Uh, well… hmmmm. You probably won't want to watch a ton of them, but yeah. Here's Denard's Gameday feature:

And the Big Ten Icons item on Charles Woodson, featuring Keith Jackson:

Somehow Woodson finished 20th, which like lol ok.

Sanitized highlights:

Press conferences and some other bits after the jump.

Offense every snap:

The BTN version:

RR postgame (these all via BITP):

Denard postgame:

Shaw:

Stonum:

Kovacs:

Martin:

College Cup! Congratulations to the men's soccer team, which upset #2 seed Maryland 3-2 with their second golden goal of the NCAA tournament to advance to their first-ever College Cup. That's amazingly-named freshman Fabio Pereira Villas Boas about to slot home the winner above. He is from Brazil. Of course he his. Michigan survived a 33-18 shot deficit, surging from 1-0 down to 2-1 ahead before conceding a late equalizer and setting up the above moment. I wish I could have seen it.

Television beckons, albeit at odd hours: Michigan takes on Akron at 11 PM Friday*. The other semi is #1 Louisville vs #4 North Carolina and is at 8:30. All the information you could possibly need about watching or attending has been compiled by I Blue Myself.

It will be tough for Michigan. They're the only lower-seeded team to make the final four in a chalky tournament and are taking on the team that destroyed them 7-1 earlier this year. I'm not sure if these guys are still around but last year the US took a youth international team to the Milk Cup and literally every Akron starting defender made the team and I think three of them started. The Zips survived penalty kicks to advance against Cal in a 3-3 game but have lost just once this year and are 20-1-2.

We will deploy a liveblog Friday night to track the game. BONUS: Photos and game story from the Daily.

*(This is the correct day this time. I did not check my email and found out the soccer game was Saturday literally as I sat down at Crisler.)

Jimmy Johnson approves, and if you get this reference you watch too much television at odd hours and have no excuse about not watching the soccer game. Amongst the many events of the weekend was the Attack Of The Futile Contract Extensions at Stanford and—for some reason this keeps getting brought up on Michigan boards—San Diego State. SDSU's Brady Hoke signed a five year extension after turning the Aztecs into an okay Mountain West program. Jim Harbaugh has had the moon and stars put on a plate by the Stanford AD.

These are for show, conveniently timed so that no one can FOIA the contracts and find out the buyout provisions that really establish how much of a commitment is being made both ways. Stanford's a private institution and isn't vulnerable to the FOIA either but still, if Harbaugh sticks around it's not going to be because of anything the Stanford AD can offer but chooses not to. FWIW, the Stanford AD said this:

Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby has made a pre-emptive offer to sweeten Jim Harbaugh's contract before the coach even gets offered other jobs.

"We have a proposal in front of Jim and he's indicated he plans to accept it," Bowlsby said Sunday. "He's got this year and four more on his contract. I expect that he will be our coach in the foreseeable future."

It is Harbaugh or bust for people hoping to replace Rodriguez this offseason—Michigan's playing the other hot coaching name of the offseason in the bowl game, and past Dan Mullen the pickings are slim as long as the guys at mid-major powers are hanging onto their jobs with a death grip.

Speaking of the bit about being at Crisler. Aside from the ten minute stretch where Michigan literally did not score for two commercial breaks and watched Harvard go on a 17-3 run, that was fun. Unfortunately, ten minutes is a quarter of a basketball game. Various small items:

