Junior Michael Shaw will be part of a heated competition to start at tailback.

With the recruiting class of 2010 signed, Michigan football fans can officially turn their attention to spring practice, and ultimately how the team will look come fall. With some assistance from MGoBlog’s depth chart by class and the resources available at The Wolverine (including Michael Spath’s very early look at the 2011 depth chart and Matt Pargoff’s in-depth look at this year’s recruiting class), I’ve done my best to project how the depth chart will look like this fall. Today, I’ll break down my outlook on the offense, and tomorrow I’ll do the same for the defense.

I’ve tried to include every notable scholarship player, including all the true freshmen. Because of this, and the uncertainty of many player’s positions heading into spring practice, I recommend taking the positions listed below with a grain of salt, especially along the offensive line and defensive secondary — at this point, it’s far too early to know who will be playing where. Instead, I wanted to do this to get a feel for the talent and depth of the team, and also be able to use this as a reference for player eligibility. For player eligibility, I’m using what MGoBlog has listed, and for player heights and weights I’m referring to last year’s official roster or Rivals’ recruiting data — I’ll do my best to note if a player has made reported weight gains or losses where applicable. Without further ado, let’s check out the depth chart:

Quarterback: No surprises here — Tate Forcier should head into the fall as the team’s starting quarterback, and I expect Rich Rodriguez and his staff will do their best to keep true freshman Devin Gardner on track to redshirt. Denard Robinson will remain the backup quarterback, and true freshman Conelius Jones will only see the field if the quarterback apocalypse occurs (nothing against Jones, but I don’t think anyone wants to see our second-choice true freshman athlete get forced into action).

Running Backs: The most interesting position battle on offense will be for the starting tailback spot, but with sophomore Vincent Smith sidelined for spring practice with a torn ACL, Michigan fans will have to wait for the fall to see how that one turns out. Smith appeared to be the probable 2010 starter until tearing that ACL against Ohio State, but by no means was he a shoe-in for the spot — junior speedster Michael Shaw, 2009 scout team standout (and former Rivals four-star) Fitzgerald Toussaint and athletic redshirt sophomore Michael Cox will all compete for snaps with the first team in the spring. Freshman Austin White is a solid pass-catching threat who could see situational time in the fall as well.

[UPDATE: Thanks to JC for bringing to my attention that Kelvin Grady is moving over to running back for the spring. That change is now reflected in the depth chart, as well as Teric Jones moving back to offense. For now, I've put Jones in the slot, but he may also see snaps at running back as well.]

At fullback, Mark Moundros returns, although he saw his playing time diminish as Michigan further implemented Rich Rodriguez’s offense last season. A player to watch will be true freshman Stephen Hopkins, a 6-0, 235-pound bulldozer who could see time at both tailback and fullback — the coaching staff has expressed interest in using him like West Virginia used Owen “Runaway Beer Truck” Schmitt, who lined up both as a traditional fullback and as the only back in single-back sets. Hopkins could be called upon in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

Wide Receiver: This would be one of those instances where you can basically ignore my guesses at position — I didn’t make much differentiation between X and Y, so treat all these players as simply outside receivers if you want to make things more simple. Darryl Stonum and Junior Hemingway both started at times (read: when healthy) last season, and should reprise their roles in 2010. Sophomore Je’Ron Stokes saw intermittent playing time as a true freshman, and should have a much larger role with the departures of Greg Mathews and LaTerryal Savoy. Of the incoming crop of freshmen receivers, I think Ricardo Miller has the best chance of seeing early playing time — both Robinson and Williamson could use a redshirt year to develop physically, while Jeremy Jackson could have a difficult time earning a role over more athletic receivers on the roster. If Cameron Gordon stays on the offensive side of the ball, he could be a guy to watch next season — he has great physical tools for a receiver.

Slot Receiver: Michigan has an abundance of talent at the slot, including arguably the two best receivers on the roster in Roy Roundtree and Martavious Odoms. Both players will see the field plenty in 2010, and I expect to see Michigan go to more four-receiver sets in order to get their best players on the field as much as possible. Kelvin Grady should show improvement after spending last season struggling with the offense, but he will be pushed for time by promising redshirt freshman Jeremy Gallon, a player who many thought would contribute immediately after stepping on campus. That didn’t happen, but the talent is still there — the only question is whether there is enough playing time at the slot to go around. Terrence Robinson appears to be the odd man out at slot receiver at this point — unless he shows better hands and a great deal more comfort with the knee injury he suffered as a freshman, he’ll have a hard time cracking the lineup. Drew Dileo could contribute on special teams, but expect him to redshirt unless he wins a job as a returner.

Tight End: It will be interesting to see how much the tight end position gets utilized in 2010 — starter Kevin Koger’s role diminished as the season wore on last year, and Rich Rodriguez hasn’t taken a recruit at the position since he took over at Michigan. Still, Koger finished fifth on the team in receptions last year, and early in the season appeared to be Tate Forcier’s go-to guy in the red zone, so I’d be surprised if the tight end position was phased out completely. That’s good news for Koger, but Martell Webb and Brandon Moore may have a tough time seeing the field in the fall, as I’m guessing Rodriguez would prefer playing one of his talented slot receivers instead of a backup tight end. This position group could be one of the keys to Michigan’s offense in 2010 or completely gone from the depth chart by 2011.

Offensive Line: Please, please don’t take these position groupings too seriously — there are several players on the line who could start at multiple positions, especially Patrick Omameh and Mark Huyge, who both could start at either tackle or guard. The wild cards along the line are Ricky Barnum and Quinton Washington, who could easily challenge for a starting guard spot over Huyge/Omameh. I expect Omameh, who showed a lot of promise at guard last season, to start somewhere along the line, but more experienced linemen like Huyge and Perry Dorrestein could be bumped from the lineup in favor of younger (but more highly-touted) linemen.  I don’t think the coaching staff would be very comfortable with a line full of freshmen, sophomores and Molk, but they’ve been steadfast in their assertions that the best players will see the field regardless of age. Other than Molk at center and Schilling at left guard, I wouldn’t be surprised to see any combination of players along the line in 2010.

Kicker: Redshirt freshman Brendan Gibbons has the inside track for the placekicker position, but he was supposed to win the position last fall before giving way to walk-on Jason Olesnavage. Olesnavage has graduated, but don’t rule out the possibility of walk-on Scott Schrimscher winning the job. Redshirt senior Bryan Wright has lost multiple battles for the placekicker position, and likely will be relegated to kickoff duties again in the fall.

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Roy Roundtree looks like he will be an integral part of the 2010 offense.

There’s not much left to say about the 2009 season, so I’m going to go ahead and take a look at what the 2010 team will look like. First up is the offense, which should see little turnover from a very young unit. Just a note: I’ll be referring to players by what class they will be in for 2010 (for instance, I’ll be calling Tate Forcier a sophomore).

Quarterback: There will be a lot of speculation about the quarterback position, especially with the way Tate Forcier finished his freshman campaign. Forcier obviously has the inside track at the starting position in 2010, with a full season as the starter in Rich Rodriguez’s system under his belt. Denard Robinson has shown value as a situational quarterback, but hasn’t shown the passing ability to be a full-time solution at the position. The wild card will be the presence of incoming freshman Devin Gardner, Rivals.com’s #1 quarterback in the Class of 2010 and a threat to start from the moment he steps on campus. Unfortunately, Gardner will not be able to enroll early, and will have a tough time learning the offense quickly enough to unseat Forcier. In all likelihood, we’ll see the same quarterback rotation that we saw in 2009 — I doubt Rich Rodriguez wants to put his job on the line with another true freshman starting at the most important position on the field. Forcier should be an improved player when we see him next fall, and hopefully the rookie mistakes that marred the Ohio State game will be largely absent from his game a year from now.

Running Back: Michigan loses two talented (but oft-injured) tailbacks in Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown, but there is still a lot of talent returning at the position. Junior Michael Shaw and sophomore Vincent Smith should provide a solid one-two punch similar to how Michigan rotated Minor and Brown when they were healthy. They could be pushed for playing time by redshirt freshman Fitzgerald Toussaint (a highly-regarded four-star who put up very impressive numbers in high school) and redshirt sophomore Mike Cox, who at the very least will provide some depth at the position. Smith showed flashes of real promise in the second half of the season, and scored Michigan’s only touchdown against Ohio State on a nice 18-yard reception — he has showed an ability to run between the tackles despite his small stature, and could turn into a workhorse-type back. Shaw is more in the Carlos Brown mold (right down to the consistent nagging injuries), a guy with track-star speed who is a threat to take any run the distance. The Wolverines will also add Livonia Stevenson running back Austin White, a three-star tailback who is a very good receiver out of the backfield, and the large (6-0, 235 lbs.) Stephen Hopkins in the freshman class, although both will have an uphill climb for playing time. Despite losing two senior backs, Michigan looks to be in good shape at running back in 2010.

