Chryst to his O-Line: this is worst DL you will face
Listened to Balas and Skene podcast. Pretty damning when Paul Chryst reportedly tells his O-line that “you better be able to push Michigan off the ball because this is the worst DLine you will face all year.”
So I guess a 240 lb fullback at DT doesn’t scare a 300 lb OG? Lol. So goddam ridiculous.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:08 PM ^
Well he wasn't wrong
September 22nd, 2019 at 11:35 PM ^
Of course not. And here's why:
Defensive Tackles recruited:
2016: Dwumfour
2017: Solomon, James Hudson, Phil Paea
2018: NONE (WTF)
2019: Hinton, Smith
And none on the way in the 2020 class. What happens when/if Hinton or Smith get hurt? Who knows if they will be good?
September 22nd, 2019 at 11:53 PM ^
That 2018 class will be the death of this regime.
September 23rd, 2019 at 7:19 AM ^
Interesting... that would seem to coincide with the timeline of his sideline demeanor changing... coincidence?
September 23rd, 2019 at 7:55 AM ^
Waiting on transfers in the portal...
September 23rd, 2019 at 7:55 AM ^
Well, now we know why Mattison left.
September 23rd, 2019 at 8:54 AM ^
I thought Gary (2016) was recruited as a DT and switched to DE when he arrived on campus.
Either way...OUCH! I can't help but think of Mattison with the 2017 class. Both David Bowens and Trevor Pryce transferred when Mattison was here in the 90s. And insider eyeballs pointed towards GMatt as the reason.
September 23rd, 2019 at 1:12 PM ^
Looks a lot like their OT recruiting. Failure after failure.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:08 PM ^
Evidence please... Do you have a link to add?
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:39 PM ^
Balas TheWolverine podcast from this morning. Safe to say Skene was not amused by the football team.
September 23rd, 2019 at 12:21 AM ^
Obviously not. Something Chryst would never say in public so troll away
September 23rd, 2019 at 7:44 AM ^
There was a recruit in the Wisconsin locker room that heard Chryst firsthand tell his team that in the pre-game speech. The recruit reported that out after the game.
September 23rd, 2019 at 9:58 AM ^
Our guys are undersized, Dwumfor injured, and inexperienced. It's not like Chryst is wrong or even trying to talk stuff - he is just pointing at his O-Line and telling them they have no excuse.
Whether GMat or Don Brown chased Solomon away, who knows, but the result is what I said in my first sentence, and we are going to have a very long year. Maybe we should go the service academy route and start diving for the knees ...
September 23rd, 2019 at 3:30 PM ^
The recruit reported hearing that, or it was reported by the cousin of the recruit's best friend's father?
Not that it really matters, but this seems oddly self-serving for the narrative these bloggers are trying to push, it does not sound at all like the way Chryst motivates his team, and a recruit publicly leaking something from the pre-game locker room speech is not exactly a good look for any school looking to recruit him.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:08 PM ^
Well ..... was he right?
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:09 PM ^
Did you see the game?
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:13 PM ^
Yes. Sarcasm you dolt. We are ridiculous for playing a fb at DT. Chryst was spot on
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:42 PM ^
Especially when you have 2 highly touted freshman DT recruits rotting on the bench. What’s up with this program and its addiction to playing favorites with mediocre upper classmen.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:57 PM ^
My only explanation would be that the staff is saving these two for RS’s this year.
I understand that it takes a lot to play DT at the college level, but I find it hard to believe that a converted FB understands the position better than two highly touted DT recruits.
September 23rd, 2019 at 7:58 AM ^
But players can play 4 games and still preserve their redshirts, so there is really no reason not to play them.
September 22nd, 2019 at 11:20 PM ^
Duh, because freshmen lineman aren't ready to contribute.
Unless they play for Ohio State or any other great team.
September 23rd, 2019 at 6:41 AM ^
I don’t think he has a choice at this point not to try something.when a service academy pushes your DL around you got problems.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:08 PM ^
Onwenu to NT. Have to...
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:42 PM ^
Yeah because it's that easy.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:47 PM ^
I’d rather go for the 3-3-5 and take our chances on some TFLs. And even though the whole interior OL was subpar this game, Onwenu’s probably our best OL right now.
September 22nd, 2019 at 11:09 PM ^
Just use Paea!
He's got 15 lbs on Kemp which will eat space and that will allow Kemp to use his quickness to attack the RB instead of fly by.
September 24th, 2019 at 9:13 PM ^
Onwenu is overweight and won’t last one game at d tackle. God this staff is a fucking joke.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:10 PM ^
Why did that dick transfer to TN again?
