First!
So, Brandon Herron a year later?
I think rivals has him running a 4.5. The 5.0 could also be a mistake in addition to the possibilities Brian mentioned.
Rivals has confirmation.
Where did these stats come from? I saw on both rivals and scouts that he was 205 and a 4.5 40 guy. That would make the LSU and OK believable. Hell I was 190 and ran a 5.0 40. Please, is the guy a kicker?
the 5.0 time is a typo.
Anyone worried about his speed, watch the video. Not slow.
With those stats, he sounds more like a safety than an LB... which would make at least a bit more sense, depending on how he develops under Barwis, of course.
Cardinal Mooney is a top Ohio program, so he's probably been playing against good competition, for what it's worth.
Yeah he's a good one that unfortunatley Osu didn't have room to offer. He'll be a stud and I trust Bob Stoops and Bo Pelini evaluations over scouts thank you very much. He was the second most dominate player in the state title game and his first step was pretty explosive..
18 year-olds still have growth ahead of them. 190 lbs today will be more like 215-220 in two years.
Added bonus: he was supposedly at MSU this past weekend, so they are melting down a little bit over this.
McGuffie visiting A&M? Cue the shit sweats......Now!
Mario officially gone.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Mario Manningham confirmed Monday he has entered the NFL draft.
"It was a hard decision, but after discussing it with my family it was the right one for me to make right now," Manningham said in an interview with The Associated Press, while driving home to Ohio. "I've heard I will be drafted in the first round because of the lack of depth at wide receiver."
Manningham said he will work out in Cleveland, preparing for the league's scouting combine and draft.
"Bottom Line" Barwis will have Hill running a 4.5-40 before you can say "repetition."
McGuffie went to visit friends, so it's no big deal, he's blue. Martin seems solid despite the ND visit, Fitz didn't even make the MSU visit, Witherspoon worries me, but I think he'll end up staying Blue. Wilson's the only one I think is likely to leave, and he's not really at a position of need anyway.
Mallett to Arkansas
Just as the dead period ends..RR got his first recruit, a 4*. and he still has 3 more weeks...
While looking at Scout to check out Hill, I noticed that Jonathan Meyers, a LB recruit who had been looking at us and Florida among others (I thought at one point Brian had him as a green smiley face) committed to Princeton. Particularly interesting because he had a bunch of big time offers.
i am scared of barwis.
PT - Yeah I saw that a little while ago. Clearly, an Ivy League education beat a D1-A football career...nothin wrong with that.
On recruiting: Is it the school that is allowed the in home visits. Thus, if any of the staff visited TP while at WVU, can they now visit him in person on behalf of Michigan. Essentially, getting more face time with him than OSU can.
Rivals says that Fitz DID make the MSU trip. They said they spoke to his family.
PT - Yeah I saw that a little while ago. Clearly, an Ivy League education beat a D1-A football career...nothin wrong with that.
But if you're going to choose and Ivy over D-1A, Penn is the place to go!
kgh10, definitely nothing wrong with that. I am impressed with Meyers' big picture sensibility at such a young age. Going the Ivy League route when you have offers from major BCS programs probably shows either: 1) that you are realistic enough to recognize that you probably aren't going to have a meaningful career in the NFL and that a Princeton degree is consequently more valuable in the long run, 2) that you are so confident in your ability to get to the NFL that you think you can make it from anywhere and chose to go to the school that you think fits you best as a person, or 3) that you don't care about making the NFL and just want to play college football in an environment that's best for you. Either way, kudos to young Mr. Meyers.
@PT
This is an interesting article on Meyers...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com....ivy/
index.html
UM didn't want Les cause he's a CHEATER! See below:
http://www.thejockrap.com/?p=514
Thanks, non emu. That's an interesting read.
So 86=NFL huh?
Not surprised but still disappointed. His comments weren't exactly filled with confidence either, he essentially said, "I've been told that I'm not a first round talent but that I'll be drafted in the first round because there aren't as many better players at my position as there usually are."
