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| Maybe Wisconsin is good for something. |
Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Kelvin Grady. I never really expected much from Grady, but he's turned out to be more of a player this year. His playing time diminished last year, and it seems to have diminished once again this season. But it seems like every time Michigan quarterbacks throw in Grady's direction, he makes a good play. I don't think he's a gamebreaker or in line for the #1 jersey; he just seems clutch. The kid has 16 catches for 200 yards on the season (12.5 yards per catch) and made a very nice catch on a ball thrown behind him this past Saturday.
Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . eh, I dunno. I thought the guys played pretty well on Saturday. Denard Robinson failed to make some key plays on Saturday, but I'm not about to call for him to be benched at this point. He's pretty good and stuff.
Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Thomas Gordon. What ever happened to Thomas Gordon? He hasn't played defense since the Illinois game, and he hasn't been on the injury report, either. When I see 5'10" and . . . ahem . . . 197 lb. true freshman free safety Ray Vinopal creeping up to the line to run blitz, it makes me wonder why Prison Abs Gordon is sitting on the sideline. Gordon isn't huge, but he's had a couple years in the strength and conditioning program and he didn't earn the aforementioned nickname for nothing.
Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . run-blitzing Ray Vinopal. Greg Robinson, leave Vinopal 10-15 yards off the ball. Yeah, he takes good angles and hasn't really let anyone behind him yet this year. I'm not sure what those qualities have to do with him stopping 5'11", 236 lb. Montee Ball running up the middle every play and/or taking on a tight end/fullback/offensive lineman. That's just poor defensive scheming. It's not like you don't have other options (Cam Gordon, Thomas Gordon, and Jordan Kovacs) to send on a run blitz, guys who are more adept and more physically ready to make those plays. But, you know, whatever. I can't say I was surprised to see a harebrained defensive scheme fail miserably in Week 11.
MVP of the Wisconsin game . . . Denard Robinson. It's odd that Denard passed for 239 yards, rushed for 121 yards, and accounted for all 4 touchdowns (2 passing, 2 rushing) . . . and I still wasn't that impressed. I'm sure there are a lot of plays that Robinson wishes he could do over, and it's a testament to the offense's design that so many plays were left on the field. Denard was clearly Michigan's best player in the game, but losing by 20 points makes it tough to call anyone an "MVP."
I remember a number of drops from Grady last year. He may get a chance if Stonum is out and Roundtree has to move outside, but generally I'd rather see Koger/Webb than Grady. I WOULD probably rather see Grady than Stokes or Jackson.
ReplyDeleteMagnus,
ReplyDeleteDo you prefer Cam or Prison Abs at spur? Or even Carvin?
I agree relative to Thomas Gordan's absence and Ray Vinopal coming off the edge against Wisconsin. I get bringing Kovacs off the edge, but not RV.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Robinson left Vinopal in for run blitzes because he didn't want to make it absolutely obvious that the play call was a run blitz by putting in T. Gordon? I mean Wisky probably would have just run it anyway but maybe they would have audibled to play-action...
ReplyDeleteMagnus, do you think sophomore Jibreel Black will be a stronger player all around than senior Greg Banks? Enough to become an every-down lineman? No offense to Banks, but more pressure from all defensive line positions would be appreciated without becoming vulnerable to the run.
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous 7:18 p.m.
ReplyDeleteLong-term, I prefer Cameron Gordon at Spur. He's a better athlete and has a bigger frame than Thomas Gordon. However, it has seemed to me that Cameron isn't quite grasping the position yet. Carvin Johnson isn't big enough or strong enough to play the Spur. I'd prefer to see him at FS or Bandit.
@ MEZMAN
ReplyDeleteI thought for a second that they might be blitzing Vinopal to disguise the play...but I still don't think it's a good idea. Vinopal didn't stand a chance. At least Thomas Gordon would have had a gambler's chance of making the play, and they could have run some type of coverage behind it to roll the corners into a Cover 1 or Cover 2 concept. Or just straight-up man coverage.
For what it's worth, Thomas Gordan seemed to be standing away from the defense without his helmet for the entire game on Saturday. Maybe an undisclosed injury or discipline thing, but he wasn't even in the huddle most of the time.
ReplyDelete