Hoke: Norfleet to play cornerback
Norfleet has moved to corner
Hoke said Dennis Norfleet has moved to the cornerback position, but he will still return punts and kicks.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:13 PM ^
I like him but he is not elite - he is a fast kid who may or may not be good at rb or corner.
December 14th, 2012 at 7:45 PM ^
an athlete. He started returning kicks as a true freshman and is obviously showing something to the coaches. Smallish athletes have been proving armchair pundits wrong for a long time.
I hope Dennis turns to be another "story" like a certain slow walk-on who played safety and became a team captain.
December 14th, 2012 at 7:47 PM ^
Or perhaps we're going to be seeing a new RB come in very soon. :) Ok not for the bowl game ...*grumble grumble bryant gumbel*
December 14th, 2012 at 7:49 PM ^
Hayes and Drake must be looking good. Or maybe they feel good about Green.
December 14th, 2012 at 7:50 PM ^
Or our OC doesn't know what to do with certain types of players.
December 14th, 2012 at 7:52 PM ^
You know we have a head coach too, right? Maybe let's not blame everything on Al Borges.
December 14th, 2012 at 7:56 PM ^
It's pretty well known that our head coach doesn't actually do anything other than recruiting, instructing the D-line and decide when to go for it during games.
December 14th, 2012 at 7:58 PM ^
At least he does all of those things well.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:07 PM ^
Ohio. 4th and 2, opening drive of the second half ring any bells.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:15 PM ^
It was the right decision, just the wrong playcall... And Borges calls the plays.
And Hoke is also the leader. Never ever ever ever forget how he handled the Hagerup OH-NO punt mistake. I cannot overstate how much his handling of that situation means to the integrity of our program.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:18 PM ^
Just because it didn't work doesn't make it a bad call. And one bad decision does not a bad decision maker make.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:11 PM ^
Out OC wants to play players that fit his desired style of play and Fleet is not SO dynamic that Borges should change the offense around him. Of our coaching changes over the past few years have taught u's anything is that it is important to have players suited for your desired system.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:48 PM ^
Norfleet was signed last year by Hoke. At the time, I seem to recall it was primarily to be a kick returner.
December 14th, 2012 at 7:51 PM ^
Borges staking his claim for most obstinate offensive coach in last five years.
December 14th, 2012 at 7:58 PM ^
To be fair, RR did try to convert Steven Threet into a run-first spread QB.
December 14th, 2012 at 11:56 PM ^
Not really. That was a pretty balanced offense and, besides, it's not like Threet could throw the ball anyway. People act like we had 2001 Miami or 2004 USC when RR showed up. That team had just about nothing to work with. What difference would it have made it RR tried to install the Wishbone, the Air Raid, the spread option, or just stayed with a pro-style offense? Maybe we go from 3-9 to 5-7, max, and that's if that clown Mallett stayed and we ran pro-style. Seriously, who cares? This horse is dead, beaten, rotting, and rancid at this point. And what's worse, the point is moronic and counterfactual.
December 14th, 2012 at 10:22 PM ^
Take out DeBord, and you've got the last 20 years covered.
December 14th, 2012 at 7:58 PM ^
Hey look - another inexplicable, idiotic move by our coaching staff.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:04 PM ^
Yeah right, the coaching staff that has taken the least talented Michigan teams in recent memory (at least 20+ years) and went 19-6. Im not saying to blindley listen to whatever they say but you act like they are incompentent. This is the best coaching staff Michigan has had since the Moeller days.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:06 PM ^
Seriously - you'd think after such a dynamic season at running back, the coaches wouldn't dream of moving him around. However will we find someone to make up those 14 rushing yards against UMass?
December 14th, 2012 at 8:08 PM ^
Exactly this. Hoke moved a player from a position where he was not going to contribute Rockne where he may.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:13 PM ^
You're absolutely right. Given our terrible depth at CB and all of our graduating players at that position, what we really need is a 5'6 RB to fill that gaps. Amazing how people here people on here reject even the most obvious criticisms of this coaching staff.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:17 PM ^
"Another idiotic move by our coaching staff" is not an obvious criticism.
December 14th, 2012 at 9:12 PM ^
So the staff that actually watches this kid everyday - the staff that is going for its 20th win in two years - is less-qualified to determine his proper position than you, random dude on the internet?
This staff isn't perfect, but they've gotten a hell of a lot more things right than wrong.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:25 PM ^
He was a true freshmen. Regardless, I think most of the discontent is that he represents one of the only really quick, fast, shifty guys on offense. I doubt anyone here would argue that he should be a feature back, but it's frustrating that a guy who has shown flashes of strong athletic ability will never get worked into the offense in some capacity.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:07 PM ^
How is it idiotic to move him from RB? Even this past year when our RBs were averaging like half a yard per carry (obviously not exactly, it was more like a full yard or something) he couldn't crack the top 3 RB spots. He rarely saw the field so perhaps he has limitations. Speculating, but maybe he fumbles, misses cuts, poor vision, drops on first contact - who knows.