• Michigan spent the entire game in man to man and never offered help to the guy checking Harvard's elbow-happy but extremely effective center, even when that guy was Evan Smotrycz. He blew up. I was a little peeved by the lack of adjustment there. I may have to take back my thing about how Morgan is a really good defender. He got worked multiple times; now I'm guessing that Clemson's big guys aren't very good and Morgan will have a more conventional baptism by fire as a freshman. McLimans did have a sweet block.
• Stu! UMHoops points out he's now at 48% on the season from three.
• Vogrich makes me cringe every time he puts the ball on the floor but at least he nailed both of his wide open looks.
• The offense stood in contrast to the post defense, as they struggled mightily through the first half and then found a barrage of backdoor cuts and sweet assists in the second half. It seemed like Beilein knew what Harvard was doing and how to attack it but couldn't get the team to respond until he had 15 minutes to explain it to his young team. Michigan responded with an eFG of 69% in the second half and that could have been better if Michigan hadn't missed about four layups.
• The short/homely referees are always the bad ones. They got into refereeing because the quickest way to get revenge on the universe is to annoy thousands of people packed in one place. It's always the ugly guys.
• The game did not set a record for most missed wide open corner threes, but it sure seemed headed that way after ten minutes.
• I do not miss Manny Harris at all. He was great and all that but watching him play was frustrating. His junior year reminded me of Al Montoya's. Both were supremely talented but checked out mentally because they wanted to play for dollars and made a mistake by returning. Montoya was a mess; Harris got suspended for something or other in practice and never met a lazy three pointer he didn't like en route to another year with impressive numbers as long as you don't look at the eFG%.

  This team is probably going to be as good as last year's—let that sink in.

Also, let me express my special frustration at Tommy Amaker, who waited until he left Michigan to become a controversial but effective recruiter (for the Ivy League, anyway) and tactical wizard. Beilein:

“Tommy (Amaker) just took us out of everything,” Beilein said. “We had to put in a lot of specials. I watched the film, painfully, from three years ago when we played them and they had a similar attack defensively. So we had to do some different things.

“Not that all of it worked.”

Rest assured that if Rodriguez does get let go he'll go to Clemson and wreck fools.

UMHoops also has a new post type featuring key plays. Here's one that demonstrates the difference between Morris 2009 and Morris 2010:

As he continues to develop he should start asserting more authority over the offense. With Amaker's tactical wizardry stalling out the offense for big chunks of the first half he should have taken more control.

Icon. Charles Woodson's Big Ten Icons bit:

Continued in part two.

Higher than him on the list are Some Person You've Never Heard Of and various Penn State Players Who Never Played In The Big Ten, but whatever.

It makes sense. The Big Ten announced it is not going to put together a silly 14 or 16 team super conference and is set at 12. Hurray. For one last bout of madness: a theory. The WAC and Mountain West should be one conference with two divisions that uses promotion and relegation in the hopes the top conference can get a BCS bid.

Etc.: You can cease your theories about January first being a magic day that saves the U a million and a half hypothetical Rodriguez buyout dollars. Michigan has to provide "30 days written notice" if they make a move. I'm with MVictors anyway: that's chump change in the scheme of things. Michigan learned the hard way last time that doing the usual legal settlement dance causes local columnists to freak out unless John Beilein is involved.

Reminder. Soccer liveblog starts at around 10:30.

Other soccer bits.AnnArbor.com has another story on Jeff Quijano and his journey from starter to backup and back. Quijano's the first Michigan athlete to cite Michigan Stadium's elaborate wave as a reason he came to Michigan:

“I know it sounds weird, but I saw the wave, all those people…it was like nothing I’d ever seen before,” Quijano recalls. “I was hooked.”

Everyone in the student section who does the arm-wave motion to cross the streams feels a tiny bit of pride about this. The Ultras have picked Buffalo Wild Wings as the gathering place of choice for those in the mood for compatriots. That's where I watched the USA-Algeria game, so hopefully we score the winner a minute into stoppage except stoppage doesn't exist in college.

The Daily actually makes a fairly good Miracle on Ice comparison; the US got blasted 10-3 by the Soviets before the Olympics, not unlike what happened to Michigan earlier this year. Like all Miracle on Ice comparisons it's still stretched.

Heisman back in the day. The Woodson presentation:

I still remember the dorm-wide "YEAH" that erupted. People who didn't care about football must have been mystified.

Blunt Brandon brandishes bludgeon. A brief interview excerpt from Sports Business Daily has some real talk about the NCAA investigation:

Q: What is more challenging, complying with NCAA rules or SEC [ed: Security Exchange Commission] rules?

Brandon: NCAA. I spent less time with lawyers doing a billion dollar transaction than I did with the recent NCAA case. The amount of resources and effort we used from something that started as a newspaper article was huge. If you aggregate the cost, it was between 1.5 and 2 million dollars in internal costs. My understanding is there are north of 80 to 90 cases currently in the NCAA queue. We’ve created a cottage industry that is stripping resources out of the athletic departments. It’s a broken system and needs reform.

