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SNIPER26;1107400; said:
2007 scoring defense: Michigan #21 (21.4 ppg). You have to admit that replying on your defense to win games for you isn't very reliable when they give up over 21 points a game.
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bukIpower
Head Coach
I remember seeing AJ hawk talking about Mike Vrable and scoring defense... Mike said "If your Defense gives up more than 20 points per game in a loss then you're not doing your job". Or it was something like that.
So if you're giving up 21 points a game they're not doing whats needed to be done.
So if you're giving up 21 points a game they're not doing whats needed to be done.
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Sportsbuck28
Here comes the BOOM
Faster than past UM offenses... but still not very fast in terms of the rest of the top teams in the Big Ten.SNIPER26;1108525; said:
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Sportsbuck28;1108875; said:
Disagree. If there's one thing they'll have, it's speed. However, speed does not necessarily = effective.
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Sportsbuck28
Here comes the BOOM
I'll agree that they have plenty of speed, but I think that us, Illinois, and... well, that's about it when talking about the top teams in the Big Ten.. have more speed.NFBuck;1108882; said:
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three7
Sneak Attack
bukIpower;1108522; said:
Kevin came on strong late this season during practice, especially during the bowl practices. The reports I've gotten suggest that Kevin is one of the workout leaders and has slimmed down some. He's really fighting hard to be the #1 RB.
There's good competition for RB though between Minor, Grady and Brown. For the first time, it looks like Carlos Brown is truly committing himself to the offseason program.
Hopefully, Coach Jackson starts rotating UM's RBs during the game this year... hopefully.
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three7
Sneak Attack
MililaniBuckeye;1108544; said:
I think UM fans have a little too much faith right now in the defense. That being said, UM will need to rely on its defense and running game to grind out wins early in the early while the rest of the offense matures.
There are a couple areas on defense to be optimistic.
1) The entire starting DL returns plus key backups. To succeed, UM must control the LOS like they were able to do the majority of the year in '06. The weak link I see right now is the RDE (Jamison) and 3-tech DT (Will Johnson). The next time Jamison makes a stop vs. the run will be his first. UM needs a disruptive forces at the 3-tech DT position and Johnson didn't provide that force last season. If he can't do it, it may be better to go with Marques Slocum because even though he lacks experience/knowledge, he does have more ability.
2) UM returns both starting CBs. While I don't think either are worldbeaters yet, both are decent. Early reports suggest that UM wants to play very physical man on the outside. I don't know if Trent necessarily has the hips to play "physical" man so this is cause for some concern. Also, after Warren and Trent, who's next? Rogers, Woolfork, Cissoko???? Not much experience.
Areas of concern on defense:
1) Outside of Ezeh, who else is ready to play? Mouton, Thompson, Panter, Herron??? If RR takes the same approach as the OL (putting the best 5 OL, regardless of position on the field), who knows what will happen. Ezeh is fully capable of playing both MLB and SAM, but he can't play both. In 4-3 scheme, my bet is Ezeh stays at MLB out of importance alone... rumblings of Ezeh playing elsewhere situationally too... ...
2) Safety... safety... safety... UM needs Stevie Brown to OWN the FS position. Over the last 5 years, UM has had below average athletes playing safety: Shazor, Barringer, Englemon. Brown is head and shoulders above them in terms of ability, but was prone to mistake early last year and benched. If he plays well, things should be on the up and up for the defense. At SS, look for Stewart to start. Decent in run support, but not overly impressive in coverage... a lot like Jamar Adams. Wildcard here is FR Brandon Smith, but I think it's a reasonable to assume he can start and play effectively as a true FR.
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gregorylee
I'd rather be napping!!
SNIPER26;1108525; said:
The bonus of having a first year RichRod, he will get a pass on this year, and he can play all the freshman he has since he has no loyalty/bond with any of the upper classman. Therefore sandbagging for next year and the year after that.
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three7
Sneak Attack
Pre-spring practice look at UM's offense. So what are the relative strengths and weaknesses on the offensive side of the ball?
Cause for optimism:
1) RB depth appears to be adequate with a good amount of experience. The primary contributors will be Grady, Minor, and Brown. Early reports indicate all are doing well during the offseason workouts. Hopefully, fair competition brings the best out in this group. IMO, UM will need to run the ball successfully to win more so this year than any other (to include Henne?s FR year?he had Braylon remember). However, RBs are only one part of running the ball successfully. They can?t do it all themselves.
2) TE?probably the most depth UM has had in years with Watson, Webb, Massey, Butler and the incoming FR if they can stay healthy. Granted, that?s not a ton of bodies, but I don?t know how much double TE will be utilized under RR. There?s a good deal of athleticism here as well with Butler and Webb, but Massey is the best blocker by far.
Cause for concern:
1) There are lots of questions at the WR positions, especially at the slot positions. I expect Hemingway and Matthews to be the prime contributors on the outside with Clemons and FR Stonum contributing (Stonum for his speed). Neither Hemingway nor Matthews are burners, but both appear physical (important for blocking) and rather sure handed. On the inside, I don?t think the starting slot WRs are even enrolled at UM yet. Look for FR T-Robinson, Shaw and Roundtree to compete for that position. That?s a lot to ask of any FR, but even more so in this offense. The slot is a critical piece so someone must step up quickly.
2) Lots of youth on the OL, but some experience scattered around. It?s safe to assume Boren will be back at LG and that Schilling will start somewhere. That leaves LT, OC, and either RG or RT open depending on where Schilling plays. I?ve got mixed feelings on who should play where. Supposedly, RR wants to get the 5 best OL on the field, regardless of natural position. Depth is a definite concern though too with (IRRC) only 9 scholarship OL on the roster entering spring practices. I really don?t think any of the FR will play this season unless there are significant injuries. Despite what ?others? may tell you, OT play is very important to the success of the RR offense. These guys must be athletic enough to slide directionally and maintain blocks one-on-one (like in the previous offense)? they are almost on ?islands? when there?s no TE in the game. If I were a guessing man, I?d think the day one starters would be Dorrestein, Boren, Molk or Moosman, Schilling, and Ortmann from LT to RT. I wouldn?t be surprised to see Schilling and Ortmann to switch.
3) The QB position is the most obvious place to start. UM returns prototypical dropback passers in Cone and Threet (plus Sheridan ) with incoming dual threat QB Feagin. Threet will most likely be the starter, but I don?t think anyone would be surprised to see Feagin, Brown, or even WR JR Hemingway taking snaps to run the option series. IMO, the best things RR can do to help the QB out is 1) to establish a running game and 2) scheme to get our athletes (slots and WR) open in space. It?s unrealistic and unfair to expect any underclassmen, first year starting QB to win games outright for you. The best plan would be to let him ?manage? the game by simply getting others the ball.
Personally, I'm not all doom and gloom here. There is a lot of talent, but, at the same time, I'm trying to be realistic in my expectations. There are a lot of young players that will be expected to contribute significant so some growing pains should pay off in the years to come.
Cause for optimism:
1) RB depth appears to be adequate with a good amount of experience. The primary contributors will be Grady, Minor, and Brown. Early reports indicate all are doing well during the offseason workouts. Hopefully, fair competition brings the best out in this group. IMO, UM will need to run the ball successfully to win more so this year than any other (to include Henne?s FR year?he had Braylon remember). However, RBs are only one part of running the ball successfully. They can?t do it all themselves.
2) TE?probably the most depth UM has had in years with Watson, Webb, Massey, Butler and the incoming FR if they can stay healthy. Granted, that?s not a ton of bodies, but I don?t know how much double TE will be utilized under RR. There?s a good deal of athleticism here as well with Butler and Webb, but Massey is the best blocker by far.
Cause for concern:
1) There are lots of questions at the WR positions, especially at the slot positions. I expect Hemingway and Matthews to be the prime contributors on the outside with Clemons and FR Stonum contributing (Stonum for his speed). Neither Hemingway nor Matthews are burners, but both appear physical (important for blocking) and rather sure handed. On the inside, I don?t think the starting slot WRs are even enrolled at UM yet. Look for FR T-Robinson, Shaw and Roundtree to compete for that position. That?s a lot to ask of any FR, but even more so in this offense. The slot is a critical piece so someone must step up quickly.
2) Lots of youth on the OL, but some experience scattered around. It?s safe to assume Boren will be back at LG and that Schilling will start somewhere. That leaves LT, OC, and either RG or RT open depending on where Schilling plays. I?ve got mixed feelings on who should play where. Supposedly, RR wants to get the 5 best OL on the field, regardless of natural position. Depth is a definite concern though too with (IRRC) only 9 scholarship OL on the roster entering spring practices. I really don?t think any of the FR will play this season unless there are significant injuries. Despite what ?others? may tell you, OT play is very important to the success of the RR offense. These guys must be athletic enough to slide directionally and maintain blocks one-on-one (like in the previous offense)? they are almost on ?islands? when there?s no TE in the game. If I were a guessing man, I?d think the day one starters would be Dorrestein, Boren, Molk or Moosman, Schilling, and Ortmann from LT to RT. I wouldn?t be surprised to see Schilling and Ortmann to switch.
3) The QB position is the most obvious place to start. UM returns prototypical dropback passers in Cone and Threet (plus Sheridan ) with incoming dual threat QB Feagin. Threet will most likely be the starter, but I don?t think anyone would be surprised to see Feagin, Brown, or even WR JR Hemingway taking snaps to run the option series. IMO, the best things RR can do to help the QB out is 1) to establish a running game and 2) scheme to get our athletes (slots and WR) open in space. It?s unrealistic and unfair to expect any underclassmen, first year starting QB to win games outright for you. The best plan would be to let him ?manage? the game by simply getting others the ball.
