Michigan Tuesday: Cool Story About Sam McGuffie

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Sam had a very quick journey as a Michigan Wolverine.  He went from YouTube star to delaying the faxing in of his LOI on NSD to leaving the program and RR's team after one year in Ann Arbor. 


Sam left Ann Arbor to attend Rice closer to home and play for a guy we all know right now in Tom Herman.  The issue was, Tom who likes new challenges left for Kansas State before he could even coach Sam. 


Sam like his time in Ann Arbor got concussions and other injuries and his football career never worked out the way he wanted.   He got a look at in the NFL and even tried to play in the CFL.   The football dream was becoming something that just wasn't going to work out.


“When I played and why I fell in love with football was because I got the ball and got to just run and do my own thing,” McGuffie said. “But as you get older, the game is just not the same, especially when you get higher up. It just kind of took the joy out of why I liked football in the beginning.”


I recently saw another video of Sam trying to get on American Ninja Warrior but I believe his application denied.  The Detroit News has an article up today on what Sam has been up to.


He is currently training to make the Olympics Bobsled team.


“I'm really just focused on making (the Olympic team), just trying to fulfill a dream,” McGuffie said. “I never thought that I'd actually have an opportunity to be a part of it because I always thought I'd play football or do something like that.

 

“It's been a wild ride. So much has happened that I still can't believe it.”

 

Parkrecord.com
Sam and his bobsled partner Steven Holcomb

• Last night in NBA's Summer League, DJ Wilson had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists on 7-of-13 shooting against the Clippers.  He also made three 3 point shots.

Michigan Monday: Draft Dodgers

The NFL Draft came and went with only two Wolverines being selected and a number of other guys getting free agents contracts.  When the Draft started on Thursday night, I had really two goals for the former Wolverines:

1. Denard to get drafted on Friday and not by the Oakland Raiders:  That didn't happen and he had to wait until the 5th round to get selected by the Jaguars.   I think Jacksonville is a good fit for a number of reasons; they need a ton of offense, Denard gets to go back to Florida and he seems to play better in warmer environments.   The downside is that Denard might have played his worst game as a Wolverine in Jacksonville's home stadium or the home of the Gator Bowl.
2. Big Will gets drafted.   This happened and he is going to the Jets.  Not sure on the fit but we will see. 

The interesting thing for both Denard and Big Will is it seems neither will be playing the positions they thought they would be.  Denard was a QB in college but was in the draft as a WR.  Jacksonville tweeted they drafted Denard Robinson a running back.  The buzz from the media out of NY was the Jets drafted Big Will to be an offensive lineman.   Many colleges were recruiting Big Will as an offensive lineman when he was a senior in high school.


Here is a list of Wolverines and where they signed free agent contracts:

• Craig Roh - Carolina Panther
• Roy Roundtree - going home and playing for the Cincinnati Bengals
• Elliott Mealer - New Orleans Saints
• Jordan Kovacs- Miami Dolphins (I'm betting Stephen Ross watched a few Michigan games the last couple of years and made sure they signed Kovacs)
• Patrick Omameh- San Francisco 49ers
• Ricky Barnum- Washington Redskins
• Kenny Demens- Houston Texans
• Brandin Hawthorne- St. Louis Rams

How about the former Wolverines?

• Surprisingly Mike Cox got drafted in the second to last pick in the 7th round.   Talk about a turn around.  He goes from the bottom of the depth chart, to transferring, to NFL Draft pick.
• Darryl Stonum- Kansas City Chiefs
• Dann O'Neill- Houston Texans
• Update:  Sam McGuffie to the Raiders

Michigan Tuesday: Transfers - How Are They Doing?

I got the idea for this post when I thought about Mike Cox coming back to the Big House this weekend with UMass.   Mike was always considered a guy with a ton of talent but had a hard time grasping the offense.  So he will get his wish this weekend and get to play RB in the Big House.   I wish him all the luck this week and the rest of the season.

As the Wolverines have struggled at RB and WR the first few weeks and with Mike heading to the Big House this weekend, I thought I would check in on some past Wolverines playing for other schools.  

The YouTube Sensation, Sam McGuffie (Rice):  I don't follow Rice Football too closely but from his stats it seems Sam has become more of a WR then RB:  In 2010 he had 197 carries for 883 yards, in 2011 he had 38 carries for 158 yards and this year he has had 2 carries for 14 yards, 11 catches for 78 yards with 1 TD.   I didn't expect that type of production from the talented RB, I hope he is healthy. 


Darryl Stonum, WR (Baylor):  Could Michigan use this guy this year? DS has 2 catches for 41 yards and 1 TD so far this year for the Bears.   Baylor has only played 1 game so far this season.


Mike Cox, RB (UMASS):  20 attempts for 32 yards and no TD's.   Long run of 17 yards.

Je'Ron Stokes, WR (Bowling Green):  5 catches for 47 yards and 1 TD.  As an FYI, Chris Gallon is on Bowling Green and their #1 WR with 12 catches for 158 yards in 2 games. 

The Pitt Transfers:  DB Cullen Christian looks to be a starter with 2 tackles,  Ray Vinopal doesn't have any stats.   Another FYI, the former Michigan defensive coaches that brought them to Pitt are now with RR in Arizona. 


Vladimir Emilien, DB (Toledo):  No Stats available.

• The Rumor Mill is spinning that 2013 CB Gareon Conley is considering taking some visits.  If he does, he would not be considered a Michigan commitment. 

• Time to bring out Perry the ACL Elephant again for Purdue?  There are reports that QB Robert Marve has re-injured his ACL again.

• DE Beyer will also miss the UMass game with a knee injury.

• Treadwell didn't make it to Ann Arbor this weekend, he had to take the ACT.

• Michigan is a 46.5 favorite on Saturday.  State is favored by 5 points over ND.

