I will be blatantly clear, I have been a Speight supporter. On the very day Jake Rudock played his last game and his eligibility expired, I stated that Wilton Speight was going to be the starter in ’16 and beat out laser rocket, J-OK (and to some extent Peters). And personally I think Speight played well for a first year starter last year and took A LOT….. of unnecessary grief from fans over his last 3 games of 2016.
After J-OK fizzled out against Indiana and proved he wasn’t what everyone was making him out to be and I heard the grumblings about Peters, Peters, Peters at the end of 2016 I had this to say….
“I don’t think Peters ever plays a meaningful down at Michigan. UNLESS. Speight gets hurt and Michigan has lost multiple games ¾ of the way thru the 2017 season”
My reasoning, I just don’t think Peters has the personality to lead at a big time program. He is a shy, quiet kid who came from a program in Indiana that just doesn’t compare to some of the other big time H.S. football. He was the man there because he fit, had more talent then other kids at his school and had been a multi year starter. But when putting him up against similar talent (as competitive as he is) I just didn’t think he had the demeanor. Then the Kai-Leon Herbert tweet from Peters only reinforced my thoughts on him. I didn’t think he was going to be able to connect with his teammates and be able to lead. Nothing in Peters demeanor or sideline presence this season has convinced me otherwise. Peters is always distant and seems uninvolved.
But now with Speight’s injury and that horrible unexpected loss to Sparty the team could potentially be at that crossroad I mentioned, Speight injury & multiple losses. At which point, in the back of your mind as a fan you have to start thinking about next year. J’OK is gone. Does Wilton come back for a 5th year? and even if he does he’s been injured now 2 years in a row. If Peters doesn’t play this year will he transfer? Who is left?
The truth and the future is McCaffrey. You can see it in how the kid conducts and handled himself early in the season. Where Speight was, McCaffrey was there in the background listening to the coaching that Speight was getting, being engaged, soaking it all in, encouraging teammates as they were coming off the field, sitting next to Speight on the bench…. Learning. He is the antithesis of Peters when it comes to demeanor and make up. But McC isn’t ready physically, and I hope they are working him hard to put on weight and strength and learning the playbook.
But it brings me back to Peters, Even though I have said I don’t think he has the make up to lead and he doesn’t play a meaningful down unless Speight injury losses etc… etc… Well, I fear the scenario where he could see the field might be upon us if not this week then in 3 or 4. If so do we see what the kid has got? (If Michigan loses again).
As much as I don’t think he has it mentally, physically he might be the type of kid that once he’s between the white lines he just balls out so hard that his physical talent overshadows his other deficiencies.
Idk. And this is obviously all just my opinion through my own observations. But what will ’18 look like if J’OK is gone, Peters transfers, Speight (is an injury concern and admittedly regressed this year) and McCaffrey is a pimply faced redshirt frosh who may or may not be physically ready?
This team is a national championship team next year if they get average to slightly above average QB play (and the OL progresses like I am thinking it has to). It will be interesting to see how the rest of this year and the QB play pans out.
After J-OK fizzled out against Indiana and proved he wasn’t what everyone was making him out to be and I heard the grumblings about Peters, Peters, Peters at the end of 2016 I had this to say….
“I don’t think Peters ever plays a meaningful down at Michigan. UNLESS. Speight gets hurt and Michigan has lost multiple games ¾ of the way thru the 2017 season”
My reasoning, I just don’t think Peters has the personality to lead at a big time program. He is a shy, quiet kid who came from a program in Indiana that just doesn’t compare to some of the other big time H.S. football. He was the man there because he fit, had more talent then other kids at his school and had been a multi year starter. But when putting him up against similar talent (as competitive as he is) I just didn’t think he had the demeanor. Then the Kai-Leon Herbert tweet from Peters only reinforced my thoughts on him. I didn’t think he was going to be able to connect with his teammates and be able to lead. Nothing in Peters demeanor or sideline presence this season has convinced me otherwise. Peters is always distant and seems uninvolved.
But now with Speight’s injury and that horrible unexpected loss to Sparty the team could potentially be at that crossroad I mentioned, Speight injury & multiple losses. At which point, in the back of your mind as a fan you have to start thinking about next year. J’OK is gone. Does Wilton come back for a 5th year? and even if he does he’s been injured now 2 years in a row. If Peters doesn’t play this year will he transfer? Who is left?
The truth and the future is McCaffrey. You can see it in how the kid conducts and handled himself early in the season. Where Speight was, McCaffrey was there in the background listening to the coaching that Speight was getting, being engaged, soaking it all in, encouraging teammates as they were coming off the field, sitting next to Speight on the bench…. Learning. He is the antithesis of Peters when it comes to demeanor and make up. But McC isn’t ready physically, and I hope they are working him hard to put on weight and strength and learning the playbook.
But it brings me back to Peters, Even though I have said I don’t think he has the make up to lead and he doesn’t play a meaningful down unless Speight injury losses etc… etc… Well, I fear the scenario where he could see the field might be upon us if not this week then in 3 or 4. If so do we see what the kid has got? (If Michigan loses again).
As much as I don’t think he has it mentally, physically he might be the type of kid that once he’s between the white lines he just balls out so hard that his physical talent overshadows his other deficiencies.
Idk. And this is obviously all just my opinion through my own observations. But what will ’18 look like if J’OK is gone, Peters transfers, Speight (is an injury concern and admittedly regressed this year) and McCaffrey is a pimply faced redshirt frosh who may or may not be physically ready?
This team is a national championship team next year if they get average to slightly above average QB play (and the OL progresses like I am thinking it has to). It will be interesting to see how the rest of this year and the QB play pans out.
