Tag: senior profile

Tony Anderson, #17

Tony Anderson

2011 Countdown: #61 Tony Anderson

HIGH SCHOOL
Anderson was an all-league wide receiver and an all-area defensive back at Redondo Beach (CA) Redondo Union.  He walked on to the football program at Michigan.

COLLEGE
Anderson had a pretty good career for a walk-on, playing in 23 career games from 2008 to 2011 and making 6 career tackles.  For the most part, he contributed only on special teams.  However, against Delaware State in 2009 and in the late part of the 2010 season, after several Michigan cornerbacks had left the team or suffered injuries, he played a little as a backup cornerback.  He finished out his career in 2011 playing in just one game, that being San Diego State.

CAREER STATS
6 total tackles

AWARDS
None.

SUMMARY
Anderson is the type of walk-on who can make a solid contribution to a football team through special teams coverage, playing on the practice squad, and occasionally helping out in a game situation.  With a couple cornerbacks nursing lingering injuries back in the spring of 2011, he was getting a lot of run with the first team defense.  And while that didn’t translate into playing time during the regular season, he practiced capably and helped out the team by challenging the starting receivers.  To top it off, he seemed like a quality kid in a couple pre-season interviews and majored in Arab, Armenian, Persian, Turkish, and Islamic studies and, if I remember correctly, originally came to Ann Arbor on an academic scholarship.  You probably couldn’t ask for a better representative of the walk-on program.

PROJECTION
Anderson  was not invited to the NFL Combine but he did work out at Michigan’s pro day in hopes of catching on as an undrafted free agent.  So far he has not been signed, and his football career is likely finished.

Greg Banks, #92

Defensive end/tackle Greg Banks

2010 Countdown: #22 Greg Banks

HIGH SCHOOL
Banks graduated from Montbello High School in Denver, CO.  As a senior he had 120 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 4 pass breakups.  That was good enough for Rivals to rate him as a 3-star prospect, the #5 player in Colorado in 2006, and the #42 strongside defensive end in the country.  Scout put him as a 3-star and the #40 defensive tackle in the nation.  Banks chose Michigan on December 15, 2005, over such programs as California, Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, UCLA, and Washington.

COLLEGE
Banks redshirted as a freshman in 2006.  He played sparingly as a redshirt freshman in 2007, contributing 7 tackles as a special teamer and backup defensive end.    His 2008 redshirt sophomore season was spent as a backup once again, and he totaled 6 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.  As a backup again 2009, Banks’ production fell off even further to 5 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.  But as a fifth year senior in 2010, he earned a starting spot in Michigan’s new 3-3-5 defense as a 5-tech tackle/end.  He capped off his career with 38 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 2 pass breakups during a season in which he started 9 games.

CAREER STATS
43 games played; 9 starts; 56 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 2 pass breakups

SUMMARY
I was never a huge fan of Banks’ abilities, but I thought he was solid backup material.  You can see in the link above that I thought he would be a starter in 2010 (and my projection of 30 tackles and 2 sacks wasn’t far off from his actual stats of 38 tackles and 3 sacks), but that was largely because of a void on the defensive line.  Other options at his end/tackle position were undersized underclassmen, underachieving classmate Adam Patterson, or Renaldo Sagesse.  Banks could have even been the forgettable starter on a good defense, because he wasn’t that bad.  He didn’t overwhelm anyone with his strength or athleticism, but he was usually in the right place and holding firm at the point of attack.  Unfortunately for Michigan and for Banks, many Wolverines fans will probably forget his name in a conscious effort to erase the 2010 defense from memory entirely.  But much like fellow fifth year guys Adam Patterson and John Ferrara, Banks stuck with the program for five years and his efforts are appreciated by those who follow Michigan closely.  Unlike the aforementioned pair, Banks’ infrequent playing time early in his career ended on a high note for him with a starting position and some decent statistics.

PROJECTION
Banks was not drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft and likely won’t continue his career at the next level.

