The Michigan Allegations: It's a Dead Issue

I can't believe the life this story as taken. The Free Press has taken something that every program does in nation and made it into a national story. There are things called non-countable hours which the Free Press article never mentions. Examples of non-countable hours are things like study hall, treatment, training table, etc.

The Free Press can't seem to get out of it's own way and are running headlines like this: As in Hoops case, Michigan investigates. Are you freaking kidding me? These allegations have nothing to do with the other. One was the Fab 5 taking money from a Detroit hustler, this is a team working hard. I know the newspaper industry is on it's last leg, but they have turned into the National Enquirer. In two weeks, I expect to see this headline. God wants Notre Dame to beat the overworked Wolverines!

Saturday can't get here soon enough and I hope the young Wolverines focus all this energy and hostility towards the game.

If you think Rich Rodriguez doesn't care about his players or doesn't know the rules, watch this video on his press conference today. You will see an emotional RR talk about Mike Barwis, the rules, Western Michigan, and his players.

On Saturday, look at the Michigan offense and defensive lineman and then compare them to other programs. The Michigan lineman are not overweight and very athletic. They can thank Mike Barwis for that. They also should be applauded for putting the work in during the off season.

I expect Michigan to look into this issue and find nothing and report that back to the NCAA. I also expect Michigan will not get any penalties from the NCAA. I don't have all the facts, but I would be very surprised if anything came of this. It's a dead issue.


(On a side note, these articles seem like a personal attack then investigated reporting)


BTW: I would like to see the Free Press reporters take questions like RR did today. They should not be immune to questions whether they truly did enough research in their article and understand what a non-countable hour is.

It's game week, let's start focusing on the start of the season.

Michigan Monday: We should be focusing on game week

This is game week. The week we have all been waiting for after Nick Sheridan's last pass hit the field turf in Ohio Stadium last November. It's been a long winter, spring, and summer waiting for the next chapter of Michigan Football to be written and we have to deal with two over zealous Free Press reporters making a story of Michigan "working too hard" in the off season.

Since this story is all the rage, let's review some more facts:

• USA Today basically says everyone does it: Some 21,000 current athletes at 627 Division I, II and III schools — including more than 1,600 football and 417 men's basketball players — participated in the survey. In the top-tier Division I, almost two of every three said they consider themselves more as athletes than students. Football players in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) said they spent an average of 44.8 hours a week on their sport — playing games, practicing, training and in the training room — compared with a little less than 40 hours on academics.

• The Michigan Athletic Department says we will look into it but we don't expect to find anything. It also goes into great detail on what players send their time on with in the rules.

• Mgoblog interviews 2 fathers who say the story is BS: Mike Forcier: "I've had three sons in college football now, and they've all gone through the same things so far. Tate has been doing the same things as his brothers were at UCLA and Stanford." Mike Schofield Sr.: As a parent of a Michigan Player/Student I find the story in the Freep nothing but nonsense, misinformation, bush league journalism and an attempt to tarnish the great name of Michigan Football, in short it think it is nothing more than Bullshit.

• Want to know what the National Champions do? "A lot of people say two-a-days is the time to get them tough," Meyer said. "It's over by then. You better not be getting tough in August. Our whole philosophy in August is to get ready for the first game. June and July are to get ready for August. Our whole goal in the middle of February is to develop toughness. Make people make a commitment. Get in or get out." --- Meyer, through the work of Marotti and Balis, will demand that his players become one unit. Marotti, 40, gets to the weight room as early as 5 a.m., and he stays late. He is built like an ATM machine — square and stout — but players don't push his buttons. He pushes theirs.

• Morgan Trent spoke to the Detroit News: "Yes, we were there all day it seemed sometimes," said Trent, a former Michigan cornerback now in his first season with the Cincinnati Bengals. "But if you expect to win, that's the sacrifice you make. I was a senior (last season under Rodriguez) -- I just wanted to win, that's all."

• Chad Henne weighs in: “Twenty hours is a very, very small portion of what you do, especially if you’re a quarterback at a high-profile school,” Henne, now with the Miami Dolphins, said in a phone interview Sunday. “Twenty hours isn’t enough for you. You have to be in there by yourself, studying film, no coaches around, and doing it on your own. That’s where the leadership comes in and that’s where, if you want to get better and play better, you have to do it on your own.” -- “I tried to be there as much as I could,” he said. “If I wasn’t in class, I’d be down there studying film and trying to get the gameplan ahead of time just so I’m prepared for that week and that game.” --“I really think whoever’s saying it really doesn’t want to be there,” Henne said. “If they’re saying that then they’re not really worried about the team, they’re not worried about what they’re going to do during their season and they’re kind of just giving themselves up. That’s just negative talk right there. So whoever it is just really doesn’t care about the team, I would say.“If they’re complaining about that, then they don’t want to be the best they can be and that’s their own fault.”

• Rodriguez and Judy Van Horn, the university's compliance director, denied NCAA rules violations in separate statements released Friday.
  "We know the practice and offseason rules, and we stay within the guidelines," Rodriguez said. "We follow the rules and have always been completely committed to being compliant with all NCAA rules." Van Horn indicated in her statement that her department conducts in-person spot checks of practice "during the academic year and summer. We have not had any reason to self-report any violations in this area with any of our sports."

You be the judge, but to me this is the biggest non-story I have ever seen. I'm sure all big time college coaches are getting a good laugh at this story. I can't wait for Saturday so we can put all these type of stories behind us.

BTW: Adrian Witty retook the SAT last week hoping to be eligible still this year. He is most likely looking at a red shirt at this point if he passed.

Also, Devin Gardner's HS team: Inkster played Ricardo Miller's team: Ann Arbor Pioneer this weekend. Devin put on a show but his team lost 32-25. Gardner didn't disappoint, completing 9-of-13 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns and running 15 times for 111 yards and another score.

Michigan Football's Possible Practice Violations

Practice, Are we talking about Practice?

Yes, that was the famous Allen Iverson line about missing a practice.

It's also what the Detroit Free Press has alleged in it's recent article that is making the rounds in national news today.

To net it out for you, current and former Wolverines (none would share their identity) said that Michigan broke NCAA rules by making voluntary workouts with Mike Barwis mandatory.

There were some other mentions of practice being too long and some administrative staff being at the 7 on 7 practices that the players arrange.

My Take: First off, you have to play by the rules. It's not correct to ever break NCAA rules no mater if it's a major violation or a minor one.

With that said, my next statements should speak for itself: 3-9, Rose Bowl loses to USC, App State, The Vest and Ohio State.

Being a true blue Michigan fan, I am tired of the above statements. I am very tired of it. Michigan (nor any other Big Ten team) can play with USC or the elite SEC schools any longer. I am tired of it. Michigan needed huge change and that change came with the name Rich Rodriguez.

Your damn right voluntary workouts became mandatory. The only thing voluntary at Michigan right now should be your decision to be on the team or not. If Michigan wants to be a top 5 team again and start playing SEC or USC football they need to make major changes. So yes that means working hard in the off season! Yes, it means not coming in 40 pounds over weight to Fall Camp, Yes, it means getting up early and working out and practicing hard.

Lloyd Carr was a good man. He followed the rules to the letter. He ran a different program that was heading in the wrong direction from an Elite Program stand point.

Change is hard folks. Very hard. Change means 3-9. Change means seeing Mike Barwis more then you see your roommate, girlfriend, or your family. Change means your going to lose players to other programs, that they may even complain to the Free Press about being tired and over worked. Change is difficult and if Michigan wants to make a change to a top 5 team again, change is necessary.

Do I think the accusations are accurate? I do. To some extent. I know MICHAEL ROSENBERG hasn't written a positive article about Rich Rodriguez since he landed in Ann Arbor. I know Rich and staff expect Michigan to work hard, very hard. I also know the war stories about Mike Barwis and how the players have changed their bodies in a positive way. I also know what played at WVU makes national news at Michigan. Nobody cares how hard West Virgina players work out. It won't make ESPN, but if you push a few Wolverines it's in every major paper today. Last but not least, RR and staff know the rules on practice and workouts. It's not like they are new to this. So if they stepped over the line they should get a slap on the wrist, but I have a feeling they know exactly what they are doing.

