Michigan Wolverines Football Spring Preview: The Quarterbacks
Former Michigan passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton put it best last December in discussing his quarterback room …
Asked if his advice to the ‘young guys’ in the room would be to stay patient and wait their turn, he shook his head.
"Neither of those guys wants to hear that," Hamilton said. "They want to play, and they want to play right now.”
Having more than one capable quarterback is a blessing, of course, if handled correctly. At the same time, kids these days aren’t as patient as Tom Brady was back in the late 1990s.
Brady, considered the NFL’s best of all time, didn't play until his fourth year, leading U-M to a share of the Big Ten championship. But then came wonder boy Drew Henson, and with him a dilemma for then head coach Lloyd Carr:
How to keep everyone happy.
That’s what head coach Jim Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis face this spring. Incumbent Shea Patterson, thought by many to be a one and done when he arrived last year as a transfer from Mississippi, chose to stick around for another year, citing unfinished business.
“This was my first full season of college football," Patterson said during preparation for the Peach Bowl. “It's like I’m just getting a taste of it."
A 62-39 loss to Ohio State in Columbus was no way to go out, he said … and that was before Florida trounced the Wolverines in the Peach Bowl.
But to keep his job, he’s going to have to earn it. He’s got a huge head start, of course — experience is a huge part of the learning experience, and he’s got a year under his belt — but redshirt sophomore Dylan McCaffrey and redshirt frosh Joe Milton are waiting in the wings, and by all accounts have had great winters in terms of conditioning and individual workouts on their own.
“They understand that they're going to have to compete and raise the level of their play to have a chance to have a ball in their hand on the field,” Hamilton said. “I don't know if there's anything that we can say to them. They just have to go out and exhaust themselves to be the best they can be and see where it takes them."
Stiff Competition
Patterson, though, has a leg (arm?) up. He threw for 2,600 yards with 22 touchdowns against only seven interceptions last season, and while the line in front of him improved dramatically, his escapability probably made it look better than it was. His 149.8 passer rating is the highest for any Jim Harbaugh quarterback at Michigan and was second to Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, a likely high round NFL Draft Pick.
Patterson completed 64.6 percent of his passes and helped lead the Wolverines to 10 straight wins in the middle of the schedule. His ability to throw on the run, on a dime set him apart from just about any Michigan quarterback since Harbaugh himself back in the mid 1980s.
But there’s always room for improvement. Patterson had a number of balls knocked down at the line of scrimmage, and while there’s nothing he can do about his height, that’s an area of weakness. He’s still figuring out when to pull and when to keep on the read option, as well, though he had a number of huge plays keeping the ball last year, including a fourth and two during the fourth quarter at Michigan State.
Expect to see them play more to his strengths this year, assuming (as we do) he’s the No. 1 guy. New coordinator Gattis, who comes highly regarded from Alabama, talks about speed in space and getting the ball to the playmakers, and that’s what Patterson essentially asked for following the Peach Bowl loss.
“Just letting guys go make plays,” Patterson said of what he wanted. “All the best athletes in the country are getting put into open space, and there’s no reason why we can’t. We did a lot of good stuff this year, but I think we’re realizing how talented we really are -- and explosive we can be.”
Michigan’s receiving corps figures to be among the best in the Big Ten, and with a murky running back situation, it’s probably time to turn Patterson loose.
What’s that mean McCaffrey and Milton? For one, they need to stay prepared. They’re only a play away from their time on the field, and McCaffrey, in particular, showed plenty of moxie when he took the field.
The moment was never too big for him, even when he got thrown into the fire at Notre Dame in his first taste of game action last year. The sample size wasn’t great, but he certainly looks like a capable No. 1 (and then some), assuming he adds a few pounds and becomes more durable.
He’s back to 100 percent after suffering a broken collarbone last season on a quarterback keeper.
Milton, meanwhile, has plenty of upside, but he became turnover prone at times last year. His teammates love him, though, and call him “the future.” He’s got a huge arm, can run and is a well built 6-5, 234 pounds.
Redshirt junior Brandon Peters is still here and will go through spring ball, but he’s running fourth, while frosh Cade McNamara is more in the Patterson mold at 6-2, 202, and doesn’t lack any confidence.
The bottom line: expect Patterson to get a push, and it wouldn’t stun at all if the coaches devised packages for McCaffrey and Milton to find ways to get them on the field at times, even if its in a limited capacity.
At the same time, the last thing they need is another Henson vs. Brady situation circa 1999. It's up to Harbaugh and Co. to find that balance ... but it's not a bad problem to have if handled correctly.
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