Tidbits from player interviews
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs3PSo--fdHnhUuHBuLmxDA
I’ve been listening to some of the short interviews staff and players have had during fall camp. It’s often very hard to hear because the volume is low and the cicadas are loud. I linked to The Wolverine youtube channel above where you can easily find them all, so I don’t need to link every interview. Most are not that interesting. But there were a couple interesting tidbits I just heard.
Mazi mentioned the DL’s job is to destroy their keys. Nothing groundbreaking. This is how the 3-4 works from what Seth described it in HTTV. The DL is mostly there to take on blockers and let others make plays. Mazi is built like a brick shithouse.
Sainristil mentioned he learned how to golf from McNamara in the offseason hahahaha...*pulls collar*. Someone asked him who we should look out for, someone new. The only name he mentioned was DJ Turner, so maybe pencil him to be a starter this Saturday. On a non-football note, I thought I heard a bit of something like a Caribbean accent. I looked it up, and I’m sure many here already know, but he was born in Haiti and came when he was only 7 months old.
August 30th, 2021 at 9:43 PM ^
FWIW, pretty much every "insider" report has Turner and Gemon Green starting over Vincent Gray.
August 31st, 2021 at 1:07 AM ^
And Hill-Green starting over Barrett.
August 31st, 2021 at 8:59 AM ^
That one isn't even insider chatter anymore. George Helow straight-up said it in a presser.
August 31st, 2021 at 10:10 AM ^
The one thing I have heard was that this may be more injury related than performance related
August 31st, 2021 at 11:15 AM ^
Hill-Green won the job. This is a good thing.
August 31st, 2021 at 9:49 PM ^
I said it last year after the Minnesota game, but I hold to the thinking that Gemon will be a shut down guy and at minimum All-Big10 honorable mention, probably better.
August 30th, 2021 at 9:47 PM ^
Thanks for firing up the cicada filter and giving us the rundown.
August 30th, 2021 at 10:05 PM ^
I miss the Youtube vuvuzela filter.
August 30th, 2021 at 11:09 PM ^
I actually just cranked up the volume on my speakers lol. But yeah it can be pretty bad. There were a few interviews a week or so ago when there was also construction going on that you could easily hear.
August 31st, 2021 at 12:09 PM ^
It's really astonishing how bad the audio set up is for these interviews. You can't hear the question at all and you can barely understand the answer. These aren't just iphone interviews. This is set up by the athletic department. They had Cornelius Johnson standing at the podium and the microphone was down by his waist. This cannot be that hard, FFS.
September 1st, 2021 at 1:06 AM ^
Well, to be fair, it's outside because of covid so there's just more noise. They're not really set up for people to watch on youtube. I assume these are just random reporters recording a bit on their phones. They're set up for reporters to ask questions and write stories. It doesn't seem like the players or reporters generally have problems hearing each other.
August 30th, 2021 at 9:48 PM ^
Seems like more good news from camp this year compared to previous seasons. I sure hope this shows up on the filed and we beat the teams we should, while pulling off a few upsets. I'm still hoping for 9 or 10 wins, even though I think 7 to 8 are more realistic.
August 30th, 2021 at 9:56 PM ^
+1 for "brick shithouse". That's always one of my favorites.
August 30th, 2021 at 10:49 PM ^
Ow, he's a brick shithouse
He's mighty-mighty, just lettin' it all hang out
He's a brick shithouse
That D-Line's stacked and that's a fact
Ain't holding nothing back
Ow, he's a brick shithouse
Well put-together, everybody knows
This is how the season goes
August 30th, 2021 at 10:52 PM ^
I better not be the only upvote.
August 30th, 2021 at 10:56 PM ^
I got you fam
August 31st, 2021 at 9:40 AM ^
What a perfectly cromulent username!
August 30th, 2021 at 11:09 PM ^
Tell me you’re from the UP/Wisconsin without actually telling me you’re from the UP/Wisconsin.
Answer: Brick Shithouse
August 30th, 2021 at 10:05 PM ^
MF’in cicadas!
August 30th, 2021 at 11:19 PM ^
If McNamara shows up Saturday wearing golf gloves, I'm out.
August 30th, 2021 at 11:35 PM ^
Underdogs…chip on our shoulder….this team has a good vibe about it.
August 31st, 2021 at 8:02 AM ^
Two things I’ve learned from fall interviews this month:
1. They all keep saying they don’t want to talk, they want their play to do the talking. So they’ve talked a lot about not talking about expectations to surprise people.
2. Very few surprising names have been mentioned in any interview given. Doesn’t seem like anyone outside DJ and George Johnson have drastically moved up expectations for their playing time.
It would be great to see DJ and Gemon do well. It would be surprising to see Seldon or Green-Warren play because neither has been talked about much despite being the higher rated corners in last four years.
I hope the surprises come from the “silence,” such as Donovan Edwards blowing the roof off Schembechler Hall in game 1, giving us a clearly, truly elite RB from the start.
Or Dax playing slot corner and Moten getting in the game and being a ball hawk in space.
Thank god it is almost game time, so we don’t have to glean what the team looks like from interviews anymore.
August 31st, 2021 at 10:20 AM ^
Re: Point #1. They’re being interviewed so they have to say something. I will never understand holding Michigan’s ravenous media environment against the players. If the program wanted them not to talk then they’d restrict availability and then everyone would be yelling about how this program with-holds access and doesn’t engage.
August 31st, 2021 at 10:54 AM ^
What should they say? Saying nothing gets them in trouble. Speaking confidently gets them in trouble (win or lose). Saying they want their play to do the talking apparently elicits snark. To quote Marlo from The Wire: "You want it to be one way...but it's the other way."
August 31st, 2021 at 11:30 AM ^
Love a good wire clip/reference.
Random: In the last season of Bosch, one of the characters asked Jamie Hector if he's ever seen The Wire.
September 1st, 2021 at 1:23 AM ^
A man's got to know his limitations. :)
August 31st, 2021 at 8:40 AM ^
I want to see Harbaugh lose his shit on an official in the first quarter of the game Saturday.... we need that coach back.
August 31st, 2021 at 8:50 AM ^
Yes. This so much. Get tossed from the game even. Show some fucking FIRE.
August 31st, 2021 at 11:35 AM ^
Not me. I want to see some fist pumping, exuberant clapping and a few "Good shit, Josh" moments. That is it.
August 31st, 2021 at 11:36 AM ^
Absolutely NOT! Yes I want coach back with fire and brimstone. But not at the officials. Losing his shit on officials in 2015 and 2016 in game and post game led to the 2016 bs with Big10 officials that got every pi, holding call and everything imaginable for way too long until they called Holding on Higdon when he got the ball on a handoff vs NW in 2018! That's when the AD had something he could legit go after the B10 for.
Go watch vs OSU every game 2016-2018 bs holding, pi, wouldn't call holding or PI on them. The 2018 crossing route game the clear out rec took out our safeties several plays and never called. It isn't conspiracy when you can see our staff pointing it out, the plays happen infront of officials and they refuse to call it. It didn't start till harbaugh went after them in late 2015 in a post game presser and then kept doing it in 2016 even though we were killing teams. Point is, his way then cost the team big time.
He needs the fire, but he also needs to be completely controlled regarding the officials
August 31st, 2021 at 3:23 PM ^
Higdon didn’t get the ball. Patterson kept it on a keeper for a first down. It was called back when Higdon was tackled without the ball for holding.
August 31st, 2021 at 8:40 AM ^
Destroy their "keys" or knees?
August 31st, 2021 at 8:52 AM ^
With this kind of positive news coming out of fall camp, I don't know what Vegas is thinking putting our win total at 7.5.
August 31st, 2021 at 9:05 AM ^
Did you watch any games at all last year? Have you seen how many holes the roster has? You think 7.5 wins is low? I think it's an unattainable peak it's so high.
August 31st, 2021 at 9:16 AM ^
Think your sarcasm meter needs adjusting.
August 31st, 2021 at 10:29 AM ^
One needs to note how many top players missed games last year, either due to Covid, injury or otherwise.
August 31st, 2021 at 10:56 AM ^
One also needs to note how many of those top guys who opted out or were injured won't be here this season either (Kwity Paye, Jalen Mayfield, Nico Collins, Ambry Thomas, Cam McGrone)
What gives some people like me pause is that the backups to those guys are the starters this year, and some of them had a rough time last year. But hopefully a regular offseason and some new coaches/schemes helps with that
August 31st, 2021 at 11:51 AM ^
Kind of yes...another year of experience at tackle helps. Baldwin at wr replacing Nico helps.
