Florida State TTUn

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billybud
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Re: Florida State TTUn

Postby billybud » Sat Dec 31, 2016 10:14 am

Eric....here is a stat to chew on...and I thought my Noles were in tight games...

In four of Harbaugh's six losses, Michigan was ahead in the last minute. And Michigan's three losses this year were by a total of five points.

So close to being undefeated...if the game tilts just a little the Wolverine's way, undefeated season.


When you have so many close losses, it usually means that the cookie will crumble another way if the effort stays the same.

My thought? The same as going in. Speight could be very, very dangerous if he was more mobile. He hurt FSU on third down roll outs where he bought time to find the short/intermediate receiver.

In the pocket, he was a target and could hear the thudding feet of rushing defenders.
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Re: Florida State TTUn

Postby Spence » Sat Dec 31, 2016 12:37 pm

Eric, Michigan is going through what Ohio State went through during the Cooper years. Always losing the rivalry game, even when they were the better team, and losing the bowl game. It was terrible. I remember it well. As someone who cut his teeth on Buckeye football in the 60's it was tough. Even the early 70's were good. Coach Bruce was ok. He was just the guy who followed the legend. Then came Cooper. He was a great recruiter. A big picture guy. He couldn't find a why to finish. The rivalry meant more to us then that it did to Michigan then. Michigan players even said that they thought that Michigan State and Notre Dame we bigger games for them. When Cooper was let go and the monkey got off our back, Michigan felt the full force of the Ohio State fan's years of frustration when all of the sudden a new coach took advantage of that apathy by the Michigan fans and players out of Lloyd Carr. Carr was a good coach too. But after getting beat several times that fan base and boosters got a little taste of what Buckeyes had for 12 years and they decided to go another direction. They choose someone, like Coop, that didn't understand Michigan football.

I agree with Donovan completely about Harbaugh. He is a great Macro coach. He is building a great base. I think that in games, though, he gets to caught up with the little things and loses focus with the x's and o's. In the third quarter last night after they scored the TD he went for two. What, why. That is too early for a panic move and stupid if it was an act of bravado. That point would have been nice at the end. Then after getting the go ahead TD in with 2+ minutes left letting FSU, who had already burnt them once on special teams, have a shot at a return. Why not make them go the distance with 2:00 minutes left? The defense was playing lights out at the end. Harbaugh just acts more like a player in those situations than a coach. The head coach has to look at the big picture.

Speight was in big trouble when Jake Butt left the game. People can say what they want about Peppers, but Butt is Speight's main - almost only target- with the game on the line. At the end having to go deep without the option of hitting Butt for that 15-20 yard mid range pass was the difference between winning and losing. That and Florida State's pass rush of course.

I expect Clemson's pass rush to be the difference in Ohio State's game tonight. As much as Ohio State says Prince is working hard, I don't see him being much different tonight than all year. Prince's problem isn't talent. It is between the ears. He will get better, just not in a month. He needs to understand the position better. He need to have it slow down for him. That is why Ohio State gets beat tonight. That and Clemson is good, but the other team is always good in these situations. That is what you must learn to overcome.
"History doesn't always repeat itself but it often rhymes." - Mark Twain

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Eric
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Re: Florida State TTUn

Postby Eric » Sun Jan 01, 2017 3:31 am

The Harbaugh regime has definitely stepped our recruiting up to another level and they actually know what to do with the players once they get here (yes, that's a knock against Hoke). Hoke irreparably damaged our offensive line because every single big-time recruit at those positions under Hoke was a relative bust. The 2013 and 2014 offensive lines were completely dismal because Hoke & Co. didn't know what to do with them. The 2015 and 2016 offensive lines were Hoke people and the Harbaugh staff couldn't fix their bad habits. The QB cupboard was obviously bare also.

