Hoke - Jake Ryan to MIKE and other WTKA tidbits
- Chris Bryant to take medical
- Jake Ryan moving to MIKE
- Magnuson will miss "most" of spring, will do some individual stuff, surgery went well
- Tuley-Tillman had hand surgery
- Drake Johnson and Darboh are limited and working their way back
- Some other odds and ends related to the D coaching moves
I'm sure someone who was listening can elaborate on/clarify some of the above. These are from Michigan Insider tweets as he was interviewed.
February 21st, 2014 at 8:27 AM ^
Nick Baumgradner wrote a summary of some of the comments made by Hoke, and there is one that explains the reasoning for moving Ryan to MIKE here (link to article):
"He's one of our best football players instinctively, but when he's playing SAM and you face those detached formations, it gets him away from the action at times," Hoke said. "Just think back to the Ohio (State) game, where we had a guy who is a pretty daggone good football player and he's out of the box not (being able to) make plays.This will give him an opportunity to be more prolific for us."
Hoke also mentioned that despite ending his active playing days, Chris Bryant will remain part of the program.
February 21st, 2014 at 8:31 AM ^
Yeah, I think this makes some sense. The spread offenses Michigan (and every team) faces frequently allow other teams to dictate where Ryan lines up. Now he can line up in the middle, he can always be a blitz threat, and he can make plays from sideline to sideline.
February 21st, 2014 at 11:58 AM ^
Are you saying that the opposition was scheming away from Ryan? Because I was really bummed that his name wasn't being called as much as old Jake Ryan.
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On an unrelated note, we should do another "what are you listening to" thread... I got into some of the bands you posted a year or two ago. I've been into Of Montreal a lot lately. Ok now you go.
February 21st, 2014 at 12:00 PM ^
I don't know if they were scheming away from Ryan, because he was injured and not at full speed. But I do know that a lot of formations took him away from the play.
I gotta go, but I've been listening to a lot of Teddy Thompson lately.
February 21st, 2014 at 8:29 AM ^
February 21st, 2014 at 8:39 AM ^
I would bet a lot of money that he falls somewhere in the middle. The job of a S&C coach is pretty crappy to be honest. You get minimal credit for the good you do, but if people get injured you get all of the negative attention in the world, whether it is actually your fault or not. One of the many reasons I decided not to pursue the career.
I would like to see the numbers too though..
February 21st, 2014 at 8:43 AM ^
"The job of a S&C coach is pretty crappy to be honest. You get minimal credit for the good you do...."
Some dude named Barwis might debate that point a bit.
February 21st, 2014 at 8:50 AM ^
One guy, who most casual football fans still have no idea exists, does not invalidate my point.
Not to mention his most rewarding work has been largely outside of college athletics.
February 21st, 2014 at 9:25 AM ^
Well to be fair then if the criteria is "most casual football fan" knowledge base I would argue that the DC & OC positions meet the same criteria. And I think the S & C coach at most major programs is fairly well known given the emphasis placed upon that role recently.
February 21st, 2014 at 9:23 AM ^
And an anomaly largely based on hype and myth from the fan base's teams he worked for. Don't get me wrong, I think Barwis is a very good S&C coach, but not nearly to the degree he was hyped to be (frankly, there simply isn't enough variance in S&C coaches to justify that).
Also, Barwis sought hype and admiration, which is very much contrary to most S&C coaches, to the point that he was loved by fans and not very well liked in S&C circles. Barwis is a very good business man and I think a very good S&C coach. There is likely a reason he is now working in the area he is currently working in rather than at a college though (hint: it's a better fit for everyone involved).
February 21st, 2014 at 10:06 AM ^
I would posit that this has far more to do with his marketing and business skills than the vast superiority of his skills as a S&C coach (of which he is, undoubtedly, very good).
EDIT: What Space Coyote said above ^.
February 22nd, 2014 at 12:24 AM ^
First year of hoke our guys still had those benefits from Barwis. As Wellman spends more time with our guys the injuries are on the rise. That stat worries me. A lot.
