The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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56 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Michigan's quarterback contenders. None of it will lessen the anticipation of what might be, given Patterson's two-year résumé and potential. Breaking It Down "Here's a kid who was winning in the Southeastern Conference, completing passes against elite defenses," noted Doug Karsch, who spends football Saturdays reporting for Michigan's radio network as a sideline reporter at point-blank range. "He's a kid who has mobility that when the pocket does break down — which might still be an issue for this team — can create more time with his feet. "From reading some of what has been written about him, in terms of practice ob- servations, he knows when to bail out of a play and when to stick with a play. It appears to be something he's doing quite well in the early going." Small differences can make a huge dif- ference, he noted, looking back at an 8-5 ef- fort in 2017 which could have gone another direction. "I always talk about experience, which is really hard to quantify," Karsch said. "You talk about an inexperienced quarterback last year fumbling on the 1-yard line at Wis- consin. How different is that game if Bran- don Peters tucks it and lives to play another down? "I'm sure Peters learned from it, and it's not a mistake he'll likely make again, but Shea Patterson enters this season as a sea- soned, veteran quarterback, as opposed to a guy prone to making rookie mistakes. That's huge. That can mean the difference between a win in Madison last year or a loss." Jon Jansen, a two-time Michigan captain, All-American and national champion with the 1997 Wolverines, also likes what Pat- terson has done to this point. "The game experience he gained at Ole Miss is invaluable," Jansen said. "He will ob- viously use that to his advantage when he's out there, but that's also something he'll be able to share with the other guys in the room. "He's that type of guy. He's about winning football games. And if, say, he's the starter and something happens — he gets hurt, or he's out for a game — whether it's Bran- don Peters, Dylan McCaffrey, Joe Milton … those are the guys that will gain from that experience." Jansen loves the competition the present Michigan quarterbacks room will produce. It ensures that whoever comes out on top, he insisted, the starter will be a better player than anyone the Wolverines featured behind center last season. Jansen has witnessed Patterson in action frequently over the past two years — during Ole Miss games, on video and in Michigan practices. The former U-M offensive line stalwart with more than a decade of NFL experience hails the newcomer's upside. "I really like his presence in the pocket," Jansen said. "He's got a feel for where the pressure is coming from. He does a good job of escaping the pocket. He does a really good job of keeping his eyes downfield, looking to make the throw. "If it's not there, he's got the athletic abil- ity to pick up some yards with his feet. He's very athletic. He's very accurate on the run." That said, Patterson doesn't arrive as the finished product, Jansen stressed. "He has thrown some interceptions, so I'm not going to say he's perfect on the run," Jan- sen continued. "But he is as accurate as any- body at being able to get outside the pocket and deliver the football where it has to go. "A lot of guys, when they tuck it and run, they're just runners. He's a guy that does keep his eyes downfield. If somebody does come available, he can deliver the football." The former All-American appreciates Har- baugh's approach to talking about his quar- terbacks. He stressed that players ultimately determine who plays by their practice per- formance. Don't look for a QB declaration any time soon, he added. "The pressure will be on Jim, because he's probably not going to tell anybody until a half hour before kickoff, and everybody's going to be asking him," Jansen opined. "But the pres- sure to perform is on the players. "If I go out there and perform, and I'm the best player, then I'm going to be that guy that Patterson was named the U.S. Army All-American Bowl MVP after he completed 6 of 9 passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns for the victorious West team. The five-star prep was also the MVP of the Elite 11 quarterback competition as a senior. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM