OT: Mike Weber Declares for NFL Draft
December 17th, 2018 at 8:52 AM ^
Makes no sense for Haskins to stay when his value is so high(not to mention better for us if he goes).
Best of luck to Weber, always like to see Detroit kids do well in the league.
December 17th, 2018 at 8:58 AM ^
Agreed. I hear Vince McMahon is a great boss. He's going to cherish his time playing for the Birmingham Thunderbolts. Too bad it's not Birmingham UK or even Birmingham, MI.
December 17th, 2018 at 9:09 AM ^
Because what ever is best for Michigan usually doesn’t happen. I’m expecting Haskins to come back, break more records, win the Heisman and Nat Champ and beat Michigan by 40.
Kidding. (kind of)
December 17th, 2018 at 9:20 AM ^
Tate Martell completed 82% of his pass attempts in his 6 games this year.
I think they’ll be fine with or without Haskins.
December 17th, 2018 at 9:27 AM ^
With their offensive design 85% of the passes are thrown less than 10 yards downfield ... anyone's completion percentage would be high running their offense. Their receivers did a great job picking up YACs. Haskins also adds a great deep ball too ... he runs their offense perfectly, Martell is still an unknown.
Go Blue!
December 17th, 2018 at 9:30 AM ^
A whopping 28 attempts, all against Oregon State, Rutgers, and Tulane.
Theres a reason OSU brought him into games to run the ball but didn’t even fake a pass. OSU’s passing offense this year was specifically designed for high percentage short passes to get their speedy receivers in space against slower opponents. Take that 82% (and Haskins’ completion percentage too) with a grain of salt.
December 17th, 2018 at 9:31 AM ^
I hope that OSU will just run the goal line package that they tried in the 3rd quarter this year with Martell all the time. Yeah, run those plays please.
December 17th, 2018 at 11:56 AM ^
Funny that later in the season whenver Martell came in, I came waiting for an ol Urban Meyer pop pass or jump pass and it never came. They seemed like throwing the ball with Martell was absolutely not an option to the point that him coming in was screaming DONT BOTHER DEFENDING THE PASS. I'm not so sure it's going to be smooth sailing when a heavy passing offense switches over to a dude that seemed afraid to let pass
December 18th, 2018 at 2:30 AM ^
2018 was a heavy passing year for OSU because their QB could sling it but was a terrible read option QB. Haskins couldn’t run.
Day coached JT Barrett who was a spotty passer and gritty runner. They didn’t throw nearly as much in 2017.
Day and Wilson will adjust to Martell. Both have had QBs who will run it 15-18 times and only throw it 20-25 times a game.
Most OSU fans equate Martell to Braxton Miller.
December 17th, 2018 at 8:52 AM ^
He should be a nice mid-round undrafted free agent.
December 17th, 2018 at 10:14 AM ^
Now does mid-round go with undrafted? I agree on the undrafted part.
I thought the obligatory response to the OP would be "lol"
December 17th, 2018 at 8:55 AM ^
Seems like a strange move. You don’t see 2nd stringers get drafted very often.
December 17th, 2018 at 12:46 PM ^
I'd think that he spoke to SOMEONE who told him that now is the time to go. He just better hope that whoever told him to go knows what he is talking about. Good luck, kid.
December 17th, 2018 at 5:56 PM ^
IIRC there was rumblings he might go after last season as well. RB is the most important position as far as saving wear and tear, and let's not kid ourselves- Weber is going to test marginally and likely had little to gain coming back. Especially being behind their other back.
December 17th, 2018 at 8:56 AM ^
Why is Pep still employed?
December 17th, 2018 at 9:05 AM ^
Why do you have such awful posts that are never on topic?
December 17th, 2018 at 9:08 AM ^
It's Harbaugh's offense.
That's where you should be directing your inquiries.
December 17th, 2018 at 9:33 AM ^
Everyone seems to forget that we scored 39 points in that nightmare game. The offense absolutely dominated nearly every other team we played in 2018 in terms of time of possession, which is still key to winning football games. Amazingly ... it was the defense that was non-existent in C-bus. Was the offense perfect ? ... no, but 39 points should win every game we play.
Go Blue!
December 17th, 2018 at 10:21 AM ^
Yes.... but a goose egg in the critical 3rd quarter. The fourth quarter points mean much less after we were getting blown out.
December 17th, 2018 at 12:31 PM ^
The defense didn't throw a goose egg in any quarter. Did they even force a turnover? Regardless of the offense, the defense was a disaster all game long.
December 18th, 2018 at 10:19 AM ^
I don't disagree. Simply making the point that just because we scored 39 points, doesn't mean the offense was great. Obviously the defense was the main issue.
December 17th, 2018 at 10:27 AM ^
Time of possession hasn't been a key to winning games in about 25 years.