How do you determine if something is voluntary vs mandatory? It's really a level of gray. Can the NCAA figure it out? I doubt it.

Here is what I know. Everyone in that locker room wants to: win, be a top 5 team, win a Big Ten Championship, contend for National Championships, and play professional football. There isn't an athlete in D1 football that doesn't think they can't play at the next level.

So why not work hard? What do you have to lose? This team was 3-9 last year and a good year will be to make a bowl game. They should be working their ass off every day. Every day!

Another point that was brought up in the article was that the workouts were having an effect in the classroom. Though I missed the point in the article where the Michigan football team had it's highest GPA ever in the spring term. Funny how that wasn't in there?

The bottom line is this program will continue to have articles written like this until they win. 3-9 is not acceptable at Michigan and Rosenberg is trying to make a living. Remember that big story the Ann Arbor News had about the Michigan program a couple years ago and how the classes were too easy? Nothing ever came of that and now the Ann Arbor News is history.

The Free Press is trying to hold on and trying to write articles that sell papers. This story was about a program making a big change, working hard, and some players not wanting to do it. Which isn't news. If they broke an NCAA rule, they should be punished. If you have a problem with the work outs, talk to your coach, talk to Michigan's NCAA compliance officer, talk to Bill Martin Michigan's AD. Don't talk to the Free Press and don't sign a waiver that says just the opposite. I wouldn't have given my identity either.

BTW: Mark Snyder also contributed to the Free Press article with Rosenberg.

Michigan Football Friday: Getting close to the Finish Line

We are just over a week away from college football opening weekend. The University of Michigan football team is starting to fill out the depth chart on who is going to be where.

• Kelvin Grady (former point guard) is listed as the #2 slot WR behind Odoms. Beating out Roy Roundtree and Terrance Robinson. I think Roundtree is a better fit at outside WR, but that's just me.

• It seems Terrance Robinson has separated himself in the punt return game.

• Former MSU football player Kyle Rasmussen is joining the WWE to start a new career as a professional wrestler.

• Thursday was the final two a days before Michigan's first game next Saturday

• Michael Shaw continued to preform well in practice on Thursday with a pair of touchdowns, a 22 yard run and a 45 yard pass from Tate.

• Odoms had a 50 yard return on a kickoff and 14 yard touchdown catch from Denard.

• What have seemed to been missing from these practice posts are good news from the defense. Well today is a new day: The defense held twice on the 90 second drill from the home 40-yard line, but the offense scored twice as well.

• The defense also got a turnover from a big hit by linebacker LB Fitzgerald

• Dex Jones a linebacker from the Wisconsin Badgers has transferred to Western Michigan and will have to sit out a year.

• Ben Axon a former South Carolina commit has transferred to Eastern Michigan. Ben was pulled over in May and was charged with a misdemeanor for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Ben will now try "to right his ship" under Ron English.

• Adrian Arrington after being out most of the year last year due to an injury, has been impressive at Saints camp this summer.

A View From Above in the New Big House

The media got to tour some of the new Michigan Stadium suites yesterday. Here are some photo's from the Freep:

They have sold roughly 70% of the suites/club seats so far for the 2010 season.


• Seems every one takes their Verizon phones to the Big House for games. Which prompted this announcement from Verizon today: With more than 100,000 people converging on Ann Arbor during Football Saturdays, Verizon Wireless has activated a COLT (cell on light truck) that doubles capacity of its high-speed wireless network in and around Michigan Stadium.



• Athlete/LB Josh Furman has set a visit date to Ann Arbor for 9/12



• QB Munchie Legaux continues to be on Michigan's radar. Here is what Munchie had to say: Although he remains uncommitted, Legaux recently narrowed his finalists to three schools. They were in order Oregon, Michigan and Baylor, not surprisingly all spread offense programs. Tulane remains a consideration, he said, particularly if he decides to remain close to home.

• Michigan Stadium switches from Pepsi to Coke. Well done, Mr. Martin. Well done!
  
  

News and Notes from RR's press conference yesterday:

• Question: Will you talk about one of your walk-ons, Jared Van Slyke and how game ready he is. Coach Rodriguez: “Yeah Jared is a neat story. He hadn’t played for us. He sat out last year in his redshirt year, but he’s been very active at safety for us. He’s a smart football player. He’s involved in a lot of the special teams. He’s going to get a chance to play next weekend.” Jared is the son of Tiger's coach Andy Van Slyke.



• Jason Olesnavage is the leader right know as the top kicker. But the final decision has not been made.



• Patrick Omameh is going to get some playing time this year on the offensive line and gives the overall line some flexibility and depth.



• Mike Shaw has had a good fall camp after being out of all of spring ball with an injury.



• Freshman Craig Roh is Brandon Herron's back up right now.



• All 3 QB's are at the top of the depth chart

Wolverine Wednesday: Slip and Slide

• Update on Brandon Ifill recruitment: Pitt, Maryland, Michigan, West Virginia and Rutgers are his top five choices, but Maryland is No. 1 on his list. He plans to visit Maryland and Michigan in September. Maryland is recruiting him as a receiver. Cullen Christian is considering a few of the same colleges as you. What are the chances of you and both going to the same school? At first, we were banking on going to the same school, no matter where it was. Now that we're seeing the whole process, we're different people. We do compare our thoughts, but we're not banking on going together.

More News and Notes from Practice:

• Players and coaches cooled off after practice on Tuesday by using a giant slip and slide.
• Greg Mathews had a long punter return.
• WR Darryl Stonum stretched out and caught a 37-yard pass from QB Nick Sheridan.
• Running back Brandon Minor scored an eight-yard TD run and back Carlos Brown added another rushing score.
• Martavious Odoms added a touchdown reception during the scrimmage.
• Former players Stan Edwards, Tom Brigstock, John Ghindia, Jeff Cohen, Marten Davis, Rick Leach, Tom Parkhill, Michael Taylor, Chuck Ritter and Don Eaton attended practice.
• Legendary coach Don Nehlen (and RR mentor) was at practice Tuesday, hanging out on the field and touring Rich Rodriguez's new office. Nehlen coached Michigan's quarterbacks under Bo Schembechler as well as serving as head coach at Bowling Green and West Virginia. Rodriguez became West Virginia's head coach in 2000 following Nehlen's retirement.

On a side note, Don Nehlen is probably the reason RR is at Michigan. RR asked Don about the Michigan job and he pretty much told him that there isn't a better job in college football. Which there isn't of course.

Michigan Football Recruiting Blitz

More like zone coverage today as many of the un-committed prospects are now focusing on their senior year of high school football and while putting recruiting on the back burner for a few weeks. (HT: Mgoblog)

• The best punter in the nation Will Hangerup will visit Ann Arbor for the Michigan - Indiana game. Which will be the last visit for him. Hopefully, he leaves Ann Arbor with the "best" and "freshest" feeling of all his visits. As you know, Zoltan graduates to the NFL next year and Michigan needs a punter in this class. It seems like it's Will or a walk on at this point.

• Duke verbal LB Aramide Olaniyan is still planning on taking visits and it seems Michigan will be one of his stops.

• It seems safety/wr Bobby Swigert has narrowed down his list to a final 4: Stanford, Michigan, Nebraska and Boston College.

• A good story on Kevin Koger and Elliott Mealer who are gunning for playing time this year. Kevin will get a lot, Elliot most likely will have to wait until next year.

• Cullen Christian has been a strong lean for Michigan for some time. Which is good and bad. The good is he is saying this like this: IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYBODY EXPECTS YOU TO CHOOSE MICHIGAN. ARE YOU CLOSE TO PULLING THE TRIGGER AND COMMITTING? Yeah, Michigan is No. 1, but I probably won't make my decision until sometime during the season. I don't know how close I am to pulling the trigger. The bad is that the longer it takes him to commit the more time other schools have to change his mind. Michigan needs him, so let's hope he commits soon.

