Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Michigan Football Tidbits: Offensive Competition


Michigan Football Tidbits: Offensive Competition

The biggest improvement over last spring was competition for playing time, especially on the offense. Let's look at the competition both from performance and upside.

Offensive Center:
Performance:
1. Molk
2. Khoury
3. McAvoy

Upside:
1. Khoury
2. Molk
3. McAvoy

Comment: This is going to be close and going with Molk simply because this kid loves to play so much you will have to drag him off the field kicking and screaming along with the game experience advantage.

Offensive Guards:
Performance:
1. Schilling
2. Mooseman
3. Mealer
4. Ferrara

Upside:
1. Schilling
2. Barnum
3. Mealer
4. Mooseman
5. Ferrara

Comment: Watch Barnum, if he stays healthy he will be hard to keep out of the starting line up. Schilling at offensive guard can be super and Mealer played well considering all the stuff he lived through the past couple of years.

Offensive Tackles:
Performance:
1. Ortmann
2. Huyge
3. Omameh
4. Dorrestein

Upside:
1. Omameh
2. Huyge
3. Ortmann
4. Dorrestein

Comment: Omameh can be as good as he wants and his upside is scary. Huyge is just starting to put it together and Ortmann is rock solid.

Have two thoughts on Offensive line.
1) This groups improvement from spring last year is impressive.
2) As we have said before the one concern is: have a few of the vets topped out? And for the group to take next step do the young guns need to move in?

We love Mooseman and his commitment to team, but he just not the overall athlete as say Barnum or Mealer. Thought Ortmann took some unfair criticism at times last season, and he is improved, but not close to athlete or upside of Omameh.

So my question is, does Coach Frey stay with vets and their experience and time together? Or, does he move to the young guys? Our opinion is Coach Frey starts with vets, but we start to see the youngsters getting more and more time as season progresses.

As for the Jake Long senior line: Jake Long was that line, along with players we do not talk about any more.

Running Backs:
Performance:
1. Minor
2. C. Brown
3. V. Smith
4. K. Grady
**** Shaw injury

Upside:
1. Minor
2. C. Brown
3. M. Shaw
4. V. Smith

Comment: Minor and Brown complement each other well. Still think Shaw has most overall talent.

Fullbacks:
Performance / Upside same:
1. Moundros
2. Grady

Comment: Love Moundros, hope Grady works it out.

Slot Receivers:
Performance:
1. Roundtree
2. Odoms
3. Koger
4. T. Robinson

Upside:
1. T. Robinson
2. Koger
3. Odoms
4. Roundtree

Comments: T. Robinson is still learning, but talent is there. Roundtree is solid as is Odoms.

Split Ends:
Performance:
1. Mathews
2. Hemmingway
3. Rogers
4. Stonum
5. Savoy

Upside:
1. Stonum
2. Rogers
3. Mathews
4. Hemmingway

Comment- Michigan needs Stonum to be a player!

Tight Ends:
Performance
1. Webb
2. Koger
3. Moore

Upside:
1. Koger
2. Webb
3. Moore

Comment: Best group of talent on team!

Quarterbacks:
Performance:
1. Forcier
2. Cone

Upside:
1. Forcier
2. Sheridan
3. Cone

Comment: D. Robinson cannot get here quick enough! Needs to at least provide depth!

Thanks for stopping by http://gobluemichiganwolverine.blogspot.com/
If you have any questions please e-mail erocwolverine@gmail.com

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine


3 comments:

GregGoBlue said...

Agreed 100% that Shaw has the most talent on the team at RB. He certainly showed flashes of it last year. After recovery from his surgery, and barring future injuries, I expect him to be a very solid contributor down the line. Hopefully he won't be the next Carlos Brown. Speaking of which, if Carlos Brown stays healthy... watch out. Seeing that you ranked Minor as the best performance with the most upside, do you expect him to be an absolute monster this season if he lives up to his potential?

Saw that you guys listed Koger at the slot and at TE. Though he lines up in the slot, he's clearly not your typical "electron type" slot that RR loves so much. If the TE's are as talented as you say, I hope RR finds a way to involve them more in his offense.

Mikey said...

Is Shaw still trying to recover from the hernia operation?

coachbt said...

If Minor stays healthy we expect a big year from him. No, Koger used in slot causes a different type of mismatch. Similar to way USC used MWillaims in slot.

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