That's to the point. I'm not sure what the reform would be, but we're heading towards an era with more enforcement, not less. He also says one of the things he's learned in the first nine months is "don't read blogs," which ouch. Pimp hand don't hurt me no more.

More maniacal bits. The Mississippi State defense against LSU:

I'm not sure how relevant that is against Denard, but it sure looks like they're going to damn the torpedoes and come after him when he throws. When Jefferson breaks contain early he's got acres of space.

We're going to have a mascot contest now. Red Cup Rebellion writes a love letter to Michigan and explains how important it is that we put down their MSU since the in-state situations are analogous:

Consider the following: our universities are flagships - meaning that they're the oldest, most well endowed, widely recognized, most highly publicized, and most readily associated with the famous and influential sons and daughters within our respective states. Our universities are liberal arts oriented institutions nestled in unique, quirky, and revered college towns. We revere and contribute to the arts and humanities. A significant portion of our alumni associations are attorneys who hate their jobs. Et cetera.

Undying loyalty is offered in exchange for victory, which I'll gladly take anyway.

Etc.: Bacon's latest is on the journey Red took from handing out tickets on State Street to playing in front of 100k. More on Mississippi State from BWS, with a season overview and analysis of how they held Auburn under 20 points. UMHoops previews the Utah game, starting in 1.5 hours. The HSR says Denard's melted bag of snow was a metaphor for the season.

Carlos Osorio/AP

Last fall, Michigan introduced the "Michigan Football Legends" as an alternative to retiring uniform numbers, honoring Desmond Howard before the Under The Lights game with a patch that now adorns the #21 jersey. As one of three Heisman Trophy winners to don the Maize and Blue, Howard was more than deserving of such an honor, and I'd wager that one Charles Woodson is due for a patch of his own in the near future.

I'm a fan of this, and hope that the families of players whose jerseys are currently retired—the Wistert brothers (#11), Bennie Oosterbaan (#47), Gerald Ford (#48), Ron Kramer (#87), and Tom Harmon (#98)—eventually decide it's better to see those jerseys once again placed in the rotation, their accomplishments recognized in a way the fans actually see every week during the fall*. If that happens, however, we'll quickly face the issue of diluting the honor; if all the retired jerseys become "Legends" and you add Woodson to the mix, all of a sudden you have seven jerseys with patches before getting to guys like Anthony Carter, Bennie Friedman, and (eventually) Jake Long.

Where do you draw the line? On one hand, there are a multitude of players who could merit such an honor; it isn't difficult to make the case for such players as Dan Dierdorf, Mark Messner, Braylon Edwards, Mike Hart, Willie Heston (though he didn't wear a jersey number, making it rather implausible that he'll be celebrated in this fashion), Bob Chappuis... the list goes on. On the other hand, the awarding of a Legend jersey loses some of its luster if half of the starting 22 is rocking a patch every year. The way I see it, there are two ways to handle this issue.

The first is simple and obvious: only give out Legend status to a very select few. Edwards and Hart, for example, were remarkable to watch on the field, made their mark on the record books, were wildly popular amongst fans, and in Braylon's case had an indelible signature moment ('04 MSU). Still, I don't think either merits inclusion among the pantheon of Michigan legends, even if the focus is solely on on-field accomplishments; this would be an honor reserved for truly once-in-a-generation athletes. Edwards is probably closer than Hart in this regard, but the shadow of three-time All-American Anthony Carter looms large. If we're going by this method, I'd give out Legend jerseys for the retired numbers, Howard, Woodson, AC, Chappuis, and Friedman. That's it, at least for now.

The second option, which I find preferable, is to be a little more generous with the Legend distinction, but be relatively selective when it comes to handing out those jerseys. While I realize this brings about the same problem as retired uniforms—if nobody merits a Legend jersey, you start running out of numbers in a hurry—there's also an easy solution for that: keep using the honored numbers, but only affix the Legend patch for a player who plays the same position as the legendary player in question. Raymon Taylor wore #21 last year even after the Notre Dame game, but the defensive back's jersey was patchless. With Roy Roundtree wearing Howard's number this year, however, Taylor switched over to #6 in the spring. [EDIT: Taylor actually switched before the SDSU game last year, but the point remains—this can be done.]