• Florida CB Tony Grimes has a final 3 of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Mississippi.

• 6"1 195-pound four-star safety/running back from California, Dietrich Riley says Michigan is recruiting him to play running back.

• Uniontown, PA running back Arnold Walker is getting some interest from Michigan.

Michigan Monday: He Said, AP Said.

Since the dawn the Internet, some news services/newspapers have been writing provocative headlines that are really not accurate to the true story. Michigan has been a target for these headlines for the past couple of years. Examples are: "Win at all costs, Threet knows who the starter is, Rodriguez is to blame for Feagin, etc.

Which leads us to the latest headline, that even made the scrolling thing on ESPN last night. Rodriguez to play 3 QB's against Western Michigan! My first thought was; that's strange and my second thought was, boy that would be hard to plan for if your the WMU DC.

Then I started to research this headline and Yahoo's Dr. Saturday has his doubts about it:

On that note, beware the extreeeeemely misleading headline hitting all the wires Sunday that suggests Rich Rodriguez may rotate three quarterbacks in the Wolverines' opener against Western Michigan. That header is based on a teasing throwaway line -- "Maybe we’ll have three starting quarterbacks," Rodriguez said. "That would be neat." -- from the bottom of an obligatory media day story whose first 23 paragraphs focus exclusively on freshman's Denard Robinson's totally quirky habit of playing with his shoelaces untied. Rodriguez is playing coy about announcing an official starter, but even reporters who accept his premises are having a tough time working Nick Sheridan into the narrative. Repeat after me, folks: Sheridan will not be Michigan's quarterback as long as Tate Forcier and/or Denard Robinson are upright. And God help them if he is.

Mgoblog also has it's doubts as well, stating the author of the AP story has a history of bad takes:
*(Assumption: unnamed AP reporter is Larry Lage since he's the local AP guy who covers Michigan stuff. 1) Lage got on the radio a couple weeks ago and claimed he "did not buy" Michigan's home-and-home with UConn was a real thing because it had only been reported by the UConn Rivals site. At that point it had made it into originally-sourced pieces in Connecticut newspapers, IIRC, and anyway anyone with their ear to the ground couldn't help but have heard from someone who it was. 2) Remember the "Get a life" kerfuffle towards the tail end of last year? It was Lage who sliced a detailed answer from Rodriguez on how he deals with fans into the most unflattering two sentences he could and thereby ignited Yet Another Dumb Media Firestorm. Moral: take AP stuff on Michigan with a grain of salt.)

So is it coach speak, a joke, or the true facts? You be the judge. If you want my opinion, I think Denard is actually pushing Tate at the QB position with his elite speed and reminds the coaches of Pat White. So here is how I see the game against WMU going: Tate is in for the first 3 series and puts up 21 points in the air, Denard comes in for two series and scores 10 points, Sheridan comes in up 31 points and adds a field goal in a 34-7 victory. Does that sound ok?

Some of you maybe thinking what about David Cone? Maybe they should play 4 QB's!


Saturday's Scrimmage Highlights:

• Odoms had a couple of big plays
• Teric Jones had a pick in his new role as a CB
• Denard hit fellow freshman Je'Ron Stokes on a 3 yard TD pass
• Tate got tackled for a Safety by Brandon Graham
• Michael Cox broke off a 56 yard run

Other News From RR's Press Conference:

• JR Hemingway will be one of teams big play threats this year (note: don't sleep on Roundtree)
• Je'Ron Stokes will play outside WR and not Slot this year
• The players aren't quite ready to play a full game but they are close and will be ready for Western Michigan in a couple of weeks

Buckeye Monday: Ohio State 2009 Preview

Editors Note: From the school, keep your friends closer and your enemies closer, we do Monday recaps of the Buckeyes games by Buckeye John. Enclosed is his preview........

2009 Ohio State Football Preview

It’s that time of year again college football fans!!! Fall conditioning and practice have opened on nearly every BCS campus. Thank God!!! I have to admit being out of the loop with all things Ohio State football over the last several months. Not sure why. Maybe it was because there wasn’t a lot of recruiting news (although things have picked up on that front in the past several weeks). Maybe it was because the players were doing a decent job of staying out of the papers. Anyway, my interest quickly returned upon seeing the first pictures of the players reporting to the team hotel to open camp. I’m sure it’s the same for fans from Ann Arbor, South Bend, Gainesville and Norman as well. 2+ weeks until the opening kick-off. I can’t wait.

As in previous years writing this article for Big House Blog, I’ll start with the several things that get me most excited about the upcoming year. I’ll follow that up with the things that worry me the most and end with some general predictions on how the season will play out.

What gets me excited?

#1 Terrelle Pryor V2.0 – It’s hard not to be excited about the possibilities given the reports coming out of Columbus about a more mature, more confident and better prepared Pryor triggering the offense. I’ve read several articles about Tressel adding elements of Nevada’s wide open “Pistol Offense” to better utilize his physical skills. I’ll believe it when I see it. Buckeye fans have been burned for years by the conservative play calling of Tressel and Bollman. My expectations are that Pryor will be a little more patient in the pocket, will have improved his mid-range passing game and will have better command of the playbook….new or otherwise. The Big-10 beat writers named him the preseason offensive player or the year in Chicago a few weeks ago. He would have come in no higher than 3rd on my ballot.

#2 A meaner O-line – Without question, the biggest mystery last year was the less than dominant play of the offensive line. With all but one of the starters coming back and the addition of several highly touted freshmen I thought this unit would be one of the strengths of the team. That was obviously not the case. I think this year will be different. Michigan fans won’t like to hear this but I think Justin Boren is going to be a huge addition to the line. I’ll refrain from bringing up the facts and rumors about his departure from Ann Arbor. The fact is he was going to be great for UM and he’ll be great for OSU. By all accounts he played with a chip on his shoulder all spring and I’m guessing that his nasty attitude will rub off on the other players vying for spots on the line. I’d like to see Mike Adams and Boren on the left side, Mike Brewster at center and Jim Cordle and JB Shuggarts on the right side. Regardless of who gets the starting nods for this unit, they’ll have to step it up a notch as the running backs, while talented, lack experience and will need all the help they can get. (Update: It was announced on Saturday that Justin Boren tweaked his knee in practice on Friday and could miss up to three weeks of practice.)

#3 Return of a dominant D-line – Oh boy!!! This unit is going to be fun to watch this year. Thad Gibson brings speed and attitude from one end. Cameron Heyward and Doug Worthington will clog the middle. Lawrence Wilson will return from two serious leg ailments to man the other end spot. All will be backed up by experienced players. In short…..nobody will run on the Buckeyes this year. I know that sounds a little cocky but this unit needs to be dominant to make up for the inexperience at linebacker and to a lesser degree in the defensive backfield. The Buckeye defense has ended each of the last six seasons ranked in the top 15 units in the country. I see no reason for that not to continue this year.

#4 Other misc things – I was excited to see Tyler Moeller get more opportunities to shine this year. Unfortunately that’s not going to happen. I’ll replace my excitement for him with anticipation for seeing Brian Rolle and Etienne Sabino at linebacker and Nathan Williams at end. All showed great motors and raw ability last year. This year they should all get ample opportunity to shine. On offense, I’m eager to see what Boom Heron and a healthy Brandon Saine will do at tailback. Both have showed flashes of speed and power but had the luxury of playing behind Beanie Wells. Both will have to step up this year. My other sleeper is Devier Posey starting at wide receiver. He brings speed and athleticism along with crisp route running. The addition of several new receivers (most notably Buckeye legacy Duron Carter) should make up for the loss of the “two Brians”…Robiskie and Hartline.

What worries me?

#1 Having to replace Laurinitis and Freeman at linebacker – It’s hard to replace three year starters at any position let alone the heart and soul of the defense. The Buckeyes have a proven track record of putting stud linebackers on the field every year. This year could be a little different. Early reports out of camp have Brian Rolle manning the middle spot with Ross Homan and Austin Spittler playing the outside positions. I’m not sure why Spittler and Rolle have switched positions. Homan was solid but not spectacular last year and he’ll have to step it up this year to make up for the inexperience of the other two players. Etienne Sabino and Dorian Bell should get tons of experience.

