Can confirm after watching a few GVSU games this year, including their final loss against the eventual national champs, that their D-Line was unreal for D2. They lost to Harding, who ran the Army-bone so well that they were the first team to ever rush for over 6,000 yards in a season. I believe they scored over 38 points against everyone in the playoffs (sans GVSU), including a 502 yard rushing performance in a 38-7 drubbing of back to back national runners up Colorado School of Mines in the finals. Long story short, no one even came close to slowing them down last season...except GVSU.
That unstoppable Harding rushing offense scored only 7 points...in the 4th quarter off a short field, and won 7-6 against the Lakers. GVSU's D-line stuffed them in a locker most of the game, and Suggs was a big part of that. He's a beast and I think could be an upgrade from Goode.
I thought Pierce looked okay-ish when he got snaps this past year, I don't think it's unreasonable to think he could be a functional rotational option in 2024, especially with another year of Herbertization. Enow Etta is also DT-ish size, so with his recruiting pedigree maybe he's someone that can slide inside for some snaps? Either way, hopefully they get some leads and can get Brandt and Etta or someone else on the field a bit, too, to see what they can do.
I ask again if Jaydon Hood won't get a look at LB? Doom-squirrel recruiting profile, and when he got semi-meaningful snaps last year he also seemed playable.
The point on sliding Moore down to nickel and McBurrows to outside corner also seems like the floor of the secondary this year - not unlike where we thought we were part way through 2023 . Clink's got a good track record, so I gotta believe he'll turn one or two of the corners into usable pieces by midseason at least.
Two big things to think about here are:
1. Staying healthy - even our most optimistic takes will mean less rotation in 2024, these dudes need to stay healthy if they're going to terrorize like we hope they will.
2. Will the offense keep them off the field? The offense ate up a lot of ToP last year, between that and the defensive rotation, dudes didn't have to play too much. If our offense regresses severely, that means a lot more defensive snaps for fewer players which likely means more injuries.
Jaydon Hood got some snaps and looked pretty good at times this year, too. I wouldn't count him out of the LB rotation, either. I'd say the floor will be pretty high with those four guys.
Iowa's offensive ineptitude is just remarkable to me. Pulling out the insane stats, like All's and Lachey's receiving numbers vis a vis the rest of the team is mindblowing. Thanks for pulling this together!
I couldn't help but pull some numbers together as I thought about the disparity between the top 3 teams in the East vs. the West, to get a better idea of the gulf we're looking at that allows Iowa to win that division. I tallied up the scores for the crossover games for UM, OSU, and PSU this year and here's what it looks like:
Big 3 average points per game: 38
West opponents: 8.4
The closest score was OSU's 24-10 win at Wisconsin, followed by PSU's 30-13 win over Illinois. Aside from those two nailbiters, every other game was won by four scores or more.
Average margin of victory:
UM: 36
OSU: 27.3
PSU: 25.3
While nostalgic me will miss the divisions, I'm also looking forward to a more competitive league as the gulf between the current haves and have nots is really massive.
I also grabbed the final scores from the championship game since switching to the East/West alignment and here are those numbers:
Average scores:
East: 36.2
West: 16.1
After the first blowout 59-0 OSU win, the next three games were all one score affairs, with margins of 3, 7, and 6 points. Since then, the last five games have all been at least two score victories with an average margin of 21.2.
Both Ohio State and MSU take Iowa's strategy to a new extreme and begin punting on first down in the second quarter after realizing it's better than going backward on every play.
If he became a competent part time option as a running back or fullback, you could do all kinds of crazy shit in goal line packages. Put him and Edwards in the backfield with Loveland and Barner at TE, Wilson singled up outside...You could look like you're going beef, but then split everyone outside (including Edwards) and watch how a heavy defensive set tries to scramble to deal with that. Hell, you could put in a package where JJ splits out wide and Orji is the "wildcat" but he's also actually a QB...
Yes, this would be awfully gimmicky, but it's fun to think about what you can do with a Taysom Hill type player on the roster.
For the sake of science, I ran the speed option against my schnauzer, Larry, tonight. Can confirm. I don't think he even knows how to play football, let alone stop the speed option.
I've been kind of silently screaming for more Roman Wilson for a couple years now. While I've noticed he definitely has some limitations in the getting off the line vs. press coverage department, and he's not exactly going to go up and Nico Collins the ball from people, but holy shit is this guy fast - and he seems to have really good hands. We saw it against Georgia and against the other "high-talent" teams we play like OSU/PSU he just runs by these 4/5 stars like they're in mud.
