Props to Ryan Van Bergen

Submitted by Marley Nowell on

RVG deserves a lot of praise for the contributions he has made to Michigan Football.  He stay committed through 2 coaching changes, started for 3 years playing everywhere on the D-Line, and worked his butt off.  I remember thinking early in his carreer he was a nice player but nothing special.  This year he has made numerous big plays and looks like he could be a NFL draft pick.  Ryan Van Bergen is a true Michigan Man.

GO BLUE!

manchild56

November 13th, 2011 at 1:03 AM ^

was an freaking beast this week and really all year at that. I would love for both him and Martin to just be juniors. But seriously RVB has outplayed every thought in my mind of how he would play this year.

ken725

November 13th, 2011 at 1:11 AM ^

I went to his rivals page to see how he was ranked and was shocked at how different he looked back then.

I'm really glad that he stuck around this long.  I think his leadership has been very key for our defense this year.  

MistahChahles

November 13th, 2011 at 2:48 AM ^

...as much promise as our D shows, this post makes me depressed.  Our D-line has stepped up so much this year thanks to RVB and MM--it's been awesome to see.  I'm hoping Will Campbell can get it going a little more to mirror this next year.

In reply to by MistahChahles

Swazi

November 13th, 2011 at 3:33 AM ^

Yeah, I am also giddy with joy to see how Godin and Pip do under non-stop tutiledge from three (Hoke, Monty, Matt) DL specialists.

I can tell you this though.  The one leader on D I can call right now for next year is Kovacs.

manchild56

November 13th, 2011 at 1:21 AM ^

class will fit in nicely with the players we all ready have in there for next year. I just really hope BWC can grow into half of what RVB or Martin are and next year will be fun to watch BWC play. And I am salavating at the mouth waiting for these faster LB's who will be here next year. As sound as we are at tackling and forcing turnovers the only need I see to keep this defensive style and output up is more speed at LB.

FSPP-14

November 13th, 2011 at 1:23 AM ^

The guy has been a pretty low key player for most of his career, really flying under the radar but has always showed consistency and great leadership. A true Michigan Man

manchild56

November 13th, 2011 at 1:29 AM ^

but I gotta say I feel so happy for Odoms today. When he first came on a few years back I loved his play and then he fell behind Gallon this year. But still played his role and was always talking to younger players on the bench. To come up with the two huge catches today including that big TD. Coming into the game he had 1 catch 13 yards so here is a thanks for staying down to earth today and not giving up on your senior season Odoms.

justthinking

November 13th, 2011 at 1:55 AM ^

I said the exact same thing to my wife when he scored -- the TD couldn't happen to a better kid. Worked his butt off before his injury to see the field and make great contributions, only to get seriously hurt, miss games and drop on the depth chart. Persistance had some memorable payoff for him this weekend.

Congratz Tay!

jmblue

November 13th, 2011 at 11:44 AM ^

And Odoms's other catch this season came last week against Iowa.  So going into November, he hadn't caught a pass since week 6 (MSU) last year, when he broke his foot.  He's had some terrible luck with injuries: he got hurt in the final month of 2009, then missed the second half of 2010, and then broke his hand in this year's preseason.  It's great to see that he's kept working and has returned to the rotation.

NoMoPincherBug

November 13th, 2011 at 3:47 AM ^

RVB has worked his tail off and is a team leader.... i would not be surprised to see him play on sundays.... he is also very intelligent and well spoken.. could be a head coach someday

Chester Copperpot

November 13th, 2011 at 6:19 AM ^

Totally agree.  The most impressive characteristics of this young man don't show up within the white lines (though he played an outstanding game against the Illini), but have shown in his actions, leadership, and pride for the university.  He is a Michigan man to the bone, and I love rooting for him each and every Saturday.

LB

November 13th, 2011 at 8:08 AM ^

and leading the team out of the worst period in it's history. On top of everything else that happened, they had more abuse heaped on them by some of the fan base than any team in my memory. They were abandoned by alumni players who forgot about the team while expressing their own self-interests. It would take a book to do them justice. Bo would be proud of the ones who stayed.

randyfloyd

November 13th, 2011 at 8:10 AM ^

when he just jumped on Scheelhaase's back until he collapsed.

I couldn't find that one, but here are two others that he was in on (from the Detroit News gallery)

ggoodness56

November 13th, 2011 at 8:57 AM ^

You have been a shining light and a true leader. I hope you go on and get paid somewhere and have a fruitful pro career. I wish you had a Big Ten Championship. Also I would like to watch you have the game of your life against Ohio State. Destroy them!!!

Moe Greene

November 13th, 2011 at 9:31 AM ^

The Bacon book mentions Ryan as a player who was reprimanded for asking where all of the folks who came back to the program had been. Dude has stones and plays with fire.

Any of us would be proud to have him as a kid.

Mr. Yost

November 13th, 2011 at 11:41 AM ^

Molk, Koger, RVB and Martin have all been leaders.

 

And can't forget about some of the others who haven't contributed as much. Brandon Herron, Mark Huyge, and co.

Moleskyn

November 14th, 2011 at 11:18 AM ^

Amen. I can't speak highly enough of this senior class. If it weren't for their leadership, dedication, and commitment to the program, not the coach, Michigan wouldn't be in the position we're in right now. I would be beyond thrilled if they finished off their M careers with a trouncing of OSU, followed by a bowl win.

State Street

November 14th, 2011 at 11:30 AM ^

But it looks like our defensive depth will take a further hit.  Marvin Robinson has been charged with second degree home invasion.  http://14adistrictcourt.org/cases/docket/PEX.HTM.  Scroll down to Wednesday, November 16th.  Somebody with more power than I should make a thread on this.

Sorry to post about this, but if the Ringer stuff was up for so long this deserves a mention.  

Moleskyn

November 14th, 2011 at 11:59 AM ^

Careful now. Are we certain that's him? The name mentioned in the report is Marvin Eugene Robinson, but I haven't been able to find anything that states our Marvin's middle name. And there hasn't been a ruling on it yet anyway, so there's no need to raise questions about anybody's reputation before anything is really known. I would probably hold off on this until someone is able to 100% confirm it's him in the report, and once a ruling has been made in court.