Chris Balas on Brandon Peters: "There are recruiting mistakes, and this appears to have been a big one."

Submitted by Maizen on

Meanwhile Michigan had 4 passing yards in the 2nd half vs IU. I don't really know what to say about this if true, but thought it was extremely noteworthy.

MGoBoard

Gitback

October 15th, 2017 at 8:45 AM ^

We need to remember what happened to poor DG. You trot out a RS freshman behind this O-Line and you are going to wreck him. He'll be hearing footsteps until he's a junior. Remember that this is also the prevailing theory as to why Speight was less than great prior to getting hurt.
The fact that Peters isn't playing over O'Korn is not a sign that he's a bust. It's the byproduct of some very specific circumstances.
O'Korn may not be great, but he's at the end of his career, has played in real games, and if there's one thing he does have *some* innate talent for its occasionally making something out of nothing. His improvised gunslinger antics and his occasional Houdini act at least has to be somewhat accounted for.
All things being equal, the coaches probably figure that at this stage a "baptism by fire" for Peters isn't going to win us any more games than putting JOK out there and letting him do... what he does, while hoping our run game can produce consistently. Of course, for that to happen there has to be at least some threat from the QB position, and JOK is *juuuust* crazy enough that he can't be wholly ignored.
They'll continue to try to make O'Korn more comfortable by finding plays that work better for him while at the same time try to get Peters better in a more controlled environment (practice) so that he's not damaged goods for the future.

Joined: 04/12/2011

MGoPoints: 2126

1VaBlue1

October 15th, 2017 at 9:23 AM ^

Bullshit.

Just because he wasn't Tom Brady in a classic, dropback pro-style offense, doesn't mean he should have played some other position.  He was recruited by Rich Rod to run RR's spread to run offense (as was DRob).  If Hoke/Borges had any clue, they would have let him run it or found someone that could be that classic dropback QB that offense needed.

Joined: 01/31/2016

MGoPoints: 127738

Toby Flenderson

October 15th, 2017 at 9:55 AM ^

LOL. One of the top recruited High School QB's should of switched positions. This idea is Laughable, Devin Gardner, when given time to throw was a quality QB. The only problem is that Brady Hoke gave DG an O-Line that couldn't prevent Herpes from a Sorority House. I guess certain "demographics" of our past Michigan QB's make people think they needed to switch positions.

Joined: 01/16/2012

MGoPoints: 21470

gbdub

October 15th, 2017 at 1:07 PM ^

It's not a popular opinion because it's a dumb one. Gardner was a great QB for the system he was recruited for. You're telling me he's not at least as good a thrower as JT Barrett?

Joined: 02/16/2010

MGoPoints: 26791

KC Wolve

October 15th, 2017 at 8:48 AM ^

This is probably just a guess by Balas, but he may not be wrong. If you were to tell me in year 3 of Harbaugh the best QB play would come from a guy Iowa didn’t want in Harbaughs first year here, I would have said you were nuts. No idea what could be the issue with Peters. Everyone says he has the talent. The excuses here are my favorite. He’s too young???? Bullshit. The offense is too complicated??? That could be somewhat true but is ridiculous as well. Hey, let’s make things so complicated, our best players can’t get on the field. That makes no sense. So what is it? Maybe he was a miss which happens all the time. Again, I’m just more shocked that the alternative was a Hoke recruit and a guy that decides who he is throwing to before the ball is snapped that also had 5 yards passing in a half against fucking Indiana. I love Harbaugh, but I expected QB to be the last issue UM had and at the very least QB play would be average every year.

Joined: 10/09/2010

MGoPoints: 12679

DairyQueen

October 20th, 2017 at 10:32 AM ^

him being "too young" isn't a "bullshit" excuse at all.

of course young QB's CAN AND DO thrive on championship-level teams...

BUT

...those championship-level teams have SENIORITY at e-v-e-r-y other position, negating the youth. 

If we had a DOMINANT O-line, RB, and WRs who can get open and not drop wide open chest-catches, it would TOTALLY make sense to "try" Peters at QB.

We have NONE of that.

Also, there's a GULF of a difference between a freshman QB "beating" out upperclassmen preseason and being named "starter" (meaning your freshman is playing BY CHOICE), and "attempting salvation" by putting a freshman QB in as a starter (meaning it's NOT BY CHOICE).

I'm sorry for the emphases on things, but, it's like people keep coming up with this statement that it's somehow "bullshit" that Harbaugh shouldn't "obviously" start Peters, because it worked with some other young QB on a different team.

Supporting cast matters. Our offense is like 90% freshman and sophomores at the skill positions (WR? TE? RB?). And they're all massively inconsistent. Peters could absolutely be bailed-out, if we still had Chesson, Darboh, Jake Butt, De'Veon Smith, Devin Asiasi, etc, of course. But we ARE too young and too inconsistent to take another step down in youth/experience-level and just "obviously" play Peters. People forget we're playing a lot of underclassmen at key positions on offense. And the upperclassmen on offense aren't exactly knocking it out of the park either. Oh, and that O-Line too (though progressing, to be fair).

