Position switch: Steve Watson

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8Mar 2009
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Position switch: Steve Watson

With Greg Robinson as Michigan’s new defensive coordinator, the Wolverines will probably be running a hybrid 4-3 defense in 2009. Robinson’s employment of the 4-3 often involves a stand-up defensive end/outside linebacker.

Unfortunately for Michigan, the Wolverines don’t have an established player who is an ideal fit at that defensive end position. Shawn Crable would be an example of a player who could play the position well, but he’s entering his second year in the NFL. Incoming freshman Craig Roh was told by Robinson that the coaches wanted him to be used as that DE/OLB, but he’ll be new to the college game and might need some extra time to adjust.

Three Michigan players have been identified by the staff as potential contenders: linebackers Marell Evans and Brandon Herron, as well as converted tight end Steve Watson.

The Evans idea makes some sense. He was a star in spring 2008 practices but vacated his starting outside linebacker job early in the season to John Thompson. At 6’3″ and 231 lbs., he has the size and the speed to be a decent contributor. He’ll probably need some size and strength to hold up against the run, but he has an entire offseason to bulk up a bit.

Brandon Herron also seems to fit. He’s slightly smaller than Evans at 6’2″ and 218 lbs. He played some on special teams as a redshirt freshman in 2008, but never garnered much attention as a full-time linebacker. Herron is only a redshirt sophomore, but he perhaps seems destined for a career on the bench.

The Steve Watson position switch is the most intriguing. As the #15 (Rivals) or #19 (Scout) tight end in the class of 2007, he was supposed to battle for the tight end position after Carson Butler left. But with class of 2008 tight end Kevin Koger apparently outplaying everyone on the roster – causing Butler to move to defensive end – that position seems to be filled for the foreseeable future. While Koger, Martell Webb, and Brandon Moore compete for playing time at tight end, it seems Watson has decided to try his hand at defense.

The problem? Watson barely even played defense in high school. At J.K. Mullen High School in Denver, Colorado, he accumulated a total of 15 tackles and 3 sacks in his career. He does not seem to be possess a great chance of contributing on defense, but I admire his willingness to give up his most familiar position to compete elsewhere. At 6’4″ and 242 lbs., he has the size but probably lacks the instincts and technique to be successful. The good news is that he’ll only be a redshirt sophomore in 2009, which means he has a couple years to hone his skills. He might contribute down the line, but I expect that Evans or Roh will develop a stranglehold on the position before Watson can adjust.

Predicted depth chart:
DE/OLB
Marell Evans – Jr.
Craig Roh – Fr.
Brandon Herron – RS So.
Steve Watson – RS So.

4Mar 2009
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Mike Barwis balloon slightly deflated

Almost more so than the hiring of Rich Rodriguez in December 2007, the arrival of West Virginia’s strength and conditioning coach, Mike Barwis, excited Michigan football fanatics. Rumors abounded that Barwis was an ex-cage fighter, owned pet wolves, and drank battery acid protein drinks. The speed of West Virginia’s football team and the success of its undersized offensive line had the Michigan faithful believing that Barwis could turn middling recruits into supermen and good recruits into gods and really good recruits into Barry Sanders.

While Michigan looked faster on the field in 2008, Barwis’s program obviously didn’t translate into victories. And to be fair, experts say that it takes a full year for a new program to really take effect. So while Brandon Minor and Greg Mathews, in particular, seemed to gain a step in 2008, the coming season is perhaps when we will see the results of Barwis’s newfangled approach to strength and conditioning.

So with the 2009 NFL Combine wrapping up last week, I thought I’d take a look at Michigan’s invitees and see if Barwis deserves the hype.

Terrance Taylor – DT
As a high schooler, Taylor reportedly ran a 4.85 forty-yard dash as a 6′, 285 lb. defensive tackle. Considering that many high school times are inflated, let’s add one-tenth of a second to that time and call it a 4.95. At 6′ and 306 lbs. this past weekend, Taylor ran a 5.24 forty-yard dash. Taylor supposedly benched 185 lbs. a total of 32 times coming out of high school, a max factor of 381 lbs. This weekend Taylor put up 225 lbs. a total of 37 times (max factor: 500), second in the Combine only to Louis Vazquez from Texas Tech.

Tim Jamison – DE
As a high schooler, Jamison’s profile suggests he ran a 4.7 forty-yard dash as a 6’3″, 240 lb. defensive end. He checked in at the combine as a 6’3″, 256 lb. defensive end – and ran a 5.09 forty-yard dash. Even adding the obligatory +.1 to his high school forty time, he apparently got .29 seconds slower as a sprinter in his time at Michigan.

Morgan Trent – CB
Trent is more difficult to judge. In high school he supposedly ran a 4.4 forty-yard dash, which doesn’t seem infeasible, considering he holds the Michigan state record in the indoor sixty-yard dash and the indoor 200-meter dash. Reports out of Indianapolis have him running anywhere between a 4.42 and a 4.53 at the Combine, so he probably didn’t get any slower – but he probably didn’t get much faster, either. Speed seems to be a wash with Trent. He did, however, bench 225 lbs. twenty-three times at the Combine, which tied him for fourth amongst cornerbacks and seventh of all defensive backs. At 6’1″ and 193 lbs., Trent’s weight didn’t fluctuate much since Barwis’s arrival, although he did seem sturdier and made some excellent hits in the 2008 season.

