Ford Field Open Practice: Offense, Injuries, Walk-ons

Ford Field Open Practice: Offense, Injuries, Walk-ons


March 27, 2016
Wilton Speight 792x

Wilton Speight

Happy Easter Sunday, everybody! Along with a few thousand other fans, I made my way to Ford Field on Saturday. I sat in the stands, ate a hot dog, and watched Captain Khaki run practice. I chose not to live tweet it because, well, it was nice to sit back, relax, and watch a well run practice. Below are my thoughts on some roster news and the various positions:

ROSTER NEWS

  • WR/CB Freddy Canteen is not on the roster and his status is unclear.
  • WR Jehu Chesson was doing work on the sideline and on the bike, wearing a brace on his knee.
  • RB Kingston Davis was in shorts without a helmet and running steps. Lots and lots of steps.
  • OG David Dawson was wearing a sling on his left arm and did not participate.
  • CB Reon Dawson and WR Jaron Dukes have left the football program and are exploring medical scholarships.
  • DT Ryan Glasgow was in shorts and a helmet going through some non-contact drills, but then ran steps with Davis for a big chunk of practice.
  • RB Karan Higdon was in street clothes. No injury was apparent.
  • DE Shelton Johnson was not visible to me. I looked for him extensively and never saw him. Sam Webb tweeted that he was on the sideline in street clothes.

Hit the jump for a position-by-position breakdown of the offense.

QUARTERBACK
Depth: Wilton Speight, John O’Korn, Shane Morris, Brandon Peters, Alex Malzone
Scoop: Speight was the first QB in every drill. He had one good deep ball for a TD in team drills, but otherwise, he dinked and dunked. Speight makes the safe, short throw but doesn’t gamble much. He’s also not much of a scrambler but did a good job of chucking the ball out of bounds when pressured out of the pocket. O’Korn’s accuracy was a little scattershot, and I was disappointed that he didn’t look a little further along. That said, he’s got a live arm, can throw on the run, and did a nice job of tucking and running, which was necessary because the protection broke down quite a bit. He threw a nice bomb to Grant Perry to beat Channing Stribling for a TD and found Kareem Walker for a short score in team drills; he also threw a pick-six to Tyree Kinnel on a short throw that was late. I thought Morris still missed some open receivers, and he looks to me like he’s clearly behind Speight and O’Korn. Meanwhile, Brandon Peters did some good things with the #2 offense, including around a 75-yard TD pass to Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. on a post route (more on that later). In my eyes, Peters might be inching past Morris. Malzone is well behind the pack, barely got any reps, and still needs a lot of work.

RUNNING BACK
Depth: De’Veon Smith, Ty Isaac, Drake Johnson, Joe Hewlett, Kareem Walker
Scoop: Maybe Smith is a little banged up or maybe they’re just saving him, but he didn’t get many reps at all. Isaac and Johnson seemed to get about the same number of snaps, and I know I’ve said this before, but Isaac is the best runner on the team. When it comes to a combination of vision, speed, cutting ability, strength, etc., he’s got it. He is indeed thinner than last year (listed at 228 lbs. rather than 240), and he’s maybe a half-step quicker. If there was any running back who consistently drew oohs and ahs from the crowd, it was Isaac. Johnson was consistent but unspectacular. The guy who got a lot more run than I think anyone expected was redshirt sophomore walk-on Joe Hewlett. A one-time safety, Hewlett got some time with the ones and twos, and he probably touched the ball more than any other running back the whole day; he bounced a couple runs to the outside or squirted through the hole. It probably won’t amount to much, but he was clearly ahead of Walker on the depth chart. At the very least, he’s a good scout-team running back to have. Walker was hitting the hole with more authority than he did in the Under Armour All-American Game, and he did fine. He caught a swing pass for a TD from John O’Korn, and he had a couple decent runs with the backup offense.

FULLBACK
Depth:
Khalid Hill, Henry Poggi, Wyatt Shallman
Scoop: I don’t think I saw a single handoff to any of the guys lined up at fullback all day. That’s not surprising because two of them are basically tight ends. Shallman was third and got a lot of looks, but he’s not a very good blocker and he looks reluctant to play fullback to me. Maybe something else was in his head, but he just seemed to be going through the motions rather than trying to crack skulls. The fullbacks were frequently open in the flat on Spider 2 Y-Banana, and Hill is the best receiver of the bunch. Poggi/Hill are both solid blockers, and I expect them to get the majority of the snaps. Hopefully Michigan can find a running option there, whether it’s moving Smith there occasionally or finding someone else. (I have heard positive things about Bobby Henderson, but he may have been dinged up because he didn’t participate in live drills much that I saw.)

