YouTube is good for many things. One of them is 2010 Michigan Football hype videos. Here's one of them. Enjoy! Go Blue!
Jul 29, 2010
Jul 27, 2010
tOSU Re-Admits Maurice Clarett
Further proof that all you really need is a pulse in order to be accepted into THE Ohio State University, former Buckeye running back turned NFL dropout turned convicted felon Maurice Clarett has been re-admitted into the school. [Story]
If you recall, Clarett was arrested for armed robbery on January 1, 2006 outside of a danceclub in Columbus. He robbed two people and took a cell phone worth $150. He had a loaded .45 handgun.
Later that year, in August...he made an illegal u-turn and led Columbus police on a chase that ended in him driving over a spike strip and stopping in a parking lot. Upon his arrest, in which he spit on police calling them racially charged slurs, the contents of his uncle's SUV were revealed. A loaded AK-47 assault rifle, two loaded hand guns, a katana (long Japanese sword) and an open bottle of Grey Goose vodka.
Handguns...check. AK...check. Grey Goose...check. Lint roller...check. LETS ROLL!
After pleading guilty to all charges, he was convicted to 3 1/2 years in jail. After finishing his stint in the clink in Toledo, he was released to a halfway house in Columbus where he resides now.
All I can say is that if it weren't for rules that say a player can no longer play college football once they've played in the NFL, I'd be willing to bet he'd be interested in playing for Tressel again. And I'd also be willing to bet that Tressel would consider it.
I don't wish Clarett ill-will. And I do hope that he's a reformed citizen. But putting him back in the same place where he fell into all this trouble is probably not the best course of action. But hey, if he's reformed enough for the state of Ohio, then he's clearly met all the requirements for THE Ohio State University.
If you recall, Clarett was arrested for armed robbery on January 1, 2006 outside of a danceclub in Columbus. He robbed two people and took a cell phone worth $150. He had a loaded .45 handgun.
Later that year, in August...he made an illegal u-turn and led Columbus police on a chase that ended in him driving over a spike strip and stopping in a parking lot. Upon his arrest, in which he spit on police calling them racially charged slurs, the contents of his uncle's SUV were revealed. A loaded AK-47 assault rifle, two loaded hand guns, a katana (long Japanese sword) and an open bottle of Grey Goose vodka.
After pleading guilty to all charges, he was convicted to 3 1/2 years in jail. After finishing his stint in the clink in Toledo, he was released to a halfway house in Columbus where he resides now.
All I can say is that if it weren't for rules that say a player can no longer play college football once they've played in the NFL, I'd be willing to bet he'd be interested in playing for Tressel again. And I'd also be willing to bet that Tressel would consider it.
I don't wish Clarett ill-will. And I do hope that he's a reformed citizen. But putting him back in the same place where he fell into all this trouble is probably not the best course of action. But hey, if he's reformed enough for the state of Ohio, then he's clearly met all the requirements for THE Ohio State University.
Jul 26, 2010
2010 Preview: Quarterback
Welcome to the summer preview of the 2010 Michigan Wolverines. In this series of posts we'll dive head first into each position, providing in-depth analysis of all the main contenders and a little bit of speculation just for fun.
All good previews have to start somewhere, and it only makes sense to start at the single most important position on the field.
Quarterback
Projected Starter: Denard Robinson (So.)
Contenders: Tate Forcier (So.), Devin Gardner (Fr.)
Denard Robinson and Tate Forcier
When 2009 ended, it seemed pretty clear that Michigan had two very unique and very different QBs to choose form for the 2010 season. Tate Forcier saw the bulk of the snaps in 2009, even with a concussion in the Iowa game, Forcier remained the go-to guy for the remainder of the year.
His hero-like performances in the early part of the season against Western Michigan, Notre Dame, Indiana and MSU earned him the admiration of the Maize and Blue faithful. But mid-to-late-season struggles proved that he was still just a freshman, and had a ways to go before he solidified his position as Michigan's starting QB.
The other side of the freshman duo was Denard Robinson. Robinson saw plenty of action in the opener against WMU, and in his first play as QB, he fumbled the shotgun snap, picked it up...scrambled to his right, made a few defenders miss, and blew passed everyone as he ran for a touchdown. This play wowed the crowd, and made everyone take notice of a QB with speed Michigan fans had never seen before. See video proof...
And the peasants rejoiced!!!
As the season played out, and Forcier began to see more and more snaps and starts at QB, Denard was relegated to a backup role, and sometimes a non-existent role under center. It wasn't his lack of ability that kept him off the field, but rather his lack of precision throwing. He just didn't have the arm to compete with Forcier who had enrolled at UM 6 months prior and had that much more experience in the system than Robinson. By the time the Big Ten season started, defenses knew to not have to defend the pass when Denard was in the game. He was very one-dimensional, and not at all what Rodriguez's offenses want to be.
But time is proving to be on Denard's side. Denard has clearly been very busy improving his throwing ability and overall knowledge of the playbook during the long off-season. In the spring game this year, he saw the bulk of the snaps with the starting group, and looked 100% more efficient and comfortable in the pocket than he did in 2009. He was suddenly hitting receivers in stride over the middle. He was checking down to TEs. He was spreading the ball around to RBs and slots WRs. All of the sudden, his first instinct wasn't to just take the snap and just scramble like it was last year. He's growing into a pass-first, run-second type of QB...one that suits his ability well.
Tate looked very much like the Tate from last year in the spring game. What troubled me the most was that when he was forced to scramble, which was often, he would carry the ball in his right hand far away from his body...not protecting it at all. Its that carelessness that the coaches notice and use in making their decisions as to who plays and who doesn't. One of the areas we need to improve drastically is winning the turnover battle and maintaining ball-control. With a young defense, we need to keep them out of bad situations by keeping the ball safe.
Devin Gardner
2010 brings us yet another contender to the QB battle. Incoming freshman Devin Gardner has been hailed as one of the top QB recruits of the 2010 class. The biggest asset he brings to the table is his size. Where as Denard and Tate are both a little shorter than I'd like them to be, Devin's 6-4, 200+ frame bodes well for him. He showed in the spring game (he enrolled in January) that he can move well with the ball. He's not as fast as Robinson, but resembles Vince Young in a lot of ways in how he moves. He has a ways to go before he's at the same level as his two other teammates in terms of knowledge of the offense, but there was a definite buzz around him in the spring game.
My hope is that Devin can red-shirt this season and get another year of training and practice before he's thrown to the wolves. I hate the fact that we are getting into a habit of using freshman at skill positions...especially QB. Give him time to learn the system before he's forced to perform. But a lack of a true 3rd string option at QB, a red-shirt seems unlikely.
Video!
Thanks to the power of the internet (and the good folks over at mgoblog), we give you each and every snap(!) from Denard, Tate and Devin from this year's spring game...
Denard:
Tate:
Devin:
Conclusions
All in all, 2010 is bound to see drastic improvement in the QB position for Michigan. Last year we had two freshman, and at times it showed. Expect a true 1st to 2nd year improvement in almost all phases of the game for both players. Prepare to see the two-QB system in effect at least in the first few games. It's clear that both Tate and Denard offer two different, yet two very capable options for Rodriguez. Denard may be the slight leader in the clubhouse going into the 2010 season due to his overall improvement in his throwing ability...at least the QB with the most momentum coming out of the spring sessions.
Its clear that Rodriguez's spread-option style attack favors a "Pat White" style of QB, and that would bode well for Denard if he can capitalize on his spring success and continue to impress coaches and grow into a more pass-friendly, dual-option QB.
All good previews have to start somewhere, and it only makes sense to start at the single most important position on the field.
Quarterback
Projected Starter: Denard Robinson (So.)
Contenders: Tate Forcier (So.), Devin Gardner (Fr.)
Denard Robinson and Tate Forcier
When 2009 ended, it seemed pretty clear that Michigan had two very unique and very different QBs to choose form for the 2010 season. Tate Forcier saw the bulk of the snaps in 2009, even with a concussion in the Iowa game, Forcier remained the go-to guy for the remainder of the year.
His hero-like performances in the early part of the season against Western Michigan, Notre Dame, Indiana and MSU earned him the admiration of the Maize and Blue faithful. But mid-to-late-season struggles proved that he was still just a freshman, and had a ways to go before he solidified his position as Michigan's starting QB.
The other side of the freshman duo was Denard Robinson. Robinson saw plenty of action in the opener against WMU, and in his first play as QB, he fumbled the shotgun snap, picked it up...scrambled to his right, made a few defenders miss, and blew passed everyone as he ran for a touchdown. This play wowed the crowd, and made everyone take notice of a QB with speed Michigan fans had never seen before. See video proof...
And the peasants rejoiced!!!
As the season played out, and Forcier began to see more and more snaps and starts at QB, Denard was relegated to a backup role, and sometimes a non-existent role under center. It wasn't his lack of ability that kept him off the field, but rather his lack of precision throwing. He just didn't have the arm to compete with Forcier who had enrolled at UM 6 months prior and had that much more experience in the system than Robinson. By the time the Big Ten season started, defenses knew to not have to defend the pass when Denard was in the game. He was very one-dimensional, and not at all what Rodriguez's offenses want to be.
But time is proving to be on Denard's side. Denard has clearly been very busy improving his throwing ability and overall knowledge of the playbook during the long off-season. In the spring game this year, he saw the bulk of the snaps with the starting group, and looked 100% more efficient and comfortable in the pocket than he did in 2009. He was suddenly hitting receivers in stride over the middle. He was checking down to TEs. He was spreading the ball around to RBs and slots WRs. All of the sudden, his first instinct wasn't to just take the snap and just scramble like it was last year. He's growing into a pass-first, run-second type of QB...one that suits his ability well.
Tate looked very much like the Tate from last year in the spring game. What troubled me the most was that when he was forced to scramble, which was often, he would carry the ball in his right hand far away from his body...not protecting it at all. Its that carelessness that the coaches notice and use in making their decisions as to who plays and who doesn't. One of the areas we need to improve drastically is winning the turnover battle and maintaining ball-control. With a young defense, we need to keep them out of bad situations by keeping the ball safe.
Devin Gardner
2010 brings us yet another contender to the QB battle. Incoming freshman Devin Gardner has been hailed as one of the top QB recruits of the 2010 class. The biggest asset he brings to the table is his size. Where as Denard and Tate are both a little shorter than I'd like them to be, Devin's 6-4, 200+ frame bodes well for him. He showed in the spring game (he enrolled in January) that he can move well with the ball. He's not as fast as Robinson, but resembles Vince Young in a lot of ways in how he moves. He has a ways to go before he's at the same level as his two other teammates in terms of knowledge of the offense, but there was a definite buzz around him in the spring game.
My hope is that Devin can red-shirt this season and get another year of training and practice before he's thrown to the wolves. I hate the fact that we are getting into a habit of using freshman at skill positions...especially QB. Give him time to learn the system before he's forced to perform. But a lack of a true 3rd string option at QB, a red-shirt seems unlikely.
Video!
Thanks to the power of the internet (and the good folks over at mgoblog), we give you each and every snap(!) from Denard, Tate and Devin from this year's spring game...
Denard:
Tate:
Devin:
Conclusions
All in all, 2010 is bound to see drastic improvement in the QB position for Michigan. Last year we had two freshman, and at times it showed. Expect a true 1st to 2nd year improvement in almost all phases of the game for both players. Prepare to see the two-QB system in effect at least in the first few games. It's clear that both Tate and Denard offer two different, yet two very capable options for Rodriguez. Denard may be the slight leader in the clubhouse going into the 2010 season due to his overall improvement in his throwing ability...at least the QB with the most momentum coming out of the spring sessions.
Its clear that Rodriguez's spread-option style attack favors a "Pat White" style of QB, and that would bode well for Denard if he can capitalize on his spring success and continue to impress coaches and grow into a more pass-friendly, dual-option QB.
Jul 23, 2010
Officially Launching the Message Board
I had this grand idea to make MBN all about community interaction when I launched it about 3 years ago. While comments on posts and random emails from readers are great and all, it really didn't satisfy what I had planned. I wanted to get some genuine discussion going.
Part of what makes a blog great is that we're all just fans here. I'm not a professional writer or sports columnist...far from it. I just happen to be a fan who runs a website. So to me, having genuine interaction with other fans in this space is really the main idea for what makes a sports blog great.
So the best way I could think of to help create that sense of community interaction as well as letting fans post their own original content within this site...is to create a message board or course!
You may have seen the link above for a while now. Its been live for a couple months, and getting decent traffic, but not a lot of interaction.
There are many great message boards out there for Michigan fans. So I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here. I just wanted to create a simple forum that would fit well with this site, and that is easy to use.
Click "Message Board" in the maize linkbar above, or just click here to go to the board.
If you're familiar with the general idea of a message board, then it should all make sense. If you're new to message boards, it's a pretty simple concept. You just have to register to create a username, and once you're logged in, you can begin posting new threads or comment on existing threads.
Generally, I'd like to keep the content geared towards Michigan football. But certain exceptions can be made. I am the only moderator at the moment, but hopefully I'll be able to hand off/share that responsibility to someone else down the road. So at least for now, I'll be keeping an eye on things to make sure things remain as PG-rated as possible.
But in the end, this message board was created to be yours. I'll post as much as I can, and when I can. But you should feel free to have at it!
Part of what makes a blog great is that we're all just fans here. I'm not a professional writer or sports columnist...far from it. I just happen to be a fan who runs a website. So to me, having genuine interaction with other fans in this space is really the main idea for what makes a sports blog great.
So the best way I could think of to help create that sense of community interaction as well as letting fans post their own original content within this site...is to create a message board or course!
You may have seen the link above for a while now. Its been live for a couple months, and getting decent traffic, but not a lot of interaction.
There are many great message boards out there for Michigan fans. So I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here. I just wanted to create a simple forum that would fit well with this site, and that is easy to use.
Click "Message Board" in the maize linkbar above, or just click here to go to the board.
If you're familiar with the general idea of a message board, then it should all make sense. If you're new to message boards, it's a pretty simple concept. You just have to register to create a username, and once you're logged in, you can begin posting new threads or comment on existing threads.
Generally, I'd like to keep the content geared towards Michigan football. But certain exceptions can be made. I am the only moderator at the moment, but hopefully I'll be able to hand off/share that responsibility to someone else down the road. So at least for now, I'll be keeping an eye on things to make sure things remain as PG-rated as possible.
But in the end, this message board was created to be yours. I'll post as much as I can, and when I can. But you should feel free to have at it!
Jul 22, 2010
Possible Big Ten Championship Game Venues
Forget that the Big Ten is a year away from having the required number of teams to create two equal divisions. Forget that any possible divisions haven't been talked about yet. Forget that a mythical title game between those two divisions has even been thought about yet. Forget...everything.
All that matters is we're a college football blog and it's mid-July.
No doubt, all signs point to a Big Ten championship game being created and played for the 2011 season. I mean isn't that the whole reason for expansion in the first place? The money that a possible Big Ten title game would generate is enough to make a good dog break his leash. So it stands to reason that so many people, and potential venues are lining up to woo the Big Ten to their city.
But I don't really care about who's saying what and why one city makes more sense than another. We have the luxury of having some pretty amazing venues that reside well within the footprint of the Big Ten. Of course, I am assuming that any sort of title game would be played at a neutral site...thus omitting any current Big Ten stadium from playing host. But, that opens the door for one of many pro facilities from stepping in to the mix.
So...let's have a look at some possible venues for a title game that we don't even know will ever be played. In no particular order...
Ford Field - Detroit, MI
Type: Indoor
Capacity: 65,000
Built: 2002
Field: FieldTurf
Soldier Field - Chicago, IL
Type: Outdoor
Capacity: 61,500
Built: 1922 (Renovated in 2003)
Field: Natural Grass
Cleveland Browns Stadium - Cleveland, OH
Type: Outdoor
Capacity: 73,200
Built: 1999
Field: Natural Grass
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
Type: Indoor
Capacity: 63,000
Built: 2008
Field: FieldTurf
Heinz Field - Pittsburgh, PA
Type: Outdoor
Capacity: 65,050
Built: 2001
Field: Natural Grass
Paul Brown Stadium - Cincinnati, OH
Type: Outdoor
Capacity: 65,790
Built: 2000
Field: FieldTurf
Lambeau Field - Green Bay, WI
Type: Outdoor
Capacity: 72,978
Built: 1957
Field: Natural Grass
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome - Minneapolis, MN
Type: Indoor
Capacity: 64,111
Built: 1982
Field: Sportexe (???)
