Jim Harbaugh: 3 quarterbacks battling for starting job (ESPN)
"[Speight] comes in really tied for first with John O'Korn and Brandon Peters, legitimately, through competition," Harbaugh said. "Throughout all the spring, we went through 15 practices and it was a dead heat. But the good news is they all did some things. Brandon really shot up. John O'Korn really played consistently good. And Wilton really had some impressive moments as well."
he probably is. Compared to the QBs on the teams that are beating us, no.
If you're going to play up the "every job is open" and "everyone has to earn their job every day" shtick, then you have to make good on that. If Peters starts outplaying Speight, and Harbaugh sticks with Speight, then why should any other starters be motivated to keep competing?
because you don't bench a QB who won you 10 games with a NY6 bowl berth and has the locker room behind him. Starting Peters could potentially divide the locker room. Harbaugh knows and understand the locker room dynamics. QB is one position where experience trumps talent especially when a QB is successful and won multiple games.
Harbaugh's talk is just all talk when it comes to QB IMO. Speight is the starter until he's hurt or he's fucking awful.
you might have a point. But he really didn't.
Completing passes against tough competition trumps everything. If Peters can do it and Speight can't, who do you think should be playing? If the locker room can't get behind the better player on the field, then Harbaugh has a problem.
Classic Harbaugh.
(talking about Peters)
This is Jim Harbaugh being Jim Harbaugh.
He's made statements like this before where everyone has to earn their position, nothing will be given or assumed and this is the way it should be!
what difference does it REALLY make? Nobody is going to prepare significantly differently for any of our QBs. It's just a silly affectation of Harbaugh's. He will probably not annouce a starting QB before the first game, he'll just wait until the first series and send them out. But there's no real point.
If we were opening up aganst Wayne State at the Big House you might see Peters start the first game. But we aren't. We're opening up against the Florida Gators in Jerry's World. There is no chance Speight does not start that game short of injury or suspension.
I don't think Harbaugh thinks that way. The best man for the job will always start the season at QB, whether we're playing a patsy or a top 5 opponent.
Exactly this. My sense is that Harbaugh doesn't worry about the stage being too big for a first time starter, as a lot of posters here seem to. All games are big stages, and players should be ready to go whether the starter or back up. If he views Peters as slightly ahead of Speight at the end of fall practice, Peters will start. And it doesn't matter how big the game is, who has more experience, where they ranked last season, in spring practice, or even at the beginning of fall practice.
The one thing I think we do all agree on is that O'Korn is a distant third, and unless he somehow makes a miraculous leap in his fifth year in college football, he's not in the conversation except as a third stringer.
Peters may or may not make a push for the starting job during the year, because he has all the talent in the world. But the only way he starts against Florida is if Speight is still recovering from his shoulder injury.
What's the word on Alex Malzone? I had high expectations for the guy and he's fallen so far out of view that Harbaugh doesn't even mention him. Is he still even on the roster?
Well put, my friend.
I'd love to see what he could do at the MAC level. He and Shane Morris both. I personally think both could have strong years in that conference.
His only significant game action in 2+ years came on a windy, snowy day with only one week of first team reps. I know garbage time stats aren't very meaningful, but he was 13-18, 2 TDs outside of the Indiana game.
before the inclement weather came in 2nd half. His pocket presence was awful.
He wasn't judged fairly. He was bad in Houston and got benched.
Nothing ever wrong with a little competition. Harbaugh doesn't want anyone getting too comfortable. Every position is up for grabs.
I'm guessing Speight still gets the nod for Florida, as he's got the experience in these types of games and Peters doesn't, but Peters will be pushing hard throughout camp. And then after Speight leaves, the battle royale between Peters and McCaffery begins.
Harbaugh runs a meritocracy, the best player will play regardless. Competition is always needed and if Peters is the best after fall camp, so be it.
In a year where there is now an incumbent, it seems like one might think Speight and then probably O'Korn and then Peters, but I do like how Harbaugh phrases these things and not so subtly motivates the internal competition. I would think the default assumption of most of us would be Speight, but a small part of me is like, "This is Harbaugh's world. Who really knows what the first team offense will look like on September 2nd?"
We need offensive linemen, Jim will have his two quartbacks ready to play by Florida. If I'm Malzone or O'Korn, I'm eating big these days to become a trapping QB.
If you combine stats for Wisconsin, Michigan St, Iowa, Ohio St and Florida St ...
Speight had a 2-3 record. He was 91 for 157 with 948 yards. He had 4 td's and 6 interceptions and was sacked 12 times.
Take that for whatever it's worth. I know he was battling a shoulder injury during a lot of that time. But I don't think it's out of the question to think that Peters has a legit chance to start the first game
That seems to be cherry picking a little bit by including MSU. I'd look at his games against his best six opponents: OSU, PSU, FSU, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Iowa. He was 112 for 196, 1,123 yards, 6 tds, 5 ints, and sacked 15 times. So on a per game basis against the best opponents, his average line would be something like 19 for 33, 175 yards, 1 td, 1 int, and 2.5 sacks.
Overall, I think the stats support your point. Speight generally lit up the bad teams. Average line vs. Hawaii, UCF, Illinois, and Maryland (I'm ignoring Rutgers because the passing game barely had to operate, and when he was throwing the weather wasn't great): 17.5 for 28, 268 yards, 2.75 TDs, 0.25 INTs, 1.25 sacks. He didn't have a great game against a good opponent. I don't see any reason why there wouldn't be a legitimate competition in camp.
I keep hearing how Speight is going to take the next step. What do posters mean by that? Because from my prespective, his ceiling isn't very high. Is it going to be because his understanding of the offense will be improved, just better stats, or improved mechanics, etc...?
Speight doesn't have the arm strength to throw the deep ball on the run, meaning he has to plant both feet to get the ball downfield. But his footwork is inconsistent and he is prone to happy feet under pressure, which led to many poorly thrown balls last year.
His extreme immobility is also a huge detriment to a college offense, where D-lineman are usually ahead of O-lineman and pressure is constant.
On top of this, while he does seem to relish competing under pressure, he also seems to lack focus over the full 60 minutes.
Speight is elite at making reads and has great pocket awareness. But the Spring Game highlighted a lot of the same negative trends we saw all last year. There's a reason Speight was the #23 Pro-Style QB in his class - he doesn't have the talent of a top-tier B1G QB.
In this day and age, a QB like Speight who is not a threat to run has to be an elite passer in order for his team to be able to compete at a NC level. Speight is not, and will not be at that level. Harbaugh has been coaching him up for 2 1/2 years, so anything he's going to learn, he has.
YES....
Speight will be the week one starter....
YES....
He will lead us to contention for the B1G and hopefully CFP. Peters will get his feet wet but will not replace a health Speight. O'Korn will be wearing a headset and flashing all sorts of signals all game long (that looks exhausting).
The battle next year will be among some young guns. But this year is Speight's and as he goes, so does Michigan.
GO BLUE!!
......the scenario is a top 20 matchup, the 1st game of the year, in the "titanic" of football venues and my choices are:
A: 9 game winner, fought back from a rough start in Columbus enough to beat everyone on the field but the refs and brought his team back to the lead in a bowl game against a top 10 team.
Or
B: That talented kid from the midwest who won his state championship.
Even if Peters is playing by the 3rd qrtr because we need his ceiling to win, there is little chance Harbaugh dumps all the pressure on a 1st time starter when he has the strong foundation of Spieght's floor to start from.