Wolverine Wednesday: Is this Team Different Then the 2009 Sqaud?

Everywhere a Michigan player or coach goes these days, there is one question on the mind of Michigan fans:  Is this team better then last years team?  It gets asked by every media member to every player or coach at Michigan. 

Coach Rod doesn't look back and uses his favorite line from the Lion King about the Monkey hitting the Lion and the Lion asking, "Why did you do that?"  The Monkey:  "It doesn't matter it's in the past".  That DVD must be stuck in his player because he dusts that line off a couple times a year. 
The players say, this is a different team.  They have had another year in the system and they are just a lot closer family this year. 

The reason the question gets asked is Michigan has had a lot of similarities between the two years, both teams: started 4-0, had wins over ND, had an early season Heisman trophy candidate, and had higher expectations then before the season started.  The bottom fell out of the 2009 season and Michigan could only muster one more win against a very poor FCS team.  That memory is still fresh in the minds of Michigan fans and many are scared that history could repeat itself.

All of the above is true, but I will give you the real reasons Michigan is better in 2010 then 2009:



#5:  Greg Robinson is coaching the linebackers.   Take away the UMass game and the linebacker play has improved from 2009.

#4: Michigan already has a road win.  Michigan has struggled the past two years on the road under RR and only had one win in two years.  Michigan played well at ND which should give them confidence to play on the road at IU, Penn State, Purdue, and OSU.

#3: Speed on offense.  Remember when Michigan had two QB's that ran a 40 in about 6.0 flat?  The running backs were beat up and Michigan didn't have a deep threat at WR?  Well times have changed and Michigan has depth at all the skill positions and many have contributed in a positive way.  Roy Roundtree is on his way to earning the #1 jersey next year and Darryl Stonum is running by CB's down field.  You get Junior Hemingway back catching the ball and this is one dangerous unit.  (we haven't even mentioned the WR in the freshman class or the true sophomores either)

#2:  Michigan's offensive line is playing very well and there is depth at each position.  Taylor Lewan has had one start under his belt and is already being compared to another famous #77 Jake Long.    David Molk is healthy and leading the charge from his center position.

#1:  Surprise!  It's Denard.  Who has taken college football by storm and is so humble he acts like he doesn't even notice.  He is the perfect combination for a RR QB.  He has personality, fast feet and a strong arm, a defensive coordinators nightmare.   What's interesting about this team is, it's just not Denard.  Michigan has two backups ready to play and play well.  Devin Gardner is a true freshman but has looked good so far and we all know Tate has one of the most accurate arms in all of college football.  Michigan has three guys that can beat you at QB and that is a great feeling for Michigan fans who remember the Sheridan and Threet days.

Sounds good!  What's the catch?

I can't type here and say the defense is better in 2010 with the losses of Brandon Graham, Donovan Warren, and Troy Woolfolk.  Michigan will have to out score some opponents in the Big Ten season and some games might look more like a track meet then a football game.  What I can tell you is, that Greg Robinson does know what he is doing and will do his best putting the Michigan personnel in the proper position to make plays.  Michigan is young pretty much everywhere on defense but I don't feel like we will get out coached on that side of the ball.

Special Teams is a big concern:  Punting has not been good and the field goal kicking has been terrible.  Missing field goals in Big Ten play will cost Michigan a game or two.  The good thing is RR knows this and will be more aggressive in getting first downs then settling for field goals.  Look for Michigan to go for it on a number of 4th downs.  

So there you have it.  Agree or disagree with me, but I now fully expect a bowl game and to be very competitive in games I thought were losses before the season started. 

Michigan Picks up its 15th Commitment to the 2010 Class and it's a CB!

Reported here on Friday, Michigan had offered Courtney Avery a CB from Ohio. On Saturday, he decided the offer was too good to pass up and verbally gave his pledge to become a Wolverine in 2010. Avery is rated a 3 star CB from Scout and the #23 CB in the country. He mainly plays QB for his high school, but his size 5"10 165 pounds is better suited for CB in college. The Michigan coaches got a good look at him at camp last week and liked what they saw and offered quickly.

Avery had committed to Stanford but decided to stay closer to home and attend Michigan.
On a side note, this kid carries a 3.7 grade point and would like to be in the pre-med program at Michigan.

Here is the write up from Varsity Blue:

Player Notes
As mentioned above, Avery is a quarterback for his high school team, in addition to his duties in the defensive backfield. In fact, he is a rather excellent high school signal-caller, and was named his conference’s Offensive Player of the Year as a junior. However, when he gets to Michigan, he will play strictly defensive back, where he tried out in summer camp. He has good hip fluidity and agility, which help him make up for a slight lack in top-end speed. One of the biggest knocks on Avery is his size: he’s listed anywhere from 5-8 to 5-10, which is small even for a cornerback. However, he is rumored to be up to nearly 5-11 now, which not only indicates that’s he’s made up some of the height disparity, but also that he may continue growing. By the time he hits campus, he could be as tall as 6-1. Camp offers are typically a time to say “throw out the rankings” (NR on Rivals, 3* to Scout), since the coaches have been able to evaluate a prospect in the flesh.

Big House Friday Update

• Lee Corso pulls a "not so fast" on life, after suffering a minor stroke: Corso suffered no permanent damage in the minor stroke, which was caused by the blockage to a small artery, according to a statement from Corso. He is expected to make a full recovery.
  
