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Agree Utah probably wins if…

Agree Utah probably wins if Rising doesn’t go down…but they had gone stagnant in the 2nd half, and it was actually the backup who generated their first td of the half.

JSN is a hell of a receiver. 

This thread is a great…

This thread is a great reminder to make sure not to take your medical advice from a Sports blog. the amount of dumb and wrong being exhibited is kind of amazing, although to be fair, it will help when we get back to sports to discount certain users opinions.

 

to me, this is a bad route…

to me, this is a bad route by Collins. Looks like he's supposed to be running more of a dig, underneath the post, which makes way more sense.

if the intended concept was Post/Dig to the boundary, I thought Bell's route needed another step or 2 vertical, before the break, but if you're really not threatening on the ground, it's not going to pop wide open.

My .02

Positives:

Charbonnet is…

Positives:

Charbonnet is the real deal. The pieces of this offense just need to come together to take the burden off him. Getting DPJ back and Shea healthy will only make things improve.

I can't believe the shortsighted freaking out that assumes this is the best we will be this year!! This team has all the makings of a squad that once it hits the right cylinders, will be special.

Bell looked way better today!

Classic bitching & moaning…

Classic bitching & moaning. No doubt they look off. Also so clear that they are stressing "give" on ZR. "Live with the give".

Anyone asking for Gattis to be fired is incredibly short sighted. Dude's track record is on point. Transitions take time.

Stop freaking out. Completely unreasonable to expect an immediate juggernaut in a manball->spread transition.

Positives: Ronnie bell looked much more viable, and sooner or later he may be wr #4. 

 

Nico, dpj, tarik black, shea…

Nico, dpj, tarik black, shea, etc...

if the pass game isnt absolutely explosive, this is a major fail.

ballsy move by JH. But the right direction. I wonder how much was also brought on by players clamoring for a more wide open strategy? 

Gameplanning

Hey there...i can speak to the high school level. Ive seen it done really well and really half assed.



There’s really several layers to gameplanning. To be honest, the off-season film review of your lower levels and varsity is critical and would provide you your baseline on information related to “what you’ve got”. I would imagine at the college level practice film provides a similar level of self-scouting.



Coordinators all have their own personalities in terms of scheme, but at the end of the day, lots of people use the same concepts, repurposed to fit their respective personnel (if you’re adaptable) and philosophy. From a scheme perspective, you develop your base offense off what you can do well, and then its about developing the counters and complements. In the pass game, we look at the film weve ammassed on our current year opponents in the spring and generally figure out what the defensive schemes each team is likely to deploy against us. Then you can lump your available concepts into such buckets as “man-beaters”, “cov-2 beaters”, “cov-3” beaters, etc etc. same with the run game. If you can predict the #s in the box and look for those stunt/slant tendencies, you could figure out how your offense will work best. if efficient, you should have a good idea of each opponent’s lineups and scheme pre-season. Then when you get to game week, you are simplify confirming or adjusting your plan based on the new evidence available.



Things you evaluate as part of a game plan:

- base coverage(s)

- box #’s in various personnel packages, formations and situations

- the opponents predicted adjustments to your formations based on previous opponents as well as your previous tape.

- pressure tendencies (down, direction, specific player, etc)

- situational personnel adjustments

- best players

- weakest links)

- ability to contain the edge / discipline

- your own self-scouting / ability to break tendency.

... and so much more... this is a black hole



My timeline as an offensive coordinator in a game week... (not including indi /drills... this is just general focus... and just for the offensive side of the ball).



Friday Night: GAME

Saturday Morning: Ice, Game Review, Light Lift, and Field Walkthrough of anything new, corrections or things to be dusted off based on high level projections of the next opponent. I love the saturday morning practices. Purges the game from friday and gets you focused on whats next.

Saturday/Sunday: coaches review next opponent film, meet Sunday evening as offensive/defensive units with the HC (we video conference now to make it less time intensive) and Coordinators will propose an initial pass at the gameplan as well as a schedule for installing the plan.

Monday: focus on blitz protection calls, quick game, 3step game, tricks, with red zone, 3rd and long, 2- minute drill, etc. outside sweeps, toss and fly sweep.

