'Michigan method' concluded on O-line, continuing at backup QB
I'm just tremendously confused by all this. They said they were going to give Henderson and Jones equal shot at starting reps before making this decision, but Barnhart/Hinton were starting tackles both games. Jones played some as an extra tight end.
By all accounts of at least this blog's experts, Jones is better than any of them and he did not even get a start. And while I don't mean to bag on a kid, Hinton was deemed "a year away" and certainly has looked shaky in these first two games.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:26 PM ^
My only guess is that they think Hinton has an extremely high ceiling that he can get to before the games matter. Other than that, I'm lost. And Henderson has to regret transferring here, unless he agreed to some type of multi-year left tackle transformation to try to become a day 1 pick or something. I don't know.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:38 PM ^
I think Henderson is in his last year of eligibility, isn't he? I imagine he has to be pretty annoyed/disappointed if he ends up riding the pine this season when he could have gone in the draft last year and been pulling in a nice paycheck as a backup on an NFL roster. One can't help but wonder if he will even hurt his draft prospects by being glued to the bench, if that is what happens.
This whole scenario feels so...odd.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:45 PM ^
To be honest, I have no idea how to figure out eligibility -- but I think you're right. He never redshirted from what I see, so , 2019, covid, 21, 22, 23.
September 12th, 2023 at 4:54 AM ^
If he never redshirted, that also means Michigan could play this right and get a redshirt on him this year and have him back next season. Assuming of course, he’s cool with that option and not pissed off about not getting the starting job.
September 11th, 2023 at 4:09 PM ^
Most likely Henderson will get his shot at some point this year. Someone will get hurt unfortunately, and he will get his chance. He does get excellent coaching and go against our DL which will better prepare him for the NFL.
He did know there would be competition. Good for him for coming anyway.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:49 PM ^
Is there any possibility they've just been holding out the more advanced/better players to get these second stringers a ton of game-time reps, that the (apparently) better players have just been getting rested, recovered, etc.? Maybe we won't know who the "starters" are for another two weeks. . .
September 11th, 2023 at 4:04 PM ^
Not for a guy who hasn't ever taken live snaps in the offense. If Henderson was going to play he would be playing.
September 11th, 2023 at 4:50 PM ^
Yes, this is all about getting Hinton as many reps as possible by PSU, b/c they need him maximized for OSU and Georgia.
September 11th, 2023 at 6:48 PM ^
WHAT?? You mean Harbaugh and Moore didn't elicit the opinions of this blog's "experts"? How can that be??
Someone transferred here and isn't starting? What's going on? Perhaps he was beaten out in practices, but so what?
September 11th, 2023 at 8:06 PM ^
I mean the so what is because the play of the tackles can be charitably described as uneven and better described as mediocre. So the fact that this is the best we can do is pretty disappointing
September 12th, 2023 at 9:19 AM ^
The head scratcher is that the staff was very clear before the season started that multiple guys would get a chance to start. Then they didn't. Which is weird, given what we've seen from some of these guys in the past. It also brings back a lot of memories of Harbaugh playing guys that were terrible for too long before making a change, for whatever reason - seniority, practice warriors, etc.
We play an actual, real defense in 2 weeks - definitely not the best one on the schedule, but one that is well coached, can actually do some things outside of throwing LB's at the LOS and hoping Michigan will run every play, and will know that the JJ reads are off until proven otherwise. I am getting a feeling it is going to look a lot like 2021 on that side of the ball, but I guess we'll see.
September 11th, 2023 at 10:41 PM ^
I can't keep up with all the portal nonsense. Are there windows (specific dates) now to portal or is it like a few years ago when you can portal anytime.
You can't be a Moore supporter and then not defend this move. Either Moore is "an up and coming brilliant future head coach" or Henderson didn't pass the test. He also came in late. Moore is there every day (well except 1 day) looking at these guys. But yes agree he must be having second thoughts.
First world problems I guess but the running game looks sad vs future accountants and guys in sales at ECU UNLV. Can't imagine how it's going to look vs future NFL players unless a huge improvement.
I miss Ryan Hayes.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:26 PM ^
Ole lead foot should be a back-up. Center should be open too. I'd prefer to see Henderson and Trente and Crippen or Raheem out there.
September 11th, 2023 at 8:18 PM ^
Think I'll trust the coaches who have coached the team to back-to-back Joe Moores instead
September 12th, 2023 at 1:14 AM ^
Not to mention that the coaches spend hours in practice with these players that we never see. So if Coach Harbaugh says they're the best five, I think we should consider them the best five.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:34 PM ^
But be careful - even when done correctly, the Michigan Method can still result in pregnancy!
