Missing Denard
So now, Hoke is 20-4 with Denard and 12-11 without him as our QB. I remember back when it was senior day vs Iowa and a friend and I were talking about Denard. He said that 10-15 years from now Michigan fans will say "remember when we had Denard Robinson, that guy was special." Obviously we both expected to have better 2013 and 2014 seasons and therefore thought that Denard wouldnt be missed much. However, 2 years later, I already miss Denard.
September 21st, 2014 at 1:17 PM ^
2011 also was the best OL of the bunch. We see now much that changes a team now - Molk was a big difference. And DRob actually had a RB to help take some blows away from him and keep defenses semi-honest. Fitz was not the same guy after 2011. Injury and worsening OL slowed him.
Truth be told we have not had a pocket passer since 2007 and have been fitting square pegs in round holes in 2008, 2012, 2013, and 2014.
September 21st, 2014 at 2:15 PM ^
Tate could sling it though he is not a proto typical pocket passer. Those so called "Michigan men" Jansen, Brandy, and Dierdorf said we have not had a QB who could throw the ball since Henne. Never even mentioned Tate claiming we've only had DRob and Gardner. Were these guys so turned off by the RR hire that they didn't even watch Michigan football?
September 21st, 2014 at 1:53 PM ^
September 21st, 2014 at 6:06 PM ^
could have run for 1000 yds if given the chance. on wisconsin!!
September 21st, 2014 at 1:07 PM ^
He was great, but we won 0 big ten championships. I really miss Henne, Navarre, Henson, Brady, Griese, Grbac, Taylor, Harbaugh,Wangler, Franklin, etc
September 21st, 2014 at 2:17 PM ^
how many Henne won. He was 0-4 against OSU so I doubt he won one.
September 21st, 2014 at 3:49 PM ^
September 21st, 2014 at 3:53 PM ^
September 21st, 2014 at 3:51 PM ^
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September 21st, 2014 at 6:01 PM ^
you're missing one important factor, those other QBs had some good/great defenses behind them. if denard had just an avg defense, he would have competed for BIG titles each year.
September 21st, 2014 at 1:10 PM ^
September 21st, 2014 at 1:15 PM ^
So let me get this straight. We've now come full-circle as the wheels fall off Hoke that we're getting selectively nostalgic and "what could have been?" about Rich Rodriguez?
I just don't understand this fanbase anymore.
September 21st, 2014 at 1:27 PM ^
September 21st, 2014 at 3:03 PM ^
The difference between RR and Hoke is that not one other BCS (at the time) conference team would have hired Hoke. Now after Hoke is gone from here, not one power 5 conference team would hire Hoke. RR would have been hired by just about any BCS team before we did and when we let him go, RR was still in demand by BCS schools. He's already turned around a bad Arizona program.
Nobody in the country has ever thought Hoke was a good coach besides us.
September 21st, 2014 at 8:50 PM ^
He's already turned around a bad Arizona program.
The only thing that's changed is their scheduling; they've stopped playing the name-brand non-conference games like LSU and it's added an extra win each season. But schedule-adjusted i don't see any improvement.
End of season power ranking at Massey:
- 1990: 42
- 1991: 46
- 1992: 14
- 1993: 7
- 1994: 25
- 1995: 47
- 1996: 35
- 1997: 21
- 1998: 20
- 1999: 54
- 2000: 22
- 2001: 55 <- Mackovic replaces Tomey
- 2002: 71
- 2003: 90
- 2004: 63 <- Stoops replaces Mackovic
- 2005: 57
- 2006: 36
- 2007: 30
- 2008: 22
- 2009: 39
- 2010: 26
- 2011: 68
- 2012: 38 <- Rodriguez replaces Stoops
- 2013: 23
- 2014 (so far): 38
They had that one bad year, but otherwise they're right where they've been for the last decade, in the second twenty. If anybody deserves credit for turning that program around, it's Stoops. (Well, actually it's Larry Smith or Jim Young but who wants to look back that far?)
Or maybe you could say, just as fairly, that it didn't matter who was in charge as long as it wasn't John Mackovic. This list is amazing in its consistency except for his tenure and the two years it took to dig out from the hole he left.
