Let's Stop with the Glasgow / Miller "Panic"
A constant issue I read in articles in print and online is the supposed "panic" we're supposed to have regarding the center position battle. This is my argument in favor of not panicking.
First off, it's August 14th. If you're worried about something like this, get a hobby. Let's talk again on September 1st when we have to data to analyze.
Second, there are certainly untold examples of walk-ons pushing starters that are harbingers of doom (think back to 2008-10). Likewise, there are plenty of situations where walk-ons (not preferred walk-ons like Glasgow) turn into NFL players. The "walk-on challenging the scholarship player" is not a storyline worth worrying about.
Third, your reason not to worry proves itself when you look at this particular position battle. When Glasgow entered the recruiting process, there is a specific reason he only garnered preferred walk-on offers from Ohio State, Michigan, MSU, Minnesota and NIU (his parents were team doctors at NIU and Kill offered him in the latter two places as a PWO, and maybe the question should be why didn't other Big Ten schools offer this kid once the big boys showed PWO interest?). He only played one year of high school football. He was all-state that year. However, he had previously played basketball (I could insert talk about footwork here) and switched over late.
SO what do we know? He's a great athlete, he started playing late, the programs offering him probably were playing poker, hoping to get a guy into a program without committing a scholarship to him. He's now in his 3rd year in the program (same as Miller), he's played in one game fewer than Miller (5 v. 6), and is sufficiently developed and ready to play.
And don't forget one more thing. He was on scholarship last year and I suspect this year as well. Evidently, this guy is proving his worth.
So my message to you all - get rid of the "walk-on" talk, and don't worry. If Glasgow is playing, choose to view it as him developing in his third year of the program, and beating out a solid alternative, and pretend this is what Jordan Kovacs's career development would've looked like had the program had solid (hell, any) roster alternatives in 2009 and 2010.
I'm now going to watch a replay of the 73-yard rushing TD Berkley Edwards pulled off in last Saturday's scrimmage at TCF Bank Stadium.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:11 PM ^
I haven't seen much panicking tbh...
August 14th, 2013 at 1:16 PM ^
I thought our offensive line would be better this year by default, but I am not so sure anymore. Then again, watching M vs M never really does tell you much...
August 14th, 2013 at 3:46 PM ^
The only footage I've seen is the video of the Oklahoma drill that was released over the weekend, and it looked the way I'd expect footage of such drills to look.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:14 PM ^
I haven't heard anything about this... Isn't this going to create more panic rather than less? Also with the depth of your analysis may I suggest fishing? Usually fun this time of year.
August 21st, 2013 at 7:59 PM ^
Perhaps in Lake Titicaca? Nice this time of year...
August 14th, 2013 at 12:16 PM ^
what panic? If anything, people seem to have optimism in our young OLs future this season
August 21st, 2013 at 8:05 PM ^
Whoa this is kinda freaky
August 14th, 2013 at 12:16 PM ^
This thread is probably the most panicked discussion of the Glasgow/Miller position battle that I've seen so far.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:17 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 12:18 PM ^
Glasgow and Miller couldn't beat out Barnum or Mealer, who weren't very good themselves. How much better can these third-year guys be (plus Bryant) than last year? If they're comparable to Barnum and Mealer, then we'll see the same trouble running the football that we saw last year.
Hence, panic.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:40 PM ^
Whoa...
I think your answer comes from the fact that Mealer and Barnum were both Seniors. Obviously Miller is now a 3rd year player, as is Glasgow. Lineman are truly not expected to contribute until their 3rd year or later (RsSo) unless they are truly elite. While I expect their to be some growing pains, they cannot be much worse than last year.
August 14th, 2013 at 1:06 PM ^
I think the trouble you saw running the football last year was largely due to teams selling out on the run with Denard at qb. I noticed an improvement once Devin started strethching out the defenses we seemed to run the ball better, however having Toussaint injured did not help our runnin game.
August 14th, 2013 at 2:44 PM ^
down in N'awlins. I understand he might not be a HOF'er, but just walking out onto an NFL field puts him in rare company.
August 15th, 2013 at 2:20 AM ^
The guard play should be better. It will be plus if one of the OC can play as well as Mealer. Last year our guards never improved through the season. This year will be different. Barnum and Omamaeh had problems pulling all year! That was the real disaster for the run game.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:19 PM ^
So, you're telling me that all this time we should've been panicking? I'll get right to it so that when I read the thread, my newly found panic will be cured...
August 14th, 2013 at 1:20 PM ^
You raise an excellent point here, Brian.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:22 PM ^
If you're worried about something like this, get a hobby
But worrying is my hobby! :-)
The way I look at this, the coaches will settle on the best center from the available talent. That's simply reality ... we can't magically conjure up a Molk 2.0 out of worrying about it.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:22 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 12:22 PM ^
While I agree we shouldn't panic, your request that we "get a hobby" is odd considering obsessing about college football kind of is our hobby, for a lot of us. Well, that and drinking, apparently.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:23 PM ^
...be the right term, but the walk on beating out the scholarship player meme is trite and a too often used crutch.
Let the players compete for a starting job. Let the coaches evaluate the players. Watch the games and make your own evaluations based on the results.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:26 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 12:30 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 12:30 PM ^
Don't tell me what to do.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:49 PM ^
okay then.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:33 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 12:33 PM ^
does not the name patrick kugler relieve any panic---at least a little??
