QB Situation

Submitted by tjl7386 on

OK so it seems that we can almost start preparing for Jimmy H to be our next head coach. Baring something out of the blue happening with Rosen/Other highly rated QB, we head into next season we a 2 deep of Morris and Bellomy/Speight depending on if Bellomy sticks around next year and doesn't get passed up.

I know a lot of people are VERY un-impressed with what we saw out of Morris and based on his hype coming out of HS rightfully so, but if we do end up with that as our depth chart for the QB position what are peoples thoughts on who gives us the best chance to win? My vote would be for Morris and I am sure that is most likely not the most popular vote at the end of day.

Reasoning is as I would sit and watch each painful game every Saturday I would sit there and think how is it possible that Hoke and company would go out and recruit to a top 10-25 class each season and then the talent on the field would like like a MAC team at best. Guys like Kalis who a lot of recruiting experts said was the most college ready guard they have ever seen looking so bad or our 4/5 star RB and QB's looking like they are lost. I feel like this roster has a ton of talent on it, but for what ever reasons our coach was just awful at developing that talent and getting them ready for college. With the proper coaching I feel like we are very close to being able to feild a competitive team. Am I way off here or what??

alum96

December 27th, 2014 at 12:46 PM ^

I have a great affinity for the young Malzone because of his loyaly thru this mess.  I will always root for him just to another higher degree due to that.  With that said, I hope he sits his ass his entire freshman year and learns like a sponge.  We have 2 QBs who have adjusted to college, 1 only a year older, and one 2 years older.  (I'm skippin Russ as a lost cause) 

To skip both of them and go right to Malzone would be worrrisome for me.  While young QBs are doing well in the NCAA these are not true freshmen but RS FR.  That still is a year adjusting to college life, learning a playbook etc.  Yes he will be EE but still.

So my hope is Speight and Morris have a spirited battle and both show themselves to be better than a guy straight out of HS.

shallowcal

December 27th, 2014 at 12:50 PM ^

really seemed to take major steps forward at the end of the year.  getting a QB that can make quick decisions and not hold onto the ball unnecessarily will make them even better. 

I hate to say it, but from the three QB's on the roster, Morris is the only one that i would put on the field.  obviously in the off season things change.  somebody is going to need to step up when jimmy gets to town, and i hope ALL of them, including malzone, make some big strides this spring/summer.  no more 10 touchdowns 15 interceptions seasons. 

Tater

December 27th, 2014 at 11:12 AM ^

Morris may or may not have been "Lionized" by getting thrown in when he wasn't ready.  Then again, having to run Mussmeier's offense under Brandon's guidance is like being told to run the 100 in galoshes.  Part of me thinks he never regained the momentum he lost when he got mono in HS.  The other part thinks he is a great talent who was grossly mishandled by the previous coaching staff.

Bottom line: Harbaugh is going to have four QB's to work with; he will get at least one of them ready.  

Double-D

December 27th, 2014 at 11:28 AM ^

I am willing to let the next coaching staff (JH) work with the kids before we decide their future. I'm not so sure Montana would have been a hall of fame QB had he played his career for he Lions all those years. Steve Young sure changed his game when he left Tampa to go learn under the49r system. I'm excited to see our QB situation develop.

004

December 27th, 2014 at 10:26 AM ^

If his accuracy is better than Shane's (which was nothing to write home about last year), he could ascend to the top of the depth chart pretty quickly.

iskey

December 27th, 2014 at 10:28 AM ^

I'm still fairly optimistic about Morris. I don't think many QB's would have succeeded in the Michigan offensive gameplan of 2013 or 2014.

MichiganStudent

December 27th, 2014 at 10:32 AM ^

Gardner did pretty well in 2013 (in some games), but I have to agree. We have had shoddy O-Line blocking, young receiving corp and no run game. All things that make a QBs life much harder.

Dilla Dude

December 27th, 2014 at 10:30 AM ^

Yeah, I wouldn't rule out Malzone. He won multiple championships and played in arguably the toughest conference in the state. He doesn't seem like the type to back away from a challenge.

He picked apart my Big Reds in the Championship Game two years in a row. I'm over it...mostly.

The FannMan

December 27th, 2014 at 10:32 AM ^

The problem with last year is that there was so little comfortable garbage time to break in a new QB.  Morris got thrown to the wolves against a very good Minnesota team without anything close to a decent game plan.  As you point out, the former staff did a horrible job at developing talent. Nowhere was that more pronounced than at QB.  Devin regressed and Morris also regressed from where he was in the bowl game last year.

I think the best we can hope for is a complete re-set where all the QBs start out from zero and try to move forward.  It may be that Malzone has the advantage of not having been around the last few years.

IMHO - QB coach is the most important hire for the new HC.

bluebyyou

December 27th, 2014 at 11:12 AM ^

Speaking of going undefeated, assuming Harbaugh comes here, the expectation is for an immediate winner and that may not happen.  It has been seven years since this program was something other than a train wreck.  Even the 11-2 mark in Hoke's first year was an aberration.

It may take a couple of years to get the talent in here that will allow us to be competitive with OSU and a few more years to develop the players.  Everyone else in the conference I believe we can be competitive with in a few years, but beating OSU may take some time.  Even with a coaching change, they had continuity, good coaching and great recruiting.

True Blue Grit

December 27th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^

I think under a Harbaugh staff, we win 9 games for sure next season.  This team really has a lot of talent (assuming no major exodus during the off-season) that just needs to be properly organized and motivated.  I'm not saying that we still don't need to upgrade talent at some positions or that we're at Ohio's level yet.  But, we're really not that far away either.  I'd say we need to find some more elite defensive linemen, a few more CB's (in addition to Peppers), and a bona-fide QB who can pass accurately, and this team will be there.   

getsome

December 27th, 2014 at 2:46 PM ^

agreed on elite DL, they desparately need pass rushers.  and QB obviously must be upgraded, its most important position.  but they need to upgrade at most positions on the roster.

hopefully new coaching will squeeze everything out of guys like gedeon, charlton, henry etc.  and also be able to coach up those safeties and DBs to competent level.

team speed is a problem and needs to be addressed at most positions.  they simply lack playmakers across the board.  RB looks much better on paper than WR but none of those RBs will generate many explosive plays.  and i dont envision any WRs housing a slant or making guys miss in screen game...WR could be a problem even if they rush for 250 / game.  but competent coaching will go a long way in reversing hokes flawed mentality and roster

aiglick

December 27th, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^

This Michigan team is better than the 1-11 Stanford team Harbaugh inherited and we play in the Big Ten that can't be much better than the Pac-10 that he walked into even if it wasn't as good then as it is presently. We should see signs next year and then from Year 2 on we should be challenging for a spot in Indy most if not all years. At the very least we should be in it until November.

Expectations should be high if we are paying to have a top five staff. I think Harbaugh will find plenty of challenge and motivation should he choose to be our coach and know he will continue winning or at least will be extremely competitive in most if not all contests.

FrankMurphy

December 27th, 2014 at 10:31 AM ^

I don't think Morris is a bad QB. I think he was poorly coached (like Gardner). His performance in the bowl game was decent. I think Harbaugh can unlock his potential.

LSAClassOf2000

December 27th, 2014 at 10:57 AM ^

This is where I am at with it too. In all honesty, I think we could be pleasantly surprised by Morris if he's actually being developed and coached properly. I actually feel this way about numerous players on the roster, but at the QB position in partcular, you can see the potential but someone has to mold it, if you will. 

Nickel

December 27th, 2014 at 10:33 AM ^

It's just so hard to predict.  You look at a team like Texas and many assumed they'd make a leap because 'obviously they have so much talent and Mack Brown just fostered a country club culture' (sound familiar?) but they struggled to go 6-6 this year under a new energetic coach in Charlie Strong.

I'm trying to keep my expectations tempered, if he can get Morris or Speight to be an average game-manager type QB and the team goes 8-4 next year I'll consider that a success.

Auerbach

December 27th, 2014 at 10:33 AM ^

By 2016 none of you will even be thinking about any of the other qbs on the roster besides malzone. Maybe sooner than that. He has "it". He has all the tools, he's a winner, he's a leader, and he's clutch under pressure.