So there you have it sports fans. Which stadium is best? Indoor? Outdoor? Grass? Turf? So many questions...no answers. Let's decide this with a poll!
All that matters is we're a college football blog and it's mid-July.
No doubt, all signs point to a Big Ten championship game being created and played for the 2011 season. I mean isn't that the whole reason for expansion in the first place? The money that a possible Big Ten title game would generate is enough to make a good dog break his leash. So it stands to reason that so many people, and potential venues are lining up to woo the Big Ten to their city.
But I don't really care about who's saying what and why one city makes more sense than another. We have the luxury of having some pretty amazing venues that reside well within the footprint of the Big Ten. Of course, I am assuming that any sort of title game would be played at a neutral site...thus omitting any current Big Ten stadium from playing host. But, that opens the door for one of many pro facilities from stepping in to the mix.
So...let's have a look at some possible venues for a title game that we don't even know will ever be played. In no particular order...
Ford Field - Detroit, MI
Capacity: 65,000
Built: 2002
Field: FieldTurf
Soldier Field - Chicago, IL
Capacity: 61,500
Built: 1922 (Renovated in 2003)
Field: Natural Grass
Cleveland Browns Stadium - Cleveland, OH
Capacity: 73,200
Built: 1999
Field: Natural Grass
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
Capacity: 63,000
Built: 2008
Field: FieldTurf
Heinz Field - Pittsburgh, PA
Capacity: 65,050
Built: 2001
Field: Natural Grass
Paul Brown Stadium - Cincinnati, OH
Capacity: 65,790
Built: 2000
Field: FieldTurf
Lambeau Field - Green Bay, WI
Capacity: 72,978
Built: 1957
Field: Natural Grass
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome - Minneapolis, MN
Capacity: 64,111
Built: 1982
Field: Sportexe (???)
So there you have it sports fans. Which stadium is best? Indoor? Outdoor? Grass? Turf? So many questions...no answers. Let's decide this with a poll!
Jul 21, 2010
A Perfect Example
Where were you on June 4-7? Well, if you're name is Darryl Stonum, you were in the Washtenaw County Jail. [AA.com Story]
The Detroit Free Press (shocker) discovered that Stonum spent 3 days last month in the clink for "multiple probation violations". In September 2008, Stonum was busted for operating a motor vehicle while visibly impaired (i.e. drunk). What likely happened was he was caught driving a car when he wasn't supposed to...but that's just my guess.
I swear they must have interns at the Freep who just do nothing but scour police records and jail records looking for Michigan football players. Sorry, I'm just a little bitter.
While it's not a good thing that Stonum was busted, this story made its to my blog not because of the Darryl and his transgressions as disappointing as they are, but because it just simply illustrates how the Free Press just irks me to death. I'm sorry to any of my readers who subscribe to that paper or knows someone who works there...I simply have no patience for a so-called "news" outlet that targets a university and it's coaches and student athletes with made-up stories and blown-out negative headlines.
This story is just another in a long line of examples of why you will never find a link to their site on my blog.
 |
| Source: AnnArbor.com |
I swear they must have interns at the Freep who just do nothing but scour police records and jail records looking for Michigan football players. Sorry, I'm just a little bitter.
While it's not a good thing that Stonum was busted, this story made its to my blog not because of the Darryl and his transgressions as disappointing as they are, but because it just simply illustrates how the Free Press just irks me to death. I'm sorry to any of my readers who subscribe to that paper or knows someone who works there...I simply have no patience for a so-called "news" outlet that targets a university and it's coaches and student athletes with made-up stories and blown-out negative headlines.
This story is just another in a long line of examples of why you will never find a link to their site on my blog.
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