Coaches Corner: Debate on Veterans vs. Young guns -- Offense

Coaches Corner: Debate on Veterans vs. Young guns -- Offense

There has been a debate lately, and certainly previously as well, concerning whether a staff should play veterans, who have had solid performance or spring practice and coaching, or instead do the coaches give the nod to the young guns (who have superior skill sets and higher ceiling)?

In our opinion, this is one of the tougher decisions coaches must sometimes make. As an old saying goes, potential will get a team beat every time. But on the other hand, less experienced players with higher potential (read upside) cannot gain crucial experience by merely sitting and watching.

As our friend, Coach Webb (twebber55) has stated many times, competition is the greatest coaching tool ever invented. It makes everyone better. So as CoachBt did his 3 1/2 mile run this morning, he engaged in fierce and sustained brainstorming about the choice of potential vs. Performance. And as an extra bonus, CoachBt will also discuss how such not-so-hypothetical choice/coaching decision could affect the position groups of this year’s team.

Offense:

Offensive Line:

Offensive Center: Returning starter Molk vs. Young Gun Khoury.

Molk has been discussed here many times. We have heard it all: too short; short arms and not a good fit for zone schemes. Khoury, who is bigger and has quicker feet, has a much higher ceiling.

What Molk possesses is the edgy attitude we talked about last week. He will not just roll over and give up. In our opinion, Molk will have to be forcefully taken off the field kicking and screaming before he gives up his job. We hope every starter has the exact same attitude!

Offensive Guard: Shilling is the starter if healthy period, in our opinion.

It is Mooseman vs. Barnum that is going to be fun to watch.

Mooseman, who started twelve games last season, vs. Barnum, who is probably the second best athlete on the offensive line, not counting three 2009 recruits.

Barnum, with his superior feet and overall athletic ability, has a ceiling that is sky-high compared to Mooseman. No one should be surprised if by mid-season we hear whispers of Barnum making a major push. If you see Barnum on the field more, and Mooseman is not injured, then the whisper became a shout.

Offensive Tackle: Omameh vs. Ortmann and Huyge.

Omameh currently is the best overall athlete among the offensive linemen, period. He brings to the field long arms with super quick feet and the most explosive get off of the offensive linemen. Still raw, Huyge and Ortmann were slightly ahead of Omameh as Spring Practice ended. But again, as young Omameh gains experience, keeping him off the field could be very difficult.

Running Backs: Minor is best period in our opinion. Competition comes for the number two spot in our opinion.

C. Brown vs. M. Shaw for the speed back.

C. Brown looked very impressive running against Michigan's second group this spring. He found seams and easily ran away from the second group. But Shaw is similar in speed and in our opinion ran harder last season than C. Brown.

M. Shaw's upside/ceiling is greater, simply because he runs harder than C. Brown. And do not forget F. Toussaint, he is very explosive and adds the instant burst dimension that other UM running backs do not have.

V. Smith: Yes, we expect him to see some playing time. The reason Vincent is not discussed above is because he is behind B. Minor as the inside zone guy, and also, in our opinion, he is also not on par with Minor at this time.

Tight Ends: Well, look here; this is Young Gun vs. Young Gun!!!

Koger vs. Webb:

Webb, in our opinion, outperformed Koger this spring at the practices we saw. And, like Koger, has considerable upside. But Koger has the skills to be a true elite-level player. His combination of size and athletic ability is scary.

So how does Michigan use two superior tight ends in a team scheme that only uses a tight end part of the time? This will be a key to success and will certainly be interesting to watch. In our opinion, Koger will be tough to keep of the field, period, he is that talented. A note to all, Ohio State is still hot he got away.

Slot Receivers: Tay Odoms vs. Gallon

Odoms had a solid rookie season, minus the special teams gaffes. But in our opinion he is not as dynamic as Gallon, who is probably the most explosive player on the team and has a higher ceiling than any of the returning slots.

The bubble is a staple of the Michigan spread offense and it only works if the slots can create and make people miss. Odom has not shown the same skill level at this (elusiveness) as Gallon. In our opinion, if Gallon picks up the offense he will be tough to keep off the field. Fans could easily see Gallon and Roundtree getting a ton of reps.

T. Robinson: His injury last season seems to have set him back. He looked lost at times this spring, but still shows a nice skill set. One big play and his development might get off the runway.

Split Ends: Stokes vs. Either Split End.

Stokes (the Young Gun) is more dynamic/explosive/faster than the returnees. He gives the offense a dynamic dimension UM did not display last season. Again, running the bubble and slip screens is a vital part of the offense, and Stokes gives Michigan the best chance of being successful running the split end screens. Stokes, with the higher ceiling, will be tough to keep off the field in our opinion.

Quarterbacks: If Forcier stays healthy there is no problem here.

Tate plays the large majority of snaps, period, in our opinion. The next question becomes who plays if Tate gets hurt? Does the staff go with the experienced Sheridan, or the much higher ceiling, extremely talented, D. Robinson? In our opinion, this will depend on the timing. If Forcier goes down early, expect Sheridan to get the call. But if the call comes later into the season, this increases the chance we see D. Robinson.

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Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine