DetNews - Shane Morris at CMU Article

Submitted by Everyone Murders on

LINK -

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/2017/05/25/former-um-qb…

Angelique Chengelis has a nice piece in today's DetNews regarding Shane Morris's transfer to CMU.  It looks like Morris will finally get a chance to start - it seems ages ago that we were swooning about the potential of his arm cannon lighting up the scoreboard at the Big House.  The article makes it seem that all's well in Morris's life.  I'm proud to have Morris as a Wolverine alumnus, and I hope he dominates in the MAC.

What did he think about his four years at Michigan?

“Greatest four years of my life,” Morris told The Detroit News this week over lunch. “I loved it there. I don’t regret anything. I had an unbelievable time, got a great education. To be able to say I graduated from the No. 1 public university in the world, it was an unbelievable time.”

And his thoughts about his time on the field at Michigan from a football perspective?

“I honestly think it was a great experience for me to help me become a better man, smarter, and understand how to go through adversity. Keeping your head up and still working and not giving up,” Morris said. “I would rather have had what happened to me when I was 19 years old than have it when I’m 35 and have a family and I’m not prepared. I lose my job as a 35-year-old with a wife and kids, what am I going to do?
“I didn’t want to go through it. No one wants to go through it, but you don’t get to choose what happens to you in life. You’d like to see it go different. Most people would. But there’s nothing you can do about it. I believe God has a plan. Everything happens for a reason. I don’t know what the plan was, but I’m getting another opportunity. I’m going to make the most of it.”

Lakeyale13

May 26th, 2017 at 10:39 AM ^

Now there is a young man who gets it!!!  He will look back 15 years from now and see even more fruit that has come from his adversity.  He has been blessed with life skills that have and infinite value attached to them.

Everyone Murders

May 26th, 2017 at 8:00 AM ^

So I check to ensure the hyperlink is working, and right next to the Morris article (currently occupying the prime spot on the DetNews website) is an article by Wojo.  Its title?

Wojo: Concussions still a mystery but the games must go on

Indeed, Wojo. Just ask the guy on the left about that!

PopeLando

May 26th, 2017 at 8:18 AM ^

That man is a true warrior. He got the shortest end of the stick and handled it with class.

Shame he didn't pan out here. I hope he lights the MAC up this year.

Magnus

May 26th, 2017 at 8:26 AM ^

"That man is a true warrior. He got the shortest end of the stick and handled it with class."

As for the first sentence, Kellen Winslow, Jr. is the only true warrior I know. Ask him what he thinks of Shane Morris.

Also, Morris didn't get the short end of the stick. That implies there was some sort of luck involved. Morris just wasn't very good at football, and on top of that, there were concerns at times about his leadership and studiousness. He just couldn't hack it in Michigan's football program. Consider this: As highly touted as Morris was, he has worse career numbers than David Cone and Nick Sheridan.

Everyone Murders

May 26th, 2017 at 8:35 AM ^

Disagree about luck.  Morris had mono throughout his h.s. senior season, setting him behind the curve even before he arrives on campus.  Then he has an overmatched head coach, multiple offensive coordinators with different approaches, and then a new coach who pretty much wants his own guys at QB.

Morris bargained for none of that, and it is his bad luck.  He did not shine at MIchigan, but I think it's b.s. to state that luck played no role in that.

Word regarding Kellen Winslow Jr., though. "It's war. They'll freakin' kill you. ... I'm pissed! If I didn't hurt him he'd hurt me. I'm a fucking soldier!" Right from the horse's ass - spoken in the heat of the second Gulf War.  Kellen Winslow, Jr. - American Hero and Warrier Poet!

Magnus

May 26th, 2017 at 8:48 AM ^

Lots and lots and lots of QBs face similar struggles, maybe except for the mono thing. Guys tear ACLs, have multiple offensive coordinators, etc. Wilton Speight was recruited by one OC, played under a different OC, and is on his third. He's also on his third QB coach now. Some would say Jake Rudock had an overmatched head coach, and he came right into Michigan and was stellar after about two months on campus. I don't think Morris has faced much more adversity than the average fifth year senior quarterback.

PopeLando

May 26th, 2017 at 9:30 AM ^

Agree, but my point was that Shane's career looked like:

Anointed savior.
Brought in with no competition or other options.
No development.
Given starting job obviously as a motivational tactic aimed at Devin Gardner.
Coaches' gameplan = "dunno, get QB killed lol?"
Concussion. (And let's not forget Hoke's "if he didn't want to be the QB, he could have gone down" comment)
Controversy.
No further development until 2015, at which point Jake Rudock arrives.

