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| Willie Henry celebrates his touchdown (image via Zimbio) |
Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . nobody. I am growing weary of people who think the guy on the bench is better. Shane Morris is not better than Devin Gardner. Justice Hayes is not better than Derrick Green/De’Veon Smith. Michigan needs to keep “pounding the rock” and improvement should come. Michigan has outgained the opponent in every game so far, so there should be a breakthrough at some point.
Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Shane Morris. I don’t know the rationale behind inserting Morris into the game last night. Personally, I thought it seemed like a reaction to public presssure. Gardner was obviously pressing again, but he’s still the most experienced, most athletic, and best quarterback on the team. If Gardner was pulled as a punishment for bad decision-making . . . okay. If Gardner was pulled in order to keep him healthy . . . that’s lame in a two-score game with about a quarter to go. If Gardner was pulled because the coaches think Morris is his equal . . . that’s dumb. I realize that Gardner isn’t getting the job done, but sometimes that guy is still the best guy.
Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Jarrod Wilson. Wilson hadn’t been a standout this year, but safety was the huge question mark on defense this year because he was the only experienced guy back there. Of course, he got hurt and has missed the last two games. Now Michigan is left with redshirt sophomore Jeremy Clark, who is prone to fundamental breakdowns; sophomore Dymonte Thomas, who is a decent tackler but needs work in coverage; and sophomore Delano Hill, who played exclusively on special teams last year and has missed a large chunk of time with a broken jaw this fall. Michigan needs him back healthy.
Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . nobody. Other than the mish-mash of young safeties mentioned above, the defense is doing a good job. They only allowed one offensive touchdown and five field goal attempts, and the main reason they got that many chances to score was because the offense couldn’t drive deep into Utah territory.
Play of the game . . . Willie Henry’s interception and touchdown. Near his own goal line, backup quarterback Kendal Thompson – temporarily replacing starter Travis Wilson, who had suffered a worse-than-it-seemed, face-first crash landing on the sideline – dropped back to pass. Smelling blood, Michigan’s defensive line tore through Utah’s front five, and Jake Ryan wrapped him up. Thompson tried to chuck it short over Henry’s head, but Henry got vertical (a little bit), bobbled the ball (a little bit), and then made a visible attempt to truck Thompson on his way into the endzone. Honorable mention in this category goes to Jourdan Lewis, who came all the way across the field to track down Utah running back Bubba Poole on a 67-yard screen catch-and-run.
MVP of the game . . . Jake Ryan. Ryan had 13 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 sack in the game. He’s coming around as an inside linebacker, and he even played both options on a power read option play, making the tackle on quarterback Travis Wilson for a loss.
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Play both players on an option play and still making the tackle is Jake Ryan's Fatality move.
I'm a huge fan of big man with football.
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Thunder,
You've noted something to the effect that Michigan fans had unrealistically high expectations for Michigan against this Utah team because of Michigan entitlement. However, isn't it reasonable to think Michigan should have been the better team based upon the Michigan players' recruiting profiles vs. the Utah players' recruiting profiles? I'm not saying that every recruit that is ranked higher than another recruit turns out as a better football player, but generally speaking, shouldn't a team be more competitive when it seems to have such an overwhelming advantage ? I suppose you could make the same type of argument about some of the Michigan coaches vs. the Utah coaches. Any thoughts why this Michigan team is struggling on offense and special teams so much? Unlike a lot of the posters over on MGOBLOG, I didn't think the team looked bad, especially in the first half. In fact, I thought the defense looked really good for the entire game (except for one or two plays as you noted). In the meantime, the offense seems to really struggle finishing and reacting to adverse situations, e.g., needing more than 10 yards to pick up a first down. At this point, is it simply a question of experience and, unfortunately, gaining that experience under a rather huge microscope?
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I don't think "unrealistically high expectations" is the right way to phrase it. I just think that if you look at how the two teams have played, there's no reason to expect a 45-10 drubbing (or other wildly inaccurate scores). Should Michigan be better than Utah based on the recruiting, facilities, etc.? Sure. But the reality on the field suggests that they are not.
