Reasons to be optimistic in 2014
With only a handful of bowl games left to finish off the 2013 college football season and so many fans feeling disappointed and panicking about the future of Michigan football. I figured I'd share some of the reasons why I'm optimistic about the 2014 season and beyond.
1. We'll have real competition at the QB position. For the first time since ... God knows when, We'll have alegit competiton at the QB spot. It's Devin spot to loose but we'll have 4 scoloarship QB's gunning for the starting job. 3 of the 4 have college game experience!
2. The Offensive line will play better as a whole. I heard all the doom and gloom about how can they possibly improve with losing two NFL caliber tackles. They are right in a way the tackles position will be downgraded next year. The major point is with so much pressure coming up the middle, we could have had Tony Boselli and Jonathon Ogden as tackles and not done much better. Point is there will be competition on the line as well. These guys want to win championships, they are hungry, young and talented. They'll push eachother this off season because nobody is guarenteed a starting job.
3. The running backs as a whole will improve. Green and Smith both played better later in the season even with the offensive line problem and when they played more pass protection looked ALOT better ( sorry fitz but you cant block very well). Denard was an extremely talented college football player but the guy we missed most after Denard had to be Vincent (bang-bang) Smith. Running touissant as an every down back when he couldn't block to save his life got Devin killed most of the time. De'veon smith seemed like a better over all back as far as blocking/ running goes. I'm also not forgetting Drake Johnson was the number 2 back before he got injured.
4. Key players and possible key players coming off major injuries. Jake Ryan came back mid season after tearing his ACL in the fall. It's hard to imagine he was 100% jake Ryan. Countess had a major injury last year, Wormley too. this Year Pipkins went down, Darboh, Drake Harris, Chris Bryant, Chris Fox and Gardner was beat up all year, I wouldn't believe you if you told me Touissant was 100% all year after that fracture. Hopefully these guys are all healthy enough to play their best football next year.
5. Funchess and Butt are the real deal! Funchess had the dropsies a bit this year but, he was a sophmore and honestly didn't get targeted enough as a freshman. When you drop a 1-2nd down pass yea that sucks but when you drop a 3rd down pass that kills a drive. If Funchess can correct the drops he is a great receiver... Tight end. Jake Butt had an awesome freshman year and physically he and Ian Bunting are very similar. If bunting comes in and plays like Butt as a freshman and Jake improves from his freshman year they are going to be 3 guys who are crazy hard to cover. I'm not even going to mention all th other WR's, someone coming back has got to be good atleast. I mean Darboh was the 2nd coming of Jerry Rice before he messed up his foot... right
6. The defense is what it is. This is the same staff that turned around one of our worst defenses ever and made them servicable. They get a pass from me, so i'm expecting the defense to play a lot better as a whole. We played 3 freshman in the secondary. 2 where true freshman. Part of the season we played a true freshman Linebacker, and our D line had mutiple true freshman and red shirt freshman getting alot of play time. I'm not worried about next year.
Now I admit i'm one of those guys who looks at the schedule and says 10-2,11-1 every year. I've been a fan for a long time and thats usually how it went with one head scratcher (why the hell did we lose that game) a year. So 9-10 wins season are what I am used to. I look at our 2014 Schedule and I see 2 really good teams , 2 good teams and 6 teams we should roll. Ohio state and MSU are really good teams and should be really good next year. They are our best chances for a loss. Everybody else tho, come on you have got to like our chances against. We play well at Notre Dame who loses their 2 best defensive players and even when play like crap they can barely beat us. We had 13 turn overs in our last 2 losses to Notre Dame. Utah plays terrible away from home and everbody else is a home game or mediocre. We usually beat mediocre teams on the road. I'll call us 10-2 and 3rd place in our division. If we finish any worse atleast you guys will see some staff changes, so there is another reason to be optimistic!
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:44 PM ^
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:04 AM ^
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:07 AM ^
there's that word "should" again all over the place. Question is, WILL they?
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:57 AM ^
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:50 PM ^
Exponentially? Like JMFR x JFMR x JFMR?
How about "JFMR should play better than he did this year."
January 2nd, 2014 at 6:39 PM ^
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:07 AM ^
I actually don't think the defense is far off. They are 3 playmakers away from being REALLY good. If Jabrill can come in and cause havoc, that's one. If PeeWee can come back from injury and have a big impact, that's 2. Just need somebody from that LB spot to step up, and they could be really good.
