Lakeyale13

April 29th, 2018 at 10:25 AM ^

LOL, made me laugh Dr.  I think Shea, as everyone here and the media is expecting, is the missing link to our team being able to get over the hump.  Furthermore, I sure did like seeing all those OSU players drafted.  Reminded me of us in the previous draft.  Zero reason why we cannot beat OSU and MSU this year...as long as Shea is healthy.

JonnyHintz

April 29th, 2018 at 11:22 AM ^

The staff is always going to say they’re splitting reps evenly. Even if they’re not. They’re always going to say no QB has emerged, even if that’s false. There is absolutely zero benefit to naming a starter or a leader, so Harbaugh and his staff will never do so.

That’s just the way it will always be. Even when team insiders and players say different, the staff will always claim its even and they’re splitting reps.

DrMantisToboggan

April 29th, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^

Shea will be the starting QB, zero doubt about it. They do not split QBs (or many players) into 1st, 2nd, 3rd teams in the spring so that every can get experience playing against good competition, and every can get experience playing against guys they can beat. Spring is about experience and learning. 

 

However, the coaches are always evaluating, even if a depth chart is not written in stone yet.

saveferris

April 30th, 2018 at 10:30 AM ^

Shea may be the presumptive starter at this point, but his presence isn't a requirement for us having a great year this fall.  Barring an injury, whomever finishes fall camp as the starter will have earned the right to be the top guy.  The smart money says that guy will probably by Shea Patterson, but I think it bodes well for us regardless of who emerges from that crucible as the victor.

MGoWV

April 29th, 2018 at 8:44 AM ^

Fun fact: Fielding Yost is from a small town very close to me. About 20 minutes away you will find another small town where Rich Rod grew up.

20 minutes in the other direction will get you to where Nick Saban grew up.

Maybe I should become a football coach..

San Diego Mick

April 29th, 2018 at 3:23 AM ^

the play on the field is what matters, we have the talent and the QB(s) now. If we show up and play well and play smart, we're gonna bash people into the ground and I will be enjoying the hell out of that.

At least 10 wins with the sky being the limit with good fortune because no matter how good a team might be, luck sometimes has a part in it.

Jacklee86

April 29th, 2018 at 8:25 AM ^

Would it be that miraculous to put together a competent offensive line from this group? On paper he had less to work with in 2014 and look what happened.

Jacklee86

April 29th, 2018 at 9:00 AM ^

I'm not sure that they had any top 100 offensive line recruits on their roster that year. And they patched it together with guys like Jacoby Boren (a 2 star fullback) and Pat Elflein. Taylor Decker was the only decently rated player as a recruit and he wasn't even in the top 150. Obviously it isn't a guarantee that this line will be any better than that one but it goes to show you don't need an Alabama roster to get good line play.

njvictor

April 29th, 2018 at 12:51 PM ^

Even if Warinner improves the OL slightly, which seems inevitable, that along with Patterson being more talented and able to operate outside the pocket, should make our offense at least a competent group

Perkis-Size Me

April 29th, 2018 at 7:38 AM ^

Harbaugh has everything he needs to win now. An elite DC who fields elite defenses, an OL coach who was last seen building a line that bulldozed Alabama en route to a title, a potential game-changer at QB, and plenty of talent that can catch the ball.





Not at all saying he’s giving excuses, but there are no more excuses.

SkyPanther

April 29th, 2018 at 8:30 AM ^

I suppose a lot of people view college like the pros, that the players are around for a long time.

 

Nick Saban deals with turnover of players every year too, just like Michigan. He has 5 National Championships in 11 years at Alabama.

 

Jim McElwain was Saban's offensive coordinator for his first National Championship team at Alabama in 2009. :-)

DeepBlueC

April 29th, 2018 at 9:20 AM ^

Every team has weaknesses.  But this weakness is pronounced, and very directly affects the well-being of our quarterbacks.  We saw last year how that can go.  

And I'm not worried that we're going to go 6-6 or anything like that.  We're talking about whether we have the talent to go 11-1 instead of 9-3, and that will probably depend on a few key plays in a few big games against very tough opposition.  Those are the things that small differences in talent can decide.

uofmfan_13

April 29th, 2018 at 8:57 AM ^

With losses @msu and @osu it will be a solid year but par for the course with Harbaugh, my opinion. Shows me he can't win big road games and this might be the ceiling.

If we go 10-2 With a win at either msu or osu, then I'm more hopeful going forward and it was a good overall season.

Go 10-2 and somehow make B10 championship game? Great year but again...how did we do vs main rivals.

LSAClassOf2000

April 29th, 2018 at 8:54 AM ^

I remember reading that Brando's contract allowed for him to quit at 4 PM each day too, mainly because at the time he was seeing a psychologist due to the death of his mother, which happened not too long befor production began. The closeups in the cab scene with Rod Steiger were all done without Brando, and Steiger was apparently quite pissed about that. 

Marvin

April 29th, 2018 at 12:13 PM ^

Good lord. What a couple of complete messes -- Steiger and Brando. Combined they probably experienced about 5 minutes of legitimate happiness their entire adult lives. Steiger's anger was probably because he felt like if he had to endure the burning hell of his own mind then Brando should have to suck it up and deal with his too. 

SugarShane

April 29th, 2018 at 8:56 AM ^

People are making too much of the schedule.

Yea, it’s a little tougher than usual, but it’s still the same as any other schedule we ever have

One tough noncon game and alternating conference games. It’s not like last years white out and going to camp Randall were cakewalks