Tag: Blake Countess

Michigan vs. Miami-OH Awards

Derrick Green

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Derrick Green. He saw plenty of action this past Saturday, but he looked pretty darn good. Green ended the game with 22 carries for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns. Granted, Michigan has played two patsies so far in the form of Appalachian State and Miami, but Green is on pace for 200 carries, 1,228 yards, and 12 touchdowns. That pace won’t hold up, but he showed nifty feet and improved vision from the past couple weeks. He also got stronger as the game went on and started to run through some tackles. I was okay with the distribution of carries in this game, but it seems like Green is separating himself from De’Veon Smith. On a side note, Smith’s body language suggested to me that he is none too happy about playing second fiddle to Green. I think that dynamic may be interesting to watch as their careers develop.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Amara Darboh. I only say this because I want Devin Funchess back on the field. Darboh is a complementary receiver, and while he led Michigan in receptions and yardage, he just looks raw in several ways – route running, running after the catch, etc. He will improve over time, just like Jehu Chesson did last year, but Darboh’s not ready to be a featured receiver.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Blake Countess at nickel corner. My current feeling on the cornerback situation is that Michigan needs guys on the outside who can play press coverage, like Jourdan Lewis, Jabrill Peppers, and perhaps Raymon Taylor. It’s tougher to play press man on slot receivers because of their alignment and such, so perhaps Countess would be better off inside.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Delonte Hollowell. Hollowell didn’t play a lot against Miami, but he played enough to get beaten for another touchdown on an out route. That’s the second week in a row, and teams are probably going to continue to test him out there. He’s best deployed as a special teamer, and he just doesn’t have the quickness to be effective at corner, in my opinion.

Play of the game . . . Jake Butt’s 29-yard touchdown catch. On a fake tunnel screen, Butt hit the corner and then turned upfield. Miami’s secondary bit on the pump fake, and Gardner’s pass was a wee bit too far. Butt was able to tip it to himself and jog into the endzone with no RedHawks in sight. That was the first time Michigan has shown the play so far, and they probably would have liked to have saved it for later in the year against a more formidable opponent, but Michigan was up just 17-10 at the time and it helped the Wolverines pull away.

MVP of the game . . . Derrick Green. There aren’t many choices here on a team that was missing several key players – safety Jarrod Wilson, wide receiver Devin Funchess, and cornerback Raymon Taylor – and couldn’t put away a MAC team on an 18-game losing streak. The Wolverines had some trouble getting open, protecting Gardner in the pocket, and getting Gardner on the edge, so Green’s running was a big key in helping Michigan pull away in the second half.

Notre Dame 31, Michigan 0

Oh, how I long for a “pocket.”

What just happened? I found this question reverberating around in my head from the second quarter onward. The scoreboard – whether it said 31-0 or 37-0 at the end – was not reflective of what this Michigan team can do, and it was not reflective of Notre Dame. Notre Dame has some good players, and so does Michigan. Notre Dame has some good coaches, and so does Michigan. Notre Dame was missing some people, and so was Michigan. Are Notre Dame’s coaches, starters, and backups 31 points superior to Michigan’s? Well, yeah, I guess they are. But I have no idea why. Michigan had 289 total yards to Notre Dame’s 280. It wasn’t that the Fighting Irish totally destroyed Michigan’s offense, or that their offense ripped up the Wolverines’ defense. They just made plays when they needed to make plays, a trait absent from Michigan for the last couple years.

This is where I jump on Doug Nussmeier. When it comes to play calling, I don’t think Nussmeier helped quarterback Devin Gardner at all on Saturday night. Notre Dame realized early on – probably as early as last year – that if they blitzed relentlessly, they could either get to Gardner or at least pressure him into bad throws or mistakes. Instead of pulling out plays to ease the pressure, Nussmeier basically said, “At least one receiver is going to beat his one-on-one matchup, so you’d better find him with Jarron Jones or Sheldon Day in your face.” Al Borges and Vincent Smith perfected the throwback screen. Al Borges and Jeremy Gallon perfected the throwback tunnel screen. Borges loved to run lead draws. Nussmeier’s way of slowing down the rush was to run zone read play action. When the bubbles and quick throws stopped working, he never seemed to take the next step to ward off the blitz. I would have liked to see more sprintouts, half rolls, tunnel screens, etc. He just thought the offensive line would magically stop the overload blitzes. Michigan moved the ball in chunks because they won one-on-one matchups – Devin Funchess vs. Cody Riggs, Dennis Norfleet vs. Jaylon Smith, etc. – but this isn’t Alabama, where he can count on his offensive linemen winning one-on-one matchups. I was afraid that, at some point, Nussmeier would fall victim to thinking that he could just count on being bigger, faster, and stronger than the opponent. I hope he came to realize the errors in that thought process in the aftermath of this game.

