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If today’s Countdown to Kickoff video doesn’t get you excited for tomorrow, you may want to check your pulse: 3:30 pm tomorrow simply can’t come soon enough. Similar Posts:September 3, 2010, 11:37 am | Tags: Bo Schembechler, Braylon Edwards, Chad Henne, Charles Woodson, Desmond Howard, Elvis Grbac, Jim Harbaugh, Mario Manningham, Tshimanga Biakabutuka | Category: Football |
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 Email This PostHere’s a new video, in the same vein as the Bo Schembechler ones 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:
Similar Posts:July 14, 2010, 5:58 pm | Tags: Anthony Carter, Anthony Thomas, B.J. Askew, Bob Chappuis, Brandon Graham, Braylon Edwards, Charles Woodson, Chris Perry, David Harris, Desmond Howard, Fun With Team Photos, Gerald Ford, Jason Avant, Jim Harbaugh, Marquise Walker, Mike Hart, Rod Payne, Tai Streets, Todd Collins, Tom Brady, Tom Harmon, Tshimanga Biakabutuka | Category: Football |
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Email This PostIt’s summer, the time when bloggers rack their brains for something — anything — to write about and college football fans count down the seconds until foot meets pigskin. So, welcome to my latest gimmick: The Michigan Football YouTube Bracket. I’m looking high and low for the best Michigan football moments ever captured on YouTube — divided into two categories: Game Performances/Game Winners and Spectacular Plays — and for you, the readers, to vote on the moment that stands out above the rest. The quarterfinal round continues with, frankly, the first matchup in which I have no clue what the outcome will be. It’s up to you, readers: Braylon Edwards’ unbelievable receiving performance against Michigan State, or Tim Biakabutuka’s astounding 313 yards against Ohio State? I don’t envy your choice… (2) The Braylon Game vs. Michigan State, 2004 (WARNING: Video contains NSFW audio/horrible rap in general. I strongly recommend a mute. Sadly, this is the best embeddable video of The Braylon Game that YouTube has to offer.) Braylon Edwards had an outstanding, record-breaking career at U-M, full of incredible plays and huge game performances, but if you walk up to any true Michigan fan and start talking about “The Braylon Game,” their mind will immediately hearken back to October 30, 2004, and a chilly late-afternoon tilt against the hated Michigan State Spartans. Braylon’s final numbers — 11 receptions for 189 yards and three touchdowns — are eye-popping, but it the dramatic manner in which he compiled those numbers that cements this game as one of the most memorable in the history of our in-state rivalry. Facing a 27-10 deficit with 8:43 to play, Michigan opened up their attack, with freshman Chad Henne relying on Edwards to catch deep ball after deep ball to bring the Wolverines back from the brink of defeat. The rest, as they say, is history. (3) Touchdown Tim runs over undefeated Ohio State, 1995 With future NFL stars like Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George, future #1 pick Orlando Pace, Terry Glenn, Shawn Springs, and Mike Vrabel, the 1995 Ohio State Buckeyes entered the final week of the regular season undefeated and fully expecting to easily handle 18th-ranked Michigan, who headed into the game with an 8-3 record. Instead of Ohio State dominating in the trenches, however, it was Michigan who pushed around the Buckeyes, with the offensive line opening holes all day for tailback Tshimanga “Touchdown Tim” Biakabutuka. The Wolverines kept feeding Biakabutuka the ball until he had amassed a ridiculous 313 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries to lead Michigan to a 31-23 upset that knocked OSU out of the national title picture. The above video speaks for itself — nearly 10 minutes of long run after long run for Biakabutuka, whose 1995 season stands among the finest by any Michigan running back, ever. Click here for all Michigan Football YouTube Bracket posts, and make sure to keep checking back as the tournament moves on. Similar Posts:
July 13, 2010, 11:52 am | Tags: Braylon Edwards, Michigan Football YouTube Bracket, Tshimanga Biakabutuka | Category: Football |
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Email This PostIt’s summer, the time when bloggers rack their brains for something — anything — to write about and college football fans count down the seconds until foot meets pigskin. So, welcome to my latest gimmick: The Michigan Football YouTube Bracket. I’m looking high and low for the best Michigan football moments ever captured on YouTube — divided into two categories: Game Performances/Game Winners and Spectacular Plays — and for you, the readers, to vote on the moment that stands out above the rest. Today’s matchup features career-defining moments for two players with wildly divergent football careers — one, a Michigan legend and top NFL draft pick with a career full of spectacular games and plays; the