We Desperately Miss Devin Asiasi

Submitted by skegemogpoint on
It seems to go largely unnoticed by media and fans but the loss of Asiasi is showing up big time this year. Many of our TE's possess similar skills but none block well. Some credit Ty Wheatley with being a good blocking TE because of his size, but they're wrong. He's an ineffectual blocking TE. Played 8 plays vs Purdue and 4 of them came on last drive at mop up time with Peters at QB. Last night we saw him come off blocks that Asiasi would crush people. As an example, watch Isaacs fumble. Ty fails to sustain a fairly simple down block on Bachie who then eludes the block and rips the ball clean. If you're wondering why Wheatley isn't playing more it's not because of the wrap he wore on his forearm 2 weeks ago but because he's got work to do to become a decent blocking TE.
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BlueCE

October 8th, 2017 at 7:08 PM ^

Yep we do. I was just thinking about this last week because (cool story bro) his dad came to our company wearing a Michigan jersey. When we asked him if he was a Michigan fan he told us his son played TE at UM. I wish it was still true.

Joined: 12/08/2009

MGoPoints: 2279

FatGuyTouchdown

October 8th, 2017 at 7:11 PM ^

but I'm finding it very tough to agree with the hires of Pep Hamilton and Jay Harbaugh, and Drevno isn't too far behind. Jay Harbaugh used to coach Tight Ends, and none of them really developed well. Wheatley and Bunting were supposed to be good, and are looking like flops. Zack Gentry and Sean McKeon are the guys getting a lot of run and they got a majority of their coaching from Greg Frey. FFS Wheatley and Bunting have combined for 2 catches for 13 yards this year. Our running backs played horrendous. The Ty Isaac fumble, the Karan Higdon hold, and numerous missed chips made my head hurt. Not really sure what Pep Hamilton has ever really done outside of hang off of Andrew Luck's jockstrap for 5 years and call 7 passes in 9 plays with a backup quarterback struggling in a torrential downpour. And Drevno at least gets a little slack because the OLine has had a bunch of injuries and bad luck, but holy shit was last night a shit storm. Not being able to hang on to Devery Hamilton will make me bash my head into a brick wall for years to come. Fire Pep, Send Drevno to Mars, and tell Jay "Michigan's Zach Smith" Harbaugh to hit the road. /end rant

Joined: 09/07/2014

MGoPoints: 14102

Wolverine 73

October 8th, 2017 at 9:53 PM ^

Presumably Frey coaches Wheatley and Bunting too, so I am not buying the argument that they are worse because they got coached by Harbaugh once upon a time. So did Gentry and McKeon. And I am less sympathetic towards Drevno or whoever is putting the offensive game plan together. It has no rhythm, and it doesn’t seem geared to work around our O line shortcomings. That entire side of the coaching has been a huge disappointment.

Joined: 08/03/2009

MGoPoints: 27145

TrueBlue2003

October 8th, 2017 at 7:13 PM ^

about the blocking on a first down run on which we gave the RB 7 yards before getting touched and you're blaming a TE for him not holding onto the damn ball?

There have been a lot of bad takes in the past 24 hours, but this one is right up there.

Joined: 01/05/2010

MGoPoints: 38075

BoCanHam15

October 8th, 2017 at 7:20 PM ^

I berated. He said that,"we" are a bunch of whiny $@&(!!&@ as a fan base and I took offense because I couldn't see it. But after today after all these hot takes. I made a mistake. After we lose we've morphed into the ghost of(whoever) you think is a Great Coach! Everyone has all the answers and Harbaugh doesn't have a clue! Hilarious

Joined: 07/08/2016

MGoPoints: 16101

Blueblood80

October 8th, 2017 at 7:37 PM ^

After a loss, this site is brutal to come to. Whiney asses is putting it lightly. I really hope that most of the garbage comments on this site come from a very very small percentage of the fans. This is college football we watch. Crazy things happen. Michigan is a team that nobody holds back on. Everyone is going to bring their A game for Michigan and upsets will happen. It has been that way my whole life. At the end of the year there is one champion. Only one. It’s why we watch it. It’s exciting. Losing is disappointing to say the least but it will never go away completely. Time to suck it up and move forward to next week. I’ll be cheering these guys on like I do every other week. Go blue!

Joined: 11/14/2016

MGoPoints: 3269

ijohnb

October 8th, 2017 at 8:07 PM ^

you are not understanding something. Our offense is HORRIBLE, one of the worst in the country. We are not "whining" because of an upset loss, we are confused about how we are still getting punked by State three years into Harbaugh's tenure and after they went 3-9 and had that team gutted by attrition. State was a mess all off-season and still managed to outplay and out coach us this season, at home. To not be concerned by that is to misunderstand the situation. Right now, Rutgers is the only sure thing on our schedule. Maryland probably also. But PSU, OSU, Wisconsin. Those teams will pound our offense to death right now.