I get that some teams are so afraid of him that they roll safeties over the top and such, but I think it's criminal that there aren't at least four or five attempts per game to get him the ball - if not deep, then on some sort of play where we motion/pick for him and get him the ball going horizontally so he can try to turn the corner. He is a unique weapon even for the elite programs in terms of stretching things horizontally and vertically, and maximizing that threat seems like it would make Corum and Edwards' lives that much easier.
While the offense is going to see some major attrition next year the defense is still going to be an embarrassment of riches. The DL will have Grant, Graham, Benny, Stewart, and Moore at the very least. Linebackers will be Colson, Hausmann, NHG, and Rolder, and Will Johnson will be back with a supporting cast that likely includes Walker, Hill, McBurrows, Paige, Moore, Sabb, Dent, etc.
If JJ leaves and they're shy about handing the keys to Warren or Davis, I don't think it will be too hard to lure a B+ or A- level QB from a middling Power 5 team to come play (see Sam Hartman) to throw to guys like Loveland, Clemons, Morris, hell even O'Leary or the new freshmen that seem to be impressing.
And while Michigan will almost certainly take a step back on the OL and at running back, to me there's plenty of talent there to put together at least an above-average offense. Maybe not be national contender level good, but outside of OSU, is a team going to have much better pieces than Barnhart (4* w/ experience), Jones (4* w/ experience), Crippen and Anderson (4*s), El-Hadi (4* w/ experience)? Not to mention guys like Gentry, Persi, and Hinton (if he sticks around)...
To that end, outside of OSU and PSU, a running back room of Stokes, Cabana, Marshall, Hall, and Mullings would be a gold mine.
So, I guess, in short, I would disagree with your assessment of an almost 500 season being a possibility. Maybe not enough to be nationally relevant, but I can't see a huge dropoff. It *might* be a year where a loss to a non-OSU team like Penn State or a resurgent Wisky wouldn't be a huge surprise, but I'd still wager that roster will be heavy favorites against nearly all of the BIG.
After reading the title I felt overwhelmed. My first thought was, "I don't even remember all of the names of the bands I've ever listened to. How in the hell am I going to pick a favorite song from a band whose name I don't remember?"
1997 I downloaded an .mp3 that I remember liking, but the file name didn't really say who it was or what the name of the song was. How do I work that into my list? I have so many questions...
Jesus. Wisconsin was Wisconsin. Then, Illinois also became Wisconsin. Now, by way of Illinois, Purdue will also become Wisconsin. Brohm was the only thing keeping the West mildly interesting. They can't kill these divisions fast enough.
Going undefeated is hard. I was sending angry texts during this game. But, it's a win. OSU struggled today and previously struggled with Northwestern and ND. Georgia was a missed 30 some yard field goal from real drama against...Kentucky. And that death star almost lost to Missouri earlier this year. Tennessee got boat raced. Alabama already lost twice.
So, this is the world of being elite. You might have to dig down deep to sweat one out once in a while. Especially when you're down your best DE, top two running backs, top two TEs, and a banged up OL.
I'm not saying you're wrong,there's certainly a chance they wouldn't have panned out had they stayed, but just on physical ability alone, I would wager all three of these guys would trend towards the highest ends of physical attributes for MAC players at their positions.
Assuming they got decent coaching, which seems viable considering WMU has put a handful of skill guys into the NFL in the past two years (Skyy Moore, Eskridge), along with an OL or two, yikes. Hell, last year they had a solid QB, just put Reed together with Skyy Moore and that probably would have made for some high scoring Maction.
Didn't realize Chase Brown was a Bronco transfer. Good Lord, that means that team could be running out an offense with Thorne, Reed, and Brown this year? That would have been a helluva MAC team.
I recall watching the Tennessee/Alabama game earlier this year and watching the Vols stack two receivers wide and the trail guy (don't recall his name at the moment) was getting clean releases and by the time he got to the safety the poor safety didn't have a chance. The receive made a slight cut and if the QB hit him, it was game over. Would love to see a similar setup with Roman Wilson being the offset guy in the stack and just tearing ass into the secondary.