I think experience is a part of it, because Michigan is woefully lacking in some key areas (such as offensive tackle). Like you said, Michigan didn't look TERRIBLE offensively. They moved the ball, and then drives would stall. Personally, I think those types of issues indicate that things just aren't quite working perfectly right now, but they're close to executing (not perfectly, but consistently).
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If you go by just talent, you are ignoring the last decade of Michigan football, and probably beyond. Michigan has been underachieving relative to talent for a long time.
Utah has stability, better coaching, and a coherent strategy. This was no surprise.
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how can you say that Gardner is the better option? He is making freshman mistakes locking onto funchess and never looking for other targets. I'd rather have Morris play and go through his growing pains this year. Gardner is a 5th year player 2nd full season starter and plays like a scared freshman.
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A) Because Gardner is the better option. He can move the ball at times. Morris can't.
B) I'm not willing to throw away the last 8 games of the 2014 season just so maybe Shane Morris can be decent in 2015.
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Lets get rid of freshman mistakes by playing a sophomore who makes HS mistakes.
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Guys, Gardner is shot. He had a brutal game against ND, and this game was actually worse. There is absolutely zero threat of him scoring via the air and his accuracy is gone. At minimum, the guy needs the break. Not that Shane or Speight or whoever will light it up. But it is absolutely unfair to the team for the coaches to leave a guy out there who is clearly flailing. Teams bring in back-ups at QB all the time when offenses stall. It's not a huge deal.
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If Shane can get rid of the ball quicker, hit a receiver in stride, or play w/ some urgency, any of that would be an improvement. I was in the DG camp, but no longer. Our TO ratio is the worst in nation.
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Our turnover rate is indeed terrible. So far this year, Morris has thrown 2 interceptions and lost 1 fumble. I don't see how inserting him is going to improve the turnover ratio.
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He has only come in as a reliever, and coming in late in the rainy Utah game is not setting him up for success. Even if Shane throws picks at a healthy rate, they have to do something to have a prayer of scoring through the air.
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Morris started a bowl game. He sucked.
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Aaaaand predictable dumb Anonymous comments. Feelingsball and nothing more.
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I think the "weary" position right now is the one that says that "Gardner should play-this is a fact-anybody that thinks differently knows nothing about football-that is the end of the story." Garnder basically took himself out of the game on Saturday. He ran to the sideline horrified after the second interception and did not look emotionally ready to re-enter the game. There is no question that Morris should get an extended look at this point.
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I thought Gardner had a future in the NFL if he puts together a decent season this year. Pssh. The kid won't ever be a quarterback again. He ought to practice WR now.
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@ Anonymous: He ran to the sideline horrified because he didn't mean to let go of the ball. If you watch the play, he tries to pull back at the last second and immediately starts to run to try to make the tackle (which was unnecessary because Gionni Paul was down as soon as he caught it). Bad choice, bad throw, obviously, but what's the best way to respond to throwing a pick? Would you prefer that he hang his head and slowly saunter off the field?
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@ suduri xusai: So we should move our starting QB to WR so we can insert our sophomore QB with the 0-to-4 touchdown to interception ratio?
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@ anon at 10:36: The point is that Morris hasn't shown or done anything to show that he is going to be an upgrade over Gardner. Even in his blowout game time, he throws interceptions. Gardner can at least carve up weak teams. Shane cannot at this point. Looking back at Utah, gardners two picks came off a ball Funchess tipped up and a poor read on a play. Morris overthrew a wide open receiver by 10 yards. He still cannot make te throws he needs to. And his MO as a recruit would be that he would focus on one receiver and laser the ball into that receiver. That isn't an upgrade to Gardner. At best, Morris provides the same level of production that Gardner is bringing currently. Given gardners ceiling-see ND and Ohio last season-it's a better option to leave Gardner in and see if he can improve as the season goes along. He is working with a new O-Coordinator this season who is also new to working with Gardner. It is reasonable to expect some improvement. Morris is at least another year-maybe 2 unfortunately-away from being able to light up defenses. Let's not throw the weak Big Ten season away by benching Gardner.
