2018 Michigan Season thread

[MrNubbz]

Kind of like tOSU with Ed Warinner.He may be the best OL coach in the country but it did not translate to OC.Gave him a promotion rather than lose him.In reality he could not focus on the line & the rest of the offense.I'd like to have him back in the trenches though

[Mdot21]

Speight on why he's leaving Michigan. LINK.

Sounds like he's still a little miffed because he thought he'd be the clear cut starter going into the 2017 season and he had to split 1st team reps with O'Korn in practice and he didn't know he was starting until the day before the Florida game. I definitely blame Harbaugh for that. Not for making him compete, but for giving O'Korn those reps to split and not to Brandon Peters. The fact that he let O'Korn even compete for that job and not give Peters those reps is just more mounting evidence to me that Jim is pretty much oblivious to personnel and talent evaluation. I think he probably really liked O'Korn because O'Korn was a high character, high effort, try hard, do good, team first guy. And there's no doubt about it- by all reports O'Korn is a great kid. Unfortunately he absolutely positively sucks at playing football- and at the end of the day- that's what matters most. Can you play or can you not play. And O'Korn can't play. At all. That falls entirely on Harbaugh for not realizing that immediately and pulling the plug on him after after that 2015 season where the guy redshirted. Should've asked him not to return right then and there.

My guess- sounds like Speight thought he should be the clear cut starting QB next year and Harbaugh never gave him those re-assurances, so he's leaving.

I definitely want him to stick around, but I've been pretty consistent on my thoughts on him as a QB. Just look at what he did the last 3 games of last season + the spring game + the 4 games he played in this year. He is mediocre at best. He throws a nice deep ball- probably a B+ to A- deep ball, but he is wildly inconsistent with his accuracy on the short to intermediate throws- lots of high, behind or short passes there- and he really lacks the arm strength to zip passes down the seams on a rope or to throw the 15-20 yard out, and he's not very good at identifying things pre-snap and changing in and out of plays or at reading coverages and knowing where to go with the ball. His lack of physical limitations (arm strength) and his lack of consistent accuracy on the short and intermediate throws would be mitigated if he was like an A+ at reading things pre-snap and post-snap- but he's actually kidna below average at that. He'd be a solid back-up at any P5 school but he should never have been the starter at a place like Michigan.

[Mdot21]

Kind of like tOSU with Ed Warinner.He may be the best OL coach in the country but it did not translate to OC.Gave him a promotion rather than lose him.In reality he could not focus on the line & the rest of the offense.I'd like to have him back in the trenches though

don't know why more of these coaches aren't content just coaching what they coach best. They have to try and make jumps to DC or OC or HC- and not everyone is cut out for those jobs. Nothing wrong with being a great position coach. I'd rather be a great position coach than a mediocre/piss poor OC/DC or HC. Too many of these guys don't know their own limitations.

[PortlandSpartan]

Agree.  PEters is the real deal. DPJ is going to unstoppable and T. BLack may be just as good. Great RBs coming back. MIchigan will be a major force next season, with the offense finally able to get some consistent production.

Excellent corners and LBs coming back and some studs on the defensive line. They lose Hurst, maybe Winovich, but Gary is turning into the beast we knew he would and Soloman looks to be another outstanding inside guy.  

Sounds like they are going 20-0.

[ELA]

don't know why more of these coaches aren't content just coaching what they coach best. They have to try and make jumps to DC or OC or HC- and not everyone is cut out for those jobs. Nothing wrong with being a great position coach. I'd rather be a great position coach than a mediocre/piss poor OC/DC or HC. Too many of these guys don't know their own limitations.

I think it's natural to want a promotion, and it's not like you can't go back to that type of job if it doesn't work out.  And you never know you aren't a good coordinator until you try, or that you aren't a good head coach.  Nick Saban was a damn good DC, what if he decided not to risk it on a head Coaching job?

[Honestbuckeye]

Sounds like they are going 20-0.

Lol.  Never said that, but I do think if Peters puts on 7-10 pounds, and gets first team reps in spring and fall, he will be the best QB at UM since Harbaugh arrived, and with the two WRs ( black and peoples-jones) they will have the run pass balance to be much more dangerous.
Early prediction: UM/MSU game winner wins the east next year.  

[FearlessF]

I think it's natural to want a promotion, and it's not like you can't go back to that type of job if it doesn't work out.  And you never know you aren't a good coordinator until you try, or that you aren't a good head coach.  Nick Saban was a damn good DC, what if he decided not to risk it on a head Coaching job?

it's fine if they can go back to what they do best
many do, but there are those that just hang onto being a poor coordinator or head coach

[Brutus Buckeye]

That's true everywhere in the professional world.

Good employees get promoted until they are in it over their head, then they get let go. 

