currently being courted by powerpoint [Marc-Gregor Campredon]

Unverified Voracity Would Have Used Google Docs Anyway Comment Count

Brian April 10th, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Charity Bowl! Folks, a new challenger appears.

You know it is your destiny.

If Michigan wins and they go over 100k, Spencer has to mail me a toe! Probably. I haven't cleared this with him yet but he ate cheese so this is nothing. REMOVE SPENCER'S TOE, DONATE.

For the record this was not me. I am a happily married man.

In fact I have never tried to get a date with a powerpoint, largely because I didn't think of it.

Onwenu, placid. Mike Onwenu on the vast changes Josh Gattis is bringing to Michigan's offense:

For the offensive line, meanwhile, things haven’t been much different — at least not according to senior guard Michael Onwenu, who maintained that his role was still, “Blocking the, whatever pass or play, or whatever.”

But he, too, recognizes that things are different with the Wolverines now, and he, too, has embraced it.

“It’s cool and whatnot,” Onwenu said. “Change is inevitable, so you’re comfortable with anything.”

It takes a lot to move Onwenu. Eh? Eh? Get it?

[After THE JUMP: more NBA draft stuff, Cesar Ruiz stiffarm]

I'm just sayin', the RB room looks a little light. Let's try it.

Just once in the spring game.

More NBA pokes. Carsen Edwards enters the draft, and while "hire an agent" is no longer a 100% certain declaration that the player in question is staying in, 1) Edwards probably doesn't have much to gain by returning and 2) I'm not sure how much that knowledge has filtered down to the players. So the end bit of this tweet sounds like Edwards is trying to say "and I'm staying in, seeya":

PSU's Lamar Stevens is also testing the waters. Take it from someone who spent much of the year poring through the back half of top 100 NBA draft prospects list: he's probably coming back. But he is a junior so he might as well go through the process. Stevens's quote:

"Honestly for me, it's a win-win," Stevens said. "One way I get to go play professionally. Two, I get to come back to a great school and really end my legacy how I really envision. If I do come back, we'll take this team to places it's never been."

I'd expect him back for a surprisingly interesting edition of Penn State basketball.

An update on draft prospects. Andrew Kahn pings SI's Jeremy Woo about the three potential early entries. The two guys with some shot at coming back:

Woo, who projects Poole as the 51st pick (to Charlotte), could see Poole going either way with his decision.

"If he does come out, he's going to spend a lot of time in the G-League right away," Woo said. "He got a little bit better this year but he wasn't 'the guy' for Michigan." …

Brazdeikis led Michigan with 14.8 points per game and scored at least 20 in 10 games. He shot 39.2 percent from 3. He is 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, built more like an NBA player than a typical freshman.

"There are some limitations to his game that are always going to be there in terms of defense," Woo said. "He's tough and he plays hard but the biggest concern for me is defensively. I don't think he's going to be able to defend on the wing in the NBA and I don't think he's going to be able to defend bigs."

Pretty frustrating if Michigan loses both to dubious draft prospects while MSU gets Winston back. Kathy Bates has nothing on Izzo.

Patching the holes. I'll have a separate "what now" post in a couple days, but Michigan will be scouring for dudes. Here is one:

Pierce is a two-time All CAA player. He had a 106 ORTG on 25% usage, which doesn't scream "sure thing" when you're moving up from the Patriot League, but if he can get back to his sophomore year three-point shooting (41%, dropping to 33%) then you might have something. At 6'7" he projects better to a higher level of competition than an average-sized guard.

That would do it, I think. Probably not what Beilein did to get ejected this year. But maybe!

But also absolutely not.

Etc.: Brexit explained! Deadspin on Replay Lies. More Gattis revamp.

Comments

stephenrjking

April 10th, 2019 at 12:19 PM ^

Michigan still has Warinner and Warinner is accustomed to spread and no-huddle. I expect very little to change in the basic structure of the OL. That's to be expected--Warinner is here to design and coach the run-blocking. The main transition for the linemen will, presumably, be tempo and how they get their calls from the sideline. Once they hunker into their set, it should be largely the same.

Except I hope PA uses more of the existing run looks in its design. 

Bodogblog

April 10th, 2019 at 12:28 PM ^

Paye at DT, and his legs are noticeably bigger.  Uche and Hutchison at DE.  Nice anticipation and awareness by Jeter to deflect that ball.  OL seemed to handle that pass rush pretty easily, which we should all still appreciate after the "any stunts kill our QB" year of 2017. 

