Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Charles Woodson

Tag: Braylon Edwards


20Sep 2012
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Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Charles Woodson

Straight chillin’
In a pregame interview, Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler sarcastically wished Packers defensive backs “good luck” covering his wide receivers in their match-up during last week’s Thursday Night Football.  Cutler ought to know better than to challenge one of the greatest defensive backs of all time.

“We understand that Jay is excited about his new weapons,” Woodson said. “But it’s the same old Jay.  We don’t need luck.  We just need to be in position.  Jay will throw us the ball.”

Woodson and his mentees must have been in position quite a bit Thursday night, picking off Cutler four times in their 23-10 victory.  Woodson ended the game with one interception (the 55th of his career), five tackles, a pass breakup, and most likely nothing but a smooth look toward Jay Cutler that said, “I KNEW U WERE PATHETIC BEFORE THE GAME EVEN STARTED DUDE.”
Honorable Mention:  In only the second game of the regular season, Mike Martin started at nose tackle for the Titans and apparently showed well, recording his first NFL sack and registering four total tackles.  Martin started due to an injury up front and is still listed as second string on the official roster, but that shouldn’t prevent him from continuing to see plenty of playing time.  
Miscellaneous:  
  • Tom Brady is not the Former Michigan Athlete of the Week.  The Patriots were stunned by the Cardinals, 20-18, and Brady finished with a QB rating below 80.
  • Larry Foote recorded seven tackles and Ryan Mundy recorded five in the Steelers 27-10 win over the New York Jets.
  • Brandon Graham continues to NOT light the world on fire.  Two solo tackles are the only non-zero items on his 2012 boxscore besides “games played.”  
  • After coming off an early season-ending injury, Mouton started the 2012 season inactive for the Chargers.  He is listed as second string on their depth chart.
  • Braylon Edwards had five receptions for Seattle the first week but none last week.
  • Stevie Brown continues to collect an NFL paycheck.  Now in his third season, Brown is a backup safety for the New York Giants and has recorded five tackles this year. 
1Apr 2012
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Braylon Edwards is a waffler

If this guy doesn’t look like a wide receiver, it’s because
he wasn’t.  It’s kicker Gregg Wilner.

I hate the Detroit Free Press, which is why I’m going to give you all the info you need here and you don’t have to click on the link, which can be found here if you like supporting terrorists: l.

I don’t think there’s a receiver that has emerged as a guy that can take over a game or a guy they can trust.  However, on the flip side, I wouldn’t mind Denard Robinson wearing it, the No. 1 this year. If it went in that direction, I would be honored that he continued the lineage of the ‘one.’ I would be happy with that all the way.

Those are the words of one Braylon Edwards.  Of course, this comment comes a few years after saying the following:

I’m glad you gave me a Go Blue question because Rich Rod gave the No. 1 jersey to an incoming freshman DB [J.T. Floyd], and the No. 1 jersey has never been worn by anybody outside of a wide receiver.  It dates back to Anthony Carter, (Greg) McMurtry, Tyrone Butterfield, Derrick Alexander, David Terrell, and yours truly. So I’m going to have a talk with him about that the next time I see him.  He’s getting that call soon – very soon. Exactly, we have a jersey scholarship fund for this whole deal. What is he thinking?
 

There are good things that can be said about Braylon Edwards.  He paid out a bunch of money to some inner city Cleveland kids to whom he had promised some college tuition.  He also started an endowment for a scholarship at the University of Michigan.  And, of course, he’s one of the best football players in Michigan history.

But he’s kind of a moron.  Aside from his legal troubles, this whole #1 jersey kerfuffle is absolutely ridiculous.  He specifically states that the #1 jersey has never been worn by anyone other than a kicker, even though it has been worn by LT Angus Goetz, G Robert Jerome Dunne, HB Harry Kipke, S Dave Whiteford, and K Gregg Willner throughout history.  Way to know the history of your own endowed scholarship, Braylon.

Now he’s publicly lobbying for Denard Robinson to wear the #1 jersey.  Denard Robinson does not play wide receiver.

For the record, I think the #1 jersey “tradition” is complete and utter nonsense.  It was never meant to be a tradition.  It was the result of a single coach challenging a single player.  Edwards asked to switch from #80 to #1 because his idol Anthony Carter wore it, and then head coach Lloyd Carr said, “If you want to honor Anthony Carter, then you should work for it and earn it.”  Edwards worked for it and had a great last couple years at Michigan.  There.  That’s it.  If anybody should have notoriety for creating the #1 jersey tradition, it ought to be Lloyd Carr, who devised the plan and realized that Edwards needed a challenge to get over his immaturity and trouble catching the ball.