Big Ten Preview Week 2

Week one was like Big Ten's version of the NFL's preseason.   I am still in favor of each Big Ten team playing a preseason game against a D1A or a team not on the schedule so they can work the bugs out and give some guys some game experience (for example freshman wouldn't lose thier redshirt if they played).  Charge everyone $5 to get in and enjoy the show.   It would be great for revenue and maybe the first game of the year wouldn't be so bad if the kids got a chance to play a preseason game. 

Now on to the show................

GAME OF THE WEEK

Alabama at Penn State:  This was a miss match last year and I still think it's pretty close to one.  Bama has some young QB's but they still have a very strong defense and running game (even with Dee Hart out with an ACL).  Bama is ranked #3 in the county and Penn State is ranked #23.  JoPa's team is better then they were last year but Bama's defense is just way too strong and will be the difference in the game.   Bama is favored by 10.  Sabin 24 Jopa 10

The Rest of the games...........

Florida Atlantic at MSU:  Sparty plays FAU at home even when they play them on the road (last years game was at Ford Field).   Sparty struggled in this game last year for some reason.  Vegas doesn't expect them to this year making them a 32 point favorite.  With MSU struggling with YSU last week, I would take the points and see what happens.  MSU 31 FAU 14

Toledo at Ohio State:  Bucky does a great job helping the Ohio economy by playing other MAC schools in the state.  It's just a way to give back instead of rigging raffles I guess.  This will be another bad game before OSU heads to Miami (no not Miami of Ohio but I see what you were thinking!) to play a real game.   If you watched the Akron game last week, just change the color of the jersey for the visitor and there you go.   Bucky is a 19 point favorite, which means Toledo can play a little bit.  OSU 28 Toledo 7

Iowa at Iowa State:  This is the annual game for that Corn Trophy that everyone hated.   So you got that going for you.  Iowa State is probably more concerned if they will be in Conference USA next year.   This is a road game for the Hawkeyes and this game is usually close even though ISU isn't that great most years.  Iowa is a 7 point favorite on the road.   Iowa 21 ISU 20

Oregon State at Wisconsin:  I have to give Wisky credit for scheduling a PAC 12 opponent on Saturday.  Most years this would be a really good game but OSU lost to a team that I didn't even know had a football team last week.  I always think a team is dangerous the week after an upset.  I would give OSU a better chance if Wisconsin had to travel across country, they don't and I don't think this one will be close.  Wisconsin is a 20.5 favorite.   Wisc 40 OSU 17

Fresno State at Nebraska:  Usually Fresno State has a pretty good team, I guess that is not the case this year as Nebraska is 28 point favorite.  I haven't seen either team this year but there is no way Fresno is going to be able to stop the running game of Taylor Martinez.  Neb 42 FSU 10

South Dakota State at Illinois:  I guess South Dakota was already booked for this Saturday.  This game is embarrassing to the Big Ten.  Are you kidding me?  Only one service has a line on this game and Zook is a 20.5 favorite.   Someone needs to give Zook the number to a few MAC schools.   Ill 45 SDS 3

Virgina at Indiana:  Neither team is very good but I have to credit IU for playing the ACC.  Back in the day this would be a good basketball match up but after IU lost to Ball State last weekend, I think the new coaches will install a countdown clock until Gunner Kiel is on campus.  Virgina is a 7 point favorite on the road.  IU 10 Virgina 7


Eastern Illinois at Northwestern:  The Wildcats had a nice win at BC last week without their starting QB.  I think Persa is still questionable and probably shouldn't play since Northwestern is a 30 point favorite and  Tony Romo isn't showing up for Eastern Illinois (he played there right?). NW 40 EIU 13

New Mexico State at Minnesota:  The Gophers played well at USC last week and almost left LA with an upset.  Jerry Kill is getting some good buzz as the Gophers look to be improved this year.    New Mexico has been a very bad program for the past few years.   Minn is favored by 20 points and it shouldn't be that close.  Minn 51 NMS 2

Purdue at Rice:  This game caught me off guard, I didn't expect that the Boilermakers were going on the road to play Sam McGuffie and Rice.   Sam only had one rush for 4 yards in the Texas game last week and is questionable this week with a leg injury.    Purdue struggled to beat Middle Tennessee State as they blocked a field goal to save the win.  This game has the smallest line of the week with Purdue favored by 1.   I think Rice at home will be tough to beat for Purdue.  I also expect that Texas might be 210 degrees.  Rice 24 Purdue 14

 
There are a lot of noon games this week, so pick the better match ups to watch.  I will pick the ND - Michigan game on Friday.

Michigan Thursday: Catching Up with 3 Michigan Transfers

Editors Note: Today is a little light on actual Michigan Football news.  (The basketball team plays Bowling Green tonight!) 

At 7:00 tonight this weeks Michigan's injury report will come out and expect to see Martin and Mouton probable and Taylor Lewan and Mike Shaw questionable.   Hopefully Fitz Toussaint didn't hurt himself in practice and can go if needed. 

With that said, here is a look at how a few Michigan transfers are doing at their new schools....

As a Michigan fan we can hardly believe why anyone would ever want to leave Ann Arbor and the most storied college football program ever.  Sadly, some guys just don't "buy in" or think they will get more playing time at another institution.  There are players every year that make the decision to leave but rarely do they become successful like Justin Fargas or Ryan Mallett.    We know Ryan is doing well Arkansas and Boren is starting for Ohio State, but let's catch up on guys not on SportsCenter too often:

photo by Michael DeMocker, The Times-Picayune

Sam McGuffie, RB Rice Owls:  Sam had the best game of his career two weeks ago against Tulsa.   Where he ran for 178 yards on 22 carries and scored a touchdown.   In 2010 he has had 149 attempts and 642 yards with 3 touchdowns.  He also has had 32 catches for 275 yards and 1 TD.  Sam seems to be getting better as the year goes on, but you can't say that for the Rice Owls who have only won 2 games this year.

Let's hope Sam hasn't received any concussion this year and still has a successful college career in front of him.


