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| Brandon Moore |
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 261 lbs.
High school: Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #89
Last year: I ranked Moore #44 and said he would be the backup tight end. He played in twelve games and caught 1 pass for 9 yards.
The time is now for Brandon Moore to turn his high school promise into college success. Moore played very little during his first three seasons, playing mostly against overmatched opponents like Delaware State, against whom he caught his first career pass. Between that 2009 game and Purdue in 2011, Moore didn't catch a single ball. Expected to be pass catching tight end, Moore was mostly used as a blocker last season, and even that task proved to be onerous as Moore missed a key block against Michigan State in 2011 that got Denard Robinson blindsided.
I have no delusions that Moore will turn into a star tight end overnight. What we've seen is likely what we'll get, for better or worse. Departed starter Kevin Koger was versatile enough to play on the line or in the slot, and even played some fullback in the Senior Bowl, but Moore will mostly be used as an in-line blocker this season. He added six pounds in the offseason, likely in an attempt to nail down the starting tight end job. I expect that we'll see fewer tight ends this season, and the news that incoming freshman A.J. Williams showed up at 282 lbs. bodes unwell for challenging Moore's starting job. It's Moore's job by default, which means I expect to see a lot of spread formations, single tight end formations, and quite a bit of Devin Funchess being used as an H-back type. Not only does a spread offense suit Denard Robinson better, but it also helps Michigan avoid putting Williams and Jordan Paskorz on the field, neither of whom seem to be ready. The tight end position won't be pretty this season, but hopefully Al Borges can work around it.
Prediction: Starting tight end; 12 receptions, 120 yards, 2 touchdowns
I have no delusions that Moore will turn into a star tight end overnight. What we've seen is likely what we'll get, for better or worse. Departed starter Kevin Koger was versatile enough to play on the line or in the slot, and even played some fullback in the Senior Bowl, but Moore will mostly be used as an in-line blocker this season. He added six pounds in the offseason, likely in an attempt to nail down the starting tight end job. I expect that we'll see fewer tight ends this season, and the news that incoming freshman A.J. Williams showed up at 282 lbs. bodes unwell for challenging Moore's starting job. It's Moore's job by default, which means I expect to see a lot of spread formations, single tight end formations, and quite a bit of Devin Funchess being used as an H-back type. Not only does a spread offense suit Denard Robinson better, but it also helps Michigan avoid putting Williams and Jordan Paskorz on the field, neither of whom seem to be ready. The tight end position won't be pretty this season, but hopefully Al Borges can work around it.
Prediction: Starting tight end; 12 receptions, 120 yards, 2 touchdowns
Any chance AJ Williams contributes immediately in short yardage situations? 282 sounds like a college ready size, unless it's what we call "bad weight".
ReplyDeleteThe word on the street is that it is "bad weight." But there's still a chance. He's got about a month to shed some of that poundage.
DeleteLooking back to '08 (film and whatever else), what do you think recruiting people saw in Moore? Just a tall, reasonably athletic guy?
ReplyDeleteI think Moore had a lot of potential as a recruit. He wasn't just reasonably athletic; he was very athletic. The kid could move, but Trotwood-Madison used him out wide quite a bit. They put him out in space and he did well. But he had a subpar senior year and has obviously continued to underperform. He was never a great blocker, but I think he sees the writing on the wall that he won't get on the field if he doesn't block, thus coming in this year at 261 lbs.
DeleteWith him it has never really been a question about athleticism. It's a question of desire and coachability.
This is terrible news, I see Funchess getting starts by mid year.
ReplyDeleteFunchess isn't an option at the Y position. He's only 225 and would get destroyed. He might start some games, but it will be at the U-back position. The options at Y are Moore, Mike Kwiatkowski, AJ Williams, or maybe Jordan Paskorz.
DeleteI had heard a couple years ago that RR's staff was shocked how much of a "finesse" player Moore was, despite his monstrous size. Not sure if a light can come on where a guy becomes a physical blocker and runner. I agree that the TE spot is likely to be de-emphasized until some weapons are established. Guys like Moore and Williams may be targets on short yardage, play action plays. But probably not much more than that.
ReplyDeleteI know people are worried about OL depth, but tight end is a borderline black hole this year. It really is too bad that Pharoah Brown and Barnett didn't work out.
ReplyDeleteAgreed on Brown and Barnett, although I'm not sure Brown would be much more ready than Funchess. If Barnett had his head on straight, he might be starting against Alabama on September 1.
DeleteBarnett was one of the top 5 most important recruits in the '11 class. It's a shame he flamed out, but at least he did it quickly enough that the staff could bring in 2 more guys in the '12 class.
DeleteBrown was a recruit I really liked, but short-term utility was always in doubt with him. It'll be interesting to see what Oregon does with the kid.
The part I don't get about TE getting deemphasized is last year's evidence. Like Brandon Moore, Steve Watson hardly caught any passes last year. He was far from a weapon. Yet, there were 2 TEs out there frequently. I agree that the TE position talent and depth look poor this year...but it wasn't great last year and Borges still chose to trot Watson out there instead of a 3rd or 4th wideout (out of a mucher deeper pool of WR talent).
ReplyDeleteI think, for Borges, the TE position is a little like FB for traditional pro-style offenses. The talent may or may not be there but the position is going to be utilized, regardless. Talent may influence how much they get the ball, but won't change the play calling and formations much.
I say this recognizing that Borges has proven to be adaptable. I think this is one area where he is not. We're going to see plenty of 2 TE sets, especially if a WR fails to emerge as a gamebreaker (which most people seem to think is the case). Michigan's going to find 2 TEs who can block consistently. One of them might be Paskorz or a walk-on or Williams - I don't know - but the ones who can block effectively are the ones that will see the field most often. With an offense geared around Denard and Fitz, the TE positions are more about blocking than anything else.
Also, wouldn't surprise me if Funchess and the other candidates at U-back don't prove to be reliable blockers that our FBs get used there, since it's seems to be similar to the H-back position in other offenses.
That's the thing. I don't see two being able to block consistently. If Williams is in shape and can do it, then that's fine and I'd agree with you. But Funchess is too small. I really don't think he'll see a single meaningful snap as an in-line tight end. Hell, Ricardo Miller was 234 (Funchess is 225) and couldn't get on the field.
DeleteCould be Paskorz or a walk-on. If you're just a blocker (like FB), that job can be done by grunts who are willing to play with high effort and selflessness.
DeleteI agree with you about the Freshman though, especially Funchess, which is why I'm in minority expecting him to have a minimal role and maybe even red-shirt. I could see him getting used for a package of plays where the U-back is a receiver (as opposed to a blocker) but I'm not counting on it being used very often. I think teams would catch on and his presence would tip off the other team that a pass is coming. I think he's best served with a red-shirt because he's a guy with interesting potential.
As for Williams, I'm not willing to decide anything about his blocking ability when it's barely August. He's got decent size and played tackle in high school. I'd be a little surprised to see him playing against Alabama, but as the season progresses he could emerge.