Tom Harmon?
but you'd have to adjust for inflation.
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Tom Harmon?
but you'd have to adjust for inflation.
Tyrone Wheatley might be another option that the OP forgot.
Well if we are going back a few years, then we should look at Tim Biakabatuka. If I remember correctly (I was younger so I may not) didn't he have a fairly good rookie year and he looked like he was going to be a good RB if not for doestroying both of his knees in back-to-back years.
I presume that this is a current roster, not historic. If its current, Brady seems to get by with average running backs so it might not be as big of a problem as it would be with Henne under center.
A Train
How about Ryan Mundy? He's got a diploma.
or Carlos Brown? Not a roster guy, but I think he made a dent with the Buccaneers las preseason
I don't know of many 40 year old running backs that have been successful in the National. Football. League.
He's 40
Next year, and Denard will play RB......my god, Tom Brady and Denard Robinson standing next to each other in the shotgun.
will never play running back in the NFL. He will get a shot as a slot receiver and kick returner. He's not durable enough to play RB in the NFL.
There is also Steve Everitt at C. I guess it depends on how far back you want to go.
No way.
Miami would be able to field a pretty good defense
Um....notwithstanding we'd need to get a guy who is at best two years removed from football to play RB - God help this team if the starting QB goes down.
I think you'd be getting points to put it mildly.
Then you need to go back to 2004 when Perry was drafted, with Askew in 2003, and then Anthony Thomas in 2001.
Toussaint would win an open tryout, Raback it.
You forget that when Michigan Men play together their abilities compound exponentially.
RB would be a huge hole, for sure. But RB's are not as crucial as they used to be and Tom Brady would ensure that there would be running lanes.
Also, Brady would be fine, as this is an amazing make believe land where dreams come true and injuries only happen to criminals and the homeless. Don't you know how this works?
Miami would have the best team hands down, they might not even need a quarterback.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/draft-history-graphic...
Judging by sheer numbers, FSU should be in the mix, but I have no idea what a two deep would look like.
But short answer is, no chance in hell. Opposing D would pin its ears back and be in Brady's grill on day -- zero running game to protect him, and dodgy line (even with Hutch, Long and Baas).
Defensive front 7 could compete (sort of), but secondary is obviously paper thin (and, frankly, not even full as a starter's unit).
Maybe they could beat the Titans if their punt/kick return coverage units were better than the Lions?
Edit: I'm dumb; obviously punt return coverage wouldn't be an issue with Zoltan punting lasers into the returner's facemask.
Brady hasn't had a solid running game in NE since 2004 or so, they've done pretty well without.
Are you looking at guys that are in the NFL, have played in the NFL, or had NFL potential? There are many more to add to this list than what you are looking at.
Martell Webb - TE - Was looked at by a few NFL teams after the draft, IIRC.
Ryan Van Bergen - DE / DT - Drafted by Carolina Panthers, but dropped I believe.
That is just two guys to name from the last few years that had NFL potential / were drafted. But to answer your question, no a team made up of Michigan alumni would not compete in the NFL. Too many good players on all teams in the league.
Well Tom Brady would have all day to pass. The problem would be our RBs/TEs wouldn't be anything special. The defense would be decent at best and our Kicker/Punter would be good.
I'd say that is a 6-10, 7-9 type team.
assuming Brady stays healthy. He's taken the Pats to some good seasons even when the rest of the team was nothing to write home about.
looking a little lite on the DB's.. might want to add Donovan Warren and Morgan Trent
As for OL, you could maybe move Stephen Schilling to OG.
There are no former U of M running/fullbacks in the NFL. I think Askew may have played a little last year, but I do believe he's now gone. That being said, who needs runningbacks when you have an incredible O-line, a legendary QB and one of the most amazing defenses that could possibly be assembled.
Would an all-time M team be 16-0 Super Bowl favorites? I'd think the obvious answer is yes, but how many decades would we need?
Michigan has 24 different All-Pro selections, with 30+ Pro Bowlers all time.
Harry Newman- QB/HB
Tom Brady- QB
Steve Hutchinson- OG
Dan Dierdorf- OT
Jake Long- OT
Mike Kenn- OT
Ron Kramer- TE
Anthony Carter- WR
Desmond Howard- WR
Len Ford- DE
Tom Keating- DT
Roger Zatkoff- LB
LaMarr Woodley- LB
David Harris- LB
Dwight Hicks- DB
Leon Hall- DB
Ty Law- DB
Keith Bostic- S
Rick Volk- S
Dave Brown- CB
Charles Woodson- CB
Ali Haji-Sheikh- K
Leroy Hoard? I swear he was Pro-Bowl and All-Pro at some point in his NFL career...
