The official site posted the rosters for Saturday's spring game (LINK).
Hit the jump for a pretty lady named Ana Cheri.
Showing posts with label spring football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring football. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Spring Practice Bits and Pieces
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| Drake Harris |
The quarterbacks are a mixed bag. Various reports have suggested various things. Some people will tell you that Shane Morris looks the best. However, there's more chatter about Wilton Speight and Alex Malzone. The buzz on Malzone is that he's picking things up very quickly, which is impressive for a freshman early enrollee.
Jabrill Peppers is good and loud. Peppers is playing safety, and he has been raved about with regard to his athleticism and leadership. There will probably be growing pains, but Michigan hasn't had a great athlete at safety in a while. Furthermore, senior linebacker Joe Bolden says that Peppers screams the defensive calls louder than necessary. The kid is high-energy and loves the game of football. Michigan has the potential for their best safety combination in a long time with senior Jarrod Wilson and Peppers back there.
Chase Winovich is working at fullback/tight end. The redshirt freshman, who is listed at 6'3" and 230 lbs., has reportedly been playing some fullback and tight end this spring after being recruited as a linebacker. You may remember that he was a very effective running quarterback in high school, in addition to his defensive exploits. With the Wolverines failing to reel in Chris Clark (UCLA) in the 2015 class, the tight end position is a little thin. And with senior fullback Sione Houma missing spring practice due to injury, the team is limited there, too. Add in the fact that both of Michigan's experienced fullbacks - Houma and Joe Kerridge - are seniors, and maybe Winovich's move to offense will become permanent. He has supposedly been wearing #44, which is a change from his defensive number of #58. The catch here is that it thins the linebacking corps, which has four players with senior eligibility in 2015 (Desmond Morgan, James Ross III, Joe Bolden, Royce Jenkins-Stone) and needs bodies in the coming years. If Winovich sticks on offense, that might take away a key option for the 2016 season.
Brady Pallante is also a fullback. This was addressed last week. He's a 6'0", 276 lb. fullback wearing #45.
Everybody is a fullback. Except Terry Richardson.
The guys are bigger. Pretty much across the board, players have added weight. In particular, defensive tackle Willie Henry is up to 311 lbs. and Bryan Mone is up to 325 lbs. Those are not typically the numbers you look for in a penetrating, 3-tech defensive tackle. I would look for those two guys to be playing some nose tackle. Furthermore, there are some other size improvements with offensive tackle Logan Tuley-Tillman up to 309 lbs. and guard Graham Glasgow reaching 303 lbs. Tuley-Tillman was over 330 lbs. in high school, trimmed down to 285 at one point, and is now back up over the 300 lb. threshold. Linebackers Mike McCray II (242 lbs.), Ben Gedeon (241 lbs.), and Royce Jenkins-Stone (240 lbs.) are all larger than the typical Michigan linebacker over the last few years.
Practice tempo has increased. The practice tactic that's en vogue these days is to maximize reps. Reports have said that Michigan has two lineups going in practice, and a play is being run every 25-35 seconds. Rather than making corrections on the field, corrections are made in film. This has been made easier in recent years with film able to be disseminated over the internet through Hudl and the like. It's especially big for spread teams who like to run hurry-up, anyway. It's not surprising that Harbaugh is adopting spread strategies even though he won't run a typical spread offense; he seems to be the type of coach who is always looking for an edge.
Running back is still a question mark. While I believe the running game will improve this season, a number of factors go into that - coaching, experience on the offensive line, experience at running back, and the addition of Ty Isaac. However, Isaac has reportedly been limited due to a cast on his hand, and none of the running backs are sticking out right now. Of course, early practices are always dominated by the defense, so this doesn't necessarily mean much. Personally, I believe Isaac will come out on top at some point.