Using this method, you have a real drawing point for players from each position group—we saw this week with Leon McQuay III how much of a recruiting pitch these jerseys can potentially be—and also get the chance to recognize even more of Michigan's rich football history. It isn't hard to find a player worth remembering at each position group:

QB: Bennie Friedman (#27)
RB: Tom Harmon (#98), Bob Chappuis (#49)
WR: Desmond Howard (#21), Anthony Carter (#1)
TE: Bennie Oosterbaan (#47)
OT: Dan Dierdorf (#72) or Jake Long (#77) (I'd probably lean towards Long)
OG: Steve Hutchinson (#76)
C: Gerald Ford (#48) (Not sure if coaches would want a lineman wearing a number that low, but I'd love to see it)
DT: The Wistert brothers (#11)
DE: Ron Kramer (#87) (Fudged a little, but Kramer played just about everything)
LB: Ron Simpkins (#40)
DB: Charles Woodson (#2)

Again, not all of these would be given out every year, especially since you might be hard-pressed to find a quarterback who wants to wear #27 or a running back ready to rock a number most commonly found on the defensive line. I really enjoy seeing college players wear numbers that don't traditionally fit their position, however, so I'd love to see some of these, especially a star defensive tackle wearing #11.

Honoring Carter could also help Michigan finally free the #1 jersey from the grasp of Edwards. I realize Edwards funds a scholarship, which makes this a tricky situtation, but I'd hope he would understand the historical impact of Carter and his status as the patriarch of the #1 jersey tradition for Michigan receivers. Or, now that I'm done laughing, Michigan just does it anyway because it's the right thing to do.

This may be spreading the Legend concept a little thin this early in its existence—what happens, say, when we're far enough past the careers of Denard, Woodley, and the next generation of Wolverines?—but it does a great job of acknowledging players of every era, a point I find important for such a historically-driven endeavor. Now, has anybody asked Denard how he feels about wearing #27?

-------------------------------
*I doubt your average Michigan fan knows about the Wisterts, which is criminal when you realize that three brothers all were All-American tackles at the same school. That's just ridiculous, and we should be reminded of this fact every time a Wolverine trots out onto the field wearing #11.

Beginning my freshman year (1998), we started referring to highly touted young cornerbacks for Michigan as the "Next Woodson." The first was James Whitley, a freshman who played semi-extensively in 1997 and looked good when the supporting cast made his job easy. We were quickly disabused of Whitley=Woodson in 1998 when Notre Dame shredded him.

This is of an impossible comparison; players who can reasonably be considered the best at their position ever don't exactly replicate. But we humans get sentimental about things we had and like to envision never losing them (there's some psychological term for this I believe) so we pretend like the new thing is going to grow into the old thing. It didn't hurt that after a few painful years of Whitley we got, if not exactly Next-Woodsons, a string of really good cornerbacks we could call Next-Woodsons:

Archived from MGoBlue.com

They were tall like Woodson, and came with very high recruiting accolades like Woodson. But the first thing we noticed about them was that as freshmen they were tackling kind of like Woodson. With Woodson as a freshman I remember being excited as hell because he really popped almost right away. I don't remember him against Virginia that year, but he was active every game thereafter and a star by the end of that season. We're not going to compare Blake to Woodson because he's not that. The question is whether he might be the next in the line of future NFL-ish dudes we had from Law through Warren.

Profile?

Since pledging to Michigan in a deep and dark December when everyone figured Rich Rodriguez was unlikely to survive, then giving out quotes attuned to our particular type of arrogance, this was a guy we all liked. Countess, who's about 5'11 now, i.e. average height, started the last six games, and played his best one in the Sugar Bowl, suggesting enticing levels of future ability. (Photo: Upchurch------------->)

I don't think we were expecting such big things right away. Tim wasn't in the Hello: post:

After a redshirt year (or a year spending time almost exclusively on special teams), he'll slowly work his way into the lineup over the course of a couple years. He probably won't have a chance to be one of the starting corners until he's an upperclassman, but there are so many variables between now and then that it's hard to project.

