His tweets about the drug test are in line with what others in the media are doing, like it or not, but his tweets about Peppers' not playing in the bowl game deserve public censure -- from his employer.
If he's canned by ESPN in the upcoming round of job cuts, is there an audience that will miss him?
Could all 3 play together for 5-10 min/game against certain opponents? I would think biggest issues would be on the defensive end, but????
Bamba probably wouldn't settle for 20-25 minutes a game...would he get 30 at Kentucky?
Would his interior defense, shot blocking/intimidation, and offensive/defensive rebounding move Michigan from a team that can do damage/make a serious run in the NCAA to the next level in year 1?
Michigan appears to be in the running for a talented, but not top 5, QB from Florida
with no apparent ties to Michigan
despite having recruited 2 very highly regarded QBs in the past 2 cycles
What could be bad about this? It speaks volumes about Michigan's potential for pulling in talent from all over the country, not to mention Samoa, New Zealand, and Australia.
As for what appears to be likely not getting DTR, time will tell. Would be great to reel him in. At the same time, he has yet to start in HS -- his ceiling might be much higher; his floor is probably also much lower.
I'll trust in the coaches to do the recruiting and player development. Establishing a pretty good track record in a very short time.
2) That's a lot weight to put on -- probably 15 - 20 pounds
3) Evans, the coaches, and the trainers know what weight he needs to be at
4) This is a good thing until proven otherwise
FWIW a long time ago I put 15 lbs. onto a rather slim frame during a 3-week bike trip. 1200 miles carrying way too much gear (well over 50lbs) took a lot of calories. Before the trip running 10 miles was no problem. After, I couldn't run 3. But I could bike for an hour at least 50% faster than before. All the added weight came off in 5 weeks.
Yes, they're good. Very good. And they've probably gotten a lot better the last stretch of the year. But I suspect that their defense isn't quite as effective if you have a decent coach and have played them at least once.
an expectation. It won't happen every year. Duke doesn't get there every year. Yes, Michigan has gotten there more often than not the past 5 years, but I don't think we are at the point where 1) we expect it to happen, and 2) we expect the team to be a real threat once they get there.
Even with the amazing job Beilein has done with player development, the team has been really thin. There's a huge dropoff when a key starter goes down. Better programs have managed to stay competitive with a much deeper bench and a much higher level of overall talent.
If he's not running for his life, especially against good team,
If the O-line can get as much or, god willing, a little more push in the running game,
If the defense is better than competent -- perhaps good-ish, and
If the team gets better throughout the course of the year
then win all the games you're supposed to win, beat PSU on the road and OSU at home -- and you are playing for the B1G championship.
Until we see evidence to the contrary, I will believe that this is very possible.
Yes, there's not enough depth yet to survive major injuries and receivers will have to be on par with last year. If they know their routes, can catch the ball, and can block, they'll be fine -- and I think we've already seen evidence of this last year.
It is a crowded backfield, but it would have been nice to see what he can do -- wearing the right colors.
It's a tough call -- play more and, assuming you aspire to play in the NFL, hopefully get more attention or share the load with 3 or 4 other backs, save your body, and hopefully play well enough and win enough to get drafted.
Seems like one would have a better chance of being a Day 1 draft pick if you're the primary ball carrier.
TBD if he will be able to transfer to a school where he is likely to get lots of playing time AND win as much as he would have at Michigan -- seems unlikely, otherwise he would have been a much more highly sought after recruit in the first place.
Supposedly not a very good defensive team, they made Michigan uncomfortable and Michigan couldn't come up with a counter. And yet it came down to a coinflip.
Disappointing that Michigan couldn't execute it's offense better in the last two minutes once they got the lead, but it wasn't any different from how they executed during the first 38 minutes.
During last weekend's game one of the announcers referred to Louisville as the 2013 NCCA champions and I (not the closest follower of these things) immediately thought to myself, "wait, haven't they been stripped of that already"?
