Inaugural Meeting of the JT Floyd Fan Club

Submitted by Muttley on

Maybe we can hold it right next to the Kovacs Fan Club.

We used to cringe at JT back there.  Way too slow.

WHen we saw him lined up one-on-one vs ND's Michael Floyd, how many like me worried that Mattison was a crazy gambler?

But, like Kovacs, the guy is a gamer.  Plays smart & WAY above his ability.

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j.t. floyd

bleuadams

November 13th, 2011 at 12:55 PM ^

Sorry...this post should probably be its own thread, but I don't have enough points to start a thread, and this was the most related thread on the board.....so, here we go:

 

How many incoming freshman will start (or at least contribute on non-special teams) next season!?

.....I'm posting a complete projected 2012 depth chart below, but first, I'll summarize the important news here:

A. Williams and D. Funchess (or P. Brown?).  B. Moore will be the main competition for the three headed group of freshman TE's stepping onto campus next season; and I don't think he's going to play much.  If he was any good, the 4th year TE probably wouldn't have gotten beat out by DE S. Watson this season A. Williams will be the main blocking TE next season.  Either D. Funchess or P. Brown will be the main recieving TE next season.  I've seen Funchess live, but I haven't seen Brown.  Funchess looks like a real-deal NFL prospect, but he's still got a lot of muscle to put on.  (p.s. - R. Miller isn't even listed on the depth chart)

J. Wilson - I think he's almost a sure thing, game one starter at FS, moving Kovacs to his natural SS position.  T. Gordon will probably be his main competition at FS, but he too is a natural SS (as are M. Robinson and J. Furman).  T. Carter is a dark-horse candidate (never know?). 

K. Kalis - I think he's got a very good shot to be a game one starter next season.  It'll essentially be a battle between him, R. Khoury and C. Bryant.  I simply think that Kalis is better than the other two options.  He looks very, very ready to play on film.  So, I'm predicting that Barnum moves to C, and that Kalis and Schofield take over at LG and RT.

T. Strobel - I think he's got a very good shot to be a game one starter next season.  His main competition at SE/3T will be walk-on N. Brink next season.  Again, I simply think that he's better.  C. Wormley and M. Godin could potentially step onto campus as better players (never know?).  C. Rock or K. Heitzman could make serious strides (never know?).  K. Wilkins could revitalize his career (never know?).  But for the time being, I like Strobel.

O. Pimpkins - I think he's got a very good shot to be a game one starter next season.  His main competition at NT will be the dissapointing W. Campbell.  I believe the coaching staff has given BWC, Q. Washington and R. Ash every single possible opportunity to start this season; and all three have failed immensely.  O. Pimpkins is a super recruit.  He's physically ready.  And if he takes care of business, he will play a lot...maybe even start. 

J. Ross - I don't see him starting next season, but I do see at least one of the incoming freshman inside linebackers getting some significant playing time next season.  It could be Ross, it could be Jenkins-Stone, it could be Bolden, it could be Ringer.  I don't know who? (I've only seen RJS live).  The recruiting services all seem to be in agreement about Ross being the best of the bunch, so that's who I'm going with for now.  Demens and Morgan are very solid starters, but we've got some depth issues.  B. Hawthorne and M. Jones have been solid WLB's at times, but we appear to be moving from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 (46 Bear-ish) defense that requires two thumpers at inside linebacker.  That really opens the door for the incoming freshman, and even A. Poole.

S. Diggs? - IF we get him, he's probably a sure thing game one starter.  To put it simply, he's a super stud.  He probably starts at one of the outside WR spots.  D. Stonum probably starts at the other outside WR spot.  R. Roundtree probably moves to his more natural SR spot.  J. Jackson, J. Robinson and R. Miller have all sort of been dissapointments thus far at outside WR.  J. Gallon has been okay at SR, but not as good as R R-tree.  D. Dileo and T. Robinson probably aren't going to be factors.

B. Dunn? - IF we get him, he's probably at least our #2 back in game one.  F. Toussaint's been great thus far.  Really great, actually.  But Dunn too is a super stud, and he'll be hard to keep off the field if we get him.  V. Smith has really become more of a third down back this year.  T. Rawls hasn't really lived up to expectations.  J. Hayes is probably more of a third down option.  D. Johnson probably won't be ready to go right away...at least not as ready-to-go as Dunn.  M. Cox's career is likely over.   S. Hopkins is now a full-on FB. 

Y. Wright? - IF we get him, I've got to imagine that he's a factor.  He's another super stud.  J. Floyd and B. Countess have been great as starters.  But C. Avery and R. Taylor are probably beatable at nickleback for a guy like Wright.  We shall see I guess.  D. Hollowell I just don't ever really see being a big time guy.  T. Talbott's career is probably over for the most part.  T. Richardson is super talented, but also super small at this point.  A. Standifer is big enough, but probably lacks polish at this point.