#2 Who will step up in the defensive backfield? – Losing All-American Malcolm Jenkins (a proven lockdown cornerback) hurts. Chimdi Checkwa takes over the boundary corner position for Jenkins. I’m comfortable with that move although Checkwa needs to be a little more physical this year. Kurt Coleman returns at one safety position and that too is good. He was making plays all over the field in the second half of the season last year. I expect big things from him this year. Anderson Russell will man the other safety spot. I think he played well last year although the image of him whiffing on the tackle at the end of the Texas game (Fiesta Bowl) is seared into my memory. Hopefully he’s put that play behind him. The other corner spot is up in the air with Andre Amos being listed as the starter early in camp. I think the front seven on defense will do a great job stopping the run forcing teams to throw the ball more often. How this unit responds to the added pressure will be key. We’ll get an early opportunity to see how the new players are working out on September 12th when USC rolls into Columbus.

#3 Creative play calling – Can we please open the playbook this year. Last year there was a lot of talk of a whole new playbook being put into place to take advantage of Pryor’s physical skills. Yes, he lead the conference in completion percentage but we all know that was more a result of the conservative nature of the play calling and not his actual throwing ability. This year the talk is about adding elements of the “Pistol” offense used at Nevada. Now, I’m the first person to admit that I know nothing about the Nevada offense. I guess it must be pretty dynamic for Tressel to want to use it this year. I wonder if the coaching staff asked for permission to talk to Urban Myer about the Gator attack. I think their results are a little more quantifiable for the average fan.

Esteemed bloggers like Brian at MGoBlog and your own Big House Bob spent a great deal of time complaining about Carr at the end of his career. His play calling was too predictable and he stayed with coaches that were not getting the job done. I’m a huge believer in Jim Tressel as a coach but I’m not sure how long that will last if he doesn’t demonstrate a willingness to make the changes that seem to be so obvious to me and the rest of Buckeye Nation.

#4 Getting over the hump in big games – It’s hard not to be ecstatic with the results of the Tressel era. One National Championship, two runner-up finishes, seven wins in eight years against Michigan and a virtual lock to play in a BCS bowl each year. Having said that, the team performance in big games is definitely trending down over the last several years. It’s not the results that worry from these games it’s the way the payers played and the coaches coached in them. If you play confidently and lose to a better team that’s one thing. The Buckeyes were definitely outclassed and out coached against Florida, LSU and USC. More importantly they seemed to play scared and defensive. That has got to change this year. I didn’t have a problem with the way we played against Penn State and against Texas last year. We played hard and lost. That happens. The USC game is 29 days away (as I write this). I’m hoping…..and praying that the quality of play and coaching in the Texas game has become the norm.

What does this all mean?

I’m going to take a slightly pessimistic view on my predictions this year. As stated in my bullet points above, the Buckeyes experienced key losses on every unit on both sides of the ball (except QB). While that happens to most teams on a yearly basis, (Florida being the huge exception this year….my god…is that team loaded or what?) I think we struggle a little bit to reach the same lofty levels we’ve come to expect in the previous years. Last year I predicted 11-1 with a huge win against USC and one conference loss. This year I’m going with 9-3. I think we lost to USC and Penn Sate and one other conference game. Illinois scares me a little and to a lesser degree so does Michigan and Iowa. I won’t predict what other game we lose until my Buckeye Preview each week on this blog. Stay tuned……

11-1, 9-3…it doesn’t matter to me. The 2009 season is upon us. Saturdays are about to get a whole lot more fun. Here’s wishing for a great year for whatever your favorite team might be. Yes…that goes for fans of “that team up north” too.

Buckeye John

Michigan Football Fast Friday Update

Michigan Practice Notes:

-The starting defense is seriously lacking depth and the defensive line is no exception. John Ferrara might move back to the defensive line after moving to the offensive line last year.

-RR feels the reason the offense is getting big plays in practice is due to their execution and not a reflection on the defense.

-Odoms sat out on Thursday due to a headache.

-Kelvin Grady continues to impress at the slot wr position after his move from the basketball team. Which means bad news for T-Rob who continues to have problems catching the ball.

-RR has been leaving the entire defense so far this fall to Greg Robinson.

Recruiting News:
-Scouts is reporting that Florida CB Tony Grimes is now a package deal with high school DE team mate Clarence Murphy. This is most likely bad news for the Wolverines who only have 4 spots remaining in the 2010 class.

College Football Pre-Season: Does it make sense?

I have been in favor of one pre-season game for college football for many years. With the importance of every game and back in the day when Michigan opened it's season against Notre Dame, Yes, Notre Dame. It always seemed like the right thing to do.

Could you imagine a freshman QB starting their year against ND? I can't. That's why I always thought Michigan should invite one of the state schools (like Eastern, Western, Central, that was not on the regular schedule) to Michigan Stadium to play a pre-season game. It could be a D1A team or even a D2 team. You could charge $5 or $10 a ticket and I bet the fans would flock to the stadium in mid to late August to get a peek at the new Wolverines.

What's strange is, I have never heard a coach mention the a pre-season until this year, Coach Rod said the following on Monday:

“If there was one rule to change in Division I college football, they would allow you to have a exhibition or preseason game against somebody else,” he said last week. “There doesn’t have to be any crowd or fans there, just so you have an idea of what it’s like to go against somebody else so you can judge yourself a little better.”

“We’re the only level (without,)” he said. “The NFL has four preseason games, and they’re pros, even on smaller college, when I was in Division II, you could have a scrimmage game. In high school, obviously you have them. In Division I, you can’t have them and it’s kind of silly.
“All these (regular-season) games are so important and I wish we could have a scrimmage so we could have a judge on where we’re at.”

I really don't see the down side to having 1 pre-season game. It would help the hosting athletic departments budget, it would help the smaller schools budget and it would allow the team to practice "against" live bullets. How about a Michigan vs Grand Valley State game? Do you think that would get some interest? Do you think it would be good for Tate and Denard to run the offense against another team?

I'm sure the defectors would list a few issues:

• Injuries (you can get injured in practice)
• It would be like playing a 13th game and they just added the 12th (so it's not like they are in school right now)
• I guess it could be costly if the team had to travel. (Play only local teams and I'm sure Michigan could pick up GVSU's T &E)
• I can't think of any other negatives to doing it. Can you?

For U of M, Eastern would be a great candidate on years they are not on the schedule. What about Central whose head coach used to work for RR?

Everyone loves college football because each game is so important. If that is the case, why not prepare your team the correct way and get your freshman some live experience.

Wolverine Wednesday: Notes from Practice this Week

• Denard on Monday: Scored 4 touchdowns: 2 running and 2 throwing. One of his tosses was a 78-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brandon Moore. On Tuesday he ran for 68 yards on a broken play.
  


• Drew Henson stopped by practice on Monday and Tuesday. He has a year left right? No on Jason Forcier - maybe a Yes on Drew? :)
  


• On Monday James Rodgers caught 2 touchdowns including one 58 yard bomb from Tate Forcier.

• Vlad Emilien picked off Tate
  


• Sheridan also hit TE Web for a 48 yard touchdown. (I hope all these long balls are a good sign for the offense and not a reflection of the defense)
  


• Tuesday, Kevin Grady ran for a 48 yard gain when the offense was backed up at the 2 yard line.
  


• Michigan worked on a overtime drill Tuesday where Shaw scored on a run and Sheridan hit Greg Matthews for another score.
  


• Also during the OT drill Tate hit senior WR LaTerryal Savoy on a WR screen that went 25 yards for another score.

Random Michigan Thoughts:

• There has been a lot of buzz around Savoy being a starter this year. Which would be somewhat of a surprise since he hasn't seen much action at all during his Wolverine career.


• Seems the offense maybe ahead of the defense at this point? It seems the D is giving up a ton of big plays.


