Tag: Jordan Kovacs

2011 Countdown: #13 Jordan Kovacs

Jordan Kovacs has crazy eyes

Name: Jordan Kovacs
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 197 lbs.
High school: Clay High School in Curtice, OH
Position: Strong safety
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #32
Last year: I ranked Kovacs #21 and said he would start at bandit and make 70 tackles.  He had 116 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass breakup.

Some might look at Kovacs’ 116 tackles in 2010 and think “Wow, he’s really good.”  Others might say, “Wow, the defensive front seven must have sucked for a safety to make that many tackles.”  The truthfulness of those statements is “sort of” and “yep.”  Michigan’s defense was atrocious last season, and it all started with the front seven.  Between linemen who couldn’t get any penetration, poor linebacker play, youthfulness, and a shoddy defensive philosophy, Kovacs found himself cleaning up the mess more often than anyone wanted (except opposing offensive coordinators).  He had 10+ tackles in six games last season, including a 17-tackle effort in the 37-7 loss (since wiped from OSU history) to the Buckeyes.  Unlike what we’re used to seeing at Michigan from guys like Charles Woodson, Brandon Graham, Shawn Crable, and others, Kovacs’ most amazing plays don’t stem from superior athleticism.  Rather than a burst of speed or a crushingly hard hit, there’s Kovacs instantly reading a play action pass and sticking to his TE coverage.  There’s Kovacs reading a deep pass from an Indiana quarterback and jumping in the way to knock it down.  There’s Kovacs watching the quarterback’s eyes and jumping in front of a pass from the Ohio State quarterback before the end of the half.

We all love Kovacs for those plays and his 116 tackles, despite not being very big or very fast.  And yet . . . we yearn for more.  I couldn’t help but lament his lack of speed when he intercepted OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor at the end of the half and returned it only 41 yards when it looked as if most defensive backs with decent speed could have taken it to the house.  If that happened, the nameless and speedy defensive back could have made it a 24-14 game going into the half, with Michigan down only 10 and momentum on their side.  Unfortunately, the return fizzled out and the Wolverines suffered the embarrassing, 30-point defeat.

And that’s the difference between Jordan Kovacs and the Ideal Strong Safety.  It’s not that a good strong safety can typically win a game all by himself.  It’s not that Kovacs is a bad player.  After all, he was a Freshman All-American in 2009 and an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2010.  It’s just that he lacks that extra burst or change of direction that would make us say, “Holy s***” instead of “Can we amputate his head and put it on Justin Turner’s body?”

Going into the 2011 season, Kovacs might face a battle from young safeties Marvin Robinson and Josh Furman for the chance to start in the defensive backfield.  Kovacs has experience and intelligence on his side, but Robinson has the hitting ability (and a little bit of speed) and Furman has the speed to be difference makers back there.  It’s hard to imagine a redshirt junior with two years of starting (and 191 tackles) under his belt getting benched in favor of a sophomore or redshirt freshman who has, comparatively, accomplished approximately nothing.  But at some point, Michigan has to get back to creating oohs and aahs out of its defensive players, and not just what-ifs.

Prediction: Starting safety; 75 tackles

Poll Results: Michigan’s leading tackler in 2011?

Kenny Demens (#25) wraps up the ballcarrier with help from safeties Ray Vinopal and Jordan Kovacs (#32). Image via MichiganDaily.com

The results:

Kenny Demens, MLB: 64%
Cam Gordon, SLB: 15%
Jordan Kovacs, S: 7%
Jake Ryan, SLB: 6%
Marell Evans, LB: 2%
Carvin Johnson, S: 1%
Other: 1%

Well, Demens wins the poll in a landslide victory.  As the middle linebacker and the most likely starter to retain his position, he’s probably a good choice.  Demens was the third-leading tackler in 2010, accounting for 82 total stops in just 7 starts.  That’s 11.7 tackles per start, which admittedly isn’t a perfect measurement, since he did play a backup role to Obi Ezeh before usurping the MLB job.  Demens was my hoice.

I’m a little surprised that Cam Gordon finished #2 in the voting.  He was the fourth-leading tackler in 2010, with 77 total tackles.  He’s heavier than the 207 lbs. at which he played last season, but it might be a bit of a stretch to expect him to be a force at SAM for the upcoming year.  He’s going to face a stiff challenge from the larger redshirt freshman Jake Ryan, who earned rave reviews in the spring and had a solid spring game.  They might split the snaps there.

