Remember the Homeland Security Department’s biggest PR move, the terrorist threat level indicator? You know, this thing. Well, I decided — in a desperate attempt to figure out what type of content to post during the slow summer months — to apply these threat levels (minus the whole, you know, terrorist thing) to Michigan’s position groups. In other words, which groups are the Wolverines comfortably stocked at, and which ones have you buying mass quantities of bottled water and canned foods to prepare for the football apocalypse? Over the next week, I’ll be placing each of the position groups into one of the above categories. So far, I have covered the “Low”,  “Guarded”, and “Elevated” threat categories, and today, we move on to the positions that fall under the “High” category. Ladies and gentlemen, buckle your seatbelts.

Outside Receiver: Simply put, Michigan just hasn’t been getting the production it needs out of its outside receivers so far in the Rodriguez era. Some of that blame can probably be placed on the quarterback play, but it’s time for guys like Darryl Stonum and Junior Hemingway to step up, or else be replaced by younger talent. Stonum and Hemingway, your likely starters at outside receiver, combined for just 29 catches and three touchdowns last season.

Stonum, a former four-star with great athletic ability, needs to show that he can adjust to the ball in the air — he often makes what should be simple catches unnecessarily difficult on himself. If he can do that, he could break out this year and begin to live up to his lofty recruiting hype. Hemingway has burst out of the gate the past two season openers only to have his season derailed by injuries and subsequent ineffectiveness. He showed against Western Michigan that he can be a dangerous deep threat, but he’ll have to stay healthy if he wants to hold on to his starting spot.

If Stonum and Hemingway prove ineffective, there are several young players who could see the field in their place. Sophomore Je’Ron Stokes is another top-100 level recruit, and he’ll likely be the third wide receiver after playing sparingly as a freshman. Jerald Robinson, Ricardo Miller, and Jeremy Jackson all enrolled early in preparation for their true freshman seasons — Robinson appears most likely to be an immediate contributor, though Miller probably has the highest ceiling and Jackson the best hands of the trio. There is also the chance that Roy Roundtree moves between the slot and outside — I’d prefer for him to work out of the slot, where he seems most effective, but if the starters aren’t producing he may be needed to shore up the position, especially with the depth at slot.

If Michigan hopes to take its offense to the next level, they will have to get more production from their outside receivers. Unfortunately, the depth behind the prospective starters is very young, and the starters have yet to prove they can consistently make plays at the collegiate level. This position is probably the biggest question mark the offense has, and could be the difference between Michigan boasting a juggernaut offense and struggling to consistently move the ball.

Linebacker: The picture to your right pretty much sums up Michigan’s linebacker play from last season — Obi Ezeh is on the ground, having been taken out of the play, and Jonas Mouton appears to have lost contain as the back breaks into the open field. Usually, a team would be very comfortable with returning two senior starters (and multi-year starters at that) at linebacker, but the lack of progression from Ezeh and the apparent regression from Mouton has left Wolverine fans very concerned with the heart of their defense.

The good news is that, despite a slight scheme change, Michigan will finally have the same man at defensive coordinator for two years in a row, and with Greg Robinson personally handling the inside linebackers, there should be improvement from the position. How much the linebackers improve will depend. Can Ezeh hold off redshirt sophomore Kenny Demens in the middle? If he does, can he show greater aggressiveness on the field? Can Mouton return to the form he showed in the latter half of 2008? There are a lot of questions here, and few answers will be given until the team hits the field in the fall.

The aforementioned Demens appears to be the most likely candidate to supplant the incumbent starters if one proved ineffective, although J.B. Fitzgerald actually saw more playing time last year when Ezeh was benched, and he could very well start if given the opportunity. Former walk-on Kevin Leach also saw action last year, but wasn’t particularly effective when he played. Redshirt freshman Isaiah Bell provides depth, but he’ll likely need a year or two of learning the position after coming to Ann Arbor as a safety.

With a strong front four and a shaky secondary, Michigan’s defense will need the linebackers to elevate their level of play in 2010. As fifth-year seniors, Ezeh and Mouton should be up to the task, but you could have said the same thing about them last year. Their experience keeps me from placing the linebackers in the “Severe” category, but they will need to step up their play on the field in a big way, or the defense could be spinning its wheels instead of moving forward from last season’s debacle.

Similar Posts:

• Position Preview: Outside Receivers
• Position Preview: Linebacker
• Five Players With the Most to Lose in Spring Practice
• Position Threat Levels: Low
• Position Threat Levels: Elevated

As you have probably read by now, Michigan’s players have revealed that the defense is moving to a 3-3-5 alignment for this season. Rich Rodriguez employed that defense at West Virginia, and now Greg Robinson will be in charge of using it to take advantage of the speed Michigan has on defense.

