Ambry Thomas: NOT coming back
September 29th, 2020 at 2:44 PM ^
I've had better news.
September 29th, 2020 at 2:49 PM ^
Good Luck Ambry. Congratulations! Go Blue!
September 29th, 2020 at 2:50 PM ^
Not quite worth a new thread and maybe it was discussed ad naseum here, but Reece Atteberry is the backup center as it stands right now. That is, to say the least, quite a huge surprise.
Im not crazy about our left guard position either.
September 29th, 2020 at 2:54 PM ^
I assume this has to be related to the talk of Carpenter being injured.
September 29th, 2020 at 3:00 PM ^
Ahhhh, i missed that. Makes sense now.
September 29th, 2020 at 2:57 PM ^
Atte boy!!
September 29th, 2020 at 2:51 PM ^
i don't understand the decision but also think you're an idiot if you hold it against him.
September 29th, 2020 at 2:57 PM ^
What if he has a beautiful body?
September 29th, 2020 at 2:59 PM ^
+1 for reference to more obscure slice of Monty Python canon.
September 29th, 2020 at 3:11 PM ^
I don't argue with his decision, but his last 2 games/tape is against OSU and Bama. That is going to hurt him in the draft and believe he would only have helped his draft status coming back and playing well.
I just hope he is getting good advice.
September 29th, 2020 at 3:30 PM ^
If his decision is for medical/covid reasons then that's totally understandable.
If it is for NFL draft reasons, then I agree that it was probably not the decision I would have made. I wouldn't have been so specific or blunt about OSU/Bama but your message is the same as mine. Thomas had a good year last year....but overall has limited tape for NFL scouts to use. CB is a very competitive position in the NFL draft and Thomas is going to have a hard time getting into the first three rounds with the tape he has.
Case in point, Hill just completed a very successful career with plenty of highlights, PFF love, and overall success....he went undrafted and is on a practice squad. Before that David Long was nearly identical but had better testing numbers and went in the third round - and is still only a fringe participant for the Rams.
I think Thomas, Collins, and McCaffrey would only have helped their draft stock by playing this year. The risk of infection or injury is real and I can't fault them for being concerned about that. But purely as a career move I think all of them went a different route than I would have advised.
September 29th, 2020 at 4:05 PM ^
Out of all of our recent cornerbacks to make the jump the to NFL it seems pretty clear to me that Ambry is the least prepared of the group. Jourdan Lewis, David Long and Lavert Hill were all better than Ambry based on what we've seen thus far. Lewis and Long were both third rounders and substantially better than Ambry. Hill and Ambry are closer in terms of talent but I'd still give Hill the edge and he went undrafted.
Based on what we've seen of Ambry in recent years, it would be pretty optimistic for him to be more than a 5th or 6th round pick. Throw in the fact that he's going to go an additional year without any new tape while others will be and I'd say it would be pretty optimistic to think that he gets drafted at all. I hate to say it but there's a very real possibility that Ambry has already played his last football game.
September 29th, 2020 at 3:55 PM ^
Hmmm. Don't just look at the score in those games, because I thought he played well in those games. That's just me, but looked at those matchups he had, and he more than held his own. The only game I thought he got somewhat outplayed was Indiana.
September 29th, 2020 at 7:41 PM ^
How do those last 2 games hurt him in the draft? I don't recall him getting burned much.
September 29th, 2020 at 2:51 PM ^
Thanks a lot Larry.
September 29th, 2020 at 2:53 PM ^
Fine. Not great but not the end of the world when we have such a long window to replace him. That's the bright spot in this drawn out ramp up to a season.
September 29th, 2020 at 2:53 PM ^
Next time somebody here tries to make the case that Michigan and OSU treat football similarly I'm just going to point out that ALL their best players who opted out, oped back in. And several of them are projected to be first round draft picks (unlike our guys) so they literally have almost nothing personally to gain and a hell of a lot to potentially lose.
The difference is pretty damning IMO.
September 29th, 2020 at 2:56 PM ^
Michigan and OSU haven’t treated football the same since about 2004
September 29th, 2020 at 3:01 PM ^
I mean seriously I’d be surprised if he gets drafted before round 4. He’s not better than Lavert and he went undrafted. Oh and yes ambrys mother, some Michigan fans can be assholes just like every other fan base. Idiot
September 29th, 2020 at 3:09 PM ^
Agreed. Also look at the way both teams treat bowl/post-season games. We get our butts kicked or lose to teams worse than us, along with players opting out. They win most of them or at least putting in a strong effort (Clemson game excepted).
September 29th, 2020 at 3:14 PM ^
Other than another pair of gold pants, this is so true, so very true and disturbing. I would say even related to when our players decide not to play in "meaningless" bowl games. And for all of you who say that they want to avoid injury, protect draft status, games don't mean anything to their NFL careers, the same holds true if they were in the CFP.
September 29th, 2020 at 3:40 PM ^
Well, yes. But it's hard to take that observation seriously when I've never seen any specifics attached to it beyond this vague assertion about "culture". Are there things that OSU coaches/staff/program administrators are doing that the UM staff should do? I expect there probably are, but then what exactly are they?
