After this game, is Brandon Peters still the favorite to start next season?

Submitted by NotADuck on

This post is not about the coaching in today's game.  I want to solely focus on Brandon Peters and whether or not he is still considered the favorite to start against Notre Dame next season.

Before today I was firmly in the "Peters will win the job" camp.  I liked how he played in his limited time this season and watched enough Shea Patterson highlights to know that his game relied on improv and a bit of luck.  However after watching the game today, I'm immediately changing my stance.  Peters was very innacurate today.  He made some good throws here and there, but many of his passes were either a little off or completely off.  He also looked very unsure of himself at times, very indecisive.  You cannot be a good quarterback at this level with that kind of innaccuracy and indecision.  Also, and this is just how it appears to me, he seems a little too soft...  I mean he left the game for one play because someone poked him in the eye... really.  I have a hard time believing that he needed to come off the field.  He also doesn't seem to shake off hits very well, laying on the ground for extended periods of time, which leads me to believe that he gets rattled easily and may have played into his indecision today.

Shea was largely an improvisational QB at Ole Miss but, considering the quality of Michigan's offensive line, that might be exactly what this team needs.  I'm watching the UCF/Auburn game right now and Auburn is getting a ton of pressure on McKenzie Milton but they can't get to him because of his ability to avoid the rush and throw on the run (with some weird Matthew Stafford esque arm angles).  Shea has a similar ability to make plays when the play breaks down.  It's one of the reasons why he was considered a five star QB coming out of high school.

It's a long off season and anything can happen, but as of right now my money is on Shea Patterson winning the starting QB job over Brandon Peters.  

EDIT:  I thought that if I posed my question in a thought provoking way with some evidence to back up my opinion I might get some equally interesting comments.  I can see I was wrong.  All I've created here is more bile.  I was foolish and I apologize for contributing to the poison infecting the board.  It appears that even though this site is dedicated to a university as intelligent and respected as Michigan, this is still the internet.

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Brandon Peters
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BlueChip27

January 1st, 2018 at 4:25 PM ^

No. He took a bunch a steps backward today. Slow afoot, made a bunch of bad decisions and his body language was all wrong. Not throwing the ball away down in the red zone....sliding short of the first down when he could have run two more yards....the list goes on.

I'm not placing 100% of the blame on his shoulders but I saw enoguh to convince me he's not the answer. He could have stepped up and really taken a huge step forward but now he's made it easy for Patterson to start fom day1 assuming he's eligible.

Joined: 10/09/2017

MGoPoints: 305

swalburn

January 1st, 2018 at 4:27 PM ^

I was one of the Peters guys who questioned getting Patterson.  I think I changed my tune.  He looked lost today and it was clear the coaches don't trust him.  He is still young but he had a bad look today.  I don't understand why it has been so hard for us to find a QB.  I don't care who starts next year as long as we can find a functional QB.  

Joined: 11/24/2011

MGoPoints: 8025

MacMarauder

January 1st, 2018 at 4:26 PM ^

Before the game I though that Shae was the likely starter next year.  Peters didn't look impressive, even before the implosion I started to think that McCaffrey has a better shot to start next year than he does.  

Joined: 01/22/2016

MGoPoints: 6226

bluenoteSA80

January 1st, 2018 at 4:26 PM ^

If Peters is your starter next year, expect another year of "coulda, woulda, shoulda."

I fully believe there needs to be major changes to the offensive coaching staff, playcalling and even the offensive philosophy. If Harbaugh cannot get an offensive staff to prepare this much talent, then we're fucked.

Joined: 01/18/2011

MGoPoints: 3033

Night_King

January 1st, 2018 at 4:26 PM ^

I would get a coordinator that will incorporate some RPO. Shea Patterson, McCaffrey, Milton, etc all have some dual threat ability. My bet (heavy confidence) is Shea starts game 1.

Joined: 03/02/2016

MGoPoints: 25672

uferfan

January 1st, 2018 at 4:26 PM ^

Some redshirt freshman quarterback named Ian Book just came off the bench and led Norte Dame to a comeback bowl victory over LSU in the Citrus Bowl.

Joined: 02/04/2015

MGoPoints: 24581

CR7

January 1st, 2018 at 4:27 PM ^

Not at all. He made some good throws today but many more poor decisions. It’ll be as open a competition as there has been.

Joined: 10/21/2012

MGoPoints: 1598

UM Fan from Sydney

January 1st, 2018 at 4:28 PM ^

Of course not. He was horrendous today. This fucking team, man. Hopefully this will be the omly eye sore of a season for Harbaugh. 100% forgettable.

Joined: 09/17/2015

MGoPoints: 58076

swoosh

January 1st, 2018 at 4:28 PM ^

QB is not the problem, I really don't think it matters.  Michigan's O is so predictable it's simply not going to matter at this point, unless we make changes.

Joined: 08/16/2010

MGoPoints: 900

DMill2782

January 1st, 2018 at 4:29 PM ^

are back, I couldn't give a fuck less who's starting at QB. My husky could start. She's pretty fucking fast and could bring a new dynamic to the offense.

Joined: 01/21/2011

MGoPoints: 12480

taut

January 1st, 2018 at 4:29 PM ^

Combine his performance this year, especially today, given the lack of improvement shown thus far, with his reported lack of work ethic on and off the field when he knew he was the #3 QB, and I have no desire to invest any more playing time or 1st team reps on him. Sorry Brandon, you had your chance and you squandered it.