Tuesday: inside run game and RPO’s, screens and play action passes. Will get in some 3rd and short& goalline situations (including backed up on our own goalline)

Wednesday: (generally tuesday night we make any updates to our plan and develop our script) run through our 10 play script ( plays weve identified that we think will put the opponent in a bind) and any other plays “off the band” that we want in our back pocket against a particular defense. Nail down any different personnel packages and work on changing in and out of those packages. We will work on starting drives from our own 20 out to midfield, sudden change in opponent territory, etc

Thursday: walk through of first 10 and any tricks or new additions added for the week. In and out of personnel packages.



Anyway, this could actually be much more in depth, but hopefully this gives you one perspective. Keys are making sure your scout team is really organized and giving the right looks in the right situations (which takes lots of prep and actual time to thoroughly break down the opponents D).

Fyi: We are a spread, no huddle team that likes to vary tempo. Generally 10 or 20 personnel ( not a fan of forcing tight ends that dont exist at the high school level - that said, its truly a wonderful thing to have a difference maker at TE.)



Anyway, cheers if youve made it through this..l

Perfect complement to IZ

Great work breaking down power and counter. As you briefly mentioned, a lot of similarities for backs with zone running. Schematically, makes sense to pair with IZ so you are using Frey’s IZ expertise but expanding your horizons. I really like it. As a spread coach, power and counter trey are no less effective in lighter sets (10,11 personnel).

Psu went to the OsU well...

That was a very ohio state offensive game plan.



Also frustrating that we cant do the same thing they do with gesicki / Gentry...

The problem is...

Penn St was employing the Ohio St. offensive approach to beating Michigan. That is a problem.

Threet

Speight is getting a little bit uncomfortably closer to Threet on the 2008 Threet-2003 Navarre Scale. Currently holding on to Navarre 2001 by a thread...

Disagree on M deserving to

Disagree on M deserving to win.
lost the turnover battle 3:1 (including direct points lost on the pick six and fumbling inside the osu 5). On the road, you cannot do that and feel like you deserve to win. Period.

I agree that the calls were questionable but without the "down the line" replay, that call should not be overturned.

Do you still use "homo" or "fag" in normal conversation?

Do you still use "homo" or "fag" in normal conversation?

Whip route. Perry does a bad

Whip route. Perry does a bad job selling the slant on the pick six. We use this in combination with our shallow and scat concepts. When that reciever runs enough shallows or spot/snag routes, the whip has a really nice effect.

Having watched Hogan in

Having watched Hogan in several games, and also heard reactions from many stanford fans out here in the bay area, my opinion of him is very "meh". He's decently athletic, but seems to make routinely poor decisions, and I've not seen a whole lot of accuracy out of him. All in all, kind of an erratic QB.

That said, that still probably makes him the best (and at least most experienced) QB on our roster. Just don't expect that we'd be getting Russell Wilson.

Hogan could be a decent stop-gap to allow Malzone and Speight time to develop.

I am personally not high on Shane Morris or Bellomy (obviously). If Morris turns a corner, great, but i 'm definitely not expecting him to be an all-B1G qb anytime soon.

Long story short, Hogan could make sense to provide Morris a kick in the ass in the competition department.

adjustments

As a head coach at the high school level, I can tell you a few things about adjustments...

(1) Your filmwork and preparation dictates how you start a game and your general gameplan. (obviously) The biggest "adjustment" that a coach(ing staff) must be able to make is to understand what the other side is doing and identify what you have in your arsenal to counter that. Sometimes, you won't have a good answer... you play with what you practice. If you have 3 plays on O and 2 coverages on D, that's what you go with. If you don't have a QB who can throw over 10 yards, no amount of begging to "GO DEEP" will magically make that happen! 

(2) Each of my assistants is tasked with evaluating a specific aspect of the gameplan over the first few series, so that we can make quick, small, in-game adjustments between drives. The biggest, and easiest thing you can do is identify 1 player on the other team to pick on, and keep picking on him until he loses his shit/gets pulled. This could be a cornerback who takes plays off if he thinks a run's coming. It could be an overzealous backer or de giving up contain. This is the quickest form of adjustment: mastering which segments of your available playcalls can be used to exploit various weaknesses.

