Unverified Voracity Does A Sensible Thing By Omission Comment Count

Brian

Spike to Purdue. The Boilermakers will not have to play the final ten minutes of an NCAA tournament game without a point guard next year:

Purdue was horrendous—horrendous!—at that spot a year ago so that's a move that makes sense. Spike's health is still in considerable doubt, so it makes sense for Michigan to move on with Walton and Xavier Simpson; for Purdue a crack at anything resembling a PG is a true wonder.

Obvious obvious whaaaa? PFF has a mock draft for next year largely based on their numbers. It features Jourdan Lewis and Jabrill Peppers at 19 and 22, which is more or less expected. #23 is out of left field for me:

Minnesota Vikings: Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan

The third Michigan defender in the last five picks, Hurst fires off the ball and his +38.0 overall grade ranks third among returning interior defensive linemen despite playing only 418 snaps in 2015. Hurst shows the power to push the pocket and disrupt in the backfield, though he does need to do a better job of handling double teams and finishing plays.

I like Hurst a lot but he's 282 on the most recent roster and got beat up by inside zone teams to end the year; I have a hard time seeing him go in the first round unless he adds 20 pounds and has a monster year. I'd guess Glasgow and Wormley both go ahead of him even if he does forgo his final year of eligibility.

No Arizona State for Big Ten hockey. CHN reports that ASU is close to joining the NCHC. That's the most logical place for them since that conference contains all the teams somewhat near them; thankfully this also means that the Big Ten will not add another potential RPI anchor nowhere near any of its current members. ASU brings the NCHC to nine programs, which is an awkward number.

I wouldn't assume that the ASU move means the Big Ten is going to poach an NCHC member. As I noted when the Big Ten added Notre Dame, seven teams in a league is slightly odd but workable. Eight starts forcing compromises on you pretty fast. If the Big Ten can add a North Dakota that's worth it. Western Michigan maybe not so much.

Baseball is back to being good. Baseball is projected as a two seed in latest Baseball America bracketology. They're in #4 overall seed FSU's region, so they're towards the bottom of the two-seeds. However, they might be in line to get the annual bone the NCAA committee throws half the country. BA projects Minnesota as a regional host right now, but:

With the dearth of hosting candidates in the West, the door is open for either Minnesota or Michigan to land a hosting spot out of the Big Ten. Right now, we’ll give the edge to the Gophers. … Michigan, by comparison, has a much more RPI-friendly schedule with all four of its remaining series against top 100 teams—granted that one of those opponents, Ohio State, is barely in the top 100 at No. 99. If the standings stay in the order they are but Minnesota can’t keep its RPI strong enough, then it’s more likely neither would host than a second-place Michigan team gets a bid over a team it both lost to and finished behind, regardless of its own RPI.

This is how ludicrously unbalanced college baseball is: the SEC and ACC are projected to acquire 19 bids between them. That's 17 at-large bids. The rest of the field has 16. Here is my default thing where I suggest the Big Ten leaves the current structure and plays through August with wood bats, like God intended.

Satellite camp fallout. Harbaugh likes the decision, surprise. So does almost everyone else. He's also willing to let bygones be bygones with The Georgia Coach, as UGA will join Michigan at a camp in a few weeks. The Georgia Coach is past it, too, man:

Smart’s comments generated a stinging tweet by Harbaugh: “If the Georgia coach is implying any intent on our part to break rules, he is barking up the wrong tree.”

Last week in Dallas, Smart was asked about the situation.

“That whole thing got so overblown,” Smart said. “Because he and I, he and staff members from his staff had communicated. That’s a big deal to the media, big deal to you guys. But in the coaching profession we’re a bit more lighthearted about it.”

The end result of this sturm und drang is a whole bunch of nothing, but it's nice that Michigan gets another year in which Harbaugh's football mania can be deployed without restriction. Also, ban proponents come out of this looking like big dumb idiots. Dan Wolken:

“What we're talking about is recruiting tours,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told reporters last year when the issue first started to bubble. “So, let's just be clear about what we're really talking about here.”

The strategy, of course, was transparent: To turn recruiting into a dirty word, as if somehow the entire enterprise in which these people operate doesn’t revolve around the pristine pursuit of attracting athletes to their school.

“They're not satellite camps,” LSU athletics director Joe Alleva sneered, according to the The Advocate of Baton Rouge. “They’re purely and simply recruiting camps.”

Well, yeah.

