Way too early look at next years defense
Assuming the worst. A lot of inexperience. Well Mr Brown, time to work your magic.
NT: Jeter-So/ Smith-Fr/Paea?
DT-Kemp-Jr or Dwumfour-Jr/Hinton-Fr
WDE-Hutchinson-So/Uche-Jr/Villain-So/
SDE-Paye-Jr/Welschoff-Rfr/Upshaw-Rfr
LB-Gill-Sr/Anthony-So/Thomas-Fr
LB- Ross-Jr/McGrone-Rfr/Velazquez or Barrett? Walk on?
Viper-Hudson-Sr/Glasgow-Sr/Solomon-Fr
CB-Sims-Rfr/Green-Rfr/Turner-Fr
CB-Thomas-Jr/St Juste-Jr/Gray-Rfr
FS-Hawkins-Jr/Kelly-Powell-Jr/Faustin-Rfr
SS-Metellus-Sr/Woods-Jr/Johnson-Fr
December 18th, 2018 at 3:12 PM ^
Could also see Kemp - Dwumfor - Jeter as a 3 man interchangeable starting rotation. Not sure how the middle is going to shake itself out. Hinton and Smith are both going to play for sure.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:15 PM ^
Hinton already looks like a grown ass man, so maybe he'll be ready day 1? Hopefully? LINK
December 18th, 2018 at 3:12 PM ^
Offense will need to carry the team next season. If JH allows it, that is.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:18 PM ^
Do you think Turner will look more or less impressive than Higdon running into stacked boxes?
December 18th, 2018 at 3:56 PM ^
The OL will be excellent in 2019. The running game will be fine, but with our talent on the outside, we better not be running into stacked boxes unless we're up by 20.
To answer your question directly, I think Turner and Evans both have better vision than Higdon and will find more creases. But I also think when they take contact in the backfield they're more likely to lose yardage and they're less likely to turn 2 yards into four. There will be higher variance in 0-5 yard runs next year.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:24 PM ^
I do think the D will be good, not elite. The irony is that next year the offense will be way ahead of the D. First time in 4 years Michigan's offense will have to carry this team.
December 18th, 2018 at 5:06 PM ^
Time to embrace that #Big12Life and win some 48-45 games.
December 18th, 2018 at 6:07 PM ^
Given that Shea should be very confident running the o by then, there's some reason to believe that might work out. Maybe the offense is a little more fun to boot.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:13 PM ^
Yikes
December 18th, 2018 at 3:16 PM ^
No this is "worst case" IMO
NT: Some guy from overseas whose name I cant spell or pronounce
DT-A freshman we have signed yet
WDE-His friend from High School
SDE-Pissed off grad transfer from a middling power 5 school
LB-Somebody who’s on the team now but who’s name I cant think of
LB- Walk on
Viper-Hudson would’ve been it but he decided to go pro so it’s another walk on
CB-Neighbor of the two freshman dudes we’ve got playing line
CB-Another walk on
FS-A guy we recruited to be a WR but we found out he couldn’t catch for shit so now he’s our FS
SS-Metellus
December 18th, 2018 at 3:27 PM ^
At least we have one returning starter coming back!
December 18th, 2018 at 3:21 PM ^
Also: It's time for the offense to start carrying the load, and win some big games on its own.
We're not going to hold good offenses under 20 points, so the offense needs to go out and score 30, 40 points and win some games for the team.
It is time.
The offense should be, and needs to be, the strength of the team next year.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:21 PM ^
Ah the new college football.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:24 PM ^
Honest question. Can Paye slide down to NT or is thst a dumb thought?
December 18th, 2018 at 3:36 PM ^
There are no dumb thoughts around here. Only dumb questions. But yours was both.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:31 PM ^
NT: Kemp or Dwumfour, Jeter
DT-Dwumfour or Kemp, Paye
WDE-Hutchinson or Uche, Villain
SDE-Paye or Hutchinson, Welschof
LB-Gill, Anthony, McGrone
LB- Ross, Anthony, McGrone
Viper-Hudson, Glasgow
CB-St. Juste, Sims,
CB-Thomas, Gray,
FS-Hawkins, Kelly-Powell
SS-Metellus, Woods
December 18th, 2018 at 3:38 PM ^
I gotta think that Woods starts over Hawkins at FS right? Right??
December 18th, 2018 at 3:43 PM ^
Hawkins got a lot more PT this year.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:31 PM ^
Am I the only one that thinks Hutchinson looks small
December 18th, 2018 at 3:43 PM ^
He is a true freshman, give him time.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:05 PM ^
Yes.
That kid looks like a monster for a true freshman.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:56 PM ^
Yes. You're the only one. Hutch is plenty big.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:36 PM ^
Add HILL in CAPS please.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:44 PM ^
Is it done that both Hill and Long are leaving? If one of them stays, that could be an absolute boon.
Solomon leaving is unfortunate, but he didn't contribute much this year and neither Mone or Marshall were All-B1G level so you're hoping you get that same level of "average" from some combo of Kemp, Dwumfour, Mazi, Jeter, and Hinton. Depth will be the biggest issue just like it was in 2017.
But, replacing 4/5 starters in the secondary could be a problem given what Don Brown demands from those guys.
December 18th, 2018 at 6:08 PM ^
Exactly. He did not contribute while injured.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:43 PM ^
The youngsters need to bring way better than average to have any depth. Hinton and Smith will eventually be way better than Mone and Marshall, but probably not as freshman. But in 2017 we had Mo Hurst ... didn't need much depth because he was elite and tireless.
The DL next year is going to be an issue to overcome. Hopefully Mattison doesn't decide this is the year he retires.
Offense is going to have to step up and carry the team in 2019. Time to open the throttle and take off the engine's governor ... Shea for the Heisman !
December 18th, 2018 at 6:12 PM ^
This team feels a bit like Wisconsin coming into the year.
Second best team in the B1G the previous season.
Lot of losses and question marks on defense. Bruising, talented, experienced OL and a potential Heisman candidate skill position player on offense.
I do expect it to go better for M since that potential Heisman candidate is the QB, a position of much more leverage than RB. And while the D is potentially scary, I don't see a DB defense falling as far as Wisconsin did this year.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:53 PM ^
Wow....that actually looks really good. Don't see the pessimism. Also, is "L" your favorite letter? You gave Gil and Vilain extras.
- Safety is absolutely a strength.
- CB - Thomas should be excellent, and there are so many bullets, some one else will excel
- Viper is loaded. FWIW, Sam Webb says Haskins has been doing very well there. Definitely ahead of Solomon, may leap Glasgow as well. Barrett is back at Viper, I believe.
- LB - Among Gil, Ross, Anthony, and McGrone, we'll have two very good starters and excellent back-ups.
- DE - Don't agree that Hutch will pass Uche and Vilain. Paye looked very good this year and should take another leap next year.
- DT - Jeter, Kemp, Dwumfour is a nice group. Hinton should be ready to play at either SDE or 3-Tech, so we might see another player slide to NT. Hard for a true freshman to be ready at nose; Smith seems more likely to play 3T.
Strengths: Safety; LB; Edge rushing
Solid: DEs in general; at least one CB; starting DTs
Question Marks: DL depth, especially DT; CB depth
This is not a 2018, 2006, or 1997 defense, but it's still far better than any unit Don Brown had at BC, and more than good enough to do its part to win the B1G. The offense will have to carry a heavier load in 2019, and they damn well better.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:39 PM ^
Corner a bit scary to me, espcially given the kind of schemes that Don Brown likes to run. The best case scenario is that Ambry Thomas has a breakout season and we find a reasonable #2 CB, but what are we going to do next year when OSU tries to pick on our #3 CB all day again?
I think we'll be fine at Linebacker, but almost anyone will be a step back from Devin Bush.
Same at DE - Uche/Paye showed a lot of promise this year, but it will be damn hard to replace Gary/Winovich. But the silver lining of Gary being out for long streches of the year is that these guys had a chance to play and produce in some big games this year.
It not a sky is falling situation, but the defense seems likely to take a step back and we'll have to reset our expectation around having a defense that is good to very good, but not neccessarily dominant.
December 18th, 2018 at 5:03 PM ^
This is spot on. We need corners who can play consistent man defense, so having weak spots at our #2 and #3 in combination with a very young DL puts our current style at risk. That being said, I assume Coach Brown will spend the offseason making necessary adjustments. I'll also add that I'm interested (and anxious?) to see how these taller/lanky CBs slot in next year... If the little bits of hype around Myles Sims pan out, we'll be ok despite a handful of inevitable 'young guys get caught looking' situations.
