This quote from Josh Gattis gives me hope about Nico coming back.
“I feel great where we are,” Gattis said. “I don’t wanna jinx us by any means, but where we are in that receiver room right now I think it is impressive. It’s one of the most impressive rooms I’ve been around in overall depth and skill standpoint. And I didn’t feel this way last year. I didn’t feel this way. I thought there was room for growth and development when I got here.
I find it hard to believe he could feel this way without his best receiver coming back.
September 25th, 2020 at 7:39 AM ^
Could be. Could also be that the two worst attitudes of the group are gone now and everyone is currently gelling.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:08 AM ^
Thats a great way to look at it. There is nothing there that leads me to believe he's hinting at anything other than the guys he has are impressing him.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:57 AM ^
Could also just be coachspeak designed to push what he's got while pleasing the media/fans...
September 25th, 2020 at 8:18 AM ^
Was Nico considered a bad attitude? I didn't see anything negative written about him.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:22 AM ^
I'm thinking it was Tarik and DPJ.
September 25th, 2020 at 10:34 AM ^
Supposedly Nico wasn’t coming back in the first place if DPJ stayed
September 25th, 2020 at 11:33 AM ^
I noticed after DPJ’s sliding touchdown against Notre dame, that he pushed Nico away in the celebration and run up the sideline. I’ve wondered if there was anything to that. But they were also times afterward that they did celebrate together.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:23 AM ^
The rumblings were with DPJ and Black having attitude issues. So removing them is more of a net positive with the WRs than losing Nico. I have no idea if any of that is actually true though.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:29 AM ^
I think frustration from injuries and set backs had a lot to do with it. Also, those guys had two receiver coaches and a ga in their time here. So the inconsistency going along with any perceived attitudes was an issue imo. Nico became the best of the three and I always thought he should have played much more as a tr fr and soph!
Hoping Nico comes back but not holding my breath by any means.
September 25th, 2020 at 9:34 AM ^
I am not buying the multiple coaches as an excuse. Alabama has a lot of coaching turnover every year and I do not see players there complaining about different coaches, etc.
September 25th, 2020 at 9:43 AM ^
You're right.
For everyone else though, consistent coaching turnover means constantly hitting the reset button, which can easily wear on a player.
Bama is the exception. Even with all the yearly coaching turnover, they are always a well oiled machine, and constantly in the playoff, so yeah, most players will probably stick around for that.
September 25th, 2020 at 10:36 AM ^
Multiple coaches at Bama is different than multiple coaches at other schools. Bama has a plug n play system. Saban forces coaches to adopt his playbook, methods, and system. He talked about this on his HBO special with Belichick
I'm surprised that that isn't the norm though.
September 25th, 2020 at 10:43 AM ^
Alabama? As long as Saban is there it doesn't matter who the assistants are. Hell, even I could be an assistant there and they would win.
September 25th, 2020 at 12:11 PM ^
Absolutely! Plug and coach my friend!
September 25th, 2020 at 1:29 PM ^
100%. They don't complain at Bama because they get the ball...a lot. They score...a lot. They win belitnikoff awards and get drafted in the first round.
Michigan hasn't done any of those things for a receiver since...Braylon?
Get them the damn ball. That's something they all have a reason to be upset about.
September 25th, 2020 at 4:07 PM ^
FWIW, Michigan averaged 31.5 passing attempts per game last season. Alabama averaged 31.2... So Michigan is already passing the ball just as much (actually a bit more) than Bama is.
Where you have an argument is the explosiveness and the creativity of the offense. Putting the players in a position where they not only get thrown to, but where they have the ability to do something WITH the ball. Teams like OSU, Alabama and Clemson don’t throw the ball any more than Michigan does. But their offenses are geared towards putting superior athletes in a position to BE athletes. Speed in Space. That’s something Gattis is working on since he arrived.
Now that doesn’t fall solely on the coaches, as it requires a level of awareness on the players part to work themselves open and CREATE space. That’s where someone like DPJ SHOULD have excelled but did not. That’s where someone like Giles Jackson and Sainristil SHOULD excel moving forward. That’s where a number of the incoming freshmen SHOULD excel in the future. All guys who have the athletic ability to create their own space if needed and pick up big yards. Gattis is collecting the pieces to build that type of offense.