I have no problem with Denard Robinson wearing the #1 jersey.  He’s a superstar college player, and by all accounts, he’s a leader of the team.  However, if Edwards just wants to hand out the #1 jersey to a superstar or the team’s best player or the team’s best offensive player or whomever, he shouldn’t make a big deal out of it going to a wide receiver.  When Rodriguez tried to give cornerback J.T. Floyd the #1 back in 2008, Edwards made a big deal out of it and got Rodriguez off to a horrible start with the media, fans, and former players.  He submarined the Rodriguez regime almost immediately.  And for what?  For a “tradition” that Edwards himself can’t properly explain.

So let’s give the #1 jersey to Denard for 2012.  Maybe next year Edwards can award it to running back Fitzgerald Toussaint.  Or left tackle Taylor Lewan.  Either way, Edwards has undermined his own previous statements.  I never want to hear about him wanting only to give the #1 jersey to a wide receiver again.

30Dec 2011
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Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Jeff Backus

Jeff Backus [illegally] kicks some Jared Allen ass
Left tackle Jeff Backus has started every Detroit Lions’ game since the team drafted him with the 18th overall pick in 2001. That’s eleven straight years and 175 consecutive games without missing a start, good for the longest streak in franchise history. All has not been sunny for Backus, however, as the Lions have been the laughing stock of the NFL over that time, with fans repeatedly calling for him to be replaced. I’m uncertain as to why Backus developed into everyone’s favorite scapegoat for the Lions’ woes, but it’s nice to see this former Michigan athlete finally get a reprieve from ugly losses and fan criticisms.
Against the Chargers on Christmas Eve, the Lions clinched their first playoff birth since 1999 and Backus played well: he didn’t give up a single sack and paved the way for two third down conversions on third and short. “Detroit Lions offensive tackle Jeff Backus dominant against the San Diego Chargers,” read an Mlive headline after the game while Pro Football Focus wrote,”Jeff Backus has really put together some nice performances as of late. In the last five games, he has graded out as an 8.7 while only allowing one quarterback sack and one quarterback hit.” After a challenging eleven year start to his NFL career, hopefully this is the sign of better things to come for Backus and his Lions.
Honorable Mention: Brady again threw for 300 + yards last week as he lead the Patriots to their 12th victory of the season by overcoming a 17 point first half deficit to defeat the Dolphins, 27-24. Although on pace for much of the year, Tom Brady won’t beak Dan Marino’s 1984 single-season passing record of 5,084 yards because Drew Brees beat him to it, breaking the record on Monday Night Football. But with only 190 yards separating Brady and Brees, it’s still possible for Brady to end this season with the record. Saints coach Sean Payton has a history of resting his starters in the second half of the final regular season game and may do so again with the Division already sewn up and nothing to gain if the 49ers take care of the lowly Rams as is expected.
Miscellaneous: Braylon Edwards caught a nine yard pass on Sunday but was cut by the 49ers after the game. Morgan Trent, now with Jacksonville, recorded his second career interception last week to go along with four tackles. Jake Long returned from his biceps injury against the Patriots but left the game after re-aggravating it. Martell Webb was cut from Tampa Bay’s practice squad. Jake Long, Tom Brady and Charles Woodson were named starters for the 2012 Pro Bowl.
30Mar 2011
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A Look at Potential Future Michigan Recruits

Chelsea running back Berkley Edwards breaks outside against Monroe

A post showed up on Tuesday from Jim Stefani’s blog.  Stefani is a recruiting “expert” with an encyclopedic knowledge of high school recruiting, and he unleashed his knowledge of the state of Michigan on his readers.

There are many potential 2013 and 2014 prospects with ties to Michigan, including:

  • Braylon Edwards’ little brother Berkley, a running back from Chelsea
  • Harlan Huckleby’s son Eddie, a running back/defensive back from Farmington Hills Harrison
  • Antonio Bass’ little brother Amani, a quarterback from Jackson Lumen Christi
  • Rocko Khoury’s cousin Jake Khoury, a lineman from Traverse City West
  • John Jaeckin’s son John, Jr., a lineman from Lakewood St. Edward (Ohio)
  • Craig Roh’s brother Jake, a tight end from Scottsdale Chaparral (Arizona)
  • Paul Heuerman’s (Michigan basketball player) son Mike, a tight end from Naples Barron Collier (Florida)
  • Greg Skrepenak’s son Christian, an offensive lineman from Wilkes-Barre GAR Memorial (Pennsylvania)
  • Alan Branch’s little brother Desmond, a defensive lineman from Rio Rancho Cleveland (New Mexico)
It will be interesting to see these kids grow and develop in the coming years, although Skrepenak is already supposedly 6’8″ and 350 lbs.  His dad was only 6’6″, 322 lbs.
Christian Skrepenak (#45), the son of former Michigan lineman Greg.  See
those other guys?  They’re jumping.
22Dec 2010
Uncategorized 16 comments

Mailbag: Has anyone else deserved the #1 jersey?