(3) Available playcalls as adjustments: There are times when you simply don't have an available answer to what you're confronted with. What you can counter with is totally dependent on how much info your team can take in and master. Also, how do you practice? It drives me crazy to hear fans bitch and moan about adjustments not being made at halftime in scenarios where there's clearly a limit to what calls are available. A team that can't pass or more importantly pass-block, won't magically start throwing the ball. Where i understand getting frustrated is when coachs refuse to do things that the players are capable of because of their own pride. You have to know your personnel, and adapt to it. If I have a dual threat QB, our passing spread turns into a read-option spread to run team. 

(4) A great way to have built-in adjustments is to teach your kids concepts, send them to the line without a huddle, and coach them up to the point where your QB/linemen (in particular) can recognize the defense (or LB's/safety's on d) and make playcall adjustments at the line. My team this past year evolved into basically a passing spread team. We didn't have the big size and strength up front to be a power-based football team, but we were athletic enough to handle more zone concepts and were exceptional in pass protection (1 sack in 180 pass atempts over the last 6 games). My Qb had 11 available play concepts to call from based on what he would see at the line... it's pretty cool to see kids learn that they, being on the field, in the moment, have a better look at what plays will work against the other team. As a coach, this puts you in a situation where you can eventually trust your guys on the field to help YOU make adjustments during breaks. 

anyway, just some thoughts from a coach who values teaching your kids up to the point where they are knowledgable enough and competent enough to make changes on the go.

huh?

Hoke didn't give Borges cart blanche?

There isn't a concept in any football playbook that Al didn't try to implement. So are you saying that Brady was forcing Al to try 8 million concepts without focusing on 1. I could see Brady beign responsible for the stubbornness that leads to 27 for 27, but as a whole I'm not sure Brady was much into offensive micromanagement.

2900+ yards, 20+ TDs, and

2900+ yards, 20+ TDs, and Michigan record books for passing...

I'm sure Shane will push Devin, but there's not a chance this is actually a competition Shane wins. You can't bench that kind of production with the whole "guy who can vince young you on 3rd and long" aspect.

Nuss has PLENTY to work with in DG, and his background suggests Devin's multiple skillsets are well within his comfort zone.

This should be a great pairing.

 

 

Death

Is it weird that I would interested to see what Nick Sheridan can do as a coach? He's an pass game c/QB coach at USF. Michigan certainly won't have the balls to hire a younger guy (god forbid) though, so he's out.

Gardner

Did anyone else check Devin's season-end stats and do a double take?

60%

2960 yds

21-11 TD-INT (+11 Rush Tds)

Who was the last 3000 yard passer at M? Navarre? and before him?

 

Caveat, of course, is "The Three Good Games"

1248 YDS, 10-1 TD-Int (+5 Rush Tds) against ND, IU, OSU

1712 YDS, 11-10 TD-Int (+6 Rush Tds) against the other 9

 

Still, he has the potential for a Vince Young 5th year senior season.

No, our D will not keep us in

No, our D will not keep us in it. Braxton Miller's brain is our only hope to keeping this respectable. If he malfunctions enough, we might be able to hang around. That said, I'm expecting Carlos Hyde to get about 30 carries, and how many yards those go for will determine the ugliness level of this game. If OSU is smart, Miller puts the ball in the air considerably less than 20 times, and most of those will probably go to blitheringly wide open tight ends.

 

if this team goes out and

if this team goes out and knocks off OSU next week, that says volumes about the guys on the team. I will be extremely happy for them. That win would be all for them. I'm so checked out of this season. And I'm not afraid to admit it. I fell asleep in the 4th quarter of the Iowa game. I just didn't care. I'm sure I'll watch The Game. I'm sure I'll be somewhat excited at kickoff. But I'm not even exchanging shit texts with OSU fans. They all fall into 2 categories: they are either embarassed for M or genuinely feel bad that we are as bad as we are.

That said, I'm pretty sure I felt this same way before the Florida CAP One game. There's always a chance. But it would require the kind of stylistic offensive switch DeBord pulled out of his ass for the cap one game. If Al Borges insists on trotting out the same grab bag of garbage next week, I will not be surprised if OSU drops 50+ on us.

Prediction: We come out with all manner of trickery/new installs for the first drive, get up 7-0 and then revert to our normal shit. This looks a lot like 2008 game.

 

Not sure if it's shock or

Not sure if it's shock or what, but I'm not even panicked... I'm actually surprised we've survived unscathed, and I do think there's actual talent on the offensive line that simply needs time to gel.