Another year and new scheme helps the dbs instead of learning on the fly.
McGrone was replaced by Shipley, this year its NHG.
Looking last offseason with no spring ball, or summer camp...crazy fall camp, development was lacking. Giving those guys another season of weight training, being on campus, having some game experience, a full off-season I think helps.
August 31st, 2021 at 10:53 AM ^
I do enjoy the interviews because its our only way to get to know these guys. To hear them interact allows the personality to show through. Mazi is a colorful guy. Loved his reaction to his team mate getting after the mission of destroying the key.
Cade handles himself wittingly. He processes questions efficiently. Seems to possess a logical and precise mental capability. Knowing he’s at the helm is encouraging. Seeing his skillset last season to go along with his brain makes me glad he gets the start Saturday.
August 31st, 2021 at 11:04 AM ^
Yeah I'm definitely encouraged by Cade's offseason. Over the 7 years that Harbaugh has been here, it seems he does best with smart, heady QB's rather than more talented but mentally lacking ones. Case in point being Jake Ruddddock vs Shea or Milton (not sure where Speight fits in that dichotomy). Or going back in time, his success with big brain Andrew Luck.
Cade seems to know what he's looking for pre-snap and post-snap and makes quick decisive decisions, which should pay dividends this year if we can keep him healthy.
August 31st, 2021 at 11:13 AM ^
The one tidbit I heard that was disappointing for me was from Dave Revsine. He was on Off Campus with Mark Packer last week and he was going through the top 5 or 6 teams in the conference. Packer brought up that Michigan wasn't in that group...and Revsine said they have talent, but he didn't see any elite players. "There's no one that jumped out as a player that opposing coaches would have to plan around" He said he said that may change when the games get played...but...woof.
August 31st, 2021 at 11:44 AM ^
I'm not familiar with Revsine's or Packer's commentary, so I might be unfair here...but this feels pretty lazy. It seems clear that the ability of this team to compete in the 1b tier of the Big Ten rests on the viability of weak position groups -- DT, CB, green QB. But it's a lot harder to parachute in and comment informatively on that than it is to just say "no one jumped out to me."
August 31st, 2021 at 12:01 PM ^
I only give credence to Revsine because he's Big Ten only, and has been doing this for years. He seems to be fairly balanced when it comes to what he sees as well. And I think elite talent is obvious, not just in football but in other sports.
He didn't say Michigan wouldn't be good or couldn't be good, but he was hesitant to list them among the top teams in the conference because they may not have any playmakers.
August 31st, 2021 at 12:15 PM ^
Revsine is a TV show host. Him evaluating player talent would be like me trying to size up thoroughbred horses. He might be right, but if he is it's an accident.
August 31st, 2021 at 12:26 PM ^
But I'd argue that the ability of Bell, Corum, Haskins, et al to make plays is pretty widely known, and that the season really hinges on how well we shore up our weak spots. Revsine is probably right that Ronnie Bell isn't going to be a Heisman candidate, but we all already know that, and it's not what's going to make the difference between 5 and 10 wins.
August 31st, 2021 at 1:23 PM ^
Ronnie Bell is a guy who can get open and make some catches on short throws, that's about it. He's not that fast and does have problems with drops. He has outplayed his walk-on ability, but he's not scaring defenses.
Haskins has played well but again he isnt really scaring defenses.
I would argue the last receiver who really scared defenses that we had was not even a receiver...probably Jake Butt. And for running back probably Mike Hart. That is what they mean by elite.
Keep in mind the 2016 team had 4 All Americans, that's pretty elite.
August 31st, 2021 at 1:43 PM ^
Walk-on ABILITY.
L. O. FUCKING L.
There is being pessimistic about this team. And then there is being a dick. You chose the latter.
August 31st, 2021 at 2:42 PM ^
Whatever man, truth hurts. Bell isnt a Jeremy Gallon, Jehu Chesson, or Amara Darboh, he's just not.
Did you forget he had the worst drop rate in the country in 2019?