This year vs last year

Submitted by somewittyname on

Question for the board: Would you take this year's starting ~ 22 vs. last year's?

Here's how I see it:

DL: Push+ (controversial at first glance but we're only takling about four dudes and not  those beyond them and while CW may be a bit of a downgrade and Mone a ?  relative to Glasgow I give it a push)

LB: Push (Peppers-to-Hudson offset by McCray + Bush)

Secondary: Obvious downgrade. only discussion is how much? Anyone's guess...

QB: Upgrade--likely minor

TE: Push (once again on the face of it questionable but I think with Bunting + Whealtey and company, the Butt loss will be not be felt as strongly as his individual accomplishments would suggest)

WR: Push - (Prretty straightforward discussions here. Lost two very solid WRs and replacing with a shitload of young talent. Could go Push - - or Push ++ or between)

RB: Push + (Straight forward)

OL: C-to-LT: Upgrade (Obvious)

OL RG-RT (I would say downgrade but then I heard the news that Ulizio was pushing JBB who I recall couldn't hold his own last year and Runyan a legacy recuruit, and I was like shit, let's upgrade that to super-hyped -- note this is me paraphrasing mgoboard and not my own thoughts)

EDIT: After considering feedback from the community, I have decided it was foolish for me to say anything negative about any units. Most importantly, it seems likely Nolan Ulizio will not only win the job at RT but he will serve in a manner than can only be compared to Jon Snow at the Wall. Godspeed Nolan. We wish you the best.

 

 

BeatOSU52

August 19th, 2017 at 9:25 PM ^

I definitely wouldn't call it a push going into this year , as I think our RBs will be much better this year . From all accounts , Evans, Higdon, and Ty have made great leaps and we should be all set at RB.

ThadMattasagoblin

August 19th, 2017 at 9:34 PM ^

I would take last year's for sure. The DL doesn't have the same depth although the top 4 should be good again. The secondary is a downgrade. We don't know if the Ulizio news is good. Maybe JBB, Runyan, and Ulizio are all playing really bad but somebody has to start. I do believe that the WR and LB position can be and probably will be better this year. Darboh and Chesson were only ok last year and we get Grant Perry back and add a bunch of 4 and 5 star players to the position. McCray is back and Hudson and Bush are reportedly playing very well. Tight end will be a downgrade after losing Asiasi and one of the best TEs in the country in Jake Butt. We can be a great team again but we have question marks that we didn't have last year.

somewittyname

August 19th, 2017 at 9:46 PM ^

I was trying to limit discussion to starters. Absolutely no question people take last year's two deep over this one but I think in terms of strictly starters it's a tough question, Ulizio aside, who from what I've heard may actually be Christ reincarnate but color me skeptical until I see the horsemen.

somewittyname

August 19th, 2017 at 9:48 PM ^

The best part is people want to respond genuinely but then see who it was posted by and feel inner turmoil. What does that turmoil feel like? Try describing it like you're in your 11th grade composition english class which I assume is what you're already in.

In reply to by somewittyname

Toby Flenderson

August 19th, 2017 at 10:06 PM ^

" I like to start shit on a thread below this one and having a period because Sam Webb stated that Nolan Ulizio is holding his own. In addition, I enjoy being on a high horse by talking down to a lot of the posters by acting like he knows better with comments such as "Whatever you guys have to tell yourselves." and "harbaugh was the first to pick up on that. Have any more wise words my man?".  when people give me explanations and reasons, I just act like a dick and talk about how Mgopoints are pointless, and yet I use Mgoblog". " -somewittyname

 

Here is the difference between you and me, I dont try to act like something I'm not. I like bringing humor to the blog, whether it has to do with my username and things like that to keep things light hearted. I know some people won't enjoy it, but I dont talk down to other people here. You on the other hand think you have some greater knowledge than the rest of us and are more "objective". Also, for someone who doesn't care about being downvoted, you seem to be quite concerned about bringing up the point of being downvoting your unpopular opinion. 

Heptarch

August 20th, 2017 at 1:42 PM ^

No, you're not.



You're just one of the sad, faceless legions of internet trolls who get off on pissing people off for some reason.  There's probably something clinically wrong with you, but your lack of self-awareness will never allow you to acknowledge that.

bacon

August 19th, 2017 at 9:49 PM ^

We had a record number of players leave and go to the NFL. Last years team was incredible by recent standards, packed with upperclassmen, and probably should have played in the NCAA playoffs. This years team will be good for a young team, but don't kid yourself about which one was better.

reshp1

August 19th, 2017 at 9:58 PM ^

I hate to be the guy to say this, but people are way underestimating the drop off in some spots. What we're saying in a lot of cases is our true freshmen and sophomores/RS freshmen could be drafted and play in the NFL right now. That's probably true for Gary, but I'm not sure who else. Also, I see people assuming OL will automatically get better simply because last year's wasn't very good, but as we know that's far from guaranteed.