Outside Receiver: Michigan only loses two players, Greg Mathews and LaTerryal Savoy, from a unit that couldn’t consistently produce in 2009. Juniors Darryl Stonum and Junior Hemingway are your likely starters for 2010, and have the potential to provide Forcier with two solid deep threats if they continue to develop as players. Michigan will also return sophomore Je’Ron Stokes and redshirt freshman Cameron Gordon, a couple of four-star players from the Class of 2009, and will add some young talent in incoming freshmen Ricardo Miller, Jerald Robinson, D.J. Williamson, and Jeremy Jackson. Miller, an early commit who moved to Ann Arbor after playing his first three high school seasons at Dr. Phillips (FL), has the best chance to see the field early, although Jerald Robinson is the highest-rated player (Rivals.com four-star, #45 wide receiver) of the true freshmen and could also have an impact early on. The issue with the outside receivers isn’t talent — Stonum, Stokes, and Gordon were all four-star recruits, and Hemingway has been impressive when healthy — but consistency. Expect to see a lot of rotation at receiver until somebody steps up and establishes themselves as a consistent threat.

Slot Receivers: An injury to Martavious Odoms gave Roy Roundtree an opportunity to show his ability at slot receiver, and Roundtree may have edged out Odoms as the starter with his performance over the latter half of 2009. Both players should see ample playing time in 2010, and Roundtree’s emergence as Forcier’s go-to guy could mean Michigan shows more four-receiver sets next fall. Before his injury, Odoms had established himself as Michigan’s most consistent receiver under Rich Rodriguez, and also garnered praise for his downfield blocking and knowledge of the offense. Each player brings a different set of skills to the table, and Michigan will likely utilize both with regularity in 2010. There is a lot of depth at this position, with junior Kelvin Grady, sophomore Terrence Robinson, and redshirt freshman Jeremy Gallon all returning, to be joined by incoming freshmen Drew Dileo and Tony Drake. Grady, who saw his playing time decrease as Roundtree’s role expanded, could see more playing time as his transition from basketball to football continues. Many thought Gallon would contribute this season, but a late start because of academic clearinghouse issues forced him to redshirt — he’s a dark horse guy who could have a breakout season if he gets the opportunity. Overall, there’s a lot of talent in the slot, and Michigan should once again see the majority of their receiving production come from the position.

Tight Ends: Big things were expected from the tight end position, especially junior Kevin Koger, in 2009, but a strong start from Koger was followed by a disappointing string of drops as the position became more of a non-factor as the season wore on. However, there is still a lot of talent at tight end, with Koger joined by senior Martell Webb and redshirt sophomore Brandon Moore. The position will be one to watch in 2010 — Rich Rodriguez rarely utilized tight ends at West Virginia, but Koger has shown the potential to be a huge weapon in the spread. Along with Webb, who also struggled with drops this season, Koger may just be playing for the survival of the tight end position at Michigan next season. If he can catch the ball, Koger could be an All-Big Ten player next year, and a great safety valve for Forcier.

Offensive Line: The unit with the most turnover is the offensive line, which loses starters Mark Ortmann and David Moosman, as well as backup Tim McAvoy. However, Michigan returns five players who earned starts in 2009 in Steve Schilling, David Molk, Mark Huyge, Perry Dorrestein, and Patrick Omameh. Schilling (right guard) and Molk (center) will likely hold down their current positions, but the other three spots on the line are up for grabs, with a bevy of talented linemen all competing for playing time. Omameh performed well at right guard in the last few games of the season, and will likely earn a starting spot somewhere on the line. Huyge is another player that can play multiple positions, and should compete with Dorrestein and redshirt freshmen Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield for a shot at one of the tackle positions. On the interior of the line, redshirt sophomores Ricky Barnum, Rocko Khoury, and Elliott Mealer, as well as redshirt freshman Quinton Washington, will provide depth and push for playing time. Regardless of who earns starting spots on the line, the experience and talent at every position should mean an improved unit for 2010.

2010 Outlook: The 2009 offense improved drastically from a disastrous unit in Rich Rodriguez’s first year at Michigan. With Tate Forcier having a full year at Michigan under his belt — and hopefully with a greater appreciation for holding on to the football — the Wolverines should once again have an improved offense in 2010. Forcier will be the key — the offensive line should be better with experience, and there is a lot of talent and depth at all the skill positions. If Michigan can get more efficiency from the quarterback position — and they should — we could be seeing one of the nation’s most potent offenses next season.

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Expect to see a lot of Vincent Smith against DSU.

