 |
| Tyrone Wheatley |
Wheatley is a Michigan legend, both in high school and college. He grew up in Inkster, attended Dearborn Heights (MI) Robichaud, and was a nine-time state champion in high school (1 football state championship, 7 individual championships in track, and 1 track-and-field team state championship). He graduated in 1991 and moved on to the Michigan Wolverines.
In Ann Arbor under Gary Moeller, Wheatley wore #6 and convinced me that all good college running backs should wear that number. Michigan was the Alabama of the 1980's and early 1990's with running backs galore, so Wheatley (86 carries, 548 yards, 6.4 yards/carry, 9 touchdowns) backed up Ricky Powers as a freshman. Things got stirred up in 1992 when Wheatley won the starting job and got an increasing number of carries for the next three years, finishing with a career total of 688 carries, 4178 yards, and 47 rushing touchdowns on 6.1 yards/carry. He also caught 51 passes for 510 yards and 6 touchdowns, plus he averaged 21.7 yards/kickoff return with a 99-yard touchdown return against Houston in 1992. He ranks fifth in Michigan history in rushing yardage, second in touchdowns, and fourth in yards per carry (of players with over 100 career carries). He was all-conference his final three years and named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in 1992.
Wheatley was also a Big Ten champion in track and field and an All-American in the 110m hurdles while running track for three years in college. Despite being listed at 6'1" and robust at 215-226 lbs. throughout college, he was a speed demon.
Hit the jump for lots more on Wheatley's playing and coaching career.
The New York Giants picked Wheatley in the 1st round (#17 overall) in the 1995 NFL Draft, looking at him as an eventual replacement for Rodney Hampton. It's safe to say that Wheatley lost a little bit of his drive once he hit the NFL, and he was never the same kind of workhorse and outstanding athlete in the NFL. He gained a bit of weight, and his career long run in four years with the Giants was 38 yards. He then moved on to the Oakland Raiders, where had some more success and was their lead back in 1999 and 2000, which included an 80-yard touchdown run. He reached a Super Bowl there and finished out his career in 2004. His final pro stat line was 1,270 carries for 4,962 yards, a 3.9 yards/carry average, and 40 touchdowns. He also caught 125 passes for 900 yards, a 7.2 yards/reception average, and 7 touchdowns.
Wheatley returned to Robichaud to coach football in 2007 (he also coached track) and moved on to Ohio Northern, a D-III school, in 2008. He has been a running backs coach ever since. He jumped to Eastern Michigan in 2009, moved to Syracuse for 2010-2012, and then followed Orangemen head coach Doug Marrone to the Buffalo Bills for 2013-2014. When Marrone chose to leave the Bills after the 2014 season, Wheatley was out of a job and here we are.
I think it's difficult to judge running backs coaches by raw numbers, because so much depends on raw talent, the offensive line, the play calling, etc. But here we go anyway:
- Eastern Michigan's Dwayne Priest had 633 yards, 3.6 yards/carry, and 7 touchdowns in 2009. As a backup the previous year, he had 474 yards, 4.8 yards/carry, and 5 touchdowns. EMU fell from #57 to #88 in the country in rushing yards/game.
- Syracuse's Delone Carter had 1,233 yards, 5.3 yards/carry, and 9 touchdowns in 2010. As the starter the previous year, he had 1,021 yards, a 4.3 yards/carry average, and 11 touchdowns. Backup Antwon Bailey had 554 yards and averaged 4.9 yards/carry in 2010. Syracuse jumped from #87 to #76.
- Bailey took over the starting job in 2011 and had 1,051 yards, 4.4 yards/carry, and 6 touchdowns. Backup Jerome Smith averaged 3.6 yards/carry on 37 attempts. Syracuse fell from #76 to #95.
- Smith took over the starting job in 2012 and had 1,176 yards, 5.2 yards/carry, and 3 touchdowns. Backup Prince Tyson-Gulley had 825 yards, 5.3 yards/carry, and 9 touchdowns. Syracuse jumped from #95 to #40.
- The Buffalo Bills' Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller split carries almost exactly evenly in 2013. Jackson ran for 890 yards and Spiller had 933 with averages of 4.3 and 4.6, respectively, plus 9 and 2 touchdowns. Buffalo jumped from #6 to #2 in rushing.