Wide receivers have promise. Most of the buzz has been about redshirt freshman Maurice Ways, Jr., whose body is ready for playing at this level. One question mark about Ways has always been his hands, so that will be something to watch. Regardless, he might have the best combination of receiving qualities at this point - size, leaping ability, speed, etc. As I've mentioned before, he has some of those same traits that we saw in some of the greats of yesteryear (Marquis Walker, David Terrell, Braylon Edwards). That's not to say Ways will add his name to that list, but he at least has a chance, in my opinion. Fellow redshirt freshman Drake Harris has also been impressive at times. Harris has missed most of the past two seasons due to injuries, and he's listed at just 174 lbs. People express concern about his size, but I am not worried about that facet of his game. If he's as good as his high school hype when it comes to speed and leaping ability, playing under weight won't hamper him from having an effect on the team. Wide receiver size is overrated. It might be the one spot on the field where you find successful guys ranging from 5'8" to 6'5", and you have skinny guys (Roy Roundtree, Tavon Austin, DeSean Jackson) doing well just like big guys (Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Devin Funchess). If Harris is 6'4", 174 lbs., and can ball, the most important part of that is the third part.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
How to Cope with the Disaster of Jake Ryan's ACL Tear
Another year, another debilitating injury to a key player. Last year it was Blake Countess and, to a lesser extent, Denard Robinson. In 2010 it was Troy Woolfolk and J.T. Floyd. This year it's redshirt junior Jake Ryan, who had 88 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks, along with 4 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 3 pass breakups from the outside linebacker position last year. He tore his ACL at practice on Tuesday morning, and with the season less than six months away, chances are slim to none that he will be fully recovered for the beginning of the year, and perhaps not for the entire season.
The effects of Ryan's loss will be significant. He was the starting SAM linebacker the past two seasons and in 2012, he led the team in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks, and forced fumbles. On passing downs he often put his hand down as a defensive end and rushed the passer. He's a whirling dervish with a nose for the football and one of Michigan's lone pass rushing threats; on top of that, he was an emotional leader and one of the guys who could be counted on to make a play or two a game to spark the defense. Yours truly picked him as the most underrated recruit in the 2010 class, and that was certainly proving to be true prior to the injury.
The question is: What does Michigan do now?
Option #1: Fifth year senior Cameron Gordon would presumably move into the starting role. When healthy, he's been the backup to Ryan for the past couple seasons. The 6'3", 233-pounder made 17 tackles and 3 tackles for loss in 2012; as a safety and linebacker in 2010, he was a Second Team Freshman All-American with 77 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, and 2 fumble recoveries. He's a capable player but without the star quality of Ryan.
Option #2: Move junior Brennen Beyer from weakside end back to SAM. Beyer played outside linebacker as a true freshman in 2011, making 11 tackles as a backup. He has recorded just 1/2 a tackle for loss in two seasons and forced just 1 fumble, so he's not much of a playmaker. But if he could shed a few pounds from his bulked-up, 6'3", 254 lb. frame, he could be serviceable at his old position. Meanwhile, Michigan has junior Frank Clark and sophomore Mario Ojemudia at weakside end, both of whom played last year and have flashed big-play ability at times.
Option #3: Move sophomore Joe Bolden from middle linebacker to SAM. Bolden is a 6'3", 222 lb. kid with some playmaking ability who has the height and length to hold his own at SAM, but he would need to add some weight in order to hold the edge. He had 31 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 1 sack as a freshman in 2012. In the meantime, Michigan has a decent selection of players to man the inside linebacker spots, including my presumed starters there (Desmond Morgan and James Ross), fifth year senior Mike Jones, redshirt sophomore Antonio Poole, or redshirt freshman Kaleb Ringer; a couple freshmen will arrive in the summer (Ben Gedeon and Mike McCray).
Option #4: Install a freshman backup. Gedeon projects as an inside linebacker, but McCray is a bit of a middle linebacker/outside linebacker tweener. He's listed at 6'3", 225 lbs. on his recruiting profile, but he might be a little bit smaller than that. Still, Beyer played the position as a freshman, and he too was about 6'3", 225 lbs. at the time.
