Carson Butler, ex-Wolverine

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8Jan 2009
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Carson Butler, ex-Wolverine

Tight end-turned-defensive end Carson Butler has decided to forego his fifth year at Michigan and see what the NFL has in store for him. My guess? Not much. Butler is a supremely talented athlete who secured the starting tight end job in 2007. He false started and/or held on every other play, but when you’re 6’5″ and fast, you get to play anyway.

According to rumors, Butler butted heads with Rich Rodriguez and his coaching staff. After making a couple nice catches early in the 2008 season, he was relegated to the bench in favor of Mike Massey and true freshman Kevin Koger. He made a midyear switch to defensive end and played significant time against Purdue, even though he continually got pushed backward by the offensive lineman opposite him. After the Ohio State game, internet reports swirled that Carson Butler challenged Rich Rodriguez to a fight on the sideline during the game.

This is probably a win-win-win situation. Michigan’s team won’t be held back by locker room cancers and false start penalties. Rodriguez will have one less headache to worry about. And Carson Butler will avoid being savaged by Mike Barwis’ pack of angry pet wolves.

I would be surprised if an NFL team took a chance on Butler in the draft. He may latch on somewhere as a rookie free agent until he pisses off the coaching staff of whatever practice squad he’s on. Finesse tight ends usually linger toward the top of the depth chart, and Butler isn’t ready to be an NFL starter. Considering his aversion to blocking – which is where many unheralded tight ends have to make their mark – I don’t think he has a future at the next level.
8Jan 2009
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Bowl Prediction: National Championship

Prediction record so far: 5-5

Florida vs. Oklahoma

My experience with college football streaks is that those streaks tend to disappear in bowl games. Oklahoma has scored 60+ points in six straight games to end the season. That won’t happen again. While I don’t think Florida will shut down Oklahoma completely, I’ve been impressed by SEC defenses so far this bowl season, particularly Ole Miss’ defense. Ole Miss largely shut down another Big 12 offensive juggernaut in Texas Tech.

Even without running back Demarco Murray, Oklahoma has plenty of offensive weapons. Chris Brown ran for over 1,100 yards. Quarterback Sam Bradford passed for 48 TD’s and only 6 INT’s. Six Oklahoma receivers had over 395 yards.

But Florida has plenty of weapons itself. Percy Harvin, Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey, Louis Murphy. Oh yeah, and Tim Tebow. Oklahoma has a record-setting offense, but the difference will be Florida’s defense. The Gators have more speed than anyone Oklahoma has played so far this year, and this will be defensive coordinator Charlie Strong’s stepping stone up to a college head coaching position.

Prediction: Florida 38, Oklahoma 31

6Jan 2009
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Jay Crawford is objective

ESPN First Take anchor Jay Crawford took a jab at Michigan this morning. When discussing last night’s Fiesta Bowl result (Texas scored a late TD to beat Ohio State, 24-21), Crawford asked Michigan graduate and co-anchor Dana Jacobson, “Honestly, when Texas scored last night, did you give a fist pump or did you throw something?”

Dana Jacobson said, “I was like, ‘Yeah.’ What do you expect?”

Crawford responded with, “When Michigan’s in a bowl game – and maybe they forgot what it’s like…” He was probably going to continue with, “I root for Michigan because they’re in the Big Ten.”

Crawford is obviously an Ohio State fan. He acts like he’s an alum, but he was born in Sandusky, OH, and graduated from Bowling Green State University. But a guy who should be an objective host of a sports show shouldn’t be bashing anyone; that’s what Skip Bayless, Rob Parker, the Stewart brothers, etc. are for.

On top of that, this was Michigan’s first year missing a bowl bid in 34 years. Crawford was nine years old the last time Michigan missed a bowl. When was the last time in that span that Ohio State missed out on a bowl? Way back in 1999. And 1994. And 1988. And 1987. Michigan’s been going to bowl games since before Jay Crawford grew pubic hair.

5Jan 2009
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2004 Recruiting: Tight Ends and Wide Receivers

The recruiting class of 2004 has run out of eligibility. It’s sad to see some of these guys go. Others…not so much. Here’s part two of a breakdown of the 2004 recruiting class.

Wide Receivers

Adrian Arrington: 6’4″, 180 lbs. – Cedar Rapids, IA – Rivals: ****
Arrington was a strong contributor to Michigan’s team for a couple years. He played as a true freshman but then suffered an injury that caused him to redshirt as a sophomore. When he returned in 2006, he was the second option in the passing game to Mario Manningham. Arrington reminded many Michigan fans of the steady stream of big, athletic receivers at Michigan – Amani Toomer, Mercury Hayes, David Terrell, Marquis Walker, etc. He had the athleticism and the big play ability of those players, but never passed Manningham for team supremacy. Quarterback Chad Henne often looked to Arrington on fades and jump balls near the end zone, and Arrington responded with excellent, acrobatic catches. He would have been the #1 receiver in 2008 if he had waited around, but he was scared off by the graduation of Henne and the transfer of Ryan Mallett to Arkansas. Without an established quarterback to throw him the ball when he would have been a senior, Arrington took a chance on the NFL and was drafted in the seventh round.
Career statistics: 100 receptions, 1285 yards, 14 TD’s

