Those who stay....

Submitted by Blue Blue Blue on

RichRod has mentioned that Senior Day is a chance to honor the seniors who honored their committment to Michigan.....and he contrasted them with those who left.

 

as their only seem to be 7 or 8 seniors on the roster, what is the list of  players who came in with the currnet seniors but are no longer in Ann Arbor?

Beavis

November 16th, 2010 at 10:31 AM ^

If anyone clicks on that link and still thinks what has happened over the past three years is all RR's fault - they should be institutionalized.

Standout Players (3)

Molk, RVB, Warren

Players that Mattered (4)

Hemingway, Huyge, Woolfolk (standout player next season), Webb

Role Players Forced to Play (3)

Rogers, Sagesse, Herron

Victims of Coaching Change (2)

Mallett, Clemons

Busts (8)

Busts remained about the same in 2008 (shared class) before fbeing cut in half in 2009 (still has a chance to increase, but Vlad, Turner, Witty, LaLota are all busts for sure.  Gibbons is on deck, with Big Will in the hole). 

If you assume starters can come from 5 classes, then there should be 4-5 standout players per class, and another 4-5 players that mattered.  Unfortunately, Mallett and Warren leaving the program are big reasons why we struggled over the last three seasons (Mallett) and this year on defense (Warren). 

jmblue

November 17th, 2010 at 2:27 AM ^

I'm not sure I'd even call anyone in this class a true standout player.  I mean, those three are good players, but they're not Brandon Graham-good.  We usually get at least one true superstar in a class (Mike Martin would be one from '08, for instance).  I don't think any of those three quite measure up.  Mallett did, unfortunately.

Don

November 16th, 2010 at 8:28 AM ^

"I was prepared for some attrition when I became Michigan's coach. I can honestly say we did not lose a guy who really could have helped us. I didn't lose any sleep over anyone who quit that spring..." G. Schembechler

 

Brown and Blue

November 16th, 2010 at 8:30 AM ^

You got me.  I can honestly say that as I was reading the Bo quote, I was literally thinking to myself, "Gee, I really wish RichRod had said this in a nicer way, because it seems awfully rude to the people who left."  I mean, I wasn't upset about it, but thought he could have been a bit nicer.  Than I saw it was Bo.  Good one.  

Also, does anyone else remember a speech (well, a video of a speech) of a captain (I think it was Andy Cannavino) who was charged by the team with going into Bo's office and getting him to lighten up a little bit .  At least as the player tells it in the speech, Bo absolutely ripped into the captain, completely turning the tables on him, and the team turned the season around from that point forward?  I can't remember where I saw it, but I think it was the video of some rubber chicken-type event.  

Don

November 16th, 2010 at 12:34 PM ^

I've said this before, but it bears repeating: the popular image that so many younger fans have of Bo is of some grandfatherly old guy who's a bit cranky at times but seems like a very personable, friendly person. It's virtually the complete opposite of what the younger Bo was like coaching during his first fire-breathing decade at Michigan. To many people, not least a good number of his players, Bo was an aggressive, obnoxious, in-your-face sonofabitch who didn't give a flying fuck what anybody thought about him. He was going to do it his goddamn way, and if you didn't like it you could get the hell out of town. Fans at other Big Ten schools hated him, not only because of his cantankerous personality but because they thought he ran up the score on them whenever he could. There was a very good reason his nickname while on the staff at Ohio State was "LIttle Woody."

If Michael Rosenberg had done in 1972 to Bo what he did in 2009 to RR, there isn't a shred of doubt in my mind that Bo would have dragged that little worm into his office by the scruff of his neck and 15 minutes later Rosenberg would have emerged with his pants wet. And Don Canham would have backed up Bo all the way down the line.

RR is much closer to Bo in terms of his practice-field and game personality than either Mo or Lloyd, but away from the game RR is totally different. Bo was more or less an SOB 100% of the time.

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124782/1/index.htm

justingoblue

November 16th, 2010 at 4:14 PM ^

"Schembechler sees the qualities he admires most surfacing every day in Carter. His attitude is superior, he's single-minded, he's great in practice, he's interested in team rather than personal goals, he's fast, he's tough, his hands are terrific, he keeps his mouth shut and, most of all, he's Bo's."
 
