Fitz starting camp off with a bang!
Gets me pumped up for the running back competition this year...
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2013/08/michigans_fitz_toussaint_im_go.html
Love the confidence going into his final year.
Good for him. I'm eager to see him get back to his 2011 ways. Just the fact that he still has a leg after that injury is impressive enough.
have not watch the video....too squimish.
I think the picture was worse than the video. But the video was no picnic.
the cupboard is full
My how have our fortunes changed.
Fitz probably has developed a chip on his shoulder.
Fans and the media assuming Green is going to waltz right in and be the starter.
Chips are good. Now it's time for Fitz to eat. /insert Denard eating pic
is just one of many, many moves in the Green arsenal.
...what I am interested/concerned about is who will be the starter when the Bucks come to Ann Arbor in November.
Agreed. I hope Fitz has a great year but my $ is in Green to be the primary back over the course of the year.
August 5th, 2013 at 11:13 PM ^
I honestly have a good deal of faith in Fitz. I don't think that last year adaquetly showed off his talent as a back. The interior line was an absolute disaster. I think we see a performance from Fitz similar to two years ago, he is a good back. I know our interior line is all brand new, but it really couldn't be much worse.
Think the biggest area of concern is whether Kalis miller Braden start to mesh. Also, need to find someone who can pull to run out trap/counter game.
August 6th, 2013 at 10:31 AM ^
Remember, Borges's best year as an OC came when he had Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown splitting carries pretty much equally at Auburn. It's probably just coincidence, but Fitz is similar in style to Williams and Green is more similar in style to Brown. If both prove themselves worthy of carries it could be an awesome backfield.
I would take these numbers any day, particularly the one at the top of the page.
I was expecting a Vine of him dancing :(
I love how Toussaint was forced to run behind Elliott Mealer for 1 season and as a result 90% of the fanbase has written him off.
Pretty much nail on the head right here.
August 5th, 2013 at 10:04 PM ^
Were bad, when they gave Fitz an opening, he was often indecisive and too slow to get where he needed to be.
August 5th, 2013 at 11:45 PM ^
Didn't Denard run behind Elliott Mealer? That said...I think Fitz will come out with a bang this year...and would love to have that 1 - 2 punch with Green. I don't care who is 1 or 2 as long as they both are tearing it up.
August 6th, 2013 at 12:11 AM ^
A QB run is a better matchup, it's 11-on-11. An RB run is at a numbers disadvantage and usually easier for a defense to stop. If the run game is clicking behind a big OL its a different story.
August 6th, 2013 at 12:25 AM ^
...at end of year (behind Mealer)...and played the position well? I just imagined that part?
Here are the rushing numbers from the games Fitz played in last year:
Air Force: 214 yards gained, 6.9 ypc
UMass: 294 yards gained, 6.8 ypc
Notre Dame: 161 yards gained, 3.9 ypc
Purdue: 304 yards gained, 5.6 ypc
Illinois: 353 yards gained, 6.9 ypc
MSU: 163 yards gained, 5.4 ypc
Nebraska (with no QB for more than half the game): 95 yards, 2.6 ypc
Minnesota: 155 yards, 3.8 ypc
Northwestern: 133 yards, 4.2 ypc
Bitching about the way the o-line played last year is one of the dumbest and oddly most long lasting memes to ever exist on this website.
Sorry, but I don't agree.
You can see the huge difference after Denard gets hurt. The majority of the prior yardage was him. Once he swapped to RB the number becomes much less. When Denard ran. the numerical difference of the defense dissapeared. That's why the numbers prior to Nebraska looked good, but this was not a good line.
August 6th, 2013 at 12:59 PM ^
This is false unless the play is a read option in which the QB makes the right decision. Denard didn't run option much or have much success with it. When he was running it was usually a straight run which doesn't give the offense a numbers advantage. I think what hurt the non-Denard run game was running from the I and not zone blocking more. As Brian documented last year it was a mixture of bad line play and indecisiveness on Fitz's part.
That's not true. When Denard ran, the RB was blocking for him. When the RB ran with it, Denard was not blocking. The former gives a numbers advantage.
Get at it, Fitz. I hope you can regain 2011 form.
of his interpretation of Mr. Smith's finger guns.
August 5th, 2013 at 10:19 PM ^
He really looks like he's grown up since he's came to Ann Arbor. I think he'll have a great year, he just looks like he has this new found fire in his eyes. The best part is that he recognizes that he's the leader of a position with a lot of depth/talent and he's not just going to be a jerk to everyone else.
August 5th, 2013 at 11:07 PM ^
I remember reading about the 2009 class in the Freep (before I was literate with the interwebs, recruiting sites, MGoblog and such).
I pronounced his name as Fitzgerald Too-Ess-Ent.
August 5th, 2013 at 10:20 PM ^
Glad to hear he has confidence coming back from such an injury. Can't wait to see it on the field.
August 5th, 2013 at 10:59 PM ^
Hope Fitz goes out with a 1,000 yard season.
August 6th, 2013 at 12:13 AM ^
Fitz will be back. Green needs a year to learn from him.
All about the o-line. If they block well, Fitz and Green will be a great 1-2 punch.
Fitz will get the start each game, but the hot hand will get the majority of the work. If Green gets up to speed with all he has to do, and plays better, he will earn the majority of the plays.
But seniors, and especially those who fight back from an injury, get to have their PT too. If Fitz plays even ok, he will get some carries.
Thunder (Green) and Lightning (Fitzy) ... Sounds good to me.
I hope Fitz does come back strong with a great freshman campaign from Green. Its been a while since we've had multiple studs in the backfield.
Thunder and Lightning, baby!!
"There's more motivation (for me) to push (Green) to his full potential, because I know he's young," he said. "(But) I worked really hard throughout the offseason. I watched a lot of film. I lifted a lot of weights. I'm ready to go."
I will be excited to see Toussaint back out there again, and it is great to hear his confidence in this article as well. There were several articles throughout the spring and summer that talked about how well the rehab was going, but now that camp is here and we can see the results, it is great to hear "so far, so good" even if we're not terribly deep into fall practice.
Like someone else said, to read the words "the cupboard is full" was nice - looking at the names involved in the competition at RB, I would imagine that the staff likes their options immensely.
I think the best thing for the team would be for fitz to return to his former self with green still getting action to relieve fitz. If both those backs are on WATCH OUT!! Can't wait to start seeing some practice film
Hear this every single offseason. Show up for the real season and then ill get excited. I know he got hurt last season but he struggled in games and blaming the o line is not a complete excuse. With that said I hope he can remain the starter, but at the same time there is done serious competition behind him. So if he is having a bad year my faith in the teams running game will not fade away
August 6th, 2013 at 10:12 AM ^
Fitz with Devin as QB in 2012:
34 carries 193 yards 5.7 YPC.
The lack of a passing threat from Denard, rather than O line play, may have been the primary reason for Fitz' inability to run effectively early on last year. Also many running backs play better when they are the primary running option.
That article got me pretty excited.