QB Job "Wide Open"
Not much new information in the article, more of a summary of things we already know.
I really like that Drevno plans to organize the offense around the strengths of the QB, instead of putting a square peg into a round hole like we've been doing since 2008.
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2015/03/michigan_qb_job_wide_open_offe.html
That's flat-out wrong. Gutierrez was the starter. Henne started because Gutierrez got hurt.
Also, calling a true freshman a lock based off of his high school career is nuts.
Uh, yeah, Gutierrez was, uh, "hurt"
Gutierrez went on to play at the University of Michigan, where he was slated to be the starter in 2004 before he suffered a shoulder injury (a torn labrum) before the season opener during pregame warm-ups. Backup quarterback freshman Chad Henne played well during the games Gutierrez was unable to play and was thus awarded the starting job.
You might not have been around back then, but it was a common suspicion that the "injured shoulder" line was a "save face" story floated by Lloyd's staff so Guitierrez wouldn't lose pro interest. He was, after all, an NFL-caliber player, but it doesn't do him any favors when people hear that he was beat out by a true freshman. Note that Gutierrez never won the starting job back after that even though he played some garabage time and also releived a shaken up Henne during a game (I don't remember which) in Henne's 2nd year.
Gutierrez did, in fact, undergo shoulder surgery. The surgery didn't occur until midseason but by the end of fall camp, he had noticeably lost velocity on his throws and was shut down the final week before the season. He was going to be the starter otherwise.
Your "common suspicion" that Guitierrez wasn't really injured is just like the "common suspicion" that Lloyd Carr was fired by Bill Martin.
If you're going to bring up that conspiracy theory, you have to include the best part. That Gutierrez supposedly punched some dude in Sigma Nu in the face and was "suspended."
I was around. I went to that game. I remember hearing on the radio in the parking lot structure that Gutierrez was hurt and Henne would be the starter. Your conspiracy theory made me laugh, so thanks for that.
is correct.
Can and will he? We shall see.
I'm not following the Henne comparison tho.
Did Henne really beat him out? Everything that was reported was Gutz was hurt and that's how Henne got the job. Of course, he performed well enough that he never lost it.
Gutz was hurt. Henne did beat out Clayton Richard, though. Richard eventually focused exclusively on baseball and is still in the pros.
Morris was essentially just as successful, playing in the exact same conference. Plus he was higher rated. And that hasn't worked out to date. So let's quit annointing 6 foot QBs before they have ever played a game. Not realistic and not fair to Malzone.
If half the roster is made up of QBs, then yeah, I'd expect a bit of a battle.
I am really hoping someone is a clear cut #1 soon. The longer it takes - the more problems that seem to come.
true freshman status will have nothing to do with who Harbaugh picks as the starter.
Go Blue!
I don't think I've ever read a Baumgardner article with anything new in it. He does what he can with information that has made its way around the twitters and blogs.
Kaepernick replaced Alex Smith, who was 19-5-1 as a starter under Harbaugh. Coach will have no problem keeping this, or any other position an open competition
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Smith got hurt and Kaepernick took over. Kaepernick performed well enough that Smith never got his job back with Niners.
I really have a feeling that Shane isn't going to start. I really don't care who starts, though, as I just want a winning football team again.
And, while we're at it, things probably won't be ironed out in spring period. Jim Harbaugh will put his quarterbacks through a true competition, and right now, everything's running even.
I personally am fine with that, if there isn't a definitive #1 at the close of spring practice, but it would be interesting to know if at that point there is at least some discernable separation between QBs. To what the OP mentioned, I actually like that the plan seems to be to build the offense from a central point rather than having a preconceived scheme and trying to fit people inside that. It rather ensures (or attempts to ensure anyway) you don't have the problem of "square peg, round hole" altogether.
I'm guessing there will to some extent be some separation between the QB's after Spring practice. Will it be enough to say there is a clear #1? Who knows.
I'm guessing what the QB's do in the off-season might play as a big of a role as Spring practice in determining who starts. There's an entire new playbook to learn and after only 15 Spring practices I'm guessing there will still be a large portion of the playbook to learn. Will any of the QB's come back with a broader knowledge and understanding of the playbook after the summer? Did any of the QB's seem to develop better chemistry with wr's during the course of the off season workouts?
