How many true freshmen will see the field?
It's a slow day, and I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing about Penn State, so I figured I'd see what everyone elses input is on this. Annarbor.com has an article where they debate how many freshman will see the field this year. The over/under is 6. I'm going with the over and predict 9.
Add pipkins to your list.
Pipkins will play. I'm praying only one OL will. Funchess needs a shirt -- he's more receiver now than that.
Chesson might play, but he's not going to have the blocking chops to start. This is still a run-heavy offense. If he plays it will be in obvious passing situations.
No one is suggesting he'll start, but why do you think Chesson doesn't have blocking chops? Watching his HS film, it looks like he really likes to hit people.
Roundtree had a disappointing year last year, but the guy is a legitimate player. It doesn't matter if you can 'stretch the field' if you don't have a QB who can get the ball there. Denard CAN do that - but he has to get better. Borges will also figure out a better way to use Roundtree this year.
Chesson may be a star, long-term but I doubt he beats out either Gallon or Roundtree...he might not even beat out Jackson, Darboh, Funchess, etc.
Looks like you didn't read the post I responded to, which said just that.
As for Chesson's blocking: a) he's a freshman not used to blocking college athletes, let alone Alabama-caliber athletes and b) his arms are still too skinny. He has to develop physically and learn technique before he's going to be a Big 10 caliber blocker.
I wasn't questioning his desire to block or his long term potential as a blocker just recognizing it's extremely unlikely that a true freshman is going to be able to block nearly as well as one of our vets.
Funchess has the size that could be very valuable in the redzone. With our lack of a solid TE, I think it will be hard to keep him off the field.
There are some rumblings that if you were making a list of freshmen most likely to see the field at some point, Funchess should be #1. "Needs a shirt" or not, they will use him in the slot (apparently) this fall.
If the 2 outside WRs are Gallon and Roundtree with Funchess in the slot - minds will be blown?
Will the MGOBLOG depth chart by class explode?
Maybe Braden?
Does bring up a question that hopefully we will never have to answer... but with our offensive line depth, I worry. Who's most ready to see the field after Kalis? How about Magnusson?
I think the conventional wisdom is that Kalis and Braden are the two most ready for college ball. Magnuson has an incredibly high ceiling, but isn't there yet physically.
That's true Magnuson still has to develop some more. I'm just speculating that if heaven forbid the OL gets plagued with injuries and another freshman needs to step up, Magnuson might be a likely one to burn his redshirt.
I think they HAVE to take down the statue, it's not right to continue to deify such a crook!
this statement is telling.
Our D line is light so I would have to say Pipkins, WR we are rather small so I can see both playing a small amount of time.. Bolden already has been on campus along with Ringer at the LB spot. and Wilson and Richardson could both play quite a bit since our secondary is scary thin.. And finally, Kalis will start from begining to end.. this is my 2 cents.. Go Blue
How is our secondary "scary thin"?
Seriously. We return all four starters. At CB we're like 3 deep before we get to TR. And at S we're 2-deep before we get to the frosh, although I agree that Jerrod Wilson gets some PT this fall. More because he's good than because we're scary thin.
Compared to Big Will Campbell, all the members of the secondary are relatively svelte.
Our D line is light so I would have to say Pipkins, WR we are rather small so I can see both playing a small amount of time.. Bolden already has been on campus along with Ringer at the LB spot. and Wilson and Richardson could both play quite a bit since our secondary is scary thin.. And finally, Kalis will start from begining to end.. this is my 2 cents.. Go Blue
...b/c he's already built like a D-I player and b/c the DL is thin.
They all dress for home games. I would say all of them SEE the field. Norfleet is pretty tiny though. He might have a tough time.
I don't think anybody got the Norfleet joke and it actually ended up starting a legitimate conversation about freshman punt returners.
You deserve a slow clap.
Norfleet? With Vincent Smith as the Little RB and Gallon the incumbent punt returner, the only way I can see Norfleet playing is injury.
Did you ever get the sense that Gallon was so strong on punt returns that he couldn't be challenged, though? Plus, we need him to contribute at WR this year, so I could see Norfleet (and others) getting a real shot on punts.
Gallon looked like Desmond Howard out there this year compared to whatever I was watching the few years before on PR's. I could see Norfleet getting some time at KR and being utilized at slot and maybe rarely as a change of pace back, though. With the lack of depth at reciever it wouldn't hurt to put his speed out there and get him similar time to what Dileo recieved last year.
Not a chance in hell we have a freshman catching punts. We are finally past that point and we have someone who isn't putting a brick in their pants when a punt is up in the air. Gallon has it on lock down.
Are freshman punt returners really that weird?
I honestly don't know. The idea that having a freshman returning punts is some kind of roster desperation move seems weird. Not that it's common, but I wouldn't have thought that it was any more unusual than having a freshman WR or something.
Remeber 2008, 2009 and 2010? The older you are at PR the better imo.
I don't think you can be this absolute about freshmen returning punts. Returning punts isn't complicated in the way that running an offense (as a QB) or mastering blocking schemes (as an O-lineman) is. It does take balls, though, to handle that pressure and spotlight. Generally speaking, upperclassmen have bigger balls than true freshmen, but I'm sure there are plenty of big-balled freshmen out there. Does Norfleet have the skills and cool to handle it? I don't know, but I wouldn't rule it out because of an inflexible rule about freshmen returners. I think he gets a shot.
I actually don't really remember the punt return units from 2008 and 2009. Wasn't Odoms returning most of the punts as a true freshman in 2008 and doing an alright job of it?
But even if UM sucked at returning punts in those seasons, that doesn't actually answer my question of whether or not freshman punt returners are that unusual or are inherently a really bad sign. All that means is that UM sucked really bad a punt returns.
Odoms did a pretty good job...whenever he wasn't muffing punts.
Yeah, I remember Greg Mathews in 2008 and 2009...returning 13 punts for 74 yards. And he was a junior and a senior in those years.
It's not about age. It's about talent.
welcome to the blog, dennis norfleet's best friend
...and Allen Trieu's best friend. If Allen Trieu said it, I guess it must be 100% correct.
it must be 110% correct.
and kickoffs... don't forget kickoffs.
I say about 3,000. There will be ~7,000 incoming students this fall, maybe 4,000 of them will buy football tickets (at least once), and probably about 1,000 of those 4,000 never will actually divert their attention from their friends, phones, and hair long enough to notice the field. So 3,000.
Oh, and in the interest of not being a complete ass, I think that 8-10 guys see the field but only two or three of them really play significant roles. I think the most likely candidates for major contributions are Kalis (at left guard), Chesson/Darboh (whichever of them emerges), Pipkins (later in the season), and Norfleet (as a returner).
All freshman will see the field... unless we actually have a BLIND recruit.
Do I win something for getting the answer correct?
A kick in the ass for being late to the party...Frito Bandito beat you to the punch, jeffe
I also think the plane was a terrorist threat
and will be in solid contention for freshman defensive POY.
FYI: Big Ten awards a standard freshman of the year award. It doesn't differentiate offense and defense in the newcomer category so it is almost always a skill position player who wins it.