Like most people on here, I'm no expert, but it doesn't seem irrational to think there are wrinkles to existing plays or even extra chapters of the playbook we've been saving up for the game considering how lopsided every game has been to this point. We clearly haven't executed the "vanilla" stuff to perfection thus far, but I guess the hope here is that *IF* there's more in the bag, it will be far enough outside the box that it schemes guys VERY open for big plays in the passing game. Here's to hoping.
To be fair (TO BE FAIR!!!!), it's a pretty long video, and you wouldn't expect it to jump right to Vinny's agility drill after the intro. Only trying to point people directly to the item of interest.
Maybe it's because he played a million years but Vinny Testaverde was actually pretty agile. Check him out dusting everyone in the 1997 NFL skills competition agility drill.
I'm not smart in the technicalities of foosball, but I'm happy to say that this validated my immediate take from Saturday. J.J. running threat is real = very bad for other team. It's like the Joe Milton hype became real!
Lots of good takes here, but in general, I'd say it's almost everything. Better players, more depth, and better coaching.
The only spot I'd say we might not technically be better that everyone else keeps saying is the Oline. The current line is good, but it doesn't have more talent than the Runyan, Onwenu, Ruiz, Bredeson, Mayfield line from a couple years back. That line was LOADED with talent, not sure how we didn't pave everyone with those guys...
Anyway, in general we have the best QB room we've had, the running backs the last two-three years have been loaded, and our WRs are all potential NFL guys, and a nice mix of slot guys and outside guys as opposed to all one or the other. TEs are stacked up a mile deep - All's not even playing and we barely notice.
DL depth and talent is the best since the Hurst days. LB is the weak spot obviously, but we're also solid across the defensive backfield, and have a bit of depth with Green/Turner/Johnson/Sainsristil giving us a lot of options at corner and three okay to good safeties.
IMO, there have been individual position groups (outside of QB) that have been in the ballpark of some of these groups, but not all at the same time.
This. Yes, I enjoyed steamrolling PSU on the ground. I'd just like to know that UM could do the same in the air if it came down to it. At this point, I still have my doubts.
This. Yes, I enjoyed steamrolling PSU on the ground. I'd just like to know that UM could do the same in the air if it came down to it. At this point, I still have my doubts.
This. Yes, I enjoyed steamrolling PSU on the ground. I'd just like to know that UM could do the same in the air if it came down to it. At this point, I still have my doubts.
Anyone else notice in the fourth that they had Grant, Graham, and Moore all in at the same time? And that it ended in a sack? True freshmen on the DL playing well is a great sign for the future!
I did my undergrad at Grand Valley and I love the atmosphere of their home games, especially early in the year when the students show up in force (they die off as the weather gets cold). Pretty nuts to be at a stadium that technically holds about 11k but ends up stuffing 16k in every corner of the place. The night games are loud and have a really big-time atmosphere. In a couple of weeks they should be playing a #1 vs. #2 game for DII supremacy against Ferris State which should be a lot of fun...especially if GV doesn't get rolled again.
Side note, someone in DI please hire Tony Annese as an OC so he can stop killing Grand Valley. Thank you.
That Hemby kid looks like a hell of an athlete. Might want to start throwing offers out at these guys Maryland's been recruiting these past few years when the RB board's pickings get slim. They have had a pretty decent track record with backs of late.
1. Depth at tackle - and maybe the lack of uniform hype for Jones yet.
2. The unique Haskins attributes we'll miss - still no leader in the clubhouse for mooseback is a minor concern (can probably scheme around this to an extent) but the pass protection thing could be a bigger deal. I forgot how many times Haskins obliterated guys on blitz pickups last year to keep a clean pocket. That might be a bigger deal than we're thinking.
So many honorable mentions: Handmaid's Tale, Dexter, Always Sunny, The League, Sons of Anarchy, Succession, Billions, The Americans, The Office, Parks & Rec, Game of Thrones...there has been so much great TV the last two decades it's almost hard to fathom. I left out some that I'm sure I would vote for, but haven't gotten around to watching the entire series yet - Sopranos, Deadwood, Six Feet Under, and I'm sure many more.
I was lining up a four-foot putt in my golf league last week when...BAM...I got hit in the head by a stray football going about 400mph. I can only assume Joe Milton was overthrowing a receiver somewhere several hundred miles away.
