WTKA/Sam Webb: Funchess is fastest player on team

Submitted by Bodogblog on

Haterz commence the hating.  Per a snippet of an interview that will be used for the 2014 preview magazine of the The Wolverine, Funchess himself said he has currently been timed as the fastest player on the team.  Measured in at 6'4" (and I believe he said 3/4, but wasn't clear... and don't know how to write six-four-and-three-quarter inches numerically), 235 lbs., hand timed at 4.33.  The hand-timing was done by the coaches, I believe Wellman, though that was implied and not explicitly stated. 

Raymon Taylor is the second fastest.  He said something like "Jay-Lu" was the third, which actually sounded like Jayru on the audio.  My assumption is that was Jourdan Lewis, but could have that totally wrong.

Sam intimated that Dennis Norfleet - to those who this news may cause to haz a sad - is likely the fastest in a 20-yard window. 

Bonus WR coach tweet:
 

Told u. Keep it coming, the negativity, the doubting!! Because within the walls of Schembechler WE BELIEVE!! #gunslingers

Litt1e Rhino

June 23rd, 2014 at 10:42 AM ^

What does this have to do with anything? I'm not hating on funchess he is one of my favorite players on the team. But he's not that fast. Hand times are complete crap.

Nuckin Futs

June 23rd, 2014 at 10:44 AM ^

What was yours? How about your vertical? Wonderlic? Last time I looked, this was a place for fans to comment, not players.



Disagree with comments, don't try to act superior with your replies. (like I just did)

Danwillhor

June 23rd, 2014 at 10:29 PM ^

I loved Gallon as a Wolverine but in pads, on an average day, he ran a 4.65 TOPS. He was more quick than fast. Huge difference. Funchess is not a 4.3 guy. End of story. Crazy talented and even scarier that other offensive issues have hindered his full potential on the field! Yet, in pads he's about a 4.6 guy. He'll likely combine (hopefully in 2016) in the high 4.5s. It's not knocking them, it's observable fact.

Michigania

June 23rd, 2014 at 10:35 AM ^

last year i thought borges grossly under-used funchess.  i think it'll be apparent after he leaves after this season and goes in the nfl first round...

carlos spicywiener

June 23rd, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^

Not to mention he re-wrote the ancient passing records at Michigan. No QB had ever thrown for 400 yards in a game, the prior record of single-season passing TD's was Chad Henne with 25 as a freshman, Jeremy Gallon cleared the modest single-season record for receiving yards quite easily, etc.

MGoCarolinaBlue

June 23rd, 2014 at 11:22 AM ^

Did they do it with 3 kids (not fully mature bodies) who'd never played before, including a walk on, at the most technically and physically demanding positions on the team (interior line), where experience of the unit has been statistically shown time and time again (not that you crybabies ever read it) to be the single highest correlated factor with success running the ball?



I mean damn , take a look at the roster and that bare, bare cupboard of offensive linemen and tell me that's Al Borges' fault.

Kermits Blue Key

June 23rd, 2014 at 12:07 PM ^

It's Al Borges' fault if you take all of the conditions you mentioned above and then try to run a very complex offense with an absurd number of blocking schemes. He should have kept it simple for the sake of the young OL. Also, last year was not the only year that the offense stunk it up against quality defenses, so that's not helping your case either.

robpollard

June 23rd, 2014 at 4:10 PM ^

You're remembering past OSU teams, perhaps. Last year, OSU got lit up on numerous occasions.

Against Clemson, Tajh Boyd threw for 378 yards (5 TDs) and ran for 127 more yards. Clemson had an RB who ran for 69 more yards (on 12 carries).

That's almost 600 yards of total offense. Heck, Cal had 500 yards in offense against them.