Martell Webb, #80



Martell Webb looks like a defensive tackle

 2010 Countdown: #37 Martell Webb

HIGH SCHOOL
Webb graduated from Pontiac (MI) Northern High School in 2007.  He was a 4-star recruit and the #20 receiver in the country to Scout.  Rivals ranked him as a 4-star and the #29 wide receiver.  During his senior season, he had 31 catches for 862 yards (27.8 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns.  He also returned 11 punts for 301 yards (27.4 yards per return)

COLLEGE
Webb burned his redshirt in 2007, playing sparingly in 10 games.  Most of his playing time was on special teams, where he assisted on 3 tackles.  He played a bit of tight end, but did not catch a pass.  As a sophomore in 2008, he was deemed even less ready.  Webb played in 3 games and only on special teams.  People began to wonder if he would ever contribute, but in 2009 he played in all 12 games, earning 1 start and catching 4 passes for 44 yards and 1 touchdown; he had developed into the team’s blocking tight end.  More of the same was to come in 2010, when Webb started 2 games and played in all 13.  On a team that didn’t utilize the tight ends much in the passing game, he caught 5 passes for 67 yards and 1 touchdown while backing up Kevin Koger.

CAREER STATS
3 starts; 9 receptions, 111 yards, 2 touchdowns; 3 special teams tackles

SUMMARY
Even back in 2007, I was frustrated that Webb was burning his redshirt.  In the summer prior to the season, I saw Webb at a Blockbuster store in Ann Arbor, and he looked like the wide receiver/tight end tweener that he was coming out of high school.  Then a month later, I saw him on the field as a freshman.  It didn’t make sense then, and it doesn’t make sense now.  He barely played that season.  Had he redshirted that year, he might have had a good shot at being the starter going into 2011, although his battle with Koger would have continued.  Now Michigan has a dearth of tight ends (unless you like walk-ons, position switchers, or a guy who we’ve barely seen on the field in Brandon Moore) to back up or complement Koger, who would have been ideal for the H-back role this year.  Webb reportedly suffered from the dropsies in practice during his first couple seasons, which is why he rarely played early on.  And when he did play, he rarely saw the ball come his way through the air, although they ran behind him plenty.  How could you not run behind a 268 lb. tight end?  Perhaps the play I’ll remember most is the one pictured above, which was a short throwback on which Webb was completely unencumbered by the diminutive defender climbing up his back.

PROJECTION
There was an outside chance that Webb would be drafted in the April NFL Draft, and that chance remained outside.  Whenever NFL teams are allowed to sign free agents, though, I expect Webb to latch on as an undrafted free agent.  He has decent athleticism, especially for a guy who’s 6’4″ and 268 lbs.  If nothing else, he could be a cheap blocking tight end for an NFL team, not unlike former Denver Bronco Dwayne Carswell.

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Perry Dorrestein, #79

Perry Dorrestein

2010 Countdown: #25 Perry Dorrestein

HIGH SCHOOL
Dorrestein played high school ball at Plainfield Central High School in Illinois.  He was a 3-star prospect and the #43 offensive tackle to Rivals back in 2006.  Scout ranked him as the #81 offensive lineman and a 3-star prospect.  He committed to Michigan on December 4, 2005, over offers from Duke, Illinois, Iowa State, Nebraska, and Northwestern.

COLLEGE
Dorrestein redshirted during his first season on campus.  He played sparingly in four games as a redshirt freshman in 2007, backing up starting tackles Jake Long and Steve Schilling.  In the merry-go-round that was the 2008 offensive line, Dorrestein started 3 games at left tackle, 1 game at right tackle, and sat out 4 games completely with no explanation, mostly watching Mark Ortmann and Schilling.  By the 2009 season, Schilling had moved to left guard and the right tackle job was a battle between Dorrestein and Mark Huyge.  Huyge began the season as the starter, but was eventually replaced by Dorrestein, who started 8 of the last 9 games on the right side.  As a fifth year senior in 2010, Dorrestein had solidified his position as a starting tackle.  He started 9 games at right tackle and 1 on the left, missing 2 games mid-season with a knee injury.

