Haskins to LB?
Hey all, hope everyone is holding up alright during these strange times.
Looking over the roster, I see a strong group of starters at linebacker, but a potential drop off as the talent behind them is young.
I know Anthony Solomon and Charles Thomas have been mentioned as projected capable backups, but it seems like we are an injury or two away from perhaps being forced to put some freshmen, who while talented, may not be ready for down-to-down play.
So this brings us to Haskins. First, I should mention that I Love Hassan as RB. He seems to be the only back that can consistently shrug off contact and fall Forward; he is energetic, aggressive, and runs ‘downhill’.
While it seems that Charbonnet was quite impacted by injury last year, as of now, it’s open to debate as to which of the two is ‘better’, or rather, more effective in the offense and given sampling.
But as we look at our current RB room, we may be able to afford sending Hasking back to LB, a position of need, one where has had experience, and as such a good looking player, I would guess he would be at least serviceable(or better suited for the grind than freshmen).
Assuming Chris Evans finds his legs within 2-4 games, and Christian Turner has his health - who, remember, has shown flashes of ability similar to Haskins skill set, and has looked quite good at times - and perhaps even young Blake Corum can be an Evans-Lite, would Haskins be best suited to return to LB?
Part of my thinking is that I don’t enjoy considering a world in which a player as kinetic and likable as Haskins sees his role in the team reduced. If Charbonnet plays as his highest advocates hope, and Evans is effective and Turner healthy, we’ve three very solid backs with a Frosh to sprinkle in. Add in the expected contribution from D Caff, and we may see a bit of bloat at the position.
Should we preempt this potential underutilization of an overall strong football player in Haskins, and begin repping him at LB?
my concern is that, mid season, should the other backs prove effective in their roles and if we get a LB injury, we may find ourselves forced to insert Haskins into his prior role at LB mid season; under these abridged circumstances, it would be a tough ask for Haskins and the defense as a whole to adapt so quickly. This is why I am wondering if we begin to prepare for that now, and bank on the other three backs and D Caff to carry the rushing attack.
Haskins is one of my favorite players on the team. I don’t want to see his role reduced, but also don’t want him to be put in a tough spot at LB mid season should injuries strike the spot and the freshmen prove overwhelmed by the rigors of the job.
What do you guys think? Is the current RB room dynamic enough that the loss of Haskins wouldn’t represent a serious reduction in their overall capability ? Can a healthy Turner fill the bruiser role that Haskins currently fills? Is our need at LB serious enough that we bring Haskins back now, or is that contingency of a mid season swap to LB even a viable alternative should injuries strike the LB stable?
I hope this post finds you well. Interested to hear what the community has in mind.
Nico at safety?
And The Velvet Underground on the defensive line?
Mayfield to DT
You misspelled McCaffrey.
Also, since we're mocking idiot hot takes: Milton should totally move to and win a starting corner job, as fleet of foot as he is.
Nico to safety is all the rebuttal you need here. Well done!
I should note for those unfamiliar; Haskins was originally a LB. I assumed most would know but probably should have mentioned that, just in case. I’m not sure if was moved because he was ineffective, they liked him more at RB, we needed depth at RB, etc... maybe someone has some insight as to why he was swapped in the first place.
Actually he was originally recruited as a RB but moved to LB (playing time?) after or during his first year on campus.
He moved back to RB once the Evans situation made RB very thin going into last season — which worked out pretty well for M and him. There may be more of a need at LB now but I assume Hassan has his own goals and dreams which probably would conflict with a move from co-starter to a position I do not think he has ever seen an in-game snap.
I mean, sort of? Haskins was an RB and recruited as such in HS. He spent his RS year at LB, so I'm not sure that means he was "originally" a LB.
That being said, it is patently absurd to move what was pretty clearly RB1 for the last couple games of last year to a new position, especially on the other side of the ball.
But all the jokes are appropriate for how terrible of a suggestion this is. He's a very good RB expected to get a lot of carries.
He also was not originally a linebacker. He was recruited as a RB. Here's the Hello post: https://mgoblog.com/content/hello-hassan-haskins. None of the scouting reports from ANY of the services even mention his time at LB (I assume he went both ways but there was never a shred of doubt where he'd play).
I think what you're thinking about is that he practiced at LB some as a RS freshmen when that position was thin and RB had more depth. He wasn't originally there and it would have been a miracle had he stayed there. That's it. He wasn't a LB moved to RB. It was the other way around for a brief minute.
So no, no way in hell do you move your #2 RB, arguably your 1b RB to make a position switch, especially one that you've already tried and learned it wasn't a good idea.
