First of all, let me say this. I don’t like to write posts like this very often. These are student-athletes, and even more, at MSU, these players have gone through so much frustration and adversity these last few years. That being said, I think it’s time to have an honest and respectful conversation about Michigan State linebacker Cal Haladay.
In Michigan State’s loss to Oregon this past weekend, it was astonishing how easy it was for the Ducks to run the ball. Oregon had 213 rushing yards, nearly as many as their passing total (264). One thing that became obvious to a lot of people watching was the play of Haladay, a player who has the reputation of a run-stopper, but it felt like he was always in the wrong place at the wrong time, missing gaps and tackles all night. Not ideal for the linebacker who wears the green dot on his helmet.
If the eye test wasn’t bad enough, Pro Football Focus (PFF) put out their weekly grades on Monday, and Haladay was graded at 36.9, the lowest grade of his career. This put him at 272 of 279 linebackers graded, nearly the worst in the entire country.
Cal Haladay's 36.9 PFF Grade vs Oregon was the lowest of his career.
Out of 279 qualifying FBS Linebackers this week, his grade was 272nd. He still played 59 snaps.
His 10 missed tackles is second most among B1G LBs.
Bye week is the time for MSU to switch their green dot.
— Al Karsten (@FootballGuy_Al) October 7, 2024
I have been trying to be patient and respectful of Haladay, but to be honest, I started to notice his flaws a few years ago, but mostly on the pass defense side. After MSU’s loss to Boston College, I politely suggested that Jordan Hall should start getting more snaps, but didn’t directly say that should come at Haladay’s expense. I’m ready to say that now. Jordan Hall and Wayne Matthews should start getting Cal Haladay’s snaps, in my opinion.
To add onto this… The Oregon game wasn’t just some blip or abnormality. Haladay has often struggled against dynamic teams, for his entire career. Check out some more of his career grades below:
Cal Haladay PFF Grades vs Top 10 Opponents 2022-24:
• '22 vs OSU – 43.9
• '22 @ U-M – 62.7
• '23 vs UW – 45.8
• '23 vs U-M – 44.1 (Lowest MSU Defender)
• '23 @ OSU – 48.7 (Lowest MSU Defender)
• '24 vs OSU – 58.9
• '24 @ ORE – 36.8 (Lowest MSU Defender/Career Worst Grade)— Al Karsten (@FootballGuy_Al) October 7, 2024
I appreciate what Haladay has done for this team, and it’s honestly probably not entirely his fault, as his time at MSU was so tumultuous and chaotic, it is a difficult environment to learn a difficult position. But the time has come to let some other players have that opportunity, before the season is completely over.
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