If You Could Add One Rodriguez/Hoke Player to This Team

Submitted by SF Wolverine on

Who would it be?  Who would most improve this team?  Brandon Graham was great, but we are loaded at that position.  I don't think Denard, b/c not clear how he fits.  I'd go for either Jake Ryan (big upgrade over big question marks) or Taylor Lewan, who is perhaps not as big an upgrade over who will play there, but certainly better and gives O-line better depth.  

Discuss.

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Space Coyote

August 23rd, 2016 at 8:41 PM ^

Iowa - 13 att - 98 yards rush - 2 rec - 24 yards
OSU - 10 att - 128 yards - 1 TD
I'm S. Carolina (as a RB) - 23 att - 100 yards

He played some RB against Iowa as well but he was very limited with what he knew how to do because he had never played the position until then. Harbaugh didn't ask Peppers to be a full time RB immediately, he gave him a package just like Borges did with Denard. When he could increase the package because of bowl practices he did. Before then he played them on the field at the same time. Your complaint isn't correct.

In fact it's the opposite of correct. If anything he was creative to a fault. Complain about QB development, scouting, balancing identity and installation, getting good assistants, etc. But the guy had top 25 offenses at at least 4 different schools, all with major schematic differences. UCLA was a traditional WCO. Auburn was a hybrid WCO/Spread/Wing that managed to find a way to utilize two of the best RBs in college football simultaneously. SDSU was a shotgun based, 11 personnel Air Coryell offense and One blocking scheme. Michigan was mostly a man blocking based spread with Denard followed by a WCO/Pistol hybrid with DG. Creativity was one of his strengths. He had other weaknesses that are legit that people could point out.

Joined: 06/18/2009

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Optimism Attache

August 23rd, 2016 at 8:47 PM ^

OSU - 10 attempts. You have to be shitting be if you think it made any sense at all to use him that sparingly. Even if Denard has just a rudimentary understanding of the playbook at a different position, you put him out there. Why? Because the opponent must account for him as the best athlete on the field. Even if he doesn't touch the ball on many plays, he is 100% worth being out there as decoy.

If by "creative" you mean completely failing to identify and develop the most basic fundamentals for a style of offense--rather just trying any damn flavor of the week instead--I guess you're technically right.

Joined: 09/13/2011

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Space Coyote

August 23rd, 2016 at 8:48 PM ^

Despite having a half of a season to implement a package, he was only out there for maybe a dozen or so plays. People that say things like "I don't care if he knew the playbook, techniques, or position, he should have been out there" don't have any understanding of how college football actually works. You're second paragraph is a different and unrelated complaint.

Joined: 06/18/2009

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Optimism Attache

August 23rd, 2016 at 9:00 PM ^

I think Peppers being in his first year with this offense, it being only half way through the season and the fact he primarily plays on the other side of the ball is worlds different from a senior quarterback who knows the playbook backwards and forward in his last game ever (and in the second season with the same coordinator).

If your argument boils down to "I know college football and you don't" I am not sure what I can say to rebut that. I just think it was obvious Borges didn't make enough of attempt to use the athleticism of his best players. Which, given the lack of player development, was really all Michigan had to work with on O.

(My second paragraph is a response to your last paragraph, which was unrelated to the rest of your post.)

Joined: 09/13/2011

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Space Coyote

August 23rd, 2016 at 9:11 PM ^

Then was a decoy twice and had two receptions in a game where Michigan needed an offensive spark. I don't blame Harbaugh for that, he's working within the limitations of the package. And you are right, him being primarily a defensive player is why he only had a package. The fact that Denard was hurt and still hurt while being worked back into the offense was why he only had a package at a completely different position. And my 2nd paragraph was unrelated, it was a direct response to something you wrote, and you can't refute it because you essentially claimed "I don't care if he knew the position he should have played the position in that game", really...

