Denard and Borges on the NFL and Denard's Senior Season
Denard did a short interview with an AP sports writer. I'd suggest clicking on the link at the bottom to read through the article as a whole. It has quotes from both Borges and Denard. For those who don't want to leave MGoBlog, here are a few of the quotes from the article:
Denard on his position in the NFL:
“I’m planning on being a quarterback,” Robinson said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “We’ll see what happens.”
Al Borges on Denard's future:
“It’s a big spring and it’ll be a big season for Denard in that regard,” offensive coordinator Al Borges said. “If he can take the next step as a passer, there will be a team that will tailor an offense to his skill level, just like the Denver Broncos did with Tim Tebow. But Denard’s got to improve in the passing game and he knows that.”
Denard on what he wants to improve:
“I’ve got to be a better leader,” he said. “I have to do things on and off the field that help us accomplish our goal of winning the Big Ten championship.”
Denard on attending Michigan basketball games:
“That showed me that it was a great decision that me and coach Hoke made,” Robinson said. “I’m enjoying college life. I’m having fun with it.”
Borges on Denard's second season in the offense
“We should see it with the timing of his throws and him having a better grasp of route structures, audibles and protection checks,” Borges said. “He’ll also improve with decision-making, knowing when to throw it away and when not to run. And if he can get better with his footwork issues in the pocket, it should reduce interception and increase his completion percentage.”
Well, I ended up taking all the quotes from the article, but still read through the full article for some coherency and some fluff.
Link:http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-michigan-robinson
it all ends with flights to Indianapolis, New York and then Miami.
Or the NFL combine, NY for the Draft, and Miami with the #1 overall pick....
yes, I meant the BTCG, the Heisman ceremony and the BCS title game.
Do you often hear a whooshing sound by your ears? Just curious
he is going to be are team leader that makes a big difference
March 14th, 2012 at 10:16 PM ^
Word.
*sigh*
March 15th, 2012 at 11:01 AM ^
Our you sure about that?
Thanks for block-quoting all the quotes. I never want to leave mgoblog. The internet is a scary place sometimes.
Found this while I was running through Central Park at night with scissors.
I dont think he needs to improve on that, I feel as if he is a great leader ...
that was the thing he wanted to work on most before this season as well. Denard seems like an outstanding person to follow, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit to hear that he's still not as vocal as Borges wants him to be.
Not a knock on Denard or anything, just saying that he's naturally a quiet person and it takes time for a quiet person to start being vocal.
How many Heisman candidate QB's have the humility and perspective to say something like, "I'm enjoying college life; I"m having fun with it?"
All along, I have been utterly impressed with Denard's attitude and perspective. This is just another reason that I am beginning to appreciate his full body of work as an athlete, student, and leader more than that of anyone who has played football at Michigan since I started following them in 1960.
March 15th, 2012 at 12:13 AM ^
...maybe he was having too much fun.
Mike Vick has had 2 $100M contracts. Denard's college numbers are better so far than Vick's. If Denard can improve his passing ability he can be an NFL QB prospect. Dunno if it will happen, but I'm rooting for the kid for sure
If Denard wants to get drafted (as a QB), he needs his completion rate to be above 60%. If it is below, I doubt that anyone would pick him up as a QB.
Here are 2 years of QB A:
| Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YEAR | CMP | ATT | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | ATT | YDS | TD |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 90 | 153 | 58.8 | 1840 | 12 | 5 | 110 | 580 | 8 | |
| 97 | 179 | 54.2 | 1439 | 9 | 7 | 113 | 636 | 9 | |
Here are 2 (and change) years of QB B:
| Season | Team | GP | Att | Comp | Comp % | Yards | Yards/Att | TD | INT | Att | Yards | Ave | TD |
| 10 | 31 | 14 | 45.2 | 188 | 6.1 | 2 | 4 | 69 | 409 | 5.1 | 5 | ||
| 13 | 291 | 182 | 62.5 | 2570 | 8.8 | 18 | 11 | 256 | 1702 | 6.6 | 14 | ||
| 13 | 258 | 142 | 55.0 | 2173 | 8.4 | 20 | 15 | 221 | 1176 | 5.3 | 16 | ||
| Career | 36 | 580 | 338 | 58.3 | 4931 | 8.5 | 40 | 30 | 546 | 3229 | 5.9 | 35 |
Now which of these QBs is listed at 6'0"? And which was the first overall pick in the draft?
I really can't see him as a quarterback in the NFL. Then again, there's always the exception.
And it was just a couple of years ago Denard had no chance of beating out Tate. Denard is easily may favorite QB in the history of Michigan football, supplanting Ricky Leach for the honor, with Johnny Wangler a close third.
I love Denard. But even if he drastically improves his passing game, his height may be too much of a hindrance at the next level. I think he would make a great kick return/slot receiver in the NFL.
I can't believe he will be a senior and we are just finding this out. Thank you for taking the time to sign up and let us know.
I am very disappointed in the blog. Usually we catch things like this.
Funny, didn't realize ignoring such things was a part of the blog. Consider me informed.
yields 4440 results. I'd guess there are double that for Denard and short. We haven't even done a good job of ignoring it.