I guess we'll see, but major sanctions and taking away their championship would be more surprising to me than seeing an NCAA org chart and finding that compliance reports to the head of marketing.
1) When both teams are good the games are usually (almost always??) close
2) Home field advantage (and home cooking from the refs) can be worth a lot, as we are unfortunately all too aware
3) TBD just how much rebuilding is needed -- a leap in QB play can make up for a lot and overall talent level and team speed seem to be better.
Can't wait for the reaction on this blog when Michigan has a O-line that creates room for its running backs late in games against good teams when it matters. Hopefully we'll see that next year. I'd like to think that it can't get much worse, but we all know it can -- and just a few years ago it was much much worse. And even then (under Hoke) Michigan still had it's chances to beat much better OSU teams -- once at home and once in Columbus.
Based on what I know, I would love to have my kid play for Harbaugh. While Im not a fan of the behavior described in this story, I have enough other information to counterbalance it. If I had a neutral or negative view of Harbaugh, this story wouldn't help.
Damn was Michigan good...especially at things like defense and rebounding.
Hard to imagine Wagner, Wilson, and Donnal surviving against Vaught, Mills, and Hughes, but the game 30 years ago was played so much closer to the basket.
If 2017 Michigan shoots the lights out, they'd have a chance. Then again, the front line might pick up 10 fouls in the first half.
It would be awfully nice if Beilein could/would recruit a few interior players who could actually control the boards and the paint. No way that Sanderson can build them.
If I'm a parent of a recruit and I have a neutral or unfavorable impression, a story like this (and there seem to be many) is going to make me want to put my child in the care of another coach. Can't see why I'd give him the benefit of the doubt to try to change my impression. Of course, I'd have major concerns about my kid playing for most coaches (especially Saban and Meyer).
While there are a lot of favorable fancystats, I still have trouble envisioning Michigan doing well against a good team with a strong front line. Yes, they beat Purdue -- at home, where Michigan is a much better team -- but I'm still not convinced they'd beat Michigan State if they play them again. Isaac Haas is bigger than he is good -- I still think Michigan gets killed on the boards by more active big men.
Moreover, close losses on the road against good but not great tournament teams like Minnesota and Northwestern isn't convincing either.
Even great teams have some close games -- especially on the road -- but aside from the Nebrasks blowout, one can only hope (since there's no track record) that Michigan can win convincingly on the road against a team like Northwestern or Minnesota. Maybe we'll see some evidence in the tournament (Big Ten or NCAA) on a neutral site...maybe.
Until Beilein recruits better (which is likely never), I fear Michigan's ceiling is always going to be lower than we think it should be -- like hoping we'll make it to the sweet sixteen instead of getting there 50 - 75% of the time.
I imagine most of us will be disappointed if the football team isn't top 10 nearly every year and frequently (like every other year) top 5. Is top 25 nearly every year and frequently top 16 in the NCAA too much to ask?
Let's forget about stats and just look at how Brady performed in crunch time in all 7 super bowls. Everyone knows what happened last night. Over the course of 7 SBs, 2 big mistakes -- 1 INT and 1 inaccurate, but catchable, pass -- he overcame one. 2 game-winning FG drives starting with just over a minute left. 3 TD drives on what was, effectively, his last possession. 1 bad throw on a long drive while nursing a 3-point lead.
In 3 SBs he trailed on his last meaningful possession (that is, with enough time to move into scoring position without a miraculous play or a bad penalty by the defense). 3 TDs (including a 2-point conversion last night). Wins 2, losses 1.
In 2 SBs he was tied with just over 1 minute to go and led his team to a game winning field goal both times. Wins 2, losses 0.
In 1 SB he went 3 and out up by 10 with 7 minutes to play and then took 1 minute off the clock in 3 plays on his final possession to leave Philadelphia with no TOs, down by 3, and the ball on their own 4. Wins 1, losses 0.