For those of you with a Rivals account, there is a great message board post about the 3-3-5 and how it is deployed. In short, the three down linemen can choose to attack the gap on either side of them, and the three linebackers either blitz or fill the gaps left by the defensive linemen. This allows a lot of flexibility for blitzes and adds a lot of unpredictability to the defense — the offense never knows for sure which way the line will attack and where the blitzers will be coming from. This switch makes a lot of sense for a team with a solid X’s-and-O’s guy at defensive coordinator in Greg Robinson and a lot of team speed (and not a ton of size) on defense. Here are four guys who I think will greatly benefit from the move to the 3-3-5:

1. LB Craig Roh –  Yes, that’s linebacker Craig Roh. The switch to the 3-3-5 means Roh will be occupying one of the outside linebacker spots, and he will likely be the fourth player attacking the line of scrimmage on every play. Unlike last year, with Roh at quick end usually coming off the edge on every play, where the offense could easily account for him, the flexibility of the 3-3-5 allows Roh to attack several different gaps and makes it harder for the offense to help keep him out of the backfield. Roh was already poised for a breakout sophomore season after playing his entire freshman year probably 15 pounds underweight and without any college experience, even in spring practice, and now it seems even more likely that Roh could put up some very impressive numbers this season.
2. DT Mike Martin – While reading about the 3-3-5, I couldn’t help but think of Martin and how perfect this defense sounds for a player like him. Martin is at his best when he gets to pick a gap and penetrate into the backfield, something he couldn’t do a lot of while stuck at nose tackle last season. Now, with five players likely heading for the backfield on any given play, and with Martin shifting over to DT, offenses probably won’t be able to send two offensive linemen at Martin on every play. We should see the Mike Martin everybody expected to see last year after his stellar freshman season — a freakishly strong and quick defensive tackle who is liable to blow up any play in the backfield.
3. S Jordan Kovacs – The benefit of having five defensive backs is that you can tailor the safeties’ responsibilities to their strengths — with one deep safety and two strong safeties (one who plays up and one who has to be able to drop back deep), Michigan has a lot of options for their defensive backs. Kovacs seems to benefit the most from the change — his strongsuit is playing aggressive run support and attacking the backfield, something Michigan will need from at least one of their strong safeties. With four other defensive backs on the field, Kovacs won’t have as much responsibility for pass coverage, the weakest part of his game. Michigan can mask Kovacs’ athletic deficiencies somewhat with this change, and allow him to play to his strengths.
4. LB Obi Ezeh – Ezeh now has linebacker help on both sides of him, and what I believe is a much simpler read on most plays (reading the defensive lineman in front of him and assuming responsibility for the other gap). With Ezeh, the problem has never been his physical skills, but being aggressive and making quick reads before the offense accounts for him. This should free Ezeh up to be a more aggressive player, and also allow him to blitz and take advantage of his physical skills. This move may save Ezeh his starting job, and could turn him into the type of player we expect to see from a four-year starter.

The scheme as a whole should benefit the team, which has a lot of speed on defense but also a lot of inexperience. The 3-3-5 plays to the strengths of Michigan’s personnel, something last year’s defense didn’t seem to do all the time (asking Kovacs to play deep safety, forcing Ezeh and Mouton to cover the field sideline-to-sideline, etc.). Also, as Hiesman84 stated in his message board post, this allows Greg Robinson to play “mad scientist” with his blitz schemes, something that should both benefit the defense and be fun to watch as a fan. This move makes sense to me, and should help the process of rebuilding Michigan’s most disappointing unit.

Similar Posts:

• 2010 Official Depth Chart Breakdown: Defense/Special Teams
• An Early Stab at the 2010 Depth Chart: Defense
• Position Threat Levels: Guarded
• A (Very) Early Look at the 2010 Defense
• Watching Tape: Penn State-Minnesota

I had the privilege of attending Michigan’s first spring practice yesterday, along with Rich Rodriguez’s press conference. Before I get into my quick analysis of the presser and practice, I should make note of one thing: the media access to practice was limited to a 12-minute period when the team was split into position groups and doing drills. Between trying to get some decent photos and trying to decipher which drill I should be paying attention to (not to mention trying to figure out, with my complete lack of football-playing background, if players were actually doing the drills correctly), it was hard to glean much information of note from the actual practice. In fact, I really only took one thing away from the practice session itself, a point I’ll bring up later. I think I can speak for pretty much all the media in attendance when I say not to put a whole lot of stock into what you read about this spring practice — again, we saw 12 minutes of drills with the team split into position groups and spread across two football fields. Just making a note of that before I go into what I saw, and heard, yesterday.

With that out of the way, I’ll break down the one thing of note I saw and post some pictures, as well as give some highlights from the presser and new numbers/weights from the spankin’ new official spring roster.

THE THING OF NOTE

When I realized that I had no hope of seeing or understanding even 10% of what was happening in practice, I turned my focus to the quarterbacks and watched them go through a few drills. It didn’t take a Lombardian knowledge of football to see who will be the clear-cut starter for Michigan next season: Tate Forcier simply threw the best ball of any of the quarterbacks, and it wasn’t close. We all knew he would be the most accurate quarterback, but the zip he put on his throws also was very impressive — it’s safe to say his shoulder has healed up just fine.

Tell me something I don’t already know, you say. Well, for one, Devin Gardner’s mechanics have definitely improved since the end of his senior season at Inkster — he is releasing the ball at a much higher point than in any of his highlight videos from high school. Watching him throw, however, you can tell that he’s still really thinking about the mechanics of throwing, and his accuracy just isn’t at the level he’d need it to be to seriously challenge for playing time. Now, all of the drills we were able to see involved the quarterback throwing from the pocket, so we didn’t get to see Gardner show off his athleticism and ability to throw on the run, but after watching Gardner today I’d be very surprised if he got extended playing time unless Forcier goes down with an injury. It looks like he could really use a redshirt year to get his mechanics to the point where his throwing motion comes naturally to him, as well as to learn the offense.