WIDE RECEIVER
Depth:
Amara Darboh, Drake Harris, Grant Perry, Ahmir Mitchell, Jack Wangler, Brendan White
Scoop: With Chesson still sidelined, Darboh and Harris were the starting two. Darboh mostly looked good and beat Jourdan Lewis on a deep ball for a touchdown. Harris didn’t do anything that stood out, but he does look a little bigger. Perry showed very good hands and beat Channing Stribling for a long TD on a play action post route. You may have heard this before, but Mitchell looks like a college junior even though he should be finishing high school right now. He was inconsistent catching the ball but also made some spectacular catches. He was consistently working with the #2 offense. Wangler is kind of just a guy, and White wasn’t targeted at all. In unfortunate news, Maurice Ways, Jr. broke a bone in his foot/leg the other day and had to have surgery; he was earning some hype this spring and was expected to be a top backup, so that’s disappointing.

TIGHT END
Depth:
Jake Butt, Ian Bunting, Michael Jocz, Tyrone Wheatley Jr., Zack Gentry, Sean McKeon
Scoop: I hate to sound hyperbolic, but I don’t think there’s any way that any other team in the country has more talent at the tight end position than Michigan. If there is, I would like to see it. Every single one of the players above – including Jocz – could start for some teams in the Big Ten in the near future, if not now. That’s not to say that they could all step on the field right now and be big-timers, but the potential is there. Butt is clearly the best and most fluid, but I Bunting and Jocz are both starter-quality right now, in my opinion. Wheatley still needs some work on his blocking technique and strength, but he looks thinned out from last year. His 75-yard TD catch was the play of the day. Running a post route against Devin Bush, Jr. – where Bush was stride-for-stride and had good position – Wheatley reached out his right hand as he crossed the field from right to left, reeled the ball in after Peters threw a laser, and raced to the endzone. Bush gave up on the play – perhaps because he thought Wheatley dropped it – but a couple other guys gave pursuit. I think it was backup safety A.J. Pearson who tracked Wheatley down right at the goal line (Furbush was also nearby), but it would have counted. It was the play of the day. Gentry looks like a light pole out there, even though he’s listed at 6’7″, 244 lbs. He’s very athletic and probably the fastest TE, but he’s very inconsistent – the Ahmir Mitchell of the tight ends. McKeon needs to put on weight but moves very well, too. This is the deepest, most impressive unit on the team.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Depth:
Group #1 (L to R: Grant Newsome, Ben Braden, Mason Cole, Kyle Kalis, Erik Magnuson), Group #2 (L to R: Juwann Bushell-Beatty, Ben Pliska, Patrick Kugler, Jon Runyan Jr., Nolan Ulizio)
Scoop: The weak spot here is clearly Newsome, in my opinion. That makes sense because he’s the only new starter, but it’s significant at left tackle, nonetheless. He’s decent as a run blocker, but he gets overextended when he pass sets, does not move his feet well enough, and whiffs too often. He’s plenty athletic and physically looks the part of a Big Ten starter, but his technique still needs a lot of work. I noticed some of these things when video came out of Michigan’s spring practices in Florida, and I thought they might get fixed soon, but they’re not there yet. Hopefully he gets there by the fall, because there aren’t many options. The rest of the first OL is solid, but they had a hard time creating big creases, even though Michigan’s defensive line is missing bodies (Glasgow, Johnson, etc.) or dinged up (Hurst was participating but had a taped-up, gimpy ankle). I think I only saw one bad snap all day, and that came from Kugler. The second OL struggled, and that was partly because Dawson is out, leaving walk-on Pliska to play left guard. Bad snap aside, I thought Kugler and Runyan looks the most ready to play of the second unit. Runyan is a bit of a surprise after being lightly recruited and, well, being light coming out of high school. But he’s listed at 6’4″, 304 lbs. now, moves very well, and held up inside at the point of attack. When it was time for sprints, Runyan was the fastest offensive lineman (note: I think all the OL ran together, although it’s hard to say with 100% certainty).

WALK-ONS TO WATCH
A team like Michigan shouldn’t be counting on walk-ons very often, especially at skill positions, but a few stood out to me for various reasons. Some brief notes on guys to watch:

  • Redshirt sophomore WR Austin Brenner (6’1″, 181 lbs.) got some chances to practice his punt return skills and has plenty of speed. Whether they were working with him just to be a scout-team punt returner and get blasted, I don’t know. But he has some physical skills to work with.
  • Redshirt freshman safeties Louis Grodman (5’10”, 186 lbs.) and Jacob West (6’0″, 194 lbs.) also have pretty good speed, though I was less impressed by their football instincts.
  • Redshirt freshman safety Jordan Glasgow and fifth year senior A.J. Pearson were both working with the #2 unit on defense, and they’re not bad. I don’t want either one starting, but they could play some mop-up snaps against lesser competition and be fine.
  • Redshirt junior Garrett Moores appears to be the holder, at least for now. And that appears to be his lone task, because he spent little to no time with the quarterbacks and just worked with the specialists.

