Tag: Martell Webb

Spring Roster Tidbits

Ryan Van Bergen: Breakout year coming?

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.

Recruiting Roundup: Tight Ends

Alex Smith wrinkles his nose as he watches Mike Barwis eat an opposing band member whole.

2009 Countdown: #40 Martell Webb

Name: Martell Webb
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 245 lbs.
High School: Northern High School in Pontiac, MI
Position: Tight end
Class: Junior
Jersey Number: #80
2008 statistics: N/A
Prediction for 2009: Backup tight end

Webb burned his redshirt in 2007 by playing sparingly and now finds himself a true junior, although he’s never caught a pass at Michigan. Practice viewers rave about his athleticism, but the word is that he’s had trouble catching the ball. I haven’t heard that criticism as much recently, so perhaps he has improved in that area.

A contingent of Michigan coaches has visited both Missouri and Oklahoma over the past two offseasons to do some research on how those two schools have used their tight ends (Chase Coffman and Jermaine Greshman, respectively) so effectively in recent years. Webb figures to be a beneficiary of some of those lessons, although he’ll most likely be the second TE on the field. Expect to see Webb in the slot or even perhaps in the backfield on occasion, but don’t expect a ton of production. Not only does Webb lack a track record of catching the football, but tight ends in Rodriguez’s offense haven’t fared well in recent years, either. I think you’ll see a slight uptick in the production from the tight ends, but not much – if Webb catches more than five passes all year, I’ll be surprised.