I understand the optimism on the upcoming football season...

[Reality Man]

schedule is not too hard. Team has depth. Great coaching staff, etc. Linebackers (inside) will probably be good enough because of the def line and secondary.

One thing bothers me. Time for some cold water. Speight is unproven. He didn't really set the world on fire. He isn't a natural passer and more of a game manager. Is the UM running game strong enough to push people around for play action fakes.

In my mind....Speight is clearly a step down on the qb scale from Jake. O'Korn hasn't played big time games in over a year. More upside but again I don't see anyone on this roster other than potentially Peters that looks like a big time qb.

Don't get me wrong. UM can win a lot of games with their defense but what I see is quality teams basically taking the run game away from UM and forcing Speight to beat them. O'korn may be the better option but with a higher risk for turnovers.


I still see UM a year away. 2 or 3 losses this year which isn't too bad but I believe the expectations have been skewed because of the Florida game WITH Jake. My BOLD prediction...Peters may make an appearance down the line. No use worrying about a redshirt with his talent and McCaffrey coming into the fold.



RM

 

[Lake Tahoe Spartan]

I have a few questions for you.
QB:
1. Can't Harbaugh get something out of Morris?
2. Who do you think starts?

LB:
Peppers at LB will he play there full time? How do you think it will work out and how much would this thin out the Safety spot? Maybe not but there may be some issues with him at LB.

schedule is not too hard. Team has depth. Great coaching staff, etc. Linebackers (inside) will probably be good enough because of the def line and secondary.

One thing bothers me. Time for some cold water. Speight is unproven. He didn't really set the world on fire. He isn't a natural passer and more of a game manager. Is the UM running game strong enough to push people around for play action fakes.

In my mind....Speight is clearly a step down on the qb scale from Jake. O'Korn hasn't played big time games in over a year. More upside but again I don't see anyone on this roster other than potentially Peters that looks like a big time qb.

Don't get me wrong. UM can win a lot of games with their defense but what I see is quality teams basically taking the run game away from UM and forcing Speight to beat them. O'korn may be the better option but with a higher risk for turnovers.


I still see UM a year away. 2 or 3 losses this year which isn't too bad but I believe the expectations have been skewed because of the Florida game WITH Jake. My BOLD prediction...Peters may make an appearance down the line. No use worrying about a redshirt with his talent and McCaffrey coming into the fold.



RM

 

[scfanblue]

#1-O'Korn will be the starting QB this season when the opener comes around against Hawaii and Michigan's offense will be one of he best in the nation period. The OL is experienced and good. The running game is solid and has many options including the fact that O'Korn can run as well. The receiving corp is excellent including the best TE in the nation and having Harbaugh at the helm is HUGE period. The kicker for me will be Don Brown. What will he do with all that talent on defense? How will he address the weak point at LB in which him moving Peppers in their is already addressing that issue and in a positive way. Breaking in a new coordinator ALWAYS comes with issues both positive and negative. Brown was hired at Maryland as the DC in 2009 and they were supposed to be good in the ACC that year. They wound up 2-9 and his "organized chaos" defense which blitzes 85 % of the time took the blame because his scheme did not fit the player types that you need for that. I ALWAYS get immediately worried when a football coach tries to fit players into their scheme that does not fit the type of athlete (Rich Rod) BUT I also know that inheriting this Michigan D is not like coaching at Maryland. IF Michigan stays solid on defense and does not incur any injuries then the Wolverines will win 11 games or more this year. MSU will be tough at home BUT Michigan will beat them this year. Iowa and OSU is the real problem with the possibility of playing Iowa twice.

 

[Reality Man]

I have a few questions for you.
QB:
1. Can't Harbaugh get something out of Morris?
2. Who do you think starts?

LB:
Peppers at LB will he play there full time? How do you think it will work out and how much would this thin out the Safety spot? Maybe not but there may be some issues with him at LB.

1. Morris isn't part of the equation. Not even part of the discussion unless a gimmick is in play.

2. I think Speight starts although unlike last year it will be a relatively quick hook. I see Speight starting but O'korn will play and may overtake Speight as the season wears on.

3. I can't speak to Peppers. I think UM is fine at safety and Peppers is fast but undersized against the bigger teams. As the poster above said...I am curious about Brown and his impact. Defense is not a real big concern for me in this season.

4. I could see UM at 9-3 or 11-1. I could even see them at 8-4 but at the same odds as 12-0. I am encouraged from what I see/hear from Ty I. and Smith did seem to read the holes better against Florida.

My only point is that the qb issue is going to be somewhat of an anchor for this team although they (UM) is built to win because of this defense and the coaching and the schedule. Speight is the safe bet but if I were Harbaugh...I would go with O'korn and take a few potential lumps early in the season. UM wins most of these games regardless of the qb but against the better teams...it will need something special to beat the big boys at qb.


RM

 

[ArrowheadBlue]

Once JH settles on a starting QB he rarely if ever pulls the plug. I also wonder about Brown because, as pointed out by an earlier poster, he wasn't always the top defensive guru. But if JH is satisfied with the hire (I don't like adding a new NFLer as the CB coach) who's to argue.

 

[BigHouseBallin]

Similar to last year, it comes down to how soon the QB gets rollin. It took Rudock about 1/2 the season before things started to click. What worries me is Rudock was far more experienced than either O'Korn or Speights but both of those guys have the advantage of playing in the system longer which should mitigate some of those issues. In the end, I trust Harbs to get the QB situation figured out. Both of those guys looked a lot better during the spring game than Rudock did last year so I'm hopeful. Other than LB, I think we're solid everywhere else. I even expect the running game to be improved.

 

[Lord_Baelish]

schedule is not too hard.

Could have stopped right here and saved the rest of the novel.

 

[michigangoblue999]

I have a few questions for you.
QB:
1. Can't Harbaugh get something out of Morris?
2. Who do you think starts?

LB:
Peppers at LB will he play there full time? How do you think it will work out and how much would this thin out the Safety spot? Maybe not but there may be some issues with him at LB.

I don't think Morris will ever play QB. Hell, he was moonlighting as a WR during the spring!
O'Korn is your starter unless he has turnover problems. He has a good arm and good legs.

Peppers is only a "LB" in quotes. He will be all over the field. He is really good and will get better.