Chasing Greatness: McCarthy, Edwards and others doing extra work on their own
Didn’t see this posted
October 13th, 2021 at 10:56 AM ^
I'm pretty sure they all do this. Or at least all high level college athletes at big time colleges. You can't win football games just working within the practice time allotted by the NCAA.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:03 AM ^
Do they all do this at 4:30 am after they’ve came back from a road trip across the country to Nebraska? I think the hours and after a long trip is what makes this even greater. It’s also all young guys doing it without a mentor or older player urging them to.
October 13th, 2021 at 12:21 PM ^
Exactly. This is why we win the CFP next year. The prologue of the documentary will trace their recruitments and then dwell upon these workouts. Want to be the best in the world? Outwork everyone else in the world.
October 13th, 2021 at 12:37 PM ^
It is this type of willingness to work harder that will elevate this football program. These guys also set a new standard. They will lead by example when they become upper classmen.
Kudos go to those who have the drive and passion to excel of this football team.
Yes, they make our football program future look bright.
October 13th, 2021 at 3:58 PM ^
The opponents do it too.
October 13th, 2021 at 4:26 PM ^
Not so fast, my friend.
The wide receiver group at Bama did it, but one of their recruits mentioned that is why he chose Bama because while at other schools everyone was out partying, the Bama receivers went to get in extra work.
Similarly, when Jalen Hurts was at Oklahoma working out the morning after a game, it was a big deal.
Yes, some do it, but many/most don't. It's exciting seeing McCarthy and Edwards lead by example and others in their class begin to join them.
It's not the .02% of physical gains that these sessions are useful for. They're useful for camaraderie, trust, and the mental edge of knowing you outworked your competition.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:41 PM ^
Alabama has good receivers. This checks out.
October 13th, 2021 at 9:51 PM ^
God, the PR fluff some fans fall for.
October 13th, 2021 at 5:41 PM ^
What documentary?
October 13th, 2021 at 12:21 PM ^
Sounds like a couple of guys gearing up for an extended run against Northwestern. Looking forward to it.
October 13th, 2021 at 1:03 PM ^
It’s also easier to do when you played 4-6 snaps the night before rather than playing 40-60. It’s not to say that it’s easy in general, but there’s a reason THESE guys were able to practice rather than, say, Haskins, Corum and Johnson. I play semi-pro football in the summers on both sides of the ball and believe me when I say that my Sundays are spent doing one thing: nothing. ?
But I do love the attitude!
October 13th, 2021 at 2:07 PM ^
That's pretty much mentioned in the article. One of them said "if they're not too sore."
October 13th, 2021 at 6:54 PM ^
Exactly this is showing some young guys that are hungry for greatness and take this team to another level. They will be leaders on this team and maybe carry them to an eventual NC
October 13th, 2021 at 11:12 AM ^
Correct me if i'm wrong but Michigan's most recent 5* QB, Mr. Shea Patterson, put in a ton of extra work outside of allotted practice time. It was just on the golf course.
The culture has changed.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
i remember one of gattis' first quotes after being hired was a paraphrased, diplomatic version of "wtf?" when finding out how much shea golfed in the offseason lol
October 13th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
On the Golf course?
October 13th, 2021 at 12:18 PM ^
Wouldn't they be afraid of getting hit by golf balls while running routes? The rolling hills and sand traps could lead to knee and ankle injuries. Pretty stupid to practice there!
October 13th, 2021 at 4:06 PM ^
"if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball"
October 13th, 2021 at 7:28 PM ^
I don't think an ability to dodge a ball is a skill the receivers should be working on.
October 13th, 2021 at 8:05 PM ^
"If you can catch a golf ball, you can catch a football"
October 14th, 2021 at 12:27 AM ^
Do you wear your mask while driving alone?
October 14th, 2021 at 8:05 AM ^
I reserve my mask for importaint stuff, like painting cars, cooking meth and the day after chilli dinner at deer camp.
October 13th, 2021 at 12:24 PM ^
Yes, BAMA, OSU, UGA, Clemson do this , but under the watch of "analysts".
Full time football factories don't give a shit about the NCAA (lol), and many of these "extra" workouts are essentially mandatory for their players.