Brian called him Courtney Avery++ and was more positive in the predictions:

Projection: His height will always be a hindrance but if I had to bet he starts for three years and ends up an All Big Ten sort of player. Will not redshirt since he's polished and will probably be better than anyone behind the starters on day one; solid favorite to take over for Woolfolk next year.

Nobody said "would bounce Woolfolk back to safety halfway through his freshman season en route to being Michigan's star field corner in 2012." Blake on Blake:

Stats?

See if you can guess the freshman corner since 1990 by his basic stats:

I know, I know: stats do not a cornerback's story tell. A tackle could mean a perfectly defended edge or a deep pass badly defended followed by a defensive back draped over the triumphant receiver. They don't say how often they were targeted or whether he whiffed on a key third down that cost the game. Anyway:

Countess is sized more like Todd Howard than the giants above him on this list, but in case you missed the play of a certain DB of Virginia Tech, corners his size can do just fine in college, even against Big Ten receivers. And in case you missed Blake in that game, he had eight tackles (six solo), so we're hardly talking about a pure cover guy. The stats do seem to tell a story beyond "just a guy playing cornerback," but they should not alone be trusted.

UFR?

We really only have UFR data from two of these seasons, and since they're separated by four years this too is going to be fraught with inconsistencies. Here's Countess's 2011:

Not rapturous. Here's Warren, and remember, the 2007 scale is not comparable to the 2011 scale—the comments are probably more informative than the numbers.

Warren got in a few games earlier than did Countess but if Blake was 2nd on a depth chart when Johnny Sears was getting torn up by a I-AA team he'd have gone in as well. Likewise Leon Hall's ability to earn his way onto the field in the apparently strong 2003 backfield itself was an accomplishment. Donovan had some tackling issues in the UFR that I didn't remember; Countess did seem to do better holding the edge. What I'm looking at is Donovan's game against Minnesota, where he was targeted relentlessly and came out of that convincing Brian we had a Next-Woodson on our hands. Put that against Countess's first and second games, when, likewise, we had collective visions of Next Woodsonism when he was targeted by SDSU and Minnesota.

Overall the scant evidence from our eyes and available reviews suggest a guy probably in striking distance of the Next-Woodsons. If I told you this time last year that a guy already on the roster projected at the tail end of a group of Ty Law, Marlin Jackson, Leon Hall, and Donovan Warren, would you take that?

I'm back. To all three of you who missed the weekly user content post thank you for your patience as we got HTTV shipped, and then I unplugged and spent five days in the Canadian wilderness. There were loons, a bear, a moose and a bazillion bitemes, then I spent the ride home with a Space Coyote. This diarist of the week issued Part the Third of his awesome series on DG's spring game performance. A sample:

Play 13 - 4:50

Slants with a play action fake to get the LBs to clear out from the underneath zones. Very simple play…

…

The backside is actually more open on this play, but DG can’t know that because he is accurately going through his progression, which reads that the first man is open (which he is for a TD, good read).  On the field side, the slot is more or less intended to clear out that underneath zone from the nickel back/ LBs/ safety by running an initial slant.  He doesn’t run a great route but it isn’t too important. The outside WR then runs behind that to a news vacated area, which is also wide open.

These seem to be developing a theme: defense has the 3rd read wide open and gets pressure but the play never goes to the open guy because something short with a small window but higher in the progression order opens up first. I wonder if this is an effect of the defense knowing the offense, or an effect of Gardner's progression being slow, or as the OP seems to suggest, just one of those things. Coyote goes easy on Devin for doing what he's coached to do but I wonder if a senior with a lot of game experience will be more apt to go off the page and punish the defense for catching tendencies. It's may be irrelevant since our senior QB is a sophomore in West Coast passing schemes, but as Space Coyote notes a sophomore Henne once threw to the 2nd read on a very similar play to cap a last-play comeback win against Penn State.