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@Thunder: I get that, but we'll lose every game if Gardner gives the ball away 3~4 times a game. What's the difference? Gardner already has no chance of playing QB in the league. No NFL coach would take him as a QB. I just want the team to do what it is best for them in the long term, including Gardner's career.
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Gardner was not a good WR.
Gardner, at times, has looked like the great Michigan QB ever. Other times he looks like Sheridan. I oon't expect him to be an NFL QB but if he had gone to Utah instead of Michigan he'd probably be a candidate. Instead he's had 3 OCs and zero good OLs.
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@Lan: I understand, but his shot at the league as a QB is over. 0% now. He ought to use his athletic ability and training thus far as a wideout. He was an OK WR. That's his only shot now.
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Gardner was the best WR on the team through about four games. We've had this discussion before. There's at least a decent chance that he would have been the top receiver by the end of the year if he hadn't moved to QB and developed an instant connection with Gallon.
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No, Gardner wasn't. His target to catch ratio was terrible. His YAC was unimpressive. He never made a single impressive catch. If you want to knock Chesson for his ball skills…Gardner's are several levels worse.
He is a good athlete, but he is not nearly as good of a WR as Gallon.
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@Sud
Gardner has a better chance of getting right at QB than he does of getting right at WR. Been doing it far longer (all his life) and has shown he can play like an elite QB.
He has been awful against Utah and ND, but obviously the potential is there (ND and OSU last year).
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@ Lanknows: Facts are facts. Gardner was the leading receiver for Michigan for the first third of the year. You can look it up if you want. I have already done so in the past. You can say what you want about ball skills, etc., and I'm not saying he's worthy of the #1 jersey. But in real life – no jokes, no hyperbole, there's no point in arguing – he was Michigan's top receiver for a while.
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Funny argument from the guy who says Mike Cox validates his views on running backs.
By today's logic, "In real life…" Mike Cox was the 5th best running back on the 2010 team.
In other words, "got more playing time" does not always mean "is better".
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Huh? It's not anything like the Cox situation. Gardner was deemed a starter at WR and put up better stats than the other WR's.
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In the Gardner case, I am saying the production does not reflect who is the better player. Gardner had more yards, but Funchess, Gallon, Darboh, and others are all better WRs than he is.
In the Cox case, you argued that production does reflect who is the better player. Toussiant, Smith, Shaw, and Hopkins had more yards, but Cox is/was a better RB than those guys.
It boils down to the same point – we think the coaches didn't make the right decision.
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Okay, for awhile I was on the DG side of the fence, but I think the time has come to move on to Morris and I'll actually give you a few reasons why, without just saying it because I'm "tired of Gardner." First, Nussmeier isn't utilizing DG properly. We always talk about his athleticism, yet we don't ever utilize it. The only time it comes into play is if a play breaks down and he has to scramble for his life. If I were coach Nuss, I would have Devin practice throwing on the run in practice. This way, we can line up in the I and use PA bootlegs to the wide side of the field and give him numerous pass options, or if they aren't there, a run option. We could also line up in the shotgun and run some read options. Hell, I am still dumbfounded as to why we don't ever see some form of a load option out of the I. He is a very talented running QB and we need to use that. However, since Nuss doesn't do that, then he should honestly just use Shane. For starters, Shane has a better arm. If Gardner is going to commit turnovers and force throws, then I would rather have someone who can actually make those throws in the game. DG can't make throws into tight squeezes. There's been a number of occasions this year alone where he can't even hit the open man when he makes the correct read. There isn't a question that Morris has the better arm and if we aren't going to utilize Gardner's run game as well, then we should just go with the better passer. I will agree that we should focus on pounding the rock. Green has over 4 yards per carry vs Utah. It's only 10 yards to get a first down, so we wouldn't have much of an issue getting that done. We committed FOUR turnovers. If we cut down on those, then we easily beat Utah. Our defense played awesome against Utah and the Offense let us down. We keep trying to run the PA pass when we aren't setting it up. You can't come out and run PA just for the sake of doing it, because you are giving the defense more time to get after the QB. Finally, Devin to Devin is NOT always the answer. They both did much better and stayed much more healthy when the coaches set up plays and didn't throw it to Funchess the vast majority of time time. Just my thoughts.
