Why not Malzone?
IF Peters and Speight can't go, why not Alex Malzone? If we go back to the spring, the major positive upside on his game was his "smarts" (https://247sports.com/Article/Hamilton-previews-QB-depth-74917540). That has been the consistent knock on O'Korn's game from what we've seen. We know with this offense, and in this game in particular, being sound in decision-making is crucial. Yes, RS-Freshman asterisk applies to that, of course, but just tossing it out there for discussion (we can still do that here without instant snark, right?), because that's why not at this point...
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:12 PM ^
I mean if coach thinks he's better than john he prolly woulda already been in.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:19 PM ^
Not to be a dick (hehehehehe), but didn't a lot of people say that exact same thing about O'Korn vs. Peters until we saw Peters look dramatically better than O'Korn in actual game play?
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:21 PM ^
Yup. Sure did.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:24 PM ^
Good point. I trust coach though and wouldn't wana ask him that haha.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:29 PM ^
Me too. I think the point is that coaches - even the very best - get blinders on some times with their players. It is hard to argue that didn't happen to Harbaugh and staff vis-a-vis Peters and O'Korn.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:42 PM ^
Plus, sometimes a major factor in the "meritocracy" calculation is experience. It's an evaluation with factors, not elements, and those factors aren't constants.
November 22nd, 2017 at 3:31 PM ^
Just because we dont know why Harbaugh benches Malzone, doesnt mean he should start
November 22nd, 2017 at 3:43 PM ^
It was a question. Thanks for your perspective though!
November 23rd, 2017 at 7:49 AM ^
In fairness if we aren't sitting at practice we don't see what they see. Peter's knock was never talent, it was being vocal and controlling the offense. He very well could have known Speight will be the starter and toned down being vocal for whatever reason until he sees he can truly beat out O'kourn. I mean that's just as logical as the coaches not seeing that Peter's is better than O'kourn.
November 22nd, 2017 at 4:20 PM ^
I ran through all my "Trust the coaches" surplus from 2005-2014, sorry. I think Harbaugh is better, but if you think he is not capable of a colossal mistake or two or six, you are a moron.
There was bad luck all around this year, but there certainly seem to be some calls he and his staff made that didnt pan out. Which is ok, it happens
November 22nd, 2017 at 5:02 PM ^
REPORTER: “Coach, do you have faith in O’Korn to win ‘the game’, or would you rather see what Malzone can bring to this team.?”
HARBAUGH: [stares]
REPORTER: “That is, ah-“
HARBAUGH: [rolls eyes]
REPORTER2: “So, um, Devin Bush—“
HARBAUGH: “Good football player. Great speed. Very impressive, attacks the ball. Great kid.”
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:43 PM ^
I'm suspicious that Harbaugh's hesitation to put Peters in had more to do with concern over his freshman QB getting annihilated and, I don't know, breaking a bone or suffering a major concussion. Just a guess though.
November 22nd, 2017 at 3:10 PM ^
What, and he hated O'Korn, who looked completely lost when pressured even slightly in all but one of his starts, and got pounded on numerous occasions? Or do QBs get stronger bones by their RS Sophomore year, but not before? And wasn't Peters dad rumored to have been pressing JH for more playing time for his son? Does his dad hate him then?
I don't buy these "Peters didn't start because Harbaugh cares too much." PLENTY of QBs far younger than RS freshman have started on day one across the land and done just fine. Chad Henne told me so this one time I talked to him...
November 22nd, 2017 at 3:26 PM ^
Well, I mean O'korn IS a protestant, remember.
November 22nd, 2017 at 4:09 PM ^
That's SOOOOO 100-Years-War-Thinking...
November 22nd, 2017 at 4:50 PM ^
Hang in there, Joan ... I mean, John.
November 22nd, 2017 at 4:50 PM ^
Thirty Years’ War?
November 22nd, 2017 at 6:18 PM ^
This guy gets history.
November 22nd, 2017 at 3:48 PM ^
There's some pretty good intelligence out there that suggests that Peters was checked out for a portion of the early part of the season, and that it took some heavy coaching to get him to the point where he could even run the vanilla level of offense we saw against Rutgers and Maryland. People are acting like he was already the product we saw in that drive against Wisconsin when Michigan was struggling against Michigan State, but I don't think that's the case at all.
Given that Peters has grown visibly in just the last three weeks, it is reasonable to think that he had to grow to get to the point he was at when he actually stepped on the field. And we've heard as much from people who seem to know what they're talking about.
The timeline makes sense. O'Korn looks good (and he looked REALLY good) against Purdue. He struggles against MSU, but perhaps weather was a factor, so you trot him out against Indiana.