September 11th, 2023 at 4:05 PM ^
Can confirm. It all depends on how you wear the mitten.
September 11th, 2023 at 5:42 PM ^
No need to worry about pregnancy when using the Mel Method.
September 11th, 2023 at 6:35 PM ^
Hilarious MacGyver! ROFLOL!
September 11th, 2023 at 7:40 PM ^
Youll want a lotion proof phone though. Be safe out there!
September 11th, 2023 at 3:34 PM ^
Yeah this is kind of baffling. I would get it if the o-line was dominating but they very much are not. Henderson was actually the one I was most excited to see.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:35 PM ^
I mean, I understand if Barnhart has solidified a spot. I think Trente was better, but Barnhart has started many games and been in the program for years.
I just do not understand how Myles has won this spot. Is this a repeat of the Nolan Ulizio times? Maybe this is similar to early Runyan in 2018, and we see a Hinton leap into conference play, but I am curious who will be starting in October.
September 11th, 2023 at 9:22 PM ^
I’m wondering if the thought is that Hinton has the most upside as a pass blocker. Keeping JJ healthy is the number one priority this season so I’m willing to sacrifice a little bit of run game success if it meant protecting JJ better.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:35 PM ^
I fall in the camp that whatever back to back Joe Moore winning coach Sherrone Moore decides to do is fine with me.
That being said, I was excited about Henderson and that he turned the Senior Bowl down to come to Ann Arbor. Surprised he isn't playing.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:36 PM ^
The way things seem to work is that the coaching staff evaluates players and then is careful to shape the public release of such information. Certain players can be underperforming, or have slight injuries, but the coaching staff will not just come out and say these things. I'm sure they have their reasons. Of course, they are wrong sometimes, but right more often than we know because they access to much more information.
September 11th, 2023 at 4:51 PM ^
The way they handled the NHG injury has me a little worried whenever anyone is held out for an injury now. I kept waiting for him to return to the lineup. He never did.
September 11th, 2023 at 6:34 PM ^
It's possible NHG realized he had lost his starting job and wanted to redshirt, and the coaches ran interference for him.
September 11th, 2023 at 7:43 PM ^
Who would be putting him out of the top 3 linebackers and getting heavy snaps? I think he had a serious injury and it set him back. Hausman was who bumped him out.
September 11th, 2023 at 9:36 PM ^
Michael Barret bumped him out last year - whether or not he recovered from injury. If he did, he wasn't going to see the field until garbage time in front of Barret (because that's how it played out). If he didn't, Barret improved so drastically as a LB that NHG wasn't getting his starting spot back. Ergo, transfer...
Hausman transferred in well after NHG departed.
September 12th, 2023 at 5:03 AM ^
Hausman transferred in well after NHG departed
Hausmann committed to Michigan in mid-December and NHG didn’t enter the portal until mid-April. NHG was a participant in spring camp and it was evident he was, at best, LB4 for Michigan and he left.
September 11th, 2023 at 9:04 PM ^
For those who might be unfamiliar with the MGoBlog Method of using acronyms for athletes, NHG represents former Michigan football player Nikhai Hill-Green who appeared in all 14 games and started in six at linebacker during the 2021 season, but who now plays for Charlotte ater not having played for Michigan during the 2022 season. LINK
September 12th, 2023 at 7:57 AM ^
Wait. You're saying that the coaches know more about who should be playing than those of us on Mgoblog? How is that possible?
September 11th, 2023 at 3:36 PM ^
I'm also confused. Jones and Henderson never got a shot in the games. Must mean they didn't practice as well?
Hinton looking iffy is especially weird because Jones looked better last year than Hinton this year, to my eye
But, i'm no coach and don't get to see the practices or know the schemes
September 11th, 2023 at 3:43 PM ^
It seems odd, but the coaches have, in my mind, earned the benefit of the doubt.
Starting a player when you have a legitimately better option sitting on the bench seems like the complete antithesis of everything Harbaugh and his "meritocracy" stands for. I can only guess three things:
1) Probably the most likely option, they recognize Hinton has an extremely high ceiling but Jones is the better option for this year, so they want to get Hinton as many live reps as possible so they can get as much tape as possible to determine what needs to be worked on before Hinton can step into a true starting role for 2024.
2) The coaches see something we don't, believe that Hinton is ahead of where we all think he is and will be the better option by the end of the season, so they're betting on Hinton and themselves for unlocking that potential this year as opposed to this offseason / next year.
3) The one that would concern me the most. Harbaugh is so infatuated with Hinton's potential that he is, to a fault, giving Hinton every possible chance to win the job. Again, its hard to envision a scenario where Harbaugh intentionally does not play the best player and for no good reason. But it wouldn't be the first time a coach has done this, and one could argue that Harbaugh held onto playing O'Korn for way too long before finally deciding he'd seen enough and would play Peters. So there is a precedent for Harbaugh doing this.
As for Henderson, I don't know. I'm not as in tune on that side of things. Maybe he's having a really hard time grasping Michigan's blocking schemes / techniques as opposed to ASU's. I have no idea, that is 100% speculation on my part. He's not injured because he's getting into the game, but it can't be because of potential. He could've gone to the league before transferring anyway.
September 12th, 2023 at 9:29 AM ^
"Again, its hard to envision a scenario where Harbaugh intentionally does not play the best player and for no good reason. "
Joe Milton.
Joe Bolden.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:44 PM ^
Gotta trust Sherrone. But damn, if I trusted my eyes, I would say I have not seen an even middling B1G RT starting for us the past 2 weeks
September 11th, 2023 at 4:40 PM ^
I mean PFF also said Hinton was bad in week one as well.
September 11th, 2023 at 8:55 PM ^
PFF also had him decent this week. Hard to really jibe that with watching a UNLV End discard and tackle matched up 1 on 1 with that score.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:46 PM ^
The only guess is that Jones/Henderson are leaky in pass protection but I will make that trade with JJ's mobility if it means we get more in the run game. Hinton will get killed as the season goes on if he plays like he has.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:48 PM ^
I'm not sure how Henderson isn't starting. Perhaps he's just not grasping the playbook and protections? For Hinton, my only guess is that the staff thinks his upside is so high with him that they're going to let him play though his mistakes
September 11th, 2023 at 3:51 PM ^
I don't really like the upside argument. I remember Milton starting for most of 2020 because he could throw it 70 yards. However, he couldn't throw it 10 yards. I think during the Rutgers game against those DEs we will see Henderson or Jones or both come in.
September 11th, 2023 at 5:06 PM ^
Well also in this case Hinton really isn't a young guy at this point with his time at Stanford.
September 11th, 2023 at 8:38 PM ^
Henderson played guard for ASU and missed the last half of the season with a finger/hand injury and then wasn't around for spring ball. I don't think it's that shocking that Barnhart has held him off at left tackle.
I think people are forgetting that when Henderson announced he was transferring to Michigan Keegan and Zinter had not yet said they were coming back to college. There ended up being fewer spots to compete for.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:49 PM ^
They've seen these guys in practice for quite some time now. They know what they have.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:51 PM ^
This is surprising news, but I think the headline is a bit misleading.
The O-line starting 5 may be confirmed (for now), but no coach quotes actually say that Barnhart and Hinton played better in these 2 games than Henderson and Jones did.
I think we all took this "Michigan Method" plan to mean that players get a chance to start and show what they've got in games. That really hasn't happened. It's pretty clear decisions are being made largely on the basis of practice time. That's fine, of course, but not what we all thought was being advertised to us.
September 11th, 2023 at 3:55 PM ^
Idk man. "Trust Moore", I mean yeah he's earned the benefit of the doubt, but uh, I have to question this one. Hopefully he proves my questioning to be dumb when all is said and done. Run game is likely only to be average this year - which I can't help but think will cost the team at some point this season - thankfully the passing game has been lethal so far.
September 11th, 2023 at 4:09 PM ^
I think there may be an issue developing with Corum/Edwards. Edwards' body language is not very good right now. If I had to give it a label I would say he looks "over it." And you can almost feel the coaches unsure how to rotate. Big run for Corum. Do they let him punch it in because "stats" or do they let Edwards finish off the drive because "stats?" It is clear they feel like they need to get Edwards the ball even when it really does not fit in with the rest of the offense and he looks like he knows he is essentially being patronized.
September 11th, 2023 at 4:15 PM ^
Michael Barrett's dad tweeted that Edwards had not really participated in fall camp (presumably from injury?), so both he and Corum haven't been hit and seen game action for a while now, so both are pretty darn rusty. Corum flashed this last week, I suspect it will take Edwards a bit to get back into the groove.
Even still, I think the run game will continue to be noticeably worse this season.
September 11th, 2023 at 4:19 PM ^
What is most surprising is that the pass game does not seem to be opening up the run game. We are killing teams downfield and it does not result in any room to run.
September 11th, 2023 at 4:31 PM ^
Because teams continue to stack the box and dare JJ to beat them. They're basing what they do on the tape from last year, not two blowouts against over matched teams.