Message from The Staff
The Wolverine Den is more an atmosphere than a place. Those who regularly attend Saturday afternoons on Snyder Avenue (or the traveling Den at away games) quickly embrace the camaraderie. Those who arrive for the first time quickly understand they are welcome to return at will. Michigan Fans and opposing fans alike are welcome to share our fall weekend distraction. Even a fan wearing Ohio State gear to a Purdue - Michigan game was once offered a friendly beverage with respect to our differing opinions. Whether it's the exciting morning before kickoff or the relaxing sundown after the final seconds, friends and friends of friends gather around the fire (or bar or video games or the food), to share common memories.
Do not be surprised to be offered fine fare (hamburgers and hot dogs are not our usual style) and fine drink, the only rule is to not be shy. Check the website the following week and find who the Den Photographers have caught smiling or click on a recorded notable quotation for all to hear. We will sum up last week's game, preview the next contest (and menu), and share the faces from last week. See you on Saturday!
Craig's 2008 Pre-Season Report
A NEW ERA IN MICHIGAN FOOTBALL: With the retirement of Lloyd Carr and the hiring of new coach Rich Rodriguez, a new era begins for Michigan Football. The legacy of Bo Schembechler extended Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr and lasted for 39 years. It produced 21 Big Ten Championship teams, a national championship, countless all-americans and more memories that could possibly be listed here. With the changing face of college football, it was necessary to look outside the family and find a young, innovative, and dedicated coach to lead our program in to the future. Rich Rod is credited as being a creator of the spread offense. His staff is energetic and the talent on this team is not lacking. Sure, we have many to replace and more that left the team after the season. But those who stay will be champions. We are not the Leaders and the Best just when we win, we are always the Leaders and the Best. The staff of the Wolverine Den are excited and proud to be Michigan Wolverines and we look forward to this season with hopeful enthusiasm.
DEFENSE: The Michigan defense has the capability of being a dominant force this year. New defensive coordinator Scott Shafer plays and “attack and react” defense that is reminiscent of the 1997 defense. The defensive line will rush the quarterback, the linebackers will fill the gaps and stop the run and the secondary will most often be in single coverage. There is emphasis on creating turnovers and giving the offense the ball with great field position. If you liked the “bend but don’t break” philosophy, this is not your style. Shafer comes from Stanford, where in just one year he turned the defense into a force that was nationally ranked in sacks and tackles - and beat USC. Prior to Stanford, he was at Western Michigan and took the 108th ranked defense and turned it into the 11th best defense in just one season. He has also been an assistant at Indiana, Illinois and Northern Illinois so he knows the Big Ten brand of football.
M Links
DEFENSIVE LINE: Every starter and back up from 2007 returns, lead by Terrence Taylor, Brandon Graham, Tim Jamison and Will Johnson. The D-Line is considered one of the best in the country as a unit. Under the direction of Mike Barwis, the heralded strength and conditioning coach, the D-line is stronger, faster and will have more stamina. Taylor and Johnson will clog the middle and stop the run while Jamison and Graham will attack the backfield.
LINEBACKERS: The only returning start is Obi Ezeh. He will likely start with seniors John Thompson and Austin Panter. Depth will come from Jonas Mouton, Marell Evans and true-Freshman J.B. Fitzgerald.
SECONDARY: The is another strength of the team and will allow the attacking style of defense. CB Morgan Trent and S Brandon Harrison are the two fastest players on the team. Soph CB Donovan Warren was a first team Freshman All-American in 2007 and he will someday contend for the Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back. Stevie Brown had a difficult season but has improved both his technique and his conditioning. Additional players to watch include true freshmen Boubacar Cissoko and Brandon Smith, sophomore Troy Woolfolk, and senior Charles Stewart.
OFFENSE: Rich Rodriguez has been called “a brilliant offensive coach,” “innovative,” and “genius.” The spread offense that Michigan will run is designed to create mismatches. It is fast-paced with the players immediately getting to the line of scrimmage without huddling. This is designed to keep the defense off balance and create those mismatches. We will commonly see 4 receiver sets, although one or more of the receivers might be a tight end or running back. The formation is usually in the shotgun with one running back next to the quarterback. The running game is featured along with the short passing attack (WR screens, bubble screens to the slot, etc). The idea is to give the offense the ability to take advantage of weaknesses in the defensive coverage. It should be fun to watch. The running backs and wide receivers will be good with lots of depth. The O-line and QB are another story.
RUNNING BACKS: Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown are the returning backs. Neither has had much opportunity behind Mike Hart but both have shown potential. Incoming freshmen Sam (You Tube) McGuffie and Michael Shaw will both see the field and could provide immediate impact. Don’t expect anyone to get 20 carries per game on a consistent basis but there should be enough talent to keep everyone fresh.
Den Soundoff
WIDE RECEIVERS: The only returning starter is Greg Mathews. He will be joined by sophomores Junior Hemingway and Toney Clemons. Freshmen Darryl Stonum and Terrence Robinson are also expected to contribute (although Robinson did suffer an injury and will be out for a few weeks). The tight ends look formidable with Carson Butler, Mike Massey, Martell Webb and freshman Kevin Koger. In the new offense, the slot positions can be filled by running backs, wide receivers or tight ends. Depth and speed is everywhere.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Only one starter returns, Steve Shilling, at right tackle. The new starters will likely be Mark Ortmann at LT, Tim McAvoy at guard and David Moosman at center. The other guard position is up in the air due to the knee injury to Cory Zirbel in fall camp. There are 5 freshman offensive lineman that may need to shorten the learning curve (it is rare for OL to play as true freshman – too much to learn and not enough conditioning). This is one of the most critical areas to the success of the Michigan team this year – the development of the offensive line.
QUARTERBACKS: And this is the other most crucial area of concern. Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan are vying for the starting position. Neither has any experience. The fortunate part is that the Rodriguez spread offense does not require a great runner or a great passer to be effective. It only requires the QB to manage the offense and make the right reads that create favorable match ups. Whether it is Threet or Sheridan or both, the offense will be able to get the ball in the hands of the playmakers.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker KC Lopata and punter Zoltan Mesko both return from successful campaigns in 2007. Lopata has reportedly kicked a 56 yard FG in practice and Mesko is booming his punts. The return game will need some improvement (Michigan was last in the Big Ten in kickoff returns in 2007). Look for a mixture of Brandon Harrison, Brandon Minor, and maybe Sam McGuffie on kick return, while Greg Mathews and Donovan Warren should see most of the punts.
OUTLOOK: Michigan has performed very well when they don’t have a target on their chest. Being mostly ranked outside the top 20 to start the season last happened in 1985 – that Michigan team ended the year #2 in the nation with a win the Fiesta Bowl. Remember back to the 1997 National Championship team – ranked 14th at the start. Also the 2006 team started at #14 before winning their first 11 games. The schedule includes road games at Notre Dame, Penn State and Ohio State and most “experts” see the Wolverines winning between 6 and 8 games. With the strength of the defense and its new philosophy and the hope that the offense can gel, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Big Ten championship came down to final week down in Columbus.
It will be a very interesting season...
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