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| I’m not sure if this is a reference to Michigan’s all-time leading rusher or not. |
As always, feel free to e-mail me any pictures of attractive girls wearing Michigan gear at [email protected].
When I started this blog a couple years ago, I tried to think of perhaps the most iconic thing about Michigan football. Obviously the helmets are unlike anybody else’s in the FBS. And Bo Schembechler is an icon. But the one thing that stood out to me that I hadn’t seen at any other school is the GO BLUE M CLUB SUPPORTS YOU banner that the players and coaches touch prior to each home game.
Until recently, however, I never knew the origins of the banner. John U. Bacon was helpful enough to explain the banner’s origins in a recent podcast:
In 1962, the Wolverines lost five of their first six games, including four straight Big Ten losses– three of them, shutouts.
The head hockey coach, Al Renfrew, had been a classmate of [Bump] Elliott’s, and the two had remained good friends. So Renfrew and his wife Marjorie decided to do something to help boost the football team’s morale. Marjorie went to work in her sewing room, stitching a yellow block “M” on a blue sheet, about six feet across.
So now we know.
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| Over 85% of All-Big Ten cornerbacks are taller than 5’9″. |
Last week I put together a post about the ideal size for cornerbacks. That was in response to a discussion that arose on MGoBlog, and MGoBlog author Brian felt it worthwhile enough to reference.
Well, commenter ironman4579 did some further research and looked up the All-Big Ten teams from 2004-2009. Six years is probably less representative than a ten-year sample, but regardless, the trend continues – taller cornerbacks earn all-conference selections more frequently.
As you can see from the chart above, 5’9″ cornerbacks make up slightly less than 15% of the sample. Cornerbacks who are 5’10” or 6’1″ make up slightly less than 12% each, but the difference between 15% and 12% is likely negligible. Besides, there aren’t too many 6’1″ cornerbacks out there.
The thing to note here, I think, is that the biggest set of All-Big Ten cornerbacks is 5’11”. The same held true (sort of) for Pro Bowl selections in last week’s study, where 23% of Pro Bowl cornerbacks were 5’11” and 23% were 5’10”. Those heights seem to be somewhat consistent in studying these two groups of cornerbacks.
I do not think these bits of research suggest that Michigan should completely avoid recruiting cornerbacks who are 5’9″ or shorter. Obviously, there will be exceptions. But it seems that Michigan has made a habit of recruiting short cornerbacks in recent years (Boubacar Cissoko and Delonte Hollowell, among several others they pursued but who never committed), and the statistics suggest that’s unwise.
Thanks to ironman4579 for the research!
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady helped beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday by a score of 39-26. Brady was 30-for-43 with 350 yards, 3 passing touchdowns, and 1 rushing TD. Additionally, he’s my QB in my fantasy football keeper league and earned me 38 points. If only Michigan could produce a solid tight end and a running back or two, I could field an all-Michigan fantasy team . . .
Honorable mention: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Steve Breaston made 4 catches for 98 yards and averaged more than 24 yards on five kickoff returns. Unfortunately for him, the Cardinals lost to Seattle, 36-18.
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| Dallas Crawford (#4) committed to the Wolverines on Friday. |
Last Friday Dallas Crawford called up Michigan’s coaches and told them that he would be joining their defensive backfield in 2011. Crawford is current a quarterback/safety for South Fort Myers High School in Fort Myers, FL. At 5’10” and 180 lbs., he’s a 3-star recruit to both Scout and Rivals, but a 4-star to ESPN. He chose Michigan over offers from Georgia Tech, Iowa, Miami, North Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, and West Virginia, among others.
Elite high school defensive backs often play free safety; opponents can fairly easily run and throw away from a cornerback for an entire game. That holds true with Crawford as well, who racked up 10 interceptions as a junior and already has 8 this season (his team is still in the playoffs).
As mentioned above, though, Crawford also plays quarterback. I really like prospects who play quarterback for their high school teams – not only because teams usually put their best athletes at quarterback, but because quarterbacks are usually intelligent and have good awareness of the entire field. That’s one of the main reasons I like Desmond Morgan as a linebacker prospect, too; when he’s not playing linebacker, he’s behind center.
I like what Crawford offers as a defensive back on his merits solely on that side of the ball, too. He does a good job of going up to get the ball at its highest point, and he breaks on the ball quickly. He’s also a quick-twitch athlete and can make people miss when he gets the ball in his hands, not a long strider like some of Michigan’s other cornerbacks. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Crawford is that, despite his middling size, he’s a very solid tackler. Many high school coaches don’t even want their quarterbacks playing defense, let alone flying into ballcarriers at full speed like #4 does.
I’m not sure how much Crawford’s commitment affects his teammate Sammy Watkins, a stellar wide receiver recruit. The two are not a package deal and Watkins reportedly has Clemson as his leader. Regardless, I really like the Crawford commitment. He’s a playmaker at a position that currently lacks them. I like him more as a cornerback than any of Michigan’s cornerback recruits in the last few years, save Demar Dorsey (who obviously never arrived on campus). And yes, that includes the highly touted Cullen Christian. How immediately Crawford makes an impact at Michigan probably depends on what position Troy Woolfolk plays in 2011 when he returns from that ankle injury, but Michigan finally seems to be gathering some depth at a position that sorely needed it.