I'm not saying Peters can't/won't play soon, maybe even at PSU, but with the current team experience, leadership, performance-level, it's absolutely wise to avoid having to play him, as opposed to, "bullshit".

Joined: 04/20/2014

MGoPoints: 6642

bringthewood

October 15th, 2017 at 11:41 AM ^

He could show up late for meetings, not do film work on his own, not do extra work with receivers, not take input from coaches, bunch of little things that show a lack of maturity or leadership. You can screw up a whole team putting someone like this ahead of another player. As all of us know it is not always about the talent.

Joined: 09/07/2009

MGoPoints: 5553

ouck fhio

October 15th, 2017 at 9:07 AM ^

As long as he doesn't have a little John O'korn in him, what does it matter!

Watch the brandon peters spring game snaps.  He has some great throws and some really terrible ones.  All JOK has is terrible ones.  Take the good with the bad, suck it up.  Dude can move when he needs to as well.  Who knows, maybe it will all hit him and come together when he gets behind center in a real game.  Either you can or can't.  Maybe it works, maybe it'll be a disaster but just find out.  This season already has one loss on it.  JOK sure as hell isn't doing anything this season other than trying not to lose games.   There's no way it can be worse at this point and if it is then there's even more questions about our recruiting.  But, I don't believe it, kid can throw better than what we've seen.  Start him iand run, run, run, stick to it, just like we did in the second half yesterday.  Open the pass game up with the run game.  And you don't even need to really open the pass game up, O'korn is not seeing the wide open receivers.  

Joined: 04/07/2015

MGoPoints: 312

umfan323

October 15th, 2017 at 9:03 AM ^

In the spring game yes he was going up against 2nd and 3rd string defense. I’m sure our 2nd and 3rd string defense is better than Cincinnati and Air Force..Now he is being labeled a big recruiting mistake, and saying he’s that much worse than O’Korn ?? Sorry but I just can’t believe that .

Joined: 01/19/2011

MGoPoints: -99997697

TomJ

October 15th, 2017 at 10:27 AM ^

One INT, several more should have been, and stared down receivers. The problem was, Speight was so bad that Peters looked awesome by comparison. Neither was very good, sorry.

 

Joined: 03/21/2012

MGoPoints: 1437

DonBrownSoda

October 15th, 2017 at 9:05 AM ^

1990-1991 Elvis Grbac
1992-1994 Todd Collins
1995-1996 Scott Dreisbach
1995-1997 Brian Griese
1998-1999 Tom Brady
1999-2000 Drew Henson
2000-2003 John Navarre
2004-2007 Chad Henne
2007 Ryan Mallett

17 years of QB play and we put all but 2 in the NFL (and you could argue Henson would have gone if not for the Yankees). Hate on Lloyd or Mo if you want but they always filled the most important position.

Joined: 09/13/2017

MGoPoints: 1279

CarlosSpicyweiner21

October 15th, 2017 at 9:14 AM ^

I firmly believe that Harbaugh is just one of those coaches who is loyal to upperclassman QBs. Unless a young player blew his socks off he is going to run with his upperclassman under center. Just seems like how Harbaugh is.

Joined: 12/28/2015

MGoPoints: 2134

umfan323

October 15th, 2017 at 9:23 AM ^

Saban last year benched his starting QB after the 1st quarter when he wasn’t performing against USC and went with a true freshman... I’m not saying Peters is Jalen Hurst or anything but it would be nice to see what he could do leading the offense for a quarter or a couple series each game

Joined: 01/19/2011

MGoPoints: -99997697

Reader71

October 15th, 2017 at 9:54 AM ^

This is actually an argument against you. Saban was confident enough in his true freshman to put him in a game after the starter played poorly. Harbaugh is not confident enough to put in Peters after multiple games of poor QB play. Just because we don’t watch practice doesn’t mean Saban and Harbaugh don’t. When a new guy comes in, we are getting our first exposure, and if he plays well, we are surprised. Coaches aren’t.

Joined: 08/30/2009

MGoPoints: 22968

umfan323

October 15th, 2017 at 10:57 AM ^

I don’t believe Saban knew he would perform as well as he did but he gave him a chance to prove himself... In the summer it was a 3 man race to start then dropped off to a 2 man race .. All I’m saying is we will never know what we have unless he gets a shot and why not now ?? Or at the latest against Rutgers

Joined: 01/19/2011

MGoPoints: -99997697

Reader71

October 15th, 2017 at 11:22 AM ^

Saban didn’t know he would play that well, or else he would have started him. But Hurts had shown enough that Saban knew he could pull the starting QB and turn to him. No such thing for Peters. Fans see a bad QB and want to pull him, not caring if the backup can play. Coaches don’t. That he had the confidence in to pull the starter is partly based on how bad the starter was and partly based on how good Hurts was. That’s what fans never consider. If Hurts practiced poorly, you can bet the starter would have stayed out there. You’re wrong. YOU will never know what we have unless Peters gets a shot. That does not mean MICHIGAN doesn’t know what they have. Or why don’t we run Malzone out there? Give him a run, see what he has!

Joined: 08/30/2009

MGoPoints: 22968