Jon Chait says Ezeh should move to DE
Jonathan Chait wrote a column for The Wolverine. He explains why he doesn't think Ezeh is cut out for linebacker and then suggests that he should move to DE or Quick. FWIW, he also mentions that this probably won't happen.
It's too late for Ezeh to move. He's too small for DE and he would be overwhelmed by offensive linemen. And we already have a good player at Quick in Craig Roh. On top of that, removing him from the middle linebacker competition would leave us with Fitzgerald, Demens, Bell, and Leach to cover those two positions. In other words, one decent player, a former walk-on, a converted safety, and Demens, who's been unable to earn playing time the past couple years, despite the poor ILB play.
This would weaken us at one position (MLB) and wouldn't help at any other position because he'd be a second-stringer at best. It's a lose-lose situation. Just keep him at MLB and hope everything clicks.
http://michigan.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1058711
Thats TWO converted safeties!
After a few more recruiting classes, every one of our defensive players is going to be a converted safety. Hopefully Greg Robinson can continue to come up with nonsensical position names that mask that fact.
Corners: Since converted safeties may not provide blanket coverage, names should imply impending but as yet unseen danger. Phantom and Shadow. (The down-side - if ghosts don't exist, phantoms are a little less scary. And shadows often just follow harmlessly behind you)
Ends: They'll be a little undersized, but faster than your average end. Their speed off the edge will be their biggest asset, so the left side end will be Blaze and the right side end will be Warp. (Possible negative fall-out - off-field transgressions with the green or with aberrant behavior have ready-made punny headlines.)
Interior Line: More than a little undersized, we'll call these Mighty Mouse and Pathogen. Small but dangerous. Additionally to our advantage, O-linemen have a hard time blocking safeties in space, and I'm sure that blocking them in close quarters could not possibly be any different.
Linebackers/Safeties: This group will be interchangeable in allignment, making it hard for the opposing offense to diagnose blocking assignments and coverage schemes. All should have bad-ass names. In the interest of keeping tradition alive, these positions will be named for Wolverines from past years whose names/performances were note-worthy. Plus spinner.
Sword
Steel
Irons
Woodley
Spinner
Golden.
UNless these guys all click and click quick, "Guys who played for former Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez"?
this is the year for Obi.
He's our only hope.
Help us Obi Won Eznobie you're our only linebacker.
He might as well use the Force. Maybe he could use Jedi mind tricks to evade blockers.
He should hangout with Tate more.
If some random poster would have suggested that on the board, I'm pretty sure he would have been negged into oblivion. I really don't see how moving Ezeh to the defensive line would do anything but hurt us.
I think Ezeh should be moved to...
...
...
*clutches MGOPoints and whispers* defensive end.
(Actually I'm hoping with some dedicated coaching this off season the light bulb will come on and he'll grasp D-Robs system.)
Ezeh at QB? That's even more of a stretch than Ezeh at DE. :)
I have no idea why I hit D instead of G (or didn't just go for the always class GREGG).
Time to go visit the coffee machine again.
Leave the heavy lifting on football to Brian and others.
ludicrous journalism about football programs.
...Chait deserves much credit for his takedowns of the Freep Jihadis.
He possibly could have made a good DE but I agree with you, it's too late now and we need the depth at MLB. I would perhaps like to see him blitz more often on passing downs, perhaps off the edge, as he seems to be good when put in that position.
Also, he may have made a good DE, but he also showed a lot of promise in his younger years as a developing MLB, so the move wouldn't have made much sense in that case either.
I like Ezeh, even if he hasn't lived up to what could have been, and he seems like a good and smart kid. I hope this year he turns a corner and we see his potential as a MLB
"I hope this year he turns a corner and we see his potential as a MLB"
Sincerely,
Entire Michigan fanbase
in Obi's 4 years that he is in the same system for a second year. I seem to remember him being decent his first year and then regressing. Hopefully, a second year in Gerg's system and improved coaching (no Hopson) will lead to a better year for Ezeh and Mouton.
defense of RR and Michigan against shoddy journalism. However, I think he's stepped a bit out of his element here.