I will have a post up about the defense and special teams later today or tomorrow.

Who else went to the open practice? What noteworthy things did you see?

37 comments

  1. Comments: 1356
    Joined: 8/13/2015
    Roanman
    Mar 27, 2016 at 8:06 AM

    How many people showed up?

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Mar 27, 2016 at 8:09 AM

      It’s really difficult to say, because people were so spread out across approximately half of the lower bowl. I would say 3,000, but I don’t think they reached the 10,000 maximum unless I’m really horrible at judging numbers.

      • Comments: 1356
        Joined: 8/13/2015
        Roanman
        Mar 27, 2016 at 8:16 AM

        Curses, we were around the corner at the Cornerstone and talked ourselves out of walking over, thinking that by 1 they’d have it filled.

        By the way, exceptionally good burgers at the Cornerstone.

        Corner of Woodward and John R.

        • Comments: 3844
          Joined: 7/13/2015
          Mar 27, 2016 at 8:19 AM

          Yeah, you should have walked over. I drove by Cornerstone but I haven’t eaten there.

  2. Comments: 3
    Joined: 9/26/2015
    GoBlueInNYC
    Mar 27, 2016 at 9:31 AM

    Given what you said about Newsome and Kugler, what do you think the chances are that Kugler replaces Cole at center and Cole bounces back out to LT?

    In other words, who would be more of a liability on the starting line: Newsome at LT or Kugler at C?

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Mar 27, 2016 at 12:05 PM

      I would say the chances are less than 30%. It’s possible, but I think Newsome has a lot of potential. And he does have five months to figure out some of the footwork/balance issues, including about four weeks of fall practice. I think he’ll get there. I still think Kugler has some potential, though.

      Right now I think Newsome is more of a liability. By the time September gets here, I think/hope he won’t be.

  3. Comments: 359
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    GKblue
    Mar 27, 2016 at 9:35 AM

    Wasn’t there, thanks for the assessment.Looks like the dings both great and small are mounting.Hopefully for those not dressed it is nothing more.

    QB: Having Speight lead drills isn’t bad for competition and may be just a way to shake up the perceived pecking order.
    RB/FB: A full go Isaac and a healthy Johnson sound great. If Shallman, who is seldom healthy, plays halfheartedly at FB isn’t he just taking up a scholly?
    WR/TE: +1 for Mitchell, and damn sorry about Mo Ways. I’ve never seen a better TE crew. Land of the giants.
    OL: The concerns about Newsome in the passing game are new to me. Incoming OL guys will help depth maybe push for 2 deep, although we need to get them a redshirt and some S&C if possible. Need to recruit bigtime at OL.

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Mar 27, 2016 at 12:08 PM

      I think Shallman really wants to be a tailback. Now maybe he’s taking snaps at tailback on other days or in certain packages, but I have yet to see it or hear about it. Maybe he’ll be a guy who explores other options eventually, because neither Hill or Poggi is scheduled to graduate after this year.

      I agree that 2017 is a big year for recruiting offensive linemen. Hopefully we can get at least a couple elite prospects, especially at tackle.

  4. Comments: 29
    greggoblue
    Mar 27, 2016 at 10:14 AM

    Also exciting is that perhaps one of our highest ceiling prospects at TE (Eubanks) and one of our most talented (Asiasi) haven’t even hit campus yet and it’s ALREADY one of the top units in the country.

    That’s also the first mention I’ve heard about Runyan, which was an unexpected and pleasant development. OL depth desperately lacking this year, so if he can contribute that’s a major plus.

  5. Comments: 1863
    Joined: 1/19/2016
    je93
    Mar 27, 2016 at 11:22 AM

    Thanks for the write up Thunder.
    If Newsome is your biggest concern, do you have one player who stood out most to you?
    Is there a TrFr you’re looking forward to contributing right away (non-Gary)?
    Again, much appreciated!

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Mar 27, 2016 at 12:14 PM

      Isaac stood out the most to me as a bit of a surprise (I’m not including guys who look good regularly like Lewis, Butt, Peppers, etc.). I also thought Mike McCray and Chase Winovich looked good on defense at ILB and WDE, respectively.

      Asiasi is a guy who I think could contribute right away due to his talent, but there’s just so much competition at TE. Devin Bush, Jr. looked good and I think he’ll play this year. I’m also excited about David Long, even though he’ll be a second-stringer at best. I don’t think many true freshmen will be counted on this year simply because there are guys who are pretty talented and well established at most spots.