Option #5: Move sophomore Mario Ojemudia from weakside end to SAM. Ojemudia is 6'3", 244 lbs. and played a chunk of time in 2012, notching 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. This would likely be contingent on keeping Beyer at weakside end, since Michigan can't really afford to move two of their three experienced weakside ends to linebacker.
Option #6: Do something wild. Lightly regarded redshirt junior Jordan Paskorz was an outside linebacker before moving to tight end last spring, but he has played in just one game so far. Sophomore Royce Jenkins-Stone is just 6'2" and 215 lbs., and he balked at the idea of playing SAM in the hopes of being a middle linebacker, but the coaches could force his hand. Incoming freshman Wyatt Shallman was recruited as a running back, but he played defensive end in high school and could see a chance for playing time at SAM once he arrives on campus.
Option #7: Just say "F*** it" and run a nickel the whole time. In Greg Robinson's inaugural defense in 2009, he put converted safety Steve Brown at SAM, and Brown had a decent season despite being around 210 lbs. Perhaps someone like Marvin Robinson could have success in a similar role.
The effects of Ryan's loss will be significant. He was the starting SAM linebacker the past two seasons and in 2012, he led the team in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks, and forced fumbles. On passing downs he often put his hand down as a defensive end and rushed the passer. He's a whirling dervish with a nose for the football and one of Michigan's lone pass rushing threats; on top of that, he was an emotional leader and one of the guys who could be counted on to make a play or two a game to spark the defense. Yours truly picked him as the most underrated recruit in the 2010 class, and that was certainly proving to be true prior to the injury.
The question is: What does Michigan do now?
Option #1: Fifth year senior Cameron Gordon would presumably move into the starting role. When healthy, he's been the backup to Ryan for the past couple seasons. The 6'3", 233-pounder made 17 tackles and 3 tackles for loss in 2012; as a safety and linebacker in 2010, he was a Second Team Freshman All-American with 77 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, and 2 fumble recoveries. He's a capable player but without the star quality of Ryan.
Option #2: Move junior Brennen Beyer from weakside end back to SAM. Beyer played outside linebacker as a true freshman in 2011, making 11 tackles as a backup. He has recorded just 1/2 a tackle for loss in two seasons and forced just 1 fumble, so he's not much of a playmaker. But if he could shed a few pounds from his bulked-up, 6'3", 254 lb. frame, he could be serviceable at his old position. Meanwhile, Michigan has junior Frank Clark and sophomore Mario Ojemudia at weakside end, both of whom played last year and have flashed big-play ability at times.
Option #3: Move sophomore Joe Bolden from middle linebacker to SAM. Bolden is a 6'3", 222 lb. kid with some playmaking ability who has the height and length to hold his own at SAM, but he would need to add some weight in order to hold the edge. He had 31 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 1 sack as a freshman in 2012. In the meantime, Michigan has a decent selection of players to man the inside linebacker spots, including my presumed starters there (Desmond Morgan and James Ross), fifth year senior Mike Jones, redshirt sophomore Antonio Poole, or redshirt freshman Kaleb Ringer; a couple freshmen will arrive in the summer (Ben Gedeon and Mike McCray).
Option #4: Install a freshman backup. Gedeon projects as an inside linebacker, but McCray is a bit of a middle linebacker/outside linebacker tweener. He's listed at 6'3", 225 lbs. on his recruiting profile, but he might be a little bit smaller than that. Still, Beyer played the position as a freshman, and he too was about 6'3", 225 lbs. at the time.
Option #5: Move sophomore Mario Ojemudia from weakside end to SAM. Ojemudia is 6'3", 244 lbs. and played a chunk of time in 2012, notching 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. This would likely be contingent on keeping Beyer at weakside end, since Michigan can't really afford to move two of their three experienced weakside ends to linebacker.
