He seemed better suited there, and I think between the current roster, incoming Funchess and WIlliams and a lack at WR, it'd be a good idea.
...but the more I've thought about the spring game and the team generally, the more I've worried about the WR unit.
He's a little heavy for the position at 234, but IIRC Mike Williams was 240 at USC, so it has been done. I don't even want to mention the name of Charles' douchebag-roid-freak rival at OSU, but he played at a similar weight.
MIKE JONES?
I'm not sure if you asking me if I meant to type Mike Jones instead of Mike Williams (which I didn't) or if Mike Jones is the OSU player I was referring to (which it isn't)
misread your post.
bout the same size as David (roid freak) Boston 6'2 228. All depends on how he carries the weight. It's strange tho since we're thinner at TE than we are at WR
When you said "rival" what I think you meant was "vanquished foe."
It's probably not asking too much for him to drop about 10 pounds before the season rolls around. That would put him around the same playing weight as Junior Hemingway. Ricardo Miller is like Junior Hemingway, but taller.
Wierd move considering he was too slow to play WR.
If can run a good clean route, find an open seam, I think we all could live with that. Now does he have the speed that he can burn deep, probably not but I am ok with that. He can give depth to an area where there isn't much right now.
It would be great if he could fill that role of a sure-handed Jason Avant type of guy.
They like a big slot for their packages. Not much different from that and splitting him out at a TE.
IMO, Miller will be a redzone target, that's it.
And I'm not convinced he still won't play some type of hybrid role. Some type of role where he's off the line or in the backfield and used for catching the ball only from a FB, H-Back, TE type role.
What happened to Ricardo? Last time I heard of him he was a star recruit who was one of our best player recruiters...
It appeared that he was one of the best players in the country as a junior but was caught and passed by a lot of guys by the end of his senior year. Also, IIRC, his high ranking was given before his lack of speed became well known.
It was the classic case of us hyping and overating a prospect becuase he was a early lean. I think we all thought that Lo Wood was going to be a high 4 star when there was early interest expressed.
We're only about twenty or thirty years removed from a time when freshmen seldom played. Believe it or not, players used to actually have to "wait their turn" to play. Many only saw serious playing time as juniors and seniors. Nowadays, we expect recruits to play like juniors when they are freshmen, and seniors when they are sophomores.
It doesn't always work that way. Ricardo Miller has been a solid "program guy." He has worked hard, never complained, and "waited his turn." He recruited hard for the program as a HS senior. This is the kind of guy you offer a chance at GA when his playing career is over.
MIller is only a RS sophomore. It sounds like some of "us" are writing him off when he has three years left to contribute.
Ricardo Miller's story is far from over.
Very well said sir, couldnt of said it better myself! Give these kids a chance, some don't become great until their seniors! Wish I could give a few names but I am sure some of you can!
Keep after it Ricardo. Your day will come
Based on prior returns and scouting reports, I wonder what Miller can provide at WR that Jeremy Jackson, Jerald Robinson, Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson cannot besides depth.
This is curious.
His heart might not be in it at Tight End. Ricardo might stand your sentence on it's head and wonder what those guys can provide at WR that he can't.
Two things: speed and the ability to not drop the football?
Would be that he moved to TE because they thought his ceiling might be higher there, turns out it isn't, so they are just letting him play his natural position. I think that this is more an indication of his lack of development than of the development of other players.
I haven't seen most of these guys enough to know their relative speed, your second point would seem to be equally true of either position.
Considering our wide receivers - including Jerald Robinson - can't seem to keep their names off the police blotter, then perhaps the timing of this move is not coincidental.
He was never going to be a good fit at TE, so at least with WR he might be a situational player.
Hemingway: 6'1 222
Miller: 6'4 234
What does his HS have to do with his college career? Do we owe playing time to guys who went to Pioneer?
The complaint was he was too slow to play WR. So, we spend the last year bulking him up and now move him back to WR like things have changed?
Don't get me wrong, I hope it works out for him and M.
Not too long ago Ricardo Miller was our current day Shane Morris. He LOVES Michigan and sold M to a lot of recruits.
These rumors are based on his facebook status.
"Have my old high school number back. Back at wr. Maintaining over a 3.0. And gonna have a huge summer ahead of me. #time to grind papa"
So Hoke gave out the #1..
.
because everything on Facebook is true. I'm being serious too!
Back down to 2 from 4. Stop playing with his heart.
Michigan did not look very strong at TE during the spring game, and this almost ensures that they stay away from many 2 TE sets. While Miller didn't seem suited well at TE, he was a decent option at the H-back spot. This leaves very few passing options at TE, and I would expect the incoming TEs to see the field (especially Funches) very early. Also expect a lot more use out of the FBs, as they have progressed really well.
From Magnus' interview with Funchess
"The coaches want me to play right away because they lack pass-catching tight ends, so they told me to come in and get ready to play. . . . It's probably about an 85% chance I step on the field this year, first game."
The coaches are probably on the phone as we speak making sure Williams is getting himself ready.
wow just not liking our TE/WR situation...I really hope Devin getting 15-20 at WR snaps is reality
Can't help but wonder if this has anything to do with Jerald Robinson's situation. A bit odd considering our lack of depth at tight end, and the fact that the coaches got him up to 235 lbs to play tight end. It could be that Miller is such a terrible blocker that he's too much of a liability on the line to contribute useful snaps at tight end. Who knows
Part of being a TE is having to block. Miller was coming in as a WR. Could be he's not used to blocking DEs or LBs. (Purely speculative that the move is because of a less than stellar ability to block) Blocking 180 lbs corner backs is a different story, hopefully something he could excel at at WR.
Here's hoping it works out for him.
The coaches are probably on the phone as we speak making sure Williams is getting himself ready.
Edit: damn double post, sorry folks
Does this mean Gardner will be playing TE?
Last I heard DG is taking BWC's spot. But that could just be a smokescreen so the media can ask the same question in 14,000 different ways to both of them. Because the players seem to enjoy that so much.
Gardner's a tall dude. Is he keeping his pad level down?