tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post7471347937251715709..comments2024-03-27T14:21:36.537-04:00Comments on Touch the Banner: Iowa 24, Michigan 16Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-23705100058315340582011-11-09T07:49:22.691-05:002011-11-09T07:49:22.691-05:00@ Lankownia 12:29 p.m.
The INT Denard threw WAS a...@ Lankownia 12:29 p.m.<br /><br />The INT Denard threw WAS a bad decision. He threw into traffic on the goal line. You can't count on the refs to bail you out every time there's a hint of pass interference. We could go through every quarterback's entire season and pick out plays where receivers should have made plays or PI should have been called, but it was a pass into traffic that was intercepted. That's the bottom line. Furthermore, Denard threw to covered receivers all day long, especially downfield, and he was unsuccessful on the vast majority of them.<br /><br />He made a couple good decisions on checkdowns, but that doesn't make up for the fact that he's weak in lots of areas.<br /><br />I understand that running the ball is a part of the game for quarterbacks these days. But so is throwing. Lots of other quarterbacks in the NCAA can run, too, but like I pointed out above, very few of them are completing fewer passes than he is. <br /><br />Regardless of the system, wide open receivers MUST be hit, at least the majority of the time. Whether he's going through too many reads, rolling out, standing in the pocket, whatever, there's no excuse for missing the guys who have been running downfield wide open this season. That's not a "scheme" thing. It's a Denard thing.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-12445746874113242992011-11-08T12:29:39.307-05:002011-11-08T12:29:39.307-05:00@Thunder,
I agree that he is inaccurate. I think...@Thunder,<br /><br />I agree that he is inaccurate. I think the decision-making is improving - to wit, only one INT this game which wasn't even his fault, despite many attempts.<br /><br />Denard is 52% this year but was 63% last year. Put him in a position to succeed and he can. Even if you drop screens, he had great success at Mgoblog's downfield success metric.<br /><br />If you don't think running is part of the QB position, you are living in the 90s. Before the 80s and since the 00s, running is a significant part of the position.<br /><br />Denard is bad if you ask him to be an I-form pro-style QB. With that, I agree. What I don't agree with is asking him to be what he isn't. Expand his capabilities and work on his deficiencies - sure, but also let him do what he's good at. There's a balance to be found and I don't think Borges is doing that.<br /><br />I think he will - I think you'll see Denard run for 100 yards and throw for 200 at least twice more this season. But if Borges insists on stubbornly running an offense that doesn't utilize Denard's talent then Michigan is going to lose and he's going to end up looking for a new job.<br /><br />It's just amazing to me that most fans now seem to wish Forcier hadn't been the QB that transferred. SMHLankowniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07421144704503213226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-45598195290244934242011-11-08T04:55:06.808-05:002011-11-08T04:55:06.808-05:00@ Lankownia 8:31 p.m.
Yeah, every QB has his shar...@ Lankownia 8:31 p.m.<br /><br />Yeah, every QB has his share of overthrows...and Denard has an extra share or two.<br /><br />Give me a break, Lankownia. Denard is inaccurate and a bad decision maker. Stop making excuses for him. He's completing less than 52% of his passes, which puts him just ahead of Gary Nova (Rutgers), Clayton Moore (Akron), Spencer Keith (Kent State), and believe it or not, Ryan Lindley (SDSU). That's it. He's on par with bad MAC quarterbacks and the Rutgers QB. Meanwhile, he's thrown the fourth-most interceptions in the NCAA.<br /><br />He's bad. He's horrible at throwing the ball. He's missing wide open receivers, chucking the ball into coverage, etc. Yeah, he makes an occasional throw that makes you go, "Ooh, if he could only do that more often" but guess what...<br /><br />...so do I! So does everybody who has ever played quarterback in the history of football. Yeah, he hit a slant against MSU that Roundtree took to the house. Hooray. <br /><br />I understand that he's a good runner. That's always the first thing I look for in a quarterback. Not much else is important, like throwing the ball or making good decisions. Nope, he can run, so he's clearly a solid QB.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-82079509255459438412011-11-07T20:36:40.322-05:002011-11-07T20:36:40.322-05:00The hail mary's Denard is asked to throw have ...The hail mary's Denard is asked to throw have something to do with Denard's poor completion percentage no?