Great to see our guys realize that while UM may not be willing to go the football factory route, they themselves will need to put in the time on task to compete with elite football factories.
Now completely skipping all in-person classes for full online college experience from the training facility....probably not happpening at UM. But these players deserve a ton of credit for attempting to close the development gap as much as possible.
October 13th, 2021 at 1:21 PM ^
I don't agree about the analysts part. It's possible, but why would it even be necessary? It's just as easy for the analysts to provide them with the information needed to make the most of this extra practice as it is for them to violate rules and watch.
And you people are naive if you think everyone (good) doesn't do this. I bet I've read 20 fluff pieces about Michigan athletes doing similar practice like this over the last 10-15 years alone. It's why culture and athlete leadership gets mentioned so often by the coaches.
October 13th, 2021 at 1:48 PM ^
Maybe "everyone (good)" shouldn't do this when this is supposed to be an academic institution. When the students are putting in 40+ hours a week (and likely much more, officially or otherwise) on their football work & personal conditioning, how are they expected to be obtaining a real & meaningful academic education... assuming they even go to class and care?
I find football as enjoyable as anyone else here, but these are supposed to be college students first & foremost. Brian & many others on this blog (let alone the greater college sports world) wanting to blow up the collegiate model and monetize the game to no end, which doesn't help the problem... if anything I would rather completely split off the "varsity" (i.e. semi-pro) revenue sport teams from the university completely (make it a minor league just like in almost every other major sport). Let's get back to having real students playing the game - which is how these sports became so popular in the first place. Who cares if the "quality" of the game isn't as good as the pros or semi-pros... the core fans of college football just want to see their school play.
October 13th, 2021 at 2:34 PM ^
They haven't been college students first and foremost for my entire adult life. Do you think Bo let his players skip practice to go to class? They work school around practice, not the other way around.
These guys are student athletes, sure, but most of them wouldn't care a thing about college if there was another way to get to the NFL without it. Their job is to play football. They also love that job, and are way more dedicated to that job than most of us are to ours.
That doesn't mean they don't do school. Although I imagine a significant number of them blow the schoolwork off, and do the minimum to stay eligible, most of these kids are driven to excel in everything they do. They also have tutors, and tons of other resources from the school to help them succeed.
After all, a M degree is pretty good payment for services to those of us who paid for school, and realize how valuable that piece of paper is.
October 13th, 2021 at 2:38 PM ^
"Their job is to play football."
Curiously, I don't believe that is the purpose of public universities nor is that an advertised job position.
October 13th, 2021 at 5:23 PM ^
As someone who went to a public university I feel qualified to say the stated and apparent purpose of universities have about as much in common as I do with Madonna.
Universities are in business to keep a bunch of administrators (and to a lesser extent teachers) employed. If income wasn't so tightly tied to that piece of paper universities can issue, they'd all be out of business.
I've had more attention paid to me since I graduated, in the form of the endless attempts to get me to donate to the university, than I ever had when I went there. Thank god for the teachers who still gave a shit about doing a good job.
October 13th, 2021 at 7:16 PM ^
Of course... perhaps part of the problem is treating/operating public universities as businesses rather than a public service organization... which, they technically are.
I also say this as someone who attended multiple public universities (UM undergrad), have donated on occasion, and also have worked for them professionally.
October 13th, 2021 at 9:07 PM ^
@crg
I agree with you. The thing that makes college sports unique is that the students and alums have a common experience shared between them. It is diminished when the game becomes a diluted form of the pro game and reduces the enthusiasm the further the students and alums are distinct from the players.
October 13th, 2021 at 5:49 PM ^
Analysts aren't allowed to interact with player. That would be a clear violation.
October 13th, 2021 at 8:09 PM ^
As we all recall some play golf all summer instead of doing extra work with their WRs.
not all players have this highs work ethic
work ethic is fairly uncommon these days across America, look at all the infilled jobs.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:00 AM ^
Damn - Love this story!!!
4:30 AM after a road trip to Nebraska? We should be really proud of these kids.
It is effort and passion like this that will help us build a winning culture and championship team!