I'd say that there were very few QBs in recent memory who were set up for failure like that. Just my two cents.

stephenrjking

May 26th, 2017 at 1:11 PM ^

This is a pretty good conversation and you guys are both kinda right.

1. Shane did face a fair amount of adversity. More than a lot of other guys? Not necessarily, but compared to your average 22 year old college student, there's a lot there. Not everybody spends years of their life preparing for an event (starting at QB for a high-level program) whose fruition comes at such a young age. And while a lot of QBs deal with stuff, it is also true that QBs (especially anointed program pillars) face a significantly higher level of pressure than your average players. National media members like Matt Hinton were commenting on Shane's career when Speight came in at Minnesota in 15; a backup OL does not get that kind of attention.

It's not exactly the worst situation in the world, but it happened.

2. The reason Shane didn't start wasn't because he encountered extraordinary bad luck, it was because he wasn't good enough. His quotes seem to reflect this--he even grants that if he hadn't learned how to live with these experiences now, he'd have to learn years down the road dealing with life issues that everybody deals with. And his unqualified acceptance of what happened at Michigan implies that he rightly doesn't hold "bad luck" responsible for his outcomes.

 

Jasper

May 26th, 2017 at 8:50 AM ^

You wrote "... and then a new coach who pretty much wants his own guys at QB."

Do you really think Harbaugh is that simple-minded? I think he would've started Morris if that had been in the best interest of the '15 team.

Magnus

May 26th, 2017 at 8:58 AM ^

Right. If he wanted "his own guys" at QB, then we would have been starting Zach Gentry, Alex Malzone, John O'Korn, or Brandon Peters in 2016. He had about 6 total options, and he chose 1 of the 2 that was a Hoke recruit.

Everyone Murders

May 26th, 2017 at 9:06 AM ^

My point about wanting his own guys is two-fold.  First, for his first year he went with Jake Rudock.  A grad transfer that Harbaugh picked over guys in the fold. 

So yeah, out of about 6 total options his first year, Harbaugh chose ... his own recruit.  He wanted his own guy, and got good results by doing so.

Second, it's not that I think that Morris was necessarily the best candidate for starter.  (He wasn't.)  It's that he was Hoke's man from the get-go, and if there was a development plan for Morris, Harbaugh wasn't on it.

The core point, though, is that the coaching change, the carousel of OC's and other assistant coaches, and the turmoil around the program under Hoke is bad luck.  Is it unique that someone has bad luck over four years in college?  No.  But Morris still had some bad breaks, and it's unfair to deny that outright.

Magnus

May 26th, 2017 at 9:14 AM ^

He went with Jake Rudock because he was the best option. Meritocracy and all that. He went out and hand-picked John O'Korn, and O'Korn's playing second (or third) fiddle to Speight/Peters. It's about playing the best guy, not his own guy.

You say "bad luck"; I say "life." If he gets just as many bad breaks as most guys, then it's just average luck. You say all those bad things, but you don't mention that he had good skill guys around him (Butt, Chesson, Darboh, Funchess, Gallon, etc.), one of the top few head coaches in the country, and some noted quarterback gurus (Harbaugh, Fisch) to work with.

Everyone Murders

May 26th, 2017 at 9:27 AM ^

I may be overstating things by implying that the reason Harbaugh wanted Rudock was he was Harbaugh's guy.  That's not a really accurate way to put it.  More accurately, he took a look at what he had, and thought he'd best add a new face to see who might rise to the top.  You're correct that Harbaugh runs a meritocracy - it's just that with a new boss, you get no credit for past service or development.  And I've got no problem with that approach.

Howevah, I think you're overstating things by saying that Morris did not face some bad breaks.  All the skill guys around him were also there for Morris's competition, so that doesn't speak to the core issue of why Morris didn't thrive.  You started off by stating

That implies there was some sort of luck involved. Morris just wasn't very good at football, ...

My core point is, and has been, that there was some sort of luck involved.  Some of Morris's failure to develop is on him, some is on Hoke and his chaotic program, and some is on bad luck.

Finally, I realize that:

I fell victim to one of the classic blunders - the most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go in against Magnus when on-field performance evaluation is on the line"! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha... /Dies/

Magnus

May 26th, 2017 at 9:38 AM ^

"All the skill guys around him were also there for Morris's competition, so that doesn't speak to the core issue of why Morris didn't thrive."

I agree - the core issue of why Morris didn't thrive is that he's not good enough as a QB, and his skill guys don't have anything to do with that aspect.

As for the skill guys being around for his competition, too, that's a little bit disingenous. Morris was at Michigan since 2013, longer than Speight, O'Korn, and Rudock. When Morris came in, he immediately had opportunities to work with Jehu Chesson, Amara Darboh, and Jake Butt. Since he set foot on campus, he's had chances to work with those players and develop chemistry, and he STILL was well behind Rudock (1 month to develop chemistry vs. 2 years for Morris), not to mention Speight (Morris had 1 extra year), and O'Korn (Morris had 2 extra years).