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You start off by saying that Gardner should be replaced, but then your reasons have to do with the play calling. What I see here is not actually the suggestion that Gardner should be replaced by Morris. What I see here is that the offensive coordinator/head coach are not using Gardner properly. To me, that's a much easier fix than replacing the starting quarterback, especially when the backup doesn't look great.
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If the coaches COULD use Gardner the right way, then I would say keep him at qb. I think DG could be in the mix for national awards if the coaches utilized his versatility in more effective ways. A dual-threat qb is the hardest thing to defend against in all of football, in my opinion, but only if you do it right. So since we aren't at a point of choosing a new coach and our coaches can't figure it out, then yes I say put Shane in. We have 2 quarterbacks to choose from and one of them (Morris) has the better arm. Plus, he gets valuable experience in the process. I think part of Shane's problem when he comes in, is that he doesn't want to screw up or that he feels like since he has a shot, he has to force things to make plays–like a risk reward situation, where if he takes a chance and it pays off, he will be rewarded with more playing time or the starting spot. I think if the coaches gave him their vote of confidence, said "you're our guy moving forward", it would ease his mind so that he wouldn't worry about making mistakes, he could just go out there and play. I think that alone would let him be a better qb.
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Simple and sincere question for Thunder. I will respond to your Yes or No answer. Is UM going to win with Gardner at quarterback?
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Can you make an argument for Morris that is better than Bellomy and/or Speights?
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I can't and maybe they should play. I am glad you responded since you avoided the original question.
If UM isn't going to produce offensively for reasons x,y,& z and lose games then I would assume others should get a chance if they can handle the opportunity.
Regarding your question. How about the game against KSU?
I should ask you the following. Can you make an argument for not playing someone else.
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As a general rule, I refuse to answer any question that has just two options. Insert any quarterback's name for "Gardner" and you can't definitively answer that question, anyway.
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Morris was terrible against KSU, and that was the next game after Gardner's OSU performance so you can't even argue teammates.
Yes, Michigan is going to win with Gardner at QB. They might not win many games but they will easily beat Rutgers and Minnesota, for starters.
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Thunder. So let me ask myself this question.
Is UM going to win with Morris/Speight at qb?
Well, I don't know. I can tell you that UM isn't going to consistently win with Gardner as a Pro Style quarterback. So my logic would be the team should find out whether they can win with someone else who may be better suited as a Nuss type of qb.
Let me ask you another question Thunder. Did you realize that Gardner is 3-6 in his last 9 games as qb. 2 of them against App St and Miami of Ohio?
I am not trying to give you a hard time. I am trying to get you to recognize the obvious…that Devin Gardner is not going to win football games for UM at qb and option B needs to be considered sooner rather than later.
Unless you are o.k with losing closer games with in theory a more athletic qb then I would advise to consider an alternative. I say these things with the utmost respect to your knowledge and experience.
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Michigan is going to win easily at Rutgers with Gardner. O.k.
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We can't see the future. Your question is stupid, ill-formed, and gives off a distinct whiff of self-righteousness.
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So BB88…
Based on your comments where you didn't respond to the issues I can assume that my points are accepted.
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I'm not sure why everyone thinks the coaches are about to throw away this season just so a potential future QB can get more snaps. Morris has been dreadful every time he's played. I would hope the (soon to be fired) coaches would take a longer look down the roster rather than simply giving Mr. Turnover the ball just because he's been in the program longer.
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Everyone doesn't think it but the Morris-nutters are a vocal bunch.
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Dreadful against KSU?
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5.2 ypa, 0 TDs/1 INT, QBR in the low 40s, and the only TD the offense scored came with 1 minute left and a 31-6 score.
That is dreadful.