CAREER STATS
31 games played, 22 starts at offensive tackle

SUMMARY
As you can tell from the 2010 Countdown linked above, I was never really a fan of Dorrestein’s ability.  He wasn’t athletic enough to be a left tackle, he was too tall and lacking the athleticism to play guard effectively, and he was just a so-so right tackle.  His 3-star ranking by both major recruiting services was pretty accurate.  However, I was pleasantly surprised with Dorrestein’s play in 2010.  He wasn’t an obvious weakness for a line that paved the way for one of the nation’s best rushing attacks, and the offensive line allowed very few sacks overall.  He still lacked the ability to get movement on opposing linemen consistently, but I thought Michigan’s offense tended to be a little left-handed in the running game, using the left side combo of Taylor Lewan and Steve Schilling to gain most of its rushing yardage.  That was probably a smart move on the part of Rich Rodriguez, but Dorrestein played solidly for a productive unit.

PROJECTION
Dorrestein was not selected in the 2011 NFL Draft, and frankly, I would be surprised if he latched on with an NFL team, even in a practice squad capacity.

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John Ferrara, #74

Offensive guard John Ferrara

2010 Countdown: #53 John Ferrara

HIGH SCHOOL
Ferrara attended Monsignor Farrell High School on Staten Island.  He had 173 tackles and 28 sacks in his last two seasons in high school and was ranked as a 3-star recruit to both Rivals and Scout.  Rivals made him the #46 strongside defensive end in the country, and he was the #58 overall defensive end to Scout.  He committed to Michigan on October 22, 2005, choosing the Wolverines over offers from Michigan State, Mississippi, Northwestern, Penn State, and Rutgers.

COLLEGE
As a freshman in 2006, he redshirted and played defensive tackle in practice.  As a redshirt freshman in 2007, Ferrara had become the second-string defensive tackle, beating out bigger and more highly touted recruits Marques Slocum and Jason Kates for playing time.  Ferrara played in all 13 games (12 at defensive tackle) and made 2 tackles with 1 tackle for loss.  The terrible, terrible shortage of offensive linemen in 2008 caused a position change for Ferrara.  When it became apparent that offensive guard Cory Zirbel’s career was finished due to injury, Michigan need further depth.  Ferrara would have been a backup on defense again, anyway, so he made the switch to offensive guard in August, just prior to the season.  He played on special teams throughout the year, but also earned 5 starts at left guard, including the last 4 games of the year.  More of the same occurred in 2009, when he played special teams and started 1 game against Eastern Michigan at right guard.  As a fifth year senior in 2010, Ferrara never played offense, contributing only on special teams and missing several games due to a hand injury.

CAREER STATS
2 tackles, 1 tackle for loss; 6 starts at offensive guard

AWARDS
Academic All-Big Ten in 2008, 2009, and 2010

SUMMARY
Ferrara was a glue-type player that exists on every good football team.  Despite not getting much playing time, he stuck around for all five years.  It’s entirely possible that he would have started – or at least played significant minutes – at defensive tackle in both 2009 and 2010.  All that stood in his way in both seasons were an underachiever (Will Campbell) and a few underwhelming veterans (Greg Banks, Renaldo Sagesse, and Adam Patterson).  However, he was doing his duty as a backup offensive lineman during that time, and for that he should be commended.  It seems that one reason for his lack of playing time would be his inability to get any heavier than 286 lbs.  He spent most of his career in the 270’s, which is very light for an offensive lineman.  Personally, I thought he played fairly well in the second half of 2008, and probably should have earned more playing time as a backup in 2009.

PROJECTION
Ferrara probably has no future as a professional football player.  However, he has a degree and is/was rumored to be dating Kristy Bojazi, a Michigan cheerleader who was profiled at one time on CNN/SI.

Kristy Bojazi

So he seems to be doing well for himself.

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