Scared for Denard
Is anyone else really scared that Al Borges is going to ruin Denard? I have this awful feeling that Denard will be a shell of his former self this season. I know the coaches all have been blowing smoke out of their asses about "utilizing talent" and such, but I have a feeling Borges will stubbornly try to turn Denard into something he isn't - much like squeezing a square peg into a round hole. Any thoughts?
March 23rd, 2011 at 12:59 PM ^
Really Banksy? Who the heck knows? Focus on the trouble in Libya to distract you until football starts, I guess.
Practice just started a few days ago. Go away
Borges is not going to run him on almost every running play like last year but use the other backs. Temper your fear.
Bansky can't get enough of this despite the fact the Scouties post something like this about every 11 minutes.
How do coaches "ruin" a player? Denard can either do what they need him to do (kind of their right, no?) or he can't. It's up to him.
And I don't know, but a whole shit ton of teams figured out how to "ruin" Denard last year.
First of all, why post this?
Second, I seem to remember Denard spending a lot of time off the field with minor injuries last year. Hopefully with Borges, we get all of the big jaw dropping Denard TD runs off QB sneaks and bootlegs, and non of the numerous predictable up-the-gut QB keepers that punished Denard's nimble but not-very-big body.
Honestly it starts up front with the O-line if they give the qb's time to execute and RB's gapes to run in they shouldnt have a problem. (easier said then done)
FYI Denard took snapes under center in High school. Also look at Taylor at VTech and Vick this year both were taking snaps under center and it doesnt effect there numbers that much it just makes them a better qb's.
At the end of the day its about Execution on the Offense and Defense of side of the ball if this team really want to improve.
I was scared for Denard's list of injuries to keep growing, and growing and growing
there are magic unicorns fighting in the forest with the last tribe of the elusive BigFoot, and no matter who wins the fight, they're still in danger of being crushed by the giant meteor that may or may not fall out of the sky and doom the earth forever.
ANY THOUGHTS??
....are you saying that there is a whole tribe of BIGFOOTS?!!
Personally I prefer the plural form of bigfeet.
<br>
<br>Or, for the Canucks, Sasquatches...
<br>
aint' she Gus?
Bigfeet??
Own the T-Shirt...
That storm does not look good . . .
this makes no sense. How would someone like Borges, who has literally written books about developing quarterbacks, ruin Denard?
Banksy is a Michigan fan! And to think I was scared the Mr Brainwash would jump on the bandwagon first.
I would like to know in detail how he can accuse "the coaches" of prevarication. Gut feeling? Insider knowledge? Tell us moar!
when I was watching the first practice video and studying the background to see if I could spot any visiting recruits, it was impossible because the camera was following Denard, and he was running so fast the background became a complete blur.
Step 1
Read 1: Is Roundtree open underneath? Yes.
Step 2
Read 1: Is Roundtree open underneath? No.
Read 2: Is Stonum open over the top? Yes.
Step 3
Read 1: Is Roundtree open underneath? No.
Read 2: Is Stonum open over the top? No.
Read 3: Is there enough room for me to run and not have anyone in the area until I get 20 yards down field? Yes.
Step 4
Start over at step 1.
I realize this is a somewhat joking post, but Borges actually uses a long to short read philosophy.
I'm also going on record as predicting the two starters will be Hemingway and Stonum with Roundtree as the 3.
First of all, Denard will likely improve his quarterback skills because of his work ethic and having a year of starting experience. Second, Borges is a pretty good coordinator and I am confident he will put a decent offensive package together to help Denard and the team succeed.
That being said, I understand where your fear comes from. The chance of Borges and Hoke having an offense, and by extention a Denard, that would have been as good as Rodriguez in 2011 is slim to none.
On the flip side however, I believe the chance of them having a bad offense, given the talent that returns, is next to zero as well.
All that really matters is that we win more games, which I think will happen.
I know your concern comes from not having the correct personnel for the offense and not the offense itself, but SDSU did average more PPG last year under Borges than we did. Just sayin'..............
I feel the opposite way. Last year the offense (ie Denard) became increasingly one-dimensional and predictable. Zone-read again and again. What he needs is more diversity. Borges will offer more of that, while also keeping him from getting hit so often.
I think we watched a different team, because Denard very rarely kept on a ZR. A lot of those runs were probably just handoffs.
That doesn't make me wrong champ. That means we're contesting two different points. I was contesting the notion that all we ran was the ZR, which just isn't true.
No harm done. I'm a bit cranky since it's essay grading season as the end of the quarter approaches for this guy.
Face it; they know what type of player they are getting, and to shoehorn him into something he is not is disaster (GERG defense circa 2010), I do not believe Hoke is dumb enough to say Denard stay in the pocket and play fiddle sticks, RR seemed to be too damn hard headed sometimes and so far the new regime has not given us any reason to doubt them.
Do I believe another athlete of Denards caliber will ever be a QB @ Michigan again? Hell no, once D-Rob is gone we're back to the statues with arm cannons.
Another season of square peg round hole talk!
Mods, since our neg votes don't carry any weight right now, please just delete this thread.
You know what I'm afraid of? Our 193-pound QB getting so banged up from massive overuse that he can't finish many games, including OSU.
That's definitely a problem, but with an experienced backup this year, it isn't such big deal anymore.
Still kind of scary. When Oregon discovered that Masoli was good it was because the (4?) guys in front of him on the depth chart were hurt.