As for Denard Robinson, he also had some struggles with accuracy, especially on deep passes. Rich Rodriguez was with the quarterbacks during the drills that we watched, and kept harping on the quarterbacks to “drop the ball in the bucket” — in other words, to put a lot of air under the ball so it “drops” into the receiver’s hands. Gardner and Robinson had their struggles with that concept, and both quarterbacks also missed a few intermediate throws that you’d hope they will hit once the spring game, and obviously the fall, comes around. The good news is that both quarterbacks, as well as Forcier, did well hitting tailbacks in stride when they practiced swing passes out of the backfield. That may seem trivial, but those passes are an important part of this offense, and hitting a running back in stride can be the difference between a big gain and a backwards lateral (think Notre Dame, 2008).

RICH ROD’S PRESSER

I’ll keep this rather brief, as Tim has already posted a very thorough rundown over at MGoBlog, but here are some of the highlights from Rodriguez’s pre-practice press conference:

• Vincent Smith and David Molk are both out for the spring with knee injuries, but Rodriguez said they were progressing well in rehab and expected them to do “limited activities” by the end of spring ball.
• Rodriguez said he expected to “do some different things with Denard,” since he thought a player with Robinson’s athletic and football abilities shouldn’t be spending too much time on the bench. He also clarified that Denard would likely be seeing those extra snaps at receiver, since the Wolverines already have a lot of bodies at running back.
• Nick Sheridan will not be playing this season — he is finishing up school and preparing for a career in coaching. It sounds like he’ll be a graduate assistant at some point, but Sheridan can’t be a GA right now since he’s finishing up his undergraduate degree. He was hanging around practice in street clothes, however. Bryan Wright will also not be using his final season of eligibility, citing back problems as the reason to end his playing career.
• There will be an emphasis on playing more people on defense this season, now that there is a healthy amount of competition at pretty much every position. Rodriguez said Greg Robinson will be working on keeping his schemes relatively simple so the plethora of freshmen competing for spots can contribute immediately.
• Both Troy Woolfolk and Justin Turner are practicing at cornerback, but Rodriguez did say there was a possibility of either player also seeing time at safety.

NEW SPRING ROSTER

MGoBlog also has a breakdown of the weight changes in the new spring roster, so I won’t go into too much detail here either, but I thought I’d mention these interesting points:

• When asked if any players stood out for their offseason condition, Rodriguez cited a trio of redshirt freshmen linemen: Quinton Washington, Taylor Lewan, and Michael Schofield. Washington dropped an impressive amount of weight, going from 325 down to 307, while Lewan (283, up from 268) and Schofield (281, also up from 268) each added some needed pounds. Washington slimming down should immediately put him in the running for a starting role, while Lewan and Schofield probably still need to add a couple pounds (certainly possible before the fall) before they’re in that same discussion.
• There were gains pretty much across the board on both sides of the ball. Junior Hemingway is now a very robust 227 pounds — I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or not until we see him running full speed. Forcier gained six pounds, up to 194, which hopefully will protect him a little bit more from injury. On defense, Will Campbell is now up to 324 pounds, and he certainly passed the eye test — the guy is a physical specimen now and is worlds away from how he looked when he enrolled as a freshman. Craig Roh also added weight, and at 249 pounds he is now in the discussion at defensive end, a spot he was far too light for last season (Rodriguez specifically stated that Roh could see snaps at DE in the presser).
• Forcier still is wearing 5, even though I saw some rumors floating around that he would be switching to 4, his high school number. Instead, Cameron Gordon has taken that number, as he has switched officially over to safety. Teric Jones has also moved to safety, and Brandin Hawthorne is listed at the position as well — with Michigan slightly tweaking their defense, I’m pretty sure Stevie Brown’s position was reclassified from linebacker to safety, although I could be wrong there. If that is in fact true, it looks like that position battle will come down to Hawthorne, Mike Williams, and possibly Jordan Kovacs. Isaiah Bell is now up to 237 pounds and is listed at linebacker, as is Mike Jones, despite being only 207 right now.

FRESHMAN NUMBERS [end_columns]

PHOTOS

If you want to see more photos from today’s practice, I put up an album over on photobucket. They’re mostly of the quarterbacks, since that’s who I was watching for most of the time. If you want to see why Devin Gardner is such an intriguing prospect, check out the last photo: he just towers over everybody else.

That’s all I have for now. I’ll be updating the projected depth chart by the end of this weekend to reflect any changes in position or number. Enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day (in a safe but enjoyable fashion, I hope).