  "This is just a small bump in the road," Corso said in a statement issued by ESPN. "A 'not so fast, my friend' in my game of life. I look forward to making a full recovery and returning to ESPN for my 23rd season analyzing the greatest sport in the world -- college football." Things I didn't know about Lee include: that he coached Louisville and was a head coach in the USFL. Glad to hear he will be ok.

• The Wolverine Softball Team beat Bama 6-1 last night in the World Series.

• Mike Hart and Marlin Jackson are healing nicely and should be ready in the Fall for the new season. Both players had injured their ACL. Jackson was more serious.

• Big House BBQ is tomorrow! Let's hope for good weather and a couple of commits!

• Here is an early look at Michigan's 2010 Schedule:
  9/11 - at Notre Dame
  9/18 - vs. Massachusetts
  9/25 - vs. Bowling Green
  10/2 - at Indiana
  10/9 - vs. Michigan State
  10/16 - vs. Iowa (Homecoming)
  10/23 - BYE
  10/30 - at Penn State
  11/6 - vs. Illinois
  11/13 - at Purdue
  11/20 - vs. Wisconsin
  11/27 - at Ohio State

• The Motor City Bowl will be kicking off at 1:00 the day after Christmas. The 2010 Schedule and the Motor City Bowl are not related in anyway. I'm serious, not in anyway!

Just Another Manic Michigan Monday

• Remember the guy from Purdue that torched Michigan's Defense, Justin Siller? If you don't, Justin was the third string QB who started as a running back at the beginning of the year and looked like a Heisman Trophy candidate against Scott Shafer's defense. Well, Justin is no longer on Purdue's Football Team after having some academic issues. If I were Justin and can get my grades up, I would try to pick a Big East School that plays against Syracuse every year so he can be reunited with Mr. Shafer's defense.

• I would be remiss, if I didn't mention that Sparty is playing tonight for the National Championship. I'm happy for the State of Michigan, I'm happy for the Big Ten, but come on! It's Sparty for goodness sake. I'll tell you one thing, that Tom Izzo can coach in the tournament. I'm so happy Michigan finally has a coach that can go head to head with him with the clipboard. I'm not sure Michigan Basketball has ever had a quality coach like John Beilein. Still can't believe he didn't win Big Ten coach of the year? I see that the AP named Kansas coach Bill Self, National Coach of the Year, I'm sure Bill did a great job this year, but his team won the National Championship last year, Michigan won ten games in 2008 and got to the second round of the NCAA this year.
  
  


• Former Michigan Safety Artis Chambers who left Michigan after the season is heading to Ball State to play for former Wolverine Coach Stan Parrish.

• The unofficial list of 2010 recruits visiting Ann Arbor for the Spring Game include: Stephen Hopkins, Brennan Clay, Cassius McDowell, Christian Pace, Torrian Wilson, Jibreel Black, Scott McVey, Marvin Robinson, and LaTwan Anderson.

• If your intrested in Devin Gardner's announcement video, check it out here.
  
  


• Cato June signs with the Texans.

• Michigan Linebacker Obi Ezeh gives us a quick update on his assessment of spring practice: that Steve Brown and Donovan Warren are making plays in the secondary, Will Campbell and converted D-lineman Vince Helmuth are doing well on the defensive line. On Freshman QB Tate Forcier: "I feel like the play doesn't start until he starts scrambling. You've got to play to the whistle and keep your eye on him. Very slippery."

• Do you want to sport Michigan's Official Basketball Adidas shoes? All you need is $110 large and this link!


• Did anyone catch the Texas Spring game on ESPN U last night? I know it's the Spring Game, but they didn't look very good at all. Colt threw a pick 6 on his second series.

2009?

Ok, so we sort of suck this year. We all knew it was coming but had hoped for the best. For you golfers out there, it's like playing your first round of the season being a 15 handicap and hoping you will shoot 74 but knowing it will be more like 104.

Well folks, we are through the first 5 holes and are scores are: bogey (Utah), par (Miami),double bogey (ND), a birdie (Wisconsin), and another double (Juice). We are +4 through 5 and we still have a lot of tough holes to play.

There is some general thinking that 2009 will be much better for the Michigan Program. I agree the team will be more experienced at all most every position on Offense. Many believe that Michigan just needs a mobile QB that sing and dance in just one show! As luck would have it, Michigan has two high profile recruits coming in (Forcier and Beaver) that are capable of doing just that.

Let's think about that for a minute and bullet points out some reasons why we could be better in 2009 and some reason why we might not be:

2009 the Good:

• The Offensive Line can't get any worse and will have one year experience running the spread.
• We have two dual threat QB's coming in
• Threet could get better and they could do a Leak/Tebow thing
• Everyone on the current roster will have a year in RR's program
• RR and staff will have a full year to recruit for the spread

2009 the Bad:

• Won't a new QB (no mater how good he is) struggle in a new system? I watched TP in Saturday's game and he does make some Freshman mistakes but he seems to be making decent decisions with the ball for the most part. (of course it helps to have Beanie back there as well)
• We most likely will lose our best defensive players to the NFL: Trent, Taylor, Jamison, and Graham. (that is scary!)
• Young players as we know make a lot of mistakes. That will continue next year as well.

So the 2009 equation of : 1 year of experience vs loss of defensive stars and a new QB = a lot of the same type of football in my opinion.

Maybe we should be focusing on 2010 and beyond...................

Hang in there! The payoff is down the road a ways. You might need your binoculars.

BTW: Does anyone think Greg Schiano wishes he was in Ann Arbor right about now?

Brady Hoke is doing well. His team ranked for the first time in the history of the program and just beat Toledo 31-0.