Harbaugh on Tackles in Spring Preview
Sam started his spring preview today with Jim and it sounded like to me we have clarity on the tackle positions heading into camp. You may have interpreted things differently but it sounded to me that if the season started today JBB and Runyan would be your starters.
JBB- Sounds like the light has gone on and he made great strides in conditioning this winter.
Runyan-Solid
On the other hand you could clearly hear a spark in his voice when he mentioned Filiaga and Hudson and the pressure they are going to put on the veterans. It sounded pretty clear to me that he expects these guys to take those jobs if the veterans don't keep making great strides.
March 14th, 2018 at 12:20 PM ^
If JBB and Runyan end up the starting tackles that will have meant that others have not developed. Probably looking at another "meh" season for the O line in that instance. There is a long way to go however.
March 14th, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
March 14th, 2018 at 12:33 PM ^
March 14th, 2018 at 12:40 PM ^
My favorite part of the interview was when Harbaugh said they have to find ways to get Chris Evans the ball in space more often. Yes please.
March 14th, 2018 at 12:40 PM ^
We'll start to see some cohesiveness with the line. Shea's gonna need some protection! Spring is upon us!!
GO BLUE!!
March 14th, 2018 at 12:50 PM ^
On the other hand, Runyan emerging could be a good thing. It’s better that one person emerge than none, as we saw last year. Who knows how good Runyan is. He’s young and hasn’t gotten a lot of game time.
I mean JBB or JR can be decent right tackles which is the least of my worries. I am intrested to see how the LT situation plays out with CF and JH. I am happy that BB, CR and MO get to stay in the middle which should be a very strong spot for us
Sounds like nobody is setting the world on fire but there are solid players available. This team really only needs B+/A- performance in pass protection to be really good this year. I know it feels like revisionist history, but Michigan was, what, 5 points away from a perfect season with a B+/A- offensive line 2 years ago? It's not some insurmountable hurdle.
I loved Jims talk on the QBs....buckets of talent there, gotta coach them up more.
He got real excited when talking about Mitlon
I think we are all in for a treat with the new o-line and s&c coaches. Just look at what those two have done in the past with their offensive linemen under their wings. Now you put them together at some of the best facilities in the country under Harbaugh? You've got to be kidding me. Get the f out of here! Should be ready to crack those shiny gold helmets into pieces. Irish bitches.
I've seen a lot of comments about JBB and Runyan. Let's not forget that Ulizio won the job initially. He was replaced by JBB because Ulizio was, well, not good. I think JBB initially lost the job to him because of a higher number of brain farts - offsides penalties, blown assignments, etc. But when he did the right thing, he was pretty good at it, especially run blocking. I don't want JBB at LT because his blown assignments there lead to blind shots to the QB. At least at RT the QB can see what's coming and try to get out of the way.
Runyan was third in that pecking order. That does not give me a lot of confidence in Runyan. If JBB initially lost the job due to missed assignments, the job could have gone to Runyan. They chose Ulizio over Runyan. Why? I don't know. I do know he is listed at only 6' 4", and I don't recall hearing he has extraordinarily long arms. That does not sound tackle-shaped to me. I'd rather he be the first interior guy off the bench. That still leaves a gaping hole at LT.
I think it's most likely that one of the relative unknowns (from a lack of playing time perspective) steps up and takes that LT job. However, I wouldn't rule out this scenario either:
LT: Bredeson - would be 3rd year starting, has experience on the left side. Is he our best lineman, thereby getting Cole'd into LT?
LG: Ruiz - got PT at guard last season
C: Spanellis - was the backup C, came in when Kugler got yanked.
RG: Onwenu
RT: JBB
Check out Spanellis' bio. It's all about how smart he is. That's who I want at center. I'm not taking anything away from Ruiz. He's got experience at center and is supposedly a proto-typical center, but if Spanellis is one of your best 5 linemen (and he was one of the 6 best last year by the end of the season,) how best do you work him into the lineup? And he's from Baltimore, which should get him points from all "The Wire" fans on here. (I'm looking at you, StringerBell.)
• Recipient of the 2017 Top GPA team award
• Recipient of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame High School Scholar-Athlete Award; given to five players nationally that excelled on the field, in the classroom and in their community
• Has appeared in 13 games, contributing on special teams in all 13 and serving as a reserve offensive lineman in five
• Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2017)
Other than some chatter preseason 2016 that had Bredeson pushing Newsome at LT in camp, there has been zero indication that Bredeson is a tackle.
He is sized like a guard. He is putting on meat like a guard. He was recruited as a guard. He plays, exclusively to this point, guard.
When Newsome went down, that was the moment that a scenario where Bredeson was really close to playing tackle would play out. Instead, they put Bredeson in at guard and moved Ben Braden out to tackle.
Bredeson is a guard. He might be able to play tackle adequately, but he has the potential to play guard superbly. In an environment where we already have adequate (if no better) tackles, why take away from an interior that has a chance to be capital G Great the next two years for, at best, a slight upgrade at tackle?
If (and it's a big "if") Hudson and/or Filiaga are capable tackles, then Michigan has solid depth at the position, if not actual excellent personnel. And that means Bredeson will never play a down in that position for the rest of his Michigan career.
Edit: It's great that Spanellis is smart. Smart doesn't block 300 lb defensive tackles. I'm reasonably confident that Ruiz is the man we want doing that. I'd be delighted if Spanellis is better than I expect, but quite surprised.
If he is one of the best 5 guys at blocking 300 pounders, I want him playing center, or at least I want him making the line calls. Dumb doesn't block 300 pound tackles either, because dumb is in the wrong place.
Here's an interesting story on offensive linemen and the NFL's Wonderlic test.
http://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story/_/page/glenesk%2F100226/sportCat/n…
Annually, offensive linemen average a higher score on the 12-minute, 50-question quiz administered at the NFL scouting combine than players at other positions do. Longtime NFL scribe Paul Zimmerman figured out the averages per position, and offensive tackles lead the way with a median score of 26. Centers are a close second at 25. At last year's combine, the overall average for all positions was 21.
So JBB is in the equation? A returning starter at tackle on a team that has no offensive tackles? I'll just re-post this comment I made in the Calvin Anderson post 5 days ago, where everyone mentioned every OL on the team except JBB...
"Juwan Bushell-Beatty? I know we've heard some things from UMBIG11 about him being gone or on the verge of it, but I believe I've seen him in at least one of the off-season workout videos being published. And Mason Cole mentioned him in an interview just a few days ago.
He was the starter last year. Yes a turnstile often in pass pro, but a bruiser in the run game. Very unlikely that he gets much better at pass pro, but it's crazy to me that again he's being completely dismissed. He is a returning starter at tackle and this team needs tackles, ergo he's in the mix.
It's always possible that some level of his pass pro problems were caused by lack of commitment, and he could change that in one off-season (I have no idea, just posing a hypothetical). And Warinner could work his magic. If he went from terrible at pass pro to below average, that would significantly raise the floor on this team. Because he's a plus blocker on the ground and he and Onwenu together is something defenses have to think about planning around.
Yes I hope Steuber or Honigford or Filaga or Ulizio are awesome. But JBB is in this equation."
One of the biggest disappointments from the Bowl Game, besides the loss, is JBB getting suspended from the game. I hope that was a one-time deal and he gets his act together, realizes his potential, and has a fantastic 5th year.
March 14th, 2018 at 11:21 PM ^
JH sounded to me like he always does.
Confident M will be a tough team to beat.
Beat nd. Go Blue. and Go Beilein.