General Observations from sUTL thread

Submitted by Texagander on
Some observations of mine from the scrimmage and some room for everyone else to add theirs.

DTs rotated a lot. DL looks to be a real strength. Finally.

Peppers with a lot of PT. At NB and CB. Was lost a couple times but has amazing recovery skills.

OL got better later on. Still not good.

Mone schooled some twos. Including Bosch

Mo Ways might not get a redshirt

Funchess fade looks like it is finally in the playbook

Poggi lots if PT and good hustle.

I'll post more when I get home.

M_Born M_Believer

August 17th, 2014 at 1:02 AM ^

Positives: 1) I really like our DL, especially the DT. Deep, talented and constantly in the backfield 2) Have not seen it mention much,but the LBs looked good to me as well. JoeB showed me the hype was all about 3) Wile. To me, should not be over looked that he hit 3 FGs including a 47 harder. It is a nice benefit to have a kicker that will get you points once you cross the 30..... 4) Morris - now let's be clear, Gardner is the starter and rightfully so, but I certainly like what I saw from Morris 5) Funchess - I think he is ready to dominate, teams will have to roll coverage/ double him. This will only create space through the field Negatives: 1) Ummmmmmmm - yeah the OL. 1st string and 2nd string. The longest RB run was 7 yards? If I had to put a split on how much was the OL and how much is on the fact that they faced a really good DL (note my #1 above), I would say 70% OL, 30% the DL they faced. I will also note that we actually only saw 3/5 of the starting line. I am in the camp that Glasgow takes the C position upon his return and Kalis is the starting RG........... Please, please, please let Kaliis's back just be a minor issue 2) Kick off coverage. While it looked cool to see Norfleet run one back. That was actually the 2nd straight "TD" return. This needs attention over the next 2 weeks Overall, I believe this team is going to do well. Championship well? No, there is still some work to be done....

Joined: 11/11/2009

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cloudman

August 17th, 2014 at 2:17 AM ^

If the OL is getting beat, would a Barwis bootcamp help them improve their speed along with technique, rather than raw strength and bulk?  With all due respect to the current S&C coach, I was alway impressed with OL during  2009 despite RR.  

I don't know what to say about the tenure of Funk, but perhaps it is too early to say for this season.

Joined: 07/28/2011

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True Blue Grit

August 17th, 2014 at 7:32 AM ^

In general.  Darboh was getting a lot of looks.  He had some drops, but also a few nice catches.  I was hoping to see more Canteen plays.  He did make an excellent catch on a long pass though.  Looks a lot like Super Mario.  Mo Ways is VERY talented, that was obvious.  But with the depth in front of him, I don't see him making a big splash this year.  Looks like DeMario Jones didn't get any fallout from being with C'sonte York, at least yet.  He made a few nice catches.

Joined: 01/21/2011

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StephenRKass

August 17th, 2014 at 7:35 AM ^

Thanks to all who attended! It is great to hear so much about the team. Since I didn't attend and there was no stream, this was extremely helpful. A few crumbs as we wait for the season to begin. Just a few observations about the thread:

  1. Man, there are some whiney, crabby posters. Some patience, man.
  2. sUTL is an interesting acronym. Doesn't roll off the tongue quite right.
  3. Are we ready for some football?
  4. This defense is going to be scary. If they can actually score some points, they could single-handedly win some games. I think they will have a massive chip on their shoulder against several teams, including MSU & OSU.
  5. Back to the patience theme. I still remember something Brian wrote 3 or 4 years ago. Because the OL recruiting had cratered out under RR and Hoke had very little time to recruit in Jan. 2011, Brian was of the opinion that we really wouldn't have a solid OL until 2015. (If one of you mods or someone with advanced search capabilities can find this, I'd be much obliged.) I completely agree with this sentiment. The OL is coming along. They will probably only be mediocre this year. But that's an improvement over 2013. By 2015, the OL should be good, and by 2016, the depth and experience and repetitions by the OL will be such that they return to being a strength. This just takes lots of time, and it isn't something that you can force to happen quickly.

Joined: 07/15/2008

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MGlobules

August 17th, 2014 at 1:44 PM ^

under RichRod that got me. The idea that two coaches in a row might have failed was too much to bear. 

On an only marginally related note: I can live with the OL being a continuing work in progress this year. But we shouldn't have to live with flailing and ineptitude. 

Joined: 11/17/2008

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CC_MFan

August 17th, 2014 at 8:04 AM ^

I know many are on the fire Funk bandwagon.  He is part of the problem, but the bigger issue is Hoke.  The tone of what a team is, starts with the leader.  I think you can change all you want on the coordinator side, but the results would probably stay about the same.  We have talented recruits, but seem to be soft at the line of scrimmage.

 

 

Joined: 10/05/2010

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michgoblue

August 17th, 2014 at 9:33 AM ^

"He just isn't getting it done."

Yeah, I expect Michigan to come out and win every single . . . Practice scrimmage?! Wait until the season at least starts before calling for hoke's head.

Also, you do realize that Hoke is responsible for the whole team, not just the OL. So that awesome d-line, the stud secondary, the stacked linebacker group, the insane punting and that nice receiving that we saw - Hoke gets some credit for that so why focus on the one group that is still a work in progress?

Joined: 11/16/2009

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ohioNblue33

August 17th, 2014 at 9:37 AM ^

totally agree! Hoke did say he wants them in high pressured situations to get them ready. It seems though they are not ready yet. I really hope the oline comes along fast because if they don't it's going to be ugly!

Joined: 02/28/2013

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MChem83

August 17th, 2014 at 9:39 AM ^

Maybe they thought the Oline needed a real kick in the ass to get them motivated. Nothing like a lot of negative buzz to get them to redouble their efforts. Maybe that's giving the coaching staff too much credit for devious motivation tactics, and there's only so much a more determined attitude can do to overcome faulty technique, but who knows. Our Oline is probably not going to be better than average this year, but no time to panic yet.

Joined: 04/17/2014

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njv5352

August 17th, 2014 at 9:18 AM ^

My observations from last night at the sUTL. 1. Attendance was pretty good. You didn't need a ticket to get in, they just opened the gates and let people walk right it. Tickets were just for their estimation of interest. 2. Student turnout didn't seem all that high even though they aren't back to school yet. The opportunity to get on the field didn't pull many in. 3. There was a guy who proposed to his wife on the field. She said yes I would assume as they walked off together. Unless she is into odd situations because he drove her there. 4. Shane M. and Devin G. both look good. While warming up Shane seemed to take things very serious and he seems to want to start. Devin was a little more relaxed and playful. Shane throws a heck of a spiral. 5. Your initial starting line was Cole, Magnuson, Miller, Glasgow, Braden. Dawson did make an appearance for Glasgow after some reps. 6. Your line for Morris was LTT, Burzynski, Kugler, Bosch, Dawson. 7. I expect your kick/ punt returners to be Norfleet and Peppers. Douglas took some snaps as well, but there is too much potential with the other two. 8. Mo Ways, Bo Fever and DeMario Jones all had some nice catches. Canteen had a great sprint and catch down the sideline. Our receiving corp is deep and good. Mo Ways had a heck of a block on one of the passes that went for some yards. 9. Our RB's all looked like we left off close to last year. No large gaping holes to run through, but they seem to know where they were supposed to be running through. Green, Smith and Johnson could all potentially start. Hayes looks good hitting the edge and his hands look good. Shallman is a stud. He is just hard to stay with, always finds a way to make a play and is just hard to bring down. He could be a ton of offense if nothing else seems to work. 10. Devin still has a tendency to not stand in the pocket and try too much. He did throw a couple into the stands to save the sack, but he also let one fly before that just over a defenders head that should have went into the stands...and Nuss gave him a talking to about it. I hate to say it, but he hit his ceiling last year. His decision making skills will make or break our close games and I am not sure he has matured in that area from last year. 11. Shane has crisp passes, more so than Devin. Shane reminded me a lot of watching AJ Mccarron run that offense the first year. He was mechanically sound, doesn't quite have the full grasp of checking at the line and stuff, but could run this offense because Nuss will get him through it. Shane has potential to be really good without being the athlete that Gardner is. Shane does have a tendency to stare down receivers on almost every pass, this could be an issue. 12. Our defense is tough. They are not the laid back bend don't break defense of last year. They are swarming to the ball...everyone. Our DEs are extremely quick. Clark and Charlton both were able to blow by guys and get into the backfield. They weren't afraid to send DBs either. This defense could keep us in games and definitely played more aggressive. 13. Our O-line... I sat in front of them as they waed up and did the drills at the behinning of practice. I think the problem here is that they are still young and learning. Good news is, I am not sure Glasgow is our best lineman anymore because the others have begun to catch up. Cole wasn't terrible, but he is a little undersized for the position. He has a bright future ahead of him. Braden and Magnuson looked the most polished of the bunch and they still were being coached a good deal. For the most part, they seemed to give Devin enough time to throw, but not much push to let the RBs through. I don't remember seeing Kalis at all last night, could be I just missed him. It was at times hard to tell if the D-line was just that good that they overshadowed the O-line or is the O-line still just that bad. 13. I was looking at the schedule and 9-3 looks achievable outside of ND, MSU, Penn St and OSU. We can win one of those. Everything else looks pretty weak. If the line starts to get push 10-2 or higher could be possible. The O-line is gonna be the key.

Joined: 06/28/2010

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True Blue In Ohio

August 17th, 2014 at 9:32 AM ^

We will field a top 15 defense and the offense will struggle early in the season, but I firmly believe the O-line will be better than last year.  App. St. is sort of down and it could be an excellent chance to get some confidence in the O-line.  I will get negged for this, but Mone could be moved to guard.  He is ENORMOUS!!!!!

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Spunky

August 17th, 2014 at 3:01 PM ^

Despite the O-Line concerns and criticism, the open practice was lots of fun. Next year, I hope there's another night scrimmage with more notice given to fans.   

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