Anyway, Michigan fans are deluding themselves yet again with more "wait until next year..." consolations. It's not going to be next year. If anything, it's 2018. And then it's Ohio State in the 'Shoe. So maybe 2019 is the year, finally. I guess if Harbaugh wins one title miraculously, then anything else is gravy even if we lose to Ohio State the rest of the time and lose our major bowl games. So be it. I just want to be in the mix and Michigan will be, after 2017, continually in the mix. If next year is a dud though appealing to the top recruits like they're doing now will be a harder sell, until they actually get over that hump. Until then, it'll all be "potential" and "hype" and it'll wear thin. Why not just go to Ohio State to get into the playoff?

Now, I'm not claiming to be smarter than Jim Harbaugh, but I would honestly throw in the towel next season. Yes, maybe if everyone is better than expected early, we could compete for the Big 10 if you played it safe with the returning QB starter in Speight. But I would rather just throw Peters (or McCaffery?) to the wolves. Peters is a big guy like Speight but he has more mobility, way more upside, and can stretch the defense vertically. McCaffery is a better athlete than both of them (he has the genes) and the ball comes off his hand the way you see balls come of the hands of elite QBs. For the good of the program, the smart play is to let them grow into the position, punt 2018, and have the team grow around the new nucleus of young players like Peoples-Jones and (pleeease!) Najee Harris (pleease! :D ).

What will Harbaugh do? Oh, he'll roll with the mediocre veterans and play Wilton Speight. Speight's "played in the offense," you see. He "does the right things," you see. Meanwhile, we have two potential studs just rotting on the bench while we get 2 more years of thoroughly mediocre QB play. If Speight isn't going to be the starter in 2019, then what are we even doing here? Are we going to let Peters or McCaffery challenge the senior 2-year starter in 2019? If so, then why not just let them get the experience now? It'd obviously be different if Speight were good and a step above his competition, but his edge is completely artificial because Harbaugh is giving him playing time. If he gives the playing time to Peters or McCaffery.....Then they would be more experienced. Giving experience to a guy with a hard ceiling and then citing his experience as the primary reason why you can't play the other guy is shooting yourself in the foot. Oh, but he'll do that next year. Meanwhile, the better QBs on the depth chart will be getting anxious and they'll have to wait until 2020 to see the field while Michigan blows important games.


:roll: :roll: :roll: Ugh.
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Re: Florida State TTUn

Postby Eric » Sun Jan 01, 2017 3:35 am

Najee Harris could be a program-defining player though, if Michigan were to somehow land him. If McCaffery, Harris, and Peoples-Jones turned into our next fearsome trio, that would be a very good sign. It'd take an upset though to pry him away from USC and Bama. He committed to Bama in 2015 but he's been walking that back recently. He is good friends with Peoples-Jones.

I don't want to get too excited though. I only have the last decade as a sample size of negative news and outcomes :cry: . And of course when Bama wins the title paired with a Michigan faceplant in the Orange Bowl, I think we know where the momentum would be.
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Re: Florida State TTUn

Postby billybud » Sun Jan 01, 2017 10:13 am

Najee is the protoypical big bruising back that Bama loves to run in their system...he isn't the fastest at 4.6 to 4.7, and he isn't a shifty hole hitter/accelerator...but he is a load to bring down with their offensive line paving the way.

He fits their system so well that I can't see him going anywhere else.

I don't know what kind of back best fits the Wolverine scheme, but Bama loves cruising these bruisers behind their blocking. And they don't expect a back to catch passes down field.
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Re: Florida State TTUn

Postby Cane from the Bend » Sun Jan 01, 2017 10:23 pm

Eric wrote:has definitely stepped our recruiting up to another level and they actually know what to do with the players once they get here (yes, that's a knock against Hoke). Hoke irreparably damaged our offensive line because every single big-time recruit at those positions under Hoke was a relative bust. The 2013 and 2014 offensive lines were completely dismal because Hoke & Co. didn't know what to do with them. The 2015 and 2016 offensive lines were Hoke people and the Harbaugh staff couldn't fix their bad habits.


Are you sure we're discussing Hoke's ineptness, and Harbaugh's struggles to correct these issues --- because it kinda reads as though you're referring to Miami's flaws, and the issues Richt is trying to remap & reconstruct, that Golden left a mess of.

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