Way Too Early Thoughts on 2015
Since we have a bye week, will throw this out there realizing there is a major unknown (coach). What are your expectations for 2015 football?
I will throw out 2 candidates just to see how much people think a HC will change everything in 1 season.
- Scenario 1: A Harbaugh is coaching UM
- Scenario 2: The name is not important, it's a generic non Harbaugh/Miles/Patterson/Mullen candidate. I'll throw out someone like Mark Stoops after leading Kentucky to a 8-4 season.
Backdrop:
Here is the schedule, it is not as easy as it looked 3 months ago
Away
- @Utah (currently 4-1, very well coached, and probably headed to a 8-4 type of season)
- @Maryland (~ Rutgers level of football)
- @Minnesota (currently 5-1, well coached if boring, and probably headed to a 8-4 type of season)
- @Indiana (typical no defense, all offense team, Tevin Coleman will be a senior)
- @Penn State (Hack will be a JR although probably PTSD by then, OL will move from horrid to probably bad, defense solid, tough environment)
Home
- Oregon State (currently 4-1 but has not played anyone, probably headed to 7-5 - will lose their best player to the NFL)
- BYU (was 4-0 but lost awesome dual threat QB Hill to broken leg, put up 41 pts on Charlie Strong's good Texas defense when Hill was healthy)
- Northwestern
- MSU (most likely Cook, Calhoun and Waynes will be early entry and their best offensive player Lippett will graduate but well coached)
- Rutgers (Gary Nova graduates but they get their RB back from ACL)
- OSU (JT Barrett or Braxton leading the charge)
Top 5 most difficult games, adjusted for locations (i.e. road games tougher)
- OSU
- MSU
- @Utah
- BYU
- @Maryland or @Minnesota or @PSU
Projected offense - main losses; Gardner / Funchess
- QB - Speight or Morris (danger)
- RB - Green / Isaac / Smith
- OL - same guys, 1 year older
- WR - Darboh #1, Chesson #2, Canteen, Ways, Norfleet, maybe Harris as 3 thru 6. (Funchess leaves early entry)
- TE - Butt, Bunting, Hill (probably will be the strength of the 2015 offense)
Projected defense - main losses; Ryan, Clark, Beyer, Taylor
- DL - Mario, Henry, Glasgow, Charlton (DEs will have a drop off due to Clark gone, DTs should be better with age, experience)
- LB - Morgan, Bolden (assuming Morgan gets RS at this point with hints Hoke is dropping, only listed 2 LBs since that seems to be our base set in 2014 - Ross III would be the third)
- CB - Peppers, Lewis with Blake as nickel (should be a very good set of starting CBs but could be hurt by lack of pass rush by DEs)
- S - Wilson, Hill or Thomas or Clark
My quick thoughts:
- Offense remains troublesome. You lose your top 2 playmakers in Devin and Devin. No game breaker WR remaning after back to back years of Gallon/Funchess. No game breaking RB but people will place a lot of hope on Isaac as they did on Green 2 years ago. OL has to improve marginally if for nothing else experience. 2 TE sets might be common as that is where the talent is. QB is scary - either a first time starter or a guy who has shown little leads you into Utah and v BYU early.
- Defense remains decent but not elite. Corners improvement offset by step back at DE. DT should be strength of defense. LBs are a bunch of solid guys but not elite playmakers. Safeties - who knows anymore.
- With QB being the most important position in the sport and no elite WRs it's going to be rough early in 2015, and you hope either Morris or Speight comes into his own by game 4-5 as JT Barrett has done. If not, it's going to be tough sledding whomever the coach is.
October 15th, 2014 at 10:22 PM ^
October 15th, 2014 at 10:25 PM ^
October 15th, 2014 at 10:25 PM ^
So depressing that we're already looking forward to next year. Again. Been doing this sh*t since 2008.
October 15th, 2014 at 10:36 PM ^
Too much talent to be anything but realistically optimistic.
Too jaded from the past 7 years to be anything but pessimistic.
A drunken French monkey SHOULD be able to win with the talent Michigan has in '15. A competent coach SHOULD be able to win consistently for years afterwards.
October 16th, 2014 at 1:37 PM ^
French monkeys run away at the first sign of a fight. German monkeys are better suited to coaching football.
October 15th, 2014 at 10:37 PM ^
October 15th, 2014 at 10:47 PM ^
late 1st to mid 2nd.
With his size, if his 40 time is very good he will probably rocket to mid 1st.
October 15th, 2014 at 11:02 PM ^
some are really bullish on Funchess. Some are thinking of giving him a top 15 grade because of his size, freakish athleticism. With the success of big WRs in the league especially Kelvin Benjamin whom he is being often compared to, it'll push his stock higher. I'd be surprised if he is drafted at 2nd round. 1st round is where he'll be drafted.