August 14th, 2013 at 12:35 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 12:38 PM ^
It's my account and I'll panic if I dammed well want to
August 14th, 2013 at 12:56 PM ^
Wasn't that a song by Leslie Gore back in the 50s?
August 14th, 2013 at 12:40 PM ^
Why would I stop now? The only thing that mitigated my panic so far was a)Lewan returning (HUGE) and b) the Kalis and Braden hype machine since hitting campus.
If you're going to worry about anything at all related to our football team, "walk-on challenging the scholarship player" IS worth it. Having 3 new starters who've hardly played a down of college football is worth worrying about too.
Glasgow is not Kovacs, because Kovacs is a special and rare player. The next Mike Hart, the next Kovacs, the next Woodson, the next Denard -- they don't exist. These are special players, with special traits. We'll get different special players with different special traits and different special stories. We shouldn't take away from what those guys did by assuming there will be a 'next' version.
August 14th, 2013 at 1:05 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 1:17 PM ^
Besides the 2008 OL being the worst thing ever, I watched our RBs get no holes last year and can't remember a single time where we were breaking in 3 new starters who haven't played a down of college football (or in Millers case, only a handful).
I think we had two in 1997 (my memory doesn't extend with clarity THAT far).
August 14th, 2013 at 3:21 PM ^
2001 we only returned one starter, and he moved guard spots, and in 1993 the only starter who returned ended up bouncing around at different positions than he played in 1992. (1997 had a 3rd new guy too.)
August 14th, 2013 at 12:41 PM ^
Please show me the myriad of threads where the Board is melting down into "OMG Miller hasn't sewn up the Center spot over Glasgow" emo mode. We already know that of all the positions out there to recruit, the hardest one to predict success from HS to college is the offensive line. Sometimes walk-ons turn out better than expected.
The only thing we can probably say with some certainty is that neither Miller nor Glasgow is going to come out this season as Steve Everitt 2.0, which was never the expectation anyway, so yeah.
We'll be fine.
August 14th, 2013 at 1:00 PM ^
When Miller didn't compete for a starting job at the fall of last year, many excuses were made (namely - he's too small and young to play.) Nevermind that (smaller) Burzynski competed for a starting spot to the end and Kalis and Braden are assumed to start at the same age.
When Miller didn't play during the 2012 season (and Burzynski did) most shrugged it off or said we needed a guard, not a center (even though Barnum and Mealer had just flipped and neither was a true center).
Now, in his 3rd year, Miller is still not seperating from a walk-on (sorry, PREFERRED walk-on) people are choosing to rationalize it by assuming that Glasgow is a hidden jem.
The board hasn't melted down, but (realistic) people are right to cast doubts until Miller or Glasgow prove they can play.
On the bright side, both have clearly passed Burzynski who wasn't a totally awful player. So, we're probably not doomed, but we're all hoping for a Big 10 title, not just averting doom these days.
August 14th, 2013 at 1:56 PM ^
This is some damn fine pannicking, A+.
August 14th, 2013 at 2:27 PM ^
So, we're probably not doomed, but we're all hoping for a Big 10 title, not just averting doom these days.Huzzah for the return of expectations to something that is approaching normalcy!
August 14th, 2013 at 12:44 PM ^
Cats and dogs, living together, MASS HYSTERIA...
August 14th, 2013 at 12:55 PM ^
But chastising Michigan sports fans for analyzing the depth chart in mid-August... by starting a thread on a Michigan sports fan blog of known Michigan addicts... is not productive.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:57 PM ^
Here's an article from AnnArbor.com regarding the battle at center, in the event this was missed...LINK. From Brady Hoke:
“Jack’s done a really good job. I think him and Graham and, Joe Burzynski being the third element there, I think they’ve all competed well,” Hoke said at the team’s annual media day on Sunday. While Hoke opted not to tip his hat at which player is leading the race for starting center, he also offered a new name in Burzynski. But Glasgow indicated that the battle is between the two sophomores, as did offensive line coach Darell Funk."
Funk also mentioned that, in his mind, it is about even right now, but they appear to be aiming to have this battle decided fairly soon, according to this.
August 14th, 2013 at 12:57 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 12:57 PM ^
I don't think panic is the right term, but definitely concerned discussion.
Your points are all good and I appreciate some of the info, but to pretend our interior O-line isn't full of question marks is naive.
No matter who wins the jobs at G and C, they will be first-year starters, which is generally tough on the O-line. And, no matter who wins those jobs, it will be guys that were on the roster last year and couldn't unseat two below-average players in Barnum and Mealer.
Compounding those concerns are the type of offense Borges wants to run. While it's not based around the inside and outside zone like 'Bama's is, the offense is designed to set-up big pass plays through effective running, play action, and hitch routes. Running and play action won't work if our interior can't block better than they did last year.
Also, I think for most of us the concern is relative; it's not "O MY GOD WE'LL BE 6-6 IF MILLER CAN'T WIN THE OC JOB!" It's more, "Winning a B1G Championship with our schedule is going to require a really good interior O-Line, and I'm not comfortable with what we have at this point."
If the latter is panic, then yes, this is me:
August 14th, 2013 at 12:58 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 4:28 PM ^
If I could, I would +1 the crap out of this.