Similar Posts:

• The Foundation: A Look at the 2009 Recruiting Class
• 2010 Official Depth Chart Breakdown: Offense
• Spring Football: Five Players I’ll Be Watching
• Five Players With the Most to Gain in Spring Practice
• Early Guess at the Football Depth Chart: Now Updated for Spring

This just came in from the athletic department. Braithwaite was in charge of defensive quality control for the past two years here at Michigan. This is certainly an interesting hire — a complete unknown from a coaching standpoint, except, of course, to the coaching staff themselves. As expected, Greg Robinson will take over coaching the middle linebackers. The official press release:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan football head coach Rich Rodriguez announced Thursday (Feb. 11) the hiring of Adam Braithwaite as the program’s safeties/outside linebackers coach. Braithwaite joins the Wolverines’ staff as a full-time assistant coach after spending the past two seasons as a staff assistant.

“We are excited to promote Adam to be our safeties/outside linebackers coach,” said Rodriguez. “He has been a loyal hard-working member of our staff for several years and knows our system. I believe he will bring a lot of energy both in coaching and recruiting.”

As previously announced during Rodriguez’s signing day press conference (Wednesday, Feb. 3), defensive coordinator Greg Robinson will coach the linebackers. Bruce Tall will continue to work with the defensive line.

Assistant head coach Tony Gibson will coach the cornerbacks and free safety position. He will also add the responsibility of coordinating the special teams. Rodriguez will continue to have all of the coaches remain involved with a certain phase of special teams, but Gibson will manage that phase of the game on a daily basis and on game day.

Braithwaite was the defensive coordinator at Hampden-Sydney College (Va.) during the 2007 season. He worked with the linebackers and coordinated the special teams for the program’s conference championship team and Division III National Playoff run. Prior to accepting his position at Hampden-Sydney, Braithwaite was a defensive graduate assistant for Rodriguez at West Virginia (2005-06). He assisted with the secondary and linebackers and helped the Mountaineers win a pair of bowl games (2006 Sugar and 2007 Gator) and the 2005 Big East title.

Braithwaite was the safeties coach at William & Mary in 2004 when the Tribe claimed the Atlantic 10 Championship and reached the semifinals of the Division I-AA National Championship. He gained his first college coaching position as the wide receivers and tight end coach at West Liberty State College (2003).

Braithwaite was a four-year letterman at defensive back for William & Mary (1997-2001), and was the starting strong safety on the Tribe’s 2001 Atlantic 10 co-Championship team. He earned his bachelor of arts from William & Mary (2002) and his master’s degree in athletic coaching education from West Virginia (2007).

Similar Posts:

• Four Players Who Will Benefit From the Switch to the 3-3-5
• Position Threat Levels: High
• Wolverines on the Web is Ready for Hoops
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The blogosphere has had a few days to absorb another Michigan loss, and reactions are all over the place this week. Brian addresses once-and-for-all the question of “When can we fire Rich Rod?” He thinks an 8-4 year (possibly 7-5, depending on the bowl game) would save Rodriguez’s job, and he deserves the chance to coach next year before we make any rash decisions. I’m in full agreement on this one — with the defensive depth as thin as it is, and the offense being so young, it’s tough to pin too much of the blame of these past two seasons squarely on Rodriguez. We knew he needed time, and now we have to give it to him. In his postgame wrap, Brian does express the stress we all feel in dealing with the losing:

I’m burning out after two years of almost unrelenting misery, and looking forward to football season being over for the third straight year. I mean, when Michigan was down to Purdue in the second half, some fan ten or twenty rows behind me kept shouting “they’ve got no heart” over and over again as the guy in the row in front of me called for Rodriguez’s firing. Having a conversation about Michigan football right now is trying to remember that episode of GI Joe where Destro finds a secret ninja manual in a volcano*** that allows him to kill people with precisely-applied touches: if you can just remember where the red dots are you can spare everyone a lot of pain.

I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve wished with all my heart for a taser while standing in the student section during these past two years, and I’m obviously not the only one who feels that way. We need to give these kids (yes, kids) a chance — screaming “Forcier sucks!” (and yes, I’ve heard that several times) only serves to single you out as a blithering idiot.

Meanwhile, (the other) Brian over at Genuinely Sarcastic has emerged as a (relatively) level head throughout this whole mess. To the “Fire Rich Rod” crowd, he simply asks, “and do what?”:

Can you name a defensive coordinator who would do better with this roster? There just isn’t much to work with. When Robinson plugs one hole (run defense was solid against MSU and Iowa), another one opens (wide open receivers on playaction). He simply doesn’t have the talent or experience on that side of the ball to put together a sturdy unit in all phases. And the offense…well, remember what Beilein said about the roller coaster last year after Michigan basketball was BACK against UCLA and Duke? When you’re rebuilding, there will be ups and downs. Penn State and Illinois were downs. Purdue was an up. The offense did its job on Saturday.

He goes on to pick apart the notion that Harbaugh and Miles were ever totally viable candidates. Revisionist historians, beware, for Brian is ready to embarrass you.

Over at Maize n Brew, Dave gets the “most hilarious/sad emo quote of the week” award:

Still. Saturday could’ve been worse. A year ago I sat through a miserable downpour in 28 degree weather to watch Michigan lose to a Northwestern team they probably could’ve beaten. But Saturday wasn’t like that.

Saturday was sunny.