In 1 SB up by 2 with 9 1/2 minutes left in the game he takes 5 1/2 minutes off the clock and gets that Patriots close to FG range, but misses key pass (catchable, but his fault) that would have come very close to sealing the game. Down by 4, gets ball back with 57 seconds left, 1 TO, and 80 yards to go. Gets to midfield in 9 plays, but runs out of time. Wins 0, losses 1.
Anyone want to dig up what Montana did? I'm sure his stats were great. At least one comeback to win with about 1 minute left. But some major blowouts as well. Brady had to perform with the game on the line in 6 out 7 super bowls -- came up with 3 TDs, 2 FGs, and one long drive that failed. 4 wins, 2 losses in those 6.
What evidence is there to convince anyone (epsecially Warde Manuel) that Michigan basketball will be anything other than mediocre for the foreseeable future?
With 25 recruiting classes, on average one would expect 4 of the top 100 recruits in each class. If the team is composed of players from the last 4 recruiting classes, there should be about 16 top 100 recruits; 20 if one looks at the past 5 recruiting classes. Of course some players (e.g., Jabrill) leave before 4 years is up.
Regardless, it looks like next year's team will have a few more top recruits than many previous classes. But most of them will be true freshmen and sophomores.
(Side note: It strikes me a bit odd that Ambry Thomas and Henry Poggi are only 2 spots away from each other on this list. The excitement for Thomas seems to be much much higher than it was for Poggi -- I certainly recall there being some for Poggi, but perhaps that came along with an expectation that he'd put on 40+ lbs. of muscle and play D-line. Of course many would argue that Thomas is better than his ratings. We'll see.)
Told to me by an engineer a long time ago when I proposed a possible strategy for betting on roulette, "You are assuming the roulette wheel is perfectly engineered so that each number has an equal probability of coming up on any spin. Such a wheel does not exist."
Seems like a better bet going with heads after heads has come up 4 times in a row. Either:
a) the odds are 50/50,
b) there's something not quite right with the coin such that it is more likely to come up heads, or
c) there something not quite right with the coin such that it is more likely to come up tails AND the previous 4 results of heads has been exceedingly improbable -- far beyond 1 in 32
Given the context of this thread one might readily interpret "We are recruiting character instead..." as an indication that Michigan didn't offer Melifonwu because of character issues. I suspect you didn't intend to imply this.
This is one of many NCAA issues that receives periodic attention on this board. There's plenty for ESPN or anyone else to take a look at.
Too much scrutiny would impair ESPN's ability to negotiate broadcasting deals with the NCAA, so they probably don't want to touch this. Local media don't have the audience or the resources to do something.
Anyone have an idea of a sports media outlet that has the resources and the reach to shine a spotlight on the NCAA? I suspect every fan based (even Alabama's, OSU's, Penn State's, North Carolina's, etc.) think they get screwed by the NCAA.
Tanning ability is a skill that is particularly useful for certain positions, including wide receivers. 247 can use the Fitzpatrick Scale to measure this:
I'm sure we'll get plenty of additional info in the next few days, and things may continue to move back and forth. Would be nice to get an authoritative take (to the extent one exists) on the apparently contradictory quotes that came out yesterday.
Tell recruits and their families that -- in all honesty -- they have no idea who is doing this stuff and that there's every reason for someone who is a fan of another school to pose as a Michigan fan. Ignore stuff from people you don't know.
As for this board, what we can do is come down hard on anyone who clearly has no direct knowledge about a recruit and slams a kid. Granted it's tough to know where to draw the line -- comparing two recruits and stating why you like one better than the other (although most of truly know absolutely nothing) seems perfectly reasonable yet might turn off a recruit, if he gets wind of it. All depends on how we want to shape the culture of the board and define what's out of bounds for commentary.
Imaging stats guys producing charts for the staff to show families that their school has a smaller % of knuckleheads than schools they are recruiting against, getting into discussions of methodology, hanging chads, etc., and then running monte carlo simulations to show what they can reasonably expect to experience during their time at Michigan.
