With Michigan’s 2009 season wrapped up, and the “aughts” now over, I thought I would steal an idea from Dr. Saturday and have my readers vote on a Team of the Decade. Now, your votes have been tallied, so it’s time for me to reveal the Michigan Team of the Decade. The offense went up yesterday; today, it’s time to reveal the defense.
For position groups with more than one winner, the players are listed in order of total votes received.
Alan Branch (2004-2006): Branch played both DE and DT in his Michigan career, but his best games came as a tackle. At 6-6, 331, he was a more athletic player than Watson, able to make a play in the backfield or chase a runner down past the line of scrimmage. After spending his freshman year as a backup, Branch split time between end and tackle in 2005, totaling 34 tackles (four for loss) with 2.5 sacks and earning the Dick Katcher Award as Michigan’s best defensive lineman. With the departure of Watson, Branch moved full-time to tackle in 2006, and helped anchor one of the greatest defenses in school history, tallying 25 tackles (five for loss), two sacks, an interception (against Ohio State, no less), and one bone-crushing hit on Anthony Morelli. He was a consensus All-Big Ten first-teamer, and was drafted with the first pick of the second round by Arizona in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Gabe Watson (2002-2005): Watson was a space-eating behemoth (listed at 6-4 and anywhere between 331 and 339 pounds during his career) who could move like a much smaller man, often penetrating into the backfield despite facing double-teams. He played sparingly in his first two seasons before breaking out as a junior, tallying 37 tackles (six for loss) and two sacks and earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. In his senior season, Watson put up nearly identical numbers, with 40 tackles (six for loss) and two sacks, and again was named first-team all-conference. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by Arizona.
LaMarr Woodley (2003-2006): Remember, children, guns don’t kill people — LaMarr Woodley kills people. Woodley, a coveted recruit from Saginaw, saw the field as a freshman before breaking out in his sophomore season, recording 70 tackles (16 for loss) and four sacks as an outside linebacker. As a rush linebacker in 2005, he added 12 more TFLs and six more sacks before moving full-time to defensive end in 2006. His senior season was his finest, as he tied the school single-season record with 12 sacks and 36 tackles (15 for loss), four forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries. Woodley was named first-team All-America for his performance, and took home both the Ted Hendricks Award (best defensive end in the country) and Lombardi Award (best lineman, offensive or defensive, in the country) for his efforts. Woodley is third in school history in tackles for loss and tied for fourth in career sacks.
Brandon Graham (2006-2009): The heart and soul of the past two Michigan football teams (as well as the reigning two-time team MVP), Graham fought through constant double-teams to put up some of the finest defensive numbers in school history. After playing sparingly as a freshman, Graham burst onto the scene as a sophomore, tallying 9.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. In 2008, Graham took over as the focal point of Michigan’s defense, recording 46 tackles, leading the Big Ten with 20 tackles for loss, and notching ten sacks en route to being named second-team All-Big Ten and SI All-America honorable mention. His senior season was even more impressive, as Graham led the nation (through the end of the regular season) in tackles for loss with an astounding 26 among his 64 total tackles, adding 10.5 sacks and being named the Big Ten co-MVP, a Hendricks Award finalist, first-team All-Big Ten, and first-team All-American by Rivals.com and Scout.com. Graham is second in Michigan history in tackles for loss and career sacks.
David Harris (2003-2006): Harris went from little-used backup in his first two seasons to one of the finest linebackers in the country in his career at Michigan. His career nearly ended when he suffered a knee injury as a true freshman which kept him sidelined for nearly two seasons. After recording ten tackles as a redshirt sophomore, Harris had a breakout year in 2005, leading the team with 88 tackles and earning the Zatkoff Award. In 2006, Harris was the heart of one of the greatest defenses in school history, tallying 96 tackles (16 for loss), three sacks, and an interception, being named first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches (the media, well, were idiots), taking home another Zatkoff Award, sharing team MVP with Mike Hart, and earning second-team All-America honors from the AP, Sports Illustrated, and Rivals.com.
Larry Foote (1998-2001): Foote wasn’t able to crack the starting lineup at Michigan until his junior season, but once he did, he became a force for the Wolverines. As a junior, he recorded 84 tackles (10 for loss), broke up seven passes, and recorded two interceptions en route to being named first-team All-Big Ten. He topped those numbers in his senior campaign, tallying 82 tackles, six sacks, seven pass breakups, and tying Mark Messner for the (then-) school record in tackles for loss with 26. Foote was again named first-team all-conference, won the Roger Zatkoff Award as the team’s most outstanding linebacker, and was named first-team All-America by Football News. Foote’s 44 career tackles for loss places him seventh in school history.
