Practice Recap from GBMW
This is one of the greatest posts I have ever read. Its from GBMW. Although Eroc and Maizeman can be very difficult to read at times, I thought this post was excellent. I had to copy/paste it for this board incase people have not read it.
I realize that this is EXTREMELY long, but I thought most people would enjoy it.
Courtesy of GBMW and poster GFord1973.
[ed: dude, you can't C&P whole articles]
April 12th, 2011 at 12:28 PM ^
Maybe Mattison was really impressed what a under-sized,"gritty"white slot receiver
NOT EVERY WHITE SLOT RECEIVER IS THE NEXT WES WELKER
Those are the Rules.
Possibly, but as an aside, does anyone else despise how every sports discussion with someone from Boston ends up with a comparison to a Boston/New England player? I gave up talking to one of my roomates back in the day when a conversation about the '85 Bears ended up with talking about awesome Ty Warren was.
April 11th, 2011 at 11:11 PM ^
I've recently started reading their posts because they seem to have pretty consistant reports of the spring practices. Overall, I really enjoy reading the reports. Although as someone said earlier, there are quite often little shots at the previous coaching staff. But then again, it might just be for comparison's sake. Also, some over there have a serious hard-on for Devin being the QB and Denard being our starting RB. All-in-all, I suggest checking out all the reports, but just keep any feelings on panic or joy caused by such reporting in check. It is only spring after all.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:16 AM ^
Let me say - if we had anything for QB depth behind Gardner, having DG as the starting QB and Denard as a Percy Harvin or Reggie Bush type do-it-all back, that would be best-case scenario. We really don't have that, so I don't think it's a good idea.
However, after we get Zeke Pike next year and Bellomy with a full year to learn the offense and Denard realizes he has a better shot in the NFL at a different position...maybe this happens.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:29 AM ^
I actually totally agree with you here. Not to mention that Devin is basically still a RS freshman. If he gets thrown into the pressure cooker of a B1G season like DR did, he's gonna make the same mistakes. Being good against our 2nd D is unfortunatly, just not a realistic test.
<br>Now another season under his belt, and if he's still growing into that ridiculously high ceiling if his? Well then, we could really have something there.
Great Idea - replace the B10 POY with a RS freshman QB. These suggestions are completely assinine. Denard is our QB and Devin will have his own 2 years AFTER Denard graduates. Until then, he will be a very servicable backup.
Unless of course, the Big Ten POY isn't a good pocket QB or good at making the types of plays that this offense needs, and we have a 5-star QB behind him that is. But, you know, don't let facts get in the way of your logic.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:18 PM ^
I think the logical thing to do would be paying attention to last years on the field results, what the Michigan coaches are saying. And put a proper amount of faith in the opinion of a Michigan High School coach.
That seems to be letting facts work rather well with my logic don't you think?
April 12th, 2011 at 12:32 PM ^
Does the mere fact that somebody is an unidentified high school coach in Michigan mean that his views should be accepted automatically? Why? Who is he? Why the anonymity? How do we know whether he's a knucklehead or not? If he wants to put his opinions out there about who should be starting and who sucks right now and the many ways RR was not a Michigan man, why not stand behind those opinions with his real identity?
When Brian Cook, Tom Van Haaren, Sam Webb, Chris Balas, Josh Helmholdt, or Angelique Chengelis write about what they observe at practice or on the recruiting trail or during games, we know where to go to for follow-up and clarification. Whether we agree with them or not, they're willing to publicly stand behind their statements. If somebody is not willing to do that, then I'm going to take everything they say with a lot of salt, just like all other anonymous stuff on the internet.
I'm not at all blaming the OP for anything, btw. All he did was to provide the info.
April 12th, 2011 at 10:09 AM ^
IMO by saying that Devin is already, a "top three" B10 QB. Come on, that is asinine. Maybe he has that or better POTENTIAL, but to watch a couple of practices and believe that is a serious man crush.
April 11th, 2011 at 11:20 PM ^
Head explode indeed.
I've read Tolstoy novels that are shorter.
April 11th, 2011 at 11:22 PM ^
Or an article from the New Yorker?
Great post
April 11th, 2011 at 11:28 PM ^
This has to be the longest board post in history, and, its unofficial, but I think it is also longer than my Master's Thesis.
April 11th, 2011 at 11:29 PM ^
Accept this or don't accept it, but today just as a year ago, there are things that Devin Gardner is simply better at than Denard Robinson. Devin has a pocket presence that is on another level. There are seniors who have started 20, 30 games who don't have what Devin has. Devin throws a better deep ball than Denard. Denard has only minimally improved this aspect of his game in the last 12 months. Devin can push a ball 40 yards downfield with a flick of his wrist, and do it with touch. Denard must put his whole body into it, and he just has no feel for the good old fashioned "go route". And the science of physics and trigonometry dictate that a 6'4" quarterback will be able to see passing lanes and make throws that a 5'11" quarterback cannot.The play-by-play from Saturday's 1 v 1 and 2 v 2 scrimages at the Big House are very telling as well.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:36 AM ^
Part of this may be driven by my deep-seeded desire to see Denard continue to kill it on the field, but I was thinking about one aspect to Saturday's scrimmage. I'm guessing that there is a massive drop-off in the quality of the defense between the 1s and 2s. How much of the "Devin is the second-coming" and "Denard is Charly from Flowers for Algernon" talk is simply due to the massive drop-off in D?