Steven Threet, QB Arizona State:  Trick or Threet would be a good slogan for the Sun Devils this year.   While leading the ASU offense, Steve is 207-333 with 2530 passing yards with 18 touchdowns.   The problem is, he has thrown 16 picks and been sacked 22 times.  After starting the year 2-0, ASU has gone 2-6 in their last 8 games and will have to beat UCLA and Arizona to get bowl eligible.  Steve is currently sharing first team reps with sophomore quarterback Brock Osweiler during the bye week.

Threet was also named to the PAC 10 All Academic team this week with a  3.82 grade-point average in general studies. 


Toney Clemons, WR Colorado:  Toney has had a nice season for the Buffalo's.  He has had 40 catches for 426 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He is the second leading receiver for Colorado who is just 4-6 on the year and with out a head coach that was just fired two weeks ago.    Clemons had a good game this past Saturday as he had four catches for 55 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown, as Colorado defeated Iowa State, 34-14.

Safety Vlad Emilien who recently transferred from Michigan will be joining Toney next year at Colorado as they enter PAC 12 country.

Big Ten Preview Week #3

The Big Ten had an up and down weekend in week 2.   Ohio State and Michigan had nice "national news" wins.  I was concerned about all the quality games at 3:30 last weekend and it turned out that only one was close (Michigan vs ND) and 7 Million viewers watched it.   The down part of the weekend was Minnesota's loss to FCS school South Dakota in Minneapolis. 

With Michigan now ranked in the top 25, the Big Ten has 5 teams in the polls with Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Penn State. 

Let's take a look at the weekend match ups.

Best Big Ten Match up:

Iowa at Arizona:  I did a previewed the Big Ten season on the Michigan Man podcast back in August and I picked Iowa to win the Big Ten Title this year.  Their only tough road game during the Big Ten schedule is a trip to the Big House or Denard's Den.  I did predict Iowa to have one non-conference loss and this is the game I picked.  Big Ten teams historically have not travelled well West anytime during the season.  Recent Michigan games in memory are losses to Washington, Oregon, and an Ohio State loss to USC.   This game is a late one which kick off at 10:00 EST time on Saturday night.    Vegas has this game pretty close with Iowa holding a 1.5 edge.  I think Iowa is the better team but I just don't trust the travel.  Arizona 21 Iowa 17

Arizona State at Wisconsin:  This game might be a close second for the best B10 match up.  This might be called the Steven Threet Bowl.  Steve hasn't beaten too many D1 schools as a QB at any of the 3 schools he has attended but Wisconsin happens to be one of them.  He lead a second half comeback in the Big House after being down 19-0 at half time during RR's first year in Ann Arbor.  Steve was terrible in Arizona State's Spring Game but has had a very nice first two games as the Sun Devils starter.  Wisconsin on the other hand has been under the radar in winning two games in un-spectacular fashion.   The Badgers are favored by two touchdowns which I think is a lot.   Wisky 28 ASU 21

Notre Dame at Michigan State:  You would think Brian Kelly had enough of his former home state last weekend when Denard Robinson ran all over the Golden Domers.  This week his team heads up to East Lansing to play a team ND has struggled against no matter where they play them.   Right now ND is 1-1 in the Big Ten and looking for a Rose Bowl birth (sorry I must have fast forwarded a couple of years).  Back to 2010:  Sparty has two wins against Western Michigan and Florida Atlantic both basically home games.   They host ND which gives them an edge but I don't think anyone was happy how Sparty played against FAU last weekend.   If Dayne Crist is healthy and the ND defense plays like they did last Saturday, I think ND wins this one.  Sparty is a 3.5 favorite.   ND 31 MSU 24

The rest of the games............ 

Ball State at Purdue:  The battle of Indiana.  Purdue lost their top WR last week for the year but they have enough to beat a Ball State team that was pretty good a couple of years ago.  Purdue is favored by 17.   Purdue 38 Ball State 10

Ohio at Ohio State:  The battle of Ohio.  Maybe not but after the Miami game, OSU deserved another MAC opponent.  Does OSU ever have to go on the road?  Pryor will have another big game.  The Vest better get a back up ready just in case TP goes down during the season.  OSU is favored by 30.5.   The Vest 42 Ohio 6

Northern Illinois at Illinois:  The battle of Illinois.  The Big Ten sure has done a wonderful job supporting the economy of Illinois this season.  I think every Illinois directional school has played a Big Ten team.  Zook got his first win of the season last weekend and should pick up #2 this weekend.  Zook and company are only favored by 7 so Vegas isn't sold yet.   Zook 24 NIU 13

Indiana at Western Kentucky:  A Tri-State Shoot Out.  IU took a bye in week 2 (seriously who takes a bye in week 2?).  Why is IU playing at Western Kentucky?  Lots of questions for Indiana only after one game.  I think they struggle on the road early but their offense over powers WKU.   Doesn't WKU have that big red mascot?  I like that guy.   IU is favored by 12.  IU 28 WKU 21

USC at Minnesota:  This is the lame duck coach bowl.  Ouch!  I'm guessing Lane might stay at USC for a few years but I'm guessing Pat Haden the new AD is not a fan.  USC has like 50 players under scholarship right now and Minnesota just came off a loss to South Dakota.  I don't have any confidence in Lane but I know his old man can coach.  This one might get ugly even though USC is playing with one bad behind their back.  USC is favored by 12.5.   I don't think this one will be that close.  USC 42  Minnesota 21

Northwestern at Rice:  Return of Sam McGuffie to Big Ten Bowl.  This is a tricky road game for Northwestern but I don't think Rice has that much of anything.  Even our boy Sam has struggled playing for the Owls this year.  Wildcats are favored by 6.5.  NW 24 Rice 14

Kent State at Penn State:  State vs State Rivalry?  I know I'm reaching.  Penn State had a cupcake for breakfast, a beat down for lunch, and another cupcake for dinner.   Bolden looks better when playing a MAC school vs the #1 team in the nation.  JoPa is favored by 3 touchdowns.   Makes sense: JoPa 21 Kent State 0


Week 3 Story Lines:  Will former Wolverines "haunt" their Big Ten opponents?  Will Tate Forcier play? Will Tim Brewster need a few brews after the game?  Will ND rebound against MSU (only Crist knows)?  Will that Red Guy play defense for WKU?  Will the Big Ten go 2-0 vs Arizona schools? 