December 17th, 2018 at 11:18 AM ^
I must have missed how many points they give you for winning time of possession.
December 17th, 2018 at 11:21 AM ^
Eh, that 39 points stat people keep mentioning is very misleading. Michigan only scored 19 points when it actually mattered. 20 of the 39 points came in the fourth quarter when OSU had a 22-point lead. Yeah, I guess when Michigan made it 41-25 there was a slimmer of hope but for all intents and purposes the game was over.
December 17th, 2018 at 11:36 AM ^
This. Both the offense and defense were bad in Columbus. On balance, during the "competitive" portion of the game, I think the offense was more culpable than the defense. (There is a scheme/play-calling and execution aspect to it, it is not solely on the players or the offensive coaches). And when I say the competitive portion of the game, the game was over after Patterson's pick and the ensuing touchdown. I know that the starters were "still in the game" but the game was no longer in doubt.
It is weird, for a little while I remembered the game as though OSU just came out and scored every possession but that was not the case. They scored on their first drive and then did not score again until close to the middle of the second quarter (after our dreaded field goals). The defense got a huge stop when we were down 7-6 and we took over on our fourth possession at the OSU 50 yard line (and punted!)
Then the defense got another stop after halftime on the first OSU possession and we had the ball in a one score game with a chance to take the lead. The defense actually got a goal line stand to keep it a one score game mid-way through the third quarter.
It was certainly not a vintage performance, and when the levees broke they really, really broke, but through nearly 3 quarters the game was there for the taking. We just decided that running the ball into the one strength of OSU defense multiple times was the best way to "move" the ball.
December 17th, 2018 at 12:29 PM ^
Sure, blame Pep for the blocked punt returned for TD and then int thrown by Shea. Other than that the O moved the ball ok in the 3rd. Once they were down 2 TDs it started to get away.
December 17th, 2018 at 1:01 PM ^
I don't "blame Pep" for anything. I don't even know if he calls the plays. I certainly don't blame him for a blocked punt. People are just misleading when they rely on the "39 points should be enough to win the game." Context matters. The offense wasn't any good when it needed to be, and had opportunities to take control of the game and squandered them on several occasions.
December 17th, 2018 at 1:48 PM ^
Squandered is the perfect word to encapsulate the 2018 season, and the offense more specifically.
I said this elsewhere — and got into a long drawn out debate about passing attempts, the passing scheme and the overall philosophy of Michigan’s offense — but Shea didn’t deliver the dagger the offense needed often enough. Much of this was hidden by the defense’s ability to keep giving the ball back to the offense, and it did that in several key moments of the OSU game.
The only real dagger play I recall was the TD pass to DPJ vs. MSU. People can debate the merits of run first, pass first, modern passing, etc. but the bottom line is that EVERY offense seeks to exploit a defense by forcing the opposing DC to stop something, then hitting them with a chunk play. Obviously, in Michigan’s case, Harbaugh prefers to run the ball, then take shots downfield. In every game Michigan played, those plays were called, but not enough were hit.
Those opportunities — when the defense over committed to stopping the run and left the WR/TE’s in mismatch 1 on 1’s — were squandered. Scheme isn’t necessarily the issue, as much as execution. I know many in here hate that debate and want to blame everything on scheme, and by extension Pep and Harbaug, but plays were there to be made and they weren’t. Make those plays and the game might have turned out differently.
What was uncanny about that game was that it seems EVERY time Michigan squandered an opportunity the very next play was a huge play for OSU. That, IMO, puts even more emphasis upon execution.
December 17th, 2018 at 2:25 PM ^
I don't recall Ohio State taking out their regulars on offense or defense at any point in that game until the closing seconds. I keep hearing that none of the points scored were significant because of when they were scored. But that's like saying that losing by 29 as Ohio State did to Purdue instead of 23 as Michigan did to Ohio State, makes Ohio State's 29 less meaningful because they didn't really score in the third quarter.
They still got their ass kicked and didn't make the playoff as a result. They couldn't stop a run up the middle and then Haskins threw a pick six in the final four minutes. The score was 35 to 20 before that. So, those were apparent garbage time scores, except both sides were still playing to win or manage the outcome of the game.
It wasn't the scoring output that pisses people off about the umpteenth Buckeye loss, it was losing by a margin that challenged the very strength of the team that nobody wants to acknowledge.
So, let's go after the offense for failing to match every score when it mattered. Every fucking point matters. Just like nearly tying the game in the first half was huge when they were down by two scores, and people bitched about the play-calling because they only scored after a kickoff muff.
You play to win and score whenever possible, who the hell cares when it happens, so long as it does. I am so sick of this bullshit criticism. Ohio State beat our ass, I accept it, on both sides of the ball. And we weren't good on defense but we weren't awful on offense, as some would like to conjecture as failing to get closer to winning. Make changes, get better, improve your decision-making, and try again.
December 17th, 2018 at 8:11 PM ^
Get outta here with this post man.
I'm going to preface this with the fact that I know every point counts, but when you look at how 39 was accomplished- 7 gifted on a fluke fumble, offense totally shut out in 3rd quarter, multiple drives in 1st and 4th quarters extended by PI (most rightfully so, but I think even the biggest homer would admit a) can't rely on that b) some were questionable).
And you are really going to argue T.O.P.? Easy to win that battle when you eke out a long sustained drive and then go and let the other team take it to the house untouched in 1 play.d
December 17th, 2018 at 9:13 AM ^
Insufferable fools never quit. Prior to the internet age, when stupidity became protected by anonymity, your ilk learned the value of silence due to repeated ass kickings.
December 17th, 2018 at 9:21 AM ^
Shut up, the tough guy. Before the internet dorks like you had no outlet for your built up rage.
December 17th, 2018 at 10:30 AM ^
Dorks? Rage? Clearly you know not of what you speak. But since you think I am such a, "tough guy," maybe I should add the obligatory, "you can try to make me shut up ... "
Before the internet people actually had to learn to formulate and articulate an argument/stance, rather than just posting one-liners and sound bites, and were held accountable for the words they spoke to others in public. I know that is hard for many to understand, because you never lived it, but the internet has transformed discourse into something resembling the flitting about of gnats -- always ducking in and out of conversation with, "you mad, bro?"
Case in point!
December 17th, 2018 at 9:03 AM ^
Well, if Mike is going to the NFL to finally play for Stan Drayton he's late, again.
December 17th, 2018 at 9:07 AM ^
I'm looking at the stats and Weber and Higdon finished up with only 36 career rushing yards seperating them. I think Higdon will probably be the better pro but that is still one of the interesting signing day battles that will be fun to watch as the years go on.
December 17th, 2018 at 9:12 AM ^
Higdon may be a better pro but Weber was 6-0 vs M and MSU. I believe he scored a TD in all 6 games. He also won multiple BIG titles. Not a bad college career.
December 17th, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^
Everything you wrote is correct - except that it has to really suck to be a college backup when you have NFL aspirations.
The list of guys that went from college backup to NFL draft pick is very, very short... Brad Johnson, ??? I know there are more guys but you get the point.
December 17th, 2018 at 9:23 AM ^
Weber had a better sophomore year but Higdon outgained Weber by almost 700 yards the last two years. Weber, who had a decent career, was injury prone and seemed to plateau. Higdon got better every year.
December 17th, 2018 at 9:27 AM ^
But Weber led in butt slaps from refereees!
December 17th, 2018 at 10:32 AM ^
But did he like them??? NTTAWWT
December 17th, 2018 at 9:51 AM ^
Unpopular opinion: I think Weber is better than Higdon. If we had JK Dobbins, Higdon would split with him too. Big fan of Karan, and I understand our bias due to Weber's recruitment, but Weber just looks like the better back to me.
December 17th, 2018 at 10:23 AM ^
I actually feel the same way, although I haven't watched much of Weber other than the games against us
December 17th, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
WOW what a horrible, horrible, hilarious opinion.
December 17th, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^
Player A:
2018: 5.46 ypc
2017: 6.20 ypc
2016: 6.02 ypc
Player B:
2018: 5.26 ypc
2017: 6.06 ypc
2016: 5.90 ypc
Guess which is which
December 17th, 2018 at 9:19 AM ^
I won't be surprised if Haskins returns because the college football deities have deemed it necessary for OSU to be elite at football, constantly kicking our asses. Haskins should declare, though. He will be a top-ten selection.
December 17th, 2018 at 9:23 AM ^
I know we want to ignore Haskins news here, unless it says he is leaving, but the thought a few weeks ago was that he was definitely coming back. Without Urban now who knows, but it wouldn't surprise me at all.
December 17th, 2018 at 9:26 AM ^
OSU has the talent to reload, but Jason Day is going to have his hands full taking on his first head coaching job of a team that has had remarkable success for the last 2 decades. He will more than likely be starting a QB with zero starting experience, lose multiple players from both side of the ball, more than likely be replacing his DC, there is no doubt going to be transition in the coaching staff outside of DC, and OSU does not have the easiest schedule in 2019. I have said it before, but I am anxious to see how Day and the fanbase respond, when OSU has two losses (tying Urban Meyers total losses in one season) and still has a couple games left.
December 17th, 2018 at 9:30 AM ^
Posters rush to correct the Jason Day mistake in 3...2...1...
December 17th, 2018 at 9:45 AM ^
Huh. I know Jason Day lives in Columbus and is talented as hell, but did not know he switched careers from being one of the best golfers in the world to being the head coach of OSU football. That is impressive.