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| Joe Bolden |
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Cincinnati (OH) Colerain
Position: Linebacker
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #35
Last year: I ranked Bolden #30 and said he would be a backup middle linebacker. He made 54 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks.
Bolden turned in a solid sophomore campaign, starting four games and finishing as the fifth-leading tackler for the Wolverines. He really came on against Michigan's tougher opponents, posting 8 tackles against Michigan State and 1 sack each against Ohio State and Kansas State. Bolden was the top backup inside linebacker, filling in for both middle linebacker Desmond Morgan and weakside linebacker James Ross III. Bolden seemed to genuinely improve throughout the season after looking a little overwhelmed as a freshman, so I think it's safe to state - and not just guess - that Michigan has some quality depth at the linebacker positions.
Coincidentally, Bolden is once again the #30 player on the list. I might be underrating him, because he started the spring game at WILL linebacker and seems to have closed the gap between himself and Desmond Morgan. I have always thought that Bolden had higher upside, but right now I think they both offer different strengths in different situations. I would be more inclined to play Morgan in run situations or against traditional running scehemes, whereas Bolden is probably the better bet against teams that spread it out. Both linebackers will play a significant number of snaps, but I have hard time seeing a junior leapfrog a senior, three-year starter in Morgan.
Prediction: 50 tackles, 3 sacks
Our depth at LB is very impressive however I will reserve final opinion until I start seeing the results on the field in key 3rd down stops.. driving killing stops.. which were, lets be honest here, quite lacking last year from this D.
ReplyDeleteI am the one who questioned openly if Mattison had/ has lost it. With these LB's along with the other depth and skill on the D, which includes a number of outstanding returning players, Mattison is on the hot seat with Hoke. They need to get it done this year or they should be fired!
Seriously? Mattison's the last thing that should be questioned in this program. Yeah, he had much better personnel, but the turnaround from 2010 to 2011 was epic. Since then, he's maintained a very good D every year. The small dropoff from 2012 to 2013 was a little disappointing, but it's the first season Mattison hasn't exceeded all reasonable expectations.
DeleteAnd that's just his (second) tenure at Michigan. His resume speaks for itself, but even if you want to ignore the older history, his last few years have been very good. Michigan has good talent, but you can see on the other side of the ball when the coaching doesn't match.
You sound so dumb right now...not only is Mattison probably the best coach on this staff, he is also one our top recruiters. A guy has one less than stellar season and suddenly he's on the chopping block? No, even if Mattison has a terrible year this year, which i doubt this defense has a bad year, he is the furthest thing from the hot seat. We have enough LB depth to fill 2 solid starting groups DB depth even more than our LB's and a Line that is on the up and up. Our defense is probably the most solid aspect of our team and Mattison has a great deal to do with that success.
DeleteI'm with Lan on this one. Although there was a drop off last year, it is more attributable to the step back Michigan took with experience and talent on the defense (i.e. the lacking 2010 and 2011 recruiting classes). Mattison and Co turned around a historically bad defense, which was going to see improvement (or reversion back to the average/mean) but would not have taken the monumental step without Mattison. The 2012 defense regressed slightly but that was probably due to it being the toughest schedule we have played under Hoke. Granted, he has shown some unfamiliarity with the ever increasing spread variations, but I don't think it's going to be a problem going forward as he has seen several variations over the last couple seasons. All in all, I think he is far from any problem on this team.
DeleteAs Lan said, Mattison has done quite well here and elsewhere, and I think we are going to see some impressive things from the defense this year. Plus, he recruits quite well, and we know he is probably going to retire with Michigan. I don't think he is on a hot seat and, unless the team goes 6-6 or worse, I don't think he or Hoke will be in trouble at the end of the season.
By most statistics, Michigan was middle-of-the-pack on defense last year. Not great, but not horrible. Perhaps compared to MSU they didn't shine (few did -- MSU was in the top two or three in most defensive stats), but compared to OSU we were better (41 vs. 47 for total defense).