My internet has decided to only work half the time, and at a snail’s pace when it does, so this is going to be a very quick “Five Things…”

1. Don’t get injured — If Tate plays more than a quarter, I’ll be a little concerned. Hopefully he’s smart enough to not scramble too much or take any big hits. I’m really hoping we can get the starters out by the second half and just put it in cruise control from there.
2. Lots of carries for Shaw and Smith — Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown may be the present, but they are also seniors. Michael Shaw and Vincent Smith have both shown flashes of tremendous talent at times (Shaw in actual games, Smith in spring practice, mostly). I’d love to see both of them get some work in with the starters and let Minor and Brown fully heal for Penn State.
3. Denard Robinson complete some downfield passes — Shoelace’s confidence can’t be riding very high after that pick against Iowa. If the coaches let him loose and allow him to sling the ball downfield, hopefully he’ll respond with a solid game. If he can’t show passing ability against Delaware State, you can pretty much write him off as a passing threat for the rest of this season.
4. No blown assignments by the defense — We shouldn’t have to worry about DSU moving the ball against the defense that much. However, much of the issues with the defense have not been schematic, but simply players missing assignments or getting out of position. This should be a game where the team can focus fully on fixing those kind of mistakes.
5. Don’t get injured — Seriously.

Prediction: 48-10 Michigan. If this game is much closer, I may start breaking things.

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Odds are, Ricky Stanzi will throw a pick. Michigan has to capitalize.

It’s Thursday, so again it’s time for “Five Things…”. First, a look back at last week (unfortunately):

1. Continue the success of the return game — Stonum returned three kicks for 60 yards, a far cry from the 218 return yards (albeit on seven returns) he had against Indiana. He didn’t really come close to breaking one, and Michigan could really have used the field position they enjoyed against the Hoosiers. Oh well.
2. Limit the freshmen mistakes — Up until his last pass of the game, Forcier managed to pull this one off despite teetering on the edge of disaster several times in the late stages of the game. However, you can’t really pin this on on Tate: the guy was doing everything he possibly could to will the offense down the field. Even with the pick in overtime, Tate did a tremendous job of not making a disastrous play until it reached a point where he finally tried to do too much.
3. Get to the quarterback — The defense, outside of the mammoth 17-play drive in the first quarter, played a very solid game. The D recorded two sacks and had several other hurries (Brandon Graham, especially, had a MONSTER game). This is one area that was tough to criticize last weekend.
4. Seriously, re-establish the deep threat — Michigan did have two 40+ yard completions, one to Koger and the late catch-and-run by Stonum. However, there really still isn’t a guy that Michigan can just send on a fly route and put the ball up there. Where art thou, Junior Hemingway?
5. Stay tough in the red zone — The Wolverines alternating between bending and breaking: the first State TD was a break, to say the least, and not in a good way, and the 15-yard touchdown run by Winston met little to no resistance. However, Michigan also held State to two short field goals, including one on the drive that ensued directly after the rollout punt FAIL. And Brandon Graham did this:

Which was awesome. Half-credit, maybe?

All in all, this could go anywhere from a 1/5 to a 4/5, depending on how you look at it. Let’s just say 2.5/5 and move on to the keys for Iowa before the vein in my forehead explodes.

1. Capitalize on scoring chances — When looked at from a pure points allowed perspective, Iowa’s defense is daunting, to say the least. They’ve given up a mere 13.4 points per game, good for 10th in the country (and only third in the conference, which is ridiculous). However, Iowa drops down to 32nd in the country in total yards allowed (302.6 per game) and 50th in the country in rush defense (122.2 yards per game). Now, I’m no Smart Football (seriously, check out that site), but that looks to me like a defense that has gotten a little bit lucky in the turnover department (anyone who watched the Penn State game probably has the same impression) and is due to give up some points. Michigan has to take points when they are available.
2. Force Ricky Stanzi to beat you with his arm — I must say, I have no clue why people are so high on Stanzi. He is currently 70th in the country in passing efficiency, and coincidentally just one spot ahead of Western’s Tim Hiller and three ahead of Indiana’s Ben Chappell. In five games this season, he’s thrown eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. I realize that pass defense is the weakness of this Michigan team, but the defense actually did a solid job against State’s previously-productive passing game, and Stanzi is prone to mistakes. Semi-bold prediction: Donovan Warren comes up with a pick. Mark it down.
3. Get Brandon Minor at least 25 touches — It sounds more and more like Carlos Brown will not be available on Saturday (rumor is he suffered a concussion in practice, FWIW), which means lots of Brandon Minor and some Michael Shaw sprinkled in. As noted earlier, Iowa is actually somewhat susceptible to the run. Against a defense as strong as the Hawkeyes’, having some success on the ground would be huge. Minor only had four touches against MSU (for 2 yards), and that cannot happen again if Michigan wants to be in this game.
4. Jonas Mouton, please stop being an idiot — I don’t know what else to say on this one. Mouton, more than any other Wolverine (besides, maybe, whoever is playing corner opposite Warren) has been responsible for big plays by the opponent. He is insanely athletic, but gets himself out of position and gives up the edge far too often. If Mouton can regain his form from the end of last year, and stay in the game mentally, he could be a real force on defense. Michigan needs somebody besides Warren and Graham to step up and make plays; Mouton could (and should) be that guy.
5. Make a statement — A lot of people will be tuning in to this game to see if Michigan is for real. So far, we have beaten three crappy teams and a Notre Dame squad that looks to be borderline top-25 and lost to a crappy Michigan State team. Heading into the meat of the Big Ten schedule, this team still doesn’t really have an identity. Some how, some way, forge an identity against Iowa, and the momentum from a night win against a top-15 team could carry this team through the season.

