Unverified Voracity's Knees Are Covered As Modesty Requires Sir
[Patrick Barron]
Clarification(?) on the bizarre Bush incident. So this happened to Devin Bush on the SMU reverse:
Actual refs on Reddit suggest that the ref is forcing Bush off the field because of an equipment issue, which is 1) unannounced, 2) does not stop SMU from snapping the ball, and 3) goes unpenalized when Bush understandably reacts to the ball being snapped. Some explanation:
>If this was the case why did he allow Bush to continue to stay on the field
This is a valid question. The player should not have been allowed to participate in the next down. Unfortunately some guys have been letting players fix the issue and stay in rather than enforcing the rule as written.
>not throw a penalty flag?
This is not a foul, so we don’t throw a flag for it. He just has to leave.
>It also still seems improper to be telling a player to get off the field as the ball is being snapped.
Officials said the same thing before the season, but we’re told this isn’t what the rule makers wanted.
Also, the theorized equipment issue—uncovered knees—doesn't seem to be actually there. Immediately after the play:
The umpire then comes over, says something to him. Bush continues playing, apparently not adjusting anything. I can't say I've seen anything like that before.
[After THE JUMP: spidermens]
*SPIDERMAN POINTING.* Down in Tallahassee there's a familiar refrain:
Right tackle has been rocked by injury and a lack of, well, tackles
At right tackle, it was supposed to be Landon Dickerson. Dickerson is a guard, but at least he has the ability to play tackle when healthy. But, he got hurt in the Virginia Tech game.
Dickerson’s backup is Derrick Kelly, another guard. Unfortunately, Kelly doesn’t seem to have the quickness he once had after suffering a knee injury. He was slated to start at guard, and he was playing tackle only out of desperation.
Furthermore, Kelly went down in a heap at the end of the Syracuse game and was unable to put any pressure on his left leg. His status going forward is unknown.Alright O'line. See why Francois is mad? It's making us mad too. I would love to come to practice next week and pull a Sandra Bullock fom Blind Side. pic.twitter.com/d6O20YJzR6
— Danielle (@dkelley21) September 16, 2018In came Brady Scott, who is also more of a guard. If you’re scoring at home, that’s the third guard type Florida State has had to start at tackle this year.
Michigan hasn't had the injuries yet—nor have they had pass protection quite as disastrous as FSU's—but they too are starting two guards at tackle. This is not a recommended occurrence. Even more *SPIDERMAN POINTING* is that Greg Frey has been imported to fix this and took a 270-pound guy who needs to bulk up (Jalen Goss, if you remember him) in Taggart's transition class. Might be a minute for FSU to fix this, but unlike Michigan they can pull the JUCO lever.
Man has a point. Patrick Vint says it's time to contract:
The Scarlet Nights are now 7-28 in Big Ten games, after getting obliterated by Ohio State in the season's second week. Their previous coach was fired for trying to coerce better grades for his players from university professors, and the prior athletic director was fired for that and a couple of other scandals. Rutgers hasn't really been competitive in any sport since joining the conference.
Maryland lost by 21 points to Temple, a team that had previously been defeated by Villanova and Buffalo. The Terps are 10-24 in Big Ten games, and peaked with one seven-win season in their first campaign. Maryland fired one coach in 2015 and might well fire another, mostly because the second coach was supposed to be in charge when a player died this summer. But, hey, they have beaten Texas twice!
He also wants Nebraska gone, but they can stay. They've clearly pissed off a lot of Big Ten West division-mates, and that's what you want for a new conference member: rilin' 'em up. For football reasons, not extremely sad off-field reasons.
Old-time Nebraska. Greg Dooley republishes a Nebraska-relevant portion of his article from the 2011 HTTV:
The Nebraska governor delivered an “exhibition kick-off” before the game, I assume a form of the old baseball honorary first pitch—something that I’d love to see return. (Imagine a mildly pickled Mike Wallace lining up and giving the pigskin a boot).
Michigan’s captain Conklin “saved the day” for the Wolverines, scoring U-M’s only touchdown by converting a blocked punt in the third quarter. After an exchange of punts, Nebraska tied the score and the game ended in a 6-6 deadlock.
The Daily added its maize-and-blue spin on the event reporting, “Outweighed, outlucked, and often outplayed, the Wolverines gave an exhibition of gameness and hard fighting that has never been seen in the west and won even the plaudits of the most loyal Cornhusker.”
In a generous extension of courtesy, the Nebraska folks invited the entire Michigan contingent: we’re talking faculty, alumni and students, to their Cornhuskers banquet.