Derrick Green needs to get his ass in shape so we have another backfield option.

Also, it's really feeling more and more like Devin's just pressing. He's getting so impatient with the lack of success that it's just throwing the offense just enough off to make it feel like a collossal disaster.

I honestly think this is a situation where we're not as bad as we've played the last 2 weeks, and we're not as good as the team that steamrolled Central and knocked off ND.

Manziel is both everything

Manziel is both everything Michigan fans hoped Tate Forcier would be on the field and also mentally as off as Tate Forcier turned out to be. What a weird combination.

Here's the thing:
I'm

Here's the thing:

I'm starting to see that all the random plays that are getting thrown in with varying results really are smoke and mirrors trying to cover up the fact that we can not sustain a smashmouth running attack. I'm not sure this is on Borges, right now. There weren't many playcalls where I thought, what is he doing? Really, Poor execution on many fronts. Al's really trying to disguise weaknesses and distract our opponents with flashy playcalls.

I think we are going to see as Big Ten play starts that DG is going to start getting his number called in the running game closer to 15 times a game. It's the only thing that's consistently working in the run game, and will help get Toussaint a little more room.

As for the pass game. I see the latter part of that game being a result of DG adopting the same mindset as the fans in the stands. He's surely thinking, "wow, we are sucking, but surely we'll get it going and still win comfortably". Then he starts pressing and making bad decisions.

I think our pass game will be fine, and still a huge upgrade from recent seasons.

awful.

I don't want to hear any complaining from anyone who DIDN't watch the game in Berkeley at the UM bar which today was over run by Buckeye fans. The worst experience watching a game I've ever had. This whole town looks like fucking columbus right now.

Game summary:

-Practice. Did it happen last week?

-Interior line got "blowed up" 

-did Trevor Siemian transfer to Akron for the 4th Q?

-I think what everyone learned watching that game is that we have not gotten to the point when we can not include the QB in our running game. It's the only way. We have to play that game to have any hope of setting up anything from the I-form. Akron had nothing for the pistol read or the inverted veer.

-to me, playcalling was pretty far from the forefront of what was wrong. there were severe execution and decision making errors.

4.1 YPC

What is the deal with all this raving about Fitz? 14 carries 57 yards? That's 4 per carry. Cool that he's back from a horrendous injury, but that's hardly something to sit there and be happy with against a MAC team. We'll see really where we're at next Saturday, but I don't get the FITZ IS BACK shit.

I do think Fitz is still the guy, given his experience and non-fumbling, but I think it's pretty clear that he's not going to get 25+ carries a game. They will, and should continue to try out Smith and Green to get those guys experience and see if one can be an immediate value-add to the ground game. By the end of October, I wouldn't be surprised to see one of the freshmen getting more carries on average than Fitz. I also won't be surprised if that doesn't happen. 

Devin Gardner

I don't think I've ever been as quietly confident about a QB going into a season than with Devin Gardner this year. Frankly, what he did from a position change standpoint last season was nothing short of miraculous.

This year, there's no Denard gimmick-ry and shuttling on and off the field... There's nothing but what this offense has worked on in the off-season. Gardner brings that dreaded ability to absolutely launch the bomb while also take off if the defense falls asleep. How can you defend that?

So, in my mind, there's no doubt that Devin will be excellent. How excellent, and how many games we win wil really be decided by whether a second receiver can take some heat off Jeremy Gallon, and whether Fitz Toussaint bounces back to 2011 form/ Derrick Green comes in ready to play.

The comparison? Geno Smith. He is a classic case, though, where if noone else steps up, even a great QB can helm a 7-6 team (West VA last year).

We'll see. Not soon enough...

I think Gallon's going to

I think Gallon's going to turn heads this fall (as will Gardner). I'm talking, 1000 yards this season. The amount that Funchess gets featured really depends on how he develops as a blocker. If he's a total liability, he loses his edge in the pass game because teams will adjust to know that it's a pass only if he's in there.

regarding the wide receivers, I'm not all that concerned. I think Dileo will be a steady producer, to the tune of 30-40 catches. Someone should be able to come in and be productive enough. I think we're in trouble if we're throwing the ball more than 60 percent of the time anyway. Play action needs to be a big element of our offense... Either Fitz comes back strong, or Green steps up early, or we're going to be in trouble. 