DeleteLet's not forget that Michigan's offense last year didn't help the defense much. Michigan was 75th in 3rd down conversions; 87th in total offense. That meant Michigan's D was on the field a lot, and on the field a lot defending poor field position.
Could Michigan's D in 2013 have been better? Yeah, maybe. But it wasn't horrible.
Mattison is safe.
Mattison's safe, but that doesn't mean we should just be content with him. I understand that most of his own recruits are still young, so we've got to give him some more time to put together an elite defense. Let's see how he does in 2014 and 2015. 2013 was a bit of a transition year with the depth/roster. I expect to see a better defense in 2014, and an even better one by 2015. If he can't deliver, maybe his time has passed.
DeleteI don't understand the mentality of 'shouldn't be content' coming from a fan. Either you are or you aren't but if you're a fan and interested in the best interest of your football program the only thing you should do to help is be supportive...unless you donate enough money to bend the ear of decision-makers in the program, your negativity only hurts Michigan.
DeleteI should just be content then? Hurting Michigan? Aren't you thinking a little bit too much?
DeleteYou can be content or not, and you can be critical or not, but don't act like you're doing a service or being dutiful because you want to complain. I think you're not thinking enough.
DeletePlease. Every fan thinks different. No problem with asking your team questions/improvements. You are just saying I should never criticize the team because it *might* hurt them somehow. Give me a break.
DeleteNope. I have no problem with questions or criticism and do plenty of it myself. My argument is with your sense of duty to be critical, as if you are helping by doing so. If you want to be critical go right ahead, but don't act like you're being a good fan by doing so. When I'm critical I'm honest with myself - I'm just some jerk on the internet being negative.
Delete"Mattison's safe, but that doesn't mean we should just be content with him."
While technically true, that statement implies that we should be discontent. I disagree with that. Particularly if you're talking about Mattison, the only coach we have right now that clearly gives us an advantage over the middle-of-the-pack Big 10. We have tradition/prestige, a large stadium, good academics, and we have Mattison. Nothing else about this program offers stands out. Being critical of Mattison at this point just brings negativity to the program.
It's you're right to be critical if you want, but it doesn't help anything.
I like the distinction here between known/proven depth and guessing/hoping depth. LB and CB (and maybe DE, depending on how important you think the 5th and 6th guys are) are the only proven positions. RB, WR, DT we're guessing. Safety, TE, QB we're hoping. OL we're praying.
ReplyDeleteGiven that LB is really only 2.5 positions with a lot of overlap and flexibility AND it's very deep, it's hard to rank the 4th guy (Bolden) that high - but I think he has shown enough to be ranked 25-30. He's the first guy in if Morgan or Ryan get hurt IMO, and he might be the first guy if Ross is hurt for an extended period too. He can play. As much as we may hope some of the younger kids step up and show elite ability Bolden has looked very good for a freshman and sophomore and should take a step forward this year. He's a heavily rotating pseudo-starter with upside and an ideal insurance policy if any of the presumed starters get hurt.
I think we are probably guessing on the QB situation and not hoping. We know a lot about Gardner and a little bit about Morris. We know what we will probably get. Granted, we are hoping for all those groups to play out well, but we know with more certainty what the QB has in store than Safety or TE.
DeleteI dont feel like we know much about Morris. He played one game where he looked OK for a freshman but had terrible stats despite being heavily protected (I don't mean the OL, I mean the unconventional gameplan) and the offense looked completely woeful after the first drives. Morris has nice upside because of his arm strength but we really don't know if he's better than Bellomy or Speight in 2014. He's still very young.
DeleteAt TE, we're hoping Butt is healthy, but it's reasonable to assume that he will be at least OK, that Williams will improve a bit, and even that Heitzman will be serviceable. Then you have a kid like Bunting who could be in the mix too, at least in a limited pass-catching role. I'm not that worried especially as Nuss will deemphasize the position compared to Borges.