Victor Hobson (1999-2002): Hobson started 39 of his 49 career games with the Wolverines, and a consistent all-conference performer at outside linebacker in his final three seasons. After getting spot duty as a freshman, Hobson started ten games as a sophomore, amassing 58 tackles (12 for loss) and three sacks to earn All-Big Ten honorable mention and the Zatkoff Award as Michigan’s most outstanding linebacker. In his junior season, Hobson tallied 80 tackles (11 for loss) and five sacks and was named second-team All-Big Ten. As a senior, Hobson had his finest season, recording 99 tackles (13 for loss) and 5.5 sacks and earning first-team all-conference honors and another Zatkoff Award. Hobson’s 47 career tackles for loss places him fifth on Michigan’s all-time list.
Marlin Jackson (2001-2004): Yup, I’m being lazy again. A little help, Bentley?
A native of Sharon, Pa., Marlin Jackson earned first-team All-America honors from College Football News as a sophomore. Jackson has accumulated 98 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, six interceptions and one fumble recovery in 24 career games at U-M. His 25 career pass break-ups places him fifth on Michigan’s all-time list. He was named to the Associated Press All-America second team and the Sporting News third team during his sophomore campaign. An All-Big Ten selection in 2002, Jackson set single game (six) and single season (18) pass break-up records and ranked sixth on the team with 51 tackles. Jackson earned Freshman All-America first team honors from the Sporting News after collecting 47 tackles, seven pass break-ups and three interceptions in 2001.
After switching to the safety position for his junior season, Jackson returned to the cornerback spot in 2004 and turned in another all-American performance. He earned first-team honors on the American Football Writers Association squad. A co-captain for the Wolverines, Jackson earned All-Big Ten first team honors from the coaches and media in 2004. Teams threw away from Jackson almost 87 percent of the time during the regular season. He contributed 38 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one interception and four pass breakups this year. Jackson is the team’s active career leader in tackles (186) and pass breakups (34), with his PBU total ranking second all-time on Michigan’s career list.
Jackson’s records for pass breakups in a single-game (six, against Washington in 2002) and season (18, 2002, now tied with Leon Hall’s 2006 season) still stand, and his career total (34) now ranks third all-time at Michigan behind Leon Hall and Todd Howard.
Leon Hall (2003-2006): Hall made an immediate impact upon reaching Ann Arbor, playing in all 13 games as a freshman and finishing the season with 26 tackles and three interceptions, earning first-team freshman All-America honors. As a sophomore, with Jackson sliding over to safety, Hall started nine games at corner, tallying 48 tackles, two interceptions, and breaking up ten passes. Hall took over the No. 1 cornerback spot as a junior, earning All-Big Ten second-team honors with 61 tackles and four interceptions. His finest year came as a senior, when Hall tied Jackson’s school record for pass breakups (18), recorded 45 tackles and three interceptions, was a unanimous choice for first-team All-Big Ten, and was named an AFCA first-team All-American. Hall holds the school record for pass breakups (43), and is tied for fourth with 12 career interceptions.
Ernest Shazor (2002-2004): Shazor, another blue-chip recruit out of Detroit, was a tremendous physical presence at strong safety for Michigan. In his redshirt freshman year, he appeared in 12 games as a reserve, tallying 25 tackles and four pass breakups. He took over as the Wolverines’ strong safety the next season, starting Michigan’s final 11 games and recording 57 tackles (eight for loss), three pass breakups, and two interceptions, and was named second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches. His best year came as a junior, when Shazor earned first-team All-American honors and was a finalist for the Thorpe Award with 84 tackles (10 for loss), two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and a touchdown. Shazor also delivered one of the most memorable hits in school history, sealing a 16-14 victory over 12th-ranked Purdue by forcing a fumble on the Boilermakers’ final possession. Shazor would declare for the NFL Draft after his junior season, but went undrafted and did not catch on after a tryout with the Arizona Cardinals.
Cato June (1999-2002): June, a highly-coveted recruit who chose Charles Woodson’s No. 2 jersey upon enrolling at Michigan, managed to put together a very solid collegiate career despite being plagued by injuries. As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in all 12 games, starting the final four at free safety, and recorded 27 tackles and an interception. In the summer before his redshirt sophomore season, June tore his ACL, which caused him to miss the entirety of the 2000 season. He came back as a junior, starting 11 games between both safety spots and tallying 58 tackles (five for loss), four pass breakups, and two interceptions. As a senior, June started 11 of the team’s 13 games at strong safety, but was forced to miss the greater part of three games after suffering a concussion in a frightening collision against Iowa. He still managed to record 53 tackles (four for loss) and three pass breakups, and was named All-Big Ten honorable mention. June became the first Michigan safety to be drafted since Corwin Brown in 1993 when he was chosen by Indianapolis in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft.
