Mailbag question: About Boo Boo?

Mailbag question: About Boo Boo?

So what has happened to him this year?

Can it really be an injury causing him all these "burnt toast" on his back?

Seems like he is not doing well this year and has really struggled in this defense where he is counted on "being on a island" compared to last year is that accurate and is that why they played so much zone last year.

How do you think Floyd did yesterday?

Thank you guys, Jim F.

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Thanks for the question.

Yes, an injury like Boo Boo’s can cause a ton of problems (domino effect) for a defense that depends on corners to be the rock and the course of last resort. Add to this dilemma the unfortunate reality that Michigan needed to load the box with eight or even nine defenders to stop the run game of the Hoosiers. This is akin to rolling the dice, where the defense is taking a calculated gamble that necessitates the defensive backs to step up big and come through. In other words the burden and expectations are both heavy for the corner on the island who knows he will not be getting help. That is why great cover corners are a premium and a luxury at any level.

Do we think an injury is the only reason for Boo Boo's playing “subpar?” No, not at all, there are likely other factors. He has not played well almost the entire year and in the Notre Dame game, even if Boo Boo was injured, he was abused more than Chris Brown's girlfriend, Rihanna.

His confidence seems to be lacking and some poor fundamentals that have been stubborn to disappear have compounded the situation. During the long pass completed against Boo Boo in the Indiana game, he did not even get a hand on the wide receiver, allowing the receiver to blow right by him in man to man coverage.

Boo Boo, like many on the defensive unit, is young and very inexperienced. He is also very aggressive and takes a ton of chances.

Floyd played a solid, but not spectacular, cornerback against Indiana in our opinion. He made a bad choice in breaking late on the ball that helped set up an Indiana score. He did not get beat deep and that was extremely important to the win. Floyd is the safer of the two cornerbacks, when comparing Floyd and Boo Boo, but a coordinator may not be able to dial up man to man as much with Floyd in the game. Bottom line, Floyd held in and did not give up the knife blow to UM’s chances.

The two problems GBMW has with Boo Boo is, first, his recent trash talking incidents. For a guy who has been abused as much as he has been lately, it might be better to prove it on the field before trying to bark how good you are after a quarterback throws a terrible pass. How can anyone bark like that during the Notre Dame game?

The second is how Boo Boo acted after the he was pulled out of the Indiana game. He took off his helmet and for most of the rest of the game he was sitting on the bench, not really being the model of team support. When the defense gathered on the sidelines (where usually you can see 11-17 players in the timeout huddle) before going on the field, Boo Boo was nowhere to be seen. It is one thing to be upset that you were taken out of the game, but a player should also show teammates support, just as the teammates do when you are in the game.

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Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine