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Should have been 4 for 4 as all 3 incompletions were drops.
He had back-to-back drops by Funchess and Roundtree in the 2nd quarter, and the drop by Jerald Robinson in the 4th (which doesn't show on the stat line since there was Illinois penalty on the play, but would have counted as a completion had it not been dropped).
Then there was the 8-yard completion to J. Robinson right after the drop.
What are everyone's thoughts on Bellomy based on his limited action so far?
I like him alot! He did what he was supposed to do yesterday.
I think Devin Gardner will be the QB next year based on his admitted desire to play QB and the fact that both Gardner and the Coaches consider him a QB first. Don't forget he was a highly rated QB coming out of highschool, has more knowledge of the playbook than Bellomy, and is more of an athelete and would provide less of a transitional jolt to the offense and playcalling come next year. Bellomy is looking pretty good, but Gardner's move to WR was due to lack of depth at the position and GArdner's ability to play it. It wasn't due to Gardner getting beat out by Bellomy.
I really think the kid is going to be a very good QB for us starting next year. As he continues to gain weight/arm strength in the off season, it will help him become a more downfield threat. His biggest strengths are his decision making, accuracy and quick release and with our offense looking more like a traditional power O, he will play very well in my opinion.
A theory of mine is that Bellomy's passes travelled faster than Denard's and the receivers just didn't make the adjustment. Throw in some rain and you have a recipe for some drops. I liked what I saw out of Bellomy yesterday.
I always thought people had been saying Denard has a lot of arm strength, and Bellomy not so much...
Bellomy's passes that were dropped didn't look like they were thrown harder than Denard does, they were just dropped in the rain. He doesn't have a gun, but adequate arm strength and he looks to have some nich touch on the ball.
My favorite play was the screen, where his height helped him to dump it over the top of the oncoming rusher and he showed some good agility just to get the pass off.
Denard has a stronger arm than Bellomy.
He does, but I wonder if Bellomy was zipping it in with more velocity than was required (which could explain why the above commentor suggests Bellomy had more zip on the ball.)
On one of the drops he pretty much gunned it over the middle to Roundtree, who was at about linebacker depth. Looked to me like it was thrown unnecessarily hard for the conditions and 'tree just couldn't hang on. Bellomy probably had a bit of nerves and was throwing as hard as he could, I know I would in that sort of situation.
I would like to see a few deep passes and assess his arm strength before i can come to a conclusion.
I thought that first drop that he threw to Funchess was pretty good considering he's a young QB and had pressure coming at him. Here's to more blowouts that will allow him to get more experience
Until I see him throw a pass longer than 15 yards I'm going to maintain that he is not a Michigan level starting quarterback. He just doesn't seem strong enough to me. An experienced career backup is a valuable commodity to have on your team though. Very possible he beefs up before next year, and I hope he does considering neither of the other two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster will have played the position in a game at any level for at least a year.
Not so worried about redshirting Morris anymore
Starting Morris next year doesn't seem like a real option at this point. Going from playing your junior year in high school to starting as a freshman in college is a monsterous jump to make.
at the August practice. He can make all the throws. He has better touch on the deep balls than Denard and can throw the ball farther than Denard. He doesn't run as well as Denard but is mobile and showed that yesterday.
The more playing time he gets, the better he'll get and I thought he had pretty good decision-making out there yesterday. The timing with the receivers was off and with the rain, that compounded the problem.
There's a reason Gardner moved to receiver this year. If Bellomy wasn't good enough to be the backup, then that move would not have happened.
Not sure if you watched the game, but that free play pass to J Rob was def longer than 15 yds, and it was right on the money.
The drops certainly weren't his fault. I like what I've seen so far.
Overall, I have mixed emotions about him. One one hand, he made the throws he was assigned yesterday and was hurt by the drops of his teammates. That said, it is beyond obvious that the coaches reign in the playbook when he is on the field. I thought that when he came in for Denard when we were deep in the red zone that play action would be a great choice given our repitition of running plays.
Of course, a lot of this has to do with having the game already in hand by the time he sees a lot of action, but just from a fan's perspective, I'm anxious to see his arm tested in trips or 4wr sets in meaningful play.
But if I was forced to make a generalization on him as a player without a ton of evidence, I would classify him as fairly accurate but limited in arm strength.
It will definitely be a tough decision for the coaching staff between our 3 QB's for next year.