• Michigan has a ton of running backs. I hope we see some triple option this year.


• Is Denard making a "run" for the starting job? I know he is behind Tate in knowing the offense but his speed and athleticism maybe hard to keep off the field.


• Teric Jones seems to be doing well in his move to CB and had a pass break up on Tuesday.

Rich Rod's Press Conference Notes

• No Jason Forcier. It seems the waiver was denied. Update: he never enrolled at Michigan and plans to find a job.

• Injury update: Minor problems: Ricky Barnum and Thomas Gordon ankle, Mark Moundros foot, and Donovan Warren knee. Fitzgerald Toussaint has a shoulder injury that will keep him out 2-3 weeks which most likely = redshirt.

• Justin Turner in now practicing in pads

• The CB's are looking good with Warren, Cissoko, and Floyd but need a 4th. See Turner above!

• Greg Robinson will be on the field during games, Coach Gibson will move to the coaches box.

Michigan Tuesday: Toys and Trips

When do you become a sports legend?
Is it when you win a couple of Super Bowls?
Is it when you marry a super model?

All good answers, but not correct. It's when you have your own action figure. McFarlane Toys has a new line of former college football stars which include the likes of guys names Payton, Adrian, Ray Lewis and others. But for Michigan fans there is only one guy you would purchase in this new line and it's Mr. Tom Brady sporting the most famous jersey in college football.

• Seantrel Henderson is probably not taking an "official" visit to Ann Arbor. As you remeber, he visited back in the Spring and "loved it". Let's hope when he is visiting Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida, USC and Notre Dame he doesn't forget that feeling. It's also interesting that he is visiting OSU when they play USC, ND when they play USC and USC with they play UCLA. Seems like a trend to me. His dad says: "We live here," Sean Henderson said. "He's been to Minnesota a thousand times. And he's made unofficial visits to Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan State. Everybody is still a possibility.

• Former Michigan recruit Donavan Tate picked UNC over Michigan on signing day. Last night he picked the Padres' over Tar Heels. Tate was the Padres first round draft choice in the MLB draft and signed a deal worth $6.25m on Monday.

• Greg Palus is named the starter for Syracuse. Let's see, he has been in camp for a week, hasn't played football in 4 years, and admits to being a little rusty. But he is your starter? Ok, I guess there weren't too many other options.

• This past Saturday started two a days for the Wolverines and Coach Rod called out Michael Shaw and Boubacar Cissoko as players of the day on each side of the ball.

• Michigan doesn't seem to be a major factor in the recruitment of Alex Smith, TE out of Cincinnati. When asked to name his top choices Smith said, "Cincinnati, then Wisconsin, then North Carolina, and Kentucky is in there too." With maybe 4 spots left in the 2010 class, Michigan doesn't need to be taking a TE. They need to focus on defense and a punter.

• For no special reason at all I highlight the two number 40's on Michigan's roster today. Zac Baker is a 5"9 192 pound WR walk-on from Grayling, Michigan. I'm guessing poor Zac doesn't see much field time. Also Michael Williams a 5"11 Safety from California is a regular contributor on defense.

Michigan Monday: 5 Star Search

Devin Gardner picks up his 5th Star from Scouts and is rated the #4 QB in the country. Ok, I have been saying star rating don't mean that much, but it's nice to have a 5 star player in Michigan's 2010 class. Look for a number of Michigan's committed players that are currently ranked with 3 stars to get a 4th if they have productive senior years.

• Brandon Graham is on the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list. He is 1 of 55 defensive guys up for the award.

• Bradon Minor is 1 of 7 offense players up for the 73rd annual Maxwell Award. Brandon Herron is not up for any awards yet but seems to be in-line for one with the first name of Brandon.

• Here is a local article on Michigan's new S&C coach for Basketball Jon Sanderson

• Steve Threet update at ASU. BTW: Did you know they run the spread there? It's a passing spread and the article states RR runs a running spread. It would seem to me a "spread" would be a really good offense if you combined both running and passing. :)

• Michigan is a 12.5 point favorite to beat Western Michigan in the home opener.

• Zotan hosts today's coutdown to kick off on mgoblue.com.

On a side note, I watched Michigan State's Big Ten Network Practice on Saturday. A few observations:

• They have been in practice for a week and still have their names taped on their helmets. Even head coach Mark Dantonio had a piece of tape on his shirt that said: Coach Dantonio. After a week, you would think everyone might recognize the head coach? Maybe not? BTW: the players also wear practice jersey with numbers on them. Crazy!
• The MSU QB's looked rusty and not very accurate.
• The MSU lineman did not look in shape and were carrying a noticeable amount of belly weight. After watching Michigan's BTN practice all of the Wolverines look to be in very good (or "Barwis") shape.

Michigan Welcomes 2 New Commits: The Talbott Brothers

Rich Rod and staff have been recruiting teammates for some time now. It's a great way to get a player you really need and to build depth at another position. Usually, there is one star and one guy that's good enough for a scholarship but not a household name. Of course there are exceptions: Craig Roh and Taylor Lewan were both 4 stars prospects, Michael Shaw, Roy Roundtree and Brandon Moore were all highly rated recruits, but Denard Robinson was a 4 star athlete recruit while Adrian Witty (who has yet to qualify) was only rated 2 stars (he was hurt most of his senior year). Ok, so I was wrong, there is only one example!

Which brings us to the next teammates to commit to the Wolverines. Terry and Terrance Talbott from Ohio. Not only are these guys teammates, they are brothers and not twins. So the Talbott family had a very exciting year about 18 years ago! :-)

Terry is a 6'4 265 pound defensive tackle while Terrance is a 5'10 172 pound cornerback. Terry is rated a 3 star prospect by both services while Terrance is rated 3 stars by Rivals. Both fill big needs for the Wolverines in this class and both had nice offer lists. Terry had offers from: Arkansas, Cincinnati, Illinois, Michigan State, NC State, UCLA, Wisconsin and others while Terrance had offers from Cincinnati, UConn, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

"At first I didn't think they were going to commit so soon, but ever since they came back from Michigan, that's all they've been talking about," their mother said. "They were really impressed, and instead of waiting and deciding, they just decided to commit. They loved the visit ... they loved the Big House, the academics ... they were really impressed with everything."

Both guys are good pick ups and they both needed to commit soon since the class is filling up with these being the 17th and 18th of the 2010 class. The total class size (with the recent transfers) is now estimated at 22. Neither one is projected to walk into a starting role and most likely headed for a redshirt as they will need to get bigger and learn the proper skills for their position. The good news is they have a high upside and work hard in the gym and in the classroom.

BTW: The Wolverines also have some other highly rated teammates on the radar for 2010 both are 4 star performers: Cullen Christian at corner and Brandon Ifill at Safety. Let's hope they are the next teammates inline to commit to the Wolverines.

It seems Scouting Ohio.com doesn't like me to show a video of each brother on my site, so to see a video of Terrance, please click here.

BTW: The Talbott brothers are teammates of 2011 QB (and the #1 prospect in Ohio) Braxton Miller. Interesting!

Michigan Football: 1st Day in Pads

So the world has been "tweeting" all day on Michigan's practice. Here are some updates from everyone from Michael Rothstein from A2.com, Dave Resine from the BTN, and Tim from mgoblog. (btw: there is a practice re-cap on the BTN tonight at 10). Here is a consolidated view for you.

Hot Topics:

• No word today on Jason Foricer or Adrian Witty
• Tackling was good today
• Justin Turner was not in full pads but was working on corner skills
• Greg Mathews and Brandon Minor were in Green Jersey (non -contact)
• Carlos Brown, Odoms, and T Rob (see below) all were dropping punts
• Brandon Herron and Ryan Van Bergen looked good on defense
• From Dave BTN: Tate Forcier is the PERFECT QB for the Michigan system. Good arm,very comfortable throwing on the run and good speed and scrambling ability
• Troy Woolfolk had some good hits at Safety
• Michael Cox and Vincent Smith were called out for looking good at RB
• Another interesting tidbit from BTN after being at OSU and PSU practices: Again -- intersting to see difference in philosophy. I've seen more WR's working on blocking in 1st 20 mins than last 2 days combined
• Darryl Stonum and Fitzgerald Toussaint had minor injuries today. Fitz maybe headed to a redshirt since the depth at running back is very good right now. Maybe they should try him at punt return?

