The Time of Shane is Upon Us
[Fuller]
Per Hoke's press conference this morning, Shane Morris will start the Copper Bowl in place of Devin Gardner, whose fourth metatarsal finally fell off after hanging precariously from a piece of torn cloth that was being used to hold together what remained of his last rib. Or, you know. Per people on twitter Gardner broke his foot against OSU, then kept playing. Add to the list of people who should never have to pay for beer within 4 miles of Ann Arbor the rest of his life (once he's eligible to have beers bought for him).
In the recent practice report video are guys talking about Morris; you can take Jehu Chesson:
"He does a good job, you know, reading the defense, you know, getting the ball to us. A lot of people talk about his arm; he has a good arm, great arm, um, uh, [shakes head]. The other people talk about does he throw the ball too hard. You know, with Shane, whenever he's going to be in the game, or when he's in the game or what, he's going to make the right throws at the right time and the right decisions because that's what a Michigan quarterback is expected to do."
…and Taylor Lewan:
"He has the potential to be an extremely good player. [Thing about lefty QB means Lewan is no longer blind side]. I think given the opportunity, and if he stays confident and all those things, he's going to be very successful."
…at their words. Or you can read between lines and use your expertise from watching Lie to Me to discern panicky things from Jehu's microexpressions. Being a negative nancy blogger I shall of course do the latter.
Also in that video the starting linebackers are both practicing, so there's that at least.
December 26th, 2013 at 2:11 PM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 2:24 PM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 2:26 PM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 2:53 PM ^
I don't know why they received such a pass against Ohio. Morgan played at least the full first half, and was trucked/swallowed by their excellent OL just as Bolden and Gedeon were. I'm not sure Ross - who's also undersized - would have fared much better. Quicker and better instincts sure, but there wasn't a lot of room for him to maneuver around blocks.
Against good OLs, our DL doesn't demand doubles, and our LBs don't smash and plug holes hard enough to consistently stop the run. We need both units to take a big step forward in the offseason if this unit is going to go from above average to very good.
And damn it Bolden, learn how to take on blockers with some anger and sell out. BC you'll be quite good when that happens.
December 26th, 2013 at 2:36 PM ^
I expect we'll see the OSU gameplan. Lots of play action throws and running behind Green and Smith. Doubt we'll see a deep throw as the timing on those is tough, but rollouts to throw to the tight end would make a lot of sense.
From the Kansas St. perspective, I assume they'll make Shane prove he can throw the ball with a lot of pressure just like everybody else has been doing to us all year. A 3-step drop/slant over the middle for a TD would end that experiment and then KSU ends up in a zone defense.
We'll see... I'm not as worried about the offense as I am about the defense...
December 27th, 2013 at 10:01 AM ^
When has Borges proven capable of scheming around a pressure/stacked box defense while at Michigan? Never in 3 years. That will be what Shane faces. Let's see if Borges manages to adjust, and thus give us a slight bit of hope for how he'll perform next year. Even a C grade would be acceptable after the D- he gets this year.
December 26th, 2013 at 2:39 PM ^
Out of curiosity, who is Shane's back up in this game?
December 26th, 2013 at 5:44 PM ^
Yeah, I know. I almost apologized in advance for even thinking of such a thing. That said, it needs to be considered, even if only for a play after Morris' helmet pops off, or if he gets a minor boo-boo.
Thanks for the responses. I wasn't sure about Bellomy's condition.
December 26th, 2013 at 3:15 PM ^
I heard Bellomy is ready, though not sure if he would step in and burn (what I believe was) a medical redshirt
December 26th, 2013 at 3:49 PM ^
...right?
Because he got a true redshirt year in 2011, his freshman year. Right? One medical redshirt year cannot extend a player's eligibility to six years. However in some cases two medical reshirt years might. Have I got that right? I think so.
So Bellomy could play if needed, and there'd be no eligibility downside. But I really wonder if that would happen. I don't have a feel for Bellomy's fitness, since he hasn't been seen in public in a football uniform this season. I tend to think that Brian Cleary would be called in to perform handoffs and throw bubble screens.
December 26th, 2013 at 4:30 PM ^
you are 100% right
Bellomy RS freshmen year not for a medical reason. That means he cannot RS this year cause of the injury. So he is most likely back-up unless Cleary is better which wouldn't suprise me.
