Michigan out for Jarrett Patterson???
January 30th, 2018 at 9:58 PM ^
And none of that matters if the QB and OL play suck again. You mention the "three young linemen playing at a high level very early in their careers", well all of them sucked at pass protection last year, so no that's not "playing at a high level". And now we're looking at 2 new starters at the tackle spots and hoping that Drevno, who has yet to produce a good line here, is gonna coach them up into a championship quality unit. Color me skeptical.
Give us an Andrew Luck and sure, I'd expect us to really take off in year 4. Maybe Shea will be that if he's even eligible. But 9 passing TDs in 13 games speaks for itself. Our passing game was historically bad, and right now our best shot at a serviceable passing game is questionable to even play next year.
Also, since you're using Stanford's improvements from Harbaugh's 3rd to 4th years as a reference, it's worth mentioning that Harbaugh went out and got Vic Fangio to improve a very bad defense. What's he doing to improve our very bad offense?
January 30th, 2018 at 10:16 PM ^
January 30th, 2018 at 10:35 PM ^
What kind of context do you want? Our passing offense last year was historically bad (fewest number of passing TDs in over 40 years), and as of right now QB and OL are both huge question marks.
You really think changing assistant coaches can't help? Stanford went from 82nd in defense in 2009 to 23rd in 2010. It's no coincidence that such a significant improvement came with a change at defensive coordinator. Where do you think Penn State would be right now if they hadn't hired Joe Moorhead? All the talent and experience in the world is completely useless if they're not being coached up right and put in positions to succeed. Drevno and Pep did neither of those last year, and Drevno really for the past 3 years.
January 31st, 2018 at 8:22 AM ^
How about this for context...
Jim Harbaugh knows how to coach and he knows how to put together a staff.
Evidence..damn near every stop he's been at including UM. How quickly we forget what a disaster he walked into and immediately turned in a 10 win season and it was with Drevno on the staff and calling plays. That team had maybe one or two preseaon all B1G players and ended up with a ton of guys going pro. The Oline was improved but that's from a historically bad floor from the previous coaching staff. It is also the hardest area to get guys to play above their ceiling and it looks like the Oline was pretty close to its ceiling in those first two 10 win seasons. Wholesale turnover from Vets to newbies and 3 injured QBs and now everything and everybody sucks...and Harbaugh should fire and hire like he's playing a video game (not everyone you want is going to be available when you want them..but it sure as hell looks like he's trying to upgrade the staff and address some weaknesses (e.g. recruiting)).
But its bitching season..so bitch on ( I really believe some enjoy coming here to constantly gripe). I'm still thrilled as hell that Harbaugh is leading this program and have confidence that he will not be satisfied until UM is a much bigger factor on the national stage. No fucking way he left the Pros to come to UM so that he could be ok with just being 'Ok'. No way...Who believes otherwise?
January 31st, 2018 at 9:30 AM ^
Luck threw 13TD - with only 4INT in 12 games, with a QB rating of 143.5
Luck was #22 in the country in QB Rating
Michigan QB threw 9TD - with 10INT in 13 games, with a QB rating of 110.3
That (were it done by a single QB) would be #93 in the country in QB Rating
January 31st, 2018 at 12:11 AM ^
True Stringer Bell, and the only reason we got that over .500 win is because they won a bowl game. We were bad and it's okay to say that but some around here are still living in a past that really never was.
January 30th, 2018 at 10:02 PM ^
January 30th, 2018 at 8:43 PM ^
January 31st, 2018 at 8:07 AM ^
Speight wasn't exactly setting the word on fire when he was healthy. Peters did well against some B1G bottom feeders, but we lost to Wisconsin and a mediocre South Carolina team with him. The problems with the offense/team are bigger than just a QB.
January 31st, 2018 at 8:18 AM ^
we were doing well against Wisconsin before Peters got hurt
Speight hasn't been healthy since Iowa 2016 - something is "off"
January 31st, 2018 at 9:29 AM ^
Is that just an excuse for poor QB play? What could possibly be so wrong with Speight that a full offseason couldn't fix?
The defense was what kept us in the Wisconsin game. We scored 1 touchdown in that game... 1 touchdown.
