Devin Gardner MMQB
TL:DW
- Gattis made a great call on the opening play of the game but Cade missed a wide open Mike Sainristil and then threw behind Baldwin. Footwork is an issue.
- On the second 4th down on the opening drive, UW DE shades inside Hayes making the block very difficult, needed help from Keegan.
- 4th & 2 from UW 40: Cade rollout to the left, great pass to Roman Wilson, converts. Next play is flea flicker to CJ. Better than play action because of how often M runs on first down. Ball was given to Haskins before pitching back to Cade - perfect pass downfield.
- Roman Wilson stutter & go, torches the UW corner. Cade needs to throw sooner and footwork was an issue again, delay cost UM a touchdown. Great adjustment from RW to catch an underthrown ball, Cade delivered a good enough ball under pressure.
- JJ to Baldwin pass was perfect. Baldwin was too close to the sideline, didn't matter.
October 4th, 2021 at 2:26 PM ^
Once JJ came in, its like Cade woke up. I think he's a baller - and we are in a really good situation at QB moving forward.
October 4th, 2021 at 2:30 PM ^
I agree - it seems like JJ provides a spark to the offense, but Cade has been able to capitalize on that spark.
October 4th, 2021 at 4:56 PM ^
Like Devin said, Cade’s ego isn’t too big for this team. It works.
October 4th, 2021 at 8:39 PM ^
Also (as long you don't have a frail ego), seems like it helps a QB's confidence if he knows the guy behind can step in at a moment's notice and throw daggers and get 1-2 yards on QB keepers. Maybe having JJ step in every so often actually helps Cade feel less pressured to make a play and settle in, which is when he's at his best.
October 4th, 2021 at 8:44 PM ^
Lloyd Carr knew how to do this well
October 4th, 2021 at 11:55 PM ^
Fuck Lloyd Carr
October 5th, 2021 at 8:12 AM ^
Fuck you.
October 4th, 2021 at 2:29 PM ^
Love his breakdowns. Now I'm wondering if the Rutgers game was close because of Rutgers or Michigan. After seeing OSU clobber Rutgers it seems like it was because Michigan didn't play well, not because Rutgers was much better than expected. The errors he pointed out in his breakdown make it sound like Michigan is improving but still has work to do to get to the top 2 of the B1G east.
October 4th, 2021 at 2:59 PM ^
Offense was thought to be the strongpoint of the Buckeyes at the start of the season and that continues to ring true. Henderson their RB is rolling. RU offense was always paltry, but their defense couldn't hang. Should be noted that Schiano was the DC at OSU while Day was there so while they both knew tendencies from the time they spent in practice together, Day had the better athletes to exploit.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:33 PM ^
Well said. No matter what direction a likely bias or influence goes, OSU will come out on top because they have NFL athletes everywhere you do not.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:46 PM ^
Wow another thoughtless post worshiping the Ohio State football team. Are you an informant?
What do you want us to do just wave the white flag right now?
October 4th, 2021 at 5:02 PM ^
Day would never exploit athletes. Same can be said about his predecessor, Urban Meyer.
October 4th, 2021 at 4:50 PM ^
I suspect Rutgers was up for Michigan and had a bit of a letdown against Ohio State. Couple that with Ohio State having a better offensive game plan for Rutgers than Michigan did, it's not a surprise that Ohio State blew out Rutgers.
The only thing that didn't go well for Ohio State was that their second and third teams couldn't do anything. They didn't score again after Stroud left the game. It was 52-7 at that point, though.
October 4th, 2021 at 2:37 PM ^
I commented on twitter about that throw to Wilson, and how I'd like to see that ball in front of Wilson to utilize his speed. Everyone commented "but he was getting hit" which is true, but DG is right in the video...he could've/should've let the ball go a little sooner since there was no safety and RW was accelerating past the coverage.
October 4th, 2021 at 2:42 PM ^
It's like the saying goes, if he's even he's leaving!
October 4th, 2021 at 3:10 PM ^
Cade is who he is. JJ has a much higher upside. My hope is the coaching staff gives the team the best chance to win in every game.
October 4th, 2021 at 9:26 PM ^
Oh.... I meant I hope the coaching staff gives the team the worst chance to win the game.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:02 PM ^
Cade was late with more than a few of his throws. Granted I was watching from the stands so it is easier to see everything going on, but there were at least 6-7 throws I was yelling during the play "you have to throw it!".
I will also point out, simply during sideline toss, McCarthy's throws are much more crisp than Cade's. Not just speed, but spiral as well. All that said, I think you have to keep with Cade until he proves he can't lead this team to wins. As was pointed out, Michigan has yet to trail this season. Cade is a big part of that making the right reads pre-snap and preventing turnovers.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:45 PM ^
The schedule has worked incredibly well for this team, particularly QB play. JJ obviously has a gift but until things stop working with Cade in a serious way such as a loss that is directly attributable to him, it is hard to replace a QB who is winning and largely by a large margin.
Cade has had very good judgement and that is something that is critical. Being a good game manager is a very big deal.
October 4th, 2021 at 2:43 PM ^
IMO: Cade throws better on the run and when HAS to get rid of the ball.
When he has time to think and tries to re-set his feet, he ends up throwing late on inaccurately.
BUT, not forcing the ball is one of his best attributes (i.e., no picks so far).
Seems to be the right man for the job with this run game and defense.
October 4th, 2021 at 2:46 PM ^
Cade played OK but when he didn't, the problem with cade is that he's late on his reads on the balls that were not good....johnson first possession, Wilson bomb, the 2 Baldwin throws....
October 4th, 2021 at 2:56 PM ^
One of the points DG has been trying to make is that Cade is missing reads. There have been several instances where he just doesnt see a wide open receiver.
These are things that just dont come to a lot of people. Time and experience are big factors here...its a new week, lets hope hes better this week vs last.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:12 PM ^
Eventually , we will need an upgrade at QB. Maybe the light will come on for Cade. Maybe they play JJ more and he will be the answer vs better teams to give us the best chance to win.
October 4th, 2021 at 6:09 PM ^
The thing that a lot of people aren't factoring in (including DG) is that Ronnie Bell is out. Cade & Ronnie worked on their timing all summer. Now Ronnie is gone -- and no one else has had that level of work with Cade. Takes time to get everyone on the same page; trusting each other; etc.
October 4th, 2021 at 6:39 PM ^
Exactly...its remarkable and a testament to the coaches and Cade that they have managed to do this well without one of there absolutely best offensive players, and by far best and most experienced receiver. The dropoff from R Bell to the rest of the WR corp is steep.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:04 PM ^
The pass to Edwards was late as well. If he made the exact same pass a half-second earlier it's a much easier catch. If he throws a better ball that leads Edwards (like the JJ pass to Baldwin) then it's an easy TD.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:59 PM ^
6-0 and yet a turnover. By all means let's nitpick Cade.
October 4th, 2021 at 2:55 PM ^
Devin seem to be a little negative in his evaluation. What about Cade's perfect 4th down throw to Wilson while rolling to the left? How about his throw on Johnson's 2nd TD, a nice catchable ball in the corner of the endzone.
How about no interceptions in 5 games, making sure we don't beat ourselves.
Cade is playing well - lighten up a little, Mr. Gardner...
October 4th, 2021 at 3:04 PM ^
Hes coming around. He didnt call Cade, Shea today.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:08 PM ^
It's normal for people to have some bias based on their first impressions. That is amplified when your first impressions are broadcast to the public. Then, you feel like you need to defend your original position and (sometimes" dig in your heels a bit simply to defend your initial opinion.
1. Devin wasn't too impressed with Cade's skill. Devin was a more "risk taking" QB and ended up with a high INT rate. Devin maybe just thinks a QB should err on the side of pushing the limit a bit.
2. Devin took a while to remember Cade's name. A subtle nod to his lack of enthusiasm for Cade.
3. Cade had some struggles at times and Devin's job was to point them out.
Gardner is trying to be objective, but he is subject to confirmation bias like the rest of us. He is mostly right about Cade, but he is probably not going to gush over him at any point.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:35 PM ^
I think Gardner makes some good points but this also does feel like unnecessary criticisms at this point by him. Like, one of Gardner's big problems at UM was his mechanics got sloppy and tried to muscle balls downfield with limited reads on the defense. Obviously he can read defenses better than your average layperson but it does feel a bit like projection with some of his complaints about McNamara at this point.
Like, I don't have the all-22 for that first play but it sure looked like a safety was coming down on Sainristil, who also hadn't turned around, when the rush came in and McNamara dumped the ball off to Baldwin, who absolutely should have caught it. Like, McNamara had to throw that on the move over a LBer; you as the receiver didn't have anyone around for 2 yards and you have to pull that in. Also, claiming the ball to Wilson should have been out ignores the fact McNamara was reading through his progression and trying to find someone open as UW blitzed him. Yes, the 3rd/4th-option on a pass play may not come out immediately. That felt weirdly revisionistic.
Anyway, I enjoy Gardner's analysis but it also feels like the company line for criticism around the football team is anyone not named McCarthy, which is fine but feels quite a bit like the Brady/Henson story wherein one QB did perfectly well and won and people fetishized the guy behind him. And not to throw too much shade at DG, but he also touted Joe Milton all of last year and then was somewhat silent as the year progressed. So as you noted, biases come into play.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:53 PM ^
He’s being a little overly critical but if you watch the video Gardner sends a picture that sam puts up that clearly shows the missed wide open sainristil. He’s not talking out of his ass.
Like I said though, I do think he’s being harsh, if your first read is open you throw it. Taking a beat to peak the second read is how you wind up late, especially for a guy who doesn’t have electric arm strength like Cade. Sure the best qbs might be able to make that correction but that is a truly elite level play. I think most college coaches want their qb to take the wide open first read that’s a 20 yard gain when it’s there
October 4th, 2021 at 4:24 PM ^
You also have to remember Gardner was one of the better U of M QBs thinking on his feet. That's not McNamara's strongpoint (at least right now). It's perfectly OK for someone to criticize someone for something, when they know whereof they speak.
