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 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:
Receptions
Yards
Yards/Reception
Touchdowns
David Terrell (1998-2000)
152
2317
15.2
23
Marquise Walker (1998-2001)
176
2269
12.9
17
Braylon Edwards (2001-2004)
252
3541
14.1
39
Jason Avant (2002-2005)
169
2247
13.3
13
Steve Breaston (2003-2006)
156
1696
10.9
10
Mario Manningham (2005-2007)
137
2310
16.9
27
Adrian Arrington (2005-2007)
109
1438
13.2
16
Who are your wide receivers of the decade (pick two)?
The 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
When people can refer to a game simply by saying, "The (Your Name) Game" you have reached legendary status."
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
A familiar sight for Michigan fans: Charles Woodson making a spectacular interception.
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:
Everyone — Michigan players, Washington State players, referees, coaches, fans — stand and watch in awe of Woodson as he seemingly levitates to make a picture-perfect interception and the biggest possible moment.
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.
Offense:
15. Marquise Walker
14. Chris Perry
13. Chad Henne
12. Jerame Tuman
11. Brian Griese
10. Anthony Thomas
9. Tom Brady
8. Mario Manningham
7. Steve Hutchinson
6. Jake Long
5. Mike Hart
4. David Terrell
3. Tyrone Wheatley
2. Tshimanga Biakabutuka
1. Braylon Edwards
Defense:
15. William Carr
14. Leon Hall
13. Ian Gold
12. James Hall
11. Rob Renes
10. Alan Branch
9. Marcus Ray
8. Dhani Jones
7. Jarrett Irons
6. Marlin Jackson
5. Glen Steele
4. David Harris
3. LaMarr Woodley
2. Ty Law
1. Charles Woodson
Special Teams:
5. Zoltan Mesko
4. Marquise Walker
3. Garrett Rivas
2. Steve Breaston
1. Remy Hamilton
Starting, well, today, and continuing for the next three weeks, I will be counting down my top 15 offensive and defensive players from the last 15 years. This afternoon, I start with #15 for each side of the ball:
Offense: Marquise Walker, WR, 1998-2001
Walker often made the spectacular look routine. This catch falls into the "making the spectacular look spectacular" category.
Marquise Walker was perhaps the best pure possession receiver I’ve had the pleasure of watching at Michigan. Although he wasn’t the world’s biggest deep threat (his career yards per catch average is only 12.9), number four in blue reeled in practically everything thrown in his general direction.
After being overshadowed by David Terrell in his first three years on campus, Walker cemented his place among the Wolverines’ all-time great receivers with an All-American senior campaign in 2001. “Keese” decided the U-M record book needed a little updating, and he set single-season records for receptions (86 — since passed by Braylon Edwards), receiving yards (1143 — now surpassed by Edwards and Mario Manningham), and 100-yard receiving games (6, now held by, you guessed it, Edwards and Manningham), while also setting the single-game mark for receptions (15 against Washington and Ohio State — strangely, both came in a losing effort) and extending his consecutive games with a catch streak to 36, another school record.
That season catapulted him to the top of the Wolverine career receptions list (176, and if I have to tell you which player bested his mark, go watch some tape from the 2004 season) and earned him first-team All-America honors from the coaches. Oh yeah, and he made this catch (apologies for the poor video and sound quality — I am at the mercy of the YouTubes):
Not too shabby, if you ask me. In fact, his ability at wide receiver and on punt coverage forced me to put him on two lists. Walker was as consistent a wideout as I have seen at Michigan, and his performance in his senior year replacing Terrell (who left a year early for the NFL) as the team’s go-to receiver earned him a place in Wolverine history and a spot on this list.
Defense: William Carr, DT, 1993-1996
Celebrating, Big Willie Style (What's that you say? Outdated joke? Got old in 1997? Whatever.)
He may have been undersized (in height, not girth) but William Carr could move the pile with the best of them. After playing sparingly as a freshman and sophomore, Carr burst onto the scene with a huge junior campaign in 1995, recording 82(!) tackles, including 21 TFLs and 6 sacks. Read that again: 82 tackles from the nose tackle position. Absurdity. Carr was a playmaker at DT, something that doesn’t come around too often.
Carr’s senior year numbers were nearly as gaudy as those from 1995 (78 tackles, 15 TFLs, 3 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, and even 2 pass breakups), and he was recognized for his outstanding effort with first-team All-Big Ten honors (coaches and media) and first-team All-America honors (College Football News).
Carr was so athletic for a big man that Lloyd Carr gave him the chance to be a goal-line running back, and experiment that yielded mixed results. Big Will scored on his first career carry, a three-yard plunge against Michigan State in 1995. However, he was stuffed twice against Purdue that same season, and his only other career carry, at Purdue in 1996, was a disaster. Down 3-0 to the Boilermakers late in the first half, the Wolverines drove from their own 13-yard line down to the Purdue two-yard line. On first-and-goal, Carr fumbled, and Purdue would go on to win 9-3, securing their first victory over U-M since 1982 and ruining the Wolverines’ Rose Bowl hopes.
