Drake Johnson What the ?

Submitted by BornSinner on
It takes Green and Smith to both get injured for Johnson to even get significant snaps... Makes me think whether these coaches would even give him a shot if the other two were healthy.. Granted it is Indiana and it is great seeing some awesome running. Cheers.
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DrewGOBLUE

November 1st, 2014 at 8:58 PM ^

Yeah, some people are so quick to jump the gun on Devin after he makes a mistake (albeit, often being a pretty sloppy one), and then go over the top in their criticism with a brash choice of words.

As for DG's play being affected by his wavering confidence, that's not necessarily an easily coachable problem, IMO. Nuss could repeatedly go over with him how to improve his progressions, but Devin still wouldn't necessarily get past the mental hurdles that lead to a loss of composure during games.

Honestly, I'd imagine a bit of psychotherapy with a good sports psychologist would help DG more than anything at this point.


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hazardc

November 1st, 2014 at 9:05 PM ^

Drew, that's exactly what I've been thinking this whole time.

 

 

On another note, I really cannot believe how much this forum has turned on DG. After the OSU game last year people on here wanted to build a statue for the kid, now they treat him as if he's the worst thing to happen to the team in a half century. What happened when he was replaced for a game? The backup got so f'd up that he hasn't been on the field for a single snap since then.  Even  back then, people on here were acting like Morris replacing gardner was going to turn this team around. Then he took one hit on the level of what DG gets half a dozen times per game and it hurts him so badly that it caused an uproar to the point of getting the AD fired. 

That shit is really annoying.   DG is a beast. He's giving what's left in a tank that was pushed well past running on fumes.  I'd like to see any QB perform under the pressure Devin has had to play under. I'd like to see any of them still be on the field after getting hammered like he has been, both physically and mentally. There's obvious mental issues with him as well. It reminds me of how mental issues affect someone like LeBron, but Devin has them for reasons of "I am afraid of dying on the football field" 

 

 

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MoJo Rising

November 1st, 2014 at 6:44 PM ^

Slithered through the line! Made some nice cuts and showed vision. He ran hard. Haven't seen that at all in Green or Smith. I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful RB relationship.

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1of12MattDamons

November 1st, 2014 at 6:45 PM ^

Looking forward to seeing him get some more meaningful carries. He definitely didn't look like he was the 4th(!!!!!) best running back on the team.... significantly better than Smith the entire day.

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TheBoLineage--

November 1st, 2014 at 6:50 PM ^

and he ran SEVERAL different RunPlay types too

 

his first TD was basically 33-Zone to LT.  And there was an earlier COUNTER play with OL-PULL.  And at the end there was 34-ZONE to RT.

 

There seems to be a NEW RB-RunPlay the Mch-O used--  30-VEER, is what I-d call it I guess.  I wont go into this.

 

So theres a lot here for him--  running Left-Right, different RunPlay types . . .

 

actually--  VERY encouraging in a bunch of different areas

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RJMAC

November 1st, 2014 at 6:48 PM ^

Hoke finally has a running back to take the running game and the offense to the next level. Michigan thrashes their next three opponents, which include OSU. Does Hoke keep his job?

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Melissa831

November 1st, 2014 at 6:48 PM ^

He looked fantastic and I hope that this game indicates a dim light at the end of a long dark tunnel. That said, one game does not a trend make. Either way I'm thrilled he had such a great game!

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jermrs

November 1st, 2014 at 7:03 PM ^

I was upset when he was injured. I thought he had a legit chance at being our #1 back. The rumors out of camp that year were he was possibly the best RB on the team. I assume he got side-lined because Green was promised something in recruitment.

So excited the kid finally got the chance. Looks like he capitalized on it.

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tolmichfan

November 1st, 2014 at 7:01 PM ^

Maybe just maybe a guy coming off an ACL surgery takes more time to get back to form. Even Ryan took two years to get his speed back and jake butt hasn't looked as good this year either.

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MgoDlu

November 1st, 2014 at 7:07 PM ^

Indiana caveats apply, but one thing thats noticeable is that Drake makes a decision he just goes, doesnt spend too much dancing or whatever even when he hits a wall, he hits a wall quickly and decisively..  

He seems to be more instinctual than any RB we've seen so far.  Faster than Green or Smith, more decisive than Smith, and at this point looks to break tackles better than green, again it's Indiana, but Smith also played in this game and the limited carries that he gotten werent too impressive either.

I'm really curious to see how he would do against better competition

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snarling wolverine

November 1st, 2014 at 7:09 PM ^

Was Johnson injured this season?  I know he had the knee injury in 2013.  I thought he looked good in brief action against App State and was wondering why he wasn't seeing any action for awhile.

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westwardwolverine

November 1st, 2014 at 7:09 PM ^

Jesus... it's Indiana. Come on doesn't anyone remember last year? I'm happy for the guy but we have seen this before.

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Magnum P.I.

November 1st, 2014 at 9:12 PM ^

You've gotta admit that he showed speed and vision that have been utterly absent from our running backs since Fitz was good in 2011. I've never seen Green, Smith, Rawls, Hayes, or 2012-13 Fitz run with the speed and decisiveness that Drake did today. After watching so many games with subpar running back play, it was a beautiful thing to behold. 

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westwardwolverine

November 1st, 2014 at 9:45 PM ^

Again, I feel like people have gushed over Hayes, Green and Smith at various points over the last two seasons. I think OSU last year people were saying all these things about Smith. I sincerely hope that you're right and its not just Indiana. I'm just reserving judgement till he faces a real defense.

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Magnum P.I.

November 1st, 2014 at 10:08 PM ^

Yeah, we'll see. Smith ran hard against OSU last year, and broke some tackles, but he was and always will be a plodder. Green breaks one every once and awhile, but those good runs are interspersed with two or three consecutive zero-gainers.

Our run game the past three years has rendered us fans so beaten down and scarred that we've forgotten that a run play should result in 2-5 yards of positive yardage at a minimum and every fourth or fifth run should break for 7+ yards. That's just football. But we've dealt with 27/27, -48, -21 shit for so long that we've forgotten that. 

It was nice to see an actual running back in there today. Gaining positive yards on first down. Bad runs still picking up four yards. Not going down on first contact. Even if it was Indiana. I'll take more of that. 

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Clarence Beeks

November 1st, 2014 at 7:29 PM ^

From a pure how he played (not the stats) perspective, he made me realize something about this team: the OL has had its issues, but the RB play has made it so much worse. Johnson does something the other two do not, in that he hits the hole hard. Period. The other two try to make a cut back at the first sign of trouble, typically resulting in running straight into an unblocked backside defender.

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westwardwolverine

November 1st, 2014 at 8:29 PM ^

If you go back over the last two years on this board, people have said the same things about pretty much every back we have. I hope you're right and Drake Johnson is awesome. I'm just reserving judgement till he plays someone with a defense.

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Reader71

November 1st, 2014 at 9:33 PM ^

I'm not trying to disparage your comments, and I'm certainly not trying to disparage Johnson's performance, but it is a lot easier to hit a hole when: 1. There are holes to hit, and 2. There is no penetration to make you hesitate, and 3. The back is confident in 1 and 2 because he hasn't had a season's worth of inconsistent line play in front of him. I hope this keeps up. I have never been a guy to have favorites. Whoever plays well deserves the snaps. Drake Johnson, to me, is every bit as good as our other backs. But small sample size is small, man.

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