Wasted Redshirts and Terrence Talbott
EDIT: Mr. Miggle below has pointed out that TT was only used in the first two games - I hadn't seen that = my bad. In that case it is extremely likely that he and the coaches will apply for a redshirt for last year and it will almost definitely be granted assuming that an injury was the reason he was held out thereafter. So hopefully a moot point about Talbott - but if the coaches do apply for his redshirt then it says that Hoke & Co. do not agree with the many opinions below that basically say: play the guy in two games without regard to losing eligibility.
The emergence of Terrence Talbott as a viable option at CB raises the old question about why coaches uselessly burn redshirt years. Talbott is a prime example because he is very young for his class (remember his older DL brother was in the same class) so a year of extra growth would have been beneficial. He was pressed into duty as a freshman due to the lack of DB bodies in 2010, but last year he was not needed so could have redshirted. Instead he appeared in TWO games on special teams with no stats and thus a year of elegibility for a CB who now appears valuable was lost.
We have seen this happen many times, and as mere fans it always seems like a form of insanity. The stock answers like " the kid worked so hard all year we wanted to reward him by getting him on the field" are lame in a case like Talbott's. Somewhere beyond the land of coachspeak there must be a real answer to this question. Wanna try this one Heiko?
I did not notice that it was only the first two games in which he played. In that case he is a prime candidate to actually get a redshirt for last year (if he wants one) and most likely will.
I think that for most players, this whole angst over burning redshirts is a result of the mentality that we all developed during the past 3-5 years of Michigan football, during which we have some of our thinnest, youngest, and less elite-talent laden rosters in recent history. Pre-2007ish, nobody ever worried about burned redshirts because when a kid graduated - even a multi-year talented starter, the next kid in line to take the spot was not a huge dropoff. Obviously, this is not always the case, because some kids are just so good that they cannot be easily replaced (think Henne, Hart, Long, Woodley, Graham, and many more), but in general, a graduating player would be replaced with a very capable, equally talented kid who already had a few years in the program.
During the past few years (and like for the next year or so until Hoke's first few classes fully populate the roster), when a kid graduated, the replacement options were usually (1) true freshman (often one who was far from college ready), (2) career back-up forced into action, (3) air, and (4) DOOM. As a result of this, I think that we have collectively taken on the view that a burned redshirt is a horrible thing. Going forward, I expect that our roster will be chock full of 4* talent with several back-ups at every position, such that when a kid moves on, the next kid up will not cause us to worry.
**One caveat:
All of the above, in my opionion, does not apply to QBs. That is the one position where a player will only continue to improve significantly with each year in the starting role. As an example, look at Denard. What a waste playing him in 2009. By the time he saw game action, the season was a lost cause. He got only a handful of touches, several of which had him just handing off the ball. Imagine if this coming season were only his 3rd season, and we had him for 2 more years.
Valid points, however; re: Denard, who would have played QB then? Would RR have started Denard over Tate with zero snaps the previous year? I think that TD on his first carry opened RR's eyes to the possibilities of Denard>Pat White. Giving Tate another year on Denard things might have worked out differently resulting in a transfer/change of position/etc.
Pre-2007ish, nobody ever worried about burned redshirts because when a kid graduatedNah - angst about burned redshirts is as old as college football. I definitely remember people stressing out about this stuff several years ago.
I think that redshirting should be the second option with the kid playing being the first option. If a kid can contribute in non-garbage time then he should play.