We know Michigan is loaded on the defensive side of the ball. Where the only question is the LB's. The Defensive Line and DB's might be the best in the country. That leaves us with the offense and what to expect.
Coming out of Spring it was clearly an O'Korn vs. Speight battle at QB. O'Korn is a Houston transfer and Speight was a 3 star Brady Hoke/Big Al recruit. Michigan's 5 star QB Shane Morris played mostly WR during the spring game. Sort of sounds like a mess, doesn't it? If I know one thing, Jimmy can coach QB's and one of these guys will grab the 1st string job. Even if they don't that probably means, both are both pretty good. O'Korn got most of the off season buzz but Speight showed some serious "onions" when he stepped in last year at Minnesota and won the game. I don't think either will be a super star but love the thought of them, using their All American Tight End, WR's and RB's to win games. Both O'Korn and Speight spent a few minutes on ESPN's main page yesterday.
We know who the staring RB is going to be and it's nice luxury to have. We will also know what to expect from Drake "Forklift" Johnson, he is now made of steel and will be a great speed back. I'm going to call out Ty Isaac as one of the biggest difference maker between good and great for Michigan's offense this year. We know Smith won't carry the ball all the time and if Ty finds that 5 star in him, it could be a very explosive offense. He showed well in the Spring and if he can carry it over to the season, Michigan will have 3 RB's that make a big difference.
WR is also pretty locked down. Darboh and Chesson are locks and Perry's best game of the year was the Citrus Bowl. I also think we will a freshman get some snaps, but which one is a mystery at this point. With Ahmir Mitchell in the dog house it's probably not him. My guess would be Crawford. I would also like to see Peppers more in the slot then at RB. If he is going to play LB, DB and return punts, I would prefer he didn't take the extra hits at RB.
TE is another easy one with All American Jake Butt leading the way. I also would love to see the Twin Towers of Butt and Bunting on the field at the same time and looking at confused Linebackers that try to cover them. Wheat is also a huge individual and I expect him to get some snaps this year as well. Trick plays with Gentry?
The offensive line should be better in year two of OC Tim Drevno's system. We saw how important the bowl practices were in the line making big improvements. Hopefully with another Spring and Fall camp, we will see even more strides forward. I hope the line quietly has a very good year, I'm not sure there are any NFL first round draft picks here, just good solid football players. Facing the top DL in the country every day this month, should help them be ready for September 3rd.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Michigan Thursday: Offensive Thoughts
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2 comments:
I thought Speight was a lot better than was billed last year. Even when he was in on mop up duty, his stats weren't great, but he threw some really nice balls that were dropped. I don't know that last year was all about a red shirt for Morris, I think it was a combination of that option, but also Wilton being just about as good anyway...
I really like the idea of Speight taking the job with a chip on his 3* shoulder.... Nothing against O'Korn, and by all means I want the best guy under center, I just really like rooting for the underdog/over-achievers. Love the Kerriges, Glaskows, Kovas' walk on then earn that scholarship and earn their way to the top of the depth chart. Equally as cool is when those 3* become MVP's, Mike Hart, and maybe Wilton Speight.
23 more days...... GO BLUE!
My biggest concern is your last paragraph - the OL. If they don't perform then the QB, RBs, WRs, TEs won't be able to either.
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