I’m really torn on this game. On one hand, I think Michigan is a far better team than we showed last week, and Iowa has really played down to their competition in every game and looks ripe for an upset. On the other hand, this is a night game (and homecoming, and a “blackout” game) in Iowa, and we have a very young team that has yet to really prove themselves. I think this will be close, but home field gives the edge to the Hawkeyes … Iowa 27, Michigan 18.

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Don't let this happen, please.

It’s Thursday, which means another edition of “Five Things…”. First, a look back at last week’s game:

1. Establish Denard Robinson as a passing threat — 0-4, 2 interceptions. Bad. Two rushing touchdowns? Good. Still, Denard needs to show he can throw downfield with some accuracy if he is going to have consistent success running the ball.
2. Establish dominance up front — I should have clarified that this was pointed towards the defense. Well, the defense didn’t exactly dominate, and EMU had a fair amount of success running the ball in the first half. However, the defensive line (especially, of course, Brandon Graham) played fairly well against both the run and the pass. The linebackers, unfortunately, remain a point of major concern.
3. Obi Ezeh bounces back — Ezeh showed flashes against Eastern, making a few nice plays when he recognized a play early and attacked with confidence. However, there are still too many plays where he gets caught hesitating and gets taken out of the play. He took a step forward against EMU, but will have to take a few more to be the player we expect three-year starters to become.
4. One of the young tailbacks shows starting potential — Michael Shaw is a young Carlos Brown, if Carlos Brown managed to stay healthy. So yes, starting potential.
5. A cornerback besides Donovan Warren actually plays well — Eastern did not pass a whole lot, but Boubacar Cissoko looked much improved in the limited opportunities he was given to play the pass. That pass interference was just about the worst call I’ve ever seen made on a football field, and Cissoko had tremendous coverage on that play, so I was actually encouraged by a penalty. Yes, it has come to this.

At best, I can give Michigan a 2.5/5 for last week’s effort. Hopefully they’ll come out this week and show more improvement. Here are my keys to the Indiana game:

1. Contain Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton — The Hoosiers are by no means a good team, but they do boast two NFL-quality defensive ends in Kirlew and Middleton. Wolverine fans got a huge scare last week when Tate Forcier was slammed onto his back and stayed down on the field after the play; I’d rather not have to go through that again. The last thing Michigan needs is for Forcier to be uncomfortable in his own pocket. If Mark Ortmann and Mark Huyge (and Kevin Koger, to a lesser extent) can keep Forcier’s jersey (and bill of health) clean, Michigan should be able to pick apart the Hoosier defense.
2. Gel on the offensive line — With David Molk out and David Moosman returning (and moving over to center), Michigan will have to deal with a realigned offensive line for the second straight week. They responded well last week when dealing with Moosman’s absence, and hopefully will adapt just as well this week. Losing the center is tough, however, since he is the man tasked with making the calls up front, as well as shouldering the responsibility of making sure the ball gets safely to the quarterback. Moosman and Forcier will hopefully have built a solid rapport in practice this week, as Michigan has already dealt with a few fumbled snaps this season.
3. Re-establish a deep threat — Michigan eased Junior Hemingway back into the lineup last week, and he is now 100% according to Rich Rodriguez. It’d be nice to see Hemingway or Darryl Stonum stretch the field vertically a few times this game and keep Indiana from selling out against the run. If opponents are forced to respect Michigan’s ability to go deep, they’ll have a tough time stopping the run and not allowing a big play.
4. Shore up the run defense — Getting Jonas Mouton back into the lineup will help, but Michigan still has to prove that they can hold at the point of attack and stop the run consistently. The Hoosiers’ rushing attack is currently in the middle of the pack in the country (65th overall with 146.7 yards per game) despite playing a very easy schedule (Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan, @Akron). The Wolverines should be able to limit Indiana on the ground, but will have to play better than what they’ve done so far this year.
5. Keep Brandon Minor healthy — Minor is again a game-time decision because of a high-ankle sprain. These are the kind of injuries that can linger throughout a whole season (or, in Minor’s case, seemingly an eternity). I don’t think the dropoff between Minor and Carlos Brown is enough to warrant risking Minor’s health if he is not close to 100%, while a fully-healthy Minor will provide a big-time weapon when the meat of the Big Ten season comes around. Minor was held out of practice yesterday, so I really doubt he’s close to 100% healthy. If Michigan can get away with sitting Minor and letting Brown carry the load Saturday, I think that would be the best course of action, especially with a trip to East Lansing just one week away.