October 15th, 2014 at 11:20 PM ^
Yes I've seen him mid 1st once or twice but generally he is 22nd-30th in the 1st, or goes early in the 2nd. All this is fluid as we all know - guys can move up 10 or down 10 spots on their 40 times alone. Some even think he will be an Ebron type and remain at TE in the NFL but I doubt those people have seem him block. ;)
It's pretty immaterial if he is 18th overall or 34th from a UM standpoint. He will grade out high enough to leave, esp with no established QB here to return to.
October 15th, 2014 at 11:34 PM ^
Also in a more broad statement on the Big 10 after a few years of quite bad performance early in the draft this year should be a breakout draft for the league.
Gregory and Scherff are being mocked in the top 10ish everywhere. Calhoun is 10-20. Cook, Waynes, and Funchess are all in that area between 20 to 40. Gordon and Abdullah 15 years ago would be 1st rounders but in the modern NFL where RBs are de-emphasized are still both looking like 2nd rounders. (Gurley and Yeldon seem to be the only 1st round RB types) Michael Bennett from OSU should be a 2nd rounder as well. Carl Davis from Iowa and Stegon Diggs from Maryland also could be 2nd rounders. So at least there is some Big 10 talent headed to the NFL draft early this year.
I think 2 years ago the Big 10 had one guy from Wisconsin drafted in the 1st and he was 2nd from last in the round or something.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:07 AM ^
I think he could be a combine star. For as shitty as Michigan has been, he's probably flying under the national radar a bit. With his size and abilities, I could see him having a really good combine and shooting up the draft boards.
I just hope we don't break his body before then.
October 15th, 2014 at 10:39 PM ^
I think the doomsday scenerio is going to unfold. Brandon is admonished, but not fired and establishes several committees to work more effectively with students and disinfranchised alumns. A quieter, less public Brandon returns for 2015.
Hoke wins 3 of his last 4 in conference to finish 6-6 and then wins a crappy bowl game convincingly to finish up the season with a winning record and claim improvement over the course of the year. Changes are made in the assistant ranks - Funk is let go and Jackson retires - but it's Hoke, Nuss & Mattison back again in 2015.
October 15th, 2014 at 10:42 PM ^
October 15th, 2014 at 11:13 PM ^
improvement. But, he will not. So, I dont think we need to worry too much about that. MSU and OSU are losses.I will be VERY happy to eat crow if I am wrong, but I see MAYBE 2 more wins this year. Maryland and Indiana.
October 16th, 2014 at 7:16 AM ^
if that does happen, it will have been the same type of improvement RR never got credit for: only one way to go from the bottom.
improvement from here is meaningless: the fact will have still remained that that Hoke and this staff coached M to the bottom from a not so bottom position.
October 16th, 2014 at 8:07 AM ^
RR's teams got worse as every season progressed. Big Ten killed us. Or do you mean from year to year, because in which case Hoke has not improved...
October 15th, 2014 at 10:41 PM ^
I'm hoping that there will be serious competition on the OL next year. Guys like Kugler, Dawson and Bosch may make their presence known. The OL will pretty much be stocked two deep with 4* players in their third or forth year. That has to add up to something, right?
I agree that QB is a fairly major concern. Shane Morris as a third year player should be All B1G material but I definitely don't see that happening.
I was at the game on Saturday and definitely enjoyed watching the D play. They were aggressive and physical. Hopefully that can carry on into 2015 (even with the drop-off at DE).
October 15th, 2014 at 10:52 PM ^
October 15th, 2014 at 11:01 PM ^
Our routes are not crisp and guys are not getting open. Jeremt Gallon ran great routes.. Maybe its effort, coaching, or they know DG is only looking at DF but its very poor.
I still go into every year thinking we can win every game.
October 15th, 2014 at 11:00 PM ^
Scenario 2) 6-9 win season
I think our QB situation is the most troubling. Hoke has been here for four years and we seemingly don't have a very competing looking QB to start in 2015 which would just be insane. The eggs were all put in the Shane basket and let's hope a new coaching staff knows how to get him going in the right direction
October 15th, 2014 at 11:05 PM ^
So much goes into this. I remember Brian Griese a few games his Sophmore could barely throw the ball 20 yards downfield. As a Senior he was almost perfect in running the offense and won the National Championship. Nobody would have predicted the success he had based on his Sophmore year.
October 16th, 2014 at 12:37 AM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 10:21 AM ^
October 15th, 2014 at 11:02 PM ^
October 15th, 2014 at 11:04 PM ^
People complained about Gardner this year, but man is it going to suck next year with Morris and a bunch of unproven/unknowns as backups. The line should be a bit better, but I expect next year's offense to be pretty rough.