However, we’re talking about defense here, and William Carr could play himself some defense. He was a matchup nightmare, a guy who could take on two blockers and still find a way to stuff the running back behind the line of scrimmage or turn your quarterback into Flat Stanley. Carr was one the few defensive tackles that would command my attention for entire plays, and sometimes, entire series. Even as I’m writing this, I feel like I’m underrating the guy, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to reconfigure my list for the 37th time. So, I give you William Carr, number 15 with a bullet.
Agree? Disagree? Want to share your favorite Walker and Carr 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) for the next three weeks. 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: tomorrow I post the #14 players for offense and defense.
Over the next few weeks, I will be revealing my top 15 Michigan football players on offense and defense from 1994-2008, as well as the top five special teams players from the same period. Today, I’m giving you a heaping helping of special teams goodness. Enjoy, and make sure to drop a comment or two while you’re here.
5. Zoltan Mesko, P, 2005-present — With Michigan struggling to move the football on offense last season, and with a defense that disappointed (to say the least), Mesko was relied upon to swing field position in the Wolverines’ favor. He certainly did that, leading the Big Ten with a 42.95 yard punting average, booting 25 punts over 50 yards, and nailing the opponent inside their 20-yard line 24 times. Mesko was named first-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media for his performance. Without his ability to pin the opponent deep in their own territory, the 2008 season could have been even uglier than it was. Regardless of how good your team is, when your punter is one of the first names you think of for team MVP, he deserves mention on this list.
4. Marquise Walker, WR, 1998-2001 — Yes, Walker was a tremendous receiver, and is most remembered for his spectacular one-handed touchdown catch against Iowa. However, many forget that he was also a terror on special teams. Walker is the Michigan all-time record holder with four career punt blocks, including a critical block of Wisconsin’s R.J. Morse that set up a field goal in U-M’s 20-17 victory at Camp Randall in 2001. There are few plays that can change the momentum of a game as drastically as a blocked punt, and for that, I’m sticking Walker on this list.
3. Garrett Rivas, K, 2003-2006 — Rivas wasn’t exactly spectacular, and didn’t have the world’s strongest leg, but Michigan fans used to seeing the likes of Phillip Brabbs and Troy Neinberg trying to split the uprights had little to complain about during his four years as the team’s placekicker. He set the Michigan career scoring record with 354 points, and sits second all time with a 78% field goal percentage. As a senior, he converted 17 of 20 field goal attempts, was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist, and was named first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and the media. For a team that had been searching for consistent kicking since, well, the guy at the top of this list, Rivas was invaluable.
2. Steve Breaston, WR/KR/PR, 2003-2006 – Breaston was, quite simply, the most feared kick returner Michigan has had since Desmond Howard (or, one could argue, Anthony Carter). His long stride always seemed to catch opponents off guard, making it look like a gazelle was running through a field of oncoming water buffaloes. His ability to change direction on a dime, especially right after fielding a punt, made it nearly impossible to line him up, and he often broke free for huge gains after reversing field entirely. He finished his career with record-setting numbers: 127 punt returns for 1599 yards (12.6 yard average) and four touchdowns (all school records). He also averaged 24.6 yards per kickoff return with another touchdown in 81 career returns. He may not have been the best player I’ve seen play for Michigan, but he was certainly one of the most electric — a touchdown waiting to happen any time he touched the ball.
1. Remy Hamilton, K, 1993-1996 — Arguably the best kicker in the program’s storied history, Hamilton was a Walter Camp first-team All-American as a sophomore in 1994, his first year as the team’s starting kicker. That year, he converted 25 of 30 kicks (including going 13-for-13 from 30-39 yards) and finished with 101 points. Anyone familiar with his work almost certainly remembers this:
Clutch. That kick is my fondest memory from my first season of watching Michigan football, and it marked the first time a Michigan win sent me running around my house in a display of pure (and hyperactive) joy. For that alone, Hamilton deserves the top spot, and his great career numbers (63-82 on field goals, including a 10-for-18 mark on 40-49 yard kicks, 280 career points) cements his placement atop this list.
"When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing."
- Bo Schembechler
“I ask no man to make a sacrifice. On the contrary! We ask
him to do the opposite. To live clean, come clean, think clean.
That he stop doing all the things that destroy him physically,
mentally and morally, and begin doing all the things that make him keener, finer and more competent" - Fielding Yost
“People come up to me and say, ‘I’m sorry.’ I’m not sorry because I received the greatest thing from the University of Michigan anyone can receive: a degree.” - Zia Combs
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