Who would win in a matchup between the 22 all-time best Michigan players and 22 Mike Ditkas?
If there was a way to amass 22 Ditkas, they'd be much too busy with their (most likely successful) quest for world domination and would not have the time to play a game of football.
What happened to Marlin Jackson?
Thanks MGoShoe. I was thinking he last played in 2011 for some reason.
He was then actually picked up by the Eagles for 2011 but sustained ANOTHER season ending injury in camp (I believe it was Achilles...but with him who knows). But this year he was technically still on the team (he had been on IR) but the problems of missing 3 (!!!) straight seasons due to 3 different injuries effectiviely ended his career.
But he has a super bowl ring.
I only talk about coaches that coach for Michigan.
Is Bennie Joppru still in the league?
Dont forget Marlin Jackson and Cato June. Both started for the colts for awhile and were decent.
And ofcourse you can't forget Ty Law.
I have a hard time thinking any team could field a consistently competitive team. If you just start by looking at the QBs in the league, a number of them went to schools that don't produce enough NFL players to even fill a roster. When I look simply at starting QBs, I'm thinking Florida State, Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma, USC, Auburn, and UM. So already looking at just one of 22 positions, the list is down to 7 that are possibilities. Sure, you could look into backup QBs and make a case for someone like Texas or ND, but there's also a reason those guys are backups. They can't win on a team filled with other talent, let alone a team scraping by at multiple positions.
As soon as you go into QB/RB combos, the crown thins even more. You're down to Oklahoma, Tennessee, and USC. There are two other X Factor teams that I didn't include in the original list that actually make the cut this far: Cal with Rodgers and Lynch, and Miss with Eli and Green-Ellis. I'm just not sure without looking into it more that either of those schools produce enough at other positions.
Bottom line - no, a UM team could not compete in the league. 2-14 is probably a best-case scenario. But I think that's true for almost any team. Some schools, including UM, are probably 2-5 starters away from being able to compete just with starters, but then yes, the obvious depth issues are apparent.
Ryan Mundy? Would certainly help shore up the DB situation.
This is actually somthing that I used to do all the time. If I remember correctly, right around the time of Brady's NFL emergence Michigan could have fileded a pretty good team. I think the weak spot then was safety (surprise), and I remember slotting DeWayne Patmon in there because he was on a practice squad somewhere.
Right now, OL depth seems a bit of a problem, as do DBs, but we could assemble one hell of a starting front-7.
Also, as others have mentioned, the lack of RB doesn't really scare me. That position (especially in the NFL) is more and more becoming a collection of interchangeable guys who you run until their legs collapse underneath them.
With those WRs and Tom Brady I'm not sure a RB would be needed.
Also, what about Schilling and Hemingway?
Looking across that roster, as much as I love those guys, the only spot where you're above average for an NFL team is QB. O-line is maybe close to average, though it's pretty think on the interior, and the LB are probably a solid average as far as NFL starters go.
Do we get to count Jim Harbaugh as the coach?
I would think the O-Line is at the very least average if you move Goodwin - who has started every game since 08 - to gaurd along with Hutch (7x pro bowler). Then Long (4x pro bowler and best lineman in the leauge) paired with Backus, who as much heat as he takes has been above average his whole career. Then, Baas is an average center.
Baas is just your average Rimington Award winning Suberbowl Champion Center signed to replace Shaun O'Hara. His presence in the Giants run game is definitely beyond average this year.
Keep in mind, the more you poach from inactive NFL players, the more your team becomes "worse than the worst team in the NFL."
Again, this squad couldn't compete in the NFL - I could buy a shocker here or there, but agree with the guy that says 2 wins is a best case scenario.
Ryan Mundy, and Jamar Adams could all be depth.
Wow, RB is a problem, is there a chance that A-Train has stayed in game shape?
Our defense would get smoked, the only way I see this working is to run a 3/4, and make Brandon Graham a LB playing a similiar position as Woodley. Either that or make Woodley a full time DE.
We might have to see if Ian Gold, David Bowens, or Trevor Pryce have stayed in shape, or put in a phone call to Cato June.
Do this again in a year, and move Denard to RB, Heiko-style.
If this is an all time UM NFL players list then you are missing quite a few good players from your team. If its current players only there are some on that list who shouldn't be(Everritt, A-Train...)
This team would have a good offensive line, Tom Brady and a good defense.
As for the hole at RB, the clear solution is the greatest running QB in the history of the B1G.