Yikes. Hope RR can work some magic with inexperienced guys.
As always, we should judge the merit of Michigan defenders on a name basis. And since Witherspoon is clearly a cooler name than Taylor Hill, it's right to conclude that he will also be a better linebacker. If we're giving up a "Witherspoon" we should attempt to recruit a "Wadsworth" or a "Bankshire" or something. This is distressing.
Cue the Toney Clemmons era...... Now!
TO Crying:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k...h?
v=kAV23nJa93I
Off topic, but too funny
Next year is a 4-loss season, easy. Look at what's coming back:
QB: Steven Threet. Maybe TP. Either way, someone with no college experience.
HB: Some combo of Brown/Minor/Grady/McGuffie. We're probably fine here.
WR: Mathews, some combo of Stonum, Clemons, Hemingway. Not great, but OK.
TE: Carson Butler!
OL: Boren (pretty good), Schilling (miserable), McAvoy (miserable) and 2 guys who were behind Schilling and McAvoy on the depth chart last year
DL: Jamison, Johnson, BGraham, Taylor (maybe - if not, probably Slocum). A decent group.
LB's: Ezeh, Thompson, Logan/Mouton. Rough group.
CB's: Warren, Trent, Harrison, Cissoko. Probably the deepest position on the team.
S: ??????????????. Nobody with experience.
I'm sorry, but that's easily a 4 loss team, it doesn't matter who coaches.
Does anyone have an injury update/status on Brandon Smith?
so, I guess what I'm saying, is that the loss of MM and AA aren't the biggest problems - it's having a crappy line, a noob QB, crappy LB's, and no safties.
I still think McGuffie ends up at Michigan, but he met extensively with the A&M coaches during his visit. A&M isn't in any hurry to grab him though, at least until Aundre Dean makes up his mind. He was originally an A&M commit who fits Mike Sherman's offense better than McGuffie does. From what I heard, McGuffie is a third option behind Dean and Cyrus Gray, who may or may not still be interested.
So, there is some smoke there, but it is tough to say how much fire.
I think there is something serendipitious about the turnover on offense right before the RR takeover. The QB(s), three of the four starting WRs, all the RBs if you think about real playing time - they will all be a clean slate...fresh hungry meat, to use a Barwis term...and far less resistent to a new system. You can just see a Mallett or Manningham fighting the S&C and the scheme.
Yet on D, we are pretty seasoned with as many as 5 LBs coming in to shore up our position of weakness.
I think it's setting up to be an interesting '08.
Chitown,
I agree with you. I stated the same thing multiple times when we were discussing the Mallett tranfer. I happen to think we were going to go 9-4 regardless of whether Mallett stayed or left and regardless of whether Pryor commits.
As always, we should judge the merit of Michigan defenders on a name basis. And since Witherspoon is clearly a cooler name than Taylor Hill, it's right to conclude that he will also be a better linebacker.
Agree. Taylor Hill sounds more like name for a porn star than a linebacker.
Yeah - this year has had "transition" written all over it for 2 years, and who coaches it, or whether MM goes pro or not doesn't really change that, I think. I'm still excited to see what the team looks like, but I think our offense is doomed for a tough, tough season.
The Arkansas papers are excited about Mallett. "If he's as good as they say he is, he'll probably only be here for two years" etc.
They mean 2 years of actually playing, right? He can't play for them next season.
chi, don't agree. The OL underperformed drastically because of the shitty zone scheme and poor coaching. There is a boatload of talent on the roster and either a) Michigan can't recruit and got only overrated guys, or b) there was a problem. I don't believe A.
The D will be far better than you give it credit for, with really only two significant losses: the safties. While S is a concern, look for LB to be a surprise.
I see going into Columbus with 1 loss.
The schedule is not that tough.
1. The offensive line scheme isn't changing. Gsimmons pretty much said as much that the new scheme is the old scheme with a new name.
2. I don't really buy the "coaching" argument - Schilling and McAvoy just got repeatedly physically destroyed. It's not like people went around them - they went through them.
