NGT - NCAA National Championship Game

[DaveBrown74]

My thoughts exactly!

I have to agree on the DJ 2.0 stuff, and I have heard that comparison made elsewhere multiple times (outside of this community). Clearly the guy has a more type A personality, but when you look at his actual game you can see a lot of similarities.

Either way definitely not a top 10 guy and possibly not even a first round guy.

[DaveBrown74]

Give ne the Michigan DC, Odunze from Washington, Donovan Edwards from Michigan and the Ol coach from Michigan and I'd be happy. Michigan doesn't seem to ever have a ton of highly ranked oline draft prospects but always has the best or 2nd best oline in college football.

They did have Taylor Lewan, but I agree - you're right. You don't see tons of big name O linemen coming out of there.

I like both RBs on Mich. I'd be happy if the Giants drafted either on day two or three. I don't particularly want to use one of our second rounders on a RB, because I think there are still good ones after that in just about every draft, but I could possibly be talked into it if we think we're getting a Breece Hall caliber stud.

I don't want either QB with our first round pick. I don't even want to trade down 5-10 spots and take one. McCarthy to me looks like he'll be an ok player but little more than that. Lower end to mediocre starter or a high end backup. Penix I think is risky, and while he does have ability, I hate that he wilted to do the degree that he did last night. I get that it's only one game, but it was by far the biggest game of his life. Tack on the myriad injuries and the lack of escapability and that is simply not a top 15 guy for me.

Either we get one of the big three QBs somehow (which I appreciate is now pretty low probability), or we don't draft a QB in the first few rounds this year. That would be my preference.

[uconnjack8]

Michigan stayed true to their form of this year and dominated in the trenches.   Congratulations to them for a great season.

[Ed Vette]

McCarthy should stay another year. Too bad it for him it has to be there.

[PSUBeirut]

Couple things:

1.  This is the first I've seen Penix play.  Not impressed at all with how he handled pressure and how he actually threw the ball.  Not gonna lie, I kinda hate his throwing motion- way too wristy.
2.  Glad Michigan won, even though I hate UM- because this means Harbaugh is more likely to bolt and maybe Penn State will have better shots against UM in the future =) 
3.  It's weird hearing them talk about Washington coming to the Big Ten next year.  Just....weird.
4.  I know it won't happen, but wouldn't it be nice if a Big Ten team winning the national championship would shut the yammering pieholes up about how the SEC is all about speed and the Big Ten is all about plodding ahead. Such a tired, useless trope in college sports yappers.

[MightyGiants]

I recorded the game but didn't stay up to watch it (I did watch each team's opening drive).  From what I see on this thread, neither QB showed they should be a viable option for the Giants in round one.  That is disappointing.

[T200]

I recorded the game but didn't stay up to watch it (I did watch each team's opening drive).  From what I see on this thread, neither QB showed they should be a viable option for the Giants in round one.  That is disappointing.

I watched some of it. Not a big college football fan so I don't have a frame of reference. I didn't see anything special from either of the QBs either but I'm also wise enough not to make a judgment from a single game, one way or the other. Body of work is important.

[H-Town G-Fan]

I recorded the game but didn't stay up to watch it (I did watch each team's opening drive).  From what I see on this thread, neither QB showed they should be a viable option for the Giants in round one.  That is disappointing.

Penix had his worst performance that I've seen this year by a significant margin. Pressure played a part in it, but he got banged up as well (not dismissing it given he's got the well-tread injury history). Very disappointing performance. His downfield accuracy was not there.

JJ McCarthy... I don't know what to say. After half, it was basically a 7-point game for a bit, and over three series the run game for the Wolverine's died... but they still abandoned any semblance of a passing attack despite going 3-and-Out twice. McCarthy's legs were his best weapon during this time. I kept thinking that they won't even give him the ball to try and put this out of reach. Just don't know what to think about a kid who can't be featured. It's not a knock on him directly, but it's just tough to see anything noteworthy other than some athleticism.

[Bob In PA]

Michigan doesn't seem to ever have a ton of highly ranked oline draft prospects but always has the best or 2nd best oline in college football.

J: I think it's because they have the best or 2nd best coaching staff in college football. Bob

[Bob In PA]

This game should put to rest any talk of either of these QBs as being franchise-type QBs.

Penix has some of the worst footwork and accuracy while under pressure that I've ever seen.

And McCarthy is a 20-year-old game manager. Certainly not a difference maker in any respect.

Stringer: Agree about Penix, Jr.  Some guys have a "knack" (Mahomes) and most don't but find a way. He might "find a way" in the NFL but I wouldn't want to bet on it with a first-round pick.

McCarthy will remain a mystery unless he stays another year and we get to see how he does after losing half his team to the NFL.

Bob

[Bob In PA]

McCarthy should stay another year. Too bad it for him it has to be there.

Ed: It's a quandary for McCarthy. He's likely to look worse next year after losing more than half of the offense to the NFL, but he might come out a better player. If he leaves now, I don't think he'll get good value for himself (i.e., go super-high in the draft) and that is assuming he HAS such value. I'd advise him to leave, on grounds that IMO there's at least one team desperate enough to take a pot-shot at a high-first-round QB (just hope it's not us). Do you recall the "bad old days" when Cincinnati kept repeatedly grasping at high-first QB's (with predictable bad results)? Bob

[Philosophers]

Here's my perspective on the game.

JJ McCarthy - i think it is really hard to judge him when he has a running game that is so good and a defense that is fantastic.  A head coach in JH does not need to gamble when he has that and he simply does not need to let JJ throw it 35-40 times to win a game.  He has great mechanics and is a natural leader.  I can't tell you how good he is and I've seen every throw he's made.  That makes me pause as well as a Giants pick.  Certainly not in round 1 but very intriguing in round 2.

Michael Penix - Michigan has both a great pass rush and back 6-7 coverage scheme/players.  Penix did not have consistent open WRs.  He missed some wide open guys but they also dropped some passes. 

OL - Michigan has 1 All American player in Zak Zinter who is out and a bunch of guys who will ply in NFL at some level.  What it has is Fantastic unit integrity.  That is how an OL should be.  Not a collection of stars makes for a great OL.

Jesse Minter showed last night why he is the best coordinator in the country.  Shut down some damn good teams in Washington, Bama and Ohio St.

Just to be really clear.  Michigan has maybe only two 5 star players on their team compared to like 20 for both Bama and Georgia.  What they have is IMHO the best coaching staff in the country in evaluating talent but also character and coaching/developing up their talent.  Aidan Hutchinson was only a 3 star player and now a Pro Bowl player.

There was a lot of debate years ago that Jim Harbaugh was not a good head coach.  How he has built this staff, coaches and players shows how good of a head coach he is.  As Michigan fans if he now leaves for the NFL, we will simply say thank you.  No begrudging of a decision to leave.  He earned it.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Couple things:

1.  This is the first I've seen Penix play.  Not impressed at all with how he handled pressure and how he actually threw the ball.  Not gonna lie, I kinda hate his throwing motion- way too wristy.
2.  Glad Michigan won, even though I hate UM- because this means Harbaugh is more likely to bolt and maybe Penn State will have better shots against UM in the future =) 
3.  It's weird hearing them talk about Washington coming to the Big Ten next year.  Just....weird.
4.  I know it won't happen, but wouldn't it be nice if a Big Ten team winning the national championship would shut the yammering pieholes up about how the SEC is all about speed and the Big Ten is all about plodding ahead. Such a tired, useless trope in college sports yappers.

Last night Penix did himself no favors. But in the regular season, he looks like a superstar in the making. He remains calm and business like in the pocket (never gets the "deer in the headlights" look), and normally, his passes look like something out of a video game with perfect spirals and pinpoint accuracy, but last night he looked nothing like he normally does. It looked like he was dealing with a lot of pain and his game was way off. But like I said, it was his opportunity to show the world what he's got and he pulled a Dak...folding in the big game

It is weird that Washington will be in the B1G next year, but not as odd (to me anyway) as Stanford and Cal (Berkley) joining the ATLANTIC COAST Conference. In what world does Stanford and Berkley (a stones throw from the Pacific Ocean) align with the Atlantic coast????

I agree that it's nice to see any school win the national championship that isn't in the SEC. Hats off to Michigan and you're right, it won't shut the SEC fans up. They are almost as unbearable as Eagles' fans

[shadowspinner0]

Glad Michigan won, even though I hate UM- because this means Harbaugh is more likely to bolt and maybe Penn State will have better shots against UM in the future =)

I like how you think there. Also PSU gave them a tougher game than Washington did.  They are in for a true awakening in the big 10 next year. 

[MightyGiants]

Last night Penix did himself no favors. But in the regular season, he looks like a superstar in the making. He remains calm and business like in the pocket (never gets the "deer in the headlights" look), and normally, his passes look like something out of a video game with perfect spirals and pinpoint accuracy, but last night he looked nothing like he normally does. It looked like he was dealing with a lot of pain and his game was way off. But like I said, it was his opportunity to show the world what he's got and he pulled a Dak...folding in the big game

It is weird that Washington will be in the B1G next year, but not as odd (to me anyway) as Stanford and Cal (Berkley) joining the ATLANTIC COAST Conference. In what world does Stanford and Berkley (a stones throw from the Pacific Ocean) align with the Atlantic coast????

I agree that it's nice to see any school win the national championship that isn't in the SEC. Hats off to Michigan and you're right, it won't shut the SEC fans up. They are almost as unbearable as Eagles' fans

Penix came up huge in the prior game.  Of course, Texas didn't have a very good defense, while Michigan did.  One would have to think that the conditions Penix faced last night were closer to NFL conditions than the prior game was.