I’m cool. Real cool. It’s all good. Seriously.
A fury of circumstances has turned me against writing anything for about an entire week. Most of all, I just needed a mental break from thinking about this football program and how this once promising season turned to dog poo. It sucks to be on the bottom of the Big 11. It sucks even worse to lose to rivals again. But it’s cool, really. This is something many elite programs have experienced, because they all go through transitions and most take time. Faster would be nicer, but it will happen.

Thoughts on the Ohio State game
I watched this game at a bar near Dayton, OH and I can tell you that I was one of two Michigan fans out of at least 100 people, and they were worried as Michigan found ways to move the ball. Unfortunately, Forcier found ways to make me drink more beer and not really threaten the OSU lead as the game was winding down. Also, most OSU fans were on my side relative to the hideousness of those throwback uniforms.

Tate had several nice plays throughout this game. The offense played relatively well throughout, and Vincent Smith showed signs of what a starter next year should look like. Roy Roundtree again showed that he deserves to be a starter next year along with Tay Odoms and Darryl Stonum. It was disappointing to see Brandon Minor unable to play in his final home game. Carlos Brown, or not Carlos Brown, na – still can’t break a damn tackle. Brandon Graham = freak, unreal dude. I hope BG is a top draft pick and becomes the next Lamarr Woodley.

About the whole fire Rich Rod thing.
At this point, we can all say that Rich Rodriguez has underachieved after two years as Michigan’s head coach. You cannot be pleased with the alleged NCAA allegations either. You can also scrape the news off of the Detroit Free Press, national media, Michael Wilbon, you name it; and think that Michigan needs to cut their losses with RR and bring in the next Michigan Man.

Or, you could take emotion out of it, spend the time to understand the dynamics of this roster in it’s current state, remember how bad you wanted a change after 2007, continue to remember how bad you wanted a change after 2007, and realize that year 2 was an improvement over year 1. Not a huge improvement, but 5 > 3. The offense improved by leaps and bounds, and somehow was the #1 scoring offense in the Big 11. Any team should be able to win a ball game scoring 36, see Purdue.

I see a coach that is resilient and not beaten down. As RR tells the media, they don’t know what goes on in that locker room, film room, weight room, etc. RR and his staff have created an environment where the players are very close to one another and believe in the system put in place. I’ve been pleased with RR’s demeanor in post-game press conferences, he sticks to his guns and doesn’t let ill-placed questions get the best of him. He often speaks of the bigger picture, the process, that he and his staff put their heart and soul in to – and it’s happening, just not as fast as an irrational fan wants it to.

Will Michigan be a better team in 2010?
Yes. Thank you for asking.

Why will Michigan be better offensively?
A starting quarterback is coming back, yay! And it’s a guy that is actually competent at times, yay! Tate should improve with an entire offseason to pick up where he left off after the Ohio State game. In general, Tate finished the season strong starting with the Purdue game. He will improve as he spends time adding some padding to that frame and slowing the game down in his head. Let’s just hope he’s got the work ethic to make all of that happen.

QB’s aside, the majority of the offense is back – and the unit should once again improve with another year under its belt. The year 1 to year 2 jump is always big, but so is the year 2 to 3 jump.

5 offensive players with 2010 expectations.

1. Vincent Smith
   Played lights out against Wisconsin and Ohio State, and shows the ability to break tackles and make something out of nothing. Oh yea, he can catch too.
2. Roy Roundtree
   Played lights out since the Purdue game. He’s got sure hands and great acceleration – although his breakaway speed could be improved, see Illinois game.
3. Denard Robinson / Tate Forcier
   Tate will start. Denard will play QB and find his way into other formations as a back or receiver, a la Percy Harvin. I know RR is keeping him at QB, but he’ll see time on field in other ways. Tate is a natural, it seems as though he needs to mature a bit and stay more focused during games. A lot will be expected from Tate.
4. Darryl Stonum
   Stonum really created a name for himself returning kicks this year, so that will naturally be the talk on his behalf leading into the season. Michigan needs a deep threat, and Stonum needs to be that guy. Would like to see him get a little more established as a key part of the offense.
5. David Molk
   Many believe this was Michigan’s most impactful injury of 2009, and it may have been. Once Molk was out, Michigan was out. Regardless, his rehab will be a major story and Michigan will need him back in the starting line up.

