Snowflake: would Gardner take a number change to the infamous "1"?

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September 18th, 2012 at 11:07 AM
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StephenRKass
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Snowflake: would Gardner take a number change to the infamous "1"?

It has become obvious that Gardner has mad skills as a receiver, and is only going to get better, as he gets used to running routes and has more practice with Denard.

It would be interesting to see what would happen if Gardner has an outstanding season as a receiver. He already has a good start. Would or could Devin be offered roster number "1" next year? More than that, would Devin even consider accepting "1," because that implies a tacit acceptance of a permanent move to WR.

Gardner has made clear that he is a quarterback first and foremost, and that he is receiving this year in order to help the team, and in order to get on the field now. All well and good. But based on the current season, and also the next Spring Practice (and how he does at QB at that time as compared to Bellomy,) I could envision Gardner being "strongly encouraged" to continue as receiver in 2013.

Obviously, this is all premature speculation. Which is what the internet does so well.

"It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up." Vince Lombardi

 

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September 18th, 2012 at 11:09 AM | Isn't 21 the new 1? (Score:1)
cheesheadwolverine
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Isn't 21 the new 1?

"I just hope Tressel doesn't fire me"

-Gordon Gee

September 18th, 2012 at 11:13 AM | He was pretty raw against (Score:2 Normal)
BlueBarron
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He was pretty raw against Alabama, and his two good games came against Air Force and UMass. I would hold off a bit until giving him the #1 jersey.

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September 18th, 2012 at 11:28 AM | Fully agree (Score:5 Normal)
StephenRKass
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I don't think Devin Gardner deserves the #1 jersey now. We don't know how the season will go. And Gardner clearly still has to work on his routes and his timing. My question was more based on potential:  I could see him doing very well this year, and POSSIBLY (not definitely) being someone Braylon / Hoke / Borges would consider for number 1 NEXT year. Normally, if that was the case, the jersey change would make sense. In Devin Gardner's case, it really depends on whether or not he returns to QB after Denard is gone. Which we won't know until at least the Spring, and possibly not until August next year.

"It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up." Vince Lombardi

 

September 18th, 2012 at 11:16 AM | Oh boy, this is going to end (Score:-1 Overrated)
September 18th, 2012 at 11:25 AM | I feel it is a fair question (Score:5 Normal)
Son of Lloyd Brady
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I feel it is a fair question to ask, especially considering the main question speculating on if Gardner would even consider taking #1. Obviously we can't know what DG wants, but if we can't speculate on this, why are we really here?

University of Dayton Class of '13 // The Twitterz

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September 18th, 2012 at 11:26 AM | Go jump in your pool, it's a (Score:5 Normal)
robbyt003
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Go jump in your pool, it's a legit question.  

“When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing” - Bo Schembechler

September 18th, 2012 at 12:18 PM | Go jump in your pool?  That (Score:1 Flamebait)
a2_electricboogaloo
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Go jump in your pool?  That sounds like a swell time!

USING GRATUITOUS AMOUNTS OF CAPS LOCK SINCE APRIL 2011

September 18th, 2012 at 12:20 PM | As long as he doesn't get wet (Score:2)
david from wyoming
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As long as he doesn't get wet and cold feet first.

Are you a park ranger at Yellowstone? Say hi to Yogi Bear for me. - the_big_house 500th

I may not be a 70 year old man. - Herm

September 18th, 2012 at 12:58 PM | check final 4 post (Score:2)
robbyt003
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check final 4 post

“When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing” - Bo Schembechler

September 18th, 2012 at 11:20 AM | Here's a thought (Score:5 Funny)
BlastBeat88
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How about you email Braylon and ask him?

No excuses. Play like a champion.

http://www.gundaymonday.com

September 18th, 2012 at 11:21 AM | Devin Gardner will probably play (Score:2 Normal)
BubbaT33
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WR at the next level anyway . . . why not make the switch now.  If he wanted the "1" he may just deserve the jersey by next year!

You have gotta' love this . . .

September 18th, 2012 at 11:21 AM | I actually like this one (Score:2 Normal)
Club2230
Joined: 01/13/2011
MGoPoints: 174

I actually like this one.  Sure he may be raw, but how do we know when someone is good enough to wear it?  It is ultimately a matter of opinion.  Gardner has stuck it out behind Denard, switched positions to help the team, and is good at his new position.  He has also not gotten into any sort of trouble or drama.  

September 18th, 2012 at 11:22 AM | Can a TE wear it? (Score:2 Normal)
MikeCohodes
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If Funchess is everything we hope him to be after 3 games this year, can they give it to Funchess starting next year for him to wear the next 3 years?  Or is it reserved for WRs only?