Here is my concern. For some reason people presume as a postulate that Borges is a good Ocoordinator. If so, why is a "good" Ocoordinator stuck at SDSU when he should be in the prime of his career? The only time Borges ever did anything in my opinion was when he had a backfield stacked with NFL talent. Despite, the subject line, I'm not really scared about Borges because in my opinion I feel I know what he is about. He is a ham & egger with little upside. I'll take my beatdown if he proves me otherwise. The hope for this team is on the defesive side where the coaching talent is.
Now did DR run too much? Remeber, the zone read is on the QB. He has the choice to run or give to the RB. I believe one of our problems is we did not get any production from our RB's. Shaw was hurt, Vincent Smith was still a year removed from an ACL, and Hopkins had the fumbles. You have a RB step up and the carries take care of themselves. The solution unfortunately plays for Alabama now.
Now here is the problem with the Borges system in my opinion. DR can make the defense adjust to him because he may be running the ball on any down. If a defense knows to a high likelyhood that DR is not running the ball, they can adjust accordingly. For all the talk of power football, this is not a power team. Most of the linemen are more adept at getting out in space then pancaking. There is no fullback and the best TE is a better receiver then blocker. Every time Bourges calls a power run, will be a victory for the defense. Hoke can talk all about passion. But passion does not beat physics. I think Lewan can do some pancaking. The others are better at deception and chipping.
DR's great strength is his feet or their threat. If you make him a passer first, he is just a normal QB who happens to be short. If the response is scramble, well now our offense has degenerated into the QB ad libbing. Anything can happen because there is no design. A sound defense can thwart that because they know what they are doing and the QB does not.
By defintion, if you take Pat White, Cameron Newton, Vince Young, Dan Persa, etc and put them in the Borges system they are going to have less of an impact. There is no way around it. DR may improve a lot as a QB. It does not matter because he is no longer doing what his strength is. Michigan is most lkely better off putting Gardner in as QB as he has the size, arm, and still has the feet to scramble. The power run is going to fizzle in my opinion because the players are not there.
Just my 2 cents
I can't understand why people think this will ruin him...He is a gifted athlete who will be on the field if he is healthy. Do you really think Denard would fit in the NFL running RR's offense? RR's offense does not exist in the NFL. Denard wouldn't last a preseason football game running RR's offense in the NFL.
Denard is perfect for College Football. He can run RR's offense (proven last year) and he will run our offense this year. I'm confident he will be just as dangerous this year under center as he was last year. When he rolls out, lanes will open, screens will go for 40 yards, and the play action pass will be redefined!
Denard being put in this situation is the best thing that ever happened to him if he hopes to play QB in the NFL. He will be in a system that can teach him what the next level will be like. I know people get frustrated when the comparison is made, but it will be a very similar offense that the Eagles run with Vick.
If Denard wants to play at the next level, he is blessed to have the coaches he has at this point. He made his name for himself under RR. Now he has the opportunity to impress the NFL scouts over the next couple years if he can make this transition. Otherwise, he will go to the NFL watching kick-offs go over his head into the stands with the new Kick-Off rules being implemented.
I love watching Denard. I can’t wait to see how well he does this year. He is going to be a nightmare for opposing DC’s. It is basically like facing two offenses. Last year was one offense. This year, teams will fear last year and what he can do, but still have to prepare for a new system. What a nightmare for the DC’s we face!!!
I just had to double-check that i'm not on a Scout message board. You may disagree with the original poster, but on what basis are 57 people voting the post down? Insufficient optimism? I don't think it is an unreasonable/uninformed question. We have an unreal talent and he is currently focusing on backpedaling from an under-center snap. I think those are simply two established facts. I can see that either being a cause for concern or a fine development. It depends on whether you think Denard will be stifled when he's not in the shotgun or whether he will become a more well-rounded player that is just as dangerous and easier to keep healthy. I think reasonable minds can go either way.
I usually don't like people who are negative but I don't try to chase their posts off the board unless there is an independent basis for doing that (e.g. they're not informed, just trying to provoke, etc.). Not the case here.
I think the reason this is getting negged so much (and the reason I negged) is because this is literally the same discussion the board had a hundred times over when Borges was brought on. This is all speculation, with no new content, and it's been over-talked a ridiculous amount.
When we're on a topic so much that I can tell you views of posters I hardly ever interact with, especially when an OP has nothing new (like a new angle, new information), there will be a lot of hostility generated simply because everyone has opinions that will not be changed without some evidence. Until at least the Spring Game, there will be none, so I think most people want to just hold off talking until then.
Picture the first week in November in 2008 or what it will be in 2012: it's not like a candidate says anything new; the same stuff is all over the news constantly. At that point, I think a lot of people just want it over with until you can point out a winner.
Not to mention, this Banksy dude started the same exact topic multiple times when he was known as Jesus Christ.
This is the second time this week you've made connections to past accounts for me. How do you do it?
I'm not complaining, it makes sense when I thought about Jesus Christ and his posts, and how he's gone now.
I just remember the thread where he finally caved and changed his name.
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/grant-hill-responds-fab-five-doc
Well that makes sense then.
Just making sure you weren't Hannibal or Sherlock Holmes or something.
By the way, I would check out MichiganStudent's thread about Hoke's event last night. Denard and Molk were primarily under-center (well Molk wasn't actually under-center, obviously, but whatever) for most of their high school careers and are both comfortable with it, according to Hoke.
Never seen that option here
for the rest of the BIG TEN.
Denard is Weapon X incarnate. If you think this coaching staff won't unleash him, you're nuts.