It’s amazing how many question marks still surround this team (especially the defense) three weeks into the season. The D showed signs of improvement against EMU, and get a key cog back in Jonas Mouton. On offense, Michigan has established themselves as potentially one of the premier rushing teams in the country. I think that trend continues Saturday: Michigan 38, Indiana 20.

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I love watching Denard run, but Michigan needs to establish him as a passing threat.

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

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According to Rich Rodriguez, Brandon Minor is "questionable" for Saturday's opener.

Well, this isn’t exactly good news:

Michigan senior running back Brandon Minor is still “limping around” and is questionable for U-M’s game with Western Michigan Saturday, head coach Rich Rodriguez said today. Minor is nursing an ankle injury suffered early in camp.

Senior Carlos Brown would likely start in Minor’s absence, though sophomore Michael Shaw is pushing him, Rodriguez reported. Vincent Smith and Kevin Grady will also likely get carries against the Broncos.

The good news: we’re so deep at tailback that this shouldn’t hurt us too much against Western.

The bad news: With Minor’s extensive injury history, having him banged up heading into the season is not what I wanted to hear. Minor was clearly the best running back on the team last year (and one of the best in the conference in the latter half of the season), and if he has to fight through another injury-plagued season it could cost Michigan a couple games.

The upshot: Let’s really hope this is not a serious injury, and can be solved by a week of rest. For all his talent, Carlos Brown has a tough time staying healthy as well, and after him Michigan is relying on Michael Shaw, another guy who hasn’t stayed healthy, then guys who have never played meaningful minutes in a college football game (and Kevin Grady, but he’s basically a fullback at this point). The fact that the injury was suffered early in camp really concerns me. Let’s hope those concerns are unfounded.

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"All In For Michigan" is not just a catchphrase, but the driving force behind Rich Rodriguez's 2009 squad.

Football:

• At U-M it’s “all in” from everybody — Detroit News — Interesting article with some great quotes from Rich Rodriguez, including what he expected last year (“I was like everybody else when I took the job — it’s Michigan, throw ‘em out there and you’ll win your share,”) and some pointed words on transfers: “What am I supposed to be concerned with — guys that are low on the depth chart and not performing the way they should, academically and athletically?” he said. “We’re supposed to panic about that? I’m confused. I got 126 players that are doing it and I’m supposed to worry about the handful that didn’t want to?” Amen.
• U-M commits face off in opener — Detroit Free Press — The main event of the Big Prep Day Showdown at Rynearson Stadium will feature two Michigan commits in Devin Gardner (Inkster) and Ricardo Miller (Pioneer). Their game begins Saturday at 8 pm … I’ll be there, and encourage football-starved Michigan fans to come out in force to support a couple future Wolverines.
• Offensive line holds key to Michigan’s turnaround — Grand Rapids Press — Howie Beardley goes a little far in trying to prove his point (I’m pretty sure it does matter whether Nick Sheridan or Tate Forcier is starting the Western game), but the bigger picture remains true: offensive success is directly tied to the success of the offensive line. With all the talk about three quarterbacks playing and whatnot, we forget that the maturation and improvement of the big uglies up front is as important as anything else for U-M this season.
• Wolverines plan to use depth at running back — Detroit News — Looks like we’re going to see a lot of backs get action this season. Fred Jackson, in referring to Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown, Michael Shaw, Kevin Grady, and Vincent Smith, said: “You’re going to see [all five backs playing] and you’re going to see it very effectively, because I think they all warrant (playing time) because they’re all good enough.”
• Troy Woolfolk is enjoying his change of position in Michigan’s secondary — AnnArbor.com — It appears that having the speed of Troy Woolfolk at the safety position is already paying dividents for the Wolverine defense: “Less so than last year is the play culminating in a 50-yard bomb, you know,” linebacker Obi Ezeh said. “That’s always a good thing when you don’t have to worry about that.” Let’s hope that’s not just talk; the big pass play is something Michigan needs to greatly cut down on this season.
• Behind The Music: How Michigan picks songs for its football practices — AnnArbor.com — Apparently, coaches and players can submit any (clean, curse-free) song to be added to a huge playlist, which explains why last week’s practice featured a jump from the Jackson 5 to “Cotton Eyed Joe” to Lil’ Wayne. Also, coaches make sure to sprinkle in songs such as “Jump Around”, the Wisconsin staple, as both a motivational tool and a way to practice dealing with distractions and crowd noise.
• Marcus Ray: Putting Family First — Lost Lettermen — The former Wolverine safety and 1997 national champion details his move from Michigan (in 2007 as a grad assistant) to CMU to Ohio Dominican University (in his hometown of Columbus) in pursuit of coaching opportunity while balancing family obligations. Also, Ray is working on a book about the ‘97 champs called “The Making of a National Champion: The Untold Ties That Bind”.
• Chris Howard: Moving Cross-Country for Film — Lost Lettermen — The starting tailback from that ‘97 team is also moving around the country for work: Howard, a Louisiana native, is now in Atlanta working as the COO of Theos Entertainment. Nice to see these former players staying connected with fans through Lost Lettermen.
• Five Things Maize n Brew Would Change About the Michigan Gameday Experience — Maize n Brew — I agree with all five points, although I highly doubt the school would agree to designating “non-standing” and “standing” sections, regardless of how practical it sounds. We definitely need to upgrade the scoreboards, which will become an obsolete eyesore when the renovations are finished in 2010.

