Who would win: Alumni or current team?

Submitted by StephenRKass on

In the thread about NJ WR Bo Melton, someone mocked Rutgers because a team of Rutgers alumni beat the active team in 1996. I was curious how Michigan alumni would stack up against the current team. Here are some possible guys who are former Michigan players. Some of them are active in the league, some of them are retired, but still in decent shape, afaik. I think they would make the nucleus of a pretty good team. Curious who you would pick to win.

On offense:

  • QB - Tom Brady (backup - Chad Henne)
  • WR - Devin Funchess
  • WR - Devin Gardner
  • WR - Jason Avant
  • RB - Denard Robinson
  • RB - Fitz Toussaint
  • OL - Taylor Lewan
  • OL - Michael Schofield
  • OL - Jake Long
  • OL- David Molk
  • OL - Patrick Omameh

On defense:

  • DL - Alan Branch
  • DT - William Campbell
  • DE - Frank Clark
  • DT - Mike Martin
  • LB - Brandon Graham (backup Brennan Beyer)
  • LB - David Harris (backup Cam Gordon)
  • LB - Jake Ryan (backup Kenny Demens, LaMarr Woodley)
  • S - Stevie Brown
  • S - Jordan Kovacs
  • CB - Leon Hall (backup Charles Woodson)
  • CB - Ryan Mundy

Special Teams:

  • P - Matt Wile
  • PK - Brendan Gibbons

I love what Coach Harbaugh is doing, and I love the current team, but I think they would get whipped by Michigan alumni.

EDIT:  I think it should be clear, but I'm asking, if the game were played RIGHT NOW, not when players were at their best, but today . . . say a month from now, who would win?

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StephenRKass

April 18th, 2016 at 10:27 PM ^

I don't dislike Magnuson and Kalis, but I'm not licking my chops at the holes they'll be creating for the RB's. Now, I'm excited about the DL. About the secondary. About our receivers, both WR and TE, and our QB situation. However, the OL remains underwhelming, and the LB corps is a big question mark.

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rob f

April 19th, 2016 at 2:15 AM ^

From reading the 'Player's Tribune' piece a few days ago, I'd think he'd still be in playing shape.

But as good as we're gonna be under Harbaugh, alumni win this battle in a big way.   From Tm Brady through the entire depth chart, there are very few positions that the current team holds an advantage at.

BTW, who's going to be on the alumni coaching staff?

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spigmoni

April 19th, 2016 at 7:40 AM ^

I know the spring camp/spring game caveat applies here but I'm actually starting to really like a LB core of McCray / Gedeon / Peppers.  My gosh, excited to see a healthy McCray play (knock on wood).  6'4 240 guy that can lay the wood and blow up the play? Yes please.  This may be a unit that athletically/physically is already better than last year's lb corp..  now lb discipline and reading the offense? TBD.  

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Wolfman

April 18th, 2016 at 10:20 PM ^

has been asked countless times, don't you? I have never heard an answer that said a professional team would lose to a college team. Then, if there were to be any debate, you ended it with the very firt name on the roster.

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StephenRKass

April 18th, 2016 at 10:31 PM ^

No, I'm not really asking that. It is a rhetorical question. If you read to the end of my TL;DR thread, I say I think the alumni would whip the current team. The question came up because someone was mocking Rutgers. A team of their alumni beat the current team back in '96. They were using that to say how sucky the current team is. And I thought, our current team is very good, but they would still got obliterated by an alumni team.

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justingoblue

April 18th, 2016 at 10:22 PM ^

In the Rutgers story they were playing guys twenty years out of school practicing medicine and whatnot. An alumni squad composed of NFL/bordeline NFL quasi-recent grads would crush the current roster. A squad that resembled the Rutgers alumni would need medical attention, stat.

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LSAClassOf2000

April 18th, 2016 at 10:50 PM ^

It would be fun to find specifics on this game, including who was on the alumni roster for Rutgers that day. The Rivals article from 2007 linked in the piece alluded to the fact that the starting QB for the alumni team had not thrown a pass in a game setting in a decade leading up to that day. It would be interesting to know if / how many NFL players were on that roster too. 

That's kind of what makes that situation stand out from having current / recently retired NFL players from Michigan potentially play the current team. Imagine calling these same guys in 15 years, asking them to do this and then they win. 

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StephenRKass

April 18th, 2016 at 10:33 PM ^

FTR, I do think the alumni would torch the current team. But yeah, now that would be a fascinating thing to see. And it occured to me, if Harbaugh could pull off a game between the two, he would do it, and we and the media would eat it up. Problem is, I'm betting no NFL teams would allow their guys to participate. Too risky.

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StephenRKass

April 18th, 2016 at 11:00 PM ^

You know what, I accept that this is a lousy thread. The reality is that the worst NFL team would obliterate the best college team. I think it was just fun seeing that you could still put together a complete squad of Michigan alumni from (mostly) current NFL rosters. The question was completely rhetorical. The alumni I listed should absolutely demolish any college team.

I won't defend myself. But I will say that I really look forward to the day when Michigan is putting lots of talented players into the NFL. I'm not going to check the numbers, but we have had far fewer goes going pro in the last few years. I look forward to that changing going forward.

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stephenrjking

April 19th, 2016 at 12:04 PM ^

Truth in self-deprecation. I love the stuff you contribute here, SRK, but this sort of question doesn't work for a school with any kind of significant playing alumni base. If you go to small schools, where most program alums go into regular work and lose their football shape, you have an argument. But David Harris devouring the running game with Leon Hall and still-got-it Charles Woodson of all people patrolling the passing lanes behind them would prevent our current team from moving the ball at all. And Tom Brady could carve up the defense, as good as it is, all on his own. A more interesting question would be, can Tom Brady plus the second string O and D beat the first string? And I would say yes.

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ItsHarambe

April 18th, 2016 at 10:51 PM ^

I'm honnored that my comment sprouted this discussion. 

To play devil's advocate, people might be understimating the chemistry thing. I think anyone who has played on an organized sports team would agree than chemistry is HUGE when comes to the success of the team. That being said, I think it would be close but i think the alumni would win. 

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MJ14

April 18th, 2016 at 11:04 PM ^

Close in what way? The current team doesn't even have a for sure starting QB. The alumni team has the greatest NFL QB of all time and a few of the greatest players to ever wear a Michigan jersey. Those NFL guys are bigger, stronger, faster, and live, eat, and breathe football.

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