Yooper

March 10th, 2015 at 11:34 PM ^

is Morris has the best talent and leadership abilities and he starts if he can become more accurate and consistent.
What is your take?

Swazi

March 10th, 2015 at 11:51 PM ^

What I gathered is that if Shane can be more accurate he would be the starter easily.  Malzone has been the most consistent, and I honestly think if the season started tomorrow they'd trot Alex out there.

 

Speight seems like he is the odd man out, especially when Gentry arrives.

sj

March 11th, 2015 at 10:08 AM ^

Is developing accuracy for a quarterback easy or difficult? I guess I'd always assumed it was like developing a good jump shot - with work you get better, but getting an NBA-level shot is so hard it can get people into the NBA. This isn't some irrelevant side feature.



If this is right, having poor accuracy and making poor reads isn't just really important, it's a huge, huge issue. There are a lot of great QBs with not-great arm strength. There are none with poor reads and poor accuracy, right?

Malzone, OTOH, consistently does sound very Brees-like, though obviously that's overstated.

 

M-Dog

March 11th, 2015 at 10:38 AM ^

Morris' problem is accuracy under pressure.  It's much harder to rep that away.  Like hitting three's in the gym versus hitting them with guys in your face and bumping you off screens and having a half second open window to take the shot.  Some guys can never make that leap.

papabear16

March 11th, 2015 at 11:07 AM ^

There are a few elements to a quarterback's accuracy, and they develop differently.

First, there's the mechanical aspect of just being able to hit a bull's eye. This is the aspect that is most like a jump shot, and it can be improved with repetitions, plain and simple. When I was a high-school kid, I threw through a tire for hours. This is how you work on that. In a game, you need the ball to go where you intend it.

This mechanical aspect of accuracy is really important unless you are typically throwing to wide-open receivers (who can then adjust and still make the catch). But alone, it is not sufficent to have what is typically described as an accurate QB.

The second aspect is knowing where the bull's eye is, or identifying the right target. I don't mean identifying the right receiver, but instead identifying the exact spot where the ball should get to the receiver. At his belt? In his numbers? At his knees? In stride? A little behind him (i.e., between zones)?

This is much harder to develop, as it requires a lot of study so that the QB knows what to expect, as well as a lot of reps with a full passing offense and defense so that the QB can practice adjusting from expectations. 

Finally, there's a timing or feel aspect that is very much related to the second aspect. Imagine Brian Griese running the classic TE waggle play. As Griese turns back after the fake to face the D, he's giong to have a number of ways to get the ball to the TE. Does he need to fire a rope between a couple of 'backers? Does he have a soft hole to lob the ball into? And this is complicated by his own options. Can he step up all the way and throw as hard as he is able? Is there a charging DE in his face that limits his forward step or forces him to throw on the run? All of these things affect the number and location of the bull's eyes Griese can hit. 

These last two aspects are much harder to improve than the first. But any improvement on the last two is almost irrelevant if the first aspect—the ability to hit a target—isn't mostly there.

So the question really comes down to: What is Morris's problem? That really can't be answered by looking at film, because when we see him miss a target, we don't know why he missed. Did the ball not go where he wanted? Did he pick a bad place for the ball to go? Did his receiver run a terrible route? Coach Fisch is probably assessing this better in drills right now.

If Morris's—or any QB's—problem is with the first aspect, that's a big problem. That needs to be fixed before much work can be done on the others. If the problem is with the other aspects, well, those are more advanced problems, and those are the sorts of skills Harbaugh & co. seem very good at helping a QB develop.

Valiant

March 11th, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^

My feeling is that Morris' struggles are mostly related to the second and third aspects - basically that he still lacks a good feel for the position.  This could be due to a lack of real game experience (he essentially missed his senior HS season) or it could point to a more fundamental inability to master the mental aspects of the position.  Personally I think the light bulb will eventually go on and the game will slow down for him, but for Michigan, it's a question of when that will happen.  They don't have time to wait any more.

As some others have also said, I would love to see Rudock come in and if he wins the starting job, have Shane redshirt, leaving him 2 more years of eligibility.  Starting in 2016, we would then have Morris/O'Korn with 2, Speight with 3, Malzone/Gentry with 4 and then whoever we bring in for 2016.  It's a pretty big number, but it seems like this is the way Harbaugh likes manage the QB roster.

Edit: I don't actually think it will play out this way.

papabear16

March 11th, 2015 at 2:47 PM ^

I don't think it will play out that way, either, but I think you are right that it would be one of the better chains of events, at least long-term.