Not focusing this criticism at you, mGrowOld. We see this all the time from "professional" journalists as well as countless fans. But by all accounts Jim Harbaugh seems like a guy who cares a great deal about winning football games. So how exactly should he have treated football that would have induced Ambry Thomas to stay?
September 29th, 2020 at 3:49 PM ^
Is there a football coach out there that doesn't ''care a great deal about winning football games''?
All you have to do is look at how many coordinators we've cycled through and not because they've left on their own. Harbaugh is the one in charge of understanding what those coordinators like to run and if that's the best philosophy for winning football games. I think he wants to win, but it's sure appeared to me that he wants to win a certain way, whether or not that's the best/most efficient way.
All OSU cares about is ''what do we have to do to win'' and it's been that way since 2004, like Crank Dave said, when Tressel brought in Troy Smith who is the original Michigan killer because we couldn't defend his legs.
September 29th, 2020 at 10:25 PM ^
Didn't intend my comment above as an apology for Harbaugh. He's deserving of any well-founded criticism he gets. But "doesn't win enough" or "can't beat OSU" aren't well-founded. They're just complaints.
As for whether he's cycled through too many coordinators (OCs anyway), there may be something to that (Maybe he's difficult to work with? I have no idea -- that could certainly contribute to the "culture" label that occasionally gets trotted out. But absent some credible and detailed reporting, the data just aren't there to support that supposition). But changing coordinators -- indicative of searching for the right formula -- doesn't really jibe with your portraying OSU's approach as "what do we have to do to win". Anyway, Urban Meyer cycled through his share of OCs too (remember Ed Warriner?), which seems to have served him well. And my recollection of 2004 was that Tressel was fairly reluctant to start Troy Smith until the mediocre results on the field left him without other options.
September 29th, 2020 at 3:41 PM ^
If Nico decides to stay in the draft I would say that says it all about what he thinks of the state of the program and competing nationally, imo.
September 29th, 2020 at 3:47 PM ^
Really really really difficult for me to accept this but you do have facts on your side. I'm hoping that they just think this is their year to win it all..but this is debunked by the notion every year is that.
Sigh.
September 29th, 2020 at 4:01 PM ^
C'mon man, let's not view this in a vacuum. OSU has a legitimate chance to win a national championship. They have every key position filled with talent and experience. We are breaking in a new QB, Oline, and youngsters on the interior defensive line. The expectations are a little different. Not to mention to financial aspect.
September 29th, 2020 at 4:14 PM ^
It's not just OSU though. Both Minnesota and Purdue's best players opted back in. Those dudes know they don't have a shot at the CFP. I just can't help but wonder if there was an issue with the coaching staff that made them ready to jump.
September 29th, 2020 at 4:36 PM ^
If Nico had an issue with the staff, he wouldn't have decided to come back for his senior year back in January (pre-COVID).
September 29th, 2020 at 4:49 PM ^
How do you know something didnt change between now and then? That was 9 months ago.
September 29th, 2020 at 5:18 PM ^
this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^1000%
September 30th, 2020 at 12:44 PM ^
They want a title, and have a legit shot in this asterisk laden season.
I feel like if we had a shot as well, Nico and Ambry would be back in.
September 29th, 2020 at 2:55 PM ^
Eh. Whatever. Its not like this is a real season anyways. Best of luck to him.
September 29th, 2020 at 2:56 PM ^
Wish him the best. Also wish he were staying but the weird thing about people is that no one asks my advice about how to live their lives.
September 29th, 2020 at 2:56 PM ^
how 2020.
September 29th, 2020 at 3:04 PM ^
I think you mean, "2020!"
September 29th, 2020 at 3:11 PM ^
We got you the first time!
September 29th, 2020 at 3:00 PM ^
I think it's a mistake. If he could have done well (I think he would have) against Rashod Bateman, Rondale Moore, and Chris Olave, he would have been a 1st rounder next year.
September 29th, 2020 at 4:02 PM ^
We don't play Purdue.
September 29th, 2020 at 4:16 PM ^
. . . unless Michigan and Purdue finish in the same place in their respective divisions.
September 29th, 2020 at 3:02 PM ^
I understand Ambry's decision more than anyone's, given his health issues, even if his departure is probably the most impactful. Hope he takes the opportunity to train for the combine and he knocks it out of the park.
September 29th, 2020 at 3:11 PM ^
We all knew this was happening, just stings that it's official
September 29th, 2020 at 3:17 PM ^
I don't entirely understand this decision. My gut tells me his body of work is incomplete which will negatively impact his draft stock. Perhaps he can make up for it at the combine? Curious to hear what others think.
Either way, best of luck to Ambry!
September 29th, 2020 at 3:24 PM ^
I'm not surprised - he always seemed unlikely to come back. Wish him luck.
September 29th, 2020 at 3:31 PM ^
That 2020ing sucks!!!
September 29th, 2020 at 3:41 PM ^
Again?
September 29th, 2020 at 3:42 PM ^
. If he's on immunosuppressants for his colitis and I suspect he is then I certainly respect his decision.