If the offense produces as well as it should, I'm guessing we'll see a lot more shootout type games where we'll see opponents throwing the ball more than we have in the past. Having another interior guy who can pass rush would be a welcome addition if that plays out.
Otherwise, if the Wolverines are just blowing teams off the field, it's nice to know that we have competent depth like this to rack up style points while the starters can rest and stay healthy.
Houstan, at this point, is an impoverished man's Adam Morrison. I'd say his ultimate ceiling is pre-injury Adam Morrison. Similar in size and athleticism, but doesn't shoot as well as Morrison and doesn't have that pull-up game off the dribble that Morrison had. An uninjured Morrison would have probably been a decent rotation piece on an NBA team IMO.
jesus christ, can you imagine what barry would have done to d2 kids? i went to grand valley, and watching some of their NFL guys ruin people in games over the years was pretty terrifying (matt judon was particularly scary), but barry would have just juked those poor kids out of their (partial) scholarships.
I can't fathom what an NBA scout would see in him at the moment. I think he can develop into a pretty good college player yet, but the lack of athleticism is going to be a huge problem even in becoming a very good college player. I see a ceiling of Zak Irvin except two inches taller, and less athletic.
BTW, I'd be pretty happy if we got two year of prime Zak Irvin out of Houstan.
I feel like we could veer back towards a more Don Brown-like defense this year based on personnel. We certainly won't have the edge rushing terrors we had last year, but between Morris, Upshaw, Harrell, McGregor and possibly Guy or Bennett, we should at least have a serviceable mix of good anchor play and run stopping.
A line of Morris/Mazi/Jenkins/Upshaw would be pretty big in a 4-3 and hard to move against the run. Swap in a Harrell or McGregor and you could get a little more pass rush but also bring pressure from faster than hell linebackers like Barrett or Colson and get away with it assuming Turner/Green/Johnson/McBurrows/Moore/Moten/Sabb/Sainristil/Paige provide better man coverage than what we've seen in the past two seasons. And maybe I've got rose colored glasses on, but I think it's safe to assume we'll be better here with Gray gone and the wider array of options available to mix and match.
Ultimately, there are probably too many holes to patch over to be a truly elite defense, as there will still be matchups to pick on at DE and LB in particular, but I imagine there's enough here to like, and if utilized correctly, should still be a top 3-4 defense in the BIG at least.
Trente Jones. Steuber was a big part of this year's offensive success, I think Jones snatches the job and impresses. He's got tons of talent, got a lot of run as the extra road grater, and the recruiting profile says it's time to shine.
Defense, I'm going with McBurrows grabbing PT and I think Gemon Green has a big bounce back season. Secondary is going to have to be good, so I hope this is true. In man, Green just needs to be better when the ball arrives. As one of the staff guys pointed out previously, he always seems to be there, just needs to get his head around and make a play. By midseason Turner figured out how to do the former AND the latter. If Green can turn that corner (pun!), that's two REALLY good corners with experience for shutting non-OSU teams down in man to man.
McBurrows as the third guy with explosive playmaking ability would put us in great shape in the secondary.
I have no illusions that this team is better than it is, but every game I watch I can't help but wonder what the scouts saw to rate Houstan as a five star. People are talking about him going to the NBA, but I don't see any skills or even physical traits that make him better than Zack Novak. Am I insane?
This. It's just a weird team where the pieces don't fit. Lots of these guys could be functional to good players...on other teams. No PG, no shooting, and no athletes on the wings makes for a mess on both ends of the floor.
For as painful as the offense is with no spacing, the closeouts on defense, and the absolute inability to stay in front of someone driving to the basket is just hard to fathom.
Recent Comments
Can confirm after watching a few GVSU games this year, including their final loss against the eventual national champs, that their D-Line was unreal for D2. They lost to Harding, who ran the Army-bone so well that they were the first team to ever rush for over 6,000 yards in a season. I believe they scored over 38 points against everyone in the playoffs (sans GVSU), including a 502 yard rushing performance in a 38-7 drubbing of back to back national runners up Colorado School of Mines in the finals. Long story short, no one even came close to slowing them down last season...except GVSU.
That unstoppable Harding rushing offense scored only 7 points...in the 4th quarter off a short field, and won 7-6 against the Lakers. GVSU's D-line stuffed them in a locker most of the game, and Suggs was a big part of that. He's a beast and I think could be an upgrade from Goode.
I occasionally wonder about a world where Cade McNamara hung around and so did Andrel Anthony.
Mason Graham has to be on this team because I'm not sure anyone has ever figured out how to stop him from doing whatever he wants.
I thought Pierce looked okay-ish when he got snaps this past year, I don't think it's unreasonable to think he could be a functional rotational option in 2024, especially with another year of Herbertization. Enow Etta is also DT-ish size, so with his recruiting pedigree maybe he's someone that can slide inside for some snaps? Either way, hopefully they get some leads and can get Brandt and Etta or someone else on the field a bit, too, to see what they can do.
I ask again if Jaydon Hood won't get a look at LB? Doom-squirrel recruiting profile, and when he got semi-meaningful snaps last year he also seemed playable.
The point on sliding Moore down to nickel and McBurrows to outside corner also seems like the floor of the secondary this year - not unlike where we thought we were part way through 2023 . Clink's got a good track record, so I gotta believe he'll turn one or two of the corners into usable pieces by midseason at least.
Two big things to think about here are:
1. Staying healthy - even our most optimistic takes will mean less rotation in 2024, these dudes need to stay healthy if they're going to terrorize like we hope they will.
2. Will the offense keep them off the field? The offense ate up a lot of ToP last year, between that and the defensive rotation, dudes didn't have to play too much. If our offense regresses severely, that means a lot more defensive snaps for fewer players which likely means more injuries.
Jaydon Hood got some snaps and looked pretty good at times this year, too. I wouldn't count him out of the LB rotation, either. I'd say the floor will be pretty high with those four guys.
Iowa's offensive ineptitude is just remarkable to me. Pulling out the insane stats, like All's and Lachey's receiving numbers vis a vis the rest of the team is mindblowing. Thanks for pulling this together!
I couldn't help but pull some numbers together as I thought about the disparity between the top 3 teams in the East vs. the West, to get a better idea of the gulf we're looking at that allows Iowa to win that division. I tallied up the scores for the crossover games for UM, OSU, and PSU this year and here's what it looks like:
Big 3 average points per game: 38
West opponents: 8.4
The closest score was OSU's 24-10 win at Wisconsin, followed by PSU's 30-13 win over Illinois. Aside from those two nailbiters, every other game was won by four scores or more.
Average margin of victory:
UM: 36
OSU: 27.3
PSU: 25.3
While nostalgic me will miss the divisions, I'm also looking forward to a more competitive league as the gulf between the current haves and have nots is really massive.
I also grabbed the final scores from the championship game since switching to the East/West alignment and here are those numbers:
Average scores:
East: 36.2
West: 16.1
After the first blowout 59-0 OSU win, the next three games were all one score affairs, with margins of 3, 7, and 6 points. Since then, the last five games have all been at least two score victories with an average margin of 21.2.
Both Ohio State and MSU take Iowa's strategy to a new extreme and begin punting on first down in the second quarter after realizing it's better than going backward on every play.
If he became a competent part time option as a running back or fullback, you could do all kinds of crazy shit in goal line packages. Put him and Edwards in the backfield with Loveland and Barner at TE, Wilson singled up outside...You could look like you're going beef, but then split everyone outside (including Edwards) and watch how a heavy defensive set tries to scramble to deal with that. Hell, you could put in a package where JJ splits out wide and Orji is the "wildcat" but he's also actually a QB...
Yes, this would be awfully gimmicky, but it's fun to think about what you can do with a Taysom Hill type player on the roster.
Don't forget Kolesar at safety. He's back, and adds valuable experience and depth at safety.
For the sake of science, I ran the speed option against my schnauzer, Larry, tonight. Can confirm. I don't think he even knows how to play football, let alone stop the speed option.
I've been kind of silently screaming for more Roman Wilson for a couple years now. While I've noticed he definitely has some limitations in the getting off the line vs. press coverage department, and he's not exactly going to go up and Nico Collins the ball from people, but holy shit is this guy fast - and he seems to have really good hands. We saw it against Georgia and against the other "high-talent" teams we play like OSU/PSU he just runs by these 4/5 stars like they're in mud.
I get that some teams are so afraid of him that they roll safeties over the top and such, but I think it's criminal that there aren't at least four or five attempts per game to get him the ball - if not deep, then on some sort of play where we motion/pick for him and get him the ball going horizontally so he can try to turn the corner. He is a unique weapon even for the elite programs in terms of stretching things horizontally and vertically, and maximizing that threat seems like it would make Corum and Edwards' lives that much easier.