[Mdot21]

Lol.  Never said that, but I do think if Peters puts on 7-10 pounds, and gets first team reps in spring and fall, he will be the best QB at UM since Harbaugh arrived, and with the two WRs ( black and peoples-jones) they will have the run pass balance to be much more dangerous.
Early prediction: UM/MSU game winner wins the east next year.  

I saw more flashes out of Peters in 4 games of action than I ever saw in all of Speight's playing time. Not saying Peters will turn into this amazing player- only time will tell- but he has more of the goods and tools to work with than Speight could ever dream of having. I don't know how good Peters can become, but I think he's already better than Speight. Simple eye test tells you that. He's way more talented and doesn't have dumb football player in him like Speight or O'Korn. Speight has dumb football in him- just not to the insane level that O'Korn has. I've never seen a dumber football player than O'Korn. Peters needs to develop and that OL needs to keep him from getting killed- but he will be more than adequate as the starting QB. Fans of other teams are severely over-estimating Speight's ability and severely under-estimating John O'Korn's level of suckitude.

DPJ had a big play of 20 or more yards on a reverse, catching a pass, or on a return damn near once every single game. That young fella oozes with talent. Tarik Black was the best receiver on that team before he went down very early on with a foot injury. Receivers usually take the biggest jump from year 1 to year 2. McDoom and Crawford both have speed to burn. Grant Perry is a reliable slot/possession receiver. The have TE's coming out of their ass. I think Gentry is a star in the making. 6'7" with wheels. They'll have a lot of options to work with in the pass game.

RB is the best it's been since Harbaugh has been there. Higdon is the best pure runner he's had thus far. Karran Higdon ran for just under 1,000 yards missing games and splitting carries. He can be the feature back but he desperately has to work on his pass protection. His pass protection is horrendous. He needs like 10 more pounds of muscle to add strength and tackle breaking and he needs to work his ass off to get better in pass protection. He does those two things- he's a boderline elite back. Not quite elite- but close to that level. He can really play and his burst and top end speed are more than good enough. Evans is a great change of pace back who is an absolute weapon in the passing game. I want to see more of Evans in the pass game. He is impossible for LB's to cover when they send him out on pass routes out of the backfield. He's basically wide open every time they send him out and he has great hands for a RB.

[FearlessF]

That's true everywhere in the professional world.

Good employees get promoted until they are in it over their head, then they get let go.

called the Peter principle

[Mdot21]

2018 commit Aidan Hutchinson's newest highlight tape of his senior year. LINK.

The "insiders" on the Michigan boards say he's a guy that staff likes A LOT and that there is a good chance he plays next year in that two deep. He's up to 250+ and plans to enroll early.

Aidan is the son of former Michigan great Chris Hutchinson- who started every game at defensive tackle as a rs freshman for Bo Schembechler's last team and was a first team All-American in 1992, set what was at the time the single season Michigan sack record with 11 sacks, and was the B1G defensive linemen of the year that year.

[Temp430]

Also rumored to be leaving or no 5th year:

Bunting
Harris
Malzone
Mbem-Bosse
Ways

[Mdot21]

Also rumored to be leaving or no 5th year:

Bunting
Harris
Malzone
Mbem-Bosse
Ways

Bunting and Harris leaving is not surprising at all. They were both high level recruits that got passed over by younger players. Harris had serious injury problems with his hamstrings for 3 years in a row. Missed his entire senior year of HS and had to red-shirt in 2014 and missed most of 2015. Some pretty bad breaks for him. It's really hard to be away from actual competitive football for 3 years in a row and ever get back to where you were. Neither one of them were going to figure much into the WR/TE rotation next year.

Ways leaving is a little surprising- just because he's a depth/special teams guy. I think you want those type of guys around and it's not like he's going to be able to go anywhere- even a MAC school and be a star WR.

Mbem-Bosse leaving is kind of odd. He was only RS Frosh. Could be some kind of home sickness or family issue- he's from Georgia.
 
Malzone- I don't blame him for leaving. I'd be PISSED if I was him. After seeing just how terrible O'Korn was and they never gave him a shot to play- I'd want out too. Really think he got hosed there. I'll tell you what- he might not be biggest or the most physically gifted but he's a smart dude. There ain't a high level of dumb football player in him like there is in Speight or O'Korn- and his arm strength isn't any worse than Speight's. I think he got a bit of a raw deal, so if he is really leaving I don't blame him.

[Mdot21]

yeah, safe to say Michigan F***D up the handling of AJ Dillon's recruitment trying to talk him into playing LB. They'd be heading into 2018 with a 3-headed monster at RB had they signed Dillon. Dillon just ran for 1,400+ yards as a true freshman at fricken' Boston College and is 1st in the ACC in total missed tackles forced and 1st in yards after contact. Probably Harbaugh's single biggest F*** up in recruiting/personnel since he's been at Michigan. Even bigger than taking John O'Korn and keeping him around for 3 years IMO.

Just gonna leave this PFF graphic on Dillon here....

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DPq1u8LVwAA5Wza.jpg