EDIT: apologies I was distracted mid-post so a couple others beat me to it.
I think JV will give us plenty of good snaps at the WLB, and JR and CMc will both be above average Big Ten LB's. JV has the qualities of a future captain, he was seen cleaning up the locker room floor after a workout last season. With 3-4 freshman LB's coming in, I personally think LB might be one of our strongest position groups this season.
The only unknown is if MB can make it happen at Viper, or if they will have to shuffle things around more with scheme (3-3-5) . Having JP and KH hold down that Viper spot has been a blessing, hoping we find the heir apparent.
Cheers
PS: Seldon will get run this season, and so will AJ, both guys are the leaders of an impressive class
Hey GoJ - I negged you for breaking style and typing out "Seldon"!
I figured ppl would have thought I was talking about Solomon. Appreciate you keeping me in line.
Cheers
If Barrett isn't the answer at Viper, Anthony Solomon seems like a pretty good fit there. He was a regular on special teams last year. For a true freshman, that usually means he'll have a bigger role as a soph.
McCaffery at DT?
Taco Pants to special teams coordinator?
Haskins was pretty clearly ahead of Turner in the pecking order and was even with Charbonnet at the end of the season. I don't see him falling behind Turner this year. Remember that the issue with Turner last year wasn't his health, it was the fumbles. And with Evans, his role is so different than Haskins that it would probably a minimal reduction in Haskins' snaps. Hassan should stay at RB.
I do remember Turners fumbles, but I’ve seen a few places that he was dogged by injuries as well, keeping him low in the order. If he can clean up the fumbles, I wonder if he can bring his game up to speed?
Thanks for sharing.
I'm guessing you forgot about Ben Van Sumeren's move from RB to LB this spring.
Are you Christian Turner's neighbor, or cousin?
Great idea! Let’s move our best running back from last year to another position!
In all seriousness, this is a terrible idea. We have plenty enough talent at the linebacker spot and a long track record of turning unproven players into superstars. If Haskins were to move back, we would sacrifice one of our best offensive weapons for him to have a chance at a position he already failed to win.
Come on man. I clicked on this thread thinking the coaches were actually considering moving him to LB, only to find that it is just you and your opinion. This is not thread-worthy.
Also it is completely ridiculous and will never happen. Charbonnet and Haskins are 1A and 1B on the depth chart at RB. You need multiple running backs in today's game. The linebacking corp will be fine.
Same, I clicked thinking what the fuck is Jim and Gattis messing with Haskins for, he was a beast. Glad to know it’s just some dude with a poorly thought out idea
The RB room is:
Charbonnet - Pretty straight forward 1A/1B option
Evans - Who hasn't played contact football in a year and has had limited practice due to Covid-19
Turner - Who hasn't played contact football since week 3 of last season after contracting a bad case of the fumbles
Corum - A true freshman with limited practice time due to Covid-19 (did get some bowl practices in)
So no, don't move your 1A/1B RB over to defense, where his most recent experience is from 2 years ago in practice.
Why would a RS sophomore who hasn't practiced at LB in 2 years be better than a RS freshman who has been practicing there for the last year straight (Thomas)?
They already moved BVS over to defense out of the RB room.
No. How about Joe Milton to DT?
I mean, dude is 6'5" of superhero-chiseled granite. I wouldn't put it past him.
Milton/Mason DLine. boom!
Dude is the number 2 running back and he earned that position. Let him run the ball.
Hawt take city?
Swing the banhammer on the OP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQOOp-3Pr00
Let’s move Nordin to left tackle while we’re at it.
I sort of get what your saying OP, only because Haskins and Charbonnet's styles are slightly redundant and giving more 3rd down carries to Evans and Corum might provide a more balanced attack. With that said, Haskins was our best RB in multiple games and in the end, we have no idea how good of a LB he is. Would you rather have an unproven 4* LB as a back up or a 3* unproven LB as a back up who spent the past two years training to be a running back?
Maybe there is a place for him similar to Peppers or Woodson where he plays most of his snaps at RB but occasionally subs in on defense for special packages, or if another running back is really feeling it. Really depends how how good the staff thinks he is on defense. We know he is good on offense.
Yea, good points. I agree. He’s a known commodity on offense, and has been tailored for his role there. Love watching Haskins run. But I wondered if the LB unit gets wiped out by COVID or injuries, if the staff has had it even cross their mind for Haskins to be one of the first to fill in for back up duty, in case the freshmen couldn’t handle the workload.
Thanks for sharing.