There are maybe sixty teams who compete for elite recruits, and another twenty or so from whom an occasional "sleeper" or "late bloomer" develops into an NFL player. There are 32 teams in the NFL. This creates a rather obvious numerical disparity.
Even Alabama would have a problem fielding an NFL team of alums because of the QB position. It's been awhile since Namath and Stabler played. I am thinking that USC is the only school that could field a decent NFL team.
Well this is fun isn't it. http://espn.go.com/nfl/college
Auburn could probably field a pretty good team. Here goes a half hour of my life looking at every college.
Is the OP 12? I feel we are missing about 121 years of Michigan football on this list.
DBs: marlin jackson, ryan mundy, james hall, morgan trent
It could've happened a few years ago. Now the roster would be a little thin, or old. We could still probably beat the Jaguars, Browns, and Panthers. When Brady was first starting we still had guys like Jon Runyan, Jumbo Elliot, Jon Jansen, Glen Steele, James Hall, Dhani Jones, Cato June, Ty Law, BJ Askew, and Tyrone Wheatley playing.
Basically this offense is the New England Patriots:
Tom Brady with a very good, and veteran, offensive line.
No Running Backs
Average WRs, most are #3 guys on any other team, that work within Brady's system to move the chains.
If you add Funchess, you have your ball-hawking TE!!!
USC, Miami, and Texas look like they would be the teams to beat.
Miami would be pretty good... except who would their QB be?! They don't have an active QB in the NFL, and I'm not really sure who they have had recently to call up. The only one I can remember playing is Ken Dorsey, and not only has that been a while, but he was a bust. There may be a couple since him, but can't think of them being starters or anything. They would have an awesome defense to keep them in games, and then Frank Gore too, but without a QB, they might find trouble.
Texas' only QB in the NFL is McCoy, who is a backup for the winless Browns. He might have enough talent around him to get the job done though.
USC has Palmer, Sanchez, and Cassel, but not sure who they would throw too. Brady gets it done with lesser known guys, so its not that big of deal. They would have a pretty good defense, so they might be the team we would have to worry about the most.
Except they'd be playing with no quarterback. We definitely win that head-to-head, lol
Ohio would likely be pretty good too...they tend to have guys drafted. They'd have no QB though. Pryor? lol
I think he is coaching at a high school this year.
I've thought about this too, but mine was more of how would our alums in the NFL do against other schools' alums in the NFL, rather than against current NFL teams. If you're just doing active players or people who could be called up and play today(sans injury) I think we would be one of the better teams.
The most important position is QB so you have to have a quality QB to build around. We would be fine there, and would give us an edge. Look at some of the other starting QBs. Roethlisberger-Miami(OH), Flacco-Delaware, Romo-Eastern Illinois. Even Ryan-Boston College , Rivers-NC St & Brees-Purdue would probably have a tough time being able to form a full team to be competitive.
OSU sends a lot to the NFL, but even they would have a hard time competing. For QB they would pretty much be limited to Troy Smith, and .............PRYOR! USC would have some depth at QB: Palmer, Cassel, Sanchez, and would have a solid LB crew + Polamalu, but the QBs wouldn't really have anyone to throw to.
assuming we're talking about these guys when they're fresh out of college w/ no nfl experience, i'd say they wouldn't be very competitive. maybe win 3-5 games, if that. at the end of the day, they'd still be rookies.
Another interesting discussion is how many NFL teams would the elite college teams (e.g. Alabama) beat, if any? I've always wondered if the best college team could match up against the worst NFL team. Probably not, but its an interesting discussion.
Keep in mind that Alabama's players wouldn't even be rookies in the NFL right now. It's pretty rare for a rookie, however talented, to make an impact at most positions. Whatever his talent level, McCarron would be a disaster as a rookie QB. Alabama's current OL will probably produce several very good NFL starters eventually, but other than freaks like Joe Thomas or Jake Long, it's rare for a rookie offensive lineman to even be average in the NFL, so collectively the unit would almost certianly be well below average. Same thing with rookie receivers - unless you have a physical marvel like A.J. Green or Julio Junes, they probably won't make a significant impact. So you end up with an offense that would probably be one of the worst in the league overall, at very best.
It's easier for young defenders to make an impact, but even they have an adjustment period. Look at other highly regarded recent Alabama alums: Donta Hightower was an absolute stud at Alabama last year, but he's struggling somewhat with the Patriots this year. Terrence Cody went through a similar adjustment period when he was no longer the most physically imposing player on the field every play. Kareem Jackson was a lockdown corner in college, but barely an adequate starter in the NFL.