<br /><br />I don't think Borges is going to get canned either, but I think his job is on the line in these next 3 games. Illinois is no cake-walk and Nebraska and Ohio State remain formidable opponents.<br /><br />Denard wasn't a bad player last year and he isn't a bad player this year. He's not a good QB when asked to pass on 3rd and long. Keep him out of situations like that - where he struggles and he's a good player. It's true that it's part of the job description but Denard easily does well enough in the other areas to override that.Lankowniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07421144704503213226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-946262746001609552011-11-07T20:31:22.971-05:002011-11-07T20:31:22.971-05:00I think you're being way harsh on Denard. Thi...I think you're being way harsh on Denard. This team is 7-2. Even if you want to ignore all the weak teams and say they're 1-2 against real competition the blame doesn't fall on the guy who is the best offensive player we have. He bests Toussaint's YPC easily. As every WR has his share of drops, every QB has his share of overthrows. <br /><br />If he is bad, what does that say about everyone else?Lankowniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07421144704503213226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-70432987141455827072011-11-07T20:27:03.902-05:002011-11-07T20:27:03.902-05:00@Thunder 3:58
The only way it's a bad decisio...@Thunder 3:58<br /><br />The only way it's a bad decision to go for 2 when down 9 is if: a) you miss AND b)Iowa scores again. The fact that Michigan got the ball back with 5 minutes to go WITHOUT Iowa scoring shows how unlikely it was to haunt them. If Iowa scores again they almost certainly lose the game either way (it would take another ND-miracle.)<br /><br />If Iowa kicks a FG, you're down 12 instead of 11. If Iowa score a TD, you're down 16 instead of 15. So yeah, it could hurt, but in that situation you almost certainly lost either way because there's only going to be 4 minutes or less on the clock.<br /><br />Besides, if you're down 9, theres a decent chance you're playing for the win instead of going for a tie, which has some benefits too.Lankowniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07421144704503213226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-34001107183907729482011-11-07T16:12:34.334-05:002011-11-07T16:12:34.334-05:00@ Lankownia 3:34 p.m.
I don't think Borges is...@ Lankownia 3:34 p.m.<br /><br />I don't think Borges is going anywhere. If we lose every game from here on out, then maybe. But I do expect to win at least one of these last three games, if not two (although probably not all three). The "Fire Borges" talk is way, way, way premature.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-15162187770830461382011-11-07T16:11:00.086-05:002011-11-07T16:11:00.086-05:00@ Anonymous 10:29 p.m.
There are other ways to ke...@ Anonymous 10:29 p.m.<br /><br />There are other ways to keep the safeties honest. I'm not suggesting that Borges should run Rodriguez's spread-n-shred, but the Hail Mary that we throw once per series is a little ridiculous.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-24847645731857900432011-11-07T16:09:07.108-05:002011-11-07T16:09:07.108-05:00@ Anonymous 8:15 p.m.
That might make for an inte...@ Anonymous 8:15 p.m.<br /><br />That might make for an interesting piece, comparing the coaching of the two regimes. It's also a REALLY big "big picture" concept.<br /><br />To some degree I think the 2011 season is much like 2008, in that we have square pegs (Denard at QB, for example) trying to fit into round holes. Denard is a better "pro style" QB than Nick Sheridan was a "spread" QB, so there's an obvious upgrade in talent almost across the board. But the utilization of the offensive talents has been better by Borges/Hoke than Magee/Rodriguez.<br /><br />Defensively, this coaching staff is obviously doing a much better job.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-10428419615762362472011-11-07T16:04:06.059-05:002011-11-07T16:04:06.059-05:00@ Lankownia 11:24 a.m.
Denard wasn't killed b...@ Lankownia 11:24 a.m.<br /><br />Denard wasn't killed by receiver drops. He was killed by inaccuracy and poor decision-making. He finished the day 17-for-37, and three of those were legitimate drops (Hemingway twice, Smith once). Every quarterback sees his receivers drop a pass or three per game, so let's generously assume that he should have been 20-for-37. That's still only 54%. It's sad when you see a 54% completion percentage and 194 yards as a strong day by your quarterback.<br /><br />He's not good. That's putting it bluntly, but it's true.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-62067323884525083442011-11-07T16:00:19.369-05:002011-11-07T16:00:19.369-05:00@ Anonymous 10:10 a.m.