I think I'd still prefer to see DG return to QB next year (or the next 2 years, did he ever get that redshirt?) especially if we can bring another elite WR on campus with next year's recruiting.

 

Twitter:  @MikeCohodes

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September 18th, 2012 at 11:29 AM | Kramer's number (Score:3 Normal)
Wolverine 73
Joined: 08/03/2009
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If Funchess continues to play as he has so far, I would expect he ends up with Kramer's number after Moore graduates.

wolverine 73

September 18th, 2012 at 12:14 PM | Funchess any number other than 19? (Score:3 Funny)
death by trident
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No.  

This would cause Brian to have a seizure.

During the seizure Brian would develop an alternate personality.

Brian's alternate personality would go on a murder spree.

The murder spree would see him end 19 lives.

Please, for the love of those 19 random people.

No.

September 18th, 2012 at 12:57 PM | Unrelated Question: (Score:3 Normal)
MichiWolv
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Who was #5 at SMU when Craig James was there, and did he change his number?

September 18th, 2012 at 3:05 PM | I had this exact thought the (Score:2)
tjyoung
Joined: 08/23/2009
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I had this exact thought the other day.  I say give it to Funchess.

September 18th, 2012 at 11:22 AM | I think he has all the tools (Score:3 Normal)
MaizeNBlu628
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I think he has all the tools to do it. He's got great size, above average speed, and good hands.  If he wants to play in the NFL, my money is on he'd do it as a WR. That being said, I think a part of that depends on him. If he goes to the coaches after the season, and says "Coach, I'm going to commit to being a WR and work my tail off this off-season to get to the next level, I want that #1 jersey." I think he's got a good shot.

September 18th, 2012 at 11:29 AM | Does everyone forget? (Score:1 Redundant)
BlastBeat88
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One person now has more influence than anyone else in deciding who wears the #1 jersey, and that's Braylon Edwards. Whether or not Gardner approaches the coaches likely has very little impact on the number change.

No excuses. Play like a champion.

http://www.gundaymonday.com

September 18th, 2012 at 12:15 PM | I don't forget. (Score:1 Overrated)
French West Indian
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And I still think it's BS the rather sneaky way that Braylon managed to buy a piece of Michigan's collective tradition.   Yuck!

September 18th, 2012 at 12:21 PM | Yeah! Screw that guy for (Score:3 Normal)
david from wyoming
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Yeah! Screw that guy for donating a TON of money to the University!

Are you a park ranger at Yellowstone? Say hi to Yogi Bear for me. - the_big_house 500th

I may not be a 70 year old man. - Herm

September 18th, 2012 at 4:03 PM | You nitwit. (Score:1 Flamebait)
French West Indian
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Michigan is about more than money.

But maybe you didn't go to the real University of Michigan, maybe you were at Lloyd Carr's University of Michigan just like that classless fool Braylon and fail to see the larger issues at play.

September 19th, 2012 at 10:39 AM | Get... (Score:0 Flamebait)
September 18th, 2012 at 1:08 PM | He doesn't have as much (Score:4 Normal)
snarling wolverine
Joined: 12/14/2011
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He doesn't have as much control over it as people claim.  He endows the scholarship of the player who wears #1 - that's it.  He doesn't get to choose the player or anything like that.  He got upset when Rodriguez wanted to give the jersey to a DB, but it was not actually his call to make.  

September 18th, 2012 at 4:06 PM | Braylon may not have literally control of it. (Score:0 Overrated)
September 18th, 2012 at 11:27 AM | yeah considering the (Score:1)
russale2012
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yeah considering the competition he's played against, i'd hold off on giving him the 1 jersey for now.

i'd also tell you that he has every intention of returning to qb next year, and unless he goes megatron on everyone's ass, that's what i'd want, too. i'd like him to prove me wrong, but i don't think bellomy is anything more than a career backup, and i don't want shane taking the reins as a true freshman. depending on bellomy's progression, i think the qb job next year is gardner's to lose.

It's been a lot. Its been a roller coaster that for some reason seemed like it would never get good. But you know what? We kept fighting. It's like that old saying goes, "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions." -David Molk

September 18th, 2012 at 11:29 AM | We'll see... (Score:4 Normal)
Hagen
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The coaches will give Devin every opportunity to win the starting QB job next year, and Devin has repeatedly stated his dream was to be the starting QB at Michigan.  I think this is something we just need to wait and see on; if he wins the QB battle next year, that means he is our best option at QB and that's where we'll need him to play.  I agree that he projects best as a WR in the NFL, and that may be where he ends up at the next level, but plenty of guys have made the switch once entering the pros.  Let him try and win the QB job before we make any decisions.  If he doesn't win the QB job, but has put up incredible numbers at WR this year and improves tremendously on his route running and other areas he is still raw at, then let that be a discussion between Mr. #1 Endowment B.Edwards and the coaching staff.

