Shane Morris Appreciation Thread

Submitted by samdrussBLUE on
He wasn't a god. But he played well, managed the game for the most part and did not get much help anywhere else. And honestly, I am just trying to look at something positive right now.

I am numb. And this sucks. I have no answers, or even questions right now.

Tree

December 29th, 2013 at 1:05 AM ^

For a true freshman playing on the road in a bowl game as his first start, that wasn't bad at all. Couple of drops by his wideouts too. I want to be positive but K-State lost to an (albiet pretty good) FCS team and they just made us look like fools. Remember when watching Michigan play football didn't make you want to dropkick your TV? That was nice

klctlc

December 29th, 2013 at 1:11 AM ^

relax.  He has a great arm. Didn't make any mistakes, didn't make any great throws.  

 

Lets see if we get a running game.  Something is really wrong.  Unbelievable performance.  pathetic

While I appreciate the trying to find positives, this ain't it.

MJ14

December 29th, 2013 at 1:48 AM ^

I'd beg to differ about him throwing no great balls. Near the end the pass to Gallon on the sideline was a heck of a throw. Also, the throw where Gallon got held was beautiful as well. There were a few other throws that he was literally just a touch off, which would have been fantastic throws. Those will come as he gets more experience. There's a ton to like about him after watching him in real action. Especially in a semi-big game like this. Any bowl game as your first game is going to be a decently big deal. 

SituationSoap

December 29th, 2013 at 8:52 AM ^

Yeah, I agree. He flashed last night. That doesn't mean he was incredible, it just means that he showed why he was such a highly touted recruit.

 

Perhaps most important is that the game didn't look too big for him. This was one of the most nutso situations a kid could be thrown into as a true freshman, and he did have a couple of rough throws, one of which was picked off, but his stat line was very obviously hurt by his unfamiliarity with his receivers (leading to drops). I was surprised to see how quick he was, too. He's not Gardner, but he had a couple nice pickups on the ground.

Victor Hale II

December 29th, 2013 at 11:01 AM ^

Wasn't the interception actually a drop? The one he bounced off the KSU kid's mask should've been a pick.

Overall Shane was very impressive. Tough situation for a true FR, and getting zero help from the running game made it that much worse. While this season sucked, the future at QB does indeed look bright.

alum96

December 29th, 2013 at 1:11 AM ^

For a true freshman in his first real extended playing time, without any threat of a running game, I thought he played great.  I will also say the OL PASS protect was better than it was during most of the year while the RUN blocking was horrid as usual.

Muttley

December 29th, 2013 at 1:36 AM ^

No sacks, if memory serves.

A Dan Marino-type QB, only faster.

Seriously, when pressured, Shane showed the ability to take a step back and still gun the ball away without taking a sack. Dan Marino, despite Navarre-like foot-speed, rarely took sacks because he could get rid of it in an instant.

I'm not saying Shane is Marino, but not taking sacks (or very few) has some real value.

alum96

December 29th, 2013 at 2:04 AM ^

Fred Jackson is that you?  "Like Dan Marino, but faster, stronger, quicker release, and more handsome."

No I agree.  His pocket presence pleased me, and he looked like he went through progressions quite well for a kid thrown into such a situation.  And again he had no viable running threat to take any pressure off him and by the 2nd half the opponent knew he was forced to throw throw throw.   Devin's big issue seems to be reading progressions so if Shane is doing it but Devin does not progress at that next year, it just might be a Devin issue.

Bb011

December 29th, 2013 at 1:14 AM ^

Honestly, he was one of the few bright spots of this game. He didn't play a perfect game, but it was damn good. Not to mention, he has a cannon for an arm.

LSAClassOf2000

December 29th, 2013 at 1:19 AM ^

They occasionally say, "He's not Gardner...", but looking at the skills that Shane Morris seems to bring to the game, I don't think he needs to be. Throughout the game, I believe he has done a pretty good job of reading the field and has made pretty good decisions for the most part. I imagine the short screens and the otherwise controlled passing game was the plan and Morris has done a pretty good job of executing it. As he grows in this system, I think there is a great upside. 

Assuming that Morris is not on the field again, the final line would be 24 of 38 for 196 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT. It's a 101 rating in the NCAA, but to be thrown into this situation, that's really not a bad performance overall. 

Felix.M.Blue

December 29th, 2013 at 1:19 AM ^

No running game, a couple important drops that would have moved the chains and a piss poor defensive effort doomed him.

KSU is a good example of a team that had some disappointment early and got things turned around and improved as the year went on. That's an indication that they have some good coaches.

MGoBlue96

December 29th, 2013 at 1:28 AM ^

One of the few semi-bright spots in this entire game. Has a bright future, at the very least it seems like the QB is in pretty good shape next year with two talented guys at the position. One coming off a profilic performance against OSU and the other playing well in this game as a freshmen. I would still expect Gardner to be the starter, but it is nice when the backup can step in and play well.

Wish I could be as optimistic about the other positions (and coaching staff for that matter).

freejs

December 29th, 2013 at 1:25 AM ^

Hot mom, great future.

This game was an abomination, but Shane was fantastic. He was strong in the pocket, made some really accurate throws, obviously has a cannon.

Going to need someone to step up like Gallon to catch those lasers.

BlueinLansing

December 29th, 2013 at 1:29 AM ^

Michigan's best player.

 

Game 13, true freshman who's barely played all year making his first start in a bowl game was Michigan's best player tonight.  Let that sink in.

Prince Lover

December 29th, 2013 at 1:34 AM ^

I wanted a glimpse into the future from this game, not much else. And what did I see? A qb who can play at this level, this is not too big of a stage for him. He wasn't great, but he was in no way overwhelmed. Cheers to that!