“We were treated royally,” reported one attendee.
Early PFF returns. Their first mock draft is up and it includes two Michigan players. Devin Bush is in a fairly expected spot at #14; Rashan Gary has dropped a bit:
21. RASHAN GARY, MICHIGAN – EDGE DEFENDER
Coming into the season, Gary was more athletic projection than productive edge rusher, and there are still some questions as he has a 63.1 pass-rush grade on 78 rushes, but he’s been strong against the run at 84.7. Gary needs to produce off the edge as a rusher in order to maintain his spot in the top 32.
That's more of a Wormley track than a devastating all-purpose end, and that's fair. His rush has not been the every-down terror we were hoping preseason.
Oh. The NCAA is in court again, so here comes the absurd statements from exec-level people. This one is from Wisconsin's chancellor:
"It's not clear that we would continue to run an athletic program," Blank said in her testimony, according to Law360.com. "We're not interested in professional sports. We're interested in student-athletes."
This was hurriedly walked back in a statement once the media asked for further elaboration. I hope the cross-examinations of these people are as epic as they should be. More details on this particular lawsuit at SBN.
Josh Norris got traded. He's part of the return for Erik Karlsson. Norris has already announced he's still coming back to school so the main point of interest for Michigan is that the trade has occasioned some Norris scouting:
“I do like him,” said the amateur scout. “He’s definitely a solid third line (NHL) center. I think he can project as a No. 2. He’s very, very smart. Not flashy. He’s a solid all-around player. Good on faceoffs, great hockey IQ. Good skater. Strong. Great physical shape. I don’t see No. 1 upside.”
Another scout thought No. 3 center was the high end on Norris: “You get a guy who is going to play (in the NHL) but maybe he’s not the same guy San Jose thought they were going to get when they took him.”
Norris isn't a scoring dynamo yet and will have to try to climb the Hagelin ladder to keep Michigan's production up this year.
Etc.: Fun story on the rise of NBA 2K, the most OCD of video games. Hassan Haskins might play on defense. Urban Meyer's a swell guy. People talk about 1997 Michigan-Nebraska. Kyle Connor profiled.
September 18th, 2018 at 4:36 PM ^
If they drop Rutgers and Maryland, and decide they simply must bring two others in, then I could make an argument for West Virginia and Pitt. I'm not saying that's better than just dropping RU and MD. But I like the geographical balance of it. And the renewal of the Backyard Brawl.
September 18th, 2018 at 5:25 PM ^
While Pitt brings academics, they would be just as pathetic in the East as Rutgers or Maryland has been. West Virginia brings footbaw, but not much for schoo
There's a reason Delaney never really looked their way when going for expansion
September 18th, 2018 at 6:50 PM ^
I don't think you are fully grasping how bad at football Rutgers is. Pitt beat Clemson less than 2 years ago.
September 18th, 2018 at 6:53 PM ^
I believe Pitt would siphon some of PSUs recruiting and bring a natural rivalry similar to how we have to deal with MSU.
September 18th, 2018 at 7:28 PM ^
Narduzzi would get his mojo back playing Michigan again. The Double A gap blitzes would rain on the Wolverines. Of course he would have to go up against his buddy Mork and that might make him sad.
September 18th, 2018 at 5:51 PM ^
Maryland is a keeper, because of other sports ... basketball, soccer, lacrosse
September 18th, 2018 at 6:12 PM ^
Basketball, ok. Lacrosse and soccer? Let’s be honest Nobody cares. And by nobody I mean Broadcasters and 90% of the public.
September 18th, 2018 at 7:29 PM ^
Be associate like Johns Hopkins in one of those, or just let them find a group of five conference for all it.
September 18th, 2018 at 6:29 PM ^
Pitt doesn't bring in a new market. Because of PSU, the city of Pittsburgh is already within the footprint of the B1G.
Plus, Pittsburgh is a professional sports town, which places a lower priority on college sports. Most of the B1G are found in college towns. Minnesota & Northwestern are exceptions (in pro sports cities) and we know those fan bases are not among the most dedicated. The Gophers have to fight for attention with Vikings, Twins, etc.
WVU brings in a new state to the B1G footprint, but no significant market.
If the B1G adds more schools, it has to go big. Like Texas (very unlikely). Or the Oklahoma schools (when the Big XII finally folds and there are 4 16-team conferences). Or (get ready for it) Notre Damn. I know that Notre Damn does not increase the geographical footprint of the B1G, but it has a national fan base that does expand the visibility of the conference because ND's presence is in every nearly market in the US.
Not opposed to adding Pitt & WVU as programs, but Louisville brings in a larger new market than either Pitt or WVU.
September 18th, 2018 at 6:42 PM ^
You said nothing I found disagreeable, but you're a Buckeye, so I compelled to post a hardy "fuck you!" anyway. I'll offset with an upvote.
September 18th, 2018 at 7:27 PM ^
I accept.
September 18th, 2018 at 7:30 PM ^
He childishly wrote “Notre Damn,” which is similar to calling us “scUM,” so there’s that. I believe that’s a bannable offense, FWIW.
September 18th, 2018 at 6:56 PM ^
I know as a Buckeye, this probably isn't as important to you, but I think the BIG 10 would care about the ethics of possible additions. Louisville has a sketchy history (at best) lately. But then again, we already have MSU, PSU, OSU and Maryland...so there is that.
September 18th, 2018 at 11:08 PM ^
Wow, what a cheap little passive aggressive shot at that Buckeye. Excellent work, pontiff. +1
September 18th, 2018 at 8:35 PM ^
I think that is a good option
September 18th, 2018 at 11:04 PM ^
Those are odd choices... WVU would never make the Big Ten academically and Pitt is a minor upgrade from Buttgers.
September 18th, 2018 at 11:16 PM ^
WVU doesn't feel like a Big Ten school but Pitt certainly does. I'm a big believer in keeping conferences geographically connected, and Pitt would do that. Plus, it's a very good school academically and a beautiful place in a really fun city. Beyond that, it has the tools to compete. Pitt should have been added instead of Rutgers/Maryland and should replace one or both of them now.
September 19th, 2018 at 7:35 AM ^
If we want to add respectable schools that are athletically and academically sound, I would go with (1) Syracuse and (2) BC. Syracuse is close enough travel wise, captures NY State, and would renew the long rivalry with PSU. BC is no further than Maryland, captures all of New England, and appears to be an honorable institution (even though they stole AJ Dillon from us).
If we are most interested in expanding the B1G's footprint, I would go with the University of Hawaii and the London School of Economics.
September 19th, 2018 at 9:39 AM ^
You're not thinking big enough with expansion. How about University of Jupiter at Titan?
September 19th, 2018 at 9:27 AM ^
I think we should just kick Maryland and Rutgers and leave the conference at 12 teams. Last time I checked, there is no longer a minimum # of teams required in order to hold a conference title game. (Big 12)
On a more extreme, and unlikely note, we could do away with Non-conference games and just have the entire league play each other.
September 18th, 2018 at 4:38 PM ^
Reading some of the arguments by people who purport to be referees somewhat drives home the fact that, well, referees make mistakes and will almost always rally around each other regardless of how correct the call is. That whole situation looks like a screw up by the ref, a *shocking* occurrence in what was an otherwise superbly-run football game.
I don't get the concerns about Gary, but I've also come to question PFF's grading metrics generally. He seems perfectly terrifying, and my guess is that an NFL team that picks him up will realize the same potential.
September 18th, 2018 at 4:57 PM ^
Gary should be Nick Bosa or Ed Oliver. He isn’t. He was the consensus #1 recruit in the nation and highest rated since Clowney. There comes more expectations with that and he has underwhelmed on that front.
September 18th, 2018 at 5:11 PM ^
I think the only reason that Bosa wasn't the #1 recruit that year is because he may have been injured or something that caused him to miss the bulk of his senior season. I was never that high on Gary's game tape but I was thrilled with his size and athleticism.
September 18th, 2018 at 6:54 PM ^
Nick Bosa had 24 less tackles than Gary last year despite playing one more game; if you ignore the bowl game (or the big 10 title game, whichever you want) he has about 1.5 or 2 more sacks and 3 or 3.5 more TFLs. He also has been mediocre as a run defender. Ed Oliver has fine counting stats (again, not much better than Gary's and at a different position and against inferior competition), but when not playing Rice has 1.5 TFLs and 0 sacks despite playing Arizona and Texas Tech, teams with atrocious offensive lines.
So I don't know what the expectations are he has not met, but it sure feels like it's arbitrary and based mostly on people expecting a level of play that isn't realistic or applied to anyone else.
September 18th, 2018 at 7:25 PM ^
I don't know what the expectations are he has not met, but it sure feels like it's arbitrary and based mostly on people expecting a level of play that isn't realistic or applied to anyone else.
