Would it be in Denard's best interest to switch positions now?
Answer: Antwaan Randle-El, Pat White, Kordell Stewart.
Question: Name three athletic college QB's who excelled at the position in college but were moved to other positions in the NFL.
Would these players have been drafted higher, and been better prepared to contribute in the NFL, if they had made those position switches in college?
Would Denard Robinson be better off (e.g. drafted higher, bigger contract) if he were to switch to WR or CB now rather than insist on playing QB in college when he has virtually no chance of playing the position in the NFL?
NOTE: This is NOT intended to start a Denard vs. Tate QB discussion. I am genuinely curious about the opinions of the board as to the advisability of Denard's remaining at QB in college vis-a-vis his NFL future.
the best chance to win this year then thats all that matters. Its a little cruel but why would RR worry about Denard's future position in the NFL?
I agree with your first point. However, I do think a player's professional aspirations has its place among the various areas of concern for a college coach.
If you attend college because you want to be a dentist or a lawyer or an architect, most people would agree that it's reasonable for a student to expect their school to make every effort to ensure that they have attractive employment options upon graduation.
I think you can apply the same principle to athletics.
If your goal is to become a professional athlete, I feel that its perfectly reasonable for an athlete to expect their coach to take that into consideration when making decisions.
THAT SAID, such a concern has to be subordinate to a coach's concern for the team as a whole, and RR is not in a position that LC was in that allowed him to be worried about finding ways to let Gutierrez take some snaps before he graduates.
Considering he has a long distance to go at learning the QB position, the possibility of him being our starter at QB, our depth at the WR position, and our lack of depth at the QB position, no.
Additionally, I just saw Tebow get drafted in the first round, so anything can happen when it comes to the draft.
I also have another reason why he shouldn't move positions. RR has said if you play QB in this offense you learn all of the positions, so in essence, Denard will already know WR/RB positions by the time pretty well by the time draft day comes.
is to help Michigan win. Everything else will take care of itself after that.
April 23rd, 2010 at 11:35 AM ^
Exactly. The more Denard can help Michigan win, in whatever way that may be, the better it is for him. In doing so, he markets himself much more than a forced position switch to get ready for the NFL, as he may not have as a great an impact on the team to showcase his goods.
Whatever he can do to best help his team win is the best option. Do you think Pat White would have gone nearly as high if he had switched to WR or CB and was average to good?
Pat White was drafted almost exclusively for his ability to be a wildcat quarterback, and Kordell was the original "Slash," who was drafted for his versitility. See also: Matt Jones.
I think playing QB would allow him to display his skills just fine.
April 23rd, 2010 at 11:17 AM ^
was around 1997 or 1998. I drew the number one pick and the debate was between Favre and Kordell Stewart (small league, 6 or 7 teams, and only started one RB). That was after Kordell's first year as a starter when he threw for 3,000 yds and 20+ TDs. Thank God I picked Favre as Kordell's was awful that year!
How do you know he isn't going to play some WR this season.....
Remember the "Des" position?
God dammit no. Just stop.
I don't think Randle-El, Stewart or White would have been able to showcase their talents at the college-level as well as they did if they weren't QBs. D-Rob wants to be a QB, he has the skills to be a QB and he is putting in the effort to be a QB.
What he does at the pro level is up to his coaches there. Right now, he's in college and appears to be on the path to being a pretty damned good college QB.
Mine was the abridged version :-p
you two keep spelling that word.......I do not think it's spelled the way you think it's spelled......
Cosine'd
Unlez dis be joke, Me no comprendo. I could go with Ko'Sine...
co-sign
/ˈkoʊˌsaɪn, koʊˈsaɪn/ Show Spelled[koh-sahyn, koh-sahyn] –verb to sign as a cosigner.
bad joke using the princess bride reference.
I stated that because whenever I have seen someone use that term on this board they are using "cosine" as in the trig function as opposed to the "co-signer" of something. Your spelling makes perfect sense (and is obviously correct spelling) but goes against the norms of what I have seen on this site. NTTAWWT.
Apologies, I wasn't trying to be a jerk, just funny......I may have failed on both parts.
It was a tangent.
Good Lord, I'm a nerd....
is a QB on the Dolphins behind Henne and will be the #2/#3 guy on the team. He's not playing another position.
given what we saw at the spring game.
but he isn't asking if it is in UM's best interest, so I think it is a legit question.
First let me say that I am not convinced that it is impossible for DR to play QB in the NFL (the way he has improved in just one season tells me he can), but lets say the OP is right and he is destined to play another position in the NFL.
