dragonchild

May 12th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^

You want someone solid, but I'm leery of putting in an every-down playmaker at PR when you can coach up a specialist.

I know Woodson's PRTD iced our game against OSU back in '97, but if he went down then there's no Big Ten title on the line in the first place.  This is just my personal feeling, but just because something paid off doesn't always mean it was the smart move.  Norfleet has the tools to be a good, if not deadly, returner and if we've got that then there's no need to have gunners repeatedly slamming into our new Hybrid Space Defender.

But if he's been dismissed as people are saying downthread, then it's kind of all irrelevant.  But I still wouldn't have Peppers return punts.

Magnus

May 12th, 2015 at 1:02 PM ^

I've never really understood this theory. You are essentially putting your return guy out there for a few more plays per game (let's say 4 kickoff returns, 4 punt returns). What if Jabrill Peppers was going to play 80 snaps, but the game goes to double overtime and he has to play 88. Are you going to remove him because there are extra chances to get hurt? No. Players are supposed to play football.

Furthermore, good returners don't often take big hits, and half the time they don't take any hits (touchbacks, not fielding punts, punt goes out of bounds, etc.). So you might send him out there 8 times, but he only touches the ball and has a chance to get hit 4 times.

The best guys need to play the most football. If Peppers is the best returner, he needs to be returning kicks/punts.

Ronnie Kaye

May 12th, 2015 at 1:15 PM ^

The volume of injuries is higher on special teams plays than plays from scrimmage. Stands to reason that the risk is higher when guys have 40 yards of running momentum behind them as opposed to operating in a relatively enclosed space.

Magnus

May 12th, 2015 at 1:22 PM ^

I would like to see some statistics, but you don't see many kick returners going down with injury. Yes, people are running downfield at them, but the KR is not a stationary target. He has blockers, he jumps out of the way, etc. I don't remember the last time a Michigan punt returner or kick returner was injured (not saying it hasn't happened). Honestly, this has rarely even seemed to be a discussion except for when Jason Sehorn of the New York Giants got hurt returning a kickoff 17 years ago.

Bando Calrissian

May 12th, 2015 at 6:56 PM ^

Think about it for about two seconds. What other plays in football include catching a ball from a high arc while directly facing eleven players running full speed directly at you? Shit, when a punt is kicked the right way, they're going to be on your defenseless body as soon as you catch the ball, hitting you above the waist at full speed. Regular offensive and defensive snaps are completely different animal in terms of injury potential, especially concussions. There's a reason football rules are moving in the direction of deemphasizing the return game, with some even caking for it to be completely abolished altogether...

Magnus

May 12th, 2015 at 7:52 PM ^

My understanding is that the concerns are more about blockers and "wedge busters" than the returners themselves. Kick returners are not susceptible to big hits on kickoff returns any more than running backs on running plays, wide receivers going across the middle, etc. Punt returners are more susceptible, but the rugby-style punts these days aren't the same sky-high 42-yarders we used to see. So no, I don't think it's that big of a deal.

redman8442

May 12th, 2015 at 9:11 PM ^

a returner in HS. I never was injured or did I have to come out of the game due to hits. I also played defense and offense. Small school + I was really fast... plus people running top speed for 40 yards in a straight line are easily juked.

rambouhh

May 12th, 2015 at 1:21 PM ^

PR and KR are the two most dangerous plays in football. Putting your star in that might only be a marginal improvement over the rest might be seen as an unncecessary risk. Saying that I still want the best person returning them regardless of position

ssuarez

May 12th, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^

Brian says he's underutilized and is so good! He just needs a competent coach, right? 

I could ner really tell if he was serious about thinking norfleet was great, or if he was joking. I'm sure he's just imagining similar guys that were successful in rich rod's offense and dreaming about what could have been (in an alternate reality that never could have existed because he was a hoke recruit), but it always seemed totally disconnected from reality. 

Norfleet seems like a great dude though - sad to see him go. 

Magnus

May 12th, 2015 at 1:04 PM ^

I agree with Brian that Norfleet was underutilized. It doesn't mean that he would have been a superstar with other coaches. But when your team lacks playmakers (which is the case outside of Gallon in 2013 and sometimes Funchess in 2014), someone like Norfleet should get a few more chances. It's not like De'Veon Smith, A.J. Williams, Derrick Green, etc. were in much danger of breaking big plays.

WolvinLA2

May 12th, 2015 at 12:54 PM ^

Never sniffed the endzone?  He took one back, only to have it overturned by a penalty that had no impact on the return.  I know that doesn't count, but you can't hold that against him either.  

I hate when fans judge a punt returned on "has he returned one for a TD or not."  That's not the only criteria.  Return TDs are rare.  If you have a guy that gets consistent yardage but never takes one all the way, that's still very valuable.  

Not many teams have a guy who is returning punts and kicks for TDs.  We had a guy who was consistently getting positive yardage and not fumbling.  We are taking a hit here.  

Helloheisman

May 12th, 2015 at 12:15 PM ^

Hard to see how he fits in this system (other than the return game). I like the guy and all but he hasn't really lived up to the hype. This may explain why he was used at DB in the spring game.

Jimmyisgod

May 12th, 2015 at 12:16 PM ^

Damned, one of my favorite players, but I think the writing might have been on the wall that Peppers is going to be the primary return guy this season,