SCM has the full game breakdown over there, and comes to the same conclusion that any sane fan has realized at this point in the season:

If this team is going to salvage anything from this year, a year that brought joy for a whole month, then they’re going to have do it by out-gunning people.  It is what it is, and it’s not going to suddenly change over the next two weeks of practice.  So c’mon Blue, go out there and fight your hearts out.

Maize & Blue Nation gives us two ways to look at the game. Like them, I’m leaning towards option one:

There are two ways to look back at this game.

1) We played harder and looked much better on offense. Our defensive struggles continue, but those problems will take more time to fix. In the short term, this week…while still a tough loss, was still nice to see the team not give up like we did against Illinois. I think we still have a shot at a bowl if we can make some improvements and move forward.

or…

2) Another week another loss. This time to another crappy team. Even though it was close, I don’t care, a loss is a loss. You can take your moral victories and shove it…I need real wins. Wake me up in 2010. I’m done.

For reasons passing understanding, I’m actually closer to camp 1.

Michigan Football Saturdays has beef with Rodriguez’s decision to go for it on fourth and ten (when Brown ended up getting called for a forward lateral and the Wolverines turned the ball over), thinking Michigan should’ve taken the points. I think that decision could have gone either way, and certainly don’t think it was a boneheaded one, but I can see where they’re coming from here.

Finally, UM Tailgate gets zen, and gives an impassioned plea for your continued support:

Michigan Football has been there for you your whole life.  They’ve been there for you to lean on.  Every Saturday, winning, making you smile, sending you to work on Monday with your chest puffed out, ready to point and laugh at lesser men.  But now, for the first time, Michigan Football needs you to be there FOR THEM, to be patient FOR THEM.

We need to find that place again.  I’ve got to find that place again.  That place where I know we are going to win no matter what the odds, no matter what the situation.  Miracles happen.  Freshman can do amazing things.  There are two games left…and I love being an underdog.

One recruiting tidbit from Rivals: they’ve released their category rankings for 2010 quarterbacks. Devin Gardner ranks second in arm strength (behind PSU commit and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s prospect Robert Bolden), and first in scrambling ability. This combination, I like.

On to basketball (HOORAY!). UM Hoops has your breakdown of the Wayne State game, and Dylan also gives his State of the Blog in Year Three (to which I give a hearty congratulations). Seriously, there’s no better source for Michigan basketball blogging out there, and Dylan is doing all this as a student, which is nothing short of remarkable. Head over there, and if you like what you see, strongly consider hitting the Donate button — he definitely deserves it.

Finally, The Blog That Yost Built has your hockey coverage after Michigan was swept by #1 Miami. Also, MVictors passes along an article from Andy Reid, editor of the Michigan Daily, who was kicked out of Saturday’s game for doing the “C-YA” chant while dressed in a giant chicken suit. I’m with Greg when it comes to the chant: I loved it when I was young, mostly because I wasn’t allowed to say any of the words, but as I get older (and lamer, apparently) I’d like to see it replaced with something less vulgar and more creative. Red Berenson has asked for us to stop, and at this point, we should do whatever Red asks.

Similar Posts:

• 2010 Official Depth Chart Breakdown: Offense
• The Denard Conundrum
• Wolverines on the Web Goes Old School
• Impressions from the First Spring Practice
• Taking Stock at Midseason

Michigan is officially halfway through the regular season, and at 4-2 are already have more wins than the 2008 squad had the entire season. We all know this team is better than last year’s, but by how much? Let’s take a look at the statistics through 6 games for both squads, starting with the offense:

*NCAA does not have team rankings for yards per play. Also, 2008 YPP total is for whole season.

Well, we knew this: the offense is better in every facet of the game. The across-the-board improvement can be attributed to several things: the much-improved quarterback play, a competent offensive line, experience in the offense, more variety in the offense, etc. Also, we were really bad last year, so improvement was really the only viable option (the other being total implosion of a storied program, the consequences of which I would rather not think about). So, how about the defense?

Hmmm. This one is certainly more interesting. On one hand, having an offense that scores quickly sets a team up for shootouts, which could explain some of the yardage given up. On the other hand, last year’s team exited the field very quickly, and usually in disastrous fashion. I thought one factor could be pace, but the total plays ran per game in 2009 is 139.5, while last year it was 135.6 — a difference, yes, but not enough to explain why the defense is giving up so many yards. The 2008 defense did get a little worse as the season progressed — finishing 67th in total defense and 84th in scoring defense — but that includes the much more difficult conference schedule.

To what can we attribute this regression in the defense? For one, having a new coordinator and new system for the third time in three years can’t possibly help a defense improve. The secondary and defensive line are razor-thin. The defense as a whole is undersized. However, it’s still disconcerting to see a complete lack of improvement from the defense. Hopefully, as the secondary becomes set and the team gets more comfortable in the system (remember, the 85-yard run against Indiana was — at least initially — caused by Van Bergen making the wrong check at the line), the defense can better this performance. More likely, the team will stay at about the same level throughout the rest of the season, and hope that the offense can carry them to victory.

How about special teams and turnovers?

*Kickoff Returns Allowed not ranked by NCAA. 2008 stats for full season.

There are two things that should jump out at you from this table. 1) Zoltan is awesome in every way. 2) Last year’s team was practically handing the ball off to opponents. The second point is a factor that hasn’t been mentioned a whole lot when discussion Michigan’s improvement from last year: turnover margin tends to regress to the mean (the mean being zero, of course), and this year’s team is turning the ball over far less than they did last year.

