Interesting quote from Rod Smith on Gardner
Maybe this tips the coaches hand on a potential Gardner redshirt.
Question: Can you talk a little bit about coming in, in January? Obviously he just got here; what kind of advantage does that give him especially at a harder to learn position like quarterback? Rod Smith: “I think it’s huge. It gives him five and a half years of school to play four years. So he’ll get 15 spring ball practices under his belt. He’ll have all summer. He’ll get to work out this whole semester with Mike Barwis. So it’s huge. It’s almost like a season almost. It gives him a huge head start in his maturation process and development process that he could get acclimated to school and football.”http://michigan.scout.com/2/945057.html
February 9th, 2010 at 10:52 AM ^
I just had a flash of DG as a RS junior and senior and did the opposite of throwing up in your mouth.
Wait, that would be throwing up out of your mouth. I did whatever it is you do when you get a really amazing image in your mind and it makes you really happy and excited and anticipatory.
What's that called? Mind you, I've been married for 17 years...
February 9th, 2010 at 10:53 AM ^
I believe it's called going "from 6 to midnight"..
February 9th, 2010 at 11:03 AM ^
An orgasm.
February 9th, 2010 at 10:54 AM ^
I am guessing he is just talking about possibilities, but I would love for Devin to redshirt.
February 9th, 2010 at 10:55 AM ^
I think coaches use the "5 years to play 4" meme relatively frequently...
I'd love to see him take the RS, though, as long as the coaches are comfortable with Tate and Denard back there.
February 9th, 2010 at 10:57 AM ^
hopefully this happens. I think all offensive 2010 commits should redshirt. I don't see any really being able to contribute more this year than they could in their fifth year.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:19 AM ^
the best players will play, period.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:18 PM ^
Then there's a 98% chance you'll be seeing Devin redshirt. Let me rephrase that. There's a 98% chance you'll be seeing Tate start. There's always the possibility that they will not redshirt Devin and have him play second string. That would be a monumental mistake in my opinion, but hey, I'm not the coach.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:40 PM ^
I agree. But for DG the first part of spring ball will be used to straigten out his mechanics. The second half of spring ball for him will be used in learning perhaps 25% of the system. If he's really football smart you might be able to move that to 30%. Doubt that he will pass TF and DR this year but may be needed to play and thus burn a rs.
February 9th, 2010 at 1:53 PM ^
I'm not sure about the 25-30% estimate, in his interview on the front page last week, didn't Devin say the playbook was pretty much the same as what he ran in HS, just different names for plays and formations? Wouldn't that help him with exceeding the learning curve...
February 9th, 2010 at 6:22 PM ^
Cognitively, yes.
As far as execution on the field, only a little.
Keep in mind the speed of the game is a lot faster than HS on the D1 level. "Learning the playbook" doesn't mean just understanding what happens on a play, but being able to make reads and execute quickly. That only comes with practice.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:21 AM ^
with the exception of Hopkins. He seems like a guy that could immediately fill the big-back role for us, especially if something happens to Moundros.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:34 PM ^
He seems like a good guy, hopefully he'll do some big things.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:53 PM ^
I think Cox is going to fill the big back role. (not a penis joke, I really think he takes over for Grady/Minor).
February 9th, 2010 at 1:11 PM ^
So you think Cox can fill a hole?
February 9th, 2010 at 1:15 PM ^
He preempted you with an ellipsis, therefore, you must return to 5th grade.
Why fifth? Because I said so.
February 9th, 2010 at 1:16 PM ^
I've learned in my short time on this planet you NEVER pass on a dick joke.
February 9th, 2010 at 5:44 PM ^
dont think it is a matter of contributing more 5 years from now. With that logic, no underclassmen would play. The real question is; Will he produce more this year than others who play his position?
February 9th, 2010 at 10:58 AM ^
a done deal if he didnt miss speak. it will be interesting to see what happens if tf and dr cant get it done. i think the pressure for rr to win this year would force him to bring dg into the mix. i fully expect tf to be a heck of a qb though. i think people forget how young he is and what he was able to do this year. now hes around that 200lb mark and still is amazingly accurate should be a great year for him!