Why will Michigan be better defensively?
Greg Robinson will be here. That means this defense doesn’t have to start over with a new defensive coordinator, first time this has happened in four years. This defense was not good, and simply having some consistency from a coaching standpoint gives the case for improvement credibility. Brandon Graham is gone, and was nothing short of amazing in his senior season. He was a game-changing beast, it’s too bad that he wasn’t complimented by a couple more playmakers in the back seven. The general feel is that Donovan Warren will stick his foot in the NFL pool and decide that it’s a little too cold to jump in. Losing only Stevie Brown and BG puts nine guys back in 2010, so the simple default of improvement from experience sets in here. Woolfolk and Warren should lock down the corners if GROB finds two safeties that can play at an average to above average level of play.

5 defensive players with 2010 expectations.

1. Justin Turner
   The 5 star from Ohio redshirted last year after much speculation that he would get his shot to prove himself on gameday
2. Craig Roh
   Roh has a hell of a motor and only stands to get a lot better. He’s played relatively well and was very undersized as a true freshman. Combine his experience with an entire offseason of bulking up and Roh should have a huge impact in 2010.
3. Brandon Smith
   All Brandon’s that play at Michigan are good right? Let’s hope some of Brandon Graham’s dominance rubbed off on Brandon Smith. He’s always played well on special teams and saw some time in the final two games in the defensive backfield. He’ll get his opportunity to be a starter and make an impact, whether it’s at safety or the quick position Stevie Brown was playing.
4. Will Campbell
   Will got some decent experience as a true freshman, while he didn’t always play well, he should anchor that D-line in 2010 along with Mike Martin, Ryan Van Bergen, and Roh.
5. Donovan Warren
   I hesitated to include DW in this list, but he could stand to have an absolute breakthrough season if he comes back. His play was solid at best as the season progressed. If he comes back, he’ll be the spokesperson for the defense.

What do I do now?
Watch Michigan basketball have a decent season, hopefully better than last year. Watch Michigan’s hockey team recover from a rough start. Assume that the Michigan football program can stay out of the negative headline category this offseason. Let time do its thing. Then as next fall approaches, get psyched about a team that should give Michigan a winning season and a bowl game. It’s fun being optimistic, because that means we’re talking 8 or 9 wins for this team next season.

REASONS TO BE POSITIVE

• This coaching staff has shown that they can keep a team focused and together through tough losses and time of adversity. It hasn’t shown it’s impact on the field quite yet, but you wait – it will.
• Michigan has truly only been beaten badly in one game out of 8. Can’t quite say the same when considering last year. A wonderful reason to be positive about the future.
• There are 2 seniors on a decimated defense – ANY recruiting should help this.
• Tate Forcier could very easily be one of Michigan’s greatest quarterbacks. He has shown some incredible moxy and for some reason even when he plays bad it’s acceptable.
• One of the best dual threat quarterback recruits in the country – Michigan’s own Devin Gardner has committed to don the maize and blue next year.
• There are solid running backs to step in and take over for Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown next year.
• Offensive perimeter guys are young and talented – and already have an adequate amount of game experience.

This list is going to get longer. And it’s going to be something I post every week. Because losses happen – no way around it and negativity is all over the place. If Michigan is ranked #1 in the country in two years – nobody is going to remember the loss to Iowa – or the beat down by Penn State. Go Blue. Beat Illinois this week.

• Zac Johnson – Out
• Carlos Brown – Concussion – Probable
• Brandon Minor – Ankle – Probable
• David Molk – Foot – Probable

My little sister is a sophomore at Ball State – so while Michigan was walking all over Delaware State I was attending Ball State’s family weekend and watching the winless Ball State Cardinals get smoked by Bowling Green in Muncie, IN. There simply is nothing like college football on a Saturday in the fall. Even though I was at what was really a terrible football game, I was happy to be in the presence of a couple teams laying it all out on the field. I was happily updating and tracking the game on my phone as Michigan mercilessly scored TD after TD in the first half. Later on Saturday night I fired up the DVR to catch a the highlights of the day – it’s interesting knowing how the box score played out and then watching the game.

Quick on Delaware State
Without getting into all the statistical ins and outs of what happened on Saturday – it was clear that this game is a positive thing for Michigan as a whole. It’s games like these that bring a team together and helps the unity of a 110+ man roster. To see players get actual game playing time in the Big House is something that their families will be talking about for the rest of their life. As Brian over on Mgoblog mentioned, this game moved Michigan up 35 spots in total offense and up 20 spots in total defense. So the game did wonders for Michigan statistically, but that’s about it. The depth chart essentially remains the same for Penn State as there were no serious injuries and no second or third stringer stood out enough to jump a current starter.

Penn State
Last year Michigan proved that they could run the ball in Happy Valley – well it was more Brandon Minor and MINOR RAGE than anything. Nevertheless, Michigan needs to duplicate that effort on the ground for a full 4 quarters this Saturday if they want to beat Penn State. Per RR in Monday’s press conference, Michigan’s starting center David Molk is going to practice and should see time on the field this week. Now, whether or not he will start – not sure yet.

PSU really hasn’t beaten anybody this year, but did control most of that game against Iowa and just completely dominated a decent offensive-minded Minnesota team. Their struggles with the ground game offensively were well documented after their extraordinarily perennially weak non-conference schedule. A few things that I am looking for this coming Saturday:

• When does Denard Robinson get his first snap? I’m guessing second quarter
• Is David Molk going to start? I’m guessing that he will
• Does Troy Woolfolk continue to play strong at the corner position? I’m guessing that he does as he showed he can hang in the Iowa game
• Can the Safeties bring it for an entire game? This could be an issue, I haven’t seen Mike Williams play a complete game yet
• How is time split in the backfield? I’m guessing Minor gets the start – and the remaining carries are split between Brown, Shaw and maybe even Smith
• How will the receivers be involved in the game plan? It seems as though Greg Matthews or Darryl Stonum is due for a big game

Should Michigan get a victory this weekend – they will inch up in the standings, but will need some help down the road from Iowa and Michigan State if they are thinking championship.

Week 7 Big 10 Standings

Well, Michigan is through September with a perfect 4-0 record. The record is perfect, but the play on the field is far from it. Rich Rodriguez and his coaching staff are going to have a field day when they go back and watch film of yesterday’s game. The linebacking play is terrible and Obi Ezeh is not having a stellar season as he continues to miss tackles and not make plays. Those snaps, GEEEEEEEZ…get it right. Michigan lost almost 50 yards and blew opportunities left and right because of problems with executing a shotgun snap.

Thoughts on Beating Indiana 36-33

• Ouch for the Defense
  What happened to the fundamental improvements when it comes to tackling, handling gap responsibilities, taking proper pursuit angles and getting off blocks? As I mentioned above, Obi Ezeh continues to miss tackles and play poorly and Jonas Mouton had his fair share of missed tackles and poor pursuit angles. A big factor in this game was the lack of a pass rush. I think Brandon Graham made a handful of plays and busted through a couple times, but in general the D-line was not impressive and their size again played in Indiana’s favor. Cissoko again played terrible at corner and was replaced by an undersized JT Floyd. A win is a win, but damn that was frustrating to watch.

• Offensive Inconsistency
  Scoring points is a lot of fun and big plays are a lot of fun, but as a Michigan fan you have to remember and consider the youth of Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson. Every game you can see their upside and their potential, however, against Indiana you saw Forcier try and do too much at times. I think, as he matures, those mistakes will be minimized. The bad snaps will not continue, but man did they have an affect on this game in a big way. David Moosman is not experienced enough to snap the ball early if a defender jumps across the line of scrimmage. Doing so took away a scoring opportunity and Michigan wound up punting.

• Minor or Brown?
  This is tough – Brown continues to score on big plays and produce, while Minor tends to make an impact in smaller doses at critical times in close games. RR must continue to use both, but it will be interesting to see how each will continue to receive playing time. I think Minor is the better back running between the tackles, but doesn’t quite have the breakaway speed that Brown has – although he is fast and bursts through a hole with serious force. And Brown is a bit better catching the ball out of the backfield and moving upfield in a hurry. Nobody knows if Minor is truly banged up with a nagging ankle injury primarily because when he gets in the game he looks to be 100%. Michigan is better when both are playing and both are healthy – let’s hope they both continue to make an impact.



Tay Odoms / Det. News

• Tay Odom’s TD
  Over 4 games Martavious Odoms hasn’t quite filled up the stat sheet, but there is no doubt that his presence on the field makes a difference. He’s made several great blocks and some clutch catches – most notably on the final drive against Notre Dame. It was great to see him get in the endzone and pull in the game-winner yesterday.

Thoughts on Being 4-0

• The Eye Test
  The eye test is an easy one – after watching 4 games – do they pass the eye test? Well, Michigan is averaging 37.5 points per game so far and have pulled out two games in the final minutes. Exciting, yes – perfect – of course not. The offense is producing big plays and scoring points when it counts. The defense is an issue and needs to focus on the fundamentals once more. If the defense continues to play like it did against Indiana – Michigan will struggle against 3 of their next 4 opponents – Michigan State, Iowa and Penn State. In general, Michigan has grabbed some national media attention and has passed the eye test.



