Monday Presser Notes: 10-12 Comment Count

Tim

Rich Rodriguez

  • Tate suffered a minor concussion on his last play against Iowa. It was not the reason he sat out the last two drives, however. That was a coaching decision. He is still expected to start against Delaware State, but that's up to the team's medical staff. Both Tate and Denard are still pretty small guys, so the coaching staff is trying to limit the contact that they have to take. People need to remember that they are just freshmen, so a mental mistake here and there is inevitable. Most freshmen, especially QBs, have the luxury of redshirting. Part of what makes Tate and Denard so good is their ability to improvise. Like Pat White, Rasheed Marshall, and Shaun King, they need to be able to improvise within the system.
  • The outside receivers are doing a good job blocking, but the team needs to do a better job of getting them the ball as well. Inside receivers are also doing well. Martavious Odoms is very physical despite his size, and Kevin Koger is probably on pace to get a record number of receptions for a tight end under Rich Rod.
  • The offensive line played solidly, but they didn't have their best game. That's understandable, because Iowa is one of the best defensive fronts they'll see all year. There are some technical and fundamental things that need to be improved still. The trainers will let Molk run a little this week to evaluate his discomfort.
  • Moving Woolfolk down to corner enabled Jordan Kovacs to move to strong safety. Rish first thought about the move after the MSU game, though the defensive coaches may have already been giving it some thought.
  • Boubacar Cissoko's suspension is to due academics and other things. He's only practicing with the scout team at this point. He knows what he has to do in order to get back on the field.
  • There's still no guarantee of a redshirt for freshmen who haven't seen the field yet. There are 6 more weeks to go, and you never know what can happen. The Cissoko suspension will leave the door open for Justin Turner, in particular.
  • It's hard to keep the team emotionally prepared for the Delaware state game, especially coming of a the primetime showdown with Iowa. They need to remember that they'll get DSU's best shot. The reason for games like Delaware State is to get the 8th home game. Hopefully in the future, Michigan will be able to get a bit better competition for that game - though they'll probably stay within the 1-AA ranks. Rodriguez would probably rather have a bye week.

David Moosman

  • Moosman and the entire offensive line were "great, but not perfect" against Iowa. The snaps have improved, and Moosman feels like he's finally in a groove at the center position. Moosman is a less intense player at center, and that intensity is what makes Molk great.
  • Young QBs are going to make mistakes. They just need to remember that they aren't the only ones: "everyone makes mistakes, they're just in the spotlight."
  • Halfway through the season, you'd prefer not to have the two losses, but they've come out and played hard in all 6 games. They've already done better than ;ast year, but there's still a lot more work to do. "We're ready to go."

Zoltan Mesko

  • Zoltan's mom called to make sure he knew he was selected Big 10 special teams player of the week. It's an honor, but he's not too happy about it because he wanted the team to win.
  • Zoltan needs to manage his emotions, and not get too high after a good performance (i.e. against Iowa), nor too low after a bad one (against Michigan State). On the fake against Michigan State, Zoltan said he thought he should punt it, but by the time he had made a decision, he was past the point of no return.
  • Zoltan doesn't feel good about the team being 4-2, mostly because of the way it happened. Starting 4-0 then dropping a couple games is a damper. everyone would prefer to be 6-0.

Troy Woolfolk

  • Troy is happy at either corner or safety, whichever will help him get on the field. He's not sure which is his more natural position, but moving from safety to corner is easier, because he needs to only worry about his guy, and not the entire defensive scheme. When Coach Gibson texted him during class that they needed to have a meeting, Troy thought he did something wrong. He was relieved that it was just about a position switch.
  • Soup Campbell always gave Troy a hard time when he was coaching at Michigan. He wanted to talk some trash to soup before the game, but couldn't find him. He thought that Iowa would pick on him all game, but was surprised to see they mostly attacked Donovan.
  • Cissoko has responded well to his suspension. He's headed on the right track, and he knows what he did. "Boubacar: He's a fighter, he'll be back."

Brandon Minor

  • Minor's health is improving each week. The only thing that's still bothering him is that he's unable to explode out of his cuts. Still, he's getting pretty close to 100%.
  • The offense keeps improving from week-to-week. They need to continue fixing the little things to achieve what they want.
  • Though he's a skill-position player, Minor savors contact. He likes to deliver the hit rather than receive it.
  • Regardless of the situation, Minor talks to the QBs and keeps their heads on straight. Minor has faith in anybody the coaches throw in there. Denard's pick was a common freshman mistake.

Brandon Graham

  • The team needs to be able to play all 60 minutes of a game in order to win. It's tough to think about being just a couple plays from a 6-0 record. They've lost, however, so 10-2 is the new goal.
  • Graham has accepted a more vocal leadership position this year. He still sometimes gets nervous about what exactly he's going to say. Gotta go out there and keep leading, keep practicing hard. Leaders can't be down because the team loses. They have to be the ones to keep the guys up.
  • RVB and Mike Martin said sorry to Graham: Don't want him to lose another game in his senior year.
  • 3rd down defense is kinda bad, but they're trying to get it together. Sometimes, it's just good plays by the opposing offense. "I don't wanna say lucky, but 3rd and 24? Man, luck has gotta be on your side."


Comments

My name ... is Tim

October 12th, 2009 at 6:32 PM ^

I think we can remove "scape" from that word. I think he was the lone deep safety in a cover one on that play, and, I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that I've never seen a safety bite that hard on a playaction fake on 3rd and friggin' 24 before in my entire life. It boggles the mind.

BlueGoM

October 12th, 2009 at 3:14 PM ^

Injured shoulder, injured hand, concussion. I'd be surprised if he plays.

FYI Speaking from experience you can have a slight concussion and not realize it until later... not fun.

BlockM

October 12th, 2009 at 3:32 PM ^

I love Brandon Graham. Like, I wish we could hang out and chat and stuff. Maybe ride bikes off dirt jumps, and he could tell me how i got, like, so much air that time. He's the man.

SeattleChris

October 12th, 2009 at 3:46 PM ^

Now hopefully the rest of the universe will fall into alignment bringing the warrior poets to 9-3 with wins over OSU and Penn State. The knowledge can take that to the bank.

....Yes....

Heinous Wagner

October 12th, 2009 at 4:09 PM ^

There comes a time in the life of coaching a tempestuous freshman when you have to put the bit back in his month. The timing of this often-necessary move is critical. You do it at the maximum possible teachable moment. When Tate ran into the game for the last drive and had to be yanked back to the sidelines, like a dog running to the end of a short leash, I thought the time for that teachable moment had arrived. He's a smart enough kid to understand that present adversity, if handled properly, breeds future success.

mendrygal

October 12th, 2009 at 6:44 PM ^

I'd like to start it. I think that dude has great potential. That over the middle catch where he got his spine snapped in half and held onto the ball was great. We've got to throw him the ball more. Screw R-Rod's system. Sometimes guys are just good, tight end or not.