Denard article. Genuinely sarcastic.

Submitted by Boss on
I am on a iPhone so I appogize for the lack of lead in info or good link. However there is an Article on Genuinely Sarcastic you may want to read this Sun night (or Monday). "The other Brian" used to post here often years ago and is a very good writer. Use the address below or click on the Genuinely Sarcastic link on the left hand side of the site. It's about number 16 and a long read. http://genuinelysarcastic.blogspot.com/2013/06/requiem-denard-robinson…

MGoManBall

June 9th, 2013 at 9:29 PM ^

I always enjoyed watching Denard because he was always one play away from making that huge play. It was hard to walk away from the TV because I was always afraid i'd miss something.

Then again, he also made me drink.. a lot... on Saturdays.

CRex

June 9th, 2013 at 10:05 PM ^

Denard is an oddity in that I miss Denard as a person and a player, yet I also hope never to see someone like Denard line up at quarterback again.  It's an odd dynamic, one moment you're thinking "We are so lucky to have this kind of playmaking ability at quarterback."   Four plays later I'm thinking "Someone get Navarre on the phone and see if he still has his deep ball and any eligiblity left."  

At the end of the day, Denard himself showed the potential glory of the spread'n'shred style of offense, the fact we relied on him so much led us to seeing more of his flaws than we might have in other eras when he would have had a larger offensive supporting cast to work with (and highlighted some of the recruiting issues we were having for awhile).  

I suppose I never want to see Michigan Football in a situation where we must demand so much production from one player ever again.  

M-Dog

June 10th, 2013 at 9:45 AM ^

"I suppose I never want to see Michigan Football in a situation where we must demand so much production from one player ever again."

That's why we love him so much . . . . he wsa put in that position.  And he delivered.

 

CriticalFan

June 9th, 2013 at 11:27 PM ^

Whatever your opinion of the subject, I think that the writing itself was quality.

I appreciated Denard for killing himself to save us fans from watching what would have been the second-best football team in Washtenaw County for 3 years. You might care more about what he wasn't, I appreciate what he was.

Gulogulo37

June 10th, 2013 at 5:20 AM ^

He said "strictly". Both matter. You're free to question Denard's legacy but at this point you're just being a dick.

Is Denard the greatest QB ever? No. But seriously, how do you have an argument about his stats with no one mentioning one of the most impressive single seasons statistically of all time? It turned out it was good RR got fired, but if he stayed, Denard's stats would have been unreal. They're already impressive. Yes, his passing left plenty to be desired, but he obviously didn't fit Borges' system. Obviously totally impractical, but if they had brought in Hoke and demoted RR to OC for the rest of Denard's career, no one here could sanely criticize him.

Furthermore, if we're trying to talk objectively here, you need to stop criticizing him for his record against good teams and other stats that are mostly dependent on the rest of the team.  (Insert favorite QB of all-time) wouldn't have taken Michigan to a BCS bowl or a win over Ohio with the defense RR was fielding. Give him that '97 defense and Denard would be an absolute legend. I hate when people have tunnel vision for simple numbers like NC's and Rose Bowl appearances as if no one else on the team matters.

Tangent: Sweet Jesus, how good was Barry Sanders?. If he had stayed in the NFL, he'd be the all-time rushing leader, despite playing with awful offenses.

 

ToledoWolverine

June 10th, 2013 at 1:42 AM ^

He may not have had the best stats against the tough opponents but he did have the ability to break a play every time he touched the ball. Wins and losses are a team measurement and I think the point is he didn't have the greatest supporting cast to excel in that category. However he made the best of it and gave his all to keep games close. He didn't play defense so I'm not sure how he can be held accountable for losses. Look what happened when he had a competent defense, 11-2 and a BCS win.

Magnus

June 10th, 2013 at 8:13 AM ^

He also had a competent defense in 2012, but he was still a poor quarterback. With a competent defense, he threw 29 touchdowns and 24 interceptions while completing less than 55% of his passes. I give him a ton of credit for his athleticism (speed, agility, arm strength, etc.), attitude, and leadership, but he was never a good "quarterback."

I think some people need to give Rodriguez a little more credit for what he got out of Denard back in 2010. He still played poorly against decent teams, but the numbers he put up were overachievement to a large degree. Rodriguez did a poor job in lots of ways, but he got the most out of Denard as a run/pass threat. That's because Rodriguez recognized his deficiencies and game planned for them, which is something that Borges struggled with at times. When Denard came out of high school, he was something like a 47% passer and averaged something like 4.3 yards/carry (those numbers might be a bit off, but I'm trying to remember off the top of my head from about 4 years ago). With a mediocre OL, mediocre receivers, and a mediocre Vincent Smith as the other running threat, Rodriguez squeezed 63% passing and 1700 rushing yards out of him. Kudos to Rodriguez.

Willis Ward

June 10th, 2013 at 11:47 AM ^

He was not a great QB.  But he was a great football player.  Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't he have 9 of the top 10 offensive yardage performances ever at Michigan?  If that isn't the makings of a legendary career at Michigan I don't know what is.

hackattack13

June 10th, 2013 at 6:05 AM ^

I thought the article was fitting.  Denard was a constant sparkle of hope during the darkest years of Michigan football in recent history.  He was someone that nearly everyone wished they were...the quarterback for the University of Michigan who enjoyed college to the max and was a great person.  Will he be remembered for his quarterbacking ability? No.  Does that matter? Not really.  Denard was more than just a quarterback and that is how he will be remembered.  He was imperfectly perfect and gave us moments/experiences that will stick with us years from now. 