That said, it is beyond obvious that the coaches reign in the playbook when he is on the field.
This can be said of virtually any freshman quarterback.
I thought he looked very good going through his reads and hitting the guys who were open. Even on the one pass where he had a defender breathing down his neck, he flipped it right over him to Funchess, who unfortunately dropped it. He definitely gained some respect from me as far as being the starter for next year.
Did a good job of staying calm and I think that's going to be the biggest thing we need next year. I hope he doesn't get thrown into an important game situation this year, but if he does I think he'll handle it pretty well.
Glad he's getting some snaps, but I still have my doubts as to whether or not he's he's a starting caliber QB. Doesn't look like he has a very strong arm. I hope he proves me wrong, though.
Based on what? What passes did you see where he didn't have enough arm strength?
His short passes didn't have the same velocity as Denard's, and he had to really step into them even though they were only 5 yards or so past the LOS (whereas Denard can just zip those in). That's what I noticed watching it live, anyway.
I think we would benefit greatly from another year as a backup behind Devin starting next year. But if he is our starting QB, I don't think it's the end of the world.
Always hard to evaluate backup QBs working with the 2nd team.
We didn't see anything deep, but he can zing it. I found it interesting that both Funchess and Roundtree ditched their gloves after the drops. Tough time to adjust to a new QB. He can use his feet a little too from the looks of it.
I thought he'd get more time, but it was also a class act by the coaches to let Kennedy take some snaps.
Shane doesn't start next year unless there are injuries or he's leaps and bounds better than everyone else. The question will be whether Gardner decides that his best chance to play on Sundays is as a WR. If he wants the QB spot, i'd assume that it's his to lose.
This is some love affair.
Bellomy looked unplayable until late in the 4th quarter yesterday. The pressured throw to Funchess was way off target; Funchess made a great adjustment and just couldn't haul it in.
Our running game outside of Denard is struggling, which is partly why I feel that the less time Bellomy gets this year outside of garbage time, the better.
Bellomy does not have great arm strength. He was recruited to be a game manager. To do this, our running game is going to have to step up big time next year, or our offense will suffer.
in his RS Frosh season do you not? One cannot assume that a guy is not a good QB based upon very limited experience.
Also, arm strength can be improved.
And he WAS unplayable until his junior year. He was seventh on the depth chart, considered transferring to Cal, and needed a sports psychologist to help him out.
I fail to see where I said Bellomy will never be a good QB.
Arm strength can only be improved to a point within the time allowed.
I think you missed the entire point of my post.
That he isn't ready to be the starting QB? Well, duh.A child could see that.
You made it sound like people were trumpting this guy as the next Drew Henson when all they were doing were commenting on his potential. Then you decided to do your best Mel Kiper impression by stating unequivocally what kind of QB he will be.
Bellomy looked unplayable until late in the 4th quarter yesterday. The pressured throw to Funchess was way off target; Funchess made a great adjustment and just couldn't haul it in.
I don't understand how you can say this. On the throw to Funchess, he had an unblocked blitzer right in his face and I thought he did a really good job getting rid of the ball. That it ultimately wasn't caught is immaterial; a lot of QBs get dropped for a loss there. The next play he threw a perfectly fine pass to Roundtree that was dropped. We didn't see enough to draw firm conclusions, but I think he shows some potential.
was merely a response to the idea that the Funchess throw was on the money. I did like how he got rid of the ball...although I wonder how people would react if it was an interception or if Denard threw a pass just as inaccurate in that situation.
I was impressed with Bellomy's accuracy, and he doesn't appear jittery. That said, a guy can have all the typical journalistic "intangibles" in the world and still not have the ability to be a big-time player.
Also note that there were major cries of "put Bellomy in" during Notre Dame (not just on this board), and I still don't understand that mentality. There has been nothing so far that supports that hypothetical decision.
I see people are still missing the point. I never said Bellomy is a bad QB with no future as a starter at Michigan. Never. But given the scary O-line situation next year and the fact that our non-Denard running game is having problems already, I'm worried about next year's offense.
Also note that there were major cries of "put Bellomy in" during Notre Dame (not just on this board), and I still don't understand that mentality. There has been nothing so far that supports that hypothetical decision.
In any football game - no matter if the QB is Tom Brady, Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, whatever - if the starter plays poorly, some fans will call for the backup QB to come in. You will find that in every fanbase.
