What Did We Learn? - Michigan

the only chance for us to take then next step is find under the radar nfl talent. it doesn't seem like rhule has been great at that so far.
 
We are definitely better at some spots compared to last year. I think overall as a whole this team is more athletic. But the biggest factor is no Ty, Nash, Butler, & Sherman to anchor the DL. We are sorely missing Dowdell by the goal line. The WR room and TE room are better. I would say the same with the secondary. Special teams is other worldly improved compared to last season. OL is still average to below average.
And to add to this bc we are missing size on the d-line we are and just did struggle to stop the run which in return is going to wear down the defense.
 
Our receivers are a little better, as is our punter. We need the front 7 on D, and the O Line, to be much better.

Another issue - where is the accountability for decisions over the last few years? Examples - Jeff Sims is an elite QB. Satterfield is a fantastic OC. Elijah Pritchett is a definitive $1 million dollar guy. Again, just a few, but how are we so bad at some of these decisions? Critical roles. Big misses.
Sims and Satterfield were the best we could get during the transition. It has been clearly discussed those weren't our first options. Elijah is very talented. We competed with many teams for his services. He has committed a few false starts... it is a problem. However it isn't like that was a known glaring issue that we just overlooked.

We were 2 missed tackles away from winning this game by 1 or maybe 2 scores. Michigan is definitely the over all more talented team so I would say our coaching staff is pretty damn good. I think we are headed in the right direction by pursuing 4 and 5 start talent. We got 20 of them on campus yesterday. Maybe those podcasts and different media releases are helping? Time will tell.
 
Sims and Satterfield were the best we could get during the transition. It has been clearly discussed those weren't our first options. Elijah is very talented. We competed with many teams for his services. He has committed a few false starts... it is a problem. However it isn't like that was a known glaring issue that we just overlooked.

We were 2 missed tackles away from winning this game by 1 or maybe 2 scores. Michigan is definitely the over all more talented team so I would say our coaching staff is pretty damn good. I think we are headed in the right direction by pursuing 4 and 5 start talent. We got 20 of them on campus yesterday. Maybe those podcasts and different media releases are helping? Time will tell.
Pritchett played a total of 6 snaps. His ROI is dismal. He’s our new Benhart
 
It wasn’t close. We can play this game all day long. They missed on two touchdowns and could have scored another in the 4th if they had to. They settled on 3. 1/3 of our points were from a Hail Mary that probably shouldn’t have happened.

They were better. I understand this is a message board but I’m struggling to understand how people thought it was close.

I’m glad we didn’t get blown out. I guess that’s progress.
It was 3 points close. 3 points we skipped at the beginning of the game. It was close. Tied at half. Thats pretty close. Then the final score was 3 point difference. Seems pretty close to me. I guess when OU beat them by two scores it was close because... they are Nebraska
 
It wasn’t close. We can play this game all day long. They missed on two touchdowns and could have scored another in the 4th if they had to. They settled on 3. 1/3 of our points were from a Hail Mary that probably shouldn’t have happened.

They were better. I understand this is a message board but I’m struggling to understand how people thought it was close.

I’m glad we didn’t get blown out. I guess that’s progress.
Because it was. They missed on a TD because their Qb isn't good at throwing the ball. They also got away with a few calls but that's football. If Barney doesn't get tackled by some one touching his ankle it would have been a different game. If they don't get lucky and get an INT off a tip it could have been a different game. They got lucky on two plays and it made a difference. Its not like they were up big all game and took their foot off the gas. Its was a close game any way you slice it
 
I can't escape the fact that, for ~14 years, we have an average offense practicing against an average defense. The Spring, Summer, and Fall practices against non elite NFL talent does not get our team ready to play elite teams. Do we look good in the offseason? Sure, sometimes, because we're scrimmaging and practicing against free agent type NFL talent for 8% of the roster. How can we sustainably play teams in the top 4 of the B1G, top 20 in the country, when we aren't seeing this level of comp until gameday when we play those teams?

The level of talent, per player, AND development isn't there. You can see Butler's scheme pretty clearly yesterday. We had to stop the run. We had to play man defense. We knew they could not pass well. And, they ran for just sub of 300 yards. On the other side, they were getting to Dylan rushing 3 people. 3?!?

Did the Spring or Fall camps prepare us to see that speed and size? No, it didn't. It prepared us to maul Akron. It prepared us to coin flip against Cincinnati.

If you don't have size and speed in the interior, you have to be elite in scheme. You have to development extraordinarily. You have to compliment your skill position players. We don't have anything elite other than a marketing department, a hungry fan base, and a motivational CEO.
I said this exact thing tonite! The whole Iron sharpens Iron....We probably do look great in practice average to above in some spots and possibly below in some spots. We are no going up against Day 1 NFL talent day to day. Dylan, IMHO, probably day 1. Still no idea why he is not mentioned in any Hypesman talks....But who else? Maybe a DB? So how do you get ready to play against teams that have guys across the board that are more than just FDA's....As @Mavric pointed out we are bottom heavy on our money so we can't "buy" a team yet. So he needs to find those diamonds in the rough in the portal or recruit them. Winning cures all ills for sure. I know the OL recruits in Sat had to be salivating to come here and start day one with little to no competition.
 
That is exactly what happened. Potential is off the charts.
Happens a lot I'm sure. Sadly, you have to lock into the money to see if you can get them to that potential or change of venue helps. If not, you're out the money and a roster spot.

I do think to date, Rhule and Co have done well with the portal. Not a roster aficionado, but the names I know seem to contribute each year. Sims being the poster child of a swing and a miss.
 
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