Does running track mean Denard won't play QB?
With Denard Robinson's appearance on the track team recently, it got me to thinking. He was a subpar performer at quarterback last year, even when he was fully concentrating on football and, more specifically, the quarterback position. Quarterback isn't the easiest position to play when you're dabbling in other sports, especially when you're not already at the top of your game.
So with Robinson running track, which presumably takes time away from him watching film and honing his football skills, does this portend a move away from the quarterback position? I fully believe that Robinson will play some quarterback in 2010, but his 2009 performance followed by running track makes me think that the coaches and Denard have realized that quarterback will probably not be his permanent position.
Thoughts?
January 16th, 2010 at 6:57 PM ^
I don't think it has any bearing whatsoever on his future playing QB - and people tend to forget/overlook that (iirc) he did not play in a spread offense in high school...and arrived at Michigan in the summer, hamstringing his ability to quickly grasp the nuances of running RR's offense.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:00 PM ^
Yes, he played in a Wing T in high school. But if that hamstrung his chances of playing in a spread offense effectively, wouldn't playing another sport further retard the process?
January 16th, 2010 at 7:04 PM ^
if he's not sprinting in track he should be sprinting through training. i am not sure that the track time takes him away from the Q role/development, however I would like to see his Q role limited, more of a Aurellious Benn / Nesbitt role instead. especially with Gardner coming in.
January 17th, 2010 at 3:55 AM ^
Gardner is going to be redshirted. That is all.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:14 PM ^
1) He was probably going to do some running this off-season anyway. Whatever physical work he puts in will benefit him during the football season, and working out with the track team seems like a pretty good way of staying in shape and keeping himself focused/engaged.
2) How much mental work does it really take to run track? Do you really think it's going to tax his remaining RAM?
3) (giggle) "retard" (giggle)
January 16th, 2010 at 8:21 PM ^
Okay, well maybe we should tell that to Rain Man, because he practically bankrupted a casino, and he was a ri-tard.
January 16th, 2010 at 8:53 PM ^
But he was only a 3-star savant. He just found the right system.
January 17th, 2010 at 8:32 AM ^
1) I don't have a problem with him working out. It's not the physical part that concerns me. And whether he works out with the track guys or the football guys, he's still going to be one of the fastest players on the field.
2) Again, I'm not concerned about the nuances of track filling up his brain. But any time spent on the track takes away from time where he could be watching film or throwing to his receivers.
3) Yeah...I said "retard."
Anyway, I'm not saying he shouldn't run track. He should do what he wants. I'm just wondering if it's a sign.
January 16th, 2010 at 6:59 PM ^
i appreciate the thought, and am supportive of it. I want DRob on the field. Let DGard develop behind Tate for a year and a half. Bring DRob in for the wildcat. We do not need three star quarterbacks. Get the skills on the field....
January 16th, 2010 at 7:01 PM ^
The Big Ten indoor championships are in February, and the NCAA indoor championships are in mid-March. So he'd be done two weeks or so before Spring Practices can even begin. I'd think he'd have more than enough time to crack the playbook again before spring practice, even if he HADN'T been studying for his scholarship sport the whole time anyway.
I can't see why the two would be mutually exclusive (not that you're saying they are), or even why the one would necessarily take time away from the other.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:06 PM ^
Nice avatar.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:06 PM ^
You know I don't speak Spanish...
January 16th, 2010 at 7:08 PM ^
(at least I think it was Wheatley)
"Do you want to be a track runner who plays football or a football player who runs track?"
January 16th, 2010 at 7:12 PM ^
He only had one fall camp, where they were more concerned with jamming plays into his brain than honing his techinque so that Sheridan didn't have to worry about playing. He's had next to zero competant QB coaching leading into college, let's give him some time. There was once a time where kids weren't trained to play QB from the age of three, and even in their cases, they didn't look like world beaters their first year in college. Devin Gardner isn't going to come in here and just blow him out of the water, Gardner isn't some tiny project to prepare, he's got a ways to go too.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:13 PM ^
change anything at all unless he starts missing spring practice. Personally I think he shouldn't be a QB anyways. Hopefully RR says it that way too when DG comes in.
January 17th, 2010 at 3:57 AM ^
Gardner will be redshirted. That is all.
January 17th, 2010 at 6:26 AM ^
So you think DG will be red-shirted? I don't think you've made it clear! I didn't know RR posted on this board! Hey have you talked to Baxter and Dorsey what are our chances? Don't get me wrong I think he should be red-shirted but with our depth at QB and DRob looking less like Pat White and more Like Percy Harvin I don't see how they can red-shirt him unless Drob make serious strides in his passing skills I think DG is the backup and DRob fills a Percy Harvin roll scatback/slot nija/wildcat/and a few trick play passes(hopefully)
January 17th, 2010 at 11:56 AM ^
DG also needs to make serious strides in his passing game and his decision making, and D-Rob has probably been working on throwing on his own several times a week since season ended. I don't think he'll ever quite be on the same level as Tate's throwing ability, but he won't be forced to be a run-first QB anymore.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:14 PM ^
I'm going to assume that he's been studying film since the season ended. Further, I'm going to assume he's not putting THAT much training time in for track above and beyond his conditioning for football - at least not so much more than he can't look at a playbook. Further, he'll be running for what - 35 days, max? I think this doesn't matter.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:14 PM ^
how awesome Morgan Trent was? He played a position that required a bit less skill, but still, he had no problem finding time for track. Oh wait, I see your point...
January 16th, 2010 at 7:21 PM ^
NFL draft pick Morgan Trent, who played all 16 games for a playoff team?
January 16th, 2010 at 7:30 PM ^
A four year starter at QB under Bo, Leach was also an All-American in baseball and won a Big Ten batting title.
I'd use Drew Henson as an example, but I don't know if he played college baseball.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:15 PM ^
If DG enrolls early, then DRob probably moves around a little more.
If DG doesn't enroll early, then DRob probably moves around a little less.
Track has very little, if any, impact on the situation.
January 16th, 2010 at 11:46 PM ^
Wow, this one got banned fast.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:18 PM ^
It's not like he's spending a ton of time on track.
Those 6.81 seconds coulda been spent reading defenses?
[/sarcasm]
January 16th, 2010 at 7:18 PM ^
D-Rob is still lifting with the football guys and participating in film study per normal. Also he has been spending ample time with his receivers! So from what I have seen he is using track as his off season speed workouts, 2 days a week, and winning a few track meets in the process. Good for him and UM!
January 16th, 2010 at 7:20 PM ^
robert griffin over at baylor runs track in the off-season (he's actually a lot better at it than denard) and he has no problem transitioning back into football. dennis dixon played minor league baseball the spring before he lit us up in the big house. unless he's running track during spring practice i don't think it will affect his playing QB for michigan.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:24 PM ^
Robert Griffin has a chance to compete in the Olympics and I heard he isnt terrible at QB. I see no problem with letting DRob running track and playing QB.
January 17th, 2010 at 8:28 AM ^
Yes, but - and I hate to put it this way - both Dixon and Griffin were actually solid quarterbacks. The same goes with Henson and Leach, who were mentioned earlier in this thread. Denard is not a good quarterback, so any time that's taken away from his preparation for football concerns me a wee bit.
January 17th, 2010 at 10:25 AM ^
He completed 32% of his passes, with 3 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Denard's future might be in a Percy Harvin kind of role, but I don't think running track is going to hurt him.
January 17th, 2010 at 1:18 PM ^
Yes, but as a high schooler, Leach was a very good quarterback. His freshman deficiencies can be explained by inexperience. Denard wasn't a great QB in high school, and he obviously wasn't as a freshman in college, either.
January 17th, 2010 at 2:07 PM ^
I think you'd be better off arguing that Leach shouldn't have played baseball or that Robinson shouldn't be playing quarterback. If he is QB material, or if he's not, I don't think running track isn't going to make that much of a difference.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:28 PM ^
Denard is like Jimmy Johns he is freaky fast and can multi-task like a mutha. No Problemo for are bilingual participants.
Better running some sprints than go to the bar and hangin. Ricky Leach played some baseball and I guess so did Michael Taylor. Beisbol is more labor intensive than Track.
I am also a Denard fan cuz he even has a quick smile!
January 16th, 2010 at 9:29 PM ^
that he's also "freaky good" next year.
January 16th, 2010 at 11:13 PM ^
Between strange capitalization, complete lack of commas, and overall confusing wording... I do not follow.
January 16th, 2010 at 11:33 PM ^
OMG you are correct, I just reread that fiasco and I don't even know what the hell I was trying to say. I guess I was freaky incoherent.
January 17th, 2010 at 6:33 AM ^
You lost me after the Jimmy John's (I assume) reference. The whole subs so fast you'll freak or world's fastest sandwich delivery.
January 17th, 2010 at 3:39 AM ^
"are" ="our."
For me, the rest hangs together after that.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:50 PM ^
Denard has to read his playbook while racing.
It'll make sure he learns the position as quickly as possible, and it might even give his fellow racers a fighting chance.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:58 PM ^
It is somewhat unusual for a quarterback but training for sprint events should not have a significant impact on what he can do for football in the offseason. It can actually be used as an extension of his strength and speed training.
I still want to see him play some quarterback this year with the benefit of spring practice. He looked raw but I think he has a pretty good arm.
January 16th, 2010 at 8:15 PM ^
Do you honestly think there isnt a decent portion of off-season training dedicated to increasing quick twitch and top end speed? Im personally psyched that the fastest guy on our team is getting coaching from the guys who teach people to run faster for a living. I know we have all been to college, and I know us graduates look back at how ridiculously unbusy we were. I think Denard is and will be focusing on football, but will run some windsprints with the track guys instead of the football team for a few weeks.
January 16th, 2010 at 8:47 PM ^
"...I know us *LS&A* graduates..."
January 16th, 2010 at 9:06 PM ^
I'd stay away from East Lansing with that kind of talk.
January 16th, 2010 at 11:48 PM ^
Comp. sci. through LS&A was no walk in the park.
January 17th, 2010 at 1:03 PM ^
"...I know *we* LS&A graduates"
Say what you will about us, but we know the nominative case when we see it.
January 16th, 2010 at 8:42 PM ^
Michael Rosenberg finds out that RichRod requires voluntary mandatory extra sports for every player on the team.
January 16th, 2010 at 9:09 PM ^
As long as he doesn't miss any spring practices or summer workouts, it shouldn't matter.
January 16th, 2010 at 9:49 PM ^
Until further notice, Denard is a quarterback. I really expect Denard to make tremendous strides at the quarterback position. With Spring practice under his belt, the game will finally slow down for him.
Denard is physically gifted. The mistakes he made at the quarterback position are things that are correctable with training and repetition. I fully expect Denard to blossom as a quarterback. Moreover, I think this coaching staff expects Denard to blossom as a quarterback.