The thing that leaps out at me, looking at this, is that in 2000 the fans were pissed and the program panicked and forced Tomey out...and they haven't a season since that was better than that one, which at the time was so disappointing. Don't it always seem to go...
September 21st, 2014 at 1:29 PM ^
I am not so sure everyone was for RR being fired. There was a large base that thought he should have stayed a 4th year.
September 21st, 2014 at 5:56 PM ^
until the miss st bowl game. to crap the bed again after a month to prepare was unacceptable. the team was now lost on and off the field. a change had to be made. RR rolled the dice with his bad D coaches and lost. unfortunately, hoke has done the same with Funk. and he is going to pay for it with his job.
September 21st, 2014 at 1:15 PM ^
I wasn't just his playmaking ability, it was his attitude. He had such a positive attitude that lit up the sideline. This team really could use a leader like that right now!
September 21st, 2014 at 1:33 PM ^
So motherfuckers ITT are taking wins against Ohio State for granted because they weren't "as good."
FFS this fanbase can go full fucking retard. You think OSU fans think less of wins against 3-9, 5-7, 7-6, 8-5, and 7-6 Michigan teams? Because you've been living under a rock if you think that's the case.
September 21st, 2014 at 1:50 PM ^
I miss Denard even when we win.
September 21st, 2014 at 2:17 PM ^
He made things happen that I thought could not have. He was a great playmaker. As I told my ND friends Denard is the most exciting player to watch. I wish we had a Denard.
September 21st, 2014 at 2:39 PM ^
When Denard scored his first rushing touchdown in the 2011 OSU game, I cheered 120% as loud as I could from Row 30 of the student section. That was a warm, bright and breezy day.
Fast forward to now. I have graduated, and time is a cruel bitch.
September 21st, 2014 at 3:08 PM ^
Denard has 7 carries for 29 yards today, early 3rd qtr
September 21st, 2014 at 3:12 PM ^
Your numbers are off. Hoke has coached 43 games, and yours add up to 47.
16-4 with Denard as a starting QB (if you subtract the Nebraska game of elbow death).
0-1 in games where Denard's elbow explodes.
12-10 since Devin became the starting QB.
Denard bailed out this cavemanball shit, repeatedly. Attempting to turn the #1 dual threat QB in the 2010 recruiting class into a pro-style passer is about one of the stupidest things I've seen.
September 21st, 2014 at 5:51 PM ^
except i think the dumbest is doing the same with denard who may be the #1 dual threat QB in college history.
September 21st, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
'Maybe all I really know about Denard is that he was a fine football player.'
"'You know more than that', my father said. 'He was beautiful.''
'
September 21st, 2014 at 5:47 PM ^
bring back the arm punt. actually, i'm serious. max protect and arm punt a lot more. if you're going to commit a TO, it may as well be a 40 yd TO. plus, with a guy like funchess, he can make a play and or get an interference call which can immediately get you into scoring position.
the D can keep you into games but the O and special teams keep accounting for too many negative points.
September 21st, 2014 at 6:20 PM ^
We are missing these at present.
Henne & T. Brady, guys who played in NFL.
I have to go back a ways to find an NFL RB from Michigan.
Denard, while absolutely mind boggling in college FB and a stellar young man, is neither a NFL QB or RB (athough he plays you know what I mean).
Get some guys of this caliber on O, keep the D going as is (I can see the NFLers there, Jake Ryan for one, Bolden possibly, Peppers, Mone) and we are going to be great. I don't think you need both at the same time, either one or the other can suffice.
D. Green I believe can get there but he's not there yet. While I love the fact guys pretty much can't hit him hard enough to hurt him, I don't see a slashing style of running yet.
Gardner, I don't think fits the bill as a future NFL QB, for the one reason he struggles to fit the ball into tight windows or loose windows. I think its his throwing mechanics. He should get a baseball glove on and play long toss with a baseball for a half hour every day until the motion to throw a long ball is ingrained in his muscle memory. A short ball takes the same motion just with less power.
The other thought I have is that possibly Nussmeier is overloaded, similar to the way I thought Hoke was overloaded last year trying to be a DL coach and a HC at the same tiime. I think the DL has taken a step forward. But if Nuss is trying to mentor 3 new QBs AND develop his new (to Michigan) offense on an entire set of RB/WR/TE/OL there might not be enough hours in the day.