Last Week at The Wolverine Den
Tailgate Attendance: 15
Michigan Spring Game
Michigan Stadium
April 11, 2009 - 12 noon
Craig's 2009 Pre-Season Report
THE KARMA: At the Big Ten’s coaches meetings for the 2009 season, Rich Rodriguez said, "It's good to have pride, but when that pride becomes too much and you have too much of a sense of entitlement, you're going to get humbled pretty quick. In a sense, I think maybe that happened to us."
You could call it growing pains. Some have called 2008 a disaster. Whatever you think about Michigan and the new coaching staff, 2008 was certainly humbling.
But history has countless examples of the Michigan program recovering from awful seasons. As recently as 2006, Michigan bounced back from a 7-5 slate in 2005 to win their first 11 games and play for a spot in the National Championship game. We all remember the 1997 team that won the National Championship. The previous four seasons (1996, 1995, 1994, and 1993) each recorded 4 losses. The 1985 Michigan team finished 2nd in the nation with a win in the Fiesta Bowl. That had followed a 6-6 season in 1984. The 1964 Big Ten and Rose Bowl championship team came on the heels of a 3-4-2 season in 1963. Finally, the 1917 Michigan team finished 8th in the Big Ten and then went on to win the National Championship in 1918.
Can Michigan turn it around this year? Championship caliber teams are built on consistency, teamwork and leadership. Only two years into the Rich Rodriguez era it is difficult to predict consistency. There are more players suited to the style and more understanding of the schemes. Another year under the strength and conditioning of Mike Barwis should create more toughness. Whether this will produce the desired consistency remains to be seen. Teamwork: “Those who stay will be Champions” has long-been a Michigan mantra. The team has rid itself of those that did not want to stay. The teamwork will be much improved, but will it be enough to be a championship caliber season? Leadership: With only 11 seniors on the team and only 6 projected as starters, the 2009 Michigan team will rely on a mix of senior leaders and underclassmen.
OFFENSE: There was plenty that went wrong with the 2008 offense. Scoring barely 20 points per game and a -10 turnover margin were the glaring problems. It came down to a new offense being run by players that were unable to adjust to the scheme. This was particularly true at quarterback. But there will be a new quarterback leading the offense this season with Tait Forcier set to take the reins. While just a freshman, Forcier did enroll at Michigan in January and participated in spring practice. He has an accurate arm, nifty feet and the ability to throw on the run. He was recruited because of his ability to run the spread offense. The other freshman QB is Denard Robinson. While not as far along as Forcier, Robinson brings pure speed to the field. Don’t be surprised to see both quarterbacks play and even times when they are both in the game at the same time.
The running back position has lots of depth - lead by seniors Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown. Both Minor and Brown played with injuries last year which limited their effectiveness. Both are healthy again and should be a devastating tandem in the backfield. Throw in Michael Shaw and freshman Vincent Smith and RB becomes one of the deepest position groups on the field.
The receivers are now split into slot receivers and wide receivers. Martavious Odoms set Michigan freshman records in 2008 for receptions and receiving yards. He leads a strong contingent of slot receivers which include Terrence Robinson, Roy Roundtree and freshman speedster Jeremy Gallon. We might also see former Michigan basketball player Kelvin Grady at the slot. Kelvin is the younger brother of senior running back Kevin Grady.
The wide receivers are lead by senior Greg Mathews. Traditionally, senior wide receivers at Michigan have had their best years and Mathews is poised to break out in 2009. Darryl Stonum, Junior Hemingway and freshman JeRon Stokes will compete for playing time.
At tight end will be Kevin Koger with Martell Webb as the back up.
The offensive line returns every starter from 2008. While that 2008 group made progress through the season, there will be changes for 2009. Right Tackle Steve Shilling will move to left guard and Mark Huyge will take over at RT. The other starters will remain David Molk at center, David Moosman at right guard and Mark Ortmann at left tackle. There is plenty of depth to account for injuries or performance problems.
DEFENSE: There was plenty that went wrong with the 2008 defense. Yielding nearly 30 points per game was the most in Michigan history. The problems are mostly related to scheme confusion which lead to big plays. The 2008 defense gave up 39 plays of 30 yards or more. But this year’s defense will utilize the strength of the players and new coordinator Greg Robinson. Michigan will switch to a 3-4 front with the outside linebackers alternating between run or pass coverage depending on the offensive sets and situation.
The defensive line will showcase Brandon Graham, who had 10 sacks and 20 TFL’s in 2008. Similar production in his senior year would put Graham near the top in the Michigan record book. The other defensive end will be Ryan Van Bergin while Mike Martin will be the nose tackle. While the starters are very good, the reserves on the D line are inexperienced.
At linebacker, Michigan returns their two leading tacklers from 2008 in Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton. The new 3-4 defense will see Brandon Herron as the “quick” backer and former safety Stevie Brown as the “spin” backer. Again, depth is inexperienced.
The secondary was the most problematic position group in last year’s defense. With better scheme and athletes, there should be significant improvement in 2009. The corners are Donovan Warren and Boubacar Cissoko with JT Floyd and freshman Justin Turner as the nickel and dime defenders. At safety, the competition is still open with Mike Williams and Troy Woolfolk leading. This will be the first Michigan secondary since 1997 without a starting senior.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Zolton Mesko returns for his senior season and is a candidate for the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s best punter. His career punting average of 42.0 ranks him second in Michigan history. With the graduation of KC Lopata, Michigan will have a new placekicker in 2009. Freshman Brendon Gibbons appears to have the inside track. In the return game, Carlos Brown and Terrence Robinson figure to fill the roles – as long as they can hold on to the football.
THE WOLVERINE DEN PREDICTION: Most pundits have Michigan winning between 5 and 7 games. There will be significant improvement on both sides of the ball and the schedule favors this young team with 8 home games. With improved depth, the Wolverines should be able to overcome injuries. Renewed emphasis on reducing turnovers will also help. An 8-4 season and a trip to the Insight or Alamo Bowl is the prediction. But while Michigan is not expected to contend for a championship this year, it is possible that this team could gel and win 9 or 10 games.
In any case, it will be an interesting season and another great year at The Wolverine Den!