Michael Shaw's Position?
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Johnathan just got an awesome face paint job. What do you think Johnathan?
March 19th, 2010 at 10:10 PM ^
I like Turtles.
are position titles. PCootB is not.
I really liked the way Vince Smith was catching out of the backfield toward the end of the year (v OSU, Wisconsin). I hope there's more of him in that role next season.
with having a handful of capable backs when you really don't have a true starter you can count on.
I don't Shaw is going to be our starter or 2nd string, i think it will be Fitzgerald Toussaint, then Vincent Smith. So we might as move him somewhere esle.
Why so much hate for this guy's opinion? He's entitled to it, and it's not like what he said is SOOOO unreasonable. I don't think that's what will happen, but it could. Shaw wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire last year, he was just ok.
I agree. While it isn't very probable, Fitzgerald is the player that I am most excited to see this year. If his scenario comes true, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
In September, Vincent Smith will be about 10 months removed from ACL surgery. I don't think we should move Shaw away from RB just yet.
finally starts!!!
We need to see at least three different styles out there at RB this year. For example: bruiser, slasher, burner, patient back who uses blockers well, little guy, etc. That has traditionally been how UM has done so well on the ground.
With enough different styles, most teams can't defend them all and you eventually find their weak spot.
I like the Tyrone Wheatley in his Junior season type of running back rotation best.
He's one of those guys I really wish had left school early. He was never the same after his shoulder injury his Senior season. Damn, he was good.
March 19th, 2010 at 10:25 PM ^
Wheatley actually had shoulder problems in both his junior and senior years and missed time. His sophomore year was his only fully healthy one. Still he rushed for over 4,000 yards.
I always liked the fact he used that as his number in the pros.
Has Shaw ever been completely healthy yet?
A little off topic for this thread but I don't want to start a new one but what kind of back is fitzgerald toussaint? I didn't read mgoblog a lot during his recruitment but I know that Smith is more of a cutter than a bruiser and Stephen Hopkins is an absolute tank from what I've heard. So I was wondering where fitz fits in?
a complete back. He's not the fastest or biggest, but hes probably the most well rounded back on the roster. He's slower than Shaw, not as agile as Smith, and not a b back type like Cox or Hopkins, but when you add all everything together, you find the best feature back in Touissaint. Think Chris Perry.
I think Shaw will really shock people this year. With him being the #1 back in camp, and him finally being healthy, he should have a big breakout year. He's a big play threat if he finds an alley.
If Toussaint isn't the faster RB we have, he's damn close. He was an all-state (if not state champ? I can't remember) in high school. He has blazing speed. MAYBE Shaw is faster, but saying "he's not the fastest" is a little misleading.
He would be the fastest RB on most teams in the NCAA.
March 19th, 2010 at 10:10 PM ^
"If he finds an alley" unfortunately has been easier said than done for Shaw so far. He reminds me alot of Carlos Brown. Great speed, big play threat, great receiver. Poor vision, doesn't break tackles, goes down on first contact/arm tackles too often, not a great blocker.
I realize he's only going into his junior year, but his vision is an especially big problem for me. If the hole isn't massive, he's not seeing it. I remember someone posting after the OSU game, wondering "why the Oline was blocking better for Smith than Shaw." Unfortunately that wasn't the case. Smith just sees the cutback lanes and smaller creases far better than Shaw.
I'll admit I've never been a big fan of Shaw purely as a running back. Of the backs we've actually seen so far, I'd rather see Smith and Cox get more carries than Shaw. I've always thought he'd make a far better slot or even outside receiver. His vision would be less of a liability, and his speed would be a great mismatch.
That said, at this point it's probably too late to move him even if you wanted to. I wouldn't consider moving him this year with Smith coming off a knee injury and everyone else having little to no game experience. Moving him as a senior doesn't make much sense to me. And who knows? The vision could improve, and he could actually start breaking a tackle or two. And hey, he is only a junior.
March 19th, 2010 at 11:01 PM ^
Good post, and this has been my worry when it comes to slots playing RB. Speed and athleticism cannot replace VISION.
March 20th, 2010 at 12:43 AM ^
Shaw should get a little more credit than hes getting. He is pretty elusive when hes not banged up (yeah, if that happens). I agree that he doesn't have the best vision but I think hes our biggest homerun threat out of the backfield.
Touissaint is fast. But he's not as fast as Shaw. That doesn't mean hes slow.
I think Touissaint is the typical Michigan RB. Run it 25 times a game, get 4-7 yards a crack, and bust a big one every once in awhile. I just think Shaw will give us more big plays.
I think Shaw is a better big play threat than our other RB's. That said, I don't think he's likely to actually give us more big plays. Shaw is the type of guy that's going to give you 2 yards, 2, 3, -2, -4, 60. And I'd honestly be fine with that if he was Barry Sanders and had the ability to run with no offensive line whatever, getting those 2 and 3 yard runs when he should have had 6 yard losses.
But as I said before, At least so far in his career, if the hole isn't massive, he's not seeing it. Those two's, three's, and negative two's are on runs that other backs with better vision and the ability to actually break a tackle or two will get 4, 5, 10 yards on. I realize he was banged up, but there was a reason Smith averaged 4 YPC against OSU while Shaw averaged 1, and it wasn't some vendetta the Oline had against him.
I think Shaw's the most likely to give you 60 on any given play. But who would you rather have, the guy that gives you 2 per carry and then busts off the 60, or the guy that gives you 4 a carry and then busts off the 30? I'll honestly take the latter, but that's just personal opinion.
I don't want Shaw to get shut out of the offense altogether. He is still a valuable piece, and I agree that he has big play ability. But I think that if his vision and power don't improve, he's got to be somewhat limited in favor of other backs, and put in situations that get him in space, whether that's end arounds, bubble screens, the occasional carry out of the backfield, whatever.
EDIT: Well, I didn't mean to post two novels. I'm going to try and keep my posts a bit shorter in this thread.
March 19th, 2010 at 11:08 PM ^
Touissaint is a blazer. Lightening. You should definitely rewatch his highlight real, kid never gets caught from behind.
I knew a kid who saw him play a few times in high school. He said Fitz has a tendency to dance in the backfield, sacrificing 5 yards to try and get 20, only to end up losing 2. As much as I like Mike Shaw, his indecisiveness kills me sometimes and from the description they seem fairly similar. I am hoping that with good coaching and a little experience he'll maximize his talent.
being smallish (though not hart/smith sized).
good vision, with quick cuts. (slasher)
fast, but not a top end burner.
he does have Top-End Savoriness™ however, which is nice.
I think the array of different style backs will completely stymie and then terrify opposing defenses. Throw DRob in the mix......chalk it up with many W's this fall, unstppable!
March 20th, 2010 at 12:06 PM ^
I don't mean to justify the original post by bumping this, but to anyone who says Shaw isn't shifty, go to 4:38 in this video. The guy has serious potential. We already know about his straight line speed.
Thank you for providing video evidence.
I think Shaw is going to be a good player here in the next year or two. When he's fully healthy, I'll take him over Vincent Smith. I said during Shaw's freshman year that Shaw might be the biggest breakaway threat Michigan has had since Tyrone Wheatley. He's got some moves, a little bit of power, and a lot of speed. He just needs reps (and some luck in the injury department).
I agree completely. I remember when we got him that everyone was all over Mcguffie's nuts, completely ignoring that Shaw was higher rated. The dude's just been hurt.