2014 wideouts - inexperienced but large
I think we'll miss Gallon and Dileo, but the staff's strategy with receivers is apparent: get some big targets. Except for Norfleet, whom we have barely used as a receiver (total of 6 catches for 46 yards), everybody else is 6'2" or taller. Da'Mario Jones is the smallest at 6'2" 190.
Add that to the Funchess/Butt tandem at TE (the leading returning receivers) and we have some real weapons.
The question is who gets the catches. It's a rare first-year player who gets more than 2/game...Manningham had 27 in 2005. Martavious Odoms had 49 to lead the team in (year redacted). Roundtree had 32 as a redshirt freshman in 2009, 26 of them in the final three games. Those were not banner years.
Maybe we'll spread it around because everybody is so awesome.
February 5th, 2014 at 5:38 PM ^
I don't think he said that if you read his closing. "I think in an ideal world, you have a mix of both though."
February 5th, 2014 at 4:58 PM ^
Marshall is great because he has amazing ball skills and can work the underneath routes like Michael Irvin did. And NFL history is filled with guys who looked the part at WR but didn't produce. Yes, having Megatron would be nice, but barring that I want the best guys at the WR position regardless of size. Just being tall doesn't mean you are going to be a great WR, and I think there is a confirmation bias occurring because people selectively remember the best guys and not all the busts. Heck, Jerry Rice was listed at 6' 2" (and may have been a bit shorter), and he was the greatest of all time.
I'm not dismissing the idea that tall WRs are good to have, but they have to be talented and fast as well, and that combination isn't always easy to find. I much rather have a bunch of Gallons over a bunch of trees who can't get separation.
February 5th, 2014 at 4:36 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 4:59 PM ^
He's a shade taller, but 6'1" guys aren't typically regarded as "big" WRs and certainly the NFL is filled with possession guys at that height. He was a great leaper who could high-point a ball really well; it wasn't because he was an inch taller than me.
February 5th, 2014 at 5:39 PM ^
I don't buy it, you're probably 5'11''. Agree that Hemingway isn't "big" but he plays like he is much taller. Great knack for outleaping defenders, good body control.
February 5th, 2014 at 7:09 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 3:03 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 4:33 PM ^
Derek Kief: 6'4" 199 lbs
Cameron Sims: 6'4" 208 lbs
2013 they took 3 WRs, one 6'4", 6'3", and 6'.
I dont think we have a problem anywhere.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:18 PM ^
Inexperienced, yes.
But Funchess at Split End, Butt at TE, and Chesson/Dorbah at WR gives us some experience.
Add Williams at Blocking TE and Norfleet in the slot.
Then we need @2 of the following to step-up in 2014 to create a very good group:
Soph Jones, RFr Hill, York, Dukes, and Freshman Harris, Canteen, Bunting, Ways
I like those odds...
February 5th, 2014 at 5:51 PM ^
but yours covers some of the things I was comtemplating so thought I'd put this TLDR comment here ..
To replicate 2013 numbers, Michigan needs to replace 129 catches, 1,821 yards and 11 TDs lost to graduation of Gallon, Dileo, Fitz and J. Jackson. Gallon is the key loss, obviously.
Returning is 104 catches, 1331 yards, and 12 TDs, with the bulk of that coming from Funchess, Butt and to a lesser degree Chesson. No other returner had more than 6 catches and all of those came from the backfield via Northfleet on the little jet sweep hand-off passes, or Hayes and Kerridge randomness. Williams had one catch all year. As we all no doubt recall, a TD! Yay!
Can we replace those 129 graduated catches? Seems like it will be tough:
First, let’s take out the 18 balls that Fitz caught and assume somewhat similar production from RB corps. Call it a near wash but not quite Fitz senior level. (-18 goes to -3)
Funchess, without a Gallon type that teams have to be aware of, may do well to get back to 49. But l think he’s talented and physically gifted enough to make a jump anyway. I call for him to grab an extra 1.5 per game, so call it +20 for a total of 69. (+20)
Butt, I think, will have a big leap and get near Sophomore Funchess production. Call it just shy at 43, but that more than doubles his freshman production. (+23)
Chesson. Another year in system, another spring and summer. Necessity of being more involved. Estimated increase in catches by 1/game. Call it +10 to 15 more than last year for a total of 27. Could be conservative on this, but I may be out on a limb on Butt. Even out? (+12)
Darboh. I see a RS Chesson type year, slightly better out of necessity/depth. Call it 20 catches. (+20)
That’s a subtotal of 72, still 57 balls short of the 129 lost.