The only "big time&qu...@ Anonymous 10:10 a.m.<br /><br />The only "big time" team that Denard has played well against has been Notre Dame, and the excellence of Notre Dame is seriously questionable. Denard has been a poor passer against virtually every noteworthy team for his entire college career.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-487654683019729142011-11-07T15:58:45.451-05:002011-11-07T15:58:45.451-05:00@ 912Jeff 8:09 a.m.
You're right that the ext...@ 912Jeff 8:09 a.m.<br /><br />You're right that the extra point was the right call. If you start going for two too early, you can put yourself in a bind.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-26160272165940421822011-11-07T15:34:59.288-05:002011-11-07T15:34:59.288-05:00Gardner - not a pro-style QB either. He is Vince Y...Gardner - not a pro-style QB either. He is Vince Young or, more negatively, Terrel Pryor. These guys need to have the OC adapt to some degree. I suspect Borges can do that...if he's still around next year. Guy's catching a lot of heat right now, and if we finish the year going 2-5 or even 1-6, someone's head will need to roll and it won't be Hoke or Mattison.Lankownianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-54645143625555822952011-11-07T12:06:46.448-05:002011-11-07T12:06:46.448-05:00Anonymous 10:29pm, I don't know what you'r...Anonymous 10:29pm, I don't know what you're talking about. On all the bombs, except the one to Roundtree, no one was open. I don't care how accurate someone is, those plays do not work in that situation. If you (largely) limit your routes to intermediate and short, you can find plenty of people open if you're diverse in what you call. Since Borges literally refuses to run things like the bubble screen, we're not as diverse as we could/should be in doing what our QB can do well.<br /><br />Denard had a 62.5% completion rate last year in his first year as a starter. That's higher than Chad Henne had in any of his four years. That's higher than John Navarre ever had. This year, he's in an offense that's not well-suited to his skills, and his completion % has dropped almost 10 points. As Thunder also pointed out, he is also being coached to take his runs to the sidelines. This further limits his effectiveness. And how does he get hurt yesterday - oh that's right, standing in the pocket.<br /><br />The fact is Borges is likely trying the best he can to adjust to his personnel, but he's a long-time coach who has a certain way of doing things, and that way has not worked out that well for either of our QBs. Thus, our offense has regressed a bit and that, while somewhat understandable, is ultimately disappointing.Rob Pollardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-2619086522233856862011-11-07T09:32:02.309-05:002011-11-07T09:32:02.309-05:00If Gardner doesn't improve exponentially from ...If Gardner doesn't improve exponentially from how he looked on Saturday against Iowa, but is pegged as the started next year anyways, we are FUBAR.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-49068857483645723172011-11-06T22:39:34.128-05:002011-11-06T22:39:34.128-05:00And, Gardner is not happy. I'm calling it now ...And, Gardner is not happy. I'm calling it now that he will either be the starter next year or he will not be a member of Michigan's football team.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-30391258882899864582011-11-06T22:29:43.974-05:002011-11-06T22:29:43.974-05:00You all don't seem to get the reason for calli...You all don't seem to get the reason for calling a downfield bomb with Denard. The coaches have to call something beyond mid-range to keep the CBs and safeties honest. And the coaches know Denard is very inaccurate. The bomb is on the receiver to make the play, not the passer (relatively speaking - the qb has to get it somewhere near the receiver at least, which Denard has a tough time doing). It's really just about the only pass from mid-range and beyond to do with Denard. Any other pass requires moderate accuracy. And we aint got it. Throw it up, let your guy make a play on it. That's all we got. The playmaker is the receiver in those situations, not the QB - Borges knows it, the receivers know it, Denard knows it, you all just need to know it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-16428728643164226012011-11-06T20:44:51.953-05:002011-11-06T20:44:51.953-05:00For people that want to see more of last year'...For people that want to see more of last year's offense incorporated into the gameplan, you can for get it. It was decided amongst the staff over the bye week that they will move forward with the installation of their offense. We will see more west coast and less spread in our three remaining games. The Power play is not going away, either, no matter how much the guy at Mgoblog complains about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-73313853487032321022011-11-06T20:15:46.890-05:002011-11-06T20:15:46.890-05:00mr thunder