Micah McFadden.
"That kid is BACK on the escalator."
While the offense is going to see some major attrition next year the defense is still going to be an embarrassment of riches. The DL will have Grant, Graham, Benny, Stewart, and Moore at the very least. Linebackers will be Colson, Hausmann, NHG, and Rolder, and Will Johnson will be back with a supporting cast that likely includes Walker, Hill, McBurrows, Paige, Moore, Sabb, Dent, etc.
If JJ leaves and they're shy about handing the keys to Warren or Davis, I don't think it will be too hard to lure a B+ or A- level QB from a middling Power 5 team to come play (see Sam Hartman) to throw to guys like Loveland, Clemons, Morris, hell even O'Leary or the new freshmen that seem to be impressing.
And while Michigan will almost certainly take a step back on the OL and at running back, to me there's plenty of talent there to put together at least an above-average offense. Maybe not be national contender level good, but outside of OSU, is a team going to have much better pieces than Barnhart (4* w/ experience), Jones (4* w/ experience), Crippen and Anderson (4*s), El-Hadi (4* w/ experience)? Not to mention guys like Gentry, Persi, and Hinton (if he sticks around)...
To that end, outside of OSU and PSU, a running back room of Stokes, Cabana, Marshall, Hall, and Mullings would be a gold mine.
So, I guess, in short, I would disagree with your assessment of an almost 500 season being a possibility. Maybe not enough to be nationally relevant, but I can't see a huge dropoff. It *might* be a year where a loss to a non-OSU team like Penn State or a resurgent Wisky wouldn't be a huge surprise, but I'd still wager that roster will be heavy favorites against nearly all of the BIG.
Long John Silver's maybe. I feel like BK is too mainstream.
After reading the title I felt overwhelmed. My first thought was, "I don't even remember all of the names of the bands I've ever listened to. How in the hell am I going to pick a favorite song from a band whose name I don't remember?"
1997 I downloaded an .mp3 that I remember liking, but the file name didn't really say who it was or what the name of the song was. How do I work that into my list? I have so many questions...
Rhule could change that if he makes hay in Texas...which is possible.
Jesus. Wisconsin was Wisconsin. Then, Illinois also became Wisconsin. Now, by way of Illinois, Purdue will also become Wisconsin. Brohm was the only thing keeping the West mildly interesting. They can't kill these divisions fast enough.
If I remember correctly, SJSU murdered WMU earlier this year, hopefully the emus fare better.
Alabama gets a one seed.
Going undefeated is hard. I was sending angry texts during this game. But, it's a win. OSU struggled today and previously struggled with Northwestern and ND. Georgia was a missed 30 some yard field goal from real drama against...Kentucky. And that death star almost lost to Missouri earlier this year. Tennessee got boat raced. Alabama already lost twice.
So, this is the world of being elite. You might have to dig down deep to sweat one out once in a while. Especially when you're down your best DE, top two running backs, top two TEs, and a banged up OL.
Get healthy, pummel OSU.
I'm not saying you're wrong,there's certainly a chance they wouldn't have panned out had they stayed, but just on physical ability alone, I would wager all three of these guys would trend towards the highest ends of physical attributes for MAC players at their positions.
Assuming they got decent coaching, which seems viable considering WMU has put a handful of skill guys into the NFL in the past two years (Skyy Moore, Eskridge), along with an OL or two, yikes. Hell, last year they had a solid QB, just put Reed together with Skyy Moore and that probably would have made for some high scoring Maction.
Didn't realize Chase Brown was a Bronco transfer. Good Lord, that means that team could be running out an offense with Thorne, Reed, and Brown this year? That would have been a helluva MAC team.
I recall watching the Tennessee/Alabama game earlier this year and watching the Vols stack two receivers wide and the trail guy (don't recall his name at the moment) was getting clean releases and by the time he got to the safety the poor safety didn't have a chance. The receive made a slight cut and if the QB hit him, it was game over. Would love to see a similar setup with Roman Wilson being the offset guy in the stack and just tearing ass into the secondary.
Like most people on here, I'm no expert, but it doesn't seem irrational to think there are wrinkles to existing plays or even extra chapters of the playbook we've been saving up for the game considering how lopsided every game has been to this point. We clearly haven't executed the "vanilla" stuff to perfection thus far, but I guess the hope here is that *IF* there's more in the bag, it will be far enough outside the box that it schemes guys VERY open for big plays in the passing game. Here's to hoping.