Michigan Football Friday: $10 TV's, Transfers, T-Rob and the Twisted Media

• First off: How great would it be to buy a 52 Inch Samsung 1080p LCD for $9.99? Well, that is what Best Buy was selling it for yesterday! Best Buy has refunded every one's money and cancelled each order. The selling cost for the TV is $1700. Sounded like a great way to drive traffic to your stores and web site to me.
  
  
  
• So Michigan lost two transfers this week who really weren't great fits: a traditional full back and 2nd or 3rd string LB. Not a big deal right? What if one of the highly recruited redshirt freshman leaves? The rumor mill is spinning that former Texas HS QB Terrance Robinson (TRob) is considering a transfer. Why you ask? TRob had a knee injury where he missed all of the 2008 season, there have been reports he is having a difficult time catching the ball as a slot wr, there is a ton of competition from the likes of Roundtree, Gallon, Odoms, and even a point guard named Kelvin Grady (who recently had the highlight of the day on mgoblue.com). So there could be good reason to leave, but let's hope he reconsiders and tries to compete. He still does have 4 full years of eligibility. (he would lose his redshirt if he transfers).

• Louis Nix a DT from Florida has opened up his recruitment after an early commit to Miami. Louis will look at Michigan, Florida, ND, and others.
  
  
• Sounds like the Big Ten is thinking about signing a deal with the Gator Bowl, which would replace the Alamo Bowl (see below). This would give the Big Ten another New Year's day Bowl, but unless they change the time, wouldn't they all be on at basically the same time?
  

Twisted Media: I have been reading a bunch of articles about how:

• Rich Rod is supposed to have known about Feagin's police issues when he was in high school. Which his High School coach didn't even know about. Which were most likely "sealed" since he was a minor.



• Here we go again at QB? Here is another season where Coach Rod and staff don't know who their starter is. Really? You don't think the staff knows which QB is a better fit for his offense? You think it's wide open? Maybe your head is wide open?



• More transfers! This team is going down the drain!

Ok, first off Coach Rod knows what he is doing. He knows exactly which QB will start the WMU game. He is just trying to get each guy to continue to compete and learn. Remember, Steve Threet left because he "knew" who was going to get the most reps during the Spring and Fall. Do you think he would of left if it was "truly" an open competition?

Transfer happen all the time. It could because the kid is home sick or not getting enough playing time, or just isn't a fit. Why do you want kids that don't want to be at Michigan? Wish them luck and let them go.

Third, Justin Feagin was a difficult situation but I'm sure Michigan doesn't do 100% complete backgrounders on each recruit. Maybe they should? Sure Coach Rod is to blame, but he made the right decision on removing him from the team. Let's be done with this one and move on.

So in conclusion: RR may speak a little slower and do things a lot differently, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know what he is doing. I'm amazed that so many traditional sports beat writers don't remember his winning track record at other schools. Once he wins, this all goes away. He is to blame for 3-9 since this was his team and his responsibility, but this is a new year with a new outlook. Let's start putting on those rose colored glasses.

Michigan Football Thursday News and Notes

• Marell Evans leaves the Michigan program with class: "Me and coach Rod are on good terms," linebacker Marell Evans told the Free Press tonight. "It was more than playing time or academics or anything like that. It was a lot of things. Coach Rod is a great coach and I wish him plenty of success. I wanted to finish my career a different way." - - "He's a great man and I respect the man," said Evans, a junior from Richmond, Va. "He wanted me to think about this decision and said I'm a big part of the program. But I respectfully wanted to leave the program." Evans a junior was most likely a back up linebacker this year and hasn't decided yet which program he is going to transfer to.

• FB/DE Vince Helmuth has also decided to leave the program. Vince recently moved positions from full back to defensive end. Rodriguez said today that Evans and defensive lineman Vince Helmuth both asked to transfer and cited playing time as the primary reason why, calling them both good kids. Some believe Vince may end up at Eastern to play for Ron English, Michigan's former DC.

• Florida offensive lineman Torrian Wilson has Michigan in his top 3.

• Cincinnati TE Alex Smith is still considering Michigan after de-committing to the University of Cincinnati.

• Freshman slot WR/RB Teric Jones has moved to cornerback for depth reasons. I'm guessing this is not a good sign for Adrian Witty becoming a Wolverine this year.

• Looks like the Alamo Bowl is replacing the Big Ten with the Pac Ten.

• Notes from Practice: Minor is out with a "minor" headache, RR expects to hear something about Jason Forcier either today or Friday and it seems Adrian Witty is still waiting on a test score (ACT?) before he can practice.

Turner is in

Michael Rothstein a Michigan beat reporter via his twitter account has said, Justin Turner has been cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

No word on Witty and Jason Forcier.

Also this isn't the greatest news:
Rodriguez said linebacker Marell Evans and defensive tackle Vince Helmuth did not practice Wednesday and are expected to transfer. Helmuth, from Saline, moved from fullback to defensive tackle this spring.

Is Brandon Graham 2009 = to LaMar Woodley 2006?

This is the final post on the series of current Wolverines to former Wolverines. The last pair to compare is defensive ends Lamar Woodley as a senior in 2006 and Brandon Graham 2009.

Both are rush DE (Sure LaMar was more of an outside linebacker then defensive end but he was a rush linebacker at Michigan) and have chased and sacked a number of QB's in their careers at Michigan. Let's first compare stats from their junior years:

LaMar Woodley: 12 TFL and 6 Sacks

Brandon Graham: 20 TFL and 10 Sacks

LaMar as a senior: 15 TFL and 12 Sacks

Verdict: Brandon Graham in my opinion with a good 2009 could be a top 10 draft pick in the next years NFL Draft. I expect even a bigger year then Woodley's senior year which Brandon all most matched as a junior.

I expect Brandon to again have 20+ TFL's and 15 Sacks in 2009. Hopefully Brandon can also find professional success like Wood has in the NFL. LaMar now has a Super Bowl Ring.

With Greg Robinson's "Spinner" position, I expect Brandon won't see too many double teams, which should free him up to hit QB's and Running Backs in the backfield. If Michigan is to make it to a bowl game the defense will have to win a few games. I expect Brandon to be a candidate for defensive player of the year in the Big Ten and potentially an All American DE.

Wolverine Night Line Edition

• Speedy Slot WR Freshman Jeremy Gallon has changed his number to #3 which belonged to former player Justin Feagin.



• Former Wolverine Jerrod Bunch is trying to be a full time actor. Do you have time for a funny Jerrod story? Ok, I was working in a local Ann Arbor shop when Jerrod came in after his senior year and was about to get drafted. He said he had just come from the Ford dealership. He asked them to show him the fastest car on the lot. They showed him the Ford Taurus SHO. He said, "man, I'm not buying no family car!" :-)



• If Michigan is looking for another RB in the 2010 class, they might want to look at Denard Robinson's good friend Cassius McDowell who had this to say about Denard: The two had played football together since age 6 in Pop Warner. ``We were like brothers,'' McDowell said.



• Here a photo of the new locker room:

• Big Will Campbell looks very fit after the summer work outs with Barwis. (HT: mgoblog)

• Coach Rod expects to hear about Turner, Witty, and the elder Forcier soon. “Both of them are playing a position where we don’t have a lot of bodies at DB,” Rodriguez said. “So both of those guys were, I don’t want to say they were on the top of the depth chart, but guys that we wanted to look at early to see if they could contribute. Again, until they’re here, we won’t be able to react to that.” -- “I’m pretty optimistic and hopefully (Turner’s) will be quicker,” Rodriguez said. “But wait and see.” Coach Rod also mentions that Turner and Witty needs at least two weeks of practice before playing against WMU. RR also seems more optimistic about Turner then Witty and ther also seems to be a good chance Jason Forcier will get the waiver. We will see.