They weren't terrible, certainly, but they also weren't good. The OSU offense last year is what carried that team (as shown by Carlos Hyde running through our d-line at will, along with them being able to pass for copious yards).

atom evolootion

June 23rd, 2014 at 12:29 PM ^

is it al's fault that he assumed students who are intelligent enough to be accepted into Michigan, which has pretty high academic standards compared to most other schools that have big-time college football teams, could also be intelligent enough to be able to understand and execute high-minded blocking schemes? "if these kids can grasp derrida and foucault," Borges may have assumed, "then they can handle these blocking schemes, no problem." why would he assume anything different, considering Michigan doesn't invite the Andy katzenmoyers of the world to come to Ann arbor?

getsome

June 23rd, 2014 at 12:37 PM ^

i get your position on the issue and i certainly understand the need for some experience at OL and correlation bw productivity and experience - but any other team wouldve stopped running power O for negative yards and actually adapted their playbook (which borges actually did for osu, just too little too late).  everyone understands the youth/depth/experience issues and should have little patience but only lasts so long.  

the problem is NO team or OL in michigan history has ever been as poor as they were last year at running the ball (and thats with super freak devin gardner whos a top 5 athlete in conference, we can only imagine how awful could have been with morris all season)  and it was easily the worst performing OL in past decade for a team of UMs reputation.  

and of course the RBs / FBs / TEs were likely the worst in conference at blocking at well, im not ignoring their contribution to the disaster - just hoping you were really aware of how historically bad um's rushing offense was last season (the worst ever)

clarkiefromcanada

June 23rd, 2014 at 1:03 PM ^

In the history of Michigan football, was there ever as bad a year for offensive line recruiting than 2010?

Christian Pace was the only signee. He would have been a Senior last fall (or a redshirt this year). That's it. No one else. 

Patience lasts only so long...I get it but you need to actually recruit players to the position. Rodriguez left a flaming tire fire of depth on the O-Line that only now is being rectified with a line that remains scarily young.

Danwillhor

June 23rd, 2014 at 10:43 PM ^

I don't care how old they are. When you have an OL that featured two NFL OTs , a solid walk-on and a rotation of two others at any given time that had their pick of colleges (one most had pegged as capable of being a solid starter as a true FR in Kalis), no excuse. People can blame unity, leadership, age, etc. Don't care. I've watched msu trot out a line of literal 3rd string nobodies, walk-ons abd guys converted from the DL the WEEK OF THE GAME and they had a viable offense. It's still just big guys that you tell to push forward or protect at the end if the day. To not have any plays that understand and play to your weakness is inexcusable. I'll say the same for Nuss should we look no better this year. No excuse. Offense is action by nature. You know where and when you're going. You have an inherent advantage. A body is a body is a body.

Victor Hale II

June 23rd, 2014 at 12:42 PM ^

Seems as if you and the guy above who replied directly to me mistook my post as "piling on" Al Borges, or perhaps being argumentative.  Neither one was my intent.  I merely stated a fact that some seemed to be overlooking - the fact that UM couldn't run the ball.  I didn't place blame, did I?

UMaD

June 23rd, 2014 at 11:17 AM ^

The fired coach is the worst.  His replacement is going to be more aggressive (on D) / simplify things for our playmakers (on O). Young players will improve and most of the departed seniors were overrated anyway.  The scheme changes will really fit the personnel better and, overall, the team is underrated and will surprise some people, I think.

BlueMan80

June 23rd, 2014 at 1:18 PM ^

I watch as much as I could withstand of last year's PSU game when BTN replayed it last week, but I did watch Funchess drop a ball in the end zone that hit him in both hands.  The DB didn't touch him until after the ball defelected off his hands.  Had some big drops against MSU, etc.

I love the guy, but sometimes he reminds me of Braylon before he improved his hands his junior and senior years.

Haywood Jablomy

June 23rd, 2014 at 2:01 PM ^

While I agree w/Magnus, Borges didn't fail at everything. Just utilizing the talent he had to put together a cohesive offiense that got better each week and did enough to get the win.  Mathew Stafford threw for 5k yards but that didn't translate into winning.