  6. Comments: 142
    Joined: 8/12/2015
    coachernie
    Mar 27, 2016 at 12:51 PM

    Bob Wojo at the News is claiming after watching this practice that Coach H may just have the team to back up his brashness this fall.
    You see it that way Thunder? Will we finally beat Sparty and O$U and win a league title again?!

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Mar 27, 2016 at 2:09 PM

      Michigan State is a strong possibility. But if we couldn’t manage against Ohio State with Rudock at QB, then I don’t know if we can this year. There’s a chance that our QB is as good as or better than Rudock, but they’re not yet. I’m still guessing we lose to OSU, but they did lose a lot this off-season. I’m not ruling out a victory.

  7. Comments: 23
    Joined: 3/14/2016
    wolfman
    Mar 27, 2016 at 1:46 PM

    “All the quarterbacks are making one big mistake a day.” This is what Harbaugh repeatedly said, so GK Blue, I’m of like mind as to the qbs, although instead of “shaking things up,” I think he feels good about one, possibly two and he stated, “They’ve all worked hard and the work is paying off.” Not exact quote, but pretty much gave me the sense he’s not overly concerned about the position and by continuing to do what he’s doing, he could produce a starter and two solid backups.

    Ty, based on reports like Thunder and others seemed to have a very good day. Lost a lot of weight, quicker, more decisive and reminded a lot of people why he came out as a 5*. Hope he stays hungry. Sounds like he could have big year.

    The TE position could be ridiculous. We’ve had some good ones through the years but no way in Hell have we ever had this many high quality athletes at that position. The potential of this unit, individually, is mind boggling. Understand Wheatley the Younger made the play of the game. Blanketed by Bush, I believe, stuck up one big mitt, caught the ball in stride and took it to the house. Asked about a potential move and Harbaugh said, “No way, he’s staying where he is.” As creative as Harbaugh is and unlikely as it is, I can’t stop thinking about what the defense would do if he lined three of these guys up – take your pick of the three – to one side. Would that even be defensible?

    Actually just wanted to say thanks for the write up Thunder. Good stuff. So many possibilities. Will be interesting to see how it comes together.

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Mar 27, 2016 at 2:09 PM

      You’re welcome. Thanks for reading!

  8. Comments: 1364
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    WindyCityBlue
    Mar 27, 2016 at 4:57 PM

    Great that we’re deep at TE, but unfortunately, that’s the LEAST useful position on offense to be deep at. Unlike WR or RB, an offense can only make full use of one high quality player at that position. No team has two all-conference level tight ends. No offense has enough looks at TE to give two guys at that position 40-50 catches in real games, no matter how good they all look in practice. And this is without Asiasi on the roster yet.

    I still maintain that moving Wheatley to TE was a questionable move. Yes, you want be be prepared for injuries, but since we apparently already have an All-American level started and at least a couple of high quality backups (with another coming), more than that at this particular position is overkill, especially when we are so thin in other areas, like OT.

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Mar 27, 2016 at 5:54 PM

      I agree that in some ways we have too much talent at TE. That’s why I’m not a huge fan of Gentry to TE, not because it won’t work but because I don’t think we need him. I do think, however, that we can get more production out of the tight ends. Butt was very good and a potential All-American last season, and there were still more catches to be had if we had a solid second threat at the position. I don’t think it’s out of the question to get 50 catches from your starter and 30 from someone else if it’s the right person. (For the record, I don’t think any other TE on the team will get 30.)

      • Comments: 1364
        Joined: 8/11/2015
        WindyCityBlue
        Mar 27, 2016 at 6:15 PM

        In the case of Gentry, at least he was switched over from a position where we also seem to have plenty of bodies to work with, and where he probably would’ve been no higher than 4th on the depth chart (at which point he might as well be 10th). Not so with Wheatley, who might have been slotted at the much thinner positions (certainly for the future, if not this year) of OT or DE. Maybe the coaches thought he wouldn’t even be marginally good at those positions, even after another year…don’t know.

        As far as available catches, Butt had 51 last year, and the other three guys who made catches totaled 21 between them. I doubt any one guy after Butt will get as many as 30 catches this year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if all of our backups together did. A lot will depend on how productive our offense is, and how well our defense keeps opposing offenses off the field.

        • Comments: 3844
          Joined: 7/13/2015
          Mar 27, 2016 at 7:25 PM

          I don’t think any individual will get 30 catches behind Butt this year. However, I do think there is that potential with some of those guys down the road.

