Good Preview of Michigan OL unit at mlive

Submitted by d_ronii on
Check out Nick's Michigan offensive line preview for the upcoming season. As always he provides some good analysis of where we are at today. Then, he explains who Drevno needs to coach up for this line to be formidable. http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2015/07/michigan_position_pre… If our guys take the next step forward this year, look the hell out!

APBlue

July 23rd, 2015 at 2:17 PM ^

I got the "Heart of the Matter" line.  The End of the Innocence album came out the year I graduated.  It's right in my wheelhouse.  I just love that meme of that drunk (looking) little boy.  

The Mad Hatter

July 23rd, 2015 at 10:04 AM ^

Given his history and the talent on the team I'm actually cautiously optimistic about the OL this year.  At a minimum, the days of QB's running for their lives and suffering from PTSD should be over.

In a couple of years we should have an OL that just destroys everyone in front of it.

wahooverine

July 23rd, 2015 at 10:28 AM ^

To me Braden is the biggest mystery.  Dude looks like an NFL tackle. He was Lewan size and athleticism but he can't put it to use so far.  Is it just an inability to see the game and poor coaching?  Hope Drevno can turn him around. He could still have a great Michigan career and get himself drafted.

JD_UofM_90

July 23rd, 2015 at 12:02 PM ^

that Braden needs some significant improvement.  Watching some of these BTN summer re-runs of the Maryland and Rutgers "Classics" from playing UofM last year, their are copeous highlights of Braden getting beat badly in pass protection.  Hopefully, he will blow up this year and put the size to good use under Drevno....

Dawkins

July 23rd, 2015 at 10:28 AM ^

I don't get why Michigan fans still read Michigan articles by an author who roots for Michigan State (his alma mater) to beat Michigan every year. He has a vested interest in our program's destruction. If his overblown 8-part series covering the Brendan Gibbons dismissal wasn't a wake up call to Michigan fans, I don't know what will be. This is a guy who spent 4 years sitting in the Izzone. He's not to be trusted.

The Mad Hatter

July 23rd, 2015 at 10:42 AM ^

for MLive.  For a Sparty, he's not terrible, and he's been known to provide some good content and interviews on occasion.  A lot of fluff, but it's the off season and this is actual football content.

Although I also enjoy BR articles that suck up to Michigan fans, so maybe I'm not the best judge.

Dawkins

July 23rd, 2015 at 11:00 AM ^

Go back and look at his coverage of the Brendan Gibbons dismissal. He wrote no fewer than EIGHT articles about it and was basically calling for Hoke to be suspended for refusing to call Gibbons a rapist or talk about why Gibbons was dismissed, even though it was already common knowledge and Hoke was barred from discussing it by University policy. It was totally unfair and over the top, but it was exactly what you would expect from someone who was rejected from Michigan and spent his college years sitting in the Izzone rooting for MSU's teams.

Wait until there's even the slightest hint of a scandal during Harbaugh's tenure and see how "objective" Nick seems to you then. These rogue journalists need to be stomped out before they do real damage. See, e.g. Rosenburg and stretch-gate.

Ronnie Kaye

July 23rd, 2015 at 12:11 PM ^

Hoke LIED. If University policy barred him from discussing it, all he had to do was say "I can't comment on it - that's all." Instead he made up an injury for why he missed OSU and pulled that "family situation" BS for why he missed the bowl game. Was Brian Cook unfair when he said that tarnished the argument that Brady Hoke was at least a great guy?

It was at that moment it became quite clear that Hoke was just a puppet for David Brandon. He deserved serious criticism. And if Baumgardner was invested in, as you say, "the destruction of the UM program," he would have been kind to Hoke and hope he stayed here for a long time.

 

mGrowOld

July 23rd, 2015 at 11:01 AM ^

I read the article and thought his analysis was bang-on.  Care to share which part of it you took issue with?

Look the message is painful but true.  Our OL SUCKED two years ago and got a little better last year but still has a long way to go.  And I dont care if the author of that statement is the corpse of Woody Hayes himself - it's sadly true.

Dawkins

July 23rd, 2015 at 11:25 AM ^

I wasn't referring to this article. I'm traveling and haven't looked at it. I was referring to Sparty Baumgardner's track record as a Michigan journalist, particularly his unfair treatment of Hoke and the program during the Brendan Gibbons dismissal. 

Franz Schubert

July 23rd, 2015 at 5:21 PM ^

The amount of articles he chose to write about it to begin with. Meanwhile MSU basketball players raped a girl, the university police recommended charges, and one of the players admitted she said to stop and the other one did not stop. Not a word about that at all.

I Like Burgers

July 23rd, 2015 at 1:05 PM ^

No offense, but this is just fucking stupid.  You shit on a reporter and his reporting without ever having read the article.  You're the type of idiot fan boy that gives other sane fans a bad rap.  I mean, Sparty Baumgardner??  What are you, 8 years old?

And on second thought, take all the offense with my comment that you want.  Since you seem to be the type to get easily rattled by writers' collegial ties, I'm sure you will anyways.

Dawkins

July 23rd, 2015 at 11:57 AM ^

No problem. It's important to spread the word. He actively tries to conceal the fact that he's an MSU grad. You won't find that info anywhere in his M Live author profile or his LinkedIn account. You can tell that he genuinely enjoys his job as it gets him access to all the big events in town (M Live is based in A2 as well), so he doesn't want M Live's readers to know he's in bed with the other side. But its readily apparent from his articles that he has an anti-Michigan bias. 

Ronnie Kaye

July 23rd, 2015 at 12:02 PM ^

Why is that relevant information to you? Who cares where he went. The guy does a good job. And I'll take an MSU grad who provides an even-handed take on Michigan over a UM grads like Snyder, Rosenberg and Sharp who have done terrible things to the program (or an MSU grad like Doug Karsch playing the role of professional Michigan superfan).

 

Magnum P.I.

July 23rd, 2015 at 12:21 PM ^

It's helpful to know that a writer who covers my favorite team is a fan of one of our main rivals. This isn't an interesting detail to you? Bias infuses all writing, whether overtly or implicitly. Implicit bias often manifests simply in what one chooses to write about, what is considered news.

You seem to have a lot emotionally invested in this particular issue.

I Like Burgers

July 23rd, 2015 at 1:08 PM ^

Any one that gets worked up about which school a reporter went to is also far more emotionally invested in something that they should be.

If someone is a good reporter -- which Nick is -- then it doesn't matter where they went to school.  Brian went to Michigan, does it matter that his writting is "unfairly" pro-Michigan biased?

Magnum P.I.

July 23rd, 2015 at 1:49 PM ^

Okay, last post because this is just too ridiculous, and I can't help myself. 

I don't have an opinion on Nick Baumgardner as a writer. I know his name, but couldn't say much more about him. I have a lot emotionally invested in the principle of rationale thought. My point is simply that it's an interesting and relevant fact that he is an MSU fan. As a consumer of media, you should make an effort to know as much about your souces as possible. 

If you can't understand that, fine. God help 'Merica.

Franz Schubert

July 23rd, 2015 at 6:28 PM ^

You are clearly not listening. The number of articles written about the Gibbons incident by this writer was one example of it. There have been numerous others but I'm not investing anymore time on it as you are clearly emotionally invested in the writers defense.