Ryan wins the LB of the year. Surprise

Submitted by massblue on

I thought the other two LBs, Ross and Morgan, deserved it more as Ryan did not play much and was not in top shape.

 

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Zoltanrules

December 9th, 2013 at 10:32 PM ^

Ross or Morgan at 100% who are still learning much. JMFR is rarely out of position,is a leader, and just makes plays. I  expect him to have a monster bowl game.

Joined: 08/23/2009

MGoPoints: 20883

Magnus

December 10th, 2013 at 6:07 AM ^

Jake Ryan: 26 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup. That's his stat line for the year.

I think the award is probably as much for rehabbing quickly as anything else, but I would think the other guys (who are 2 of the top 3 tacklers on the team) would have earned it. Oh well.

Joined: 07/17/2008

MGoPoints: 165945

LSAClassOf2000

December 9th, 2013 at 10:42 PM ^

In seven games, Ryan had 26 tackles (22 solo) with 4 TFLs for a total of 8 yards with one pass broken up. At least for tackles, if you projected a full season total based on this year's average (which isn't the best way, but might make for a reasonable estimate), you would have a Jake Ryan with about half of last year's total tackles. I think, however, that Ryan plays the position with such skill that a Jake Ryan that is perhaps not 100% is still an effective, feared linebacker. 

Joined: 01/07/2011

MGoPoints: 130561

SmackJack

December 9th, 2013 at 11:18 PM ^

What were y'all's thoughts on the Cincinnati Colerain product Joe Bolden in his second year? To me, this kid's upside is very high. He comes from a great football family and anyone familiar with Ohio high school football knows of Colerain's dominance. They are basically one of the only public schools in the Cincinnati area who is a perineal powerhouse. Anyway I just love Bolden's play and hunger. His build is slimmer than JMFR which I think makes for better closing speed. Helluva athlete and one I'll be watching very closely in the next couple of years.

Joined: 07/18/2012

MGoPoints: 398

BradP

December 10th, 2013 at 5:23 AM ^

Definitely an athletic kid who has shown flashes.

However, he hasn't picked up the ability to make his reads at the same rate of Ross and Morgan.  As a result can play tentative, leaving him soft at the point of attack and unable to get adequate depth when he drops into coverage.

Thought he played his best game in Ross's absense against OSU, but the ILBs kinda got beat up in that game.

Joined: 10/17/2010

MGoPoints: 770

Magnus

December 10th, 2013 at 6:10 AM ^

Are you his mom?

I thought Bolden improved in the second half of this year, but he was a liability early in the season. From what I've seen, I think Gedeon has higher upside, but those two will probably be the starting linebackers once Morgan and Ross leave, respectively.

Joined: 07/17/2008

MGoPoints: 165945

Monocle Smile

December 10th, 2013 at 12:59 PM ^

He's not bad. He's tentative and exploitable in pass coverage and gets blocked too easily. He's a step quicker than Morgan, but not as good an athlete as Ross and it's fairly laughable to think his closing speed is anything like Ryan's.

Like Magnus, I'm inclined to think you're a family member.

Joined: 09/17/2009

MGoPoints: 23025

PurpleStuff

December 9th, 2013 at 11:23 PM ^

Would have been nice to see the one senior in the group get the award.  He finished 2nd on the team with 4 sacks and tied for 2nd with 7.5 TFL, so had the rest of the guys beat as far as big plays went.  With Ryan playing so little (and not exactly dominating, though through no fault of his own) and neither of Morgan/Ross standing out or differentiating strongly between each other, giving Cam the award would have been my call.

Joined: 04/21/2009

MGoPoints: 15969

The2nd_JEH

December 9th, 2013 at 11:32 PM ^

Cam Gordon may have been my favorite player (besides Denard) in recent memory. Kid has switched positions about 60 times, never complained. Never got in any trouble. JMFR kind of "took" his spot last year-two years ago. He didn't play too much last year. Jake gets hurt and he steps up, becomes a captain, plays very well and doesn't get much, if any recognition at all. Oh, and he's the only defensive player out talking to the offense during a timeout cheering them on. Great kid.

Joined: 06/11/2010

MGoPoints: 7026

GoBLUinTX

December 9th, 2013 at 11:28 PM ^

JMFR is a terrific LB but truth be told, it was Desmond Morgan that was the foundation for that squad through all 12 games.  I'm guessing the players voted?

Joined: 12/02/2013

MGoPoints: 5895

Joby

December 10th, 2013 at 1:25 AM ^

I'm not sure that I understand the rationale here. What exactly made Ryan the best linebacker? As has been stated, the statistics, even if projected through the entire year, do not support this claim. Morgan and Ross both had very good seasons, tackled well, and had to cover enormous swath of territory in the bend-but-don't-break formations. I thought that, for all of his strengths, Ryan was more often out of position because he was looking to be disruptive.

Joined: 10/19/2011

MGoPoints: -1329

Epic-Blue

December 10th, 2013 at 12:52 AM ^

23 tackles in 7 games and he gets the LB MVP! I think this is a disservice to Cam, James and Desmond. I don't think I heard Jakes name called once against OSU....

Joined: 10/06/2013

MGoPoints: 920

MGoGrendel

December 10th, 2013 at 6:16 AM ^

...but what has he done off the field to earn this award? Did he push the other guys in the weight room? Help break down film? My guess, since he is a leader and team player, is that he did a ton of work off the field. Players and coaches recognized this and voted accodingly.

Joined: 01/21/2013

MGoPoints: 70213

ehatch

December 10th, 2013 at 8:38 AM ^

On-field performance, I would say that Desmond Morgan deserved the award.  However, Jake Ryan busted his butt to get back from an ACL injury in a short period of time.  We also don't know his off the field contributions to the LB corps.  

Joined: 09/25/2008

MGoPoints: 1938

michiganfanforlife

December 10th, 2013 at 9:01 AM ^

as much as any Michigan fan, but I agree that he was not our best linebacker this year. I think Ross had the most consistant play anchoring the middle of the D, and I like how he stuffs up lead blocks and runners in the interior. As our D-Line beefs up a bit in the next couple of years, our linebackers will look better. You really need a nasty D-line to make your linebackers look good IMO...

Joined: 05/05/2009

MGoPoints: 2788

I dumped the Dope

December 10th, 2013 at 4:47 PM ^

in some respects, saved the season with the INT against UConn.  We would still be trying to extinguish the fire had he caught air instead and the ball gone for a completion and Uconn won the game.

Jake Ryan did deliver the only TFL on Carlos Hyde on the season to that point.  I think MSU might have also stopped him for a loss.  But I think the miracle recovery timetable that Ryan was able to stick to helped, and he was probably heavily involved in practices up to the point where he could actually play. 

That said, I hope each one returns healthy next year and eclipses what they did this year.

Joined: 09/22/2013

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