Michigan Scrimmage Notes
I just got back from the scrimmage today and wanted to pass on a little information. The scrimmage was open to suite holders and club seat ticket holders. It started at 3pm and ran until 5:00. It was structured much like the spring game, where they began with special teams, and exchanges, punting, kicking, punt blocks, and punt/kick returns. Lastly, was the Blue against white scrimmage starting at the 30, then the 2, then the 50.
Prior to seeing this scrimmage I was a fan of Tate and would tell anyone who asked, that Tate would be the starter. After watching the scrimmage, D-Rob will be the starter. He was much better in the pocket, made good decisions when faced with getting rid of the ball or being sacked with loss of yards, and his exchanges were very good. Think about some of the ball fakes that Juice Williams had. D-Rob isn't there yet, but he will be. I also think there is NO WAY that Gardner will redshirt. He played very well and almost as good as Tate in every phase of the game.
With passing, D-Rob led his receivers well and his completion rate was astronomic as compared to last season. Both Tate and Devin had throws that were routinely behind the receivers or not catchable.
The most pleasant surprise for me was Stephen Hopkins. This is a guy who has a chance to be a 1,000 yd rusher. He hit the holes well and was a load to take down. Smith, Cox and Shaw also did well, but in my mind, not as good as Hopkins.
Kelvin Grady played VERY WELL today and was probably responsible for the most yards of any player.
On the defensive side of the ball, M-R0b had a nice pick that he took for 50 yards. I love it when I see someone who can walk the walk and talk the talk. There was solid play by T. Talbott, Ryan, Jones, Gordon, Herron, Hawthorne,Van Bergen, Roh, Avery, Johnson, and Demens. I do not mean to leave anyone out, but they all looked good.
The O-Line was great and it was nice to see that we truly are 2-deep with linemen. The D-line looked good and will definitely cause some problems for teams.
Special teams will be better this year, watching Broekhuizen kick 40 yard field goals on a regular basis. There were no fumbles on kick returns and although there were some turnovers during play. They were few, and not by the "first string". We are going to have a much better team than people think.
Rich Rod was having fun. He was smiling, meeting with fans and player's families, and didn't appear to be stressed at all. I walked into the stadium with Hagerup and had a nice talk with him. What a great guy. After talking with him it is very clear that this team is out to prove something. I can't wait until the 4th.
I don't think I have revealed anything about the team that would aid scouting by UConn, but if Brian or Tim think so, delete this post. There's no way I want to do anything to hurt the team.
August 22nd, 2010 at 10:08 PM ^
Molk still had on a green limited contact jersey.
Oh. That's what a green jersey means. Also, PANIC. I hope Molk is 100% by the time the season starts.
August 22nd, 2010 at 1:48 AM ^
Pretty crazy that we went 5-7 last year with what might end up being our 3rd best QB.
Let's just hope DR and DG can be as good in actual games.
August 22nd, 2010 at 6:26 AM ^
All this discussion about whether DG should redshirt seems to assume we will need DG as a fifth year senior. That's the year 2014. In college football years, that's light years away. If the offense gets rolling, Michigan will have its pick of the best high school spread option quarterback in the country every year. If he deserves to play, play him. We are selfish in wanting him here for a fifth year. Did you ever think about what DG wants?
August 22nd, 2010 at 2:45 PM ^
... like this, denard/tate progress and become an amazing QB and start the next 3 years. Now they leave and we have devin as the starter for one season because he didn't redshirt. It's not selfish at all
August 22nd, 2010 at 8:37 PM ^
we don't redshirt Devin and have him as the starter for one season (not trying to be mean ... just sarcastically correcting your math)
If there is ANY inclination that Devin MIGHT be the starting QB once things get sorted out, or if they never get sorted out and you pretty much have an even-ish split all season between Dev and Denard/Tate, YOU HAVE TO PLAY HIM!!!
I could MAYBE see redshirting a frosh battling for #1QB if we were coming off a BCS season (emphasis on the cap&bold "maybe"), but this is college football. Players come and go, they get lost and get found, come of age and can't grow up ... and then there's injuries...