Gallon: 75 catches, 1100 yards, 10 TDs

Funchess: 45 catches, 600 yards, 8 TDs

Dileo: 35 catches, 500 yards, 5 TDs

Darboh: 25 catches, 400 yards, 3 TDs

As for Devin Gardner, I think he has a huge year. I think he'll cost us 2 games with some bad decisions, but he will also win a good number as well.

62% completions, 2800 yards, 26 Tds, 13 ints

wait, did you just compare

wait, did you just compare Denard to RG3 and Russell Wilson, 2 of the most accurate passers in college football last year?

RG3 is one of the most deadly accurate throwers I've ever watched. That is why the Redskins are building a franchise around him. The fact that he can run and is a pure athlete is simply icing on the cake.

Russell Wilson clearly could throw, and his baseball skills certainly don't hurt with the accuracy. That's why he got a shot as an undersized QB.

Denard has always been an athlete that can throw JUST ENOUGH to take some heat off the run game and allow him to run wild. No offensive coordinator was going to miraculously turn him into an NFL QB. Sure, he could have been managed more effectively in a spread tailored to his talents, but that only really affects michigan over the last 2 years, not Denard in the NFL. He'll have just as good a chance to get paid in the NFL as any first rounder. It won't be as a QB, though. He'll make it elsewhere.

his size has little to do

his size has little to do with it... if he could throw like Drew Brees, he'd have a shot. But he's horrendously reckless with his arm.

athletic ability

I think the first team to draft denard isn't going to pigeonhole him into a position. He will be drafted for his athleticism, positive character attributes and coachability. Where he goes from there is really going to be a mystery. I think he ultimately will end up doing a lot of things, from situational wildcat stuff, to slot receiver, RB, KO&PR. I could see him playing some D as well.

Think Josh Cribbs.

No (sane) team will draft him as a QB first. See: Miami Dolphins-Pat White. Also very true that Denard's passing wouldn't be at Chip Kelly's desired level, so unless he fell to the 5th or later round, don't see that match happening.

not as crazy as you might think...

A few thoughts...

(1) If the combo of Darboh, Chesson and any freshmen can put up the production of Roundtree over the last few games, our receiving corp will be essentially unchanged with a senior Jeremy Gallon leading the way. Devin Funchess should become a 40+ catch target.

(2) Next year really will be the year that makes or breaks Al Borges. It's pretty clear that Devin posesses a skill set that Borges is more comfortable molding for his WCO. If this combination puts it together in the offseason and develops an offense with a clear identity, Devin could be vince young 2.0---- seriously. With the deep ball accuracy and ability to create outside the pocket, he puts a ton of stress on defenses. Think about this: at worst, I see Devin putting up a Terrelle Pryor statline that's somewhere between his 2009 and 2010 production:

 

2010 Ohio State Big Ten JR QB 210 323 65.0 2772 8.6 8.7 27 11 157.9

 

2009 Ohio State Big Ten SO QB 167 295 56.6 2094 7.1 6.6 18 11 128.9

that would be about 61% completions, 2400 yards, 7.9ypa, 22 TDS, 11 ints. Totally doable.

(3) The emergence of a running game and a bruising O-Line will obviously tell us how far we will go in the B1G. I think we will be at our most vulnerable early in the season next year, and it will take a few games to get our run game going. Really, ND, Nebraska and OSU are the question mark games that will determine our season. I think we probably win the Nebraska game, and wins in the other 2 provide Gardner a chance to state his candidacy for the heisman.

Anyway, it's not a crazy thought that Devin can contend for the heisman, but there's a lot that needs to happen for him to have a legit shot.

 

7-on-7

Let's all just admit that the endpoint of all this is an NFL 7-on-7 league. Flag football. WHEE...

I already don't give a shit about NFL football. To me, Schiano's idea isn't that outlandish. I'd put it at the 35, and make the team move across midfield to keep possession. Or just make it 4th and 20 from the 30. Most people would punt/faircatch in that situation anyway. It basically turns it into the safety rules with an opportunity for a longshot at keeping the football. That's not all that bad in my book.