    • Comments: 1356
      Joined: 8/13/2015
      Roanman
      Mar 27, 2016 at 6:10 PM

      Nonsense. Hayden Fry ran multiple tight ends for most of his career with a lot less in the way of creative minds than we are running with lately.

      Multiple tight ends that can play offer up all kinds of possibilities, including but not limited to gigantic slot receivers that will provide both blocking and receiving mismatches against nickel backs and line backers.

      Tight ends motioning into strength can create jumbo edge running schemes that tip the field.

      Stacked tight ends threatening to seal edges create coverage nightmares two ways as defenses now have to scheme to both keep their little nickel guys off of 6’5 250 lbs. guys motioning away from strength, straight at them while still having to cover one or both big receivers breaking into a pattern from a stance.

      You can move into or out of all kinds of imaginative H back combinations. You could go line up huge, split and/or motion Butt and/or Bunting wide and then bring one of them back to tip the field ….. or don’t and then post them both up on 6′ corners. Then send Wheatley deep post when safeties are forced to come down and help. That’s three, count em three, tight ends on the field ….. all at once.

      The possibilities are practically endless.

      • Comments: 1364
        Joined: 8/11/2015
        WindyCityBlue
        Mar 27, 2016 at 6:22 PM

        All that sounds great on paper, but who actually does it? How many teams can you point to that have had all-conference or better performances from two tight ends in the same season?

        It’s simply overkill to switch more guys into a position where it sounds like we already have 2-3 high quality backups. Especially when those guys could provide much needed depth elsewhere.

        • Comments: 23
          Joined: 3/14/2016
          wolfman
          Mar 27, 2016 at 6:52 PM

          Roanman gets exactly where I’m coming from. How many teams ran the zone read before you saw it? None The wishbone? None
          Don’t wish to argue but WindyCityBlue, I’ve been questioning stockpiling the TE position until it became clear it wasn’t going to stop.
          I think to even begin to answer your questions and I could add a lot more to what Roanman listed, I think you must remember who our coach is. Many of these TEs have WR speed and they are simply huge. Jake Butt after the practice, “I thought I was big and I’m like 6’5″ – 6’5 1/2.” These guys make me feel small and he was only talking about Gentry and Wheatley. And they both had great catches and showed speed. I don’t think J.H. is going to load up at any given position unless he has some plans we haven’t thought of. That is my only point. He’s a great coach and he’s not going to sacrifice one position just to make another “attrition proof” for lack of better terminology. I won’t even attempt to list the ways they can be used because the list is almost endless. There are so many combinations, possibilities, that I will just wait until Harbaugh shows us exactly what he has in mind. As his own son pointed out just a few weeks ago, “We don’t want to waste a perfectly good football player.” That does not sound like talk from a staff member, the TE coach actually who works for a head coach that thinks otherwise.
          My point is he’s going to use them if they prove to be among the best. He’s always stated that. I can’t answer how, but I can tell you, I’m as excited as hell to find out. Don’t forget this coach of ours is very clever, especially with offensive football.

          • Comments: 1364
            Joined: 8/11/2015
            WindyCityBlue
            Mar 27, 2016 at 9:32 PM

            It sounds like you’re speculating that Harbaugh is devising some magical multiple tight end offense that none of the hundreds of other smart offensive coaches in history have ever imagined and that will baffle defenses everywhere and make us unstoppable. Okey-doke, but for me, I’ll wait to see it on the field before I get excited. Until then, I’ll maintain my contention that you can only make use of so much talent at tight end, and we’re probably well over that amount for the foreseeable future.

            The numbers don’t change…you start 11 guys on offense, and only one tight end. For every other tight end you throw out there, you have to yank some other eligible receiver and cut your options as far as other types of plays go, and other things that the defense has to worry about. You have 85 scholarships, and it’s a zero sum game. Adding depth at one position by shifting a player always costs you depth somewhere else.

        • Comments: 1356
          Joined: 8/13/2015
          Roanman
          Mar 28, 2016 at 7:49 AM

          That fact that nobody else does it is a strength. Anytime your system forces changes to what they’re doing for the rest of the season, you are in the right place.

          Remember when Northwestern used to kick Lloyd’s tail with what was then the very strange Spread to Run system. Lloyd blamed it on them having our signals, but that was their defense. Their offense run at will on us because we had no idea how to defend it.

    • Comments: 6285
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      Lanknows
      Mar 28, 2016 at 1:08 PM

      Harbaugh needs multiple TEs. The assumption that they need to catch a ton of passes to be effective is one area where you are wrong. Anyway, Harbaugh’s TEs at Stanford (Ertz and Fleener) both ended up in the NFL and caught over a 1,000 yards in 2011. You don’t have to think back too far to remember Hernandez and Gronkowski taking the Pats to the super bowl either.