Your father wouldn't want to hear this, Sonny.  This is business, not personal.

September 18th, 2012 at 12:52 PM | Word.  I'm a little terrified (Score:2)
turd ferguson
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Word.  I'm a little terrified about how much we're going to talk about this question beginning five minutes after our 2012 season ends.  We'll be officially Denard-less at that point and staring at nine months of no football with scary, unanswered questions at QB (one QB who might be a WR, one low-rated QB who hasn't seen much action, and no QB in the class of 2012).

The best-case scenario is that Bellomy looks great, Shane looks like he can be a solid back-up option, and Devin becomes #1 worthy at wide receiver.  The next-best scenario is probably that Devin looks great at QB and we figure out the WR situation from there.

September 18th, 2012 at 3:59 PM | Well how about a situation (Score:2)
Hagen
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Well how about a situation where Devin looks great at QB and we land a guy named Treadwell?  Laquon looks pretty college ready.

Again, this are things will work themselves out.

Your father wouldn't want to hear this, Sonny.  This is business, not personal.

September 18th, 2012 at 11:31 AM | Does anyone else get the (Score:3 Insightful)
joffle
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Does anyone else get the feeling, the way all this business with the special jersey numbers is going, that we're setting ourselves up for about a half dozen little mini Madden curses?

September 18th, 2012 at 11:36 AM | Nope. (Score:5 Normal)
jhender85
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Nope.

September 18th, 2012 at 11:34 AM | So Devin Gardner is taking (Score:0 Overrated)
September 18th, 2012 at 12:37 PM | He already has 1 more TD than (Score:1)
OmarDontScare
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He already has 1 more TD than Hemingway had all of last year during the regular season. He's by far our most talented WR and is only going to get better with experience.

Everyone agrees that Hemingway was pretty valuable last year, right?

I got the shotgun. You got the briefcase. It's all in the game though, right?

September 18th, 2012 at 12:42 PM | When Denard slapped on his (Score:2)
Run 2 Daylight
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When Denard slapped on his "F*ck it I'm going Deep" patch Hemmingway was pretty valuable. But with 34 receptions? That's not a performance that will be remembered two years from now. Put Devin on the '06 team and he doesn't see the field over Manningham, Arrington, and Breaston as it stands right now. 

Go Blue!

September 18th, 2012 at 11:35 AM | I have no issue with Stephen (Score:0 Overrated)
September 18th, 2012 at 11:36 AM | Um, what? (Score:2)
BlastBeat88
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1 and 2 were never retired...

I have no problem with the Legends patches as long as we don't have a crapload of them.

No excuses. Play like a champion.

http://www.gundaymonday.com

September 18th, 2012 at 12:03 PM | The word "are" should not (Score:1 Redundant)
mGrowOld
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The word "are" should not have been typed in that sentence.  I was referring to two separate points (the numbers 1 & 2 and unretiring of numbers) and mistakenly put a word in there that made my point confusing.

 

 

September 18th, 2012 at 12:03 PM | The word "are" should not (Score:1 Redundant)
mGrowOld
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The word "are" should not have been typed in that sentence.  I was referring to two separate points (the numbers 1 & 2 and unretiring of numbers) and mistakenly put a word in there that made my point confusing.

 

 

September 18th, 2012 at 12:07 PM | The word "are" should not (Score:2 Redundant)
mGrowOld
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AND I MEAN IT!!!

Holy crap....a tripple.

 

 

September 18th, 2012 at 1:37 PM | Free Presentation Tip (Score:2)
Everyone Murders
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Mgrowold is subtly giving us a free lesson out of  "Presentations 101"!

  1. Tell them what you will tell them. 
  2. Tell them. 
  3. Then tell them again.

This works especially well when you are projecting the arc of a football program based on jersey sales in enemy territory.

  • "Of course I care about that stuff.  To the point of irrationality.  It will always be Michigan first, cancer second."  Jim Mandich (RIP)
September 18th, 2012 at 11:40 AM | This is (Score:2)
State Street
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This is MGoBlog...unsurprisingly we are fixated on anything Michigan.

September 18th, 2012 at 11:55 AM | I see it completely differently... (Score:2)
jhender85
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I think this shows that we are less about worshipping our former players and more about honoring their accomplishments by letting players who are worthy in their own right create their own U of M legend with a little motivation from what's on their back.  As we've seen with other schools (expecially when it comes to coaches), it's the fan worship of athletes in the many forms that comes in that should be seen as a concern, not out current obsession with seeing what kid will best honor the on and off the field exploits of the players who came before them.

September 18th, 2012 at 12:33 PM | Mgrowold Avatar, Conflation of #1 with Legends (Score:2 Normal)
StephenRKass
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Mgrowold, where is your avatar? It renders your signature line meaningless. Go back to the block M bikini pic.

I also am on the fence about the whole thing with numbers. Retiring numbers, unretiring them, endowing them, legending them, restricting them in other ways  . . . I'm just not sure about where this is going. I'm holding judgement for a year or three to see how this plays out.

However, #1 is in a different category than "legends" numbers. To some degree, I think that #1 has become a monster and a problem. The kerfuffle between RR & Braylon didn't help. The longer you go without giving it out, the more of a problem you have with giving it out to someone else. I kind of wish that Mario had received the number. While he wasn't pure as the driven snow, neither were all those who have worn it.

Regarding Gardner, I reluctantly agree that he needs to be a QB next year, whether he starts or not. I can live (barely) with 3 on the depth chart, but not with two, and one of the two being a freshman. Imhe, freshmen QB's are ALMOST always a bad idea. There are rare exceptions (no strong, significant talent above them, very talented themselves, a team that is so experienced that a freshmen QB can't really mess things up too much.) These, however, are the exceptions, and not the rule.

"It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up." Vince Lombardi

 

September 18th, 2012 at 1:19 PM | Yes, other programs do care (Score:3 Normal)
snarling wolverine
Joined: 12/14/2011
MGoPoints: 4697

Yes, other programs do care about these things.  Ask Ohio fans about Archie Griffin's number.   Ask Syracuse fans about Jim Brown's number.  

It amazes me that people here seem to genuinely believe that we are the only fanbase that makes tradition a priority.

 

September 18th, 2012 at 11:47 AM | Not sure how he can be a receiver after this year (Score:5 Normal)
Gary_B
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Keep in mind that after this season is over, Gardner and Bellomy are the ONLY scholarship quarterbacks on the spring roster. Morris will not come in until the fall. As much as people think Morris is the next great Michigan quarterback, it would not be beneficial to have him start as a freshman.

Bottom line: Gardner is a full-time quarterback in the spring. You cannot run a team/practice with only one scholarship quarterback. We should all hope he becomes one hell of a quarterback (or Bellomy does) instead of him becoming worthy of the #1 jersey (absolutely no disrespect to the OP - good thought exercise and valid line of reasoning).

September 18th, 2012 at 11:56 AM | Numbers (Score:5 Normal)
Alton
Joined: 07/05/2008
MGoPoints: 988

It would be nice if we as a fanbase could get back to the idea that numbers are for player identification purposes only, and are not meant to indicate how good a player is. 

 

September 18th, 2012 at 11:57 AM | Maybe Funchess will get the #1 one day (Score:2 Normal)
bluetell
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For serious.

Rudy watches inspirational movies about Shawn Hunwick

 

September 18th, 2012 at 1:07 PM | True (Score:1)
BlueNation
Joined: 02/21/2012
MGoPoints: 285

They should have him keep weight at what it is now and have him be a permanent wideout. There's always more people to be recruited at TE. That guy is a beast!

September 18th, 2012 at 12:00 PM | The NFL is irrelevant (Score:3 Normal)
oakapple
Joined: 02/06/2009
MGoPoints: 1315

Gardner has already said, multiple times, that his dream is to play QB for Michigan. If the coaches think he is the best QB, they aren't going to play him at some other position so that he can improve his NFL draft stock. The coaches would love to be able to say they placed a guy in the NFL, but not at the expense of winning their own games.

By the way, some fans used the same argument to suggest that Denard ought to switch to another position, to make himself more attractive to the draft. Denard's dream was to play QB, and he was the best guy available, so he played QB.

Gardner will almost certainly be a QB in spring practice and voluntary summer workouts, since otherwise Bellomy would be the only QB on the team. Even if you think Bellomy will ultimately be better, you wouldn't want a situation where the job is handed to him without competition. Besides that, what if he suffers an injury, and then you've got nobody?

I also think Gardner will be a QB in fall camp, because no sane coach would want their only options to be Bellomy or a true freshman, even when that true freshman is a five-star stud. So by the time of the opening game next year, Gardner will have had plenty of time to show he is the best QB on the roster.

My own view is that Gardner will probably prevail over Bellomy, because he's a year older and has a higher athletic ceiling. But if he doesn't prevail, it won't be for a lack of trying.

Marc Shepherd
New York, NY

September 18th, 2012 at 12:01 PM | 1) This is beyond Snowflake. (Score:2 Normal)
Jskohl88
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1) This is beyond Snowflake. It's just a bad idea.

2) The word "infamous," by its nature has a negative connotation, so you might want to fix that. Proof? Proof: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/infamous

You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is never get into a land war with Asia. But only slightly less well known is this: never go in against a Sicilian, when death is on the line!

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