Hypothetical Question
So let's say Peters plays OK. Has his good moments and his bad moments. A typical redshirt freshman. What does Harbaugh do in a couple weeks if Speight is cleared to play? Does Wilton have a chance to get back into the mix? Harbaugh has always been a meritocracy person, so what if Peters hasn't ourperformed pre-injury Speight?
October 30th, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
why has it seemed like speight was never in the quarterback running for the 2018 season? only hear about mccafrey and peters, was everyone expecting him to go to the draft or did they just forget about his extra year of eligibility.
October 30th, 2017 at 12:51 PM ^
Somebody posted that it's been since 2003 that Michigan has had an uninjured senior returning starting QB for the OSU game. That's a luxury option that it would be insane to throw away.
Speight has had no issue competing for the QB job for the last 3 years - I doubt that would change next year. And competition / mentorship from Speight can only be a good thing for our young QBs.
I would feel immensely better with our QB scenario next year with Speight on the team. Sure, you'd like to see one of the young guys improve enough to win the job. But even if they do, an unspectacular but steady 5th year senior, multi-year starter as a backup is a great thing to have in case the young gun gets the yips.
As for this year.... Speight should probably just focus on healing up for the regular season at a minimum. And probably for the bowl game too, the bowl game is probably going to be especially meaningless this year and Peters needs the reps more than Speight.
October 30th, 2017 at 1:32 PM ^
Because the competition has been poop.
The only reason I'd be leery about having Speight around is that Harbaugh appears to be incredibly risk-averse with his QB decisions.
October 30th, 2017 at 12:58 PM ^
Assuming Peters continues to progress, I don't think Speight is getting his job back. Limited sample size, quality of competition, and "Look at what O'Korn did to Purdue" caveats of course apply until we see Peters sustain this kind of efficiency against better defenses. But the offense looked more in-tune under Peters than it ever did under Speight this year.
If Peters struggles down the stretch, plays bad against OSU, then its a three man competition between Speight, Peters and McCaffery in the offseason. And just one more distraction for the program. If Peters finishes strong, helps orchestrate an upset over either Wisconsin or OSU, plays well in the bowl game and leads us to a third straight double-digit win season, then I'd say if Speight wants to play again he'd better start looking at grad transfer options. Peters would be "the guy" coming into 2018 with McCaffery as the backup.
October 30th, 2017 at 12:59 PM ^
October 31st, 2017 at 5:05 AM ^
RRRRRiiiiiiiigggghhhttttt!
/s
October 30th, 2017 at 1:33 PM ^
Harbaugh will go with the QB that gives Michigan the best chance to win on November 25th, and probablly on November 18th as well. That could mean Brandon Peters. It could mean Wilton Speight. It could mean John O'Korn.
This week, I would expect Brandon Peters to get nearly all the snaps, possibly a series or two for John O'Korn. Next week, on the road at Maryland, I would expect something similar. They will try to give Peters as much of the offense as he can handle.
But Harbaugh will not sacrifice chances to win against Wisconsin or Ohio State just to get Peters ready for next year. Peters may start those games too, but if he runs into any trouble, he will be relieved- for his own sake, as well as the team. Whether that is Speight or O'Korn or Peters (or a combination of them), the priority is on winning that game(s) at the end of the season.
October 30th, 2017 at 2:02 PM ^
Barring any injury to Peters, going back to O'Korn would not make any sense. From what we saw of Peters in one game is enough to see that he is a better fit for the offense. As others have said, the offense just clicked. That's not to say there won't be problems. Peters is going to make mistakes and Harbaugh knows that. Going back to O'Korn for any reason other than injury or Peters throwing interceptions literally every drive would be ridiculous.
October 30th, 2017 at 7:59 PM ^
"From what we saw of Peters in one game" and what we optimistically extrapolate from that, is not necessarily what coaches know and have seen. Apart from mistakes, Michigan will likely need its whole offense (and defense) to beat Wisconsin and Ohio State. Going with a stripped-down version the whole game might not get it done.
October 30th, 2017 at 1:42 PM ^
Sure if Peters completly crashes and burns im sure Speight would have a solid chance to come back and win the job. I dont see that happening personally. Im sure Peters will have some freshman hiccups over the final 2 games maybe even before then but to my eyes its pretty evident Peters is superior talent. He showed an ability to read the defense and get the ball out of his hand to the proper option that i just never saw with Wilt. People need to stop the Purdue game comparisons, they looked nothing alike. OKorn had a Favre esc school yard type performance in that game, something that was predictably unsustainable. Peters came in on Saturday and it was like a light went off for the entire offense. The quick check down to Poggi for example is something the other two just would not have seen. He read the defense immediately and knew where he was going with the ball and put it on him the second he presented himself to the qb. Very simple play but it showed me something.
Im a huge Harbaugh fan. He's a great coach and the right man for the job long term (here comes the but). Can we please stop with the meritocracy shtick? It's cute to say and create competition and yada yada yada but its become the new BPA. The evidence against it is begining to mount. Niether Joe Bolden nor Des Morgan were better that Ben Gedeon and Matt Godin sure as shit wasnt ever at any point better to or even close to equal to Mo Hurst. I dont even complelty disagree with the use of Hurst on the so called 2nd line last year. It made the 2nd line a weapon in a way that Godin just wouldnt have.(although i still have nightmares of osu gashing relentlessly 2 years in a row right over Godin while im yelling at my TV to put Hurst in there) That said you just cant call it a meritocracy and give Godin the start over Hurst, theres really no argument for that.
October 30th, 2017 at 3:41 PM ^
October 30th, 2017 at 6:52 PM ^
October 30th, 2017 at 11:14 PM ^
October 30th, 2017 at 2:46 PM ^
Sentence fragment
Declaratory statement
Question
October 30th, 2017 at 7:16 PM ^
October 30th, 2017 at 4:01 PM ^
Am I the only one who has trouble believing UM, or any program, is going to play a QB who had a broken neck? I know the chance of re-injuring those vertebrae is low, but can you imagine the shitstorm if something happened to Speight? I would not be surprised if a decision came down from above Harbaugh on whether Speight can play again. Or I could be way off.
October 30th, 2017 at 4:21 PM ^
If BP is going to be the next great QB at Michigan, he will take this opportunity and run with it (growing pains included). Speight would be a great backup QB in that situation. But, we can't predict the future. Either way, I trust Harbaugh to make the best decision for the team.
October 30th, 2017 at 4:25 PM ^
No other considerations matter.
October 30th, 2017 at 5:19 PM ^
Problem solved.
October 30th, 2017 at 5:43 PM ^
Playoffs are out. Big ten title is probably out. Time to prepare Peters for next year because Speight doesn't have it.
October 30th, 2017 at 5:47 PM ^
What does Harbaugh do in a couple weeks if Speight is cleared to play?
I imagine he does the same thing he's doing now, so theoretically, to answer the other question too, Speight will always have some nominal shot to get back in it on any given week. Indeed, who knows....in a given week, he might even start if indeed Harbaugh is holding true to the meritocracy, which I believe he is. I think the mystery to all of us are the relative probabilities of such things happening. I have to believe that if Peters is still going strong in a few weeks, Speight comes back - again, probabilistically - as being in the mix for #2 at that point. What happens from there, time will tell.
October 30th, 2017 at 6:21 PM ^
October 30th, 2017 at 7:13 PM ^
October 30th, 2017 at 8:50 PM ^
October 30th, 2017 at 9:01 PM ^
If he does, there's no way Speight gets back in this year.
If he doesn't, it would depend on how bad Peters was playing. If Peters is so-so, then I'd imagine Harbaugh sticks with the guy who isn't injured. But if Peters is straight up bad, then that's another story.
My guess is he's somewhere between good and so-so, which would be better than either Speight or O'Korn. But it's only Rutgers, so we'll need to see how Peters does against Minnesota.
October 30th, 2017 at 9:45 PM ^
October 30th, 2017 at 10:49 PM ^
to attend every practice so that you are fully aware he played better fb that Wilt every practice, displayed the leadership and picked up the defenses and relayed the same to his offense, made sure they were all on the same page prior to every snap, made sure they were all aware of their assignement with the blitz package he picked up, raised his hands at just tje rignt height and crossed the left arm over the right first, instead of vice versa, indicating an outside cut instead of inside, under the belly of the D? And were the coaches happy with how he took command of the offense, how when a receiver screwed up on a route, he took him aside, showing quality leadership and explained to him in a cool manner what he had to do on that play or if he was running around struggling, trying to get away from Rashaun or Chase how he is supposed to work back toward him trying to separate himself from the defender? And do you remember who he ran with in the spring game and who Wilt and J.Korn ran with as well? And why did you think his play was so much greater than Speight's, something i really didn't notice, not to the point of changing to a first time starter yet. And yet you somehow became a staff member without anyone knowing or gained permission to watch every practice and report what you saw on this site at the same time, something no one else ever has accomplished.
In other words how were you able to set this precedence and are you going to share so that we might have an equal quality experience or just keep all that good shit to yourself because no one else is going to believe you anyway?
October 31st, 2017 at 1:24 AM ^
October 31st, 2017 at 1:11 AM ^
This is pretty much how I feel. The season is already a lost cause as we need Penn state to lose 2 more, m$u to lose 2 more, and for us to win out. I don't see any of the above happening. Let Peters go through his growing pains now since it doesn't matter anymore and get ready for the future.
October 30th, 2017 at 10:47 PM ^
...after hearing everything he and his family went through, I think I prefer to see Speight choose to end his football career as the #2 QB on UofM's depth chart next year and than transition right onto the football staff.
Seems like he is a good leader and understood the offense better than he could execute it.
I'd take him over Drevno today ;) /s
October 31st, 2017 at 1:09 AM ^
Does Wilton have a chance to get back into the mix?
Even the very thought of that makes me shudder. The scary part is that Harbaugh was willing to stick with him until he had no other choice because of an injury.
October 31st, 2017 at 5:01 AM ^
He does what is best for the team.
If what is best is not clear to you, then you are not really watching.
I have a feeling that Harbaugh is watching.
Speight will remain a contributor, and a leader. He's all class.
October 31st, 2017 at 9:51 AM ^
" then you are not really watching."
Oh, I was watching. And I wasn't liking what I was seeing. If you want Speight, I really don't know what to tell you.
October 31st, 2017 at 11:34 AM ^
There are so many unknowns at this point that it's useless to even guess. We have a lot to learn, both about how well Peters plays, and how well Speight recovers.