August 12th, 2010 at 3:16 PM ^
Turner was in the running to start at corner or free safety, and by most accounts would have instantly been the most talented member of the back four at either position, if not yet the headiest.
Where the Hell did he hear this?!
August 12th, 2010 at 6:13 PM ^
I heard a similar sentiment on Detroit Channel 7 News last night, that "Turner was likely to start" --- give me a break! No research being done, obvs
August 12th, 2010 at 3:18 PM ^
The good Doc is usually pretty knowledgeable about situations, but he's pretty off on this article.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:23 PM ^
Agreed. Cam Gordon was not a "middling three star," and Troy Woolfolk was certainly not targeted by defenses last season. I read Dr. Saturday every day, but this article is not his finest. Michigan certainly has problems in the secondary, but those existed long before Turner decided to transfer (which the good doctor noted in his article about the Michigan defense earlier this week)
August 12th, 2010 at 3:26 PM ^
Wasn't Woolfolk the other corner with Warren? IDK how 'targeted' he was, but he was probable targeted more than warren, no?
August 12th, 2010 at 3:30 PM ^
I don't have any sort of statistics to measure who was thrown at when, but from many people's recollection, Warren was actually thrown at more by the end of the season than Woolfolk. Some on this board even thought Woolfolk was better than Warren by the end of the year.
Not saying Woolfolk is an All-American, but "regularly targeted" makes me think of 2008 Stevie Brown or 2006 Morgan Trent rather than Woolfolk last season.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:45 PM ^
was a 4 star to rivals but a 3 star to scout. Considering he was recruited as a WR (though a move to D was always rumored), its not unfair to call him a middling recruit relative to high-end BCS teams.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:20 PM ^
How could he possible be so ill informed? It's like he went out of his way to not research anything about JT whatsoever. Lazy
August 12th, 2010 at 3:26 PM ^
To be fair, up until the transfer rumors started, I think most people thought Turner would be in the running for a starting spot. He noted that there was talk that he was out of shape. Just because we have all read the tea leaves in the last three days that he wasn't going to be a starter, doesn't mean that the line of thinking that he was in the running for a starting job wasn't out there.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:29 PM ^
i kind of agree with this. until Mon, people were hoping Turner would compete for a spot somewhere, either at corner or safety once the FR corners showed up.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:21 PM ^
and then fail some more. Jesus, doesn't anybody know how to do research any more?
August 12th, 2010 at 6:15 PM ^
Read MGoBlog and the MGoBoard
August 12th, 2010 at 3:23 PM ^
Perhaps "projecting starting corner" leaves Michigan grabs more headlines than "guy somewhere on the depth chart hits the eject button".
Plus of course the required mention that Cissoko managed to destroy his life and is in jail.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:24 PM ^
Any news on him after his parents visit??? Is he gone for sure???
August 12th, 2010 at 4:33 PM ^
I hope his mom does talk him in to staying because i still think he can contribute to this team. Maybe this is wishful thinking on my part but it just would help our depth at a position of need.
August 12th, 2010 at 6:03 PM ^
I appreciate you sentiment. And- while I am also concerned about the depth of our DB's- I would say thanks, but no thanks. It doesn't matter how many stars you put in front of a guys name, if they're not willing to put in the work they are no good to you program. I hope JT lands some place where he can fit into there systemand have a successful life as a student athlete.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:24 PM ^
August 12th, 2010 at 3:25 PM ^
This article is very telling.......
August 12th, 2010 at 3:33 PM ^
Just a nod to UNCWolverines post to yesterday...this article actually tells nothing.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:30 PM ^
I think this is a great inside joke, but I fear it will become too overplayed.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:43 PM ^
That's okay, I mean everyone overplays jokes, murders jokes, steals content from you, steals content from me, whatever.
Like I just did.
August 12th, 2010 at 8:38 PM ^
I wonder if Pryor has ever sat back and realized that he launched a thousand jokes with that one interview?
August 12th, 2010 at 3:27 PM ^
I gotta agree with the above posters, definitely not his best work. He seems to dump on Woolfolk a lot though in his articles(claiming he only played because Cissoko got kicked off the team when that was just the reason he moved to corner)
August 12th, 2010 at 3:27 PM ^
These types of articles are just upsetting. I mean how hard is it to not come on here and get an accurate view of the situation? 22 days...
August 12th, 2010 at 3:31 PM ^
He has really slipped. And this one from today isn't his first slipup in recent days.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:41 PM ^
Turner WAS "in the running to start". Even if he was running with the 3rd string, the coaches always make a big deal about positions being open to competition. We're talking a couple practices into a long year. A long year where injuries occur and starting defenders get burnt and then pulled.
Beyond 2010, with Woolfolk departing, Turner was projected by most, based on talent, to be a future starter (once he figured things out, which a lot of underclassmen have issues with -- including forever-heros B.Graham and B.Edwards). Most of the same people currently penciling in Cullen Christian to be an instant super-stud were doing the same for Turner not long ago.
I know we're all looking for glimmers of optimism and being irrationally hopeful about true freshman, but Doc Sat gets the big picture correct here, even if he's a little vague on the day-to-day developments that the obsessed followers like us pay way too much mind to. The secondary is in bad bad shape and getting worse...but you already know that.
The complaints here are minor quibbles.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:49 PM ^
Maybe I just don't get it, but I think a lot of people are using the negative slant of this article as an excuse to nitpick the minor details and then bash it. Does it really matter whether he was projected to start of just in the running for a spot? Either way, the main point of the article is still spot on: it's going to be very hard for the secondary to rebuild if the top recruits keep disappearing for whatever reason. The secondary still might be decent this year and in the future, but it's going to be a harder task than if JT and the rest of the blue-chip DBs were still on the team and fulfilling their recruiting hype. It's becoming a very disconcerting trend that's hard not to notice.
