tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post8797620729011634099..comments2024-03-28T17:24:59.031-04:00Comments on Touch the Banner: Thomas Rawls, WolverineUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-79706516211088618042012-05-07T09:56:00.949-04:002012-05-07T09:56:00.949-04:00How were any of us wrong? He hasn't done anyt...How were any of us wrong? He hasn't done anything at Michigan yet.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-79321955142471507472011-02-02T14:08:12.447-05:002011-02-02T14:08:12.447-05:00I don't care to see Thunder whip out anything....I don't care to see Thunder whip out anything.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12342230002415073793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-63167091307541685832011-02-02T13:53:18.819-05:002011-02-02T13:53:18.819-05:00@ Lankownia 1:50 p.m.
You sure seem to be in a fo...@ Lankownia 1:50 p.m.<br /><br />You sure seem to be in a foul mood today. Have a beer.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-1113329102248661242011-02-02T13:50:51.688-05:002011-02-02T13:50:51.688-05:00David,
I don't see any power to Shaws game an...David,<br /><br />I don't see any power to Shaws game and he rarely breaks tackles. Anyway, this Shaw vs Smith ground has been covered endlessly. I don't think anyone's going to change anyone elses mind and I don't care to see Thunder whip out his YPC stats again.<br /><br />I think we all can agree that Smith is mediocre. I just think all our other backs are as well, though I'm hoping that with the new staff Cox gets his shot.<br /><br />-LankAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-25274158129994567992011-02-02T12:31:58.293-05:002011-02-02T12:31:58.293-05:00Lank,
I don't know...if Smith was Barry Sande...Lank,<br /><br />I don't know...if Smith was Barry Sanders, things would change. Sanders is also the exception, not the rule.<br /><br />Shaw is considerably more powerful and much faster than Smith, if not quite as shifty. Smith's a smarter runner, but that only goes so far, IMO. I just think Smith is slightly above mediocre...there were so many times on his 5-8 yard runs (not many of those) where if he was just a little bigger or faster, he could break a 30-yarder.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12342230002415073793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-60054556879457067232011-02-01T21:31:21.979-05:002011-02-01T21:31:21.979-05:00@ horn 9:15 p.m.
As far as I know, there are no M...@ horn 9:15 p.m.<br /><br />As far as I know, there are no Michigan-caliber recruits at Flint Northern in the 2012 class.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-68031992810005888522011-02-01T21:15:42.935-05:002011-02-01T21:15:42.935-05:00is there a 2012 stud at his school? ill look at hi...is there a 2012 stud at his school? ill look at his tape later<br /><br />-hornAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-78947960025203563102011-02-01T19:31:20.075-05:002011-02-01T19:31:20.075-05:00@David
In short yardage, I guess I'd prefer t...@David<br /><br />In short yardage, I guess I'd prefer to have Hopkins than Smith, but I'd rather have Smith than Shaw. I'd rather have Barry Sanders or Maurice Jones Drew or Chris Johnson than any of them though. I don't think RB size matters a great deal in those situations, but obviously, with all being equal physics dictate that size helps. <br /><br />Agree about the 2011 OL - they should be older/bigger than last year and I suspect Coach Hoke will place a bigger emphasis on short-yardage situations than Rodriguez. For the 2nd straight year I expect the OL to be the strongest unit on the team, even without Schilling and Dorrestein. Even if they were average sized, they didn't seem to be well-versed in straight-ahead power runs.<br /><br />@anon 2:54<br /><br />Its great you disagree with me but pay attention. I didn't say the OL was bad or that Carr couldn't convert short yardage his whole career. I said the OL was bad in certain situations and that Carr was bad after a scheme change in those same situations.<br /><br />It felt like a lot of our drives in 2010 stalled out in the redzone and part of that was the inability to convert short yardage situations.<br /><br />Our 3rd down % ranks 36th and 4th down % was 77th. That doesn't necessarily say anything conclusive about short-yardage but it points to an offense that doesn't get it done, especially since by most metrics we were a top 10 offense overall.<br /><br />I certainly wasn't saying our running game was ineffective overall.<br /><br />-LankAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-45804381301917866792011-02-01T18:47:42.150-05:002011-02-01T18:47:42.150-05:00@ Anon 2:54 PM
When did we have trouble on short ...@ Anon 2:54 PM<br /><br />When did we have trouble on short yardage? What games? Purdue, yes. But the weather was terrible and we had trouble with everything. In other games, Michigan repeatedly smashed the ball into the end zone from inside the five yard. Look at all of the short TD runs that Shaw, Robinson, and Hopkins had. The only other game I remember short yardage really being a problem was Penn State, but I don't think that O-line leverage or technique had anything to do with that. <br /><br />Here's the play-by-play from the Wisconsin game.<br /><br />http://espn.go.com/ncf/playbyplay?gameId=303240130<br /><br />Look at all of the times that we ran for a first down on 2nd, 3rd, and 4th down and less than 4 yards. <br /><br />We did well against Ohio State too.<br /><br />http://espn.go.com/ncf/playbyplay?gameId=303310194<br /><br />We rushed for 250 yards a game in 2010. You don't do that without a great offensive line.<br /><br />Also, if you think that all of Carr's teams were great on short yardage, then you have a distorted memory of the Carr era.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-63101153782613338332011-02-01T16:55:55.170-05:002011-02-01T16:55:55.170-05:00Lank,
