Russell Bellomy Is Back, Shane Is Taking First Team Snaps, and Gardner Is Out This Week

Submitted by MJ14 on

In practice on Tuesday, freshman quarterback Shane Morris took snaps with the first team as Gardner's replacement. However, Hoke also announced that quarterback Russell Bellomy -- who suffered a torn ACL last spring -- returned to practice Tuesday, as well.

Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner will miss practice this week at least until Thursday with a turf toe injury.

Devin should be fine for the bowl game. I like the idea that Shane is getting a chance to get some first team reps. Also good to hear Bellomy is back.

Link to source: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10116284/devin-gardner-m…

MGoBoard
hows that for an informative title?

TenThousandThings

December 11th, 2013 at 11:51 AM ^

The OL next year should be improved. There will be at least three, probably four starters with significant experience in the previous year. So the second-year improvement dynamic will be in place for all of them. By the start of the B1G schedule, barring injury, DG should have markedly better protection.

So DG will get a chance to shine, to not make the kinds of mistakes you list. If he continues to have problems, then, sure, Morris will be given an opportunity to take some meaningful snaps. But that's not my expectation. Gardner will be lights out next year in B1G play. He carries the torch for Denard, Lewan and everyone else who stayed.

I won't say I have high expectations for the team as a whole next year, but I will say that it will be the most enjoyable season in a long time. The team will play well. 2013 will be seen as the final transition year of the Hoke era. The glorious part of that is Hoke gets a quarterback who will be 22 next year (Devin turns 22 this December 14), and 23 with an LSA degree and a Master of Social Work for his final game.

Joined: 07/03/2013

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readyourguard

December 11th, 2013 at 9:48 AM ^

I would like to see a two-QB system next year.  I think it's a win-win-win all the way around.  Gardner gets breaks throughout the games, which could help with durability.  Morris gets valuable playing experience, and opponents have to game plan for two different style QBs.

Joined: 08/21/2008

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Magnus

December 11th, 2013 at 10:15 AM ^

I don't. Gardner is a better quarterback right now, and a better athlete. Plus, the offense was unable to handle too much this year with Gardner being both a spread and a pro-style quarterback. I don't know why we should expect another young offensive line to be able to handle the same type of disjointed offense once again.

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mtlcarcajou

December 11th, 2013 at 11:28 AM ^

at places that do this.

Thought Indiana had us but they kept switching back to the 'passer', then when the injury happened we got the interception from a cold qb. Oklahoma too, their d is near elite but the o is predictable when one or the other qb is in.

The qb's need time with the line & receivers to get a rhythm, a feel for each other. Constant switching plus a young o-line is unfair to both the qb's and the line, who we need to exectue basic, simple stuff.

DG will be a monster if given time, and a couple of wideouts who can create separation in that improved pass pro time and pocket. Shane can watch and learn.

Worrying that so many think the offense will be basically the same next year unless there are radical changes (mass firings, high risk systems, etc.).

Q for the more coach-savvy: do you think OSU was a preview of our offense next year? Or does our new receiver corps / backfield / o-line experience dictate something different? Maybe a question for a different post...

Joined: 02/19/2011

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Magnus

December 11th, 2013 at 12:36 PM ^

I believe that the OSU game was a preview of the 2014 offense. I think Michigan needs to be more of a shotgun and zone running team. They can still mix in the inverted veer with Gardner out of shotgun, but they probably still won't be able to run power and iso because of the line. The interesting thing will be to see if they can find a running back to run inverted veer with Gardner. The RB is supposed to be an outside threat, but if teams aren't afraid of Green/Smith/whoever's speed, then they'll just take Gardner every single time.

Anyway, I don't necessarily think Michigan will throw it 45 times a game next year, but that looked like the direction Michigan should be going, at least until Gardner graduates. The running game might revert back to power/iso when Morris or Speight takes over in 2015, though.

Joined: 07/17/2008

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Space Coyote

December 11th, 2013 at 1:07 PM ^

Bring down a slot receiver, be in Norfleet or Hayes, as the outside threat. It tips it, which people will complain about, but at least as far as Hayes he has some experience running the other stuff and blocking from the position as well. And if guys like Green or Smith can be a bit of a lead back on occasion, a la Hyde, then even better. It maintains the inside threat in a another way while giving the edge run a chance.