Safety Jordan Kovacs is the leading returning tackler (he finished just one tackle behind departed senior linebacker Jonas Mouton, 117 to 116).  Kovacs started 13 games last season, which gave him 8.9 tackles per start.  He has touted sophomore safety Marvin Robinson pushing him for playing time, but I would expect the two-year starter to retain his job, at least for the beginning of the season.  His overall number of tackles will almost certainly drop, though, due to a [hopefully] improved defense that will get off the field a little quicker.

Strongside ‘backer Jake Ryan finishes #4.  He had zero tackles last year, mostly because he watched from the sidelines.  I think he’ll be a force in stopping the run, but expecting a first-year starter and redshirt freshman to lead the team in tackles is a bit of a stretch for me, especially if he and Gordon are neck-and-neck for the job.

Fifth year senior Marell Evans picked up only a few votes, which was slightly surprising to me.  Evans started at MLB this spring when Demens had shoulder surgery, and he’s my bet to be the starting weakside linebacker on September 3, provided Demens is back at full strength.  Evans only has 4 tackles and half a sack in his college career, which consists of one start back in 2008 and a bunch of special teams action.  He transferred to Hampton after the 2008 season and didn’t see the field for the past two years, but he looked solid during spring practices.

Carvin Johnson, the other projected safety, got a few votes, too.  Johnson was the 16th-leading tackler in 2010 while starting only three games due to injury.  He had an impressive spring, though, looking comfortable in the new defense and picking off a couple passes in the spring game.

I would be interested to hear which player(s) were the reason for “Other” votes, since defensive linemen and cornerbacks rarely lead teams in tackles.  The only other possibilities seem to be safety Marvin Robinson or weakside linebacker Mike Jones, both of whom I project as backups.

Michigan vs. Ohio State Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Denard Robinson.  What?  Yeah, you read that correctly.  I hope that in years to come, Robinson can stay healthier than he did this year.  Earlier in the year, I wanted Robinson to run the ball less.  On Saturday, I wanted him to run the ball a lot.  Well, he ran 18 times for 105 yards, but dislocated a couple fingers on his left hand and missed most of the second half.  Sometimes that’s the way the cookie crumbles, I guess.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Butterfingers Roundtree.  I’m not sure what happened to one of my favorite players on this year’s team, Roy Roundtree.  He was perhaps the most dependable receiver on the team over about the first nine games of the season, but dropped a couple passes in games 10 and 11, then dropped five passes (I think) against Ohio State.  He had several chances to make critical catches and couldn’t seem to keep his focus for some reason.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Courtney Avery.  The presence of Avery might allow Troy Woolfolk to return to free safety in 2011.  I really like what I’ve seen from him in the second half of this season.  He needs to get stronger and work on his tackling, but I look forward to seeing him develop over the next few years.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Greg Robinson.  Bye, Coach Robinson.  I hope you land on your feet somewhere.  A lot of people are mad at you, but I kind of feel sorry for you.  Maybe at your next destination, the head coach won’t force you to run a style of defense that you don’t understand.

MVP of the Ohio State game . . . Jordan Kovacs.  I know I mentioned yesterday that I wish Kovacs had tossed the ball to a more athletic teammate after he intercepted a pass at the end of the second quarter, but Kovacs played a solid game.  He ended the day with 17 tackles and the interception.  Good for him.

Ohio State 37, Michigan 7



This probably won’t make you feel better, but I tried.


Some bullet points the day after . . .

The 4-man front was better.  I’m not going to rail against the 3-3-5 as a scheme.  Unlike what many people think, the 3-3-5 stack can work against all kinds of offenses.  However, Michigan doesn’t have the personnel or the coordinator to do it successfully.  I got a tip from a helpful insider prior to the game that Michigan would run more 4-man fronts this week, and that proved to be true.  I might be wrong, but it seemed like Michigan reverted to the 3-3-5 more as the game went along, and the defense got worse.  Regardless, bouncing back and forth between defenses week after week is a ridiculous philosophy.  I wish Michigan had run a 4-man front all year long, like I advocated prior to the season.

