Crazy 4 Maize and Blue

QB - Cade McNamara - Well, this is a no-brainer. McNamara is playing better than Joe Milton. It's not even debatable. And if Harbaugh rolls out there with Milton as the starter again it will in fact be the last straw for me in regards to his credibility as a coach. I mean, how good would Milton have to look in practice this week for Harbaugh to be willing to throw him out there again? He is actually getting worse from week to week in actual game play. Milton is no doubt a rare physical specimen at the position, but at this point he has very little control over anything and opponents are taking advantage of him. It all even becomes more obvious when McNamara sets foot on the field and starts delivering strike after strike after strike. The fact that Michigan spotted Rutgers three scores before he entered the game with a less than a quarter to play in the first half, and the kid from Reno, Nevada was still able to pull out a win is incredible. At the very least this is getting extrem...

Point Guard: Mike Smith   Backups: Eli Brooks and Zeb Jackson Smith, who has never suited up for Michigan before, is being called upon to lead the way at the point. He can create plays for teammates and score on his own. He is fourth all-time on Columbia's scoring list and he averaged nearly five assists per game last season on a last place Ivy League squad devoid of talent around him. He won't have to do as much for Coach Howard's team and Brooks will probably get a solid 15 minutes per game, and he could be the de facto starter in this spo after he started to have a breakout season last year, and freshman Jackson will get some looks too. Shooting Guard: Eli Brooks  Backups: Chaundee Brown, Zeb Jackson, and Adrien Nunez Brooks, as stated above, truly began to emerge under Howard last season. He will probably play over 30 minutes per game split between the point and the two-guard positions. Brown will probably be the first guy off the bench here, but he could be a starter t...

 QB - Cade McNamara Look, I don't believe the Milton experiment is completely over, but right now he just is not playing well. In fact, he seems to be getting worse from week to week and I am afraid of how far down it could go. He just isn't doing anything right. His second INT on his second pass of the night against Wisconsin was criminally negligent for a starting college quarterback and I have seen very little emotion or leadership from him. His body language tells me he barely cares right now. I think a good coaching staff would seek to replace Milton now with the understanding that if he fixes the flaws in his game he will get another shot eventually, somewhere. Just probably not at Michigan. McNamara is the type of kid that could correct what is wrong with the offense fairly quickly, just as he did when he entered the game against Wisconsin. He is a bit of the opposite type of passer from what Milton represents. As opposed to elite arm strength and athleticism, McNamara...

Rushing One cannot have a conversation about the Michigan running game without talking about injuries along the offensive line. That was clearly an issue in the second half against the Spartans and the entire game against the Hoosiers. Losing both starting tackles and reshuffling three-fifths of the offensive line as a result was a huge blow to a position group that was questionable going into the season to begin with. And it has contributed greatly to inconsistency in the line play, which has hurt the run-game the most over the last two games. Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet are still averaging 7.8 yards per carry between them. It would be a real head-scratcher if Josh Gattis doesn't start to lean on those two guys more as the season progresses. So far they have only averaged 10 carries per game combined. They should be getting at least 10 carries per game each, if not 12 to 15, especially when you consider that nobody else with more than two carries on the season is averaging ...