Would it benefit him more (not the team, but him) to start learning that position now and showcase his abilities while in college as opposed to getting switched once in the NFL?
I think the point is moot (at least for now) since I believe he could turn into a viable NFL qb, but as a hypothetical the question has some merit.
I'm not sure the other people answered it yet. They answered what was best for Michigan. What's best for Denard is tough. The NFL will like the fact that he has played QB and had to make a lot of reads of the defense, and with the emergance of the wild cat, that could improve his stock. He also has the ball in his hands more so scouts can see what he is capable of with it in his hands.
If he goes to WR he learns the routes, proves he can catch well, and actually play the position. Same with CB and covering and so on. But I don't think in our current system the WR reads too much.
I think it's pretty much a toss up because of this.
Changes like this need to be a win-win to be most productive. Michigan needs to find the right fit for his skills and Denard needs to buy in and embrace the change. I would imagine it would be very difficult for a guy to have spent the last 6 or 7 years of his life dreaming of playing QB in Division 1 - only to have to make a change. But...
I could see using Denard much like Florida used Harvin. It made the best use of Harvin's skills, made the team better, and propelled him into the NFL.
I believe that Denard is cut from the same mode, but has the added advantage of being trained as a QB to read defenses. He would have more options.
Denard is a true talent - we all agree. It is simply how best to use his skills and make him feel productive and motvated.
I hope Rodriguez can make the best of Denard - I believe he can.
The problem with switching positions now is that he would have to exhibit a substantial regression at QB, then RR has to be convinced that Denard should play another position - that Devin is a better back-up than Denard. That amount of change and tumult is quite unlikely. Even if Denard wanted to change now, he couldn't.
The answer is a no-brainer, and I'm surprised (although not EXTREMELY surprised) that I'm the first to affirm:
Yes. Absolutely. It would be in DENARD'S best interest (monetarily) to switch positions now, but not Michigan's or Rodriguez's. History tells us that Denard isn't going to be an NFL quarterback. He's too short, lacks a quarterback pedigree, struggles with reading defenses, etc. There's a very slim chance that he could play QB at the next level. It would behoove him to start learning the nuances of another position (whether it's receiver or cornerback) two or three years prior to his departure, rather than learning to play, say, wide receiver in the few months between his senior year and the NFL Combine/draft.
But if he wants to play quarterback in the meantime and that's his #1 goal right now, then he should stay at quarterback.
...we have a winner. Next!
He wouldn't be at Michigan now... PERIOD. That's pretty much the only reason why he chose Michigan over the other schools was because we'd give him a shot to play QB (and frankly we needed the depth).
So while I do agree that it would probably be best for him financially to switch to WR/RB now (ala Percy Harvin) he should only do that if he wants to. And I don't really think that he wants to.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:18 PM ^
>If he wanted to not be a QB and be a WR He wouldn't be at Michigan now... PERIOD.
...I like the way you think.
because watching the NFL draft, it becomes a game of potential, not production. People love the combine stats of kids and take that over production on the field.
Therefore, Drob's speed, strength, quickness... will get him drafted alone. He probably will never play QB in the NFL, but if he does well he'll be rewarded with a 2nd contract (as a WR/RB).
You are correct in that he probably goes higher and gets more initial money by switching to WR/RB now (although if he plays some RB his SR year, it may not matter that much), but he also gives up on his dream for a few $ (I'm pretty sure everyone >30 agrees this is a bad idea).
I agree with Magnus, so we should trust that Denard is pursuing his dream of being a college QB AND that he knows he may have to switch positions to play in the NFL. I hope he is successful at both - in the mean time he is getting a great education in A2.
I would disagree that it is a no brainer to play WR because of the monetary gains in the draft. If and when he gets drafted we all assume it would be as a slot receiver. So what the scouts will want to see is can he make the first man miss and how quickly he accelerates. At QB he can show case this on every snap as opposed to a few plays a game at receiver. The NFL still drafts potential, just ask Tebow.
Yeah, they drafted a guy with potential...at the same position he's been playing his entire life.
Tebow is not a good comparison. They're completely different players.
The more accurate comparisons are people like Pat White, Woody Dantzler, Antwaan Randle El, etc., none of whom were drafted in the first round.
About how Tebow might not play QB. That's hardly a sure thing that QB is where Tebow will play...
Tebow (I know, amazing, isn't it!).
