Way Too Early 2016 Football Snowflake Thread

Submitted by MaizeMN on

It's snowing in May. The season is still 112 days away, but it seems like we're starting to get a feel for the direction/composition of the team. It would be interesting to hear other views on what condition our condition is in. I titled this as a snowflake thread because I'm expressing my thoughts in absentia of statistical analysis. It's more of a "how do you feel about the program"  post, but I welcome any analysis that supports or refutes the opinions below. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. GO BLUE

1. The Offense has a bevy of talented RBs and an experienced OL that should be able to open holes large enough to ensure no 27/27 performances. The WR/TE combinations pose nightmarish matchups for any Defense unfortunate enough to draw the assignment. Many opposing LB and CB bodies will litter the field when MICHIGAN launches its aerial assault. The QB situation is promising, yet unresolved: Harbaugh + O'Korn, Speight, Morris, Peters = UberRudock 2.0.

2. The Defense is good. Scary Good. The DL will be stout against the run and QB pressures, hits and sacks should be plentiful when opponents foolishly choose to pass. Doc Brown will transform a talent-rich LB corps into a bunch of marauding, ball hawking guys and dudes. The MICHIGAN DBs are prison guards, opposing WRs the inmates after behaving badly. 

Saturday Side Note Moment of Zen: Checking BTN for softball game start time and saw "Classic Minnesota Football" broadcast listing. It was the 2015 Bowl game against CMU.

coldnjl

May 14th, 2016 at 11:22 AM ^

I question the "Talent-rich LB corps" premise and I don't know if I am as positive about our RB situations as you, but our D alone should win us almost every game except the MSU and OSU games. I am hoping to soak this all up, because the next year will contain many, many more unknowns. 

Go Blue

DrMantisToboggan

May 14th, 2016 at 11:29 AM ^

Yeah not a lot of known talent in LB's (waiting for MM to stay healthy cuz that dude has talent), but solid guys playing in between the nations best DL and best secondary will make them look better than they are.

Also, I expect to win by 17+ points in EL this year. They have lost so much and Jimmy won't take the foot off the gas in the 4th quarter after last year's debacle. 

FauxMo

May 14th, 2016 at 1:09 PM ^

If we have the chance to blow out MSU in EL this year (which I doubt, by the way), I hope Harbaugh does everything in his power to do so. If we are up 28 in the fourth quarter, I want him to go for it on 4th down from our own end, then go for two if we get in the endzone. Then, I want him to pluck Dantoni in the throat during the handshake.

Pit2047

May 14th, 2016 at 3:04 PM ^

Personally I'm more worried about Iowa than MSU at this point. Sparty has a new QB and they're going to be depending on a lot of freshman WR's. Their run game should be good but so should our run D, if we score 17+ points we should win that game safely and we could probably get it done with 13. CJ Bethard is a top 2 QB in this conference and Desmond King pretty good. I haven't looked at the rest of their team year but late November night games in Kinnick haven't traditionally gone well for us. Also I actually feel good about our top 3 at ILB but outside of that …

MichiganTeacher

May 14th, 2016 at 3:26 PM ^

I see the potential for Iowa being tougher than Sparty, but until October arrives with evidence one way or the other, I'm assuming Sparty >> Iowa simply because of Ferentz and each team's performance over the last 10 years. 

SpikeFan2016

May 14th, 2016 at 5:33 PM ^

Also, Sparty hates us with the fire of ten thousand suns. 

Even if they are having a relatively so-so year, they will play their best game of the season against us. Same for OSU. 

 

I hope we can finally start matching our rivals' mental edge in both games. 

Truthbtold

May 15th, 2016 at 10:36 AM ^

Will be much like the 2015. Michigan will beat the bad teams and then get beat by MSU and suffer another curb stomping by the boys in Scarlet and Gray. Because Urban Meyer is so incredibly superior to Harbaugh, Michigan will never get the chance to win a conference title. Sure, during the off season folks talk about how UM will do this and that, but we all know how it ends. It's going to be 42-13 all over again. Then a butt hurt post game show by Harbaugh. Some may argue this, but there is no doubt that the best predictors of future results is found with the odds makers in Vegas. Those professional odds makers say the even tho Michgan will have a more experienced team, and by a lot, that they will still lose to OSU by a touchdown. They predict that a team of mostly inexperienced freshman and sophomores will beat a experienced team of Jr's and seniors. Why ? Because Urban Meyer >> Jim Harbaugh, it's just that simple. So much so that they believe a handicapped Meyer team will still beat a well experienced Crazy Jim team.

