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 2:38 PM ^
2014 wideouts - inexperienced and.... inexperienced.
You'd need a political consultant to spin it into anything where 2014 is going to be better than 2013.
Funchess, Butt, Darboh, Chesson, Norfleet, and Harris. It will be a good group, but I highly doubt the return of Darboh and the (hopeful) continued improvement of Funchess replaces a Jeremy Gallon - one of the best WRs we've ever had at Michigan.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:02 PM ^
While I agree with you about Gallon, I choose to believe that 2014 will be better than 2013 in every possible way.
February 5th, 2014 at 4:17 PM ^
Funchess is a legit monster receiver. Butt is clearly a talent at Tight End. Both need to be on the field and will create enough match up problems for any defense. The slot and second receiver (Harris or Darboh) will benefit.
2014!
February 5th, 2014 at 6:38 PM ^
Harris & Darboh are both recovering from injuries that kept them out for some time, so as talented (and heightful) as they are, they may need more time. (Not sure about Harris, but coaches say Darboh's not ready to fully practice and may not be ready for spring ball.)
However, I choose not to temper my expectations that they'll come back good as [better than?] new and be terrific. Eventually. Soon? Heck, I hope so.
February 5th, 2014 at 7:13 PM ^
The coaches are keeping an eye on it of course, but Harris is fine and ready to go. He probably could have played in his HS state playoff games but played it safe.
I think it's huge with being an early enrollee- not only to get a head-start on knowing the offense and feel comfortable with the program environment, but he is getting a head-start on the ever-important weight-training program.
Being an alum of his HS and attending numerous of his games, I am obviously stoked to see Drake played. While a lot of the focus has been about his great leap-ability, you guys will be "wowed" by his deep threat speed and the insane initial acceleration he has off the snap.
February 5th, 2014 at 7:01 PM ^
Last year in case you didn't notice, there was 0, ZERO deep threat. That hurt, all the skill position players including the TE's as good as they were. Keep in mind that if a DB doesn't respect deep plays, the box to run at gets that much smaller.
February 5th, 2014 at 2:44 PM ^
Size is nice but there is nothing wrong with a mix of speed and size. I am not saying our guys are slow, just saying going all in on size at the expense of speed is not that different of a mistake than going all on on "shifty, small guys" as under the last regime. Harris seems to have the best speed of the new guys coming in. I agree Canteen looks like an early candidate to play as that slot position is wide open and Ways and Harris seems more like outside candidates.
I am somewhat worried about the lack of experience....if Funchess had not moved outside literally Chesson would be the only guy I can think of with a catch in our entire WR corps. It is very inexperienced. Darboh still being held back through spring is a downer as I was hoping he'd make up for lost time this spring, but if he is not ready until summer that really leaves us with RS freshmen, Chesson, true freshmen, and Funchess out there.
Let us hope one of these 2013's also splash. They are getting lost in the shuffle as the shiny new toy is always more cool to the fanbase than the exisiting toys. These are the guys that should make the big jump as they have their 2nd year in the system. Having at least one of those kids break out would be a nice thing for the offense. A rotation of Chesson, Funchess, Darboh and (insert 2013 candidate) sprinkled in with 15 catches for a Canteen/Harris would be a nice balance. Counting on true freshman at too many depth spots to fill holes left by the defections in the 2009's and 2010's has been a major issue. Perfect world, you rip redshirt off 3-5 kids and let the rest sit a year and mature physically and mentally, rather than throwing so many out to the wolves as we have been forced to lately.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:28 PM ^
Since most DBs are either fast OR big (and more tend to be fast than big), teams tend to recruit both types and are capable of fielding one cornerback capable of covering one good big reciever. However, fielding a whole defensive backfield capable of covering 6'4" recievers is almost impossible, even for elite teams. Therefore, the strategy of fielding all these big recievers creates a higher probability of creating a mismatch somewhere on the field than the probability that the strategy of fielding one big reciever will create a mismatch with whatever DB is assigned to cover him. Plus, our big recievers are not exactly slow. It might be more effective to go all big, rather than a mix of big and small/fast.
