We may win our bowl game and make this thread moot, but....
The Alabama matchup was unkind (IMO this is still the most talented overall team in CFB) and we’re likely to see a bad result and a depressing few days on The Fort. However, if that happens, and a gap is (as I expect) exposed, it will highlight the needs and indicate the bumps ahead in realizing a successful way forward. What does Michigan have to do to narrow (not necessarily close) the gap? I believe that several steps will be necessary, but is UM on path to take the requisite first step on that path?
In the Harbaugh era, Michigan has had a couple of dominant DLs (tho certainly not this year). I think that Mazi and Hinton are critical pieces going forward, but that we’re likely to get excellent productivity at DE There’s some question here after the problems this year, but I’m cautiously optimistic that we improve in 2020.
The OL play appears to be much better after the coaching change and future prospects look promising IMO. The OT position appears to be in the best shape it’s ever been under Harbaugh and the interior should be pretty solid. If Ruiz returns, we should be in very good shape If not, it could take some time to gel inside.
I like the LBs with Cam McGrone having true star potential and few holes.
Dax brings best ever talent to one S spot and we’re pretty solid at the other.
I’d say that CB has some ?, but I don’t see Zordich rolling out sub-par starters. The tOSU games always seem to expose issues there, but that may just be the nature of current CFB with elite receivers on the other team - they’re simply going to win their share of matchups and the best teams have to win the occasional shoot-out. Which brings us to.....
The offense. The Gattis scheme gives a shot to win those games. As noted, the OL appears to be headed in the right direction. FB and TE aren’t going to make or break the offense. However, QB, RB and WR might.
At RB, Charbonnet and Corum feel like they bring a step up (in different ways) relative to the guys Harbaugh has previously trotted out. They still have to beat out Haskins, but there’s more explosive potential in those two than previously seen.
At WR, I like the mix we’re developing. Nico, DPJ and Bell are all players, but Sainristil, Jackson and the true Fr bring homerun YAC potential to the offense. It’s been a missing piece of the puzzle and their development will be critical. I’m watching Mikey and suspect that he’s going to be the breakout guy next year.
At QB, we will see when we see. There’s clearly talent, but we just don’t know yet if the opportunity seizing, mistake free QB play will be there
Bottom Line: I really think the team is moving in the right direction. Despite the ongoing recruiting gap, the roster is getting better where it had to get better. Depth at DT and CB could bite us and we will need to stay healthy there, but every team needs some breaks. I feel like we are going to be better prepared on offense to win the shootouts that are part of the deal when facing elite offenses and we should be good enough on defense to minimize the number of those games that materialize.
I feel like the pieces are coming together for Michigan to take the next step, even if it’s only the first of several steps that we’ll need to take in order to compete for a national championship. The offensive scheme and the roster are moving in the right direction. After that, it’s likely going to come down to execution and, more specifically, championship QB play. (After that, we can work on the recruiting gap.)
The Alabama matchup was unkind (IMO this is still the most talented overall team in CFB) and we’re likely to see a bad result and a depressing few days on The Fort. However, if that happens, and a gap is (as I expect) exposed, it will highlight the needs and indicate the bumps ahead in realizing a successful way forward. What does Michigan have to do to narrow (not necessarily close) the gap? I believe that several steps will be necessary, but is UM on path to take the requisite first step on that path?
In the Harbaugh era, Michigan has had a couple of dominant DLs (tho certainly not this year). I think that Mazi and Hinton are critical pieces going forward, but that we’re likely to get excellent productivity at DE There’s some question here after the problems this year, but I’m cautiously optimistic that we improve in 2020.
The OL play appears to be much better after the coaching change and future prospects look promising IMO. The OT position appears to be in the best shape it’s ever been under Harbaugh and the interior should be pretty solid. If Ruiz returns, we should be in very good shape If not, it could take some time to gel inside.
I like the LBs with Cam McGrone having true star potential and few holes.
Dax brings best ever talent to one S spot and we’re pretty solid at the other.
I’d say that CB has some ?, but I don’t see Zordich rolling out sub-par starters. The tOSU games always seem to expose issues there, but that may just be the nature of current CFB with elite receivers on the other team - they’re simply going to win their share of matchups and the best teams have to win the occasional shoot-out. Which brings us to.....
The offense. The Gattis scheme gives a shot to win those games. As noted, the OL appears to be headed in the right direction. FB and TE aren’t going to make or break the offense. However, QB, RB and WR might.
At RB, Charbonnet and Corum feel like they bring a step up (in different ways) relative to the guys Harbaugh has previously trotted out. They still have to beat out Haskins, but there’s more explosive potential in those two than previously seen.
At WR, I like the mix we’re developing. Nico, DPJ and Bell are all players, but Sainristil, Jackson and the true Fr bring homerun YAC potential to the offense. It’s been a missing piece of the puzzle and their development will be critical. I’m watching Mikey and suspect that he’s going to be the breakout guy next year.
At QB, we will see when we see. There’s clearly talent, but we just don’t know yet if the opportunity seizing, mistake free QB play will be there
Bottom Line: I really think the team is moving in the right direction. Despite the ongoing recruiting gap, the roster is getting better where it had to get better. Depth at DT and CB could bite us and we will need to stay healthy there, but every team needs some breaks. I feel like we are going to be better prepared on offense to win the shootouts that are part of the deal when facing elite offenses and we should be good enough on defense to minimize the number of those games that materialize.
I feel like the pieces are coming together for Michigan to take the next step, even if it’s only the first of several steps that we’ll need to take in order to compete for a national championship. The offensive scheme and the roster are moving in the right direction. After that, it’s likely going to come down to execution and, more specifically, championship QB play. (After that, we can work on the recruiting gap.)