Purists gonna be pure, though...

what didn't make sense to me

what didn't make sense to me was abandoning the deuce concept in the 2nd half. Were devin and denard ever on the field at the same time in the 2nd half? Without a line up to the task of blocking OSU, and without a credible back to set up the Devin Gardner token play-action, we were bound to run out of workable options. Saturday's game needed to be a high percentage of gimmick for us to win. I think the biggest play of the game was our opening possession where Devin fumbled it away in OSU territory. We put points on the board there and it's possibly 24-20 or 28-20 at half.

The third and short calls were bad - roll DG on a bootleg at least once.

Also, I kept looking for the V Smith screen... where did that go, especially as it got down to the wire...

Really, Carlos Hyde and the inside zone really did us in... other than that, I thought our guys really hung in there on Miller. I was surprised that OSU largely abandoned the pass in the 2nd half, but I guess they were correct that they had figured out how to shut us down.

 

I will say this: Al Borges is not even close to the biggest problem we've got. We need a bruising physical line, a reliable, sturdy workhorse back, and some bigger wide receiver targets before we can expect to dominate OSU. Lacking those things, I thought we did pretty well to stay in the game. I expect Devin Gardner to do special things next year.

I know Brian seemed to

I know Brian seemed to question on the podcast whether OSU could exploit us with tight ends, but every time i turn on an OSU game this year, it seems like Stoneburner or Heuerman is wide fucking open to have a chance at a huge play. I'm resigned to the fact that OSU probably gets at least 1 td and a few big plays like that, where we cover all the threats except for a wide open tight end.

I still think this will be a high scoring game, where wasted opportunities and turnovers decides who wins. I don't expect either defense to look dominant, at all.

I don't care who starts. I

I don't care who starts. I think it's clear that this game plan needs to incorporate the strengths of this team right now: Devin's passing, Denard's legs, and Gallon/Roundtree/Funchess/Dileo. 

I do think that if Denard CAN throw, it will open up an additional element that will totally fuck with OSU.

Honestly, I think Vince Smith is going to have a monster game, both rushing, receiving and protecting the QB. With Denard being the primary focus on the ground, OSU can't really hope to guard against every threat. Look for our darkhorse threats to rise up and have opportunities to win this game.

That said, it begins with Denard being able to make plays and Devin continuing to grow in the pass game. If we get off to fast start, there's no good adjustment for fickell to make.

RE: being too gimmicky... This year we're going be riding a fine line with the gimmicks. If we were to line up and try to run Rawls and VSmith up the gut and try obvious play action, I think sooner rather than later, OSU overwhelms that and forces Gardner into some bad decisions. That's not sustainable in this game with our O lines inability to block for a non-QB rusher. The Denard jet will work, but the key is getting big plays off of that where Denard is a decoy. OSU knows that on any given play, Denard could house it if they don't pay attention to him. Having to also account for Devin's scrambling and deep balls, they are in a bind anytime Denard is on the field. I'm very intrigued to see how this plays out. I don't really see either defense being all that effective in this game, and I think it may take 40+ to win this one.

Be prepared for this now, because I've seen it in a number of OSU games: They will have wide open tight ends on busted coverage and I will predict that they get 2 tds and several big gainers by getting those tight ends lost in our zones.

This is not the kind of team our D is really built to shut down, and it's going to be a long game. More than ever, just 1 or 2 opportunities to get a takeaway could really save us.

In a game worthy of the Big 12, I think we win this 41-35 in a game that might remind you of the last time we played a high-powered Urban Meyer team. . .

Devin has an up & down game, alternating big plays with 2 bad turnovers. M starts fast, falls behind at half 28-17, before turning it on late to win.

Gardner: 15-29, 275 yards, 2 TDS passing, 1 rushing. 2 interceptions. Denard throws a TD pass on the opening drive and runs for a TD later. surpasses 100 yards.Vincent Smith has 75+ total yards and a receiving TD.

If he continues to hit deep

If he continues to hit deep balls, as Brian pointed out, you can't defend 4 verts with a scramble-ready QB. That's going to cause nightmares next year after a solid off season as "The Guy". You already see the fruits of this labor, as those quick hitches and outs are wide open and the throws right on the money.

It's clear that this staff won't get the Denard-like prospects in the future, but maybe Devin's success will open up the possibility of getting those special 6'4 QBs who can run as well.

I have to imagine, now that Devin's on film as a guy who can pass, that we will see the "Deuce" in some form against OSU.I'm not sure how you account for Denard running, Devin's deep ball, and Devin's scrambling all in one play, but it can't be easy.

Devin's unlocking things in

Devin's unlocking things in the pass game that simply were not happening with Denard in the game. Look, there's no doubt Denard will get the nod, somehow, but if he can't throw AT ALL, he's going to be wildly ineffective. We'll see. He deserves to start if he can go, but if it's not working, I would think Borges would go to Gardner pretty quickly.

 

One thing's for sure... We will need at least 24 points to beat OSU. I have a bad feeling that our D will not hold up well against massive mis-direction and spread looks from the OSU offense. If it takes all manner of trick play and confusing personnel packages on offense, I hope we get some interesting game plan bits from Borges.

 

Also, Roy Roundtree. nice to have you back.

until he cleans up the

until he cleans up the penalties... taylor is not jake long jr... remember how jake gave up like 2 sacks and 1 penalty in his career? yeah... lewans got time though.

no, your argument is

no, your argument is horseshit.

are you fucking kidding me? I want Denard taking every possible rep in practice to get better so that we increase our chance of winning. Your backup gets 10% of reps, if that. It is an anomaly to have a Tate Forcier waiting with 13 starts under his belt to step in and not skip a beat. Coaches gamble with reps and preparation. Most of the time, they get burned if the starter goes down, unless you have a backup groomed for the same type of offense. Take Oregon, when Dennis Dixon went out with the knee. They were fucked. Texas, when McCoy went down in the NC game. Shit happens, but really, you won't learn anything about Bellomy until he's actually competing for meaningful reps next spring.

I will give you this: there have definitely been times earlier this season, where they could definitely have gotten Bellomy some reps in game situations.

you can have this opinion,

you can have this opinion, for sure, but 9 out of 10 times, a freshman in that situation is going to suck, especially when the offense they run is geared around a once in a generation dual threat talent surrounded by a mishmash of mediocre talent. Fitz Toussaint can't manage 3 yards a carry with denard IN the game to draw defenders. How is that going to work when the QB is not a credible threat.

a lot of "fans" have this crazy expectation that players magically arrive ready to play at a "D-1" level. You don't become a star taking 10% of reps, if that, in an offense tailored to someone else. Sure, Russ does not show elite armstrength, but that's about all I really think I learned, along side "Bellomy is not a spread QB". The thing I DID learn about is that he hustled his ass off and made a fucking enormous tackle after throwing the interception. That shows me that he will work his ass off to get better.

You are living in a dream world where we have a backup Denard to come in and run his offense.

receiving corps...

Let's also please not forget this: who would be catching DG's passes if he goes back to QB? Unless Darboh or Chesson suddenly takes a massive leap toward being legit threats at WR, I'm a much bigger fan of coaching DG up as a WR and giving Russ someone to throw it up to.

This is a touchy issue for this coaching staff, and as someone pointed out, it's largely a gamble. I think it's pretty clear that Borges et al are ready to scrap this hybrid spread thing and move on at the first opportunity to their desired WCO. Sure, Devin will get reps in the spring and a chance to compete, but there's no way they will build an offense around him like they have denard, thus delaying the transition. I know people will be sad to see the spread go away, but  it's what is happening, so prepare yourselves. 

Hopefully Morris is a fast learner and lives up to the hype, but we definitely can't count on that.  

totally disagree.
even with

totally disagree.

even with Devin's limited impact at WR, he's still a big body to throw at. Put that in at QB with little to no (im going with literally zero) reps, and who's he going to throw to? any of about 5 tiny slot targets and a freshman tight end that every team has now identified as a guy M will look to throw to. Meanwhile, Nebraska tee's off on this quasi-spread zone read stuff and beats the crap out of Gardner, potentially further limiting his role on the team via injury. I would much rather have at least the hope of a downfield jump-ball drop to Gardner from the actual back-up who may have at least gotten 10 reps at QB last week.

Not a win for M. maybe he does slightly better, with fewer turnovers, but M still does not win that game with Gardner playing QB. Not happening. Brian said it this morning. M offense minus Denard = 2008.

Going forward, sure, I could get behind Gardner actually preparing as a QB in case of emergency, but you have to have a plan and preparation. The situation against Nebraska was going to be a tire fire any way you cut it.