Granted the guy backs a lot of his claims up with further analysis and very specific critiques (plus relates it back to performance in practice from earlier in the week), but it just seems a bit hard to swallow (that's what she said).
Like I said, this is probably just my knee-jerk reaction to Denard criticism.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:46 AM ^
I think you have something here. Our drop off to the 2's on D is significantly greater than on O.
I'm sure we have some walkons playing with the 2nd string D.
playing with the first string D
Do we still consider Kovacs a walk on? I know he is technically, but I stopped considering him a walk on after last off season.
...a former walk on scholarship player. He earned it and keeps earning it.
but certainly understand if you don't. He definitely deserves it. But regardless, Tony Anderson has been running with the 1's as the corner opposite Avery.
http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/anderson_tony00.html
Good call, I forgot about Tony Anderson. I'm happy to see that a southern California kid is out there competing for a spot. But, on the other hand it just goes to show how thin we are at that position without Woolfolk and JT Floyd.
it's scary as shit
playing on the first string D. Beaten to the punch. That's what happens when you go to reply and the puppies need to go outside.
But a lot of the criticism of Denard that he saw and reported was that he was overthrowing WRs by 10 yards, late on reads, throwing passes unintentionally out of bounds, running 25-yard scrambles behind the LOS, etc -- all of those (save the last one perhaps) really have nothing to do with the quality of the defense that you're playing. That's what's scary.
April 12th, 2011 at 10:12 AM ^
That indeed is our fear, expresses most often by Brian, of the impact of pro style offense on Denard, which the writer reinforces.
April 11th, 2011 at 11:48 PM ^
to suggest Molk might not regain his job.
April 11th, 2011 at 11:54 PM ^
Gotta agree. I hate to pick on one thing in such a huge amount of info, but that's a ridiculous thing to say. The heart and soul for the past two years of a good offensive line and a possible Rimington finalist is not losing his starting job unless injured.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:57 AM ^
Molk probably won't lose his job, but he isn't a great fit for this system.
Wasn't Molk recruited by Carr and co.?
I read all the way up till the point where he said Molk wasn't guaranteed to have his spot when healthy. Then I realized this guy has no credibility at all. The guy might be an All American this year. What a joke. I'm surprised he didn't say Martin might get beat out.
Also the part where he said Denard was trying to go through all his progressions before he took off running unlike last year. Did the guy watch Denard last year or was he just sitting there yelling Rich Rod sucks the whole game. That was one of Denards problems last year. He almost never took off running on pass plays. There would be big running lanes but he would force a pass to a covered guy instead.
April 12th, 2011 at 10:21 AM ^
Agree totally. Denard needs to realize that as a running threat, he needs to be more congnisent of running opportunities. This is still early on in the off-season for him. I expect to see large improvements by next fall.
April 12th, 2011 at 10:13 AM ^
I just don't get that at all. Molk is considered to be one of the best centers in the country next year. Sure, he is a bit small right now, but I just don't see him NOT starting. He is to much an asset for this offensive line. Unless his snapping arm falls off or his weight plummits like Christian Bale in The Machinist, I just don't see him losing his starting position.
April 12th, 2011 at 11:17 AM ^
See what I did there?
April 11th, 2011 at 11:56 PM ^
to hear this condemnation of Denard after all the positive buzz I've been seeing in other reports.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:02 AM ^
one observer's impression of a couple days of practice. I wouldn't put too much stock in it. At this point last year, Gardner was taking the No. 1 snaps in practice
April 12th, 2011 at 12:05 AM ^
consoling me...i still can't wait for saturday's game
April 12th, 2011 at 12:13 AM ^
there were some reports that Mattison unleashed the defense on Saturday with the intent of confusing the shit out of the offense. success. If that's the case I'll be curoius if the same plays itself out on Saturday. Also, as a nother note:
April 12th, 2011 at 12:19 AM ^
From reading this article I was wondering if we were looking at serious offensive regression/stagnation under the new coaching staff.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:38 AM ^
Phewwwwwwwww...
Thanks for that.
Is that counting passes to the defense? (that wasn't nice...I'm sorry)
April 12th, 2011 at 12:16 AM ^
Yo put a little context in that report: the poster who wrote it does not seem to high opinion on Denard. On GBMW, he has even gone so far as to say our record would have been better last year if Tate was the QB. And points to Denard being pulled three times last season for performance as another reason why Denard's not very good. I still can't figure out what he's talking about in that respect.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:40 AM ^
I was wondering the same thing about his reference to Denard getting pulled for performance reasons. I don't remember those three games.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:53 AM ^
I'm pretty sure OSU was one of those games. Heck, it seemed like everyone was getting playing time that day. I thought it was the Delaware State game all over again, in a twisted, heartbreaking, end-of-an-experiment kind of way.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:59 AM ^
OSU was the game in which Denard and Tate kept alternating drives for a while, right?
That was frustrating and not helpful, as I recall.
It didn't help that we were constantly trying to force 4th and 7s with lots and lots of dropped passes because we didn't have our starting punter (suspended) or a servicable field goal kicker. I believe Denard might have been pulled at some point in the Penn State game as well because the offense was sputtering. (On a related note, apparently Broekhuizen's been stepping his game up a bit, according to this article.)
I'll never forget how often I seemed to see that pretty yellow line with Roundtree about 2-3 feet over it, wide open; he'd get the pass and immediately drop it.
I feel like this happened the entire game. When I think of that game the two images I get are Roundtree dropping passes and Pryor scrambling for 348597 yards a play.