3. I just have a tough time being optimistic about these LB's.
4. I think we're underestimating how hard it is to be extremely successful has a starting QB with no college experience. Henne was an outlier - he wasn't the rule.
who are the four losses?
ND? - I can't believe an offense that scored exactly 0 points against us last year will all of the sudden put up big numbers. Yes, we're losing a lot on offense, but they don't have a lot on defense
MSU? - always a toss up, but come on - lil' brother's coming to the big house.
Wisc? - also at the big house, and I see this as a revenge game. Plus, I really, really hate Bielma.
PSU? - could easily be a loss, except they will be just as depleted on offense as we will be.
OSU? - at tOSU. I will reserve judgment until the season starts.
I can see losing one or two of those games, but three or four?
There are always bumps in the road during implementation of a new scheme, regardless of the experience coming back. Given that whoever the QB is he will be absolutely raw, in addition to the other losses on offense, it's very optimistic to assume only one loss going into C-Bus. It can happen, but my baseline expectation is 4 losses over the course of the entire season. Expectations will be different the subsequent years. I also bet the results of the Barwis regime change will be far more evident in year 2.
I'll hedge my point #4 a bit if we end up with Pryor, or someone of his ilk. It's easier to be successful as a noob when what's asked of you is "RUN!!!!" instead of "hang in the pocket, make reads, and make the right decision".
I think that Witherspoon would be dumb to switch commitments. First, everyone had a feeling that this season would be Lloyd's last. Second, he's a LB with 4.55 40 speed. The D next year doesn't figure to change too much from the 4-3 UM has been running. I just think that with Barwis's S&C and Michigan's success last year with slimmer, faster d-line and LBs, a fast LB like Witherspoon would be a great fit.
Actually, I understand defense better than I did at the beginning of the season. What exactly did we run this year and last year? What kind of 3-3-5 and in what situations? Why was the defense so successful last year other than the fact that the D-line and the LBs were all great? Anyone?
At the minimum I think that Barwis' conditioning and nutrition is going to make Schilling respectable and elevate Boren's level of play.
No idea what it will do for McAvoy and the rest of the Oline guys.
As for the LBs I think they will move and react far more effectively than they have been. Barwis' program is going to pay huge dividends at this position.
Anonymous, I see potential losses as:
Utah
ND
Wisconsin
Illinois
PSU
OSU
Utah was 11-2 this year, and are, by no means, a cupcake.
ND sucked, but they have so much talent at this point, that it wouldn't shock me if they were successful.
Wisconsin pretty much loses only Tyler Donovan. And they kicked our ass.
Illinois. No Mendenhall, but Benn and Juice are back, and they have highly recruited RB's to play.
PSU. They'll still have 2 decent receivers, and return a good defense, and a good running game.
OSU. Obvious reasons.
I'm not saying we'll lose all of them, but these are not "gimme" games.
Not to gainsay the great gs, but a zone blocking in a spread is 1,000,000 times different than the zone blocking abortion we put on the field last year, if not so much in technique, then in number of defenders at the point of attack and the contingencies those defenders have to manage. I don't buy that for a second.
Next, Barwis is displeased that you think he will put the same soft Schilling (a five star stud, I remind you) and MacAvoy on the field that you saw last year.
I think the OL will be very good.
As for the LB (if we keep Fitz and Spoon), has Michigan ever had a deeper or more talented LB class than Demens, Fitz, Spoon, Hill, maybe Wilson? Reason to think, maybe, that we'll get some contribution at a position of need a la DWarren, especially if you throw Herron and Evans and Mouton into the mix. I am not saying I expect dumb things, but instead that a couple of these guys can help out a leaner and faster Thompson and Ezeh.
On the QB, I agree that this will be the achilles heel. Gotta hope for some magic there.
I think our safeties will be fine next year. My guess is that they'll switch Harrison to safety. He played there as a freshman, and though he wasn't Ed Reed, he wasn't a total disaster, either. Stevie Brown, who looked better toward the end of the year (he was solid against Florida), will probably be the other guy. Charles Stewart could surprise and between Chambers, Woolfolk, and Rogers, we have some young guys with some talent. And don't forget our new coaching staff turned Ryan Mundy into a competent player.