To be fair (TO BE FAIR!!!!), it's a pretty long video, and you wouldn't expect it to jump right to Vinny's agility drill after the intro. Only trying to point people directly to the item of interest.
Maybe it's because he played a million years but Vinny Testaverde was actually pretty agile. Check him out dusting everyone in the 1997 NFL skills competition agility drill.
https://www.facebook.com/NFL-Throwback-1930290407009504/videos/1997-pro-bowl-quarterback-challenge/625730958174952/
Edit: Skip ahead to the :25 second mark to see his winning run.
I'm not smart in the technicalities of foosball, but I'm happy to say that this validated my immediate take from Saturday. J.J. running threat is real = very bad for other team. It's like the Joe Milton hype became real!
Lots of good takes here, but in general, I'd say it's almost everything. Better players, more depth, and better coaching.
The only spot I'd say we might not technically be better that everyone else keeps saying is the Oline. The current line is good, but it doesn't have more talent than the Runyan, Onwenu, Ruiz, Bredeson, Mayfield line from a couple years back. That line was LOADED with talent, not sure how we didn't pave everyone with those guys...
Anyway, in general we have the best QB room we've had, the running backs the last two-three years have been loaded, and our WRs are all potential NFL guys, and a nice mix of slot guys and outside guys as opposed to all one or the other. TEs are stacked up a mile deep - All's not even playing and we barely notice.
DL depth and talent is the best since the Hurst days. LB is the weak spot obviously, but we're also solid across the defensive backfield, and have a bit of depth with Green/Turner/Johnson/Sainsristil giving us a lot of options at corner and three okay to good safeties.
IMO, there have been individual position groups (outside of QB) that have been in the ballpark of some of these groups, but not all at the same time.
This. Yes, I enjoyed steamrolling PSU on the ground. I'd just like to know that UM could do the same in the air if it came down to it. At this point, I still have my doubts.
This. Yes, I enjoyed steamrolling PSU on the ground. I'd just like to know that UM could do the same in the air if it came down to it. At this point, I still have my doubts.
This. Yes, I enjoyed steamrolling PSU on the ground. I'd just like to know that UM could do the same in the air if it came down to it. At this point, I still have my doubts.
Putting ketchup on anything...just no. It's the worst of the condiments. I'd eat this shit plain before I soiled it with ketchup.
Edit: I'm going to take a lap - this was supposed to be a response to the pasties discussion...
Anyone else notice in the fourth that they had Grant, Graham, and Moore all in at the same time? And that it ended in a sack? True freshmen on the DL playing well is a great sign for the future!
I did my undergrad at Grand Valley and I love the atmosphere of their home games, especially early in the year when the students show up in force (they die off as the weather gets cold). Pretty nuts to be at a stadium that technically holds about 11k but ends up stuffing 16k in every corner of the place. The night games are loud and have a really big-time atmosphere. In a couple of weeks they should be playing a #1 vs. #2 game for DII supremacy against Ferris State which should be a lot of fun...especially if GV doesn't get rolled again.
Side note, someone in DI please hire Tony Annese as an OC so he can stop killing Grand Valley. Thank you.
You spelled Indinia wrong.
OSU is gonna do a LOT more than that to Wisconsin methinks...
That Hemby kid looks like a hell of an athlete. Might want to start throwing offers out at these guys Maryland's been recruiting these past few years when the RB board's pickings get slim. They have had a pretty decent track record with backs of late.
Only two concerns I see here:
1. Depth at tackle - and maybe the lack of uniform hype for Jones yet.
2. The unique Haskins attributes we'll miss - still no leader in the clubhouse for mooseback is a minor concern (can probably scheme around this to an extent) but the pass protection thing could be a bigger deal. I forgot how many times Haskins obliterated guys on blitz pickups last year to keep a clean pocket. That might be a bigger deal than we're thinking.
