John U Bacon- Denard Article
It's hard to believe we have to be told to appreciate this kid. Yeah, he may not make the perfect pass every time however I can't imagine any M fan not just loving this kid. We couldn't ask for a better face to represent our team, the university, and even our state.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120921/OPINION03/209210313/Some-Mi…rilliance-Denard-Robinson?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
September 21st, 2012 at 1:12 PM ^
I told my kids that his is his last year. They didn't understand and got a bit sad. I know exactly how they feel.
September 21st, 2012 at 11:59 AM ^
September 21st, 2012 at 12:07 PM ^
It has been years since I have posted about the character of a player. There are several reasons for this. One is that even people with good character make mistakes. Another is to avoid moralism. Another is that this blog is about football, and not character issues.
Having said that, what makes Denard so wonderful is that he not only is a great athlete, but all the other things. He is unfailingly polite, respectful, humble, applies himself as a student, not arrogant, not proud, aware of his talent yet not full of himself. He has a great sense of joy. He participates by going to basketball games. He signs autographs. He's not a carouser or partier or one I think will ever get a DUI. He has taken on the mantle of leadership, and was willing to speak at the Big 10 event in Chicago back in August. I'm not going to research this, but I think that many fans of other teams also like Denard. It is all these things that raise Denard above most of the other great Michigan athletes I know.
September 21st, 2012 at 12:16 PM ^
What Denard might have done had he red-shirted for a year, then played four years in the same system with the same coaches. You can see the improvement he has made under Borges since the start of last year. He should be a red-shirt junior now. The numbers he would have put up would be just staggering.
September 21st, 2012 at 1:23 PM ^
A) his soph year if we'd had even an average defense. He accomplished everything he did when Michigan was getting crushed on time of possession b/c the D could never get the ball back. STILL had 1,700 rush yds, 4,000 total yds, etc!
B) Had RRod returned for a 4th year. I am NOT saying he should have. I'm only saying...as good as Denard was last year, imagine if he had been in the same system, tailor-made for him, two years in a row? The same year Fitz broke out?
Again, I'm not pining for RRod; I like having a defense. Just saying that Denard's numbers last year could have really been off the charts, even more than they were
September 21st, 2012 at 1:31 PM ^
Imagine what he could do NEXT YEAR in his third season in Borges' system if he had redshirted in 2009. He wants to try to play QB in the NFL so I don't think there is any way he'd leave as he'd know that another year honing his skills as a pocket passer would only raise his stock. Oh well...whatcha gonna do?
September 21st, 2012 at 3:39 PM ^
For the defense that helped him win 11 games and become Sugar Bowl Champ.
September 21st, 2012 at 8:02 PM ^
Wins > gaudy stats
Denard in same system for 3 yrs, with seviceable defense > Denard in two different systems with bad D in 1st yr as starter
Most importantly:
Michigan under Hoke > Michigan under RRod
September 21st, 2012 at 12:35 PM ^
No matter how great you may think he is, he could go down as the first Michigan QB in the past, what, forty years, not to win a Big Ten championship..... so maybe you should save the praise, and put the attention to that fact.
September 21st, 2012 at 12:50 PM ^
Hoke is only the second coach since Elton Wieland's one season tenure in 1927 to not win a Big 10 championship. Let's save the praise and put the attention to that fact.
And if you're counting regular starters at qb, you'd need to include Todd Collins, Dreisbach (though he was the backup in 1997), and obviously Sheridan, Threet, and Tate.
September 21st, 2012 at 12:53 PM ^
Honestly dude, it's comments like this that are EXACTLY what disgusts me so much about many so-called, "Michigan Fans." The ONLY reason that Michigan is even in the B10 Championship race this season, and last season, is the play of Denard. He cannot do it alone, but he's come damn close to doing so.
Despite this fact, you point to the failure of the team and the program, as a failure of Denard himself.
Sad dude, really sad.
September 21st, 2012 at 1:44 PM ^
Yeah it's really annoying with these kinds of people
September 21st, 2012 at 12:53 PM ^
You're right. Damnit Denard, why can't you play defense too!
September 21st, 2012 at 12:55 PM ^
No matter how great you may think he is, he could go down as the first Michigan QB in the past, what, forty years, not to win a Big Ten championship..... so maybe you should save the praise, and put the attention to that fact.
September 21st, 2012 at 1:07 PM ^
Apparently he should have been playing CB and LB (simultaneously) as well as QB
September 21st, 2012 at 1:31 PM ^
First off, by all accounts Denard is a great person. I don't want to confuse that with any critiques of him as a football player.