I can't even begin to imagine what's in the love notes that recruiters send to prize recruits every/every other day for 2-3 years, but if Wheatley isn't considering a WMU offer he's going to reach out to recruits to provide assurance that he's not going anywhere...this week.
Sure, I get the arguments about how close M was in the 3 losses, but a better team doesn't let Iowa or OSU get close. M had every chance to blow Iowa out early and failed. OSU could have easily been a 2 or 3 TD victory.
I have no idea what to think about this game. Florida State appeared to have more team speed and better athletes. The O line went from terrible in the first half to not good in the second. The best part about the O line was the defense getting FSU off the field quickly to tire FSU's DL out at the end. But the D gave up way too many big plays -- and they folded at the end of the game in each of the 3 losses.
Not sure how much to pin this on the coaches, how much on the individual players, and how much on just not being good/talented enough. Michigan's margin for error was just too thin against better teams or when facing adversity -- and they made too many errors.
I haven't been paying close attention, but it sure seems like his team is much bigger, faster, and stronger. Only disadvantage (which is considerable) is a freshman quarterback who hasn't figured it out yet. Looks like the coaching staff finally realized that they can run all over TCU.
Which is why it would be so great if Georgia can find a way to lose.
Harbaugh's done an amazing job so far and is bringing in talent that will upgrade the roster. There may be a few players in every class in which he sees something that others miss, but for the most part I suspect these will be players who excel in specific situations rather than All-Americans in waiting that other top coaches (as well as the recruiting services) fail to recognize. Perhaps there will be some exceptions among players with great raw ability who are either poorly scouted, relatively new to football, or play against inferior competition (e.g., Kwity Paye, Josh Uche, and O'Maury Samuels - if he sticks).
However, I'd still much rather that Harbaugh and staff have the opportunity to develop an Aubrey Solomon or a Darnay Holmes than someone who is middle to bottom of the pack in the Top 300 and lacks outstanding measurables. Look at how incredibly valuable Jabrill Peppers has been as a punt returner. It's just much easier to win with explosive playmakers...who are also really good at football. We simply need moar.
Hopefully we'll get a couple more in the final recruiting stretch and then regularly get 3/4+ each year going forward.
There's much to be said for elite talent/playmakers -- something Michigan didn't have enough of this year. 5 stars (top 10/top 30) seems like a reasonably good measuring stick for the number of truly elite players in a class, and this is where Michigan will fall short this year. By how much? Remains TBD.
On the other hand, I think a pretty good formula for success is 1) a good, experienced quarterback, 2) a strong OL to protect him, 3) a really solid DL, 4) plenty of depth along both lines. OL and DL seem to be the most critical areas to fill for the end of the recruiting cycle, but there isn't much top end talent left on the board, barring a shocking flip of a committed recruit.
If Speight makes a leap next year and we have a more than capable backup (Peters, hopefully), we should have #1 covered. Brown seems like a pretty good bet for masking any inexperience/weaknesses/lack of depth on the defensive side against all but the most talented and efficient offenses. Team did pretty damn well against OSU with only one 5-star, so there's reason to be optimistic.
Hopefully the merits we all see in the university, Harbaugh, the upward trend of the program, the opportunity for early playing team, etc. will be viewed similarly by Solomon and/or Tufele. Beyond Filiaga or a flip, have to hope for a diamond in the rough or far better insight by the coaching staff than the recruiting services AND other top coaches.
He seems to have done pretty well at the collegiate level (slight understatement) and appears to be at least a fringe (if not better) NFL prospect. I know nothing about Johnson, nor how highly Likely was regarded coming out of high school, but we've all seen countless instances where being good at football clearly outweighs the measurables.
Recent Comments
OP corrected.
His tweets about the drug test are in line with what others in the media are doing, like it or not, but his tweets about Peppers' not playing in the bowl game deserve public censure -- from his employer.
If he's canned by ESPN in the upcoming round of job cuts, is there an audience that will miss him?
Could all 3 play together for 5-10 min/game against certain opponents? I would think biggest issues would be on the defensive end, but????
Bamba probably wouldn't settle for 20-25 minutes a game...would he get 30 at Kentucky?
Would his interior defense, shot blocking/intimidation, and offensive/defensive rebounding move Michigan from a team that can do damage/make a serious run in the NCAA to the next level in year 1?
Hall
Michigan appears to be in the running for a talented, but not top 5, QB from Florida
What could be bad about this? It speaks volumes about Michigan's potential for pulling in talent from all over the country, not to mention Samoa, New Zealand, and Australia.
As for what appears to be likely not getting DTR, time will tell. Would be great to reel him in. At the same time, he has yet to start in HS -- his ceiling might be much higher; his floor is probably also much lower.
I'll trust in the coaches to do the recruiting and player development. Establishing a pretty good track record in a very short time.
around the state of Georgia. And ringfence the fence around the garden that is the campus at Rutgers.
To avoid misinterpretation, "fucking" is thrown in for emphasis. It is not intended to convey the wall's purpose or type.
Initial reaction when I read the OP:
1) That's why his 40-time was close to 4.7
2) That's a lot weight to put on -- probably 15 - 20 pounds
3) Evans, the coaches, and the trainers know what weight he needs to be at
4) This is a good thing until proven otherwise
FWIW a long time ago I put 15 lbs. onto a rather slim frame during a 3-week bike trip. 1200 miles carrying way too much gear (well over 50lbs) took a lot of calories. Before the trip running 10 miles was no problem. After, I couldn't run 3. But I could bike for an hour at least 50% faster than before. All the added weight came off in 5 weeks.
OTOH, it looks like he's good at football and making good football plays.
it's only fitting.
Damn straight.
Just checked their season...not sure if this is a thing or just noise -- teams they played twice (played Cal 3rd time on neutral site and won by 8):
Yes, they're good. Very good. And they've probably gotten a lot better the last stretch of the year. But I suspect that their defense isn't quite as effective if you have a decent coach and have played them at least once.
an expectation. It won't happen every year. Duke doesn't get there every year. Yes, Michigan has gotten there more often than not the past 5 years, but I don't think we are at the point where 1) we expect it to happen, and 2) we expect the team to be a real threat once they get there.
Even with the amazing job Beilein has done with player development, the team has been really thin. There's a huge dropoff when a key starter goes down. Better programs have managed to stay competitive with a much deeper bench and a much higher level of overall talent.
and let's hope that Tank is not only lighting quick, but keeps his weight under 185.
then win all the games you're supposed to win, beat PSU on the road and OSU at home -- and you are playing for the B1G championship.
Until we see evidence to the contrary, I will believe that this is very possible.
Yes, there's not enough depth yet to survive major injuries and receivers will have to be on par with last year. If they know their routes, can catch the ball, and can block, they'll be fine -- and I think we've already seen evidence of this last year.
It is a crowded backfield, but it would have been nice to see what he can do -- wearing the right colors.
It's a tough call -- play more and, assuming you aspire to play in the NFL, hopefully get more attention or share the load with 3 or 4 other backs, save your body, and hopefully play well enough and win enough to get drafted.
Seems like one would have a better chance of being a Day 1 draft pick if you're the primary ball carrier.
TBD if he will be able to transfer to a school where he is likely to get lots of playing time AND win as much as he would have at Michigan -- seems unlikely, otherwise he would have been a much more highly sought after recruit in the first place.
Supposedly not a very good defensive team, they made Michigan uncomfortable and Michigan couldn't come up with a counter. And yet it came down to a coinflip.
Disappointing that Michigan couldn't execute it's offense better in the last two minutes once they got the lead, but it wasn't any different from how they executed during the first 38 minutes.
He's recognized that he needs help with defense.
