Yahoo Denard Article
I'm not sure what to make of this article. Eric Adelson (the author) ends up deifying Denard while taking shots at the program. The message seems to be that Denard has made Michigan and Michigan would be terrible without him, etc. Also, some facts are just straight up jacked. Denard didn't start as a RB as a freshman.
While the article does highlight Denard's humility, it does a terrible job of representing Michigan and its fanbase. Denard would be embarrassed at the assertions in this article. He knows it's about "THE TEAM, THE TEAM, THE TEAM!" Decent read but I think the author gets it wrong big picture.
August 31st, 2012 at 11:58 PM ^
September 1st, 2012 at 12:01 AM ^
I definitely agree, but no one really knows how they would do without him. I hate what if games, and I'm not scared of the future when Denard graduates. Gardner and Shane Morris will get enough opportunities and reps to make the plays and they both have the talent to do special things. Hoke is a good enough coach that I think he will establish a top program here.
September 1st, 2012 at 12:12 AM ^
But you could make the same argument for a lot of teams with a star QB. Take that guy away and of course the team will be worse.
September 1st, 2012 at 12:02 AM ^
Point is moot because Michigan does have Denard, and Denard has Michigan. I prefer not to live in what-if land with all of the unicorns, orcs, gracious buckeyes, and intelligent spartans.
September 1st, 2012 at 6:15 AM ^
September 1st, 2012 at 12:03 AM ^
September 1st, 2012 at 12:06 AM ^
At Michigan ... three-year varsity letterman ... appeared in 38 career games; made 27 starts, 26 at quarterback and one at running back ...
I'd give the article a 5 out of 10 - some good points and some lesser ones.
September 1st, 2012 at 12:18 AM ^
The 3 years of Rich Rod were abysmal but can you imagine how much worse they would have been without Denard? So much fun to watch and single handedly kept Michigan relevant by his individual performance. I love Denard- a true Michigan man who is leaving some big shoes to fill. Not worried about when he leaves, just going to miss him a lot.
September 1st, 2012 at 9:16 AM ^
September 1st, 2012 at 12:29 AM ^
September 1st, 2012 at 5:24 AM ^
September 1st, 2012 at 12:35 AM ^
September 1st, 2012 at 12:37 AM ^
I read it as Denard being the perfect embodiment of the program during his time. While he could be seen as representing the "new" Michigan (Lloyd/Rich Rod transition, Under the Lights, alternate unis, etc.) he also reminds us what a Michigan Man is and should be ("It means you're committed. In all phases"). Plus, Eric Adelson grew up in Ann Arbor, so I think he has a pretty good grasp of Michigan's big picture.
September 1st, 2012 at 12:59 AM ^
September 1st, 2012 at 2:34 AM ^
September 1st, 2012 at 8:55 AM ^
September 1st, 2012 at 3:01 AM ^
This was a great article by someone who does his research. Adelson is apparently a friend of Ira Weintraub, and a frequent guest on WTKA. He isn't saying anything bad about Michigan here, and deserves to be interpreted with the benefit of the doubt instead of with hyper-vigilance.
As for Denard's "start" as a freshman, do you actually know that he wasn't in as a RB for the first play of one of those games? They did experiment with Denard and Tate in the backfield a couple of times, IIRC. Even if you only play one or two plays the entire game, if you are on the field for the first play of your unit, you are credited with a "start."
If you are looking for excuses to be offended by an article on Michigan, look up Dennis Dodd and his assertion that Michigan has to beat Alabama to "prove they are back." But please don't shit on a friend of the program.
September 1st, 2012 at 3:16 AM ^
I like how the author says...
Even if he stayed on campus – and he seriously considered transferring – Shoelace was going to be Shoehorned into a role that didn't fit him
well obviously denard wasn't shoehorned into a role that didn't fit him because the offense was adapted to him. He also says.....
He has reminded Michigan what it really wants itself to be: a place for "leaders and best."
When did we all forget this and need to be reminded? Denard is another example that we are a place for "leaders and best" , he didn't have to bring that back.
The whole article he makes it sound like denard was always such a horrible fit for michigan. Even if he didn't play football he's a perfect fit because he is a michigan man through and through.
Also I would disagree that molk was our best offensive linemen last year. Possibly most important but I would say Lewan was the best.
September 1st, 2012 at 8:11 AM ^
"It was a strange moment when Michigan was both trying to return to its traditions and move forward into a modern era. Robinson, who didn't really sync with either the tradition or the moving forward, was asked to do both."
When I read this line, it seemed to capture what the article is saying about Denard Robinson very well. In many respects, he embodies the things that we have traditionally sought after in "Michigan Men", if you will - he's a leader in the game and outside of it, he represents the school well, but more importantly, he understands where he fits as part of the team and does his best to help the team achieve its goals. There are many other things,of course, but those were most pertinent to the article, I thought.
Alternatively, he also represents Michigan's renovation of its own image as a program - a very modern kid originally recruited for a very modern system now in his senior year, co-captaining a very old prorgram rich in tradition. They brought in a coaching staff intent on eventually retruning to a more conventional "Michigan" look, but that staff in turn took pieces of their more traditional system and made them mesh with the modernity of its quarterback, and did a great job to boot.
September 1st, 2012 at 12:17 PM ^
Might have mentioned Hoke as a new positive, but it's a good piece, I think. I didn't take offense:
"Over the last three years, both after big plays and busted plays, Robinson has flashed that smile. It's really been the only consistently positive thing about the program beside the Big House and the fight song. While the entire community was bickering about what makes a 'Michigan Man,' it turns out the quarterback had the answer all along: 'It means you've committed,' Robinson says. 'In all phases. Not just for the football team. For everybody at the university.'"