I say if IU wins that game they should get to have the Red Guy as their mascot.  They can play every year for him.  It could be titled the Red Guy Return Rivalry. 

I will preview the Michigan vs Minuteman match up on Friday.

Michigan Tuesday: Dee Hart Update and Other News & Notes

Dee Hart Update: "I feel I can come in and play right now in that offense with Denard, then it will be 'pick your poison,’ ” Hart said. (Freep link).  Dee is planning an official visit to Auburn this weekend for the Clemson game and visit to Alabama for the Florida game in October.  Dee still contends that Michigan is his leader but those trips scare me a little bit.  Add this from Rivals:  "I watched it yesterday and all I know is Denard [Robinson] got off and ran that thing," Hart commented.

"A decision is coming pretty soon," Hart said. "I'm going next week to see Auburn-Clemson. Most likely that will be an official, but I don't know yet. I'll get out to Alabama probably for the Alabama-Florida game [Oct. 2]."  "I'd say Michigan is out front," Hart said.

• For the weird file:  Steven Threet gets to play Wisconsin again this weekend.  What's weird about it, is the last time Threet played Wisconsin he was playing for Michigan and upsetting the ranked Badgers at Michigan Stadium.  Some of you still might remember that 10 minute run Steven had down the sideline to help win the game that day.  This weekend Threet will quarterback the Arizona State Sun Devils in Madison on Saturday.  Ironically, Wisconsin is highly ranked again coming in at #12.  Steve threw for 392 yards against Northern Arizona last Saturday.  This will be the Sun Devils first real test of the year.

• An update on Sam McGuffie:  I wish him well but he seems to be struggling again this year at running back for Rice.  In two games he has 28 attempts for 65 yards which is a 2.32 average per rush.  He does have a catch for a touchdown and has caught 5 passes for 84 yards.

• For those that think Saturday is going to be a cake walk, think again:  UMass is ranked #16 in the FCS Poll.  "We're excited to go out there and represent UMass,'' Minutemen coach Kevin Morris said. "We're facing a storied program, and we know that, but we're going out there to win. We're putting everything on the table, like we always do.''

• Light Up the Big House! The regents will vote on Thursday to add permanent lights to Michigan Stadium.  The cost will be $1.8M and the athletic department will cover the cost for the project.  Michigan will host ND next year for the first night game at the Big House and there will be a hockey game in the Big House this winter.

• With the recent attrition, Michigan can sign up to 20 players right now for the 2011 class.  This might add a spot for another RB (other then Dee Hart of course) and maybe another WR.

• Michigan recruit Kris Frost will make an official visit to North Carolina this weekend.  He is still planning a Michigan official for the Michigan State game.

• Anthony Lalota did not make the trip to ND this past weekend.  Another sign he wasn't putting in the work during practice to get playing time.  It seems the offense line might be a better fit for this young man.

• Denard's historic run went for 87 yards against ND.  Michigan lost Ron Kramer on Saturday who wore #87.  I'm just saying!  (HT: Mgoblog)

Michigan Tuesday: Updates on Former Wolverines

Sometimes you might be sitting in the Big House and think to yourself, "Whatever happen to the small RB from Texas?  What was his name? McDuffie or something?".  Actually it's Sam McGuffie at he is now at Rice.   So this year, I will track some former Wolverines or former recruits we thought were going to be Wolverines at their new school to see how they are doing.  Sure these guys are no longer "Michigan Men" but many of us still hope they succeed in college, football, and life. 

Steven Threet, Starter QB Arizona State:  Had a good first game at his third school.  Was 14-21 for 239 yards in the air, with 2 touchdowns and 1 pick.

Russel Sheppard, LSU:  Russell was the #1 dual threat QB in the country in the 2009 and was interested in the Wolverines before he quickly committed to LSU early in his recruitment.  Sheppard is now at WR for LSU and had 2 catches for 12 yards.  He also had 5 rushes for 68 yards.

Sam McGuffie, RB Rice:  Sam and his teammates got to open at Texas and Sam had 14 carries for 47 yards.   He had 1 catch for 7 yards.

Kevin Newsome, QB Penn State:  Kevin was once a verbal commitment to Michigan and then changed his mind.  Kevin is a sophomore QB and lost his job to Michigan true freshman QB Robert Bolden.  Kevin did play in Penn State's blow out win and had 3 rushes for 21 yards and one touchdown.

Shavodrick Beaver, QB Tulsa:  Same situation as Kevin above.  DNP in Tulsa's lost to East Carolina on Sunday.

Ryan Mallett, QB Arkansas:  A serious Hesiman candidate this year.  Threw for 301 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 44-3 win over Tennessee Tech. 


Something to ponder:  If Michigan has Newsome and Beaver on it's roster right now, they don't have Forcier and Robinson.

Concussions are No Longer Footballs Dirty Little Secret

If you follow this blog regularly, you know that I'm very serious about concussions in football.  My interest in this topic goes back to players like Troy Aikman and even the former Michigan running back Sam McGuffie.  Then last season, my nephew got one playing high school football.   This is not only becoming a serious issue in football it's now personal for me. 

The recognition behind concussions has come a long way.  A few years ago the NFL didn't even acknowledge the short or long term effects of concussions, we all remember players getting one on Sunday and being right back playing the next week.    Or having your "bell rung" and being told by a coach to get back in there!

Now the NFL under Roger Goodell is starting to take concussions head on (sorry that is a bad pun).  The NFL will not start providing posters in each NFL locker rooms talking about the serious nature of concussions.  This from the NYT:  The National Football League is producing a poster that bluntly alerts its players to the long-term effects of concussions, using words like “depression” and “early onset of dementia” that those close to the issue described as both staggering and overdue.


The poster, soon to be hung in locker rooms leaguewide, becomes by far the N.F.L.’s most definitive statement on the cognitive risks of football, which it had discredited for most of the past several years as academic studies and reports of deceased players’ brain damage mounted.

“That poster is shocking,” said Domonique Foxworth, a cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens. “It gives people facts before they take risks. But it’s not exactly a new revelation.”
 
 
 

 
I applaud The NFL taking a pro-active stance against the serious nature of concussions and the potential long term effects.  But the job isn't done, what current research is starting to show is that the number of collisions players have on a daily basis (in practice and during games) could have the same long term negative effects.    The most recent example of that is the late Cincinnati Bengals WR Chris Henry who was found to be suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which is an early onset of dementia or also know as "punch drunk syndrome" which is found in many boxers.  Chris was never diagnosed or missed any games due to a concussion.  So Chris situation could mean two things: 1) Chris did have a number of concussions and was never properly diagnosed  or 2) the regular hits he took in high school, college and in the NFL caused him to have CTE.  
 
In my opinion, #2 above is the biggest risk to the NFL.   If you tell parents that if your child continues playing football could have the brain of 90 year old when he is 40, how many kids do you think will be playing youth football?  Not many. 
 
Scary isn't it? 

 
What are some of the solutions?  Folks talk about safer helmets, which could work but could also have a negative effect.  If players believe their helmets are safer they might continue tackling by leading with their helmets.  I think the best way to reduce concussions is go back to the fundamentals of tackling and not leading with your helmet.  I realize we live in Sports Center world and highlights are what players are after but if this trend continues it might seriously effect the game or more importantly a players long term health.  Throwing a player out for leading with the helmet and even a suspension might help reduce this form of tackling. 
 
Either way, recognition is the first step and I see the NFL doing that.  So today is a positive step in the right direction. NYT:  Chris Nowinski, (who you might remember from the WWF & his college career at Harvard) a co-director of the Sports Legacy Institute and an advocate for youth concussion awareness, said he was relieved to learn about the new language. “The old pamphlet that said ‘no evidence of any long-term effects,’ it slowed down progress — it helped create a latency environment when the evidence showed great urgency for change,” he said. “There’s a greater need for culture change on the lower levels. When coaches and people around the games don’t have all the information, simple documents and simple messages are the most important.”

Michigan Friday: Wolverines Tough Non-Conference Schedule

The Sporting News ranked Michigan's 2011 non-conference schedule the hardest in the Big Ten.  The reason?  They play two BCS Schools UConn and Notre Dame.  Sure there is a sighting of USC, Alabama, Miami, and the Arizona schools, but there are also Austin Peay, Towson, Arkansas State, South Dakota, every directional school in Illinois, and Northern Colorado.  I know Michigan has had it's share of mail in games, but this is somewhat embarrassing for the Big Ten in my opinion.  I didn't even know some of these schools played football. 

On a side note, I wasn't aware that Sam McGuffie was going to play against Big Ten school this year.  Northwestern plays at Rice.

1. Michigan: Connecticut, at Notre Dame, Massachusetts, Bowling Green

2. Iowa: Eastern Illinois, Iowa State, at Arizona, Ball State

3. Ohio State: Marshall, Miami (Fla.), Ohio, Eastern Michigan

4. Wisconsin: at UNLV, San Jose State, Arizona State, Austin Peay

5. Minnesota: at Middle Tennessee, South Dakota, USC, Northern Illinois

6. Penn State: Youngstown State, at Alabama, Kent State, Temple

7. Purdue: at Notre Dame, Western Illinois, Ball State, Toledo

8. Michigan State: Western Michigan, vs. Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame, Northern Colorado

9. Illinois: vs. Missouri, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois, at Fresno State

10. Northwestern: at Vanderbilt, Illinois State, at Rice, Central Michigan

11. Indiana: Towson, at Western Kentucky, Akron, Arkansas State

• Lambeau Field says don't forget about us for the Big Ten championship game.  I'm guessing fans paying high dollar for thier tickets aren't going to want to sit outside in early December. 

• The Michigan Daily previews the 2011 Michigan Linebackers.  IMO, this unit has the biggest upside on defensive and really needs to step up if Michigan is going to win some ball games.  The DB's and defensive line are going to be young and going to make mistakes.   The linebackers core needs to play like seniors.  If Jonas Mouton and Obi Ezeh don't make 1st or 2nd team All Big Ten then I think they have had a poor year and Michigan has given up a ton of points.

• As we know, one of Michigan's top prospects for the 2011 class is currently on campus: Dee Hart.  I consider Dee, Kris Frost and Anthony Zettel, the top 3 prospects on Michigan's board for 2011.

Another Example of Brain Damage in Football

As you know if your a regular follower of this blog that I am very interested in the study and prevention of concussions in football.   No matter what level of football you have played, I am sure there was a time when your coach said; "you got your bell rung" or you felt a little foggy.   It used to be a sign of how tough you were to be able to continue playing.  I remember Troy Aikman saying he doesn't remember throwing a touchdown pass in the NFC Championship game after suffering a concussion on the play before. 

Concussions in football have been the sports "dirty little secret" for many years.  The NFL for years completely ignored the importance of concussions or brain damage.  That time is over and now we are learning more everyday on what a life of football can do to your brain.

The latest example comes from the late Chris Henry (former RR player at West Virgina) who died last year trying to jump in the back of pick up truck driven by his finance.   He feel to the ground as the truck was moving and died from multiple head injuries.  During a recent a autopsy, Chris was found to be suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) -- a form of degenerative brain damage caused by multiple hits to the head.  CTE is also know as "punch drunk syndrome" and is found in many boxers.  Basically the disease is an early onset of dementia.  The best way to describe CTE is a 40-50 year old man suffering from CTE will have the brain of an 80-90 year old man. 