The only reason I'm more optimistic about safety is the abundance of depth at CB. We can always slide over Countess or Tayler in a worst-case scenario. There is evidence for hope here, if for no other reason that eventually one of these guys with nice recruiting profiles; Peppers, Thomas, Hill should step up. I suppose you can make the same case with Morris, but he didn't have the offer list or profile of thomas and peppers.
I guess the bottomline is that I think if Gardner is hurt we are in deep trouble as a team, but if Butt or Hill or Thomas don't work out to our expectations there are some guys who have at least played before and can do the job, even if it's not ideal (Williams at TE, Taylor/Countess at S). The floor (worst case scenario) is a lot better at safety and te than at QB.
Okay that does make sense. You have persuaded me, especially considering how Gardner played injured or at least beat up all last season and we don't know how the OL is going to play out. Outside of Gardner, we are still up in the air about QB's and hoping Morris is ready to fill in if need be (and fill in without the abbreviated playbook like we saw in the bowl game).
DeleteI think we can be pretty sure that Morris is better than Bellomy.
Deletedisagree. nebraska was a long time ago and Bellomy could have executed that KSU gameplan too. Kid hasn't given up on Michigan and it showed character, IMO.
DeleteI don't think any major team would take Bellomy as a transfer, so it makes sense for Bellomy to stay and work on the degree. I highly doubt that Bellomy can beat out Shane. Hoke and Borges had no time in 2011 and plucked him out from Purdue by mistake imo.
DeleteA lot of teams would gladly take a backup from UM.
DeleteHoke and Borges also had no time to build a gameplan for Bellomy, so they left him exposed against Nebraska. Contrast with the gameplan they tailored for Morris.
Mattison should be the last person to go IMO. The defensive problems mostly have come with an offense that can't move. Thus the defense is on the field to much. We have seen that a lot over the last 2 years. Hanging in there for 3 quarters and then tiring out in the 4th. Also when your offense sucks, you are always defending a short field. It's much easier trying to keep an offense from going 80 yards instead of 50.
ReplyDeleteBolden is another guy who seems to have leveled off at "good", "decent" or "solid". He, Ross and RJS were three of the top ranked LB recruits in the country, and none of them have shown any sign of being difference-making stars. At this position, guys who are going to be top-notch have shown it by the end of their second year on the field, and none of these have. Yes, Ross made a lot of tackles last year, but as Anon pointed out above, there are tackles and there are tackles. You can misread a 3rd and 3 play and not make the tackle until the RB is eight yards downfield, or you can hit the hole and stop him for a yard gain. You get credit for a tackle on both plays, but only one play is the kind that wins games when you're protecting a lead in the fourth quarter. We didn't make nearly enough of the latter kind of play last year when it mattered, in games like Penn State and OSU.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Mattison, I don't think he's in danger of losing his job, except to the extent that the guys he's working for is, but so far, none of the players that have come in on defense under his tenure can be said to have exceeded expectations in development, or to have emerged as real stars. Like the offense, lots of promise, and some "good", but no great. Like Hoke, this is the year that Mattison needs to start showing that he can get championship-level production on the field from top-level recruits.
It was a little disappointing not to see Morgan, Ross, or Bolden take bigger steps in 2013. All three pretty much maintained their "solid" status IMO. Agree with Magnus that Bolden improved as the year went on to some extent - he did play pretty well in the bowl game. But there were games like Iowa where he was just slow to react on every play. I guess I did not see much evidence of the game slowing down for those guys after they all saw tons of snaps in '12. It's a good sign that GMatt is taking over LB's this season.- the coaching staff has recognized that they can do better. I don't see any of the three mentioned players becoming stars or being NFL regulars down the road, but they all have a good deal more potential than what was shown in '13.
DeleteSpecifically with Bolden, I suspect that he is a very good practice player. I think the coaches show him some slight favoritism. My sense is when Ross or Morgan have a big screw-up, they are yanked for at least a few series. But I have never seen that happen to Bolden after he screws up. Regardless, I'd like to see his role as the #3 guy relinquish a bit so that Gedeon gets more of a shot.
