Eh, I didn't really think Hemingway had a breakout season in 2011. His breakout came in 2010. He only had 2 more receptions in 2011 and the same number of touchdowns.
March 19th, 2012 at 11:44 AM ^
WOTS for a while has been Jerald has been a bit of a headcase iirc. Good rule of thumb: receivers are early contributors or they aren't ever contributors. Obvs not always the case, but especially when it comes to the gamebreakers, early playing time is a good indication of talent and a lack in PT may indicate a corresponding lack in talent.
March 19th, 2012 at 11:49 AM ^
On the plus side, he has reportedly been getting better. I think the physical talent has always been there to be a pretty good wideout. I don't think he's going to be a superstar, but when he gets his head on straight, he could be a solid starter.
March 19th, 2012 at 11:51 AM ^
I liked what I saw of him in the spring game last year. Had some Avantian flashes imo.
If I remember correctly from Twitter reading, Jerald Robinson just had a kid. Maybe it will force him to get his head into gear.
If you need to learn WR routes, it makes sense you run them yourself.
March 19th, 2012 at 11:15 AM ^
If they were playing out of the Fritz, he might have split out wide after the snap.
Can we give him the #1 jersey?
/s
it as been reserved for Berkley Edwards, per his older brother
...players possible to win. putting DG at WR based on his abilty sounds great from a video game standpoint...from real life, and watching DR go down in the past quite often, im nervous that he is still 1 hit away from being sidelined and then what? Maybe Bellomy is good, maybe hes not. truth is none of us really know. i just have to say i am very hesitant taking a chance on losing BOTH DR and DG to injuries when they are the best 2 athletes.
March 19th, 2012 at 12:04 PM ^
So you are in favor of keeping your second best athlete on the bench just in case your best athlete gets hurt? Sounds like an ideal recipe for winning football games.
when yopur best athlete is a QB, and the 3rd option has never played a snap, and was only lightly recruited, then I don't risk the season on 1 player getting hurt. It's just too risky, especially because there are solid options at WR, like Roy, Robinson, Gallon, and Jackson.
If DG isn't able to make the field at WR because Roy, Robinson, Gallon, and Jackson out perform him this is really a moot point, isn't it? Also, there is no guarantee that Denard and Devin don't both get injured while playing the QB position next year. Coaches can't coach based upon hypotheticals. If they are asking kids to compete for jobs, they better be willing to put the best kids on the field regardless of situation or it comes off as sincere. If I am Devin and my coach asks me to not play because someone else might get hurt even though I am more qualified to play than someone else who is, I am out. The coaches have to do right be the kids too.
His overall rating just naturally goes back from 67 to 85!
I think people do think players are like video games, and they don't have to practice and stuff. Could he be getting passed, and isn't second string, so everyone wants him to get in at WR (and act as a 3rd string QB, which if you get there, you're probably screwed anyway)? Possibly. Could they just be testing him out to see how he does there? Sure. Could it be various packages to get him see the field? Likely.
But if you think the sure #1 back-up QB behind a smallish running QB starter is going to spend all his reps at WR, then step in at QB after having not practiced it in the Spring, Fall, or Season, you don't know how football works. Woodson only practiced a few plays with the offense, not splitting time 50-50, and he was Charles frickin' Woodson.
He could be buried on the QB depth chart (hard to say the first days of Spring practice) and seeing if a move is good for everyone. Maybe he just wants to play and they're not liking the redshirt chances. But the have him spend all his time is the receivers and just step in for Denard if he goes down, after hearing Borges talk over and over about how much they improve in the system after getting second year reps is just wacky. Trickeration and different packages? Sure. But that's not news.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:36 PM ^
Where exactly did I say have him move back to QB without ever practicing during the Spring or Fall until he is needed in case of a Denard injury? I believe what I said was that he ought to be somewhat familiar with what the WR do on every play so a transition wouldn't be that dificult, he could run snaps with the 1's at WR, yanno when Denard would be running the O and still take the 2nd team QB snaps. His time in Indy drills could be split to work on footwork and other technical issues at both positions. 7 on 7 he could do both, etc. I don't know how Hoke has his sessions set up as I have never watched a practice, but there are ways to get Devin work at both positions.
While I may not be the most brilliant football mind out there, I would think that my playing days in high school, college, and 8 years coaching with a high school team might suggest that I might have an idea of how football works.
If Devin can start and help the team at WR, I don't believe you worry about hypotheticals. That is my philosophy. It may not be yours. I'd rather attack with the best weapons you have and let the chips fall where they may as opposed to playing conservative because player x, y, or z might get hurt.
This type of thing isn't that unrealistic. MSU did it successfully in Nichol's first year at WR where Nichol was still the primary backup should Cousins go down. Ultimately, if the coaches see that there isn't much of an ability disparity between Bellomy and Gardner, this allows us to get a superb athlete with size and speed in a position of great need this year.
Just remember, Gardner playing WR doesn't necessarily mean that he will never play QB again. If Denard were to lose substantial time due to injury, I could just as easily see Gardner getting more reps at QB in practice and we go from there. If Denard is just sitting out a few plays, I would say it's not unreasonable for the coaches to think Bellomy (QB) + Gardner (WR) is a better combination than Gardner (QB) + ? (WR).
March 19th, 2012 at 10:17 AM ^
So your backup can still step in. That said, I don't like this at all.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:56 AM ^
Yeah but Randle El was the starter. That would be as asinine as Michigan moving Denard to WR. I get your point - it's possible to go back to QB after playing WR, but we're talking about a backup QB who is a great athlete. Why not get him on the field in a position where he can excel as opposed to waiting on the sidelines in case Denard gets dinged up?
