Devin Gardner's Certainty Is Uncertain
![9495715702_95827d22b1_z[1]](https://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/Devin-Gardners-Certainty-Is-Uncertain_E341/9495715702_95827d22b1_z1.jpg "9495715702_95827d22b1_z[1]")
I'll take "inappropriate file photos" for 1000 [Bryan Fuller]
The most important bit out of Hoke's latest presser will not please you:
Hoke: Devin Gardner held out of practice again today. Still using crutches
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) December 16, 2013 Hoke wouldn't go as far as calling Gardner questionable for the bowl game. But doesn't sound like a total certainty right now.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) December 16, 2013 Hoke probably wouldn't call Gardner questionable if he had been eaten by a dinosaur and was listed by the athletic department as (OUT—Time Traveling Velociraptor Attack). For this exercise we are assuming Michigan is issuing injury reports, and yes that's less realistic than Time Travelling Velociraptors.
If Gardner doesn't play in the bowl game, it's hide yo' kids time.
[4:08 PM] Ace: on the plus side, this could silence all the shane morris truthers.
[4:09 PM] Brian Cook: "plus side"
December 16th, 2013 at 5:26 PM ^
Nick Sheridan or Justin Feagin, so this 2013 bowl game situation is just really not all that bad you guyz.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:28 PM ^
holy moly, justin feagin reference. you win the day.
December 16th, 2013 at 6:19 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 5:42 PM ^
when it was Russ Rein, and he had to play.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:52 PM ^
Threet out with an injury.
The double headed QB monster of Sheridan/Feagin.
Good times.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:28 PM ^
DG is an incredible team player and very good when he is on fire. He has done everything a coach could ask for within his abilities- super kid. Still, I think his great last game has overshadowed a lot of terrible performances. He is still extremely inconsistent after years of practice. If Shane starts the bowl game I think it makes it much more interesting to see what a different style of QB does to Borges offense. What if Shane does very well? What then?
December 16th, 2013 at 6:47 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 5:30 PM ^
also in the camp of thought that seeing Shane get some meaningful reps sounds like a good idea. This game really doesn't mean much, and getting some good PT right now is a good thing for the future of our program. Having two QB's that are good is not a problem in my eyes. I would love to have a QB controversy next year and maybe even play them both a bit. I really don't think that "if you have 2, you have none" addage still applies to today's college football. There are plenty of programs that role with 2 successfully. Teams like that are already prepared for injury, and you don't expect a downward spiral of a season if that happens.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:37 PM ^
Shane Morris starts. Borges simplifies playbook which actually makes offense more successful. Off season is annoying chorus of Borges defenders. The more Shane learns the more the offense regresses.
Sorry for that. My optimism has been shattered.
December 16th, 2013 at 9:39 PM ^
December 17th, 2013 at 8:27 AM ^
for the first game (this is all hypothetical, keep in mind) Al would simplify theplaybook and the offense would look great because things were simplified. Then, in the off-season people who talk about how great Al is and everything is going to be wonderful. Then, as we get into next season the playbook opens back up and the players look confused and we regress again on offense.
Kind of like what we saw last year when DG first came in. It was a simplified playbook because he wasn't practicing at QB and the remainder of the season with DG and a simplified playbook things looked pretty good (like 2011 during Al's first year with Denard). Then as things went on (and you'd expect things would get better with time) things seemed to regress.
I think what some believe is that Al looks good early because he uses a small playbook but once he has some time under his belt he starts to open up his book and ends up confusing everyone. Perhaps running too much and not being good at any of it rather than trying to be good at a few things.
After saying all that I could be wrong, that's just what I got from his post.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:48 PM ^
Devin not being able to play would be typical of the suck this season gave us.
December 16th, 2013 at 6:10 PM ^
Is it time to panic and run around screaming yet? I hope Devin is better for the game. The idea of throwing a freshman QB into a bowl game when he has not seen much playing time really sucks.
December 16th, 2013 at 6:16 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 6:31 PM ^
Hoke is happy with Borges. The man who called PA passes on third and long that got Gardner killed over and over again this season.
Just remember that, people.
December 16th, 2013 at 6:33 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 6:51 PM ^
.....let's take the guy with a very limited record at WR who has some unknown significant injury.
DG to self: A or B: A) Shoot for a WR spot with limited experience and coming off an injury or B) Let's try putting together a complete season at the position I've intended to play for years, put the 13 season behind me, and THEN enter the draft.