      Michigan needs another TE to emerge beside Butt. Who it will be is one of the more interesting offensive battles heading into fall camp, as almost every other position on offense is pretty well settled (at least if you assume O’Korn is locked in as the starting QB).

      I

  9. Comments: 23
    Joined: 3/14/2016
    wolfman
    Mar 28, 2016 at 12:22 AM

    Going by your logic, and I am trying to keep a nicer tone than the snarky tone inferred by your words, the first formation ever devised in this game would still be the same one every team used. As I said earlier, the zone read. Name me three teams that ran it 20 years ago, and that is just one play off the spread scheme. Name me three teams that were dedicated spread teams 20 years ago. Why does Paul Johnson run his option attack like no other?

    You sound like these TEs are all capable of one thing and that’s one thing only, either assisting in the run game, via blocking or being a receiver, and you write as if you’ve never seen a double TE formation. Now I know better than that. If he did actually use these players, and I’m growing more convinced we will see unorthodox use of the TEs(hereinafter referred to simply as eligible receivers for ease)f the more I think about these larger, faster receivers, of which we have more of than any other team, targeted and evaluated with forethought, not accidentally, and when the results are positive, it won’t be the result of Magic. It would be the result of wisely and skillfully finding some of the most athletic, formerly referred to as, TEs in the country and cleverly fitting them into your offensive game plan by finding ways of using them in a manner and purpose for which all offensive plays are designed with full intent and knowledge to be effective, your offensive unit, with any given eleven must execute their given assignments superior to the manner the defense executes in their attempt to stop you .Learning there was even one more TE/ER on the roster If was unaware of that raises the total to 10 now, and I am growing more convinced if any coach in America implements a ER heavy package to his offense it would be the one who has the most, the widest range of skill sets and basically would cause experienced DCs more than a few minutes to attempt to mitigate the possible damage. You are aware he did move one of the offensive players that played TE last year and he now operates out of the backfield, right? And do you recall what Eubanks stated as one of his primary reasons for choosing UM was? If not, I will refresh your memory, not to be a smart ass, but to help you understand this staff takes a different approach to many things. He said, “Coach Harbaugh, my position coach demonstrated ways they are planning to use the TE that I didn’t even know were possible.” I promise I am not making that up and I like this board a lot and I think if we all share the same sharing attitude, we can learn a lot from one another.

    Furthermore, you would be wrong as to limiting your options for every TE you put in. You make it sound like they have to line up next to the OT and only one should be in at a time. By that process alone, if you were coordinating a defense and I was opposing you on the offensive side I would be gaining an advantage in an exponential manner by adding more variables, causing you to devise a scheme within a fixed amount of seconds to stop two wide outs, two 6’6″ERs in the slot or maybe interchange and put one wide out in the slot and one ER to whichever boundary side I wished, probably where you were playing your shortest db, or Hell I could line both of them up side by side where you have two 5’9″ dbs that aren’t able to near the 11′ mark at the top of their vertical jump with their arm extended fully. And for good measure, I might put another 6’6″, maybe 6’7 ER a yard behind them causing you to rotate one other man to that side of the field, and if you’re playing zone you might want to get out of that and man up, given the soft spots inherent in zone coverage and the fact that my extremely tall, extremely fast, extremely strong ERs4 run as fast as your dbs. Hell, it might be time for you to call a T.O. and think about how you want to defend it. But if you do that, when you send in replacements for those who normally play that position, you might not be seeing my original formation. For every ER(now simply called eligible receivers) it causes you to make one more adjustment. I see no way I could lose. (You actually make a damn good argument why I would run it. Simply because, even as a UM fan, you do not realize we have 9 TEs and you would be hard pressed to find one other than maybe our All American or his immediate backup with all those this staff has brought in running it above the 5.0 range.

    If you don’t know the capabilities of our players, my guess would be the opposing coach knows less. Do you think Bill Belichick would hesitate to put two more TEs with the size of the Gronk and skill sets not completely alike, others better at some things, not as good at others, but all with proven ability to catch the ball and run much faster than the anticipated 4.9 – 5.1 forty that the TE must be limited to? My guess would be he would do the opposite and play them. And again as you said, a right thinking coach would not stockpile at one position of limited use at the expense of another, especially a position that by its demands, and due to what is anticipated of it, contributes more to the team. I believe you. But we’re at an impasse. We’ve gone over the limit.
    Not trying to antagonize you, but I want you do realize in all the years I was coaching, every offensive play I designed was with full awareness of the assignments of the particular defense and where they would be at any given time during that play, and it’s my bet, even with the more complex defenses of today, defenders still must be accounted for and there are certain plays you run against a given defense at your own peril if, for instance, it calls for your backside guard and tackle to pull to the right, and you’ve just given a Jabrill Peppers a free lane to your qb, a distance Fisch says he covers in less than one second.
    Now we can agree that Jim Harbaugh possesses a very clever offensive mind. I recall last season how he manufactured plays using Peppers, Chesson and Issacs on Jet Sweeps, throwing to Peppers out of the backfield, giving the ball to the FB for the first time in years, and as the offense grew and Jake became more confident and knowledgeable, he was able to put points up in a more conventional manner. f

    And we must also never forget Habaugh loves to recruit players capable of playing more than one position. Just as a former qb was moved to ER, a former ER was moved to FB. Ten is too many,. You are correct. He can get as much as he plans out of a given number, probably one he has fixed or damn close to deciding on. The others, because they are skill players despite their physical attributes one does not normally associate with where they may be lined up, will be able to play a variety of positions,. He does not recruit just to have more than any other at any given position.

    • Comments: 23
      Joined: 3/14/2016
      wolfman
      Mar 28, 2016 at 6:40 AM

      http://www.footballtimes.org/Printer.asp?ID=218w
      Windy City Blue, I pulled this up for your viewing. It appears to me that you don’t have a full understanding of the multiple uses of the TE and, for reasons I don’t understand, your writings on this indicate they can only do one thing( and you stick to it so fervently) I am not certain if you believe it’s an actual rule.

      I do know you stance was strong so I found an unbiased article about why “the pros” actually are afraid of this and feel this might be the offense of the future because if you have more quality TEs than say RBs or WRs that you feel of more importance, this should make you change your mind. I think you’re just having a little problem understanding because someone is listed as a TE their possibilities are limited and i believe an unbiased report of this nature will allow you to see clearly that having more “extremely gifted athletes listed as TEs” than say the number of quality of wide receivers or RBs is of far more concern than the other two possibilities you suggested.

      • Comments: 1356
        Joined: 8/13/2015
        Roanman
        Mar 28, 2016 at 7:59 AM

        You’re link ain’t working. At least on Safari.

      • Comments: 359
        Joined: 8/11/2015
        GKblue
        Mar 28, 2016 at 8:19 AM

        Or as I imagine it… When Gentry eventually acquires the skills he may be listed as a TE but split out wide and take on more of a Funchess role as WR.

  10. Comments: 6285
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Lanknows
    Mar 28, 2016 at 1:12 PM

    These practice posts are a great read. Thanks. Important to keep perspective about 1 practice in mind and consider the context (some guys are playing against 2nd stringers and injuries make a big difference), but there are some potentially useful takeaways, or at least reasons for hope or worry.

    Good news:

    QB: Speight has potential to offer legit QB depth for the first time since Denard Robinson was around. That’s huge.

    RB: Rival’s insiders are pretty consistent in identifying Smith as solidifying his hold on the starting spot. It IS good news that Isaac has slimmed down. I’ve been calling for this since before last year, and I’d still like to see him emerge as the 3rd down back. That said, we’ve heard it before with him. I see Hewlett’s role as pushing the freshman, but stranger things have happened.

    FB: Sounds like Hill and Poggi are settling in. Rivals guys said Henderson may threaten (presumably as a pure/conventional blocker). I’ve made this comment before, but Michigan doesn’t need it’s FB to carry very often, so I have no concerns about that. That’s a wrinkle Michigan can add later in the year (or not). They don’t NEED a ball-carrier like Houma, which is good since they don’t have one. I don’t really want to beat a dead horse here or start a debate, but I wish everyone would PLEASE stop talking about our #1 RB moving to FB. It ain’t happening, and Harbaugh keeps recruiting power backs like Smith – indicating that’s the kind of guy he wants (if you didn’t already see that at Stanford where homerun-hitter were certainly NOT the priority).

    TE: I think Alabama fans would make a strong case they have the best TE group in the country. Wheatley’s size and potential are encouraging, but as with Isaac , there’s more to playing effectively than passing the eye test. We need to see him lock down the basic stuff (i.e., blocking). Michigan needs someone to replace AJ Williams, and with Hill at FB, Wheatley’s the only real option other than going small and having Butt block more often. Actually, Asiasi could be an option too, but probably not an instant-impact blocker, as those are extremely rare.

    Status quo:

    WR: Starters are going to be the starters unless a freshman pushes Perry aside. Still hoping for more from Harris, on kick returns if nothing else.

    Disappointing:

    OL: First unit issues and second unit still getting whooped with a few DL down is disappointing. Dawson’s return will help but Michigan is still an injury or two away from being in trouble. Perhaps more importantly, there is some buzz that a true freshman may again push for a starting role. That tells you as much about Kugler and Dawson as it does Kalis or Newsome (presumably the 2 starters who might be threatened). One of these years I really hope that we don’t have to mention freshman OL in the playing time conversation at all.