Yeah because Denard and Tate were such sqaure pegs for RR's round hole spread offense. Hell, even in 2011, Denard did pretty well in Borges's offense even though he wasn't "suited" for it. Fact is, ever year the OC gameplans for the QB's strength. I'd like our O Line to finally be a strength or even our RBs to take the leap.
Agree to a point. It was obvious the longer that staff stayed around, the more west coast, pro-style O they were going to install once Denard left. The more he installed, the more heat he took for taking away what made Denard awesome. He didn't last long anyhow.
My point is that Denard's offense WAS him running around in space for his life. So what if it isn't a designed play? Borges knew that and RR definitely knew it. The whole "controlled chaos" that was his offense was based on getting the fastest guy on the field the ball every down and trying not to get a holding penalty while he sprinted past eveyone. I believe the OP is trying to state that now we will have 4-5 pro style QBs and a coach who runs a smashmouth style offense better suited to these players.
I feel really good having a former Michigan and NFL quarterback being the guy to make the final choice. All the qbs bring something different to the table and I believe Harbough will get it right about who gives us the best chance of winning.
Yards, TD passes, interceptions. Averages for first year, full-time QB's under Harbaugh. If we get this type of production out of one of these guys, we will have a great year.
The last time we saw numbers resembling that? 2006. I'll take it.
| Chad Henne | 2508 | 22 | 8 |
It's going to be wide open for a while. The only guy on the roster that has any in-game experience has performed poorly (putting it mildly), and everyone else is either a true freshman, a RS freshman, or a walk-on.
I'm operating under the assumption that we won't know who our starter will be until maybe a week or so before Utah.
From the film I watched and games I saw Alex has a great arm and throws with more zip than I've seen from anyone on our roster except Shane. Shane can wing it but has poor decision making.
Speight didn't seem to compare when watching the two of them, Shane and him, during warm ups last year.
Also, many of the recruiting sites and articles talked about Malzone's arm strength and accuracy as being assets with the only real knock on him being his height.
At 6'1 - 6'2 or better he's not exactly too short for the position either.
What gives?
Wish gentry could start
Gentry? The white QB from NM? You are so racist!
Wow. I think we are going to be okay.
"The average statistical output for first-year, full-time college starting quarterbacks under Jim Harbaugh: 2,584 yards, 21 touchdowns and 8 interceptions."
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but i don't think he'll start, and i think Harbaugh is going to keep inviting/recruiting a lot of QB's to Ann Arbor, and its for a pretty simple reason.
He's looking for the next Jim Harbaugh.
How many of you watched his QB coaching clinic video? He's the most insane competitior I've ever seen or heard, and he absolutely wants, hungers, DEMANDS that same competitiveness from his quarterback.
No matter how many stars they have, games they've played or how pretty they can throw a spiral; if theyre aren't practically alienating their teammates with their over-the-top competitiveness than Jim Harbaugh doesn't want them.
I think he's waiting, searching, evaluating (like any coach) but believes that given the right attitude, all the other QB skills can be coached up later with the right guy.
That "right guy" is who he sees in the mirror, and I'm not sure I could argue with that.
All the bloody competitiveness in the world doesn't mean jack shit if it's not coupled with the ability to read defenses, make the throw accurately to the right receiver, to not get rattled under a heavy rush, and to react well to pressure situations.
I just think think that Harbaugh believes there are coachable skills and then there are innate personality traits that more equate to "being a winner".
He's not going to hand the QB job to some clumsy, never-say-die idiot.
But if for example Malzone is breathing competitive fire but isn't quite as experinced as Morris, or have the physical prowess of Speight, etc. then he's going to give Malzone EVERY opportunity to devolpe until he's close, may even just close enough.
Maybe I put too much stock in his QB clinic video?, but he stated numerous times in that video that the #1 job of the QB is to protect the football, but that the number one QB trait is the "will to win!" he seems quite obsessed by it.