Tag: 2011 Season Countdown

2011 Countdown: #34 Thomas Gordon

Thomas Gordon

Name: Thomas Gordon
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 205 lbs.
High school: Cass Technical High School in Detroit, MI
Position: Nickel cornerback
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #15
Last year: I ranked Gordon #23 and said he would get 60 tackles as the starting Spur.  He started 4 games, making 23 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks.

I’ve taken a liking to Gordon and repeatedly called for him to get more playing time last season.  He was beaten out by Carvin Johnson for the starting Spur job for the beginning of last season (though Johnson promptly got injured), but Gordon handled himself well in his somewhat limited playing time.  He’s not a speedster, but he’s good in limited space and can blitz a little bit.  The only thing I can imagine is that Gordon had some off-the-field issues that contributed to him standing on the sidelines for Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Mississippi State, which were powerful running teams against which a stout kid like Gordon would seem to have fared well.  Meanwhile, Johnson wasn’t spectacular (18 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass breakup) and both lost their starting job to converted safety Cameron Gordon.

This season Thomas Gordon looks to be the nickel corner, replacing a defensive lineman or linebacker in passing situations.  This would seem to be an excellent fit for him, because he has some of the same abilities as former nickel extraordinaire Brandon Harrison, though Gordon isn’t as speedy.  He should be able to play a little bit of zone coverage, support the run, sniff out some screen passes, and blitz off the edge.  I would be a little concerned about his ability to man up against some of the Big Ten’s slot receivers, but that can be schemed around a little bit.

Prediction: Nickel corner

2011 Countdown: #35 Darryl Stonum

Here’s a picture of Darryl Stonum standing on the sidelines, because that’s all he might be doing this year.

Name: Darryl Stonum
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 195 lbs.
High school: Dulles High School in Stafford, TX
Position: Wide receiver/kick returner
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #22
Last year: I ranked Stonum #13, said he would start at wide receiver and kick returner, and predicted 35 catches for 525 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He had 49 catches for 633 yards and 4 touchdowns, while also returning 22 kickoffs for 513 yards.

Stonum would be higher on the list if it weren’t for his little problem with drinking and staying on the good side of the law.  Unfortunately for everyone involved, he’s got himself into a bit of a mess and earned an indefinite suspension.  Stonum has himself a decent, if unspectacular, career going so far.  He’s started 25 games in three seasons, set the all-time Michigan record for kickoff return yardage in a season back in 2009, and finally started catching a significant amount of passes in 2010.  Last season he averaged 23.3 yards per kickoff return and finished second on the team in receptions, receiving yardage, and receiving touchdowns.

Now it’s unclear whether Stonum will suit up for Michigan ever again.  His indefinite suspension leaves things up in the air, and even if he does return, there are three other senior wideouts returning, to go along with redshirt junior and leading receiver Roy Roundtree.  Stonum will almost certainly get back in the rotation for playing time if he returns, but how rusty will he be?  Will the other guys have stepped up in his absence and refuse to relinquish their spots?  Ultimately, I think Stonum would have been kicked off the team already if Brady Hoke had the intention of kicking him off, and there is an opportunity for the senior wideout to return if he pays his dues (a.k.a. if he runs lots and lots and lots).  But his senior year will likely pale in comparison to what Michigan fans – and Stonum himself – pictured three years ago.

Prediction: 2-game suspension; backup wide receiver; part-time kick returner

2011 Countdown: #36 John McColgan

John McColgan

Name: John McColgan
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 231 lbs.
High school: Nouvel Catholic High School in Saginaw, MI
Position: Fullback
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #49
Last year: I didn’t rank McColgan.  He had 1 catch for 2 yards and a touchdown, plus 1 tackle on special teams.

Michigan generally eschewed the fullback with Denard Robinson at quarterback, which meant very little playing time for McColgan.  He did play in 10 games at the fullback position, but that was mostly limited to short yardage and goal line plays rather than part of the base offense.  I remember some good blocks and some not-so-good blocks, but mostly, you know fullbacks exist but end up ignoring them.  They’re like fat girls at the bar.

I really don’t know what to expect from McColgan.  I can only say what I would do with him, and that’s leave him on the bench most of the time.  I come from the school of thought that preaches “Get your best athletes on the field.”  Since Stephen Hopkins is practically as big (1 inch shorter and 4 pounds lighter) but a better athlete overall, then I think Hopkins ought to play fullback, at least in the West Coast, split-back, play-action passing style.  McColgan could still carry on his role of lead blocking on short yardage and goal line plays, but when Michigan is on its own 30-yard line starting a drive . . . what’s the point of leaving your array of dangerous (though unproven) backs on the sideline?

It remains to be seen whether Al Borges thinks like me.  The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Al Borges eats like me.

Prediction: Goal line and short yardage fullback; 3 carries, 10 yards

2011 Countdown: #37 J.T. Floyd

J.T. Floyd (#12)

Name: J.T. Floyd
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 183 lbs.
High school: J.L. Mann High School in Greenville, SC
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #12
Last year: I ranked Floyd #7, said he would start at cornerback, and projected 55 tackles and 2 interceptions.  He started 8 games at cornerback and finished with 66 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 5 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble.

It’s hard to get mad at Floyd for his shortcomings.  Sometimes it’s easy to get mad at players who waste their talent (examples include Boubacar Cissoko and Gabe Watson, for different reasons), but most of us knew from the get-go that a starting defensive backfield that included Floyd last season was going to be suspect.  And it was.  Michigan finished #112 in the country (out of 120 teams) in pass defense, giving up over 261 yards a game through the air.  Not all of it was Floyd’s fault – a huge chunk of the blame goes to recruiting failures and poor coaching.  But Floyd just isn’t quick enough or athletic enough to stay with high quality receivers.  It’s typically not a good thing when your starting cornerback racks up 66 tackles . . . in the first eight games.  That tells me that receivers were catching a lot of balls in front of him.  Then he hurt his ankle and hasn’t been allowed to have contact since.

The 2011 version of the defensive backfield has more depth.  Literally, not a single cornerback had starting experience going into 2010 (Troy Woolfolk was injured in the summer).  This year there are three corners who have started – Floyd, Woolfolk, and sophomore Courtney Avery.  I expect the latter two to win the starting jobs, which leaves Floyd to battle with incoming freshmen for the #3 corner job.  He’s a solid backup to have on the team and can spell the starters if necessary, but unfortunately for him, he’s just a little behind most of the other guys in athleticism.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

2011 Countdown: #38 Rocko Khoury

Rocko Khoury (#63)

Name: Rocko Khoury
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 295 lbs.
High school: West High School in Traverse City, MI
Position: Center/offensive guard
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #63
Last year: I ranked Khoury #31 and said he would be the backup center.  He played as a backup center in three games.

Khoury didn’t play as much as I expected in 2010, but that was a good thing, because it meant starting center David Molk didn’t get hurt as much as I expected.  Khoury’s most extensive experience came during the game against Iowa in which Molk left with an injury after about two snaps.  The redshirt sophomore backup acquitted himself pretty well against a notoriously tough defense.  There were a couple off-target snaps (but nothing terrible) and a couple bad seals, but overall it was a solid debut for a kid who hadn’t played much prior to that day (see video below).

Now as a redshirt junior, Khoury sits behind Molk once again.  Molk, who is the strongest offensive lineman on the team, doesn’t get overpowered often, but last season it was clear that Khoury needs to continue to develop his bulk and strength.  At 295 lbs. he’s not tiny, but he’s not huge, either.  He could afford to play at 300-305 lbs. since he’s 6’4″ and presumably won’t be doing as much zone blocking as the past three seasons.  The gap between the two centers is noticeable, but Michigan can still be a successful unit with Khoury snapping the ball if an injury occurs.  He also offers the added bonus of being versatile enough to play offensive guard, if necessary.  Starting guards Patrick Omameh and Steve Schilling were extremely durable in the past, but Ricky Barnum is likely to step up in place of the graduated Schilling, and Barnum has had some injury issues in his first few seasons.

Prediction: #2 center; #3 offensive guard