Option #6: Do something wild. Lightly regarded redshirt junior Jordan Paskorz was an outside linebacker before moving to tight end last spring, but he has played in just one game so far. Sophomore Royce Jenkins-Stone is just 6'2" and 215 lbs., and he balked at the idea of playing SAM in the hopes of being a middle linebacker, but the coaches could force his hand. Incoming freshman Wyatt Shallman was recruited as a running back, but he played defensive end in high school and could see a chance for playing time at SAM once he arrives on campus.
Option #7: Just say "F*** it" and run a nickel the whole time. In Greg Robinson's inaugural defense in 2009, he put converted safety Steve Brown at SAM, and Brown had a decent season despite being around 210 lbs. Perhaps someone like Marvin Robinson could have success in a similar role.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Spring Practice Preview: Defense
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| Jake Ryan led the team in tackles as a redshirt sophomore |
The strongside end is perhaps the biggest question mark on the team this spring, at least from a fan's perspective. Craig Roh graduated, and there are backups, potential position-switchers, and redshirt freshmen all vying for the vacated spot. Will it be last year's primary backup, redshirt freshman Keith Heitzman (7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss)? Will it be senior Jibreel Black (20 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks), who played 3-tech defensive tackle last year? Will it be a junior position-switcher from weakside end, Brennen Beyer (19 tackles) or Frank Clark (25 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2 sacks)? Will it be one of the redshirt freshmen, Chris Wormley or Tom Strobel? Heitzman seems like a good fit if Ryan Van Bergen and Roh are the prototypes, but we have yet to see Wormley or Strobel on the field. The weakside end spot seems a little easier to sort out. Clark is too much of a playmaker - and not disciplined enough - to be a candidate for SDE, making him likely to stick at weakside end. Sophomore Mario Ojemudia should be bigger by now, and he made a few nice plays last season.
Others to watch: Redshirt freshman Matt Godin hasn't created much buzz, but he's a big body who has the size to play the SDE spot. Freshman early enrollee Taco Charlton is tall, long, and pretty lean, but he's also very raw.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
One starter is almost certain, and that's fifth year senior Quinton Washington (32 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack). Other prognostications are murky. The second-best defensive tackle might be sophomore Ondre Pipkins (7 tackles), but he was overweight last year and seems best suited for Washington's nose tackle spot. Black and redshirt freshman Willie Henry would both be capable of playing the 3-tech position, and Wormley could end up there, too, if he's not playing strongside end.
Others to watch: Redshirt juniors Richard Ash and Ken Wilkins have been mired on the bench mostly and totally, respectively. It's tough to see either one garnering a ton of playing time this year, since both were surpassed by an out-of-shape Pipkins. Heitzman and Godin could also see some reps at 3-tech.
LINEBACKER
The strongside linebacker position is locked down by redshirt junior Jake Ryan (88 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks), and his backup is pretty solid in the form of fifth year senior Cam Gordon (17 tackles, 3 tackles for loss). The inside linebacker spots will be filled by two of three guys. My guess is that junior Desmond Morgan (81 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss) will move from weakside linebacker to the middle, while sophomore James Ross (36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss) steps in at WILL. Sophomore Joe Bolden (30 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack) is the other viable candidate at MIKE, and he also has the skills to be a backup at SAM.
Others to watch: Fifth year senior Mike Jones has been a backup his entire career, and that probably won't change. Redshirt sophomore Antonio Poole sat out last season with an upper body muscle injury. Sophomore Royce Jenkins-Stone is behind a couple good ones at MIKE, and redshirt freshman Kaleb Ringer missed the season due to a knee injury. When the spring roster is released, don't be surprised if some defections from this group are made known.
