Football's Manny Harris?
Manny Harris is spearheading the basketball revival. Who will it be in football? It's much easier for one player to make a huge impact in basketball than football. And certainly Manny isn't doing it all on his own (Belein, Sims, et al). But when a program slips, it can return to prominence quickest led by a star. Is that player currently on Michigan's roster? Or is it Devin Gardner? I'd like it to be Tate or Denard, but I see them as Daniel Horton/Lester Abram types.
November 16th, 2009 at 10:54 AM ^
I would say Ricardo Miller. He's just got something about him, moxie, confidence, whatever. He's the one I expect to turn into the face of Michigan football wearing the #1 jersey in a couple years.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:05 PM ^
I think if any receiver were to wear the #1 it'd be Roundtree. Miller is good, but not great. I think it'll be very tough for any WR to get the #1 in a spread offense. I don't see why everyone wants a receiver to be wearing #1 at all times. It should be something that's given out very rarely, like once a decade.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:20 PM ^
? Miller is good not great? How do you know this? Your crystal ball? You might want to wait until he has a ball passed to him in college before you compare him to Roundtree. Would you have called Roundtree great when he was in high school?
And I am not sure why you say it will be difficult to get the #1 in a spread - RR has said numerous times it is a very adaptable offense in terms of the players he has on the field - if a #1 caliber player is on the field, and we have a QB who can get him the ball, you had better believe we will see the two connect on numerous occasions - as we have seen with Forcier and Roundtree lately.
Lastly - we should let the players' skills determine when the #1 is given out - not some irrational, formulaic approach like once a decade.
November 16th, 2009 at 10:55 AM ^
I think football needs 1 one on each side of the ball.
I still think it's Tate on O. We need to give that kid a lot of credit for the way he has played this year. Opened beautifully, almost single handedly brought us back at MSU, struggled for a few games and didn't let it shake his confidence and has bounced back with 2 solid games the past 2 weeks. Kid can throw and is going to be a tremendous field general over the next few years.
Don't know that we have it on D yet. Hopefully Turner builds on his talent to become a lock-down corner.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:02 AM ^
While it will take more than one player I agree that we must have at least one star on each side of the ball. I too believe that Tate can be that guy. He has played admirably for a true freshman on a bad team. Maybe on D a guy like Martin will truly become the star and leader of this team. He is a stud already he just needs to be more consistent and he needs some help around him. Defense has to have more than one star so I'm hoping that the whole D-line can step up next year and be the center stone of this D.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:08 AM ^
yeah, Martin is really damn good and i'm sure will continue to get better, by all accounts has a great work ethic, attitude and love of the game. I think we see Campbell make big strides next year under the guidance of Martin and Van Bergen.
couple years from now ('11), Roh/Martin/Van Bergen/Campbell will all be 3+ year starters, with Lalota in his 3rd year...that should be a solid line. hopefully we can build some depth.
November 16th, 2009 at 10:58 AM ^
Vincent Smith. I think he is a stud in the making. I like the way he runs and obviously he has good hands.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:18 AM ^
Brandon Graham is that dude. But you need a complete team. In 2006, people could torch 1 or 2 cornerbacks and that's all they needed to do to beat us.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:27 AM ^
can lead a team to a turnaround "the quickest" per se, but it sure helps to have them. At the end of the day, in order for M to become a contender for the B10 let alone any national title, the roster needs depth and experience. That reality is a couple years away at best. A star/leader can only take a FB team so far if he doesn't have the pieces in place around him. E.g., Brandon Graham has been dominant, but it hasn't mattered.
But to take a guess at your question, if you're talking about both physical talent and leadership qualities, I like the looks of Roh and Forcier.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:34 AM ^
Tate = too small to wear the shoes you require. Sorry, but its true. And that is coming from someone who is also vertically challenged.
My vote is Devin Gardner and Brandon Smith. In two years.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:45 AM ^
I wonder if the average UM fan understands how much of a debt of gratitude we owe Manny Harris? He could easily have gone to MSU, and might have gotten them over the hump in the title game, though that is certainly debatable. He pretty much had his pick of any program in the country and chose to help rebuild UM.
In ten or twenty years, when people are discussing the history of UM basketball, I think Manny will be seen as the player who did the most to help the program climb out of the hole dug by Chris Webber and Ed Martin. And if the NBA thing doesn't work out, I'm sure Manny will never be lacking in friends, employment, or business opportunities while he lives in the Ann Arbor area.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:25 PM ^
By extension, does that mean we all owe Tommy Amaker a huge thank-you, being that he's the man who recruited Manny?