I think we're expecting him to be the best edge pass rusher in the country because that's he was billed as when he was a recruit. So, anything less than that is probably at least somewhat disappointing. He's a very good player, but is not an elite pass rusher. With significantly less size and athleticism Chase is a better pass rusher.
September 18th, 2018 at 8:47 PM ^
Rashan Gary was billed as the most complete defensive lineman in the country when he was signed; that was the consistent theme of evaluations. He's big enough to be an anchor tackle and fast enough to be a great edge rusher. It's that positional flexibility that makes him so appealing, and it's why all these comparisons between players he's supposed to be better than always feel like straw men. Both Winovich and Bosa are great as edge rushers but, frankly, limited as run defenders, though to his credit Winovich seems to have improved on that front somewhat. But my point isn't to denigrate those guys as much as point out that it feels like every day someone is complaining about a player here not living up to his potential, then conveniently ignoring all that stupidity when he does well. Hence why we haven't seen another "is DPJ a failure?" post. So again, my guess is Gary will have a monster statistical game soon and PFF will say "oh man, this Gary guy is really good" and everyone will jump on board.
September 19th, 2018 at 11:59 AM ^
It's that positional flexibility that makes him so appealing, and it's why all these comparisons between players he's supposed to be better than always feel like straw men.
I think you are misusing the strawman argument. A strawman argument is when you refute something that was not ever presented. I am clearly refuting the presented argument that Gary is living up to expectations by acknowledging that he is good, but not the best pass rusher in the country as he was expected to be. I think you mean I'm nit picking, which is different than making a strawman argument. But, yes I'm nitpicking. Of course my expectations were high for getting a #1 overall and I'm frustrated that OSU seems to have gotten the better player in Bosa.
Both Winovich and Bosa are great as edge rushers but, frankly, limited as run defenders
I could see that argument for Bosa who had great sack numbers, but not great tackle numbers. But Winovich dwarfed both Bosa and Gary tackle numbers last year and is ahead of them this year as well. Chase seems like a very good run defender numbers wise.
my guess is Gary will have a monster statistical game soon and PFF will say "oh man, this Gary guy is really good" and everyone will jump on board.
He'll never admit it, but I think his shoulder injury is more serious than he's letting on. I saw a number of plays where he only used one arm. I hope it heals over the season, but without time off it may not.
September 18th, 2018 at 11:13 PM ^
Gary is an SDE--he eats double teams all game long, freeing Winovich to be the the edge rushing monster he is.
September 19th, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^
That doesn't seem to stop Bosa from getting lots of sacks.
September 19th, 2018 at 8:08 AM ^
Nick Bosa played one more game, but about 33% less plays for the season.
September 18th, 2018 at 11:08 PM ^
They don’t play the same roles, and Oliver has the same pass rush questions, with Bosa having some more fundamental ones. Anyone who watches how thouroughly gameplanned for Gary is doesn’t blame him for lack of numbers.
September 19th, 2018 at 9:09 AM ^
exactly - not to pull out the "scouts know what they're seeing" thing (those same scouts also became sudden heart-disease experts when it came to mo hurst), but nobody who actually watches the games thinks rashaun gary is anything other than an super-talented and super-productive. unless something weird happens between now and april he's a guaranteed top-10 pick.
September 18th, 2018 at 4:42 PM ^
Would love to know the breakdown between what Rutgers brings to the table in terms of Big Ten Network subs vs. what they take from the larger Big Ten pool of money. Like if you boot them from the conference, from a strictly financial perspective is it a net win or loss?
I'd imagine that there are kickers in the contracts the Big Ten has with ESPN and Fox that are tied to a number of teams that would change if you kick Rutgers out, but I'd also imagine that any negotiator worth their salt could entice the networks to just let that slide given they are going to get less Team X vs. Rutgers matchups shitting all over their ratings.
September 18th, 2018 at 4:50 PM ^
Gary's play this season is just kind of perplexing. I've seen the gifs of him getting triple teamed, and have read the bits about Don Brown asking him to take on some non-glory roles (like getting triple teamed) but man....feels like a first round DE candidate should have a whole lot more than 1.5 TLF and 1 sack through three games -- two of which were against tomato cans.
And its not like anyone else on the defense is really benefiting from him taking on triple teams. The team is only 18th in TFLs and 53rd in sacks this season (down from 1st and 8th last season).
Am I missing something?
September 18th, 2018 at 4:58 PM ^
I’m just convinced it’s the Michigan 5 star curse at this point. Same shit happened with Peppers. Hyped up but never really had many numbers to back it up
September 18th, 2018 at 5:05 PM ^
The "curse" is actually just poor coaching. That's all it could be. There's enough evidence at this point to say with a decent degree of confidence that the 5 star busts are directly related to coaching failures.