February 9th, 2010 at 10:59 AM ^
I don't see him getting a red shirt. The reason they worked so hard to get him in early, was the plan to use him this fall. I don't see him starting, but as a second or third option it definitely has merit. It also frees up Denard to do other things in the offense as well.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:07 AM ^
They did work pretty hard to get him in. But it might be more a risk-averse play than a signal they plan to play him.
There are also short on QB's. If Tate gets a serious injury in the beginning of the season, they will want to have Devin ready to play.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:14 AM ^
Enrolling him early also forces the QB competition to rise. By having DG here early to learn the schemes helps Tate and Denard get better also. If DG is the best option as QB come fall, RR will start him - but I doubt that happens. More likely is he redshirts unless some serious injury occurs to Tate.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:00 AM ^
DG being a RS next year has been tossed around quite a bit and it would make sense if a lot of "ifs" occur. Will Tate be that much bigger physically to absorb the pounding of a BT season? Will Dennard become an accurate passer, realizing his completion percentage in HS was in the 40's.
I don't think it takes much of a leap to believe that one of the reasons behind DB enrolling early relates to those points. I think "the future is now" is what RR is thinking.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:13 AM ^
Tate absorbed the "pounding" of the BT season quite well, even with a partially torn labrum, and as a true freshman, don't you think?
Who is "Dennard"?
Who is "DB"?
Devin is redshirting. If we see a true freshman quarterback, again, this year, Michigan is in trouble.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:22 AM ^
Absolutely correct.
I mean, look at the NUMBERS. Gardner is not substantially higher rated than Forcier was coming out of HS, and is actually much less polished and play ready. He probably DOES have greater upside, but there is absolutely no reason to think even for a minute, he would perform better than Tate did as a freshman, and certainly not better than Tate should this year.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:24 AM ^
for all the talk about tate being fragile, he never missed a start this past season despite playing the whole year at MAYBE 185 lbs. i'd expect him to play this next season around 200 maybe 205 and be fine. not to mention he didn't get injured from being hit, he jumped over a group of people to get into the endzone and landed on his shoulder, freak injury. tate will be fine
February 9th, 2010 at 11:40 AM ^
I agree - we don't want to see a true freshman QB this year. But I also worry about Tate and his 6'1" and 188 pounds listed on the roster. We shall see how much muscle mass Barwis can put on his frame, but until that happens, I wonder how likely lasting a whole season without an injury will be.
And yeah, I can see DG as a backup next year.
You know frigging well who Denard and DG are. Why be a jerk.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:41 AM ^
Mipsellings are annoying.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:53 AM ^
First off, there have been numerous posts on this site and elsewhere showing that there is little correlation between the spread offense and the QB getting hurt. In fact it's a little bit the opposite.
Tate will be around 195 and be just fine.
You are the one disrespecting the players on the team by not spelling their names correctly or even properly using abbreviations. No need to start calling names.
February 9th, 2010 at 1:34 PM ^
Guess how big Drew Brees is?
He's 6'0" and he's listed at 209. So he's 10 pounds heavier and an inch shorter than Tate. And he's doing just fine.
February 9th, 2010 at 2:02 PM ^
He plays in a completely different offensive system where he barely gets touched. Tate is asked to carry the ball and is definitely contacted more.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:11 PM ^
True, but he also plays in the NFL with bigger, faster, and stronger D-linemen. I'd wager the hurt put on Brees by Dwight Freeney was similar to Tate's load and the running he does against smaller D-linemen, LBs, and secondary.
The other thing to consider is Tate should be doing a lot less running this year as he gets better at the read-option. There were a ton of times in Brian's UFR where the correct read was hand it off since the DE wasn't crashing and Tate did the opposite.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:01 AM ^
It would be silly not to RS him this year, it's always better to play a little too late than too early as a D1 QB. Either way, it's really exciting to have somebody of his talent and intangibles on our side for the next 4-5 years.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:14 AM ^
His intangibles are truly off the charts.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:21 AM ^
Yup...he's a hard worker, loyal (no diva moments during his recruiting process) and huge upside (he can only get better with the proper mechanics put in place by our coaches), etc. I love it.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:35 AM ^
...intangibles are raw, but have a huge and coachable upside.
February 9th, 2010 at 2:18 PM ^
It is pretty tough to chart intangibles. But his measurables are great, and I agree that with all we've seen of his attitude, leadership, and work ethic he will respond brilliantly to coaching and be a phenomenal Wolverine.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:05 AM ^
If he comes out of the summer really strong, then he may win the starting position.
That said, if he doesn't and he redshirts, he has given himself an extra six months of eligibility, which will be really really good for Devin and us when he is a RS Junior and Senior (or maybe even before).
I would lay odds on the second being the most likely to happen.
And the opposite of "throwing up in your mouth" is salivating like there is a nice juicy [insert your favorite choice here] in front of you for the taking.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:05 AM ^
If he's not way above Tater, which he won't be, he'll redshirt, which is what he should do. Can you imagine how god he'll be redshirting and learning everything plus an extra year working out?
February 9th, 2010 at 1:37 PM ^
Can you imagine how god he'll be redshirting and learning everything plus an extra year working out?Best spelling error ever.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:08 AM ^
it's a hell of an ace in the hole to have the option to redshirt DG.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:19 AM ^
makes no freaking sense whatsoever. If Tate is injured and Denard can't get the job done, or vice versa, then RR might be forced to throw DG in there. However, anybody who thinks that RR really wants to start, or even play, a new freshman QB for the third year in a row is nuts. Some people just can't seem to dispense with the fantasy that pure freshmen can step right in and play QB in RR's offense like upperclassmen. They can play, but it will be like all freshmen, which means poor reads, bad throws, dumb decisions, and befuddlement in pressure situations. RR needs that like a hole in the head.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:31 AM ^
Word. If Robinson and Forcier stay healthy this year then playing Gardner will be a criminal burning of a redshirt. People might be eager to see him this year, but imagine if Gardner has no redshirt and then has a great 2013 season, then it would suck to not have him for that one more year. Imagine how much different things could have been for us if circumstances had allowed Chad Henne to redshirt and play another year in 2008 or imagine not having Todd Collins, Elvis Grbac, John Navarre, Brian Griese, and Tom Brady for their fifth year senior years.
February 9th, 2010 at 2:40 PM ^
Lived next to him in the dorm freshman year. He was nothing special his first four seasons and then won us a national championship. It always helps to have a fifth year, especially for a quarterback whose job is so complicated.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:19 AM ^
Whether it's this year or next year or whenever... When I think of DG on the field this is how I feel...
February 9th, 2010 at 12:38 PM ^
im going to have nightmares about that kid
February 9th, 2010 at 11:26 AM ^
The pressure to win now is too strong to red-shirt a player who is ready to contribute. What is "huge" is that coaches will learn this spring whether Gardner, and other early enrollees, are ready to contribute in 2010. If not, red-shirts are likely. In any case, the coaches will know what they have before summer camp.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:38 AM ^
I expect to see at least four or five DB recruits burn their redshirt and maybe one or two of them will start. Gardner is a different story though. For a quarterback, contributing either means starting or coming in to run situational plays ala The Wildcat. We already have a starter in Forcier and we already have a "change of pace" guy in Robinson. If Gardner cannot beat out Forcier for the starting job (I would put his chances at about 1 in 100) and if both sophomores are healthy), then his contributions will be negligible. Since Gardner might not be needed to start until 2013, burning a redshirt in this case would be a criminal offense.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:02 PM ^
I don't think that RR has the luxury of giving a RS to someone who can contribute at all next year. RR has to win a bowl game next year and will use everyone at his disposal to do so