Harbaugh on WRs
August 9th, 2022 at 11:17 AM ^
Camp talk. Lets see how much they're used in real game situations before I get too hype. I mean, they looked really good last year, but I'd like to see them used even more...
August 9th, 2022 at 12:33 PM ^
Yeah, in 2019 we had Nico Collins, DPJ, Tarik Black, and Ronnie Bell and barely scratched the surface of their capabilities (especially Nico). I hope this means that they're actually gonna flesh out the passing game and get the most out of these guys
August 9th, 2022 at 12:38 PM ^
Narrator: they will not
And part of the reason to think that is...against what teams are we going to have to throw the ball to keep up / stay ahead?
Absolute trash non-conference schedule so probably mostly keep the ball on the ground. Even the best BIG teams we play - Iowa, MSU and PSU - don't have dynamic offenses and we'll probably play a ball control game in those.
So we might throw it on Maryland. Maybe Nebraska. And then we're going to have to against OSU and we'll have barely done it all year is my fear. Hope I'm wrong. I do have some hope that Weiss will sling it around a bit more than Gattis did in 2019 when we had stud WRs but ran the ball into the Army line every play.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:48 PM ^
This is exactly it. Harbaugh gets duped into playing 1980's style, and he doesn't realize that eventually even Alabama (with their NFL offensive line) has to throw the ball to win big games. You need to prepare for that before you get to that game. Ground-and-pounding Eastern Michigan and Rutgers or whoever doesn't really prepare you for anything except other inferior opponents.
42-17
August 9th, 2022 at 12:55 PM ^
We should see a lot more of the passing game in the OOC season this year. If you have ridiculous depth at the WR position, but one banged up RB away from a depth issue there, my thought is to lean on the passing game to preserve the backfield before the physical part of the schedule ramps up.
Plus, I want both QBs to get a lot of action. I trust the coaches to pick the best guy to start, but it would be nice if JJ and Cade could get 30-50 passes each before the conference season.
Good point about RB depth. But have you seen our OOC schedule? Corum and Edwards will play a quarter, maybe a half and then it'll be Dunlap and Stokes time, even Leon Franklin. We could hold open student tryouts for RB the week before these games and play 160 lb kids and still win by 50. Those teams are horrific.
against what teams are we going to have to throw the ball to keep up / stay ahead?
I can think of 1 team over in East Lansing with a shaky secondary where throwing the ball might help us bury them quickly
Good point. And we actually did have a good game plan to throw on them last year to good effect. It was by far Cade highest number of attempts and yardage total last year (plus some JJ action).
Hopefully the defense is better organized and doesn't get tempo'd such that we have to score 40+ like last year.
Also, It's craaaazy to look at Cade's stats last year. Only four games over 200 yards. MSU was the only game over 300 at 383. Not a knock on him, btw. Function of only throwing 23 times a game.
With McCarthy at QB, there will be no reason to be so heavily run oriented. If they were to continue with that philosophy in spite of McCarthy’s abilities, it would send a strong signal to highly rated high school QBs that they should avoid Michigan. The cream of the crop aren’t looking for that type of offense.
We had two deep-ball receivers but we didn't have a QB that threw a good deep ball.
Both our QBs through pretty good deep-balls now. Could be a much different story.
gonna flesh out the passing game and get the most out of these guys
With that "speed in space" guy gone, and Matt Weiss in, that could actually happen.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:56 PM ^
They were solid as hell last year, definitely room to improve on the contested catches though.
el grande perro
August 9th, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
I like Roman Wilson a ton. He had big big catches last year. Bring it!
August 9th, 2022 at 12:34 PM ^
He scored 2 touchdowns on the road against Penn State with a cast on his arm. He's just as legit as the other guys.
Which Michigan WR will finish with more receiving yards in 2022?
— Zach Shaw (@_ZachShaw) July 20, 2022
August 9th, 2022 at 11:23 AM ^
Harbaugh is very good at coachspeak during camp.
Also none of this is new! Remember our key games last year? Andrel Anthony with two TDs vs. MSU. Cornelius with the sliding near TD catch against OSU. AJ Henning with the reverse for a TD plus solid punt return early against OSU.
These 3 are already dudes! Add in Erick All, Ronnie Bell and Roman Wilson and I can certainly see how this is the deepest WR UM has had in some time. Seems to lack a bit of "star power" from the early 2000s when you had Braylon followed by Avant and Breaston. But this feels like a deeper class.
My biggest question will be, how do they keep all these positions happy? You also have two RBs and another TE that are good enough to ball. I have to imagine with this talent level and two QBs, Michigan becomes slightly more pass happy this year.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
My biggest question will be, how do they keep all these positions happy?
win
August 9th, 2022 at 12:12 PM ^
This is key. Think of the loaded WR corps Bama, OSU have had. Keep winning, spread the wealth. Hopefully the defense performs and doesn't force the offense to drain the clock in games.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:52 PM ^
Yea, if Michigan breeds a culture of positivity in each position group room, they'll support one another whether they are or are not getting touches. That's been the culture in the OSU WR room and also true of the RBs.