I would think at this point the staff would only consider it if there was a complete disaster at the LB position (like almost all the LB's opt to not play or get injured). I'd still rather put in a 4* true freshman LB like Savage, Mullings, and Hill-Green than take away one of our key offensive weapons. Atleast in that case, you might end up with a player down the road with a ton of game experience. If anything, it might make sense to try to get Christian Turner another position because he looks like he might be the odd man out.
I think Haskins has proven himself to be a very effective RB and, frankly, should probably come into the year 1A along with Charbonnet's 1B at that spot. I don't see great value in moving him to another spot on the off chance we'd have depth issues there, especially since I think the defense has shown some flexibility at certain spots where injuries could be mitigated somewhat.
I agree. I couldn’t help but wonder, though, in a season where COVID could wipe out entire units, if perhaps Haskins would be one of the first to fill in for back up duty, due to our depth (hopefully) at RB.
Thanks for sharing.
Geez. If it wipes out multiple units do you suppose it will miraculously spare the RB room? They might have depth issues, too.
Your takes are terrible. You should feel bad.
To all those who I have clearly so deeply offended and upset for my attempt to spark some conversation about the teams LB and RB depth, I apologize. I never said that Haskins should be moved to LB. I asked what the community felt about it. I guess I’ll uh keep such thoughts to myself next time. Best wishes and thanks to those who wanted to actually discuss it with me.
haha ignore the haters out there man...all good to me. This is a blog where we can/should be able to discuss shit like this.
But IMO Haskins is going to be really special for the team...his running style is what punishes teams and people wont want to get infront of him. Dab a little ZC over the top and its a brutal 1,2 punch...and cant sleep on the newcomers too
I definitely agree with the advice you gave him. Besides, it's no doubt a really tough crowd here tonight.
And really, IMO, I don't think his ideas are so far-fetched as to call them impossible. Very unlikely, yes, but it's still potentially good to have some options for talented players such as Haskins to see the field AND temporarily plug roster holes (if needed) in what will definitely be the most unusual season any of us has ever seen. That is, if there actually ends up being a season.
Don’t stress it dude. People take stuff way too personal on the board. You’re good man.
All you got to do next time is just not post wacky-ass, crackpot shit like moving one of our best offensive skill players to a position where he’s likely never to play and has zero recent game experience. Avoid that and you’ll fit right in.
Yeah everyone is gonna give you snark. And I’m torn cause reading the OP honestly I thought it was a bad idea, but maybe a better topic would be: Which player could you see switching positions/sides of the ball?
Cause it’s fine, and honestly welcome, to discuss football again, but the thread title made it seem like this was an insider report and then the post was a hot take. At least if you pose a discussion topic it may get a better response.
i don’t fault you, but I’m also against your proposal.
"I never said that Haskins should be moved to LB."
You're being disingenuous—you spent several paragraphs articulating your reasons for moving Haskins, including these statements:
"we may be able to afford sending Hasking back to LB, a position of need, one where has had experience, and as such a good looking player, I would guess he would be at least serviceable(or better suited for the grind than freshmen)."
"Assuming Chris Evans finds his legs within 2-4 games, and Christian Turner has his health - who, remember, has shown flashes of ability similar to Haskins skill set, and has looked quite good at times - and perhaps even young Blake Corum can be an Evans-Lite, would Haskins be best suited to return to LB?"
"we may find ourselves forced to insert Haskins into his prior role at LB mid season;"
You can't write these words and then whine that you never said what you were clearly trying to make an argument for.
You proposed an idea and then asked for responses. The response were largely negative. If you want to post comments that are guaranteed to be enthusiastically supported, start your own blog so you can ban critical comments.
Take the L bud.
Ah yes, let's move our 1a at runningback to LB for depth purposes...
That makes perfect sense /s
Boy let me think.... yeah really bad idea! Haskins runs hard carrying the rock. He hasn't reached his ceiling.
LB depth - we're fine
- LB – Sam
- LB – Mike
- LB – Will
- C. McGrone – RS So.
- J. Ross – RS Jr.
- K. Mullings – Fr.
- C. Thomas – RS Fr.
- B. VanSumeran – RS So.
- E. Warriner – RS So.
- C. Wheeler – Fr. – likely RS
- O. Savage – Fr. – likely RS
- N. Hill-Green – Fr. – likely RS (one of these likely doesn’t RS)
- LB – Viper
- M. Barrett – RS So.
- An. Solomon – So.
- J. Velasquez – RS Fr
- W. Mohan – Fr. – likely RS
Thanks for the info, good to see all those talented names. Just couldn’t help but wonder with COVID potentially devastating entire positions, if the staff had considered Haskins first in line for a swap.
I’m pretty sure Haskins would be really pissed off if he was moved back to LB after being arguably our best RB.