Brandon Smith is a monster
Ok so it seemed like he got hyped a ton his freshman year. I haven't really heard anything about him this year. I sit about the 25 yard line 25 rows up, so real close to where he is on the kickoff team. He looks like a beast. He got super close to blocking that punt. He certainly seems like the athletic ability is there, why is he not getting any more PT? Is he a little slower picking up the mental aspect of everything?
On a similar note I would have liked to see Fitzgerald get some reps in place of Mouton. Athletic ability seems there, size definitely seems there. Wondering what everyones thoughts are on these guys? Are they going to step up and contribute more at some point this season? Maybe next year?
September 20th, 2009 at 5:29 PM ^
think if they were ready to contribute, RR would have put them in there? Theres alot that goes into the mental part of the game that makes it so you cant just put 11 6'6 250 guys that run 4.4 40s out there and expect success.
September 20th, 2009 at 7:39 PM ^
That would be cool to watch. I wonder if you can do that on PS3?
September 20th, 2009 at 10:57 PM ^
maybe some 6'11 slot receivers and 5'9 TE's.
not trying to be an ass. just think it would be funny
September 20th, 2009 at 5:30 PM ^
Smith was brought in as a safety, but he was too slow, so they moved him to LB. He has no experience playing LB, so it'll take him time to get adjusted. Playing on ST and getting PT in garbage time is prolly all we'll see from Smith this year.
September 20th, 2009 at 5:37 PM ^
I'm not a defensive expert, but from watching the games and reading analysis, it sure seems like our LB play is substandard. The coaching staff certainly knows the players' abilities better than we do, but it would be nice to see a few of our younger backers get some game experience and an opportunity to show what they can do in live action. Tidbits since spring have hinted that Fitzgerald is a good talent (some writers were spectulating that he was ahead of Obi at MIKE out of spring camp). I'd like to see him share more of the load with Obi against Indiana, and I was disappointed that he didn't play more yesterday. He made at least one nice athletic play against WMU in very limited time. Obi is an interesting case because he's made himself almost indispensable due to his leadership status on the team. I think this is contributing to his permanence at MIKE as much as his ability (though he's obviously a talented athlete).
I'd like to see Smith given the chance to come along a little more quickly, too. We clearly have problems at LB right now; it would only make sense to tinker a little bit before the tough part of the season starts. Again, as Obi has proved, it takes more than shear athleticism to be a good LB, but a lot of times you don't get a chance to prove that you have that unteachable vision quality unless you're in a real game situation.
September 20th, 2009 at 5:38 PM ^
i think smith and fitzgerald both got in on garbage time as 2nd string linebackers. it looked like fitz was an inside linebacker and smith was playing the hybrid olb/s
September 20th, 2009 at 5:47 PM ^
I would agree that our linebackers play has been substandard, and a cause for concern. But, lets settle for pure aesthetics at this point.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36693965@N04/3891481206/
September 20th, 2009 at 5:48 PM ^
when they put the 2nd team defense in, the LB's looked faster to me. I think the whole defensive scheme tries to take advantage of faster, smaller players. If we get some more speed out at the LB spots, maybe the defense wouldn't look so terrible. I'm more than a bit concerned about teams that are big up front in the Big Ten. If we can't stop EMU up the middle, how will we stop PSU, OSU, or Wisconsin?
September 20th, 2009 at 6:47 PM ^
On the one hand, I trust the coaches to determine which of the linebackers give Michigan the best chance to win. Smith moved from safety and it wouldnt suprise me if it takes him some time to adjust and fill out so he can take on lineman.
However, there is a voice in the back of my head that keeps wondering whether Fitzgerald could actually do much worse than Obi. I hate to keep ripping on Obi because he seems like a good kid who works hard, but he is just a complete non-entity in the middle and ends up making tackles 10 yards downfield.
September 20th, 2009 at 7:39 PM ^
But this is the exact same argument people used last year in support of Feagin. Threet and Sheridan are so bad, they would say, that Feagin could not be worse.
I find it ironic that, with a 3-0 start to the season, fans are already chirping in with "I trust the coaches, but..." Many of these same fans are the same ones who questioned RR's move to the spread offense last year, calling it arrogance (NOTE: I am not saying this is you, but many fans fall into this category). Now, here in year two, we are reaping the rewards of RR's "premature" implementation of his offense. He's proved that he knows what he's doing.
The coaches know the personnel infinitely better than any of us. If they say that Obi is the best inside linebacker we have, then we have to trust that. The "he couldn't be much worse" argument does not hold water, in my opinion.
I just don't understand the point of implying that the coaches don't know who is/is not better.
September 20th, 2009 at 8:15 PM ^
I like the points that you're making (good comparison to the Threet/DEATH/Feagin situation). I disagree, though, that fans shouldn't clamor to see more of different players. You're absolutely right in that I don't know anywhere near as much about the abilities of the players as the coaches. No way. But I think the real difficulty for coaches is the decision between going with the known commodity and experimenting with something new. As RR said before the season:
“My team, I’ve got confidence in our guys, I think they did a great job (this off-season). But until we play a game...I won’t really know where we’re at.”
http://www.annarbor.com/sports/rich-rodriguez-weve-got-a-long-way-to-go…
Until guys play in a game (e.g., Fitz, Smith) even the coaches don't really know what they're working with. So the choice is the known versus the risk of the unknown. I wish they'd take a little more of a risk. The EMU game was a good example: RR kept with Obi and other starters because he knew they could pitch well enough to get us the win; I'll bet he wanted to try out some of the underclassmen, but EMU wouldn't go away, and he chose to not take the risk of using the untested young'ins. The media B.S. that's been going on probably doesn't make RR want to take even the slightest of risks, understandably. I'd like to see "where we're at" with guys like Fitz, Smith, and others.