Bodogblog

April 10th, 2019 at 5:35 PM ^

Yeah that's right, we never saw that much did we.  Saw a lot of DT's spinning their wheels while being smushed together by the center-guard or guard-OT.  

Not sure if I'd be happier if this was coaching or if Jeter did it on his own.  If it's coaching and Nua said "hey, tall guy, athletic, let's coach him to hang out in the passing lane if it's clear he's not getting home", that would be amaze-balls.  But it would be pretty outstanding for Jeter as well if he just felt that and made the play. 

Luke15

April 10th, 2019 at 12:37 PM ^

Thanks for passing along the Brexit explanation Brian. As only the steadfastly neutral Guardian could frame it.

I suppose Morrissey is just too old and stuck in the past (like Basil Fawlty) to know what he's talking about too, right? Another misinformed, small-minded type. A light that should not, never go out, eh?

www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/music/should-we-stay-or-should-we-go-musicians-divided-on-brexit-1.763550

www.morrisseycentral.com/messagesfrommorrissey/there-is-a-light-that-must-be-switched-on

Big Boutros

April 10th, 2019 at 12:44 PM ^

if we sign Harlond Beverly, Lester Quinones, and Franz Wagner I think the 19-20 team will be better than this year's. But that's a tall order. Pierce is ND bound I believe.

Bodogblog

April 10th, 2019 at 1:24 PM ^

ESPN article did well to note that the offense wasn't terrible last year.  It was just terrible in big games. #25 in S&P Offense, while the Defense fell to #9 by year end.  That put Michigan in a group of teams with top 10 or so defenses and #25-35 or so offenses: 

  • Mississippi State (#1!, #32, 8-5 record)
  • Washington (#4, #34, 10-4 record)
  • LSU (#5, #30, 10-3 record) 
  • Notre Dame (#10, #30, 12-1 record) 
  • Penn State (#11, #36, 9-4 record) 
  • Wisconsin (#12, #29, 8-5 record) 

That's probably about right, accounting for PSU Framesing themselves out of a win or two and ND having an easy schedule (including playing M in game 1).  This is kind of the second tier behind the Top 5-6 programs. This is where Michigan is, the LSU/Washington type.  Good but not yet a top program. 

Speaking of the top programs, look at the top 5 S&P offenses: 

  • #1 Oklahoma, #2 Alabama, #3 Georgia, #4 OSU, #5 Clemson 
  • Oklahoma had a terrible defense at #84, but Alabama, Georgia, and Clemson had top 10 D's 
  • Lest you believe this means offense wins championships in today's football, the rest of the top 10 S&P offenses and their records: Ole Miss (5-7), Oklahoma State (7-6), Mizzou (8-5), West Virginia (8-4), TA&M (8-5) 

Don't think this means anything other than the obvious: you have to have top 10 offense and defense today (and probably always did), or an easy schedule or break. 

Florida finished the year #9 in S&P btw (Michigan finished #10), with the #15 offense and #17 defense.  They were not at all the hapless offensive team many portrayed them to be. 

oldhackman

April 10th, 2019 at 1:34 PM ^

I am guessing English must be Diego Da Silva Costa's second language.  "Me caga en to puta madre" is much more mainstream profanity en Espanol.

 

Ty Butterfield

April 10th, 2019 at 2:00 PM ^

Izzo is very overrated and comparing him to Kathy Bates is perfect. Beilein has certainly earned the benefit of the doubt but Michigan has to at a minimum spilt with Staee next season. 

lippesq

April 10th, 2019 at 2:22 PM ^

Apparently, according to my Senior daughter, the new trend on Campus is PowerPoint parties where people give Ted Talk style PowerPoints about the weird and quirky things that interest them in a party setting. So there seem to be multiple ways of using a PowerPoint to get a date I never would have thought of.

bronxblue

April 10th, 2019 at 5:17 PM ^

If he does come out, he's going to spend a lot of time in the G-League right away

Sounds like a blast, definitely more fun and rewarding that playing on national TV in front of screaming fans in important games.

Again, I don't blame a guy for leaving if he feels it's the best fit, but a one-way ticket to Ames, Iowa for 3 months feels like a last resort, not something you seek out.