Desmond Howard

Touch The Banner,



As you know you put Mario Manningham as your Former Michigan Athlete of the week, and it reminded me of a question I’ve always wanted to ask a fellow Michigan fan. Since the time of Braylon Edwards we haven’t had a WR wear the #1 Jersey. If you had to look back on the receivers we’ve had, which one would you think would be the most deserving of the #1 jersey?


From,
Michigan Fan from Dayton, Ohio

The origin of the #1 jersey tradition stems from Braylon Edwards in the early 2000s.  Edwards requested the #1 jersey to honor his childhood hero, Anthony Carter.  Carter had been a receiver who wore the #1 at Michigan from 1979-1982.  Since Carter’s time at Michigan, five players have worn the #1.  All have been wide receivers – Greg McMurtry, Derrick Alexander, Tyrone Butterfield, David Terrell, and Edwards.  For some perspective, here are their career statistics:

1. Carter: 161 receptions, 3076 yards, 19.1 yard average, 37 touchdowns; 25.5 yards per kick return; 11.5 yards per punt return, 2 touchdowns
2. McMurtry: 111 receptions, 2163 yards, 19.5 yard average, 15 touchdowns
3. Alexander: 125 receptions, 1977 yards, 15.8 yard average, 22 touchdowns; 12.7 yards per punt return, 4 touchdowns
4. Butterfield: 4 receptions, 68 yards, 17.0 yard average, 0 touchdowns
5. Terrell: 152 receptions, 2317 yards, 15.2 yard average, 23 touchdowns
6. Edwards: 252 receptions, 3541 yards, 14.1 yard average, 39 touchdowns

But it was Edwards who turned the #1 into what it is today.  After requesting that number before his junior season, head coach Lloyd Carr told him that he would have to earn it, so as not to disrespect his childhood hero; Edwards was going to have to work hard on the field and become a leader in order to exchange his #80 for #1.  Edwards, who had suffered from inconsistency and suspect hands up to that point, stepped up his game and his leadership, and with a good deal of hype, was awarded the #1 jersey prior to his junior season in 2003.

As far as I see it, there are several candidates to discuss who might have been worthy of the #1 jersey.  Here’s how I would rank them and my thoughts on whether they were deserving of the hallowed jersey number:

1. Desmond Howard (1989-91), #21.  Howard was the country’s most electrifying player in 1991, scoring 19 receiving touchdowns, 1 punt return touchdown, and 1 kickoff return touchdown.  He also caught 62 passes for 985 yards for an average of 15.9 yards a catch that season.  And all of those accomplishments came on the heels of a 1,000-yard season in 1990.  In addition to his receiving skills, he averaged 13.8 yards a carry on 23 attempts in his three seasons, scoring 2 touchdowns.  He also averaged 26.9 yards a kickoff return and 13.0 yards per punt return.  Oh yeah, and he won some kind of trophy or something.
My vote: Worthy

2. Amani Toomer (1992-1995), #18.  Toomer is a tough one.  Michigan’s offense evolved throughout the 1990s into the mid-2000s, from a 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust mentality to a we’ll-chuck-the-ball-whenever-we-feel-like-it mentality.  Toomer was still in that early phase and played with the likes of Tyrone Wheatley and Tshimanga Biakabutuka, two stellar running backs.  Toomer wasn’t particularly big or fast, but Michigan’s powerful running game opened up plenty of space downfield for the quarterbacks to throw.  As a junior, he gained 1,096 yards despite only catching 54 passes.  He then capped his career with 44 catches, 758 yards, and a career-best 7 touchdowns in 1995.
My vote: Worthy

3. Marquise Walker (1998-2001), #4. As a junior, Walker was the second receiver behind David Terrell and still managed to grab 49 passes for 699 yards and 4 touchdowns. Walker stepped it up another notch as a senior, totaling 86 catches for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns once Terrell had moved on to the NFL. He had six 100-yard games despite being the only significant receiving threat, including 15 catches, 160 yards, and 2 touchdowns against Ohio State that year.
My vote: Not worthy

4. Tai Streets (1995-1998), #86.  Streets had a solid sophomore season during which he caught 44 passes for 730 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He suffered from an injury late in his junior season, which helped limit him to 28 catches for 476 yards and 6 touchdowns; however, he had 4 receptions for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns (including a 58-yarder) in the Rose Bowl game against Washington State that propelled Michigan to a national title.  As a senior, Streets had 67 catches for 1,035 yards and 11 touchdowns.
My vote: Not worthy

5. Jason Avant (2002-2005), #8.  For his first three seasons, Avant played second fiddle to Braylon Edwards.  He notched only two receptions in 2002 (hello, burned redshirt) and then had 85 catches spread over his sophomore and junior seasons.  Once Edwards went off to the NFL, Avant caught 82 balls for 1,007 yards and 8 touchdowns.  He was very reliable; I only remember him dropping one pass in a Michigan uniform, and I was astounded.  But he only averaged 12.3 yards a catch as a senior.  Reliable, but not a gamebreaker.
My vote: Not worthy

6. Mario Manningham (2005-2007), #86.  Manningham burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2005, when he caught the game-winning score from Chad Henne against Penn State.  He averaged 18.5 yards a catch and scored 9 touchdowns as a sophomore, then followed that up with a 72-catch, 1,137-yard, 12-touchdown effort in 2007.  He had a couple stellar games against Notre Dame in his career and caught a 97-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Mallett toward the end of 2007.  Those are great numbers.  Except Manningham struggled with off-the-field issues while at Michigan, which got him suspended for one game in 2007 and ultimately caused him to drop in the 2008 NFL draft.  If Edwards had to work harder and become a leader, Manningham certainly wasn’t deserving of the honor.
My vote: Not worthy

7. Steve Breaston (2003-2006), #15.  Breaston is one of those players about whom you think, “I bet he was a stud in college now that he’s having 1,000-yard seasons in the NFL.”  He’s having a solid NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals, but his numbers as a receiver were far from spectacular in college.  Granted, his career overlapped those of Edwards, Avant, and Mario Manningham, so opportunities were scarce.  Still, Breaston averaged just 39 receptions, 424 yards, and 2.5 touchdowns a season in a career where he saw significant playing time every single year.  His biggest asset was his return ability, which saw him average 24.6 yards on kick returns and 12.6 on punt returns, with 5 total touchdowns.  Any team would love to have him as a second or third wideout, but his limited production and iffy hands prevent him from being a #1 guy.
My vote: Not worthy

8. Mercury Hayes (1992-1995), #8.  Hayes was a solid but unspectacular receiver who played alongside Toomer for all four years at Michigan.  He had an outstanding senior season in 1995, with 48 catches for 923 yards (19.2 yards per catch) and 4 touchdowns.  But the preceding years were just mediocre, and he didn’t offer much in the way of versatility (running, returning punts and kicks) to give him the nod.
My vote: Not worthy

SUMMARY
Statistics obviously don’t tell the whole story.  If you go by touchdowns only, the trio of Edwards, Carter, and Howard are the only receivers with 30+ career touchdowns.  If you go by yardage, well, there are a fair number of 1,000 yard receivers, too (Streets, Walker, Avant, Manningham).  A big part of the #1 jersey seems to be “feel.”  How dominant was the player?  Was he a one-man wrecking crew?  Was he a leader?  Was he the quarterback’s go-to guy? 

It’s also difficult to judge who’s worthy of the #1 jersey because, frankly, Derrick Alexander (who had mediocre statistics) and Tyrone Butterfield (who barely played, period) skew the statistics significantly.  If those two players arrived on campus in the post-Braylon years, neither one would get the #1.

I gave the nod to Desmond Howard because he was clearly a dominant player, won the Heisman trophy, and set Michigan’s record for receiving touchdowns in a season.  I also gave the nod to Amani Toomer, which was tough to decide; while he didn’t have an overwhelming senior season, he did have 1,000 yards as a junior and averaged over 20 yards a pop.  He could easily have been awarded the #1 jersey for his senior season like Braylon, but then would have put forth an underwhelming senior year.

The senior versions of Tai Streets and Marquise Walker were both worthy of the #1 jersey by post-Braylon standards.  But their mediocre seasons as underclassmen meant that they didn’t reach that status until their senior years were completed.

Oddly enough, Mario Manningham was perhaps the second-most talented player on this list, despite coming in at #6.  From a purely athletic standpoint, I would rank Manningham just behind Desmond Howard on this list, and ahead of #1 jersey wearers like Alexander, Butterfield, McMurtry, and even Terrell.  Unfortunately, he falls down the list because of his off-the-field issues.  If Braylon Edwards couldn’t get the jersey until he proved himself as a worker and leader, then Manningham clearly never reached that point.

It’s difficult to compare across generations.  Michigan’s offense, the rules of college football, and the overall philosophies of football have changed immensely in the last 20+ years.  But using hindsight to look back across the past two decades, I only see two additional players who were deserving of the #1.