Also, maybe his running style just doesn't fit what hoke wants to do.
I could see all of the angst if hoke were converting a stud RB to corner. But he is not. He is coverting a 4th string RB to corner.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:15 PM ^
Dennis Norfleet will never see the field at corner. That's why it's idiotic.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:17 PM ^
But Devin Norfleet might!
December 14th, 2012 at 8:20 PM ^
Do you know that he would at RB? As a sophomore, he'd be behind Fitz, Hayes and Rawls, and maybe behind a couple others too. It's not like he had a clear shot at RB either, especially since Hayes is his class and Rawls is only one above him.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:24 PM ^
Ok, so don't put him at RB then.
December 14th, 2012 at 9:29 PM ^
I think that's what they're doing.
December 14th, 2012 at 9:41 PM ^
Believe it or not, there are more than two positions in football.
December 15th, 2012 at 12:51 AM ^
True. they should give him a look at TE.
December 15th, 2012 at 1:24 AM ^
Or LT since Lewan is probably leaving. Gosh these coaches are morons!
December 15th, 2012 at 7:28 AM ^
Speculating, but maybe he fumbles, misses cuts, poor vision, drops on first contact
Obviously you're speculating (see how I picked up on that), but wouldn't any of these traits also be worrisome for a kick returner? I suppose it is possible not to be able to pick out holes in a more compacted run from scrimmage but have the abilty to find the right route when tacklers are more spread out like in kick return.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:08 PM ^
Norfleet seems like a kid who wants to contribute in any way shape or form. His attitude seems pretty emphatic when returning kick offs and hell the kid just excites me when he catches the ball and runs it out the endzone on kick offs. Maybe he wasn't happy with only returning kicks a few times a game and was looking for other ways to contribute so he had a sit down with the coaches about the depth chart and decided to give him a shot at corner as possibly the thinnest position. Does it necessarily mean he can't return to running back if the need arises? I mean look at Gardner.. QB to WR back to QB in less than half of a season roughly...
December 14th, 2012 at 8:07 PM ^
My theory is this is a trial run to see if he can be a good corner which I assume the coaches think there is a decent shot. If it doesn't work, they move him back to RB in the Spring or before Fall practice. It's not like learning RB is that hard that he couldn't go back before Fall practice and be able to play (ok, blocking is kind of hard but that's unlikely to be his specialty anyway).
I think the odds are near zero that he's moving to CB if they didn't expect him to be at least 2nd string at one of the CB positions (nickel?).
Remember, Borges RBs at SD State were small.
December 15th, 2012 at 8:34 AM ^
His RB's were small because he was recruiting at...SDSU. Look at Auburn.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:08 PM ^
I choose to see the upside in this by assuming we now have Derrick Green AND Ty Isaac in the bag... And Dorial Green-Beckham. That's why we didn't move Norfleet to slot.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:31 PM ^
For some reason I feel this is temporary for the Outback. I still see him as Michigan's next Percy Harvin/Quizz Rodgers.
December 14th, 2012 at 10:05 PM ^
Hey dol, merry dol! Ring a ding dillo! Ring a don, hop along, fal all the willow! Tom Jom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!!!
December 14th, 2012 at 8:24 PM ^
But i honestly cant remember a good 5'6" CB. I could be wrong but i really dont think there has been one here.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:32 PM ^
I don't think there has been one anywhere.
December 15th, 2012 at 1:27 AM ^
I guess it's a good thing that he's 5'7"!
December 14th, 2012 at 8:32 PM ^
So so so stupid. Now that he's at corner, he'll never be able to produce on the offensive side of the ball. A school like Michigan isn't going to ever let a kid playing cornerback and line up on offense, right?
December 14th, 2012 at 8:34 PM ^
"Schools" don't make decisions. Coaches do.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:37 PM ^
Luckily Hoke was on that staff, so we're good.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:41 PM ^
Ok, so because Hoke was on the staff 15 years ago when probably the best athelete in Michigan football history played both sides of the ball, Norfleet will be a successful on offense while playing corner?
December 14th, 2012 at 9:30 PM ^
It certainly doesn't preclude that he will be successful on offense. I think what I've gleaned from this is, given I think for the most part the staff isn't completely retarded, is that by their judgment Norfleet probably can't cut it at RB so they decided to try him somewhere else. The sky is not, in fact, falling.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:34 PM ^
Manti Teo would have been the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman?
Sincerely,
ESPN