September 18th, 2018 at 5:20 PM ^
There are half a dozen mid 3* to generic 4* in the NFL thanks to Mattison, so I would say Gary's issues (if you can call them that) are not coaching related.
Sacks and TFLs are kind of a streaky stat (see Khaleke Hudson vs Minn). I think he's had a bit of bad luck alternating getting sacks and TFLs stolen by guys like Bush and Winovich, and the DT letting QBs out despite excellent edge pressure. He also has at least 2 where he had the QB in his arms but couldn't quite bring him down.
Last year, his numbers were very good, better than Bosa's in most categories.
September 18th, 2018 at 5:50 PM ^
Derrick Green was a coaching failure?
September 18th, 2018 at 5:44 PM ^
I mostly agree on Gary being slightly underwhelming, but Peppers was an incredible athlete who showed it in all three phases of the game. Playing viper prevented him from getting the kinds of pass-defending stats that he would've earned had he played corner.
September 18th, 2018 at 5:52 PM ^
Peppers doesn't have the cover skills that you need to play corner, though...
September 18th, 2018 at 6:03 PM ^
LOL. Jabrill Peppers was a Heisman finalist, a unanimous All-American, and a 1st Round NFL Draft pick. As a junior and a defensive player. The only other players to do that in college football history, not just Michigan's, is Charles Woodson (Warren Sapp & Steve Emtman were RS Juniors but does that change the argument much?). WTF more do you want him to do. It sucks he missed every bowl game due to injury, but c'mon man.
As for a 5-star curse, Michigan has not recruited them to the quantity that OSU and Alabama have. They have had their share of busts, but it is easier to overlook them when you are getting another 5-star the next year. Rashan Gary has been better than DaShawn Hand or Jashon Cornell. Some guys are just not going to develop like they were projected, and the best way to avoid the misses to get as many of them as you can. OSU has around 5 or 6 5-star-type DL on their roster. Michigan has one so the hot takes get extreme for that one player.
September 18th, 2018 at 6:31 PM ^
I saw a film study of Peppers for his final year at Michigan, and the gist of it was Brown needed Peppers' speed to help contain the edge. Hence he didn't put up flashy TFL or sack numbers. What he was doing was helping make the Michigan defense better overall by plugging a hole Brown needed plugging.
September 18th, 2018 at 5:03 PM ^
Not really. Gary probably slides inside at the next level, he doesn't have good enough pass rushing skills to be an elite defensive end. When he does go for the sack its usually in a pretty undisciplined manner.
Its not like defense aren't game planning around Bosa and he has 6 tackles for loss and 4 sacks including an incredibly important strip sack against TCU. Truly elite players step up and make plays like that and Gary hasn't ascended to that yet.
September 18th, 2018 at 6:24 PM ^
BIG PLAYS BIG PLAYS... we need guys to make big plays, particularly against ranked opponents, they turn around games so quick. Sacks for fumbles, picks, one-hand catches...
September 18th, 2018 at 9:13 PM ^
I would like to point out that when Bosa left the TCU game, his team was trailing. And yes Bosa had a great strip-sack; he made a great play. But still, once Bosa went out OSU then allowed another TD before they rallied back, all while Bosa was on the sideline. TCU had picked up nearly 350 yards of total offense when he left; they were held under 150 the rest of the way. I'm in no way claiming that this shows Bosa's injury was a net positive for the Buckeyes; that would be silly. But if we are going to cherry-pick stats to argue someone is elite or not, I can point out a situation where Bosa had no impact and OSU arguably played better.
September 20th, 2018 at 2:43 AM ^
Bosa plays on a DL with 3 other people equally as talented and a couple more on the bench and so doesnt eat constant doubles and triples and when eh gets around the edge his dts havent left a massive hole for the qb to step up in.
September 18th, 2018 at 5:49 PM ^
We've seen Gary get into the backfield and fail to finish off the ball carrier on multiple occasions over the years. The same thing happened on Saturday when he should have had a sack. This seems to be his biggest problem as a player at this point. That doesn't take away from the fact that he's still a very good defensive end.
September 18th, 2018 at 11:11 PM ^
Saying people don’t benefit from him because of our team sack numbers is absolutely asinine. He is a massive part of making this defense elite, he keeps Bush running free and Winovich causing havoc.
September 19th, 2018 at 8:10 AM ^
Absolutely. He's getting double and triple teamed on most plays and blatantly held on others.
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