Ron Utah

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Date	Title	Body
7 hours 50 min ago	Fitz vs. Green	We have no idea what Fitz will look like next year. Last year, before Denards injury, he was bad but was not getting blocks and there was almost no threat of the pass. After Denards injury we were transitioning to the pro style and the blocking was still bad. That said, Fitz averaged over 5.2 yards/carry in the two games where DG was our QB (minny and nw).  I think Fitz will be pretty good with better run blocking and a real pass threat on every down. I also think Green will earn some carries, as will Johnson and Norfleet. Unfortunately, I think Rawls and Hayes will have the hardest time seeing the field.
2 days 3 hours ago	#1	Derrick Green is in fact the #1 impact freshman, as predicted by Luginbill (there is no "i" at the end of his name...Luginbill is not Italian)
2 days 6 hours ago	Drugs are bad!	You know how they teach you in school that weed doesn't actually make you more creative, it just makes you think you're more creative? For the first time in my life, I believe that.
2 days 7 hours ago	I am 99% certain	That beat was taken from the default Hudl beat options.  Datbull needs to put a call into Ryan Lewis to get some help with his beats.  And while he's doing that, he may as well call someone to do the rap part for him too.
3 days 51 min ago	Then why do they bring the	Then why do they bring the dual threat guys to the Elite 11?  And why is their success rate at picking the best 11 so mediocre? No, I didn't like Dilfer long before the Shane Morris thing.  And actually, having watched Shane, I think a lot of Dilfer's criticisms were accurate.  But he just seems like a blowhard with a very inconsistent track record who looks at a lot of the wrong things when assessing college QBs.
3 days 1 hour ago	Borges	This guy is my favorite interview on the staff.  He's more open and more technical than either Brady or Mattison.  Amazing work Heiko. PART II, PLEASE.  NOW.  GIMME, GIMME, I NEED, I NEED.
3 days 1 hour ago	Middle ground	All too often, rational people get marginalized, while the people in the margins get the headlines. I was particularly disgusted with the post blaming Borges for the Ohio loss last season and dropping everything on his shoulders.  Did he make some calls that made me say/think WTF??!!  Yes.  But the second-half blocking was terrible, and some of the magic from the first half (Denard's TD run) wasn't exectued nearly as well in the 2nd. Borges should get criticized.  That's what happens when you're a leader.  But I think a balanced approach to looking at what really went wrong is a lot more informative and valid than just, FIRE AL!  HIS PLAY-CALLING SUX!!! I am glad Borges is our OC and I think he's a good coach.  I also think he makes bad calls sometimes, and that questioning those calls is valid.
3 days 1 hour ago	Great stuff	It will be fun to see how Mattison uses Thomas before and after JMFR returns to the line-up.  Cam Gordon is a guy that can certainly cover the flat and it will be interesting if he is lined-up a little wider.
4 days 3 hours ago	SEC	Not the 'Bama one, the Obama one.  SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) regulations currently say you can't offer equity on crowd-funding sites.  This is one of the many things holding back the crowd-funding movement, which could be vastly more effective if donors (or investors) could acquire an equity stake in the project. That said, I essentially agree: these guys need serious money from venture capital, angel investor(s), or private equity.  KS is not the right solution, and really shows how little these guys understand the business.
4 days 3 hours ago	Dilfer	Elite 11 has a pretty consistent track record of being less than 50% right.  It's a great marketing machine Dilfer has put together, and proof that average NFL QBs can take advantage of getting their face on TV as analysts. I, however, care only about one thing: how good will the kid be in college?  While Speight's motion might not look as pretty as some other guys', the college game has a long history of producing highly-effective QBs who don't look like pros when they arrive on campus (or ever in many cases).  Just to name a few: Johnny Manziel RG III Cam Newton Tim Tebow Braxton Miller Vince Young Dilfer is penny-wise and pound foolish, often basing his rankings on silly NFL-level criticisms while ignoring a player's effectiveness. /rant Peppers is one of those people who is good at everything.  Crazy athlete, good rapper...he's the kind of person you have to take seriously when he says he wants to win the Heismann as a true freshman. I think Andrew Brown is a longshot, and then I remember that Brady Hoke and Greg Mattison will be on campus when he arrives, and I believe we are in the mix.  Not so much with Tabor, and that's fine b/c Westphal and Peppers will wrap-up our CBs. If we get Peppers, McDowell, and one more in the top 100 to go with our current class, we'll be in very, very good shape for this class.  If we get Hand and/or Brown, we are looking at yet another class that has to be considered among our best ever.
4 days 5 hours ago	Awesome work	As usual, well done and fun to see.  Obviously, I'm real excited about seeing where these correlations take us in the next few years. The most interesting data to me is that up to 2006 we really had built a talent advantage over Ohio, but we still could not beat them.  Then things got ugly on the recruiting side for us, and we were in deep trouble.  Now, we are almost perfectly correlated with them, just slightly behind.  The talent gap is narrowing, and it is up to Hoke & Co to get a couple of wins in the series and tilt things in our favor.