December 26th, 2013 at 7:21 PM ^
when the first redshirt was non-medical, but they're very few and far between. Case Keenum was able to do this, but I don't know the specifics of his situation.
December 27th, 2013 at 11:50 AM ^
According to Hoke.
Given that Bellomy practiced for the first time post-ACL in early December...well, lower your expectations even further than they may already have been. (Not to take away respect for the kid coming back as quickly as he did, though. Maybe not Jake Ryan-fast, but he blew his ACL in April.)
December 26th, 2013 at 2:44 PM ^
He damn well better get Gallon the single-season receiving record.
Weird that this was my first thought when I heard Shane was gonna be the starter.
December 26th, 2013 at 3:12 PM ^
If he can get Gallon the ball, Gallon will be able to do the legwork. Count it.
December 27th, 2013 at 10:03 AM ^
He will sail a minimum 2 balls over Gallon's head. Book it. Kid's a freshman with minimal experience and a penchant for overthrows.
December 27th, 2013 at 12:13 PM ^
Not sure how he has a "penchant" for anything given that he hasn't played any meaningful minutes all year with the exception of a hand-off, and CMU was the only significant number of minutes all year.
It is not like we have never seen over-throws in the past - even from our most experienced QBs.
Let's give the kid a chance, and back him up with encouragement. He's got all of the skills to be an excellent QB for this program. Obviously, he cannot receive three years of expereince in one week of practice. In the very limited playing time he has received so far, he has actually looked functional and much improved.
I believe he will rise to the occassion!
December 26th, 2013 at 2:47 PM ^
Wouldn't he just swap sides to take blind side? Isn't that standard with your best Tackle?
December 26th, 2013 at 2:57 PM ^
probably more difficult than it sounds and I doubt they will do that. Schofield has been fantastic this season at right tackle and they've already shuffled the deck so much on the line this year that I doubt they would make that move.
Could end up being an extra piece of quality game tape for Schofield to increase his draft stock.
December 26th, 2013 at 2:58 PM ^
Sometimes you see the tackles swap out if there's a big talent differential, but Schofield is a tackle that will play on Sundays next year. There are plenty of things to worry about, but I think Shane's blind side should be fine.
In any event, according to the video, Lewan stays at left tackle for this game.
December 26th, 2013 at 9:50 PM ^
Agree: Michigan is a team in particular that has absolutely no reason to swap tackles just because our backup is a southpaw. Our RT is pretty darn good yo. Schofield hasn't gotten Lewan's attention but Morris' blindside is not a concern. It's a silver lining of sorts that going to our backup won't reshuffle our OL yet again.
That said, it's been sort of a given 'round here that Schofield will have an NFL career. I dunno. Lewan is projected to be an NFL starter because he has literally tossed college D-linemen aside with one hand. Schofield lacks that sort of beast power. He rarely gets blown back or burned but he doesn't really impose his will on the LoS, either. Molk was one of the best centers in college; he DID wreak havoc as a Wolverine and he's out of the NFL already. Schofield's ceiling seems to be where he's at now -- a very dependable college player, but if Molk couldn't cut it (his foot injury only being part of the story), as much as I'm pulling for the guy I feel obligated to be realistic about Schofield's chances.
December 28th, 2013 at 7:36 AM ^
You wouldn't want to do that at this point in the season. If Morris is the starting QB going into next year (or 2015 or whenever), then yes, Michigan would want to put their best pass protector at right tackle.
December 26th, 2013 at 2:52 PM ^
lots of fun to watch. Chad Henne played as a true frosh pretty quickly as I recall. Shane Morris is a similarly recruited 4-5 star QB only he will have had more practices and looks during games than Henne did. They don't need a sophisticated game plan here to win as K-state is probably similar to PSU or Minny so M should be fine and it should be fun watching many future stars for the maize abd blue.
December 26th, 2013 at 3:22 PM ^
Yes but Henne had Braylon Edwards and an offensive line featuring David Baas who won the Rimington trophy. Also Mike Hart.
December 26th, 2013 at 3:25 PM ^
lost to Texas in the Rose Bowl.
December 26th, 2013 at 4:31 PM ^
Luckily, there'll be a difference between a frosh QB playing a Vince Young led Texas team that won one of the greatest championship games ever played the next year, and playing Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
That's my story and I"m stickin' to it.
