Gerry DiNardo on Michigan's Spring Football Practice

Submitted by hart20 on

Football news, you say? Gerry DiNardo visited Michigan's practice today and tweeted his observations. Here they are (if you'd rather read his tweets directly on Twitter, click here)
 

  1. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines This Michigan team looks better than the last 5 at this point. Not only better but drastically different.

     
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  2. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines Outstanding tailback play could make the difference in the season. It's one weapon that needs to emerge

     
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  3. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines Michigan could have the two best offensive tackles in B1G. Schofield and Lewan.

     
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  4. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines Best competition between offensive & defensive lines we've seen this spring They were smashing each other

     
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  5. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines Watched one of the best and toughest defensive line pass rush drills ever.

     
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  6. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines Freshman R Douglas, T Charlton most impressive.

     
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  7. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines 6 HS mid year guys enrolled.More than I remember Mich having in past @ least 4 have chance to help in 13

     
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  8. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines I remember watching Kali's on HS tape & he was impressive as he was today. Recruiting rankings do matter

     
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  9. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines We see a lot of good young GA coaches in the B1G today was no different.

     
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  10. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines We've seen a lot of good practices this spring tour but today's was the most physical.

     
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  11. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines Dinner break then more practice stuff

     
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  12. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines By the way Coach Short Sleeves practiced inside today. Love that guy.

     
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  13. BTN Spring Tour Stop 6 #Wolverines A few years ago UM made a turn from RR to BH. They are making an even bigger turn this year. Impressive

 

 

Should be a good year.

hart20

March 26th, 2013 at 11:56 PM ^

is leaving ND. He was a 4/5 star.




  1. RT : Reason for Davonte' Neal's transfer from - 6-wk old baby back home. Details here: (VIP)

  2. RT : BREAKING: Davonte' Neal transferring from Notre Dame. All the details inside... (VIP)

Maizenblueball

March 27th, 2013 at 12:02 AM ^

He said so many things that have me pumped for next season.  My only question-- is this hyperbole, or is this legit?  I ask that, because I haven't looked back at Gerry Dinardo's old tweets from previous tour stops to see if he gets excited and talks up every school he's visited, or just Michigan.  Either way, I'm pumped for next year!

SituationSoap

March 27th, 2013 at 12:32 AM ^

I'm reading back through his other tweets now about the other teams to see what he's saying. I'll report back, but I needed to point this out. This is his whole coverage of the Indiana spring practice visit:

 

2013 Spring Practice Tour Stop 5 this morning 18 Degrees Thank You John Melencamp for the indoor facility which IU is using today

 

 

Alright, I went through his other tweets, and there's nobody he was even as close to as nice to as he was to UM. He said some good things about Nebraska and a couple good things about Northwestern, but for the post part his level of impression seems to relate to how many good tweets he put out (IE: if he didn't have anything nice to say, he didn't say anything at all). Seems to have legit questions about UW, obviously doesn't have anything to say about IU, nothing to say about NW defense, etc.

 

I'm not saying he's a great barometer, but he's not just going around hyping everyone up.

evenyoubrutus

March 27th, 2013 at 8:39 AM ^

We all like to pile on Dinardo but it seems like his preseason evaluations have been pretty accurate. Another example: I remember in the 2009 August tour he had said he thought Michigan was a 5-7 team based on his observations. I was pissed because that was supposed to be the RR turnaround and I thought he was ignorant. Turned out he was spot on.

iawolve

March 27th, 2013 at 11:29 AM ^

a former coach knows when he is seeing lines mauling each other. That is typically not hyperbole since he should know big dudes getting after it. More interesting is the RB situation with him even calling it out. Mr Green needs to step in and step up this fall.

MGoLogan

March 27th, 2013 at 8:51 AM ^

As much as he annoys me, he is normally pretty spot on with his analysis.  He did miss on MSU last year (he said numerous times he thought OSU and MSU were clearly the two best teams in the conference), but their problems were more due to the fact that they did not have a QB.  As long as I have followed BTN his predictions have worked out pretty well for the most part.

wolverine1987

March 27th, 2013 at 2:49 PM ^

that the rest of the football world hasn't? I understand people getting annoyed with all the SEC love out there, but it is reality--they are the best conference, and there is no doubt whasoever about that. Now can that change? Sure, but until then yelling about it doesn't help

MJ14

March 27th, 2013 at 1:04 AM ^

I don't know about that. IU football is definitely looking up, and I know it's probably impossible to believe, but I don't think they'll be the lauging stock anymore after this season. Not necessarily saying this season will be great, but the seasons after. They're really starting to come together and Wilson knows what he's doing. He's also brought in some very good recruits on defense, but they haven't all arrived yet. 