Joined: 06/18/2009

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Space Coyote

August 23rd, 2016 at 9:29 PM ^

More than that they had only 3 total weeks, of which he was probably largely still limited during practice, during which they still needed to prepare the rest of the offense that didn't include him on the field that included a QB that had limited experience. When they had more time in bowl practice, they utilized Denard a lot more, in over a third of the offensive plays, because they had the time to prepare him and the team. Either way that's enough revisiting it for the night.

Joined: 06/18/2009

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ak47

August 23rd, 2016 at 8:03 PM ^

Denard wasn't a good enough of a qb to make the throws necessary to beat an elite defense. If your goal is a championship adding lewan or Jake Ryan or something is increasing your chance to win the championship more

Joined: 05/05/2011

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cbrad

August 23rd, 2016 at 9:25 PM ^

Denard would be a tailback in a Harbaughfence. He would be an explosive playmaker on a team badly in need of them. Imagine he and Chesson as a dynamic 1 2 punch. Drob would help the team much more than Jake, Taylor or any other RR player, as the offence is much weaker and Denard helps paper over OL weaknesses(Taylor is great but not a skill position). He has that rare ability to create something out of nothing a la Barry Sanders.

IMHO the lack of explosive offensive players is what could keep this team out of the playoffs. Imagine switching Deveon with Ty Wheat Sr, Biakabutuka or even Hart. That is the missing ingredient.

Joined: 05/15/2010

MGoPoints: 3200

ak47

August 23rd, 2016 at 10:23 PM ^

Oline makes the whole team better, being able to block bosa last year would have been the biggest difference maker for the offense. I loved Denard but he doesn't offer that much of an upgrade as a playmaker over peppers. Really the sad thing is we had 7 years and two coaches without a qb good enough at throwing the ball to be the unamious choice to fill the glaring hole at qb.

Joined: 05/05/2011

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MontuckyYooper

August 23rd, 2016 at 10:44 PM ^

Wait wait wait.... Denard doesn't offer much of an upgrade as a playmaker over Peppers?  

I LOVE Jabrill; and he's a great tackler and an exciting returner.  But Denard was the 2nd most electric player in Michigan history and scored 91 touchdowns.  

I think the Peppers hype is getting a little carried away.  He's got all the potential in the world but he hasn't done much yet in big games.

Joined: 10/04/2009

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RobSk

August 24th, 2016 at 2:34 PM ^

If Chris Evans is any threat to see the field, how could Denard NOT make this team far better? I mean, you line up Denard in the backfield, Peppers in the slot and Chesson wide. Chesson goes in motion, Peppers in the flat, and Denard going the opposite way from Chesson. What the hell do you do as a defense? Who do you spy? Fuggetaboutit.

1) Denard

2) Lewan

3) Ryan

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stephenrjking

August 23rd, 2016 at 6:13 PM ^

I thought of this, too. It sounds like Cole will be good at center, but this would add a lot of depth to the line. If just a best-five situation, though, Lewan is probably the clearer upgrade at left tackle.

This is kind of tough to call, because the weakness in the current team are in areas that weren't strengths during the Hoke and RR era. Guard, for example, or LB. Ryan is the default pick at LB, but his ideal position has been usurped by the Peppers HSP role. He was fine in the middle, but not dominant the way he was on the edge. Still the best addition, though.

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CorkyCole

August 23rd, 2016 at 9:28 PM ^

Yeah but Cole isn't elite at tackle. He could be elite at center given the inside is tailored more towards his particular skillset (which we shall soon find out). Lewan/Cole is a better combo than Molk/Cole in my opinion.

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SAMgO

August 23rd, 2016 at 6:08 PM ^

Pre-PTSD Gardner or Jake Ryan. If Devin could have been coached by Harbaugh from 2011 on he'd be making millions right now, it's really a shame.

I love Denard but he wouldn't play QB in this offense, isn't the in the Harbaugh mold of a bruising RB, and we already have plenty of skill at the recieving positions.

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