The team of the decade, condensed version (including special teams, which weren’t voted upon):
QB: Chad Henne
RB: Mike Hart
FB: B.J. Askew
WR: Braylon Edwards
WR: Mario Manningham
WR: David Terrell
TE: Bennie Joppru
T: Jake Long
T: Jeff Backus
G: Steve Hutchinson
G: Adam Kraus
C: David Baas
PK: Garrett Rivas
KR: Steve Breaston
DT: Alan Branch
DT: Gabe Watson
DE: LaMarr Woodley
DE: Brandon Graham
LB: David Harris
LB: Larry Foote
LB: Victor Hobson
CB: Marlin Jackson
CB: Leon Hall
S: Ernest Shazor
S: Cato June
P: Zoltan Mesko
PR: Steve Breaston (Yes, he’s also the KR. If you think that’s a cop-out, slide Darryl Stonum to KR and keep Breaston here.)
Thanks again to everyone that voted. I might have a few nitpicks with the team — I would’ve chosen Dudley at fullback, just because you don’t really need another running threat with Mike Hart in the backfield, and having a strong blocking back would complement him, and I was torn between June and Jamar Adams at safety — but for the most part I’m very happy with how it came out. Feel free to post your thoughts/disagreements about the team in the comments.
Associated Press: No surprise: Penn State punter Jeremy Boone leads the Big Ten
I mean, clearly this has to be about something other than football, because we all know who is the best punter in the Big Ten. Go on, Associated Press, make my day:
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Punter Jeremy Boone starts checking the weather forecast on Sundays, then keeps an eye on it all week as he gets ready for Penn State’s next game.
Oh cool, so he’s a budding meteorologist or something. That makes sense, since Penn State is actually quite well regarded in that field.
Whether rain, high winds or a perfect sunny day, the conditions don’t seem to matter — the senior enters Saturday’s game at Michigan (3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN) leading the Big Ten in punting, just like he’s done the previous two seasons.
Oh. Well, this is not good.
Boone’s booming punts are a big plus on an otherwise so-so special teams unit for the Nittany Lions (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten). He’s averaging a league-best 46.5 yards per punt, almost a yard farther than No. 2 Zoltan Mesko of Michigan. The stingy Penn State defense is the beneficiary with opponents being stuck with poor field position.
“We feed off that immensely,” middle linebacker Josh Hull said. “Jeremy is a big-league punter.
Ah, yes, the old “average yards per punt” statistic. I see your “average yards per punt” and raise you a “net punting average“. Oh, hey, is that Michigan at #2 in the country? 41.88 yards per punt, you say? And that’s the exact change in field position after a punt, not just the amount of yards the punt traveled past the line of scrimmage, you say? Tell me, informed voice, where does Penn State rank in that statistic? Oh my, 86th, you say? Just 34.18 yards per punt? The team’s Achilles heel, even? Oh, goodness. Time to stop reading this crap.
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.
Boy, am I excited for this one. Here are a few thoughts on the game, based on my initial (and so far, only) viewing of the game from Spartan Stadium:
I don’t know if anybody expected the loss of David Molk to have as much of an impact as it has thus far. His absence reaches far beyond the occasional bad snap — it’s pretty clear that Molk-Moosman-Huyge is a much more preferable combination in both run- and pass-blocking than Moosman-Huyge/Ferrara-Dorrestein. It was tough to tell from being at the game (and in the nosebleeds), but if I had to guess, the biggest factor in the running game disappearing was poor line play. Forcier was also sacked four times, and spent several other plays scrambling for his life. Just a bad performance from the line overall.
The offense deserves much of the blame for this loss, but I don’t think you can let the defense entirely off the hook. MSU did everything they could to give this game back to Michigan, turning the ball over four times and committing some boneheaded penalties (State finished with eight penalties for 94 yards), but they moved the ball at will. The 17 play, 70 yard drive that led to the Spartans’ first score was pure torture to watch. I mean, look at this:
1-10-MIST20
(12:22) MIST was penalized 5 yards.
1-15-MIST15
(11:30) Running back rushed for no gain.
2-15-MIST15
(11:15) Kirk Cousins passed to Charlie Gantt for 18 yards.
1-10-MIST33
(10:49) Larry Caper rushed for 5 yards.
