Michigan & Lions – Preview 2024

So, let’s talk a little football.

After the first week of the college season and entering into the first week of the NFL for 2024, it’s time to get back in the saddle. It’s not a lot, just a few first impressions.

Michigan’s win over Fresno State was a good win. Fresno State is a decent program, so don’t get all worked up that it wasn’t a blow out. The other thing I ask all of you to remember is what we’ve talked about the entire off season since the glorious win over Washington for the national title. This season, Michigan would be working with a brand new quarterback, and an entirely new offensive line. Those two groups we knew were untested. It took both a while to get going, and those two area’s need to improve. If you asked them, they would tell you the same thing.

Bottom line, Michigan won. They know they need to improve. The competition is getting tougher and they know that too. It’s time to trust these players and the coach’s to get it done. I have begun to read some doomsayers out there and it’s way too early for panic. Nobody knows how good anybody is. We are only one game in. I have been doing this for my entire adult life, and I have learned that you can’t predict consistently what happens from one Saturday to another. An old coach of mine used to say the biggest improvement in a team comes between week one and week two. This season, given the Michigan schedule, it will be 5 weeks, in my opinion, before we’ll get a really good read on this team.

Having said that, this is what I am 99% sure of….Colston Loveland is a big time player. Great receiver and underrated physical blocker. He should be featured in every game plan. Kelel Mullings is a stud running back. He and Donovan Edwards are as good a one two punch as anyone can ask. The wide outs have speed, real speed, now it’s about getting them the ball in space to let that speed show itself. I also know our defense is very stout. Our interior is bordering on great. The edge guys are a bit unknown, but man are they athletic. Derrick Moore and Josiah Stewart are really hard to handle. The other thing that stood out about the secondary versus Fresno State is that Michigan is very physical. Makari Paige can bring it, and Zeke Berry is a new name and a ball hawk. The secondary is very solid, and Will Johnson is as good as they come…so we can defend in the back end, if we get a pass rush, Michigan is going to be a nightmare for opposing offenses.

Bottom line, you don’t lose over a dozen guys off your roster that have NFL caliber talent and come back at the same level. This Michigan team is good. Are they as good as last season, probably not, but that doesn’t mean they can’t win a ton of games. Let this year play out. It is my hope we are playing our best at the end of the season, and we make the 12 team play-off field. I’m excited about this year. I’m excited for this Texas game. It’s a test we have to take. We will know more about this team every week with big games coming every Saturday. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Moving to the NFL…First things first. I do not like the new kick-off rule. Look, I know it’s about player safety, and that’s really important, but, in my opinion, this whole process feels contrived. Its as if  some AI computer app put it together. Nobody moves until the ball is caught, really,… that’s a bad look to open a game. Then, depending on where the kick lands or is caught, the ball is spotted in 3 possible yard lines, I think. I mean you need a cheat sheet after the kick-off to know where to spot the ball. Additionally, the new kick off takes the onside kick out of the game. I mean they still allow it in the fourth quarter, but, an integral part of the game has been effectively eliminated. It’s not football to me. Don’t like it at all.

The things I learned during pre-season – very little. I think since the advent of just three games, the NFL has relegated the pre-season to a glorified scouting combine. It is mostly an opportunity to evaluate young talent, and see who can make a contribution during the regular season. Maybe that’s what it has always been, but, I felt clubs molded their real team together during pre season. This year I didn’t get that feeling. It was almost as if they go through the pre season with the idea, “lets get what we can on tape and move on.”

So, league-wide here are some impressions….. I was very disappointed to see JJ McCarthy get injured and lose his first year in the NFL to injury. I think he was making his case to get some playing time. It may have been a blessing in disguise. He’ll get a year to sit and learn from the sideline, and that is very valuable. Remember, he did it for a year behind Cade McNamara at Michigan and it turned out to be a great for him.

The big story across the league were the rookie quarterbacks…and it appears that Caleb Williams in Chicago and Bo Nix in Denver came out as the two who made their mark enough to earn starts. Drake Maye in New England made a case, but he’ll open the season on the bench, but I think he will play some as the season goes along…. I also think Chicago may be the most improved team in the league. They made some great off season deals, and refurbished their roster. What little I gathered out of what I saw this pre season, I think Chicago may have been the most improved…. With Joe Burrow back, I think Cinci returns to the picture in the AFC…I’d like the LA Chargers to make some noise with Jim Harbaugh in his first year, but, I think it will take some time for that. He’s got a great young quarterback in Justin Herbert, but, he needs a running game and offensive line improvement to really get where he wants to go….Like I said, it was really hard to get a handle on the league because the pre season just didn’t provide me with as much info as I would have liked. So, we’ll know a lot more October 1^st…I think after 4 games, you’ll know a lot more about this league in 2024 than you’ll know after week 1.

My thoughts on the Lions are the same. It’s like an incomplete. They have a great group returning from a great season. But to be honest that’s all I really gathered after the pre season. We know what Jared Goff can do. We know what a lot of the guys returning can do…but they didn’t show a lot in pre season, and to be fair, they didn’t have to. This team is at the point that what matters is September to December. It didn’t used to be that way, and that is a refreshing change for this franchise. I guess if I had to review the Lions heading into the season is that they got a lot of work for quarterback Hendon Hooker. That was a very good thing. And, Hooker, coming off his rookie year, recovering from a knee injury was very good. The Lions had to upgrade at back up QB and I think by getting Hooker a lot of snaps and getting a really good look at him, they did just that. This team heads into the season with high expectations. I don’t know whether they showed us a whole lot in pre season to light the world on fire, but I think their goals were not to light the world on fire. They wanted to head into September healthy and ready to go. I think they did that. They have a young veteran team. Last years draft class will be more important on the field that this years draft class.  Although the two rookie cornerbacks, Arnold, and Rakestraw will be asked to contribute right away. Their big tests will come in the regular season. I think the best work they got this pre season was during practice. They will see tougher receivers when the guy across from them is wearing a different jersey. Like everybody says, the game gets faster during the regular season, and even faster in the playoffs. So, let’s sit back and learn together what 2024 holds for all of us.

(This commentary available at jimbrandstatter.com in the blog section, and you can buy a copy of the book, “Voices of Michigan Stadium” at the website also.)