Rivals scouts Purdue for us...
Here's how it breaks down according to Rivals:
"Scouting The Offense: The Wolverines are dealing with uncertainty at the quarterback position, where QB Denard Robinson leads the Big Ten with 150 yards rushing per game, but he had to leave the Illinois game in the fourth quarter with concussion-like symptoms. He is expected to be available for the game with Purdue, but Robinson’s durability is suspect, since knee and shoulder injuries have also knocked him out of previous games. Should Robinson be sidelined, Michigan has a different offense, but not necessarily an ineffective one. QB Tate Forcier filled in for Robinson and led the Wolverines to the triple-overtime win against Illinois with his passing and running."
"Scouting The Defense: The Boilermakers have had the heart of their offense removed when season-ending injuries claimed their top receiver, running back and quarterback, so the Purdue team Michigan faces is somewhat limited in its options. Michigan’s struggling defense will be best served by living with the blitz and hoping to force mistakes aplenty from Purdue’s trio of young quarterbacks."
OK, so Robinson is an uncertainty? Really? According to whom?
We beat Illinois on the last play by blitzing, so we have to live by the blitz? What?
November 10th, 2010 at 8:21 PM ^
OK, so Robinson is an uncertainty? Really? According to whom?
While I like your grammar, that's directly from RR's mouth. They want to play it safe with a head injury, which is a more-than-smart thing to do.
We beat Illinois on the last play by blitzing, so we have to live by the blitz? What?
Live by the blitz might be a bit of a stretch, but when you have the secondary that we have, with the DLine that we have, it makes a lot of sense to bring a lot more pressure than we normally see.
November 10th, 2010 at 8:26 PM ^
RR said there is absolutely "nothing wrong with Denard, whatsoever". Passed all of the concussion tests, shoulder is fine and the knee should be 100% for Purdue.
November 10th, 2010 at 8:27 PM ^
I stand corrected, thank you!
November 10th, 2010 at 10:47 PM ^
then it will be BGSU all over again. We are going to kill Purdue if Denard is 100% healthy and ready to go (barring incredibly bad weather, etc.)
This should be a fun one...
November 11th, 2010 at 10:59 AM ^
http://www.weather.com/weather/weekend/USIN0707
lookin like rain
November 11th, 2010 at 11:27 AM ^
"It gonna rain!"
- Ollie Williams
November 11th, 2010 at 1:17 AM ^
I thought he said the knee was good but probably wouldn't be quite 100% until after the season.
November 11th, 2010 at 10:45 AM ^
I think the author's point is not so much that DR won't be ready for Saturday, but that he has been knocked out of a majority of games this season and that it seems plausible that he could miss significant time this week, too. The uncertainty is over his durability, not his current health. I share the uncertainty, as I'd bet many fellow Wolverine fans do, also.
November 10th, 2010 at 8:23 PM ^
that there is shallow, poorly-researched analysis at Rivals.com
November 10th, 2010 at 8:34 PM ^
Was my point.
November 10th, 2010 at 8:22 PM ^
Someone should tell Brian he can take the week off then.
November 10th, 2010 at 8:25 PM ^
It's not just RR; when was the last time Denard played a full game, opening offensive snap to final offensive possession? Hopefully an off-season in the weight room will help him shake the "injury-prone" label, but for the past several weeks he's certainly been hurting.
That being said, I don't know that it's "uncertainty," since the receivers seem to have good chemistry with Forcier as well.
November 10th, 2010 at 9:15 PM ^
Hopefully, Denard won't carry the ball 20+ times per game in the future. That should really help him shake the "injury prone" thing.
November 11th, 2010 at 10:57 AM ^
That's exactly the point, when was the last time a Running back ran the ball 20 times in a game, and didn't miss a down?
November 10th, 2010 at 11:09 PM ^
The answer to him becoming more durable lies in the health of Fitz, the development of Smith, Shaw, Cox and Hopkins as well as the impact Dee can have. If all of them are viable options, Denard runs less and therefor stands less of a chance of injury. At this point I don't know if the weight room is going to be the total answer. It's not like he is going to throw 20 pounds on. 5-10 is much more likely.
November 10th, 2010 at 8:28 PM ^
hard to find a good message board, source of info etc ...
Rivals and Scout sites are ghost towns.
November 10th, 2010 at 8:36 PM ^
I've had pets with better sports insights than this.
No sugar coat.
November 11th, 2010 at 1:22 AM ^
Were YOU his owner? You lucky SOB! Please tell me you made a fortune before you had to put him down...or whatever you did (eat him?).
November 11th, 2010 at 7:52 AM ^
Don't worry - Paul the Octopus has been replaced by . . . Paul the Octopus.
November 10th, 2010 at 8:45 PM ^
I think Rivals calling that "scouting" may be a bit exaggerated. Maybe more along the lines of general themes.
November 10th, 2010 at 9:03 PM ^
November 10th, 2010 at 9:18 PM ^
They're probably just as accurate about Purdue.
November 11th, 2010 at 12:26 AM ^
I love how people constantly use the term "knocked out" when referring to Denard's injuries. Sounds like a cheap shot to me.
November 11th, 2010 at 12:38 AM ^
I'm confused I thought they were different recruiting sites!
November 11th, 2010 at 7:51 AM ^
OMG RIVALS IS SO DUMB!!! HOW COULD THEY THINK THAT A GUY WHO RECEIVED A HEAD INJURY LAST WEEK AND WHO HAS HAD A BUM KNEE AND A BUM SHOULDER AND WHO HAS BEEN INJURED IN 7 OUT OF 9 GAMES THIS YEAR MIGHT BE AN UNCERTAINTY?!?!?!?!?! THE WHOLE WORLD IS AGAINST US!
November 11th, 2010 at 11:24 AM ^
THE HEAD COACH SAID THAT HE PASSED ALL THE CONCUSSION TESTS, THAT NOTHING IS WRONG WITH HIM AND THAT HE WILL DEFINITELY START AGAINST PURDUE!!
derp
November 11th, 2010 at 12:45 PM ^
Right...and if you believe that Denard is 100%, then I've got a bridge you might be interested in purchasing...
Regardless, as I said, he's missed time in 7 out of 9 games. Odds are almost 8:1 that he misses time in the Purdue game, too.
So is he an uncertainty? Yes.
November 11th, 2010 at 8:07 AM ^
As Rush would say, "Drive by media coverage"