What does this all mean? For one, we no longer suck, which is nice. However, the defense should definitely be a concern heading into the second half of the year. For how bad the 2008 defense was, this defense — at least on paper — is even worse. Let’s see if the team can turn it around and make a run at an eight- or nine-win season. If the D doesn’t get better, 7-5 appears to be the logical finish.

Similar Posts:

• Five Hopeful Predictions for 2010
• Impressions from the First Spring Practice
• Four Players Who Will Benefit From the Switch to the 3-3-5
• Wolverines on the Web is Ready for Hoops
• Observations on the Michigan State Game

As any Michigan fan who has watched during the 2009 season can attest, the secondary has been somewhat awful. The statistics agree: Michigan is 96th in the country in pass defense (246.5 yards allowed per game), and although some of that can be attributed to poor linebacker play, the onus falls squarely on the shoulders of defensive backs not named Donovan Warren. Greg Robinson has tried three different players at the second corner spot, and of those players, one has a tenuous hold on a spot on the team (Boubacar Cissoko), one doesn’t appear to be athletic enough to guard MAC wide receivers (J.T. Floyd), and the third was a safety until last week (Troy Woolfolk, who actually had a decent game against Iowa).

The secondary is a huge concern for this season, for obvious reasons: they’re not very good, still making major personnel changes, starting a walk-on at safety, etc. However, take a look at this (the depth chart by year for this season, with a big assist from MGoBlog), keeping next season in mind:

Now take Donovan Warren out of that picture, as in all likelihood he’ll be playing on Sundays next season.

Best case scenario for 2010: Warren stays, allowing Woolfolk to develop into a solid #2 cornerback. Justin Turner turns out to be the stud defensive back we expected him to be when he committed. Boubacar Cissoko gets his act together academically and on the field. Mike Williams learns how to properly cover the deep middle in a Cover 3. Vlad Emilien or Marvin Robinson supplants Jordan Kovacs and spends much of the season terrorizing opposing backfields. Michigan gains commitments from Cullen Christian (very likely) and another 3/4 star corner to add depth to the secondary.

More realistic scenario: Warren leaves, and Michigan spends the season without a real #1 corner. Troy Woolfolk is passable, but the #2 corner is again a fiasco barring Justin Turner being the next Law/Woodson/Jackson/Hall. The safeties remain shaky, with one first-year starter taking Kovacs’ spot and Mike Williams remaining as the other safety (and hopefully learning how to cover the deep middle, please). Cullen Christian and another 3/4 star corner commit, but probably don’t contribute immediately.

Very little of this situation is the fault of the current coaching staff: Lloyd Carr’s staff had one cornerback commit in the class of 2008 before handing over the reigns to Rich Rodriguez. That commit was Boubacar Cissoko, who has had equal problems staying eligible and staying with opposing wide receivers. The other defensive back in that class, Brandon Smith, struggled as a safety and was moved to linebacker. You could argue that the Rodriguez staff needed to get another cornerback in the class of 2009, but I doubt anyone expected Justin Turner’s eligibility to be in question so deep into fall camp, and Adrian Witty failed to qualify entirely. It certainly isn’t anybody’s fault that Warren is so good that he’s a likely first-round NFL Draft pick after his junior season.

What am I saying here? There isn’t much to do except brace yourselves, because the struggles of 2009 could be what keeps the 2010 team from being a bona-fide Big Ten title contender.

Similar Posts:

• Woolfolk’s Injury Shouldn’t Determine Rodriguez’s Fate
• Position Preview: Cornerback
• Brandon Smith Transferring, and Another Look at the 2010 Defense
• Update: Cissoko Not With Team
• Boubacar Cissoko Kicked Off Team

Once again, it’s time for “Five Things I Hope to See…” First, a look at back at last week’s keys:

1. Force the Irish to become one-dimensional — Well, not so much. Notre Dame had a ton of success through the air and on the ground, and Michigan never got a lot of pressure on Jimmy Clausen. This is certainly cause for concern (especially the Irish’s success picking on Boubacar Cissoko), but I also don’t think Michigan fill face another offense with as dangerous an aerial attack as Notre Dame.
2. Get pressure on Jimmy Clausen — Another miss, as Michigan didn’t record a sack on Jimmy Clausen, and the only time they recorded any pressure was when Greg Robinson brought heat. Somebody besides Brandon Graham needs to step up on the defensive line when Michigan only rushes four.
3. Another outside receiver steps up — Not just one, but two outside guys had very good games (Darryl Stonum and Greg Mathews), and even Laterryal Savoy had a few big catches (and the drop, but that was tipped). It look like outside receiver has gone from a big question mark to a major strong point on this team.
4. Michigan gets an 100-yard day out of a running back — Hello, Brandon Minor.
5. Utilize the bubble screen — As noted by Brian, Notre Dame brought up their corners into press coverage to stop the bubble screen, so Michigan almost completely stayed away from it. However, Rich Rodriguez actually did a great job of adjusting to this by having the tight end/H-back block the crashing DE on the zone read, and this was the cause for several of Minor’s big runs. It’s been great to watch Rodriguez stay one step ahead of opposing defenses with his schemes.

Against an opponent the quality of Notre Dame, 3/5 isn’t bad, especially when the success on offense managed to (barely) outweigh the shortcomings of the defense. Now, on to Eastern Michigan:

1. Establish Denard Robinson as a passing threat — We all know Shoelace can run, but thus far Michigan has almost exclusively utilized him as a rusher. Notre Dame knew Michigan wasn’t fully comfortable with him as a passer, and sold out on the run when Denard was in at QB. With an opponent the quality of EMU, Michigan now has the perfect opportunity to showcase Denard’s ability to pull up and throw the ball. I fully expect to see a lot of Shoelace on Saturday, and if he can show an ability to hit receivers while still remaining a home run threat on the ground, future opponents will have to respect the pass or risk giving up big plays through the air.
2. Establish dominance up front — To put it bluntly, if Eastern has a lot of success on the ground or Michigan can’t get any pressure on QB Andy Schmitt, this defense will be in a lot of trouble. Ryan Van Bergen has to show that he can hold the point of attack at DT, and if he can’t show that this game, Greg Robinson should strongly consider realigning the defensive front. This game is the perfect opportunity to experiment with different guys up front, and establish the front seven for the course of the season.
3. Obi Ezeh bounces back — While everybody was talking about Boubacar Cissoko’s subpar performance, Ezeh has a pretty miserable game himself, looking tentative and allowing himself to get taken out of plays as a result. If Ezeh doesn’t show he can recognize a play and attack with confidence, I’d like to see J.B. Fitzgerald get a chance at middle linebacker.
4. One of the young tailbacks shows starting potential — Vincent Smith and Michael Shaw should both see a lot of playing time, and one of those two will likely be the starting tailback at this time next year. Shaw showed a lot of potential last year, even while battling injuries, and Smith was the breakout star of spring practice. I would love to see one (or both) put up big numbers and show an understanding of the spread offense.
5. A cornerback besides Donovan Warren actually plays well — Boubacar Cissoko had a really rough game against Notre Dame, and J.T. Floyd got torched in limited action against Western Michigan. Highly touted freshman Justin Turner has not seen any game action after he made it on campus late due to academic issues. Ideally, Cissoko would bounce back and show he can play man coverage and either Turner or Floyd would show that Michigan has a viable option after Warren and Cissoko.

Hopefully, Michigan will be geared up and ready to go from the opening kickoff. Personally, I expect the team to come out fired up, and I don’t think the foot will be taken off the gas as the team tries out backups at practically every position: Michigan 52, EMU 16

Similar Posts:

• Update: Cissoko Not With Team
• Observations on the Iowa Game
• Five Things I Hope to See: Penn State
• Boubacar Cissoko Kicked Off Team
• Five Things I Hope to See: Illinois

Football:

• Former basketball player Kelvin Grady learning quickly at slot receiver — Michigan Daily — I’m clearly not the only one who thinks Grady looks good; Rich Rodriguez was quick to praise his new slot receiver before practice today. Don’t be surprised if Kelvin sees the field a lot this season, despite being only months removed from being exclusively a basketball player.
• Video from Thursday’s practice — The Wolverine — Exclusive video of the quarterbacks, receivers, defensive line, and more, shot at today’s practice.
• Observations: What does Grimace have to do with Michigan football practice? — AnnArbor.com — Despite the incredibly strange headline, Michael Rothstein has some interesting notes on today’s practice, including a breakdown of the field goal competition. Also, apparently our blocking heavy bag bears a strong resemblance to the big purple McDonalds … creature.
• Birk’s Eye View: Thursday practice notes… — AnnArbor.com — This headline thing is getting out of hand, since I cut off “…from University of Michigan football practice.” We know what you’re talking about. Seriously. Anyways, the focus is on Denard Robinson, and specifically his game-changing ability as a quarterback.
• Jarrett Irons: Our Dinner With Rich Rodriguez — Lost Lettermen — The former standout M linebacker chronicles a dinner with Rich Rodriguez and several former players in Chicago during Media Days. Have no fear: Irons has only praise for Rodriguez, his “drawl”, and his “affinity” and “respect” for Michigan. It’s great to see Rodriguez reaching out and making a good impression on former players.
• Interview: Mark Messner recalls battles with Mandarich — MVictors — Greg scores an interview with U-M’s all-time sack leader, touching on his most memorable game (battling against Spartan ‘roid-freak Tony Mandarich), Bo’s drug policy (staunch, and ahead of its time), and more. A great read.
• His playing days over, Jason Forcier will stay in Ann Arbor to mentor brother Tate Forcier — AnnArbor.com — Again, the headline says it all in an AnnArbor.com article. Having Jason around will certainly help Tate’s transition to college football, and should keep him on the right track on and off the field.
• All In For Michigan towels go on sale Sunday — Pick yours up at the MGoBlue Shop, M Den, or other retail outlets for $5 ($6.99 after Sunday). Some of the proceeds go towards the building of a new children’s and women’s hospital, and waving a towel promotes the downfall of the dastardly “key play.” So yeah, buy one.
• Graham, Molk, Schilling Named to Lombardi Award Watch List — MGoBlue — The Lombardi Award goes to the top lineman, offensive or defensive in the country, hence the guys from both sides of the ball. Also, nice.
• Boren saga only adds to Michigan-Ohio State rivalry — USA Today — Starting lineman switches sides in storied rivalry, bad-mouths coaching staff on way out, and this adds to the rivalry? O RLY? (Yes, that was sarcasm … I hope he’s healthy for the game so our d-line can put him on his ass thanks to actually caring about strength and conditioning).
• 74,000 Truck Drivers — Spawn of MZone — Delicious rivalry fodder, courtesy of the Spawn of MZone, relating to the above. Thank you.
• Freshman Craig Roh will be a factor at ‘quick’ end position… — AnnArbor.com — That’s it: I’m done typing “for Michigan football team” or anything else similar from AnnArbor.com articles. Good lord. Anyways, I really like Roh as a prospect and the ‘quick’ position seems like a great fit for him.
• Finally healthy, Brandon Minor could be headed for a breakout season — AnnArbor.com — Wow, Minor is one tough mother——: “Minor underwent two surgeries in the offseason and gutted through 11 games last fall a virtual one-armed man. The pain was so intense he couldn’t carry the ball in his right arm and couldn’t lift weights. “I could barely get 145 (pounds) up,” Minor said.”
• U-M defense tackles change with attention to details — Detroit News — I would fail on the U-M defense, as I initially thought this was an article about the DTs. Also, I’m 5-11 and 150 pounds soaking wet. As for the article, more quotes on Greg Robinson’s focus on tackling, among other things.
• Four-star has top five — Rivals.com — Four-star California athlete Anthony Barr has Michigan among his leaders, along with UCLA, USC, Cal, and Notre Dame. Barr is 6-4, 230, and could play anything from receiver to linebacker to defensive back, although most schools are recruiting him as a running back.
• Stevenson hopes to parlay postseason success — Observer & Eccentric Hometown — Local article previewing the Livonia Stevenson football squad, led by running back Austin White, a 2010 Michigan commit. It appears he’ll be playing on both sides of the ball come fall, and the hopes are that the team will build on the success of last season, when they went 10-3 and made the state semifinals.