CTE can be pinpointed only by autopsy, and even under regular post-mortem analysis, its effects are invisible. But using cell-staining techniques discovered and developed by Bennet Omalu, a neuropathologist who is co-director of BIRI, scientists can see the dangerous tau proteins and telltale tangles that characterize CTE. After staining, normal brain cells are blue and uncluttered under a microscope, while Henry's brain cells were discolored, clumpy and filled with threads, according to the researchers.


You know have to wonder, if some of Chris's unique behavior as an NFL player was caused by this brain damage?  Over 50 NFL players have been found to had this type of brain damage.   There are many studies going on currently on the effects of concussions.   One study currently at North Carolina is studying the effects of regular hits (non concussions) on the brain.  Some researches believe it's not just the concussions that are causing damage but the regular impact taken in practice and during games. 

I have voiced my concern here a number of times for former Michigan running back Sam McGuffie who suffered 3 concussions during his first year of college football.  After taking a year off, Sam resumes his college football career at Rice in the fall.   As one of Rice's most talented players, I expect Sam to get a lot of carries and I hope not a 4th concussion.   I think players like Sam who have had a number of concussions are at greater risk to receive more. 

As you know, I love football.  I think college football is one of the greatest games on earth.  I'm just not sure I want my son playing it.

Michigan Friday: Drawing Comparisons between Randy Shannon and Rich Rodriguez in their first 3 years

Your first reaction might be how can you compare the two?  Randy was the DC at Miami and a first time head coach.  Rich was an accomplished head coach at West Virgina before coming to Michigan.  

Your right on both facts.  But I think there are some similarities here and not because both schools are abbreviated U of M.

Let's look at Randy's record first three years as head coach of Miami:

Year 1: 5-7
Year 2: 7-6
Year 3: 9-4

RR's first two;

Year 1: 3-9
Year 2: 5-7
Year 3: ?

Now let's start drawing some other comparisons between Randy and Rich at Miami and Michigan.

First year 1 Big Win:  Miami beats #20 Texas AM in the third game of the year.  Michigan beats a top 10 Wisconsin team at home in September.  Both teams went on to losing records.

Transfers:  We all know Michigan's long list of transfers: Mallett, Threet, McGuffie to name a few.  Miami had it's own transfer party:  Robert Marve, Jermaine McKenzie, Shawnbrey McNeal, Cannon Smith and Taylor Cook.

Coaching Turnover:  Rich Rod's biggest hiring mistake was defensive coordinator Scott Shafer who was fired after 1 year on RR's staff at Michigan.  He was the former DC at Western Michigan and Stanford and now is the DC at Syracuse.  Miami:  Shannon fired both Patrick Nix his OC (who wanted to run the spread, ironically) and his DC Tim Walton.  As you know, Michigan hired former Syracuse headman and former NFL DC Greg Robinson to run the defense.  Miami hired Mark Whipple as OC from the NFL (asst. with the Eagles and Steelers).  Miami lost it's DC again when Bill Young went to Oklahoma State and replaced him with John Lovett.


Conclusion:  Randy showed big improvement in year 3 of his tenure at Miami.  Both teams had losing records in year 1.  In Year 2, both hovered around .500.   In Year 3, Miami goes 9-4 with a loss to Wisconsin in the Champs Bowl.   What will year 3 bring to RR and Michigan? 

Transfers and Coaching Changes happen a lot under a new head coach.  It's clearly a work in progress for the first 2-3 years.  Both coaches also went to guys with deep NFL experience when they fired key coordinators on their staff.

Randy Shannon was rated as the worst BCS coach by the Sporting News in 2008.  In 2009, Rich Rodriguez was ranked the second best coach in the Big Ten only behind Iowa's Kirk Ferentz. (ahead of JoPa and The Sweater Vest).

Both men have also shown to be top notch recruiters, mostly in the State of Florida. 

I know Michigan isn't used to losing but when you make a massive change like they did, it takes time to work things out.  Miami is a good example.  Randy was just awarded a new contract extension.   Year 3 was a make or break year for him.  He finished 9-4 and got extended. 

Year 3 is the same for RR and staff.  It will be exciting to see what happens. 

I am all in for a Champs Bowl game against Miami.  Can we schedule it now?

Wolverine Wednesday: Players Transfer From Other Programs?

When Rich Rodriguez took over the Michigan program a number of media outlets went crazy when players started transferring to different programs. This must directly relate to Coach Rod and staff and their lack of family values, right? If you remember that was Justin Boren's famous line when he headed out the door to "pay his own way" at Ohio State. Other big names that left the program include Ryan Mallett, Sam McGuffie and back up QB Stephen Threet.

How could this happen at Michigan? Is what the media continued to voice. A player would leave and it would be one of the lead stories on ESPN's College Football Live. Well, folks it happens everywhere and mostly when a new coaching staff comes in. The latest example is Syracuse were this newspaper estimates that 28 kids have left the program. That's right 28 kids! Now that's some serious depth issues! So the point is, when a new coaching staff comes in: losing kids is not alarming, it's the norm.

• TomVH from Mgoblog has an excellent write up on the Offensive Line prospects in the 2011 class. I would say Michigan stands in the best position for Andre Yruretagoyena who is a former teammate of Taylor Lewan and State of Michigan prospect (West Branch) Anthony Zettel.

• Jamie Morris has left his role in the Michigan Athletic Department.

• There has been some recent talk from AD David Brandon about replacing the scoreboards at Michigan Stadium which might add a few seats.

• UMGoBlog runs down the list of 2011 Michigan prospects in the State of Florida.

Minute Rice - McGuffie Excels During Spring Game

We all know the story about Sam McGuffie right? No? Well, I will give you a quick refresher course..........