And those are only the guys who are making it. Alabama has had 18 guys drafted in the first 4 rounds of the last 4 NFL drafts, which is a ton. But if you were forming a NFL roster from the last 4 Alabama classes, which probably approximates the talent level of this year's team, 2/3 of your roster would have to be late-round guys or undrafted free agents. You would be counting on significant contributions from a bunch of guys who aren't thought of as quality NFL players by most people.
So in short, although this Alabama team is crazy talented, it's completely unrealistic to expect any college team to be remotely competitive in the NFL.
Zero, now that Millen is out of the league.
that an all UofM team of guys in the pros we would beat all other all the other all-college teams from the NFL
could pass as a running back on this roster. Does he count as someone who has graced the winged helmet in the past?
Well since we're assuming injuries don't exist...gotta hope that Charles Woodson could average around 4 yds/carry - all Brady would need out of the run game. Maybe even hand the ball off to Molk every once in a while for a little thunder/lightning action!
Someone with a lot of time should assemble this all Michigan team on madden and sim a season
I've already done this in Madden 2003 for PC.
If I remember correctly my depth chart was as follows.
I know I am missing alot of guys but this was basically a rebuild of the 1997 national championship team. Played as the Bears.
QB: Brian Griese, Tom Brady, Todd Collins
HB: Anthony Thomas, Chris Perry,
FB: ??
WR: David Terrell, Amani Toomer, Marquis Walker, and some more I forget
TE: Jerome Tuman, Jay Remersma
T: Backus, Runyan
G: ??
C??
DT Steele, Josh Williams
DE; Hall, ??
LB: Gold, Sword, Dhani Jones
CB: Ty Law, Woodson
S: ???
K Feely
Their record was 16-0 and they were SB champs, right?
The problem with doing current NFL UofM players is they're getting long in the tooth. Put a roster together 3-4 years ago minimum and we'd have a fairly good team. Now they would likely be a 3-6 game winner at best. Even on an all time we'd be thin at RB as few of our guys have had much success in the NFL, but with a great passing game that helps an average RB be better than they are.
QB- Carson Palmer, Mark Sanchez (Matt Cassell?)
RB- Reggie Bush, Joe McKnight
WR- Damian Williams, Mike Williams, Steve Smith
TE- Fred Davis, Anthony McCoy
OT- Matt Kalil, Tyron Smith
OG- Deuce Lutui, Chilo Rachal
C- Ryan Kalil
DE- Nick Perry, Everson Griffen
DT- Sedrick Ellis, Jurrell Casey
LB- Clay Mathews Jr., Rey Mauluga, Brian Cushing
CB- Terrell Thomas, Shereece Wright
S- Troy Polamolu, Taylor Mays
yup, nobody's beating that team
QB- Vince Young, Colt McCoy
RB- Jamaal Charles, Cedrick Benson
WR- Roy Williams, Jordan Shipley, Limas Sweed
T- Justin Blalock, Jonathan Scott
TE- Jermichael Finley, Bo Scaife
G- Kasey Studdard, Leonard Davis
C- Derrick Dockery?
DE- Brian Orakpo, Brian Robison
DT- Henry Melton, Lamarr Houston
LB- Sam Acho, Derrick Johnson, Sergio Kindle
CB- Quentin Jammer, Aaron Williams, Cedric Griffen
S- Mike Huff, Earl Thomas
i can't see this passing game having much success, at all; basically, the KC Chiefs
And Young is out of the NFL.
QB- Tim Tebow
RB- Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps
WR- Percy Harvin, Louis Murphy, Jabar Gaffney
TE- Aaron Hernandez, Ben Troupe?
T- Marcus Gilbert, Max Starks
G- Maurkice Pouncey, ???
C- Mike Pouncey
DE- Carlos Dunlap, Jeremy Mincey
DT- Ray McDonald, Marcus Thomas
LB- Jermaine Cunningham, Brandon Siler, Brandon Spikes
CB- Joe Haden, Lito Sheppard
S- Reggie Nelson, Major Wright
damn, Urban really did recruit some athletic players
paid fairly.
In a league of all-college teams, absolutely. Against other typical NFL teams, maybe win a few games. Very little depth. Starters are solid for the most part though.
Tell you right now as a Steeler fan Mundy sucks hard.
Ok who's gong pay these guys and fy them around the league? Oh wait we have Mr Ross the owner of the dolphins.
How about rich eisen in the booth with say Dana Jacobsen on the sideline, Adam Schaefer as a reporter, Desmond Howard in the booth as well
Current Michigan players, no, but Michigan alumni, yes.