Mailbag: Morris Redshirt, Utah Sense, Legends Practices

lol at brian going in on david brandon. standup-comedy worthy.

My take on Brian's take:

• Shane Morris redshirt: On point
• Utah/UCONN "Huh?": Wow factor discussion is exactly right. That's the mantra. My departure is that I'm less put off by that focus than is Brian who seems preternaturally unable to adjust. But that's his prerogative. DAB:

...eight guiding principles of our department:

• We demand integrity;
• We all work hard to win championships;
• We are a great place to work;
• We will grow and remain financially self-supporting;
• We create 'wow' experiences for our student-athletes, fans and department team members;
• We respect our traditions while also believing that change is good;
• We create positive academic and athletic experiences for our student-athletes and prepare them to be successful in life;
• And, we will always remember what HE taught us: "The Team, The Team, The Team!"

• Legends jerseys: My guess is that the dangle will be the preferred model going forward, but with three jerseys to give out this year, one or two will go to current players. This would not be the end of the world, IME.
• Borges' take on hat dances: On point and symptomatic of the tremendous state of Michigan football recruiting. You're in or you're out, boys.

I think we should explore the underwater game idea.  Would this be in an underwater dome? 

I think I might die if I saw a receiver wearing #47.

For a selfish reason, I was hoping we would schedule UCLA or USC. I live in LA and would love to be able to see the Maize and Blue make it out here. I always keep my fingers crossed that we make it to the Rose Bowl but the last time that happened, I lived on the other side of the country.

The argument that changing numbers to award a current player a Legends Number means that their original number can never become a Legends Number is crap.

1. If you give them a Legends Number right out of the gate, then they will NEVER have a unique number that can be recognized in the future as a Legends Number.  The guy will just be another guy who wore the #21, along with Michigan Legend Desmond Howard and a list of freshman who flopped or got arrested.  Way to honor the number/player!

2. The assertion that you wouldn't be able to use the original number of the player as a future Legends Number is just false.  Why not?  Give me a reason.  In fact, if you award the Legends Number to deserving seniors, then they will have worn an original number long enough (3-4 years) for it to be eventually recognized as a Legends Number as well..  #xx... so and so Michigan Legend's original number before he was awarded the #21 his senior year.

3. Lastly, I think it's odd to say that a player's impact on the team is significantly diminished by changing their number.  A player's impact has to do with how they perform on and off the field, and has nothing to do with the number that they wear.  Howard or Woodson could have changed their number every year, and it wouldn't have lessened their impact on the field, or our memory of them and their accomplishments.

Can any fanbase compete with Michigan's when it comes to concern over uniforms and jersey numbers?

I say not. 

Wouldn't 21 be the "Wide Receiver version of number 1"? I'd think 48 would make the most sense on a FB because that's the closest approximation of a center that could legally wear it. I have no idea what to do with 47.

First off, for all the reasons he mentioned, I think Brian is right about having kids necessarily get to their Jr. or Sr. years before swapping their numbers to "legends".  That said, sometimes it will be appropriate.  How about they cycle through with no set rules?  Jordan Kovacs has been a fine player who symbolizes what M football has been through these past 4 years, but "32" aint about to be retired for Kovacs any more that it will for Stan Edwards.  My guess is Kovacs would love to wear Ford's number for his last year at Michigan.  If Kalis has a great freshman year then hang #87 on him.  If we want Treadwell and think he's worthy give him #1.  Someday, one of these kids will get one of these numbers and will have a M career worthy of number retirement.  When this happens we just add his name to the patch.  Voila!

The #1 has been a defacto legends jersey without the name.  It has been "awarded" in a couple of different manners and we've all survived and the value of #1 has not diminished (even though it's not been used).  Lets just keep it up with the now-official jerseys/patches.

My rambling thoughts on how to keep the Legends Number designation honorific, without diluting the current players' performances and identities should they choose to wear the Legends numbers...

Regarding the Legends designation to #21 and any number designated going forward, the designation on the jersey should be position and unit specific (similar to how the #1 is dedicated now). This is more or less the case as it stands, I think, but to reiterate: #21 is patched only for the offensive player who wears #21.

With respect to the retired numbers coming out of retirement, the patch should go on irrespective of the position or unit.

Re: who gets to wear the Legends jerseys, two opinions:

(1) Non-retired numbers that are now designated Legends numbers should be offered to players who have exhibited clear leadership, play making ability, etc. at the position played by the Legend honored; and the number should be offered as an alternate. In other words, the current player does not have to change his number (if he identifies with a separate number) to honor a former Wolverine Legend. In this way, the current player can choose what games he wants to honor the Legend, or if he chooses to do so at all.

(2) Legends number formerly retired are only permitted to be worn by one player on the team irrespective of unit, offense or defense. The number will be provided, again as an alternate, only to a team Captain. The Captain will again be afforded the opportunity to determine if or when he will wear the number to honor the Michigan Legend.

As a matter of course, this would accomplish the goal of keeping the honored Legends honored in a traditional way, and provide incentive for the current players to be part of that tradition without being forced to dilute their own player identities in the process.

If I had to set it up, I would demand any player eligible to wear the Legends number to determine before the season what games he will honor a former Legend, and that game will then be designated an Legends game (or something).

And lastly, with respect to the formerly retired numbers, I would make their designation similar to an award for certain achievement. In other words, The Gerald Ford #48 would be bestowed to a Captain who portrays outstanding leadership. The Oosterbaan #47 would be bestowed to a Captain who's stats reflect he is a clear MVP at his position. Etc.

So pardon my naivete, but why can't lineman wear numbers 1-50? I'm assuming there's some type of NCAA rule against it, but I'm curious if there was a particular reason for this rule.

What I learned:  Mark Smith is the lazy weak link of the coaching staff.  Vacation?  What are you, a high school teacher?  /s

These numbers should be awarded to upperclassmen who've earned them.  You think Jordan Kovacs wouldn't be honored to wear a former President's number?  How many Presidential uniform numbers are there in college football?  One.  It'd be a great reward.  I mean, it's nice that he's worn #32 (or whatever) for a couple of years, but 20 years from now I probably won't remember much about Jordan Kovacs, and certainly won't remember what number he wore.

They shouldn't go to freshman.  Ever.  I don't think sophomores either, unless someone had an unbelievable first year.  If there's someone who's been playing so great that he's on a pre-season Heisman watch, and you want to preserve the ability to turn his uniform into a Legends number in the future, then don't switch him.  But I don't understand the bellyaching about Kovacs', or any other player's, number switching as an honorific.  You can recruit with them if you like, by saying to a wide receiver, if you earn it, you can wear Desmond Howard's number as a junior or a senior.  But don't give them away to lure this year's 4-star, or even 5-star.  

My biggest objection to Legends numbers is there's nothing to honor linemen with.  But I'm sure DB will try to find someone to endow one, a la #1.