Dr.Saturdays Take
September 4th, 2010 at 11:24 PM ^
But, you know, as first career starts go, it wasexceptional. Starting from his own two on the Wolverines' first possession, Robinson accounted for 72 of 98 yards on a marathon touchdown drive; on the second possession, he pulled it down for the last 32 yards of a 77-yard drive to put Michigan up 14-0. By the end of the afternoon, he'd taken all but one snap, hit 19 of 22 passes with a touchdown and no interceptions, set a school record for a quarterback with 198 yards rushing and obliterated any semblance of the simmering controversy with Forcier or true freshman Devin Gardner. Basically, he was the best possible version of the all-purpose nightmare that had Michigan fans brimming with nervous optimism after making a move for Forcier's job in the spring. Obviously, it's Robinson's job for now.
September 4th, 2010 at 11:34 PM ^
I find it kind of funny that this week's "sleeper to win the Big East" is now a "Big East also-ran".
September 4th, 2010 at 11:36 PM ^
...to chew on:
“You’re blocking and two seconds later you see Denard 20 yards up the field,” Michigan offensive lineman David Molk said. “There’s nothing better than that. It’s amazing how he’s progressed in such a short time.”
One could say the same things about the Wolverines, at least for now.
To his credit, Rodriguez isn't delusional like some colleagues who have found themselves on the hot seat. He understands his situation completely, and he isn't afraid to admit it. That's why he only allotted himself 190 minutes to enjoy Saturday's win.
"I know what they want here," he said. "The hope and expectation at the University of Michigan is to win championships. We understand that. Our players understand that."
We won't learn from our past hyperbole, though. We'll mythologize Robinson this week. He's an electric quarterback who doesn't tie his shoes, for goodness sakes. We'll paint the Wolverines as the second coming of the 1984 49ers. Maybe they are, but Notre Dame also looked a lot better Saturday than it did last year. We won't know for a few months what Michigan really is. It's only one win -- and it certainly doesn't get Rodriguez off the hook -- but darn if that win didn't feel different somehow.
"We've won one really big game, our home opener," Michigan AD Brandon said. "We've got a lot of games to play. ... Let's see how it goes. But I'll tell you what. I love the start."
Wojo.
That's how you sweep away questions, with the quickest pair of feet imaginable, with stirring bursts and throws that rechristened the new-age Big House with a new-age look.
Quarterback issue? Ha-ha, good one. Denard Robinson unleashed a remarkable show, an unprecedented show at Michigan, and for one rollicking afternoon, you saw flashes of what could be, what needs to be. The biggest crowd (113,090) ever to watch a football game, college or pro, had to look around and wonder where they were, and who this was.
September 4th, 2010 at 11:39 PM ^
Funny all of the journalists that were so quick to rip this team now jumping on the bandwagon.
September 5th, 2010 at 12:06 AM ^
...Wojo in the "rip this team" category.
September 4th, 2010 at 11:43 PM ^
So, let me get this straight: Carty quits the A2 News before it goes under, goes to law school, and suddenly resurfaces with the newspaper job he probably wanted all the time?
September 4th, 2010 at 11:57 PM ^
He couldn't even manage his own blog. This must be freelance. He couldn't have bombed out of Toledo law school so fast.
September 5th, 2010 at 12:07 AM ^
...truly amazing, isn't it?
September 5th, 2010 at 12:08 AM ^
Yeah, there is no way this is a real gig. Carty was substandard when he was at the AA News, if he got a job at the Times then journalism really is dead
September 5th, 2010 at 1:32 PM ^
He's almost certainly stringing for the NYT. They have nowhere near enough staff writers to cover all the important college games (even on a day without that many important games) so they hire freelancers - stringers - to cover the game. They do the same thing in a lot of places. In more serious news, their staff reporters do almost as much managing of stringers as they do reporting on their own. (Dexter Filkins _The Forever War_ has some nice sections about how this system functioned in Iraq.)
September 5th, 2010 at 12:37 AM ^
And on top of that, his piece in Saturday's paper (nyt) about the renovated Big House, reeked of him trying to insert his hatred of Michigan.
September 5th, 2010 at 7:24 AM ^
Carty's freelanced for the NY Times before, so this isn't that surprising. I've always liked his writing and enjoyed his blog.
September 5th, 2010 at 4:26 PM ^
Around here.
September 5th, 2010 at 12:08 AM ^
...different perspectives on the new Michigan Stadium.
September 5th, 2010 at 12:27 AM ^
Holy close camera angles, Batman!
September 5th, 2010 at 12:43 AM ^
Hmmm that New Englander was upset that the Huskies were 3 pt dogs. Ooops.