Go Blue!!!
October 13th, 2021 at 11:11 AM ^
They are doing what it takes to beat Ohio State. I completely forgot about Dixon. Great story!
October 13th, 2021 at 11:14 AM ^
Nice story. You don't become the best by doing the minimum. I just hope they truly enjoy what they do and don't burn out.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:37 AM ^
Burn out? Somehow I don't think kids that want to play in the nfl will get burned out by early voluntary workouts
October 13th, 2021 at 11:56 AM ^
Some do, but working like this is what it takes to succeed, and the guys who make it generally have this kind of work ethic.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:19 AM ^
Love it! Stay ready so you don't have to get ready young fellas. The demeanor seems different with these young guys compared perhaps to some of the other highly recruited guys that came in years past.
I am no insider, but the way I read the tea leaves with some of the other 5*ish recruits as they got on campus is that it came with a sense of entitlement. These guys seem to acknowledge that year one is mostly all work, no play. If you can get on the field on Saturday's and help the team win the game, great. It's not to be expected. Once they've been here a year, two years, three years, etc. it will be their time to shine with more exposure to showcase their talent and the effort they put in, just like the guys that are getting the majority of the reps now did before them.
Love to see this mentality; especially from the young blue chips. If this is part of the new culture at Michigan, I think it's safe to assume this will be fun and competitive team to root for.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:22 AM ^
Damn. Ready to pounce on the opportunity. Guitar pick is a cool story. Team is in good hands.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:27 AM ^
I hope we jump out to a comfortable lead against NW so we can sit the starters after the half and give substantial snaps to McCarthy, Edwards, Anthony, and the other freshman.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:30 AM ^
That would be ideal. We get to see what JJ can do with two quarters. That would be a great experience for them and the fans.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:38 AM ^
Ideally, we would sit Cade after the half and give JJ some run with the ones. If JJ is forced into full time action, it won't be with the other freshmen. Put the other frosh in for 4Q.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:54 AM ^
Yeah, I'd love to see Cade throw for like 200 yards and at least 2 touchdowns in the first half and let JJ/Edwards and company get nearly the entire 2nd half to get quality reps in. We know we can run the ball, we could easily blitz Northwestern on the ground without ever throwing a pass, but I wanna see us take a step forward in the passing game and this opponent, after 2 weeks off, is the perfect spot to get live reps in.
And I love how much time and reps JJ and D. Edwards have gotten already. A whole half of football on top of that is a great thing to have.
October 13th, 2021 at 12:44 PM ^
Let´s just not OVERLOOK our opponent.
This could be a trap game if they are not careful and prepared.
October 13th, 2021 at 1:51 PM ^
I agree, but the facts are that Michigan has the best rushing offense in the conference, and NW has the worst run defense in the conference, by a huge margin over the second worst (Illinois).
Unless NW suddenly and drastically improves its run defense and Michigan's OL suddenly forgets how to run block, we will run through, over, and around them.
October 13th, 2021 at 3:44 PM ^
UM is undefeated against bye. I'm pretty sure that won't change this week.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:35 AM ^
Good vibes
October 13th, 2021 at 11:36 AM ^
Doing the work that's necessary to beat OSU. Its by no means a guarantee of beating OSU, but its a necessary pre-requisite, because I guarantee you that there's at least a handful of guys down in Columbus doing the exact same thing and its played at least a small part in their successes in the rivalry.
Also, if they're thinking long-term (as I'm sure they are), they are putting in the work to have what it takes to succeed in the league. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning didn't get to where they got by only practicing when the coaches told them to. They were the first guys in the building and the last ones to leave. They knew as well as these guys do, if you're not going to put in that additional work, someone else will. And that someone else will happily take your spot.
In any case, major kudos to them. That kind of work ethic is not common in people their age. I forget how the old saying goes, but to paraphrase, you learn a lot about someone by the actions they take when no one's looking.
October 13th, 2021 at 12:26 PM ^
"Handful of guys", lol
This is mandatory in CBus under the watch of "analysts".
That's how you become a football factory.
October 13th, 2021 at 1:16 PM ^
Whether its mandatory or not, no one is really in a position to question their results.