Hoke revealed first team OL today (in first padded practice).......
Okay.
EDIT: fixed to not scare people as much
Hoke says first team OL today was Mason Cole LT, Magnuson LG, Miller C, RG Glasgow/Dawson, RT Braden
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) August 8, 2014"It's completely possible that there is no good 5-man OL on this roster."
Yes, I know. That's kinda the point.
August 9th, 2014 at 10:23 AM ^
Even if you're right, which I seriously doubt, 5-star prospects in their third year of college football after two disappointing seasons shouldn't need extra motivation, especially on THE FIRST FUCKING DAY OF PRACTICE. Kalis was supposed to be ready immediately. The fact that he's even questionably ready as a junior is a terrible sign.
If you're referring to the 5--star prospect who dramatically underperformed his entire career, then yes, I am familiar with him.
August 9th, 2014 at 12:06 AM ^
why does anyone (especially on the oline) need "motivated"
They stunk it up last year, and everyone knows it
How about we put our 5 best linemen out there in the positions they are going to play, and practice at those spots
We don't have time for motivational ploys, they need reps and cohesion
August 9th, 2014 at 12:10 AM ^
Like others have said, there are three weeks of practice left and this is subject to change perhaps as early as tomorrow afternoon for all we really know, but more important, it is important to remember that - at any given moment, either in practice or in the season - there is the "depth chart" and then there is the "depth chart", and they are rarely the same thing. One is for public consumption / conversation, the other is not basically.
Who is running with the 1's today, early on in practice, means nothing.
It's still early, however if this is a testament to Magnuson's ability (or lack thereof) at the Left Tackle position...that is worrisome .
Guys thats the line up for today I will bet anyone on this forum it wont be the starting oline week 1. Relax, Brady is mixing it up to see what he's got the line up will be different next week. By the end of week 2 start of week 3 we will know who the starters are.
Your hypothesis doesn't provide anymore reassurance. If Hoke is having to "mix it up" by starting a freshman LT and leaving out a 5-star junior guard, it is a huge indictment on his coaching abilities and his selection of an offensive line coach. This is ridiculous.
If this were just a Kalis issue, you wouldn't be getting this kind of reaction from fans or movement from coaches. It would be disappointing but hardly unheard of for a highly-touted prospect to not pan out. If that was what was happening and it was just Kalis not making the grade, too bad but okay.
But we wondered that for a bit last year... and none of the other options played well either. Glasgow was the only interior lineman that seemed capable of anything. The whole line was a mess and none of the players could improve it.
And here we have not just Kalis, but Bosch and maybe Magnuson, and something strange happening at center (is it because we have a hole at RG, or did Miller make a jump, or what?). If it was just a matter of one player not making it, fine; but a whole cast of players not cutting it is another issue entirely.
There is a good chance of both of those things, and both of those things are entirely the fault of the coaching staff.
But as long as the line is respectable I don't care.
Obama
Here's why this is a big deal:
Last season, there was a lot of shuffling on the OL in preseason. Players expected to fill spots weren't playing at all, or were playing in different spots. Certain guys expected to be reliable anchors on the interior couldn't seem to win their jobs cleanly.
And we went through some of this. After 2012, where the OL had some serious issues, we were hoping that the new 4 and 5-star guys were going to step in and at least play at the same level. But we knew OL was a questionmark.
So there was bellyaching, but there were also guys professing optimism that things would be ok. That it was just competition, that things would come together, that they were just finding the right combination of guys.
The result? The worst OL in Michigan history. They could not even peform at a level that would be acceptable in the MAC.
So, this year, the benefit of the doubt is gone... and the chances that, after losing two NFL draft picks and otherwise returning most of the same guys on the interior, things will not be drastically better.
So the heavy disruption, like last year, is a bad sign. There is a 98% chance this means things are really bad.
And if that is so, it is a dramatic, horrible failure that falls squarely on the shoulders of the head coach.
It's the first day of padded practice.
There is a 98% chance this means absolutely nothing.
year. It hasn't.
Now i'm not saying you're wrong. I'm saying wait.
With all due respect, you are going chicken little prematurely.
(please ignore the typos. My comp was fried so I'm typing this all, very very slowly, with a stylus on the wii u).
After skimming through this thread, it has come to my attention, that a lot of Michigan fans are big whiners.