December 17th, 2013 at 8:57 AM ^
that DG has intended to play WR for years. Last season was the first time he has played WR and it was for only half a season. He played QB in high school and came to Michigan to play QB. I still believe the only reason he moved to WR last year was to help the team try to win a few more games.
December 18th, 2013 at 4:51 AM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 7:02 PM ^
I mean, yeah, I want Michigan to win their bowl very badly.This certainly dings their chances significantly. And yeah, the seniors should be sent out with a W.
But I also think it's not that big of a deal. They're not playing in a BCS bowl. It's the freaking Buffalo Wild Wings bowl, against a good-but-not-great team. Unless Michigan suffers a MSU-level shellacking, I doubt this is a bad thing. In fact, if Shane is the starter, this is an invaluable experience for him.
Also, given the ambiguous/misleading headline, I was just happy this wasn't related to his status for coming back next year.
December 16th, 2013 at 6:57 PM ^
If only Antonio Bass didn't destroy his knee. I read he is still rehabbing and might come back if things go well tho.
December 16th, 2013 at 9:06 PM ^
What were some of your opinions on Bass and how is injury impacted the program?
December 16th, 2013 at 9:36 PM ^
eh, IDK. he was Denard before Denard came along- minus the world class speed. Except it was during the Carr era, so he was so intriguing. I don't actually think his abscence hurt the program - in all likelyhood, he would have been used like Denard is now with the Jags. Playmaker, wildcat QB package. It was the intrigue surrounding his potential in an era where M just never had anything like him at QB. Of course, when RR came along the "what about Bass" meme just continued more than it would have otherwise. RR gave that dead horse legs. the bottom line is, he was such a great "what-if" story that just kept popping up, partly b/c of the length of his rehab, and then later b/c RR came along to perpetuate the "what-if""
December 16th, 2013 at 7:12 PM ^
is NFL material? No doubt he is a competent QB but he has not shown anything to indicate he can play at the NFL level. Also, if he is injured, I am not sure how the NFL can evaluate him. Past film is just that. It does not show what he can do post injury.
MY view is if he is not 100% he should be benched in favor of Morris. They have plenty of time to prepare for KSU even with Morris under center. DG will be back next year and a healthy DG is a lot better than one that is always fighting a chronic injury.
December 16th, 2013 at 7:57 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 8:08 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 8:10 PM ^
I have been reading this blog about 2 years and I finally decided to make an account... yay!
I really hope Gardner plays the bowl game and I also hope he is still here next year. BUT, if he is unable to play, I look forward to seeing what Morris is able to do.
December 16th, 2013 at 8:40 PM ^
Let the kid play....sit DG and give him a chance to heal up. I hope DG is healthy and can play but after everything he did for the team this year, I would understand holding him out.
December 16th, 2013 at 9:08 PM ^
We still have 12 days until the game. Weren't we all expecting him to miss most (if not all) of this past week of practice? I'm not sure if this is that shocking or revealing. When we get to the start of game week (Dec. 22), then it's officially an issue.
December 16th, 2013 at 9:45 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 11:00 PM ^
If it was a long-term injury, I think we'd know about it. This staff doesn't really hide those. IMO this is Hoke trying gamesmanship when it's not even necessary.
DG is a smart kid and knows the plays. He doesn't need to set foot inside the lines of a practice field until game week. It's not like his eyeballs are broken and he can't watch film or go to QB meetings.
Even if he was 100% healthy he shouldn't be practicing right now.
Neither should...
Fitz, Gallon, Lewan, Schofield, Q, Black, JMFR, Morgan, or Gordon.
And there are just as many guys that should have a limited number of snaps.
This is time for the class of 2012 and 2013.
December 17th, 2013 at 9:37 AM ^
Unless your name is Alan Iverson, practice is very important.
December 17th, 2013 at 9:55 AM ^
Bowl practice is a little different from regular season practice. The first two weeks are like another spring practice. The third week is the gameweek and that's the one he needs to be able to take part in.
December 17th, 2013 at 9:27 AM ^
If Devin misses practices next week, then we should start to worry.
December 17th, 2013 at 10:01 AM ^
Let's assume Gardner's one of them; can't hurt to hear how he needs to improve his stock. But who would be the other junior? Jake Ryan?
December 17th, 2013 at 10:08 AM ^
I think Morris will do fine.
December 18th, 2013 at 5:47 PM ^
Whomever the QB is, I expect that Michigan fans will be behind him 100%
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