Free Rivals article about RR's concerns
Rivals posted a free article today regarding RR's areas of concern: http://michigan.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1109512 Mostly stuff we've already heard but there was this that I don't recall being mentioned this summer:
Rodriguez made it sound again like he wasn't convinced Campbell was in the best shape. "He got a lot of reps in the spring with Mike Martin [out], and I think he got better ? he's still got some things to work on," he said. "But he's a big, strong guy. Depending on what kind of shape he's in when we start will determine how quickly he can battle for that job. "If he's in great shape when we come in, he can battle to start. If he's not, he'll struggle until he gets in shape."
Considering we're really relying on Big Will to be the anchor in middle of the 3-3-5, it made me re-read it twice to make sure I read it right the first time. Other areas of topic:
Rodriguez is still seeking depth at a few positions - especially on defense - in addition to a kicker. He admitted the latter was the biggest area of concern. Brendan Gibbons will battle for the placekicking job. "Probably the kicking game, particularly field goals,"
Man I miss Hayden Epstein.
The coaches are "very comfortable" with J.T. Floyd opposite Troy Woolfolk at cornerback, he reiterated, and will have more bodies with the freshmen coming in.
Very comfortable? Glad someone is as I know I won't be for probably the whole season until play on the field settles my worry.
Woolfolk praised Robinson as one of the better receivers he'd gone up against in seven-on-sevens.
Edit: I believe he's referring to Terrence as he was mentioned a few sentences earlier.
August 5th, 2010 at 12:24 AM ^
Haha, every time I think about kicker concerns, I always wish we still had Epstein. It seems like that guy played for like 8 years. I've never been entirely comfortable with the kicking game ever since he graduated.
Also, those comments about Campbell are a little disconcerting.
I wasn't saying that Rivas or even Olesnavage were bad or worrisome. Just that I remember when Epstein finally left, there was a stretch of time with a terrifying lack of a kicking game. So now every time kicking concerns come up, I always kind of equate it to Epstein's leaving. He somehow stretched his eligibility into a decade long college career, he could find a way to come back.
(By the way, I did not know that Rivas is the leading scorer in UM history. You learn something new every day.)
I'm pretty sure Rivas would be able to anchor the D-Line with the 15 pounds he seemed to put on weekly. Excellent kicker I just remember thinking," why is our kicker getting so fat?"
that "The Horror" obliterated most M fans' faith in the kicking game forever. I remember that I had to listen to that one on the radio, and they lined up for the kick to win, which wasn't terribly long, and I said, "well, thank god THIS nightmare is over." Yeah, not so much.
I realize that wasn't actually the kicker's fault at all, but still, I've never trusted it since.
Sorry about the mis-spelled name... Still my favorite Michigan kicker of all time! He was the OSE - original space emperor
The Space Sultan of Space?
August 5th, 2010 at 10:24 AM ^
I agree and would add Mike Gillete to that list
August 5th, 2010 at 12:36 AM ^
Which Robinson was Woolfolk referring to there? Jerald? Denard?
August 5th, 2010 at 12:42 AM ^
I believe Terrence Robinson... he was mentioned in a paragraph back, but there's a quote about Kelvin in between so it got cut out.
August 5th, 2010 at 12:49 AM ^
Why not Jerald I remember him tearing up spring so it could be him. But I would love it to be terrence ever since dream shake I wished he would crack the lineup. Him and Gallon
August 5th, 2010 at 12:50 AM ^
Terrence is from my alma mater down in Spring, Tx and I have been waiting anxiously for him to get on that field and contribute.
August 5th, 2010 at 12:57 AM ^
Considering we're really relying on Big Will to be the anchor in middle of the 3-3-5, it made me re-read it twice to make sure I read it right the first time.
We're not counting on that. You might be.
Ummmm, he's a soph this year.
I understand that, I was contrasting what I was counting on with what I was hoping for. I was counting on him being the best back-up, and hoping for him to be a solid starter, both as a soph.
August 5th, 2010 at 10:08 AM ^
Except he's a sophmore this year ,so maybe you meant as a junior.