Denard Robinson can’t do it by himself.  Somebody else needs to step up and make some plays.  Yes, he fumbled the ball in the red zone in the first quarter (a play in which he carried the ball in the wrong hand, something I pointed out two months ago), but running backs and receivers need to make plays, too.  I’ve been supportive of Roy Roundtree all year long and he’s actually exceeded my expectations, but this was a game he likely wants to forget.  By last count, I think he dropped 5 balls yesterday (although a couple should have been flagged for defensive pass interference).

Vincent Smith meh.  Does Vincent Smith have some kind of blackmail material on Rich Rodriguez?  Smith and Michael Shaw each had 8 carries, but Smith had 17 yards and Shaw had 53.  How does that make any sense whatsoever?  Smith has been improving over the past few weeks, but holy jeebus.  Even Fitzgerald Toussaint – who can best be described as “mostly injured” – came in and almost outrushed Vincent Smith on only four carries.  Here’s a hint, Coach Rodriguez: if you’re going to run the ball up the middle, put in somebody, anybody, other than Smith.  If you’re going to pass the ball or run the zone stretch to the outside, put Smith in there.  It’s really not that hard.  Oh, and by the way, Coach, if Vincent Smith “isn’t a fumbler” (your words, not mine) then why has he fumbled in – correct me if I’m wrong – five out of the last six games?

Jordan Kovacs, meet the lateral.  Okay, so the first half is ending.  Time has run out, but the ball is still alive.  It’s in the hands of one Jordan Kovacs, a former walk-on with a great deal of gumption and not much in the way of athleticism, who has intercepted a Terrelle Pryor pass and is weaving his way down the field in hopes of scoring a touchdown.  Should he a) lateral the ball to a speedier, more athletic teammate or b) keep the ball and get tackled?  I really wanted him to pick “a.”  He chose “b.”  This is an example of why Kovacs, in my opinion, can’t be on the field if Michigan wants to field an elite defense.  I understand that he’s the best strong safety on the roster this year, and I’m fine with that.  But if you’re looking for reasons that Michigan lacks the ability to stop an offense, consider that perhaps the defense’s third or fourth best player is a walk-on safety who is literally the last player in the secondary that you want having the ball in that situation.

You know who shouldn’t be playing free safety?  Well, you might know.  But the coaches don’t.  That person would be Courtney Avery.  Hey, I’ve got an idea.  Let’s play a tiny true freshman at free safety who usually plays cornerback, but is a year removed from being almost exclusively a high school quarterback.  Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.  Especially if you ask Dan Herron, who thoroughly enjoyed his 32-yard touchdown run right past a poorly angled, overmatched Avery.

Like Nostradamus I am.  After Michigan’s punt that rolled down to Ohio State’s 2-yard line, I swear to God, I said, “This is going to be a 98-yard touchdown run.”  I can’t prove it because I said it to myself because I don’t like watching Michigan games with other people, but I said it.  Of course, it wasn’t a 98-yard touchdown run – Dane Sanzenbacher got called for a hold at Michigan’s 9-yard line.

Here we come, Insight Bowl!

Ten Wolverines for Whom I’m Thankful

This post was supposed to go up yesterday, but I ran out of time due to holiday obligations.

These ten Wolverines are my favorite all-time Michigan players.  Some are great.  Some aren’t.  But for one reason or another, these guys have made it fun to be a Michigan fan.

1. Brandon Graham, 2006-2009.  Graham was a terror from the defensive end position.  In addition to his physical talents, he matured a great deal from his freshman year (in which he played defensive tackle because he really liked to eat).  Not only do I like Graham for the plays he did make (for example, blowing up MSU running back Glen Winston in 2009), but I like him for the plays he almost made, too (nearly chasing down Javon Ringer in 2008).  It all added up to a first round pick by the Eagles in 2010.

2. Charles Woodson, 1995-1997.  Everybody knows about Woodson.  He was an all-everything recruit and named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1995.  He was a First Team All-American in 1996 and the Defensive Player of the Year.  Then he topped it off in 1997 with the Jim Thorpe Award and the Heisman Trophy.  Every time Michigan needed a play, it seemed like Woodson was there to make it.  There’s just something about the way Woodson moves on the field that makes him fun to watch, even now as a 34-year-old Green Bay Packer.

3. Tshimanga Biakabutuka, 1993-1995.  It seems like a long time since Michigan has had a player like Biakabutuka – a guy who carries a large load and can make big plays in the meantime, not just wear down the defense.  Biakabutuka was a soccer player as a youngster and is a great example of what I call “soccer feet.”  Soccer players have a certain, recognizeable gait and way of moving around the football field, and #21 had some of the quickest feet I’ve seen from a big back.  He became a first round pick of the Carolina Panthers, but was hampered by injuries in the NFL.  His school record 1,818 yards in 1995 might be broken by Denard Robinson this season, but it’s pretty special when a running back averages 6.0 yards a carry . . . for his entire career.

4. Lloyd Carr, 1980-2007.  Carr has taken a lot of heat for what happened to the program after his coaching career ended.  I think that is somewhat overblown.  Regardless, Carr was a great coach when he was in Ann Arbor.  He always seemed to do the right thing, and he kept issues private that ought to be private.  It also helps that he won a national championship.  While I’ve always respected Bo Schembechler, Lloyd Carr will probably remain my favorite Michigan coach of all-time.

5. Jason Avant, 2003-2006.  Avant was the most reliable receiver I’ve seen at Michigan.  His teammate Braylon Edwards got the hype and the high draft pick, but Avant seemed to catch every single ball thrown to him.  He wasn’t very tall and didn’t have great speed, but he was always in the right place and made the play.  He ended his senior year with 82 catches for 1,007 yards and 8 touchdowns, earned honorable mention All-America status, and was named the MVP of the team.  He cashed in his intangibles when he was drafted in the fourth round by the Philadelphia Eagles.

6. Desmond Howard, 1988-1991.  Howard was larger than life when I was a kid.  Even though Michigan became a more pass-oriented team later in the ’90s and into the 2000s, Grbac-to-Howard was the most lethal passing combination I’ve seen at U of M.  The fact that he won the Heisman Trophy in 1991 is secondary, though.  My favorite fact about Desmond Howard is that after the Wolverines beat the Purdue Boilermakers in that 1991 season, I was one of the little kids who stuck his hand through the railing by the tunnel . . . and Howard gave me a high five on his way into the tunnel.

7. William Carr, 1993-1996.  Carr was Mike Martin before Mike Martin was Mike Martin.  Playing the nose tackle position back in the mid-’90s, Carr had 82 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks as a junior.  Those are ridiculous numbers for a nose tackle.  He was a fire hydrant in the middle of those stout Michigan defenses and was a first team All-American in ’96.  He was only a seventh round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, though, and never did much in the NFL.

8. Brandent Englemon, 2003-2007.  Englemon was the type of success story that I like to see at Michigan.  He was a solid player throughout his career, but never had any spectacular seasons.  He could have departed after the 2006 season with his degree, but he wanted to remain for a fifth year and contribute further.  The coaches were ready to let him go and use the scholarship on a younger player, but Englemon convinced them otherwise.  He responded by earning the starting job at free safety, tallying 86 tackles and 3 interceptions in his final season.

9. Jake Long, 2003-2007.  Long was perhaps Michigan’s best offensive lineman of all time.  He was the athletic, mauling lineman that should be the prototype for the position.  At 6’7″ and 313 lbs. with long arms and quick feet, Long could collapse one whole side of a defensive line or stay in front of some of college football’s best pass rushers.  I was thoroughly excited to see Michigan pull out the good old “tackle sreen left” play in the 2008 Capital One Bowl against the Florida Gators; unfortunately, quarterback Chad Henne overthrew Long.  I would have loved to see Long rumble down the field with the football.

10. Jordan Kovacs, 2009-present.  It might seem odd for me to pick Kovacs here, a player whose talent I’ve derided right here on this very blog.  He’s pretty small, he’s not very fast, etc.  All those things remain true.  Still, it’s somewhat remarkable that he stepped onto the field at Michigan and earned a starting job as a redshirt freshman in 2009.  He tallied 75 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 interception that season, earning second team All-America status.  Despite Michigan bringing in some talented secondary players around him, Kovacs continues to hold onto the starting job at strong safety.  I have to admire what he’s achieved.