CORNERBACK
The biggest question isn't so much about the talent at the position, but about whether redshirt sophomore Blake Countess is healthy after tearing his ACL in the season opener against Alabama. Countess was good as a freshman in 2011 - with an occasional lapse - and should reach that level again with modern medicinal practices, but it might be too early to go hard for spring practices. I wouldn't be surprised to see the coaches hold him out of contact drills. The other outside spot appears to be junior Raymon Taylor's (45 tackles, 2 interceptions) to lose, and the nickel corner position has belonged to senior Courtney Avery (19 tackles, 2 tackles for loss) for the past couple seasons. All three are returning starters if you count Countess from prior to his injury.
Others to watch: Junior Delonte Hollowell and sophomore Terry Richardson both played sparingly in 2012; both are small-ish and seem destined for nickel corner, field corner, or maybe just special teams play. One of the freshman early enrollees, Ross Douglas, was recruited to play nickel corner, too, but all of these guys may bounce around and play multiple positions because of low numbers.
SAFETY
One of the starting safeties will be fifth year senior Thomas Gordon (81 tackles, 2 interceptions); the question is, Which one? The departure of Jordan Kovacs leaves a void at strong safety, and Gordon's tackling, size, and speed make him a better fit at that spot than free safety. Meanwhile, the other safety to earn significant playing time last season was rising sophomore Jarrod Wilson (8 tackles), who had his share of troubles, as young safeties often do. Wilson is a 6'2" ball hawk and fits better at free safety. It would seem to make sense that Gordon moves to SS and Wilson gets inserted at the FS spot. Also in the mix are senior Marvin Robinson and true freshman early enrollee Dymonte Thomas, and I could see a scenario in which Gordon/Wilson are the free safeties and Robinson/Thomas are the strong safeties.
Others to watch: Redshirt junior Josh Furman (8 tackles) hasn't shown much in spring practices past or in limited playing time. Redshirt freshman Jeremy Clark has the size and speed to be a good one at free safety, and classmate Allen Gant is more of an in-the-box strong safety; both seem to be a little ways down the pecking order right now.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Spring Practice Preview: Offense
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| It's time to see what the Inkster product can do leading Michigan's football team. |
Redshirt junior Devin Gardner is the clear front-runner for the quarterback job. After Denard Robinson got hurt against Nebraska, Gardner started the next five games, going 75/126 for 1,219 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Michigan appears to have a "franchise" type quarterback, but what will Michigan's offense look like with him fully entrenched at the position? Gardner is better from under center than Robinson ever was, so the I-formation stuff should be more prevalent. He can still run the shotgun passing stuff, but he's not a downhill runner in the same way that allowed Robinson to run for 1,000+ yards the past few seasons.
Others to watch: The only other scholarship quarterback on the roster for the spring is redshirt sophomore Russell Bellomy.
RUNNING BACK
With Fitzgerald Toussaint injured, Vincent Smith off to his post-college career, and Derrick Green not arriving until summer, the pickings will be slim this spring. This should be Michigan fans' first chance to see redshirt freshman Drake Johnson, who earned some praise from Brady Hoke around bowl time. He has good size and speed, but that doesn't always translate to success. Junior Thomas Rawls (57 carries, 242 yards, 4 touchdowns) and redshirt sophomore Justice Hayes (18 carries, 83 yards, 1 touchdown) earned some carries, but neither one did much with his opportunities.
Others to watch: Sophomore Dennis Norfleet has moved back to running back after a short stint at corner for the Outback Bowl. Sophomore Sione Houma and redshirt sophomore Joey Kerridge will fight for the fullback spot.
WIDE RECEIVER
In the five games that Gardner started at quarterback, fifth year senior Jeremy Gallon had 31 receptions for 511 yards and 3 touchdowns. He looks to be the top receiver in 2013, but there's plenty of room for others to emerge. Two other seniors return in Drew Dileo (22 catches, 331 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Jeremy Jackson (4 catches, 31 yards), the former of which is a jack-of-all-trades, the latter a lumbering possession receiver. Then there's sophomore Amara Darboh, who played but was never targeted, and redshirt freshman Jehu Chesson. Since Dileo appears to be nothing more than a complementary receiver, it would be good for Gardner and the Michigan offense to find another reliable target between Darboh and Chesson.
