Official Depth Chart Released Tomorrow - Rivals Opines Today
LINK: http://michigan.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1540402 (free article)
Two 'shockers' in my opinion:
- No Derrick Green (he has to get carries at some point, though, right?)
- Channing '2 star' Stribling backing up Taylor at Corner
More opinion:
- Chesson overtakes Jackson by B1G play.
- LG and FS are our weakest positions, by far.
- RB has 'depth' but lacks anyone outside of Fitz (and Green when he is healthy / up to speed) who is a playmaker.
- Out of the 12 listed on the DLine, many play. Taco gets the most snaps for anyone who is third at their position.
If Stribling really is that high, I think that's great for him (speaks more to his abilities than a lack of ability w/ Douglas or Lewis). He has been shown several times in the CTK videos making plays.
Caveat, of course, that this is per The Wolverine's sources and does not in fact represent what will be posted tomorrow, officially. I'd bank on a lot of "OR"'s as well.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:08 PM ^
Hmm...my opinion of rivals and the wolverine has dropped over the years with Balas in charge.
I'm not sure LG is as weak as some think. If anything there is more natural size on the interior compared to last year.
Besides miller no one is a manufactured 300lbs. Last yeat Pat O and Barnum were manufactured 300lbers on the OL who were simply zone blocking/get out in space guys.
It may take a month or so but I feel like the interior will get the job done before the stretch run in November.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:15 PM ^
Two things:
1) I agree 100% on Balas. He's the new Beaver. Says a lot of words, but most of it is just garbage. I don't know how much of a 'hand' he had in this, but I am hoping he added very little to it (Spath was the one who released it).
2) Uncool story, bro warning: heard from a friend via one of his contacts who was at the scrimmage yesterday that the DL dominated the OL and stuffed every run up the middle. Positive outlook: our DL is going to be sick this year. But OL will likely 'take some time' or not be as good at run blocking as we all would hope (see: 2012 season).
August 25th, 2013 at 1:19 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 3:14 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 3:22 PM ^
Oh yeah? My friend's step-mother makes $100 every 15 minutes on the computer. Step your game up.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:56 PM ^
My biggest x factor on this team over the next 3-5 is Al Borges. For all his talk as an offensive mastermind he has yet to show anything when it comes to coaching the offensive line. Yes, excuses, youth, whatever, but these are now mostly his recruits. It'll take some time no doubt, but I see maybe 50 yards by the running backs vs ND this year.
August 25th, 2013 at 2:00 PM ^
When it comes to the offensive line, I would think the offensive line coach would be in your crosshairs instead of the offensive coordinator.
August 25th, 2013 at 2:55 PM ^
And Funk is very much in my personal crosshairs. I am not convinced he can develop talent. This year will be a good indicator of his abilities, I think.
August 25th, 2013 at 3:04 PM ^
I dont think he has had a chance to show you if he can develop talent - or not - yet. Other than 'developing' and playing true freshman last year, which is an unrealistic standard, what sort of talent has he had to develop thus far? It's premature to put him in any sort of crosshairs.
August 26th, 2013 at 9:01 AM ^
from 10-12 show that? I know that Lewan is incredibly talented, but Funk developed some of that (not that RR's OL staff was gangbusters).
Also, recruiting and then starting Kalis as a RS FR is pretty impressive as is the other end, Glasgow going from walk-on to possible starter in his RS SO season. That's 3 varied data points from different situations that show Funk's abilities.
August 26th, 2013 at 9:18 AM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 2:12 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 4:59 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 2:16 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 8:24 PM ^
NVM.
My bad, you were obviously talking about his comments about observations from yesterdays practice.
August 25th, 2013 at 2:36 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 2:45 PM ^
Hah. That's hilarious.
August 25th, 2013 at 2:53 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 3:12 PM ^
I would bet they're just assuming LG is a weak spot because there's a walk-on penciled in and they're idiots. It may very well be one of the weaker spots, but it's going to be better than a lot of other teams weakest spots. And after all the hype about Bryant from his own teammates on the other side of the line, I'm confident he'll be more than capable of holding it down.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:13 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 1:19 PM ^
Miller was the guy in the CTK 6 video released earlier. This depth chart (again, warning - NOT official) doesn't have an 'OR' for center.
The guy who lost out on the center spots is now our LG.