March 19th, 2012 at 11:23 AM ^
Asinine, yes. But you have no idea how many times that exact move has been suggested by the idiots on this board.
I don't mind DG taking some snaps at WR as long as it is part of specific packages and not a complete position shift. DG is a great dual-threat-QB talent and he should be developed as such.
I remember T. Pryor catching ball for a TD. Tall backup QBs could have a role as a surprise WR.
BTW - Any news on DG's redshirt status?
Couldn't this just be another Denard-Devin package? The previous one had Devin at QB and Denard as RB (?). This one will have Denard at QB and Devin at WR. I don't quite see the big deal. Except if they both get injured. Then we're screwed. But that was a possibility last year as well.
I think it's safe to assume the coaches know more than we do.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:17 AM ^
Please stop making changes before we know the players capabilities. That is all, thank you.
As always,
Your Devoted Blogosphere
March 19th, 2012 at 10:50 AM ^
I'm pretty sure Hoke knows more about his players' capabilities than we do.
EDIT: Oops, I didn't see the post you were responding to. Sarcasm? I don't even know.... Mondays suck.
Could this be a devious way of getting Bellomy in at QB? This would at least get him some reps. Some say he is the best true QB for the AB offense.
No way that this is just a "trick" package; I wouldn't think that you'd give away a new "Fritz" package with DG at WR, especially on the first day of spring practice.
I think (if this is true) that he's probably there to take a majority of snaps, because it's not worth it to start training a dude as a WR if you're intent on him being back-up QB.
We are waaaay too thin at QB right now to do this for a season.
March 19th, 2012 at 11:13 AM ^
Are not most college teams "thin" at Qb in the sense that they do not have experienced back-ups? Think about when Harbaugh went down in 1984, or Wangler in 1980, or quite frankly last year with Denard, or for that matter how about when Henne went down in 2007?
Michigan is no thinner at QB than most college teams these days.
March 19th, 2012 at 11:58 AM ^
pretty thin at WR too. just a product of the attrition/talent problem RR was handed/helped create.
Did he actually run routes, or was he being used as a decoy/runner like DR was when he lined up at WR last year?
This is intriguing... would love to see both those guys on the field at the same time more just because of all of the options it then makes a defense have to consider. But I'm not sure what all the fuss is about as it seems to only be a slight variation on the some of the formations run last year with DG at QB and DR at WR... unless DG is actually running downfield routes.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:25 AM ^
Devin was running routes and was at WR the majority of the time so this sounds like more of DG being a true WR than the "special" packages they ran last year none of which were very successful IMO.
March 19th, 2012 at 11:36 AM ^
March 19th, 2012 at 12:20 PM ^
I seem to remember GBMW having an issue a few years back where they fabricated a spring practice report for a session they never attended.
dream scenario: gander turns into an all big 10 beast at wr, stays there for the next three seasons, shane morris comes in and starts as a freshman...
or am i crazy here?
March 19th, 2012 at 10:07 AM ^
Unless something changes, Gardner only has two seasons left.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:07 AM ^
Yes you are crazy, because we are talking about Gardner not gander.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:50 AM ^
my bad
March 19th, 2012 at 11:35 AM ^
Something makes me not want Morris to be able to start as a true freshman. I really want him to have a year to learn the system, and ideally, take a redshirt. But, if he proves to be capable, give him the reins.
Personally, I'd like to see what Bellomy can do before giving Morris the green light. Maybe I'm crazy, but I want him to at least see the field at some point.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:04 AM ^
Gardner moving to WR is the best move for Devin Gardner and Michigan football. As long as Bellomy is servicable as the backup QB, this is an obvious move.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:10 AM ^
Even if Denard gets hurt and Bellomy is the second quarterback, it doesn't mean that Gardner would not be able to step in if Bellomy is hurt or not performing well. I personally say why not have Devin play some wide receiver. Like Magnus said above, you get the best eleven guys on the field.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:10 AM ^
but yes, Dorial Green(-Beckham) is a wide receiver.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:16 AM ^
Perhaps it is a red zone package, seeing as how there are not a lot of taller WRs on the roster whose size could be utilized near the goal line.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:20 AM ^
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't spring practices for teaching fundamentals? If they were practicing trick formations, that seems a bit counterproductive. I think they are trying to get him reps at WR so that he can see the field, but also remain the primary backup for Denard.
If things go well with this, I would think that Gardner would make the full switch in 2013 and we have Bellomy and Morris battling for the starting position. I've been wondering if that would happen, but thought it was kind of a pipe dream until this came up.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:27 AM ^
I love how everyone is overreacting to something that may or may not be true. Also, to think that Russel Bellomy is better than DG at quarterback is nuts.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:38 AM ^
Is it that nuts? Is it nuts to think Chris Perry's backup (Underwood), a 4* rated upperclassman would lose the starting job to a 3* freshman RB (Hart)?
And we all know how that turned out. Point being, you never know when an athlete can "make the jump" and all of a sudden be a good player. Maybe this offseason was great for Bellomy and the coaches see talent there and trust him to be a QB in an as-needed capacity while getting Gardner on the field in a role that utilizes his talents better than being on the sideline with a clipboard.
March 19th, 2012 at 11:49 AM ^
but I like what I've seen from DG at QB in limited action. That kid is a gifted athlete. If Bellomy is really pushing DG for the backup role, that can only mean good things for team 133 & 134.