Denard Robinson is fast fast.
Direct quote from Rodriguez; Troy Woolfolk is afraid that D-Rob holds the title of fastest player on the team.
http://www.freep.com/article/20090814/SPORTS06/908140390/1054/Is-Denard…?
August 14th, 2009 at 10:31 AM ^
I am actually a little surprised that Woolfolk is the current fastest player on the team though. I don't really know much about him but this surprises me a bit. I have actually been more excited to see D-Rob play that TF....I know that isn't the way most people feel but I really like this guy.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:38 AM ^
I think most of us are more excited to see the Forcier because he is a more polished quaterback and is likely to start. While Denard is faster and possibly the better athlete of the two, Tate is more a two dimensional threat.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:41 AM ^
I am equally excited to see both. The times they are a changin
August 14th, 2009 at 10:56 AM ^
Hey as long as you suit up in Maize and Blue I am excited to see you play. I have nothing against Denard, and think he adds an element we have not have had in a long time if ever. But at this point I am more excited about Tate because I have glimpsed what he can do.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:49 PM ^
Well said. I'm excited to see all these guys play, but with all the hype around Tate and the positive reports coming from practice & the spring game, I'm most excited to see what he can do...
August 14th, 2009 at 10:55 AM ^
Exactly. While I am looking foward to Robinson getting some snaps and running around, I can't get the image of Demetrius Smith chucking up 6 interceptions agains MSU. The thought of a purely running qb with the reigns to the offense terrifies me. I am thrilled to hear of Gardner's improvements throwing the ball, though, and am looking foward to seeing him as a junior. I think Tate's running skills are a little under-rated and hopefully he will have enough of the total package to give Gardner a couple of years to polish.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:50 AM ^
I have no images of Demetrius Smith doing anything. Who is he?
August 14th, 2009 at 12:14 PM ^
sorry, demetrius brown. Too painful to remember correctly
August 14th, 2009 at 1:13 PM ^
I think you have selective memory, so, with respect, let me jog your recollections:
The QB immediately after D. Brown was Michael Taylor. He was exclusively a run first QB. And he DID NOT LOSE A SINGLE BIG 10 GAME that he started.
Dennis Franklin?
So a pure running QB does not necessarily terrify me. Michigan has won big before with those skill sets.
So, drop your inhibitions, drink this maize and blue koolaid and enjoy the ride. Just dont eat the Brown Acid.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:51 AM ^
He ran track for the UM track team during the winter semester. He's fast.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:02 PM ^
I'm pretty sure D Rob was in Florida this winter...
nvm - you are talking about Woolfolk
August 14th, 2009 at 12:03 PM ^
I believe he was referring to Troy Woolfolk who ran track for Michigan.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:10 PM ^
I figured it out right after I posted, you are too quick for me...
Who's faster as responding to comments on blogs, you or D Rob?
August 14th, 2009 at 12:12 PM ^
I would have to put my money on D Rob. He has more dexterity in his fingers and is therefore able to type 300 words a minute.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:55 PM ^
D Rob's blog posting speed has been well-documented. He typed 892 WPM at this year's Extreme Typing Competition (good for second best in the nation) and won 2 AMC movie theater tickets for his efforts. Can't wait to get this kid in the fishbowl this fall.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:01 AM ^
Woolfolk has been mentioned over and over again for the past couple years as one of the fastest players on the team. I don't know why that's surprising.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:23 AM ^
Butch..."Dont call me Harold" Woolfolk's son?
Speed in his DNA.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:38 AM ^
it doesn't surprise me. I would also like Carlos Brown to be thrown into that race...
August 14th, 2009 at 10:44 AM ^
His state championship time was 10.44. Woolfolk's best time (listed on his mgoblue track bio) is 10.58.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:47 AM ^
Are they going to find ways to incorporate this guy into the offense if Tate is a solid #1? I would hate to see him ride the pine.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:53 AM ^
Yes?.. I'm pretty sure RR said something along the lines of "he'll get snaps." I know most are predicting him to get 5-10 snaps a game in various roles because he is THAT explosive.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:01 AM ^
I'm sure they'll try and work up something, but if you bring him in as a running QB, it's gonna be tough, 'cause the opponent will just stack the box.
That said, if you worked with him on getting a really, really nice deep throw, you might be able to fool a few people.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:07 AM ^
I know that RichRod has said that Denard is only going to be taking snaps at QB, he's not going to move to CB (at least not yet). I'm pretty sure that he's going to be the Wildcat formation guy.
My personal thought with every Wildcat formation, is that every time a new player is used in the formation, their first play should actually be a throw and not a run. I feel like that would help keep defenses more honest when they see a player like Denard taking the snap.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:17 AM ^
a) Are you "pretty sure" due to inside information or are you "pretty sure" due to a wild-ass guess?
b) The "Wildcat formation" isn't really a Wildcat formation if the guy you put in at quarterback...is your backup quarterback.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:19 AM ^
I believe it is called ISQD
August 14th, 2009 at 11:43 AM ^
I'm "pretty sure" on the basis that it would be the most idiotic thing ever in the history of mankind besides the god damned holocaust not to try him on a few plays if you're not going to redshirt him. That's only logic.
You can call somebody out if they make fact specific points without backup, but not if they're making logical statements that only a fool would deny.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:08 PM ^
Need I reiterate Denard's rushing statistics from high school? It's not like the dude averaged 10 yards a carry.
Rodriguez has never shown that he's a big fan of the "Wildcat." Yes, he used it last year with Brown and Feagin, but that's when his other QB options were Threet and Sheridan. So he put in a runner instead of a pocket QB. Tate isn't in the same mold of Sheridan and Threet and, therefore, doesn't necessarily require a substitution to be a running threat.
Or you can get angry for no reason.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:28 PM ^
I just tried to Plus One you, Magnus, and it gave you a Minus.
At the risk of being negged for talking about points, I need to bring to attention a possible bug in the system. Did this happen to anyone else?
August 14th, 2009 at 1:43 PM ^
Assuming you hit the "up" arrow and Magnus' comment appears to you with an orange "up" arrow, it's probably because other people game him a "down" arrow while you were reading. That is, in a popular thread may have multiple people reading and voting simultaneously. In the time you started reading this thread, at least two people gave Magnus a down vote so that when you gave him an up vote, the point total refreshed as a -1 vote (or whatever number appeared to you). I've seen in happen before, most recently in this thread.
August 14th, 2009 at 4:25 PM ^
It's more of a red.
August 14th, 2009 at 5:02 PM ^
Is that you?
August 15th, 2009 at 3:10 AM ^
You know it! ;)
August 15th, 2009 at 3:15 AM ^
Why do I get the feeling this is a Crying Game moment?
August 15th, 2009 at 3:23 AM ^
Just let it out naturally.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:01 PM ^
(or "D" for those MGoVatican City Residents)
This happened to me. I voted a post up, and it magically went up 4 points. I thought I had newly acquired superpowers until the more logical answer occurred to me.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:52 AM ^
Did anyone else happen to see the fake 40 time on Pryor? Supposedly, he ran a 4.33. The article commented on how if that was true, he was faster in the 40 than Bolt was for the first 40 of his 100 gold medal run.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:54 AM ^
Yeah it was mentioned a couple of days ago. Slightly ridiculous no?
August 14th, 2009 at 11:07 AM ^
Well, that would also mean that there are over 10 NFL players "faster" than Bolt. Remember - Bolt didn't run a 40 - he ran a 100. Would you say that Bolt would beat Michael Johnson in a 400 because he ran his 100M faster than Johnson ran the first 100M of his 400M?
Also, Bolt is a notoriously "slow" starter.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:17 AM ^
some guy breaks down various world record runners' splits and stuff
http://speedendurance.com/2009/08/06/40-yard-dash-times-for-usain-bolt-…
August 14th, 2009 at 11:28 AM ^
It always frustrates me when people try to compare these (or anything that's similar but fundamentally different) without thinking about the subtleties that separate the two. That makes it all the more satisfying when someone acknowledges the differences and at least attempts to account for them.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:47 AM ^
extrapolating from this article, it is nearly impossible for a football player to run anything lower than a 4.4 and highly unlikely that they ran anything below even a 4.5.
the trouble with 40 times isn't the actual metric though. it is a uniform standard that can be used to compare players.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:25 PM ^
Except that it isn't uniform. Most reported 40 times are hand-timed, and are thus dependent on the response time of the person with the stopwatch. Also, the type of track surface the player runs on can be a factor - there are "fast" and "slow" tracks.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:08 AM ^
Wow! I can't wait to see what he can do on the field. Go Blue!!
August 14th, 2009 at 12:17 PM ^
Denard showed doing his three step drop in the 'shaky jake' video.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:08 AM ^
I really really hope it's game speed, not just track speed.
I have every confidence that it is.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:14 AM ^
Why on earth would he be miraculously slower on a football field?
August 14th, 2009 at 11:21 AM ^
Pads, helmet, shoes, grass/turf, football in hand, not running in a perfectly straight line, worrying about guys trying to take your head off, etc.
You've never heard that term before?
August 14th, 2009 at 11:47 AM ^
The fact that it's a "term" doesn't mean it isn't stupid. Players who run fast...run fast. Period.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:17 PM ^
fail.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:17 PM ^
His highlight video is nice. He's not getting caught from behind.
Here's his highlight video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoZiQtlTauc