DeVeon Smith Slightly Ahead of Green Coming Out of Spring
Hoke said today that De"Veon Smith had a bit of an edge over Derrick Green coming out of spring. Reminds that Drake Johnson back
— angelique (@chengelis) July 29, 2014
Also, here is says it is mostly because of pass pro.
EDIT:
Per GoBlueinMN below (so give him a +1 for this info below; put in OP to allow discussion) and Nick Baumgardner on twitter, who also explains that others beside Norfleet will get a look at returns because the team must get better, and says Kenny Allen will now do kickoffs:
Hoke says Glasgow is going to play center. Sounded like his shuffling to other spots is going to slow down.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) July 29, 2014If nothing else I expect special teams to look explosive from day 1 with Wile, our all B1G punter and peppers.
I agree with your point, but what you are calling a "spead" punt formation is actually "the shield" punt formation. Not being nit-picky, just accurate.
I just Googled sheild punt and the 2nd result was this ....http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/shield-punt-formation-vs-normal-spread-form…;
Go Blue!
a guy returning like Norfleet, who looks like he will break something big and then deldom does. He looks dangerous but seldom is dangerous. Who knows though, this year he could breakout
...I think his straight-line speed is not great.
Which gives him his agility and what gives him what potentially looks like big play opportunities. But his pure speed, as you said, sees those holes he opens up with his agility close before he gets there. He also doesn't seem to have good vision, leg strength, and is unpolished in his route running.
So you can put me in the category of people that believe he has a role on the team, which is special teams and a small amount of offensive plays, and not a whole lot more. The argument for a lot more of him in the offense has never made sense to me, and I think the people blaming Borges for not utilizing him in more ways (or even as a decoy) will likely see Nussmeier use him in much the same way, or less.
He's quick as hell, but he's only 5'6" or 5'7" and doesn't have the leg span like other players so he doesn't cover as much ground in one stride.
I don't know if I've ever seen so much MGoBlog hype lathered on a Michigan player who has done so little to justify it. The main competitor in that category IMHO is McGuffie, and his injury issues were part of the problem.
But what about this guy Northfleet I keep reading about? Dude sounds like a stud.
I'd say he lived up to his hype his freshman year. He was one of the bright spots on that offense and had a huge game against ND. His upright running style lead to injuries, which shortened his career, but I think he competed and showed well for the time he was healthy.
I agree that Norfleet seems like a player that appears like he is doing more, but isn't. I actually think Gallon was the opposite. His movements were so fluid that it almost snuck up on you how fast he was going, or how quick his cuts were. Probably why he was so good and hard to cover.
Norfleet is frustrating, but it seemed like every time Norfleet had a great return, it would get called back for a holding penalty. Is there any way to determine if that is true?
My memory is probably fuzzy but other then the return that was called back against OSU, I don't remember any other great returns getting nullified by penalty.
Put me in the catagory of never seeing what the hype about Norfleet as a returner was/is too.
the only return Norfleet had that crossed the 50 yd line (OSU) was also one of the only returns called back. From what I see, Norfleet's greatest asset is that he generally has good hands and rarely puts the ball on the ground.
"Just hold on to the damn ball" was our biggest concern just a couple of years ago...
take back a punt against Nebraska but was wiped away with a penalty? IIRC.
The competiton is good and I expect Green to do well in the fall. As for Glasgow I am taking this all with a grain of salt until fall camp. I wonder if Glasgow is running stairs as we post.
I'd love to see a two headed monster of Green/Smith with Justice Hayes coming in on 3rd downs, and Ty Isaac catching 43 yard TD passes while playing WR and wearing the #1, but that's just me.
The predicted line for this year all last year, so no surprises there. We'll see if Cole cracks the lineup and Mags moves to LG or if Cole plays LG and Mags stays at LT.
Still some possibilities of change, but this certainly seems like the lineup going into camp.
Where both Cole and Mags are on the field and Mags is inside. Mags is more natural at OT, and played LG last year mostly because he had the mental side of the game down, not because of his skill set.
With both players skill sets, if both are playing, Mags should be outside and Cole inside. I think Mags will be fine at LT though, and expect a more powerful player to slot in at LG.
I wonder if it's possible we see: Mags, Bosch, Glasgow, Kalis, Cole at any point in the season? I think the guard spots are going to be interesting. I could see Dawson and/or Cole making a push at either guard spot if Braden and Mags lock down the tackle positions.
But I don't think anyone on this board thought Cole was a LT when he was recruited. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility at all to see him at LG with Mags at LT.
Mags was also a OT/OG hybrid type player when he was recruited. His first sanps were at guard. It's not out of the realm of possibility that it's HIM that's inside.
You never know with the OL...we get surprised every year.
Mags, IMO, has been a pure OT since his arrival on campus and while he was recruited. He played OG out of necessity, because he had the best grasp on the mental side of the game, but I don't think they ever expected him to play inside because he's a true tackle type.
So it's not out of the realm of possibility. It's not like he's never played the position before. For anyone to say he's not going to play there at this point is premature. What if Cole is Long/Lewan 2.0 and Mags is still a better option at guard? What if they just like his ability at the position? He's closer to the center and to the interior of the line at OG, what if the mental side of the game is what the coaches are looking for at that position? I'm just saying it's not THAT far fetched. It's not like I'm calling Keith Heitzman a guard.
Sophomore/Freshman (2013) ... earned first varsity letter ... appeared in 12 games as an offensive lineman, making seven starts at guard ... also contributed on special teams ... INDIANA (Oct. 19) ... made first career start at right guard.
But Cole also fits better inside with his skill set. So, still, I don't see both Mags and Cole playing and Cole kicking Mags inside. It could happen, I just don't see it. If both play, I think their skill sets would be more optimized for the unit as a whole to have Cole at OG and Mags at OT. That would also make sense from an experience standpoint for the mental part of the game.
"Hoke: Magnuson is a tackle."
I like that lineup Mike.
It's likely moot as both those guys will get their carries. I think coaches are coming around to the idea of not having a single guy that carries 80%+ of the load. It's better to keep guys fresh and healthy, provided you have multiple solid options, which it sounds like we do.
I think Glasgow sticking at center is probably the smart choice. That's a position where making the right calls and getting everyone on the same page is critical. Having a guy that did ok at it for almost a full season stick there is good for continuity, even if Kugler might have more upside there. More time and experience playing as a unit on OL probably trumps getting the best athletes in at this point.
Why would a RS freshman "have more upside" FOR THESE NEXT 12 GAMES (which is all that matters RIGHT NOW) than a RS JR who has already played and by all accounts was at least half way decent? I don't get these comments at all. Was I the only one who watched 5-6 RS FR, true FR, RS SOs look completely lost last year? And yet people want to throw out Mone and Kugler and then are raising questions about why we are not playing them over older guys?
All this talk about Kugler and his ceiling is for down the road - most OL should not see the field until their RS SO year and even then except for the few elite guys preferably as a rotational player. Then go start as a RS JR. That's how it normally works even for the most talented guys. Why so many want to throw another RS FR out there at the most intellectual position on the line over a guy with experience is beyond me. I could care less who is his dad is - he is still 19 years old with 1 year of experience in the program and 0 on the field. It says nothing about Kugler's potential long term and whatever his ceiling is as a RS JR has nothing to do with his ability in 2014.
TL;DR it doesnt matter if Kugler will be the best center UM ever had in year 2017. The Kugler version of 2014 is not better than the Glasgow version of 2014 per these decisions by coaches so comparing a hypothetical 2016 Kugler vs a 2014 Glasgow is meaningless.
Yeah, I mean, that's pretty much my point. On the other hand, I think you're selling Kugler a bit short. Obviously, the sample size is small, but he showed some very impressive flashes in the Spring game. Snapping the ball, comboing and walling off the guy in front of him, and then moving on to the LB level, he was Molkesque at times really. I think there's a pretty strong chance that he'll be better than Glasgow in spurts right now, let alone by the end of the season. The thing is I'd rather have 10 solid plays from Glasgow than 8 great plays and 2 bad ones from Kugler, which is usually the case for young players. And then there's the communication and chemistry Glasgow's developed with the guards next to him from last year in Kalis and Bosch. So, yes, I'm fully on board with Glasgow being the C by default for now.
I'm just thinking...what are all the camp battles that we have?
RB: Smith/Green/Johnson/Hayes
#2* WR: Chesson/Darboh
*assumes Canteen moves all around - plays in the slot in 3 WR sets
Last WR in significant PT rotation: York/Ways/Dukes/Jones/Harris/Dever
OL: Any number of players and each position
CB (pick 2): Taylor/Countess/Peppers/Lewis
SS: Hill/Thomas
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Obviously a player (like Countess) could lose a battle and then factor in to another battle (i.e. NB or FS with Countess or Peppers)
Think there are true camp battles at OLB, DT, and SDE on defense, and TE/HB on offense.
WILL: Bolden and Morgan and Gedeon
SAM: Ross and RJS
DT: Wormley, Henry, Hurst, Godin
SDE: Beyer and Taco
TE/HB: Williams, Heitzman
HB: TEs, Houma, Shallman, Hill
With the way most coaches seem to rotate those positions, won't most of those guys probably being seeing the field? They might be fighting over who gets the majority of snaps, but the loser(s) probably isn't going to be relagated to the bench are they?
Both in Yost's and my posts will see significant playing time.
Canteen, unless you were both counting him as a starter.
Freddy is my choice as the freshman with the biggest impact this year, and that includes Peppers who I believe will play a lot also.
said he thought he'd move all around and be the first slot for 3 WR sets
missed the fine print there.
Which is why I didn't list some of the other ones. Because who cares who starts if they're playing equal snaps.
all that previous real game experience. It's almost embarassing to think most of the riches will be here for yet another year or more.
Gardner, Funchess, Clark, and Ryan (and Wile)
From Spath (rivals):
Hoke is confident safeties will emerge. Countess is back at CB. Spath seems to think this means that Peppers is at NB and Taylor, Countess and Lewis will compete for the CB spots.
The only ones I can really think of are Funchess at WR, Clark at DE, Ryan at LB, and Wilson at S (and Gardner at QB IMO despite talk otherwise). Everything else is pretty much a battle. All the CBs are battling, the other safety is, the other LB spots are, so much of the d-line is outside of Clark and maybe Beyer, but both Ojemudia and Charlton will get lots of snaps, the entire o-line is a battle, the other WRs spots, the RBs, the FBs, the TEs, etc. I hope all this competition is breeding some toughness and aggression on the field against their opponents.
Mags at LT seems pretty solid.
People are discussing him as a possibility of moving to guard as well. A spot on the line may be his, but where that spot is still seems up in the air..."best 5".