Man, on Nov 26 both secondaries are gonna have their hands full. Could be as or more explosive an offensive performance on both sides as any prior edition of The Game. Perhaps 2006-like.
First team to 100 points wins.
Just got Flashbacks to offensive shootouts with the likes of Illinois and Indiana because of those atrocious beaver hunting Rich Rod defenses
'Offensive shootouts' or 'defensive malpractice' ???
August 10th, 2022 at 9:40 AM ^
I'm sorry, why did I not know that Jerry Mathers was previously a B1G quarterback?
Alabama isn't loaded, really, at WR. They usually have 3 great starters, and 1 guy off the bench. But seeing how others than that did when they were forced into action in the National Championship, shows they are not deep at WR. They should have won it. But back up WRs couldn't even catch passes that hit them right on the arms.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:22 PM ^
And score 50 a game with an open game plan.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:29 AM ^
My biggest question will be, how do they keep all these positions happy?
One thing that would help is to run plays at a faster pace, instead of running the clock down to the last couple seconds each snap. I think there was a former UM coach who constantly exhorted his team to "hurry up."
August 9th, 2022 at 11:52 AM ^
I believe the phrase was "velocity in expanses"
August 9th, 2022 at 11:52 AM ^
Scoring 60 pts a game will certainly give more players a chance to be "happy".
August 9th, 2022 at 11:54 AM ^
Yes, Rich Rodriguez preferred an uptempo game. (Sorry, Don, couldn't resist.)
August 9th, 2022 at 12:17 PM ^
wasn't the offense that doomed them most of the time though. that gerg defense was atrocious and getting worse.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:40 PM ^
Offense couldn't score against legit defenses either. RichRod had been figured out before he got to Michigan.
With new OCs this year, I expect a slower pace at the outset. I hope I'm wrong because they have the talent on O to really blitz some teams out the gate.
On the contrary, Matt Weiss ran more of the offense last year than most realize. Now with Josh Gattis out of the way, things are going to be better.
SMH over that speed in space game against Army, Charbonnet with 33 carries for 100 yards. Man, what a fraud speed in space was!
August 10th, 2022 at 6:46 AM ^
I’ve heard this claim about Weiss several times. Is there any evidence supporting it?
I think the Braylon-like players are the incoming freshmen. The next few years will be fun if we can keep all these guys.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:24 AM ^
Great. Their ceiling will be determined by how much you actually throw them the ball.
They're going to be a run-first team. That's built into Harbaugh's DNA, but if your WR group is >>> opposing DBs and you don't stress that advantage, what does it really matter?
August 9th, 2022 at 11:24 AM ^
I love that Jim is saying they have "license" to be good, as if receivers playing well is something that has to be signed off on by the old-school manball head coach
I think even more so that we have the best QB room since Harbaugh has been here. Cade is the first QB that Harbaugh brought to Media Day, that speaks volumes on what is thought of him as a leader and talent wise.
Shouting an amen from the Cade McNamara amen corner!
August 9th, 2022 at 11:24 AM ^
Awesome to hear, but as someone who remembers screaming "THROW IT TO NICO" at my TV way too many times a few years ago, I remain cautiously optimistic
Ah yes, but gone are the Pep Hamilton/Josh Gattis years.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:25 AM ^
We have so many experienced guys it might be tough for one of them to put up big numbers except maybe Bell. I can see him as a security blanket for whoever is at qb.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:25 AM ^
we're gonna beat AN ohio state and win the B1G again
excellent QBs, phenomenal WRs, best RB combo in the B1G (maybe the country), exceptional TEs, very strong OL.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:59 AM ^
It's going to come down to the defense. The offense may be the best we've ever had at Michigan (assuming Wiess can keep the wheels turning).
We will need to approach the same level of defense we had last year in order to win the conference again. I think we will be better on that side of the ball than many outside the program are projecting, but still, it's hard to do without Ojabo and Hutch's production. And even if we get a top 10 type of defensive unit, it's going to take a bit of luck to beat OSU in the shoe.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:19 PM ^
apparently all it takes is a good run game, a bit of snow, and some sniffles.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:49 PM ^
I don't think the defense needs to be quite at that level if the offense is indeed the best we've ever had at Michigan, but it does need to be above average. And it can be that good, I think. Need the young guys to step up at corner. Need the pass rush to come from somewhere.
Probably would also need some breaks to go our way at OSU if it's a shoot out. When is the last time we got breaks in that game? Even in the snow last year they didn't have a turnover. They freaking dribble the ball down the field on us and it somehow works out. The dropped INT in 2017. Won't even talk about 2016. Ugh.