Basketball:

• Harris, Sims Named Preseason Wooden Candidates — MGoBlue — Michigan gets some national award love, as Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims are among the 50 players named to the Wooden Award watch list.
• While Michigan’s basketball schedule looks good, there’s one stretch that should be a big concern — AnnArbor.com — Starting Jan. 14, Michigan plays: Indiana, UConn, @Wisconsin, @Purdue, Michigan State. Color me concerned. That stretch could vault Michigan into the top ten in the country or destroy a tournament season.
• Michigan Madness Slated for Oct. 16 at Crisler Arena — MGoBlue — FINALLY, Michigan has a Midnight Madness hoops event. Doors open at 8, and the festivities start at 9, with player intros, a skills competition, and scrimmages all on the docket.

Similar Posts:

• Wolverines on the Web Goes Old School
• Harris Reinstated; Grady Back With Hoops Squad
• Wolverines on the Web is Ready for Hoops
• Hate Week
• A (Very) Early Look at the 2010 Offense

Football:

• Did Cane visit today turn Clements? ($) — CaneSport.com — Eduardo Clements, a Rivals250 running back from Miami, named Michigan as his leader after a visit to Miami. This is great news, as it is rare that recruits leave a visit and move a different team up to the top of their list. Hopefully Michigan can get him up for a visit soon, although he states that he wants to wait until after his season to make a college choice.
• Flowers knows two visits he plans to take ($) — TheWolverine.com — Michigan and Notre Dame are the two teams in line to get official visits from Millennium (Arizona) ATH Marquis Flowers, the No. 86 overall player in the Rivals100. Flowers is 6-3, 195, so I’d have to assume that he is being recruited as a receiver, although his numbers suggest he plays running back and defensive back in high school.
• The Golden Decade: The All-Decade Team — CBSSports.com — Jake Long is your Wolverine representative on the all-decade squad. Also, the Tebow hype continues, as he’s picked over Vince Young and Matt Leinart for the first team. Personally, I’d go with VY, simply for his performance in the BCS title game.
• New Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Robinson wants ‘the best tackling team in America’ — AnnArbor.com — Interesting that Stevie Brown is the main player interviewed for this piece. Hopefully pursuit angles will be a major sticking point, considering Brown says that Robinson is so detail-oriented that he stresses correct shin angles for a tackler.
• Wolverines football: key issues — Detroit News — Angelique Chengelis looks at the hot-button issues heading into today’s first fall practice. Is “everything” too broad?

Basketball:

• Robert Traylor wants to finish his rocky career the right way — Detroit Free Press — A great article by Michael Rosenberg on Traylor, who has gone through more than most people can possibly imagine during his life. I gained a ton of respect for the man after reading this piece. Highly recommended reading.

Similar Posts:

• Michigan’s Team of the Decade: Offensive Tackle
• Wolverines on the Web Watches People Run
• Knight to Rutgers & Your Signing Day Primer
• Recruiting Update: Part II (Rounding Out the Class)
• Wild Recruiting Weekend Recap