Others to watch: Fifth year senior walk-on Joe Reynolds (3 catches, 22 yards) worked his way into the rotation last season and has decent quickness.
TIGHT END
Sophomore Devin Funchess (15 catches, 234 yards, 5 touchdowns) should have playing time locked up at the U-back position. Fellow sophomore A.J. Williams is a mammoth tight end who's more of a blocker. The wild card in the mix is freshman Jake Butt, who enrolled early and is physically developed enough to play as a freshman. Williams isn't much of a target downfield, so if Gardner can work out some chemistry with Butt in the spring (and summer), Michigan should have a nice 1-2 punch of receiving tight ends between Funchess and Butt.
Others to watch: Redshirt junior Jordan Paskorz has played in just one game (on special teams against UMass) during his three seasons, and the rest of the guys on the roster are young-ish walk-ons with little experience; the best of those is redshirt junior Dylan Esterline.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The two sure starters are the bookend, fifth-year senior tackles Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield. Between those two will be any combination of about a dozen other players, because the three interior starters graduated. Redshirt freshman all-everything guard Kyle Kalis will probably step in at one guard spot. That leaves the other two spots up for grabs between redshirt sophomore Jack Miller, redshirt junior walk-on Joey Burzynski, redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant, and redshirt freshman Ben Braden; the former two will probably vie for the center spot, while the latter two will fight for the right guard position. None of them have played extensively, and if either Bryant or Braden starts the season, it will be his first ever game experience. In the long term, Braden will probably end up at right tackle, so you could see Schofield and Braden flip if the coaches aren't confident in Braden's ability to pull.
Others to watch: Redshirt freshman Erik Magnuson will have every chance to succeed Lewan at left tackle, and classmate Blake Bars has practiced at both center and guard. Both appear to be at least a year away from playing significant time. True freshman Kyle Bosch has apparently impressed people with his size and work in the weight room as an early enrollee, but he's very young; if the coaches wouldn't play Kalis as a freshman, they probably won't play Bosch, either, unless injuries occur. But it will still be interesting to see how Bosch fares in the glorified practice.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Video: Notre Dame spring game highlights 2012
Check out George Atkinson III, who has a couple amazing runs here in Notre Dame's spring game. He only had 9 carries for 27 yards (3.0 yards per carry) as a true freshman in 2011, but if he can play like this during the upcoming season, he and starter Cierre Wood will be a nice backfield combo there in South Bend.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
AnnArbor.com: Six risers and fallers from spring practice
Kyle Meinke discusses the guys who raised or lowered their stock during the spring. I disagree with listing Elliott Mealer as a "faller," though. As I mentioned before, I think it's quite possible that Mealer was the second string right tackle (instead of the starting left guard) for practical purposes. If Mealer had started the game at left guard, Burzynski would have been relegated to the third team while two less talented walk-ons (Kristian Mateus and Erik Gunderson) played tackle on the second unit. That seems like a poor deployment of personnel.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Spring Practice Thoughts and Rumors - Defense
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| Cameron Gordon has impressed the coaches again this spring |
Defensive end: As we know by now, Craig Roh has switched to strongside end. He has done fairly well at the position, but he'll need to spend the next several months eating a ton and bulking up. The coaches want him in the low 280s and right now he's about 270. Insiders say Frank Clark looks like the starter at weakside end for the upcoming season. Brennen Beyer, who switched from SAM linebacker this offseason, also has reportedly fared well but looks to be a step behind Clark at the position. Beyer's a thicker, run-stopping sort and Clark will have to work on that aspect of his game. Nathan Brink is the presumed backup at the 5-tech position but has been limited due to his late-season broken leg. Keith Heitzman is also in the mix, which would be great for depth at the position. I would not be surprised to see one or two of the freshman defensive ends get some action, such as Matt Godin at 5-tech and Mario Ojemudia on the weakside, although Heitzman's emergence might preclude Godin from having to burn a redshirt.