And as we know, this team, as flawed as it was, could've won 9-10 games THIS year. We literally gave away the PSU game, and you could argue we also fucked off the NU/Iowa games as well. Add in a failed 2pt conversion, and well...
The coaching staff might hold us back from ever being great, but this team isn't as far off from being good as we might think.
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:09 AM ^
I think that LB play is the one place we're pretty well set at...for the most part.
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:12 AM ^
Anyone else having bad 2014 luck already? After not doing much of anything yesterday, today is hitting me with some bad luck.
-Windhsield wiper broke this morning in the middle of the drive.
-Spilled hot coffee
-Button on new jacket broke off this morning
Is 2014 trolling anyone else?
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:16 AM ^
Addressing your points:
1) we can only play 1 QB at a time. the rest don't matter. If DG gets hurt, it's nice to not have the QB play fall off a cliff, but that didn't really affect us this year.
2) OL: wishful thinking. at best, we can work into a 'Bad for the B10' level of play here.
3) RB: I suppose, but it really depends on 2 more than anything.
4) we had a remarkably injury-free year this year. In fact, all 3 years under Hoke had very few injuries. Again, that didn't really affect us this year.
5) yeah, TEs should be better. but it's been 10 years since I've thought a TE could be a significant contributer to the play of the offense. plus, 87 ain't no TE. A True So TE won't be the catalyst for a great step forward on offense.
6) The D is what it is: a solid group who can't defend the spread, has few playmakers and no pass rush. they will be a solid group that will be a shade under elite, at best.
at this point, 2 losses next year is the ceiling, with 5 the floor. the schedule isn't that bad in the east- it's jsut that our big 3 are on the road.
I think we lose @ ND, @ MSU, @OSU and one of Minn/Rutgers/PSU- probably Rutgers since it's on the road. 8-4 with no real contension for the E division- MSU and OSU will lock that down early.
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:18 AM ^
My thoughts exactly. 9-3 (6-2) seems the most likely with losing to anyone outside of @ND @MSU and @OSU being a huge let down. If we lose to all three of our biggest rivals I think Hoke loses the fanbase support.
January 2nd, 2014 at 7:01 PM ^
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:23 AM ^
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:25 AM ^
THERE AIN'T NO REASON TO BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 2014 - I AIN'T EVEN DROPPING AN ALBUM THIS YEAR.
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:29 AM ^
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:47 AM ^
Just to vote up optimism. It's a new year and in a few weeks, enough alcohol consumed will help resume the collective amnesia of the previous year's season that occurs annually.
MSU was 7-6 last year (3-5 conference) and turned things around. Every year is a new chance. Michigan has the talent to compete with anyone in the Big Ten.
As for concerns about schemes other opponents run against us, this past season was nothing new. For the past 30-40 years at least, the gameplan against Michigan's offense is to stack against the run and make Michigan throw the ball. On defense, opponents have known to throw against us for decades. There were several years where we had Ty Law and Charles Woodson (and others) where that changed, and then the RR years when we decided to defend neither run nor pass, but that's just been the way.
So if you're feeling bad then it's time to stop.
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:55 AM ^
that the players will improve. In 3 years, who really has taken a big step forward? ........... Jake Ryan before his injury? Ummm, I honestly can't think of anyone else who the staff has really developed into an elite player.
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:51 AM ^
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:07 PM ^
I'd say Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield vastly improved under Hoke, as did Jeremy Gallon. Funchess showed quite a bit of improvement from year 1 to year 2. I guess it is pretty hard to gauge how much a certain player has improved when you are breaking in as many new starters as UM did in 2013. I believe UM returned 12 starters from 2012 and I am saying 4 of those 12 showed quite a bit of improvement. Maybe that number should be higher but I also don't think this years team was near as talented as others do.
January 2nd, 2014 at 2:03 PM ^
Jake Ryan was already trending to great in RR's last season. So I wouldn't include Ryan on that list.
January 2nd, 2014 at 2:40 PM ^
Ryan was redshirting during RR's last year. He started his and Hoke's first game at Michigan as a redshirt freshman against Western Michigan.
January 2nd, 2014 at 10:56 AM ^
At this point i don't see much improvement for 2014. Same players and same coaching as last year.
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:09 AM ^
The team has a LOT of work to do in the next 9 months. Emphasis on lot. I remain cautiously optimistic but will not buy into spring ball or fall camp hype anymore. I refuse to let beat writers get my hopes up. I will consume as much first hand information (practice film, spring game attendance) as I can and make my own analysis.
Also, can Dave Brandon amend Hoke's contract to include him wearing a headset all the time during games. I swear every head coach in the country and recent memory (Epileptic Jerry Kill and Senile Joe Paterno aside) wears a headset and is actively engaged in high level decision making if not direct play calling except Hoke. Hoke can excell at recruiting and being a position coach without being the head coach. End of rant.
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:22 AM ^
Why do you assume Kill's condition has a relationship to wearing a headset?
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:43 AM ^
He took the headset off when he was taking a break due to his health.
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:48 AM ^
So, if Hoke is not wearing a headset on the sideline, he is doing the equivalent of taking a break from coaching? Wow.
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:58 AM ^
I don't think that's what he was asserting at all.
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:22 PM ^
Not what I was asserting at all. I watched close to 10 bowl games in the past week or so. Every head coach I saw was wearing a headset and either calling plays or talking constantly to play callers. Hoke does not do this except during the final drive of a half.
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:31 PM ^
I'm still not sure why you compare Hoke to Kill, but I'll just take your word that I am missing the connection. But I do get your larger piont.
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
My point was not to compare Hoke to Kill but to show how radically different Hoke's in game coaching is to all other coaches. I merely used Kill as an example of another head coach who currently does not wear a headset on game days. Prior to his health related leave of absence I'm pretty sure Kill called the plays for Minnesota. When coach Kill took his leave of abscence he was shown in the press box without a headset on. He has also been on the sideline with no headset on because he passed head coaching duties to his long time offensive coordinator.
So Jerry Kill during his health related leave of absence and Joe Paterno are the only other coaches I have ever seen that do not wear a headset full time on game day. When your company is a guy taking a health related leave and an octagenarian something is off.
January 2nd, 2014 at 1:15 PM ^
I got it now. I am not as familiar with Minnesota as you are - I thought Kill was getting treatment and was away from the games. Yet, Hoke was clearly involved in the game even though he was not wearing a headset - this included coaching up the players on the sideline, interacting with the refs, making calls such as 'going for it', interacting with Mattison, and so on. Comparing Hoke to Kill, when Kill had turned over head coaching duties, based on the presence or lack of a headset is really weak. The comparison to Paterno is more apt. But Kill? Not so much.
My impression is that Hoke knows that Borges is a better strategist and playcaller than he is, and therefore Hoke leaves that part of the game up to Borges. This does not mean, however, that Hoke does not need a better strategist and playcaller than Borges. It just means that Hoke knows he could not do a better job, and his approach is to leave that part of the game up to his OC. Basically he is a 'hands off' type of coach during a game. He knows his weaknesses.
January 2nd, 2014 at 1:27 PM ^
"this included coaching up the players on the sideline, interacting with the refs, making calls such as 'going for it', interacting with Mattison, and so on."
These were all things I thought were acceptable. The head coach should let the position coaches do the "coaching up on the sideline". Interacting with the refs is a basic part of the job description. High level calls such as "going for it" are different from discussing which play to use when going for it.
Hoke has been a head coach at the NCAA D1 level for 11 years now. He has no excuse for not being versed in offensive football, especially on his own team with a OC he has worked with for 5 years.
January 2nd, 2014 at 1:38 PM ^
I'm not so sure one person should or should not be coaching up players. Perhaps both the head and position coaches should.
Here's a question for you: If Hoke had an OC who seemed to make all the right calls, would you still mind Hoke not wearing a headset?
For me, I dont care what Hoke's in-game approach is - that's up to him. He should coach the best way that fits his personality and knoweldge, and let his results carry him as high or as low as he is capable of going. If Hoke coaches by handing all the game-level offensive duties to his OC, then he damn well had better have a great OC. That means that he has to correct bad offensive playcalling outside of games - like firing the guy and hiring a better OC.
