Memories…
I came across this video created by The Wolverine Blog, and it made me wish the season started today. This was such an exciting day for Michigan fans, even if it was only Western Michigan.
I came across this video created by The Wolverine Blog, and it made me wish the season started today. This was such an exciting day for Michigan fans, even if it was only Western Michigan.
MGoBlog and The Wolverine have done a good job of breaking down the spring roster, so I won’t waste your time or mine in parsing the roster much further.
There are a few noteworthy bits from today’s press conference and the roster that I would like to highlight, however.
– Regarding the quarterback position, Rodriguez admitted that Denard Robinson is going to start seeing reps at wide receiver. While he stressed that Robinson is still going to compete at the quarterback position, this seems to be the beginning of the transition from the quarterback position to receiver that many of us have been expecting. I expect Robinson to be a full-time receiver by 2011.
– The popular number of pounds to gain this offseason was 17. Linebacker Isaiah Bell (237), offensive tackle Mark Huyge (305), tight end Brandon Moore (260), and offensive guard Patrick Omameh (293) all gained this amount.
– It seems apparent that the rumor we heard about the offensive and defensive lines is true: Rodriguez wants them to be bigger than they have been for the past two seasons. There’s really no other way to explain the fact that there are now five (5!) offensive linemen over 300 lbs. when last year’s only 300 pounder was freshman Quinton Washington. With almost six months left until the season, a couple other guys might get there before September, too.
– Tight ends Kevin Koger (251), Martell Webb (257), and Brandon Moore (260) are all getting in the “hefty” range for tight ends. There were a lot of people who thought Rodriguez was moving toward using tight ends heavily. This is significant evidence to the contrary. These guys seem to be blocking tight ends in the making.
– Ryan Van Bergen and Steve Watson are both listed as defensive ends. Van Bergen was a DT last year, and Watson was the third-string Quick end behind Craig Roh and Brandon Herron. Watson is likely to ride the bench once again, but as I expected, Van Bergen seems to be Brandon Graham’s replacement at DE.
– Junior Hemingway is 227 lbs. That’s too heavy for a receiver who wasn’t that fast to begin with. If he continues to play at 220+ pounds, he won’t be any kind of deep threat. This bodes unwell for Michigan’s downfield passing game.
A few days ago, Dr. Saturday wrote another column about how 40 times are exaggerated. In the recruiting world, 40 yard dash times are thrown around by players, coaches, and fans in a careless game of one-upmanship. You know that guy at the party who says he drank 30 beers when you say you had 12? That guy is all over the place in high school and college football.
With the recent NFL Combine results being posted on the internet, I thought I’d compare those times to the times of recent Michigan recruits at a few positions.
QUARTERBACK
Denard Robinson – 4.48
Jarrett Brown (WVU) – 4.54
Tate Forcier – 4.55
Dan LeFevour (CMU) – 4.66
Zac Robinson (OK St.) – 4.71
Tim Tebow (UF) – 4.72
Colt McCoy (UT) – 4.79
RUNNING BACK
Sam McGuffie – 4.32
Jahvid Best (Cal) – 4.35
C.J. Spiller (Clemson) – 4.37
Michael Shaw – 4.40
Ben Tate (Auburn) – 4.43
Austin White – 4.44
Ryan Matthews (Fresno) – 4.45
Joe McKnight (USC) – 4.47
Teric Jones – 4.47
Montario Hardesty (Tennessee) – 4.49
James Starks (Buffalo) – 4.50
Fitzgerald Toussaint – 4.50
Mike Cox – 4.50
Stephen Hopkins – 4.52
Lonyae Miller (Fresno) – 4.53
Shawnbrey McNeal (SMU) – 4.56
Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss) – 4.58
WIDE RECEIVER
Jacoby Ford (Clemson) 4.28
Roy Roundtree – 4.40
Darryl Stonum – 4.40
D.J. Williamson – 4.40
Taylor Price (Ohio) – 4.41
Emmanuel Sanders (SMU) – 4.41
Golden Tate (ND) – 4.42
Brandon Banks (KSU) – 4.43
Kyle Williams (ASU) – 4.43
Je’ron Stokes – 4.44
Marcus Easley (UCONN) – 4.46
LINEBACKER
Josh Furman – 4.37
Jamar Chaney (Miss. St.) – 4.54
Dekoda Watson (FSU) – 4.56
Davion Rogers – 4.60
Jake Ryan – 4.60
Kavell Conner (Clemson) – 4.63
Cody Grimm (VT) – 4.64
Harry Coleman (LSU) – 4.65
So if one were to believe Rivals, Scout, and other recruiting articles, you would find that in the last three years, Michigan has recruited running backs who would have posted 7 of the top 14 times in the 2010 NFL Combine; wide receivers who would have posted 3 of the top 4 times; and linebackers who would have posted 3 of the top 5 forty times.
Furthermore, one would believe that Sam McGuffie would be the second-fastest player in the draft (behind Clemson wide receiver Jacoby Ford) and that linebacker Josh Furman would have tied Clemson running back C.J. Spiller for the third-fastest time.
What conclusions can we reach from this information? The first answer is . . . well, nothing that we didn’t already know. High school forty times are exaggerated greatly. But the degree to which they are exaggerated borders on the ridiculous.
The second conclusion is that if Clemson can’t win with such elite speed on its roster, then heads need to roll.
And the third conclusion is that, whether his time is fake or not, Denard Robinson is still really, really fast.
Michigan picked up two commitments from quarterbacks in the class of 2010. The most highly touted of the two is Devin Gardner, generally viewed to be the jewel of the class. While he’s rough around the edges as a passer, Gardner has the speed, size, arm strength, and athleticism to be an absolute game changer.
The second quarterback in the class is Conelius Jones, another athletic player from Spartanburg, South Carolina. While he was recruited as a passer, there have been conflicting reports about his college position; various newspapers and recruiting sites have identified him as a wide receiver or a defensive back. He’s said that he wants a chance to compete at quarterback, but he’ll play wherever the coaches want him.
Prediction: Gardner will earn and/or be forced into playing time in 2010. Ideally, he’d redshirt, but Tate Forcier appears to be somewhat physically fragile, and Rich Rodriguez can’t toy with giving important snaps to Denard Robinson this year. Jones will almost surely redshirt. And while some people have quickly passed him off as a future wide receiver, he could be the quarterback in 2014. If Gardner plays as a freshman and Jones doesn’t, Gardner will run out of eligibility in 2013. Jones could be Michigan’s version of Jarrett Boyd at WVU, a solid player who played well when he finally earned the starting job as a fifth year senior.
Grade: A. In a year after pulling in two quarterbacks, Michigan got another two quarterbacks. One has star potential, and the other is a developmental prospect who has the athleticism to contribute elsewhere if needed.
Image via journalgroup.com
The offense would not have been the same with Mallett, who’s about 6’7″ and 235 lbs. He would have been less of a threat to run than Forcier or Robinson, but the passing game likely would have been upgraded if Mallett were still in Ann Arbor. Michigan’s lack of a downfield passing game was evident in 2009, and that’s one thing Mallett would have improved.
Image via life.com