If they/we are "all-in", then 7 doesn't just get his wings, he gets to play!
*On another note, but same argument: Kevin Sousa.
August 22nd, 2010 at 8:57 AM ^
This is kind of off-base but I remember reading that Devin had run some drills with the WRs and I know he was recruited to play WR by a couple schools (at least performed the drills at some camps). Is there any chance he plays some WR this year as well as being the 2nd or 3rd string QB? Just a thought for the insiders on the blog.
August 22nd, 2010 at 9:29 PM ^
There is no chance that Devin plays any WR this year. If he's playing WR, then that means the QB is doing just fine. If our 2 QBs are doing well enough that Devin doesn't have to play, then we'll redshirt him.
Besides, a position switch always hinders development. We want Devin to be a QB in the future, not a WR. Therefore, we will only give him reps as a QB.
Other schools were recruiting him as a WR, that's true. And, he even performed at a few camps as a WR. But he's here to become the Michigan Vince Young, not the Michigan Antwaan Randle El.
I don't remember for sure, but I believe that the schools recruiting him as a WR were more in the pro-style vein and they didn't think he'd develop enough as a passer to be effective.
August 22nd, 2010 at 9:07 AM ^
for the update.
I was most pleased to hear about Hopkins as the running back situation worried me the most with regard to the Offense.
I do think DG will play this year. RR will be recruiting more QB's and, as has already been mentioned, if they start winning it will be easier to get top flight recruits. There is no experience like game experience and the sooner DG gets some the better. (I wonder if Texas now regrets leaving McCoy in all those snaps just to pad his numbers after what happened in the NC game.) Plus I think RR will install some packages where Nardawg plays some sort of hybrid slot/rb position--RR is big on deception, and having two arms in the backfield would wreak havoc on defenses. And, I seriously doubt that package will see the internet until game day. I mean, what good would it be if everyone already knows about it. Notre Dame game would be my guess.
August 22nd, 2010 at 9:53 AM ^
As much as I'd like to see DG on the field, I think QB is in capable hands with DR and Tate. Just hoping the D can stop some people this year. Seeing teams like Indiana march up and down the field on the winged helmet made my 1970's, Bo Schembechler, Bob Ufer, leisure suite, butt cut blood boil, I do say.
August 22nd, 2010 at 10:11 AM ^
I am really happy that those at the game took the time to write out all that you did. It almost made me feel as though I was there. I am glad I found this site to be around fellow Maize & Blue fans.
I am really happy that all 3 quarterbacks looked sharp, the running game was in swing, a few receivers showed up and had a big day, and the O & D line played the short game well. That is about 70% of the game. That will be huge if they can continue that kind of flow.
The only real concern I have 3 QB's in the kitchen is not a good thing if 1 of them isn't wearing a red shirt. The good thing It make a positive statement about RR being fair to talent. That is something that could pay big rewards for further recruiting classes. If Devin doesn't red shirt then I would look for 1 QB to transfer. I cant see any 2nd year QB with skillz being okay to losing his job to a true freshman.
Go Blue
August 22nd, 2010 at 11:06 AM ^
Remember that you don't have to declare that you are redshirting someone at the beginning of the year. Why not let Gardner compete in the fall? If you tell him that he's going to redshirt maybe every so slightly he doesn't try as hard and doesn't put in as much work as he would if he knows he's battling for a possible starting spot or back-up role. You don't need to declare that someone redshirted until the end of the year.
August 22nd, 2010 at 10:17 AM ^
I was at the scrimmage as well. My oberservations:
-Denard can throw! I attended the spring game as well but didn't believe the hype until yesterday. Every pass he threw was crisp and on target, whether in drills or scrimmage play. I do not recall Denard being tested beyond 15-20 yards.
-Of the three quaterbacks, Tate seemed to be the most inconsistent in drills and he bombed a few corner fades well beyond the receivers. Devin looked the least comfortable during scrimmage play. It still amazes me that we have three such highly talented QBs on roster.