February 22nd, 2014 at 9:55 AM ^
S&C coach as well as the many second half collapses in previous years. I'm not saying Barwis didn't have positives. I think he was good but also very good at marketing the "go until you puke" line. It sounds good.
February 21st, 2014 at 8:34 AM ^
When you put a nickel in who do you take out? It's the Sam or you go to a 3-man line. Now, you could in such an event take out the guy playing Mike and then move JMFR to Mike, but maybe the idea is to skip that step.
Secondly, I was wondering what they were going to do with Beyer as I figured he was a guy who needed a spot. I was thinking spelling Ryan at Sam wouldn't be enough given that with a nickel there isn't a lot of snaps. My fear was they were going to puff him up and put him at strong-side end. So, I'm happy that this seems to be out.
We still need a backup to the Sam, but as implied above that's the one spot on defense that you can get away with a subpar or rookie back up. If there's an injury then either we're pleasantly surprised at the development of the back up or there's a reshuffle.
Finally, maybe this will ramp up the competition at Will, which will should be fierce.
February 21st, 2014 at 8:59 AM ^
Seems like M usually lifts the NT when they go nickel.
February 21st, 2014 at 9:26 AM ^
Typically Michigan lifted the NT and kicked everyone else one inside.
DT -> NT
SDE -> DT
WDE -> SDE
SAM -> WDE.
All the SAMs worked with their hand in the dirt and on pass rush moves with the WDEs.
February 21st, 2014 at 8:35 AM ^
February 21st, 2014 at 8:35 AM ^
Happens to players across the country but doesn't make it easy for him, I'm sure. Best of luck to him.
February 21st, 2014 at 8:41 AM ^
Losing Bryant once and for all may not be surprising but it sitll hurts. We are getting even thiner now and less experienced in a position group where we were already pretty thin and inexperienced.
So to recap - From the most recent depth chart was published we've lost our starting TE & our backup LG for the year. And our projected starting LT is still hurt and unable to practice normally this spring.
Anybody else starting to worry we might be reminiscing this year about the "good old days" of the 2013 offensive line?
February 21st, 2014 at 9:20 AM ^
February 21st, 2014 at 10:10 AM ^
February 21st, 2014 at 8:42 AM ^
February 21st, 2014 at 8:42 AM ^
1 or 2 years ago if Hoke would have made the move with Ryan, there would have been zero questions even though at face value I don't like it. I would have just said, "In Hoke I trust."
Now, I just don't like the move, period. Ryan's athleticism is ideal for holding the edge and making plays, he's played the position his whol career and shown All American ability there. Mike is a totally different position that requires a totally differet skill set.
We'll see, maybe I'm wrong, I surely don't know as much about the position and about Ryan as our coaches do.
February 21st, 2014 at 11:13 AM ^
yeah a mike needs to be fast, instictive, able to hold up to and shed blocks, and cover a TE/WR and a sam needs to be instictive, fast, able to hold up and shed blocks and cover a TE/WR..... wait those are the same skills......
February 21st, 2014 at 8:49 AM ^
People were asking the same sort of questions and doubting Barwis when he was here. Injuries happen to every team, they're just magnified when they happen to guys you've been following since they were in high school. Unless someone does this analysis and proves that Michigan has an inordinate number of injuries, I will firmly believe that the injuries UM has experienced are just part of the game.
February 21st, 2014 at 8:53 AM ^
Can Ryan move back and forth or is that too much to ask of a player? In other words, is it wise to play him at SAM against MSU and MIKE against Ohio?
February 21st, 2014 at 9:28 AM ^
He'll likely be able to move back and forth to some degree. It won't be in all downs and situations because he can't get the reps every week to take on all that responsibility. But something like 3rd and Long SAM role is something he has enough experience and is relatively small in terms of prep but key in terms of output that he could rotate in that sort of way.
I don't think he'll be playing SAM one week and MIKE the other though, because it's not just him then that's being affected, but the rest of the LB corp.
February 21st, 2014 at 9:16 AM ^
February 21st, 2014 at 9:19 AM ^
February 21st, 2014 at 10:05 AM ^
Heard he's losing some weight and will get some run at Safety in the Spring.
February 21st, 2014 at 10:12 AM ^
Ross struggled in pass coverage a bit last year. Some of that can be helped with losing some weight, but putting him in a run/pass situation in space seems scary to me. Not to mention he has great instincts in the box, which is rare. Do those instincts transfer further back in the defense? Maybe. But it's rare for players to move back in the defense. It may explain some of the Ryan move, but I would be concerned about Ross at safety. He's quick but I don't think he's safety fast and I don't think I'd want him matched up on a WR or playing center field (Mattison wants safeties that can play both safety spots) even if he lost weight.
February 21st, 2014 at 11:14 AM ^
If that's true, it would make sense to move Morgan to WLB, leaving Ross without a job unless the coaches like him at SAM. Otherwise, I don't know who grabs that spot.
February 21st, 2014 at 10:15 AM ^
February 21st, 2014 at 9:25 AM ^
Could this be a hint at a shift to a 3-4? Is that even possible with the available personnel?
February 21st, 2014 at 9:30 AM ^
In which case, Michigan would probably want more beef at the ILB spot. But I think if they were going 3-4 they would keep Ryan at SAM and he'd play the Woodley position (LB/DE hybrid type) OLB. In a 3-4 I doubt Michigan could afford to move Ryan away from OLB.
February 21st, 2014 at 9:41 AM ^
February 21st, 2014 at 9:58 AM ^
Beyer has never been fantastic.
February 21st, 2014 at 10:10 AM ^
I think he is solid, but I don't think he was fantastic either. He made some really nice plays, but often struggled a bit in space. Most of his production came in nickel when he was able to put his hand in the dirt. I think he is a viable option at SAM, but I also don't think Michigan is moving Ryan to make room for Beyer to play more at SAM. Ross/Morgan were better at ILB in my opinion than Beyer was at SAM.
February 21st, 2014 at 11:26 AM ^
It's just that "fantastic" is a strong word for a guy who - let's be honest - is mostly invisible when he's on the field. He's not a guy who gets blown 10 yards downfield or knocked on his butt, but he's not making the opposite of those plays, either. He's what Brian would probably reference as a JAG - just a guy.
February 21st, 2014 at 10:02 AM ^
I've always been a fan of the 3-4. But I would say one of the most important, if not, THE most important position of a 3-4 is a massive NT who will eat up blockers. Obviously, our D-line has many question marks, especially the middle part.
February 21st, 2014 at 9:38 AM ^
Hoke is getting desperate, and I like that. I have never been that crazy about Desmond Morgan, but I would love to see some variation of Ross, Ryan, Bolden with Morgan and Gedeon spelling them on occasion. Gant is going into his third season; he needs to step up and be a factor somewhere.
The third year is typically go time - when the lights come on for most. This is a huge year for that huge 2012 class.
February 21st, 2014 at 11:30 AM ^
How is this desperate?? Moving player to positions that will better suit your overall scheme is not desperate. It's just smart. Now taking Ryan and moving him to tight end would be desperate.
February 21st, 2014 at 12:19 PM ^
I am not referencing just this move. The OC change, the switching of responsiblities for everyone on defense, putting an OLB who has never played inside in life - those all point to a desperate coach who needs to win now.
And I definitely like that, because at times last year I got tired of hearing, "Wellllll, we just have to get better." Finally, some action to get better.
February 21st, 2014 at 9:47 AM ^
February 21st, 2014 at 9:54 AM ^
Podcast is now up for the Hoke interview.
February 21st, 2014 at 9:54 AM ^
February 21st, 2014 at 10:00 AM ^
This is kind of old news. The wreck of a 2010 recruiting class has been well documented, and the 2010 and 2009 classes have been noted as being mostly unspectacular, too.
February 21st, 2014 at 10:19 AM ^
but it's still mind-boggling, at least to me. I wonder how many programs in the country have faced this degree of attrition.
February 21st, 2014 at 10:49 AM ^
February 21st, 2014 at 11:24 AM ^
The sad thing is that I don't believe that's entirely true. A couple of those guys would probably play significant roles, just by the law of averages, but most of those guys would probably be third- or second-stringers, anyway.