Oy Boy! Last time saveferris penned a roll back the clock I asked for more, and we received. This time the quantum accelerator put us in the pads of Bill Taylor, c. 1971, when Michigan conquered space and Ohio State but couldn't defeat Stanford in the Rose Bowl. As could only happen here, there's an argument in the comments between a historian armed with knowledge of the weather that week and a member of the band who was on the field that day about the grass conditions in Pasadena. Upon further review:

Looks pretty dry guys. How the hell did you remember that? My mom was a junior at Michigan that year and swears she can't remember anything except studying and getting good grades (and how cheap coffee was at Blimpy's). Also trying to imagine MMB choosing a selection with such strong political overtones today.

A second leap was made by Blazefire to 2007 so he could warn us to not get too confident over last year's leap, but Henne/Hart injuries didn't make the defense give up 36 points to an I-AA team man.

In other postseasons that Michigan can get screwed in/out of, Stephenrjking and oakapple are playoff wranglin'. The former is a worth-reading discussion on poll bias and how any system that leaves the least up to human pollsters is probably the best for determining a champion. The latter also discusses qualification models like polls, a selection committee, and autobids, and makes a good point about this being a very different animal from basketball's selection committee, which has never seen a champion from the lower 50% of seeds.

Getting crowded down there. Our resident UMgradMSUdad says Nebraska recruiting is starting to shift from Texas (17 players in Pelini's first two seasons, 7 in the last two full classes) to Ohio with the move to the B1G. Since it's mostly 3-stars they're going after, long-term this probably affects Michigan State, which under Dantonio took a lot of the guys Ohio State passed on and fought Nebraska the most in this study, more than Michigan, which is competing more directly with the in-state juggernaut. It helps them that Pelini's from Cardinal-Mooney (Ray Vinopal) in Youngstown, which in my study last year came out very Penn State-ish. This was bound to happen to some degree by letting them in. Nebraska is a traditional powerhouse from a state that doesn't produce a lot of talent, so they're going to pull more from their conference footprint than contribute to it. If the net result is it hastens the Spartans' inevitable return to Spartiocrity I'm okay with it, but the Cornhuskers have traditionally built from the Big XII's footprint; if these players are more and more coming from the Midwest it's going to thin the ranks of the Big Ten. File under obvious.

Etc. The Blockhams is tackling the dog. Soon the dog will be killed by the baby tackler's perfect Kovacsian form and replaced with a shaggy dog named Brian who is working on his blog all the time (MAKE THIS HAPPEN!). Space wallpaper (of Space!).

Best of the Board

FAMOUS PEOPLE SIGHTED, INDUCED TO SAY STUFF

We had a few people attend the myriad traveling events football players and coaches do during offseason and come back reporting on the proceedings.

• Hoke at Agonis. Correspondent hart20 recorded Hoke's comments to a group of people in Dayton, Ohio, mostly on things from in and around Dayton, Ohio, that people from Dayton, Ohio, care about, like Ball State, Kaleb Ringer, and Roy Roundtree, but also the Gentleman's agreement (something about golf) and conference realignment.
• Woodson at Sunda. Reporting not-live from Chicago, we go to samsoccer7 and coverage of Charles Woodson's new wine. This was originally published on the boards on May 18 but I re-set the clock so it can get its time as a deserved diary. Some good stuff in there, my favorite being why he didn't do the Heisman after the punt return v. Ohio State. Sorry grapenuts, nothing about the wine.
• Steve Everitt at Golf Tournament. Brady Hoke's Pet Viking (glad I contributed at least one MGoMeme around here) in an MGoShirt: Ja!

WHENCE THE DUAL-THREATS OF YESTERYEAR?

Whatever happened to all the 2009 (Class of 2010) Elite 11 QBs? Leaders And Best tracked them down and found way more washouts and transfers than projected starters. Devin Gardner is second only to Tennessee's Tyler Bray in guys on this list you'd want to have at this point.

FIFTH IN HEAPING PILES OF SCRATCH

This year's athletic department budgets as reported on their Title IX forms. I think the "subsidies" in there relate mostly to major stadium improvements. Anyway Michigan raked in over $122 million in revenue and spent about $112 million. Alms for the band indeed.

NON-POLL QUESTIONS

Join the following discussion points. My two cents added here as examples, and because I can get away with it!