• YouTube star in high school for his athletic (jumping) running ability.
• Ranked as one of the top athletes in the 2008 class
• Committed to Michigan and Lloyd Carr
• Keeps his commitment to Michigan after RR was hired
• Visits CAL the last weekend before signing day
• On signing day, doesn't go to school, locks himself in his house, turns off his phone and doesn't send in his LOI to Michigan until late afternoon. Causing a huge Internet storm.
• Starts for Michigan in his first game
• Has his best game of the year against Notre Dame
• Doesn't break too many tackles during the Big Ten Season
• Suffers 2-3 concussions in the last handful of games
• Transfers to Rice due to family reasons
• Sits out 2009

That pretty much covers the backgrounder, now Sam is eligible to play for Rice and just tore up the Rice Spring Game. Here is a good article on Sam from Andy Staples at SI.com.

What Andy fails to mention in this article is, should Sam be playing football at all? Getting 3 concussions in one year is very serious. Sitting out a year I'm sure helps but what happens if he gets one or two concussions next year? His close family that Andy talks about it article should step in and ask him to turn in his football helmet for good. Don't get me wrong, I hope nothing but success for Sam but if he was my son, I would be very worried about his next hit. Very worried.

Wolverine Wednesday: Takes on Concussions

If you follow this blog, you know I have a "thing" for concussions. I believe that football teams don't take concussions seriously and put kids back in the game way too fast. It can happen at any level of football, High School, College and of course in the NFL. If you remember when Sam McGuffie was a Wolverine, I was of the opinion he should probably quit football altogether (he actually transferred from Michigan to Rice). Having 3 concussions in one year is very serious.

If you follow HBO's "Real Sports" program, they have done a number of reports on concussions and have studied the brains of NFL players that have died in their 50's. What they have found is that NFL players that have had a number of concussions have had an onset of early dementia or another way to say it is, their brains were equivalent to an 80-90 year old when they were only in their 50's. The show also talked about that it may not just be concussions that have an effect on the brain, the number of "regular" hits in practice and games can also cause serious damage. With that said, the University of Michigan believes they have developed a test where football players can take right on the sideline to see if they have a concussion or not: Using a long stick weighted with a hockey puck, the person administering the test must drop the device while the athlete tries to catch it as quickly as possible. Marks on the stick measure how quickly the athlete was able to react. The researchers gave the test to more than 200 uninjured athletes in Division 1 football, wrestling and women's soccer to test their reaction times. During the sports season, eight of those athletes suffered a concussion and took the test again. For seven of those athletes, it took 15 percent longer to catch the cylinder. The researchers say further clinical trials are needed, and the test wouldn't replace computerized diagnosis, but could be a more practical way to evaluate athletes soon after an injury.

This test is a inexpensive way for all football teams no matter what level to have on the sideline to test for concussions. As you might imagine, going back into a football game after getting a concussion can cause serious damage or even death.

• Safety Redshirt Freshman Isaiah Bell has put on some weight and now is a linebacker. "Redshirting was good for Isaiah in many ways," Liberty High School coach Jeff Whittaker said. "He needed some time to make the transition from high school to college football and just from high school to college. But he's excited about the opportunity to compete for playing time now and I think a year off has provided him extra incentive to get back on the field, doing what he loves."

• Michigan beat Iowa at Iowa last night in OT. DeShawn Sims hit a 3 to tie the game in regulation.

• 2011 Lansing Sexton running back Onaje Miller has a Michigan offer. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder ran 216 times for 1,758 yards (8.1 yards per carry) and 26 touchdowns last fall, and also had seven more TDs as a kickoff/punt returner for a Sexton single-season record total of 33 scores. He also played safety.
  


• Tom Brady and Brandon Graham? It could happen. This article says The Patriots might draft BG!

• Marquise Williams a 2011 quarterback from North Carolina, is considering a visit up to Ann Arbor. Marquis is 6-4 and 220-pounds.

Signing Day Line Up at BHB

We are going to start early here tomorrow and the fun should last until late afternoon. Here is the schedule:

• We will kick it off at 7:00 AM to start tracking the letters being faxed to Michigan. I will be updating the list of players that have become Wolverines as soon as they come in.
  


• During the day, I will also be tracking where other big name players are going.
  


• 10:00 EST is when ESPNU kicks off coverage and Sean Parker is due to announce.



• 1:00 EST Demar Dorsey has a press conference scheduled
  


• 3:00 EST Rich Rodriguez will have his regular signing day press conference

Tomorrow hopefully is a fun and fruitful ride for the Wolverines. Their final 2 prospects are due to announce and will there be any Roy Roundtree surprises? Will anyone get cold feet like Sam McGuffie did? Who might send their letter into another school?

No need to listen to the radio, watch ESPN, and follow the recruiting sites. I will have all the important information here for you all day long.

Michigan Football: New Faces New Places

More is starting to leak out about last Saturday's full scrimmage. Including a couple of good throws by Tate Forcier: Forcier had a pass over the middle to tailback Brandon Minor, a throw on the run to Martavious Odoms and a completed hitch to Odom from the outside. But the defining play was a rollout bomb for a touchdown to Greg Mathews. It was the type of throw Forcier made throughout high school, getting out of the pocket and still showing his trademark accuracy downfield. Vincent Smith #2 also had an impressive run from scrimmage. I also saw a couple of good throws by David Cone. Yes, David Cone. (and no, the David Cone comment was not an April Fools day joke)

Check the video out here on Mgoblue.com. It's under football spring practice 3-28.

• Seems the "crimedog" is impressing folks at Rice: Even though Sam can’t put on a game jersey until 2010, Coach Bailiff said he wanted to be sure McGuffie felt he was part of the mix, serving him up four carries for 40 yards, including a 30-yard cutback that had fans in the stands oohing and ahhing. BHB Perspective: I can't believe the Rice medical staff is letting Sam take "live" hits after the 3+ concussions he suffered last Fall. I'm not sure Sam McGuffie should be playing football at all. I hope they have run the proper tests on him.

• 2010 DE Dominique Easley got a Michigan offer on Tuesday. Dominique is from New York and is rated 4 stars by Rivals. Dominique has a nice early offer sheet which includes: BC, Rutgers, Oregon, Penn State, Syracuse, and UConn. DE at DE is 6"3 258 pounds.
  
  


• Remember when I wrote about the Forciers having 3 sons playing QB for major colleges this upcoming Fall? It would be tough to decide which team to visit each weekend, they would have to choose between Stanford, UCLA, and Michigan. Well, that problem is solved. Jason Forcier left Stanford this Winter and now Chris Forcier is transferring from UCLA. Maybe they all can come to Ann Arbor and we could have Forciers in 1,2,3 QB spots?

Quick Fire Friday

• Rumors are that Scot Loeffler might leave the Detroit Lions to join Steve Sarkisian at Washington. Scot was the QB coach at Michigan from 2002-2007. Leaving the Detroit Lions is always a good thing!


• McGuffie will decide between Rice, Houston and Texas A&M in the next couple of days.


• Looks like 7"0 Freshman Ben Cronin will redshirt this year. Ben has been dealing with some health issues and has only seen limited action this year.


• As predicted former Michigan Assistant Stan Parrish was named head coach at Ball State. Stan has also been a head coach at Wabash, Marshall and Kansas State with an overall record of 57-41-3 as a head coach. His first game as head man at Ball State will be against the bowl game on 1/6 against Tulsa.


• JUCO prospect Pernell McPhee was supposed to sign his commitment letter this week, but has decided to keep his recruitment open for a few more days. This doesn't look good for a Michigan commit and the word on the street is that Florida is doing a full court press for Pernell.


• For those that got the new SI this week, Yes that is former Wolverine Lamarr Woodley on the cover. Nice job Wood!

Random Thoughts: Monday Edition

• Does anyone want to be Jay Jacobs, Auburn's Athletic Director today? He fired a very successful head coach in Tommy Tubberville and replaced him with a guy that has been a head coach for two years at Iowa State that went 5-19. Gene Chizik was a very respected defensive coordinator for Auburn and Texas but you can't say he was ever a "respected" head coach and wasn't on anybodies short list. Just so I understand this, Jay picked Gene over Turner Gill, Brady Hoke, and Tulsa's Todd Graham? Not a very good move Jay and good luck with that decision. I can't wait to hear what Charles Barkley has to say about this one!
• Did anyone else think Ed Werder would be the fall guy in all the Cowboys "drama" that went down last week? I'm sorry but it looks like Ed got set up. I know the Cowboy's are "America's Team" but running that silliness as the lead story is ridiculous.
• Speaking of ESPN: Is it me or should be the colors on the ESPN ticker be reversed? When I'm checking for a score I aways think the team in white was the winner, but actually it's the tan color that won.
• Does anyone know where I can sell my un-wanted gold jewelry?
• Why do some guys wear their blue tooth headsets all day? I'm sure they are very busy and have important jobs, but wearing those headsets all day makes them look like a dork. Maybe they all have a CIA complex or something?
• Why do people go to malls or shopping centers, when you can order online from home get free shipping and not pay any tax?
• Great hire by San Diego State: Brady Hoke is a great choice for SDS and will likely triple his $240,000 salary by taking the job. Not to mention, maybe the nicest place to live in the entire country. Brady should have gotten the Syracuse or Auburn jobs but their loss is SDS gain. Brady was a former Michigan assistant coach and his brother was also an assistant for SDS from 87-88. Good luck Brady, Michigan has an open date on 10/17!
• Look for Stan Parrish another former Wolverine assistant be the leading candidate to replace Brady as Ball State's head coach.
• How drunk was Billy Simms at the Heisman presentation? Usually Mike Rozier is the person that does something "unique" during the presentation.
• The "rumor" on the street is that Michigan's Scott Shafer maybe out as Michigan's defensive coordinator after one year. Shafer's defense under achieved this past year and was thought to be Michigan's strength. Shafer has not been at the last two Michigan basketball games, both were big recruiting weekends for the Michigan football program.
• More info on McGuffie has come out. It seems the young man was having some very serious family problems back home in Texas. His position coach Fred Jackson said this on Saturday: “There was too much stuff there – he had to go home. There was a lot of issues as far as his sister and brother.” “The kid wanted to be here,” Jackson said. “It’s just that things happened with his family that weighed heavy he couldn’t concentrate.”

Crime Dog to Patrol Another City: Sam McGuffie Transfers from Michigan

Now what are you going to do with those #2 jerseys you bought for Christmas?

What has been rumored for weeks became official today as Sam McGuffie has gotten his release from the Michigan Football program.

"I just got out of the compliance office and picked up my release," said McGuffie. "They gave me a full release – no restrictions. I will be somewhere else in January."

"It's just been weighing on me for a while," he said. "There are a number of factors that went into [the decision]. It's nothing against the Michigan football team or the university. I felt that I had to what is best for myself and my family."

Sam doesn't have a final destination but he does have some thoughts on where in Texas he would like to play. "There are a couple of schools that I'm interested in such as Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU, Oklahoma State and a couple of others." It seems A&M would might be the best fit. "They were one of my top teams last year," McGuffie said of the Aggies. "I have a former teammate, Chris Lathrop, that signed with them last year and he loves it. I've talked to him a bunch about it. I know a lot of guys on the team there and I have a bunch of friends from home that go there, too."

BHB Opinion: I have always been a big fan of Sam's and wish him nothing but the best . The one thing I think he needs to take very seriously and so does any other program thinking about signing him, is his tendency to get concussions. Having 3 concussions in the last 5 games is a very serious matter and I hope he is getting good advice from his family and the proper medical staff. Sam is a special talent but his size wasn't a good fit for a 25 carry a game Big 10 tailback.

Does the loss of McGuffie cause Michigan any problems for 2009 and beyond? Not at all. With his concussions problems, even if he stayed he most likely would have moved to Slot WR. Michigan continues to be loaded at running back and also has an impressive list of running back recruits for the 2009 class.

Good Luck Sam!