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Posted under Football, Personnel

The timetable for the Great Heisman Campaign has hit overdrive, and it’s time to get down to a final pairing. Because of this, there will be no quarterfinals, and instead there will be a 4-way competition on each side of the bracket to determine who the finalists will be. Here’s the updated bracket:

There are 2 polls in this post, so make sure you vote in both of them. These polls will only be open for 24 hours, so get to votin’.

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Posted under Football, Personnel

When Kurt Wermers left town, he tried to take a potshot at the Michigan coaching staff, comparing them unfavorably to Lloyd Carr’s (under whom he never played, for the record). This, of course, has a serious short term effects of making the media insufferable for about a week, and compounding the similar accusations made by Justin Boren on his way out of Ann Arbor. Long term, it may diminish offensive line depth, and even chip away at Michigan’s ability to recruit players (though it flies in the face of, like, everything that anyone else has said about the staff).

Perhaps the most serious damage Wermers may have inflicted, though, is not in terms of what he did do, but rather what he didn’t: stay eligible. Michigan’s football APR has been declining slightly over the past few years, as the Carr tenure waned and now even more Rich Rodriguez has come into town with his demanding program. Several players – whether they didn’t fit the system, weren’t willing to put in the work, or just wanted to go to Ohio State in the first place but were guilted into Michigan by Bo and used a father’s plow service(!) as an excuse to leave Michigan – have departed since the new sheriff in town took over.

The NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate is used by The Toothless Organization to determine which schools aren’t taking care of their student-athletes academically. It is calculated by a 4-year average of scores out of 1000, and if said score dips below 925, tTO will write you a strongly worded letter, then give no actual sanctions (though they’ve gained some teeth, and have punished even a couple BCS conference teams). So how has Michigan done over the past couple years? Take a look:

These numbers have, as mentioned above, been on the decline for a couple years, and as higher-APR scores from years past move out of the 4-year average, and the more recent years (with worse APR scores) go into the equation, it doesn’t necessarily bode well for Michigan. Each player leaving the Michigan program costs the team 1 point out of 1000 in the APR calculation for that year. If a player leaves while he is ineligible for NCAA competition, it reduces overall score by 2 points. It’s unclear exactly when players count towards the next score: I believe those who left before the 2008 season have already been counted, and no others have.

That means 8 players have already left the team since the end of the 2008 season. According to history, more may be on the way. With Michigan’s APR trending downwards, it appears as though the 2010 score will be more of the same. Will the Wolverines dip into the danger zone – below 925? They haven’t come close yet, though they’re certainly heading in the wrong direction. But hey, there’s always applying for waivers.

Posted under Coaching, Football, Misc., Personnel

Carlos Brown enters the final year of his injury-plagued Michigan career looking forward to finally being healthy for an entire season. He’s had ankle and wrist problems, but when healthy, he’s shown flashes of brilliance. Last year he ran for 122 yards, almost all of which came in Michigan’s loss to Northwestern.

Denard Robinson is one of the most exciting players in Michigan’s 2009 recruiting class. A high school quarterback, he provides the possibility of an athletic signal-caller, but can still throw the ball down the field. He was a 4-star recruit to the major recruiting services, and is a world-class sprinter. He finished 3rd in the Florida High School 100m dash, and ran as fast as a 10.28-second time this spring. If opposing defenses allow him to get into space, it will probably mean 6 points for the Wolverines.

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For the second round each poll will only be open for 3 days, so make sure you vote early in order to be counted. For the updated bracket, click here.

Open Polls:
Odoms v. Martin.
Mathews v. Ezeh.

Completed 2nd Round Polls:
Minor v. Van Bergen.
Warren v. Schilling.
Mesko v. Cissoko.
Forcier v. Stonum.
Graham v. Robinson.

Posted under Football, Personnel

Greg Mathews is the lone holdover at wide receiver from Michigan’s glory days on offense in 2006. He was one of Michigan’s top receivers last year, and the only wideout with more than one touchdown grab (a far cry from the days of 15 for Edwards or 12 for Manningham). He looks to continue making the tough catches with his spectacular hands, though he’s unlikely to beat many players deep.

Obi Ezeh will be a third-year starter at middle linebacker, and he’s had an up-and-down career thus far, including a one-handed interception against Northwestern in 2007:

If the Michigan defense is to be successful, Ezeh will have to be on his game the whole year.

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For the second round each poll will only be open for 3 days, so make sure you vote early in order to be counted. For the updated bracket, click here.

Open Polls:
Graham v. Robinson.
Odoms v. Martin.

Completed 2nd Round Polls:
Minor v. Van Bergen.
Warren v. Schilling.
Mesko v. Cissoko.
Forcier v. Stonum.