So 2016 will be another 10-2 or 9-3 season.

DrMantisToboggan

May 14th, 2016 at 11:26 AM ^

Well that was riddled with spelling errors. 

My only concern on this team, out of 24 starting positions, is one - at LT. Either Newsome needs to grow up really quick between camp and the first 3 games, or Cole needs to move back and Kugler needs to become the man at C. If our OL can go from solid 4/5 to solid 5/5 by week 4 we are a conference champion/playoff team. JOK will be great. McCray will be great. Taco will be great. Everyone you already know is great will remain great or become greaterer. 

wahooverine

May 14th, 2016 at 12:59 PM ^

That could have something to do with the fact that his O line didn't hold up and he was pressured heavily on every passing snap.  One could view it positively that he didn't take a sack, force a bad throw and took the the defense gave him. It's not like he ran from clean pockets and missed wide open throws.  I think Speight looked good, but I think he had a little more time. It's too early make a call but I think O Korn still has a slight edge due to atheletic and arm talent.  We still have all of Fall practice to go.

Pit2047

May 14th, 2016 at 3:16 PM ^

JOK was actually not pressured a bunch and there were more than a couple times that a few subtle moves in the pocket could have bought him some time and gotten him out of trouble; the protection was fine. The bigger problem was NOBODY was getting open so JOK basically had to run it a lot or take coverage sacks. Speight had Butt and Perry to throw to so he could actually complete a pass without having to rely on walk-on's busting a coverage.

JonnyHintz

May 14th, 2016 at 11:37 PM ^

Kugler is a C, Newsome is a LT. They won't "beat out," each other. Newsome just has to prove to be a serviceable LT so Cole can move to C. Clearly the staff isn't comfortable with Kugler at C if they plan to move a two year starter at LT to the spot.

JonnyHintz

May 14th, 2016 at 2:21 PM ^

It's pretty difficult to be able to stop both styles of offense. You're either big and strong enough to stop the pro offenses of MSU, Wisconson, Iowa, etc., or you have the speed to stop the spread of the Indiana's and Ohio States.

It is possible, but very difficult to produce a roster capable of defending both styles well. If you want a defensive roster built to defend the spread option, you're going to give up a bit more to the pro style teams. And vice versa.

JuIian

May 14th, 2016 at 2:18 PM ^

You can't stop the spread, you can only try and make the pain manageable. Alabama allowed Clemson to put up solid offensive numbers despite having the best defense on paper.

My worry is linebacker speed. We also seem to have cornfed, less athletic LBs and when it comes to keeping up with a scrambling quarterback, it's a shit show.

getsome

May 14th, 2016 at 3:48 PM ^

You can't stop the spread, you can only try and make the pain manageable.

accurate (mostly at least).  a dominant DL and talented overall unit that creates turnovers will still struggle from time to time when forced to defend elite athletes properly executing a pick your poison type O

GVSUGoBlue

May 14th, 2016 at 11:31 AM ^

I think this year will be the best shot at winning it all. If we don't this year we may have to wait another two years for our roster to be stacked again.




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uminks

May 14th, 2016 at 12:25 PM ^

will have the younger guys ready to play in 2017! There will no longer be these youth excuses we've heard from the previous two coaches. The defense will not be as good as the 2016 unit but the offense will be great in 2017. In 2017, we will just be out scoring our opponents instead of shutting them out! I think Harbaugh will only lose 1 to 2 games in 2017 and be in the hunt for the BIG east division winner. I'm not too worried about 2017. In 2018 and season to follow both the offense and defense will be excellent under Harbaugh!

JonnyHintz

May 14th, 2016 at 2:25 PM ^

Just curious where you see the '17 offense being great?

We will lose our top RB. 3 OL (4 if Cole declares), top two WRs, and Butt. Not to mention the very real possibility of losing another offensive weapon in Peppers.

Just not really clear what you're basing your opinion on here. At best, we will return 5 offensive starters. With the potential to lose another starter.