December 26th, 2013 at 4:39 PM ^
I believe it will be the first time a Michigan true freshman QB will have led Michigan to a bowl victory.
December 26th, 2013 at 5:47 PM ^
Probably true. Leach lost in the Orange Bowl in 1975 when he was a freshman. Besides him and Henne, I don't know whether there were any other examples of freshmen QBs starting bowl games.
December 27th, 2013 at 10:04 AM ^
Except the part where K State plays a stacked box/blitz D more like MSU, and entirely not like Minnesota.
December 27th, 2013 at 10:18 AM ^
there is a key difference in spite of the similarity in scheme. Sparty is and has been the #1 defense in the country while K-State is tied for 36th with Nebraska. Interestingly Michigan is 38th. So I believe that K-State can copy what MSU did but clearly lack the coaching/athletes to replicate Spartys performance against M. We will see very shortly.
December 27th, 2013 at 11:21 AM ^
Minny was 42nd in total D and PSU was 47th so maybe not exactly comparible and maybe Nebraska would have been a better statistical model for K-State but still a better comparison than Sparty that lead the nation in lowest yards given up per game and lowest yards per play.
December 28th, 2013 at 7:37 AM ^
Stop being such a Negative Nancy.
December 26th, 2013 at 2:55 PM ^
I loved "Lie to Me." Wish it wouldn't have been cancelled. I especially enjoyed watching some of the actors terribly act out some of the tells people show when lying.
Go Shane! Get well soon Devin! Go Blue!
December 26th, 2013 at 3:02 PM ^
...the legend begins...
...OR...
December 26th, 2013 at 3:13 PM ^
Best way to break in a young QB is to let him throw the deep ball a few times. This could be fun.
December 26th, 2013 at 3:27 PM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 3:36 PM ^
more points for michigan when I bet them...
we will cover my friends... we will.. now, win, that I don't know...
jdon
December 30th, 2013 at 9:40 PM ^
adly vegas was not giving michigan + 17.5
jdon
December 26th, 2013 at 3:37 PM ^
1. Shane looking like Bellomy at Nebraska. Shane has had 3 weeks of practices to get ready for this one moment. Bellomy probably had a handful of snaps each week and just a few blowouts to prepare AND Shane is a far better talent, at least on paper.
2. Shane turning into SHANE Falco if he has a bad game and never recovers from the beating. The guy will have the off-season and spring practice to get better and maybe start next year. As much I as love Devin's toughness, the QB competition should be wide open
3. O-lIne getting destroyed. These guys know they need to play better and give Shane time to throw. One has to think that people were getting ready for Shane to play anyway. Hopefully O-Line pride shows up.
4. K State blitzes on every play. Even dull Al knows he needs a plan for heavy blitzes and hopefully has built a gameplan around this happening.
5. WIN or LOSE - the season is over and we can start planning for next year. Flush the toilet on this season.
ONE REGRET:
1. Too bad Shane didn't get to enroll early and have Spring 2013 to practice. That extra time would have helped now.
December 26th, 2013 at 3:55 PM ^
...that this injury to Gardner didn't happen in the first or second week of the season. Would Shane Morris have survived to this point? Would we have gotten down to starting Brian Cleary versus Northwestern, Nebraska, Iowa and Ohio State?
Might Michigan's record have ended up as something like 3-8?
December 27th, 2013 at 10:06 AM ^
Your #4 will define this game entirely, and I'm not holding my breath on big Al.
December 26th, 2013 at 3:57 PM ^
What better senerio to let Shane play (minus Devin injury of course). Starting spot on a game that means nothing. I bet if we were plaing Kansas State week 2 of next year people would somehow be less butt hurt about Shane getting some reps. Why not get your feet wet in the who gives a fuck bowl?
December 26th, 2013 at 4:05 PM ^
*Does an exaggerated lean to try and read Chesson's microexpressions*
....nobody else watched Lie to Me, huh?
December 26th, 2013 at 4:24 PM ^
This is what the fan base was clamoring for, right?
December 26th, 2013 at 4:46 PM ^
won't lie, i read it as "shame" the first time.
December 26th, 2013 at 4:50 PM ^
I'm anxious to see how Morris does. Actually I'm more anxious about the possibiity of 5 of 11 starters being freshmen on offense. It could be like Henne/Hart...right? Someone tell me it could be like Henne/Hart please.
December 26th, 2013 at 5:43 PM ^
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