Maizenblueball

March 27th, 2013 at 2:23 AM ^

It sounds like DiNardo genuinely was impressed with our practices, and wasn't all canned hyperbole used on everybody else. 

I love that he was impressed with how physical our practices were, how much the team has improved over the last 5 years, Kalis being legit, etc. 

I love the mentality that Hoke and company have brought back to Michigan.  Hoke could be building something special...

Michigan Eaglet

March 27th, 2013 at 12:03 AM ^

Honestly I feel like this season has so much potential and I am more excited about getting this season underway than I am about any team since Lloyd was here. I know that Denard was and forever will be dilithium, but the team as a whole wasn't always as electrifying to put it mildly. Yes the Jake Tyan injury hurts, but the depth we have been building and the recent incoming classes keep compounding on each other making this year the culmination of the years prior. Next year might be even better than this year, but, for now, this year is going to tremendous.

bostonsix

March 27th, 2013 at 12:17 AM ^

Gets me pumped, and then the true off season (after recruiting) starts and then I go insane counting the days till September. Dinardo just added a +10 to my pumped meter, I can't wait to see Kalis in action.

Perkis-Size Me

March 27th, 2013 at 12:23 AM ^

This is the kind of stuff I love reading. Naturally we're going to get better in year 3 of the same systems, but what I love hearing about is the toughness and physicality Hoke is instilling in this team. Hoke wants to hear football every day, and it sounds like he's getting what he wants.



Looking forward to seeing opposing wideouts being terrified to cut across the middle of the field.



bostonsix

March 27th, 2013 at 12:27 AM ^

To say in the second tweet? That he didn't see good tailback play, or that it was outstanding? I read it 4 times and I could understand it both ways.

WolvinLA2

March 27th, 2013 at 12:31 AM ^

Yeah, that's a little vague.  At first I thought he meant the RBs looked good, but after a second read I think he meant that if we get a RB to break out that could be what puts us over the top, or a break out RB is the only thing we really need.  

Considering Fitz is still hurt and Green isn't there yet, I'm OK if that's the only group he thinks is a weakness.

WolvinLA2

March 27th, 2013 at 12:29 AM ^

I wonder which 4 of the 6 EEs he meant could contribute.  Clearly Douglas and Charlton since he mentioned them by name.  I imagine LTT is one who can't which is fine.  I would guess the other two are Butt (for sure) and probably Dymonte Thomas.  If the "other" two are the two OL then that makes sense.  

OmarDontScare

March 27th, 2013 at 9:15 AM ^

Not that Dymonte is underrated but I really think he's going to catch some people by surprise. His early commitment may have made people forget just how good this kid is for whatever reason.

I could see him as a 4 year starter especially since he's an EE.

AZBlue

March 27th, 2013 at 1:21 AM ^

Can't read the premium info on 247 but the non-premium posts seems to indicate something (very?) good.



And yes, I know it will make it on the board eventually but I find myself impatient re: SAM Lbs after the past week.

StephenRKass

March 27th, 2013 at 3:14 AM ^

A day or two ago, there was a post over at Eleven Warriors (Ohio site) about Berger. He had just been to Ohio, where he spent time with his family, Urban Meyer, and several prominent recruits. In spite of just being at Ohio, in spite of liking Urban, in spite of having a great weekend, he still stated that things were 50/50 between Michigan and Ohio for his services.

That in itself is very good. If getting pressure from other Ohio recruits, along with Urban, only brings him to "50/50," Michigan's chances are excellent.

Mattison is the key contact for Berger, and someone who Berger is very impressed by and who Berger relates well too. New assistant coach Manning, the one working with linebackers and thus the prime position coach for Berger, has also made quite an impression.

Berger appears legitimately torn between the two schools. It helps that he is very close to Jake Ryan. His High School, St. Ignatius in Cleveland, is a huge football factory. Not only Jake Ryan came from Ignatius. Many recognize current New England Patriot and former Buckeye Tony Gonzalez, and Patriot and former Spartan QB Brian Hoyer. Several other former Wolverines went to Ignatius. While not a "pipeline," their coach is not tied to Ohio at the hip.

I like our chances with Berger. We will know, one way or the other, before June.