2. Better Call…
1. The Wire
2. Better Call Saul
3. Breaking Bad
4. The Shield
5. Fargo
6. Boardwalk Empire
7. Arrested Development
8. Gilmore Girls (fight me)
9. Halt and Catch Fire
10. MTV's The State
So many honorable mentions: Handmaid's Tale, Dexter, Always Sunny, The League, Sons of Anarchy, Succession, Billions, The Americans, The Office, Parks & Rec, Game of Thrones...there has been so much great TV the last two decades it's almost hard to fathom. I left out some that I'm sure I would vote for, but haven't gotten around to watching the entire series yet - Sopranos, Deadwood, Six Feet Under, and I'm sure many more.
I was lining up a four-foot putt in my golf league last week when...BAM...I got hit in the head by a stray football going about 400mph. I can only assume Joe Milton was overthrowing a receiver somewhere several hundred miles away.
If the offense produces as well as it should, I'm guessing we'll see a lot more shootout type games where we'll see opponents throwing the ball more than we have in the past. Having another interior guy who can pass rush would be a welcome addition if that plays out.
Otherwise, if the Wolverines are just blowing teams off the field, it's nice to know that we have competent depth like this to rack up style points while the starters can rest and stay healthy.
I like the thought of getting signed by a team from a different city and state but not having to move.
Houstan, at this point, is an impoverished man's Adam Morrison. I'd say his ultimate ceiling is pre-injury Adam Morrison. Similar in size and athleticism, but doesn't shoot as well as Morrison and doesn't have that pull-up game off the dribble that Morrison had. An uninjured Morrison would have probably been a decent rotation piece on an NBA team IMO.
jesus christ, can you imagine what barry would have done to d2 kids? i went to grand valley, and watching some of their NFL guys ruin people in games over the years was pretty terrifying (matt judon was particularly scary), but barry would have just juked those poor kids out of their (partial) scholarships.
I can't fathom what an NBA scout would see in him at the moment. I think he can develop into a pretty good college player yet, but the lack of athleticism is going to be a huge problem even in becoming a very good college player. I see a ceiling of Zak Irvin except two inches taller, and less athletic.
BTW, I'd be pretty happy if we got two year of prime Zak Irvin out of Houstan.
I feel like we could veer back towards a more Don Brown-like defense this year based on personnel. We certainly won't have the edge rushing terrors we had last year, but between Morris, Upshaw, Harrell, McGregor and possibly Guy or Bennett, we should at least have a serviceable mix of good anchor play and run stopping.
A line of Morris/Mazi/Jenkins/Upshaw would be pretty big in a 4-3 and hard to move against the run. Swap in a Harrell or McGregor and you could get a little more pass rush but also bring pressure from faster than hell linebackers like Barrett or Colson and get away with it assuming Turner/Green/Johnson/McBurrows/Moore/Moten/Sabb/Sainristil/Paige provide better man coverage than what we've seen in the past two seasons. And maybe I've got rose colored glasses on, but I think it's safe to assume we'll be better here with Gray gone and the wider array of options available to mix and match.
Ultimately, there are probably too many holes to patch over to be a truly elite defense, as there will still be matchups to pick on at DE and LB in particular, but I imagine there's enough here to like, and if utilized correctly, should still be a top 3-4 defense in the BIG at least.
Agreed. More TW please. Also, Moussa had some huge moments today and clutch blocks.
Trente Jones. Steuber was a big part of this year's offensive success, I think Jones snatches the job and impresses. He's got tons of talent, got a lot of run as the extra road grater, and the recruiting profile says it's time to shine.
Defense, I'm going with McBurrows grabbing PT and I think Gemon Green has a big bounce back season. Secondary is going to have to be good, so I hope this is true. In man, Green just needs to be better when the ball arrives. As one of the staff guys pointed out previously, he always seems to be there, just needs to get his head around and make a play. By midseason Turner figured out how to do the former AND the latter. If Green can turn that corner (pun!), that's two REALLY good corners with experience for shutting non-OSU teams down in man to man.
McBurrows as the third guy with explosive playmaking ability would put us in great shape in the secondary.
I have no illusions that this team is better than it is, but every game I watch I can't help but wonder what the scouts saw to rate Houstan as a five star. People are talking about him going to the NBA, but I don't see any skills or even physical traits that make him better than Zack Novak. Am I insane?
This. It's just a weird team where the pieces don't fit. Lots of these guys could be functional to good players...on other teams. No PG, no shooting, and no athletes on the wings makes for a mess on both ends of the floor.
For as painful as the offense is with no spacing, the closeouts on defense, and the absolute inability to stay in front of someone driving to the basket is just hard to fathom.