Okay so now let’s call the 14 balls that Houma, Hayes, Northfleet and Williams caught a wash with similar one-off catches that will likely be replicated in 2014 from random guys. (+14)
Now we’re down to a deficit of 43 or so. Can M get those via the following?
- Development of Oline (please, please, please) to help out getting Gardner more time / better throwing lanes? Better completion %?
- Threat of better running game (please, please, please) that makes the passing better via play action?
- Senior Gardner with Nuss guiding = better completion %? Or more throw-aways to keep possessions alive and down and distance more manageable? And thus more manageable throws to complete?
- Do any of the RS or True Freshman receivers make a moderate impact, which would probably be a ceiling expectation with this group?
Rational me is doubtful but fan me thinks it can be done if OL and running game is much improved. Am I way off base here in projections? Fun to speculate.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:16 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 3:43 PM ^
Thinking about the offense as a whole this might be the most inexperienced offense in modern Michigan football. Usually you will field 3-5 SRs, 3-4 JRs and underclassmen to fill out the rest of the starting 11. I am not going to throw out a guy like Northfleet as a starter as we have seen so little of him on the offense and he is a role type player but assuming Green or Smith start at RB, we might have 3 upperclassmen starting on this entire offense which is kind of scary.
Should make for a heck of 2015 offense if Morris shines but 2014 you have Funchess (JR), Gardner (RS SR) and Glasow (RS JR) as the only starting 3 who are upperclassmen of projected starters. (I assume Bryant won't start due to perennial injury, and Jack Miller is beat out by Glasgow/ Kugler) Of those 3, 1 will be a senior. I wonder if UM has ever fielded a team with 1 starting senior on offense in the past 5 decades.
February 5th, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^
While they are young, the number of games started by the returning players is pretty good. Gardner has a year and a half starting. Chesson's a returning starter. Funchess is a returning starter who saw a lot of time as a freshmen. The fullback is a returning starter. AJ Williams has seen a lot of time. The interior of the oline might all be returning starters and quite possibly one of the tackles will have started some games, albeit not at tackle.
Agree that there will be a definite lack of upperclassmen starting, but a lot of the players starting come September will have a decent amount of experience playing on Saturdays.
February 5th, 2014 at 6:05 PM ^
but part of that equation of youth vs. experience is physical development as well as skill development. Magnuson, Kalis, Glasgow, Bosch, Butt, Henry, Pee Wee, Wormley etc., yes, all have some experience now, but none are as strong or as skilled as they are going to be down the road.
And when "young" guys are matched up against 22-23 year olds who've maxed out their college skill level and physical development, even if their game experience is no greater than the "young" guy across from them-- they still have some advantages typically.
February 5th, 2014 at 7:24 PM ^
By definition we cannot have the entire interior OL and one of our tackles as a returning starter when Magnuson was both part of our interior line and a projected tackle. At this point there seems 3 sure things Glasgow (Kugler taking over for him would reduce experience to zero), Bosch and Magnuson. Braden has zero and whomever takes over the other guard would be either very little (Bosch) or none, unless Kugler wins center and they move Glasgow back to guard, but it puts the same experience out there.
I really don't call Chesson an experienced player - he had bits and pieces of every game, and even the 2 RBs were spot duty most of the year as Firtz was the workhorse until the very end of the year. So both by experience and age it ill be extremely young. Butt might be the one guy of the underclassmen outside of Magnuson and Bosch I catergorize as "young but experienced" as he was forced to play a lot with Funchess pushed outside and Williams hurt. Other than those 3 it is a very raw crew if you take out Funchess, Glasgow, and Gardner.
February 5th, 2014 at 4:35 PM ^
Being inexperienced and large is better than being inexperienced and small.
February 5th, 2014 at 6:20 PM ^
fast is good too
February 5th, 2014 at 4:37 PM ^
I'm not so worried about WR.
I'm more concerned with UM"s pass protection and whether the running backs can pick up blitzes and catch the ball.
February 5th, 2014 at 4:50 PM ^
I'm more concerned about the running game.
February 5th, 2014 at 4:48 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 4:57 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 5:41 PM ^
Clearly you are unfamiliar with the basketball savant known as Amadou Ba.
February 5th, 2014 at 6:44 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 8:52 PM ^
The OL will be able to block better because young players who were pressed into experience will be a year older and a year bigger. This will help the running game and keep Devin protected. This will make the defense honor the running game and give the receivers more room in which to work.
I think every aspect of the offense will be better in 2014.
February 6th, 2014 at 10:51 AM ^