Doug Dutch: 5’11”, 204 lbs. – Bowie, MD – Rivals: ****
Dutch was rather highly regarded coming out of high school, ranking as the #10 wide receiver and #98 player overall for Rivals. Unfortunately for Michigan fans, Dutch never became a significant contributor. He redshirted as a freshman and then spent two years attempting to become a reliable wide receiver. He caught four passes for 34 yards as a redshirt freshman and returned a couple punts for nine yards that same year. Going into the 2007 season, Dutch accepted a position switch to cornerback due to Michigan’s shortage of defensive backs. He made one tackle against Notre Dame in 2007 but played sparingly for the rest of his career. Simply based on his recruiting ranking, Dutch was one of the biggest few disappointments of the Carr recruiting years.
Career statistics: 4 receptions, 34 yards; 2 punt returns, 9 yards; 1 solo tackle

Keston Cheathem: 6’3″, 195 lbs. – Pomona, CA – Rivals: ***
Cheathem was recruited as Rivals’ #44 wide receiver. Cheathem lasted only one season in Ann Arbor after being converted to safety. He then returned closer to home and played at Fresno City Community College for two seasons before transferring again to Bowling Green State University. He played two seasons at BGSU, but caught only two passes for 32 yards.
Career stats (at Michigan): None.

Position grade: C+. In a traditional Michigan offense, Arrington could have been the reincarnation of Marquis Walker or Jason Avant. Michigan did a good job of getting him on board and he would have been great, if not for the change in offensive philosophy. Cheathem turned out to be a wasted scholarship, and Dutch was only slightly better than that.

Tight Ends

Mike Massey: 6’4″, 225 lbs. – Cleveland, OH – Rivals: ****
Massey was the #5 strongside defensive end in the 2004 class, but Michigan used him at tight end from day one. But when I say “used him,” I mean they put him on the field occasionally throughout his career but really didn’t do anything with him. Perhaps Massey would have served himself and the team better by being kept at defensive end. He was always a little too tentative to be a good blocker and lacked the speed and agility to be a areal threat in the passing game. He was beaten out by the hot-headed and mistake-prone Carson Butler and the 2008 true freshman Kevin Koger and tallied only 20 receptions throughout his career. Mike’s older brother, Pat, was a captain of the Michigan squad in 2005, but neither player really stood out as an excellent football player; both were respected for their leadership, though. And all the girlies think Mike is hot, so there’s that.
Career statistics: 20 receptions, 161 yards, 2 TD’s

Position grade: C-. The class did produce a starter, but that position was generally considered a weakness and was eventually lost.

4Jan 2009
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2004 Recruiting: Offensive Backfield

The recruiting class of 2004 has run out of eligibility. It’s sad to see some of these guys go. Others…not so much. Here’s the beginning of a breakdown of the 2004 recruiting class.

Quarterback

Chad Henne: 6’2″, 210 lbs. – West Lawn, PA – Rivals: *****
Henne was the prize of the 2004 recruiting class. Ranked #13 overall by Rivals, he was the second-best recruit from Pennsylvania…behind Anthony Morelli. Henne came to Michigan and started from Day 1 of his freshman season. The presumed starter, Matt Gutierrez, hurt his shoulder and couldn’t be the player Michigan expected. Henne came in and immediately started chucking the ball to senior Braylon Edwards, providing Edwards with the opportunities to win the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best receiver. Henne continued to improve through his junior year. He hit a speed bump as a senior, playing poorly against Appalachian State and Oregon before injuring his knee. He ended his career as Michigan’s leading passer in many categories, but he went 0-4 against Ohio State, which hurt his legacy. The Miami Dolphins picked him with their 2nd round pick in 2008.
Career stats: 828/1387, 59.7% completions, 87 TD’s, 37 INT’s

Position Grade: A. Michigan got perhaps the school’s all-time best passer and a four-year starter.

Running Back

Max Martin – 6’2″, 210 lbs. – Madison, AL – Rivals: ****
In a relatively weak running back class, Martin was the #15 running back behind a bunch of no-names other than Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch. Still, it was hoped that Max Martin could step in for the graduated Chris Perry and contribute alongside senior David Underwood. Both Martin and Underwood were beaten out by another no-name kid. Martin played at Michigan for two years, rushing for only 358 yards. Seeking more playing time, he transferred to Alabama. Alabama didn’t like his attitude, so Martin transferred to Alabama State. He’s probably working in a shoelace factory now. Seen as a savior for the position, he quickly faded into anonymity.
Career stats (at Michigan): 85 carries, 358 yards, 3 TD’s

Michael Hart – 5’10”, 175 lbs. – Syracuse, NY – Rivals: ***
Okay, Hart was listed at 5’10”, but the only way he was 5’10” coming out of high school was if he contracted progeria as a freshman at Michigan. We all know how this turned out, though. The undersized, unheralded running back became perhaps Michigan’s greatest running back ever. Since he didn’t have much speed, he used superior vision, balance, and cutting ability to become the all-time leading Wolverine rusher and a 4th round selection by the Indianapolis Colts.
Career stats: 1015 carries, 5040 yards, 41 TD’s

Roger Allison – 6’2″, 230 lbs. – Lake Orion, MI – Rivals: ***
Allison was the #9 fullback coming out of high school, behind players such as Peyton Hillis (recently seen playing tailback for the Denver Broncos) and Jordan Dizon (a 2007 second round pick by the Detroit Lions as a linebacker). Going into 2005 Allison was thought to be the leader for the fullback job. But a career-ending nerve injury prevented him from ever playing for the Wolverines. Mark Moundros has done an excellent job at fullback, but if Allison had remained healthy after redshirting in 2004, he may have been Michigan’s version of Owen Schmitt in Rich Rodriguez’s offense.
Career stats: None

Position Grade: A. It would have been nice to get a second contributor, but getting the school’s all-time leading rusher makes for a pretty good haul.