Hand and McDowell, 2015 Recruits

Submitted by BILG on

Hoping we don't lose Hand and/or McDowell based on our recent performances.  Defense has looked good, however, and Mattison is still a top notch coordinator with a pedigree, despite the board meltdowns about us getting beat by freshmen QBs and not blitzing.  Hopefully we can right the ship and not lose any of our current haul, but the future guys definitely must be wondering what is going on in Ann Arbor, especially guys on the offensive side of the ball(Damien Harris and Campbell for 2015-our two biggest pickups on offense.) 

Avon Barksdale

November 9th, 2013 at 7:32 PM ^

I somewhat hope we do lose them just so they don't waste their talent at a MAC level operation. Of course that's just me being really upset at this disaster of a season.

Sten Carlson

November 9th, 2013 at 7:39 PM ^

Not that I am necessarily defending the coaching staff after these last two debacles.  But, you do realize that Bo was a MAC coach before coming to Michigan, right?  Also, Urban Meyer was a MAC coach before going to Utah, UF, and eventually OSU.  I don't think Hoke is the problem, I like him and I think he's going to be a great coach for Michigan.  I think Al Borges is a moron.  I defended him a lot, and I am done with him.  After he called those two runs after the muffed punt recovery, he lost all of my support.

eamus_caeruli (not verified)

November 9th, 2013 at 8:27 PM ^

Accept he makes 5 bills. Nonetheless, Harbaugh wasn't coming because of every reason you see when his teams take the field in Subdays. He wasn't long for the tooth for CFB.



We suck. Bottom line, deal with it. We are never going to amount to shit if we bottom feed. Hey Coach Hoke, we want it all,not just a piece of supposed tradition and 30 year hangover from the "glory days". Whatever...

BILG

November 9th, 2013 at 7:48 PM ^

but he clearly isn't an X's and O's coach.  That's fine...plenty of great coaches were simply program leaders and delegators (Bowden comes to mind).  However, if you are going to be the figure head coach, you need to make the tough decisions, and I don't think Brady has it in him to fire his buddies, like Al.  We shall see, but if he can't pull the trigger on the tough decisions, he is no more than a glorified cheerleader.

Avon Barksdale

November 9th, 2013 at 7:58 PM ^

This isn't 1969. What Bo did, won't work now generally. That way of thinking, it won't work now either. I get that a lot of you are old timers and grew up with "Bo." But those days are long gone. If we want to live in 1969, let's stay the course. If we want to be relevant, let's take a look at other successful programs in the 21st century.

acbaby

November 9th, 2013 at 7:45 PM ^

Let's hope that's not the theory Hand uses to choose his college.  Can't say I agree with the post below that our defense played well - our defense hasn't stopped anyone when it's really mattered since September.

BILG

November 9th, 2013 at 7:54 PM ^

But with the boo-birds out and our year trending downwards, Alabama looks like a very safe place to play football the next 3 years.  The "you can be part of something special" meme is nice, but Bama is winning championships and is an NFL factory now.  The last couple weeks puts the disparity between the programs a bit more in his face as decision time comes around.

eamus_caeruli (not verified)

November 9th, 2013 at 8:15 PM ^

I am sorry, but Jackson better give his retirement notice as well. Coach Heck, IMHO, is quite good. Sans Coach Heck, the entire offensive staff is gone.



The best defense is a good offense. I believe that. We can't do shit on the online and are RBs are woefully under coached.

jmblue

November 9th, 2013 at 9:06 PM ^

Of course, it's not that hard for a Michigan coach to establish ties to SE Michigan - our backyard.  

The drying up of the Louisiana pipeline is a problem.  That used to be his trump card.  Jackson used to bring in about a guy a year from there, including some high-quality talents like James Hall and Anthony Thomas.  Now, I think Dileo is our last one from there, and he's a senior.

I like Freddie J, but I think it's time.  I'd love to see Wheatley come back.

Magnus

November 9th, 2013 at 9:44 PM ^

What do the Michigan running backs in the NFL have to do with Fred Jackson? In the last fifteen years, Michigan produced the top two rushers in Michigan history (Anthony Thomas, Mike Hart), a first round draft pick (Chris Perry), and some other solid performers (Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown). Toussaint is actually a pretty good runner, but there's nowhere to run. There have been a few lean years (the Vincent Smith era, for example, and 2012-2013) but overall, the running backs have been good.

snarling wolverine

November 9th, 2013 at 10:03 PM ^

But it's true that the position has not been as productive in recent years.  Toussaint in 2011 is our only tailback 1,000-yard rusher since Hart six years ago.  It's not all the fault of the backs, but it feels like we don't have the kind of talent we used to, when it seemed like the Michigan starting tailback would get preseason Heisman mention a lot of times.  Ohio and Wisconsin seem to have more productive backs than us every year now.  Are they just out-recruiting us?

Magnus

November 9th, 2013 at 10:57 PM ^

I won't say that the tailback production hasn't been disappointing at times in recent years, but not all of that is on coaching. Running back is a position that can be played naturally without a ton of attention to technique. Plus, Jackson isn't necessarily in charge of whom Michigan recruits and how hard they go after each player. 

However, the game has changed (or at least Michigan's philosophy has). It's true that Michigan running backs used to get a lot of hype and yards to back up that hype, but for a few years, Michigan's best "running back" was Denard Robinson. That doesn't mean Michigan lacked a back with 1,000-yard capabilities the entire time.

wolverine13

November 9th, 2013 at 8:35 PM ^

It's great we have Campbell and Harris coming in...but honestly, if we continue to have the same playcalling, does it even matter what the quality of our offensive players are?  It's not like with a taller/faster receiver or a faster/shiftier RB we would've scored more...our playcalling didn't set ANYONE up for success, regardless of skill level.  I mean, Harris might've gained 3 yds instead of 1 yd or Campbell might've caught another pass, but at this point, our offensive issues run so deep that a couple of playmakers aren't gonna change anything...

fukkyt

November 9th, 2013 at 8:36 PM ^

Totally disagree. Most important is the development of the OL. For all the acclaims Hoke got for taking in highly rated OL, none of them has panned out. If the OL remains in shambles next year, Hoke's job will be on the line!

elhead

November 9th, 2013 at 8:44 PM ^

Our O line players were all great in high school. While maybe we can only expect so much out of them, we can certainly expect better than what we are getting right now. It's how they are being (or not being) developed. It's turning into a cancer.

Magnus

November 10th, 2013 at 7:52 AM ^

Not really. The OL as it is has only been this way for a few games. That's not much time to develop chemistry and adjust to the speed of the game.

What surprises me is the lack of development of Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield, both of whom have not improved. I think the last straw for me was when Randy Gregory blitzed from the linebacker position, Schofield slid to the left...and then just allowed Gregory to run right past him for a sack.