I think everyone is just looking for excuses to dismiss bad news.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:01 PM ^
August 12th, 2010 at 4:48 PM ^
You have to remember that he's writing this article for the entire CFB community, not just Michigan fans. Turner's departure is old news for us and we're quite familiar with the people who are no longer in the secondary, but there is a lot of stuff that Hinton needs to explain to people in other fanbases.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:55 PM ^
Honestly, I think that a lot of the grief over this has less to to with Turner leaving and more to do with our insecurity with JT Floyd starting on the other corner. I myself had already pretty much figured that Turner wasn't going to start and even had thought about a possible move to safety for him. Now if Floyd starts the season off right and is playing great like Woolfolk has been claiming recently I'm gonna bet that everyone here will not even stop to think about what might have been with Turner. I am now his biggest fan!
August 12th, 2010 at 4:04 PM ^
Doc: "by most accounts would have instantly been the most talented member of the back four at either position,"
Magnus: "
It's going to be another wait-and-see season for Turner. Don't be surprised if incoming freshman Cullen Christian passes him up on the depth chart. If Christian can contribute this season, perhaps Turner can challenge Cameron Gordon, Jordan Kovacs, and Vladimir Emilien for playing time at one of the safety positions.
Prediction for 2010: Backup cornerback, special teams coverage"
August 12th, 2010 at 4:28 PM ^
Don, i can't tell if you're defending the article or attacking it
August 12th, 2010 at 4:31 PM ^
Doc Saturday's assessment of Turner seemed far more optimistic than more UM-oriented observers such as Magnus who were much less inclined to pronounce Turner as a sure-bet starter this year. Plenty of people gave JT the benefit of the doubt because he was late to camp and out of shape last season, and simply assumed he would glide into a starting role at the beginning of the season this year. I haven't gone back to dig up his comments, but I think Brian had also been a bit dubious about Turner's ascension to starter, considering his inability to crack the lineup last season.
As to Doc's larger theme of huge disappointments in the secondary personnel, nobody can deny that point. It has been a slow-motion disaster for all kinds of reasons.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:47 PM ^
I think the Doc is saying that *if* Turner could have popped into a starting role, he would have had the most talent (compared to the current secondary) as judged by just about every recruiting service.
the same could have been said about Dorsey, Cissoko, Warren. Obvs. all these cases are unique but taken in aggregate, we just lost an entire (projected, based on recruiting rankings) 1st string secondary. Pile that on top of the 2-3 LBers who left (eg, Witherspoon) and we are running with 2nd stringers in almost the entire back 7. Not good news.
I don't think this is an inaccurate article for the global perspective.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:58 PM ^
JT's talent is indicated by his recruiting rankings and measurables. If he was a starter, the other guys would be Woolfolk (fast but a 3-star guy whose moved around and not exactly on NFL watch lists), Kovacs (walk-on), and Cam Gordon - who was a 3 or 4 star recruit (to JTs 4 or 5) as a WR, who hasn't played D enough to be considered a "talent".
We all know those guys are far more likely to start than JT but, again, we're talking about talent, not who is a "sure-bet starter", which I don't think Doc Sat ever called Turner anyway.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:35 PM ^
I had just read Magnus' player previews the other day and this stuck in my head too. JT was one of the players to whom I was paying particularly close attention, But Magnus was surprisingly blase about him. What many non-fanatics are failing to acknowledge is that from a functional standpoint, the departure of Turner presents a problem most acutely from the standpoint of depth. Other than providing another option at DB, many analysts were not expecting too much from him this year.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:40 PM ^
I dont thinkDoc was far off with what he said because techinally if we're going by recruiting rankings JT was the most talented player we had n our defensive backfield
August 12th, 2010 at 4:25 PM ^
Idk but i hope his parents can convince him to finish what he has started. I still think that JT can turn it around and be a contributer for us in the future if he stays.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:51 PM ^
Appears that the Doc's info is a little stale at best. Most reliable observors had him with the 3rd string in camp.
Having said that I hope he returns, though it seems doubtful
August 12th, 2010 at 5:32 PM ^
As much talent as he had I doubt he would have seen time this year with his conditioning or lack of it so I don't know were this guy is coming from with his information. I still hope his mom convinces him to stay and he can live up to the hype in the future because the kid has so much talent he just needs to get his act together.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:35 PM ^
of criticism of the coaching staff in the wake of Turner's transfer. I don't think such criticism would be warranted, but fans being fans, I would have thought there would be plenty of it. Maybe that speaks to MGoBloggers that they can avoid the tendency to blamestorming when things go wrong. I don't spend any time on other boards, so perhaps that's where folks are blaming RR or position coaches.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:36 PM ^
remove yourself from employment in my department, I never let you back in. Sorry Charlie. HE'S DONE, go elseware young man, go elseware. Enjoy your time in anothers uni and be sound in your convictions that you have made the correct leap of faith.
Your parents may forgive you for leaving behind a free ride to a major university, your grandparents, brothers and sisters will open their arms and give you hugs, but you will never be apart of THE TEAM, THE TEAM, THE TEAM anywhere you go. Good luck young man..........
August 12th, 2010 at 5:48 PM ^
I'm so very confused by that post. It's illegal to give a kid a job based on his status as a scholarship athlete.
August 12th, 2010 at 6:14 PM ^
I think characterizing Cam Gordon as a "middling recruit" may be actually legit. He was a 4-star...at WR. People thought he MIGHT get switched to OLB, which he also played in HS. Now he's a FS. Would he have been ranked a top 250 player at FS?