This offensive line isn’t as bad as last year. Center Jack Miller was repeatedly shoved back into Devin Gardner’s grill, and that’s a problem. But not every team has a Jarron Jones. Mason Cole and Erik Magnuson had several communication issues on the left side, but that comes with the territory of starting a true freshman left tackle. Regardless of the numbers, I thought the offensive line looked closer to the one that opened up huge holes against Appalachian State than the one that soured the taste in our mouths in 2013. Michigan is not a team that can wear teams down by running the ball, but they should be able to run the ball enough to keep most defenses off balance.

Blake Countess looks uncomfortable. I don’t think Countess is a wussy corner like Deion Sanders, but Countess does look awkward in press coverage. He is not physical at the line of scrimmage, and because he lets receivers get free releases, he’s opening up his hips too quickly. That style does not jive with what we’re seeing at the other corner in the form of Raymon Taylor/Jourdan Lewis. If Countess can’t play press man like defensive coordinator Greg Mattison wants this year, then perhaps he should move into the slot, where his ability to bait quarterbacks would be more useful.

So much for that wealth of cornerbacks. One place I thought Michigan had the advantage going into this game was at corner, where Michigan’s experienced and/or talented guys could win out against some inexperienced – but still talented – wideouts. Then I saw that Jabrill Peppers was on the sideline with his bum ankle, replaced by the lesser talented Delonte Hollowell. Then after the first defensive series, starter Raymon Taylor went to the locker room with an injury and never returned to the game. Just like that, Michigan was missing two of its top three corners. Hollowell was picked on repeatedly by Notre Dame. Jourdan Lewis picked up two pass interference penalties, at least one of which was highly questionable. The next guy in was Channing Stribling, who still looks a half-beat too slow for playing football against the big boys. I thought the numbers were leaning toward Michigan, with five Notre Dame academic fraud suspects off the field and a starting safety missing due to injury. However, those absences quickly started to even out with Peppers, Taylor, and tight end Jake Butt standing on the sideline.

But the linebackers looked good. After being unimpressive last week against Appalachian State, I thought starting linebackers Jake Ryan (11 tackles) and Joe Bolden (10 tackles) looked markedly better last night. They were reacting quicker, and they held a solid crew of running backs to 25 carries for 61 yards.

The refereeing was bad. The second pass interference penalty on Jourdan Lewis was hogwash, and it appears that Michigan is a step late in wanting to be all hands-on with their corners. That’s soooo  2013. Somehow, Devin Funchess got hit early on a crossing route that resulted in an incomplete pass, but the officials kept their hankies in their pockets. There was also no reason for Notre Dame’s Corey Robinson to be ruled down on the three-yard line when Stribling tackled him on a skinny post; the ball should have been placed at the 6″ line. You can’t blame the refs for a 31-point loss, but they certainly didn’t help Michigan find any success early.

The announcing was bad. I hate hate hate watching games on NBC, because it’s always a Notre Dame slurpfest. And while there weren’t a lot of good things to say about Michigan last night, I don’t remember color guy Mike Mayock saying many nice things about Michigan players. He said NFL scouts “love” Jake Ryan, and he complimented Devin Funchess’s ability to be big. Otherwise, he fawned over Everett Golson, Cam McDaniel, Greg Bryant, Jaylon Smith, Jarron Jones, Sheldon Day, Cody Riggs, Will Fuller’s speed (though not his hands), and even Notre Dame’s quarterbacks coach. Thank goodness that by the time Michigan plays Notre Dame again in the distant future – the year 2000 – Mayock won’t be around anymore.

Turnovers don’t exist. Michigan has zero takeaways in two games.