4 days 5 hours ago	Yeah, no.	I love Denard and he was great to watch, but there is no way in hell I would say he evened things out.  We had two losing seasons, racked-up nearly a decade of consecutive losses to Ohio, and had the worst defenses in Michigan history. Sorry, but the pain of the RR years > the glory of Denard.
4 days 6 hours ago	It's a Longshot, at best.	It's a Longshot, at best.
1 week 3 hours ago	Odds on each prospect	Michigan/Elsewhere (IMHO):   2. Jabrill Peppers. ATH 95/5 4. Da'Shawn Hand. DE 45/55 55. Alex Bars. OL 0/100 (ND commit) 69. Malik McDowell. DL 70/30 75. Corey Holmes. WR 30/70 85. Artavis Scott. WR 45/55 87. Parker Westphal. CB 85/15 I believe we will get Peppers, Westphal, and McDowell.  I would be happy if we get one of the other guys, ecstatic if it's Hand.
1 week 1 day ago	This is BS	We have MSU and Ohio on the road every even year.  Ohio gets us at home, with MSU/PSU on the road every even year.  Sparty gets UM/Ohio at home every even year, w/PSU on the road. Ohio definitely got the most balanced schedule of the three.  Here's hoping PSU makes a comeback.  And sweet jeebus, the west is awful.  Seeing it writing makes it even more obvious.
1 week 1 day ago	You're right	But I'm glad we're playing them.  Screw public perception: I want to kick their asses.  Badly.
1 week 1 day ago	Could he be a sleeper?	It's hard to call a consensus top-100 guy a sleeper, but I really believe Scout is the closest to being right putting him at #39.  And while that number doesn't mean much of anything, I see Thomas as a can't miss star (assuming he stays healthy) with the potential to be one of the best DBs in Michigan history. I would predict he ends-up somewhere between Marlin Jackson and Charles Woodson in terms of his greatness, and I do believe he will play some offense and/or special teams where he'll be...special. Probably my favorite recruit from the class.  I really think he and Green will both live-up to their hype.
1 week 3 days ago	Wish him the best	Funny story, but probably good for MSU he's not going. I wish the kid the best, but a college degree would probably do him good.  Or do him well.  Whichever it is, you grammar nazis.
1 week 3 days ago	One of the best posts of all	One of the best posts of all time.  Not sure how many people were watching that debate or remember that one-liner, but this is pure platinum. If I could give you all of my points, I would.
1 week 3 days ago	Good argument	The stats are strong in Gallon's favor, and I don't think there is a WR in the B1G that I would trade for him.  But let's be honest: we really only have a 5-game sample on which to base Gallon's talent.  His numbers last year were vastly inflated once DG took over as QB, and I'm not sure opponents ever started to fear Gallon enough to roll coverages his way or gameplan around him. This year will be his first real test, and we'll see what it produces.  He'll be getting a lot more attention and will finally be in a pro style offense.  I believe he is a very good WR, but I don't know if I'd prefer him to Manningham or Avant. I predict he has a 70-catch or so season, with 9 or 10 TDs, and between 1,050 and 1,150 receiving yards.  That would be an amazing season, and worthy of the #1 jersey.  It would be a top-10 performance by a Michigan WR.   He will be our best WR by some distance, but I think his supporting cast will be stronger and he will be targeted by opposing defenses; this will keep him from having a monster sesaon, IMO.  More attention on him will mean more catches for Funchess, Darboh, Dileo, and Chesson. I predict DG has the monster season, a top-5 in Michigan history for a QB.
1 week 4 days ago	Chicken, but smart	They have their midwest footprint without really trying.  They know they can't afford a match-up with another national powerhouse if they want to keep getting to the NCG. Honestly, it is chicken.  But it's also a compliment--they don't want to have another game they have a good chance of losing every year on their schedule. Honestly, if our schedule was as tough as theirs, I'd probably want to cut one of the great teams too, and cutting Michigan won't hurt their recruiting or national appeal as much as cutting USC or Stanford.
1 week 4 days ago	sad	Always sad to see a family member leave, but hope it's best for him.
2 weeks 1 day ago	Nebraska	I know their schedule is tougher and their personnel on defense aren't exactly up to the traditional black shirt standards, but I think they are the sleeper team in our division.  NW has a good team but will not be overlooked by anyone this year and will have to find a way to play in the 4th quarter.  MSU just doesn't have the offense to go with what will be--and let's not kid ourselves here--a very, very good defense. Nebraska's offense will be #1 or #2 in the B1G.  Martinez has improved as a passer and they have three very good WRs and very good RB in Abdullah.  If their defense can just be decent, they are in good shape. The ONLY thing in Sparty's favor is their schedule.  And while that's a big bonus, I just don't see a team that will be good enough to handle NW, Nebraska, and U-M. We have the toughest road.  If we win the division, we will have earned it.  IMO, ours is one of the toughest divisions to call in all of CFB.