Basketball:

• The Expectations Game — UMHoops — Dylan notes just how vastly different the expectations (from the fans, media, and the team) are for this year’s Michigan squad as opposed to the expectations going into last season. The job John Beilein has done of rebuilding this program in such a short period of time is nothing short of spectacular.
• Top non-conference games to watch in 2009-10 — Fox Sports — Michigan makes the list twice, coming in at No. 11 for the Jan. 17 home game against UConn, and at No. 13 for the road trip to Lawrence to face Kansas on Dec. 19.

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• Dammit

Craig Roh could make an immediate impact at the 'quick' position.

With football season a mere two weeks away, it’s about time to start making some predictions. Today, I will make five optimistic predictions for Michigan’s season. Next week (I’m taking a brief vacation this weekend) I’ll hit you with the other side of the coin, making five more pessimistic predictions. On with the show!

1. Michigan upsets a top 15 team — By my count, there are four squads that Michigan could face that would be ranked in the top 15: Penn State, Ohio State, Illinois, and Iowa. Of those, Michigan gets the two toughest (PSU and OSU) at home. By the time they play any of those teams, Michigan should have an established starting quarterback and a decent comfort level with both the offense and defense. Personally, I think our best chance is against Iowa (as stated earlier on this blog, I think they’re overrated), but, last season aside, we own Penn State, and boy are we ever due for an upset against the Buckeyes. I like Michigan’s chances of taking at least one of those games.
2. Tate Forcier completes 60% of his passes — Boy, could this one make me look stupid, but between his performance in the Spring Game and fall practices, I’m pushing for the driver’s seat on the Tate Forcier bandwagon. Accuracy is probably his best attribute, and Rich Rodriguez’s bubble screens and quick passes should help bolster Forcier’s completion percentage while he gets comfortable at the college level. No, Forcier doesn’t have an elite NFL talent like Braylon Edwards at receiver, like Chad Henne did as a freshman, but he is surrounded by a lot of serviceable weapons (Minor, Brown, Mathews, Hemingway, Odoms, Gallon, Grady, Smith, etc.), which should help ease his transition.
3. Craig Roh records at least five sacks — Not a whole lot is known about Roh’s role at this point, as he wasn’t one of the early enrollees from this year’s freshman class. However, he is a pass-rushing demon who seems like the perfect fit at the ‘quick’ position, especially as a situational pass rusher. His size (listed at 6-4, 238 on the official roster) is far too small to play DE in Greg Robinson’s system, but he should have no problem rushing from a two-point stance off the edge.
4. Kelvin Grady catches at least 20 passes — This sounds a bit bold, to say the least, since only Martavious Odoms and Greg Mathews had more than 20 receptions last year, and Grady spent the last two years on the hardwood, not the gridiron. However, Grady has impressed in fall camp, and from what I’ve seen of him he has a very impressive set of hands to go along with the speed and quickness we all witnessed while he played point guard for John Beilein. He could be very dangerous in the open field, and should be one of several players (including Odoms, obviously, as well as Jeremy Gallon, Roy Roundtree, and maybe Terrence Robinson) to see significant time in the slot. I’d love to see what he can do with a well-executed bubble screen; he could be a home-run threat for the Michigan offense.
5. As a team, Michigan averages over 5 yards per carry — The Wolverines’ offensive line will be much-improved from last season (they have to be, right?), and with Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown, and Michael Shaw all returning (plus the arrival of freshman Vincent Smith, a spring standout), Michigan should improve markedly on their 3.9 yards per carry average from last season. Don’t forget that Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson will be running the quarterback keepers instead of Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan. Plus, with a full year under Rich Rodriguez’s offense, Michigan should be ready to bust out some trickery this season, and we should see more big runs from a team whose longest run in 2008 came from the plodding Threet (58 yards against Wisconsin). All this adds up to at least a one-yard improvement per run this season.