.....to say the least, we're going to have a lot of new shiny toys to play with next season  :)

 

 

 

2012 Projected Depth Chart:

OFFENSE:

QB: D. Robinson(Sr.), D. Gardner(Jr./R.S. So.), R. Bellomy(R.S. Fr.)
WR: S. Diggs(Fr.), J. Jackson(Jr.), R. Miller(R.S. So.)
WR: D. Stonum(R.S. Sr.), J. Robinson(R.S. So.).....J. Payton(Fr.)
SR: R. Roundtree(R.S. Sr.), J. Gallon(R.S. Jr.), D. Dileo(Jr.), T. Robinson(R.S. Sr.)
RB: B. Dunn(Fr.), F. Toussaint(R.S. Jr.), V. Smith(Sr.), T. Rawls(So.), J. Hayes(R.S. Fr.), M. Cox(R.S. Sr.).....D. Johnson(Fr.)
FB: S. Hopkins(Jr.).....S. Houma(Fr.)
TE: D. Funchess(Fr.), A. Williams(Fr.), B. Moore(R.S. Sr.).....P. Brown(Fr.)
C: R. Barnum(R.S. Sr.), J. Miller(R.S. Fr.).....C. Stacey(Fr.)
LG: K. Kalis(Fr.), R. Khoury(R.S. Sr.).....B. Bars(Fr.)
RG: P. Omameh(R.S. Sr.), C. Bryant(R.S. Fr.).....B. Braden(Fr.)
LT: T. Lewan(R.S. Jr.), E. Mealer(R.S. Sr.).....E. Magnuson(Fr.)
RT: M. Schofield(R.S. Jr.)

DEFENSE:

CB: J. Floyd(R.S. Sr.), Y. Wright(Fr.), R. Taylor(So.), T. Talbott(Jr.).....A. Standifer(Fr.)
CB: B. Countess(So.), C. Avery (Jr.), D. Hollowell(So.).....T. Richardson(Fr.)
FS: J. Wilson(Fr.), T. Gordon(R.S. Jr.), T. Carter(R.S. Fr.).....J. Clark(Fr.)
SS: J. Kovacs(R.S. Sr.), M. Robinson(Jr.), J. Furman(R.S. So.).....A. Gant(Fr.)
WILB: D. Morgan(So.), A. Poole(R.S. Fr.), B. Hawthorne(Sr.).....K. Ringer(Fr.)
SILB: K. Demens(R.S. Sr.), J. Ross(Fr.), M. Jones(R.S. Jr.).....R. Jenkins-Stone(Fr.)
WOLB: J. Ryan(R.S. So.), C. Gordon(R.S. Jr.), I. Bell(R.S. Jr.).....J. Bolden(Fr.)
SOLB/WE: B. Beyer(So.), F. Clark(So.), J. Paskorz(R.S. So.).....M. Ojemudia(Fr.)
WE/SE: C. Roh(Sr.), J. Black(Jr.), K. Heitzman(R.S. Fr.).....C. Wormley(Fr.)
SE/3T: T. Stobel(Fr.), N. Brink(R.S. Jr.), C. Rock(R.S. Fr.), K. Wilkins(R.S. So.).....M. Godin(Fr.)
NT: O. Pimpkins(Fr.), W. Campbell(Sr.), Q. Washington(R.S. Jr.), R. Ash(R.S. So.)

SPECIAL TEAMS:

K: B. Gibbons(R.S. Jr.), M. Wile(So.)
P: W. Hagerup(Jr.)
PR: J. Gallon(R.S. Jr.), D. Dileo(Jr.)
KR: J. Gallon(R.S. Jr.), V. Smith(Sr.) 

 

 

Joined: 09/05/2010

MGoPoints: -784

NateVolk

November 12th, 2011 at 7:38 PM ^

He's smart and he was well-prepared today.  He bumped with a great receiver and seldom gave him anything easy.  It was impressive. There is no greater monument to what the defensive coaches are doing well then his progression this season.

Joined: 07/19/2010

MGoPoints: 6863

turtleboy

November 12th, 2011 at 7:45 PM ^

Good pressure from him, great effort, and nice to see he and Woolfolk or Avery swarming to the ball. Knock the one 32 yard catch Jenkins pulled in and he averaged 7.8 per catch for 71 total yards. Even with the long catch Jenkins was well under his 15.1 ypg. Floyd had a few bad plays but this was probably his best game of the year even without the pick.

Joined: 04/22/2011

MGoPoints: 35131

turtleboy

November 12th, 2011 at 7:56 PM ^

 that we have fans who are disappointed over a 17 point road win against a good D and are slightly bummed about being 8-2, but that's only because we had the potential to be 10-0 right now and todays game could very likely have been 35-0 at the half. Michigan was absolutely shredding Illinois to start the game and Illinois didn't even get into Michigan territory until late in the 3rd.

