Good read QB LB WR and Nuss
1 apple... 2 ap....aahhhhh!! DOOM!
Really looking forward to seeing JMFR back at 100%, Funchess being a mismatch all over the field, and Peppers....well....I'm just looking forward to watching the legend unfold before our eyes.
I expect good things from Funchess of course but the dropsies he showed the last 3 games or so last year and in spring has me scratching my head. Hope this ends in the fall.
Unfortunately, there's not much any of the skill position players or the QB can do if the offensive line can't open enough running lanes to make the defense respect the run and keep the offensive out of the 2nd and 3rd and long distances. The season really all boils down to the effectiveness of the offensive line, plain and simple.
This entire thread is kind of a moot point. If the OL can't get it together enough to be mediocre (and considering the massive amounts of youth and inexperience, I'd be thrilled with mediocre), then it doesn't really matter who is starting and excelling at various skill positions or on the defense.
Chances are we'd have some other highly touted qb lined up to play for us when Morris would be a 5th year senior. I wish he had a redshirt but it doesn't make a lot of sense now. Chances are Gardner gets hurt at some point.
we will not have some other highly touted QB lined up when Morris would be a 5th year - Speight was a 3-star on the 24/7 Composite rankings, Malzone is a 3-star in those same rankings, and deWeaver wasn't in the initial Scout 300. Maybe one of them will be good but none are highly-touted, especially in comparison to borderline 5-star Morris.
its possible one or both moves up; but my point is the poster acts as if not having Morris in 2017 won't be a big deal b/c we'll have similarly-touted guys behind him. I disagree: Speight isn't, Malzone isnt with 6 months to go, and deWeaver (who would be in only his 2nd season) isn't highly ranked initially (but he's got 18 months, and 2 HS season, to go up....or down).
Regardless, the present evidence implies we will not have some blue-chip waiting in the wings.
You sound stuck in the world of recruiting rankings. I, nor you, nor Nuss, nor anyone knows who will turn out to be the best - Speight, Malzone, Messiah or Shane at the end of their careers. To say we have an issue because Shane is the only blue chip and we need to keep him around because he had the most stars at some point of his HS career is the definition of falling in love with rankings.
3 of those 4 havent even stepped on a college football field in a real game and the other has the equivalent of 1.5 games. Yet we are already talking about how 3 of them cannot match Shane due to a group of HS game/camp evaluators? Yes we've seen how that has worked out.
2 of these guys could be busts, 1 could be a Heisman candidate, 1 could be a first round draft choice, all 4 could be average, all 4 could be great - but who knows which. There is no guarantee of any of it and projecting any of these guys as a 21-22 year old when some of them are 16-17-18 is the definition of using recruiting rankings as a bible of sorts.
please re-read what was written above. ThadMatta said we would have another *highly-touted* qb lined up to play when Morris would be a 5th year Sr. I said we won't, since Speight wasn't highly-touted, Malzone probably won't be, and deWeaver isn't considered a blue chipper now, though it is still quite early for him.
Neither Thad Matta nor I ever offered an opinion on how good Morris, Speight, Malzone or deWeaver will be (I certainly dont have a clue); no one is saying the star rankings are right or wrong; the debate is about if there will be another highly-touted guy there to play when Morris would have been a 5th year, and I argue there won't, which is not to say we're gonna be terrible b/c there's not 5-star.
Good rant about recruiting rankings though, i guess.
Your comment
"my point is the poster acts as if not having Morris in 2017 won't be a big deal b/c we'll have similarly-touted guys behind him. I disagree"
So you disagree with the poster that having a highly touted recruit won't be a big deal. Which infers you are stuck on recruiting rankings. Maybe I am reading your words wrong - generally when someone says not having a blue chip recruit behind Shane is a big deal, it would mark someone who is focused on the HS rankings.
Shane started as a 5 and fell to a 4. Malzone started as a 3 and is trending to a 4. They could both end up at almost the exact same spot when all is said and done. If player A is 120 in the country and player B is 190 I don't see any difference in that. It's to sell subscriptions.
What is a blue chip to you? What is the magical cut off? You said we won't have any once Shane goes. Malzone is the 11th ranked pro style QB by Rivals. So 10 dudes in the country are better in his style at his position per ABC recruiting service. What would be a blue chipper then? only 5 guys in the country? Shane was 4.
Marcus Mariota was the 12th ranked QB and a 3 star. We should be ok if we have development and good coaching. Any QB is going to be surrounded by almost all 4 star players on this offense.
misread the 24/7 site. my bad
the same as Morris--FWIW. And by "borderline 5 star", I trust he meant a 5 star who fell to a 4 star--again FWIW.
he's referring to Bellomy. And I strongly disagree with what he said---even if Bellomy is buried in the depth chart the rest of his Michigan career, I'd still love for him to again see the field and feel some success, rather than forever be labeled as the QB that blew against Nebraska, as he seems to be thought of by many at this point.
I went on record as saying that was one example of Brady's mistakes last season, not having a viable BIG qb ready to step in as no. 2 should something happen to DR, which it did. I think anyone on this site has the ability to understand the only thing we learned from that game regarding Bellamy was that he was not ready. That is understandable, and it's on the coaches, not him. I realize I'm probably "pissing into the wind" here but I hope no M fan would seriously think that about a player who was cast into a situation way before he was ready. I am sure that much more than the majority of fans would want success from all our players.
"We have not even talked about the freshmen here."
Good! It's about time. We're finally getting to a point where we have a little depth and aren't plugging emergency holes. The curse of RR shall be lifted.
If you had to guess, what percent of your posts contain a mention of Rich Rodriguez?
The OLIne doesnt make it easy to go to second and third options in DGs defense..Its a team problem not any one player
I HATE BRUSSEL SPROTS!!!
They look like baby cabbages, they taste awful, and my mommy used to make me eat them--- yucky!
Certainly he had his issues at times last year, but pretending he was dreadful in many games is just not accurate. No running game and a horrible o-line certainly didn't help his cause either.
I think you're reading too much into the not naming a starter aspect. That is simply Hoke making sure the upperclassmen stay motivated to earn their starting spots. Nothing more, nothing less.
The passes Shane completed were safe and easy. The passes he missed were generally not very difficult either, but IMO he struggles to get through his reads before the rush was in his face. Yes, I know, the line was sub-par yet that's something both QBs have to deal with. When protection did break down it showed me what I already knew from watching Shane in HS; he is limited physically. I know someone who wants to challenge this point will talk about how he supposedly runs a 4.7 or post a clip of him hurdling a defender. The point is that was HS. Morris is a pocket passer. Pocket passers can move in the pocket but are often very limited outside. When you have an O-line that is questionable at best it makes it difficult for a new guy who can't run to be successful.
Once again, I get that Shane has probably improved over the spring season. I believe that he could be a viable backup this season. However, unless DG pulled his best Tate Forcier and did next to nothing over the offseason there is no evidence that suggests Shane has passed DG as a QB. DG had several malign games but it is difficult to do everything knowing darn well that you have no running game to bail you out.
Feel free to argue my point. However, unless you have seen something that I haven't seen in the now four years I've watched Shane play football it seems as though the argument for Shane to play is based on loose evidence and speculation at best.
The players will fight for BH this year to give him some cushion. 11-2 record coming up!
According to who? What source?