Having said that, I acknowledge that every time I make a post about sports I'm completely stepping out of my element, too. And I don't even have the talent to write political columns.
He had some good moments in '08. The Utah game comes to mind. I still think he can be...okay.
Good thing the general consensus from the MGo community is that an "okay" defense = at worst 8-4
Is that really the general consensus? Seems pretty optimistic to me
Ezeh on him, hes trying.
I think general consensus around here sees the D-Line next year with RVB moving to DE, Martin being a 3 tech, Roh staying as the quick, and the nose taken by Campbell and Sagesse.
I think moving Ezeh is an interesting possibility. Ezeh, based on all accounts, is a fast and strong athlete but doesn't grasp the mental aspect of the game. A move to the quick may help because it is an easier position to grasp mentally.
Ezeh as the quick, Roh to DE, RVB stays at 3 tech, and Martin is the nose. Campbell, Sagesse, and Banks fill in at 3 and nose. Banks plays some DE as well and hopefully Lalota or Jibreel Black help at DE. Suddenly D-line depth is fantastic and walkons aren't relied on so much. Some people may hate this idea because they don't want to move Roh. I think with an extra 15-20 pounds Roh is a great DE. I guess it depends on how different the jobs of the quick and DE are. According to my limited knowledge they are quite similar.
For me this hope that "the light will come on" with Ezeh is optimistic, but is very unlikely to happen. What makes people think that after 30 or so starts that at start 31 the "light comes on"? I know the changes in schemes and coaches haven't helped, but LB instincts can't always be coached. Some LBs have it, some don't. I would be more optimistic that Fitzgerald, Demens, or Bell would make that big leap forward at MLB.
In different schemes you are taught to make different reads, you have different responsibilities, and the feel of the game can totally change based on the alignment around you. It’s safe to say that a basic 4-3 under look around the MLB (what Obi first saw) is very different then what is around the MLB in our system now.
The MLB is responsible for many parts of the defense often times, knowing gap responsibilities, run/pass responsibilities, isn’t as simple as LB instincts. Suddenly, it becomes very apparent that he is thinking, or actually over-thinking, thus slowing his reaction time and instincts. This is a very likely a possibility behind his regression as of late, and a light could turn on this year, though, admittedly, it won’t turn on from terrible LB to David Harris, but it could easily switch from potential to solid big-ten MLB
They put Van Bergen on the field at 3-tech because he was one of the four most talented defensive linemen and they wanted to find a spot for him. He produced 5 sacks from DT, which is pretty darn good. But that's not his natural spot.
Regardless, you'd be condensing five starter-level players (Van Bergen, Roh, Martin, Sagesse/Campbell, Ezeh) into four defensive line positions. And Kenny Demens is NOT the answer at inside linebacker. I don't know why you'd have more optimism for him (who has never played) than Ezeh (who has played well at times).
"Regardless, you'd be condensing five starter-level players (Van Bergen, Roh, Martin, Sagesse/Campbell, Ezeh) into four defensive line positions"
That's debatable. We don't know for sure that Campbell/Sagesse are ready for starter level minutes. I sure hope so, but neither of them were commanding more minutes with their performances last year either.
I guess my main point is that Ezeh struggled so much that Leach took his job after 30 (or so) straight starts. That is hard for me to forget. To me Ezeh has more upside as a Quick.
It depends which of these two choices you prefer:
Quick- Roh
3 tech- Martin
Nose- Campbell/Sagesse
DE- RVB
MLB- Ezeh
If Campbell is ready and Ezeh turns competent I am all for it.
Quick- Ezeh
3 tech- RVB
Nose- Martin
DE- Roh
MLB- Fitz/Leach/Bell/Demens
Campbell isn't ready and one of the backup MLB's turns competent.
Overall: The lack of a quality MLB can kill a defense. I have more faith in the improvement of Fitz than I do with Ezeh at MLB.
I think you need to watch the OSU game again. He was active and made some plays at the LOS. Campbell really progressed throughout the year and should be considered a good choice at Nose. Sagesee was a decent back up last year as well.