Gardner also played wideout for a year and rode the bench for quite a while too before playing. McNamara is still pretty raw, perhaps he will get better as he has experience.
I think it's remarkable McNamara has been as mistake free as he has been so far. That's not worth peanuts either.
October 4th, 2021 at 8:37 PM ^
No, I saw the clip he pulled up. The problem was that McNamara had likely already looked at Sainristil who was not, as DG claimed, "screaming across the field" open but instead was turning and running away from a UW safety who was within a step of him. Maybe he was open after that point but this falls into the classic DPJ argument people had where 5 seconds after the play he was open but no QB had that amount of time. And beyond that, this type of post-hoc almost always finds something you could have done differently or maybe, if you throw the ball into a tight window, you could get the completion. But this wasn't Sainristil 10 yards downfield with his hands up; it's him running away from where McNamara was going as the pocket got pushed in and Baldwin equally getting open.
I agree that McNamara made mistakes in this game and I'm sure he'll hear about it, but I just think the discourse around him has become a bit crazy, with a guy on the UM radio station picking on, like, 2 throws he maybe could have made better after a pretty good game overall. I'm fine with criticism of a player (we all do it), but this felt a bit forced, like "good job you still threw the ball even though you messed up" backhanded compliment.
October 4th, 2021 at 4:34 PM ^
Yeah, it's a dubious exercise.
October 4th, 2021 at 10:13 PM ^
The title of this post already says it all, MMQB.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:17 PM ^
Devin is simply stating what he sees. We will need improved play from the QB position moving forward.
How would Michigan fans feel about our chances vs OSU if there QB has looked like Cade has the first five weeks? Would we be scared to play against him? Or would we say they are beatable because of their QB play?
October 4th, 2021 at 3:39 PM ^
Well, let's see. In OSU's loss to Oregon, they had a chance to tie the game late but Stroud took a sack (which Cade hasn't done this season) and then threw an interception (which Cade, also, has not done this season). I, for one, was wishing we were playing OSU the next weekend after watching that collapse.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:47 PM ^
So , you would play Cade over Stroud?
That's , that's ,that's ..... something!!!!!
October 5th, 2021 at 12:28 AM ^
So , you would play Cade over Stroud?
I would play McCarthy over either.
October 4th, 2021 at 4:49 PM ^
Devin also helped coach Milton and was very complimentary of him so don't act like his analysis is perfect/ without bias because it matches your opinion.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:07 PM ^
Cool story , tater.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:51 PM ^
Cade is playing well?
Missing all kinds of passes and reads.
Has very nervous feet.
This is why you need a QB to be your QB coach.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:09 PM ^
Over parts of two seasons, Cade has 152 attempts and zero interceptions. It's inevitable that he'll have more than one pick over the course of the season, but so far that's pretty damn good ball security.
Devin Gardner is tied for fourth on the list of career interceptions thrown by UM QBs with 32 INTs in 787 passing attempts. If Cade was throwing INTs at the same rate he'd have six already.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:27 PM ^
And the guy helped train, Joe Milton, threw for 6 picks in the same number of throws during his career here (and just 5 TDs to Cade's 10).
October 4th, 2021 at 3:15 PM ^
Not sure where to ask this question so I'll throw it here in hopes of someone seeing it.
Do we know if Cade is hobbled by something? I know he's not a great running by any stretch, but on that scramble that he had he looked... odd. Like very short strides and it took him a bit to get moving. Didn't look smooth, even for him.
Obviously JJ is the better athlete so I'm not drawing conclusions from him coming in to run the RO stuff some, but just wondering if anyone else noticed Cade's gait or heard of any issues.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:19 PM ^
Pure athleticism is not Cade's forte.
From the first 5 weeks,I'd say his smarts are his strength.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:21 PM ^
O, I'm aware of that. As a formerly average athlete playing QB, I know what it looks like when you try to accelerate and run with less than impressive results.
The scramble was just very herkie jerky and struck me as different than what I've seen from him in the past. Again, not Denard level speed, but not Tom Brady level deer-on-ice flailing either.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:57 PM ^
Not turning the ball over is huge. Make the other team go the length of the field vs out defense.
Going back to 2013 season turnovers are
2013- 21TO 7-6 record
2014 -26TO 5-7
2015 16TO 10-3
2016 12TO 10-3
2017 21 TO 8-5
2018 12TO 10-3
2019 20 TO 9-4
2020 6TO 2-4
2021 1 int by bowman in garbage time 5-0 so far. JJ is going to be the qb next year and split time the rest of this year. As he gets more experience in the offense he will see the field more and the coaches trust him to make the right read. We know he has the arm talent but every play is not a bomb to Baldwin.
I think Cade is playing a little hesitant and making sure his throws are not in a position to be picked off. He's definitely not playing as free as he was against Rutger last year. Did he lose any arm strength from shoulder injury last year? Is he dealing with any minor injury this year? His mechanics don't seem to be as sound as they were last year either.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:45 PM ^
I think hes hobbled by his own ability to run. He has a 40 time of 5.01