Another in the line of guys who should never have burned their shirts made of red, Robinson made all of 3 tackles in 2010 and then 9 in 2011. Part of the reason he didn’t make more tackles in 2011 was that he got into a wee bit of legal trouble that made the coaches unhappy, which limited him to playing in less than half the games. Now a stud safety recruit enters his true junior season having played sparingly and with a dozen tackles under his belt.
Robinson played well in the spring game, and he looked okay at times last season. He looks to be a viable candidate to take over for Jordan Kovacs in 2013 as a guy who doesn’t have a ton of ability to cover downfield but should be a solid tackler and blitzer. In the meantime, he’s a good special teams player and a solid backup safety. If he can stay out of the doghouse, I think Michigan fans will like what they see in a limited capacity this season.
Prediction: Backup strong safety, special teams contributor
Name: Marvin Robinson Height: 6’2″ Weight: 200 lbs. School: Lake Region High School in Winter Haven, FL Position: Safety Class: Sophomore Jersey number: #3 Last year: I ranked Robinson #64 and said he would have a steadily increasing role at Spur. He saw pretty steady action on special teams and played a bit at free safety, making 3 total tackles.
Michigan fans hoped last year that Robinson would enroll in January, get a little bit of experience in spring practice, and sub in for the athletically limited Jordan Kovacs once the season arrived. Unfortunately, that scenario didn’t play out, partly because Robinson was unable to graduate high school in December like he had hoped. Robinson bounced back and forth between free safety and weakside linebacker in 2010, finally finding a home at the free safety position late in the season. His three tackles on the year didn’t inspire much confidence, but with a defensive coaching staff devoid of conjuring up any kind of schematic advantage, it’s tough to glean much from his playing time or production.
Now it’s 2011, Robinson has added an inch and 10 pounds to his frame, and he’s closer to contributing this fall. In the spring Robinson played free safety, but seems to be squarely behind both Kovacs and sophomore Carvin Johnson in development. Robinson has good size and adequate speed, but his understanding of fundamentals and coverage leave a little to be desired. Most Michigan fans seem to hope that Kovacs is replaced (sooner rather than later) by somebody with a little more size and speed, but he’s held off competitors to this point and looks to have a starting job in hand, at least to begin the season. Robinson could sub in at either safety position, but it might be a while before he’s a solid contributor at this level. Until then, look for him to be sprinting downfield on the coverage units.
Prediction: Backup free safety, special teams contributor
With a couple exceptions, the spring game was largely devoid of big plays for the offense. This was the longest play from the line of scrimmage. It’s the second team offense vs. the second team defense, but it gives us a good look at what the defense will be trying to do in 2011.
ABOVE: Prior to the snap, the defense is in a standard 4-3 under look. FS Marvin Robinson is shifted over to cover the slot receiver, while SS Josh Furman is about 12 yards directly off the ball. CB Terrence Talbott is walked off the line of scrimmage with only TE Mike Kwiatkowski on his side. Meanwhile, H-back Ricardo Miller has motioned across the offensive formation and is now offset between the strongside OG and OT.
ABOVE: Initial action suggests it’s a power run. LG Rocko Khoury is pulling across the formation; Kwiatkowski and RT Erik Gunderson are double-teaming LDE Ken Wilkins, who has stood straight up. Meanwhile, MLB Brandon Herron reads run and immediately steps up to fill the hole. NT Will Heininger gets outmuscled and collapsed away from the play.
ABOVE: As RB Michael Cox gets the handoff, LT Kristian Mateus whiffs on DE Jibreel Black, who’s totally and completely screwed if this is a rollout pass. HB Ricardo Miller impacts SAM Jake Ryan with LG Rocko Khoury coming to help, while DE Ken Wilkins gets driven off the ball. MIKE Brandon Herron steps up into the developing hole and WILL Brandin Hawthorne (?) flows to the ball. CB Terrence Talbott has started to come up and support while FS Marvin Robinson follows his receiver across the field.
ABOVE: SAM Jake Ryan completely stones both blockers and stands his ground, while MIKE Brandon Herron meets RB Michael Cox about a half yard beyond the line of scrimmage; this should be stopped for a gain of a yard or two. DE Jibreel Black missed Cox in the backfield and has run himself out of the play. CB Terrence Talbott has stepped up in run support, and FS Marvin Robinson appears to see the ballcarrier and can presumably fight through a block to help make the tackle.
ABOVE: Oops. MIKE Brandon Herron tackles like a middle schooler. WILL Brandin Hawthorne (?) lies prone on the ground from just being in the general vicinity of football player-sized football players. Meanwhile, FS Marvin Robinson has completely overrun the play and lost his leverage on the ballcarrier. And because of his careless positioning, he flummoxes SS Josh Furman, who has finally stepped up to support only to be thwarted by a teammate. RB Michael Cox sees the cutback and engages afterburners.