Sean Griffin – LS
Griffin’s numbers at the Combine probably affect him less than the other three. He checked in at 6’2″ and 242 lbs. As an excellent college long snapper, his snaps aren’t the issue. The biggest question about Griffin will be his strength and speed for getting down the field and making tackles. Long snappers are often the first ones off the line to release and start covering punts downfield. Griffin turned in a 5.14 forty yard dash at the Combine, which is not a particularly good number for someone who weighs just over 240, whether he’s a long snapper or not. It’s somewhat curious that Griffin even got invited to the Combine, considering that he never played a down at any other position.

Conclusion
The stories about Barwis improving strength seem to hold some truth. Morgan Trent and Terrance Taylor both did very well in the bench press. Regarding speed, Trent’s 4.53 forty time was somewhat disappointing, considering he has generally been considered one of the two or three fastest guys on the team. However, he did better than expected in the agility drills, so perhaps he’s faster than a 4.53 and that was just an aberration.

These players – in addition to safeties Brandon Harrison and Charles Stewart, linebacker John Thompson, defensive tackle Will Johnson, and tight ends Mike Massey and Carson Butler – will have a chance to improve these numbers at Michigan’s Pro Day on March 13.

26Feb 2009
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2009 Recruiting Awards


Best overall recruit: Craig Roh
Best offensive recruit: Fitzgerald Toussaint
Best defensive recruit: Craig Roh
Recruit most likely to make an early impact: Tate Forcier
Fastest recruit: Denard Robinson
Strongest recruit: William Campbell
Best under-the-radar recruit: Adrian Witty
Most overrated recruit: Michael Schofield
Most likely to redshirt: Cameron Gordon

19Feb 2009
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Steve Threet, ex-Wolverine

Quarterback Steve Threet has decided to transfer from Michigan. He released a statement saying that he has received his release from the team and he will be looking to play football elsewhere.

Coming out of high school in 2007 as the #9 pro-style quarterback in the nation, he went to Georgia Tech. It’s still unclear why he didn’t continue his career as a Yellowjacket, but he transferred to Michigan after winter semester, supposedly to be the heir of the heir of Chad Henne. And that’s exactly what he was. Henne graduated after the 2007 season and Ryan Mallett was anointed the starter…until Mallett decided to transfer to Arkansas. Suddenly, a team that had four 4- and 5-star quarterbacks on its roster in summer 2007 (Henne, Mallett, Threet, and Jason Forcier, who transferred to Stanford) was down to one.

For a guy who was expected by most people to start the 2009 season at the top of the depth chart, this is a curious move. Admittedly, Threet did not fit the popular mold of Rich Rodriguez run-good-throw-bad quarterbacks. Still, for a 6’5″, 230 lb. quarterback, Threet moved well. His decision-making was suspect, but after all, he was a redshirt freshman in 2008. Even a read-option-bred kid would have had a difficult time in the Big Ten as a youngster.

The rumor is that Threet will end up at North Dakota State. I feel bad for Threet in a way, because this is not the way he saw his dream unfolding. At the same time, his notion of commitment is suspect. If he does indeed attend North Dakota State, that will be his third school in three years. I never heard a bad thing about the kid’s attitude while he was at Michigan, other than that he was having a hard time picking up the offense. He’s a hard worker, and he’s been through a lot. Hopefully he’ll be successful at North Dakota State and be the second coming of Matt Gutierrez.

10Feb 2009
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Jerald Robinson, Wolverine

Reports surfaced late Sunday evening that Jerald Robinson, a wide receiver from Canton South High School in Canton, OH, would commit to Michigan. This came as a bit of a surprise because many (including me) didn’t know Robinson had a Michigan offer. He’s a Rivals 250 to Watch player and, therefore, probably in line to be a 4-star recruit. On Monday he made it “official” by announcing it himself.

STATISTICS
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 175 lbs.
40 time: 4.59 seconds
Sophomore year: 600 yards, 4 TD’s
Junior year: 34 receptions, 756 yards, 7 TD’s. (Defense: 7 interceptions)

SCOUTING REPORT
From what I’ve seen of Robinson, he’s a good – not great – athlete. He’s willing and able to catch the ball in traffic, whether it’s across the middle or jump balls downfield. He’s not a great route runner, but that will probably come. His speed is reported at 4.59; considering that many high school players exaggerate their forty times, he’s probably closer to a 4.65 or so. He gets caught from behind too often for an elite athlete, so that’s a question mark. Also a solid safety prospect, he likes to come up and support the run. His physicality is evidenced by his willingness to be a downfield blocker.

PROJECTION
First of all, I will be somewhat surprised if Robinson is still committed to Michigan on Signing Day 2010. He is the third wide receiver commit for the class of 2010 and arguably the least talented. Early in the recruiting process, it was reported that he heavily favored Ohio State. Michigan offered Robinson (OSU hasn’t yet) and perhaps won his favor because of it, but that doesn’t mean he’ll favor Michigan for the remainder of the process. There are several other elite Michigan receivers on their board, and I foresee – unfortunately – a decommitment on his part or a Jordan Barnes-like mutual parting of ways. If Robinson does stay on board, he’s a physically mature receiver who might be ready to contribute early. However, with the glut of outside receivers expected to be on Michigan’s roster in 2010 (Hemingway, Clemons, Stonum, Roundtree, and fellow 2010 recruits Jeremy Jackson and Ricardo Miller), I doubt Robinson would contribute as a freshman. It’s quite possible that he’ll redshirt.

BEST CASE SCENARIO
Greg Mathews, minus the mediocre punt returns