-Hopkins was particularly impressive. He looked like a freight train. I would expect him to get a lot of reps this fall.
-Barwis can yell like no other.
-Mike Martin is crazy ripped.
-Brennen Beyer and his family were sitting nearby watching the scrimmage. His family looked pretty pumped to be in the Big House.
I can't wait for Sept. 4th! GO BLUE!
August 22nd, 2010 at 11:07 AM ^
Couple questions: did Toussaint play at all, or is he really behind all the guys you listed? Also, when you said "Gordon" played well on defense I assume you meant Cam, not Tom?...
August 22nd, 2010 at 1:15 PM ^
Near the end, I asked my wife (who was paying slightly less attention to the details than me), "Have you heard the name Fitzgerald Toussaint even once?" She didn't think so either. I don't know if it was a minor injury or something else. Unfortunately, I didn't start looking for him until it was too late in the day.
August 22nd, 2010 at 11:29 AM ^
was a beast in high school here in Dallas and now it looks like he will punish defenses in the big 10. I had a good feeling about him after the spring and that young man is a beast.
August 22nd, 2010 at 1:58 PM ^
nothing against the kid, he seems like a good player.......but he just is not the running threat of the other two. He seems to get hit harder (perhaps because he is not as cat-quick as the other two) and that is not good.
he can distribute the ball very nicely, but Denard (and I believe, DG) is his own best weapon. rolling Denard out, with a pass/run option........how do you defense that?
August 22nd, 2010 at 9:22 PM ^
The first rule of MGoPoints is that you do not talk about MGoPoints (especially in a way that sounds like you're complaining).
August 22nd, 2010 at 2:39 PM ^
Thanks for the recap. I agree with the other posters that if DG looks capable of running the plays, he should play this year. Now, if he is used just for some trick plays against teams like Purdue and IU, then I'm not sure it is worth burning a redshirt. At the same time, RR already has another good QB prospect coming in next year, and there will always be options.
Saw the highlights on MGoBlue, and Denard's 47-yard run scared me in a good way (man could be move) and a bad way (the safety looked absolutely lost out there).
Sounds like Hopkins will be a nice RB, though I always worry about bruising guys because they run to contact and it only takes one hit to be out for the season. Minor was kind of like that - big guy who ran tall, and the nagging injuries wore him down.
Sounds like the LBs are still a weak part of the team, but at the same time this offense will make most secondaries and LBs look bad, especially with the short passing. My hope is against some of the more conventional offenses they'll see this year, the GERG touch will pay off.
August 22nd, 2010 at 4:14 PM ^
highlights from saturday can be found on countdown to kickoff, day 13 on mgoblue.com. The few DR passes looked very crisp and his run for TD was awesome though it looked like Van Slyke took a poor angle.
August 22nd, 2010 at 5:40 PM ^
It's going to be hard to keep three quaterbacks happy. Has anyone checked Facebook to see if there's an "Amesjay Resseltay" in any of their friend lists?
August 23rd, 2010 at 9:25 AM ^
Gardner is an odds-on favorite to redshirt. I haven’t yet encountered a competent observer that thinks he is better now than both Forcier and Robinson. He may have the highest upside, but you don’t put “upside” into a football game.
Forcier and Robinson co-existed last year, so I presume they will continue to co-exist.
August 23rd, 2010 at 12:46 PM ^
being new to this blog, can someone please fill me in on "tacopants"?
Thanks!
August 24th, 2010 at 10:55 AM ^
Check out the MGoFAQ. An excerpt:
Tacopants is Jason Avant's eleven-foot tall imaginary friend. Chad Henne spent much of 2005 hitting him between the numbers, which are unfortunately eight feet off the ground and made of dreams. Blessed with infinite eligibility and the ability to sneak on and off the field without alerting the referees -- made of dreams, remember -- Tacopants has taken a lesser role in the offense as Henne matures but still pops up at inopportune times. The term has its genesis in this post.
August 25th, 2010 at 12:58 AM ^
Its nice to now have a name to use during my tirades. Instead of "who the F are you throwing it to?" it will be "dammit Tacopants."
Comments