ABOVE: WR Martavious Odoms (?) has good position on CB Greg Brown (?) and walls him off. As RB Michael Cox hits the 45-yard line, he’s a half step in front of FS Marvin Robinson and a half step behind SS Josh Furman. Speed has always been a question for Robinson, but Furman is a supposed burner who ran a supposed 4.37 in high school.
ABOVE: As RB Michael Cox crosses the goal line with a 68-yard touchdown run, FS Marvin Robinson has gone from half a yard behind Cox to about 9 yards. SS Josh Furman has lost about 4 yards on Cox. Of course, both were chasing Cox at an angle as he veered toward the left sideline, but neither ever seemed in danger of catching Cox once he turned on the jets.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
Well, if nothing else, we know what Michigan’s defensive alignment looks like and how the “power play” works.
Ken Wilkins, who just got outmuscled by a duo of walk-ons, will probably not be ready to play this year. There’s a reason that Jibreel Black was playing some 5-tech DT, and the above type of play might be it.
I like Michael Cox, but Giant Mistake #1 was Brandon Herron’s complete and utter failure to even slow down the running back. If you’re a fifth year senior and can’t slow down a guy who runs smack into your chest, hope is all but lost. I guess I ought to cut Herron some slack because he did get bumped by Khoury, but still.
Angles and positioning are of utmost importance. It’s one thing if Wilkins lines up in the right spot and gets double-teamed out of the hole. But Giant Mistake #2 on this play was Marvin Robinson thinking he was in a race with Je’ron Stokes to get to the sideline. By the time Stokes said, “Aw, I was just foolin’, man, I ain’t gonna race you,” Robinson was the Tie Bomber to Cox’s Millennium Falcon. Robinson must maintain leverage on the runner, because he doesn’t have the speed to get caught flat-footed and then make up for it. There aren’t many Big Ten running backs who will be chased down by Robinson if he doesn’t take good angles.
Good linebacker play makes this a 1- or 2-yard gain. Good safety play makes this an 8-yard gain. Bad linebacker play combined with bad safety play makes this a 68-yard touchdown run.
Would Ed Reed be too much to ask for?
(Hint: Not if you’re Auburn.)
In the last week, I’ve broken down the ideal qualities of defensive linemen and linebackers. Now for the defensive backs:
CORNERBACK Alignment: Dependent on coverage Gap responsibility: Outside contain What should he look like? Cornerbacks come in different shapes and sizes, but one thing to keep in mind with the 4-3 Under defense is that these corners are going to be put on an island a lot. This is no longer a bend-but-then-break defense that utilizes soft zones and eschews man coverage. These cornerbacks need to be up in the receivers’ faces, often playing press man coverage. Just like any defense, the strongside corner should be a little more adept at tackling and supporting the run. The weakside corner should have excellent speed and ball skills. Their job will typically be to force the receiver toward the sideline, maintaining inside leverage and forcing the quarterback to thread a ball between the defender and the sideline. Best physical fits: Troy Woolfolk (strongside; 6’0″, 195 lbs.), Courtney Avery (weakside; 5’11”, 167 lbs.)
STRONG SAFETY Alignment: Strong side of formation, but dependent on coverage Gap responsibility: Clean-up What should he look like? The strong safety is typically the bigger, more physical player of the two safeties. He needs to be able to cover a wide range of athletes, from tight ends to wide receivers. When it comes to run “fits,” he’s typically the clean-up man. The free safety has responsibility for the weakside A gap, but the strong safety has no such commitment. That means he should be the most reliable tackler of the defensive back group. If anyone gets past the front seven, the strong safety should be fast enough to chase him down and strong enough to halt his progress. Best physical fit: Carvin Johnson (6’0″, 195 lbs.)
FREE SAFETY Alignment: Weak side of formation, but dependent on coverage Gap responsibility: A gap or filling the alley What should he look like? Because of the unique way the 4-3 Under uses the free safety, this position is somewhat different from what many would expect. He is heavily involved in supporting the run, and while he won’t have to take on many punishing blockers, he does need to stick his nose up where it doesn’t seem to belong. He should have good ball skills and the ability to patrol the middle of the field, because he will often be the deep man in Cover 3 or Man Free coverages. He doesn’t need to be the world’s best athlete, but he does have to be a very disciplined, fundamental player. Best physical fit: Marvin Robinson (6’1″, 200 lbs.)
Here’s a look at some full contact football for the first time in a couple months. Several guys make some nice plays in these highlights, including Michael Cox, Devin Gardner, Will Campbell, Marvin Robinson, and . . . Jihad Rasheed (#18, running back), a redshirt freshman walk-on from Southeastern High School in Detroit.
