Devin Gardner Every Pass/Run vs. Minnesota

thanks for posting this, watching all of his plays again just gets me pumped for next season already. I'm not  looking past this one already but next year could be great.

5:00 minute mark - I almost forgot about this play. DG recognizes the offsides and takes advantage of the free play. Yeah it was incomplete but could have easily resulted in a P.I. Impressive QB instinct/IQ for a guy playing WR last week

It's probably been said (I haven't been stalking the board as much as usual), but does anyone else think playing WR has made him a smarter QB? I know it was speculated that next season it might when he moves back, but I think it's showing that it has already. Maybe he would have made the same developments playing a full season at QB, but I think understanding the receiver position first hand can help a QB make better reads and decisions.

I love Denard and everything he's done.

That said, when next year rolls around, I'm very excited about the move to the pro style offense.  Whether it's Devin, Russ, or Shane, we'll have a QB that thinks like a QB, and I'm looking forward to that.

As for this year?  Get healthy Denard.  Get your records, beat Ohio, and let's see if we can't sneak into the Rose Bowl.  Go Penn State!

Thanks for posting this.

One of the things that I really did like about about Gardner's performance in particular is that he is great and getting away from LBs storming the backfield and being able to make fairly sound decisions - he really seems to have good QB instincts despite comparatively little time (or this year, reps) at the position. The 3rd and 17 play which went from possibly nothing to a bomb to Dileo for a TD is an example of that. Later in the game, there was also a 3rd and 4 where he almost calmly throws a dart to Funchess despite having nearly zero seconds to do so thanks to the coverage. For short notice, he really looked good overall, and this is very encouraging now that it has been said that he is in the QB mix for next season regardless.

where I'm just like WTF, how do you defend against that?

It might be an apparition vs. Minny defense, but big improvement here with pocket presence and poise.  He's a junior, so not too surprised, but still.

Also, how tall is Gardner. He looks freaking 6 foot 9 in these vids.  Or is this the Lilliputian effect with Dileo, Gallon and V. Smith out there at the same time.?

For 2013 Michigan offense, I don't think Borges can quite shelve the spread option series, which personally I welcome.   If I want to watch pro set football all damn day long - which I don't because it's boring as hell - then I'll tune in to the NFL on Sundays.  

Awesome performance by Gardner, especially that throw to Gallon.  Awesome.  That was a Chad Henne deep throw.

But it's disturbing how much Michigan had to get outside of the normal frame of their offense.  Gardner is running for his life, improvising on way too many plays. 

Gardner definitely has a much higher ceiling than Denard IMO. I.really hope he gets that medical redshirt somehow. Next year might be tough sledding with big.question marks at OL & WR, but he could be a big time player as a redshirt senior when all the young talent starts to mature.

Snuck in a few Rawls carries at the end there. You sly dog.

As I was watching this, two things stood out:

1) I really don't like calling out college kids, but boy Barnum and Mealer are weak spots on the line. They both get blown up or just miss blocks on a fairly regular basis.

2) Why can they not run a roll out or bootleg which doesn't immediately get pressure in the QB's face? Other teams run these plays and they work. Is it because teams play contain so much it's inevitable?

Oh yeah, Devin did well given the circumstances.

You made us proud.

As the year's come along, Roundtree has been doing a better Junior Hemingway impersonation.  He doesn't quite have the same athleticism, but he's learning to use his body to shield defenders from the ball.  He's hauled in three deep balls in the last two weeks (though one was inexplicably overturned), all in tight coverage.