2-5-MIST38
(10:12) Larry Caper rushed for 6 yards.
1-10-MIST44
(9:37) Keshawn Martin rushed for 18 yards. MIST was penalized 15 yards.
1-25-MIST47
(9:13) Kirk Cousins passed to Blair White for 9 yards. MIST was penalized 15 yards.
2-16-MIST41
(8:59) Kirk Cousins passed to Blair White for 17 yards.
1-10-MI42
(7:46) Kirk Cousins passed to Blair White for 3 yards.
2-7-MI39
(7:31) Running back rushed for 1 yard.
3-6-MI38
(6:50) Kirk Cousins passed to Mark Dell for 9 yards.
1-10-MI29
(6:30) Kirk Cousins passed incomplete to Charlie Gantt.
2-10-MI29
(6:25) MIST was penalized 15 yards.
2-25-MI44
(5:49) Kirk Cousins rushed for 19 yards.
3-6-MI25
(5:19) Kirk Cousins passed to B.J. Cunningham for 15 yards.
1-10-MI10
(4:51) Running back rushed for no gain.
2-10-MI10
(4:02) Larry Caper rushed for 2 yards.
3-0-MI8
(3:17) Kirk Cousins rushed for 7 yards.
4-0-MI1
(2:25) Touchdown. Larry Caper rushed for 1 yard.
(2:25) Brett Swenson made the extra point.
MI 3 MIST 7, Plays: 17 Yards: 70 Possession: 10:02.
The Spartans were penalized 50 yards on that drive, and yet were still able to convert two third-downs and a fourth-and-goal to put seven on the board. Excuse me while I kick the nearest puppy.
How on earth do we let Kirk Freakin’ Cousins rush for 75 yards, including a critical 41-yard scramble in the fourth quarter? I really don’t know who to pin that one on: it could be the scheme, the d-line not keeping contain, or the linebackers not doing their job, but one way or another, that cannot happen in the future. If Ricky Stanzi starts gashing the defense for 30 yards at a time this weekend, I might just set my TV on fire.
Darryl Stonum continues to be both electrifying and frustrating. He was the only Wolverine other than Tate Forcier to put up a productive game on offense, hauling in five catches for 95 yards and the critical 60-yard TD to put Michigan within seven. However, he couldn’t find a seam on kickoff returns, and, more importantly, put the ball on the ground early in the fourth to kill a promising drive deep in Spartan territory. Overall, Stonum had a great performance, and he really seems to be improving with each game, but he can’t make those kind of mistakes.
Has the team’s tackling completely regressed since the first couple weeks, or is it just me? Maybe it’s just the image of Larry Caper shedding tackles en route to the end zone in overtime, but this team needs to wrap up and haul guys down on the first try.
There were a few bright spots, so I’ll try to end on a happy note: Besides the terrible decision on the rollout punt, Zoltan Mesko had a great game, averaging 43 yards a punt and booming a long of 56 yards. Jason Olesnavage hit both his field goal attempts, including a 42-yarder. Jordan Kovacs actually looked quite solid in run support when Michigan brought him off the edge; I couldn’t tell how he did against the pass, but he did bring something to the table. Donovan Warren continues to merit “don’t throw at me” status. Brandon Graham continues to toss aside double teams to make plays. Tate Forcier continues to not get nervous. I’ll end there, before I start making asinine comments.
This game was rough, but we have to remember preseason expectations. I expect Michigan to have a solid bounce-back effort against Iowa, and we’ll learn a lot about this team as they try to rebound from a bad loss. It should be a very interesting week of football.
I still haven’t had a chance to re-watch the game (torrent is still downloading) but I have a few thoughts after a closer-than-expected victory over Indiana:
If Tate Forcier is the agreed-upon MVP of this team, Donovan Warren is a damn close second. The overlooked fact about the controversial game-sealing pick was that Warren was playing unbelievable man coverage and Chappell should never have thrown that pass in the first place. Michigan fans should be pulling out every voodoo trick in the book to ensure Warren stays healthy; I don’t even want to entertain the thought of a Cissoko-Floyd starting cornerback tandem.
Let’s hope Forcier got his egregiously horrendous pick out of his system early, and we won’t see anything like that again. I’m not that optimistic about this — freshmen will be freshmen, after all — but man, was that ugly.