In 30 years when I am telling my kids about my favorite Michigan players Denard will be mentioned.  I will tell them about how every time he touched the ball I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what will happen. I will tell them about his smile and love of the game. I will tell them about his shoelaces. I will tell them about seeing him at Wndys in the Union and at the Maize Rage being a genuine person who just loved the college experience.  I will tell them about how in the UTL game had one of the greatest single game preformances in Michigan history. 

DonAZ

June 10th, 2013 at 8:10 AM ^

You wrote:

Denard was a constant sparkle of hope during the darkest years

and

He was imperfectly perfect and gave us moments/experiences that will stick with us years from now.

and

I will tell them about how in the UTL game had one of the greatest single game preformances in Michigan history.

Bravo ... very nicely written ... that captures the essence of Denard very well.

I loved your phrase "He was imperfectly perfect" ... very apt.

As for the UTL game, that will go down as Michigan legend.  I recall watching that game, glued to the TV.  I was supposed to pick my wife up at the airport that night ... she had to wait over an hour until the game finished

I was texting a buddy back in Virginia during the game -- he's a big Florida fan -- and he reported they too were glued to their sets.  His 10 year old son, a big Gator fan, was jumping up and down screaming for Michigan.

Everything about that game says "Michigan Legend" ... and Denard was center-stage for that.

 

M-Dog

June 10th, 2013 at 9:52 AM ^

As long as they continue to show highlights of UTL (and they still show highlights of Wangler to Carter, so you can count on it), Denard will be a historical, legendary Quaterback for Michigan.  

I don't give a damn about all the stale QB stats you can throw out there.  That's not why I watch the game.  

Denard is a Michigan legend.

 

 

Smash Lampjaw

June 10th, 2013 at 8:27 AM ^

Imagine for a moment that Denard was able to transfer to AZ. The timing didn't work out, because of RR's year in broadcasting, but if he had landed the job immediately, who knows what decision Denard might have made? I think Denard would be finishing an all-time college football career, would be a Heisman finalist (barring injury), and not get drafted any higher. Michigan would be in great shape, too, with a more experienced Devin hitting it off with BorgesBall.

LB

June 10th, 2013 at 8:50 AM ^

as he related in the Eisen interview. This might be paraphrased, I did not compare it word for word with the podcast, but it certainly captures the essence.

In first meeting with Denard after he was hired, the first thing Denard said was "Coach, I'm not going anywhere. My dad wants me to get a degree from Michigan and I'm going to stay."

Wee-Bey Brice

June 10th, 2013 at 9:55 AM ^

To say that Denard wasn't a great Wolverine would be ludicrous. Lets not forget that we put way too much on his shoulders in the first place. Until Fitz' break out year in 2011 he didn't even have a legitimate back to help ease the pressure. Smith, Shaw, etc were just average backs at best. He was always required to do so much just for us to have a chance at winning. Regardless of the stats, what he was able to accomplish even in the last two years while playing in Borges' system was no easy task.

Der Alte

June 10th, 2013 at 10:58 AM ^

Denard's most important Michigan legacy might be the way he helped hold the team together after RR's departure. The runs against ND were thrilling, no doubt, as were the OMG UTL passes that ended up in the right hands. But the decision to stay in and hold on directly contributed to some wins the team might not have otherwise had, and bowl appearances that might not have otherwise occurred.

The decision to stay reflected more than anything Denard's character, a quality far more important than athletic ability and the quality for which he will be best remembered.

Willis Ward

June 10th, 2013 at 11:40 AM ^

he will be remembered as a legend.  Anthony Carter played on some disappointing michigan teams (for the Bo era) and is remembered as a legend.  Denard played surrounded by the weakest talent we have had in over 50 years and was THE reason we were competitive at all in any of those games.  People are entitled to their own opinions, but the idea that Denard's on the field accomplishments aren't enough to put him in the legend category seems crazy to me.

Further, in my life, there are only two performances against OSU that are in the same ballpark as Denard's in 2011 - Biakabatuka and Kolesar.

No one is arguing that he was among the most talented drop back QBs we have had.  That argument is a paper tiger.  What he was, was the best player we had over a 3 year period.  And, I think, the most valuable player to his team that I have seen at Michigan in my lifetime.  Woodson had James Hall and Marcus Ray.  Griese had Hutch and Backus and Tuman and Streets.  Henne had Hart and Long and Manningham.  Who did Denard have?  I don't want to take a dump on the players around him because they busted their asses for UM.  But give the not a legend stuff a rest.  Denard was Michigan football for 3 seasons.  It isn't his fault we were starting walkons on defense.

M-Wolverine

June 10th, 2013 at 3:11 PM ^

He won the Big Ten twice and won Bo's first Rose Bowl. 

And while OSU was almost assuredly Denard's best game, and an all time great....if you're going to say "ball park" you'd have to consider Chris Perry in 2003, Drew Henson in 2000, Desmond Howard in 1991, and probably as good Charles Woodson in 1997 who set up Michigan's touchdown, stopped a OSU touchdown, and returned a kick for a touchdown. 

Tater

June 10th, 2013 at 3:04 PM ^

The bottom line is that (IMO of course) we owe Denard a huge debt of gratitude for sacrificing a chance at great statistics to stay at Michigan and play in a system that didn't always play to his strengths.  

For those who harp on his "weaknesses," there is a great chance that if he had transferred to a spread school and sat out a year to heal nagging injuries, he would have put up some of the most prolific stats in the history of the game, and may have gotten a Heisman over "Johnny Football."

I would hope that even those who want to say that Denard wasn't the greatest pure QB at Michigan would at least recognize that he was a great player and an even better human being.