Is the Denard coverage too much?

I love the coverage, it masks the other problems the program is having overall. Another great example is for the Florida Gators, the Orlando Sentinel said today 16.2 percent of Urban Meyer's players have been arrested or faced a charge. However, winning and Tim Tebow mania have surely masked those problems from being the main talk about the Gators.

In a situation like this, when a titan like UM is down and begins to get up again, this type of media hype is going to happen.

As a coach and leader, it is RR responsibility to make sure DR and the rest of the Wolverines don't get caught up in this. He needs to keep them grounded in the reality and in the rest of the season. If the players get too caught up in it, we are going to lose again. And, in my opinion, it is his fault if they do.

It seems like he is doing a very good job of this too - hence the Tate Forcier stuff. With all the quotes from Tate's dad, I believe this is what happened. Hopefully RR can keep it from happening again.

That is my thought anyway...

He is not human.  He is a ninja robot made of dilithium.

Doesn't bother me in the least, and I would suggest it not bother you for several reasons:

• High school kids eat this up like I eat coneys at Mid-Town.
• Every dual-threat QB and proto-dual-threat QB not already tracking towards a team (like the kid from Ohio that OSU just got) will have Michigan at the TOP of his list. Excellent pipeline being developed at RR's most important position.
• DR seems able to tune it out.
• UMass and BG should allow the crazy talk to die down.
• I think it's really cool.

irony.

NO!!

It's good for two reasons, one aforementioned: Keeps the freep-related garbage to a complete minimum and national attention for our program will help convince recruits that they could eventually achieve the same stardom or attention.  

On the field it's a mixed bag. We (Denard) has more of a target on his back obviously.....but the schedule sets up perfect for us to establish the other parts of our offense over the next two weeks so I don't think one can really complain about how things have gone so far. 

Just as the UMASS qb said, Its just another game.

Ehhhh probably not. We just can't be 5-0 and then end up 6-6. Then we'd have to listen to Little Brother all year about being overrated and starting off well and then dropping off again.

....the coverage about whether the coverage is too much, is too much.

I love hearing good things happening to good people and DROB is that.

The fact that DROB said he doesn't even have cable is a plus. The fact that he has this attitude and Molk in his ear to keep him humble is refreshing

I would say the coverage has been lackluster.  Any time a player racks up 502 yards on you, you aren't covering shit. 

As long as it doesn't take away from the focus.

instead of "Rich Rod On Hot Seat" which has dominated the last 2 years of press coverage.

This doesn't bother me at all.  What will bother me is if Denard has good numbers but not insane numbers and the media starts to dog on him for that. 

Plus, Denard supposedly doesn't get TV or read that stuff so all the publicity probably wont get to his head.  Which is a bonus.

Double Post

It beats hearing about "embattled" Coach Rodriguez all the time.

Doesn't bother me, but it will be nice for it to cool down a bit over the next couple of weeks simply because I wouldn't expect DRob to get the number of carries against the next two opponents.

Don't stop til you get enough.

This media coverage is great. I think we'll have a good idea if Denard ever takes it to his head with something as simple as his body language or habits before games, or even the way he talks to the media. I'm not concerned.

I would watch ESPN-D, a network devoted to all Denard, all the time.

The coverage is fantastic!!!! 

After so much nagative coverage, this coverage is a welcome relief.    Besides, things will somewhat even out over time.   Denard quite simply has played as well as anyone IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY of college football.  That type of performance deserves to be talked about.    Denard deserves all the kodos he is getting right now.    But can he keep that going??    Likely not at this level but fairly close.   Thus, things will start to naturally even out a bit on their own.   He will be talked about  but a little less as the season goes along and he has those normal ups and downs that Coach Rod keeps telling us will come with such a young player.   He will likely continue to be a Heisman contender - just less likely to keep breaking records every week.   

Thus we have to strike now while the iron is hot.    We now have one of those rare players that we have seen periodlcally with other programs but have been wondering (ever since Woodson left)  when we would land such a player again.       Well now we have him.     Denard and the media attention that he is getting is great for recruiting and great for national perception of the program.     I say, enjoy every moment of it.... enjoy it while it lasts.        

This Denard hype machine is the best thing to happen to RR. If the hype machine can run through the end of the season, it will help recruiting a lot this year, and especially the year after. Recruits are paying attention.