Tate Forcier / Det. News

• T. Force & D. Rob
  Both Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson have made some plays that really only scratch the surface of their potential. Rich Rodriguez is still trying to figure out his strategy when it comes to playing both of these guys. Forcier’s health is becoming a concern – without him healthy I’m not sure how far this team can go. Although, I would be interested to see Denard taking snaps for an entire game – how many long ones would he break and can he throw the ball with any consistency.

• The Defense Struggles
  This has to be the greatest concern for the remainder of the season. The defense started the season strong – hammering Western Michigan – then allowed Notre Dame to pile on over 400 yards of offense. Notre Dame’s supposed high-powered offense allowed Michigan to give the D a pass, but against Eastern Michigan the D again looked weak. Against Indiana, ouch. Seriously, IU busts an 85 yard 4th quarter touchdown run where tackles were missed and the pursuit angles were terrible. Michigan’s season might be full of shootouts where the offense will have to be spectacular late in games because the defense simply lacks the talent and depth to control games.

• 4-0
  Michigan has played four games and has won all four. You can’t do any better than that. Finding ways to win games is what counts – last year Michigan found ways to lose games – quite a difference. Michigan will learn a lot in the next two weeks going on the road to face Michigan State and Iowa. So far it’s been fun, because there’s a zero in the loss column and Michigan’s young stars are making plays when it counts.

So week 2 of practice is over – what have we learned? Denard Robinson is showing some folks that he sure can play – and he’s making it happen on the practice field. In looking at some practice notes you’ll consistently see that Denard is making big plays everyday. I would still say Tate is the starter come September 5th. I prefer not to entertain the thought of Sheridan starting that game – don’t want to go there. The running back depth chart seems to go in this order: Minor, Brown, Smith / Grady / Shaw. The other Grady, Kelvin Grady, is continuing to impress coaches as his speed and good hands are going to contribute to the offensive production on the field this year. The Defense seems to be coming along – but a bit harder to gauge than that of the offense. Let’s face it – if Michigan can come close to having a positive turnover ratio – the team is already a huge step ahead of the team last year.

Here are some news, notes and happenings from the past couple days…

• In a Freep.com article it sounds like the offense is producing bigger plays more often in this camp than last year. And my reaction? THANK GOD because improvements on the offensive side of the ball is critical to the success of this years team. Having two quarterbacks that can make something happen when the play breaks down is a huge difference relative to having zero. RR on big plays..
  

  “I think there has been,” he said, referring to the mgoblue.com reports of a few 60-plus-yard runs from quarterback Denard Robinson, plus long passing plays from all three quarterbacks. “There’s been a few more explosive plays offensively, and I think part of it is due to guys executing a little bit better, and part of it is due to the skill sets of some of the guys who are doing it.”

  
  

• Brandon Minor is geared and jacked up for his best season as a Wolverine. He’s finally first on the depth chart and has his body to a point where he can go full throttle. Assuming Minor runs in a similar manner to that of the Penn State game in 2008 – his statement shouldn’t be all that surprising…
  

  “Very physical play,” said the 6-foot-1, 218-pounder. “I don’t want to put numbers out there, but you can expect a real aggressive, physical game.”

• Here are Wednesday’s practice notes from MGOBlue.com…click here for Monday and Tuesday’s notes.
  

  • Actor Jeff Daniels watched practice and talked with U-M head coach Rich Rodriguez.

  • Former U-M head coach Gary Moeller attended practice today as well as Athletic Director Bill Martin.

  • Quarterback Denard Robinson had a pair of plays over 40 yards, including a 45-yard TD pass to receiver Greg Mathews in the two minute drill.

  • Kicker Brendan Gibbons converted a 45-yard field goal in the two-minute drill to tie the game.

  • Safety Mike Williams collected an interception during one-on-one drills.

  • The defense stopped four of the six offensive possessions in skelly.

  • The defense stopped the offense on four of six possessions on end of game situations where the ball was spotted at the 12-yard line with 14 seconds left and the offense had to score a touchdown.

  • The two scores on the end of game situations came on a Nick Sheridan pass to running back Vincent Smith and a Robinson run.

Notes

• Michigan Stadium was one of 32 stadiums to make the cut to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022.
• Brandon Graham is 25th on Mel Kiper’s draft board.
• To purchase the “All in for Michigan” towels you can go to Fan Day on Aug. 23rd – or you will be able to buy them online and in stores in the Greater Ann Arbor area.
• Per MGOBlue.com – Brandon Graham, David Molk, and Stephen Schilling have been named to the Lombardi Award watch list and Graham for Bronko Nagurski Trophy
]]> http://mgofootball.com/2009/08/21/friday-morning-notes/feed/ 0 http://mgofootball.com/2009/08/14/michigans-first-practice-in-pads/ http://mgofootball.com/2009/08/14/michigans-first-practice-in-pads/#comments Sat, 15 Aug 2009 03:09:22 +0000 Mike P. http://mgofootball.com/?p=554
• AnnArbor.com discusses some observations from Michigan’s first practice in full pads today.
• Over on AnnArbor.com – Carlos Brown answers a few questions and talks a bit about the distribution of time back there. If Minor can stay healthy, Brown and Vincent Smith should be great compliments when Minor needs some sideline action.

• Stevie Brown talks a little bit about his defensive roles against the offensive players he’s facing everyday.
  

• Rich Rodriguez talks about today’s first practice with the team in pads. Comments on some players wearing green uni’s indicating that they cannot be hit. Also from AnnArbor.com today.

• Here’s a video of the defensive backs running some drills – working on coming out of their defensive back peddle and making a break on the ball. Notice Justin Turner who is #2.

]]> http://mgofootball.com/2009/08/14/michigans-first-practice-in-pads/feed/ 0 http://mgofootball.com/2009/08/06/meandering-wolverine-news-latest-on-msu-recruit-gholston-minnesotas-stadium/ http://mgofootball.com/2009/08/06/meandering-wolverine-news-latest-on-msu-recruit-gholston-minnesotas-stadium/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:59:17 +0000 Mike P. http://mgofootball.com/?p=414
• Now Michigan State gets to sit on pins and needles as William Gholston, a high-profile linebacker recruit out of Detroit Southeastern plans to take some official visits to other schools offering him a scholarship. Some schools that appear to be on Gholston’s list are USC, Alabama, Florida and potentially Tennessee or Virginia. If you are a Michigan State fan, you have to be a little nervous about Gholston falling in love with the lifestyle that one of these schools will portray to the young and inexperience, fresh out of high school prep star. Gholston says this about his planned official visits to other schools…
  

  “I never really got out there, so I have to make sure. Michigan State has everything I want, but I just want to make sure everybody else has the opportunity to get me down to their school and try to persuade and convince me. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. If it does, it does.”

• Check out some shots of inside and out of Minnesota’s new stadium – I’m just happy I don’t have to watch Michigan or any other team for that matter playing in that dome!
• ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg is releasing his Big Ten position rankings and has Michigan’s running back unit third in the conference. Penn State coming in first with Evan Royster leading the way and Wisconsin coming in second with John Clay and Zach Brown heading the charge. Below is the snippet on Michigan’s unit…
  

  This is without a doubt Michigan’s strongest unit and one that must perform consistently for the offense to succeed. Senior Brandon Minor looks primed for an All-Big Ten season after a strong finish to 2008, a season during which he played through several injuries. Senior Carlos Brown and sophomore Michael Shaw are also healthy, and freshman Vincent Smith turned heads during spring ball with his quickness.

  Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown need to stay healthy for this unit to live up to being on of the best in the Big Ten. Their past brings down that hope a bit as neither one have been able to make it through an entire season without missing several games.

• For the best recruiting breakdown you’ll find – check out mgoblog’s latest recruiting breakdown from earlier this week.
• More on Brandon Minor – he’s been added as a candidate for this year’s Doak Walker Award watch list.
  ]]> http://mgofootball.com/2009/08/06/meandering-wolverine-news-latest-on-msu-recruit-gholston-minnesotas-stadium/feed/ 0 http://mgofootball.com/2009/06/24/brandon-minor-may-resemble-this-guy-in-09/ http://mgofootball.com/2009/06/24/brandon-minor-may-resemble-this-guy-in-09/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:45:10 +0000 Mike P. http://mgofootball.com/?p=24 When Michigan played Penn State in ’08 Brandon Minor ran like a man possessed, like the police were chasing after him! His physical, upright style of running really takes me back to some of Tyrone Wheatley’s better days as a Wolverine. Let’s hope he stays healthy and makes a huge impact to help out our young QB’s….
  ]]> http://mgofootball.com/2009/06/24/brandon-minor-may-resemble-this-guy-in-09/feed/ 0