NFL Wolverines: 2013 Statistics

Denard Robinson, Chad Henne, Jordan Kovacs

Despite the football program's recent and not-so-recent struggles, Michigan continues to be well-represented in the NFL.  Here's a list by position group:

Quarterback

Tom Brady recorded an 87.3 quarterback rating, his lowest since 2003.  Still, 4,343 yards and 25 touchdowns isn't too shabby.

Chad Henne continued to show that he can be a valuable and reliable backup in the NFL.  The only problem is that Henne played a starting roll for the Jacksonville Jaguars, which resulted in a 4-13 record.  After the season, the Jags still locked up him for another two years.  Henne finished the season with a 76.5 quarterback rating, 3,241 yards passing, 13 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.

Ryan Mallett didn't see game action backing up Tom Brady.

Running Back

Denard Robinson carried the ball 20 times for a total of 66 yards.  Although that only amounted to a 3.3 yard average, he did have an impressive 24-yard run against the Buffalo Bills.  Unfortunately, Robinson fumbled at the end of the play--one of his three fumbles on the season--and the ball was recovered by Buffalo in the endzone for a safety.

Michael Cox  recorded 43 yards on 22 rushing attempts in his rookie year for the New York Giants.  He also operated as an on-again, off-again kick returner, registering a 56-yard return against the Detroit Lions late in the season.

Wide Receiver

Jason Avant is a "wonderful catcher of balls . . . and such a good receiver for all the Eagles, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah," or so the song goes.  He finished the season with 38 receptions for 447 yards and two touchdowns.  Avant signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers at year's end. 

Junior Hemingway played in every game, and totaled 13 catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns.  He also recorded eight tackles, presumably on special teams.

Mario Manningham played in six games but did not accrue any statistics during his injury-plagued season for San Francisco.  He later signed a one-year deal with his former team, the New York Giants.

Offensive Line

Jonathan Goodwin graded out as the second best center in the league, according to Pro Football Focus, and played in all 16 games for the 49ers.  Despite that, he has yet to be re-signed by his team and is currently a free agent.

Jake Long started and played in 15 games for his new team the St. Louis Rams.  He spent the previous five seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

Steve Schilling played in seven games as a San Diego Charger before signing with the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks.

David Baas played in three games for the New York Giants.  He is now a free agent. 

William Campbell suited up for the New York Jets but did not see game action.

Patrick Omameh did not see game action with his team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

David Molk was not in the league during the 2013 season after being cut by the Chargers; however, he recently signed with Chip Kelly and the Eagles and is listed on the team roster.

Hit the jump for the defensive players.

Former Michigan Athletes in Super Bowl XLVII

Michigan had excellent representation in last year's Super Bowl, but this year, the Maize and Blue presence will be felt more strongly on the sidelines than on the football field.  Four former Michigan athletes will take part in Super Bowl XLVII, which will be played between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens on February 3, but only one will be playing in the game.

Jonathan Goodwin (1999-2002) is the starting center for one of the league's top offensive lines and a team that is coached by former Michigan player and graduate assistant, Jim Harbaugh (5,449 passing yards and 31 touchdowns from '83-'86).  Of course, WR Mario Manningham (137 receptions for 2,310 yards and 35 touchdowns from '05-'07) is also a 49er and has a shot at a second straight Super Bowl ring, but he won't play in the game due to a torn ACL that was suffered late in the season.

On the other side of the ball, Andy Moeller (linebacker from '83-'86 and TE, OT and OL coach from '00 - '07) coaches the offensive line for the Baltimore Ravens.  Their defensive backs coach Teryl Austin also coached at Michigan as a defensive assistant from 1999 - 2002, although he never played for the Wolverines. 

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Jim Harbaugh

Jim Harbaugh played a long time ago, and I don't have any memories of his time at U of M.  People tell me he was fairly good.

What I do remember are the disparaging remarks that he made about Michigan academics right around the time I began packing my bags for Ann Arbor.  Those comments did not endear him to me.

But regardless of anyone's feelings toward Harbaugh, he is a second generation Michigan Man and a former three-year starting quarterback who had a "special relationship"* with Bo Schembechler.  Harbaugh's Michigan roots run deep, and his experience as a Wolverine can arguably be called the single most important factor in his development as a coach.   And everyone agrees that Harbaugh is a good coach.

After defeating the Atlanta Falcons, 27-24, in the NFC Championship Game, Harbaugh and his 49ers open as 4.5 point favorites against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII.

I'll be rooting for him.