I couldn't help thinking about Denard and some of the rest of this team when I read that passage. Powerful stuff.

profitgoblue

November 16th, 2010 at 9:21 AM ^

I was thinking about the same thing but I was feeling a bit sad for the kids that decided to leave rather than stick it out through the adversity.  Those kids that stayed and are now graduating this year should be proud of themselves because they "survived" the tough years, are going to a bowl game, and are only stronger men because of the adversity. 

I think of a guy like Toney Clemons who decided to leave and go to Colorado.  Maybe he hated playing at Michigan - that could be true.  But look where he is now . . . Colorado is a very troubled program and their coach could/will be fired, leaving Clemons in the same position.  Just fight through the trouble and see where you end up, kids!

And I can't help but think of Sam McGuffie.  There is nothing I can say if his transfer was due to issues at home with his family.  No one can "fault" him for leaving (fault is not the right word to use if he chose to be closer to home).  But if there was some other football reason I can't help feel a little bad for the kid.  It would have been a rough past 2 years but he could be a star in this offense.  And more importantly, he could be getting a Michigan degree next year.  I am in no position to judge anyone, that is for sure. 

Here's some unsolicited advice to those who are interested:  When things get tough, hang in there a little longer than you would normally.  Just hang in there and see what happens.  If it doesn't get better than by all means leave.  But maybe, just maybe, it will get better and you'll be the better person for it!

three red spiders

November 16th, 2010 at 10:40 AM ^

McGuffie seeming reluctant to follow through with his commitment after the coaching change...He was late senidng in his LOI and he seemed to really be considering Cal.  I vaguely recall a quote where it seemed like he was coming more because of all the other players in that class he had persuaded to come, and that he felt beholden to them, then he was 100% in his decision...it just seemed a bad fit, and I never held it against him since he tried to do the right thing, even if for the wrong reasons.

Michigan football

November 16th, 2010 at 9:28 AM ^

Are there anymore? Seems to me all the star players have their own agendas, and it's promoted before they get out of high school. When I think of champion players, David Molk, Mike Martin, and Denard come to mind. Humble but dedicated to the game.

 

GoBlue007

November 16th, 2010 at 9:36 AM ^

 

Warren leaving early was a big event for our program.  I am still not sure why the coaches did not do enough to make him understand that he would have been one of the premier B10 DB's in 2010 and get a much higher pay day when the draft arrived...I think the staff was just swamped with too many issues and not allowed to focus on keeping Warren

Michigasling

November 16th, 2010 at 11:32 AM ^

is Mark Carrier, who's an assistant coach for the Jets, so he had people in the biz to advise him.  He was told he'd be drafted; he wasn't.  The Jets signed him as an undrafted free agent.  He had a couple of concussions and wasn't able to get on the field for pre-season, and even with his godfather on the coaching staff they couldn't justify keeping him on the roster if they weren't able to assess his play, no matter how much they would have liked to.  Bad judgment, bad advice, or just bad luck?  All of the above?  Sure, we could have used him, and he's probably thinking the same thing (now), but nice to know he's been seen in A2.  Wish him well. 

CRISPed in the DIAG

November 16th, 2010 at 9:47 AM ^

Academic eligibility is often an unspoken reason players leave early.  I'm not saying any of the above players had issues with grades, but it was the first thing that crossed my mind when Warren left.

maiznblue

November 16th, 2010 at 10:11 PM ^

Pretty touching article written by the granddaughter of John Cary, a player under Yost about love and tradition that comes with being a Michigan fan:

http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/111610aac.html

"How many people over the years considered it a tradition to file through those gates, I wondered? It left an indelible mark on my brain and a warm spot in my heart. My Uncle Bob died 13 days after his last visit to Michigan Stadium.

So, how has this place created such a tradition? How does Michigan football engender this kind of love and devotion? Isn't it just a simple game? As the Grinch Who Stole Christmas might say, "For 90 some years we've put up with it now, we must stop the constant 'Go Blue' thing, but how?" Still, in my heart I know it can't be stopped. And really, why would I want it to? I think all I can do is ask Coach Rodriguez to make sure his boys play their hearts out every game. Because this Michigan football thing isn't just any old tradition; it's our tradition. It belongs to all of us who let it infect our spirit, capture our hearts and become part of our lives."