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| Russell Bellomy |
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 189 lbs.
High school: Arlington (TX) Martin
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #8
Last year: I ranked Bellomy #84 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.
As a true freshman entering a program with two highly touted quarterbacks older than you, chances are you're not going to play. So Bellomy sat and learned. It seemed to pay off pretty well in the spring, when Bellomy looked solid running the team. He lacks the arm strength and confidence to push the ball down the field, but he's accurate and understands what the defense is trying to do.
It still might be difficult to get playing time in 2012. Denard Robinson will hold onto the starting job, and Devin Gardner appears to be the #2 quarterback. Gardner's poor decision making can't continue, though, or else he might see himself drop behind Bellomy. Meanwhile, Gardner will probably see some time at wide receiver this fall, and if he excels playing wideout, Bellomy might get even more of a shot to take the reins as the primary backup. Bellomy will probably only see the field in mop-up duty this fall, but he's a pretty good quarterback for being #3 on the depth chart.
Prediction: Backup quarterback
What makes you say he lacks "confidence to push the ball down the field"?
ReplyDeleteThat seems unfair to a guy who hasn't played in games yet. If it's based on the spring game - his receivers are people like Paskorz and Reynolds, so maybe the open receivers in the flats are the right decision and not a deficiency of confidence.
It looks to me like he moves on to his checkdown receivers too quickly, either not letting the routes develop before getting rid of the ball or seeing an open receiver downfield but preferring to hit the high percentage short pass.
DeleteFair enough, but I think that's reading a little too much into a spring game. Guess that's all the evidence we really have but I wouldn't make too many judgements on it.
DeleteI'm not making any long-term judgments, just in the short-terms. Chances are slim that Bellomy is going to improve a great deal between April and September 1.
DeleteCoincidentally, Space Coyote on MGoBlog broke down Bellomy's play in the spring game and came to the same conclusions: moves to his hot reads too quickly, questions his arm strength.
http://mgoblog.com/diaries/ff410-2012-spring-game-breakdown-bellomy-pass-plays-day-4
That's exactly what I'd call reading too much into the Spring Game... doesn't mean you guys are wrong though.
DeleteI agree with your assessment that Bellomy could end up as the #2 QB for one reason or another. And given that Denard has been hurt pretty frequently...Bellomy might play a much bigger role than most people think.
ReplyDeleteI've said this since the day he committed - Bellomy is going to be the starting QB at some point. Probably not this year, but at some point he will. Once he has the job he may not give it back.
It seems that much will depend on his physical development (upper body, specifically, since he has good wheels and looks more "grown up" in his lower body). We need to imagine him beating what appears to be a very impressive Shane Morris package (including, notably, a bigger arm than Bellomy appears to currently have). Could happen, of course -- Bellomy might have better mobility, for example.
ReplyDeleteDepending on what happens with Gardner, this looming Bellomy/Morris situation is going to look a lot like the Brady/Henson situation did. Of course, Bellomy is probably no Brady (nor is Morris anywhere near the athlete Henson was.)
ReplyDeleteI agree with previous comments -- there's a big chance that he gets a small/non-existent amount of PT this year, but there is a non-zero chance that he plays a very major role in the season. It's very plausible that Bellomy starts next season as Michigan's starting quarterback.
ReplyDeleteAlso, he looks like Matt Damon in the photo above.
Good write-up. I think Bellomy is already more of a legit QB than Gardner. Gardner still does not look comfortable at all in the pocket after three springs. And he is fast, but I don't see him as mentally quick enough to be an effective zone-read guy either. So I see Gardner taking a shot at WR, and Bellomy passing him up regardless. Borges talks a lot about future QB's being "game managers" and Bellomy could develop into that kind of player.
ReplyDeleteFor Bellomy to be starter in '13 he'll need to progress quite a bit between now and then. Not saying it's impossible but I still think the throne is Gardner's to lose.
ReplyDeleteHow easy is it to increase your arm strength in terms of tossing a ball?
ReplyDeletePlayers can make a slight improvement in arm strength, but once a kid/player is fully developed, there's only so much arm strength he can add. Bellomy will probably never be a rocket-armed QB like Ryan Mallett or even Chad Henne, but his arm will likely get a little stronger between now and his senior year.
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