3 weeks 3 hours ago	This is why computers	This is why computers will never take over the world: they have no common sense.  Using statistical models from the past five years flies in the face of the obvious.  Mattison has produced the #6 and #19 scoring defenses in the country the past two years, and there is absolutely no way we are any worse than we were in 2012...I mean, didn't 'Bama score half of those points against us?  There are only two positions on defense where you could argue we might be worse: SS and SLB...Everywhere else, we are better. And DG was the highest-rated passer in the conference last season.  He tore apart the South Carolina defense.  On offense, we are more talented at EVERY position than we were last year.  Yes, we're younger, but every replacement is more talented. Our youth might cost us a game or two, but we're far more talented than last year's 8-4 team, and have an easier schedule. 7-5 is a worst-case scenario that would have to involve an injury to DG.  With Mattison's defense and the talent we have on offense, Shane Morris could guide this team to seven wins.  Heck, Swieca or Cleary might be able to get seven wins with this team. FBO is a great site with great ideas, but sometimes stats just don't line-up with reality.
3 weeks 3 hours ago	Disagree	I think Shane Morris will be a serviceable option at QB.  With DG hurt, we're still a 6-6 or 7-5 team.  With DG healthy, I don't see how we could do any worse than 8-4. It's a new era in Michigan football, and it's time to raise expectations.  The kids that are starting for us (on both sides of the ball) are pretty darn good at football.
3 weeks 1 day ago	Great prospect	He shows virtually all the tools you look for in an OL prospect.  He would be the most talented lineman in this class, IMO.  That's pretty good competition he's playing in TN too.  Would not be surprised to see him start at RG and then move to LT.  Dude can pull, and is a very, very good drive blocker.
3 weeks 2 days ago	What the article (and the	What the article (and the media) ignores is that unless we continue to work on tackling technique (which requires contact) and help kids learn how to tackle properly, we are increasing the risk. Look, when big, strong, fast men hit each other, there will always be impact.  That impact may seem to lead to injuries.  But that's true in any sport.  There's risk in almost every activity, and, as long as kids know there's some risk, they should be allowed to take it. But reducing contact in the 15 spring practices isn't going to lengthen the life of these kids significantly, and may actually shorten it.  Kids that don't know how to hit or be hit are much more likely to experience injuries. EDIT: Actually, if you read far enough, it does say the inexperienced players should be allowed to have more contact.  Any coach knows this won't work; trying to run a practice with only kids that are bad at a technique often turns into a trainwreck.  You need the good players to be demonstrating and practicing so that the inexperienced players can learn from them. This is all pie-in-the-sky, idealistic thinking.  The bottom line is this: If you aren't comfortable with the risks of football impacts, don't play.  But stop trying to pretend we can have football without the risk.
3 weeks 2 days ago	ANSWER!	...since the corner's read is going to drop him into Cover 4—perfect spot to intercept a ball to #2 but who's got #1 now? My guess is he just plays quarters with the linebacker (or in this case the SDE), who has responsibility for the flat. Also the SS is playing quarters so he's got his ears back. This is simpler than you're making it (but still very difficult).  Just because the corner reads "Quarters" doesn't mean he goes deep.  Once he sees 2 go vertical, he's releasing that responsibility to the safety.  While he will probably continue his backpedal, he's now reading the 1.  When he sees the 1 break for his hitch, he can come down to cover that route and trust that the safety has taken the 2. The effect of this is that his drop will initially discourage the TE (2) corner route but his eyes are on the 1. That said, this is a very challenging play for the defense to defend if there is no pressure on the QB and the offense has a good TE(2).  Why?  Because the QB can wait for the CB to come down on the 1, and if the TE (2) is fast and big, he can get deep and wall off that safety to the corner.  Or, if the TE(2) runs great routes (like Gallon) he can double move the safety on a post-corner and get some open space. This is definitely a route combination that Borges uses and should be effective with Funchess and Butt running that corner route and Gallon underneath on the hitch.
3 weeks 3 days ago	Why?	Wouldn't you want someone else to have the mortgage?
3 weeks 4 days ago	Ohio #1?	Schlabach's reasoing is simply that he believes Ohio has the best chance of getting to the NCG.  While I disagree and think that's a dumb way to rank teams, if he using the ranking as a projection for who will finish the season #1, then he's not wrong--just silly. As for his Ohio love?  It's not completely unfounded.  Washington was the only player to beat Lewan for a sack last year.  They return the Heisman Trophy favorite at QB.  We'll see if their defense can hold up, but their schedule is favorable...until they come to AA. I do believe #9 is just about right for Michigan.  We are still too young along the O-Line and too uncertain at RB to be any higher.  I think we are a fringe top-ten team, and depending on how well our youth shows we could be vying for the NC or losing the Legends division again.

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