Joined: 04/22/2011

MGoPoints: 35131

Cope

November 12th, 2011 at 9:49 PM ^

Perspective and sanity, not a fair combination here lately. Seriously I'm pretty disappointed, not in the high hopes or expectations, but in the severe and unrealistic criticisms. Apparently it's unacceptable for us not to be perfect constantly and any game, decision, play, or perfect shut out that doesn't go our way is a disaster. Of course I've wondered what if we were undefeated now and in two weeks. I also know when I wake up reality is actually quite good for us.

Joined: 10/07/2010

MGoPoints: 2648

Rick's American Cafe

November 12th, 2011 at 7:49 PM ^

I wouldn't say he's playing "WAY above his ability".  More likely that he's finally playing to his potential.  We just kind of assumed he wasn't very good because of last year's performances.  But as Brian has brought up many times, it's more likely that he was bad last year because of Tony Gibson, who (it's safe to conclude now), is kind of a crappy d-backs coach.

Joined: 05/29/2011

MGoPoints: 157

BlueinLansing

November 12th, 2011 at 7:52 PM ^

us from a heart pounding finish.  I was sure Illinois was going down to score and make it 17-14 with a ton of time on the clock and an offense that couldn't move the football.  Then JT happened.

 

Is it wrong to use the 'big time players make big time plays in big time games'?  He came up big for us today.

Joined: 09/01/2009

MGoPoints: 23520

yoopergoblue

November 12th, 2011 at 7:53 PM ^

The one thing JT Floyd is better at than any DB we have is jamming the receiver at the LOS.  He plays the most physical at that point.  He still lacks elite speed but he really seems to know where to be to make a play.  The coaches really must have pumped confidence into JT during the week after getting abused last week.  

Did anyone else notice how you could really "feel", as Hoke likes to put it, our defense today.  They were really hitting and you could hear the "pop" of the pads all day.  I am really excited to see the magic Mattison can work on our defense over the next few years.  We will be a force to be reckoned with in a few years with the talent we are bringing in.

Joined: 02/11/2010

MGoPoints: 2437

lhglrkwg

November 12th, 2011 at 10:54 PM ^

I was thinking in the 1st or 2nd quarter. "When's the last time we got a pick where someone just jumped a route", then sure enough JT Floyd did exactly what I was envisioning. That man was all over the field today. He got a PI one time and came close a few others but I'll take. AJ Jenkins knew Floyd was in his grill. I think at one point it said Jenkins was thrown to 14 times and only had 5 receptions. Game ball to JT Floyd

Joined: 07/03/2008

MGoPoints: 87771

evenyoubrutus

November 12th, 2011 at 7:55 PM ^

If you could go back to their first career starts and look into their respective futures, who would be harder to imagine ending up as a difference maker? Floyd or Kovacs

Joined: 11/04/2008

MGoPoints: 178109

NorthwesternFan

November 12th, 2011 at 8:19 PM ^

Kovacs came from a student body walk-on tryout to barely make the team in the first place. Since then he has stepped up and become arguably our best defensive player.

While its nice to see Floyd having a very nice game, its hard to consider him a difference maker just yet.  I need to see a couple more nice games out of Floyd before I can start to compare his evolution to that of Kovacs.

Joined: 11/27/2010

MGoPoints: 800

Darth Wolverine

November 12th, 2011 at 7:56 PM ^

Without a doubt, Kovacs and Floyd are the most improved players from 2010 to 2011. Kovacs probably a little more, but I'm very impressed with both of them this season.

Joined: 11/30/2009

MGoPoints: 2008

BlueAggie

November 12th, 2011 at 8:11 PM ^

I'm just really happy for Mr. Floyd. First he got toasted, then he got hurt. All the while he watched his position group decimated by transfers, year after year. It's great to see those who decided to stay and fight the adversity finding success on the field.

Joined: 11/17/2008

MGoPoints: 3623

AlwaysBlue

November 12th, 2011 at 8:14 PM ^

When they asked Floyd what Mattison said to him after hugging him he said he told him he loved him.  He went on to say that Mattison is hard on him but that he's so happy he's there because he's exactly what he needed.  What more can be said? 

Joined: 11/23/2008

MGoPoints: 7854

Elmer

November 12th, 2011 at 8:31 PM ^

JT, I'd like to apologize for doubting your cover skills.  I've learned my lesson this year on judging players too soon.  Going into this season, I thought Gallon was going to be a bust and a possible transfer candidate.  That Gibbons would not see the field, that Hagerup would be the special teams star and Cam Gordon a big contributer on D. 

Oh well, I thought Denard would be fast.  I've got that going for me.

Joined: 04/22/2011

MGoPoints: 5418

dj89

November 12th, 2011 at 8:49 PM ^

I love to see a player surprise me!  JT had a spectacular game against a big time receiver and  I honestly did not think he had this sort of game in him.  He has had a couple of rough moments this year, but he was big time today.

Joined: 11/04/2011

MGoPoints: 361