It would be nice to see better rebounding -- which could be accomplished by getting better rebounders.
During last weekend's game one of the announcers referred to Louisville as the 2013 NCCA champions and I (not the closest follower of these things) immediately thought to myself, "wait, haven't they been stripped of that already"?
I guess we'll see, but major sanctions and taking away their championship would be more surprising to me than seeing an NCAA org chart and finding that compliance reports to the head of marketing.
1) When both teams are good the games are usually (almost always??) close
2) Home field advantage (and home cooking from the refs) can be worth a lot, as we are unfortunately all too aware
3) TBD just how much rebuilding is needed -- a leap in QB play can make up for a lot and overall talent level and team speed seem to be better.
Can't wait for the reaction on this blog when Michigan has a O-line that creates room for its running backs late in games against good teams when it matters. Hopefully we'll see that next year. I'd like to think that it can't get much worse, but we all know it can -- and just a few years ago it was much much worse. And even then (under Hoke) Michigan still had it's chances to beat much better OSU teams -- once at home and once in Columbus.
...and by pressuring the ball prevented Villanova from even sniffing a chance at a miracle shot at the end of the game.
As great a coach as Beilein is he usually (always?) takes guys away from the lane in similar situations, which I find...problematic.
[email protected]
Guess I don't know as much about the internets as I thought.
Based on what I know, I would love to have my kid play for Harbaugh. While Im not a fan of the behavior described in this story, I have enough other information to counterbalance it. If I had a neutral or negative view of Harbaugh, this story wouldn't help.
Damn was Michigan good...especially at things like defense and rebounding.
Hard to imagine Wagner, Wilson, and Donnal surviving against Vaught, Mills, and Hughes, but the game 30 years ago was played so much closer to the basket.
If 2017 Michigan shoots the lights out, they'd have a chance. Then again, the front line might pick up 10 fouls in the first half.
It would be awfully nice if Beilein could/would recruit a few interior players who could actually control the boards and the paint. No way that Sanderson can build them.
He amuses me
If I'm a parent of a recruit and I have a neutral or unfavorable impression, a story like this (and there seem to be many) is going to make me want to put my child in the care of another coach. Can't see why I'd give him the benefit of the doubt to try to change my impression. Of course, I'd have major concerns about my kid playing for most coaches (especially Saban and Meyer).
While there are a lot of favorable fancystats, I still have trouble envisioning Michigan doing well against a good team with a strong front line. Yes, they beat Purdue -- at home, where Michigan is a much better team -- but I'm still not convinced they'd beat Michigan State if they play them again. Isaac Haas is bigger than he is good -- I still think Michigan gets killed on the boards by more active big men.
Moreover, close losses on the road against good but not great tournament teams like Minnesota and Northwestern isn't convincing either.
Even great teams have some close games -- especially on the road -- but aside from the Nebrasks blowout, one can only hope (since there's no track record) that Michigan can win convincingly on the road against a team like Northwestern or Minnesota. Maybe we'll see some evidence in the tournament (Big Ten or NCAA) on a neutral site...maybe.
Until Beilein recruits better (which is likely never), I fear Michigan's ceiling is always going to be lower than we think it should be -- like hoping we'll make it to the sweet sixteen instead of getting there 50 - 75% of the time.
I imagine most of us will be disappointed if the football team isn't top 10 nearly every year and frequently (like every other year) top 5. Is top 25 nearly every year and frequently top 16 in the NCAA too much to ask?
Let's forget about stats and just look at how Brady performed in crunch time in all 7 super bowls. Everyone knows what happened last night. Over the course of 7 SBs, 2 big mistakes -- 1 INT and 1 inaccurate, but catchable, pass -- he overcame one. 2 game-winning FG drives starting with just over a minute left. 3 TD drives on what was, effectively, his last possession. 1 bad throw on a long drive while nursing a 3-point lead.