• 4 star athlete from Arizona Marquis Flowers is planning a visit to Ann Arbor.

Is Brandon Minor 2009 = to Chris Perry 2003?

I like to compare Michigan players at a similar time in their careers. Michigan's expected 2009 true freshman QB Tate Forcier was compared to true Freshman Chad Henne and redshirt Freshman Stephen Threet in a past post.

Today, we will take a look at what I consider similar players; Brandon Minor and Chris Perry. Both of these guys have a similar running style and had up and down Michigan careers.

As Freshmen: Chris rushed 77 times for 429 with 5 TD's, long run 42 yards. Brandon rushed 42 times for 238 yards and 2 TD's, long run 40 yards.

As Sophomores: Chris rushed 129 times for 517 yards with 2 touchdowns. Brandon rushed 90 times for 385 yards with 1 touchdown.

As Juniors: Chris rushed 267 times for 1154 yards with 14 touchdowns. Brandon rushed 103 times for 533 yards and 9 touchdowns.

As a Senior: Chris rushed 338 times for 1721 yards with 18 touchdowns. Brandon?

Both of these players struggled the first two years in the program to have a break out years as Juniors. Brandon's break out didn't happen until later in the year so his numbers aren't as impressive as Chris's. I also doubt that Brandon will carry the ball 338 times in 2009 with the depth at running back for the Wolverines in 2009. Carlos Brown, Michael Shaw, and host of others will be getting snaps at running back this year.

Chris had a fantastic senior year, which included a trip to the Rose Bowl, finishing 4th in the Heisman voting, wining the Doak Walker Award for best running back in the country and was the Big Ten MVP. We don't expect the young 2009 Wolverines to be Big Ten Champions but Brandon could have a very productive year and get drafted if he stays healthy.

How can this happen?

• Michigan's offensive line must approve in it's run blocking and there were strong signs that was happening late last year.
• Tate must hit open receivers to keep the opposing linebackers honest. Too many times last year they just sat on the run.
• Brandon has to stay healthy which is difficult with his upright, power running style.

So, no I don't expect Brandon 2009 to have a Chris Perry 2003 year but if Michigan is going to get to a Bowl game he needs to carry the load and have a fantastic year. I expect 200 carries and 1000+ yards in 2009. I also expect Brandon to be a First Team All Big Ten running back and be the teams offensive captain at years end.

Day 1 Practice Begins

Video highlights here.

• No news on Turner, Witty, or Jason Forcier. But all three have lockers. Turner and Witty are on the Roster. They just haven't passed the clearinghouse yet. Too bad Ed McMahon recently passed.

• Sheridan and Forcier were more accurate then Robinson passing the ball, but Robinson got a speeding ticket on the way to practice. He was jogging. No official charges were filed. :-)

• Michigan had new practice uniforms on.

• Kelvin Grady lined up in the slot.

• It was 114 degrees on the field during practice.

• Michael Shaw, Jonas Mouton and Fitzgerald Toussaint were all on the practice field after off season injuries.

Michigan Football Monday: Feagin Caught in a Drug Deal

When a player is thrown off the team for "Violation of Team Rules" you know it's something more then missing a work out or being late for a meeting. The Freep found out why:

Justin Feagin was an alleged drug dealer at the University of Michigan. He had helped a friend try to set up a cocaine deal that never happened and some people around Feagin said he was known to have been selling pot. Feagin also had somewhat of a checkered past, he had a couple of arrests in high school. Feagin told police that he also had been arrested for battery and trespass “on two different occasions” in Florida and that “nothing ever came of either situation,”

Basically what happened was that Feagin told a guy named TJ Burke that he had a contact in Florida that could get him some Cocaine to re-sell. Burke gave Feagin $600 and the Coke never showed up. Burke got mad and tried to make a home made bomb outside Feagin's dorm room to scare him. The Police investigated and found out the information on and from Feagin and Rich Rod threw him off the team immediately.

Burke on the other hand owes the University about $15,000 in damages and most likely will spend 10 years in jail. Feagin is back in Florida and maybe enrolling at App. State (my guess is not now) and will get to spend time with his Uncle who is also pending charges on a serious crime.

Moral of this story: RR had a very small window to recruit a dual threat QB. He picked off a guy in Florida who had an upside but was a very raw QB. Rich Rod also mentioned (I believe at Media Day) that he recruited a few guys that weren't Michigan caliber that didn't work out. With that quote, I believe Feagin to be that example.

So things like this happens and RR moved quickly to dismiss him, which was the right decision. In hindsight he never should have been a Wolverine. Thank goodness they took a pass on BJ Daniels (who was rumored to have asked for money). On a side note, I remember reading an article in the USA Today after signing day that said Michigan was a "loser" on signing day because they didn't sign Daniels. My guess is they made the right decision in not signing him. In the future, I hope they take a pass on Justin Feagin's types as well.

The above example also gives some credence to Wermer's accusation that RR has recruited a different type of athlete. Let's hope this is the only example.

• So Fall Camp starts today and the above BS doesn't mater anymore.

• There is some speculation that Michigan will hear about the status of Justin Turner today around 3:30. Bighouse Blog will have the information as soon as it comes available.

• Three players didn't report to Ohio State's first day of camp on Sunday: Ray Small and Rob Rose are reportedly having academic issues and LB Tyler Moeller remains hospitalized with a head injury.

• Update: ESPN is reporting that Appalachian State is no longer interested in bringing Justin Feagin after the Free Press report and some academic issues.

• More bad news to report. On a day after the NFL pre-season just started and Michigan's Fall Camp Opens, I was hoping for lots of good news. This is not good news: It seems former Michigan DB Vada Murray's cancer treatment is not working and they are starting some new treatments. Please keep Vada and his family in your thoughts today.

Fall Practice starts Monday!

See a good insider video from Mgoblue.com here on the Michigan coaches preparing for Fall Camp that starts on Monday. Today they had a team meeting.

There is a follow on video on Michigan's new state of the art inside practice facility (the Al Glick Field House) as well.


Enjoy!

Michigan Football Friday

• ESPN is reporting that Justin Feagin who transferred from Michigan is planning to enroll at Appalachian State if his academics are in order. The famous App. State QB Armanti Edwards is out 2-4 weeks with a freak mower accident that cut his foot.

• Brandon Graham is on the Ted Hendricks Watch List.

• Former Michigan QB Matt Gutierrez was claimed by The Chiefs off the waiver wire.

• Pitt was also a candidate for the 2010 opening game. It also sounds like the UConn return date is in 2013.

• 4 Star outside linebacker prospect Khairi Fortt has Michigan in his top 6.

• No deal yet for the re-named Motor City Bowl to the Pizza Pizza Bowl.

• For every "shot" a player takes leaving the Michigan program or for what always seems like "bad news" about Michigan Football. I give you this video of the Wolverines and Offensive line coach Greg Fry. Enjoy! This is a perfect example of what it means to be Michigan Wolverine.

Breaking News on Two Michigan Freshmen

Coach Rod was on the radio today and talked about a couple troubling issues. The first is Justin Turner and Adrian Witty still have NCAA Clearinghouse issues. Which most thought were behind them. Coach Rod did say he expects both issues to be cleared up before Sunday's first meeting or right after.

This development is troubling on a couple of levels. One, both are cornerbacks and the depth there is shaky already. Second, is Justin Turner a 5 star corner who was/is expected to have a role on this years team. There have also been reports that Witty has been impressive in the non official drills this summer.

The second item was a long shot anyway. Jason Forcier former Michigan QB and brother of Tate was enrolling at U of M this fall in graduate school and there was hope he could use his 4th year eligibility and play a backup QB role at Michigan. This would require a waiver from the NCAA, but it seems Jason hasn't been accepted to graduate school yet (they are still waiting to hear) so Michigan hasn't even submitted the waiver yet to the NCAA. Looks like a no go for Jason this year. He would have been a nice back up option to have in case of an emergency.