Just a side note:    Denard is the first player in college football history to pass for 240 + yards and run for 240 + yards.   

Record setting performances will get great media coverage. 

There is a flipside sort of way to look at this too. It occurred to me this week is that non hard cord fan people have a huge appetite for more and more about Denard. The media being more bottom line then ever with the failure of all the old guard newspapers, is working to try and be out ahead of this stuff and maximize the revenue as it peaks.

They already have the hardcore Michigan fans, and they have the Michigan haters.  To us it could seem to be over-coverage.

The group the money media covets is folks who fit into these sects:

 general college football fans, college football/sports fans who will flip on a game occassionally but have no real stake in the results, people who do other things while their husband (usually) is watching and are not into the sport but like excitement in sports, people who would watch if others are watching too (the American Idol effect) and a huge group that I run into: people who are unaligned but identify with the Michigan brand and watch Michigan only when they are good and fun to watch.  These are the  people who tossed in the towel and watched like basically nothing after the bowl win over Florida, and who left this for dead under Rich.  Clueless as to why things were different because they didn't care to investigate.  They never even really checked to see game times or any of that the last couple years.

We're talking millions of people if you total all these groups up. Denard is really the primary reason to watch for all these non-hardcore fan demos.  What is he going to do next? Gotta see it. The explosion and potential play to play is pretty damn unique. Let's face it.

Just this week, I have had Michigan football discussions with between 10 and 20 people who fit into the above listed groups, where nothing the last two years.  They want to know game time, network and channel.  They are talking about Rich like he is some brand new coach and they are all positive. 

This is must see TV, especially in this State but more and more nationally. In fact, if it were not Notre Dame and it's huge Catholic following, but some other popular national program visiting East Lansing Saturday night, I'd lay money  that ESPN would trade with Big Ten Network straight up to do UMASS at noon.  The media is following the advertising revenue potential of Denard mania and using it's reach to ramp it up.

To me it is all good.  This team is either good enough to keep winning or it isn't. Extra media coverage like this can only help the program.

Anybody notice they are having more Michigan football discussions this week with people who they didn't know gave a damn?

It is always nice to hear UM in the news for positive achievements on the field, so in that respect I am fine with it.  I also think Denard will keep his head about him when it comes to national exposure, though I'm sure he has an ego and is enjoying the positive press as well (he needs an ego to be this good of a QB).  I'm sure the first game in which Denard turns the ball over 2-3 times or is held in check running the ball will bring out the negative tales, but that is the nature of the media. After two weeks, Denard is the toast of college football, and I'm happy for it.

Just win and nothing else will matter because everything else will fall into place.

It has officially gone overboard.  Two primary reasons. 

First, while Denard seems like a humble guy and the team seems to rally around him, the coverage is kind of seperating Denard from the rest of the team in the eyes of many.  To that point, Roundtree was phenomenal against ND, and came back from f#%king internal bruising to do it, but really not a word about such an effort.  While it does not look like it so far, I would hate to see some "what about me" type thoughts enter these players heads and contribute to lesser efforts.

Two, and only applicable to Rich Rod supporters through thick and thin, should the weaknesses on this team contribute to a less than great season from here on out, you can add the "how can that team not compete for a National/Big Ten Championship with a talent like Denard Robinson" to the list of Rich Rod criticisms.

I like positive attention to Michigan football, but it is starting to look like Michigan football is kind of beside the point, at least from a national perspective.

Keep the lever on the hype-machince at full throttled until further notice...

This is only slightly less than Tate had after two weeks. So yes, I think it's a bit over the top, but to be expected.

It's way too early to worry about whether or not Denard and this team can live up to the hype.  They've bought into this university, this coaching staff, and this team, which is most important.  Denard is a leader, and when your leader is as humble and non-attention seeking as Denard is then you're in a really good place.  I'm not worried one bit about this team.  Everyone should be excited going forward, this team is much better and much more focused then last years squad.  Hail Hail!!

This only helps the perception of us nationally and on the recruiting trail.

No, but only if Denard himself is immune to it.  Really glad he doesn't have cable tv.

Every year, some kid comes out of nowhere to become a huge story.  Might as well be our guy. 

im showering in that shit.