Spring Game Analysis: What My Eyes Told Me
Shane Morris can be "the guy":
Morris has lost the backing of a large portion of Wolverine Nation, and the spring game didn't seem to do much to ease any fan anxiety over the QB position. If you were to peruse any Wolverine-related site online you will see that some have already handed the job over to incoming Iowa graduate transfer Jake Rudock. All this hype reaffirms my suspicion that most fans don't know what they are looking at and they sure as hell don't know what they are talking about in regards to a developing football team.
First of all, Morris looked fine. He may have not looked spectacular, but he looked good enough to give hope that he can continue to develop. A new, unrefined, and vanilla offense going up against one of the best and deepest returning defensive units in the country hardly ever looks very good in spring practices. Why should this example be any different? There is obviously a lot of work to do, but there is plenty of time to develop into a decent offensive unit.
Going into the game I was just hoping to see some sort of spark come out of Shane Morris. He didn't have to throw for 300 yards and he didn't have to throw four TD's. He just had to show something. After a tough couple outings early, I saw that spark I was looking for emerge right before half time of the spring game.
With under two minutes to play in the first half, Morris' offense was having a tough series deep in their own territory. After he zipped a pass into TE Ian Bunting that was essentially dropped even if it was a little off-target, Morris was facing a 3rd and 28. He lined up in a shotgun formation, took the snap, and laid the ball up 36 yards down field and hit Amara Darboh perfectly between two defenders for a first down. Unfortunately, a couple dropped passes and a penalty killed the drive, but Morris got the ball a minute later and once again completed the same pass, thus showing he can make tough touch passes down field while exposing an opponent's weakness. He then fired one on a 15 yard strike to connect with Jaron Dukes at the goal line for a TD, once again demonstrating that strong arm of his.
By no means was Morris perfect, having forced a couple throws, but I saw enough of him throughout the day to reaffirm my belief that he can be the guy. He completed some passes that no QB on the Michigan roster has been able to complete in half a decade. It's worth noting too that the one INT he is credited with throwing was another well-thrown ball that deflected off the receiver's hands.
Morris a great talent. We as fans should not be casting him off as a bust because of what happened under Hoke's watch. It was only two years ago when we couldn't wait for him to get on campus. He was our only hope at the position and he wasn't able to get it together fast enough. That doesn't mean he will never get it together and eventually become the passer we all hoped he could be when he committed to the program.
Alex Malzone is a keeper:
While watching the first half of the spring game I was repeatedly frustrated with the lack of play on the other end of Malzone's passes. Redshirt freshmen Mo' Ways and Chase Winovich both allowed well-thrown, catchable balls to get by them instead of catching them for a big first down in Blue team territory. Instead, they helped kill their respective drives. One actually bounced out of Ways' hands and right into those of Blue team DB Brandon Watson. If those two receivers make those catches it would've been a completely different ball game for the young passer. It surely set a tone for the rest of the day.
Malzone wasn't without his own mistakes though, and he was given plenty of opportunity to get things going, having played the entire game. As it turned out he was unable to lead the Maize team to the endzone despite getting near the redzone a few times early in the game.
I did see enough apparent confidence and arm strength in him to be excited about his potential. This was only his first spring game against a very deep defense. If he makes any type of progression each year he will be just fine.
The O-line is versatile:
Overall, the consistency along the line was lacking. There were too many mental errors and not enough consistent push up front to really stand out, but there were a number of factors that make it really hard to analyze the group as a whole. For one thing, the group was split up with potential starters on each squad. Many of these kids may have been playing next to guys they usually don't line up with .The other factor was the 10 minute quarters. O-lines that are built to run block often start benefiting from defenders getting tired late in games. With this game actually being 20 minutes shorter than an actual one the lines never got a chance to wear anybody down.
The one thing that was very interesting, which could have also contributed to some inconsistencies in line play, was the fact that some of the guys were playing positions that they hadn't lined up at in a game before. We all know the coaches experimented with starting left tackle Mason Cole at center, but Erik Magnusson started the game at right tackle for the Maize team with Blake Bars starting at left guard. Mason Cole (LT), Patrick Kugler (C), and Kyle Kalis (RG) rounded out the starting lineup. Ben Braden also got early playing time at right guard alongside Mags.
The Blue team saw a lot more younger lineup with senior Graham Glasgow (C) the only real upperclassman in their lineup.
The D is for real:
Top-end talent, experience, and depth abound on this side of the ball. I see several guys, including LB Joe Bolden, DB Jourdan Lewis, DB Jabrill Peppers, and DL Willie Henry, that could challenge for All-Big Ten Honors. I also see as many as ten guys on the two-deep that could eventually play on Sundays.
Plain and simple, every single position has at least two guys that have seen significant playing time over the last few years, and let's not forgot this defense was ranked 8th in the nation in total defense last season with only 311 yards per game given up. There is no reason to think they can't keep up that kind of pace and even improve some more. If that happens, watch out America!
Some of the younger talented players, such as Peppers, DT Bryan Mone, and DE Lawrence Marshall, need to step up and become stars asap, and if they continue to rise like they have been then this already stout defense will win a lot of games for the Wolverines this fall. By all accounts in the spring game, it appears these guys are indeed ready to take on big roles for the team in 2015 and beyond.
Morris has lost the backing of a large portion of Wolverine Nation, and the spring game didn't seem to do much to ease any fan anxiety over the QB position. If you were to peruse any Wolverine-related site online you will see that some have already handed the job over to incoming Iowa graduate transfer Jake Rudock. All this hype reaffirms my suspicion that most fans don't know what they are looking at and they sure as hell don't know what they are talking about in regards to a developing football team.
First of all, Morris looked fine. He may have not looked spectacular, but he looked good enough to give hope that he can continue to develop. A new, unrefined, and vanilla offense going up against one of the best and deepest returning defensive units in the country hardly ever looks very good in spring practices. Why should this example be any different? There is obviously a lot of work to do, but there is plenty of time to develop into a decent offensive unit.
Going into the game I was just hoping to see some sort of spark come out of Shane Morris. He didn't have to throw for 300 yards and he didn't have to throw four TD's. He just had to show something. After a tough couple outings early, I saw that spark I was looking for emerge right before half time of the spring game.
With under two minutes to play in the first half, Morris' offense was having a tough series deep in their own territory. After he zipped a pass into TE Ian Bunting that was essentially dropped even if it was a little off-target, Morris was facing a 3rd and 28. He lined up in a shotgun formation, took the snap, and laid the ball up 36 yards down field and hit Amara Darboh perfectly between two defenders for a first down. Unfortunately, a couple dropped passes and a penalty killed the drive, but Morris got the ball a minute later and once again completed the same pass, thus showing he can make tough touch passes down field while exposing an opponent's weakness. He then fired one on a 15 yard strike to connect with Jaron Dukes at the goal line for a TD, once again demonstrating that strong arm of his.
By no means was Morris perfect, having forced a couple throws, but I saw enough of him throughout the day to reaffirm my belief that he can be the guy. He completed some passes that no QB on the Michigan roster has been able to complete in half a decade. It's worth noting too that the one INT he is credited with throwing was another well-thrown ball that deflected off the receiver's hands.
Morris a great talent. We as fans should not be casting him off as a bust because of what happened under Hoke's watch. It was only two years ago when we couldn't wait for him to get on campus. He was our only hope at the position and he wasn't able to get it together fast enough. That doesn't mean he will never get it together and eventually become the passer we all hoped he could be when he committed to the program.
Alex Malzone is a keeper:
While watching the first half of the spring game I was repeatedly frustrated with the lack of play on the other end of Malzone's passes. Redshirt freshmen Mo' Ways and Chase Winovich both allowed well-thrown, catchable balls to get by them instead of catching them for a big first down in Blue team territory. Instead, they helped kill their respective drives. One actually bounced out of Ways' hands and right into those of Blue team DB Brandon Watson. If those two receivers make those catches it would've been a completely different ball game for the young passer. It surely set a tone for the rest of the day.
Malzone wasn't without his own mistakes though, and he was given plenty of opportunity to get things going, having played the entire game. As it turned out he was unable to lead the Maize team to the endzone despite getting near the redzone a few times early in the game.
I did see enough apparent confidence and arm strength in him to be excited about his potential. This was only his first spring game against a very deep defense. If he makes any type of progression each year he will be just fine.
The O-line is versatile:
Overall, the consistency along the line was lacking. There were too many mental errors and not enough consistent push up front to really stand out, but there were a number of factors that make it really hard to analyze the group as a whole. For one thing, the group was split up with potential starters on each squad. Many of these kids may have been playing next to guys they usually don't line up with .The other factor was the 10 minute quarters. O-lines that are built to run block often start benefiting from defenders getting tired late in games. With this game actually being 20 minutes shorter than an actual one the lines never got a chance to wear anybody down.
The one thing that was very interesting, which could have also contributed to some inconsistencies in line play, was the fact that some of the guys were playing positions that they hadn't lined up at in a game before. We all know the coaches experimented with starting left tackle Mason Cole at center, but Erik Magnusson started the game at right tackle for the Maize team with Blake Bars starting at left guard. Mason Cole (LT), Patrick Kugler (C), and Kyle Kalis (RG) rounded out the starting lineup. Ben Braden also got early playing time at right guard alongside Mags.
The Blue team saw a lot more younger lineup with senior Graham Glasgow (C) the only real upperclassman in their lineup.
The D is for real:
Top-end talent, experience, and depth abound on this side of the ball. I see several guys, including LB Joe Bolden, DB Jourdan Lewis, DB Jabrill Peppers, and DL Willie Henry, that could challenge for All-Big Ten Honors. I also see as many as ten guys on the two-deep that could eventually play on Sundays.
Plain and simple, every single position has at least two guys that have seen significant playing time over the last few years, and let's not forgot this defense was ranked 8th in the nation in total defense last season with only 311 yards per game given up. There is no reason to think they can't keep up that kind of pace and even improve some more. If that happens, watch out America!
Some of the younger talented players, such as Peppers, DT Bryan Mone, and DE Lawrence Marshall, need to step up and become stars asap, and if they continue to rise like they have been then this already stout defense will win a lot of games for the Wolverines this fall. By all accounts in the spring game, it appears these guys are indeed ready to take on big roles for the team in 2015 and beyond.
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