But let's not write off Morris yet (and I'm not saying that you were). The "light coming on," as you describe it, requires reps, and it looks as if he's finally going to get a whole bunch of them. A change of coaching staff can also be helpful, as a kid with a rough start can shake it off, start fresh, and clear his mind a bit. Finally, being the senior QB on the team should also help, as leadership fuels confidence. So this is about as good a situation as Morris could ask for. 

That said, and while I certainly want the best QB to play, I find myself pulling for Malzone. From what I've seen of him in high school, he's likely to be my favorite kind of QB to watch—smart, accurate, and good in a tight spot. That's just a hunch. We'll have to see how it plays out.

JOHNNAVARREISMYHERO

March 10th, 2015 at 11:37 PM ^

My take is there is probably someone (s) that is performing better than the others.   But he isn't going to tell us or the media.  That is perfectly fine.  

We want to know, but we don't need to know.   Harbaugh will have someone ready for the first game.  That's all I need to know.

In reply to by JOHNNAVARREISMYHERO

UMgradMSUdad

March 10th, 2015 at 11:40 PM ^

I agree.  And who the pundits claim is ahead or behind at this point is just guess work and probably doesn't correspond to what the coaches think anyway.

In reply to by JOHNNAVARREISMYHERO

Nacho Man

March 10th, 2015 at 11:41 PM ^

Considering that there are a total of about two starts between all of the QBs, I don't think he's lying. Harbaugh will probably have more than one guy ready for Game 1, but after practice #4 for the Spring, I actually hope they don't have anyone they're expecting to start.

In reply to by JOHNNAVARREISMYHERO

alum96

March 11th, 2015 at 12:01 AM ^

Bingo.  And really it doesn't matter who has separated today.   It matters who separates by next August.  But they are going to foster a culture of competition and they certainly are not going to show any cards publicly.  Coachspeak 101.

We'll be Champions

March 10th, 2015 at 11:43 PM ^

Judging by his comments, I think that he thinks that Morris has the most potential, but thinks that he needs to learn how to make better reads. Also, I think he thinks the other 2 are a bit raw

Rasmus

March 11th, 2015 at 8:22 AM ^

For what it's worth, he did use names:

"Wilton is a very large man (6-feet-6, 235 pounds), a big guy. He can see everything. He's a pretty good athlete, throws the ball well, but he doesn't seem to have had a ton of experience. … Wilt makes a lot of nice throws and is a good-sized kid."

"Shane has a very strong arm, which everybody knows. He spins it well. He just has to understand that's not really the most important thing. ... Now it's a matter of what can you do with it. How do you utilize it. His arm strength is tremendous. He's really comfortable as a quarterback. That's fun to watch him in the huddle, and he has a really good command of what we're asking him to do."

"Alex should be a senior in high school right now. ... I know he's got a lot going on. He has handled it unbelievably well. He is unbelievable in terms of his ability to not let things bother him, to be consistent, and to jump right back in and play the game. If a play doesn't go right, he's right back in, ready for the next one. Short-term memory is phenomenal for a quarterback."

Michwolverinefreak

March 10th, 2015 at 11:55 PM ^

I dont know if its my computer, but I have like a window within a window. I have MGoBlog up but in the text box that I would be writing in theres another MGoBlog; I'm typing in the window within the window. MGoCeption. This shit is weird...

Oh yeah, quarterbacks, I'll bet they're all real cool kids.

JFW

March 12th, 2015 at 10:20 AM ^

I had to chuckle. I got yelled at by a TA when I held the door for her freshman year. I wasn't even trying to be particularly chivalrous. I usually hold the door for someone right behind me. It was one of those 'Wow. College isn't like the real world' moments. 

RobM_24

March 11th, 2015 at 12:01 AM ^

Morris has strong arm strength and pretty good mobility. I think he could play the Kaepernick role for Harbaugh's offense. Unless Malzone really shines, it has to be Morris. Also, won't this be Morris's 3rd OC and 3rd QB coach of his career? It's not as if he has a huge advantage by being a Junior, so I'd expect him to need some time to become acclimated to a new staff/system.

JFW

March 11th, 2015 at 4:52 PM ^

for the WR's cycling between lefty Morris and the other QB's? I.E. if Speight gets reps right after Morris might the WR's have a couple of drops because the ball is spinning the other way, or something wierd like that? Or are there ways to coach around that. 

Reader71

March 11th, 2015 at 12:04 AM ^

Morris will start. His physical ability is so good that coaches will really, really want him to work out because if he does, the sky is the limit.

Very few people have that kind of arm, and a good coach will not want to waste it on the bench without even getting a look. He might be on a short leash, but he will get a shot. Coaches, all of them, are obsessed with the idea of the golden arm.

And Harbaugh has a precedent - he benched Alex Smith, who was playing at a very high level, for Kaepernick, who has the better tools.