And They're Off
Note: MGoBlog did not manage to get on the right lists in time to be notified what was going down with the first practice and presser and whatnot and thus missed it. We should be set now and better able to act as a primary source on these things. For now we round up what other people saw.
I can haz secondary? Three items of personnel interest:
- Jason Forcier has a locker but didn't practice. Michigan kind of thinks he might be eligible, then. He's not on the roster, though.
- Marell Evans did practice. There were rumors he was briefly off the roster and may be flirting with a departure
- Justin Turner and Adrian Witty did not practice, but remain on the roster and have lockers. Rodriguez thinks both will get cleared:
Still, Rodriguez remains hopeful both will be cleared to practice soon. He kept spots open for both on Michigan’s 105-man reporting roster, and both have stalls waiting in Michigan’s new locker room.
“I’m pretty optimistic and hopefully (Turner’s) will be quicker,” Rodriguez said. “But wait and see.”
Speaking of said lockers, the Daily has a photoset from the day featuring Michigan's swanky new digs. But, uh, what doesn't belong in this picture?
Flat screen TV… beautiful wood paneling… futuristic labels… chairs you wouldn't seat your grandmother on even if you didn't like her, you cad. Someone get some Aeron in there.
Throwin'. AnnArbor.com got some footage of the QBs throwing, though it was apparently taken by Michael J Fox:
Forcier's throws, unsurprisingly, look the sharpest. Despite that, uh, this was written by the Daily's Ryan Kartje:
-Nick Sheridan probably looked the most comfortable and well-refined on the field, compared to Denard and Tate. But no one is matching Tate's enthusiasm which had him jumping up and down for a good portion of the drills.
Dude, man, even if that's true I want you to lie to me. This is what I want to hear:
I won’t make any bold predictions one practice into fall camp, but after watching Michigan work out for about an hour Monday without pads, I’d give Tate Forcier the easy edge in the battle to become the Wolverines starting quarterback.
The media was allowed to watch five periods of individual work Monday, and Forcier was much crisper in passing drills than fellow freshman Denard Robinson.
Kartje also reports that Robinson is fast but rusty and tends to throw screens way too high; Birkett says the quarterbacks are small, which uh yeah they are.
Eeeeeeee. Will Campbell at the Army game…
…Will Campbell in spring…
…and Will Campbell minus an average-sized fifth grader at practice:
Campbell has taken step one away from Gabe Watson-style disappointment*.
*(Not that Watson was exactly a disappointment: two-time All Conference and a solid NFL player. But he could have been All-American.)
Er? Is there a name in the wrong spot on this list?
The rough Day 1 depth chart at receiver: Greg Matthews went ahead of Junior Hemmingway in drills at one outside spot, and LaTerryal Savoy drilled ahead of James Rogers and Darryl Stonum at the other. At the slot, Martavious Odoms was first up in drills followed by Roy Roundtree and Terrence Robinson.
"Laterryal Savoy drilled ahead of Darryl Stonum" is only explicable if they did the order by numbers of Rs, Ys, and Ls in your first name. Other reports had Stonum dropping a lot of balls, which is not good if Michigan is going to have a deep threat this year.
They're going down in a blaze of glory. Michael Rothstein's come over to AnnArbor.com from his beat covering Notre Dame football at the Fort Wayne Gazette, so his viewpoint of the two programs will be an interesting one. Like for instance here:
At Notre Dame, the only music I ever remember hearing was on Thursdays, and that was a Charlie Weis-inspired playlist of Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen with a little bit of Crank Me Up worked in last year. At Michigan, music was going throughout a bunch of the practice that the media observed, everything from Soulja Boy to some old school rock. Definitely a variety for both the players and coaches.
No wonder ND can't run the ball.
[Deleted due to reading comprehension issues on my part]
The Res Gestae - This Is Water
I actually like the carpet design -- very Michiganesque. Probably going to be horribly out of style in about 2 years, but then again I'd hope the Athletic Department will be replacing it every other year due to stankiness factors.
I can't believe I just made a post about the carpeting in the Michigan lockeroom.
A bunch of people at mlive had a similar reaction to Ryan's comment which lead to his later post.
http://blog.mlive.com/thediag/2009/08/first_impressions_and_elaborat.htm...
So for all those thinking "wtf god no Sheridan!", that's not what he was saying.
I was a kid in Ann Arbor during the 60's. I have seen many changes in A2 over the years. I now live in Wisconsin (Yuck!). The Glick is the bomb facility!! Future recruits will love Michigan even more now.
Victors Valiant '88
If Michael J. Jonathan Fox was hired by MICH to be video taping these drills he better take a Barwis workout for himself. That kid can't even hold the camera steady for more than 10 seconds. Also, I don't know why you all think Tate WJ was the best on film. I saw one David Jonathan Cone Bone put one on a ROPE to his reciever, it may have been3 seconds late, but it was still a ROPE!!!
No question, Jim.
-Mike
http://crosschips.blogspot.com/
Of course he plays music that none of his players were alive when it was released.
This is just a little microcosm of why ND sucks. It's about Charlie. It's all about Charlie and what we wants, right down to playing Bon Jovi for a bunch of kids that thing Eminem is the golden oldies. Schematic advantage this.
I'm 17 and I like Bon Jovi and so do a lot of people my age. Who doesn't like Bon Jovi?
Let Weis stay he is the only ND idiot worse than my brother-in-law. That guy is a jerk.
Victors Valiant '88
I do not like them, but I am not going to get all in a tizzy about them, mostly because well, a). it's a practice jersey, and b). at least Michigan has three stripes in its football uniform motif.
Also, I really like the locker nameplates. They really did a good job on the details.
