VIDEO: UM Rookies in Preseason Action [EDIT-Now Including Demens]

Everyone here in Jacksonville is really excited about the Jags, and "Ace & Lace" (Ace Saunders and Denard) are a big part of that.

Denard looked really good in there and once the game slows down more for him I'm sure he's going to really shine.

And great job to all the rookies. Kovacs' tackle was as true form as you can get. Will appeared to do an excellent job in all aspects on pass blocking. I didn't see much drive blocking for running plays, but always seemed to be on assignment and to handle his man. Great job for a position change. And I was laughing as Denard was being Denard. So much fun to watch. Always seemed to pick up positive yardage when at running back. And his bursts up field seem just as fast in the NFL as they were in college. Hopefully you can do more of these.

Kovacs still is one of the best at tackling in space. Does a great job wrapping, lifting, and driving. Seemed a step slow coming down on short passes, and was perfect on special teams yet. Dolphins seemed to drop him a bit, I'm not worried about Kovacs not at least making the practice squad.

Campbell clearly has some technique issues to work on, especially in pass blocking where he struggles a little with footwork and when to pass on pass rushers. A little slow out of his stance as well (always seemed to be the last one up), but he does look strong and can move really well. Looked very good on the opening screen and did a good job on his trap block. Likely a practice squad guy that could develop into a good interior O-lineman in a few years when he gets down technique. I just hope he gets the opportunity to develop.

Denard is still Denard. Still looks a little uncomfortable taking handoffs a bit, and still runs a little bit like a QB (a little high, I think sometimes over extended his stride a bit). He'll need to adjust his level of patience on inside runs as he no longer has the extra blocker as he did as a QB. Looked much more comfortable on draws and zone runs though, where he could simply use his vision and athletic ability to cut and gain yards. Still has good speed too, obviously. Would like to see him hold onto the ball a little better though (something the Jags coaches have talked about).

The Kovacs tackle was beautiful, as for Denard, it was awesome to see he was always going forward and never really let anyone put him on his back, even when he was getting hit in the backfield.  Homerism and preseason football aside, if he continues to scrap for the extra yard on every run, once he gets more comfortable, he could be something really special in the NFL.  What he showed in that 2 minute reel was more impressive than I thought I would see from him out of the backfield against the big boys.

So if Denard only lines up at RB why is he allowed to wear #16?

Did the Jags draft the entire interior line from UM last year? That blocking looked a lot like the keystone cops. If Denard can make anything happen this year it will be in spite of his o-line and not because of them.

I was really impressed with Campbell's play. Granted it was against competition equally far down from the starters, but still for a guy switching to the other side (again, I suppose) he looked pretty good. He was even handling stunts decently.

Wow...Denard looked nice.

Denard lowering the head and getting that extra yard! 8)

This is really helpful.  Thank you.

Also- the Jags Offensive Line is not doing Denard any favors.  He didn't have much room to run on most plays.

I hear Roy had a circus grab and Criag had a sack. Any chance of those being uploaded?

I know he wasn't a skull crusher at Michigan, but I've always liked Demens and thought he was a reliable MLB.  Those highlights of his tackles were pretty impressive and give me hope that he could find a roster spot.  Then again, unlike the offensive players you can't judge a defender only by the plays he makes.  Who else is in camp that we haven't seen yet? 

Roundtree also completely decked a guy while blocking at the end of the game. The defender went head over heels and it made me think about the piece we read on how important receiver blocking is at Michigan. If you can find that footage it would be awesome.

don't know how jarrett Irrons never made it in the nfl.

Demens looks huge. A lot bigger than I remember at Michigan.

.. Looks like he's going to be a beast.  Here's hoping he stays healthy all season and puts up ROY type stats.  Love that kid.

Nice job, thanks for this. It got me thinking about how it's going to feel watching team 134 with no Denard, no Kovacs, and no Jake Ryan (till October, anyway). We've seen a few games of the offense without Denard. But the defense without Kovacs and Ryan… man.

Get well Jake!!

Thanks for posting these, I don't watch pro football at all but I'd sure love to see highlights on our Michigan Men.