I just don't understand why someone who completed 51% of his passes for 0 TDs and 5 INTs is being excused with "Well, he just had some bad luck." The dude played in 17 career games and never accounted for a single touchdown. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure this out.

Everyone Murders

May 26th, 2017 at 9:49 AM ^

You're paraphrasing my argument as me saying Morris's lackluster performance should be excused with

"Well, he just had some bad luck."

That's disingenuous.  I refer you to what I actually said:

Some of Morris's failure to develop is on him, some is on Hoke and his chaotic program, and some is on bad luck.

At this point, you're arguing with yourself.  I'm out.

Magnus

May 26th, 2017 at 10:07 AM ^

We're two-plus years into the Jim Harbaugh era. Brady Hoke has very little to do with the lack of development from Shane Morris in 2015 and 2016. Michigan had a crap-ton of Hoke recruits drafted to the NFL a few weeks ago, partly because of how they developed in 2015-2016. Did those guys get coaching from Harbaugh that Morris didn't?

Everything is roughly equal (Rudock had poor coaching at Iowa, Speight spent a year with Hoke, O'Korn was in an offense that didn't fit him at Houston, etc.), and everyone has "bad luck" (Speight hurt his shoulder in high school and that's still supposedly a concern, Rudock had the blow to his confidence of having Beathard named starter before Rudock left, etc.). All that bad stuff ebbs and flows equally for lots of people...

...but on the field, we're looking at a pecking order (in order of performance at Michigan) of #1 Rudock, #2 Speight, #3 O'Korn, and then #4 Morris. The biggest difference? Morris himself.

lilpenny1316

May 26th, 2017 at 10:15 AM ^

And he almost beat OSU from 2012-2014 and South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.  Plus he has a win over ND on his resume.  He did that with mostly Hoke coaching.

With all that, Shane still has the better shot at an NFL career thanks to two years of coaching by Harbaugh under his belt.

Whole Milk

May 26th, 2017 at 8:57 AM ^

I always admired how he handled himself over the last few years when I'm sure he thought it was his time to shine for Michigan. The aspect of him and Jake is interesting, and I completely understand his mentality on it. A new guy comes in to compete for the QB position, it's only natural to not like that and therefore not make an effort to befriend him. As soon as the competition ended, his viewpoint completely changes and he is all about the team and finding a way to help Rudock with whatever he needs,



In all honesty, when he came to Michigan, I thought he seemed like an arrogant and entitled kid (based on very little information). I am glad to see that it seems like I was wrong, or I was right and he matured out of it. Nice to have an alum like Shane Morris. Good luck to him. 

uncle leo

May 26th, 2017 at 9:27 AM ^

Definitely gives me extra motivation to drive out to my old stomping grounds to watch Shane. It's not an easy drive anymore, but hopefully he can lead them to a good season!

 

East German Judge

May 26th, 2017 at 9:30 AM ^

It has been said before in this thread and I will say it again, what a classy mature young man.  Wish him nothing but the best on the field and off.  Fire Up Shane!!!

maize-blue

May 26th, 2017 at 9:36 AM ^

It's possible, with a good showing this year that he could get to the NFL. That would be awesome. I'll be keeping track of CMU.

Hotel Putingrad

May 26th, 2017 at 9:57 AM ^

now there's a young man who gets it. I really hope he has a great year at Central. There's no doubt he'll have a successful career, wherever life might lead him.

shoes

May 26th, 2017 at 10:12 AM ^

19 games played 108 completions in 220 attempts (.491) for 1340 yards

 

He has/had a lot of physical tools, strong arm. mobile, and he clearly was good in camps but he has never displayed consistent accuracy in throwing the football in games, either in HS or college. I wish him well and hope he has a fine season but assuming that he will at this point in time, develop the necessary accuracy to excel, seems like a bad bet.

henrynick20

May 26th, 2017 at 10:32 AM ^

278/533 (52.15%) 3564 yds 39td/18int

IIRC, the system used wasn't necessarily built for a quarterback of his skill level. I think he was also injured for most of his senior year which hurt these numbers as well.

Either way, his hype was definitely generated from his camp performances and elite arm strength, plus size. I wish him the best at CMU and hope he can put his couple years of Harbaugh tutelage to good use.

Bschool85

May 26th, 2017 at 10:26 AM ^

I've never met Shane in person. His grandparents are members of our sportsmens club near here. I speak with them from time to time. He displays the same respect and humility they do. He's got a brilliant future ahead!