Indiana is where it was clear that desperation was required, but then you're looking right in the face of a road trip to PSU, and you don't put a not-quite-ready RS freshman in there. Indeed, there were whispers that Peters was getting heavy prep to play after the PSU game, including one-on-one time with Pep, but that Rutgers was the target. So O'Korn goes against PSU, struggles but has some nice throws, and then gets a chance to play to hold onto his job against Rutgers, and doesn't. And Peters comes out right on schedule.
The idea that the staff was somehow mistaken/prejudiced about Peters seems way shortsighted to me. I think Peters got punched in the mouth when he was third coming into training camp, got discouraged, floated through the motions for a while (he's a kid, I don't hold this against him), and then started really striving to be in position to play when it became clear he would have a chance. The coaches then worked to put him in the best position to succeed.
November 22nd, 2017 at 4:01 PM ^
Maybe he was checked out because the staff put a clearly inferior QB in front of him?
Maybe the staff was mistaken about him like they were about Bolden/Gedeon and Ulizio/JBB?
November 22nd, 2017 at 4:48 PM ^
Agreed. Peters didn’t become far superior to O’Korn in “just a few weeks.”
That’s nonsense. Coaches fucked up.
November 22nd, 2017 at 5:04 PM ^
Yeah, I love how people act like this is impossible.
Even Urban Meyer was playing Cardale Jones over JT Barrett for a while.
November 22nd, 2017 at 8:54 PM ^
Jones played like a champ, when he won the nation nal championship.
November 23rd, 2017 at 11:47 AM ^
He just screwed up, simple as that! No way O’Korn should’ve been in there before Peters.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:46 PM ^
While true, there was reason to believe the coaches were wrong with Peters. Alex has never shown anything to indicate that he might be a player.
November 22nd, 2017 at 3:51 PM ^
I think a little better accurary from Peters would've had us in the lead early against Wisconsin last week, but that's with almost three full games under his belt.
If his first game was MSU or PSU, the results might've been the same as what we had anyway.
November 22nd, 2017 at 5:47 PM ^
a little better acurracy from the refs and the score is 17-3...
November 22nd, 2017 at 4:20 PM ^
One difference though is that we've heard for the past year-ish how Peters has looked like the best QB physically in practice, but didn't have command of the offense/speak loud enough/etc. Seems like he made great strides in those areas (even had a voice coach) since the start of the season, so I think it's reasonable to assume earlier in the season maybe he was rightfully behind O'Korn. And then enventually passed him (obviously debatable on whether that should've happened a week or two earlier).
We've heard no rumblings about Malzone, good or bad, so this would definitely be more random.
November 22nd, 2017 at 4:40 PM ^
when Michigan fans are clamoring for Speight to get benched until they realize that Harbaugh was right all along.
November 22nd, 2017 at 6:35 PM ^
Tired of "well if Harbaugh says so" argument and no one questioning it.
1.Playing Okorn over Peters.
2.Playing Peppers at wildcat.
November 22nd, 2017 at 4:36 PM ^
the best response to your DCaff suggestion?
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:14 PM ^
yep. meritocracy.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:14 PM ^
Why not a Calzone? But seriously if Malzone isnt, better than O'korn, he really should have a D1 scholorship.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:21 PM ^
Eggplant. Yes. That's a hell of a thing. Okay let's get back to business. Okay here you go. Very good, very good. Excellent. Excellent calzone you got there Costanza. Okay a little jealous now.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:23 PM ^
Thought Braylon was #1, not #07.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:14 PM ^
this is a meritocracy, Clarence.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:15 PM ^
From what I have seen on social media, Malzone is very happy with enjoying college life and not having to worry about playing OSU
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:20 PM ^
This is actually insightful! Thank you!
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:30 PM ^
So you are saying Alex Malzone = Alex Moran from BMS?
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:15 PM ^
"Hey kid, we know you've never played before, but we're gonna toss you out there against a defense that's much better than the defenses that clobbered our OL and took out 2 QB's before you. Good luck!"
JOK is our best option. Unfortunately.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:24 PM ^
Then we can "start" Malzone on the next play.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:28 PM ^
Very possible and wouldn't surprise me. We may see him either way.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:19 PM ^
How many other QBs on the roster will get their own threads today?
I guess this includes Moores since he was a HS QB.
Here's an idea: Jack Wangler since his dad played QB at Michigan. How bad could that go? Of course, you'd have to start freshman TE Carter Selzer so you could have Wangler to Carter all day long.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:19 PM ^
"How many other QBs on the roster will get their own threads today? "
That was basically the point that made me originally think about the thread. But then I thought, why the hell not, because this used to be a place where we actually could discuss things like that.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:24 PM ^
But we DON'T NEED A THREAD ON EVERY FREAKING HAIRBRAINED IDEA! This could have gone under the other stupid QB idea thread.
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:27 PM ^
Both of the last QB threads could have gone on the Update: Peters and Speight thread
November 22nd, 2017 at 2:31 PM ^
Pls upvote this.