Someone on MGoBlog did an analysis of avera...Lank,<br /><br />Someone on MGoBlog did an analysis of average OL size in the Big Ten. Michigan wasn't relatively undersized in 2010. I think technique and pad level were bigger concerns. I think the 2011 OL will have a pretty perfect mix of veterans and underclassmen.<br /><br />I think the strength of a team's run game is more about the OL as well, but you can't tell me you'd rather have Smith run the iso on 3rd and 1 than Hopkins.<br /><br /><br />Alex,<br /><br />I'm not saying having a 1000-yard rusher is a bad thing. I just think it's overrated.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12342230002415073793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-33752293132457684952011-02-01T14:54:56.986-05:002011-02-01T14:54:56.986-05:00@ Thunder
Agree with you on Trieu. Its his job to...@ Thunder<br /><br />Agree with you on Trieu. Its his job to manufacture interest. Also, as a regional analyst he's going to have a bias towards players in his region. That said, I also don't exactly expect them to be consistent in their methodology.<br /><br />The important thing is that the services are unanimous in their 3 star ranking and I think most would say grades are a non-factor in their assessment.<br /><br />@Anon 2:41<br />You're crazy if you think we didnt have problems in 2010. I can't back this up, but I think we've had trouble in short yardage ever since we started zone blocking.<br /><br />-LankAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-50634060915756483552011-02-01T14:41:46.091-05:002011-02-01T14:41:46.091-05:00We didn't have a problem on short yardage in 2...We didn't have a problem on short yardage in 2010 most of the time. Whenever we had first and goal inside the five, we scored a TD almost every time unless we committed a penalty. I remember most of Carr's teams having more problems on short yardage than our 2010 team.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-28717272032428635752011-02-01T14:37:25.123-05:002011-02-01T14:37:25.123-05:00@ Anonymous 2:01 p.m.
Are you the Micro Machines ...@ Anonymous 2:01 p.m.<br /><br />Are you the Micro Machines guy?Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-53266556630936651832011-02-01T14:35:54.739-05:002011-02-01T14:35:54.739-05:00@ Lankownia 2:09 p.m.
Trieu might say that, but t...@ Lankownia 2:09 p.m.<br /><br />Trieu might say that, but that doesn't jive with the rankings of guys like Dexter Staley and Demar Dorsey. To me that sounds like a cop-out so they can say later when he's a star "Well, yeah, we only gave him 3 stars, but that's only because of his academics"...<br /><br />...and if he doesn't pan out, they can say "We told you he was only a so-so recruit!"<br /><br />I call shenanigans.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-35227560559439938282011-02-01T14:09:36.217-05:002011-02-01T14:09:36.217-05:00@Alex
Actually, a lot of people were pretty high ...@Alex<br /><br />Actually, a lot of people were pretty high on Hart even though he was a 3-star. Everyone in the Syracuse area raved (which usually happens but still...) and his production was very good. Many saw his recruitment as a boom/bust proposition. It worked out. But thats beside the point. Its a probability, not a guarantee.<br /><br />@David<br />Running into a stack is as much about OL as the RB. Michigan's OL was a disaster in '08, a weakness in '09, and even in '10 was young and relatively undersized. Their strength was mobility, not power football. Its no surprise that short-yardage was a weakness. Even B.Minor was getting stuffed. I don't blame this on the running backs even though, clearly, none of them were ready to be stars yet in 2010. <br /><br />@Thunder<br /><br />I still agree with you about academics and rankings but Scout's Allen Trieu explicitly said they were a factor with Rawls FWIW:<br /><br />""We rate guys conservatively who have not fully qualified yet," said Trieu. "So he's about ranked 13th in the state and a three-star. I think he could be higher, but our national rule across the board is we wait until they've qualified. Purely on the merits of his talent and what he's done throughout his career though, I think he's a top-10 player in the state and borderline four-star-type kid. He's had a fantastic senior season." via Detroit News<br /><br />-LankAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-7435277255097665122011-02-01T14:01:34.985-05:002011-02-01T14:01:34.985-05:00This guy ran for over 1500 yards in half a season,...This guy ran for over 1500 yards in half a season,if he played all year he would have been rated higher, and yes Sam Webb reports that Rawls does run in the 4.4s the reason they switched him from linebacker to runningback is because of his speed hope this guy pans out go blue!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-60457604326414808142011-02-01T13:54:32.457-05:002011-02-01T13:54:32.457-05:00@ Anonymous 1:52 p.m.
Fred Jackson thinks EVERYON...@ Anonymous 1:52 p.m.<br /><br />Fred Jackson thinks EVERYONE is something special.<br /><br />And Michigan pursued at least a dozen other backs.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-62124492818595058972011-02-01T13:52:48.178-05:002011-02-01T13:52:48.178-05:00@ Anonymous 1:30 p.m.
I sincerely doubt any repor...@ Anonymous 1:30 p.m.<br /><br />I sincerely doubt any reports that have Rawls running a 4.4 forty or a 10.7 hundred. Those numbers are ridiculously fast, Bo Jackson-type numbers. Rawls isn't Bo Jackson.<br /><br />And not to diminish the records that Rawls broke, but Kevin Grady is the state's all-time leading rusher. And as I mentioned, he didn't do much in college. Like any single measurement, record breaking performances should be taken with a grain of salt.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-50120510140918595272011-02-01T13:52:08.936-05:002011-02-01T13:52:08.936-05:00Obviously Fred Jackson thinks this guy is somethin...Obviously Fred Jackson thinks this guy is something special,they haven't really even pursued any other backs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-24937356030396458622011-02-01T13:35:37.024-05:002011-02-01T13:35:37.024-05:00Not having a stud running back has hurt us badly t...Not having a stud running back has hurt us badly the last two years. Especially in 2010. I dont' see anyone in this class solving that problem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-73867101230248471612011-02-01T13:32:58.617-05:002011-02-01T13:32:58.617-05:00Oops didn't realize that was David and not Mag...Oops didn't realize that was David and not Magnus my bad...Alexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-39468346586627260842011-02-01T13:30:57.842-05:002011-02-01T13:30:57.842-05:00Unless I have read wrong Rawls is anywhere from 21...Unless I have read wrong Rawls is anywhere from 215 to 225 runs in the 4.4 range and is a 10.7 hundred guy.he also broke some of ingrams records this and is clearly a better back than justice Hayes . And Sam Webb is the guy who said if guys are far from qaulifying that they sometimes don't get ranked high.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-58857730711909208932011-02-01T13:30:19.062-05:002011-02-01T13:30:19.062-05:00Magnus,
I understand your point about not needing...Magnus,<br /><br />I understand your point about not needing a 1000 yard back to win but most offenses in the top 25 have them. Think about how good that 97 team would've been with Wheatley, an older A-Train or Biakabatuka at the helm. Furthermore the 97 offense was very mediocre; Griese was good at not turning the ball over and they relied heavily on Charles Woodson for big plays not to mention his special teams contribution. The defense was what won that championship.<br /><br />Your last paragraph of your comment in combination with the description of Rawls in the post above make me think that he could be successful. I'm not trying to say it's guaranteed but I think he fits the mold more so than some of the other backs already on the roster. Also, what makes Justice Hayes all that much better than Rawls?Alexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-51508515096531935202011-02-01T13:22:25.716-05:002011-02-01T13:22:25.716-05:00That being said, I'm as sick of running Smith ...That being said, I'm as sick of running Smith into a stack of humanity on 3rd and short as Magnus is. I realize there's a major difference between guys who just aren't studs and guys who just can't get yards period.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12342230002415073793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-6039650290721523952011-02-01T13:17:45.172-05:002011-02-01T13:17:45.172-05:00Alex,
Mike Hart is the exception, not the rule. S...Alex,<br /><br />Mike Hart is the exception, not the rule. Same with Slaton.<br /><br />I don't think it's necessary for a single runner to get 1000 yards in a season and I'm a little confused...you're not the only one fixated on this. Not a single RB had 1000 yards in 1997. UConnn had two 1000-yard rushers in 2009...and went 8-5.<br /><br />The running game is much more about having an adequate back (or multiple) with decent vision and a line and receivers that block well. Having a stud is a luxury. Mike Shanahan has pretty much proven this...I don't know if he's ever not had a running back rush for 1000 yards, and that includes guys like Ryan Torain and Reuben Droughns.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12342230002415073793noreply@blogger.com