I think some of you guys are rushing to judgment on the play of sophomores. I don't remember many sophomore linebackers who have been great.
DeleteI also think we'll see a backup MIKE and backup WILL and backup SAM separately, not just the next best guy playing multiple position. The Over defense makes things a little different in regards to personnel. Now the SAM and WILL are the similar positions.
Expectations are a bitch. Look at how guys who play a lot get picked apart, while people sitting on the bench still have that mystery that serves as a vehicle for hope. Ross, Bolden, Ojemudia, Pipkins, Williams - these guys came in and contributed right away and we've seen some of their weaknesses. They came in the same class as Darboh, Chesson, Braden, Henry, Johnson - and those guys for various reasons haven't played major roles yet and are seen as being capable of breaking out.
DeleteSouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't we say "these guys played and showed they are 'solid', they are good bets to make a leap forward" about the Boldens and Ross's of the world, while we can look at the Braden's and Chesson's of the world and say "these guys red-shirted and then couldn't beat out mediocre competition" maybe we should just cross our fingers and hope they can be decent starters.
I really doubt the change to the OVER is going to stop our coaches from doing what they've done in the past - valuing getting the best overall players on the field over rigid positional experience. The fact that they switched to the over is evidence that they want to get their good players on the field.
DeleteThis is a fair post and criticism, Anon. The defense hasn't totally crapped out, but there hasn't been much to be excited about either, especially with all the talent we've been raking in. Would've liked to see just one of the 2012 really stand out by now. Not be a superstar but just show flashes of being a special player.
Delete2012 guys who have shown flashes of being special players: Wilson, Henry, Ross.
DeleteI wouldn't pull Pipkins or Bolden or Wormley off that list either. Sometimes the leap doesn't come till senior year.
If by special you mean Woodson-level. Good luck - those guys come once every few decades, at best.
Um...you mean like Jake Ryan? He was playing top-notch football in his second year on the field.
ReplyDeleteWhich....was his third year as a college football player.
Delete
ReplyDeleteCome on, Lank...you know better than that. Comparing development at different positions is disingenuous at best. Very few WRs, even those destined to be great, do much in their first year on the field. Braylon Edwards and David Terrell, to name just two. Darboh is projected to "break out" this year because he was slotted as a starter last year (his second year seeing the field) before he got hurt. I'm not sure if too many people are looking for a monster season from Chesson, but for his first year seeing the field, he gave above average production. LB on the other hand, is a position where a lot of true freshmen get significant playing time, and can be stars as sophomores in a program that develops them properly. As far as DT, Henry (a 3 star) showed more productivity in his first half-season seeing the field than Pipkins (a 5 star) did in his first 1 1/2 seasons, so yes, there's every reason to be more optimistic about him, and every reason to regard Pipkins as somewhat of a disappointment so far. Olineman almost always redshirt and typically take a year longer to come along than Dlineman, WRs or LBs, so Braden can't be dismissed so easily.
It hasn't happened a lot at Michigan, but other programs all over the country have impact freshman WR. Positions where speed and athleticism are valued above all else are where freshman typically help immediately. WR is on the list. Freddy Canteen is about to show you.
DeleteBut the DT thing makes clear that the phenomenon I mentioned - it's not even about positions.
Pipkins played over Henry every game of his career that he was healthy. I'll go ahead an trust Mattison and Hoke over your argument. I was disappointed he was hurt - that's about it. I don't know why you'd be disappointed by the guy who plays over the guy who sits on the bench. OK, I know recruiting rankings affect expectations, but obviously those expectations should be written in pencil (except for Freddy Canteen's which should be in red sharpie). If after 2 years you still haven't adjusted...Pipkins if he's healthy has been, and likely will be, the better player.
Braden can be dismissed just like Miller could be dismissed. If walk-ons and true-freshman are playing ahead of you, there's probably a problem. Now I wouldn't dismiss Braden completely but I'll be very happily surprised if he makes it through the year as starter.