other, a virtual unknown who appeared in just four career games but made an indelible mark with one play and his post-football life: (2) The Braylon Game vs. Michigan State, 2004 (WARNING: Video contains NSFW audio/horrible rap in general. I strongly recommend a mute. Sadly, this is the best embeddable video of The Braylon Game that YouTube has to offer.) Braylon Edwards had an outstanding, record-breaking career at U-M, full of incredible plays and huge game performances, but if you walk up to any true Michigan fan and start talking about “The Braylon Game,” their mind will immediately hearken back to October 30, 2004, and a chilly late-afternoon tilt against the hated Michigan State Spartans. Braylon’s final numbers — 11 receptions for 189 yards and three touchdowns — are eye-popping, but it the dramatic manner in which he compiled those numbers that cements this game as one of the most memorable in the history of our in-state rivalry. Facing a 27-10 deficit with 8:43 to play, Michigan opened up their attack, with freshman Chad Henne relying on Edwards to catch deep ball after deep ball to bring the Wolverines back from the brink of defeat. The rest, as they say, is history. (7) Phil Brabbs’ unlikely kick upends Washington, 2002 Michigan opened the 2002 season against Washington with a lot of uncertainty surrounding the placekicker position — walk-ons Phil Brabbs and Troy Neinberg were battling with starting punter Adam Finley for the starting job, and the competition continued into the season opener. With the home crowd looking on in dismay, it appeared that Michigan’s kicking woes would cost them a victory against the 11th-ranked Huskies — Brabbs missed two field goals in the first half, and Neinberg blew a chance to take a late lead when he missed a 27-yard kick with just 1:24 remaining in the game. Down 29-28 with all three timeouts remaining, Michigan’s defense held fast, and the Wolverines got the ball back on their own 42-yard line with no timeouts, and, it appeared, no reliable kicker. After a controversial fumble call on fourth-and-two gave Michigan a first down, Washington gifted the Wolverines 15 yards of field position when they were flagged for too many men on the field, giving U-M one final chance to kick in the winner from 44 yards out. Lloyd Carr went back to Brabbs, who rewarded his coach’s decision by booming the deciding kick right between the uprights, setting off pandemonium in the Big House. Although Brabbs would lose his job later in the season after going hitting just two of his next six field goals, his kick at redemption will never be forgotten by Michigan fans. Years later, the kick has taken on new meaning, as Brabbs is fighting a very public battle with Multiple Myeloma. The bravery Brabbs has shown in dealing with this very serious form of cancer has reflected the same strength of will that allowed him to step back onto the field against Washington and nail that kick, and today we can all admire him for that strength both on and off the field. Recap: Similar Posts:
June 30, 2010, 1:15 pm | Tags: Braylon Edwards, Michigan Football YouTube Bracket, Phillip Brabbs | Category: Football |
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After a nice, longer-than-expected winter vacation, I’m back to regular posting. I would have some wrap-ups on the hoops games against Indiana and Ohio State, but obligations outside my control made it so I couldn’t actually watch the games. As always, UMHoops and MGoBlog should have you covered for basketball stuff. 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. First up is the offense; I’ll post up the defense tomorrow. For position groups with more than one winner, the players are listed in order of total votes received. Chad Henne (2004-2007): The first true freshman to start for Michigan since the legendary Rick Leach, Henne made quick work of the lion’s share of Navarre’s school records. He was named to the freshman All-American team after throwing for 2743 yards and 25 touchdowns in his first collegiate season, leading the team to a conference title and Rose Bowl bid. Although he was criticized as a sophomore after a 3-3 start (it’s not really Henne’s fault that he no longer had Braylon Edwards to throw to), he still put up impressive numbers, throwing for 2526 yards and 23 touchdowns. His finest season came as a junior, when Henne completed 61.9% of his passes, threw for 2508 yards and 22 touchdowns (to only eight interceptions), and posted an efficiency rating of 143.4. Henne struggled with injuries as a senior in 2007, but still finished his career as Michigan’s all-time leader in attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, and 150-yard passing games. Mike Hart (2004-2007): Despite lacking the size or speed of a prototype collegiate running back, and being criticized for putting up incredible high school numbers against inferior competition, Mike Hart earned his way into the starting lineup as a true freshman and never relinquished his spot, breaking record after record along the way. Besides an injury-plagued sophomore campaign, Hart had a magnificent year every season he played for the Wolverines: 1455 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman, 1562 and 14 as a junior, and 1361 and 14 as a senior. His 5040 career rushing yards surpassed Thomas’ mark as the best in school history, as did his 28 (!) career 100-yard games, which also included 12 150-yard games and five 200-yard games (both school records). His three straight 200-yard performances as a freshman may stand as his most impressive achievement, but it was his running style — a 5′8 bowling ball in cleats, never succumbing to first contact — that endeared him to Michigan fans. B.J. Askew (1999-2002): Askew started his career as a tailback, splitting carries with Chris Perry in his junior season before Perry proved himself capable of being a feature back in 2002. With Perry getting the lion’s share of the carries, Askew moved to fullback, where he became a dangerous option as both a runner and receiver. Askew’s best season statistically was 2001, when he rushed for over 900 yards as a tailback, but as a fullback in 2002 still managed to rush for 568 yards and six touchdowns while adding 36 catches for 280 yards and a touchdown through the air. Braylon Edwards (2001-2004): There’s very little left to say about this man’s collegiate career that hasn’t already been said: the man now reserves the right to choose which Wolverine receiver (if any) is deserving of the #1 jersey. That should say it all. If not, here are a few moving pictures to jog your memory: Edwards is first all-time at Michigan in every career receiving category worth mentioning. Mario Manningham (2005-2007): Manningham earned a place in Wolverine lore early, as his game-winning touchdown reception with no time remaining in the 2005 Penn State game made him a household name (at least in Michigan) as a freshman. He finished with 27 catches for 433 yards and six touchdowns as a freshman; 38, 703, and nine as a sophomore, and capped off his career with 1174 yards and 12 touchdowns on 72 receptions as a junior. He also had one of the finest games in school history against Notre Dame in 2006, tally three scores and 137 yards on only four catches. And, since there appears to be no YouTube video of just his touchdowns in that game (a crime, if you ask me), I’ll have to settle for posting his 2007 game-winning TD against Michigan State, a play that is one of my personal favorites, since I was standing in the Spartan student section (dressed in maize, of course) when it happened: Manningham is ninth in school history in career receptions, fifth in yards, and fourth in touchdowns. David Terrell (1998-2000): After a quiet freshman season, Terrell earned the “1″ on his jersey in his sophomore and junior seasons before becoming one of the aforementioned top ten picks in the NFL draft. As a sophomore, Terrell hauled in 71 passes for 1038 yards and seven touchdowns, including a 10-catch, 150-yard, three-touchdown performance in the 2000 Orange Bowl against Alabama. Impressively, there was only one game in 1999 in which Terrell didn’t have a catch of at least 21 yards. The 6-3 big-play machine followed up with 67 catches for 1130 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior before deciding to go pro early. Terrell is sixth all-time at Michigan in career receptions, fourth in receiving yards, fifth in touchdowns, and fourth in 100-yard games. Bennie Joppru (1999-2002): Joppru broke out as a senior after three years of backup duty at tight end, setting the single-season school record for catches by a tight end in 2002 with 53, going for 579 yards and five touchdowns. The sure-handed option was a first down machine, and earned AP All-America third-team honors for his record-setting performance. Joppru is fourth in career receptions for a tight end at Michigan, and ninth in career receiving yards. Jake Long (2004-2007): We’ll go chronologically here, since there’s so much to say about Jake Long:
So, yeah, not a bad career. Jeff Backus (1997-2000): Backus, who started all 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 1997, was named All-Big Ten in all four years he played at Michigan, including consensus first-team honors in 2000. He finished his career with 49 consecutive starts, second all-time at Michigan, and was named a second-team All-American by the College Football News and ABC Sports as a senior. Backus earned the Hugh J. Rader Award as the team’s top offensive lineman in both his junior (sole winner) and senior (sharing with Steve Hutchinson and Maurice Williams) seasons. Backus was selected with the 18th pick of the first round by the Detroit Lions in the 2001 NFL Draft. Steve Hutchinson (1997-2000): I’ll let the Bentley Historical Library take care of this one:
Yeah, he’s probably deserving of a spot on this team. David Baas (2001-2004): Baas was a standout wherever he played on the line, starting 38 straight games to end his career at left guard and center. He earned first-team All-Big Ten in 2002 and 2003 at guard, then shifted over to center five games into the 2004 season. That move went well, as Baas once again was named first-team all-conference, as well as consensus All-American honors and the co-recipient of the Rimington Award, given to the nation’s top center. He is a two-time winner of the Rader Award, sharing it in 2003 and winning it outright as a senior. Baas was chosen by the San Francisco 49ers with the first pick of the second round in the 2005 NFL Draft. Adam Kraus (2004-2007): Entering Michigan in 2003 as a tight end, Kraus took a redshirt year and bulked up to become a solid interior lineman. He started eight games at center as a redshirt sophomore, 13 games at left guard as a junior, and started all 13 games in 2007 (eight at LG, five at center). Kraus was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, earning the honor in 2006 and 2007. The Offense, Condensed Version (including special teams, which weren’t voted upon): QB: Chad Henne The defense will be posted tomorrow. Thanks to everyone that voted. Similar Posts:January 4, 2010, 8:00 am | Tags: Adam Kraus, B.J. Askew, Bennie Joppru, Braylon Edwards, Chad Henne, David Baas, David Terrell, Jake Long, Jeff Backus, Mario Manningham, Mike Hart, Steve Hutchinson, Team of the Decade | Category: Football |
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Email This PostWith 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 wide receivers: In the last decade, Michigan has been blessed with lot of talent at wide receiver, producing two top-ten NFL draft picks and several more professional-caliber players. The list of nominees at this position is long, so I’ll dive right into the player comparisons. Vote for the best two in the poll, and the top three vote-getters will make the final team. David Terrell (1998-2000): After a quiet freshman season, Terrell earned the “1″ on his jersey in his sophomore and junior seasons before becoming one of the aforementioned top ten picks in the NFL draft. As a sophomore, Terrell hauled in 71 passes for 1038 yards and seven touchdowns, including a 10-catch, 150-yard, three-touchdown performance in the 2000 Orange Bowl against Alabama. Impressively, there was only one game in 1999 in which Terrell didn’t have a catch of at least 21 yards. The 6-3 big-play machine followed up with 67 catches for 1130 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior before deciding to go pro early. Terrell is sixth all-time at Michigan in career receptions, fourth in receiving yards, fifth in touchdowns, and fourth in 100-yard games. Marquise Walker (1998-2001): Walker played second-fiddle to Terrell until his senior season, when he set a then-school record with 86 catches for 1143 yards and 11 touchdowns. The sure-handed receiver also had this catch against Iowa, which may be the single most spectacular catch ever made by an offensive player at Michigan (yes, I’m referring to Charles Woodson’s INT vs. State in ’97): Walker sits second all-time at Michigan in receptions, seventh in yards, and ninth in touchdowns. Braylon Edwards (2001-2004): There’s very little left to say about this man’s collegiate career that hasn’t already been said: the man now reserves the right to choose which Wolverine receiver (if any) is deserving of the #1 jersey. That should say it all. If not, here are a few moving pictures to jog your memory: Edwards is first all-time at Michigan in every career receiving category worth mentioning. Just go ahead and check his name off at the bottom of the post already. Jason Avant (2002-2005): Like Walker before him, Avant was a sure-handed possession receiver who was overshadowed until his senior season by a top-ten NFL talent. Avant had decently productive seasons as a sophomore and junior (47 catches for 772 yards and 38 and 447, respectively) before exploding in his senior campaign, tallying 82 catches for 1007 yards and eight touchdowns. Like Walker, Avant also owns one of the more spectacular touchdown catches in school history: Avant is third in school history in career receptions, and eighth in career receiving yards. Steve Breaston (2002-2005): Breaston doesn’t have the gaudy numbers of the other receivers listed here, but his ability to turn a two-yard pass into a 60-yard scamper was unparalleled. He was a dangerous guy to have in the slot, and a really nice counterpart to Edwards and Avant, taking screen passes for first downs and even handling a few snaps at quarterback. His finest season came as a senior, when he caught 58 passes for 670 yards and two touchdowns. Breaston is fifth in school history with 156 career receptions. (Note: there will be special teams categories on this team, so don’t vote Breaston in based on his talents as a kick returner.) Mario Manningham (2005-2007): Manningham earned a place in Wolverine lore early, as his game-winning touchdown reception with no time remaining in the 2005 Penn State game made him a household name (at least in Michigan) as a freshman. He finished with 27 catches for 433 yards and six touchdowns as a freshman; 38, 703, and nine as a sophomore, and capped off his career with 1174 yards and 12 touchdowns on 72 receptions as a junior. He also had one of the finest games in school history against Notre Dame in 2006, tally three scores and 137 yards on only four catches. And, since there appears to be no YouTube video of just his touchdowns in that game (a crime, if you ask me), I’ll have to settle for posting his 2007 game-winning TD against Michigan State, a play that is one of my personal favorites, since I was standing in the Spartan student section (dressed in maize, of course) when it happened: Manningham is ninth in school history in career receptions, fifth in yards, and fourth in touchdowns. Adrian Arrington (2004-2007): Arrington did not make an impact at Michigan until 2006, after getting a medical redshirt during his sophomore season. In 2006, he caught 40 passes for 544 yards and eight touchdowns. The big possession receiver followed with 67 receptions for 882 yards and eight touchdowns in his redshirt junior year, including a nine-catch, 153-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Capital One Bowl upset over Florida, which featured two highlight-reel grabs (one, and two). He left for the NFL along with Manningham after the 2007 season with one year of eligibility remaining. Career Stats: Similar Posts:December 15, 2009, 8:00 am | Tags: Adrian Arrington, Braylon Edwards, David Terrell, Jason Avant, Mario Manningham, Marquise Walker, Steve Breaston, Team of the Decade | Category: Football |
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Email This PostThe tremendous boredom of the summer months has reached its apex, and I am left to come up with content when there is little to nothing going on in the Michigan sports scene. Luckily, U-M has an amazing database of historical content. The Bentley Historical Library is an incredible resource on Wolverine history, and also a bona-fide time-waster. I love looking through the old team photos … it’s basically like checking out your parents’ high school yearbooks, except with more famous people and without the stigma of looking through your parents’ high school yearbooks. Anyways, I’ve decided to click to a random year and find the most awesome/silly/ridiculous-looking player for that year, and then dig up what I can find on said player’s career at Michigan. As I was looking at the 1997 team photo for the previous post, I noticed a young Tom Brady looking quite silly in the middle of the photo: I realize Brady wasn’t a freshman in 1997, but the shock of seeing him from 14 years ago made me want to dig through the archives and check out the freshman photos of past Michigan greats. Wow, they grow up so fast. Not included in the gallery because of the tiny picture size was this photo of Charles Woodson, circa 1995: That’s all until the next installment. Hit the tag for the rest of the Fun With Team Photos series, if you’re like me and have nothing better to do with your summer. July 23, 2009, 4:13 am | Tags: Braylon Edwards, Charles Woodson, Desmond Howard, Fun With Team Photos, Tom Brady, Tyrone Wheatley | Category: Michigan News |
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The Top 15 of the Last 15 series, which looked at the best 15 players on each side of the ball from 1994-2008, has come to its conclusion. For those who missed the final post, here is my list in its entirety: [end_columns] Because it’s the summer, and I have nothing better to do, I put together another video. This one highlights the top players on offense and defense, Braylon Edwards and Charles Woodson: Sweet. After the jump, I’ll list my honorable mentions, and post the Top 15 lists of The Wolverine writers Michael Spath and Matt Pargoff. Similar Posts:July 12, 2009, 11:22 pm | Tags: Aaron Shea, Adam Finley, Amani Toomer, Brandon Graham, Braylon Edwards, Carl Tabb, Charles Woodson, Darnell Hood, David Bowens, Drew Henson, Ernest Shazor, Hayden Epstein, Jason Avant, Larry Foote, Sam Sword, Shawn Crable, Steve Breaston, Tai Streets, Top 15 of the Last 15, TWB YouTube | Category: Football |
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Email This PostThe countdown ends with two all-time greats, one who fittingly wore the #1 jersey and one who was the first primarily-defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy. Admittedly, there was little suspense as to who these two players were when I started the countdown, but I’ll be damned if that will keep me from writing about them. Offense: Braylon Edwards, WR, 2001-2004 Other than the blindingly obvious choice for top defensive player, this was by far the easiest pick I made in this entire list. Braylon was a big play waiting to happen, a mind-blowing touchdown waiting in the wings, an “Oh %#!@” moment anticipating the most dramatic time to come forth and raise you out of your seat. Regardless of where I was, as soon as the ball left John Navarre or Chad Henne’s hand and took off on a parabolic arc towards Edwards, I would stand, ready for another SportsCenter moment. Usually, Braylon would come through. “Our offense is based on getting the ball to our playmakers,” says coach Lloyd Carr, “and that means getting the ball to Braylon.” The numbers are incredible: Michigan’s all-time leader in receptions (252, Marquise Walker is second with 176), receiving yards (3,541, almost 500 yards ahead of Anthony Carter), and touchdowns (39). He had 38 consecutive games with a reception, and had two different streaks of four games with over 100 yards receiving. He’s the only player in Big Ten history (and the third in Division I) to have three seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving. “Real n*ggaz do real things,” [Edwards] says. “What I do matters, not what I say. I began coming to every meeting early, every workout early, every practice. Nobody practiced harder. Real things.” Braylon made John Navarre look like a decent quarterback, freshman Chad Henne look like senior Chad Henne, and collegiate defensive backs look like small, pathetic children. Just throw the ball to Braylon. He’ll come down with it. When a player makes a spectacular catch over a defender, my friends and I say he “Brayloned” somebody. When it comes to Michigan football, all receivers are judged relative to Braylon. I don’t know what other praise to heap on to the man: it has all been said. I would be remiss to not post highlights from the 2004 Michigan State game, The Braylon Game, when Edwards almost single-handedly lifted Michigan over the Spartans. I would also be remiss to not post highlights from the rest of his career. Cue WolverineHistorian, and be sure to watch this one till the end: “Braylon became a leader,” [Carr] says. “I have never questioned his character, only his maturity. He did some growing up. I’ve said he’s become the best player in the country. Now all he has to do is prove me right.” There’s no questioning Braylon’s talent, character, or maturity anymore. That magical 2004 season answered all questions about talent. As for his character and maturity, well, the Braylon Edwards Foundation endowed the Athletic Department a scholarship for the player who wears the #1 jersey, and Edwards has spent a ton of time and money giving back to the University and the Detroit community. “The program will be here long after I’m gone,” Edwards says. “It’s bigger than me or any other player. You can’t fight it.” The program will always remember Braylon Edwards, both for his contributions on the field and his generosity off of it. Quotes taken from “The Real Thing” by Karl Taro Greenfield from Sports Illustrated’s Oct. 25, 2004 issue. Defense: Charles Woodson, CB, 1995-1997 Charles Woodson probably could have made this list as a wideout if he so desired, or possibly even running back, the position he played in high school. Luckily for Michigan fans, he decided to play cornerback, and he decided he was going to be the best cornerback in school, if not collegiate, history. Woodson does not hold a single season or career record at Michigan. Not one. His 18 career interceptions fall short of Tom Curtis’ 25. His 30 career pass breakups don’t come close to Leon Hall’s 43. Curtis’ 10 interceptions in 1968 bests Woodson’s 1997 mark by two. Leon Hall and Marlin Jackson both recorded three more pass breakups in a season than the 15 Woodson had his sophomore year. However, there is no doubt who is the best defensive player in school history. All-Big Ten as a freshman, with two of his five interceptions against Ohio State in the season’s biggest game. All-American as a sophomore, with five more picks as well as a newfound penchant for offense (13 catches, 164 yards, one receiving touchdown; 6 carries, 152 yards, one rushing touchdown). Then, of course, came his junior season: unanimous, consensus All-American, Jim Thorpe Award, Bronko Nagurski Award, Heisman Trophy, National Championship. Just in case you want to see that Michigan State pick one more time: “…he has no idea that Charles Woodson can jump 15 feet in the air…” Woodson reached mythical status that season, and it honestly wouldn’t have shocked me to see him jump 15 feet in the air, or intercept a pass thrown 70 yards away from him, or break the sound barrier while jogging. He was Superman in cleats, and he could do no wrong on the football field. The final image of his career, that majestic, leaping interception of Ryan Leaf’s pass in the end zone in the 1998 Rose Bowl, is perfect:
Braylon Edwards and Charles Woodson share the same characteristic: their careers could easily, and appropriately, be described as awe-inspiring, and even at the age of 21 I wonder whether or not I will see another Wolverine of their talent at their positions in my lifetime. There was never a question of which two players would take the one-spot on this list. These are once-in-a-generation players. I’m just glad I was part of that generation. Agree? Disagree? Want to share your favorite Edwards and Woodson moments? Be sure to drop a comment, and remember that I’ll be taking submissions for your top 15 offensive and defensive players (and top five special teamers) until I’m done with the list. Post your lists in the comments, or shoot me an email at ace@thewolverineblog.com, and I’ll compile the lists for the final post alongside the lists of members of The Wolverine staff. Make sure to check back every weekday: next I post the honorable mentions and other people’s lists. Link to all Top 15 of the Last 15 posts The list: Offense: Defense: Special Teams: Similar Posts:July 2, 2009, 2:21 pm | Tags: Anthony Carter, Braylon Edwards, Chad Henne, Charles Woodson, John Navarre, Leon Hall, Lloyd Carr, Marlin Jackson, Marquise Walker, Tom Curtis, Top 15 of the Last 15 | Category: Football |
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Email This PostFor the next indeterminate amount of time, I will be counting down my top 15 offensive and defensive players from the last 15 years. Today, I unveil my picks at #8 for each side of the ball: Back in Ann Arbor now, so no worries about crappy connections or draining batteries. On with the show… Offense: Mario Manningham, WR, 2005-2007 It speaks to Manningham’s big play ability that I had a very hard time deciding what picture/YouTube video combination to put up with this post. Between Penn State 2005, Notre Dame 2006, and Michigan State 2007, Super Mario has created three seminal moments (or in the case of ND 2006, three individual seminal moments inside one larger seminal moment) for me as a Wolverine fan. Then I decided, why choose when you have photo editing software and there’s no limit to the number of YouTube videos I can embed in a post?
With one critical slant route, Mario Manningham introduced himself to the Wolverine faithful in the midst of an otherwise dreadful 2005 season. With three torchings of the Notre Dame secondary, Mario Manningham introduced himself to the sporting world at large in a much less dreadful 2006 season. With a spectacular leaping grab in the end zone against Michigan State, Mario Manningham shut up a whole bunch of obnoxious Spartan fans and capped another glorious comeback against Little Brother in 2007. I was in the State student section (aka the seventh circle of Hell) for that one, and I have never heard a more beautiful silence in my 21 years on Earth. The man had the most ferocious double move that I’ve ever seen at the college level, adjusted to the deep ball as well as any receiver not named Braylon Edwards, and had that Riceian ability to never get caught from behind despite not having elite-level speed. He had a flair for the dramatic. He was the rock that held together the Michigan offense in 2007 when Henne and Hart couldn’t stay healthy. Seriously, look it up. 72 receptions (6th on the Michigan single-season list), 1,174 yards (2nd), 12 touchdowns (6th), had six consecutive 100-yard games (a school record) and six consecutive games with a touchdown (5th). No wonder he came out early. And no wonder he’s No. 8 on this list. Defense: Dhani Jones, LB, 1996-1999
He responded well. Despite playing sparingly in the first three games, he had his best season statistically, finishing with 90 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and six sacks. On that defense, you had to work to find 90 tackles to make, and Dhani found a way to make a huge impact. To me, Jones got screwed out of all-conference honors in his final three years at Michigan. From the inside linebacker position, he put up 90, 72 and 81 tackles with 9, 11, and 13 tackles for loss in his sophomore-senior years on defenses with very good linebackers (I won’t comment on the 1998-1999 secondary). Jones was put into a tough situation, forced to hold it down in the middle after a beloved and skilled captain went down with a career-ending injury, and it’s tough to think of anyone handling the pressure as well as he did. For that, he comes in at No. 8 for me. Agree? Disagree? Want to share your favorite Manningham and Jones moments? Be sure to drop a comment, and remember that I’ll be taking submissions for your top 15 offensive and defensive players (and top five special teamers) until I’m done with the list. Post your lists in the comments, or shoot me an email at ace@thewolverineblog.com, and I’ll compile the lists for the final post alongside the lists of members of The Wolverine staff. Make sure to check back every weekday: next I post the #7 players for offense and defense. Link to all Top 15 of the Last 15 posts The list so far: Offense: Defense: Special Teams: Similar Posts:
June 22, 2009, 1:40 pm | Tags: Braylon Edwards, Chad Henne, Dhani Jones, Eric Mayes, Mario Manningham, Mike Hart, Top 15 of the Last 15 | Category: Football |
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