Here’s a new video, in the same vein as the Bo Schembechlerones I posted last week, featuring every Michigan Team MVP (renamed the Bo Schembechler Award in 1995) since the award was first given to legendary quarterback Bennie Friedman in 1926. I did my best, using the Bentley Library, to use a snapshot of each player from the official team photo for the season they won (there’s no team photos in the library after 2004, and some of the more recent ones aren’t high-res):
A few things that struck me while putting this together:
Just six players have won the award twice: Brandon Graham (2008-09), Mike Hart (shared with David Harris in 2006, sole winner in 2007), Anthony Carter (1980, 1982), Ron Johnson (1967-68), Tom Harmon (1939-1940), and Ralph Heikkinen (1937-38). I didn’t know much about Heikkinen, a consensus All-American guard in 1938 and the first junior to win the team MVP award, but he has an incredibly thorough Wikipedia entry, which included some very high praise from local writers:
Detroit News sports editor H.G. Salsinger wrote: “He was Michigan’s outstanding player for the last two years. He was probably the best offensive guard Michigan ever had, and fitted perfectly into the new Michigan running attack. Fast and powerful, Heikkinen frequently blocked out two defense players. Heikkinen was the fastest charger in the Michigan line. He outmaneuvered opponents. On defense it was impossible to gain through his position, and he had a way of jamming opposing lines and making holes so that his secondary could break through and stop the ball carrier.”
Ann Arbor newspaper writer, Bud Benjamin, wrote about Heikkinen: “If ever a player deserved national recognition it is the brilliant Ralph Heikkinen, 180 pounds of inspired dynamite in a great Michigan line. . . . He came out of a small town in northern Michigan, Hike, did, a sandy haired, extremely reserved Finnish boy with an irrepressible urge to play football.”He played between 50 and 60 minutes of every game in 1937 and 1938 and not once was a timeout called on his account or a substitution made for him due to injury. “He was on his feet – active , explosive, dynamic –all the time.”
Gotta love seeing the President, Gerald Ford, who won the MVP in 1934.
Interesting that the MVP the 1948 national title team was not one of the three first-team All-Americans — Dick Rifenburg, Pete Elliott, and Alvin Wistert, the last of the three Wistert brothers and a College Football Hall of Fame member — but guard Dick Tomasi, the team captain and a first-team All-Big Ten selection.
Is it just a coincidence that the team photos went from black-and-white to color in 1969, Bo Schembechler’s first season at Michigan?
I think Rob Lytle’s blonde porn-stache could’ve made a run at the “Best Facial Hair” award from last summer’s Fun With Team Photos post — if it wasn’t for Tim Davis’ magnificent handlebars. Ditto for Butch Woolfolk and Mike Hammerstein.
If you really want to see Tim Biakabutuka in the 1995 team photo, he’s third from the left in the third row — the resolution just wasn’t close to high enough to put in the video, and I couldn’t find a big enough individual photo either. Besides, I doubt anyone will complain about the photo I used instead.
With every time I see his name mentioned or catch video of a game from the past two years, I get more and more sad that Brandon Graham won’t be a Wolverine next season. He’s in the discussion as my favorite Michigan player … ever.
Today’s post will be short and sweet, as I have a paper due in, oh, four hours. I would be remiss, however, to not mention Brandon Graham, who was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 13th pick in the NFL draft last night, going higher than any projection I saw before the draft. I can say that the Eagles will be getting a hell of a football player, and just as importantly, a hell of a person — being on campus the last four years, I’ve never heard an ill word spoken about BG, just praise for how humble and likable he is, and I’d like to think that character was part of the reason Graham went so high. Of course, his tremendous football talent also helped there, and I expect BG to have a long and productive career. He will be joining fellow Wolverines Jason Avant and Marlin Jackson on the Eagles, so if you don’t have a particular rooting interest in the NFL, Philly might be your team now. I know, when they’re not facing my beloved (and rebuilding!) Lions, I will certainly be rooting for them.
So, congratulations to Brandon Graham, Philadelphia Eagle. For more, check out MGoBlog’s post, chock-full of Graham highlights, and MVictors, which has a great screencap of BG busting out the Heisman pose on draft night.
The normal basketball recap will be a bit abbreviated today, because, in the interest of full disclosure, my friends and I left the game with about ten minutes left when it was clear that Iowa had attempted to sneak a D-II team into Crisler Arena dressed as the Hawkeye basketball team. Instead, I’ll give my thoughts on an interesting weekend of Michigan sports.
After a week of practices that turned a lot of heads in the NFL, Brandon Graham earned MVP honors in the Senior Bowl with five tackles, two sacks, one TFL and a forced fumble. The week began with Graham projected as a late first/early second-round NFL draft pick, but his outstanding week has almost certainly solidified him as a first-round pick and one of the top defensive players available. I think Graham had to overcome the (patently false) perception that he was a decent player on a bad defense, and he exceeded the expectations of everyone who hadn’t seen him play at Michigan to show that he is, simply, a great football player. The only thing holding Graham back is his size — at 6’1, 263 pounds, Graham could be either an undersized 4-3 defensive end or a big, pass-rushing 3-4 outside linebacker. Personally, I think his future is with his hand on the ground, but a lot depends on what team grabs him in the draft. Either way, Graham showed this week that he is one of the elite prospects in the draft this season.
In basketball, Michigan beat Iowa 60-46 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score would indicate. I’m really not sure how much can be taken away from this one — Iowa is now 2-7 in the Big Ten, with their wins coming against Penn State (winless in conference play) and Indiana (3-5). Michigan scored the game’s first 13 points, held Iowa scoreless for nearly seven minutes, and kept the Hawkeyes without a field goal until almost ten minutes had elapsed. We spent half the game joking that Iowa guard John Lickliter — son of head coach Todd Lickliter — looked like he had been given his spot on the team as a Bar Mitzvah gift. It was one of those games.
DeShawn Sims carried the scoring load early, and finished with 20 points (on 9-18 shooting) and 12 rebounds (including nine offensive boards), as nobody on the Hawkeyes could really check him on the block. Manny Harris also finished with 20 points, but that number is deceiving — most of his points came in the second half, and he shot only 6-16 from the field and turned the ball over six times.
Other than that, it was your standard performance on offense from the Wolverines: nobody else finished with more than six points (Douglass and Novak), the team shot poorly (36.2% from the field, 26.9% from three) but came up with a lot of their own misses (15 offensive rebounds out of 27 missed shots), and the only consistent offense came when Harris and Sims were creating for themselves. Michigan dominated on the defensive end, however, holding Iowa to just 17-55 shooting and allowing just nine offensive rebounds, which allowed the Wolverines to rout the Hawkeyes.
One final thought on the game: Zack Novak was in foul trouble for most of the game, finishing with four fouls, and when he was replaced by Anthony Wright it really showed on both ends of the floor. On offense, Novak gets his hand on seemingly every miss that comes into his area, and even if he doesn’t pull down the offensive rebound he makes the defense work to get the ball back. Wright tends to hang out by the three-point line and occasionally throw up a brick. On defense, Novak has solid positioning and displays the same tenacity that makes him a great offensive rebounder for his size. Wright appeared lost on defense and doesn’t rebound as well as Novak despite a considerable height advantage. In short, let’s hope Novak stays out of foul trouble from now on — this team can’t afford losing him against a competent opponent.
I was actually able to catch both hockey games against MSU, as this was the rare weekend when both Michigan hockey games were televised. Michigan salvaged a split, losing 3-2 on Friday at Munn and taking a wild 5-4 decision Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena, but the team was robbed of a chance for a sweep thanks to a very untimely whistle in the opener (from TBTYB):
So now Michigan has a man-advantage with just over two minutes to go and a chance to pull off a huge comeback on the road. Just after the penalty expired, Chris Brown was standing in the slot. The puck hit him and bounced down, through the legs of Drew Palmisano, and into the net. Like, straight through the legs of Palmisano. We’re not talking pinballing. We’re not talking the puck died between his legs but was still loose and someone jammed it in. It hit Chris Brown, bounced down, went right through Palmisano into the net.
Shegos somehow missed this and blew the play dead within milliseconds of the puck going underneath Palmisano. The whistle may not have gone until the puck was in the net (I’m not sure), but thanks to the most retarded rule in sports–the play is dead when it’s dead in the referee’s mind, not when he blows the whistle–you can’t review it.
That’s a missed call. You can see from the behind-the-net cam that the puck was never even remotely covered. And the guy who is widely considered the best ref in the conference–as if that’s not like saying someone is the prettiest ugly girl (by the way, there were options in the crowd tonight….for as many good-looking girls as there are supposed to be at Michigan State, they must have found every fug in the bunch during the crowd shots tonight….holy buckets)–completely blew it.
The same “intent to whistle” bull has cost the Red Wings a couple games this season as well, so sadly I wasn’t even remotely surprised when the goal was waived off. It was a terrible call, and I don’t want to exonerate Shegos in any way, but that rule is a black eye for hockey at every level it’s enforced — one of these day someone is going to get sick of answering angry emails and actually change the damn thing, and I hope that day comes as soon as possible. The controversy of the third period overshadowed a completely lackluster effort from the Wolverines — they couldn’t get any sort of offensive rush into the zone or set up a power play until the game was nearly out of reach. The goal that put MSU up 3-0 was vintage Bryan Hogan of the worst kind, a juicy rebound on a routine shot that was hammered home by (argh) Corey Tropp.
Saturday’s game was just crazy. Michigan appeared to put the game out of reach with three goals in the first period — A.J. Treais drove the net hard and knocked home a rebound to get the first goal, Chris Summers netted a laser from the point for the second, and Brian Lebler’s wrister gave Michigan a 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Then State scored four unanswered goals. Michigan gave up an inexcusable shorthanded tally at the beginning of the second period, and Hogan allowed another rebound goal halfway through the period to cut the lead to one. State tied the game up just 50 seconds into the third period, and I think I speak for all Michigan fans when I say that I was resigned to a loss at that point. When Dean Chelios netted the go-ahead goal with a little under seven minutes to go, I almost shut off the TV. When Michigan took a penalty shortly afterward, I almost threw the remote through the TV, which probably would have been an effective way of permanently shutting it off.
Good thing I didn’t. On a seemingly innocuous play in the Spartan zone, Carl Hagelin made a great effort to force a turnover and took two shots on Drew Palmisano. The second shot bounced off to the side, where Matt Rust was able to hammer home the rebound. Just two minutes later, Chris Brown refused to budge from the side of the net, and whacked home the game-winner past both Palmisano and a Spartan defenseman on a great, gritty play.
This weekend’s series was a microcosm of the season for Michigan: very inconsistent play, a lot of chances, some soft goals allowed, and a weekend split. The Wolverines now are in great danger of missing the NCAA Tournament — Brian thinks Michigan probably needs to win eight of nine (or, of course, take the CCHA Tournament) to get a spot in the tourney. With Michigan’s shaky goaltending situation, I don’t really see that happening.
The above is WolverineHistorian’s latest YouTube contribution: Michigan’s 10-7 victory over Ohio State in 1971, which was never televised, so the video is taken from coaches film highlights. I don’t know how you do it, WolverineHistorian, but I’m damn impressed.
In football stuff, MVictors scores a two-part interview with GoBlueWolverine’s Sam Webb, covering his radio work, how he got started in the recruiting business, the difference between Lloyd Carr and Rich Rodriguez’s recruiting approach, and more. The Rivalry, Esq. gives us the TV ratings by conference for the bowl season, and guess which conference got the highest ratings? SEC fans will be shocked, but the Big Ten reigns supreme. TRE also gives us a glowing draft profile of Brandon Graham, which may or may not have been written by a die-hard Wolverine. Over at MGoBlog, TomVH interviews MaxPreps’ Stephen Spiewak, who answers questions on Michigan’s recruiting class, which is ranked ninth in the country on their website.
It’s been a crazy week of college football news, with Pete Carroll leaving USC for Seattle and the subsequent stunning hire of Lane Kiffin by the Trojans. I’m with Brian on this — USC seems to be mocking the NCAA and their investigation into possible recruiting violations by hiring the man who was the recruiting coordinator who brought in Reggie Bush and Joe McKnight. The Trojans will be a very, very easy team to root against in the near future, starting with hopes that the NCAA drops the hammer on them in a month or two.
Dylan posted a chart at UMHoops that probably sums up this basketball season as well as anything I’ve seen — a simple scatter plot of Big Ten teams’ 3PA/FGA against their three-point percentage. Guess which team chucks up nearly as many threes as any in the conference despite shooting them worse than any Big Ten (or national, sadly) team? If you didn’t guess Michigan, well, you’ve been one of the lucky ones who hasn’t been watching the games. Burgeoning Wolverine Star does post a response to this, questioning if the difference in shooting percentage between last year and this year is statistically significant, but I think it’s hard to argue with worst three-point shooting team in the country. Just a note: this isn’t a knock against Beilein’s offense or how the team is running it — it’s designed for shooting threes, and Michigan doesn’t have much choice but to take them. They just don’t have the shooters who are knocking down shots right now. Hopefully this changes soon.
In football news, MGoBlog has the scoop on Mark Snyder, former Marshall head coach, Ohio State defensive coordinator, and Minnesota defensive coordinator, who has interviewed with Michigan for the vacant defensive assistant job. Any time you can get a former head coach and coordinator to come in as a position coach, I think it’s a strong hire. It would be nice if Michigan could lock up Snyder and set him out on the recruiting trail before it gets too close to signing day.
UPDATE: Forgot to add this when I originally posted, but JC Shurburtt, ESPN recruiting analyst, posted on his Twitter feed that the Tampa Tribune is reporting that a deal between ECU coach Skip Holtz and South Florida could be finalized today. That would be good news for Michigan, as offensive coordinator Calvin Magee has interviewed for the USF job and is one of the finalists to take over there.
With Michigan’s 2009 season wrapped up, and the “aughts” now over, I thought I would steal an idea from Dr. Saturday and have my readers vote on a Team of the Decade. Now, your votes have been tallied, so it’s time for me to reveal the Michigan Team of the Decade. The offense went up yesterday; today, it’s time to reveal the defense.
For position groups with more than one winner, the players are listed in order of total votes received.
Alan Branch (2004-2006): Branch played both DE and DT in his Michigan career, but his best games came as a tackle. At 6-6, 331, he was a more athletic player than Watson, able to make a play in the backfield or chase a runner down past the line of scrimmage. After spending his freshman year as a backup, Branch split time between end and tackle in 2005, totaling 34 tackles (four for loss) with 2.5 sacks and earning the Dick Katcher Award as Michigan’s best defensive lineman. With the departure of Watson, Branch moved full-time to tackle in 2006, and helped anchor one of the greatest defenses in school history, tallying 25 tackles (five for loss), two sacks, an interception (against Ohio State, no less), and one bone-crushing hit on Anthony Morelli. He was a consensus All-Big Ten first-teamer, and was drafted with the first pick of the second round by Arizona in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Gabe Watson (2002-2005): Watson was a space-eating behemoth (listed at 6-4 and anywhere between 331 and 339 pounds during his career) who could move like a much smaller man, often penetrating into the backfield despite facing double-teams. He played sparingly in his first two seasons before breaking out as a junior, tallying 37 tackles (six for loss) and two sacks and earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. In his senior season, Watson put up nearly identical numbers, with 40 tackles (six for loss) and two sacks, and again was named first-team all-conference. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by Arizona.
LaMarr Woodley (2003-2006): Remember, children, guns don’t kill people — LaMarr Woodley kills people. Woodley, a coveted recruit from Saginaw, saw the field as a freshman before breaking out in his sophomore season, recording 70 tackles (16 for loss) and four sacks as an outside linebacker. As a rush linebacker in 2005, he added 12 more TFLs and six more sacks before moving full-time to defensive end in 2006. His senior season was his finest, as he tied the school single-season record with 12 sacks and 36 tackles (15 for loss), four forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries. Woodley was named first-team All-America for his performance, and took home both the Ted Hendricks Award (best defensive end in the country) and Lombardi Award (best lineman, offensive or defensive, in the country) for his efforts. Woodley is third in school history in tackles for loss and tied for fourth in career sacks.
Brandon Graham (2006-2009): The heart and soul of the past two Michigan football teams (as well as the reigning two-time team MVP), Graham fought through constant double-teams to put up some of the finest defensive numbers in school history. After playing sparingly as a freshman, Graham burst onto the scene as a sophomore, tallying 9.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. In 2008, Graham took over as the focal point of Michigan’s defense, recording 46 tackles, leading the Big Ten with 20 tackles for loss, and notching ten sacks en route to being named second-team All-Big Ten and SI All-America honorable mention. His senior season was even more impressive, as Graham led the nation (through the end of the regular season) in tackles for loss with an astounding 26 among his 64 total tackles, adding 10.5 sacks and being named the Big Ten co-MVP, a Hendricks Award finalist, first-team All-Big Ten, and first-team All-American by Rivals.com and Scout.com. Graham is second in Michigan history in tackles for loss and career sacks.
David Harris (2003-2006): Harris went from little-used backup in his first two seasons to one of the finest linebackers in the country in his career at Michigan. His career nearly ended when he suffered a knee injury as a true freshman which kept him sidelined for nearly two seasons. After recording ten tackles as a redshirt sophomore, Harris had a breakout year in 2005, leading the team with 88 tackles and earning the Zatkoff Award. In 2006, Harris was the heart of one of the greatest defenses in school history, tallying 96 tackles (16 for loss), three sacks, and an interception, being named first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches (the media, well, were idiots), taking home another Zatkoff Award, sharing team MVP with Mike Hart, and earning second-team All-America honors from the AP, Sports Illustrated, and Rivals.com.
Larry Foote (1998-2001): Foote wasn’t able to crack the starting lineup at Michigan until his junior season, but once he did, he became a force for the Wolverines. As a junior, he recorded 84 tackles (10 for loss), broke up seven passes, and recorded two interceptions en route to being named first-team All-Big Ten. He topped those numbers in his senior campaign, tallying 82 tackles, six sacks, seven pass breakups, and tying Mark Messner for the (then-) school record in tackles for loss with 26. Foote was again named first-team all-conference, won the Roger Zatkoff Award as the team’s most outstanding linebacker, and was named first-team All-America by Football News. Foote’s 44 career tackles for loss places him seventh in school history.
Victor Hobson (1999-2002): Hobson started 39 of his 49 career games with the Wolverines, and a consistent all-conference performer at outside linebacker in his final three seasons. After getting spot duty as a freshman, Hobson started ten games as a sophomore, amassing 58 tackles (12 for loss) and three sacks to earn All-Big Ten honorable mention and the Zatkoff Award as Michigan’s most outstanding linebacker. In his junior season, Hobson tallied 80 tackles (11 for loss) and five sacks and was named second-team All-Big Ten. As a senior, Hobson had his finest season, recording 99 tackles (13 for loss) and 5.5 sacks and earning first-team all-conference honors and another Zatkoff Award. Hobson’s 47 career tackles for loss places him fifth on Michigan’s all-time list.
Marlin Jackson (2001-2004): Yup, I’m being lazy again. A little help, Bentley?
A native of Sharon, Pa., Marlin Jackson earned first-team All-America honors from College Football News as a sophomore. Jackson has accumulated 98 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, six interceptions and one fumble recovery in 24 career games at U-M. His 25 career pass break-ups places him fifth on Michigan’s all-time list. He was named to the Associated Press All-America second team and the Sporting News third team during his sophomore campaign. An All-Big Ten selection in 2002, Jackson set single game (six) and single season (18) pass break-up records and ranked sixth on the team with 51 tackles. Jackson earned Freshman All-America first team honors from the Sporting News after collecting 47 tackles, seven pass break-ups and three interceptions in 2001.
After switching to the safety position for his junior season, Jackson returned to the cornerback spot in 2004 and turned in another all-American performance. He earned first-team honors on the American Football Writers Association squad. A co-captain for the Wolverines, Jackson earned All-Big Ten first team honors from the coaches and media in 2004. Teams threw away from Jackson almost 87 percent of the time during the regular season. He contributed 38 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one interception and four pass breakups this year. Jackson is the team’s active career leader in tackles (186) and pass breakups (34), with his PBU total ranking second all-time on Michigan’s career list.
Jackson’s records for pass breakups in a single-game (six, against Washington in 2002) and season (18, 2002, now tied with Leon Hall’s 2006 season) still stand, and his career total (34) now ranks third all-time at Michigan behind Leon Hall and Todd Howard.
Leon Hall (2003-2006): Hall made an immediate impact upon reaching Ann Arbor, playing in all 13 games as a freshman and finishing the season with 26 tackles and three interceptions, earning first-team freshman All-America honors. As a sophomore, with Jackson sliding over to safety, Hall started nine games at corner, tallying 48 tackles, two interceptions, and breaking up ten passes. Hall took over the No. 1 cornerback spot as a junior, earning All-Big Ten second-team honors with 61 tackles and four interceptions. His finest year came as a senior, when Hall tied Jackson’s school record for pass breakups (18), recorded 45 tackles and three interceptions, was a unanimous choice for first-team All-Big Ten, and was named an AFCA first-team All-American. Hall holds the school record for pass breakups (43), and is tied for fourth with 12 career interceptions.
Ernest Shazor (2002-2004): Shazor, another blue-chip recruit out of Detroit, was a tremendous physical presence at strong safety for Michigan. In his redshirt freshman year, he appeared in 12 games as a reserve, tallying 25 tackles and four pass breakups. He took over as the Wolverines’ strong safety the next season, starting Michigan’s final 11 games and recording 57 tackles (eight for loss), three pass breakups, and two interceptions, and was named second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches. His best year came as a junior, when Shazor earned first-team All-American honors and was a finalist for the Thorpe Award with 84 tackles (10 for loss), two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and a touchdown. Shazor also delivered one of the most memorable hits in school history, sealing a 16-14 victory over 12th-ranked Purdue by forcing a fumble on the Boilermakers’ final possession. Shazor would declare for the NFL Draft after his junior season, but went undrafted and did not catch on after a tryout with the Arizona Cardinals.
Cato June (1999-2002): June, a highly-coveted recruit who chose Charles Woodson’s No. 2 jersey upon enrolling at Michigan, managed to put together a very solid collegiate career despite being plagued by injuries. As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in all 12 games, starting the final four at free safety, and recorded 27 tackles and an interception. In the summer before his redshirt sophomore season, June tore his ACL, which caused him to miss the entirety of the 2000 season. He came back as a junior, starting 11 games between both safety spots and tallying 58 tackles (five for loss), four pass breakups, and two interceptions. As a senior, June started 11 of the team’s 13 games at strong safety, but was forced to miss the greater part of three games after suffering a concussion in a frightening collision against Iowa. He still managed to record 53 tackles (four for loss) and three pass breakups, and was named All-Big Ten honorable mention. June became the first Michigan safety to be drafted since Corwin Brown in 1993 when he was chosen by Indianapolis in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft.
The team of the decade, condensed version (including special teams, which weren’t voted upon):
QB: Chad Henne
RB: Mike Hart
FB: B.J. Askew
WR: Braylon Edwards
WR: Mario Manningham
WR: David Terrell
TE: Bennie Joppru
T: Jake Long
T: Jeff Backus
G: Steve Hutchinson
G: Adam Kraus
C: David Baas
PK: Garrett Rivas
KR: Steve Breaston
DT: Alan Branch
DT: Gabe Watson
DE: LaMarr Woodley
DE: Brandon Graham
LB: David Harris
LB: Larry Foote
LB: Victor Hobson
CB: Marlin Jackson
CB: Leon Hall
S: Ernest Shazor
S: Cato June
P: Zoltan Mesko
PR: Steve Breaston (Yes, he’s also the KR. If you think that’s a cop-out, slide Darryl Stonum to KR and keep Breaston here.)