Joined: 12/01/2015

MGoPoints: 1057

ngeeze1

January 1st, 2018 at 4:30 PM ^

Not a chance. Terrible decisions, slow as can be, and soft. Worst part for me was when he slid instead of running 1 yard and taking a hit for the first. Doubt Shea will make any difference though with this offensive staff. Worst offense I think I've ever seen, worse than Borges

Joined: 09/02/2016

MGoPoints: 99

S'all Good Man

January 1st, 2018 at 4:30 PM ^

I wonder how much games like this impact the leadership in the locker room. For Peters it might be tough to regain his teammates' confidence. Time will tell if there were some player issues that led to the team being so flat after weeks of practice. Bad QB play really seemed to poison the MSU team last year, along with some really bad actors. Could be a year to clean house if that's the case and start 2018 with just the guys who really want to be here. 

Joined: 12/21/2017

MGoPoints: 150

ST3

January 1st, 2018 at 4:30 PM ^

And Runyan is not the answer at RT. He couldn't beat out the worst RT starter at Michigan in my lifetime (Ulizio) and then he could not beat out JBB. Somehow, we have to find 2 new starters at tackle. Let's hope the RS frosh linemen can do the job otherwise it's looking ahead to 2019 time.

Joined: 09/11/2010

MGoPoints: 52559

ppudge

January 1st, 2018 at 4:31 PM ^

Doesn't matter if we have the same line play and play calling. But no, he's not. Weak mentally and poor field awareness. His sliding a yard short of the first down on the last drive was inexcusable.

Joined: 10/19/2008

MGoPoints: 11438

MarcusRay97

January 1st, 2018 at 4:32 PM ^

WRs are bad they can’t get open AT ALL ..... Peters had to hold on the ball longer than he wanted on many occasions because nobody was open.... We need to fix that get someone who can get open

Joined: 11/25/2017

MGoPoints: 414

DMill2782

January 1st, 2018 at 5:03 PM ^

so life keeps me really busy, but I didn't realize we did not have a WR coach. What a fucking joke. OL, DL, and WR are probably the most difficult transitions from high school to college. Not including QB. Why are we dicking around with the position like we are a high school team?

Joined: 01/21/2011

MGoPoints: 12480

HailHail47

January 1st, 2018 at 4:32 PM ^

I am in the "anybody but Peters" camp until he proves he is signifciantly better. Sliding rather than picking up the first down! No thanks, JOK would have put a shoulder down and picked it up.  

I have a feeling it will be D-Caff. 


 

Joined: 10/07/2017

MGoPoints: 5305

OSUMC Wolverine

January 1st, 2018 at 4:33 PM ^

Peters will be the best option and will start.....because I am meant to suffer.  In all honesty though today should have passed on every down as soon as we realized the running game was a no go...at least let the kid try to get a rhythm.  The run calls save maybe three were pure wastes of downs today.

Joined: 09/06/2008

MGoPoints: 4403

B1G Winning

January 1st, 2018 at 4:33 PM ^

Peters was averaging less than 100 yards per game before today. What the hell made everyone think he's some world beater than could beat out a guy who's averaging over 300+ yards per game? Has everyone COMPLETELY forgot what competent QB play looks like? At least O'Korn was responsible for our ONE win against a team with a winning record this year.

Joined: 11/08/2013

MGoPoints: 4583

YouRFree

January 1st, 2018 at 4:42 PM ^

why you are so glad?

I don't think the coaching staff is helping him too much in play calling. Redzone could have pound the ball more. We have success bounding even the 1st half. When stopping it and throw the balls, the play call is just predictable in 2nd half. BAD Coaching.

Joined: 10/15/2009

MGoPoints: 1455

DavidP814

January 1st, 2018 at 5:16 PM ^

Also curious why you are "glad"?  Is it just because the coaches have known for awhile he's not good enough to win the conference?  Or is there more to it than that?

Joined: 07/13/2012

MGoPoints: 5242

GoBlueInAlabama

January 1st, 2018 at 7:25 PM ^

Did the staff ever seriously consider McCaffrey? Reading between the lines it seemed that the staff had no other option once Speight went down. We as fans want so badly to have the answer, but we only get to see the finished product on Saturday's. I am assuming that they could tell fairly early on during camp and practice that Peters was not the answer.

Joined: 08/20/2017

MGoPoints: 1464

StirredNotShaken

January 1st, 2018 at 4:34 PM ^

how could you possibly have thought Peters deserved to start next year based on what you saw in the regular season? He was bad today but even before today he was below average at best.

Joined: 12/09/2011

MGoPoints: 4536

MUUM79

January 1st, 2018 at 4:35 PM ^

I feel he needs that killer instinct. On the last drive he scrambled on 2nd & 2 he slid to make it 3rd & 1 to avoid contact. If he just dove head first he could have easily gotten the first down.

Joined: 03/15/2010

MGoPoints: 1141

MGlobules

January 1st, 2018 at 4:37 PM ^

it's being effective in running them and mixing them up effectively that we're missing.  Under Drevno it has rarely looked inspired. And I'm a little confused as to what Harbaugh does out there besides looking pained--I think I preferred it when he was eating people. 

In retrospect a super-talented Peters would have taken the job from Speight; he did not. Peters did not look like a talented QB today. He DID it least play with pluck through the middle of the third quarter, when M's luck soured a little. Then he short-armed two screens in a row and it look like he was a goner. He came in with some swagger on the last long drive, but showed--unfortunately--that he was not quite up to the task. 

Have to hope that Patterson comes up big. But beyond that--this was not a game we needed to lose. That's on the coaches. 

Joined: 11/17/2008

MGoPoints: 47691