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Michigan vs. Purdue Awards

Obi Ezeh led the team with eight tackles on Saturday.

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . good Vincent Smith.  It’s been about 11.5 months since Smith’s ACL tear, and it looks like he’s finally getting healthy.  Perhaps it’s partially due to the fact that it was Purdue’s defense, but Smith looked quicker and faster than he has all season.  I still don’t like the fact that he was put on the field about nine months after tearing that ACL, but he finally seems to be rounding into form.  Hopefully he maintains his level of play.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . bad quarterbacks.  Denard Robinson seems to have regressed in recent weeks, both throwing and running the ball.  I think it’s fair to say at this point that the number of carries Denard has averaged so far this season are catching up to Robinson and Coach Rodriguez.  Robinson was 13-for-21 for 176 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 bad interceptions.  The big plays are going to be there because of the quality of Michigan’s receivers and the threat of Denard running the ball, but Robinson needs to become a more consistent passer – and soon – if he wants to beat Wisconsin and Ohio State.  Tate Forcier wasn’t any better, hitting only 1/4 passes and averaging only .8 yards per carry.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Obi Ezeh seemed to make a nice transition from middle linebacker to outside linebacker.  Since prior to 2008, I’ve thought that Ezeh was more of an OLB than a MLB.  In that season I really wanted John Thompson to play MLB and have Ezeh moved outside.  That obviously didn’t happen, and Ezeh spent his entire career at MLB until recently.  He ended the game with 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack.  Ezeh’s biggest problem at middle linebacker was that he read plays too slowly, but the reads at OLB are slightly simpler and one misstep won’t necessarily get him out of position.  With Craig Roh now playing defensive end (which is also a good move), Ezeh is a good option at OLB.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Mark Moundros.  He was voted defensive captain for a reason . . . and I think the biggest reason was that he was clearly willing to change positions (and sides of the ball!) as a senior just to try to help the team and get on the field.  However, I don’t think he’s fast enough, instinctive enough, or experienced enough to make an impact on defense.  Hopefully the guy he replaced (Jonas Mouton) returns soon from his chest injury.  If Mouton is still unavailable next week, I’d prefer to see J.B. Fitzgerald start at weakside linebacker, Demens in the middle, and Ezeh at OLB.

MVP of the Purdue game . . . Vincent Smith.  This was a tough choice, because nobody really took over the game this week.  There were several guys who had one or two big plays (Craig Roh, Cameron Gordon, Roy Roundtree, James Rogers), but Smith had a solid day and finished with just under 100 yards, including a stellar 19-yard run.  Good for him.

What’s the ideal size for a cornerback?

In response to a recent discussion over on MGoBlog about preferred heights for cornerbacks, I figured that I would do a little bit of research into the heights of cornerbacks.  In general, I am not a big fan of short cornerbacks.  That has factored into my assessments of several Michigan recruits or potential recruits, including Cass Tech Technicians Boubacar Cissoko, Dior Mathis, and Delonte Hollowell.

Presumably, Michigan coaches, players, and fans would like to see Michigan products have success at the NFL level.  Of course, not every Wolverine will make it to the NFL or have success there, and college production is separate from the impact on the professional game.  However, I think it’s relevant to look at Pro Bowl cornerback size.  After all, trends in the NFL generally trickle down to college and then high school.

On to the data . . .

I looked at the cornerbacks selected for the Pro Bowls over 10 seasons, from 2001-2010.  Overall, there were 69 cornerback selections for those Pro Bowls (3 per conference each year, plus injury replacements).

The tallest cornerback to make the Pro Bowl was Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Bobby Taylor at 6’3″.

The shortest cornerbacks to make the Pro Bowl were the quartet of Aaron Glenn, Antoine Winfield, Cortland Finnegan, and Dre Bly, all of whom measured in at 5’9″.

Over 46% of the selections for the Pro Bowl came from players who were 5’10” or 5’11”.

I presume that most players who are 6’3″ or taller get steered away from the cornerback position; most are probably either steered toward safety or told to put on weight and become a linebacker.  Of course, there’s also a trend of tall wide receivers in football, so many skilled, tall athletes probably don’t play defense.  On the other hand, I would venture a guess that there is a much larger group of athletic kids who are 5’8″ or 5’9″ and get steered toward cornerback in college and the NFL.  For every 6’3″ wanna-be cornerback out there, one could probably find ten 5’9″ wanna-be corners.  So the pool of taller players is likely much smaller than that of short corners.

In summary, NFL Pro Bowl selections over the last decade support the idea that diminutive cornerbacks don’t have great success at the NFL level.  That doesn’t mean that shorter players are precluded from being successful in college or even the NFL, but the ideal height for cornerbacks tends to be anywhere from 5’10” to 6’1″.

2011 Offer Board Update

Cornerback Blake Countess (#1)

The 2011 Offer Board has been updated:

DeAnthony Arnett (WR) committed to Tennessee.

Added Blake Countess (CB).

Charles Jackson (CB) committed to Nebraska.

Added Tre Mason (SB).

Sean Duggan (ILB) committed to Boston College.

Added Desmond Morgan (ILB).

AJ Jordan (WR) committed to Wisconsin.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: LaMarr Woodley

Former Michigan defensive end LaMarr Woodley.

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Lamarr Woodley had 3 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 tackle for loss on Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.  The Steelers won the game, 27-21.  The contest also included former Michigan players Larry Foote (PIT), Ryan Mundy (PIT), Dhani Jones (CIN), Leon Hall (CIN), and Morgan Trent (CIN).

Honorable mention: New York Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards had 3 catches for 78 yards, including a 74-yarder for a touchdown, against the Detroit Lions.  The Jets won in overtime by a score of 23-20.

Poll Results: How many rushing yards will Denard get?

After Michigan’s second game, I asked the question, “Denard Robinson has 455 rushing yards through 2 games (on pace for 2730).  How many yards will he have at the end of the season?”  One-hundred and twenty-eight people voted.

46% said 1,500-1,999
44% said 1,000-1,499
7% said 2,000-2,499
1% said 2,500 or more
1% said 500-999
0% said Less than 500

Through nine games, Robinson currently has 1,349 yards.  That puts him on pace for 1.949 yards now that Michigan has qualified to play in a bowl game.  However, Robinson’s apparent head injury against Illinois on Saturday may limit his playing time in the coming weeks.