Troy Woolfolk Is Probably Pretty Hurt Comment Count

Brian

doom Time to dig out the "just jump already" tag: this forum thread may be annoyingly phrased but does

  1. indicate Troy Woolfolk just got badly injured, possibly in a season-ending fashion
  2. come from a guy with a two year old account and a track record of dropping information people are skeptical about.

Also apparently Sam Webb has it on Scout.

Current corner depth chart:

1. JT Floyd / random freshman
2. DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

I guess Woolfolk can redshirt. So there's that.

UPDATE:

Statement from Michigan Head Coach Rich Rodriguez

Troy Woolfolk suffered a lower body injury during practice this afternoon and was transported to U-M Hospital with our team physician. We can’t comment further due to medical privacy rights.

UPDATE II: Getting reports it is a dislocated ankle, which is in all likelihood season-ending.

Comments

MGoHoopsfan31

August 18th, 2010 at 9:09 AM ^

ugh. Wellp, deep third coverages all day... Hopefully we can.. uh... generate a mean pass rush and our LB's can tackle everything within 5 yards of them, and ... and... HERO SAFETY?!

michiganfanforlife

August 18th, 2010 at 9:14 AM ^

so who of our WR's could move over and do a mediocre job? Do you think one of our taller guys like Stonum or Hemmingway could make the move? We really need a guy who can tackle well to take up the slack, and play a ton of zone. I say fuck the 3-3-5, and let's go with some defense with 3 DB's total. Move a Safety to Corner and stop the run for once in three years. Ahhh, they shouldn't change anything this late in the off-season. I just want us to do well this year however they can pull it off.

Gene

August 18th, 2010 at 11:07 AM ^

Major schematic changes at this stage is likely to do more harm than good. I'm not one of the "it's just one guy, we're Michigan, everything will be just peachy" guys, but do I think we're still better off trying to play to the strengths of our defense rather than rearranging everything to try and patch over the glaring weakness (which won't work all that well anyway.)

upnorthinblue

August 18th, 2010 at 9:35 AM ^

 

Last night when I got the update on Troy I felt like most everyone else- we are screwed.

 

A night of constantly checking for updates holding out for some hope that he would be able to play I came to this conclusion, He is only one player. If I would have assumed that with Troy he would give us another 2-3 wins and without him we lose another 2-3 I would be crazy. He is one player among a team. It hurts big time for sure but again let’s think happy thoughts until they get on the field next month.

 

My brother had some good insight as well last night in my fit of panic “Give up 50 score 51”

jlvanals

August 18th, 2010 at 10:15 AM ^

I have seen the "give up 50 and score 51" strategy work exactly once in my lifetime as a Big Ten fan (and by work I mean produce a top 3 conference finish): Purdue 2000 (and it should be noted that even then they were 8-4, 6-2 Big Ten, hardly a picture of mindblowing success).  Every other time (Indiana with Randle El, Northwestern in the 90s, Illinois with Ron Zook, Purdue every year since about 1998, Michigan State under John L. Smith, others I probably can't think of) the teams were mediocre at best (usually 6-6, 7-5). 



Let's just say that the combination of losing Turner and Woolfolk is an extinction level event for Rich Rodriguez's tenure at Michigan unless the offense can produce WAC numbers against Big Ten competition.   Color me skeptical that this plan will work out sans an incredible amount of luck. 

Captain Scumbag

August 18th, 2010 at 11:30 AM ^

Scored ~30 ppg, good for #30 or so in the country. #8 yardage offense with 451.8 ypg and the #5 passing offense. Yet, they went 6-6 when they gave up ~26 ppg (#63), #86 in ypg at 398.

The offense may well turn out fine, even great. But I don't see how one can reasonably expect the #76 scoring defense to improve to even being average (i.e. in the 60s) after not only losing it's two clear best starters to the NFL, but also with putrid depth in the secondary. Hell, even if the defense moves up to to the 60s range, that doesn't look much better than 6-6 for Michigan.

jlvanals

August 18th, 2010 at 10:03 AM ^

This is why the Turner defection is so big.  Even if he is overweight, slow and generally unmotivated, he would likely be an improvement over plan C-Omega.  And the guy who posted the list of USC Jrs/Srs is right: man the phones Coach, its desperation time.

cbieszard

August 18th, 2010 at 10:14 AM ^

ok yes this is a very big loss... CB was by far our weakest position on the field...but we do have some decent guys behind him...i mean thier no Woolfolk but they are still decent..we have Jt Floyd back there who they say has improved alot from last year..Cullen Christian who yes is a freshman but he is a great athlete...and fellow freshman Courtney Avery and Terrace Talbott who were highly recruited guys but injuries in thier seniour years of high school put them under the radar a little bit......were talking 1 CB here...our pass rush is so sick we wont get burnt nearly as bad as last year....even without  Woolfolk....Its a painful loss but one the team will rally around and be just fine......This is Michigan football gosh damnit...talent is all over the place.

Gene

August 18th, 2010 at 11:02 AM ^

I hate to say it, but JT Floyd has looked like nothing but a liability so far. I'm sure he's improved, but I wonder  how much speed can improve - although playing smarter can cover speed deficiencies to an extent, this is less true for a corner than most positions.

The freshman, I'm sure have potential, but they're all untested and, well, freshman.

The secondary was already going to be painful, and now it's much much worse. Hopefully the pass rush can mitigate things, but remember we just lost Graham - those are big shoes to fill.

stillMichigan

August 18th, 2010 at 11:19 AM ^

If the defense was the strength of our team, then this would have been worse. We now have a weaker link on D, sure. But I think it's agreed the defense just needs to be average.....still.  I think thats possible. Especially if this strengthens the resolve. I had no fantasies of a 10 win season. It's still the same for me, beat UConn and start 3-1 at worst. Hello Hart, Zettel, Walls maybe Frost or HaHa. Kick some Sparty ass.  I'd take 7 wins and a bowl. Still feel that way. Bad break for Troy, but he will be back. So will Michigan.

bronxblue

August 18th, 2010 at 11:26 AM ^

I'm not sure why people are so worried - we have UConn exactly where we want them.  Just you wait - come September 4th, we'll trot out two 4-star DBs in Turner and Cissoko...wait, I mean, our top-rated, Dilithium-fueld DB Demar Dors...crap, I mean, our one veteran backfield starter Troy Wool...okay, yeah, he won't be walking on that ankle anytime soon.

Okay, so yeah, maybe the defensive backfield will not be a strength for this team, but on the positive side it sounds like the DL is strong, the LBs are better than the "eek!" they were last year, and Cullen sounds like a stud who might be able to hold the fort down (CB is far more talent-driven than other positions on the field, so a good freshman should not be a horrible liability). 

leftrare

August 18th, 2010 at 11:31 AM ^

For starting a post a couple weeks ago, "injuries will happen", in which I said that no player's health was more important than Woolfolk's.

Sorry Troy, for putting the jinx on you.  In fact, I'll even apologize right now for having cursed out your father in 1980 (in my Ann Arbor living room, listening to the game on the radio, if you can believe that) when he fumbled late against ND and Michigan ultimately lost on the Harry Oliver field goal.

Please, everyone on this board, neg me to mgobankruptcy.

slappy09

August 18th, 2010 at 11:42 AM ^

... such a gut wrenching update to read.  Amazing how my good feelings for the season have all but evaporated.

I just feel really bad for the poor kid - i really do hope that Troy is able to make a comeback and this doesn't turn out to be a career ending type of injury.  He'll be missed on the field, but hopefully he can continue to be that cheerleader on the sidelines...

Hartmabm

August 18th, 2010 at 11:53 AM ^

Does anyone know what year Woodson, Jackson, Hall, or Law broke out? Did any of them make an impact their Fr years? I know that they were probably ranked higher comparatively but is there a chance that one of the Fr's surprises? 

Brian needs to start a whiskey/bourbon distillery so that MGoReaders can drown their sorrows away.

Seth

August 18th, 2010 at 2:59 PM ^

Just going off of memory here but very strong memories:

1. Ty Law broke in as a freshman, about a third of the way into the season. By halfway through 1992, he had supplanted Alfie Burch (who was still used against the run) but he was, back then, a missile capable of striking Michigan as much as opponents. He had a fantastic game against Ohio State to help force the 13-13 tie in Columbus, but was a liability against Washington. He returned kicks if I remember, and we thought he was going to be awesome.

2. Woodson "broke out" almost immediately. He was a freshman sensation, considered among the best on the team barely into the Big Ten season. Lost in Biakabutuka's 35,000 yards or whatever against OSU in '95 was that Terry Glenn promised OSU would win -- and did so pretty condescendingly -- then got totally shut down by Woodson.

3. Marlin Jackson, too, appeared immediately ready to play. He wore No. 20 as a true freshman in 2001 and was the immediate reprieve we were craving after Whitley and Howard. By the end of his first season, Marlin was the No. 1 corner, and Todd Howard was a distant two.

4. Leon Hall stepped into a crowded, talented backfield featuring Marlin Jackson, Markus Curry and Jeremy LeSeuer. Hall mostly played nickelback but got more and more playing time as 2003 progressed, and he was, by the end of that year, ahead of Curry, and in the eyes of the Michigan faithful, LeSeuer as well.

Elno Lewis

August 18th, 2010 at 11:52 AM ^

he was the glue of the offense.  I am not sure that Troy is to the D what Molk was to the Offense, but he has demonstrated leadership which will be sorely missed.  It could be very bad, or just meh.

With or without Troy, teams were going to pick on our secondary anyway.  I have no idea how this injury will impact the win/loss column. 

I just don't hear anyone screaming, It's Great To Be A Michigan Wolverine lately.

 

Maybe they should.

 

victors2000

August 18th, 2010 at 1:28 PM ^

that is MGOBLOG -all due respect given to Jen, Linda from Grand Blanc, and all other perusers of the female persuasion- and I just have to...I don't know what. T-Wolf, the face of this years team, a leader who has stepped up and given us hope that things will be better, has been struck down. I don't think this was some 'Angry Michigan hating God', I think it's the Devil. Another freaking sign of the apocalypse.

I'm very impressed with those of us who can pull the 'stiff upper lip' thingy and say we are Michigan and someone else will stand in his stead and we move on, but my shoulders and neck are hurting from the sudden tension headache that arose from this news. There is no way that this is just another injury and someone else will step up. The threads that popped up about  JT's departure and what it meant to the secondary are still fresh in our minds, and now our top secondary guy gets sidelined? I'm not a hero....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!1!!!11!!1!!!!!!!111!!!

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!11!!11!!! 

Damn...I guess I'll go back to reading entries, I have nothing more to add right now...