First post-Who are the players who have been a pleasant surprise this year?
Tired of BPONE...want my first official post on here after years of lurking to be something POSITIVE, as nothing will ever stop my love of our Wolverines.
Even with the difficulties this year, there have been some bright spots. My two are on the DLine:
1. Aidan Hutchinson and
2. Kwity Paye
Hutchinson was more of a "hope", and he has been advertised; Paye I felt was ready to step into a leadership role and has been excellent so far.
Only picked 2 so that others would have a chance to pick others. So, who has been a bright spot in your mind, and has a great future ahead of them? Another win vs. Illinois and hopefully the TEAM can get on track for the HUGE games coming up...
October 6th, 2019 at 9:48 PM ^
1. Ambry Thomas
2. Zach Charbonet
October 6th, 2019 at 10:22 PM ^
Agree with both. I was skeptical Thomas would be all that good with his inability to steal more playing time last year, but he's been lights out. Best corner now imho.
Charbonet is the real deal if he could stay on the field. Hopefully he'll feel better with the lighter load he's had and time.
October 6th, 2019 at 10:32 PM ^
*Charbonnet - two n's
October 7th, 2019 at 1:11 AM ^
Excluding MTSU, Charbonnet is 53 carries for 170 yards, or 3.2 ypc, not anything to celebrate. The only back who has looked like he can find and exploit a hole is Tru Wilson.
October 6th, 2019 at 9:50 PM ^
It’s McGrone for me.
Thanks for starting a positive post!
(Let’s see how long it will be before the Ass-hats of Ann Arbor start spewing their crap...)
October 6th, 2019 at 9:54 PM ^
Ambry, McGrone, DPJ looking good off of his injury, Onwenu taking the next step.
(You calling folks Ass-hats is the only negative thing so far in this thread, just fyi.)
October 6th, 2019 at 9:58 PM ^
Onwenu is a good call. He’s been the best OL through 5 games, which was possible but probably not predicted by many.
October 6th, 2019 at 11:32 PM ^
Isn't being the best OL in this group kind of like being the world's tallest midget?
October 7th, 2019 at 9:36 AM ^
No, he’s been good
October 6th, 2019 at 9:50 PM ^
Cam McGrone is the best riser so far.
October 6th, 2019 at 10:02 PM ^
Let's rank the impact players to date:
- Kwitty Paye
- Ambry Thomas
- Kalehke Hudson
- Lavert Hill
- Nico Collins
- Aiden Hutchinson
- Cam McGrone
- Mike Danna
- Carlos Kemp
- Shea Patterson
Offense needs to step up.
October 6th, 2019 at 10:15 PM ^
There can only be one Carlo
October 6th, 2019 at 11:04 PM ^
It’s gotta be Mike Danna for me. A grad transfer from a MAC school. He is solid, plays pretty mistake free, technically sound football. He’s not gonna light your hair on fire but he’s gotta be one of the more under appreciated guys so far. Hutch would be second.
October 7th, 2019 at 1:51 AM ^
How is Bell not on a list that long?
October 7th, 2019 at 7:09 AM ^
Well technically, Shae is having the biggest impact. Just saying.
October 7th, 2019 at 9:25 PM ^
Like it or don't, but Bell absolutely has got to be on an impact player list. He's been the #1 WR this far.
October 6th, 2019 at 9:50 PM ^
Ronnie Bell
October 6th, 2019 at 9:57 PM ^
He’s definitely surprised me in a good way at times and then totally kicked me in the metaphorical nuts other times. Drops are seemingly an issue at this point, at least relative to Nico and DPJ.
October 6th, 2019 at 10:45 PM ^
He did have the drop yesterday, but he’s also being asked to make some tough catches, and almost hauled in about 4 impossible-looking catches this season. He’s already good - ceiling is Golden Tate.
October 6th, 2019 at 11:57 PM ^
He actually did haul in one of those impossible catches. Still can't believe the diving catch over the middle got overturned.
October 7th, 2019 at 9:37 AM ^
He’s kind of got that “makes the tough catches but drops the easy ones” thing going. Braylon was like that sometimes, Tee Higgins for Clemson is like that.