As Brian already noted over at MGoBlog, special teams played a huge factor in the victory. Darryl Stonum was constantly one block or juke or broken tackle away from taking a kickoff the distance, and Zoltan Mesko averaged 48.1 yards per punt, downed Indiana inside their 20 twice, and crushed a 59-yard punt in the fourth quarter that completely swung field position in Michigan’s favor. I doubt this could be seen on TV, but that 59-yarder had movement that I wouldn’t believe unless I saw it with my own eyes: from my vantage point (in line with the sideline in the north end zone, about 35 rows up), the punt started a few yards outside the right hashmark before hooking all the way to the left hash … the returner had no choice but to let it go. Great effort out of the special teams Saturday.
Can we please get Kevin Koger more involved in the offense? He made a great catch up the seam for 36 yards on a pass from Denard Robinson, but that was his only reception of the game. The guy snags anything thrown near him, is great at finding open space, and I would much rather see him on the field than a backup receiver when we go four-wide.
Carlos Brown is making a very strong case to split carries with Brandon Minor, even when Minor becomes fully-healthy. With Junior Hemingway going almost completely silent since the opener, Michigan is in need of a home run threat, and Carlos Brown is that threat. He was really effective on the ground, averaging 7.5 yards per carry, and took his only catch (a very well set-up screen) 61 yards to the house. However, he only got one touch in the second and third quarters combined while Michigan’s offense mostly stalled. I’m not saying he’s better than Minor (only Minor gets that tough 3rd and 1 to ice the game by bowling over some poor safety), but he certainly brings something to the table that only he can provide right now.
I’ll have more on this game once I have a chance to watch it again. For now, enjoy WolverineHistorian’s highlights:
QB rotations are a bad idea, but it’s right for Michigan at the moment — Detroit Free Press — Detroit sports radio mainstay Jamie Samuelsen is surprised to find that he isn’t against playing three quarterbacks to start the season for Michigan. I’m still a little wary, and would like to see Forcier and Robinson get a shot before resorting to Sheridan, but I’m going to trust the coaches on this one until I see it in action.
OK, Michigan’s Sheridan-as-starter meme isn’t funny anymore — Dr. Saturday — The Doc points out just how historically awful Nick Sheridan was last season (81.09 quarterback efficiency in 2008; the next-worst in the Big 10 by a qualifying QB was 105.26 by … Steven Threet), and makes it clear that if Michigan is relying on Sheridan as anything but a worst-case backup plan, things won’t improve a whole lot from last season. If this wasn’t the internet, I’d have stamped his article with a giant “co-sign”.
Weekly Recruiting Wrap — The Wolverine — Josh Helmholdt takes a look at each of Michigan’s 18 verbal commits for 2010 and lays out his expectations for their senior seasons in high school. Many of M’s commits have a lot to prove in their final season, and I’ll be keeping a close eye on them to see if fans’ consternation about the quality of the class is legit.
U-M football officials pleased with suite commitments — Detroit News — There’s a ton of content out about the new suites after the athletic department took the media on a tour this week. Michigan has sold 70% of the suites with a year to spare before they open, which bodes very well for the AD. Those who were not on board with the renovations should really reconsider … the suites look great (can you really complain about the exterior brickwork?), and should bring in a lot of money for the school.
Unverified Voracity Deletes Six Jokes — MGoBlog — Just click. You’ll thank me later … namely when Penn State comes to town in October. Like Brian, I will refrain from comment as long as anything I write on this site can later be attributed to my real name.
Birk’s Eye View: Six position battles to watch as Michigan breaks football camp — AnnArbor.com — With all the focus on the quarterback, two battles to really look for are the kicker (obviously, as covered on this site before) and the running backs. Even with all the hype around Brandon Minor, he hasn’t been healthy all camp (or his entire career, really) and if Carlos Brown can stay healthy we could see a real battle for carries this fall.
U-M OL Cory Zirbel can’t play, so he’ll coach — Detroit Free Press — I’ll make no further comment than what Zirbel himself said: “I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘How can you be a part of that coaching staff?’ Those people aren’t true Michigan fans. … People don’t understand how I accept my role, but those people don’t know.
“It’s an honor. It’s Michigan, always going to be Michigan. Coach Rodriguez is a great guy, presented me an opportunity, and I took it.”
Beilein wants back at work after big season — Detroit Free Press — I can’t express how much I like Beilein as Michigan’s coach: he runs a clean program, directs teams that are fun to watch, and lives and breathes basketball. Also, a very interesting quote here: “I didn’t write it down,” [Beilein] said. “But coming back from the Alaska trip (two years ago) was an eye-opener for us. We lost to Boston College and Harvard back-to-back after that. If you would have told me you’ll be .500 and go to the NIT in the second year, I would have said, alright. I thought we had a long way to go but some pieces fell into place.” Yeah, no kidding.