September 25th, 2020 at 9:02 AM ^
I’d heard some rumblings about Black but not DPJ. Recall DPJ was working through injuries early in the year and missed a few games- there were offseason rumors at one point that he wouldn’t play at all in 2019. Black on the other hand- notable mental mistakes on the field, missed blocks, couldn’t get open. His best play of the year was a jump ball against MSU with a second rate corner draped over him the entire play... after which he jumped up and got a (somewhat dubious) Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty. Poor effort on 3rd and 10 that led to the 4th and 1 Haskins stuff that ended any chance of coming back against OSU. I think his best game of the year was MTSU.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:26 AM ^
In code I believe he is talking about the likes of last name is similar to multiple persons hyphenated with a word that rhymes with clones, and a guy with the last name that is the opposite of the color white, if you catch my drift
September 25th, 2020 at 8:29 AM ^
I think Black and DPJ are who he is referring to. If either had been “happy” with their situation at M they probably would still be here and starting this year.
September 25th, 2020 at 9:04 AM ^
Not sure why you're getting downvoted, but I think he was referring to DPJ and Tarik.
September 25th, 2020 at 9:10 AM ^
Tarik and DPJ. Both left a bit to be desired in the effort category. Many believe that isn’t limited to just attitude on the field, but that they had similar attitudes in practice, locker room and film study. Obviously not a lot in terms of proof, but that’s been speculated for a while now.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:57 AM ^
Sounds like coach-speak to me.
September 25th, 2020 at 9:17 AM ^
I think there’s a lot to this. Between a group of freshmen coming in trying to prove themselves and a group trying to maintain the gap between themselves and the freshmen, I could see a lot of effort and focus coming out of the group. Ronnie Bell is really the only proven WR we have left so you’d have a lot of guys going out there trying to prove themselves daily and cement their spot in the starting lineup.
Add to that the performance of Milton, which has garnered the respect and confidence of his receivers, and it all adds up to better chemistry and morale. Which makes the effort and development aspect much easier on the end of the WR. You’re more likely to run your routes hard and crisp and finish your routes/work yourself open if you have more confidence in your QB to get you the ball. I saw a lot of WRs giving up on their routes last season and didn’t work themselves open if they weren’t initially open.
September 25th, 2020 at 12:14 PM ^
That is an interesting theory. I think many are prone to underestimating future talent around here because we've gone so long with a dominant receiving threat (probably since Gallon?). Sainristil, Jackson, CJ, Bell--those are four guys that are good enough to impact ANY program in the country. With Nico, we'd have had the best receiver room in probably 15 years, maybe longer. Without him, it still looks like the best we've had in recent memory. Combine that with year two in the Gattis offense, and I predict we set the passing yardage record this season.
September 25th, 2020 at 12:33 PM ^
That requires a lot of projecting in regards to Sainristil, Jackson and CJ.
The three of them COMBINED for 21 catches, 248 yards and 3 TDs. Slightly less production than Nick Eubanks had.
Granted they’re high potential guys, but to say they’re good enough to impact any program takes A LOT of projection at this stage and possibly some unrealistic expectations being placed on their shoulders.
September 25th, 2020 at 12:39 PM ^
Is Nico one of the "worst attitudes"?
I had heard rumblings about Jones but not Nico.
*edit* replied to this very first comment before the flood of people asking the same question.
September 25th, 2020 at 7:44 AM ^
I noticed that comment too, but I wouldn't say that makes me think Nico is coming back. Regardless of talent, it's obvious DPJ and Tarik didn't fit in well. He was pretty blunt talking about how disappointed he was in Giles Jackson until it seemed to click for him halfway through the season. I do remember everyone being surprised it was Sainristil getting all the slot snaps early on.
Not about WRs and I haven't been back to the Gattis thread to see if anyone added more, but I thought it's worth noting Vastardis was the first name out of Gattis' mouth talking about the OL and he gave him a lot of praise.
He also praised Milton's accuracy a lot. Big if true.
I listened to the zoom call on 1.5x speed. Also funny to see the reporters at home in T-shirts or even one guy in his car.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:03 AM ^
Sainristil enrolled early and got a lot of hype in the spring. I think the surprise was that he didn't get more snaps early in the season. The only reason to expect Jackson to play over him out of the gate was stargazing.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:12 AM ^
It was well-publicized that Mikey had a case of the dropsies after his spring vault onto the scene. It took a while for him to rebuild his rep.