- Jackson, the starter, had 525 yards, 3.7 yards/carry, and 2 touchdowns. Spiller had 300 yards, 3.8 yards/carry, and 0 scores in an injury-plagued season. Backup Anthony Dixon had 432 yards, 4.1 yards/carry, and 2 touchdowns. Buffalo fell from #2 to #25 in rushing.
What does it all mean? It means jack squat. Some players got better under his tutelage. Some players got worse. Some teams got better at running the ball. Some teams got worse. There are too many factors involved to make any conclusions.
The running back position comes down to talent. There are guys who have it right off the bat (Wheatley himself, Mike Hart, etc.) and there are guys who don't and never will. Rarely do you see running backs whose "light comes on" in terms of running the ball. This is not a position - like quarterback, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, safety, etc. - where experience means a great deal. The only real aspect of the game where experience matters is in pass protection, which is difficult to make guesses on based on statistics alone. We know Mike Hart and Vincent Smith were good pass protectors because we watched them do it, and we know that Derrick Green was not a great pass protector as a freshman. Time will tell if he can improve, though he did get better as a sophomore.
Fred Jackson was a great, great running backs coach. We know this because he coached Tyrone Wheatley, Tshimanga Biakabutuka, Anthony Thomas, Chris Perry, and Mike Hart. The first four of those guys were 1st or 2nd round NFL draft picks, and the last guy is Michigan's all-time leading rusher.
Fred Jackson was a terrible, terrible running backs coach. We know this because he coached the 2013 football team, where Fitzgerald Toussaint averaged 3.5 yards/carry and Derrick Green averaged 3.3.
The biggest difference between Great Fred Jackson and Terrible Fred Jackson is that the offensive lines under Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr were awesome, and the offensive line under Brady Hoke was mostly bad. The quarterback play under Moeller and Carr was mostly very good, and the quarterback play under Hoke was mostly bad.
Recruiting talent probably has something to do with Wheatley, since it will be his position. Jim Harbaugh has previously had his coaches recruit their positions, so Wheatley will likely be the point man on guys like Kareem Walker, Kentrail Moran, etc. But overall, scholarship offers are generally sent out after the majority of the staff - including the head coach - evaluates a player's film or camp performance. Here's what I would like to see out of Wheatley:
- Teach players how to identify blitzers, pass protections, etc. This should not be a problem with Wheatley's extensive experience playing and coaching the position at all levels.
- Be a good leader. Wheatley has not always been a consummate teammate. He held out for 17 days as a rookie. He was known at different times for getting a little out of shape, falling asleep in meetings, and being surly with coaches. He also struck a photographer and was tangentially involved in the BALCO doping scandal.
- Recruit well. Regardless of how Michigan splits up recruiting duties or sends out offers, Wheatley needs to use his college and NFL pedigree to convince high school players to come to Michigan.
As for that last point, Wheatley was in charge of recruiting running backs and the midwest during his time at Syracuse. Players he reeled in while coaching for the Orangemen (according to Rivals):
- Colorado 3-star RB Adonis Ameen-Moore
- Michigan 2-star DT Eric Crume
- Michigan 2-star WR Eric Foster
- Georgia 3-star RB George Morris
- Michigan 3-star TE Ron Thompson
It's important to remember that Syracuse's average star rating was 2.62 in 2012 and 2.46 in 2011, so that's right on par with where Syracuse is at as a program. Still, it looks like Wheatley did a solid job in the state of Michigan. Ameen-Moore averaged 5.4 yards/carry this season; Crume made 38 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks; Foster left the team; Morris averaged 2.9 yards/carry; Thompson is a defensive end now and made 11 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks in 2013. None of his recruits is spectacular, but some have done fairly well there.
Wheatley's first recruiting job at Michigan will be convincing his son, Tyrone Jr., to play at Michigan. Tyrone the Younger is a 4-star tight end/defensive end finishing out his senior year in New York; he has had an offer from Michigan for a while and has also fielded offers from Alabama, USC, and numerous others. Another son, Terius, is a junior at Orchard Park (NY) Orchard Park; Terius had 5 touchdowns in a game this fall (runs of 83, 72, 52, 48, and 30 yards). I have yet to find highlights of Terius, but he may be joining an Ann Arbor-area team this coming fall after his family moves to Michigan. So far Terius has yet to engender a ton of recruiting hype, from what I can tell.
