T-WOLF the worst part.
How did it get this bad. I mean, I know how, but I still can't fathom it.
How did an injury to a 6 game starter at CB, one of the easiest positions to learn, drop win-loss predicitons by 3-4 games.
I mean the announcers cant even say his name right, yet this is the most damning injury I can ever remember.
If nothing else, this finally puts into persepctive just how far the program needs to go. For gosh sakes MSU lost half their starters from a terrible backfield, and they were more equipped to handle the loss.
Please someone hold me.
August 18th, 2010 at 10:31 AM ^
Nevermind, I just played a whole season on NCAA11 without Troy, and I went 13-0. Natty CHA CHA!!!!
NO worries.
August 18th, 2010 at 10:33 AM ^
I think the point that you are trying to make is that the loss of T-Wolf really highlights how thin our experienced talent is at DB. If so, I agree.
I love T-Wolf - great kid, great attitude, fast as all hell and emerging as a real leader - but on most recent Michigan teams, he would have been the second if not third best CB, and his loss would have caused us to say, "man that sucks. Hopefully (insert player X) will be able to step up." On this team, is has caused PANIC and DOOM (which, by the way, I believe are warranted).
August 18th, 2010 at 10:38 AM ^
If we can stop the run effectively and put pressure on the QB we should be ok. We know we will score lots of points.
August 18th, 2010 at 10:39 AM ^
...is clicking on the thread and realizing the sheer repetitiveness of the statements. It's been done.
August 18th, 2010 at 10:39 AM ^
Is CB really one of the easiest positions to learn? (I don't know, I'm asking.)
If it is, then maybe there is hope...
August 18th, 2010 at 11:53 AM ^
Cornerback is known for being a position that has little difference between HS and College (besides obviously having to cover more talented players). There is very rarely a seamless transition, but it is a position that both mentally and physically can be adjusted to quickly... if the player was very gifted to begin with.
All in all, more often than not there will be bumps and a slight learning curve, but it can be done.
August 18th, 2010 at 10:41 AM ^
...on pins and needles this year as it is. Troy's injury creates more of a manic response than if we had been coming back from an 8-win year.
We'll simply instruct our D-line and linebackers to sack the QBs more. Problem solved!
Seriously, I think we'll be okay. We'll suffer a few defensive lapses, but we'll be okay.
August 18th, 2010 at 10:46 AM ^
It depends what you mean by ok. I think the best case scenario is a situation similar to last year's. Losing Warren and Woolfolk does not help. Playing 2-3 freshman doesn't help. The only one that has experience now is Kovacs. If by ok you mean the same as last year, where we suffered many defensive lapses, then it's a possibility.
August 18th, 2010 at 10:47 AM ^
If Woolfolk is out for the year, that'll be telling. If we find a quality replacement, that'll be telling. If we do worse on defense, that'll be telling as well. If we get better, also telling.
August 18th, 2010 at 10:56 AM ^
August 18th, 2010 at 11:02 AM ^
I'm not responsible for the "telling" thread.
August 18th, 2010 at 12:03 PM ^
Do tell.
August 18th, 2010 at 10:53 AM ^
I think that worst part is that he is injured and will not get to play.
August 18th, 2010 at 10:54 AM ^
When Drew Henson broke his foot in fall camp.
August 18th, 2010 at 12:09 PM ^
Except Henson's prognosis was that he was only going to miss like 6-8 weeks from the get go. The Henson injury was devastating, but the T-wolf thing is just driving salt into the open wound that is the CB "depth chart".
August 18th, 2010 at 11:15 AM ^
It's not that we lost T-Wolf. It's that we lost SIX (6!!!) players since last year from what was arguably our weakest position.
August 18th, 2010 at 11:16 AM ^
is definetely that Woolfolk getting hurt may end his career. Really feel bad for him.
I have been a 9-3 guy all along. Now I think 8-4 would be a GREAT season and would be satisfied with 7-5. I had our starting defensive backfield as Turner, Woolfolk and Dorsey in some formation. Man, was I way off. MSU is going to shred us on defense. Only chance we have is to outscore them.
And for those who doubt Woolfolk's ability, he was our best cornerback LAST year, not Warren. He also was our best safety.
August 18th, 2010 at 11:25 AM ^
...and that is when he slapped msoccer10 and said... "SNAP OUT OF IT".
MSU is not gonna shred us on D. The guys that Rod recruited will step up.
August 18th, 2010 at 11:54 AM ^
CB was going to be a position of infinite pain, with or without T-Wolf. Teams that have multiple receiving threats and half decent quarterbacks were going to get their yardage, and that is not going to change. Will we be even weaker without T-Wolf? Obviously, but I am not sure that it makes a huge difference, since it is likely that our pass defense was going to be a liability in any event.
This is not to say that our defense will be horrible. I expect us to be strong against the run, and I actually expect that our LBs will have improved significantly. If we keep a ton of pressure on the QBs (and with RVB, Roh, Martin and other, I expect that we will), that will limit the amount that our weak secondary will hurt us.
August 18th, 2010 at 11:35 AM ^
Donovan Warren left early for the NFL; Adrian Witty and Demar Dorsey failed to qualify; Boubucar Cissoko got kicked off the team, and JT Turner quit. Michigan could absorb one, or even a few of those setbacks, but not all of them.
How did an injury to a 6 game starter at CB, one of the easiest positions to learn, drop win-loss predicitons by 3-4 games.
Whether corner is, in fact, “one of the easiest to learn” is debatable. But in any event, no position in football is particularly easy. Certainly, you couldn’t just throw somone into the job who has never played corner, and expect he would be able to cover a Big Ten receiver for a whole game.
I don’t think losing Woolfolk drops Michigan’s win projection by 3–4 games. But when you bear in mind that the Michigan secondary was already quite thin, it is quite possible that multiple games could be on the line. In a close contest, if your corner gets beat deep just a couple of times, that could be the ball game.
August 18th, 2010 at 11:43 AM ^
If Floyd and jones or christian can hold their own and woolfolf's rehab goes well this will go from a position of weakness to a position of relative strength. I just keep saying this to myself over and over its sort of soothing
August 18th, 2010 at 12:19 PM ^
Maybe at least this happened early enough in camp for all the backups to run with the first defense and get used to the idea that its up to them a lot more than it was 24 hours ago? Offenses don't automatically run perfect plays, I still hold out hope that our line will dominate and our linebackers will make a big jump with the coaching change. Go Blue!