October 15th, 2014 at 11:10 PM ^
Looking through my maize and blue colored glasses, we will be 15-0.
At worst, we will be 14-1 with the only loss coming in the national championship game in 3 OT when we go for a 2 point conversion and a controversial call at the goal line goes against us.
October 15th, 2014 at 11:21 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 12:19 AM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 12:30 AM ^
October 15th, 2014 at 11:13 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 12:15 AM ^
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October 16th, 2014 at 12:27 AM ^
October 15th, 2014 at 11:38 PM ^
You forgot Scenario 3, in which Hoke is retained and we sputter to more of the same.
October 15th, 2014 at 11:51 PM ^
-ceaser
October 16th, 2014 at 12:21 AM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 1:00 AM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 1:52 AM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 2:07 AM ^
on the wrong website. You want the Alabama blog
October 16th, 2014 at 2:41 AM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 7:52 AM ^
not entirely a nightmare as the O-line is the bigger issue with Shane being a QB.. if we have a good offensive line that can give him time and a good head coach like harbaugh we could see some huge changes in player development..
It is clear Hoke and his staff suck massive balls when JOSH FURMAN now plays for OK State and is a LB, not a DB.. and he has 5 Sacks and 1 INT and he is listed at 202 lbs..
This staff just cannot put guys in a position to be successful
October 16th, 2014 at 9:24 AM ^
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October 16th, 2014 at 2:58 AM ^
well if its not one of the harbaughs or miles or gruden. next guy will be gone in 3 or 4 years too. people are not going to want anybody but the first 4 guys anybody elce will have no support from the fans and we will start the fire the coach talk in year 1
October 16th, 2014 at 3:13 AM ^
Next year, we finally get to see Michigan go into the 21st century on offense. Unfortunately, they now have a full compliment of "pro style" QB's to execute the spread for whoever is teaching it. So, of course, the same people who whined about Rich Rod and how "the spread won't work in the Big Ten" will be whining about the new coach, sayng he "can't adjust his offense to the personnel he has."
And the cycle of doom repeats, over and over...
October 16th, 2014 at 4:59 AM ^
Any new coaching staff is going to have to re-sift everything again. Probably less frustration with the little errors on the field but I'm guessing chaos on offense and defense to the tune of about 6 wins. Surprise me if the proposed monkey can do better.
I think you are going to see something special with Isaac in the backfield From the eyeball test he looks freakishly strong. Darboh looks also quite strong...just look thru the huddle, the guy has massively built calf muscles as compared to the rest of his 'mates, we already know about his arms. I think he's got the best hands from what I've seen so far, Funchess makes a lot of catches but there's the WTF easy bunny that hits him in the hands once a game for a stone-handed drop. I also think he gets beaten up around the legs by every opposing DB trying to negate his size. Morris I think will improve. He has the tools but too often resorts to throwing a rocket instead of a balll speed appropriate for the situation at hand. The OL is a question but I have to believe improvement as the main 5 is finally solidified. I think Cole will be a lot more of a force with another year of training. He has done remarkably well. Its the other side I worry more about, quite a few derps from the RT spot. The return of Bosch could help that.
Defensively I think good stuff is still there. There are some spot losses but it seems like younger players are there and have seen field time enough to pick it up. Really would love to have Morgan back again. He's not flashy but solid. Also hoping for an on-field demo of Super Peppers, maybe he can finally get a returnable punt or take the reins of Norfleet on kickoffs (isn't Fleet a senior?)
'16 should be a senior-laden team. Its '17 where I think there will be the "young team" syndrome again.
October 16th, 2014 at 6:35 AM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 7:03 AM ^
My guess is if Brandon isn't fired within the next two weeks, he returns. However there seems to be a lot of smoke, so he may gone. If he returns, I think Hoke has a good chance of staying, however, I don't think it is a guarantee. Either way I think the staff changes drastically. I believe Nuss will get the hell out of here. We will have a new oline coach, probably a new RB coach, and possibly some new defensive coaches. If we have a new coach, I still think next year will be a 7-9 win type year but we see some improvement. I'm really hoping Wilton is the next great QB.
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October 16th, 2014 at 7:01 AM ^
when is Ben Gedeon going to get consistent playing time? He is one of the few playmakers IMO. I'd like to see him get more PT this season. I'd also hope that Pipkens can be healthy and effective next season. I believe if the DB's are coached better, we could see a strength there next season. I think the chances of Funchess jumping ship are high, but wouldn't be surprised to see him back. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Mo Ways get a LOT of PT next year or push one of your 1st string guys.
October 16th, 2014 at 7:29 AM ^
No QB and we have no gamebreaker wideout. We're in big trouble in 2015.
October 16th, 2014 at 10:05 AM ^