Jake Butt Named Winner of Mackey Award
OFFICIAL: @JBooty_88 wins the 2016 @JohnMackeyAward!! Congrats, Jake!
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) December 7, 2016
READ » https://t.co/WbcNNEMJQr#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/l3uzV4lUV6
Butt on being the first Michigan winner and his place in U-M history
"That means everything again too; it's something that it seems like a long shot when you get into school but through consistent sacrifice and hard work, doing it each and every day and on the off days coming in here and getting extra work in and bringing teammates along throughout four years, it's an honor to have some of those records and win some awards."
December 7th, 2016 at 10:05 AM ^
OFFICIAL: @JBooty_88 wins the 2016 @JohnMackeyAward!! Congrats, Jake!
READ » https://t.co/WbcNNEMJQr#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/l3uzV4lUV6— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) December 7, 2016
December 7th, 2016 at 10:07 AM ^
Noicce! Getting the respect he deserves. I'll miss having the best tight end in college football. I think Wheatley/Asiasi/Gentry/Bunting and the dozen other TEs we have will fill in nicely next year, especially Wheatley.
December 7th, 2016 at 10:08 AM ^
I'm really excited about Asiasi the most.
December 7th, 2016 at 11:02 AM ^
You took the words right from my keyboard.
December 7th, 2016 at 1:04 PM ^
about Eubanks. He could end up being a big wideout, but either way, he'll be a large target to throw to.
December 7th, 2016 at 10:09 AM ^
Huge piece in the transition to the new coaching staff. He will have a great career at the next level
December 7th, 2016 at 11:27 AM ^
Very deserving and a nice guy as well. Hope he gets a chance to catch TD's from Brady.
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December 7th, 2016 at 10:09 AM ^
That's awesome! He's a hard worker and truly deserves this award. Next stop..NFL
December 7th, 2016 at 10:09 AM ^
I'm going to miss this team. Congrats Jake!
December 7th, 2016 at 10:09 AM ^
All TE recruits should take note of this.
December 7th, 2016 at 11:28 AM ^
And QB's. Harbaugh's teaching and play calls to TE make QB's look good.
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December 7th, 2016 at 10:09 AM ^
Excellent!
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December 7th, 2016 at 10:10 AM ^
Congrats to Jake Butt!!! Well deserved.
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December 7th, 2016 at 10:11 AM ^
His second in a row. We all know he got robbed last year. Great recognition for one of the greatest TEs in UM history! Hope he has a long and distinguished NFL career.
December 7th, 2016 at 10:15 AM ^
More like one of the greatest TEs in history.
December 7th, 2016 at 10:11 AM ^
are we not in the playoff?!?!
/ducks
December 7th, 2016 at 10:24 AM ^
Because we lost to Iowa, pretty simple. Honestly believe if we had 1 2 ot loss at osu and they had won the big ten we would have been in over Washington.
December 7th, 2016 at 10:31 AM ^
it. It was angry-rhetorical. We may have the Mackey, Hornung, Thorpe award winners and a Heisman finalist. I feel happy for the players winning these awards but it makes the end of this season all the more painful. (And we would have been in over Washingon, no question).
December 7th, 2016 at 10:41 AM ^
All your award are belong to us!
December 7th, 2016 at 10:13 AM ^
Well deserved, and hopefully this will help with the TE recruiting in the future.
Now just need a Thorpe Award for Jourdan tomorrow.
December 7th, 2016 at 10:14 AM ^
Two-time winner in my mind. So sad to see him leaving, but what a TE legacy he's left behind.
December 7th, 2016 at 11:16 AM ^
One time winner in reality. Two time winner in our minds. Always a winner in our hearts ;)
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December 7th, 2016 at 10:15 AM ^
Yeah Jake!
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December 7th, 2016 at 10:15 AM ^
Looking forward to Asiasi also winning it in two years.
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December 7th, 2016 at 12:49 PM ^
He'll have to fight Wheatley, Jr. for it. :)
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December 7th, 2016 at 10:19 AM ^
I think this is interesting, and it probably shows more respect for Harbaugh than Butt himself, really. There were a few guys who were more productive than Butt, like Evan Engram, Mike Gesicki, and Adam Breneman. None are great blockers. I guess it shows that a national stage really helps, too.
December 7th, 2016 at 10:21 AM ^
So to what extent can some of these awards morph into "lifetime achievement awards"? Butt has been productive since he was a freshman. If you look at the career stats he has produced, I'd be he's ahead of a few of those guys you mentioned.
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December 7th, 2016 at 10:26 AM ^
Went to a senior last year, you might be correct. Although I believe Hunter (2015) was more productive that Butt that year by receiving stats. Butt's receiving numbers this year are actually down from last year as well.
December 7th, 2016 at 11:15 AM ^
Yes, he was.
December 7th, 2016 at 10:28 AM ^
Your main takeaway is that Jake didn't deserve the award and you offer no congratulations.