Bellomy

Besides the clear lack of armstrength, I think we still know nothing about what Russ can do as a starter. Do I hope Devin or a freshman Morris rise up to take the reigns next year? yes, of course. In a situation like this, whoever comes off the bench when denard goes down is totally screwed --- maybe a few snaps with the first team during the last week?. Nebraska was going to tee off on that person. We were so lucky to have a former starter and generally experienced Forcier on the team in 2010. That is an anomaly. You generally aren't going to have a STAR qb1 and a rock solid backup.

So, 2 things:

(1) I disagree with those saying that Gardner should have been the guy. Nebraska's still going to tee off on the run, without even the faint hope of throwing to a guy like himself on the outside. Gardner's not really seemed all that comfortable or competent in his past mop-up duties. Add to that that he clearly HAS NOT PRACTICED AT A QB--- my guess is he has taken literally zero snaps in weeks, despite the coachspeak indicating that he takes reps here and there. I take my chances with the proclaimed back-up, and maintain the off-chance that a 6'4 athlete like Gardner can make a play from the receiver standpoint.

(2) I don't think we can crucify Russ until we have to see him play after a week of preparation to be the starter. Yes, he doesn't appear to have much of an arm, but on many of those throws against nebraska, he looked like he just had no idea what the play was supposed to look like or where he was supposed to throw.

Much more often than not, at ANY level, a backup QB in the game = death. On the positive side, Bellomy's tackle was fucking impressive.

yeah, I don't see how it's

yeah, I don't see how it's possible for Fitz to gain, what, 17 yards on 17 carries, while denard pops over 200 easily. Unless purdue's gameplan was, uh, yeah, let's shut down toussaint and make denard beat us, those numbers make no sense. I to this day, am actually shocked that he was a 1000 yard rusher last year. That's kind of crazy, because he really doesn't run like it. Not particularly big, not particularly strong, and not all that quick. Either he's the recipient of Borges' worst plays, or he's just not really star material. Either way, we need to find a workhorse back (Derrick Green, maybe?) for the future.

Also, I think we can remove the possibility of Fitz going pro after this season.

I hate recruiting.

Everything about it, on both sides of it (high scool players & college staffs) is just over the top. As a fan, I wish I could just ignore all the recruiting hoopla and see what the coaches end up with when practice / game reports come in.

unless i'm missing something...

this is neither interesting, nor bulletin-board worthy.

 

can you really imagine writing on your board that the other team is focusing on you this week? novel concept. Purdue is preparing for michigan! hide your wife and children...

WR

Definitely a positive to hear good things about a good-sized freshman at a position of need.

I do agree that the WR paranoia is a little overblown. Really, we have several good options out there for Denard, and even if Gardner can make just enough catches/big plays to warrant an opponent freak out (particularly in the redzone), that will loosen things up for Roy, Jeremy and any other guys.

Seriously, imagine if Devin Gardner lines up at WR during that Iowa goaline stand... automatically, the Hawkeyes have to account for the quick fade (ala Pryor for OSU). That maybe gives the other guys a chance to make a play elsewhere.

I actually think we might throw more than we did a year ago, while still maintaining that run first offense.

If I had to guess (hope), here's how I predict some stats shake out...

Roy Roundtree 50-60 catches, 800+ yards, 8-10 TDs (solid bounce-back year, but not 2010 numbers)

Jeremy Gallon 40-50 catches, 600+ yards, 5 TDs

Dileo & Darboh: combined end up with 30-40 catches, 10-12 ypr, 3-5 TDs

Devin Gardner 15-20 catches, 300+ yards, 5 TDs 

====

Denard? passing-wise, I think he ends up looking a lot like his 2010 line. low-mid 60's completion pct, 2300-2500 yards, 22-25 TDs, 10 ints.

21 vs 1

Just a thought, but were I a receiver right now expected to lead this team and step up in a big way, I'd be much more inclined to wear 21, which, I mean, who can't think of JR accepting the MVP in the sugar bowl? Almost seems like everyone but Braylon is avoiding the #1 like the plague. Which is great, in my opinion. Don't make yourself a target. Not to mention, while Braylon was great on the field as a Wolverine, he's devolved into a total diva. His whole scholarship thing is essentially useless, and I hope eventually it gets overhauled.

Hope Roy steps it up big time next year! We need it. Great guy.