Position by Position: Zack Novak — UMHoops — Dylan begins his breakdown of Michigan’s basketball squad by looking at … Zack Novak, because he can play more than half the positions on the court. Dylan likes him at the power forward, but I’m hoping he’ll play more 2 and 3 this season if one of the freshman bigs can develop into a viable option in the post.
The Eight Steps … Ben Cronin’s Journey Back — MGoBlue — Hey, a viable big (maybe)! Cronin has been through a lot before really having a chance to contribute at Michigan, thanks to a hip injury that forced the team to shut him down for his freshman season. Cronin seems to have a great attitude and a drive to compete, and if he could contribute as a rotation player this season it would be a huge boost for Michigan’s frontcourt depth.
Other Sports:
Volleyball Stuns Huskers — MGoBlog — The Michigan volleyball team notched a historic victory yesterday as they defeated #3 Nebraska in Omaha three sets to none in the top regular season tournament in college volleyball, the Runza/AVCA Challenge. This is the type of victory a program can look back on as a turning point towards national prominence … Michigan may not be a title contender this season (according to formerlyanonymous, who I will defer to as the expert here, since I can’t say I follow volleyball much at all) but this victory is huge nonetheless.
Warren heals, warns U-M doubters — The Wolverine — John Borton profiles Donovan Warren, who says he is recovered from the ankle injury that plagued his 2008 season. He is now the leader in the secondary, and I love this quote from him: “People talk, and they don’t really know what we went through last year, and some of the things that happened,” Warren said. “Everybody in this building knows the things that went on. This is a family here. We’re using it as fuel to our fire to go out this year.”
[22 Days To Go] Week 1 Roundup — Mustaches for Michigan — Anyone curious about the progression of my facial hair (and many others’) can find an updated picture at MforM. It isn’t pretty, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to shave it off now.
ESPN.com’s preseason All-Big Ten team — ESPN.com — Brandon Graham and Zoltan Mesko are your two representatives. Call me crazy, but I think we’ll have at least one offensive player on the list at the end of the season.
Friday practice footage: A look at J.T. Turner and the rest of Michigan’s secondary — AnnArbor.com — Two minutes of the secondary going through catching drills. I will say this: I saw the team go through this same drill in spring ball and there are a lot fewer drops now. Could mean nothing, but with our turnover luck last year, it’d be nice to see a few more picks in 2009.
B10 Greatest Games — Spawn of MZone — The BTN’s first season of the Big Ten’s Greatest Games is up on Hulu, a free streaming television site. Please excuse me while I relive UM-MSU 2007.
Basketball:
The Journey Back … Freshman Jordan Morgan — MGoBlue — The last in MGoBlue’s series on incoming hoops freshmen. It looks like Morgan will be ready for the season, after it was initially thought that he could miss 2009-10 with a knee injury. He might be raw, but we need all the big bodies we can get.
Other Sports:
Wolverines Ranked in a Pair of Preseason Polls — MGoBlue — Say “pair of preseason polls” three times fast. Anyways, this is the men’s soccer team we’re talking here, ranked No. 22 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll and No. 24 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com poll a season after making the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan still waiting on Justin Turner, Adrian Witty to be eligible — AnnArbor.com — Rich Rodriguez went on WTKA this morning and said that both Turner and Witty have not yet qualified. Rodriguez sounds optimistic that Turner will be qualified and ready to go for practice Monday, but it doesn’t sound so good for Witty, who “is kind of in limbo now” according to Rodriguez.
Opponent preview: Delaware State offense — The Wolverine — Michael Spath goes in-depth on the Hornets, the one team that I will guarantee Michigan will beat this year (ducks). There’s some interesting quotes from their play-by-play guy about the fans’ reaction to DSU forfeiting a conference game to play in the Big House.
Time helps ease pain for W.Va., Rodriguez — Toledo Blade — It sounds like a lot of the ill will West Virginia held towards Rodriguez in the wake of him leaving for Michigan (plus the whole buyout fiasco) has subsided. Finally.
Michigan punter Mesko a classroom kind of guy — USA Today — Zoltan never missed a day of school or even a single class from kindergarten until last year, when he finally skipped a lecture in a class he received an A+ in. I have a hard time not skipping lectures at least twice a week. Ridiculous.
Can Any of Michigan’s Freshman Walk On’s Contribute Right Away? — The Big House Blog — Bob over at the BHB takes a look at Michigan’s walk-on situation. Kelvin Grady seems like the most likely player to contribute, although for the team’s sake I hope we’re not relying on any walk-ons.
