BTN: Fun Takes from UM practice

Submitted by Wee-Bey Brice on
On the rise: Wilton Speight. The 6-6, 243 pound junior QB looked good for most of practice, showing just enough niftiness with his feet along with a strong arm.
Best drill: Wideouts were forced to sprint five yards, pickup a tennis ball, cut to the right and catch a ball. The ultimate test of dexterity and focus.
All eyes are on the QB spot, just like last season. There isn’t a lot of experience on the depth chart. But Houston transfer John O’Korn has starting experience. He is battling Wilton Speight and Shane Morris with O’Korn and Speight leading the way. In the end, I wouldn’t be shocked if Speight lands the job.

I also have a sneaky suspicion that Speight wins the job. I like O'Korn because he raises the ceiling of the offense but I just get a feeling Speight is the steady hand that'll win Harbaugh over.

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Wolverine Devotee

August 16th, 2016 at 4:10 PM ^

I'm starting to feel that Speight is going to take the job, too. 

The word that it was an even race on Scout after many thought Harbaugh just said Speight was ahead in spring for a motivational ploy leads me to believe he still has the edge.

MayOhioEatTurds

August 16th, 2016 at 4:30 PM ^

"Shane Morris is doing good, having a good camp. Wilton Speight’s having an outstanding camp. John O’Korn’s having a very good camp."

"Outstanding" > "very good" > "good." 

When QBs' are compared in serial sentences and very different adjectives are used, it seems intentional.  It would be very easy to mention them all using the same adjective if parity were intended.  

Sounds like Speight has pole position.   At least in the most recent, "exact quote." 

LSAClassOf2000

August 16th, 2016 at 5:22 PM ^

This would explain why - as someone born in the latter half of the 1970s - that I decidedly do not look like Harbaugh. I wondered why that might be, but if this is the case, then it could only happen if my parents had held off on kids another decade or so, then I suppose that's on them, right? Something like that anyway. 

GoBLUE_SemperFi

August 16th, 2016 at 5:06 PM ^

Talk about leveraging non-sense to create conclusion.  

Outstanding vs Very Good.  The first synonym listed for Outstanding is Excellent.  The definition of Excellent is Extremely Good; Outstanding.  The definition of Extremely is To a Very great degree; Very.  

You see the point?  Outstanding = another way of saying Very Good.  

But yeah, Harbaugh said that Speight is leading, in between saying that they were all competing at a high level.

Hail Harbo

August 16th, 2016 at 5:10 PM ^

Using transitive properties, which I assume is what you meant by:  Outstanding = Excellent, Excellent = Extremly good.  It therefore follows that Outstanding = Extremely Good.

So no, Outstanding does not = Very Good.

bluesalt

August 16th, 2016 at 5:18 PM ^

His transitive property says Extremely Good = "To a Very Great Degree of Good". Shortened, that would be very good.

So Outstanding = Excellent
Excellent = Extremely Good
Extremely Good = Very Good

Therefore

Outstanding = Very Good

1464

August 16th, 2016 at 5:56 PM ^

You guys missed on the basic point here, showing that we are screwed this year.

Outstanding = Excellent = Extremely good = Pretty good = Marginal = Subpar = Poor.

Harbaugh just point blank said our best QB sucks. May as well just quit watching for the year..,

1464

August 16th, 2016 at 5:59 PM ^

5 is basically 6, which is nearly 7, which is essentially 8, which is close to 9, which is like, totally almost 10. So 5 = 10.

This is one of the dumbest arguments this side of a weight lifting forum.

DJEasy12

August 16th, 2016 at 7:02 PM ^

Numbers are an objective measurement with set value; words/phrases are a subjective objects whose value is up for interpretation. The fact that you're conflating an objective concept with a subjective one makes me think you probably shouldn't be calling someone else dumb. 

1464

August 17th, 2016 at 1:47 AM ^

I called the argument dumb, not the person. The subjectivity of those words is... well, absent in this discussion. I think an accepted hierarchy has been defined. Good, great, amazing. Sometimes words objectively outrank each other.

Sometimes you have to think outside the book to understand things. Subjectivity exists in many shades of gray, from near objectivity to a completely personal opinion. In this context, someone walked a term so far back, no real case could be made for subjective equality.

Also, I'm not dumb.

GoBLUE_SemperFi

August 16th, 2016 at 9:58 PM ^

To bring the absurdity back on track. Harbaugh said that Morris is running about 3 series of offense per practice, O'Korn is running a few, but Speight is running several.

Well, there you go. 3 is less than a few, which is less than several. Speight clearly getting more reps at practice.

Absurd. The whole, let's determine what QB is in better position by determine whether Outstanding is better than Very Good. What a joke.

1464

August 17th, 2016 at 1:52 AM ^

The joke is that anyone would try to glean anything from a single throwaway line in a presser. It is a single data point, and we don't even know the intent.

I was being a pedant. I can't turn away the chance to argue that outstanding is better than very good.

Funny side note to put this behind us, my phone apparently autocorrects joke to Nike and pedant to pecan. What a world...

Optimism Attache

August 16th, 2016 at 6:25 PM ^

I think this is probably just a case of Harbaugh varying his use of the many potential synonyms for "good" in a sentence so as to not sound repetitive, as a person does in normal speech, rather than choosing his words extremely carefully in order to give the Wolverine obsessed just enough info to know that "Speight Is The Man Right Now," nosing past O'Korn. I don't think he is really that deliberate with his words in a press conference that has no impact on a team that's down in the submarine.

JamieH

August 16th, 2016 at 4:13 PM ^

Nothing real at all to go on, but I feel like if O'Korn was going to be the starter we'd be hearing more hype about him.  Everyone assumed he would step in and take over.  The less we hear, the more I think Speight is winning the battle. 

chris16w

August 16th, 2016 at 4:38 PM ^

Yes, have there been any instances where Harbaugh hasn't called it like it is? Those that thought he was hyping Ruddock last year to motivate Shane didn't seem to be proven correct. He seems to believe that honesty is the best policy.

ChuckieWoodson

August 16th, 2016 at 4:14 PM ^

Wasn't super impressed with Speight last year, but - I also wasn't really impressed with Jake Rudddddock the first couple of games last season, either.  Hopefully he's an better 2000 Trent Dilfer for us this year and we have simliar results.

Frank Chuck

August 16th, 2016 at 6:14 PM ^

Durkin employed a horrible gameplan. Once Glasgow went down, his defense failed to slow down power spread teams like Indiana and Ohio State. Even Penn State moved the ball on our defense but PSU's OC made bozo calls in the redzone.

----

But our offense stalled in the Game and couldn't keep pace so our coaches on offense also deserve some blame.

I'm freaking tired of watching Michiagn play Ohio State close for a half only to lose in the 2nd half. That's beens the case for the last 4 years.

Blazefire

August 16th, 2016 at 4:18 PM ^

Because we have an athletic O'Korn and a Canon-Armed Morris, and a methodical Malzone , Speight winning is fine by me. It means he must be at least serviceable in all those respects.




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