February 5th, 2014 at 7:26 PM ^
Some Michigan TE/WR Heights:
Funchess 6'5"
Butt 6'6"
Bunting 6'7"
Williams 6'6"
Harris 6'4"
Chesson 6'3"
Ways 6'3"
Darboh 6'2"
Some Ohio DB Heights:
Conley (Goddamit) 6'2"
Apple 6'1"
Lattimore 6'
Smith 6'
Bell 5'11"
Webb 5'11"
February 5th, 2014 at 2:46 PM ^
I believe the wide out that will make the biggest impact next year will be Jehu Chesson. I think he is big enough and fast enough to get seperation and big time plays. The things I worry about him is his hands I watched him struggle with catching some balls last year.
February 5th, 2014 at 2:58 PM ^
Who needs to catch?
February 5th, 2014 at 3:14 PM ^
If there was a graph that showed the "Glorious Happy Fun Times" associated with Michigan Football in 2013 - this would be the peak.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:32 PM ^
It was my birthday, it turned out to be great weather after hints of rain, UTL 2.0, and we beat Notre Dame in a non-last minute squeaker sort of way. Pretty awesome. Pride comes before the fall, or before autumn anyway.
February 5th, 2014 at 4:27 PM ^
Winter is coming. April I think.
February 5th, 2014 at 2:58 PM ^
The Smurfs have graduated. We now just need Devin to develop consistency and hit our big fellas in stride and get to his 2nd or 3rd option regularly.
Major upgrade at WR next year and every year forward from here on out. Finally back to Big Ten caliber Wide Receivers with NFL potential all over the field.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:21 PM ^
Upgrade over a record-breaking WR? That Smurf was pretty f'king good.
Next year the team will rely on somewhat-inconsistent Funchess and a bunch of unknown quantities, unless Chesson makes some massive step forward. This unit will have some potential, but (in the most hackneyed voice possible), if you have potential and 2 quarters that means you have 50 cents.
BTW, the NFL is full of lots of WRs, many different than the prototypical ones people expect. Hell, the last couple of top-notch WRs to come out of this school have ranged from massive bust (Terrell) to talented headcase (Edwards) to moderately-successful (Manningham and Avant), and with the latter two you are talking about a couple of 6'0" possession receivers.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:48 PM ^
You need your head examined. First Morris is going to take over the starting job by Big Ten season and now we're going to be BETTER at receiver without a record-breaker? We might be more effective in the passing game if the O-line improves, but you'll have a hard time convincing me the receiving corps will actually be objectively better.
February 5th, 2014 at 4:22 PM ^
You can't argue that Funchess is going to be an elite talent at WR. He's got NFL level talent at his current career progression. This leaves Butt at TE, with Chesson/Darboh/Harris/Canteen in some combination.
If the O-Line protection is better the receivers will be better. DG not getting killed will markedly improve receiver play...
February 5th, 2014 at 4:25 PM ^
I draw a distinction between effectiveness of the passing game and ability of the receivers. Better O-line protection doesn't magically make the receivers run better routes, catch better, or run faster. TwoFiveAD claimed we'd be getting a "major upgrade" at the receiver position, not an improvement in the passing game.
February 5th, 2014 at 5:05 PM ^
But fair enough. Major upgrade is probably a bit strong.
Pass protection enables DG to complete more than his primary read which magically makes the passing offense better. FWIW, I had no beef with the routes from Funchess, Butt or Chesson in particular. If Drake Harris lives up to his hype and is Manningham level then you actually do get a major upgrade.
February 5th, 2014 at 5:08 PM ^
TwoFiveAD has a history of criticizing Gallon because he apparently takes personal offense to playing shorter receivers. He's likely absolutely livid that Gallon broke records this year. The implication of his post, given his history, is that we're better off without Gallon at all, talent of incoming prospects aside.
February 5th, 2014 at 4:30 PM ^
was here. All those years, all those NFL-bound receivers, all those lines with NFL-bound linemen protecting NFL-bound qb's, and Jeremy Gallon stands at top of the single-season heap. I hope you have indigestion every time Gallon's name is mentioned.
February 5th, 2014 at 5:17 PM ^
Jermey Gallon played 6-4.
February 5th, 2014 at 5:39 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 2:50 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 2:55 PM ^
I saw this one vid where he totally owned this dude so they should probably give him the Heisman right now.
February 5th, 2014 at 2:52 PM ^
Speaking as someone who is inexperienced, but large, I think this is a positive development.
February 5th, 2014 at 2:56 PM ^
are a great luxuary. Personally, I'm more interested in the physical developement of our dline considering how young they are.