Joined: 09/21/2009

MGoPoints: 69986

Glen Masons Hot Wife

October 8th, 2017 at 7:25 PM ^

i mean, sure why not, he'd be nice to have... but for all the bitching about this and that, that people are doing. The biggest problem is that we dont have a fucking quarterback. Neither Speight nor O'Korn have consistently looked like a winner. Our season is limited under these circumstances.

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 3685

Cranky Dave

October 8th, 2017 at 7:34 PM ^

Offense is a dumpster fire putting everything on the TE group (including Ty’s fumble) is a real stretch. There are problems all over the place. The lack of a true OC, splitting OL coaching between Drevno and Frey, Jay coaching RB/s and horrible QB play are all bigger problems than the loss of Asiasi

Joined: 09/08/2012

MGoPoints: 26240

Fezzik

October 8th, 2017 at 8:53 PM ^

Maybe, but it's not like the OL rotate with different formations. I think we just have weak links on our coaching staff. Greg Mattison and Don Brown instantly made our defense better in each their first year. Greg took over a dumpster fire and made it good. Don took over a really good defense and made it elite. Great coaches coach great. Year 3 of Drevno is not good. Jed is clearly better than Pep. Our RBs are taking turns making huge mistakes...I'm looking at you Jay Harbaugh. Do we even have a WR coach? The big question here is will Jim choose loyalty over quality?

Joined: 09/11/2015

MGoPoints: 5565

gruden

October 8th, 2017 at 9:47 PM ^

After the game I was discussing the contrast of the defense this years vs. the offense.  They kept going on about how there was only 1 returning starting on a defense full of youth.  Yet the defense is performing lights-out great comparable to last year.  That puts the failures on offense in such stark contrast.  There's more older guys on offense yet it stinks to high heaven. 

Youth and lack of experience can be bolstered by good coaching.  The defense proves that.  The performance of MSU's patchwork lines also proves what good coaching can do.  That M's offense has gotten worse in every way this year tells me something is seriously amiss on that side of the coaching staff.

Joined: 04/29/2016

MGoPoints: 6062

Fezzik

October 8th, 2017 at 8:37 PM ^

You are really grasping at straws. Our record doesn't change if Asiasi is here. He'd still rotate snaps and probably not play any of the 4 and 5 wide sets. So we are missing a player that might see half the offensive snaps and plays at our 2nd deepest position (fullback is 1st) on offense? Magnuson, Darboh, Braden, Smith, Chesson, Butt, pre-injury Newsome, and Peppers are all players that would have a greater impact from last year's team than the return of Asiasi. We suck on offense. Asiasi would not change that.

Joined: 09/11/2015

MGoPoints: 5565

Blue Balls Afire

October 9th, 2017 at 5:11 AM ^

I agree with the OP and have thought the same.  Of course the loss of Devin Asiasi alone or the play of just the TE corps isn't to blame for all of the offensive struggles, but Devin Asiasi looks like he would have made a pivotal contribution to this team, an outsized one based on where the team is without him.  Like losing Newsome on the O line, losing Asiasi's blocking from the TE position is proving to be a crucial missing piece (so far) since there is no comparable replacement on the roster yet.  Not even close.  Asiasi's blocking ability would have helped the O-line greatly and opened up more of the playbook.  Without him, we have a bunch of talented TE's who are more of the pass-catchy type, but none of the blocking caliber of Asiasi.  So, I get where the OP is coming from and I agree.

On a related note, I'm dismayed that blocking seems to have deteriorated at every position group along the offense.  From the Oline (visibly apparent), to the TEs (see above), and the RBs (who whiff way too often on blitz pickup).  (I haven't paid as much attention to WR blocking because there doesn't seem to be enough evidence to make a determination there--which in and of itself is damning.)  I have to believe a big chunk of it is youth, but I miss Ty Wheatley Sr's coaching for sure when it comes to RB blocking.

Joined: 12/17/2013

MGoPoints: 8125

BigWeb

October 9th, 2017 at 11:09 AM ^

Just too much living in the past, woulda shoulda coulda. Was it Mitch McGary who said "win the game" ?

Anyway, win the game. We have all the resources and anything money can buy. The rows of excuses are just boring.

Have a good day peeps, I just opened a bigger, nicer personal training studio in my town and the big ass barbell sign is coming today!!

 

Joined: 12/18/2013

MGoPoints: 1124