it would be interesting to read your a...mr thunder<br /><br />it would be interesting to read your assessment comparing the coaching or these players by the current regime vs. the previous regime, since we know these player pretty well by now. perhaps at the end of the season?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-1622344354279653892011-11-06T19:55:52.690-05:002011-11-06T19:55:52.690-05:00Does anyone else wish we still had Tate on the tea...Does anyone else wish we still had Tate on the team? He was a much better passer than Denard and we would at least had an option to switch QB's. Now we are stuck with Denard even if he has a terrible game since Gardner looks like a true freshman out there. For a 5 star early enrollee, I thought he would look much better than he has. Even in the spring game he looked terrible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-77449962966260003292011-11-06T19:46:09.572-05:002011-11-06T19:46:09.572-05:00I don't know if it's fans being "hard...I don't know if it's fans being "hard on the players." My impression is that some fans are trying to dissuade other fans from endlessly complaining about Borges. Denard looks uncomfortable; but he has NEVER looked impressive as a passer. That is not a criticism of Denard, but neither is it a criticism of Borges. In my opinion, at least, people need to lay off Borges when, as on Saturday, there are some important execution mistakes that stalled drives or took points off the board.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-28511171202149682472011-11-06T15:18:35.778-05:002011-11-06T15:18:35.778-05:00Agree that Denard isn't terrible so much that ...Agree that Denard isn't terrible so much that the consistent downfield throwing is bad coaching. When Denard ran, he was getting the job done; when he threw short and intermediate he was getting the job done. 3 of the 4 passes on the last series hit a receiver's hands (or would have if not for PI).<br /><br />In the big picture, I think people are getting too down on the players and team. It's a transition year and Vegas had us at 7.5 wins. Let's enjoy the year and hope that the ongoing player-coach mind meld can lead to continued improvement for OSU, the bowl game, and next year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-54607373412071949782011-11-06T14:39:45.594-05:002011-11-06T14:39:45.594-05:00Denard looks to me like he's thinking through ...Denard looks to me like he's thinking through his mechanics on every throw which can't possibly work.<br /><br />Among the things Rodriguez got right was creating an attack comprised of mostly pretty simple tosses that Denard could hit regardless of fundamentals. <br /><br />Last year Denard hits Roundtree in the numbers and we find some other way to lose this game.<br /><br />I agree with Thunder that we need to be sending Denard upfield some more. I'd like to see some real spread option with some passing out of it. Safeties aren't nearly as afraid of a Denard run as they were last year.<br /><br />I don't necessarily think we're completely screwed if Denard gets banged up in that while he doesn't have Denard's acceleration, Gardiner's a bunch stronger, he'll break some tackles. You have to worry about him the in much the same way you do Denard although not as much.<br /><br />If Denard goes down, I'm running the exact same stuff for Gardiner. Save the West Coast stuff for when Morris gets here.Roanmanhttp://justthinking.usnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-49271995497560101792011-11-06T13:12:22.606-05:002011-11-06T13:12:22.606-05:00I would suggest that they take the routes over 25 ...I would suggest that they take the routes over 25 yards out of the playbook until he proves that he can throw them accurately. You can tell they are 10 yards long right out of his hand. Is the bomb his only read on these plays? Hard to tell not being at the game live.<br /><br />Also, I don't think it is a coincidence that the D is giving up more 20+ yard plays since Troy Woolfolk has been starting at FS over Thomas Gordon. I am not seeing the difference in speed, which was the reason that the coaches used for the reason he was starting. He is also not nearly as physical as Thomas, nor does he impact the game as far as causing turnovers like Gordon does.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-56967620613897645492011-11-06T12:19:35.857-05:002011-11-06T12:19:35.857-05:00Denard's downfield passing is terrible. This ...Denard's downfield passing is terrible. This has been well-established over the better part of a year and a half. Given that, why in the world does the coaching staff continue to call these pass plays that require him to sit back and launch it 40 yards downfield? These plays are wasted downs, and totally insane given that he can be relatively successful making short an dintermediate throws that don't require much touch. I thought all of his downfield throws looked terrible. Everything else looks pretty good. <br /><br />The poor throwing has and always will be on Denard. But the atrocious playcalling, which refuses to recognize that poor throwing, is on Borges. That's why saying that "Denard Robinson isn't very good." That oversimplifies the issue. Denard very clearly has a specific and effective skill set. For whatever reason, Borges is struggling to utilize it. I'm happy with Hoke and Mattison, but the jury is still out on Borges.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com