Cass Tech star Dior Mathis deciding between MSU, Oregon — Detroit News — This headline is a bit misleading, as Mathis says Oregon and Michigan State lead, but Michigan and Miami are still in the hunt. Still, it doesn’t look particularly good for Michigan.
Lions sign ex-Michigan tight end Casey Butler, cut kicker Swayze Waters — MLive — Um, that’s Carson Butler, fellas. It doesn’t look like Butler will make the roster regardless of his first name, as he was signed because Casey FitzSimmons has been held out of practice with an ankle injury. I’m more disappointed that the Lions cut a kicker named Swayze. Hopefully he ghost-rided his whip out of the parking lot when he got cut (nobody will get that joke, but I had to put it in there).
How Ohio State missed out on Zoltan Mesko — AnnArbor.com — If you’re going to be late to the party, Ohio State, you might as well not show up at all. Also, great quote from Zoltan: “They had about 300 kickers at their camp and Michigan had a smaller camp, so when Michigan noticed me, they offered me and I was like, ‘How can I refuse?’ Greatest combination of national exposure as a football program and academically. That’s what did it for me.”
Rich Rodriguez: Denard Robinson will get plenty of reps, compete for starting job — AnnArbor.com — With all the Forcier hype (and I admit, I’ve gotten a bit caught up in that myself) people forget about the other four-star dual threat quarterback who will take the field in the fall. Rodriguez states that Robinson will only see snaps at quarterback, and not at any other position.
Don’t call him Red Foxx — MVictors — Is Jamie Foxx Michigan’s next celebrity fan? Rich Rodriguez spoke with him for over an hour while in Chicago for Media Day.
Big Ten Media Days, The Take Away on Michigan Football:Part I (Mark Ortmann), Part II (Stevie Brown) — Maize n Brew — Maize n Brew was in attendance at the Big Ten Media Days, and sat down with Ortmann, Brown, Mesko, and Rodriguez. The first two parts of Maize n Brew Dave’s summary are up, and are well worth checking out.
Gardner shines over fellow Michigan QBs at Elite 11 event — USA Today — Rivals.com’s Greg Ladky with some more effusive praise for 2010 commit Devin Gardner. Money quote from Rivals.com’s Barry Every: “His combination of size, athleticism [and] arm strength stood out,” Every said. “More importantly, he really took to the coaching. You can tell he is striving to be the best. He is getting the type of coaching at that event that he will get at the college level, and he responded really well.
“The comparisons to Vince Young and Terrelle Pyror [sic] are legit. He throws the ball better than them at the same stage. Camp instructor Matt James told me the three dual-threat quarterbacks at the event, Garnder, Bolden and Barry Brunetti, are the best three they have ever had at the Elite 11.”
Matt Millen believes in Rich Rod, will broadcast at U-M — Detroit Free Press — This is the most compelling argument for firing RichRod that I’ve ever seen. Also, as a Lions fan, seeing Millen’s face on TV makes me want to break something. Stick to cursing one team I love, please. Michigan never did anything to you.
Pair of Michigan commits are ’100%’ with their pledges — Detroit Free Press — The Wolverine’s Josh Helmholdt reports that RB/Slot Tony Drake and LB Antonio Kinard are both firm in their commitments to Michigan, which is nice to hear after last year’s decommit-fest.
Blame it on Per-per-per-per-per-personnel — Every Day Should Be Saturday — Pure comedic brilliance on the part of Orson Swindle/Spencer Hall and LSUFreek. Worth a click just for the animated gif, and the song is hilarious, even if it’s a little painful for a Michigan fan: “Blame it on Navarre/Blame it on the Henne/Blame it on the qb who run a six-fiddy”. Genius.
Disproving Economic Armageddon Via Stubhub — The Sporting Blog — I had to see the picture evidence to believe it: $9,000 for a 47th-row corner seat in Michigan Stadium … for the Delaware State game. I consider myself a diehard, and I wouldn’t even venture into triple digits for a 10th-row 50-yard-line ticket to that game.
Basketball:
Bringing the Shooter’s Touch … Freshman Matt Vogrich — MGoBlue — The official website profiles incoming freshman Matt Vogrich, and says he is already getting tips from Stu Douglass and Zack Novak. It’s great to read that two sophomores who will be competing with Vogrich for playing time are still willing to help him out.
