Short Yardage Back?
I believe Brian said in a Roundtable a few months ago that we could use a tough, hard-nosed FB who enrolls at 6'1" and graduates at 5'11".
It's hard to put into words how satisfying it was to beat the Nuts the way we did. It wasn't just the convincing win. It was the physical domination. Sure H2 hurdling guys was awesome but there was something therapeutic, something cathartic, when he trucked a safety or pushed the pile 5 yards after contact for a 1st down. Or when Ross filled the hole and stuffed the back 2-3 yards behind the LOS to get off the field. Or any of the Hutchinson/Ojabo sacks. Or when they let Hassan walk in for that last TD, haha! (I think I'm about due to watch The Game again, for the fourth or fifth time.)
TL:DR Do we have a rostered player we can utilize as a hammer in the backfield? Someone to get us 3rd and 1 and punch the opponent in the mouth at the same time? Or will the roster require that we take a kinder, gentler, speed-in-space approach (hoping we develop both styles of offense and utilize the combination that is most effective on any given Saturday.)
Your mom.
Dunlap is the biggest RB on the roster at 6'0" 222lbs. There are no FBs or HBs on the roster.
Assuming the offense continues to operate somewhat like Gattis' did (98% shotgun) they will put All in the backfield as a "FB" when needed but no true Ben Mason/Hammering Panda.
Tavierre Dunlap comes to mind. His mom knew he would score TDs.
Dunlap - almost certain
What about an actual panda? Perhaps one could get a NIL with the Detroit Zoo?
Is it wrong for me to want Dunlap to weigh 260?
No, no it’s not.
Is everyone having trouble responding to posts?
"Is everyone having trouble responding to posts?"
I'm unable to reply directly to posts on my laptop and my phone. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
One of my new favorite Michigan plays of all time is the Haskins TD where he follows the two TE's on a sweep into the endzone as hapless Buckeye defenders get swept out of the way. I could watch that play over and over again and never tire of it.
Alex Orji is probably yhe closest to that.
But wasn't everyone on here complaining about smash the ball into the line plays?
Maybe we use more 11 personnel to spread out the defense and get JJ involved with Corum & Edwards in the zone read game on 3rd and short? If the D still wants to stack the box, will provide some great options to throw it to Ronnie Bell in the slot or Erick All vs. a LB. Using jumbo sets and pounding the ball was mostly a disaster last year and was only salvaged because Hassan was a monster who churned out a guaranteed 2-3 yards a play.
my favorite part of this post is that your TL:DR version is nearly as long as the TL version.
With the way the offense has evolved and is operating out of the shotgun, backs taking hand offs deeper in the backfield likely won't allow for the traditional more plodding type of hammers referenced (Jarrod Bunch...."Coach, if you need one yard, I'll get you three yards. If you need five yards, I'll get you three yards."...comes to mind)
A downhill one-cut runner like Haskins is ideal
There won't be any need for a short-yardage back when we gain 10 yards or more on every 1st down this year.
The only player we have on the roster who fits your description is Dunlap. I do not think they will force him into situations if he isn't ready. Edwards and Corum will get the job done.
Lots of teams seem to manage without a traditional short yardage back, I would imagine we could too.
Tavierre Dunlap whose commitment player comparison was "Hasan Haskins but fast." He showed promise his freshman year and averaged 7.3 YPC while only on 7 attempts. Think he's going to be a stud
Weren’t there a walk-on that got a couple of snaps that was a bigger back? Franklin something??
I don't care if they have someone recommended by Papa Smurf as long as they can make a yard when they need a yard. If they were to give me a vote I'd go for 'we're running; try to stop us'.
I can't (and don't want to) imagine a Jim Harbaugh team that isn't physical and has at least one short yardage back...
So, I'm pretty sure Harbaugh will find a short yardage back....
Michael Barrett?
It’s simple. No short yardage. Problem solved! #speedinspace #heleftforMiami? #uh #quicknessinquestionablecoverage
@Golden Section
Coach will have Barrett fall down after 2 yards. If he scores a TD every run our offense wont get enough snaps. The real question will be does coach bother putting the oline out there risking injury or getting in his way.
Edwards has a year under his belt...and so does Dunlap. If JJ is under center and the defense wants to gamble by stacking the box-that's on them. Have Corum/Henning in the slot as a reverse option...there is going to be a mismatch and a hole somewhere.
This is why they moved AJ Henning to RB.
Are we sleeping on Edwards?
He is so great at speed and space but he is pretty damn strong too. I remember some solid runs between the tackles.