Thanks again to everyone that voted. I might have a few nitpicks with the team — I would’ve chosen Dudley at fullback, just because you don’t really need another running threat with Mike Hart in the backfield, and having a strong blocking back would complement him, and I was torn between June and Jamar Adams at safety — but for the most part I’m very happy with how it came out. Feel free to post your thoughts/disagreements about the team in the comments.
With Michigan’s 2009 season wrapped up, and the decade coming to a close, I thought I would steal an idea from Dr. Saturday and have my readers vote on a Team of the Decade. So, I’ve come up with a list of nominees for every position, and I’ll be posting two position groups every day for the next week, leaving it up to you to vote for who should make the team. At the end of the month, I’ll tally up the votes and reveal the team of the decade. Next up are the defensive ends:
Normally, I’m all for the democratic process. There are, however, extenuating circumstances that can lead to me changing my mind. This is one of those times. Allow me to introduce you to your two defensive ends on the Team of the Decade. You won’t be mad, I promise.
LaMarr Woodley (2003-2006): Remember, children, guns don’t kill people — LaMarr Woodley kills people. Woodley, a coveted recruit from Saginaw, saw the field as a freshman before breaking out in his sophomore season, recording 70 tackles (16 for loss) and four sacks as an outside linebacker. As a rush linebacker in 2005, he added 12 more TFLs and six more sacks before moving full-time to defensive end in 2006. His senior season was his finest, as he tied the school single-season record with 12 sacks and 36 tackles (15 for loss), four forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries. Woodley was named first-team All-America for his performance, and took home both the Ted Hendricks Award (best defensive end in the country) and Lombardi Award (best lineman, offensive or defensive, in the country) for his efforts. Woodley is third in school history in tackles for loss and tied for fourth in career sacks.
Brandon Graham (2006-2009): The heart and soul of the past two Michigan football teams (as well as the reigning two-time team MVP), Graham fought through constant double-teams to put up some of the finest defensive numbers in school history. After playing sparingly as a freshman, Graham burst onto the scene as a sophomore, tallying 9.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. In 2008, Graham took over as the focal point of Michigan’s defense, recording 46 tackles, leading the Big Ten with 20 tackles for loss, and notching ten sacks en route to being named second-team All-Big Ten and SI All-America honorable mention. His senior season was even more impressive, as Graham led the nation (through the end of the regular season) in tackles for loss with an astounding 26 among his 64 total tackles, adding 10.5 sacks and being named the Big Ten co-MVP, a Hendricks Award finalist, first-team All-Big Ten, and first-team All-American by Rivals.com and Scout.com. Graham is second in Michigan history in tackles for loss and career sacks.
Yesterday I took my (very) early look at the 2010 offense. Today, we take a look at the dark side of the moon defense, which should return nine starters from a unit that, well, stunk in 2009. [Note: I will be referring to players by what class they will be in for 2010. For example, Donovan Warren will be referred to as a senior.]
Defensive End: Might as well get this out of the way — Brandon Graham will be sorely missed, no matter how good his replacements are. It’s tough to replace 10.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss with three guys (which may be what Michigan tries to do), let alone expecting just one player to step and come close to replicating that type of production. Michigan does return starter Ryan Van Bergen, who put up a solid season and could slide over into Graham’s vacated spot. He’s got the size to hold down the strong side of the line, and his five sacks show he has the ability to get to the quarterback. The other DE spot is very much up for grabs — Greg Banks and Adam Patterson are both redshirt seniors who have failed to make much of an impact in their four years in the program, while redshirt freshman Anthony LaLota was an Army All-American who could vault ahead of both seniors based on his prodigious talent. Incoming freshman Ken Wilkins has the frame to be a DE down the road, but at 6-4, 244, he’ll probably take a redshirt year. The hybrid LB/DE spot has a lot fewer questions, as Craig Roh came in the fall and locked down the starting role as a true freshman. If he adds some bulk, he could become a real force as a pass-rusher and speedy playmaker on the edge. Junior Brandon Herron will return as his backup, and incoming freshman Jordan Paskorz will provide depth, although he will likely redshirt as well given the returning players at the positon.
Defensive Tackle: There’s a lot of promise at DT for the Wolverines, with talented junior Mike Martin returning along with senior Renaldo Sagesse and sophomore (and former five-star recruit) Will Campbell. Martin struggled a bit as he adapted to playing the nose tackle in Greg Robinson’s hybrid defense, but was still one of the Wolverines’ most consistent performers on defense. Both Sagesse and Campbell showed solid improvement as the season wore on, and should get solid playing time in 2010. One possibility that has been thrown around by Michigan fans is for Martin to slide over to Van Bergen’s position, with Van Bergen taking Graham’s DE spot and Sagesse or Campbell taking over at nose tackle. If Sagesse or Campbell can hold their ground at nose tackle, I like this possibility, as it frees up Martin to be more of a threat to penetrate into the backfield (something he did with regularity as a freshman) and gives Michigan more size up front to stop the running game. We’ll have to wait until the spring, at the earliest, to see if this is an option. Michigan has also secured a commitment from DT Terry Talbott, but at 6-4, 255, he’ll probably take a redshirt year to add some weight before he sees the field.
Linebacker: If it wasn’t for the safeties, no position group would scare me as much as the linebackers (and it’s pretty close, anyway). Stevie Brown, who turned into Michigan’s most consistent linebacker in 2009, is gone from the weakside spot, leaving seniors Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton as the Wolverines’ returning starters. Ezeh and Mouton both took steps back this fall, struggling to the point of being benched multiple times in the latter half of the season. The Wolverines will need to see more aggressiveness from Ezeh, more discipline from Mouton, and a better understanding of Robinson’s schemes from both if the defense is going to improve substantially next year. Both will face competition, as redshirt junior (and former walk-on) Kevin Leach and juniors J.B. Fitzgerald and Kenny Demens all saw the field last season. Fitzgerald, a former four-star recruit, has the best change to take one of the middle linebacker spots, but don’t sleep on Demens, who saw limited action but is an athletic freak who could emerge as an upperclassman. The competition is even more open for Brown’s old spot, with sophomore Brandin Hawthorne and redshirt freshmen Isaiah Bell and Mike Jones all in the mix, potentially joined by redshirt sophomore Brandon Smith, who bounced between linebacker and safety but looks more promising (in my opinion) as a linebacker candidate. The bad news for Michigan is this position group played very poorly in 2009, and loses their best player. The good news is that there are a lot of talented players vying for just three spots. Hopefully some spirited competition, as well as a year of experience under Robinson, will fuel some better play in 2010.
Cornerback: Despite losing Boubacar Cissoko, and having a revolving door at the second cornerback spot all season, this group actually looks like it will have a lot of depth next season. Senior Donovan Warren has said that he will return next season (he will ask the NFL about his draft status, but unless he gets told he’ll be a first-rounder, he’ll likely be back), giving Michigan a lock-down cornerback on one side of the field. The status of the other corner spot will be determined by senior Troy Woolfolk, and specifically whether he’ll stay at corner or return to safety. If he does stay at corner, he’ll be the man opposite Warren, and his solid performance in 2009 — despite being moved from safety mid-season — gives Michigan a chance to have two very dependable cornerbacks in 2010. Redshirt sophomore J.T. Floyd will be back, and should provide depth or potentially start if Woolfolk is a safety, and sophomore Teric Jones should improve with a full year at cornerback under his belt. Redshirt freshman Justin Turner is the big wild card here — the highly-touted prospect was being hailed as the next great Wolverine corner before academic issues forced a redshirt. He could see the field — and start — at either corner or safety, depending on need and his ability to adapt to the college game. Michigan also has commitments from three cornerback prospects — Courtney Avery, Terrence Talbott, and Adrian Witty (who qualified after sitting out last season and enroll in January) — and are the favorites for Rivals100 prospect Cullen Christian (who will announce his decision tonight) and three-star Tony Grimes. Senior James Rodgers, who has bounced around between receiver and defensive back his whole career, will also provide depth. That’s a lot of bodies at corner, so we could (and probably will) see at least one player switch over to safety. It feels strange to say this, but I’m actually confident that the cornerbacks will be a strong point of the defense in 2010.
Safety: Oh, boy. This position was a total disaster in 2009, with Michigan trying everything from a freshman walk-on (Jordan Kovacs) to a safety-turned-linebacker-turned-safety (Brandon Smith) to just playing Donovan Warren in a deep half from the cornerback position. Michigan does return both starters, Kovacs and Mike Williams, but neither player’s job is remotely safe. Redshirt freshman Vladimir Emilien will have a shot at the starting job, and Woolfolk would be almost guaranteed a spot if he moved over. Justin Turner is also a possibility, as well as Brandon Smith and J.T. Floyd, and even redshirt freshman Thomas Gordon and walk-ons Floyd Simmons and Jared Van Slyke. In fact, you may have a shot as well. It’s that open. I’d be crazy to even begin to guess who will be playing safety when Michigan opens against UConn next fall, so the conjecture ends here. This position group could be anything from the unmitigated disaster it was in 2009 to passably competent, and anywhere in between.
Outlook: Well, the defense certainly can’t be worse than this year’s. Losing Graham will hurt tremendously, but expected improvement across the board for the rest of the defense should mean that this team will be better in 2010. How much better will depend on a wild variety of factors, especially the personnel at linebacker and in the secondary — it’s far too early to guess, and as we found out this year, even the best guesses can be horribly, horribly wrong. We’ll just have to wait and see.