September 25th, 2020 at 9:40 AM ^
"The only reason to expect Jackson to play over him out of the gate was stargazing. "
That's not a terrible reason though.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:37 AM ^
You listened "on 1.5x speed" ?
Are you a chipmunk or is "1.5x speed" actually "speed lite"?
September 25th, 2020 at 8:53 AM ^
2 is the start of chipmunk speed. 1.5 is just the speed I wish everyone spoke. I listen to almost all podcasts and Audible books at 1.5 speed and it is so much better. Sam Webb on 1.5 speed is the only way I can handle his manner of speaking. I really enjoy listening to Sam. But I enjoy it more when it’s Fred Jackson’s version of, “Sam Webb but fast.”
September 25th, 2020 at 8:59 AM ^
I also listen to everything on 1.5x. There is a lot that I listen to on 2x. Some people just talk really slowly. The mgopodcast? Always at least 1.5x. If it’s a lot of Brian, 2x. He tends to talk very slowly.
I can’t think of any that I listen to on regular speed. It’s painful, once you go to 1.5, how slow 1x is.
September 25th, 2020 at 9:58 AM ^
I definitely don't listen to most podcasts on a higher speed, but it is helpful for blander material, strictly informational material, or things that are just too damn slow. There are some history Youtubers that break down battles. It's interesting stuff but I don't lose anything watching at 1.25x. Also watched some videos on exercise tips yesterday and often watched at 1.5x or 2x. If I need to watch it again I can just go back and put it back to regular speed.
September 25th, 2020 at 11:50 AM ^
I do this too. This is gonna sound weird but...lately I've been watching math videos (just always loved math and I like watching weird problems get solved) and 1.5x speed is perfect for most of the math youtubers, especially those who do step-by-step math by hand. If they do something I can't follow I'll slow it down/pause.
Sometimes if I want to "skim" a video but don't need every detail I'll listen on 2x chipmunk mode.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:56 AM ^
You can listen to a lot of these things at higher speeds without losing the conversation or getting higher pitched. Some of these press conferences are exacting in the deliberate way they speak. I tend to listen to Sam’s show at 2x on my phone and I don’t even realize he’s speaking at double time unless I actually catch him talking in normal speed on the radio.
September 25th, 2020 at 11:03 AM ^
I listen to all podcasts, audible books, youtube tutorials on 1.5x. People talk too damn slow. Even on programming tutorials where I'm typing as they talk, I do it on 1.5 and then back it up if I missed something.
1.5x is why I think virtual schools will take off. Listening to a teacher explain material in real time is like watching paint dry unless it is Ralph Williams, or that psych professor who played guitar. Drew something.
September 25th, 2020 at 10:48 PM ^
1.5x or even 2x is fine if the audio is at least qausi-professionally recorded/processed and you aren't busy doing much while you are listening.
But I find when you get beyond 1.2x or 1.3x, you start to lose nuance.
I've heard far too many podcasts that sound like they interviewed somebody on their phone sitting on the toilet in a tile bathroom.
Speeding up is also a problem with the mumblers and speakers (especially women) with unsupported breath, where the ends of words and phrases get cut off.
September 25th, 2020 at 7:46 AM ^
I think he's trying to compliment the receivers that he has. I see nothing in that quote that says Nico is coming back.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:33 AM ^
Exactly. What coach would say "Welp, we lost the best guy we had and these other jerkoffs are scared of the jug machine, so this year is going to be a shitshow."
September 25th, 2020 at 9:20 AM ^
Between Milton and the jug machine, I wouldn’t say it’s the jug machine they’re scared of haha. Much more terrified of the 6’5” 245 lbs QB rifling fastballs. Hopefully adding touch to his passes is one of the areas Milton has improved this year... for the sake of our WR’s hands
September 25th, 2020 at 10:21 AM ^
I believe it is “jugs.”
September 25th, 2020 at 11:56 AM ^
Wouldn't that be "they are 'jugs'"?
September 25th, 2020 at 5:40 PM ^
Depends on how big they are.
September 25th, 2020 at 7:47 AM ^
If anything that quote makes me feel more that Nico isn't coming back. Sounds like he's talking up the guys he has
September 25th, 2020 at 7:58 AM ^
If anything I think this is a slight dig at someone sitting on the Browns inactive lists.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:01 AM ^
I totally agree NCBlue. That was my first inclination.
Unfortunately I don’t think this has anything to do with Nico. Hope I’m wrong.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:01 AM ^
“It was all a dream...”
-Biggie