone has been saying: Shane has more upside and Jake doesn't turn it over. The fact of the matter is if by September 3 Harbaugh sees Shane turning the corner, he will likely be the starter. I expect Jake will start, but if Harbaugh starts Shane I'm all in with that decision too.
August 19th, 2015 at 9:51 PM ^
that had little to do with what DiNardo saw.
August 19th, 2015 at 3:25 PM ^
Who is Clark? Why am I drawing a blank on a first name?
August 19th, 2015 at 3:30 PM ^
Jeremy Clark. Took me a second too.
August 19th, 2015 at 3:30 PM ^
August 19th, 2015 at 11:54 PM ^
August 19th, 2015 at 3:26 PM ^
BTNs assessment was M and OSU had the best talent in the bgtn. Actually their statement was those 2 team's were head and shoulders above the rest in talent and the only difference was they felt that Michigan was younger. So now with regard to MSU after years of mostly recruiting 3 star players they are suddenly more talented than M. As with all media preseason opinions it's speculation based on last year's performance. Talents not really the question here, coaching matters and that's why nobody can really get an accurate bead on Michigan this year at least until they play. Harbaugh is a lot better than Hoke we know that much, so how quickly can he turn it around is the big question. 8-4 is a lot better than 5-7 and should get the team close to being ranked and certainly into a Jan 1st bowl. That is what I expect but I am also expecting the unexpected.
August 19th, 2015 at 3:42 PM ^
As you are aware, talent is more than just how many 4 and 5 star recruits you have. It's how well they have been coached. After four years of Hoke vs. Dantonio, I would think it would be clear that MSU is more talented. I don't think anyone at BTN is saying that MSU has better recruiting classes than UM. What I saw today was a comment from BTN (Dinardo I think) that MSU looks like a legit national title contender and UM is far from that.
EDIT: None of that matters though if we beat Staee on October 17. Which is certainly possible.
August 19th, 2015 at 3:40 PM ^
Exactly. Sportswriters are so obvious and so non-analytical. Preseason write-ups are often more a display of ignorance than of insight.
August 19th, 2015 at 3:41 PM ^
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August 19th, 2015 at 3:49 PM ^
August 19th, 2015 at 3:56 PM ^
The QB race is nowhere near over. As I said below, BTN saw three hours of the fourteenth practice halfway through fall camp. There's nothing more to that comment than common knowledge. I expect what everyone else does, that Rudock will start. But that doesn't mean there isn't time for Morris to turn the corner.
August 19th, 2015 at 4:50 PM ^
Big arm, whatever...I watch DG throw it to the other team waaay too often the past two years. Give me the guy that can keep the ball in our hands and not the defense's.
August 19th, 2015 at 4:14 PM ^
August 19th, 2015 at 4:22 PM ^
They're Redshirt Juniors. So Academic Seniors.
August 19th, 2015 at 4:45 PM ^
Yea, still have one more year of eligibility... and we might not need them unless some of the other WRs finally step up
August 19th, 2015 at 4:46 PM ^
No, actually they're the same person. Not related to Amarah/Darboh though.
August 19th, 2015 at 4:32 PM ^
I am excited for the season to start.
Can't wait. Let's go full throttle.
August 19th, 2015 at 4:33 PM ^
August 19th, 2015 at 4:53 PM ^
He blocked some guy so hard that he split in to two people. One is named Jehu, the other is Chesson.
August 19th, 2015 at 11:56 PM ^
August 19th, 2015 at 4:44 PM ^
So we turned down the #1 PK this year because we took a good PK last year... but he might not that be that good. Ouch.
August 19th, 2015 at 4:57 PM ^
1. We turned down the #1 PK? I thought we offered him and he chose Penn State over us.
2. Our freshman PK has been on campus for what, two weeks?
3. Freshman PKs are notoriously wobbly.
4. Relax. Harbaugh.
August 19th, 2015 at 5:30 PM ^
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August 19th, 2015 at 6:31 PM ^
August 19th, 2015 at 8:01 PM ^
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Mike McCray confirmed to TheWolverine.com that he will miss at least part of the 2015 season while recovering from an undisclosed injury.
"I'm still recovering right now from my stuff," said McCray, who did not want to get into the specifics of his injury. "My goal is to be back as soon as possible, but I don't know when that will be. My job right now is to learn the playbook and be a good teammate and help the guys out as much as I can."
August 19th, 2015 at 9:49 PM ^
every "undisclosed' injury
is a groin injury. right?
August 19th, 2015 at 7:02 PM ^
August 19th, 2015 at 7:33 PM ^
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August 19th, 2015 at 10:10 PM ^
August 19th, 2015 at 7:40 PM ^
Also, another think to think about is this. Would you be willing to trade a win vs OSU to plan for the future? What about MSU? Or Utah? Some of those games may come down to the wire, and experience / being just a tiny bit better may be the difference between victory and defeat. At the end of the day you have to play the best guy, even if it's not by much and even if he only has one year.
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August 19th, 2015 at 8:10 PM ^
I agree in general, but Morris feels like a bit of a wasted recruit at this point because they burned a RS that first year. There was no reason he should have played as a true freshman, but because Hoke and Borges were terrible at getting competent backups at the position they wasted him once, then trotted him out for a game and a half of play last year. So basically you have a true junior with little usable playing experience and guys with a higher upside behind him by 2 years. Yes you can give Morris a chance this year, but at best he gives you 2 years of a starter and, unless he gets injured, no real reason to redshirt or create some separation. So if I'm Harbaugh, I sadly look at Morris as a bit of a sunk cost, and unless he's made huge strides in the off-season it feels like Rudock gives you the most competent starter to win now and you can then have a bigger competition next year with guys like Malzone, Genry, Morris, and (maybe) Peters.
If Morris was a RS SO, though, I'd be 100% behind giving him a shot if it's close.
August 19th, 2015 at 8:06 PM ^
I might be wrong, but it seemed like they had their classes mixed up on a couple of guys. For example, they said Henry is a senior and Gedeon is a junior when they were both in the same class and are (to my knowledge) "true" juniors.
Anyway, interesting stuff overall. What I expected for the most part. Glad to hear Smith getting some love at RB; seems like the best fit for Harbaugh. And while it sounds like Morris has made strides, Rudock should be the option early on given the TO issues.
August 19th, 2015 at 8:12 PM ^
I have been out of pocket, any info on the injury reports on Wheatley and Mone come out?
August 19th, 2015 at 10:49 PM ^
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August 20th, 2015 at 6:40 AM ^
All we've heard about is Morris and Rudock, not a mention of the 'other guy' that started in the spring game, Alex Malzone. Its not unexpected that the other two would be the main combatants for the job, but I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about the new guy.
August 20th, 2015 at 10:04 AM ^
I'm taking zero stock in the BTN reports on a possible depth chart. Harbaugh knew they were coming and didn't care.
He put on his work clothes (Block M Hat, Long sleevel block M shirt, khakis, and cleats) and went out to get better. He let the players go talk to the media, but made sure they got their reps in.
Harbaugh and Durkin have both referenced having guys "cross-trained" with multiple positions. It gives them a better understand on tactics... DB's should all know what the other position is doing, will make them have better situational awareness.
Same with the WR's logging some reps at DB. I saw Canteen break up a pass on BTN Live.
The real question this season is, who is going to finally take their talent the next step?
August 20th, 2015 at 12:29 PM ^
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