DL: Push-
LB: Push-
Safeties: Push-
CB: Minus
QB: Push+
OL: Push-
RB: Plus
TE: Minus
WR: Minus

Juicing with Milk

August 19th, 2017 at 10:42 PM ^

I view QB as a definite upgrade over last year. Speight had a year's worth of film to pore over in the offseason, and it seems clear that he's putting in tons of work to get better. You don't cut 20 lbs without serious discipline. Also, the competition level may have improved based off the recent interview with O'Korn. If not all that, what is enough to warrant a plus?

ThadMattasagoblin

August 19th, 2017 at 10:45 PM ^

Kugler has barely played at all in 4 years. Runyan, Onwenu, and Ulizio have also barely played. JBB played 1.5 games and wasn't that great. I feel like these guys would have seen some snaps last year if they were really better than Kalis, Braden,or Magnuson. WR, LB, and TE will still be great because it is a position that underclassmen can contribute more and we have better recruits. 

funkywolve

August 19th, 2017 at 11:46 PM ^

will be real interesting.  I've seen comments where people say addition by subtraction, but like you said, most of the guys vying for time weren't able to earn playing time last year.  I'm hoping the new oline coach helps out a bit, but I still think UM is probably a year away from getting back to the dominating olines that most of us grew up with.  

Last years oline wasn't that bad.  They struggled against the better teams but for the most part hard their way for 2/3 to 3/4 of the season.  The last remaining step is getting the oline to the point were they can hold their own and tilt the scale in their favor against the better teams.  I'm not sure if this oline is going to be able to make that leap.

uminks

August 20th, 2017 at 3:26 AM ^

Some may be talented but the experience is lacking. Lucky for us we don't see good QBs until late in the season.

The D line may be just as good by mid season as last season.

LB will be better.

WR young but talented and a lot of potential weapons. Last year we had 2 good ones with a lot of experience. Start of the season it may be rough but by the end of the season there will be 4 who will be excellent.

OL, worried about the right side. Kugler may finally live up to expectations. I am nervous about the Florida game. Wilton may be under constant pressure.  If the starters can be consistent through the season we could have a good unit by years end.

RB may be potentially are biggest gain. But if the line cannot block then high expectations may be dampened.

TE we lose Butt but there may be several good options, so may be a slight downgrade.

If we can win a defensive struggle against Florida, we are in good shape to win 10 or 11 games. If we lose, I think 9-3 or 8-4 is more likely. This young team needs confidence so I hope they can win all their games leading up to PSU.

Important FG kicking game is unknown but I'm hoping for the best.

 

AA Forever

August 20th, 2017 at 7:50 AM ^

that there is no position group where you can reasonably project us as being significantly better than last year.  RB and QB are the only ones that project as better at all, but there are no new high impact guys there.  We MAY be better at other positions, but it's mostly finger-crossing and wishful thinking right now.

Mr Miggle

August 20th, 2017 at 10:19 AM ^

How is predicting the WRs anything than a wild guess? We lost two very productive 5th year SRs. That's a lot to make up for. On the other hand, we have never had this kind of talent at the position. I can't even think of a time when it was close. 

WR development can be unpredictable. There was little indication that Jehu Chesson would break out like he did in 2015, his 4th season. He took a step back last season, also unexpected. Freshman WR often struggle to contribute, but we have 4 really good candidates and the camp reports on them have been outstanding.  I'm finding it hard to be pessimistic about their prospects this season. We've seen a lot of WRs make their jump between their FR and SO seasons and have two very good candidates for that, plus a returning starter.

My range for the group is anywhere from yours, Push-, to a big Plus. Their blocking is the only sure step back.

I have to be more optimistic on QB. We're replacing a very inexperienced first year QB with someone with a lot more experience. I keep reading how terrible Speight was when it mattered. The most reasonable expectation is a good step forward, especially if we are adjusting the offense to fit our QB's strengths.

MFanWM

August 19th, 2017 at 9:56 PM ^

I think that last year Darboh, Chesson and Butt all should have had ++ seasons over previous year with the most glaring issue QB accuracy.  If Speight had taken advantage of the opportunities in multiple games to just hit the open receivers, most particularly in the Iowa game, they would have won by 14-21 points on missed wide open receivers.

If the Oline can gel some and Pep opens up the playbook to mix in some 4 wide sets that will help.  Also, to be honest, the playcalling down the stretch was pretty stagnant and at times incredibly predictable and two shades less than even vanilla.  If they ran another slow developing play to Deveon or put Peppers back in the wildcat without a throwing option one more time....so there were some opportunities that were just not taken as well.