 |
| I’m glad these two guys became friends. |
Results should be taken with a grain of salt, since this is a site geared toward Michigan fans. But here are the results of the poll that ended this morning, which asked the question:
Who will win the Sugar Bowl?
Michigan by two more scores: 52%
Michigan by one score: 38%
Virginia Tech by one score: 5%
Virginia Tech by two or more scores: 3%
 |
| Blake Countess |
CB Blake Countess: 75%
CB Greg Brown: 11%
CB Raymon Taylor: 6%
CB Delonte Hollowell: 3%
FS Tamani Carter: 2%
I accidentally let this post go by the wayside back in August, but the results are interesting, if only confirmation of what we already knew.
It turns out that 75% of voters were right – Countess had the biggest impact. He developed into a starter and perhaps the best cover corner on the team.
Greg Brown barely played before deciding to leave the team. Taylor played early in the season when Troy Woolfolk was hurt, but saw very little time down the stretch. Hollowell burned his redshirt late in the season just to run down the field on special teams. And Carter redshirted.
The correct answer would have been Countess – Hollowell – Taylor – Brown – Carter, but the voters did a pretty good job for what was known. Greg Brown screwed up the voting by leaving mid-season, but it happens. Maybe we should re-think how advantageous it is for kids to enroll early; many of the recent early enrollees have struggled just as much as the average freshman.
 |
| Blake Countess is the overwhelming choice for breakout defender of the year. |
A couple weeks ago, I suggested that Desmond Morgan and Courtney Avery were both in the running for being breakout defenders. Some readers disagreed with me, so I created a poll that received over 300 votes. Which defensive player had the biggest breakout season in 2011? Here are the results:
Blake Countess: 64%
Jake Ryan: 28%
Desmond Morgan: 4%
Thomas Gordon: 1%
Courtney Avery: 0% (2 votes)
Other: 0% (1 vote)
Freshman cornerback Blake Countess is your clear winner. Countess started five games and played in eleven contests as a true freshman. Midway through the season, he seemed to have usurped the starting cornerback job from fifth year senior Troy Woolfolk, who suffered from nagging injuries all year. Countess finished the regular season with 36 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, and 6 pass breakups (second on the team). Furthermore, Countess showed the promise to be a potential all-conference corner for the next two or three seasons.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Jake Ryan received the next most votes. Ryan is a 6’3″, 230 lb. SAM ‘backer who started ten games. He made several timely big plays throughout the year, including forcing a fumble against San Diego State and causing an interception against Western Michigan that was returned 94 yards for a touchdown by Brandon Herron. Ryan has 30 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery on the year.
True freshman WILL ‘backer Desmond Morgan finished third, despite starting more games than Countess. He led the team in tackles twice and finished the regular season with 53 tackles (fifth most on the team), 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovery. The 6’1″, 220-pounder likely suffered damage in the area of public perception when he was juked and outrun multiple times by Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller, but not many linebackers match up well with Miller in open space.
Redshirt sophomore free safety Thomas Gordon surprisingly finished fourth in the voting, despite having a largely forgettable 23-tackle performance in 2010. Gordon started nine games at free safety and seemed to lose his job late in the season simply because the coaches didn’t want to relegate Woolfolk to the bench. Gordon finished the regular season with 59 tackles (third on the team), 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 2 pass breakups, 4 fumble recoveries, and 2 forced fumbles. His interception was one of the highlights of the season when he expertly read a double pass against Eastern Michigan and made a one-handed pick. Gordon also has a knack for being around the ball, which is apparent with his 4 fumble recoveries.
Sophomore cornerback Courtney Avery is down at the bottom, receiving only two of the votes. Avery started only two games at cornerback, but he made several big plays. One was an 83-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Minnesota. He also made two impressive interceptions – the game-clinching one against Ohio State and another nice one against Purdue – to finish tied for first on the team in that category. Avery’s regular season stats include 24 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1/2 a sack, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries (1 for a touchdown), and 1 forced fumble.
There was one vote for “Other” but I’m not sure which player earned that vote.