Mainly, let's all hope our offense progresses far enough that it can carry our D for the first month or so. The sky isn't falling, but it seems we're much further from the CFP (which also means we're further from turning A Game back into The Game come November).
December 18th, 2018 at 6:20 PM ^
This is a bit optimistic because
1) Paye wasn't a good edge rusher so we're relying on Uche almost exclusively?
2) Not sure I'd declare LB a strength when one of them is an entirely unknown entity (or worse, one of the younger guys doesn't step up and Gil is starting full time).
3) Also a stretch to assume the starting DTs will be solid. Dwumfour was virtually unplayed against the run and Kemp did nothing for pash rush, so unless one of them makes some strides, there will be weaknesses for the offense to exploit on any given down.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:55 PM ^
That D line! Woof!!
December 18th, 2018 at 4:01 PM ^
That would be one of the youngest defenses in the country is my guess. I assume at least one corner comes back, but it isn't a crazy 2-deep.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:03 PM ^
Could be a long year. Again.
December 18th, 2018 at 8:03 PM ^
Yeah that 10 game win streak sure was hard to watch
December 18th, 2018 at 8:54 PM ^
This is why so many Michigan fans are insufferable. Harbaugh's won 10 games 3 of his 4 years here. Is it a bit of a bummer we haven't won a Big 10 championship or beaten Ohio State yet? Sure. But a 10 win season is not a long year.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:07 PM ^
Ok, but not good if Gil starts
December 18th, 2018 at 6:22 PM ^
You could end it right now if you want to by not worrying about something 9 months away
December 18th, 2018 at 10:20 PM ^
Probably when you stop being such a bitch.
December 19th, 2018 at 7:36 AM ^
...and start using apostrophes. (wRX)
December 18th, 2018 at 4:18 PM ^
We lost more experience off the 2016 squad and were fine. It's unlikely the D is number one again next year but with Don Brown and company top 10 or even top 5 is within reach. Relax, people.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:32 PM ^
I would give some credit to Brown to be able to keep this as a Top 10-15 group, which I think most of us would probably still be reasonably pleased with. I could be wrong, of course, but at this point, I don't know that I am worried too much. Of course, 2019 isn't even here year, so the first few games could change my mind, but I don't think they will as yet.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:34 PM ^
I wonder if they will entertain flipping Onwenu back to DT. Somehow, OL and particularly interior OL seems deeper than the DL.
December 18th, 2018 at 5:09 PM ^
I thought Onwenu wanted to play guard - might be a tough sell late in his career when the obvious goal is to make the NFL.
It is strange to think that Mattison/Brown have less depth on their side of the line, but Paye and Uche might be closer than we all realized and I think Kemp has been consistently improving throughout his career.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:39 PM ^
The optimism in this thread is...weird.
Best 5 D players will be gone: Gary, Winovich, Bush , 2 CBs.
This thread says...no problem!
December 18th, 2018 at 4:44 PM ^
Fan is short for fanatic and they tend to be unreasonably optimistic about everything. The realists are too scared to post their true feelings for fear of inciting the angry mob aka the fanatics.
December 18th, 2018 at 5:39 PM ^
I think Welschof, Upshaw and Sims will make some noise in 2019. Those will be the guys to watch in the spring game. Hinton will probably have a freshman year like Hutchinson did. So, they need to stay healthy on the DL while the young guys gain experience. Will be interesting to see how often McGrone gets on the field. He could be pretty, pretty, pretty good. Guess I should add him to the spring game "watch list".
December 18th, 2018 at 5:40 PM ^
I think Kemp is just too undersized to be a quality DT. Hurst was smaller too but he’s an exception. I hope someone can replace Gil, Anthony or McGrone preferably. Mazi Smith and Hinton should play a lot. Army game just screws up everything. You are taking so much time to prepare in the offseason and a whole week of game prep against offense most of these young guys will never see again. Plus they are actually good, why would you ever schedule them.
December 18th, 2018 at 6:16 PM ^
I think the LBs can be very good. D Line will struggle vs the good teams. Secondary is a mystery, but they could be pretty good, not as good as this season, but pretty good still.
December 18th, 2018 at 6:33 PM ^
Def tackle is sad