First, thank you all so much for submitting mailbag questions so this wouldn’t flop. I was really worried about that.
You also sent in great questions, to a point where I didn’t need to dodge many of them. Thanks for keeping it so normal and cool that this mailbag will be broken into two segments. Seriously! There’s a lot of good stuff in here, and I want to give these the thought they deserve.
In keeping with the Blue’s News theme, I wanted to try and do a Mailtime thing for this, but they didn’t hire me to be a creative writer. Just assume I made that connection cleverly. Here’s the mail that never fails and whatnot.
- First, a layup from @kpkielcz on Twitter: Do you find it as necessary as I do to utilize the bye week Saturday to participate in activities that would otherwise be passed on throughout the rest of the season?
Oh, absolutely. I hope you got out to a pumpkin patch or spent time with your families – maybe both.
We’re experiencing summer’s dying breaths in Buffalo right now, where the weather tries to peek above 70 degrees for a few days. I took full advantage. Plus, Michigan’s bye week coincided with the Bills’ bye week, so I had a full weekend of bliss and freedom from football hurting me. I worked at my non-Meet at Midfield job, got pumpkins for my porch steps, ate homemade pizza… it was a dream.
- From CoolNicePerson: What have been the best and worst surprises thus far, in your opinion?
I’m often critical of linebacker play, but that was somewhat expected. My worst surprise so far has been the incredibly annoying “Cade vs. J.J.” discourse from earlier this year. McNamara wasn’t forced out of the job; he lost it. That contrived narrative bugs me to this day.
The best surprise has been the team’s relative continuity. You can point to Corum and Edwards (mostly Corum) making losing Hassan Haskins irrelevant. Or, you might look at the defensive line play and say it’s not exactly like last year, but certainly getting the job done. The offensive line, who are back on the Joe Moore Award watchlist halfway through the season, keeps giving Corum opportunities to thrive.
Even after the quarterback change from McNamara to McCarthy, there hasn’t been a dip in the offense. While fans and haters alike love to nitpick McCarthy’s game, this same production and precision out of Cade McNamara would be nothing short of a miracle.
Honorable “best surprise” mention to Mike Sainristil, who’s actually turning out to be a hell of a defensive back.
- From @JackLebourdais on Twitter: Why haven’t we seen the Andrel Anthony breakout?
The short answer is he hasn’t had the opportunity yet. Anthony currently sits at seventh in targets on pass plays. He’s at six receptions on nine targets for 73 yards and no touchdowns.
This is not a reflection on him; it’s more to do with the talent ahead of him than it is him specifically. I’d personally love to see him more involved, particularly in intermediate or deep yardage. The offensive game plan and J.J. McCarthy both have something to do with his limited target share, but he’s a player with the upside to help the passing game.
The concern is Anthony being dissatisfied with his usage and entering the transfer portal. Since Ronnie Bell, Cornelius Johnson and Luke Schoonmaker will be out the door, Anthony could line up as WR No. 2 behind Roman Wilson in the depth chart. Donovan Edwards and A.J. Henning can eat into some pass targets, but not enough to cut into Anthony’s potential share next year. To that end, though, the offensive staff would be wise to feature him more, to (a) see what he can do, and (b) ensure he’s happy with his game time.
- Combining questions from MorePete and UptownBuckeye: What’s your personal worst case scenario for the year outcomes-wise?
MorePete’s question actually answers UptownBuckeye’s question for me:
Am I the only one who is more concerned about the Illinois game than anything else on the schedule outside of Ohio State?
Losing to Illinois would be absolutely brutal. UptownBuckeye specifically mentioned a scenario where Michigan loses to Illinois twice – once in the regular season, once after inexplicably beating Ohio State and going to the conference championship. That would be funny-shitty.
What would be actually shitty? The nightmare scenario of dropping all three against Michigan State, Illinois and Ohio State. We’d collectively find out Michigan doesn’t have the juice, and still can’t muster up enough for rivalry matchups. I’d go feral.
- From @COBillsBackers: Does Cade see the field again when healthy, or is he already in the transfer portal because McCarthy has been so efficient?
Frankly, I don’t see him getting a ton of time. McCarthy is QB1 at Michigan barring catastrophe. When he’s healthy, he should see a few snaps, but he can’t really be brought in for anything fun or sexy. McNamara simply doesn’t have the versatility that McCarthy offered for more creative sets when he was a backup.
I would anticipate that Cade McNamara will leave at the end of this season. To maintain immediate eligibility, McNamara must wait until the transfer window opens on Dec. 5 of this year. Plus, he seems to take his role as captain seriously, and I don’t think he’d skirt that responsibility mid-season. I’m sure he’s not thrilled to be in the position he’s in, but no one is questioning his integrity to finishing this out.
That said, he’s more than capable for the college level, and should make the most of his opportunity if he can. While some pearl-clutching, old-school fans will want him to stay beyond this year, McNamara could transfer and potentially regain a starting role. Hell, he could start at most Big Ten schools not named Ohio State or Michigan.
- From HooverStreetRag: So, which Michigan draft-eligible player do you most want on the Bills next year and is it Jake Moody?
I actually love Tyler Bass as a kicker. Give me Blake Corum.
This question led me to finding out how many Michigan players have been drafted to the Bills. In the modern draft era, the Bills have drafted ten Wolverines, but none since tight end Jay Riemersma.
- From @DrGarbs: Would you rather have Nikhai Hill-Green back and healthy for the second half of the season, or a guarantee that Corum would rush for 150 (no more, no less) each game for the rest of the year?
I would choose Hill-Green’s return because there’s way more upside, based on how you phrased this question. Corum is already averaging 128.7 yards per game, even with his lower usage through the non-conference slate. If you exclude non-conference games and his freakish performance against Maryland, he averaged 141 yards per game. I won’t miss those few extra yards in this pretend scenario.
The more interesting counter-question is if I’d rather have Nikhai Hill-Green back or guarantee that Corum is healthy the rest of the season. You never want to see guys go down, of course, but losing Corum is major dent in Michigan’s offensive production. That’s where I’m not sure I have a solid answer.
- Finally, from jordraph: Rank the Taylor Swift albums.
Ah, the question I’m most qualified to answer!
I’ve thought a lot about this, and here’s where I stand at the moment. This includes the studio albums (not live albums) and Taylor’s Version when applicable. Welcome to the Tay-P Top 10.
- Folklore
- Speak Now
- Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
- Lover
- Red (Taylor’s Version)
- Evermore
- 1989
- Midnights (3 a.m. Edition)
- Taylor Swift
- Reputation
I could easily have put in “nails on a chalkboard” between Midnights and the debut album, because there’s such a gap between them. Midnights was good, don’t get me wrong, but I’m partial to folksy Taylor. I also preferred some of the 3 a.m. tracks to the initial tracks. “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” is seething.
Quick preview of part two of Michigan Mailtime: Ideal outcomes for the season, predictions as of right now, best vibes and, of course, MSU stuff.