I still think it's a mistake not to start Campbell in the middle, based on sheer size alone if nothing else, and I'll say it over and over again. Alan Branch wasn't in the best shape when he was here either, but would you want him anchoring your 3-3-5 this year? Fuck "in shape." As long as he's not on rails on a regular basis, I'm fine with him in there, which also moves Martin to his more natural (and better) position of DT/DE. Shaun Rogers is a fat, out of shape lardass, as is Kris Jenkins. They're still considered two of the best NT's in the NFL.
I fear going up against a big power run team like UConn or Wisconsin with Martin and Banks inside.
August 5th, 2010 at 10:09 AM ^
I kind of look at it like Campbell could be our equivalent of a Sixth Man in basketball. He's able to play well for short stretches, but he's not consistent enough to be a starter. If our starters are Van Bergen, Martin, and Banks on the defensive line, then Campbell can be the stalwart when they rotate in a second unit. Otherwise, you've got Jibreel Black/Anthony Lalota at end, Sagesse at NT, and Banks at DT. None of those guys requires a double team, although I think Sagesse's a decent player and I've heard Banks has improved.
August 5th, 2010 at 10:39 AM ^
I mean, I see what you're saying Magnus, but I look at it like this. Campbell can play on running downs. Bring in Banks for passing downs. I realize that leaves the second unit quite thin, but I guess I would rather have an entire first team that require double teams, than playing a worse player (not a worse player in Banks, but a worse fit for the position anyway) so that you can have a better second team, that will hopefully see the field less than the first team anyway.
Look, I'm not on the coaching staff. I have no idea what Campbell looks like in practice. If it's a technique issue, if he's getting pushed around on a regular basis, then I am in complete agreement that he should not be starting. But if it's simply a case of not living up to a standard of fitness, I think it's a mistake.
I guess the question is, which (completely hypothetical) lineup do you prefer?
NT-Campbell (324 lbs)/Sagesse
DT-Martin (294)/Banks/Sagesse
DE-Van Bergen (280)/Lalota/Black
OR
NT-Martin (294 lbs)/Campbell
DT-Banks (274)/Sagesse
DE-Van Bergen (280)/Lalota/Black
August 5th, 2010 at 10:48 AM ^
Eh, agree to disagree. There's more than one way to skin a cat. I'm not saying your idea is horrible, just that I see it differently.
I might be in the minority, but size doesn't matter as much to me. Our defensive line was pretty good last year, and it was Martin, Graham, and Van Bergen (and Roh, sort of). I think Martin is the same size, but Van Bergen's bigger, Banks is heavier than Graham, and Roh is bigger. So it's an automatic upgrade in size.
Our success in defending the run will be determined by our linebacker play, not whether we have a 324-pound nose tackle.
August 5th, 2010 at 11:11 AM ^
I'll agree to disagree as well, although I certainly think that, while I agree the success in run defense will be on the linbackers, having a 324 pound nose tackle would sure help free up those LB's to run and make plays while soaking up double teams. I guess I just don't see Banks requiring a double team at all, and Martin, while he was certainly game last year at NT, was pushed literally ten yards off the ball against power run teams several times last year.
I guess I've always been of the opinion that you put your players in their best positions to be impact players, not the positions they happen to be the best at, ie. if I have a guy that can be great at safety, but above average at CB, yet he happens to be the best option at CB, do I play him at CB, or do I play him at safety? Personally, I play him at safety. That's the way I feel with Martin. I think he can be great at the DT/UT type position, but he can basically hold the fort and be above average/good at NT.
I'd also say that I think you could see Martin's production drop off a little this year (and potentially Van Bergen's as well) at the nose without Brandon Graham demanding double and triple teams. That NT position is going to see alot more multiple blockers this year than last year.
I guess my final concern is that Martin is a junior. So what, he's going to move to a new position as a senior? Or is he going to stay at NT even if Campbell is ready, and then we don't get Campbell full time until his senior year and gone? That would be tremendously irritating, and honestly my irritation would not be at Will, but at the coaching staff for wasting three seasons of mammoth. They say you can't teach speed, but that's crap. You can shave a tenth off a guy's time with the right training. What you can't teach is elite size, and Campbell has that at the NT position.
But all in all, if Campbell plays around 15-20 snaps a game, I'll be completely fine with it, whether he's starting or not.
August 5th, 2010 at 11:43 AM ^
There's no doubt that offenses will concentrate more on blocking Martin this year than last due to the loss of Graham, but the other three defensive line players (Van Bergen, Martin, Roh) from last year should be better. That's the way college football goes.
If Campbell is deserving of getting on the field, he will. I don't think you should worry about whether he earns a starting job as a sophomore or a junior or a senior. If he's a 5-star talent but 3-star Sagesse is outplaying him, the point is to get the best player on the field. The coaching staff isn't going to let a starter-level player waste away on the bench if he's one of the best 11.
Two points and then I'll stop:
1. If Rodriguez/GERG want to keep their jobs, they need to play the best 11, no matter what. If moving Martin to DT and inserting Campbell is what they need to do to win, then they'll do it. I think sometimes fans (and parents, in my realm) forget that a coaches main priority is to win. There are no ulterior motives when determining playing time. The kid is going to play if he's good enough (obviously, discipline/grades factor in).
2. The coaches have said in the past with other players, "We've got two we can win with" or "He's good enough to start but _________ is just a little better." Rodriguez isn't saying that with Campbell. He's very explicitly telling us that Campbell has work to do. So this won't be a matter of him wallowing on the bench because he's .04% worse than Martin. Rodriguez's statements make it pretty clear to me that Campbell has significant work to do on his conditioning and consistency.
P.S. If all you're looking for is 15-20 plays from Campbell, then I wouldn't worry. He's probably going to get at least that much.
Am I the only one who is disappointed to find out that Campbell is STILL not ready to be a starter on the DL? A 5 star soph who was an early enrollee with two spring sessions under his belt not cracking the lineup is a bit of a shocker to me.
Disappointed but not surprised. The times I've seen him he never looked near being in shape. Hopefully the fire gets lit and that changes...soon.
I'm not surprised/disappointed. He should only be a redshirt freshman.
I agree. I'm not sure why people are upset or disappointed when guys aren't starting as 19 year olds, 5 star or not. On good teams, it's difficult to make the starting line-up before your junior year, especially if you didn't redshirt.
Let's say he's a back-up who sees significant PT this year, then starts for 2 years after that. Is that really a disappointment? Many NFL players had similar college careers.
Well, if he isn't in great shape, we still have Sagesse there to anchor the line, I was under the impression that he had a slight edge to start, but Big Will would still see some snaps.
If Campbell's not anchoring the line, Martin probably will, not Sagesse
who took the bus back from the run to the Diag last week.
He better put it into a higher gear or he'll follow in the footsteps of Alan Branch and Gabe Watson, not Brandon Graham.
In Branch's defense, he was the guy who emphatically introduced himself to Anthony Morelli.
Normally love your posts Don, mostly because I feel like I need an oldschool guy to keep a young whippersnapper like me in line over the internet.
But Alan Branch? If our entire defense was as good as Alan Branch we'd be perfectly in line for a MNC run this season.
If you didn't see the link in MGoLicious the other day, Branch is having some trouble in the pros, because he's a little chunky.
sitting in the wings waiting a chance is the walk on kicker from AA Pioneer. the kid was all state and is coming out of high school with some pretty good stats. who knows about college?
The knock on Will has always been that he just dominated in High School by standing straight up and pushing little guys around like toys. Now he's got to learn to use leverage, learn to use his hips better, bend and explode, rip and swim, and really just get all the technique down. If he does he will be in good shape to start
August 5th, 2010 at 10:10 AM ^
RR quote definitely seems to be alluding to conditioning, not technique.
"...until he gets in shape."
Although technique may also still be an issue, I think we can safely take away from the quotes Big Will is bigger than he should be
August 5th, 2010 at 10:38 AM ^
It takes a different type of shape to push from lower down. You have to stretch your hamstring, hip flexors, quads, etc. to get down into that lower position, then you have to restrengthen your muscles to push from positions that they aren't used to being in.
Just a thought.
Will looked like he was in very good shape to start last season. Has he put weight back on since last season? If so, sounds like he is going to be one of "those" players.
August 5th, 2010 at 10:03 AM ^
Is Will having problems when the coaches are not around?
August 5th, 2010 at 10:47 AM ^
I'm holding out hope that this is one of those "We haven't seen what condition he's in because, you know, coaches apparently aren't allowed to do that during the summer" thing and not a "Big Will's got some problems" thing.
Still not going to freak out, though, since he's just a true Soph.
Was just about to make that comment, Foote Fetish. +1 millliooooooon!