What a great day for Michigan football. TW is a legend. I hope his first son comes to Michigan, and his second son (Class of 2016) if he can prove himself worthy. Very excited about the coaching and recruiting impact.
ReplyDeleteNice write up but I don't think the Raiders have won a Super Bowl since the 1980s.
ReplyDeleteThey were in one though. Against Tampa Bay the year after they traded Gruden to them.
DeleteThunder wasn't knocked out by the Jedd Fisch hire, this is the hire that doesn't impress me.
ReplyDeleteIf asked for my vote, I'd have gone with the guy who hardly ever fumbled, blocked like a demon, was chronically filled with piss and vinegar and irritates Sparty to no end. That would be Mike Hart, who as an aside is also the guy who stood up for Michigan when Harbaugh was running his mouth.
Wheatley is in my mind the one guy in the history of Michigan football along with maybe Denard who compares favorably with Charles Woodson as a pure athlete. As a pro I always thought of Wheatley as a talented guy who showed up for his check, and not much more.
I think Fisch has accomplished less, but he has also had more responsibility. I'm not too impressed with this hire, but I do kind of like having an assistant around the program who has played at the school, etc. If they don't keep Manning, then Wheatley would seem to be the only guy to fill that role.
DeleteI don't know that Hart has the track record to be a coach at Michigan. He's probably about 28 years old right now. Maybe he could use some more seasoning, but I wouldn't be opposed to bringing him back at some point. I was not a big fan of him running his mouth about Michigan State, but I do think he has avoided trouble more than Wheatley and is more of a fiery leader.
Question Thunder: What would make TW a better coaching selection than Fred Jackson, Sr. for Michigan (especially since FJ is already available)? Is there a backstory somewhere that paints this decision?
ReplyDeleteI don't know of any bad blood between Harbaugh and Fred Jackson. I think Harbaugh is trying to put together the best staff possible, and maybe he doesn't think Jackson is part of that. I think it's hard to argue that Wheatley would be a better football mind than Jackson, who has been around the block several times. But Wheatley is significantly younger, might be able to connect to players/recruits better, and might still have some energy that Jackson lacks.
DeleteIt also seems like Harbaugh likes to coach with up-and-comers, maybe because they're more willing to adapt, grow, etc. Wheatley wants to be a head coach some day, whereas Jackson seemed pretty content to be a running backs coach. Plus Harbaugh is extremely competitive, and Fred Jackson is at an age now where maybe that competitiveness has waned a little bit. Maybe Harbaugh thought they just wouldn't see eye to eye on some things.
Here's Terius' highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2683056/terius-wheatley
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why fans are so in love with Mike Hart, yes he was successful as an individual but he ran his mouth, a lot and his teams lost a lot of big games.
ReplyDeleteThose losses tell me that there was a lack of leadership from within the players including himself.
To me Mike, Mario and the rest of the late Carr era guys are exactly what brought about this air of entitlement with lack of results on the field, and led to where we are now.
I think you're heaping too much blame on Hart. I have been critical of him at various times for some of his comments, and I also found his lack of speed to be frustrating. So I'm not someone who touts him as some kind of Chosen One.
DeleteHowever, by all accounts Hart was a great leader, and he played his butt off between the lines. I don't think there was any shortage of leadership with him. And I certainly don't think he felt entitled as a 3-star recruit who was pretty darn slow. He played his whole career as somewhat of an underdog.
Mario Manningham, on the other hand... I would agree about some guys, but not Hart.
Here's the thing about Mike Hart that I believe he could coach and something I believe we (Michigan) needs at the RB position -- he lost maybe 4 or 5 fumbles in a 4 year career, and he blocked like a man twice his size. We weened off 75% of the turnovers with Devin Gardner moving on...but it's the rest of the turnovers that still sticks in my craw. Bring in Mike Hart who has the demeanor, love for the game, and understanding to be a great RB coach. He did some positive work with Eastern -- didn't he?
ReplyDelete