Anyone want to dig up what Montana did? I'm sure his stats were great. At least one comeback to win with about 1 minute left. But some major blowouts as well. Brady had to perform with the game on the line in 6 out 7 super bowls -- came up with 3 TDs, 2 FGs, and one long drive that failed. 4 wins, 2 losses in those 6.
character
This was a rhetorical question.
What evidence is there to convince anyone (epsecially Warde Manuel) that Michigan basketball will be anything other than mediocre for the foreseeable future?
With 25 recruiting classes, on average one would expect 4 of the top 100 recruits in each class. If the team is composed of players from the last 4 recruiting classes, there should be about 16 top 100 recruits; 20 if one looks at the past 5 recruiting classes. Of course some players (e.g., Jabrill) leave before 4 years is up.
Regardless, it looks like next year's team will have a few more top recruits than many previous classes. But most of them will be true freshmen and sophomores.
(Side note: It strikes me a bit odd that Ambry Thomas and Henry Poggi are only 2 spots away from each other on this list. The excitement for Thomas seems to be much much higher than it was for Poggi -- I certainly recall there being some for Poggi, but perhaps that came along with an expectation that he'd put on 40+ lbs. of muscle and play D-line. Of course many would argue that Thomas is better than his ratings. We'll see.)
Told to me by an engineer a long time ago when I proposed a possible strategy for betting on roulette, "You are assuming the roulette wheel is perfectly engineered so that each number has an equal probability of coming up on any spin. Such a wheel does not exist."
Seems like a better bet going with heads after heads has come up 4 times in a row. Either:
a) the odds are 50/50,
b) there's something not quite right with the coin such that it is more likely to come up heads, or
c) there something not quite right with the coin such that it is more likely to come up tails AND the previous 4 results of heads has been exceedingly improbable -- far beyond 1 in 32
Why not take a chance on a & b over c?
plus top 5 overall recruits not from these states, remaining best 5 in MI, and a few guys under the radar.
Given the context of this thread one might readily interpret "We are recruiting character instead..." as an indication that Michigan didn't offer Melifonwu because of character issues. I suspect you didn't intend to imply this.
This is one of many NCAA issues that receives periodic attention on this board. There's plenty for ESPN or anyone else to take a look at.
Too much scrutiny would impair ESPN's ability to negotiate broadcasting deals with the NCAA, so they probably don't want to touch this. Local media don't have the audience or the resources to do something.
Anyone have an idea of a sports media outlet that has the resources and the reach to shine a spotlight on the NCAA? I suspect every fan based (even Alabama's, OSU's, Penn State's, North Carolina's, etc.) think they get screwed by the NCAA.
Tanning ability is a skill that is particularly useful for certain positions, including wide receivers. 247 can use the Fitzpatrick Scale to measure this:
Type
Also called
Sunburning
Tanning behavior
Von Luschan's chromatic scale
Alternatively, they can go with the von Luschan chromatic scale, which may be even more useful for those who follow recruiting especially closely.
moar
I'm sure we'll get plenty of additional info in the next few days, and things may continue to move back and forth. Would be nice to get an authoritative take (to the extent one exists) on the apparently contradictory quotes that came out yesterday.
Kinda like OSU. Although OSU tries to pass. Sometimes.
Michigan was eminently vincible in November and December. However, my comment was focused on Alabama.
Tell recruits and their families that -- in all honesty -- they have no idea who is doing this stuff and that there's every reason for someone who is a fan of another school to pose as a Michigan fan. Ignore stuff from people you don't know.
As for this board, what we can do is come down hard on anyone who clearly has no direct knowledge about a recruit and slams a kid. Granted it's tough to know where to draw the line -- comparing two recruits and stating why you like one better than the other (although most of truly know absolutely nothing) seems perfectly reasonable yet might turn off a recruit, if he gets wind of it. All depends on how we want to shape the culture of the board and define what's out of bounds for commentary.