That's my reasoning, however flawed it really is. Maybe the coaches liked Glasgow more than Miller and deemed it more important that he started at LG than C. There's a small chance that could be reality.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:25 PM ^
Is this a complete evaluation? ... just poking fun... don't get all ragey.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:33 PM ^
The conventional wisdom is that Glasgow is a better blocker than Miller, but that Miller can snap better and knows the calls better. In other words, the guy who "lost out on the center spot" lost out for reasons having to do with being a center (reasons that don't translate to being a guard). Center is therefore the weak spot: Glasgow is a better guard than center and yet was competing pretty evenly for center. (Or, at least, that's my take.)
August 25th, 2013 at 1:41 PM ^
The starting center last year (Mealer) was also put there for his superior snapping ability, not necessarily his blocking.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:25 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 1:16 PM ^
- LG and FS are our weakest positions, by far.
Center is a pretty big question mark. This is based on video evaluation only however as I have yet to see these guys in person.
Edit: WD beat me to it...too busy blockquoting...
August 25th, 2013 at 1:18 PM ^
Honestly, I was (and still am) expecting Joe Reynolds, not Jeremy Jackson, to be the opening game starter at the #2 WR spot. Jackson hasn't even shown up on the limited highlights we have seen from fall camp while Reynolds has made several nice catches and, like Jackson but unlike Chesson, is a senior.
Green might not be pleased with the situation but his weight does appear to be an issue. I'm not sure if they will redshirt him or just hope he gets into decent shape by the middle of the season. Based on the extremely limited stuff we have seen, De'veon has actually looked like the 2nd best RB on the roster right now.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:36 PM ^
We are in deep s*** if Jackson plays a lot of snaps.
August 25th, 2013 at 2:03 PM ^
If Jackson's dad wasn't a coach, do you think he would've received a scholarship to U of M? Honest question, not trying to be a smart a**.
August 25th, 2013 at 2:21 PM ^
No, I don't, and I've been critical of that scholarship offer all along (link). Rodriguez didn't really recruit other receivers like him, and I've always doubted whether Jackson's other big offers (Florida and Texas, IIRC) were "committable."
August 25th, 2013 at 11:56 PM ^
Jackson has done the work so no slight to him. Compliments have been best camp ever. That is not super adulation.
I'm wondering if the coaches get free schooling for their kids. Jackson wants to play football. He gets subsidized anyway... it's just expedient to extend the scholarship. He would count regardless. I know several people who have or will have their tuition covered by employee benefit packages. I don't know if Michigan goes there or not.
August 25th, 2013 at 2:21 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 2:22 PM ^
I feel like that "or" is more of a nod to Jackson's seniority than anything else.
August 25th, 2013 at 8:25 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 2:58 PM ^
How does anyone know if Green is behind because of his weight or if it's the ankle sprain he had a few weeks ago?
August 25th, 2013 at 10:55 PM ^
all this hemming and hawing is bullshit...
Green will be fine and people on this site will look stupid (again)
August 25th, 2013 at 1:18 PM ^
I'm hoping for a Notre Dame like defensive line performance this year. A good DL leads to strangling the life out of opponents.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:20 PM ^
if this is a prediction of the piece of paper that calls itself a depth chart but mostly exists for humor purposes, fine. If it's trying to be realistic, nope.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:25 PM ^
of who will be starting come Saturday?
August 25th, 2013 at 2:38 PM ^
Is that the "depth chart" isn't the depth chart. What Rivals created might be the "depth chart," but it isn't the depth chart.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:22 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 1:28 PM ^
If Fitz needed internet chatter and such to motivate him...then that is an issue all to itself.
August 25th, 2013 at 2:02 PM ^
I doubt he had to hear all of this from the internet... He probably heard it enough around Ann Arbor and campus alone.
August 25th, 2013 at 2:15 PM ^
That seems to be more of an insider point of view on hotshots coming in as freshmen.
Do you think all the "road graders, bitches" talk bothered Lewan, or Schofield, for that matter?
August 25th, 2013 at 1:28 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 1:33 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 3:19 PM ^
Matt Wile seems to lose two pounds when he is on kickoffs as opposed to punting (214 at KO compared to 216 at P), so it seems clear to me that the big takeaway from this is that special teams for Michigan can manipulate gravity in hitherto unknown ways. This could be a considerable advantage.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:39 PM ^
Stribling has looked good on the practice clips I've seen. Avery is/was supposed to be the third corner, so that thinned the depth a little bit and made room for someone else to make the two-deep in addition to Delonte Hollowell. I've also read good things about Jourdan Lewis, but he's still pretty scrawny.
August 25th, 2013 at 1:57 PM ^
August 25th, 2013 at 2:33 PM ^