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:24 PM ^
Classroom
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:48 PM ^
We need to do a better job recruiting players already on the team. It wasn’t acceptable to lose Solomon. If he doesn’t wanna play school, don’t force him. It’s time to play with the big boys, anything other than covering up crimes should Be happening to help us win. That means paying players, giving them the option to take easy classes that don’t require attendance, and whatever else needs to be done.
September 23rd, 2019 at 12:53 AM ^
Count Chris Evans in that category too. We wanted to force those guys to play school and now we have two gaping holes on the DL and RB positions.
If we had those guys, maybe we don’t fumble at the 5, maybe Taylor doesn’t run for 100+ yards in the first quarter, and maybe it’s a completely different ballgame. Those two holes are going to absolutely fuck us all year.
September 23rd, 2019 at 6:29 AM ^
He cheated in the classroom and that is ok because you want to win football games??? I'm sorry, that is not ok.
September 23rd, 2019 at 12:48 PM ^
Everyone in college football cheats academically. Evans just got caught.
A one game suspension is plenty punishment for a first time offense.
Shoot, these kids go to an academic center where they get access to tutors that regular students don't. You don't think these tutors are telling the kids what to put down for answers?
September 23rd, 2019 at 5:01 PM ^
Lmao you have all lost your minds. If this wasn't my team too, this would be highly entertaining. Now we're saying we should be cheating?
September 24th, 2019 at 10:18 AM ^
If you don't think the "academic support" that is provided to UM Football players sits in the gray area between cheating and not cheating then I don't know what tell you.
Do I think we should pay recruits/players under the table? No.
But it is an open secret the level of assistance that scholarship athletes get at UM.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:10 PM ^
But we can't even think about moving on from Harbaugh.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:11 PM ^
I think Balas and Skene should be held accountable from two weeks ago when they laid into Onwenu (as they always do) after the army game about being soft, not completing his blocks, etc. They said all that just hours before Mike was named to the PFF All American team of the week and was recognized and widely praised by his coach as the offensive line player of the week. The worst thing about these two is they always say, ‘I don’t wanna name individual players’, but then a few seconds later, they consistently name individual players and criticize them.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:26 PM ^
How is Rivals still even around? Does anybody even subscribe to The Wolverine anymore?
Balas is a bullshit king. That site either blows smoke up your ass or over the top negative when things don't go well in a game.
September 22nd, 2019 at 11:35 PM ^
What the fuck is that in your avatar?
Are you hard at work creating a line of TOPPS Message Board Guy trading cards?
Please put better gum in with the pack if you do. And PLEEEZE don't include pics of guys with their kids in them--now that would be weird.
September 22nd, 2019 at 11:57 PM ^
He contributes information. You do not
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:33 PM ^
Yet you apparently continue to listen to their podcast.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:58 PM ^
I’d much rather listen to Skene call people out (you listening Ruiz?) than listen to Sam Webb lie about RS Sophomores not being “ready” to play, not address the issue of mass transfers, and not address why coaches leave the program.
September 22nd, 2019 at 11:08 PM ^
Sam Webb: Mike Sainristil is a player man and will show out.
Hasn't even touched the ball this season. Sam is the propaganda king.
September 22nd, 2019 at 11:27 PM ^
In defense of Sam, the kid probably looks great in practice against our defense. They did report that our offense was ahead of the defense throughout the spring and fall camp. Unfortunately neither is ready to compete against good teams yet.
September 23rd, 2019 at 12:36 AM ^
And literally everyone including players and coaches were openly talking about him. They did the same about Ronnie Bell last year (maybe not quite to the same extreme but talk also went rampid this offseason), and a year later it looks as if that talk was there for a reason.
My thoughts are if they salvage this season (which is entirely possible regardless of the outcome), and the offensive staff stays in place (1st year scheme changes are almlst always difficult), then I wouldnt be surprised if Sainristil does well next season.
September 23rd, 2019 at 1:17 PM ^
Agreed. Sam and Ira are total mouthpieces for the program.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:11 PM ^
Tough but fair.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:12 PM ^
Whether it was meant as motivation or not, clearly they got the message. And it's hard to argue right now.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:45 PM ^
You knew there was zero respect when they went for it on 4th and 1 from their own 34. Don’t know if I’ve ever seen a bigger display of disrespect that early in a game before.
September 22nd, 2019 at 10:56 PM ^
The more frustrating part is that I was 99 percent confident Michigan had no shot to stop that play.
Hell, they could have gone for it on 4th and 5 and they would have converted. Wisconsin, if they truly kept the pedal down, could have probably scored 60 points.