I apologize, oh wise experienced one. In the future I will search any material I comment about to make sure it has never been mentioned. Thank you for your knowledge and please accept my most sincere apology.
If he can throw out of the pocket at Michigan he can do it in the NFL. If he was playing behind an undersized line I would agree, but there isn't that much difference between looking over the UM line and an NFL line. Obviously he need to establish that he can pass from in the pocket effectively, as well as beat you with speed.
I see where you're coming from as far as the offensive line is concerned. However, as electrifying as he is in college, the defenses in the NFL are just so fast and physical. Of course he may occasionally make a big play with his legs... but the beating he would take running the ball as much as he likes to would be too much for anybody his size to handle without being slowed down significantly
Just win he may get a little complacent being a senior coming off a big year (as a team) and being the man...he now has the NFL Draft. I really think he's going to focus on becoming a MUCH better passer this offseason.
Last year, you have to learn a new offense, you've stepped into a leadership role, and more importantly, you're just worried about the team and getting Michigan back to where it's supposed to be.
At the end of the year, I was thinking "I hope that wasn't the mountain top for Denard" --- similar to our basketball team getting the B1G Championship this year and underperforming in the tournament.
As I rethink things over...I can really see him pushing to be a better passer over the offseason and that will obviously help the team. It's a goal he can set so that he's not complacent and "coasting" after a not good, but GREAT year as a team.
When it comes to improvement, in any endeavor, it is essential that one has a body of experience to draw from. Last season was basically like starting all over again for Denard. Everyone, coaches included, went into the season with a "let's see what he can do..." attitude. Denard, along with everyone else, had to learn and entirely new system, with new terms, blocking schemes, routes, etc. This new system put a premium on the skills that were Denard's weakest, i.e., pocket passing. As a result, it became painfully obvious that he had a lot of improvement to do within the pocket, and specifically with his recognition and footwork. That is a very good thing to know , and that knowledge is essential for growth. As we saw by the end of last season, Denard started to "get it", and especially versus Nebraska and Ohio, looked like the QB we all want him to be. It's hard to improve while at the same time leading a team in the heat of battle. Personally, I think the improvement we saw was quite remarkable, and it really suggests that his off-season improvement going into next season will be remarkable as well. He knows what he does wrong, and as I said above, knowing what you need to work on is essential for improvement. I think we're going to see his game elevate to a level that we only glimpsed last season.
Let me preface my question by saying that (a) I love Denard, and (b) I'd kill for his physique.
That said, he's a relatively slight build ... 6'0" (maybe) and what? ... 190lbs? Yes, I know Vick is only about 6'0" himself ... but I think he's listed as 215lbs.
Question ... completely sincere ... is there room for more weight, properly placed, on his frame? Would that hinder or help him relative to taking some of the punishment an NFL QB has to take? Particularly a running NFL QB?
I think that Denard and Russell Wilson are similar enough that the upcoming draft will be a good indicator how much interest there is in an undersized Qb that is accurate and can run. Tebow is still a TE or FB playing QB in my opinion.
March 15th, 2012 at 10:42 AM ^
Russell was a much more polished passer than Denard in my opinion. And did you just say Denard is accurate?
I am giving him the benefit of the doubt he will be an accurate passer after this coming season.
At 4:30pm today my wife calls me to squeal that she saw Denard on campus as she was driving the kids to their karate class. He has the Kavorka....I'm jealous.
March 15th, 2012 at 12:15 AM ^
I think he'll be a great WR in the NFL.
March 15th, 2012 at 12:51 AM ^
since he's played games where he's carried the ball over 20 times. He obviously doesn't mow over defenders but he''ll be a useful scat back in any offense.
Darren Sproles role from NO this past year. But as I said above, don't be so quick to say he isn't the next Vick.
I'm sure Denard can improve in his footwork and decision-making, but the receiving corps is sketchy at best at this point in time. Obviously, Roy's shown flashes of ability as a playmaker, but can he be a consistent #1 guy? Gallon and Dileo have done nice things as role players here and there, but both are small dudes and hardly burners. Our tight ends are completely unproven, and out of the backfield, Vince Smith is yet another tiny dude.
I'm not seeing where our explosive plays in the pass game are going to come from. We've heard mention of Jerald Robinson and Jeremy Jackson, but it seems like a pipe dream to think we're going to suddenly get huge production from either guy.
Can Darboh or Chesson step in and contribute early? Who knows. Hopefully one of them can step up.
Whether a playmaker emerges among our receivers will make the difference between an 8-4 ish backslide and contention for the B1G title. Pressure has to be taken off the run game.
Drew Brees is 6-0/209. I recall a discussion on BTN that the leadership step he needs to make is to go beyond having all of his teammates love him to being willing to risk some of that in order to push for improvements. Not a quote obviously, but that was the impression i was left with.
March 15th, 2012 at 11:04 AM ^
Why do people feel the need to get all up in arms every time someone states the obvious which is that Denard is not going to play QB in the NFL but could be a spectacular rb/wr. It's a great accomplishment to play those positions in the NFL - it means you are one of the most talented athletes on the planet. Just because it's not QB or not the position he played in college doesn't mean it's less of an accomplishment.