September 20th, 2009 at 7:54 PM ^
Brandon sure passes the eye test. He's about 19 years old and like an NFL veteren.
September 20th, 2009 at 8:11 PM ^
I think people forget that guys becoming regular contributors in their RS freshman years is a pretty rare thing.
Braylon didn't start until his 3rd year in the program, Perry didn't get to be the full-time starter until his Junior year, David Harris, Larry Foote, Prescott Burgess, Tom Brady, etc., etc., etc. all didn't contribute until their 3rd year in the program. Most of these guys are following a normal career arc. Be patient.
September 20th, 2009 at 8:29 PM ^
However, these are strange times indeed for U-M football. The bare-cuboard effect has necessitated playing more young'uns than we've had to in the past. For example, Larry Foote had Ian Gold, Sam Sword, and Dhani Jones in front of him. Those guys were pretty good. Also, it's not unprecedented for U-M to run redshirt freshmen out there with success.
September 20th, 2009 at 8:33 PM ^
Just because it's "not unprecedented" doesn't mean it's a recipe for success.
September 20th, 2009 at 10:02 PM ^
3-0. Lemme axe you something: Were you one of the guys who last year was saying, "HEY! Sheridan is a walk-on! So was Brian Griese! We're golden!"?
September 20th, 2009 at 8:59 PM ^
Your point is a good one, but some of your examples aren't the best.
Correct me if I'm wrong but if memory serves, Perry established himself in 2000 as A-Train's heir apparent, and was the named starter for 2001 as a true sophomore. He was injured for the middle part of the season, and B.J. Askew, who was the fullback, became the featured runner (except for that strangely successful Calvin Bell end-around). When Perry came back, Askew moved back to fullback.
With Foote, Brady, those were guys behind established starters. Foote started as a RS Sophomore after Ian Gold and Dhani Jones graduated.
Harris was a different case. I think I remember he almost won the job as a true sophomore over Lawrence Reid and Carl Diggs, but then had a bad injury that delayed him for a couple of years. I succinctly remember several years of effusive praise from Lloyd re: Harris before he finally got on the field.
September 20th, 2009 at 11:19 PM ^
My recollection was that Perry struggled badly enough that Askew was shifted away from being a FB to help cover for him. Perry actually played in 12 games that year. He was the true starter as a Junior.
Brandon Smith is playing behind 2 two-year starters (Ezeh, Brown) and a 1-year starter (Mouton). So there are established starters. I'll concede that Ezeh is no Dhani Jones, but still.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:34 AM ^
Looking over the stats that seems correct. According to mgoblue's database,* he did start the season on the top of the depth chart, and as you said, played all 12 games. I can't find any press releases from that year -- I do remember him being banged up, and that it was persistent.
He was the starter by the bowl game for certain.
Either way, I think we've proven your salient point (have a plus), which is that not every great M player blooms right away.
* Ahhh, 2001 stats:
| Name | Recp | Yds | Yds/Recp | TD | Lng |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquise Walker | 15 | 159 | 10.6 | 2 | 23 |
| Bill Seymour | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 0 | 20 |
| Bennie Joppru | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 0 | 15 |
| Chris Perry | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 16 |
| Calvin Bell | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 0 | 5 |
| Ronald Bellamy | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 |
| B.J. Askew | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 26 | 248 | 9.5 | 2 | 23 |
| Opponent | 13 | 199 | 15.3 | 0 | 74 |
September 20th, 2009 at 8:23 PM ^
From what I understood, Brandon Smith was playing WILL in practices, not SAM. I could be wrong, but that's the gist I got from practice reports.
Regardless, Brandon Smith was playing safety into the spring. He only moved to linebacker after several spring practices, meaning he's been playing the position for about as long as any of the early enrollees have been playing theirs. He is a superior athlete, but playing LB isn't only about being athletic. You have to shed blocks, maintain gap responsibilities, get into your drops, stunt, recognize plays quicker, etc.
September 20th, 2009 at 8:51 PM ^
these guys were beaten out by walkons. they're young. the coaches play the best guys. they'll play when they're ready.
September 20th, 2009 at 8:57 PM ^
I'm hoping Brandon turns into another Stevie Brown... an athletic converted safety who finds his niche as a linebacker hybrid. I've been pretty impressed with Brown this season and he's the main guy on D i'm rooting for. I guess its a lot easier to like somebody when he's not giving up 50-yd TD runs at every opportunity.
September 20th, 2009 at 10:26 PM ^
Just say Prescott Burgess.
My cardiologist has left strict instructions against another Stevie Brown career arc.
September 21st, 2009 at 12:22 AM ^
he has been very good along the LOS in run support. He is showcasing his great speed and athleticism. He looks comfortable and confident there. Of all the positive things GERG has done for Michigan's D, moving Stevie Brown up to the LOS has got to rate near the top.