Imaging stats guys producing charts for the staff to show families that their school has a smaller % of knuckleheads than schools they are recruiting against, getting into discussions of methodology, hanging chads, etc., and then running monte carlo simulations to show what they can reasonably expect to experience during their time at Michigan.
I can't even begin to imagine what's in the love notes that recruiters send to prize recruits every/every other day for 2-3 years, but if Wheatley isn't considering a WMU offer he's going to reach out to recruits to provide assurance that he's not going anywhere...this week.
ever. And now it's just plain dispiriting.
Sure, I get the arguments about how close M was in the 3 losses, but a better team doesn't let Iowa or OSU get close. M had every chance to blow Iowa out early and failed. OSU could have easily been a 2 or 3 TD victory.
I have no idea what to think about this game. Florida State appeared to have more team speed and better athletes. The O line went from terrible in the first half to not good in the second. The best part about the O line was the defense getting FSU off the field quickly to tire FSU's DL out at the end. But the D gave up way too many big plays -- and they folded at the end of the game in each of the 3 losses.
Not sure how much to pin this on the coaches, how much on the individual players, and how much on just not being good/talented enough. Michigan's margin for error was just too thin against better teams or when facing adversity -- and they made too many errors.
Seriously.
I haven't been paying close attention, but it sure seems like his team is much bigger, faster, and stronger. Only disadvantage (which is considerable) is a freshman quarterback who hasn't figured it out yet. Looks like the coaching staff finally realized that they can run all over TCU.
Which is why it would be so great if Georgia can find a way to lose.
Harbaugh's done an amazing job so far and is bringing in talent that will upgrade the roster. There may be a few players in every class in which he sees something that others miss, but for the most part I suspect these will be players who excel in specific situations rather than All-Americans in waiting that other top coaches (as well as the recruiting services) fail to recognize. Perhaps there will be some exceptions among players with great raw ability who are either poorly scouted, relatively new to football, or play against inferior competition (e.g., Kwity Paye, Josh Uche, and O'Maury Samuels - if he sticks).
However, I'd still much rather that Harbaugh and staff have the opportunity to develop an Aubrey Solomon or a Darnay Holmes than someone who is middle to bottom of the pack in the Top 300 and lacks outstanding measurables. Look at how incredibly valuable Jabrill Peppers has been as a punt returner. It's just much easier to win with explosive playmakers...who are also really good at football. We simply need moar.
Hopefully we'll get a couple more in the final recruiting stretch and then regularly get 3/4+ each year going forward.
There's much to be said for elite talent/playmakers -- something Michigan didn't have enough of this year. 5 stars (top 10/top 30) seems like a reasonably good measuring stick for the number of truly elite players in a class, and this is where Michigan will fall short this year. By how much? Remains TBD.
On the other hand, I think a pretty good formula for success is 1) a good, experienced quarterback, 2) a strong OL to protect him, 3) a really solid DL, 4) plenty of depth along both lines. OL and DL seem to be the most critical areas to fill for the end of the recruiting cycle, but there isn't much top end talent left on the board, barring a shocking flip of a committed recruit.
If Speight makes a leap next year and we have a more than capable backup (Peters, hopefully), we should have #1 covered. Brown seems like a pretty good bet for masking any inexperience/weaknesses/lack of depth on the defensive side against all but the most talented and efficient offenses. Team did pretty damn well against OSU with only one 5-star, so there's reason to be optimistic.
Hopefully the merits we all see in the university, Harbaugh, the upward trend of the program, the opportunity for early playing team, etc. will be viewed similarly by Solomon and/or Tufele. Beyond Filiaga or a flip, have to hope for a diamond in the rough or far better insight by the coaching staff than the recruiting services AND other top coaches.
He seems to have done pretty well at the collegiate level (slight understatement) and appears to be at least a fringe (if not better) NFL prospect. I know nothing about Johnson, nor how highly Likely was regarded coming out of high school, but we've all seen countless instances where being good at football clearly outweighs the measurables.