• Cass Tech High School in Detroit has been a feeding ground to the Wolverines the past few years. It seems that trend is going to end with Dior Mathis, who states his top two schools are Michigan State and Oregon. He will visit the Ducks this weekend. It seems Michigan is still in it, but the 5"9 172 pound corner says he doesn't hear from the Michigan coaches that much. Mathis does have a offer from Michigan.
  


• Big "Will" Gholston is still going to look around. He still feels he is committed to MSU but is taking trips to USC, Alabama, Florida and either Tennessee or Virginia. I'm sure Spartan Country is nervous mostly with all those big name coaches and programs on his travel agenda. He also said he wants to play LB in college; “I don't want to play defensive end at all,” he said.

• Dietrich Riley is a 4 star prospect at Safety and Running back from California and is planning to take one of his official visits to Ann Arbor.

• Wolverines in the NFL News: Carson Butler signs with the Lions (Yikes!), Toomer signs with the Chiefs, and the Patriots cut Matt Gutierrez (this poor guy has been stuck behind high profile Michigan QB's his entire career).

Are you Ready to Roll to 2009?

Fall Practice starts Monday!

Can Any of Michigan's Freshman Walk On's Contribute Right Away?

There has been a lot of talk lately about the Michigan Wolverine Walk-On's. Even the Freep did an article that basically said, Michigan likes taking walk on's. I know it's early August and were a month away from the first game, but the Rich Rod and his preference for walk on's is really old news. We all know RR was a walk on himself and likes to build each one of his programs with walk on's for depth and practice.

What is more interesting to the Michigan fan is which walk on's might contribute to this year's team. Today we will focus on the Class of 2009 Walk on's. I listed them here for your reference.

Let's take a look at who might get a slot at some playing time this year and more importantly in the future.

Walk on's are on the team for depth reasons and aren't really supposed to contribute right away unless there is a injury disaster at any one position. So getting on the field right away will most likely be on special teams if at all.

Kickers:

Most major programs will maybe give a scholarship to one kicker and one punter. Michigan lost both of it's place kickers last year and gave Brendan Gibbons a scholarship in the 2009 class. Michigan has a senior All American Punter, Zoltan Mesko punting in 2009.

39 Eddie Murray, PK

46 Seth Broekhuizen, PK

93 Kris Pauloski, PK/Punter

All 3 above will get a shot at winning the kick off specialist or field goal kicker. Eddie Murray for local Lions fans is a great name for a kicker. Here is the background article I did on him. He has only played in 6 high schools games so I don't expect him kicking field goals for Michigan next year, but with his strong leg he could be a great candidate to win the kickoff duties.

Kris Pauloski is a kicker/punter from Indy. With Zotan I don't expect Kris to see much playing time. But there seems to be a back story here. RR and staff didn't offer Mike Sadler an in-state punter who just went to MSU. They are going after the nations top punter Will Hagerup who has a number of scholarship offers across the US. Many believe Will's decision will come down between Michigan and OSU. So why didn't Michigan keep Sadler on the line until Hagerup made his decision? I believe they have confidence in Kris Pauloski as Michigan's punter in 2010. Pauloski averaged 38 yards per punt in high school and also had 31 touch backs on kickoffs. Look for him to compete for the kickoff specialist job as well.

Offensive Lineman:

Most freshman are not physically ready to play on the offensive line right away. Walk on's are no exception and most likely the reason they are walk on's is they were a not quite big enough to garner scholarship offers. Here is the list:

54 Jareth Glanda, OL

59 Tom Lindley, OL

66 Christian Brandt, OL

67 Adam Barker, OL

69 Erik Gunderson, OL

94 Curt Graman, Long Snapper

With the depth at OL, I don't expect any of these guys to see time in 09. For the future, look for Tom Lindley and Adam Barker to be the two "diamonds in the rough" for Rich Rod and staff. Tom was one of the best offensive lineman in the state of New York and Adam was rated two stars by Rivals and had offers in the MAC and to some smaller schools.

Offensive Skill Positions:

If you are a walk on your hill is tough to climb when your position is a high profile offensive one. There has to be a disaster at your position for you to get time (see Nick Sheridan 2008). I know some of your are at your keyboards ready to say, "what about Brian Griese?" Brian was recruited but committed to the Wolverines when the class was full. He was asked to walk on and was given a scholarship as soon as one came available.

14 Nadar Furrha, QB

32 O'Neil Swanson, RB

42 Al Backey, RB

36 Jonny Childers, FB

27 Jordan Owens, Slot

85 Joe Reynolds, WR

Nadar Furrha is the local Ann Arbor Pioneer QB that turned down a scholarship to Grand Valley and had interest from MAC schools to be a walk on at Michigan. If Denard Robinson didn't commit on signing day, I would say he had a nice shot at a backup role. But now as to be the #4 QB on the depth chart. Childers is the "classic RR walk on full back" but will have to fight for a special teams role in 09. The rest are a long shot to see the field in the next two years. One mystery is Jordan Owens who has a number not occupied by an upper classmen which maybe a coincidence or RR thinks he may contribute right away. With all the scholarship freshman qualified and the deep depth at the slot position I doubt he will play unless he is related to Jessie Owens. :-)

Kelvin Grady, Slot WR and former Michigan starting point guard: Is he a walk on or is he on scholarship? I'm betting that RR gave him one of the scholarships left open from the transfers or the "not" full 2009 class. Will he pick up football again right away? We know he is in good condition and very fast and with the loss of Justin Feagin may get a shot at some playing time. It all depends on how he does during the fall, but I do expect to see him get some time at slot and/or on special teams in 2009.

To net it out for you: Look for the kickers to make the quickest impact in 2009. The future years look bright for Lindley and Barker and Grady might be a really good pick up but we really won't know for sure until Fall Camp starts next Monday.

Michigan Football Tuesday: Pioneers and Pizza

Ricardo Miller is one of the top WR prospects in the nation. He is a 4 star prospect and loves the Wolverines so much he is transferring high schools to be right across the street from the Big House. Yes, you got that right. Ricardo Miller is transferring from the hot bed of high school football in the state of Florida to play at Ann Arbor Pioneer this Fall. Somewhere from above the late famous Pioneer High School Football coach, Chuck Lori is smiling.

Ricardo will only be a Pioneer for one semester as he plans to enroll in January at U of M. On a side note, Pioneer got it's nick name because they were the first public high school in Michigan. Your editor and chief of BigHouse Blog is also a proud Pioneer Alum.

• Pizza Bowl? The Motor City Bowl has lost most of it's sponsorship due to the downturn in the economy and The Big 3 needing to invest marketing or bailout funds elsewhere. So in a strange turn of events the Motor City Bowl will now be called: Little Caesar's Pizza, Pizza Bowl - the name is not official yet because the Little Caesar's board has to vote on it. Also being discussed is the "Hot and Ready" Bowl or the "Crazy Bread' Bowl. Could you put Chili in the Crazy Bread Bowl? :-)
  


• Michigan 2010 recruits visiting for the ND game include: Florida CB Tony Grimes, LB from Maryland Josh Furman, and Michigan commit Dallas running back Tony Drake. Class of 2011 recruit and former teammate of Ricardo Miller in Orlando, RB Demetrius Hart is also planning a visit for the ND game.
  


• Zoltan Mesko, Michigan's All American Punter has never missed a day of school. Never!
  


• State of Michigan 2010 punter Mike Sadler commits to the Spartans. Mike didn't have a Michigan offer which means Rich Rod and staff have all their "punting apples in one basket" and that basket is Wisconsin punter Will Hagerup.
  


• Fall Camp is almost here: Players report on Sunday. Mark Ortman is all in. Are you? "It seems like forever since we've played, other than the spring game, and I know from talking with the guys as we've been working out that everyone is real anxious for camp to start," Ortmann said. "You take a lot of steps in preparation for the next season, with lifting and conditioning and all, but once camp opens, you know the waiting is over. It's all football then."
  


• JeRon Stokes brother Malik Stokes has an offer from Central Michigan to play WR. Malik plays QB in high school. Central is Malik's only offer to date.