Denards Arm
I know Denard is injured, but I'm shocked(correction after the last 10 years I am more frustrated on the lack of imagination for this game each year I can no longer be shocked) that he did not attempt a pass in this game. After that 1st half the 4th down play was perfectly set up for a qb "oh noes". My understanding is that Denard has thrown in practice for 2 weeks and has warmed up before the last 2 games.
My question is for anyone who has been at the games the last 2 weeks. Has anyone seen him warm up? How bad did it look? Unless he was throwing the ball backward I think this was a horrid mistake. If he really can't throw worth a shit they should have let him throw a screen or heave it for a jump ball early to back them off. If he's just a little rusty then they should have sprung it in the 2nd half a few times.
November 24th, 2012 at 9:10 PM ^
They showed him throwing before the Iowa game and it looked awful. He was basically just sitting the ball on his palm and throwing it, nothing on it at all. No idea this week.
November 24th, 2012 at 9:13 PM ^
This might have been early in the warm-ups, but by closer to game time Denard was not taking his turn running the O when they were running pass plays.
November 24th, 2012 at 9:12 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 9:14 PM ^
Honestly, didn't even see him attempt a pass in warmups... if he did, as mentioned earlier, it was just a couple of palmed short tosses. He was definitely not in any of the passing drills.
November 24th, 2012 at 9:15 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 9:15 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 9:17 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 9:19 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 9:57 PM ^
November 25th, 2012 at 8:13 AM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 10:46 PM ^
Of course, that run took place in the final minute of the first half - normally an obvious passing situation - which made that an effective curveball playcall. (Also, two OSU guys that had a chance to tackle Denard collided into each other like a couple of cartoon villains.) I saw that as an awesome, but probably not replicable, play. At halftime the OSU defensive staff probably drilled into their players' heads that a Denard appearance at QB = guaranteed run call.
November 25th, 2012 at 12:15 AM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 9:19 PM ^
At the Iowa game, he didn't take any of the usual offensive warm up throws.
He probably sustained a neuropraxic injury to the ulnar nerve - often these take 6-8 weeks to recover fully. He could probably do simple light like hold a pencil after a week or so, but clutching a ball firm to avoid fumbling or throwing with velocity is probably unlikely. The good news is that if he was cleared to play, he probably doesn't have an injury which could be aggravated by contact.
I'm sure he did what he could. That run was terrific and it will be one of the highlights of his career to score in the shoe against the bucks.
November 24th, 2012 at 9:24 PM ^
I got to the Iowa game very early and did see him briefly attempt a few warmup tosses. He was laboring badly. It was pretty clear that he was not going to throw any passes in that game. He could not throw as hard as Bellomy or Kennedy - forget about Gardner. He only threw a couple and then stopped.
The stuff about him throwing passes in practice was probably just gamesmanship by Hoke.
November 24th, 2012 at 9:22 PM ^
Hopefully he'll be good in time for the Bowl game. If he can throw I say give him the start.
November 24th, 2012 at 9:26 PM ^
According to both Hoke and Denard postgame his arm wasn't injured and he could have thrown. Just no passing plays were called for him. All aboard, the Fire Borges train is leaving the station.
November 24th, 2012 at 9:29 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 9:44 PM ^
That's very hard for me to believe based on what I saw a week ago. Maybe his arm improved over the past week, but I'm skeptical.
November 24th, 2012 at 10:07 PM ^
Yeah I don't know what to think. I find it really shocking. Maybe Denard has confidence in himself but Borges just didn't think he was ready? You can watch the Denard postgame at mgoblue.com if you want to see it for yourself.
Player Postgame:
http://www.mgoblue.com/allaccess/?media=354645
Hoke Postgame:
http://www.mgoblue.com/allaccess/?media=354642
Edit: Also, Sad Roy Roundtree (from Player Postgame) makes me sad. :'-(
November 24th, 2012 at 9:52 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 9:27 PM ^
When he's had the ball the past couple of weeks, he's ALWAYS ran with it in his left hand. In addition to his lack of throwing during warm-ups, I have to believe that his right arm is still experiencing a lot of problems. I can only wonder if this has also compromised his ball security if he is always carrying with his less dominant hand.
