BTN: Fun Takes from UM practice
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.
August 16th, 2016 at 5:46 PM ^
This would surprise me. I feel like this will be O'Korn's team from day 1. Between his mobility, arm, and leadership (confidence), he seems like the right guy.
August 16th, 2016 at 5:52 PM ^
Wasn't that the hoped for scenario this time last year? Ruckock gets the team rolling into the season while Morris learned how to be QB? Then at some point Morris would have learned enough from the sideline that he would take over from Rudock?
August 16th, 2016 at 8:55 PM ^
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August 16th, 2016 at 6:05 PM ^
In his sophomore year, under a new coach and system, he threw 8 picks in 6 games before getting benched. Maybe he was a bad fit for the system, maybe the offense as a whole had a steep learning curve...who knows, we need a UFR to know for sure. The point is there is no evidence yet as to whether Speight or OKorn is the better decision maker.
I don't understand why some seem to think it's a given fact that Speight is the "steady, take care of the ball guy" and OKorn is the reckless gunslinger with athleticism. All we know for sure is that OKorn is more mobile and Speight is taller. That's it. Maybe OKorn has a stronger arm, but I wouldn't discount Speight's arm which is attached to a 6'6, 249 lb frame.
August 17th, 2016 at 10:15 AM ^
18 picks in 19 games isn't a great ratio.
August 16th, 2016 at 6:08 PM ^
August 16th, 2016 at 5:17 PM ^
Up until last week I genuinely thought it was O'korns job and that all the "competition" talk was to be used as motivation. I am starting to think that they really are neck and neck though. I'm going to stick with my prediction of O'korn being the starter, but I don't think the competition talk is all that much of a ploy, and just that they both are very close.
August 16th, 2016 at 5:22 PM ^
Accuracy, reading the defense and decision making are far more important. Whomever does that the best will be the QB.
I realize Harbaugh wants one guy to take the reigns, but there is a scenario where I see him using both guys depending on the opponent. If the traits listed above are similar, I can see using JOK for games that the feet could come in handy, while Speight will be the guy for stand in the pocket and hand off to RBs. But I know squat about coaching.
August 16th, 2016 at 5:31 PM ^
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August 16th, 2016 at 5:38 PM ^
August 16th, 2016 at 5:51 PM ^
Urbz wasn't taking a healthy QB out of the starting role. OSU's QB's got injured and it was next man up. As far as I can remember there wasn't much discussion as to whether one of the other QB's should have been starting.
The issue of who to start didn't materialize until spring ball and the summer when the QB's were healthy.
August 16th, 2016 at 5:55 PM ^
Twenty years ago the two headed QB monster of Stanley Jackson and Joe Germain hosted Michigan with back up QB Brian Griese. For those decked out in pot leaves, things didn't go well for them that day.
August 16th, 2016 at 8:44 PM ^
20 years just blew by...
August 17th, 2016 at 8:12 AM ^
- never heard anyone else mention that, although I've thought it.
August 16th, 2016 at 5:29 PM ^
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August 16th, 2016 at 5:32 PM ^
the little skippy next to him is an asshead too
August 16th, 2016 at 5:41 PM ^
it was odd to see how Anti-Michigan they both came off DURING the Michigan segment.
August 16th, 2016 at 5:36 PM ^
August 16th, 2016 at 5:52 PM ^
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August 16th, 2016 at 6:00 PM ^
August 16th, 2016 at 5:40 PM ^
Harbaugh: 'I think there are probably more people out there who would like to see us fail than people who want us to be great.'
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) August 16, 2016
August 16th, 2016 at 5:42 PM ^
August 16th, 2016 at 5:47 PM ^
disrespect?
August 16th, 2016 at 5:40 PM ^
He must hold a grudge for getting his ass kicked by Michigan every year
August 16th, 2016 at 5:45 PM ^
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August 17th, 2016 at 8:15 AM ^
during the biggest comeback in school history...on his home turf...on a NIGHT game. Bahahaha
August 16th, 2016 at 5:48 PM ^
Harbaugh also told BTN that some people setting high expectations for Michigan are doing so to put UM down.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) August 16, 2016
August 16th, 2016 at 5:49 PM ^
In response to his claim that Harbaugh intimidated reporters from asking questions in future
I think we'll be OK, Glen Mason.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) August 16, 2016
August 16th, 2016 at 5:34 PM ^
Seems like O Korn isn't the guy to throw a ball away for example
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August 16th, 2016 at 5:38 PM ^
For those watching BTN Live, Tyler O'Connor is wearing a shirt with a literal chip on the shoulder. No joke.
August 16th, 2016 at 5:44 PM ^
August 16th, 2016 at 5:56 PM ^
I couldn't believe it... I had to recheck a few times. They're a walking meme of themselves.
August 16th, 2016 at 8:39 PM ^
Gotta say it's a little bit amazing, this level of self-caricature. I mean, it's obnoxious, ridiculous, and stunning in its lack of self-awareness. But it's like that girl who makes sand-art as she sings or that guy who can groom poodles in 4.1 seconds. To do _anything_, no matter how dumb, to this level is kind of impressive. Kind of.
August 16th, 2016 at 7:12 PM ^
but I can't seem to help myself. If he had a literal chip on his shoulder, you could walk up to him, flick it off, & the fight would be on.
August 17th, 2016 at 8:16 AM ^
a buffalo chip?
August 16th, 2016 at 5:38 PM ^
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August 16th, 2016 at 5:42 PM ^
August 16th, 2016 at 7:39 PM ^
August 16th, 2016 at 6:46 PM ^
He pretends like he's an analyst but he's really just a B1G hypeman. His neverending praise of every Big Ten team is awful
August 16th, 2016 at 5:41 PM ^
Harbaugh likes QBs who can break the pocket. He was one himself. Alex Smith can move, but when presented with a more athletic option (Kaepernick), Harbaugh took it.
During the spring game, when O'Korn was repeatedly scrambling, Harbaugh was literally in his ear telling him to do that—standing behind the O and constantly telling him to take off. Given that he favors that ability so strongly, it seems like O'Korn would need to fail in a game situation before Speight took over.
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August 16th, 2016 at 6:21 PM ^
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August 16th, 2016 at 5:57 PM ^
This was probably talked about in another thread, but does anyone know who asked the question that got Jim mad?
August 16th, 2016 at 6:01 PM ^
It was a male. If that helps.
August 16th, 2016 at 6:11 PM ^
We're on the right track. : )
August 16th, 2016 at 6:02 PM ^
August 16th, 2016 at 6:11 PM ^
Thanks.
August 16th, 2016 at 6:07 PM ^
seems to be that Speight is your low-variance game manager, and O'Korn is your high-variance gunslinger. If that's true, Speight may very well win out. This team is loaded almost everywhere and might not need the higher-risk approach to maximize overall value consistently. Don't turn the ball over and with this defense, you're in great shape most of the time.
Craig Ross was on Michigan Insider about a week ago discussing some numbers on O'Korn from freshman year at Houston, and the gist of it was that O'Korn had some very high tipped ball numbers. That number usually correlates with interceptions but JOK came in with much fewer INTs than would be expected with the number of tips (he was 28/10 TD-INT, just FYI). The idea was that the tipped ball/INT correlation was basically luck, and it suggests that he was lucky to have only 10 picks on the year and not a significantly higher number.
The legs, tho... we've been on the wrong side of so many mobile to halfway-mobile QBs over the years, the PTSD from that collective trauma makes me always want the guy who can make some lemonade with his feet. And if Grant Newsome isn't working out, there's gonna be no shortage of lemons to deal with coming around the blind side on speed rushes.
Low-variance passing and "niftiness" of Speight in practice notwithstanding, he's not the dude you want back there unless the left tackle is low-variance himself. For that reason, if I had access to the Sub these days, I'd be watching Newsome just as much as the QBs themselves.
August 16th, 2016 at 6:13 PM ^
Mike Hall is such an annoying little prick. Jourdan Lewis is much better than Desmond King. King is just a big corner in a favorable scheme for big corners, so he racks up big numbers.
August 16th, 2016 at 6:14 PM ^