Rich Rodriguez’s recruiting for the 2010 class has caused, to say the least, some consternation among Michigan faithful. Witness the cause and effect:
Do the panic-stricken stick figures have a point, or is this much o noes about nothing? Today I’ll take a look at the three-star and below recruits from previous Michigan recruiting classes, and tomorrow I’ll take a look at the same caliber recruits Rich Rodriguez pulled in during his time at West Virginia. Will this tell us much about what to expect from these 2010 recruits? I have no idea. However, it’s the peak of offseason boredom, so it’s time to leave no story stone unturned. I’m using data from Rivals, which extends back to 2002, with a big assist from Mike DeSimone’s recruiting page. First, a list of the three-star and below recruits at Michigan from 2002-2006 (a point at which we can somewhat reasonably project a player’s career), with players who started at least five career games listed in bold:
2002 (10 three-star and below recruits/20 total recruits): Willis Barringer, Rondell Biggs, Mark Bihl, David Harris, Rueben Riley, Brian Thompson, Tom Berishaj, Kevin Murphy (3*), Greg Cooper, Jacob Stewart (N.R.)
2003 (4/17): Anton Campbell, Garrett Rivas, Patrick Sharrow (3*), Brandent Englemon (2*)
2004 (9/22): Jamar Adams, Mike Hart, Charles Stewart, John Thompson, Roger Allison, Keston Cheathem, Jeremy Ciulla, Grant DeBenedictis (3*), Marques Walton (2*)
2005 (12/23): Brandon Logan, Tim McAvoy, Zoltan Mesko, Mark Ortmann, LaTerryal Savoy, Carson Butler, Jason Forcier, Chris McLaurin, Chris Richards, Johnny Sears, Mister Simpson (3*), Andre Criswell (2*)
2006 (7/19): Greg Banks, Obi Ezeh, John Ferrera, Quintin Patella, Quintin Woods (3*), David Cone, Bryan Wright (2*)
Totals here: 42 three-star or below players, 16 starters. Two of those 16 starters are kickers/punters, and those guys never get above three-stars anyway, so 14/39 (striking Rivas, Zoltan, and Bryan Wright from the list) is probably a more telling figure. It seems a pretty safe bet at this point that none of the 2006 class besides Ezeh will see significant starting time (again, barring Wright), so I can say with a fair amount of confidence that for the 2002-2006 recruiting classes, 36% of three-star or below recruits ended up starting. Let’s look a little closer now.
Position Breakdown of three-star and below recruits:
One thing I notice immediately is the amount of offensive linemen, which isn’t a surprise considering how many you need and the fact that they tend to be the toughest recruits to scout. Unless you’re USC, you usually are filling out every class with a couple three-star o-linemen. The other glaring point, to me, is that the safety position is heavily represented here, which seems strange for a position with only two starting spots. Then I began to think about our safety play over the last several years. This begins to make sense.
The third thing to notice is that Michigan has never recruited three-star players heavily at the skill position, something that Rodriguez is doing quite a bit of right now. The 2010 class alone already has three times as many three-star and below wideouts as Lloyd pulled in during a five-year period (four times if you count Tony Drake as a slot). A large part of this, obviously, is Michigan’s need for more receivers under Rodriguez’s system. The fact that we have two four-star wideouts committed really makes this an area of little concern for me: we need receivers, and we need a lot of them — it’s hard to pull in five four-star wideouts per year. Rich Rod is also trying to fill out an area of the roster that needed fewer players under the old system. Hence, all the three-star receivers. We’re clearly doing fine at quarterback, what with Forcier, Robsinson, and Gardner. Running back is not at panic level need yet, with Shaw already looking good, Vincent Smith impressing early, and Fitzgerald Toussaint coming in as a highly-regarded four-star. Hopkins isn’t a bad pickup, either, and could still reach four-star status upon further evaluation. Chill out, stick figures.
The big concern, however, is defense. Marvin Robinson, despite the coaching staff and Robinson both saying he’s coming in as a safety, seems destined for linebacker (or spinner/deathbacker/whatever the hell Stevie Brown is playing). There is still a glaring need at safety, as well as defensive tackle. Unless Ken Wilkins eats Drew Dileo, I don’t see a DT in that class, and right now Michigan is thin even on offers at the position. In this case, the stick figures may have a point. Commence freaking out.
It’s tough to draw conclusions out of this right now, especially with the recruiting process still ongoing (and with Pace and Wilkins, among others, still candidates for a fourth star). At the moment, I have no problem with Rodriguez’s recruiting strategy on offense. On defense, however, he needs to fill a lot of holes, especially along the line. At this point, a three-star DT may not do the job for Michigan, who has Mike Martin, Will Campbell, a Canadian guy and a converted fullback as the entirety of their depth at the position. Yes, we’re implementing a three-man front of sorts under Greg Robinson, but that’s still mighty thin.
More on this will come tomorrow, as I look at the success of Rodriguez in developing three-star and below talent at West Virginia.
Alex on 
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