Utah was 9-4 this year... but I agree, they're not a cupcake team and shouldn't be underestimated.
chi, I really think that is a Lloyd mindset. I agree 100 percent with that assessment if Lloyd were still the coach. Where RR is going to separate right away from Carr, IMO, is in putting away teams that should be put away. This includes Utah, ND, MSU and Illinois, who is overrated.
Am I being unduly negative when I say that I am pretty non-plussed by McGuffie? I mean -- he's a 5'9" white guy, right? How good can he be?
sorry but i don't care how much talent ND has. Weis still hasn't shown that he can develop his players and win. He has more than enough talent but the verdict is still out. And yes, the slate will be wiped clean with alot of guys on offense and defense but that shouldn't worry you too much. We are DEEP at RB. I honestly think that we won't notice the loss of Hart nearly as much as people think. For once next year, UofM fans will realize that Henne was actually extremely talented and great for us. But with that said, we have a solid group of young WR's and our TE group is deep as well. Massey will be back with Butler, Webb, Watson, Moore, and Koeger. We need to recruit QB and get our OL in better shape.
On defense, our secondary will be fine. Agreeing with most people, that will be a relatively solid group. The DL and LB group are most suspect but give them the next few months with the new staff and we will see much better athletes. I mean, Obi Ezeh was a 3* RB recruit and he got Freshmen all-american honors as a LB. Think of what he and others can do with our new staff and direction.
I for one am not that pessimistic about next year. And please, stop giving any credit to ND. no respect should ever be given to that school. It's the f'n Irish! There coach literally has a front ass.
@snarky
I can't imagine you're so much in the dark that you know nothing about McGuff, but just in case, this should explain.
http://www.logictimes.com/Blue/P...n-
Profiling.htm
Not enough? How bout this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x...h?
v=x4IJ17ODo_s
Beyond that, I'm afraid I can't help you.
Am I being unduly negative when I say that I am pretty non-plussed by McGuffie? I mean -- he's a 5'9" white guy, right? How good can he be?
I know another 5'9" white guy, who nobody thought would amount to anything, and turned out he could walk on water and resurrect the dead. And now he is worshipped by millions.
You know who that guy is?
-- David Ecksein.
"There coach literally has a front ass"
dyin' ovuh heah...
I wish Michigan would fire Carr already. We need a new coach. Perhaps we could look at the guy down in the Bayou - what's his name again? Miles?
Snarky,
here is the lowdown on Sam McGuffie from Rivals.
Ht: 6-foot-0
Wt: 188 lbs
Forty: 4.32 secs
Bench max: 355 pounds
Bench reps: 15
Vertical: 41 inches
Shuttle: 3.83 secs
he's no slouch
ANY white guy who can run a 4.32 is something to get excited about. That article is a scream.
If Blake Ezor sticks with MSU commitment then we should definitely continue the pursuit of this young man named McGuffie.
Does anyone here think Perles should be let go? I mean that Rose Bowl win is collecting dust. Now that Bobby Williams is a gentleman and would be quite the boon if MSU pulled it off.
There seems to be a lot of negativity, saying that RR will have a rough year because of the lack of experience our players have. Look back at WVU though. The heart and soul of their team, pat white and steve slaton, beat the 10 and 2 Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl in their first year of collegiate play. RR has found ways in the past to get over the experience hurdle. Surely there will be tough games, but don't give up hope simply because our experience won't be there. College football is about changes, and new players coming into their prime. Michigan will be fine!
Hill is 6-2 205 and runs a 4.5
I'm assuming McGuffie is an Irish lad no? No doubt he's a drunkard and they'll need to keep an eye out on the chap. Manningham was English I do believe with quite the boozing habit too or so I have read.
we'll be fine next year. and after that, well, we will probably win a few national championships.
on a side note, USC and Pete Carrol are cheaters, Les Miles < RR and is also a cheater. He and LSU will be caught. And Vernon Gholston apprentely, although it should've been obvious, has been taking steroids. that's all folks.
