Thank You, Denard

WORD.

Gosh, I'm going to miss watching this guy. I really hope he finds success in the NFL.

Earlier this week, somebody posted a video of an interview with Denard from his senior year of HS, after he had committed to Michigan. I was struck by how little his demeanor has changed, even after going through some of the most difficult times of his life. He's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of guy, and I'm glad to have been able to live through this time.

He will never be truly appreciated until he is gone. After over a decade of getting shredded by dual-threat QBs (Donovan McNabb, Brad Banks, Troy Smith, Vince Young, Juice Williams, etc.) many fans were clammoring for a weapon like that and we finally got one. Now those same people are dying to get rid of him because they want a better passer, someone who fits the system. After a few years of Shane Morris and other tall, strong-armed pocket passers, these people will inevitably complain about the staleness of the offense and the need for a QB who can run.

"Why can't we get someone like Denard?" they will say.

Well said OP.  The kid is special and will continue to  represent the University well for a long time to come whether he makes it into the league or not.  Just a feeling.

When I was a student at Michigan, I saw 6 different starting quarterbacks.

Denard gave us back the consistency we had been missing for a few years. And he was pretty exciting to watch, too.

Thanks for sticking it out Denard.

Wow, I am honored to have the opportunity to attend every single home game Denard has played in, as a student. Let's just say that tomorrow the Big House is expected to be very dusty. 

Well said OP!

This is not the first of these posts, and probably won't be the last... but I don't care, because each one is deserved.  Well said.

A duel threat QB is and always has been the hardest thing to defend.  So many guys have proved it, T. Smith (ugh), Vick, Young, Tebow, Crouch, the list goes on and on.  If you have a running game seperate from the QB, and the QB can throw and force defenses to defend both, but then he can also get out of the pocket and make plays with his feet as well...that is so hard to defend.  I personally hope we recruit more guys like Devin because of, well, what I just said.  Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited about Shane, but a QB than can do both is harder to defend.  

No doubt Denard will be missed.  What I will miss most about him though isn't his ability or big plays but his attitude.  He is just such a quality person.  I always enjoy hearing him speak.  He is so positive and upbeat with everything he says, and yeah, he's got that smile that makes you smile back at the TV like an idiot.  

Denard is not the best player I've seen suit up for the Wolverines, but no one has earned more of my affection.  It's hard not to use cliches here: he is a great representative of Michigan sports and the school as a whole.  From what I can tell, you'd want your son to be like him.  I watch every game he plays knowing that we'll never have anyone quite like him again. 

regardless of quarterback or not... we haven't had a weapon like Denard, period. He is that once in a lifetime, game-breaker. We've had speed before ( Fargas, and Baraka come to mind).... but it has never shown out or given us what we were lucky to witness with Denard. Hell, not many schools ever get someone like him.

I'm not sure we will ever see it (that speed, that ability) at Michigan again.

Back in the fall of 2010, I was at the worst point in my life and was just generally an all around depressed motherfucker who spent a shitload of time considering killing myself. One of the few things that got me through the practically intolerably long week was knowing that I got to watch three hours of Denard every Saturday. A lot of good things happened in the last few years and I'm fine now, but I'm honestly unsure I would have stuck around long enough to see them had it not been for Nard Dawg. So, I would like to extend the biggest most sincere thank you of my life to Denard.

/internetoversharing

his first play as Michigan quarterback September 5, 2009.

I watched the game with my father and brother and 6 year old son.  Most people in the Stadium, including my father, didn't notice the quarterback change for that series.

I remember saying to them: "There's a new quarterback in, Denard Robinson. He's really fast."

The way that place erupted with that fumble-turned-touchdown-run was just unbelievable.

My father was 71 and told me he had ringing in his ears for up to a week after.

It was a special memory.

Thank you Denard Robinson!

In the MgoPantheon, Denard and Charles will stand above them all.

"And here's to you, Denard Robinson,

Jesus loves you more than you will know"

I got to say man, you are a awesome QB. If you have an account and you are on I just want to tell you that you are a awesome athelete and that I hope that you are going to have a awesome NFL career.

Yes, thank you Denard. You've brought us lots of great memories on the field, and have represented so well the school we love.