Joined: 06/18/2009

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Pit2047

December 11th, 2013 at 7:08 PM ^

Morris is not NEAR mobile enough to play behind the OL we'll probably have, Gardner will a 5th year senior and he earned the right to play this year. Why are people so adverse to Gardner? He literally was our offense this year. Now if he had played like UConn Gardner all year you might have a point but his turnovers dropped and his decision making got a lot better. I'm expecting more ND and Ohio like performances next year.

Joined: 06/12/2013

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llandson

December 11th, 2013 at 10:46 AM ^

Sorry if this has been addressed elsewhere, but why can't UM say Shane Morris was injured mid-season and apply for a medical RS? Didn't they do something similar for DG (i.e. pretending he was injured in his Freshman season, thus the reason he only saw a few snaps in a few early games)?

Joined: 08/27/2013

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TenThousandThings

December 11th, 2013 at 11:55 AM ^

The rule has two parts. You have to play in no more than 30% of the regular season and the injury has to occur in the first half of that season. So he can only have played in four games (the NCAA rounds up: 30% of 12 is about 3.6, which rounds up to 4) before the midpoint of the season. Shane meets the first criteria, but not the second.

Plus, you have to have an actual, documented injury. In DG's case, they documented the injury at the time. I remember some speculation as to whether or not the injury was very serious, but it was reported and obviously a doctor signed off on it. Nothing like that was done for Morris, even if he hadn't played in the game at MSU.

Joined: 07/03/2013

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chatster

December 11th, 2013 at 1:20 PM ^

Devin Gardner enrolled early at Michigan in January 2010 as a highly touted dual threat quarterback who could do well in a spread offense; but, as a true freshman, he was behind Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson on the depth chart.  He played sparingly as Denard’s backup in 2011 and then was granted a red-shirt year for 2010.
 
In 2012, based in part on (a) having to play behind both Denard and Russell Bellomy who had performed well in the spring game, and (b) having demonstrated some good pass-catching skills during drills at high school all-star camps, he spent more time at wide receiver than he did at quarterback.
 
Although he has been at Michigan for almost four full years, the 2013 season has been Devin Gardner’s first full season as Michigan’s starting quarterback.  He doesn’t have that much more game experience as a starting quarterback than red-shirt sophomore Connor Cook at Michigan State or true freshman Christian Hackenberg at Penn State.
 
If you were to treat Devin Gardner as if he were a red-shirt sophomore, coming off a pretty good performance against Notre Dame, a record-setting performance against Indiana and a great performance against Ohio State, even taking into account his early-season turnover spree, the numerous near-interceptions during a rainstorm at Northwestern, his fumbled opportunity at Iowa and his unfortunate intercepted pass on the two-point conversion at the end of the Ohio State game, wouldn’t you at least give him the benefit of the doubt, and hope that he shows promise as the starter for Michigan in 2014?
 
Gardner still could receive some more intensive quarterback training from George Whitfield, Jr. and at the Manning Passing Academy next summer.  He also will be working with Devin Funchess, Jake Butt, Jehu Chesson, Amara Darboh, Drake Harris (if healthy and cleared to practice) and Freddy Canteen during the spring.  And one of those receivers might work with Gardner as much as Gardner worked with Jeremy Gallon between now and the start of August training camp.
 
If whoever Michigan’s Offensive Coordinator will be in 2014 can incorporate into Michigan’s playbook enough plays to take advantage of (a) the skills Gardner develops between now and the start of the 2014 season, and (b) the relative inexperience of his offensive linemen and receivers, then maybe there will be more performances from Gardner in 2014 similar to how he played against Ohio State this year. . . . And if not, then maybe that will be the time to call for Shane Morris or Russell Bellomy to take the reins of the Michigan offense.

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Eastside Maize

December 11th, 2013 at 3:41 PM ^

Looking at the schedule I thought we might get Shane some work early in the season. He got some in the opener but that was about it. Big Al I need some blowouts to get my guy some work!

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