Also, going back to yesterday's game, I forgot to mention this above but I was in attendance and I saw Funchess rip his gloves off and throw them to the ground after he dropped that throw. That looked like the actions of a guy mad at himself, not at his QB.
he wears the jersey of shame (#8 ..sheridan)
I prefer to think of it as Chris Howard's jersey.
Huh? Howard was our leading rusher in '97 and definitely not bad at ball security.
Bah, who cares about the No Fun League.
Howard was a very good player for us, which is what matters.
What, exactly, does Nick Sheridan have to be ashamed about? Why should we, as a fanbase, be ashamed of him?
year, so I would like to see him get lots of game experience this year. His arm is fine. He will give us more of a passing threat next year and he has good mobility.
Very difficult to glean anything from spring games where he's running with the 2's and 3's and 4 snaps during a garbage time game against Illinois. One way or the other I'll be a bit nervous about the situation going into next year until I see meaningful reps with first stringers from either him or Gardner. It's always tough transitioning from a 3 year starter, we're no different in that regard.
I think we have the best chance to win next year with Gardner starting at quarterback. This is based on 2 areas of impact: Athleticism and Experience.
Athleticism
Gardner's upside is much higher than Bellomy's mainly due to his athleticism. Gardner is not the most accurate passer, but he is adequate for this offense. What he brings to the table with his mobility is where he has the clear edge. There is a reason he switched to WR this year and that is because the coaching staff felt obligated to maximize his impact on the field given that Denard would be the starter at QB. The situation will be the same next year: the coaching staff will look to maximize his impact on the field and that will be at the QB position since Denard will no longer be there. Mantra: get the ball in this guy's hands.
Experience
Gardner has been in the program longer, seen more game action (both at QB and overall), and he could quite possibly be the starter for two years while the program grooms Morris to be the heir apparent and the first facilitator of Borges's ideal offense (assuming he is granted his medical redshirt). This would setup Morris to be a 3-year starter with Bellomy a solid backup for multiple years.
You have to consider if what you potentially gain at QB with Gardner make up for what you lose at wr. Personally, I think you are better off with Bellomy as your starting QB. Gardner has NFL potential at wr, which I have not seen from his QB game. I think it would be a disservice to Gardner to move him back to QB.
I think it would be a disservice to Gardner to move him back to QB.
Totally irrelevant. Team first. Always.
Preparing these young men for life after Michigan is significantly more important than a game. If a player is willing to sacrifice their long term future, they can, but that is THEIR choice. If they want to stick to a certain position because that is the best thing for them at the next level, the coaches damn well better respect that.
"Team first. Always." leads to Penn State.
NOTHING I said has anything to do with a decade of child rape.
Preparing young men for the future? They're GETTING A MICHIGAN EDUCATION.
I don't know what's wrong with the board today.
I agree that I think it will be Gardner next year (don't think medical redshirt is happening though). I think if we had a powerhouse, OL and RBs plus elite WRs that Bellomy would start as we would need more of a game manager than a high-end playmaker. However, I think we'll have a decent OL, decent RBs and decent WRs. I think we need a playmaker at QB next year.
I also believe Gardner will do fine once he gets consistent playing time. I see a lot of his mistakes so far as trying to force plays that aren't there to make a play in his limited action. I think this will settle down once he gets significant time at QB.
Our defense should be good enough to win games with either at QB, but I don't feel as good about next year's team as I do about this year's team and the team we'll have in 2014.
Gardner with enough snaps will be like Braxton Miller . . . with all the good and bad that implies.
Bellomy as the Dan Persa...Gardner as the Kain Coulter
IMO they'll both be on the field.
I think that, between what we saw in the spring game and limited time yesterday, one thing that can be said about Bellomy is that he definitely grasps some of the base elements of the WCO that Borges would ultimately like to fully implement. He looked like he was reading plays well and tried to extend them, even going so far as to scramble for a first down. When he came in early in the game after Denard injured his finger, he looked pretty collected and focused, which shows some discipline.
It should be noted that he has gotten pretty good reviews coming out of practice anyway from Borges and Hoke, and they have both talked repeatedly about Bellomy's ability to learn quickly and play confidently. Even in limited time, he did looke pretty confident and showed that he could be plugged in at least on what he was asked to run. It will be interesting to see him get other opportunities potentially, so we get a chance to see how things are progressing, but I liked what I did see from Bellomy.
We might never have another QB as mobile as Denard.
Bellomy, however, might have as good or better mobility than any UM QB pre-RR going all the way back to Steve Smith and Rick Leach. Navarre, Grbac, Collins, Greise, Brady....
Henson and Dreisbach could both really scoot. Bellomy's decently mobile, and Morris appears just as athletic.
forgetting Michael Taylor and Demetrius Brown...
Gardner's pretty mobile. And he's already on the team.
He was 1-3, not 1-4. The sideline throw to Robinson isn't counted in the stats because we accepted the penalty. It was a "free play" that only would have counted if we had declined the penalty.
But then why say he was 1-4?
I'll take Shane
My position is that Gardner will give us the best chance to win next year and possibly the next year. However, if he is not the starter I believe Bellomy should be the guy. Do you really want a true freshman starting with two experienced QBs on the team as well? Not to mention that he is missing a portion / majority of his senior season due to Mono. Please, no true freshman at QB anymore. Yes, Henne started as a true freshman and did well, but he was forced into the spot as Matt Gutierrez was injured. We also had a dude named Braylon Edwards on that team.
For those saying he has a lack of arm strength, just which of the four throws he made yesterday leads you to that conclusion? And if not based on yesterday, just what are you basing it upon? We don't have enough information yet on Bellomy to know how he will perform as a starter, but I've seen nothing to suggest he can't be a better than average BCS QB.
Bellomy is a good back up QB right now. Do I think he could outplay Gardner for the position next year? It's unlikely, but ulitmately Borges and Hoke may think Gardner is more of a threat at WR. Did anyone else notice the block at 2:30 on Bellomy's Sr highlight? His WR laid that guy out!!!
All I know is I'm sick of people saying Bellomy "can't play quarterback at Michigan" for whatever reason, and that we HAVE to move Gardner back to QB next year or we're DOOMED. (I don't mean necessarily in this thread, but I hear this sentiment from a lot of fans in person during the game.)
Give the kid a chance. He wasn't Aaron Rodgers out there, but I thought he played pretty well especially for a redshirt freshman.
I think the competition between him and Devin over the offseason will be fierce and too close to call. Either will need to improve his play in order to win the job and for Michigan to be sucessful.
"I had assumed that as a Purdue commit, Bellomy didn't have many other options prior to his senior year (he committed in June), but that's not the case. According to Scout, Boise State, Colorado, Michigan State, Minnesota, and South Florida had all offered scholarships, along with a host of MAC/CUSA-level offers.
That's no murderer's row, but Boise State and Michigan State have recent history of QB success, and have done so by developing under-the-radar recruits."
iPhone double tap
and not MSU, and I do think he will be the starter next year.
I agree, I think Bellomy may be a much better QB than alot of people are giving him credit for.
Bellomy is my pick to start next year. It has already been said that he has suffered some drops in his limited playing time. He will have some more shots to get playing time this season and I think that when he settle down and not have to wonder how many downs he will have, he will be fine.
He has good speed and showed it on the scramble. He put the passes on target and minus the fumble, there were no worrisome moments. Early this year when he ran us down to the goal line, he really did score, I thought that he should get some extended time when we are blowing teams out...that is not promised for the rest of the year but it will do him a world of good going into next year.
In a perfect world the QB should be as mobile as Denard with the pocket presence of Brady or Manning. But one can wait a long time for one of those guys to come along.
For Borges' offense what's needed is a QB that's mobile enough. It seems Bellomy is that. Will we see 80-yard TDs out of Bellomy? Probably not. Will we see chains being moved? I think yes.
In a way, Bellomy reminds me of what Forcier might have been. I'm reminded of the 2009 Notre Dame game when Forcier rolled left, signalled his receiver, then laid a nice pass for a TD.
As others have said, I think the combination of Bellomy at QB (with some reps under his belt) and Gardner / Funchess as targets is something to ponder and smile at.
He's looking better and better with each series.
He had a great catch, at the beginning, and then he dropped everything.
is "sevicable" this year as a blow-out game manager, and for short emergency periods (precisely how he was used Sat)
I think he'll progress just fine and be in the mix with both Gardner & Shane next fall. Thats actually a pretty good situation to be in & I'll be happy with whomever the coaches decide has earned it.
But for his sake I hope he really hits the weight room because he honestly looked like a scrawny high schooler out there against Illinois. Yikes, eat a sandwich kid!