Maybe it is because I remember Bo and being a bright eyed kid who loved everything he said, but these kind of posts bug me. It is all about the team, the team, the team. I've seen Anthony Carter, Jim Harbaugh, Anthony Thomas, Desmond Howard, Tyrone Wheatley, Braylon Edwards, etc., etc., come and go and it still has always been all about the team, the team, the team. Denard is a great player and he deserves an amazing amount of credit, but he does not deserve to be singled out to this degree. Do you think Jordan Kovacs, Kenny Demens, Roy Roundtree, Patrick Omameh, etc, etc, haven't given everything they have to make us what we are? Denard is a great player and he is leaving and after him a long line of Michigan greats will follow and also leave, but it will still always be all about the team, the team, the team.

Tomorrow at the Big House, I will untie my shoes...it is about all the seniors, but I will pay special homage to Mr. Lace...I'm hoping he somehow gets into the endzone...

Tomorrow. My son adores him, we went last week to the game and are fortunate to be going again this week. I hope my son gets to see him play live. He is 7 and is always talking about Denard.

I do love Denard; his game is bested only by his character and demeanor.  He is definitely the type of athlete I hope my children grow-up to be: fiercely competitive yet still joyous and light-hearted.  Heck, I wish I could be more like him in many ways (character-wise, although running a 4.3 40yd dash would be pretty sweet too).

Just a few thoughts:

• Notre Dame 2010
• Notre Dame 2011 (Under The Lights)
• OSU 2011
• 2011 Sugar Bowl
• MSU 2012

All are wonderful Michigan memories for me, especially being at both ND games.  And Denard is front and center in all of those memories.

Thank you, Denard. 

Gracias Papi

Sometimes I wish Denard would have left when RR did.  Selfishly, I wish I was able to see him in an offense that suited him for his entire college career. 

My own introduction to Denard  - I was at the September 5th, 2009 game, and long before I posted these sorts of things on MGoBlog (I did lurk here), I kept extensive stats on every game. Indeed, I fumbled around with the program and I wasn't even finished writing down his name in my notes when he scored on that 43-yard TD run against Western Michigan, and for all the games I have been at or watched since (all of them, in this space), he has been the most common name in those notes on offense. Granted, many of those notes are taken when our defense is on the field because Denard has been that mesmorizing. 

They will honor all the seniors  tomorrow, and they should honor all the seniors  tomorrow. They have stuck together through a lot and led this team through a lot.

On a personal level, my own memories of watching Denard Robinson in person in particular will always stick out in this era of Michigan football, and they all make me sit there and think, "Damn, look at this guy play...", and it is a good feeling which I will revisit from time to time. Personally, I do thank Denard Robinson for those electric memories, literally (on the neurological level, of course) and figuratively. 

Though tomorrow is your last day on the field you will always be a part of the family that is Michigan.

Play hard as you always do and continue to rep is well.

Thank you Michigan Seniors and Denard for everything that you've done, are doing, and will continue to do both on and off the field wherever your lives may take you.

Go Blue. Beat Iowa. Beat Ohio.

The only reason Michigan has been an 'entity' for the past 4 years has been because of Denard Robinson. He deserves so much praise on so many different levels. Denard Robinson is a unique individual and every Michigan fan should thank him for what he has done for this great university.

There is no question that ALL the senior members of Team 133 deserve credit for "holding the rope" for "The Team. The Team. The Team."  And for bringing pride to their families and the entire Michigan Family.

But I suspect that, to a man, they're all grateful that one young man from Deerfield Beach, Florida with a positive attitude and a smile that has captivated Michigan football fans and many of the nation's college football fans, and even brought recognition from the President of the United States, became one of their leaders.  Congratulations, thanks and best of luck to Denard and all the seniors on Team 133.

And all the other Seniors too.

Im thankful I have a TV, because there are at least 2 games left where I can send off one of the greatest Michigan players ever.  I will wait tell his career at Michigan is over before saying goodbye and all the onion stuff.

But the most important judgment is this: He was a better person than he was a player.  The exhilarating runs or thrilling come-from-behing victories are not what matters,  but the  commonplace moments that few see. The moments where Denard makes someone day with an autograph or a glimpse of his luminescent smile.

It's these unseen off -the-field moments that define Robinson's legacy as much as his heroic exploits on the field. Many a great player as worn the Winged Helmet, but few have possessed the elements of goodness and greatness as Denard has.