Posted under Football, Personnel

Martavious Odoms was Michigan’s most used receiver last year, grabbing 49 passes for 443 yards. Since he performed so well as a freshman, there’s good reason to hope he does the same as a sophomore – if not better. Competent quarterbacking and a more effective overall offense should give Odoms the chance to make a lot of plays. He’ll also be used in the kicking game, and he returned one punt for touchdown last year.

Mike Martin was inserted into heavy rotation at defensive line, which is rare for a true freshman. He performed well, including a crushing of Allan Evridge that helped seal the victory over Wisconsin.

Martin finished the year with 20 tackle (4.5 for loss and 2 sacks).

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For the second round each poll will only be open for 3 days, so make sure you vote early in order to be counted. For the updated bracket, click here.

Open Polls:
Forcier v. Stonum.
Graham v. Robinson.

Completed 2nd Round Polls:
Minor v. Van Bergen.
Warren v. Schilling.
Mesko v. Cissoko.

Posted under Football, Personnel

Brandon Graham is likely Michigan’s best shot (outside of the venerable Professor Mesko) to land a player on a first-team All-American squad as a defensive end. He finished last year with 46 tackles, including 20 for loss (2nd in the nation) and 10 sacks (2nd in the conference), all despite missing one entire game and parts of others with injury. The Detroit Crockett star looks for another big year before he moves along to the NFL.

Terrence Robinson was expected to compete alongside Martavious Odoms last year at the slot position, but ended up missing the entire year with injury. He should be fully healthy this year, and will give Michigan another option with a little shake to him:

If Robinson can contribute in 2009, it will go a long way towards helping cure the offensive woes of 2008.

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For the second round each poll will only be open for 3 days, so make sure you vote early in order to be counted. For the updated bracket, click here.

Other Open Polls:
Forcier v. Stonum.
Mesko v. Cissoko.

Completed 2nd Round Polls:
Minor v. Van Bergen.
Warren v. Schilling.

Posted under Football, Personnel

You may have heard of this Tate Forcier fellow. He’s been heralded as a savior of Michigan football, and his performance in the Michigan spring game was indeed something to get excited over:

Tate will likely be Michigan’s starter from day 1, and Wolverine fans are hoping he’s able to repeat that performance against starting defenses across the country.

Darryl Stonum is one of three Wolverines from Fort Bend Dulles High School in Texas, and perhaps the most physically talented of the three. The deep-threat wideout, however, struggled last season, partially because there was nobody who could get him the ball. Despite that, he was Michigan’s 3rd-leading receiver(!!!) with 176 yards, including a 51-yarder against Purdue for his only touchdown of the year.

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For the second round each poll will only be open for 3 days, so make sure you vote early in order to be counted. For the updated bracket, click here.

Other open polls:
Warren v. Schilling.
Mesko v. Cissoko.

Completed poll:
Minor def. Van Bergen.

Posted under Football, Personnel

Zoltan Mesko is a space emperor, a punter, and a scholar. Last year, he averaged over 42 yards per punt, with plenty of hangtime, as Michigan finished 5th in the nation in net punting yardage. Zoltan enters his 5th year in the Michigan program as a Playboy All-American and a serious contender for the Ray Guy Award. In 2008, he also ran twice on fake punts, earning a first down each time. Thrilling punt workout video goes here:

Boubacar Cissoko is a sophomore corner that the Michigan coaching staff will rely on to start in the defensive backfield this year. He got some playing time in 2008, but the graduation of Morgan Trent will force him the take a role in the spotlight. In limited playing time last year, he made 15 tackles (1 for loss) and broke up 3 passes. Ha also played a role in the kick return game, where he figures to make a repeat performance.

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For the second round each poll will only be open for 3 days, so make sure you vote early in order to be counted. For the updated bracket, click here.

Other open polls:
Minor v. Van Bergen.
Warren v. Schilling.

Posted under Football, Personnel

Donovan Warren was a 4/5-star cornerback out of high school, and it’s apparent why from his highlight video:

Warren had an exception freshman season, but a number of minor injuries teamed up with some philosophical disagreements with defensive coordinator Scott Shafer teamed up to undermine his sophomore campaign. Still, he is expected to be healthy and happy once more in Ann Arbor, and should have a successful junior year.

Stephen Schilling was a highly-regarded offensive lineman coming of of Bellevue, Washington, but needed a year to redshirt before he was able to contribute. As a redshirt freshman, he started every game, mostly at right tackle. He also played right tackle on last year’s line, but improved depth at the position has allowed him to move to guard, his more natural position. Schilling is expected one of the most important pieces on what looks to be a strong Michigan o-line in 2009.

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For the second round each poll will only be open for 3 days, so make sure you vote early in order to be counted. For the updated bracket, click here.

Other open poll:
Minor v. Van Bergen.

Posted under Football, Personnel