The issue for me is if Denard was one of the all-time greats, we'd talking about all the amazing plays he made in big games, not games against UConn, UMass, and Notre Dame teams spiraling to mediocrity. Some of that is the result of the overall talent level of the teams he has played on, but it's hard to think of too many games where he went up against above average defenses and looked good.
September 21st, 2012 at 1:44 PM ^
Does OSU last year count? If it wasn't the greatest OSU defense ever, it was certainly strong, and that was, I think without a doubt, the biggest, must win game Denard had ever played in. (Imagine if we had lost that game).
Given how poorly our defense played, for whatever reason, he needed to have a great game and he probably had his most efficient game ever, if not the greatest statistically, though it's a sign of his statistical greatness that 14/17 for 3 TDs with 100+ and 2 TDs on the ground in the Game is so easily forgotten.
September 21st, 2012 at 1:52 PM ^
I diagree. For several reasons.
First, he looked great against Nebraska and OSU last year, who have above average defenses.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, you're assuming that your point is a statement against Denard, not against the Michigan team as a whole. This is my major issue with people that make anti-Denard statements -- not that you necessarily, anti-Denard, but your statement is.
Denard is one player on a team of eleven that play offense. He is the most important player, and the most productive player, but he is still only one player. Your statement is basically saying that Michigan should go up against above average defenses, and he should STILL be able to single handedly dominate those better defenses. That is asinine. When we see him dominate lesser teams, and not better teams, it's not because HE cannot perform against better teams, it's that the better teams are overall BETTER than Michigan, except for him.
This is the unrealistic expectation that people have of the kid when they make this criticism.
Charles Woodson was on the best defense in Michigan history. Do you think that he would have been so dominant, so "shut down" if the defense was Michigan Defense cira 2010? Imagine Denard with an Avant and Manningham to throw to. Imagine him with an elite Baas, Hutchenson, Long, Elliot, et. al., to block for him, and with a RB like Biakabatuka, Hart, or Perry to hand to. Then, if he was still not looking good against better teams, I think your point would valid. But, as of now, under the current state of talent on the roster ...not so much!
September 21st, 2012 at 3:49 PM ^
Not being happy unless they're unhappy. For a program that's been so successful, the fans really don't know how to handle success. Go take a look back after the ND game last year. All the bitching and moaning. Or ND the year before that. Or the year before that. Or OSU last year. Heck, I was down at the Sugar Bowl, and the fans thought it was a glorious OT win in the last game of the season with no more to prepare for. I come back hear and everyone seemed to be saying how much a BCS win sucked because the game was ugly. Like not winning by 20 was a sign we were going to lose our next big game against Signing Day or something.
On the other hand, I don't know where Bacon gets this-
And when the coaches let him roll out of the pocket, which is what he was recruited to do, his accuracy and touch increase dramatically. To see the contrast, all you have to do is watch the first three quarters of the 2011 Notre Dame game, when Robinson was utterly ineffective in the NFL set, and the fourth quarter, when the coaches let him loose, and he lit up the Irish defense for 28 points.
Brian has constantly pointed out that rolling out is bad for Denard passing and throwing, as it cuts down on the field options to throw to or take off. When his feet are set he throws better, and the pocket gives him better opportunities to have the field open up for him to run. Maybe he means shotgun vs. under center, but the recent stats showed he actually is a better passer (if not a better player overall, but he's talking passing) in the NFL sets. So I don't know where all that came from, but it seems like feeling that are at least a year out of date.
September 21st, 2012 at 4:26 PM ^
Just from memory of the big plays in the 4th quarter, I can't think of any that came from a roll out, save the Vincent Smith throwback screen, and in that case, the roll out was all about creating misdirection to slip Smith out the back of the play.
The TDs to Gallon and Roundtree were both drop back passes from under center. There was a bomb to Hemingway that definitely came from the pocket (can't remember if it was shotgun or not) as did the INT intended for Gallon that immediately followed it. The long pass to Gallon to set up the winning touchdown came when Denard stepped up in the pocket, not from a roll out. About the only pure roll out I can think of is the long pass to Hemingway at the end of the 3rd quarter, and that was hardly textbook as it ran Denard right into a huge amount of pressure that he managed to shrug off.
September 21st, 2012 at 9:50 PM ^
September 21st, 2012 at 10:12 PM ^
September 22nd, 2012 at 1:53 AM ^
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:05 PM ^
September 23rd, 2012 at 1:36 AM ^
De-sharted all over the field tonight.
September 23rd, 2012 at 1:43 AM ^
September 23rd, 2012 at 1:46 AM ^
It was Denard who was nasty tonight.