Thank you, Mr. Wolken. That has been the most infuriating part of this whole process: SEC folks acting like there's any subterfuge in what Harbaugh and company are doing. References to the "scholastic environment" were also in that bin since satellite camps promote contact between players and college coaches; they are in fact a counterweight to the AAU-ish explosion in 7-on-7. But I already yelled about all this in a fisk post a few weeks back. 

Etc.: Todd McShay calls out Laremy Tunsil for telling the truth. Connor Cook probably fell in the draft because he was helpful to the elderly. Why the Lions drafted Rudock. (No, not because they can continue to have Harbaugh coach him.) Ian Boyd on POWER. The Cowherd-Whitlock PTI ripoff will be horrible but at least it spawned this twitter thread. Andy Staples on Tunsil.

Comments

bronxblue

May 3rd, 2016 at 1:28 PM ^

Good luck to Spike. He'll definitely help Purdue if he can play.

Todd McShay seems a bit out of it this whole draft, so no surprise he didn't get a good read on the Tunsil situation.

I love that we live in a world in which Harbaugh going to camps still registers about the same outrage as a high profile player saying his former school gave him money and free loaner cars.

Cook is probably an ass, but the reason he fell had little to do with his attitude as much as the weak arm apparently attached to it.

93Grad

May 3rd, 2016 at 1:33 PM ^

Almost of all of them criticized him for telling the truth, rather than being critical of Ole Miss or the SEC in general.  

The world is upside down and the Emperor (SEC) has no clothes.  

Magnus

May 3rd, 2016 at 1:39 PM ^

I think a lot of those NFL commentators are looking at the situation through the NFL's eyes. If Todd McShay were a college commentator, he may have made a different statement. However, he's evaluating players for the NFL, and you want your players/employees in the NFL to keep things behind closed doors. The next time something personal comes out about a teammate or a coach, do you (the Miami Dolphins) want him to tell the truth? Or do you want him to put the team first and say "No comment" or "I haven't had time to figure out exactly what happened, so I'd like to wait before commenting"? From a P.R. perspective, NFL teams/general managers probably want him to keep his mouth closed when it comes to controversial things like that.

I think that's the point McShay was making, whether it's right or wrong. He just didn't make it very well.

Should the SEC/Ole Miss be criticized? Absolutely. Is McShay the right person to take Ole Miss to task on an NFL Draft broadcast? I'm not so sure.

Magnus

May 3rd, 2016 at 1:53 PM ^

Tomato, tomahto. Naive is perhaps a good word, but NFL players "mature" as they deal more with the press. They give "more mature" answers once they realize the impact of their statements. This is arguably part of that maturation process. I don't think it makes McShay wrong. I just think it's something he probably should have phrased better. If he had sat down to write an article about it, maybe he would chosen different language while sending the same message. As things stand, he's a veteran sports commentator whose words maybe got tangled up on live television. I'm sure we've all said things in person that we wish we could have rephrased, but that's not possible on live TV. (And perhaps the same goes for Tunsil.) I think both guys should be cut some slack.

taistreetsmyhero

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:13 PM ^

there is no version of morality I can drum up where lying about the texts (either by flat-out lying or by omission--which is what McShay was proposing) is the right and mature thing to do.

It may be in his personal best interest moving forward in the professional world of the NFL to tow the company line and say "No comment" until the team's PR spin machine can craft an obvious lie to feed to the media. But in no world of mine would I call that a mature thing. It's just a less naive thing to do.

When you lambast a person for saying the truth rather than lying, you are in the wrong. Point blank.

Magnus

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:27 PM ^

Again, tomato, tomahto. I would say it would be "mature" to realize that your new employers possibly/probably want you to handle a question in a certain way. Naive is maybe a slightly better word, but "mature" is arguably accurate as well. I don't think "morals" have much to do with it, because nobody's really claiming it was immoral of him to answer the questions in the manner he did.

It's not a lie to say "I have no comment at this time." As human beings, we're not required to answer every question we're asked. 

EDIT: If a reporter asked Tunsil his social security number, it wouldn't be a lie for him not to answer. Lying by omission is an act of leaving out pertinent information while making it seem like you're telling the whole truth.

taistreetsmyhero

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:50 PM ^

if I'm going to be pedantic then I probably shouldn't misuse the phrase lying by omission. But I still stand by the gist of what I'm saying. What I'm getting at is mostly feelingsball. I'm also speaking from a position of several (I believe justified) assumptions.

The NFL is a morally bankrupt institution. The SEC is a morally bankrupt institution. Saying "no comment" just sets up a situation where Ole Miss can lie in the future and say the messages were photoshopped or some such nonsense.

It's refreshing to hear the truth, and it's never immature to speak the truth. We can agree to disagree there, but I'm just not gonna buy it when the innevitable result of not telling the truth will result in a complete lie 99% of the time when it's coming from an NFL or NCAA organization.

edit: and the whole notion that he should have thought of the ramifications of what he said for Ole Miss and his coach is a different topic and also slightly infuriating in my mind.

93Grad

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:36 PM ^

and I get the point he was making.  That may not have been the best time or place to be discussing that issue.  

I am talking about the other ESPN talking heads, many of whom are not NFL analysts, whose main takeaway was that Tunsil should not have been honest about what happened, instead of...I don't know...just not breaking the rules in the first place.  

Magnus

May 3rd, 2016 at 1:33 PM ^

Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't the Justin Fuente power read play in the Ian Boyd article the same one Michigan ran under Al Borges, where the end is being blocked?

Space Coyote

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:51 PM ^

And is very well known for it. A bunch of other teams also run various forms of power. Harbaugh's use of Power at Michgian is linked under "Man Ball" and is diagramed in the "Classic Power" play, where another team happens to have a clip shown of it.

That does not make an article "clickbait". It makes it an article about football rather than Harbaugh and Michigan football alone (though much of the article still applies to Michigan, what they currently do, and what they've done in the past; Harbaugh has also used some of those variations on Power in his past as well).

maizenblue92

May 3rd, 2016 at 1:35 PM ^

Connor Cook fell for a lot of reasons. And I tend to believe that despite the fact he had 3-4 NFL caliber lineman, an NFL caliber receiver, and an NFL caliber running back behind him, he was only a 56% passer, was at or near the top of the list. He has HUGE accuracy issues. Like, he alternates sweet NFL throw with "where the fuck was that going?" more than people talked about.

NFL teams also saw the not being a captain think as a huge negative.

There are also rumors* that Connor Cook was a near nightly visitor to the bars in EL and loved sipping on some of Grandpa's old cough medicine. This is something NFL teams were aware of and looked into.

 

*Reminder: this is a rumor. This means I don't have a hard source or link to go to. This is just something I've heard thrown around locally (ESPN radio in GR brought it up).

dragonchild

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:05 PM ^

He was drafted in the 4th round, which sounds about right for me.  Actually rather optimistic.  If anyone had him higher they were overrating him, not that I'm surprised.

He executed MSU's scheme well but it was a simple one, and for the pieces he had around him he didn't really raise it to another level either.  With the exception of PSU their offense really sputtered against even good FBS defenses, including ours last season.  It may be that MSU's OC had him play with one hand tied behind his back, but it's especially notable that in the last, biggest games of his college career (OSU, Iowa, Alabama) he was terrible and even if you argue that's not all his fault, which is fair, my point is that it only gets tougher from here.

I do wonder if the rumormill gets nasty just before Draft Day in the hopes teams can pick up players with lower picks.  That makes some sense for Laremy Tunsil, but Cook strikes me as a "good college player" who'd run out of cards against the top end of FBS competition.  Who thought he'd tear up the NFL?

dragonchild

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:34 PM ^

Well, there you go. :D

OK seriously, noted and I stand corrected.  But he was 6.0ypa/0TD/1INT vs. Iowa and 5.4ypa/0TD/2INT against Alabama.  That's objectively terrible against yes, bona fide FBS defenses, but again, does anyone think his job in the NFL will be easier?

Space Coyote

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:47 PM ^

And his OL got destroyed against Bama. His beat up OL similarly got destroyed by Michigan and his run game provided him no favors.

Games not mentioned:

2015: 20/32 for 192 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT vs Oregon

2014: 24/42 for 314 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs vs Baylor

2014: 25/45 for 358 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs vs OSU

2014: 29/47 for 343 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs vs Oregon

2014: 22/26 for 332 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT vs Stanford (Rose Bowl)

Those aren't really great numbers in that the completion percentage isn't as high as you'd like, but they aren't "didn't produce". They are solid numbers, which pretty much describes his game to NFL scouts. Solid, but where is the spectacular? He was a late 1st to 3rd round pick, in my opinion, that slipped a little bit (early 4th round) and had some other QBs questionable picked before him).

