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Yeah, that's the thing. They are what they are. I don't think you'll see some sort of huge jump. 4th and 5th year players aren't going to improve much at this stage.
That is usually the case. If there was to be an exception, it could be this year, where these guys are finally getting competent coaching for the 2nd year in a row. Also, FWIW, Mason Cole is more physically suited to be a center than a blind side protector although the new LT has not been earning great practice praise so far.
I hope that it all leads somewhere. I'm tired of being disappointed.
I agree with this, but there is room for optimism. O'Korn can run better than Rudock. That will add a dimension to the offense. We know what we'll get from Deveon Smith. The wildcards are Drake Johnson and Ty Isaac. Johnson should be good another year removed from surgery. Isaac could be a big factor if he has really decided to work hard and runs with less fear of contact.
I see far more upside in the QBs than I do in the RBs. I don't put much stock in hoping the "switch comes on" for a player who has been given every opportunity to succeed.
I think M's OL is what it is. I think Ty Isaac is who you think he is. I find it far more believable that O'Korn (or Speight) could both be really good. There's not a body of work, yet, that suggests otherwise. And for M to take full advantage of this window I think they need some pretty good QB play. As I said, I think it's possible, but I tend to think it will be closer to "serviceable" than "outstanding."
That is usually the case. If there was to be an exception, it could be this year, where these guys are finally getting competent coaching for the 2nd year in a row.
I think that's a thin reed on which to rest your hopes. Here's the thing -- they got asswailed up front by MSU and OSU. I think they quit trying to run the ball against OSU (other than trying to hit the X-button with Peppers) somewhere around the the 1st quarter. I just don't see that group as elite or even a strength of the team.
You can sell me on the WRs, including Butt. I think that group will be a real strength. But I'm not buying into the running game as a whole. It'll be meh, IMO.
Anyway, that's my non-sandbagging take on M per PB's general inquiry. My non-sandbagging take on OSU is 9.5 wins trending to 10.5 if they can somehow find good DT play and if they can adequately replace Darron Lee. I could go into it further, but I think the thumbnail version works for this thread.
I'll let you all carry on as you were.
Dan Patrick: What was your reaction to [Urban Meyer being hired]? Brady Hoke: You know.....not....good.
All pretty fair shit here. I can see 10-2, even though 11-1 is my official prediction. The OL and RB are the biggest questions in my mind and I think still having to play Peppers and now Lewis on offense reflects some of that. O'Keight will just have to be game managers to start and I think by the 2nd half of the year, they'll be ready to be play makers. That part of the offense I'll never worry about with JH.
We're lucky we have 5-6 games to get things humming.
I also think M plays harder West teams this year, by far. Northwestern just isn't a real team. When they play real teams they get destroyed. Minnesota, while not particularly good, at least had the semblance of a real team. Wisconsin and Iowa are real football teams. Those will be grinding games, IMO -- even with Wisky at home.
Speaking of Wisky, has anyone looked at their first 7 games....
LSU (Green Bay), @MSU, @M, vs OSU, @ Iowa with two easy OoC games in there. Holy hell. It isn't until UNL comes to town that things ease up, though I don't think they'll hit 70 this year.
Dan Patrick: What was your reaction to [Urban Meyer being hired]? Brady Hoke: You know.....not....good.
ND was in a NC game recently! Still pissed that Bama only won by 28. Nick pulled many of the starters in the 3rd. Pissed me off. It was 28-0 at half, and should have been more. We coulda won that game 50-0 with the right attitude.
"The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it is sometimes hard to verify their authenticity." -Abraham Lincoln
You're not only an amazingly beautiful man, but you're the greatest football mind to ever exist. <-- Jeffy Shittypants actually posted this. I knew he was in love with me.
Harbaugh took a San Francisco team that fired its coach and hadn't made the playoffs in 9 consecutive years.
Harbaugh closed the alleged "High School Star Gap" in record time. 3 NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl in 4 years at the highest level of football, against the greatest athletes and most brilliant coaching minds in the pro ranks.
Saban was a grotesque NFL failure and Meyer has never had the guts to test himself against the best has Harbaugh did.
I am not worried about our QB situation, Iowa castoff Jake Rudock arrived in AA 3 or so weeks before his first game and over the span of 13 games JH turned him into an NFL QB.
O'Korn has been under Harbaugh's tutelage for almost 2 years and they knew what they were getting based on his Houston film. By the start of conference play, he will be ready.
You got me motivated with this one! In also forgot that Rudock showed up that late. It was impressive now that I think about how he learned on the fly.
F#*K OHIO!!!
You're not only an amazingly beautiful man, but you're the greatest football mind to ever exist. <-- Jeffy Shittypants actually posted this. I knew he was in love with me.
A lot of people will be surprised how good O'Korn plays this year. This is his 4th year of college ball and has started 20 games in D1. As OP noted, he's in his second year of being coached by Harbaugh. He's mobile and has a top-notch receiving corps. I'm expecting much more than a game manager type QB.
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