That is dreadful before you recognize that they scrapped the whole playbook and went with a bunch of gimmick stuff to protect Shane. Other than the first "wow look at this funny stuff drive" and the last "we don't give a shit" drive, the offense could not move the ball with Shane.
In both this game and Utah Shane's highlight was a run where he showed very nice athleticism. Maybe he's the guy we need to change the offense to be more dual-threat for.
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"there should be a breakthrough at some point." Don't hold your breath. Nussmeir isn't going to offer the game to game swings like Borges did, I don't think. What I'm hoping is that we are building toward a steady foundation. An offense that is consistently productive. The TFLs drop, the % of runs over 3 yards go up. We're not there yet, but we can get there….maybe. It's a realistic hope. I don't think our O can be explosive and I don't think that is what Nussmeir is building to anytime soon.
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I think your thoughts on Morris are dead on. However, I have no problem with Gardner getting pulled yesterday. He had a very bad game and maybe sitting down for a bit was a good thing for him. It also gave Morris a chance, which is fine, mostly because it shows him hard he needs to work to improve.
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Put Countess or Taylor at safety already, at least against spread teams. Peppers, Lewis, Stribling — it's not much of a drop off if it's any.
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I hate to say it, but all of this debate about Morris/Gardner is deck chairs on the Titanic, people. This team has all of the talent it needs, but the coaching and player development are woefully inadequate, and they are not going to get any better with this coaching staff. If that wasn't clear after last Saturday, then I don't know what you've been watching. You could go down both lineups, and find that at virtually every (if not every) position on the field, Michigan had a more highly rated recruit, and yet we got our asses whipped in every phase of the game. That's on the coaches, pure and simple.
Nobody likes facing it, but we are never going to be the kind of team we want to be with Hoke and Co. running things. We just aren't. This is not the way a team looks in the 4th year of a successful rebuilding program.
Look at Indiana. Lesser talent than us at basically every position on the field, but they go on the road and beat a good, ranked Missouri team, while we embarrass ourselves at home. They are a well-coached team, capable of playing over their heads. We just aren't.
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UM didn't look terrible offensively although they did look bad throwing the football on many occasions with Gardner. In fact, UM looks to throw the ball inconsistently which gives the opponents the perspective that UM can't complete passes on a regular basis.
I still find it suprising that a few people here and there still don't see the inaccurate passes as a major problem with the offense. I guess people see what they want to see. I see Morris as too wild and inaccurate but with much more potential as a pocket passer.
Why would any person think Gardner is going to eventually succeed as a pocket passer with pressure. Astounding.
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One request for the OC, give DG time to make a play. We don't have the 90s Michigan OL. So compromise. Move the pocket or let him go out to space. Please buy some time for DG. He's capable of running away from 90% (or maybe 95%) of the front 7 on any team in the nation. I still believe Devin with time is the best QB for Michigan right now. The only way Michigan can survive this season is him playing heroball.
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Your onto it. Either use DG as a dual threat QB, running and passing, or start Shane. If your looking for a pocket passer, Shane is better. This is pretty simple in my view.
DG has been given the job because he is a better athlete. Let him do what he does.
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One of the knocks on Morris (even in HS) was his struggle to progress through his reads. We have seen this as well and he may not be ready. That said, it is likely that Morris is "pressing" just as many have said Gardner is. They are both trying to make plays. The difference to me is short-term versus long-term. It's far too early to think long-term, IMO. Gardner IS very talented. Maybe Nuss needs to make things even more simle for him and get him back to running more, "Check option 1, then go to #2, make a play with your legs." His legs are a weapon, lets use them. He came in as a dual threat, let's use him as such. When its Morris' turn, use him to his best abilities.
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Bigger question is why is Morris the "best" alternative? Shouldn't we be recruiting better? Shouldn't our coaches be getting more improvement out of these guys? I feel like DG has taken a step back not forward. Where the accountability for that fall?
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Yes, Michigan should have been recruiting better. They also should have taken a quarterback in the 2012 class. I've been saying that since…2011.
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