*Freep  article

Honorable mention:  Center Jonathan Goodwin anchored a 49er offensive line that paved the way for 149 rushing yards while giving up only one sack.  Goodwin already has one Super Bowl ring as a member of the New Orleans Saints.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Chad Henne

"In command"

Chad Henne is once again a starting quarterback in the NFL following his 354-yard, four touchdown relief performance against the Houston Texans.  Henne gets the starting nod for the Jaguars over Blaine Gabbert, the tenth overall selection in the 2011 Draft.  Gabbert has been unimpressive during his limited time in the league and holds a not-so-good 77.4 passer rating this year.

"[Henne] took command of the offense," Jacksonville's head coach Mike Mularkey said.  He's been a starter in the league.  He's had some success at that position." 

But truth be told, Henne hasn't had much success.  Over the course of his four year career, he has failed to end a season with a passer rating above 80 or finish a year with more touchdowns than interceptions.  Nevertheless, Henne has never lacked for talent -- as Michigan fans well know -- and is surely aided by his four years of NFL experience.  He's been performing much better this year with his new team, currently holding a 96.5 passer rating.

Honorable Mention:  David Molk isn't the best Michigan center in the NFL just yet; that distinction belongs to Jonathan Goodwin.  He starts for the division leading 7-2 San Fransisco 49ers, and his team beat up on the 7-3 Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football last week.  49er teammate Mario Manningham had 2 catches for 45 yards in the game.
 
Miscellaneous:

• A bye week is the only force that can prevent Stevie Brown from dominating the world.
• Brady threw for 331 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions his 59-24 schooling of Andrew Luck and the Colts.
• Brandon Graham didn't register any stats as his struggling Eagles team lost to the Redskins.
• HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  EAT GOOD FOOD, RELAX WITH FAMILY, AND WATCH NFL FOOTBALL!

Wolverine Nation: Catching up with Jonathan Goodwin

Michael Rothstein interviews former Michigan offensive lineman Jonathan Goodwin, who has a Super Bowl ring from when he was with the Saints, and who now plays for former Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Tom Brady

Whoa, Nellie! Tom Brady shredded the Denver defense and set a playoff record with five touchdown passes in one half. He added one more TD just minutes into the third quarter, tying another NFL record for passing touchdowns in a playoff game with nearly an entire half of football left to play. Fortunately for Tim "He Just Wins Games" Tebow and the Denver defense, Brady exercised his inner virtues of mercy and compassion and decided to focus more on his punting skills than his touchdown tosses for the remainder of the game. The final score read 45-10, and Brady finished with a Patriots playoff record of 363 passing yards (76.5 CMP%), six touchdowns and a 137.6 QB rating to go along with his booming 48 yard punt. Zoltan Mesko must be proud.

Honorable Mention: Mario Manningham caught a touchdown pass for the second straight week, this time on a four yard catch in the back of the end zone, as his Giants rolled the 15-1 Packers by a score of 37-20 to advance to the NFC Championship against Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers. Manningham finished the game with 3 catches for 31 yards (10.3 YPC) and the aforementioned touchdown.

Miscellaneous: Adrian Arrington caught one pass for 14 yards but was targeted six times in as his Saints fell to the 49ers. Jim Harbaugh can coach.  Both David Baas (New York Giants) and Jonathan Goodwin (San Francisco 49ers) started at center for their respective teams and will face off in this weekend's NFC Championship.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Jonathan Goodwin

New Orleans Saints center Jonathan Goodwin

On Sunday night, Goodwin helped the Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl, 31-17. Wide receiver Adrian Arrington was on the Saints practice squad and former Michigan offensive coordinator Terry Malone is the Saints tight ends coach. I feel sorry for Malone, though, because that means he has to work with Jeremy Shockey every day.

Honorable mention: Former Wolverine running back Tyrone Wheatley had been the running backs coach at Eastern Michigan this past season, but he's headed to Syracuse to take the same position there. This is a step up from a bad Mid-American Conference team to a bad Big East team.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Jonathan Goodwin

"WTF are you lookin' at?"

For the first time this year, an offensive lineman gets the call. Goodwin played center for the New Orleans Saints as they advanced to the Super Bowl with a victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, 31-28. He helped Drew Brees, who was only sacked once by Minnesota's all-star defensive line, to throw 3 touchdowns.

Honorable mention: Braylon Edwards of the New York Jets had 2 catches for 100 yards and 1 touchdown, including an 80-yarder. David Harris, also of the Jets, had 11 tackles and 2 sacks. But both of those players lost this weekend to the Colts, so they're runners-up this week.