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The Michigan Daily thinks Zack Novak is flying under the radar heading into 2009-2010.

Football:

• Sources: Wermer [sic] was already out at UM — ESPN.com — According to Adam Rittenberg over at ESPN.com, Kurt Wermers was already academically ineligible before he transferred from Michigan and badmouthed the program on the way out. I laughed when I saw this. You stay classy, Kurt. That is, if you can spell classy.
• History Suggests More Will Leave — When Carcajous Attack! — A very in-depth look at player attrition under Rich Rodriguez during his time at West Virginia. This is a purely numbers overview, and doesn’t delve into the reasons behind players leaving, but from the looks of it we can always expect to lose players each offseason before their eligibility expires.
• New Football Practice Facility Named Al Glick Field House — MGoBlue — As a general rule, large buildings get named after you when your family donates $8.7 million(!), as is the case with Alro Steel Corp.’s Al Glick. Many thanks to Glick for his generous support of the University and the football program.
• U-M running back Michael Shaw expects improved season for himself, team — Detroit Free Press — Very interesting quote in this article from Shaw, who apparently was never healthy last season and couldn’t show off his elite speed:
  

  “I remember the Minnesota game, and nine times out of 10 that’s a touchdown,” Shaw said, referring to his 48-yard run, which led to his season-best 71-yard day. “I broke a long run and got dragged from behind. It was then that I was like, ‘I’m really hurting. I’ve never not been able to run, not been able to explode.’ “

• Varsity Numbers: Introducing POE — Football Outsiders [via MGoBlog] — A new stat from the guys over at Football Outsiders suggests Brandon Minor has a good chance of being a very good running back next season. POE stands for “Points Over Expected” and looks at a player’s ability to be both a workhorse back and still gain a high amount of yards per play (lots of statistical stuff behind that, which I can’t begin to fully understand or explain). Anyways, Minor is the 10th best returning back according to POE, while Standup Sam McGuffie finished seventh from last in 2008, which sounds about right considering his running style.
• “They Just Kept Coming My Way” — MVictors — Greg, being the historian he is, corrects a minor error in the new Maple Street Press preview magazine, Hail to the Victors, and takes a look at the ridiculous career and single game sack records of Mark Messner (including a quote from Messner himself). Side note: Northwestern was somewhat awful in 1987, when they game up five sacks to Messner because they kept rolling the pocket towards him.
• Jarrod Bunch: Stop Calling Players “Busts” — Lost Lettermen — Jarrod Bunch posts over at Lost Lettermen, a blog that features former college athletes. Bunch defends former players (himself included, as well as Tyrone Wheatley) who are labeled busts, saying oftentimes the issue is overblown expectations from fans and teams. He even comes to the defense of former Buckeye Vernon Gholston, which, well, argh.
• Preferred Walk-On QB Changes Mind, Will Attend MSU — Michigan Sports Center — Hudsonville (MI) quarterback Casey Blackport will go to State instead of Michigan, which would be a big deal if anyone had heard of him or known he intended to come to Michigan. And if he was good. That too. Moving along … nothing to see here.

Basketball:

• The Daily Dozen: 12 Wolverines under the radar in 2009-10 — Michigan Daily — This really shouldn’t go under the basketball heading, since it encompasses all M sports, but Zack Novak tops the list compiled by Daily writer Ryan Kartje. There’s a few football players of note, as well as incoming hoops freshman Matt Vogrich, so you should head over and check out the whole list.

Hockey:

• U-M’s Jack Johnson signs two-year contract with Kings — Detroit News — JMFJ inks a new deal to stay in Los Angeles. Article completely overshadowed by awesome picture of JMFJ leveling some poor Russian. JMFJ, FTW.
• Bruins sign defenceman Matt Hunwick to contract extension — The Canadian Press — Of course, right as I post, this comes across my RSS feed. No terms yet, but the extension is a multiyear one, coming after Hunwick was third among Boston defensemen with 27 points in his rookie season. Also, I very nearly [sic]‘d the spelling of “defenceman” above … silly Canadians.

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