Defensive tackle: The first team defensive tackles appear to be Will Campbell at nose tackle and Jibreel Black at the 3-tech. Campbell looks fit and is being more consistent with his technique, but the coaches continue to work on that aspect. Black needs to add weight, but he's more athletic than most 3-techs (especially compared to Will Heininger), so he adds a different dimension. Richard Ash appears to be the backup nose tackle. Meanwhile, Ken Wilkins has supposedly taken a leap forward this spring. He was mired on the bench last season and there were a lot of questions swirling about him, but it seems the light has gone on. He could be the #2 defensive tackle going into the season. Chris Rock has also earned a tiny bit of buzz and has put on a significant amount of weight to play the 3-tech.
Linebacker: I don't mean to overstate things, but the competition between Jake Ryan and Cam Gordon appears to be neck-and-neck for the SAM position. The coaches really like Gordon's athleticism, and he's done a good job in pass coverage, which makes sense because he's a converted safety. Ryan has continued to progress after having a solid redshirt freshman season. There was a huge dropoff last season between Ryan and Beyer, but that won't be the case this year (if Cam Gordon can stay healthy). At the MIKE spot, Kenny Demens hasn't necessarily taken the forward steps that the coaches want. He has been hampered by a thumb injury, and the #1 middle linebacker in his absence has been freshman Joe Bolden. Mike Jones is buried at the #3 spot. The best linebacker this spring has been Desmond Morgan, according to several accounts. He's put on a decent amount of weight after playing at 225 last season, and insiders suggest he's probably close to 240 now. The backup to Morgan at WILL has been Antonio Poole, who redshirted last season.
Cornerback: Blake Countess has one cornerback position locked down. At the boundary corner position, Terrence Talbott has stepped up to challenge J.T. Floyd. Insiders say that Floyd's "benching" is partly due to him underperforming and partly due to rewarding Talbott for hard work in the offseason. It might be unlikely that Talbott takes a job from a fifth year senior, but the possibility exists. He's made his move not by being a great coverage guy but by supporting the run and turning into a very good tackler. Those are the top three corners right there. Raymon Taylor continues to earn buzz as perhaps the secondary's best athlete, but he's still not ready mentally and physically. Courtney Avery is the nickel corner, where he did a great job last season and doesn't seem to getting challenged this spring.
Safety: The starters here are pretty clear with Thomas Gordon at free safety and Jordan Kovacs at strong. Freshman Jarrod Wilson has picked things up quickly, and he might be the #2 free safety. Marvin Robinson has returned to the practice field this spring after disappearing last year with some legal issues. Despite his absence, Robinson appears to have taken another step forward and should be the heir apparent to Kovacs. A couple backup safeties have been absent from practices so far this spring: Tamani Carter and Josh Furman. I would have to assume that they will be buried a little bit if/when they return. These coaches do not like guys who miss practice.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Spring Practice Thoughts and Rumors - Offense
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| Denard Robinson will need to be great again in 2012 |
Quarterback: Denard Robinson's athleticism is a given asset. Some people say he looks faster this spring, and that might make sense, because I thought he looked a little slower in 2011 than he had in 2009 and 2010. I'm not sure if it was conditioning, an injury, or a figment of my imagination, but he didn't seem to have the same acceleration. His mechanics don't seem to have improved, but after three years of playing quarterback in college, I'm resolved to the fact that he will be throwing off his back foot until he's no longer playing the position. Meanwhile, Devin Gardner has looked excellent in his limited highlight exposure. He's in no danger of beating out Robinson, of course, but rumors suggest that he looks like a pretty good successor. Practice rumors about Bellomy have suggested that he looks like a solid quarterback who lacks a little bit of arm strength, but the general buzz on him is that Michigan did a good job grabbing him as a sleeper.