Personally, I'm not all doom and gloom here. There is a lot of talent, but, at the same time, I'm trying to be realistic in my expectations. There are a lot of young players that will be expected to contribute significant so some growing pains should pay off in the years to come.
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brutus2002
Legend
^ If you lose less than 5 games I'll be shocked. I'd worry about Utah and Utah only at this point...they are a hell of alot better than Appy State and your team isn't gonna be close to last years...IMO thats not good for Michigan. BTW they play several teams that play A VARIATION OF THE OPTION EVERY YEAR...They are one of the worst teams you could have schedules early in a season like this.
I just noticed that Michigan lost out on Caper, Baker, and Norman...ouch!!!! I know the Michigan fans will say some bullshit like well they don't fit our system. My rebuttal is that you are gonna let your arch rivals MSU build a monster. Dantonio should have beaten you last year. When he filters out the douchebgs left over from Smith he is gonna have a hell of a team.
I like what I have seen out of RR both on the recruiting front and the coaching front. Alot of H.S. coaches in Michigan already dislike Michigan for dissing the homestate kids. This is the 3rd year in a row that Michigan has lost out on several of the top kids in state. OSU is snagging all the Ohio studs early...hell guys keep your chin up theres always Indiana.
I just noticed that Michigan lost out on Caper, Baker, and Norman...ouch!!!! I know the Michigan fans will say some bullshit like well they don't fit our system. My rebuttal is that you are gonna let your arch rivals MSU build a monster. Dantonio should have beaten you last year. When he filters out the douchebgs left over from Smith he is gonna have a hell of a team.
I like what I have seen out of RR both on the recruiting front and the coaching front. Alot of H.S. coaches in Michigan already dislike Michigan for dissing the homestate kids. This is the 3rd year in a row that Michigan has lost out on several of the top kids in state. OSU is snagging all the Ohio studs early...hell guys keep your chin up theres always Indiana.
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ChisAto
Michigan Fan
brutus2002;1110913; said:
Norman, we just flat out lost him to MSU, no bullshit about it. Dantonio was smart establishing plenty of connections with Detroit coaches and players in 08 since he knew Lloyd Carr was retiring, that way he would have the upper hand early on in the recruiting process. It was a smart move by him and good for them I guess. Plus the opportunity to play early at MSU would appeal to him considering Michigan just brought in 4 top notch LBs while brought MSU brought in under the radar LBs, so Norman would have a better chance of instant impact there. Same reason we lost Fred Smith to them last year, he (Smith) said something along of lines of "Less competition at MSU", plus they gave him the opportunity to walk onto the basketball team, but that's another story.
Baker, he already made up his mind to not attend Michigan so it's not bullshit about not fitting our system (him and Teric Jones are perfect fits for this offense), it's just him not liking us.
Caper, he had an offer from under Lloyd Carr and it was never reiterated by Rich Rod. So I guess you can say he wasn't contacted by the new staff. That's probably the system bullshit you were expecting me to say :tongue2:
I'm not putting down any of the 3 players, their all terrific and of them I wanted both Baker and Norman, they just didn't have as much mutual interest in us. The thing is with Michigan, we got nationally after players while MSU stays mostly in Michigan and Ohio. In years past when we beat MSU for these players they would be ass-out and have to take lower leveled players. For UM, it's different. If they beat us for a 4* Fred Smith, we'd just go out of state and take a 4* WR from Texas or Florida. They NEED all the local talent, and so they're working extra hard to establish themselves with coaching staffs across Michigan. They surpass us in local connections because RR hasn't had the time to establish himself in Michigan yet, and MSU is reaping the benefits of it. There will be a 1-2 year period during which this will occur, but if RR beats MSU on the field then the balance in Michigan will probably shift back to the way it was.
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brutus2002
Legend
ChisAto you are one of the few Michigans fans that actually make sense.
The problem thats beginning to rear its head for Michigan is that they are getting players from Ohio without offers from OSU(Manningham, Koger, and Boren are a few exceptions), Losing their top rated players in state three years in a row, and getting destroyed by zooker and chocolate Chip Charlie Illinois. In the 90's Michigan thrived off those three states. Even their PA inroads are not as strong as earlier this decade. If PSU revives with the retirement of JoePa after this season Michigan might be in serious trouble down the road. Michigan relies on OOS recruiting too much to have 1 or two more 8-5 seasons...their national image took a huge shot after the loss to Appy State...especially with younger kids.
The problem thats beginning to rear its head for Michigan is that they are getting players from Ohio without offers from OSU(Manningham, Koger, and Boren are a few exceptions), Losing their top rated players in state three years in a row, and getting destroyed by zooker and chocolate Chip Charlie Illinois. In the 90's Michigan thrived off those three states. Even their PA inroads are not as strong as earlier this decade. If PSU revives with the retirement of JoePa after this season Michigan might be in serious trouble down the road. Michigan relies on OOS recruiting too much to have 1 or two more 8-5 seasons...their national image took a huge shot after the loss to Appy State...especially with younger kids.
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