Craig Barker || The Hoover Street Rag || Twitter
"The Michigan fanbase: a cynical, Eeyorish bunch even in the best of times."--Doug Gillett
Do football men use the word motif? We use words like snot and blood and deathbacker! Good post though
Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'
I have no shame in admitting that I'm going to +1 your posts that I see until you have full posting rights. With all the jokers around here who have those rights, I'll be damned if you're stuck without said rights.
But +1 also because on this post you're right about the stripes already being in the motif.
I was reading somewhere yesterday on the net that those crappy metal chairs in the new locker room are temporary and that they have much nicer chairs which have an embossed block M on them on order.
Nick Sheridan's arm looks a bit stronger and sharper this year.
(please dont neg me for saying that)
Strictly business...Not personal.
Will Campbell is skyrocketing up the Going.To.Fuck.Shit.Up charts.
now if he could only get a fuck lion as well...
So I got that going for me, which is nice.
This guy needs to get it together man. He has alot of talent but he just can't seem to hold onto the football. If he keeps the drops up we won't have a wide receiver that can stretch the field.
Maybe he is smokin' dem trees? Mary Jane.
Victors Valiant '88
Does anyone know what number Jason Forcier's locker was?
His locker had #10.
He was #19 in his previous life at UM, for what it's worth.
Question:
Is that a Michigan playbook on that chair, and if so, shouldn't it be locked up when people you don't know with cameras and recording equipment are walking through the locker room?
Sooner or later, you're going to have to stick your arm up a cow's butt.
I bet that locker room is The Sanctum Sanctorum. You might be able to enter as a media person, but don't think you are not being watched.
Victors Valiant '88
Please tell me the striped jerseys are for practice only.
We need a new way some times. The only way that happens if you try something new. Michigan Fans are never satisfied. The "practice jerseys" are fine. People didn't care as much about jersey when Michigan when its jerseys were supplied by Champion. I remember those day and thought nothing of it.
Victors Valiant '88
The striped jerseys are for practice only.
MGoBlog | Sporting News | HTTV 2009 | e
It's a great to see the team back on the field, but those adidas striped home unis just aren't doing it for me.
Wear Ugly until game day then change into Motherfucking Classic. It's a subtle psychological boost, akin to swimmers shaving before a big meet. Or Tressel wearing a freshly pressed vest.
PS Tressel also shaves his bits. Pryor told me and he has to spot for him.
Those aren't new home jerseys, they're just the practice jerseys. So we don't have to get too up in arms about how they're an abomination onto Michigan football.
Avatar: Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus/Bill Frieder/Boris Becker
Just call me B9B or Caesar, it's easier than Bleedin9Blue.
that they got those chairs really cheap.
They were leftovers from a Texas Death Match between dex and CoachBT.
I like Springsteen.
"To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kind of scary. I've wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad."
- Jack Handey
Is MGoBlog having clearinghouse problems too?
iTunes pays Mike Barwis 99 cents every time he downloads a song.
Holy Cow that is a lot of good info!
Those chairs do look awful. Fortunately they're installing new stools soon.
Apparently, the AD is just waiting for the big back-to-school sale at Target before he buys 105 chairs.
Are you sure that it's going to be stools, I know that if I just played a half of football I'd want something to rest against (like the back of a chair) rather than having to keep myself up. But maybe it's just Barwis continuing to work on strengthening the player's cores even when they're not working out.
Avatar: Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus/Bill Frieder/Boris Becker
Just call me B9B or Caesar, it's easier than Bleedin9Blue.
The locker room manager definitely said stools.
look to be like the ones you get from a rental company for your high school graduation party. I'm guessing they will bring in something nicer considering the Flat Screen TV and all that rich mahogany.
I'm thinking Lazy Boys or a full size bed.
No question, Jim.
-Mike
http://crosschips.blogspot.com/
But I'm pretty sure this isn't the gameday locker room anyways.
Excellent point, I forgot about that. Still, after a long day of practice I think I'd still prefer a chair with a back over a stool.
But that's just me.
Avatar: Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus/Bill Frieder/Boris Becker
Just call me B9B or Caesar, it's easier than Bleedin9Blue.
This is Barwis World and comfy chairs are the toys of the coddled cream puffs of Oregon.
Plus, the stools are probably in place so the players don't relax too much and head right off to study hall!
That being said, it is what it is.
i heard those chairs will most likely be used for the next potluck.
Aerons in the lockerroom? Dumb idea. Worst chair ever.
(I may or may not be working for a furniture company other than Herman Miller right now.)
And what chair would you suggest?
It ain't easy being cheesy
Lots of people like the look of Aerons...then they sit in them. You with Steelcase or Humanscale?
besides Stonum? Is Stokes a deep ball type guy? How about Roundtree? Damn, Ricardo Miller and his 5 man WR class can't get here soon enough!
Michigan Wolverines: 874 wins, .740 winning percentage, 42 Big Ten Titles, 11 National Titles, 3 Heisman winners, and 150 consensus All-Americans
Stokes is exactly the deep ball threat we need. And he has burners on him for after the catch.
Those who stay will still be here.
I don't see why Hemingway can't be a deep threat.
Prob too slow to get downfield fast enough. Especially if you consider an offensive line + freshman quarterback will rarely get the set up right to complete such a play.
Those who stay will still be here.
If Stonum is having problems, we aren't going to be stretching the field with our slot receivers and Greg Mathews, who I like alot but the guy is one of the slowest split ends I've ever seen.
It was one part of one practice. Let's not say that Stonum is having problems unil they actually develop.
I'm pretty sure he had this problem before today. Also, this is a hypothetical wondering what would happen to attempt the stretch the field if Stonum can't do it.
Michigan Wolverines: 874 wins, .740 winning percentage, 42 Big Ten Titles, 11 National Titles, 3 Heisman winners, and 150 consensus All-Americans