January 2nd, 2014 at 1:52 PM ^
To answer your question honestly I probably wouldn't mind. I didn't care about the headset in 2011 when we won a BCS game.
Still I find it odd that of 120+ head coaches Hoke is the only one who doesn't wear a headset full time on game day. Even if he is letting the OC run the show I'm surprised he doesn't want to listen in and get a feel for what is happening on the offensive side of the ball.
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:48 PM ^
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:57 PM ^
Maybe he got the memo?
January 2nd, 2014 at 5:01 PM ^
And if he did how did that headset thing work out for him in the bowl game?
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:14 AM ^
They must develop a run game. That should be goal 1-a and 1-b.
The denfensive line must become stronger as well. Hopefully the coaches can find something in the safety position that they feel confident so the corners don't have to play with 10 yard cushions.
And hanging above all of this is the fact that they have to have a good win total for the coaches to keep their jobs. Also, there must be victories against MSU and OSU or at least spit because Michigan is in very close danger to becoming irrelevant to these two.
January 3rd, 2014 at 5:18 AM ^
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:16 AM ^
A horribly disappointing season that came up short of nearly every expectation I had, coupled with Sparty finishing #3 in the country and Rose Bowl champions.
My optimism is at an all time low. Seriously. In my 31-year association with Michigan football, I've never felt this demoralized.
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:31 AM ^
I echo your sentiments exactly. Except mine is an almost 45 year love affair (I was 10 when we beat OSU in 1969 and I remember the game VERY well). with zero optomisim in the tank right now. With Rich things sucked but there was hope for the future (maybe misplaced hope but hope none the less) and with this staff running this offense I have absolutely none.
Making matters worse for me is watching MSU do what they did with 2 & 3 star recruits and just a handful of 4's. Coaching matters and I dont see how anybody could watch our team and think we have anything that even approximates what State has in coaches. So all these vaunted recruits we're bringing in will mean zip to the outcome if our coaches dont have a clue what do with them once they're here.
And to top it all off our staff believes...truly believes...they are on the right path and once them youngsters get some experience by cracky we'll be A-OK in all ways. Which fills me with even more dread bacause A - I don't believe it and B - once Brandon doesnt believe it we're in for yet ANOTHER regime change.
Zero optomism for the near future at least. None.
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:23 PM ^
got it.
January 2nd, 2014 at 1:23 PM ^
I will wait until we hear anything about the coaching changes that really must occur. Hoke needs to get everyone's attention, IF he intends on actually turning this program around. When you finish 8th in the conference - changes must occur. And while the defense this year was frustrating to watch the offense was simply godawful to watch. The bowl announcers loved telling everyone how we had less than 200 yards of offense in the November games and that the ohio game was simply an anomaly.
We lost to 3 teams that we should have not lost to in 2013. IMO we gave those games away and good, well-coached teams do not lose games like we did.
Go Blue!
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:29 AM ^
I'm not going to read everything in this thread but nothing this coaching staff has done gives me any for optimism for 2014. The team lacked any fundamentals and quit at the end of the year.
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:33 AM ^
Funny, when I was a freshman at UM, MSU had just come off championship seasons and MNC. Michigan's program was fair-to-middling.
Bo electrified that program, spanked it, and turned it around in a single season into a championship team with the same players, not "his" recruits (at the time freshmen could not play on the varsity squad). I think that's why he's still so venerated.
That is what great coaches do. And for further proof, just look at the fantastic success his coaching tree had, down to Harbaugh, who is clearly a disciple over 45 years down the road!
Michigan expects greatness because for many years after Bo retired, we had a team capable of contending year in and year out (though they didn't always do so, they had a very fine record). Since 2008, well...we had one good year and still didn't win a championship.
We are now back to 1968. Mediocre at best.
I have zero expectations for 2014. Talk is cheap. It'd be nice to see Michigan football actually do something.
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:42 AM ^
Uh, I think you mean pre-1968. That 1968 team was a pretty good one.
They could actually run the ball. Ron Johnson's single game rushing record for yards and TDs still stands.
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
Yes, there are reasons to be optimistic, but I will NOT buy into any hype regarding signing day, spring game, off-season workouts and camp in August. Until we can string together a few Big Ten wins, the hype means very little. It is time the program steps up.
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:11 PM ^
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:24 PM ^