February 5th, 2014 at 2:57 PM ^
Seems destined for early PT. Not only is he an early enrollee but comes in at a position of need. No true slot guy. He or Moe may end up the best WR of the new recruits. Same could be said for Drake. Kid was elite in HS, nobody has seen him play since he was hurt. Its good to know Michigan is getting bigger guys though.. creates mismatches everywhere and only makes the job of Devin easier. You look at the offense this year, everybody may be bigger than 6'2 minus Norfleet and JP5 if he gets time both ways. GOOD GOOD GOOD. Its a step in the right direction, now its up to coaches to develop these kids and I think Nuss can do that.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:30 PM ^
But it cracked me up that you chose Canteen, Ways or "same could be said for" Drake as the guy to end up being the best WR of the new recruits. If it's not true, then it's a disaster as the probability all play and they are even is zero to floating-point error.
February 5th, 2014 at 2:58 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 3:02 PM ^
Funchess is going to be good again. I was impressed with Chesson's improved route running, hands, and adjustments to the ball in the air as the season went along. I think those are a solid top two, and hopefully we can get contributions from guys like Da'Mario Jones, Freddy Canteen, and Drake Harris to go along with them. I think the top two receivers will be Funchess and Chesson, though.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:14 PM ^
There was a lot of hype about him during last year's practice/camp
February 5th, 2014 at 3:24 PM ^
The improved route running, hands, and adjustments to the ball in the air as the season went along led him to 5 catches in the last 5 games. Impressive indeed.
February 5th, 2014 at 9:02 PM ^
I didn't say he had great production. You know, it is possible to improve in football without seeing your statistics skyrocket. You're welcome.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:24 PM ^
I'm actually a little worried about Funchess. What made Gallon so great was that he tended to eat you up in small chunks as much as large ones. Funchess just felt way more variable, and tailed off as the year progressed. I'm concerned he might not make that dramatic a jump as the #1 receiver, especially when teams can shift their coverage over. Chesson or one of the first-year players (either a new signee or Daborah) will need to at least keep the coverage honest.
February 5th, 2014 at 9:04 PM ^
I don't really see that Funchess tailed off. The middle of the season was very good for him. He started off slow, and he ended slow. It could just be that Gardner/Morris didn't do a great job of getting him the ball in the last three games.
February 5th, 2014 at 5:10 PM ^
Darboh is going to be good as well.
February 6th, 2014 at 8:52 AM ^
Magnus - You really don't think Darboh will be a substantial part of the receiver picture?
Rob
February 6th, 2014 at 9:51 AM ^
I just forgot him when I was listing guys.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:03 PM ^
Seems like we'll be fine if just one of the freshmen proved ready and able to give us double-digit catches. Presumably, Darboh will be recovered enough to do what he was supposed to do last season. Darboh, Funchess, and Butt make for a good top three. Chesson seems like a solid fourth. Hayes and Norfleet should be serviceable slots. And I've got to believe Canteen and Harris will get some PT. We've got talented receivers, in a nice mix of sizes and speeds. They're just young.
To me, the issue is less about the receivers and more about the O-line. If they can provide a modicum of pass protective, the passing game will succeed; if not, not.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:03 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 3:26 PM ^
This team has had a bunch of tall guys at WR, but let's not act like you need trees out there to be successful. Hell, Hemingway wasn't a particularly tall guy but he had great ball skills, way better than guys quite a bit taller.
UM needs to have good WRs, regardless of size. And there are advantages of smaller guys, especially when you stack them.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:32 PM ^
Anthony Carter was 5'11", Desmond Howard was 5'10", both were under 190 pounds. It ain't about how you look, it's about how you play.
February 5th, 2014 at 5:07 PM ^
5'10" while wieghing 190 pds...HOME RUN KING!!
February 5th, 2014 at 6:17 PM ^
+1 for referencing Hammerin Hank. And it's his 80th birthday today.
February 5th, 2014 at 3:52 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 3:57 PM ^
If you think the ONLY reason Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey are successful, then you need to re-examine a few things. This simplistic "muh muh muh short doodz suck" meme is among the oldest and most tired of its kind.
February 5th, 2014 at 4:14 PM ^
I don't think he said short dudes suck once. And he is talking about the NFL, where every receiver is pretty much their schools best WR.
But if two WR have the exact same skills, having that extra height is an advantage. The catching radius increases, the jump ball is more open, etc.
Jeremy Gallon was great. Is great. But give me four guys at 6'3" or taller, over four guys 5'10" any day. I think in an ideal world, you have a mix of both though.
February 5th, 2014 at 5:08 PM ^