Running back and fullback: Fitzgerald Toussaint seems to have the starting job locked down, and he has reportedly been getting a lot of time off during practices to a) rest, b) avoid injury, and c) let the backups develop. That hasn't stopped MGoBlue.com from showing several nice runs of his. The "every down backup" appears to be Thomas Rawls, which seems like a default, since Vincent Smith is a third-down back and Hayes probably is, too, at least for now. Smith has looked good catching the ball out of the backfield, as always. Meanwhile, Hayes has received a bit of practice buzz for his speed to the outside, but we have yet to see him on film. There's not much depth for the spring, but keep in mind that two tailbacks and a fullback will be arriving on campus this summer. Speaking of the fullback position, Stephen Hopkins is fitting in pretty nicely. Coach Hoke said that he might have put on some bad weight in the off-season, but it doesn't seem to be too egregious. "Insiders" have suggested that the fullback position will be used more frequently in the passing game this year. Walk-on Joey Kerridge has also received some praise from the coaches, so he might be a backup option while incoming freshman Sione Houma redshirts/develops.
Wide receiver: We've known since the end of the 2011 season that this position group would be a question mark, and that has been corroborated by several people who have seen practices. There's not one go-to guy, just a couple #2 or #3 guys. Roy Roundtree has moved to flanker from split end, which puts him in a position to get the ball a little more. At the flanker position, there are more route combinations to get him open and he is more likely to be the primary target. (For those who don't know the difference, the split end is on the line of scrimmage and usually the single receiver to a side. The flanker, on the other hand, is usually paired with a tight end, a slot guy, or some combination of those players in a trips formation.) Jeremy Gallon has made some nice plays on film and is the odds-on favorite to start at split end, despite being only 5'8". He doesn't have great speed, but he is shifty enough to make people miss if Denard Robinson can get him the ball in open space. Jerald Robinson has continued to earn practice buzz and was picked by several outgoing seniors to be a breakout player this season, but he's a redshirt sophomore who has yet to make a catch; he's more of a jump ball guy than Roundtree or Gallon and could be a valuable asset to replace leaper extraordinaire Junior Hemingway. Jeremy Jackson is what he is - slow but reliable. Drew Dileo hasn't received any practice fanfare, really, but he's another kid who's probably going to be solid but unspectacular. He proved to be valuable last year, kind of a glue guy who comes up with some important plays but won't knock your socks off. There's definitely going to be a chance for the two freshmen to contribute this fall. I still wish Michigan would have taken Devin Lucien, who is expected to be the #2 at UCLA, when they had a chance in the class of 2011.
Tight end: Brandon Moore seems to be "the guy" as much as an unspectacular fifth year senior who hasn't played/contributed much can be "the guy," but as I've warned before, keep an eye on walk-on Mike Kwiatkowski. He might be the #2 guy when the season starts and might even steal some snaps from Moore. We've also seen some clips of former linebacker Jordan Paskorz and former defensive end Chris Eddins, another walk-on, catching the ball. None of the tight ends has been shown doing anything but catching the ball and getting tackled immediately. Ricardo Miller, who will mostly play the H-back role, seems to be the "starter" at his position and has received some praise for being able to beat linebackers and the occasional safety.
Offensive line: This is a very solid starting group . . . and after that, we need to cross our fingers. The starters seem to be Taylor Lewan, Elliott Mealer, Ricky Barnum, Patrick Omameh, and Michael Schofield (from left to right). Jack Miller is the backup center, Chris Bryant is the backup guard, and Schofield is the backup at left tackle, in case anything happens to Lewan. Bryant is a mauler in the running game who struggles a little bit against the pass, and Miller also has done fairly well, but neither one appears to be ready at this point. The other backups are walk-ons, and the #2 offensive line has not been impressive as a unit, as one might expect. A freshman or two will probably have a chance to nab a backup role in the fall.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
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