Was the OL horrendous tonight or merely not as good as the DL?
August 17th, 2014 at 4:50 PM ^
August 16th, 2014 at 11:18 PM ^
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August 17th, 2014 at 12:09 AM ^
Was happy to hear some positive stuff out of Poggi in the comments.
I do think our 2nd deep at DT could start for a lot of teams - in fact I have no idea who the 2nd group of DTs even is right now because the 1s and 2s there seem about the same. But we have a group of Pipkins, Wormley, Henry and I guess Hurst as #4 that sounds very interchangeable. Throw Mone in there who sounds like he might have an impact similar to Pipkins as a freshman as the #5. So when you throw the "2s" on DTs (who could start at a lot of places) versus the C/OGs "2s" which ... welp.... it won't lead to good things.
August 16th, 2014 at 11:20 PM ^
August 16th, 2014 at 11:20 PM ^
August 16th, 2014 at 11:45 PM ^
Don't forget Obi-Wan.
August 16th, 2014 at 11:24 PM ^
isn't falling yet.
Look---we had a closed-door scrimmage Wednesday and the public scrimmage today. I don't know how many more scrimmages Hoke has planned, but I'm going to stay away from the panic button for the time being while the Hoke and Nuss and staff evaluate/dissect film/coach over the next two weeks. Especially Nuss, who seems to be pretty good at putting the pieces together to run an effective, cohesive offense.
Am I worried at all? On a scale of 1-to-10 (10 being panic-level), I'm at a 7. Mostly because we all know how bad this unit was last season. But there is time---game 1 in 2 weeks/ our first real test will be in 3 weeks at ND---and all the fretting in the world on my part won't change a damn thing. So why lose sleep over it already?
August 16th, 2014 at 11:51 PM ^
There's no need to panic yet. Our defense is supposed to be very good if not great. If the offense keeps it simple, the O-line should continue to get better, and as has been said ad nauseum, it's not like Nuss was calling anything but the basest of base plays. Some people need to take a chill pill. If the defense is dominant and the offense progresses week to week Michigan will have as good of a shot as anyone. If the offense regresses like last year, to me it's Hoke's ass on the line. But to draw any major conclusions from a scrimmage is ridiculous.
August 16th, 2014 at 11:55 PM ^
defensive line. Everyone here said they thought the OL was going to be the weakest link. I don't think anyone should be surprised.
The defensive line is pretty set. They aren't swapping players like the OL is.
The defensive line knows the play calls which gives them an advantage.
That being said I agree with reshp 1. I didn't think the first unit played that bad. I didn't see the tackles for loss on a very consistent basis like last year. I saw adequate protection for the quick passes which are going to be the major part of the offense most likely. We will be a passing team and run to mix it up at leastt while the line is developing.
I think when the line is set next week they will begin to get better but I also think they will be much better at the end of the year than at the beginning. They can be adequate early on which hopefully is all we will need with the defense.
The OL will be much better next year. That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
August 16th, 2014 at 11:55 PM ^
August 16th, 2014 at 11:58 PM ^
General thoughts with the preface that I am in the camp we will have a lot of close games this year and and not a great record and I don't think the OL will be very good but Devin needs to improve on decision making, accuracy, and pre-read snaps.... all things we have no idea if he has.
1) "The DL is great, so don't worry about the OL" thinking is not realistic. We probably have a good DL... I doubt it is great. Especially this early, with so many young players. I am a lot more bullish on the DTs than most here. I think Clark will be incrementally better. Beyer I am a bit worried about due to size. But they are going up against a bad line, plain and simple. Clark making Braden look silly is probably natural at this point but Braden will be playing Clark like players soon enough which is a bad thing. I do think the 2nd unit of our DL is going to be far better than the 2nd unit of our OL but UM will not be facing 2nd units of other teams - so it's not an excuse out there.
2) "MSU defense helped the offense stick around last year, so no worries - we're MSU." Bullshit. MSU's OL was its BEST offensive unit last year. It was MSU's best OL in years. Their issues were finding a QB and a RB. They were trying 3 different QBs in those games they struggled to settle on Cook eventually vs ND. That is not our issue. Finding a QB is 1 player, finding an OL is 5 players - we have a completely different issue. MSU's OL sucked in 2012 due to injuries and they had a bad year. It is not so simple as "hey we will be MSU of 2013". Further MSU's defense wasn't just top 20ish, it was elite elite elite. Another difference.
3) Comments like we don't need a good OL because we have great RBs is just silly. First we have no idea what kind of RBs we have - we have high ranked RBs... but Dymonte Thomas is high ranked and can't find the field. We have no way to judge the RBs behind this line - throw them behind a competent line and we'll see. And even a great RB behind this line is going to be severely hampered; they are not magicians - any RB needs holes and lanes.
4) Devin will be the horse this year yet again - live and die with hero ball QB for the 4th year in a row it appears simply due to the OL issues. Which is a damn shame since having a balanced offense would be nice.
5) I fear many so high on Nuss today are going to be down on him in 7 weeks due to this one really bad unit. He is not a miracle worker - I am sure he is a good OC but he will be hampered by the OL and people are going get on his case.
6) If the OL does not improve THROUGH the year I dont know how Funk remains. There is a lot of talent and not all those Scout/Rivals/ESPN reports can be wrong on every damn linemen. You throw 10 guys out there, and 6 should hit. Especially the ones in their 3rd year - that is Magnuson, Kalis, and Braden. Bars seems like he won't be hitting. If nothing has changed in late October it means 2 years of regression/stagnation on the OL. MSU has a guy in Kalis/Magnuson/Braden class named Jack Conklin who was a WALK ON and he didnt give up a sack last year as a TACKLE. So it's complete BS we cannot develop any of our guys to be competent NCAA players - not great, not "Jack Conklin awesome" but competent.
Overall it is a shame because if the 2010 and 2011 classes gave us 2-3 starting OL who we could count on this is a 10+ win team in my estimation and competing for the East. Instead we are going to be in a lot of close games with some just ok teams, and Devin is going to simply have to carry the offense single handidly and I worry about him facing the same issues of 2013 where we was lucky to avoid injury until late in the year. I am extremely positive about 2015 but it requires an OL that improves throughout 2014 and ready to be very good in 2015 - so if I don't see the progression in the OL this year it means we might piss away the easiest schedule we are going to have in the next decade in 2015 due to one unit not being competent.
August 17th, 2014 at 12:17 AM ^
1) Is UM the only team that rotates its DL?
2) MSU also couldn't catch the ball in 2012.
3) Anyone who said this was joking.
August 17th, 2014 at 12:29 AM ^
Per Nick B on mlive the #1 offense was going up mostly against the #2 defense to answer your question #1.
August 17th, 2014 at 8:34 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 10:22 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 10:24 AM ^
There's really wasn't a second team defense, they rotated a lot, but the d lines top guys like Clark and Henry were out for the most part against the 1s
August 17th, 2014 at 12:06 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 12:19 AM ^
I don't have a problem with Miller. I felt bad for him last year that he was put in a position where he couldn't succeed. Same thing with Bellomy against Nebraska--never should have been out there. My issue is with the way this staff has assessed and coached the offensive line. It's abhorrent. And the fact that M fans are looking at this first team o-line and just nodding is hilarious to me.
August 17th, 2014 at 12:22 AM ^
"Just nodding"? I'm pretty sure you aren't the only one who's concerned about our offensive line. Not sure what you've been reading lately.
August 17th, 2014 at 12:36 AM ^
As opposed to what? Shitting on our players every chance you get before the season even starts? Gleefully watching for failure so you can say "I told you so?"
Yeah, no thanks.
August 17th, 2014 at 12:52 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 1:16 AM ^
understands that you want Hoke and his staff to lose more than you want Michigan to win.
August 17th, 2014 at 8:51 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 1:18 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 6:52 AM ^
as Magnum PI, and as such I will answer what it would take to placate me.....Michigan not having "literally the worst line in the country". As Hoke would say We are Michigan FERGODSAKES. there is absolutely no excuse for the lack of development we have seen by the o-linemen under his tutelage. It's been beyond awful. This program should never have a bad line much less the worst line the country.
August 17th, 2014 at 2:05 AM ^
It's just childish. You don't think Miller is any good. You're on record. This way when Miller plays poorly, you can pat yourself on the back. Great.
There is no reason to beat this dead horse anymore. The kid is out there giving everything he's got for Michigan. You don't like his coach? Fine. Put up a Keep Calm Brady Hoke Sucks image. Why the personal attacks on the kid?
I bet you hated Braylon Edwards for saying Lloyd Carr's Michigan. You're doing the same thing, but making personal attacks about our players as well.
August 17th, 2014 at 7:31 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 5:08 PM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 7:56 PM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 6:47 AM ^
relying on Miller then we are truly in a worst case scenario.
August 17th, 2014 at 12:00 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 6:59 AM ^
are scorching are extremely valid. The definition of insanity is "doing the exact same thing and expecting different results". So as a rational fan, why should I expect anything different other than what this staff have shown us?
August 17th, 2014 at 12:08 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 12:35 AM ^
Has picked up where it ended last season. Hopefully Hoke will name starters and we will stick with them through the season. The lack of development was due in part to too much substitution!
August 17th, 2014 at 1:05 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 1:20 AM ^
pretty heavily a few weeks back when I mentioned that our Oline is going to SUUUUUCCCCKKKKK.
Yep!
August 17th, 2014 at 6:45 AM ^
to my mgoblogging life. I've been destroyed by fellow mgobloggers because I haven't bought into all of Hoke's BS about the o-line and team improving. But at the end of the day, the truth is in the pudding, and the pudding says we are garbage.
August 17th, 2014 at 9:33 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 3:50 PM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 7:29 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 1:28 AM ^
There was not one run over 10 yards, by a RB, the whole night...... not good.
August 17th, 2014 at 1:54 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 2:06 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 3:43 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 3:47 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 9:03 AM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 5:13 PM ^
August 17th, 2014 at 1:29 PM ^
You seem to be forgetting that the defense isn't going to just let you engage them and drive them off the line. Saban makes things easy? Obviously you don't know much about his defense.