In order, my ballot would be Desmond Morgan, Blake Countess, Thomas Gordon, Jake Ryan, and Courtney Avery. Morgan earned the starting job over several contenders, including a senior (Herron), a junior (Brandin Hawthorne), and others. There were some bumps along the way, but he acquitted himself well. I already expected good things from Countess from when he was recruited, so his success wasn’t really a “breakout” to me; I also expected good things from Morgan, but not quite so soon. Gordon had more experience than either of those freshmen, but he watched from the sideline for most of 2010 and still turned into a big-play guy who filled up the stat sheet. Ryan made some big plays, but also has some chinks in the armor. He will be good soon, but 30 total tackles is a little underwhelming for a linebacker. You could make a case that Avery deserves to be higher, and I might not argue; Michigan is in decent shape if he’s the nickel corner.
 |
| Mike Martin eats |
DT Mike Martin: 79%
C David Molk: 7%
QB Denard Robinson: 2%
WR Junior Hemingway: 2%
TE Kevin Koger/WR Roy Roundtree (tie): 1%
OG Patrick Omameh: 1%
LB Kenny Demens: 0%
CB Troy Woolfolk: 0%
WR Darryl Stonum: 0%
DE Ryan Van Bergen: 0%
Other: 0%
In a landslide victory for exactly whom I expected to win this poll, senior Mike Martin pulled in nearly 4 out of 5 votes. Martin is a 6’2″, 304 lb. nose tackle with surprising quickness. He might be undersized for playing nose tackle at the next level, which means he’ll likely have to be drafted by a 4-3 team with a need for a 3-tech defensive tackle. In fact, Martin should probably be playing 3-tech in college, except Michigan has no other viable options at the nose tackle position. For his career he has 108 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks.
Fifth year senior David Molk took second place comfortably. Molk is a 6’2″, 286 lb. center who will be entering his fourth season as a starter. Despite being slightly undersized to be an extremely valuable commodity at the next level, he has consistently been mentioned as the strongest player on the team and was a first team All-Big Ten selection in 2010. Molk has the quickness, leverage, and intelligence to do well at the college level, but he’ll likely have to add bulk in order to have a chance in the NFL.
Junior quarterback Denard Robinson barely beat out wide receiver Junior Hemingway for the third spot. Robinson is a 6’0″, 195 lb. quarterback who set the NCAA record last year for the most rushing yards in a season by a QB. He has struggled as a passer at times and with his lack of height, he could very well have to change positions to play at the next level. I doubt he will leave early for the NFL when his future position is such a huge question mark. Last season Robinson threw for 2,570 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 11 touchdowns. He also had 1.702 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns on the ground.
Hemingway is a 6’1″, 222 lb. fifth year senior wide receiver. Due to injuries and illness, he has never played a full season of football. However, last year was his best statistical season when he grabbed 32 passes for 593 yards (18.5 yards per catch) and 4 touchdowns. Hemingway has demonstrated good hands and leaping ability, and with his strength, he can often outmuscle cornerbacks for the ball. He has only mediocre speed, though, and his production thus far has been mediocre.
Senior tight end Kevin Koger and redshirt junior wide receiver Roy Roundtree tied for the fifth spot. Koger is a 6’4″, 258-pounder with excellent athleticism who has been underused for the past few seasons in Rich Rodriguez’s offense. He has dropped some passes at times, but he has the speed, leaping ability, and size to be a huge mismatch for anyone willing and able to get him the ball. The new coaching staff will almost certainly use him as a receiver more often than the old one. In three years as a starter, he has averaged 12 receptions, 170.7 yards, and 1.7 touchdowns per season.
Roundtree stands 6’0″ and only 177 lbs. Despite a lack of elite size and speed, he set a school record for receiving yards in one game with 246 against Illinois last season. He also has four career receptions of 74+ yards. No other player in Michigan history has more than one reception of over 70 yards. Still his lack of impressive measurables may cause him not to be a high draft pick, even if he plays out his eligibility and enters the 2013 NFL Draft.
Omameh is a 6’4″, 299 lb. offensive guard. He has started the last 16 games Michigan has played and projects as the starting right guard in 2011, as well. He moves well and gets to the second level with regularity, which suits the zone running game perfectly. He’s also an above average pass blocker. As just a redshirt junior, however, it would be somewhat of a surprise to see him enter the draft in 2012. He’s more likely to be a 2013 entrant.
Demens is a 6’1″, 248 lb. middle linebacker who burst onto the scene in 2010. Despite starting only seven games, he finished the season with 82 tackles and led the Wolverines in tackles per start. Known as a thumping run stuffer, he needs to work on recognizing pass routes and getting to his pass drops. He already has the size to play in the NFL and could play middle linebacker in a 4-3 or inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. He might wait to enter the NFL Draft until 2013, since he has one year of eligibility remaining beyond 2011.