November 24th, 2012 at 9:43 PM ^
He's always done that. Watch any film of him running the ball, and it's always in his left hand.
November 24th, 2012 at 10:10 PM ^
My bad. I guess that I, along with others who have brought this up, just never had a reason to pay attention to which hand he was holding the ball with until his throwing hand went numb.
November 25th, 2012 at 8:33 AM ^
Thank you! Announcers have had it wrong for the last few weeks. He prefers the ball in his left hand.
November 24th, 2012 at 9:44 PM ^
Am I the only one who watched denard run with the ball in his left arm almost every play the last 4 years not the last 2 games?
EDIT Apparently not beat by a second
November 24th, 2012 at 9:31 PM ^
Speaking of Denard, I was just having a discussion in a college football chat: what is it with dreads? You look back 5-10 years and very few, if any players have dreads. Now, it appears as though 5-15% do (especially for some teams). Is this a new fashion trend or is it special to some area of the country?
November 24th, 2012 at 9:55 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 9:49 PM ^
Denard has an arm this is true.
November 25th, 2012 at 11:05 AM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 9:53 PM ^
What happened to that dude who ran into Denard after physics class?
November 24th, 2012 at 10:08 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 10:49 PM ^
Waiting to call into another radio show.
November 24th, 2012 at 10:22 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 10:26 PM ^
Hoke said in the post game today that he can apparently throw...sighh
November 24th, 2012 at 11:10 PM ^
So if Lewan is a top 10-15 pick in the draft, why did we NOT run right over him for the short yardage plays ala Jake Long? I just do not understand how you do not run over a first round draft pick if your interior line is so weak?
Also, the fact that they could not use both QBs on the field at the same time is possibly the worst misuse of talent since the year of the Horror.
November 24th, 2012 at 11:49 PM ^
"Giving them more to prepare for" ala the Iowa game
Well if you're never going to use it but once all fucking season, how about you save it for the big game Al?
November 24th, 2012 at 11:58 PM ^
Denard threw maybe twice and they were 3-5 yard throws and they were weak. Then he just moved with the rest of the QBs. I'm no doctor, but my guess is he has surgery either now, or right after the bowl game and probably never throws a pass again.
Too bad really. He's a great kid with a huge heart and a lot tougher than he's given credit for, but he's just not a throwing QB. Round peg-square hole.
November 25th, 2012 at 2:51 AM ^
November 25th, 2012 at 8:38 AM ^
Well, considering we needlessly played him against Iowa (a game we would have won, anyway) and he left that game after tweaking his elbow injury, I imagine some of our hopes for Denard throwing the ball were dashed.
But hey...we'll always have that Iowa game, right?
November 25th, 2012 at 12:40 PM ^
Get over it.
If 4 turnovers are not committed by Michigan, this game does not end a 5 point loss.
So lesson learned, again, for like the billionth time - Hold on to the goddamn football. Particularly in rivalry games that you know will be tight.
I'm convinced that all of Michigan's players played their asses off in this game and Denard made some huge plays while injured. It's not Denard's fault that Michigan's OL didn't run block well in this game on critical plays. The UM OL didn't run-block well most of the year, as indicated by two TBs with only 187 carries and less than 600 yards rushing. Rememebr - outside of Denard, Michigan had no running game this year.
For those pissed off that Borges called plays to run right at the strength of the Ohio defense, just what in the hell do you think MANBALL is? This is EXACTLY what Schembechler espoused going into the 1969 game - "run right at 'em". Attack their strength. Carr/Debord was much of the same. While you are complaining, Hoke is applauding this playcalling by as "very Michigan".
Moreover, now that most of Rodriguez's spread and shred cruits are all but graduated out of the program- there's going to be a hell of a lot less counter, misdirection, and zone read option going forward.
Michigan has one more year of a mobile quarterback in Devin Gardner. Starting next year Michigan will probably be 90% NFL pro-set offensively, which means we're going to see a lot more telegraphing of what play is coming and a burgeoning insistence on brute-force attack by out-executing our opponents vs. deception.
In summary, get used to manball. Because there will be more where that came from.
November 25th, 2012 at 1:37 PM ^