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Mar 28, 2016 at 9:03 PM

      Alabama fans may argue that their tight ends are better, and not that catches mean everything, but Alabama’s tight ends caught 44 passes last year and Michigan’s caught 73. And 12 of Michigan’s receptions were from a guy who’s probably the least talented athlete/receiver of the whole bunch (A.J. Williams).

      Agreed on it being just one practice.

    • Comments: 23
      Joined: 3/14/2016
      wolfman
      Mar 28, 2016 at 9:58 PM

      Of course. Without perspective, certain considerations have little merit. Proof of any and everything we do must be provided on the field before earnest consideration can be given toward any significant change. I just found it interesting, and like Windy City Blue, a bit perplexing about taking so many athletes at one position. Then the timing of the Gentry move, and his similar skill sets to the new recruits, Harbaughs insistence on lack of consideration for switching Wheatley the younger to another position, provided us with a number of like athletes recruited for “one position” much higher than at any other point that I can recall. So you ask yourself why. And as I mentioned to WCB, Jim loves athletes capable of playing if not a variety, at least two positions in a more than adequate manner. In many cases, by so doing, it is a counter move to the limit of scholarship athletes.
      Just think the possibilities of seeing an attack of a nature we haven’t witnessed before is exciting as hell. And football and the evolution of same has probably resulted in more changes and a present so different from its infancy greater than any other sport I can think of.

      There is no doubt in my mind we will see innovations with the TEs that will eventually lead to most teams accepting and adding, if only in packages, a chapter to their offense due to the inherent matchup advantages being possibly as significant and rewarding as the insertion of the mobile qb working from the gun,.

      I believe that is why I love the sport so much and chose to coach it. I can’t think of another that allows a coach to work within the rules, with the only limitations being their creativity. Its a damn fun game. I love watching Harbaugh at work and some of the things he does offensively. He can get a hell of a lot out of what others don’t see. I think Don Brown’s creation, working according to talent on hands, but never forgetting the importance of assignments is going to be exciting as hell to watch also.

      Should be fun. Good post

  11. Comments: 6285
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Lanknows
    Mar 28, 2016 at 1:13 PM

    I thought you were based out of the mid-Atlantic somewhere. Did you make the trip to Detroit for the practice or have you relocated to Michigan? Just curious.

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Mar 28, 2016 at 8:59 PM

      I am everywhere and nowhere, all at the same time.

      • Comments: 1356
        Joined: 8/13/2015
        Roanman
        Mar 29, 2016 at 6:16 AM

        And no matter where he goes ….. there he is.

  12. Comments: 23
    Joined: 3/14/2016
    wolfman
    Mar 28, 2016 at 11:51 PM

    As always, great job. Of special interest to me was the third receiver position. We saw Perry get a lot of reps there early last season, usually contributing while in a blocking capacity. This is normally an indicator of extend PT w/increased experience. He was, to me, quite impressive in the Citrus Bowl which speaks directly to the above.

    You mentioned he had aTD reception in the practice session. Although, based on what I’ve seen live(at the h.s. level), I thought Harris would make a move, but if it happens, it will be a bonus. If not, appears we are covered there. Of special interest was your description of Mitchell who, much like Peppers, showed up looking like (in his case, a college jr.) and he did make some “spectacular catches” as you pointed out, along with inconsistencies that are not surprising for someone who should be getting ready for the Senior Ball. Obviously with the three “proven” including Butt, of course, as legit targets in any passing situation, the emergence of that slot man will go a long way toward a more dangerous offense.
    The mere mention of inconsistencies, although expected, seems the early enrollment decision was a solid one. I am, in no way, discounting the contribution that Perry can makes, and has made, but it seems obvious that Mitchell could become a “special” player. Obviously a “hopefully” completely healed Chesson will take his place on the outside with Darboh on the other end of the field.
    I am not familiar with what Harbaugh likes in the third receiver when he goes that way, i.e., quick, shifty chain movers or, if the option is there,, to go with three legit possible 6s when using a 3 wr formation. So the question is when – and hate to assume too much, but seems reasonable that Harris is going to become a viable “third best” option soon, do you see him more as a replacement for one of the two starters, gaining experience there while so doing, or is there a likelihood that with enough development this season, we could see him on the field at the same time as Darboh and Chesson?

    t

  13. Comments: 23
    Joined: 3/14/2016
    wolfman
    Mar 28, 2016 at 11:54 PM

    Harris as the third best was a mistake and, of course, I meant Mitchell.

You must belogged in to post a comment.