Woolfolk is 6’0″ tall and 191 lbs. He missed his true senior season in 2010 due to an ankle dislocation, but started all 12 games in 2009, half at safety and half at cornerback. With a couple exceptions, he played well at safety and improved when he moved back to cornerback for the second half of the year. He has not proven to be a huge playmaker in his career (61 tackles, 3 pass breakups in three years), but other teams all but completely avoided throwing in his direction when he started at corner opposite current Pittsburgh Steeler Donovan Warren. Woolfolk ran indoor track during his first few seasons on campus and has blazing makeup speed to go along with good size for the position. Teams usually don’t spend high draft picks on guys who have zero career interceptions, so turning out big plays this fall will be important if Woolfolk wants a shot at the next level.
Stonum is a 6’2″, 195 lb. wideout whose lack of impressive statistics and keen ability to break the law make him extremely unlikely to be selected in the 2012 NFL Draft. For one thing, he was suspended for the 2011 season and will take a redshirt, hoping to return in 2012. For another thing, his best statistical season came in 2010, when he had 49 receptions for 633 yards and 4 touchdowns. Those aren’t bad numbers, but his performance wasn’t impressive enough to make a team ignore his person issues. Stonum also brings some potential value as a kick returner, since he returned 39 kickoffs for 1,001 yards (25.7 yards/attempt), including a 94-yard TD against Notre Dame in 2009.
The player with the least amount of votes was defensive end Ryan Van Bergen, a 6’6″, 288 lb. defensive end. Van Bergen has played both defensive end and defensive tackle in his career, totaling 90 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 6 pass breakups in his career. This season he’s bigger than he has ever been before, but Van Bergen works hard and has squeezed out just about every ounce of effort he can with his limited physical skills. Some players make it to the NFL with superior athleticism, and some make it with a combination of athleticism and talent. Not many make it that far on sheer determination. Van Bergen could play at the next level as a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme, but his chances are slim.
The “Other” category received just one vote, and I’d be interested to know which player that voter had in mind.
 |
| Craig Roh will get a chance to create deja vu on September 3rd |
A couple weeks ago, I posed the question, “Who will lead Michigan’s 2011 defense in sacks?” Here are the results of that poll:
Craig Roh: 49%
Mike Martin: 21%
Jibreel Black (tie): 10%
Ryan Van Bergen (tie): 10%
Jake Ryan: 3%
Cameron Gordon: 1%
William Campbell: 1%
Other: 0%
Junior defensive end Craig Roh won the vote in a landslide victory. I can’t tell if that’s good or bad. Obviously, Michigan fans have high hopes for a coaching staff that features three current or former defensive line coaches in head coach Brady Hoke, defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, and defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery. Roh was miscast as a linebacker last season and garnered only 1/2 a sack, which means that backup safety Thomas Gordon had 1.5 more sacks. Yikes. Still, Roh ought to be the starter at weakside end, which should create plenty of one-on-one opportunities with offensive tackles.
Senior defensive tackle Mike Martin finished second in the voting, but it surprised me that he only got 21% of the vote. Martin had 2.5 sacks last season when he was strictly a nose tackle, and Mattison has promised to move Martin around this year – even to outside linebacker at times – to use his athleticism, strength, and quickness in various ways. Martin will still face plenty of double teams, but if he can avoid the ankle injuries that slowed him last year, he might give Roh a run for his money.
Sophomore defensive end Jibreel Black and fifth year senior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen had exactly the same number of votes. Black will split time between both defensive end positions, but he had zero sacks among his 7 total tackles as a freshman. Meanwhile, Van Bergen is the active sack leader with 9 total. He will face his share of double-teams as well, but he’s relentless and could make a run at the team lead, as well.
Redshirt freshman SAM linebacker Jake Ryan did not play at all last season. He did have an impressive spring and earned compliments from the coaching staff, but at best, he’s expected to split time with redshirt sophomore Cam Gordon at outside linebacker.
Speaking of Gordon, he just barely beat out junior defensive tackle William Campbell (by one vote) for last place on the list. Gordon had zero sacks among his 77 total tackles last season, although to be fair, Gordon played half the season at free safety before moving to outside linebacker. In one-and-a-half seasons at defensive tackle, Campbell – who moved from DT to offensive guard midway through 2010 – had only 5 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. He moved back to defensive line in the spring and at 6’5″, 333 lbs. should be a load for any offensive guard to handle one-on-one. I do expect Campbell to break out this season, but Ndamukong Suh-like seasons are rare from defensive tackles. Campbell will more likely end the year with 2 or 3 sacks, and hopefully a couple of his teammates will surpass that total.