Denard article. Genuinely sarcastic.
Oh man not again...
That was a good article. Long...but good.
I'm going to be perfectly honest here, and this is coming from someone who idolized Denard for a solid 4 years, whose only jersey is a #16, and who ate up everything Denard related for the past 5 or so years... I'm just not that interested in a piece like this right now. There was just so much content during his time here and immediately afterward, from articles projecting his career to articles celebrating his time in uniform to articles looking back at a career well spent at Michigan, and I loved all of it, but for now I've moved on. There will be a time where reading these articles will stop being about raving over how great Denard is, and will transition to being nostalgic about one of the historically greatest wolverines to ever play for Michigan, but it's just not that time yet. It will come, but for now I've moved out of the idolizing phase and have yet to move into the true historical appreciation phase.
This is nothing against the other Brian or his blog (or even this piece), just something that was on my mind.
Well I wrote all of that to hopefully start a bit of a discussion on what people think of the issue of how athletes are remembered... but sarcastic responses that add nothing are cool too.
Hey what are you doing here ? You're supposed to be dead!
Well-played, go16blue.
One of the historically greatest Wolverines to ever play for Michigan? I don't know about that. I loved Denard for his personality, the way he helped Michigan transition into a new era, and for his loyalty in sticking with the program when he could have easily gone somehwere else, but let's be honest, he was not a great quarterback. Our ceiling was always very limited by his inability to be an accurate downfield passing threat.
Blasphemy.
But accurate.
In your opinion.
And in the opinion of anyone who watched him compete against decent opponents.
Against MSU, he was 14/29 for 163 yards with 0 tds and 1 int, and against Va Tech, he went 9/21 for 117 yards, 2 tds, and 1 Int.
Here are his stats against ranked opponents for his career:
Passing: 116/219 (53%) for 1428 yards
149 rushes for 599 (4.02 ypc)
12 tds, 13 ints
Sure, you can point to last-minute victories against 6-6 or 8-5 teams, but those numbers are pretty bad.
but denard was a multi-dimensional QB and youre completely ignoring his best dimension. best rushing QB in NCAA history
How am I ignoring that dimension? I put the stats right there.
He absolutely mattered greatly to the program. I'm just saying he was not a great quarterback, as the facts clearly indicate.
I'm not sure you're understanding me. Throughout this conversation, I have been talking about Denard specifically as a player. I've already stated that I love Denard for many other reasons, but as a player, he is not a Michigan great. Perhaps I was not clear. He is certainly a great Wolverine in terms of his contribution to the university. He is not a great Wolverine in terms of his football skill.
So let's get this straight, you didn't get all weird talking about your raging boner when he committed then? You've regressed a bit then...
When Denard comitted?
The facts clearly indicate that he was not a great drop-back quarterback, but he was never meant to be a drop-back quarterback. Comparing Denard's numbers against Henne's or Brady's and saying he doesn't measure up is disingenuous. Denard is arguably one of the greatest dual threat quartebacks in college football history, but he doesn't get that kind of credit because he played on some of the least talented Michigan squads of the past 40 years.
I can't think of another Michigan player that was relied on so heavily to carry his team than Denard had to the past three seasons. If you were playing Michigan and good enough to stop Denard chances are you won. That isn't something that can be said for many other Michigan offenses. The fact that Denard lead Michigan to winning seasons in each of the years he was a starter is a testament to his ability. Had DRob played on a team that wasn't so fundamentally flawed at so many positions, who knows what we'd be saying about him now that he's gone, but I think the overall opinion would be much more positive.
But I recognize that there still exists the faction out there in the fanbase that reviles Rich Rodriguez, thinks the spread is communist football, and look at Denard's inability to stand tall in a pocket and launch a 60 yard TD strike as evidence that he ultimately was a failure as a quarterback at Michigan. That's an opinion and you're entitled to it. But I think you're dead wrong
Im gonna be honest, I completely missed that. My bad.
So, "ghost of," are you saying that nobody here on mgoblog watched Denard play against "decent opponents?"
Do you actually think Denard will go down in Michigan Football history as some type of "larger than life" character, without ever winning anything?
Let's be honest here. I enjoyed watching Denard in many instances, but he will be a complete afterthought in about 12 months.
There really is too much delusion on this board. It would be wise and healthy for many posters to come back to reality.
I absolutely adore Denard, but yes, in the grand scheme of things, I feel like he will (unfortunately) be remembered in a similar vein as a standout player on one of Bump Elliott's teams.
I disagree. But, I do think it's a much different thing to remember a player 10-20 years after playing than 40-50 years or more later.
But except for a handful of players, almost nobody remembers players from over 50 years ago. That is changing, though, because a lot more people actually see the games now than 50 years ago. Back then, you might be lucky to see 1 or 2 games televised per year, and attendance also lagged for many years, so maybe 75,000 people, at best, if it's a home game saw the game, with no replay of any kind for great plays. I could go on, but suffice it to say, there is a much better chance players of today will be remembered and acknowledged than those of 50 years ago. And for the reasons saveferris points out, Denard will be remembered and honored as one of Michigan's greats.
Eh, he's an all-timer in terms of stats though isn't he? Plus the sugar bowl win was pretty nice. Henne never beat Ohio State or won a BCS game. To say Denard will be an afterthought is probably a bit much, though I agree he probably won't be remembered in the same vein as Harmon/Woodson/Griese/Hart/Long/etc.
Jake Long? Strange name to throw into that group
and I dont see why he will be remember as a lesser player than Mike Hart
Jake Long was the 1st overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft, and is widely regarded as one the best, if not the absolute best, linemen to ever come through Michigan. Staying for his senior year helps too. I would argue that he most certainly belongs in that group.
Has anyone ever done a comparison of Denard and other Michigan quarterbacks? It would be pretty cool to see where he ranks in things like BCS/Rose Bowl wins, rivalry wins, stats in big games, game winning drives, and some of the other more common QB stats. It seems like I've seen something similar before but can't find it.
I caught a few minutes of the win vs. OSU on BTN replay a couple days ago and at one point Denard was something like 13 of 16. I feel like I've heard so often that Denard was such a terrible quarterback that I forgot that he had some really good/respectable games.
He wouldnt rank very well. 2-6 against MSU/OSU, no rose bowls, one BCS win, and very poor states against ranked opponents.
we get an IP block on this guy already?
Am I doing something that offends you? I answered his question honestly and with facts.
I have a feeling that the problem, "ghostofFerbert," is that it appears as though you are trying to present your opinion as "fact," while everyone else's is an "opinion." I'm sure you didn't mean to say that everyone else here just has opinions, while you have facts, right?
He disagrees with you. There's nothing horrible about what he's doing.
I think you missed the context of that comment...
I didn't list the others because it should be obvious from just the posting of Denard's accomplishments that he doesn't stack up well. I have listed nothing but numbers and facts. It's not a poorly-wrought attack. You just don't like it.
http://gutsnglue.tripod.com/greatestmichiganqb.html
Unfortunately, the owner hasn't updated it in about 10 years.
But isn't this the point of the OP article?
There is no way of knowing what the first two years of the Hoke regime would have been with Gardner as the QB, or any alternative universe. I'm glad that it was Denard's world for those two years, though. He stayed when he didn't have to, and he left as a figure to be aspired to.
I can't make you appreciate Denard Robinson, and maybe in twelve months he will be an afterthought. Maybe I'm romanticizing his football career at Michigan because I witnessed it as a student. Still, I cannot see how acknoweledging what #16's achievements were and how the affected the Michigan football program is a sign of "delusion."
I think that Denard will be remembered for many years.
He's not going to be an all-time legend, like Woodson or Desmond. But I've watched every Michigan game since the 1990 season, and I think Denard is the most consistently exciting player I've seen in the uniform since pre-shoulder-injury Wheatley. We've had plenty of stars, but Denard is the most electric and fun player we've had in a long time.
I go back further, to the early 70s, and the only player I remember as consistently electrifying as Denard was Anthony Carter. The wow factor goes a long way in terms of legacy.
I also can't remember this kind of mutual love affair between a player and the Michigan community. Denard was about more than football, as the OP points out. The other day I watched a replay of the hoops win over OSU at Crisler this past season, and there was Denard dancing with the Maize Rage. The guy is so immensely likable. He'll always be one of my favorites.
It's a nice luxury to have as worthy a successor as Devin Gardner. He might not be quite as lovable or on our 'all time' list (yet)... but he's pretty damn charismatic too. Seems like a great kid and a rare talent, and I'm ready for him to make this his team for the first time. So I've moved on as well...
the whole thing, particularly given that I've never heard of the website. But I got caught up in it. After finishing, I think it's as fitting an "epitaph" for a remarkable career as I can imagine. Thanks for the link, that was time well spent.
Will be hard to forgive Denard for one thing, though: making me want to watch Jacksonville Jaguar games this fall. The very idea is grotesque to me, yet... I don't see what choice I have. Damn you, #16. Damn you.