January 31st, 2018 at 9:33 AM ^
and I believe we were leading when Peters left
I don't know on Speight, but he hasn't looked "right" since
January 31st, 2018 at 9:53 AM ^
We were not leading. We were down 14-10. DPJ's should have been a TD but unfortunately that doesn't show up in the box score.
We had so many chances to score in that game, but we weren't able to score in the redzone. We had an interception at the 30 yard line and they held us to a field goal.
Saying Speight is injured because he "didn't look right." is a stretch. Maybe he just wasn't that good when he wasn't completely surrounded by talent.
January 31st, 2018 at 10:05 AM ^
Speight, O'Korn and Rudock were all 3-stars, with Speight being ranked the best
O'Korn - .8954, ranked 645, 32nd ranked Pro Style QB
Speight - .8764, 427th, 23rd QB
Rudock - .8559, ranked 627, 23rd QB
we now have
Patterson - .9982, 4th best player, best QB
DCaff - .9435, 123rd, 5th QB
Peters - .9684, 61st, 6th QB
so our QB talent pool is as good as it has been in a while
January 31st, 2018 at 10:35 AM ^
I don't know how this is relevent to what we were discussing. Yes, the future is brighter than the past, I never said that it wasn't.
January 31st, 2018 at 12:07 PM ^
Speight under Drevno+Fisch=Good
Speight under Drevno+Hamiltion=Awful
Hmmmmmm
January 31st, 2018 at 1:56 PM ^
It has been noted that Fisch was able to simplify the offense to make it more QB friendly.
There are also some rumors swirling around that Speight and Pep might not have seen eye to eye.
When given the decision of Drevno or Fisch, the wrong decision was made.
January 30th, 2018 at 8:41 PM ^
January 31st, 2018 at 12:15 AM ^
January 31st, 2018 at 8:43 AM ^
I admit some of the pessimism is a little over the top, but it's hard to blame people being frustrated when you have a coach being paid $9 million a year who can't win a big game, or beat his rivals. It also does not help that we've been repeatedly whupped by said rivals for a decade or longer. What happened before Harbaugh got here isn't his fault, but he's contributing to the frustration as it seems like the offense has come full circle since Hoke left.
You start winning those games next year and everyone shuts up. But woulda coulda shoulda against MSU or OSU does not matter. We lost. 0-3 against OSU and 1-2 against MSU. That's your reality. That's why people are pissed.
January 30th, 2018 at 8:54 PM ^
January 30th, 2018 at 9:16 PM ^
Drevno fails again in recruiting
January 30th, 2018 at 9:32 PM ^
January 31st, 2018 at 9:41 AM ^
But Drevno apologized to his linemen, so all is good in the world.
January 30th, 2018 at 9:40 PM ^
wasn't the reason our QB threw horribly inaccurate passes against Ohio State last season
it's not great, but QB play is far and away the #1 issue with 2017
January 30th, 2018 at 10:10 PM ^
I’m a firm believer in that you fix the OL first. If you have a great OL, the rest takes care of itself. The QB has time to survey the field and make his reads. Receivers can get open. RBs have lanes to run through. When the OL is a wreck, no one has any time to operate, Peters or Patterson will be running for their life or having their teammates carry them off the field, and your RBs run into nothing but brick walls. As our RBs have been doing for the better part of a decade.
January 30th, 2018 at 10:32 PM ^
January 31st, 2018 at 8:33 AM ^
Even if that's true, that does not excuse the OL for being one of the worst in the country at pass protection. When the competition stiffened, they were horrible at run blocking too.
Despite the struggles displayed by each of our QBs, you can't blame them for the OL breaking down repeatedly.
January 31st, 2018 at 8:55 AM ^
January 31st, 2018 at 9:29 AM ^
and who is responsible for coaching up QBs already on the roster?
Or evaluating, approving & developing transfer QBs?
Or maybe even recruiting young talented QBs and coaching them up to contribute early (like so many other teams (even championship ones) do?
None of those things are happening well at Michigan.
Maybe we should hire a QB guru.
January 31st, 2018 at 3:13 PM ^
And a huge part of that was because of our OL.