Yes, he made some plays. But, IIRC, he didn't start nor played starter's minutes in that game. Everyone, including myself, wants him to be a beast this year. Remember that he is very young and to be a starter and a dominator as a true sophomore is difficult to do.
Outside of the "Ezeh vs. Fitz/whoever else" debate, the other major thing wrong with your proposed line-up with Ezeh at Quick is that it makes the rest of our DL undersized.
A big reason our D front wasn't as good as they will be this year is because of our lack of size up front. MM is small for a NT, RVB is small for a DT, and Roh would be very small for a DE.
Conversely, Sagesse and (more so) WC are good sized for NT, MM is great for the DT and RVB for the DE. Roh remains at Quick. With this lineup, our front 3 is about 35lbs bigger per person inside, and just as talented. If you think Fitz is better than Ezeh, then play Fitz and sit Ezeh. Don't make our DL worse becuase you want a different guy at MLB.
...then what if Fitzgerald gets hurt? We have no depth at ILB. Inside linebacker takes over the title of "Position with the Least Depth" from cornerback last year.
These are the scholarship players you'd have to play two ILB positions if Ezeh moved away:
Fitzgerald
Mouton
Demens
That's it.
Bell is a ILB too if I remember correctly. Also Leach didn't light the world on fire, but his play was good enough to take Ezeh's job away.
ILB Depth:
Fitz
Mouton
Demens
Bell
Leach
I am not saying moving Ezeh has to be done. I am arguing that we shouldn't be too quick to dismiss the idea. In many ways it makes sense to me.
I do not think Bell is a legitimate threat for playing time.
Why not? I've got to imagine he has more raw talent than Leach, at the least.
I do think he'll play at some point, but I don't think he'll be ready in 2010. Not with a few more experienced players ahead of him.
In other words, I wouldn't count on Bell enough to warrant moving Ezeh to another position.
Isn't everyone's biggest concern with Ezeh that he isn't able to learn the system? What makes you guys so sure, then, that he will be able to learn a new position?
he's better off staying at MLB and that he'll learn the system now that he's in year two under the same DC.
I think you meant the classic "GERG"
I think what people are saying is that Ezeh would do better at DE since there is less reading and less thinking involved.
I think moving him to Quick would be a good idea, especially if Roh bulks up enough to become a true DE. Then, you have a guy in Ezeh will legitimate LB experience as well as the pass rushing instincts that he's definitely shown so far. If Ezeh can get up to about 260ish I see no problem in giving it a try.
His "pass rushing instincts" have resulted in 3 sacks over 3 years, I believe. He's not exactly Bruce Smith. And rushing the passer from a 3-point stance or a 2-point stance on the line is very different than blitzing the A or B gap from 3 or 4 yards deep.
I'm convinced a position change is not value added. We need LBs - moving the player with the most potential out now is desperation.
Is this a failure in scheme on GERG's part? Leach wasn't really any better than Ezeh at stopping the run at the line of scrimmage. There was definitely a coaching point being made when Obi was pulled in games last season. I'm just not sure if Obi is being given the right reads. Isn't MLB pretty much a visceral kind of read. Good LBs still get fooled by play action. Ezeh was just holding his ground regardless at times last year.
DE would simplify his reads, but that isn't going to solve problems at MLB. (Please let Adam Patterson - step up here if possible.)
Dude, Leach was a walk-on. If he's as good as Ezeh, there's something else wrong--not disclosed injury, poor headwork, etc.
I'm still clinging to Brian's hope that a second year coordinator will help everyone's reads on defense.
from MLBs. I would hope to stop the run first and fill the gaps. Obi was not doing this last year consistently.
Props to Leach for getting into the games last year. He played behind Obi in HS as well. That has got to push Obi, IMO.
No, in this case, I meant something wrong with Ezeh. I should have been clearer.
i always thought that if ANY of our LB's moved to DE it would be Fitzgerald.
If Obi is not stout enough to stop the iso play at ILB, he is not stout enough to play DE.
the problems w/ ezeh haven't been his "stoutness," but rather his quickness, angles of pursuit and reaction time.
I would add those to the list of why he cannot play DE, but still do not think he is effective in filling the hole, shedding a blocker, and making the play.