The Silent Commitment and other prospects after this afternoon's events

Submitted by James Burrill Angell on

Well, just when I was settling in for a quiet holiday weekend and my firm gave us a half day, low and behold, two more commitments. Thrilled to see these two join the fold. I have questions though:

1) I assume considering Funchess & Williams  are tight ends/offensive side guys, I suppose I am to believe that neither of these two are the post-Spring Game "Silent Commitment".

2) Does Hello Funchess & Williams mean Goodbye Southfield TE Ron Thompson?

Erik_in_Dayton

April 22nd, 2011 at 5:39 PM ^

http://www.wtka.com/index.php?fuseaction=home.podcasts 

If you go to the "Michigan Insider" section, you'll find free podcasts of all of Sam's WTKA shows.  They're usually uploaded by about 9:00 or so every weekday morning. 

Sam also has stuff behind paywalls on the Michigan Scout site. 

I like Sam a lot.  He talks to a lot of recruits and never blows smoke about recruiting when he doesn't know what he's talking about - or at least he sure doesn't seem to.  

Swazi

April 23rd, 2011 at 5:16 AM ^

Thanks!  Just downloaded it and about to give it a try.

EDIT:  How do you pick which parts of the shows you want to listen to?  Like if I just want to hear the recruiting round up?  I dont see any option for it right now, so it seems like you just have to listen to the radio station period, whichi sn't that big of a deal.

jmblue

April 22nd, 2011 at 5:26 PM ^

The Silent Commitment doesn't care for "offense" and "defense" labels.  He's like Charles Woodson - but better.  

He once missed a tackle - just to see what it felt like.  (He then chased the guy down to force a fumble, which he recovered and returned for a TD.)

He once recorded a sack, fumble recovery and interception - on the same play.

His thousand-yard stare has been known to knock ballcarriers down.

His 40-yard dash time is so fast, stopwatches can't be started before he's finished.

He bench-presses his teammates -while they're bench-pressing.  

He is known to play a mean game of backgammon.

He is so studious, he lectures as a GSI during haltime.

He's so knowledgeable, he teaches his coaches the playbook.

He's so positive, Fred Jackson asks him for good comparisons.

He's so frightening, Mike Martin asks him "for help on my game face."

He is . . . the Silent Commitment.

 

wlubd

April 22nd, 2011 at 5:06 PM ^

This is not the silent commit (that one's on defence) and the staff should still take Thompson if he wants. Question might be more of whether Thompson wants in or not with two TE's in the fold.

pasadenablue

April 22nd, 2011 at 5:11 PM ^

The "hello!" posts are your friends...

 

If AJ Williams doesn't move to offensive line (a definite possibility), the coaching staff is probably done at the position. However, I think Williams does move down (or at least become a very different type of tight end), and there's still room in the class for Ron Thompson.

Footballfan54

April 22nd, 2011 at 5:15 PM ^

Williams is not a lock to move to tackle, nowhere has that been said. There is a chance he could play either. The coaches have told him he could do either. I think it's safe to say the silent commit is Matt Godin as we've been told it is an instate defensive player. And if Thompson wants to go blue, no one will stop him. The staff has said they would take 3 TEs.

CincyBlue

April 22nd, 2011 at 5:19 PM ^

Rivals has Ron Thompson listed as a WR.

Devin looks like a WR in his video

AJ could be an offensive lineman.

Ron and Devin have a similar builds and weigh in roughly at 210 lbs. 

 

WolverineJet

April 22nd, 2011 at 5:34 PM ^

Yeah I think Sam Webb acidentally spilled that saying that Godin haw two visits in the next couple of weeks and it is known that the coaches told the silent commit to wait until the visits were over to make an officail commitment to them.  So it only makes sense.

jbibiza

April 22nd, 2011 at 6:01 PM ^

This has been well explained in earlier posts thanks to Magnus and others.  Godin is being recruited as a 5 tech which is really a strong side DE but in our 4-3 under it can be called a DT because the SAM linebacker lines up outside of  the TE on the same side of the formation... but he is really a SDE as is RVB this  coming year.

Captain

April 22nd, 2011 at 5:37 PM ^

I'm fairly certain the phrase is "lo and behold," using the seldom-used, archaic truncation of "look" rather than the antithesis of "high."

/pickofnit

jeffv437

April 22nd, 2011 at 5:40 PM ^

So we've taken 2 o linemen, then two line backers and now two TE's and rumor has it that the silent commut is a d linemen then who will be the second one to commit to make it a pair? Wormley, day Any guesses

neoavatara

April 22nd, 2011 at 5:46 PM ^

I get the feeling that out of Thompson, Funchness, and Williams, one of those guys won't be a TE...and it could be any of those three.  The first two could play WR depending, and Williams could be OL.  

purplepolitician

April 22nd, 2011 at 9:24 PM ^

I don't have enough points to create my own thread, but this probably deserves one:

 

http://puttingthekindebate.com/2011/04/22/2011-ndt-quarters-oklahoma-gw-vs-michigan-lz/

 

Video of Michigan debate defeating Oklahoma in quarterfinals of the National Championship.  They would go on to lose to national champion Northwestern in the final four...

It's kind of an esoteric activity that is difficult for "outsiders" to understand, but it's still interesting.