I know another 5'9" white guy, who nobody thought would amount to anything, and turned out he could walk on water and resurrect the dead. And now he is worshipped by millions.
You know who that guy is?
-- David Ecksein.
Eckstein is fucking terrible. Just terrible.
"I know another 5'9" white guy, who nobody thought would amount to anything, and turned out he could walk on water and resurrect the dead. And now he is worshipped by millions.
You know who that guy is?"
Tom Brady? Oh shit, he's 6'4. Otherwise, that's him.
Eckstein is actually a 5'6" - 5'7" white guy.
Just like me.
Other than that, F the StL Cardinals.
I am confident that we will not lose more than three games (regular season) next year. Illinois, tOSU, and PSU are the big tossups. Lil' Bro..ehhh, Wiscy...probably not. What you guys seem to discount is the effect of Barwis. He IS going to make Schilling the beast he was supposed to be. Plus the development of athleticism on the D line and LBs will be immediate.
The main question is QB, that kinda has an effect on the type of O we are going to have. Even with TP, we will see some Threet, so that means more passing that spread option stuff. That would mean more production out of a pretty raw (game experience) group of receivers. That might affect the O and kinda hold us back, if things go according to plan...i see 10-2 for sure. And yes ...i am a little optimistic but fuck this is Rich Rod man, let 'er rip!!
Utah, being the first game, is very dicey. We will be at our worst for that game, and the Utes will be all Appy State on us. We will be exceedingly lucky to survive that one. Or far, far better than I have ever let myself even imagine thus far.
Michigan has absolutely no chance against Ohio State next year.
Shit, dan, I wish you'd told us earlier! Fuck. See you guys in '09.
Any truth to the rumor that Barwis is replacing the Dixie cups at the water cooler with full-sized drinking receptacles?
Shit, dan, I wish you'd told us earlier! Fuck. See you guys in '09.
Meeechigan Dan | Homepage | 01.14.08 - 8:03 pm | #
Cannot wait to see you in '09 in your all yellow uniforms.
I guess I'm going to have to go root for WVU then. They have such a vastly superior program. I wonder if Ed Pastilong will have my love-child.
I want to go to the 'Shoe @ tOSU next year and spit on a few Buckeye Grannys.
dan better look out, rumor has it Barwis is next years QB.
little dan, I don't understand your reference to "all yellow uniforms." Can you and your mighty ohio state education clarify this witty statement for a clueless chap like myself? G'day.
Four losses? Really? We don't even know what players we're going to have.
RichRod already wins with decent talent. If we get the guys we're targeting an unbeaten record going into Columbus is far from a pipe dream. Pryor + McGuffie = White + Slaton...those guys had a good freshman year and there's no reason to believe the rest of the Big Ten is going to be markedly better than it wasin 2007. And it wasn't that good then.
Johnny, thanks for the sanity. I think there are of Lloyd glasses on, where there rightly so was an emphasis placed on a pressing need for experience. I think scheme and condition and aggression cast Michigan football in a new light: younger players will contribute and current performers will perform better.
The Buckeyes demonstrate this when on a couple of occasions they were slated to be rebuilding and viola! they reloaded. OSU has a great S&C program and a system where youth can matter.
Ooops, left out some words: "are a lot of Lloyd glasses on."
God, that is horrible writing.
I wish I could reload my viola.
Seriously, MDan, I'm trying to keep my expectations down so as to guard my soul from Barwis' crushing steel grip.
I want to be shocked at how good we are next year, not how bad.
I hear you. I am not so much preaching for dominance as against expecting 4 losses. Just don't see that.
I know another 5'9" white guy, who nobody thought would amount to anything, and turned out he could walk on water and resurrect the dead. And now he is worshipped by millions.
You know who that guy is?
-- David Ecksein.
And the Fire Joe Morgan guys weep softly.
I have no doubt Barwis will be an asset to the program, but I feel like maybe we're jumping the gun assuming that a new S&C program will automatically be good for a few more wins a season. I mean, have we ever really been that much slower than any of our opponents? We looked fine against Florida this year.
I hope everyone is right and Barwis' new methods provide huge dividends - I just hope we aren't overstating his effect.
Gnarls, ae you insane?! Run! You have cast aspersions on Barwis. You life ain't worth a nickel now.
Gnarls, ae you insane?! Run! You have cast aspersions on Barwis. You life ain't worth a nickel now.
I'm sorry! I take it all back! I bow at the temple of Barwis. To prove my worth, I'm going to go run sprints until I puke.
Man, our handle-jack humorists are asleep at the switch. What better opportunity is there than to assume the name Barwis and whip this out of shape thread into top condition?
Say guys, don't you think you could try a little harder? Please?
You....ya you.....the guy who thinks we're going to lose a game next year. ON THE FLOOR and give me twenty!!!
Twenty? More like 20,000.
Laurinaitis is staying in school. Not helpful for our chances against OSU next year, would have been nice if he was gone.
Of course, the real problem guy is Gholston, who I'm assuming is going to declare for the draft.
To all in ohio:
A link for $5 GC to city BBQ
http://www.kmschwartz.com/savvy/
...408_Coupon.html
Gholston's already gone.
johnny,
chances are Pryor doesn't want to wait long to get into the thick of things. with Boone staying, the Buckeye's offense along with the 5-star offensive lineman trio of Brewster, Adams and Shugarts it would seem Pryor would favor taking on the proven USC these next two years rather than the unproven ND class. RR is a winner but Pryor knows the West Virginia program can't be rebuilt overnight at Michigan. it's hard to say what might go through a kids mind but I would imagine he'd ponder what the immediate future might present to showcase his talent.
If he's looking for a place to "showcase his talent", he's welcome to go elsewhere. I want someone who wants to play for Michigan.
Pryor is not the only talent out there. He may be the best, but 2nd best isn't too far behind him. I'll take commitment over talent any day.
Actually, RR's system (which he didn't invent) was born out of necessity in programs that found themselves undersized and/or overmatched by superior defenses. I don't think he's going to have a problem coming up with a scheme to make Michigan highly competitive next season. He has better athletes than he's ever seen.
Oh, and man I wish the Mundy stuff would stop. He was able to start on a defense filled with lower ranked players and somehow that makes Barwis a genius? It's funny how only the harder workouts quotes from Mundy are ever mentioned. He also said the pressure at Michigan was unbelievable, nothing at West Virginia compared.
Gnarls...Kids who are going to see immediate improvements (i mean by beginning of fall camp) are Fatty Mitchell, Schilling and the rest of the Oline. TT, Jamo, Bgraham on the Dline.Ezhe, Mouton, Thompson an Panter at Lb and Stewart and Brown at DB. Plus kids like Grady, Minor and Helmuth are also going to benefit.
It goes without saying that the kids are hardworking and try to stay accomplish all their conditioning goals.
Also, as someone stated here earlier, we will see more involvement from true and Red shirt freshmen, unlike in the past when only the ultra gifted showed up while the rest were "bulking up".
I used to cover recruiting. Don't put ANY stock into combine numbers. I'm 6-1, at the Nike combine in Chapel Hill a few years ago, Mike Mason was listed as 6-1...which was odd, because I was standing beside him a few minutes earlier and was about four inches taller than he was.
There was a QB at the combine who was about 6-6. I was talking to his father and he came over and said, "They just measured me and said I'm six feet tall."
His dad said, "Go back and get measured again." They put him down as 6-6 the next time.
Most of the people who run those things have NO idea what they are doing. They're just trying to get kids wearing particular logos earlier and earlier and earlier.
You little fuckers better listen up. You are gonna run till you puke. If you are late, you will clean the puke buckets. If I'm dispeased with your effort, the puke buckets will not be cleaned, and you will smell them all day because I will turn the heat up in the room.
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