I won't dispute that our QB play this year, overall, was bad. But the OL did not do Speight, O'Korn, or Peters ANY favors. It's hard to operate your offense when you can't even complete your five step drop before you have the opposing DL in your face. It's also hard for your young, inexperienced receivers to find time to get open when their QB is sacked before they can run more than 10-15 yards downfield.
I'm still a very firm believer that if you can only fix one thing on this offense, or if you have to build your offense from the ground up, you start with the line. You can have Tom Brady commanding your offense but if he doesn't have time to get comfortable (as the Giants conveyed to us all twice), what does it matter?
A great OL would've bought a young receiver time to get open. It would've opened lanes for Higdon and Evans to take more pressure off of the QB. It would've allowed Speight, O'Korn and Peters all time to survey the field, make reads, and find the right throw before they get slammed to the turf.
January 30th, 2018 at 10:05 PM ^
I'm over the 2018 season. Hard schedule. Same coaches, same playcalling and same archiac system. See not much improvement for next year. Jim blew it this offseason. Big time.
January 30th, 2018 at 10:16 PM ^
needs to contribute in 2018
maybe Hutchinson plays some
McGrone (but we red-shirted 2 elite LB last year so maybe he red-shirts)
our 2018 recruiting class was never going to have much impact on our 2018 starters or even playing time for that matter
January 30th, 2018 at 10:39 PM ^
The bombing of the '18 recruiting class sets it up as to either the '17 class have to become superstars the next couple years, because they're getting little to no help from the '18 class or we are doomed. Big risk on Jim's part. Also, Jim's set it up where the risk may be bigger than the reward. Taking "diamond in the rough" and hoping a few pan out. I know we had a bad 2017 season, but I was not expecting the class to be this bad.
January 31st, 2018 at 7:27 AM ^
it is 3rd or 4th at worst in the conference
while of course we want better, almost this entire class likely red-shirts with all the 17 red shirts that will begin to play along with all the returning starters
we have 14 players who red-shirted last year who are being added to the mix, including 4 OL
I would like one more OL and an interior DL but we only lost 2 OL (so far) in Cole and Kugler - at the moment everyone returns and we have 4 OL who red-shirted last year who will now play
it is like Maizen has infected half this board into whiny little girls
January 31st, 2018 at 10:18 AM ^
Third or fourth at anything. Expect better from your program please and stop accepting mediocrity. We're getting left in the dust with the likes of OSU and even PSU on the trail. '18 class was a failure and the staff should shoulder the blame.
January 30th, 2018 at 10:09 PM ^
January 30th, 2018 at 10:10 PM ^
January 30th, 2018 at 10:36 PM ^
January 31st, 2018 at 8:56 AM ^
January 31st, 2018 at 9:10 AM ^
January 31st, 2018 at 9:12 AM ^
the crystal ball predictions from the time he decommitted from ASU - even before CHip was hired
January 30th, 2018 at 10:40 PM ^
If you can't recruit, you won't win. Time to figure it out.
January 30th, 2018 at 10:47 PM ^
Dudek is not equipped to handle the job at this level. Arizona does not equate to Michigan recruiting. Get rid of him, Drevno and Pep and you've got yourself a great start. Jim has been too slow or too stubborn to move on these actions though.
January 31st, 2018 at 9:34 AM ^
January 30th, 2018 at 11:29 PM ^
"If you can't recruit, you can't win." This is some pretty profound shit. I'm amazed no one has thought of this before. He just got done leading us to the two best recruiting classes in over two decades. We had a mediocre and by UM's standards, sub par year. Our recruiting was bound to fall a bit and it did. We still finished in the 15-20 range. Our fb team did not. That means our recruiting surpassed the product on the field, and yet you're bitching? That's actually not too bad.
January 30th, 2018 at 11:02 PM ^
January 30th, 2018 at 11:12 PM ^
January 30th, 2018 at 11:24 PM ^
January 30th, 2018 at 11:33 PM ^
you need to show you can win. why would you go to a school that does not win big games. we have won all the easy ones. the big ones we are bad. lot of it is the offense line. no changes this year. no winning recruits.