I don’t know where this team goes from here. This seems like a game that could make or break some teams. I don’t think anyone was under the illusion that Michigan was going to win a national championship this year, but the shutout could fracture a locker room and make some people question whether this unit is going anywhere. Again, I look at how Michigan moved the ball at times, and I think it might just be an unhappy coincidence that the Wolverines didn’t string together enough plays to create a couple scores. Notre Dame has a high-powered offense, and I predicted that they would score 31 points. We all knew they could march down the field and score. Michigan needs to regroup and get healthy next week against Miami, and moving forward, Nussmeier needs to open up his playbook against blitzing defenses to keep them out of Gardner’s face.

2014 Season Predictions

Devin Gardner

Here’s a link (LINK) to a review of my 2013 season predictions if you like to look into the past.

As for the future, here we go:

Leading Rusher
I’m backtracking a little bit here. It seemed like De’Veon Smith was getting a little more hype at the beginning of the summer, but now Brady Hoke is saying that Derrick Green would be getting the first carry against Appalachian State. I have always thought that Green had more upside because of his superior speed, so hopefully the line can block well enough to get him to the second or third level.
Prediction: Green, 700 yards

Leading Receiver
The best receiver on the team is clearly Devin Funchess, and I think this is a pretty obvious pick, barring injury. The only real question appears to be whether he’ll break the 1,000-yard barrier. Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier likes to run the ball, and he seems to like to spread out the ball among his receivers.
Prediction: Funchess, 950 yards

Leading Tackler
Michigan rotates linebackers a lot, so I don’t think the tackle totals for any one player will be astronomical. It looks like Desmond Morgan will rotate in with both Joe Bolden and Jake Ryan, and the combination of James Ross and Royce Jenkins-Stone looks pretty neck-and-neck right now, too. Throw in a dose of Ben Gedeon, and nobody racks up the tackles. Last year’s leading tackler was cornerback Raymon Taylor, but Michigan’s tighter coverage will hopefully prevent as many completions in front of the corners.
Prediction: Ryan, 75 tackles

Hit the jump for the rest of the predictions.

Leading Sacker
Strongside end Brennen Beyer has never been much of a pass rusher, and the edge rushing of Jake Ryan is not as much of a threat with Michigan’s move to the Over front. I think the clear selection here is weakside end Frank Clark, who turned on the jets in the second half of 2013.
Prediction: Clark, 8 sacks

Leading Interceptor
Tighter man seems to lead to more picks for safeties, because they play over the top of quarterbacks trying to fit balls into tight windows, and the safeties get some bounces, too. I’m tempted to pick Jarrod Wilson for that reason, but I’ll stick with First Team All-Big Ten selection Blake Countess, who had 6 picks last year.
Prediction: Countess, 5 interceptions

All-Big Ten First Team
Prediction: Devin Gardner, Jake Ryan, Blake Countess

Leading Scorer (non-QB, non-kicker)
Nobody seems likely to pile up touchdown after touchdown, so I’ll choose Funchess here.
Prediction: Funchess

Breakout Offensive Player
Michigan will probably continue to struggle to run the ball, although I do expect the running game to improve a little. Derrick Green looks like a good choice, but I might wait until 2015 for him, once the offensive line has some experience and age. Instead, I’ll go with a guy who has been playing quite a bit on special teams but appears #1 on the depth chart at slot receiver. I have some questions about Dennis Norfleet’s hands, but he could be a dynamo in the slot if he can catch some short passes and get into space. He won’t light the world on fire, but he could be fun to watch.
Prediction: Norfleet

Breakout Defensive Player
This is a very difficult choice, because I think several players are going to take large steps forward this season. I think Jarrod Wilson will turn into the ball hawk that Michigan fans have been looking for at the safety position. I also think Willie Henry is going to be very tough for opponents to handle at the 3-tech position. I don’t like to do this, but I’ll go with the bandwagon pick in freshman Jabrill Peppers. The nickel corner position is involved in a lot of different things, and Peppers seems like a guy who’s quick/strong enough to blitz effective, speedy enough to cover, and stout enough to stop the run.
Prediction: Peppers

Most Disappointing Offensive Player
Michigan fans want big things from the offensive line, but I don’t think they’ll get them with Ben Braden at right tackle. He’s huge, but I think he’s still a year or two away from actually being good. He’s stiff in pass protection and teams are going to confuse him with stunts. The left side looks to me like the strong side.
Prediction: Braden

Most Disappointing Defensive Player
I think Michigan fans are going to be disappointed in Ondre Pipkins by the end of the year. He was a 5-star recruit (to ESPN), but he’s coming off an ACL tear and didn’t look great before the injury. It would have been beneficial for him to redshirt either this year or last, but the injury came too late in the season to apply for a medical scholarship in 2013.
Prediction: Pipkins

The Big Finish
August 30 vs. Appalachian State: WIN. Michigan has some extra incentive, since . . . you know . . . that thing happened in 2007.

September 6 at Notre Dame: WIN. Notre Dame is going through some turmoil, probably missing some starters, moving to a different defense, and a little overrated, in my opinion.

September 13 vs. Miami (OH): WIN. The RedHawks went 0-12 last year. Yikes.

September 20 vs. Utah: WIN. This might be a close game, but I think Michigan will pull it out.

September 27 vs. Minnesota: WIN. The Gophers scare me a little bit this season, and they have been improving. I’ll stick with the Wolverines since the game is in Ann Arbor.

October 4 at Rutgers: WIN. If nothing else, Michigan will win this with their defense. I can see this type of game being frustrating for Michigan offensively.

October 11 vs. Penn State: WIN. I think the Nittany Lions might be another year away from being very good, so Michigan wins it because the game is in Ann Arbor.

October 25 at Michigan State: LOSS. Michigan’s offensive line woes will once again frustrate Michigan, but this is a game I could see coming down to the final play.

November 1 vs. Indiana: WIN. Practicing against a little more up-tempo offense might help Michigan’s defense against the Hoosiers, and they also lost quarterback Tre Roberson to transfer.

November 8 at Northwestern: WIN. Northwestern is stout up the middle on defense, but Michigan can beat them on the edges. And the losses of quarterback Kain Colter and running back Venric Mark do not bode well for the Wildcats’ chances.

November 22 vs. Maryland: WIN. I think Michigan has the athletes to match up with Maryland’s wide receivers, who are dangerous nonetheless.

November 29 at Ohio State: LOSS. The addition of Larry Johnson as the defensive line coach in Columbus is the clincher for me in this one. I feel like the Buckeyes will be able to control the line of scrimmage, and the game is in the terrible state of Ohio.

Final record: 10-2.

2014 Season Countdown: #8 Blake Countess

Blake Countess

Name: Blake Countess
Height: 5’10”
High school: 180 lbs.
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #2
Last year: I ranked Countess #9 and said he would start at cornerback with 55 tackles and 2 interceptions. He made 46 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions (returned for 169 yards and 1 touchdown), and 4 pass breakups.

Countess mostly had a great year in 2013. He returned from his 2012 ACL tear and showed no ill effects, tying for #1 in the conference and #7 nationally with 6 interceptions. When Michigan would go from their standard 4-3 defense to a nickel, he would bump down into the slot. He – along with anybody else the coaching staff threw out there – got torched by Kansas State wideout Tyler Lockett, which somewhat dampened the excitement about Countess’s return coming into 2013. Regardless, he came up with some huge plays with 2 interceptions of Notre Dame, 1 pick against Ohio State, and another returned for a touchdown against Minnesota.

The 2014 season might be different altogether. One of the bewildering storylines is that Countess switched from the #18 to Charles Woodson’s #2 jersey, which directly preceded the revelation that Countess has been running with the second string defense behind Jourdan Lewis, sometimes Jabrill Peppers, and sometimes Raymon Taylor. It was also revealed that Countess has been nursing a groin injury, so that may have contributed to the coaches taking it easy on him. It seems clear that Lewis has forced his way into the lineup as a sophomore, so the battle is for that other corner spot. I have a very hard time believing that an All-Big Ten player who made 6 picks and earned the #2 jersey from a fairly stingy coaching staff will be benched in favor of Lewis/Peppers, who have combined for 17 tackles and 2 pass breakups in college. The most likely lineup to me has Lewis and Countess on the field at virtually all times with Peppers bouncing in at nickel, while Taylor can rotate in or perhaps even play safety. Anyone who claims to know how the rotation will pan out is lying. Last year Lewis, Channing Stribling, and Courtney Avery were in a constant battle for playing time, and I expect defensive snaps to fluctuate once again this year.

Prediction: Starting corner; 40 tackles, 4 interceptions

247 Sports: 2014 Pre-season All-Big Ten Team

Devin Funchess

247 Sports released their Pre-season All-Big Ten Team on Wednesday morning. There are a few Michigan players on the list:

WR Devin Funchess
LB Jake Ryan
CB Blake Countess