October 7th, 2019 at 9:57 AM ^
Exactly! He reminds Me of Stevie Breston. If you remember he also was plagued by same things in his early years. Sky’s the limit for Ronnie bell! Harbaugh has plenty of misses but, he’s not one of them.
October 6th, 2019 at 9:51 PM ^
McGrone and Hill are the difference makers of late that have helped turned around the defense. I would say Vincent Gray has been really good as a "no-name" corner. Pretty telling that all of the up and comers are on defense.
Who has surprised to the upside on offense? Really nobody. Maybe Christian Turner or Hassan Haskins in small spurts.
Shea has been surprisingly bad though.
October 7th, 2019 at 7:02 AM ^
Lots of people were freaking out in the offseason about having to play Vincent Gray. He's been in an equal rotation even with Ambry and Hill healthy and he really hasn't been picked on by any opponent. I think he deserves his due.
October 6th, 2019 at 9:52 PM ^
Cam McGrone
&
Vincent Grey
October 6th, 2019 at 9:53 PM ^
Brad Hawkins
October 6th, 2019 at 9:55 PM ^
Ambry - we didn’t even think he’d be back by Wisconsin and he started the year. Has been one of the best players on D. Absolute dog.
Kemp - honestly think he’s improved a good deal week to week. Probably had his best game this weekend. Still undersized, but he does some good things - I was expecting very “meh” from him and he’s decent.
Haskins - going to throw him in here based on the last two games. After position switches, injury, and horrible pass pro against MTSU, I was starting to think he’d get lost in the wash. The last two weeks he’s looked like a really nice back in the rotation. Good vision, smooth runner, and he maximizes his yards. I like him.
Eubanks - blocking much improved and better hands than McKeon. Should be the number one TE always, even when McKeon is healthy. Did I mention his hands are better than McKeon’s?
October 7th, 2019 at 7:07 AM ^
Haskins is a good one. Going into the year I didn't think he'd see much time. After MTSU, I was sure he wouldn't see much time. Then Rutgers happened and it's clear he brings something to the backfield.
October 7th, 2019 at 9:38 AM ^
Yep, he’s had two weeks that change the trajectory of his career.
October 6th, 2019 at 9:55 PM ^
Thanks for starting this, Fielding Fan. I'm with you: Paye and Hutchinson, plus McGrone.
October 6th, 2019 at 9:55 PM ^
Shea Patter... oh you said pleasant surprise... ?♂️
Painfully truthful joke aside, I'd say Ambry Thomas & Cam McGrone.
October 6th, 2019 at 9:58 PM ^
McGrone can't come off the field.
October 7th, 2019 at 9:01 AM ^
If McGrone can clean up some of the obvious biffs, he could be awesome.
Two were glaring on Saturday: getting caught trying to duck inside an OL on a RB screen (he got obliterated, and it made for a huge 3rd-and-long pickup), and he stopped running while responsible for a WR on an underneath cutting route (also one of Iowa’s huge 3rd-and-long pickups).
Those should amount to teaching moments for the D staff. If he can get into the right responses in those situations, the world is his oyster. If he can’t, he’s going to be this year’s Brandon Watson when we play OSU: the guy the Buckeye staff singles out in its scheming.
October 6th, 2019 at 9:59 PM ^
Speaking of Paye how about this crazy stat: he has more sacks than Gary did last year
October 6th, 2019 at 10:45 PM ^
Hoping Paye does not have a serious injury. He never did return after leaving in the 2nd half (that I noticed). Looked like they were working on his hamstring.
October 6th, 2019 at 11:36 PM ^
Uche had about as many in under 100 snaps as Gary did for his career.
But Gary was busy setting the edge. Apparently Pony actively discourages the anchor position from getting sacks.
October 6th, 2019 at 9:59 PM ^
Giles Jackson, he is taking one to the house this year
October 6th, 2019 at 10:02 PM ^
McGrone and Dax have made big impressions by virtue of their speed. Mayfield and Gray have held their own for the most part.
I'm still waiting on Mustapha.
October 6th, 2019 at 10:03 PM ^
Bell, McGrone, Uche, Gray
October 6th, 2019 at 10:06 PM ^
i was watching hutchinson play DT yesterday and do a credible job and thought: what if we had the depth to leave him at DE and let him fly?
October 6th, 2019 at 10:06 PM ^
Offense- Ronnie Bell
Defense- Ambry Thomas
After watching Bell his freshmen year I knew we got a steal, guys a baller and looks it on the field. For the star gazzers out there, he is not the typical low rated guy: he's got skill. Another offensive guy would be Zach Carbonnet but we heard a lot of noise from him since HS.
For Thomas, he went from possibly not returning till Wisconsin to being one of our best players on that side of the ball. Another guy for defense would be either McGrone or Hutchinson, both young guys have looked great.
October 6th, 2019 at 10:07 PM ^
McGrone is really becoming an impact guy. Impossible to replace a guy like Devin Bush, but he has a similar skill set and he's coming into his own as a playmaker.
Looks like he's gonna be a good one.
On offense, still remains to be seen. Ronnie Bell or Nick Eubanks I would say are the two that come to mind right now, but only because the rest of the offense has been disappointing so far.
October 6th, 2019 at 10:07 PM ^
Aiden Hutchinson is not so much a "surprise" as he is a bit of a "cool story bro" for me.
The Hutchinson family and friends tailgated just a very very short distance away from us on AAGO for few years about a decade ago. Back then they regularly set up their tailgate on a triangular patch of lawn directly in front of the AAGO utility shed; we nearly always set up ours just across the drive from them next to the shed parking lot.
The "Cool Story" part was that Aiden and other kids, including his sister (I'm guessing she was maybe 2-3 years older than Aiden) usually played a rough form of flag football that included a lot of tackling. And sometimes it was one-on-one between the two of them. His older sister usually got the better of Aiden; we all often watched, sometimes while chatting with the Hutchinsons. Quite entertaining back then to watch them go after each other!
Now that Aiden has grown up to be a main cog on the Michigan d-line, it's funny to think back to seeing that somewhat skinny little kid and then realize what he's grown into.
October 6th, 2019 at 10:10 PM ^
and rob, can you share your coaching tips you gave to aiden to get him to that next level - able to catch his sister?
how was the tailgate yesterday?
October 6th, 2019 at 10:15 PM ^
Coaching tips from me? LOL!
As for yesterday's tailgate, we got shoe-horned in well away from our preferred spot, as parts of both golf courses were closed off due to the heavy rains midweek. We made the best of it, though we didn't even have enough space to set up our 2nd canopy and our Cornhole set.
October 6th, 2019 at 10:07 PM ^
Hutchinson was talked up as a freshman by Gary, Wino, Bush, etc. and scouted as a stud. So he's not such a surprise.
McGrone is a stud first and foremost, but I was actually shocked we HADN'T hit on a LBer yet, (Singleton, Anthony, and McGrone, and a few more LBers were all top-billed coming in and so thae fact that one of them has hit, is less of shock as much as a relief). It's not that McGrone isn't already one of our best players on D (and that does say a lot), it's that I'm not surprised.
| Vincent Grey |
He seems to have come out of nowhere and his aggressiveness, first step, and angle of attack in run-support for a freshman he's as hungry as anyone I've seen step in their first season on Defense. Getting a little bit stronger, and if he keeps progressing, his upside is tremendous
and
| Ambry Thomas |
I'm glad he worked out, it was getting late early for him he didn't pop early this season. He looks to have honed in his instincts, is playing much stronger on the field, and is aggressive. He didn't really have that much particular hype, but watching him so far his speed and agressiveness look like a typical Don Brown DB.
Dax Hill, Charbo look great, it's nice to finally see touted Freshman come in and actually look great on the field early.
October 6th, 2019 at 10:42 PM ^
Bell
mcgrone
thomas
charbonnet
vincent gray
Dax hill
October 6th, 2019 at 10:43 PM ^
Players that Should be good and are living up to it:
Hutchinson
uche
Kwity Paye
October 6th, 2019 at 10:46 PM ^
Honestly, the only player who has been good in every game is Will Hart, and I'm not being snarky. He's been good, and I can't think of anyone else who has been consistent on the whole team. Maybe a half star to ZC for blocking and ball security.
October 6th, 2019 at 11:05 PM ^
Evidently you missed this weekend's game.