It is the nature of college football — players cycle in and out every four years, many are forgotten, and even the best are supplanted in fans’ minds by the newest sensation. However, there are a few players that leave a lasting, indelible impression. Charles Woodson will always be #2. Desmond Howard, #21. Braylon Edwards, #1. Mike Hart, #20.
And for me, #55 at Michigan is now property of Brandon Graham.
His numbers are truly spectacular: 28.5 career sacks and (fittingly) 55 career tackles for loss, both marking the second-best total in school history. The fact that these numbers came when often he was the only player on the defense worth focusing on, when teams stayed away from his side of the line like the plague, only serves to make them more impressive. But Graham’s legacy should go far beyond the numbers.
To watch Graham play on Saturday was to watch a man possessed — his focus was never on the stats, but on doing whatever he could to give Michigan a better chance to win. When the Wolverines needed a stop, down two scores, there was Graham, sacking Terrelle Pryor or hitting Brandon Saine in the backfield to give Michigan hope. When Michigan needed a boost from the fans, there was Graham, arms raised, willing the crowd to make noise, like he has done all season. When Ohio State punted, there was Graham, slamming into three blockers at full, terrifying speed, just in case he could force his way through for a block, or at least put a hurting on a couple Buckeyes.
Off the field, Graham had every opportunity to throw his team under the bus, to say it like it was, that he was carrying the defense by himself and could use some help. I wouldn’t have blamed him — Graham often looked like a varsity player stuck on the JV team. Instead, he called a players-only meeting last week just to let everyone know how much this game meant, how much this program meant, what it truly meant to don the Maize and Blue and battle the Scarlet and Gray. By all accounts, Graham is a good a man off the field as he is a player on it.
With a couple minutes left, as Michigan Stadium started to empty out on Saturday, and the stands turned red with the multitude of celebrating Ohio State fans, there was every reason to turn around and head for the exit. But there was Brandon Graham, still playing his heart out until the clock reached 0:00. No one would have blamed him for quitting, just like no one would have blamed us for leaving. But he was there, so we stayed.
Brandon Graham deserved better. He will be remembered as the best Wolverine on the worst Wolverine teams, and that’s not right. He’s simply one of the best Wolverines, ever. It has been a privilege to watch him play. Hopefully, after a long and successful NFL career, Graham will find himself back in Ann Arbor, with the program in some capacity, and we can give him the victories that he so richly deserved as a player.
It’s Ohio State week, when the records are thrown out the window and two storied rivals battle for pride and a year’s worth of supremacy. In that vein, I’m not going to look back at last week’s keys. Let’s get right to the good stuff:
Get on the board early — Michigan can’t afford to start this game in a hole. Playing from behind changes the way this offense runs (or doesn’t run) and could give Ohio State the momentum they need to blow the game wide open. I think Rich Rodriguez had the right idea last week when he elected to receive the opening kickoff. If Michigan can score first and establish that they’re in the game, it takes some of the pressure off of the defense and allows the offense to play how they want to. Also, an early score should get both the team and the fans into the game, which certainly can’t hurt.
Contain Terrelle Pryor — Duh, but it bears mentioning. Pryor is Ohio State’s biggest weapon on offense, and I’m most worried about him when he is able to start making plays with his feet. The defensive ends have got to maintain lane discipline, and the linebackers (and boy, does this part worry me) have to make sure to keep Pryor inside of them. If Michigan can force Pryor to become a pocket passer, much like USC did earlier this season, than I like the Wolverines’ odds of getting a few key stops.
Get Carlos Brown and Vincent Smith the ball in space — Brown showed an ability to take a screen pass all the way against Indiana, and Smith really impressed me last week against Wisconsin. With Brandon Minor doubtful for the game, those two will play a huge role in the offense. We know Brown isn’t much of a runner inside the tackles, and I don’t think Michigan is ready to rely on Smith as an every-down back, but both are capable of making big plays when they can get outside. I’d like to see a few screen or misdirections that take advantage of their skills.
Knock Justin Boren around — Self-explanatory.
Leave it all out there — A victory, obviously, would be incredible, but I’d love to see this game competitive for 60 minutes. The seniors — especially Brandon Graham — deserve it. Nothing is more depressing than a Senior Day blowout to your biggest rival. I’m sure the team will come out fired up, but they need to maintain that level of intensity for the whole game. Don’t leave any doubt that the team is 100% behind this coaching staff.
This is a unique opportunity for Michigan — nobody expects them to win, a loss only serves to end a disappointing season, but a victory means far, far more than just a 6-6 record and a bowl bid. I think the coaches and players all understand this, and we’ll see a team that’s motivated and hungry on Saturday. Will it be enough? Probably not against a team as good as the Buckeyes. Will it be closer than people believe? I think so. Ohio State 34, Michigan 27.
Alex on 
JL on 
Ace Anbender on 
Steve on 
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