I'm referring to guys like that WR from Rutgers a few years ago, or that WR from Maryland that went to the Raiders. Both of those guys weren't very productive as WRs, but speed alone put them into the Top 15.
Also, every year, there are guys who are good, not great, but have amazing combine days and so get drafted higher than projected.
Whatever happens to Denard, his draft position will be significantly influenced by his combine, probably more so than production on the field.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:03 PM ^
I wasn't comparing their playing style just the fact that he was drafted on potential as would Denard. Tebow is the exception to the rule when it comes to drafting in the first round. Typically projects are drafted in the later rounds as they are not being counted on to play early. Tebow has been playing qb his whole life but he is also starting his throwing mechanics over from scratch.
April 23rd, 2010 at 10:02 AM ^
I could not agree more. While there is a good chance he might end up being our best spread option QB this year, the likelyhood of Denard becoming a Doug Flutie (who never really did find a place in the NFL) or even a Drew Brees is slim. He has to find someone who can give him the "its for your own good" type of man-to-man talk and show him where his most earning potential lies for the athletic skill set that he has. We might lose potentially our best near term option at QB, but so be it.
By the way, out of the 10 other responders at this point, only one (larsonlo) actually read and understood the question.
But the question is ridiculous/absurd.
Methinks I understood...
April 23rd, 2010 at 11:07 AM ^
You're right. I missed your response. Mea culpa.
April 23rd, 2010 at 10:31 AM ^
I also thought I understood, but if Magnus says I didn't, then it is so. I hope to get his approval next time.
April 24th, 2010 at 10:35 AM ^
Everyone should be so lucky...
*sigh*
Denard’s aim, and certainly that of the Michigan coaches, is to win games this fall. I’ve never heard of the coach who would have a sophomore switch positions because it might help a hypothetical NFL career that’s three years away. The odds of Robinson even playing in the NFL are remote, simply because very few players do. Remember the commercial: Most NCAA athletes will go pro in something other than sports.
Even if Robinson or his coaches were thinking in those terms, he is likely to get far more visibility as a QB than at any other position. At WR or RB, he would be sharing reps with a lot of other talented guys who have more experience at their positions. He is already basically a hybrid QB/RB anyway, and playing QB in 2010 doesn’t foreclose other options later in his career.
Think of it this way: would Pat White have been drafted higher if he had played some other position at WV? I don’t think so.
I'm just wondering what "other" position Pat White has played in the NFL?
And "slash" was primarily a QB in the NFL - so really you're talking about Randle El here. (and Matt Jones, et al)
NO. The kid is living HIS dream, leave him be
I don't know about the rest of you, but I couldn't care less about the NFL. If Robinson is good at Michigan he will find a spot in the NFL. As RR has pointed out a lot - once Robinson knows the QB position, the RB position will be a piece of cake because he already knows the offense. IMO it's more important to get him to know the QB position so if changes need to be made the transition is easier.
potato salad involved?
yeah, he should run right up to RR and demand to be made a slot reciever or threaten to tranfer to EMU. He can bunk with Johnny Sears and Tate.
Because I like potato salad, and a chimp with a pistol.
When you are in between positions like he will be at NFL draft time a big factor is what you can do on special teams - that can at least get you on the roster. If he was purely doing what would be in his own best interest he would probably want to take a shot at returning kicks - he obviously has the skilles. Having said that I don't think it is Michigan's best interest to have one of their top two quarterbacks in that role. If it ever gets to where he is the clear No. 3 QB this might make sense, both for him and the team.
Meanwhile I expect he will get at least a few chances to catch a pass.
It would not be in his best interest to switch positions. Denard is just coming into his own learning the quarterback position give the kid a chance to develop. Time will tell if he is a NFL quarterback or not so please don't write him off there are plenty of short quarterbacks that have played in the NFL Tavaris Jackson, Mike Vick, jeff blake, Drew brees etc etc. So it is not "virtually impossible" the average height is only 6"3. If Denard is playing so well that he is be considered a top pick im sure the ultimate goal is to make a roster at what ever position cause he has skills. year after year NFL teams draft prototypical quarterbacks who never pan out just look at recent history.
Denard was promised the opportunity to compete at QB, and that is a great part of why he ended up at Michigan. He is competing well enough that he could end up starting some games in his sophomore year. The lack of depth notwithstanding, that will still be quite an achievement.
If Denard feels that it is in his best interests to continue to compete at QB, who am I to tell him differently? If anything, playing QB will help to position him higher because of the visibility of the position.
Denard is "too short" to play a lot of NFL positions, but he will get a chance to play somewhere.