Good one, Magnus.
December 7th, 2016 at 10:35 AM ^
think Jake is running to his computer to get Magnus' take. And I really don't think he was saying that he didn't deserve it, only that there were other players that could arguably have been as or more deserving.
December 7th, 2016 at 10:50 AM ^
His points have validity, but to give zero credit to Jake for a remarkable accomplishment comes off as dismissive.
December 7th, 2016 at 11:09 AM ^
think many people on here are speaking from the perspective where they believe they have to validate a player's accomplishments. They play for Michigan, we blog it up. They don't look to us for validity. In that, I don't think that a congrats(!) from Magnus is really necessary to validate this award and I think that is the perspective he was posting from. Of course Butt is a great player and did great things, that goes without saying.
December 7th, 2016 at 11:20 AM ^
If I ever meet Jake Butt in person and this award comes up, I will certainly congratulate him and give him credit for winning the award. Otherwise, it's not really necessary.
December 7th, 2016 at 11:47 AM ^
Magnus you're allowing yourself to get caught up in what this board has become. Tow the line or STFU with your nuanced and informed take.
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December 7th, 2016 at 12:46 PM ^
As unnecessary as the thin productivity analysis. Not sure the other guys listed draw triple coverage from the #2 team in the country and still produce, thus opening up huge opportunities for the rest of the offense.
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December 7th, 2016 at 1:36 PM ^
It's not really analysis. It's simply a statement of facts and statistics. I didn't say that he wasn't deserving. I simply said there are other, more productive tight ends. Jordan Leggett is another one. UMass's Adam Breneman led his team in receiving with 70 catches and had better overall output. O.J. Howard is considered to be a better pro prospect.
So the choice of Butt is interesting. To me, at least. That doesn't mean it's wrong.
December 7th, 2016 at 2:35 PM ^
Again, productivity is not measured on statistics alone. Butt was the most productive TE in the country because of his stats, his improved blocking, his leadership, and the attention he demanded from opposing defenses, thus opening up opportunities for his teammates.
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December 7th, 2016 at 2:54 PM ^
YOU might not measure productivity in stats alone. Quite often - including myself in this thread - people are talking about stats when they talk about productivity.
As for the rest of what you said, it circles back to my original point that the award might have a lot to do with Jim Harbaugh. He has a very good history of producing tight ends and utilizing them well, and part of Butt demanding attention from other defenses is the way Harbaugh schemes his offense. Of course a double- or triple-covered Butt opens things up for someone else, but I would guess similar productivity (a.k.a. stats) will appear next year when the primary TE is Ian Bunting or Devin Asiasi or Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. Butt had more catches, more yards, and a higher yards/catch than last year, but he lost the award to a guy with more yards and higher yards/catch. This year the opposite turned out to be true (the guy with lesser stats won).
Regardless, guys are all a part of their own systems, so I'm not taking that away from him. Lamar Jackson is good as part of a system, same for Deshaun Watson, same for Jabrill Peppers, etc. It's just interesting to me that he won the award when there are good arguments for others, including productivity/stats. If it's not interesting to you - and I know the word "interesting" is troublesome for some - then so be it. You don't have to be interested for me to be interested.
December 7th, 2016 at 8:31 PM ^
That is what is wrong with the world today. Stats=productivity. So many things in football that are important are not tracked in stats. Particularly for TE where the player is in fact an offensive lineman. Butt was a hugely valuable player this year in many ways that are not tracked on the stat sheet.
Agree to disagree I guess.
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December 7th, 2016 at 11:18 AM ^
Saying "congratulations" to people who don't read this board is stupid, anyway. I generally don't offer congratulations unless it's to participants here.
But I don't know who deserves the award. What I do know is that there were more productive tight ends in the country.
December 7th, 2016 at 12:30 PM ^
Ticky tack, but from what I've seen of Evan Engram he was a "tight end" in the same way Funchess was. Mainly an oversized receiver who will probably play WR in the NFL
December 7th, 2016 at 2:15 PM ^
Gesicki looks like a baby giraffe in ice skates
December 7th, 2016 at 10:22 AM ^
We have a player whose last name is Butt?? LOL
December 7th, 2016 at 10:27 AM ^
leadership and mentoring this year. Prestigious award. Hope he goes high in the draft.
December 7th, 2016 at 10:30 AM ^
Jake Butt has natural ability and was well on his way to becoming one of the nation's top tight ends even as a Sophomore. Let's not forget that Jay Harbaugh has helped tremendously with recruiting UofM's promising stable of tight ends, and he obviously knows a thing or two about coaching them.
December 7th, 2016 at 10:31 AM ^
and congrats to Jake. Finish the career in style at the Orange Bowl.....
December 7th, 2016 at 11:11 AM ^
Thanks Jake. Very deserving of the award. Excited to see you play on Sundays!
December 7th, 2016 at 11:19 AM ^
Congratulations to Jake Butt, the London Gentleman!