Honest question, I dont recall seeing him in on D at all. If he isn't hurt how does he lose his job to Woolfolk just like that?
Gordon has been one of our better players this season on D and to suddenly not be on the field is baffling.
There is no way that a guy who got yanked for Countess should be able to somehow beat out Gordon for his position.
Sadly, I dont think he is
Co-signed
I thought Gordon would get more PT with a banged Kovacs and Woolfolk's ability to tackle. Oh, but what do I know? I'm just a doctor.
You're HIV-Aladeen.
Troy Woolfolk has been our
Troy Woolfolk has been our best secondary player for the last couple of years, that's what he did (besides Warren). He isn't having the best year and Gordon should start over him probably, but saying "what has he done in his career" is fucking stupid, especially against Gordon who hasn't done anything at all until this year.
Maybe because...
Gordon is a Sophomore. What do you want him to do, be an All-American is Freshman year? The kid has arguably been the best playmaker on the team this year. He deserves that spot. It doesn't matter what Troy has done in his career, I don't know what he has done to win that job over Thomas, but the coaches see them every day in practice, so who knows.
I was wondering I honestly
I was wondering I honestly feel that our best secondary is with Floyd on the bench. This is the best to me
Countess/Kovacs/Gordon/Woolfolk
you saw how Iowa and everybody else has picked on Floyd constantly
disagree
i dont think they "picked on" floyd. i think they kept going to mcnutt the conf's top receiver, and floyd was on him alot.
my point was the plays to mcnutt weren't when countess was on him granted he made catches but he is there to make the tackle with Floyd he gives such a big cushion they have gained 10 yards already I think our secondary is better with him out
countess
should have been on McNutt more often. He is our best cover corner right now
you saw how Iowa and
you saw how Iowa and everybody else has picked on Floyd constantly
Have you not noticed that Woolfolk was relentlessly thrown at when he was playing CB?
I'd like to see some more freshman get a shot in the secondary especially if they keep getting torched
posted from iPhone
Gordon played in special teams. I'd assume he got in off-field trouble since that would be the only explanation that makes any sense (barely). This was the first game where the coaching really confused me. IMO, this was easily the worst coached game of the year.
i only respect other superfans
He had to be hurt
He has done nothing on the field to warrant only special team use. He has been solid all year. Landlord problems, perhaps? And Wolfolk is still hurt. He actually has a noticeable limp when he runs. I have a feeling we are an injury factory right now. Including Denard. He has 1/2 the burst he did last year. There are times this year when he tucks it under and falls that he would have hit the corner in a second last year and got 15 yards. I know he is being asked to do a lot more, but he is considerably less explosive with his legs even when given the opportunity.
Sorry, not an intended thread jack, just some alcohol induced ramblings.
I agree that Denard has lost
I agree that Denard has lost some of what made him such a special runner. He seems tentative on the edges and stumbles more often when cutting. Many times he is that crucial half step from from breaking free - a half step that he easily had 13 months ago. Don't get me wrong - I love the guy and am pulling for him 100%, but the difference in his running ability is palpable.
To get back to the OP - yeah where was Gordon? He's bigger than Wolfolk, hits harder, and covers the flat routes better. If it was a discipline problem then how come he played on special teams?
jbibiza
I said after the first couple
I said after the first couple games that Denard looks slower this year. I don't think it has anything to do with injuries. I think he's just...slower. He didn't run track this past year, he put on some weight, and Barwis is gone. I don't know much about Aaron Wellman and his lifting program, but Denard is still getting banged up and he seems slower. He's not exactly a ringing endorsement for the new S&C program.
That being said, Michigan needs to find a way to move the ball outside of Denard Left and Denard Right. It's not Wellman's fault that the QB is inaccurate.
it's true..
I don't know if it has anything to do with the new regime or if it's down to weight gain or just being dinged up but it sure does seem like he doesn't have the same straight line speed he had last year. He's still very fast but it seems like he hasn't been getting the same breaks when he has the chance.
Not this
Are we really going to talk about the S&C program now? Come on, let's be serious. As much as we want to believe S/C matters, little can be done to change someone's top end.
Having said that, I just think he's being more tenative. I noticed he doesn't seem as aggresive in the run game as previously. He had a few nice bursts against Purdue where he put in head down and pulled away, but he just seems to be more tentative overall. Not sure why though.
Putting on weight can change
Putting on weight can change someone's speed.
Hate to say this
What has Woolfolk done for us to consider him a player? As for Denard, part of the problem is the stupid QB power play as it tells the D exactly where he is going. The other issue may be who he is getting tackled by this year. Last year it was mostly LBs and DBs and he was getting banged up. This year it seems he is taking lots of hits from the DL as they have him running between the tackles more.
Can I ask this question
Can I ask this question without getting ripped? What has Woolfolk ever done to make anyone think he is good? Really... I dont think he is horrible, but I cant recall him ever being that good? Hurt or not?
That's a fair question...
Troy has had so many injuries though, it's tough to judge him. He's got great speed, but that doesn't always translate on the field. He's not really had a chance to play enough over his career to become that consistent guy.
"I promise you we would have walked to the University of Michigan." - Brady Hoke
Nothing
is the answer. He was the only player in the secondary with any experience at all going into last year and he sustained a year ending injury. It was the loss of experience that was the biggest problem, not the loss of TW himself. He is adeqaute, but no better than Brandon Harrison, Englemen, etc.
He was a pretty good corner
He was a pretty good corner in 2009, and he was a decent safety, too. I'm not really sure what's going on with him this year, but he seems to have regressed. Whether that's due to injury or what, I don't know...but he does look slower and seems to have lost some quickness.
I agree. He played very well
I agree. He played very well in 2009, especially in the night game at Kinnick that season. Over the 2nd half of the season, he outplayed Donovan Warren, IMHO. Unfortunately, he doesn't appear to be the same player he was 2 seasons ago.
nothing. him playing is a product of having the 3 worst defenses in mich history. hes a legends son who gets the benefit of the doubt when he shldnt
They do the talkin...I do the walkin.
-Charles Woodson
So much to complain about, so
So much to complain about, so little time.
I thought the original game plan of running Fitz a lot looked like it was working until of course they stopped handing it to him.
Denard seriously is very inaccurate.
I am not very happy with Borges
zero pressure on a freshmen QB, allows him to dump to McNutt constantly.
Play selection and play execution were not close to where they should be.
Michigan cannot play on the road very well, I think Illinois wipes us off the field next week.
Semper Fidelis
VanDenBurg (sp)
has been there three years.
Who's the freshman QB?
Who's the freshman QB? Vandenberg sure isn't. We sacked him twice, and he was taking loads of short drops. It's hard to get a ton of pressure on one- and three-step drops.
Reading between the lines of
Reading between the lines of Mattison's midweek presser, I got the feeling he wanted to go with Woolfolk since he has more speed. He didn't directly say Woolfolk had beaten out Gordon, but he said that when Kovacs comes back Woolfolk will play. It raised my eyebrows at the time.
Hmmm...good speed or actualy
Hmmm...good speed or actualy play making and tackling....tough decision, I think I will go with playmaking and solid tackling rather than 4 yrs of what if.
I think other than Countess, the
secondary was very subpar today.
It's tough being Blue in Columbus!!!
Floyd is just not very good.
Floyd is just not very good. That's for sure.
"Ohio is like a giant turd that Michigan just can't pinch off"
Secondary
Yeah, I think playing Woolfolk over Gordon is nonsensical. Gordon had played well in virtually every game this year. Troy did not tackle well out there today, and I'm not saying it cost M the game or anything, but I'd be a littled pissed if I was Gordon having my job taken by a guy who lost his at corner. I also agree, despite what we've heared here, that Countess is a better corner than Floyd. Floyd struggled today in coverage. Also, Denarid is slower ;(
I'll be that girl:
He just posted this as his Facebook status:
You'll be better and you'll be smarter and more grown-up and a better daughter. . .
If he posted that, he's going
If he posted that, he's going to want that back, and soon.
probably true
At the same time it's going to be frustrating for a kid to play pretty well and then get yanked for someone who's moving positions, injured, and toward the end of his career here anyway (so not really being developed for the long-term).
That said politics is always going to have something to do with everything and if he's posting stuff like this on facebook he probably has some learning to do on that front.
Gordon has created many
Gordon has created many turnovers this year compared to zero by Troy, Troy's banged up, can't run, can't cover, can't play in the box like Jordan or Thomas, Troy should be moved to Nickel imo.
I'm on record of
being in Gordons corner over Woolfolk.
To me it seems that Woolfolk takes bad angles maybe because he wants to takle from the side and not heads up, I don't know but I don't think he's physical enough for safety.
His speed is a plus but like Mangus stated, Iowa went with a quick strike passing game to probably avoid Mattison's zone blitz packages and to atack Floyd's back pedal. I think coverage and takling might have worked better.
Denard does seem slower or just hesitant at times. One thing I've noticed is the pulling lineman seem to not only anounce the play but also take for ever and Denard has to wait on them allowing defences to get the angle or force the cutback.
One last thing on Denard is it just me or does he seam to immediately look for the side line when he gets to the second level. I understand it though he is our QB and we need him to avoid injury.
Just some observations but what do I know.
Sadly, I dont think he is hurt.... he played special teams today...
It blows my mind... I think Gordon has done more than enough to prove that he deserves that spot.... What has Woolfolk done in his career here? Regardless of injury, Gordon has played better in GAMES.