Football Discussion: Team with more talent: 2016 or 2018?
Non-news based off-season "I miss football" discussion.
Subject says it. Which team has more talent: 2016 or 2018? Weaponized Chase Winovich and weaponized Rashan Gary and Devin Bush and Aubrey Solomon and Long and DPJ and Tarik Black and Shea Patterson and Karan Higdon? Or Peppers and Hurst and Jake Butt and Darboh and Chesson and Wormley and Taco Charlton?
I know this team is still fresh-ish in comparison to that team of seniors, but I see a similar level of talent in the two squads. I think 2016 gets the nod, but only barely. I think by the end of the season the gap is basically nonexistent.
Defense is probably about even, Offense may be a slight downgrade at every other position except QB, but Shea is so much better than Speight, so i'll give 2018 an edge.
The O-Line might even somehow be better this year.
If we can put together a season that relies on a handful of coinflip plays to get to the playoffs, I'll take it.
Speight was fine. When he started getting all kinds of praise came after the weakest portion of the schedule (Maryland, MSU, Illinois). Then he melted down against Iowa (pre-injury) and mixed nice throws with disasters against OSU.
I would expect Patterson to be much better, but who knows. I thought Peters was going to take the starters job during the bowl game and that obviously didn't happen.
He didn't have nearly the team that Michigan had in 2016. Even the other weakest part of the 2016 team (OL) was superior to what Ole Miss was throwing out there.
So sick of dumb people.
Speight was involved in an offense that returned something like 9 starters and was backed by a legitimately great defense. He was bad to okay until a three game stretch against the worst part of the schedule. He then reverted to bad to okay after that.
Comparing that situation to the roster of Ole MIss is absurd and not the same.
I'm a Shea optimist but Hintz is right.
And that Auburn stat line looks pretty OK until you realize that at half time the score was 35-3. I didn't watch that game but my bet is that Auburn went into garbage mode pretty early in the 3rd quarter & it's likely that Shea racked up all of his decent stats against non-starters playing soft prevent style coverage.
Doesn't mean Shea isn't a hell of an upgrade for us & worst case scenario he provides amped up competition & better depth than last year. His abilty to hit a guy downfield & escapability should ease up some pressure on our weak OTs as pass rushers/blitz packages might get scaled back.
But the guy still has some question marks he'll need to address. It's entirely possible he WILL. And it's entirely possible the rest of his 2017 team didn't do him any favors. Their overall S&P Defense was like 113th in the country & the rushing S&P rank was a very middling 42nd. So it's possible opponents knew the only way Ole Miss would beat them was through the air on offense & so by the middle/end of the season they tee'd off on the Ole Miss passing game.
So it's entirely possilbe a top 10 defense & a top 15 rushing attack can open things up & that he can do it. But he's definitely got something prove.
If so, Graham Glasgow was already playing for the Detroit Lions but the offense also had solid returning players in Mason Cole, Armarah Darboh, Jehu Chesson, Henry Poggi, and D'Veon Smith. The defense had an embarrasment of riches that somehow found themselves getting drafted the next spring.
2016 won more games than the 2018 team, so no comparison.
Shit. Open and shut case Johnson.
Wait a moment....
THE_KNOWLEDGE, is that you?
*silence*
I thought as much.
for THE KNOWLEDGE
It doesn't take THE_KNOWLEDGE to know that the 2018 team hasn't won (or even played) any games yet. Comparing a team that hasn't played a game to one that has completed a season is... not possible.
I'm more confident in this 2018 team than I was in the 2016 team, but I won't be able to make meaningful comparisons until next December.
Um yea him on Defense and as a really good returner. Had to prepare for that
Up until last year, the handling of Peppers in 2016 was the only knock anyone could really have on Harbaugh.
That created a big field position advantage for us. He was not very effective on offense though.
I know, I get it. But like I said, I miss football, there are data points to discuss, and this is a Michigan board that is at least 40% about Michigan football. So here we are.
Their verdict was 2016 by a slight margin.
I was unaware of this article. I appreciate the link.
Wouldn't you think it a bit more fair comparison if you consider the pre-season 2016 team with the pre-season 2018 team since 2018 thus far has no injuries nor a record with which to compare?