 

dragonchild

May 3rd, 2016 at 3:08 PM ^

If you're looking for a QB prospect through the lens of an NFL career, though, you want some indication that he's got either room for growth or a men among boys.  He was productive and comfortable against FBS competition, but that's not good enough.  I mean:

he was a good prospect without a clear path to a high ceiling (i.e. he did a lot of things good in college but few things great, so where is the upside or where are the one or two things we improve to make him great)

That's what you said, and I basically said the same thing.

Lanknows

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:16 PM ^

I think it's fair to say he fell relative to where his stock was after the regular season (PSU game) or maybe even a few weeks before (Maryland).  He got hurt and then had 2 bad games against Iowa and Alabama and then the off-field questions started popping up. At one point he was projected by many to be a 1st rounder.  That may have been 'overrating' him but his stock was quite high.

He did very well against our top 10 defense and made a bunch of excellent passes to Burbridge while he was covered by Lewis.

 

WolverineHistorian

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:17 PM ^

In regards to his accuracy issues, Cook did throw probably the most dropped interceptions of any QB I've ever seen. And he was bailed out many times through penalties as well...including at the big house last season where he threw a horrible pick but we were flagged for something...I think an offsides penalty.

There's no denying he has talent. But the number of times he was bailed out by pure luck was amazing.




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Space Coyote

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:41 PM ^

Then teams don't let him slide 4 rounds because he likes going out. It's not that he was a great prospect with some character concerns. It's that he was a good prospect without a clear path to a high ceiling (i.e. he did a lot of things good in college but few things great, so where is the upside or where are the one or two things we improve to make him great) and a question on character as a reason to let him slide.

It was a whole bunch of things that lead to him going later. Still think he was a better QB prospect then a few of the guys drafted ahead of him.

Lanknows

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:04 PM ^

Probably Drafted (8):

  • Peppers
  • Lewis
  • Wormley
  • Glasgow
  • Thomas
  • Braden
  • Butt
  • Chesson

Maybe (7)

  • Charlton
  • Clark (6'4 and fast will tantelize)
  • Stribling (6'1 corners in demand)
  • Hill (fast + players who can cover and tackle are in demand)
  • Gedeon (good athlete, good size, may have very productive year in stacked D + Brown system)
  • Smith (lacks NFL speed - needs/may have productive senior year)
  • Darboh (lacks NFL speed - needs/may have productive senior year)

Probably Not Drafted (4)

  • Johnson
  • Magnuson
  • Kalis
  • Godin

Wolvie3758

May 3rd, 2016 at 2:53 PM ^

about the baseball rankings and seeding is this..The SEC and ACC play 2/3 if not more of their schedules at HOME and rarely if ever leave the region..OF COURSE they are going to have better records ..DUH..But the rest of the country is disadvantaged greatly by ONE THING...Weather....and that should not be happening...they need to fix the RPI system to balance this out..Home games need to count less and neutral or road games WAY more...its the fair thing to do..Of course we know the SEC and ACC will do everything and anything to protect this advantage..(see satellite camps) so once again the NCAA fails to do the right thing

Mpfnfu Ford

May 3rd, 2016 at 8:37 PM ^

1. Why do people always bring up the wood bats thing? Those aluminum bats and the companies that bid for the right to be each college's official bat are the reason most schools with college baseball can afford it. If you switch to wood bats, you end up with nobody playing college baseball except the programs that can afford to offer it as a scholarship and still lose their ass.

2. Michigan leaving the current structure would mean they play nobody of any value ever and it'd be mildly pathetic. Yeah, it sucks to be a northern college in college baseball. Almost all the high school talent are from warm weather states, and tons of off brand southern colleges have strong college baseball programs as a result. But playing minor league college baseball because it's too hard to compete? Sounds weak to me,

And asking for the entire schedule to be shifted would 1) kill the college world series as a TV event, because the only reason it even gets on TV is as a sports downtime content filler for ESPN and thus kill the sport altogether and 2) would be akin to random southern colleges who decide to playing major hockey trying to dictate the schedule. 

.

Mpfnfu Ford

May 7th, 2016 at 12:05 PM ^

There's nowhere near as many companies making wood bats as make metal. You'd have to hope that colleges switching to wood would cause all the metal bat companies to start offering wood too, and there's a very good chance they wouldn't because there's just no market for them. 

They make their money selling metal bats to youth baseball. Colleges help advertise that product. If college switches to chase some hypothetical "I WILL NEVER WATCH BASEBALL WITHOUT WOOD BAT" fan that I'm not sure really exists, they will likely just lose that revenue source.

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