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25Feb 2011
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Suspected Position Changes Confirmed

Tight end-turned defensive end-turned tight end Steve Watson

A couple position changes have been confirmed by a paywalled article on Rivals:

1. William Campbell has moved back to defense.  Rich Rodriguez toyed with him on offense, which seemed silly in light of the considerable depth at the offensive guard position.  But unlike Rodriguez and his clunky defensive staff, Campbell will actually be playing the 3-tech defensive tackle position.  I can’t imagine the conversations in the former defensive staff’s meeting rooms.  “Well, we’ve got this 6’5” behemoth with loads of talent, but his one problem is that he can’t stay low and get leverage.  We just can’t figure out what to do with him.  What to do, what to do.  Oh.  My.  God.  I have an awesome idea!  Let’s put him at nose tackle, the defensive line position where leverage is most important.  Surely our 6’2″ center won’t make him look like a fool on a daily basis!”  Perhaps that’s reason #238 why Rich Rodriguez forcing a 3-3-5 on a bewildered defensive coordinator was a bad idea.

2. Steve Watson has once again become a tight end.  This is a good move for Watson and for the team.  He was buried on the depth chart as an outside linebacker and defensive end the past couple seasons, notching a total of 6 tackles in that span.  He’ll probably still be sitting behind starter Kevin Koger and redshirt junior Brandon Moore, but this will allow Michigan to run some sets with three tight ends in short yardage and near the goalline.  The Wolverines pulled in a talented tight end, Chris Barnett, in the 2011 class.  However, Barnett is coming off a serious knee injury, needs to work on his body, and won’t arrive on campus until this summer.  This move may allow the freshman to redshirt.

23Feb 2011
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Review: If These Walls Could Talk by Jon Falk

Peg Canham (former A.D. Don Canham’s widow) and Michigan equipment manager Jon Falk

Given to me as a Christmas gift, I recently finished the book written by Michigan equipment manager Jon Falk and author Dan Ewald.  Called If These Walls Could Talk, it covers the last four decades of Michigan football from Falk’s perspective.

The narrative moves chronologically from the beginning of Falk’s career at Miami (OH); to following Bo Schembechler north to Ann Arbor; to Schembechler’s successors Gary Moeller, Lloyd Carr, and Rich Rodriguez.  Along the way, Falk shares many light-hearted stories about the four coaches and various players along the way.  But make no mistake – this book is an ode to Coach Schembechler.

I asked for the book because I thought Falk might share some inside stories about the Michigan football program, and there were numerous anecdotes about Bo, the Ohio State rivalry, and star players from Michigan football history.  But rather than making the book about Michigan football, it seemed to dwell on Falk himself.  And while I’m sure Falk is a nice enough guy, there seemed to be a lot of filler and fluff.  Ewald inserted countless tributes from former players and co-workers riffing on what a great guy Jon Falk is, how he develops an almost coach-level rapport with the players, and how former players and coaches always make a point to stop by and say hello to Falk when they’re back in town.

This is not to say that the book is a pointless read.  There are occasional interesting tidbits.  But if you’re looking for dirt on anyone, you won’t find it.  In fact, the downest and dirtiest Falk gets is when he chastises Ohio State wide receiver Terry Glenn for badmouthing Michigan . . . and then praises Glenn for stepping up like a man and taking the admonishment in stride.

As one might expect in a book about an equipment manager, this book is intended for only the most hardcore fans, and since I write a Michigan football blog, I guess I count.  The biggest factor that kept me turning pages was the chronological order, which made me think there would be some juicy or interesting stories about the Carr or Rodriguez regime coming at the end of the book (there weren’t).  But the fawning stories about Bo Schembechler and rivalry games made it a worthwhile read for me.

19Feb 2011
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2012 Offer Board Update

Miami cornerback/safety Deon Bush

The 2012 Offer Board has been updated:

Added Jordan Jenkins (DE).

Added Jody Fuller (WR).

Added Avery Young (OT).

Added John Theus (OT).

Added Bri’onte Dunn (RB) who is committed to Ohio State.

Added Mark Harrell (OT).

Added Armani Reeves (CB).

Added Kaleb Ringer (MLB).

Added Leonte Carroo (WR).

Added Jordan Simmons (OG).

Added Jordan Payton (WR).

Added Stefon Diggs (WR).

Added Adolphus Washington (DE).

Added Jarrod Wilson (FS).

Added Deon Bush (CB).

Added Taylor Decker (OT).

Added Kyle Murphy (OT).

Added Keith Marshall (RB).

Added Malik Gilmore (WR).

Matt Jones (RB) committed to Florida.

Added Se’von Pittman (DE).

Added Andrus Peat (OT).

Added Taylor McNamara (TE).