• What the hell is Devin Gardner's number now?
  Seriously, is it 12 or was that just a very mean joke to play on someone who has to pay per page edits to a printed preview book? I've heard Funchess is 19 too. People with information, please inform
• What would you do if you were Brian for a day?
  Bring back negging so I could neg-bang everybody who complains about the lack of neg-banging.
• Which Big Ten team are you really glad you're not a fan of today?
  MSU – Too good to not care, always knowing you weren't good
• What was your most memorable Big House experience like?
  Imagine if you could wrap all that is Desmond Howard and being 11 years old into one afternoon.
• (It's too late but…) Think of funny names for the sponsor levels
  Come for the humor. Leave for the lack of relevance to your life.
• Six funny press conferences
  I approved this guy's concept for a daily board post even though the first was very Bleacher Report-y, figuring he had the drive to keep improving. Then it ended after two I guess. The first, eh, forget about it. The second: Tune in, if only for the chance to remember John L. Smith's pouty face. Every time I watch that I see my little brother, age 8, staring straight ahead, explaining how he's pressing the right buttons but the Nintendo's screwing it all up!

FINAL SOFTBALL UPDATE

The season ended against Alabama in the NCAA Super Regional (i.e. Round 2). But this is a game where pitchers dominate and we had two dominant freshmen. Memories: Everybody dancing to Amanda Chidester's "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" coming-to-bat song, Caitlin Blanchard getting hit by a pitch to beat Louisville in the regional, going perfect on the season against OSU/ND/MSU, including a weekend shutout over Michigan State, and this:

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

(warning: may cause you to become trapped in amaranthine contemplation of Les Miles. HT: Orson)

Hey Brian,

Sometimes I make my girlfriend read me MGoblog articles while I'm doing something else.  That way, she learns a little more about football, and I get to multitask.

Today when she was reading to me the Hello: Ross Douglas post, she came up with a pretty good question. She wanted to know: does Douglas project to nickle-corner, vs. boundary or field-corner only because of his size?  Her rationale was that with gurus praising his technique and reliability, but not labeling him a star because of his lack of big play risk-taking, wouldn't it serve better to put a CB who is more of a gunslinger risk-taker in the nickel role where he has safety help at all times, and line Douglas up outside at either field or boundary corner?

Don't worry, I know I have a keeper on my hands if she was able to come up with a question like that. :)

Thanks,
Alex

Size is a suggestive but not determining factor. When we do these things we're peering at the roster and seeing where player X fits in and trying to figure out how the coaches see their players, but often the coaches are surprised when the kid shows up and they figure out what they actually have. If Douglas is the best guy to play on the outside, he'll play on the outside.

With bigger and more touted corners in the same class it would be an upset if he's the guy tasked with running down the Michael Floyds of the world. Insert mental image of Boubacar Cissoko trying to do that here. Sometimes this happens: Desmond Morgan isn't the ideal size for WLB, Craig Roh is probably going to be a little light for SDE, etc. In an ideal world it seems like Michigan wants six-foot-plus guys on the outside.

That's easier said than done. Michigan is swinging for the fences with Conley and Stribling, hoping they can be 6'2" cover corners the NFL has a riot about. If that doesn't work out, Lewis and Douglas are less risky prospects with lower upside.

In re: wanting more of a gambler underneath with the solid and unspectacular guys outside: I don't think defensive coaches think like that. They give you an assignment and they want you to execute it, and not executing it is always very bad. If player X comes to college doing this thing a coach doesn't want, the coach will try to stop it. In Douglas's case that may be taking advantage of his athleticism and being more aggressive. In hypothetical gambler's case that would be not giving up big plays. Whether a corner is on the inside or outside, I bet they prefer the former.

Hey guys,

I'm watching the a rerun of Under the Lights game on ESPN and watching some highlights of the 97 defense on my computer…

…and I can't stop thinking about what would happen in a matchup between Floyd and Woodson. Woodson has the speed and size to keep up with Floyd but then again Floyd looks so much bigger and stronger than CW. I know it's a huge hypothetical but what do you think would happen there?

And what size should we be looking for at corner to stop big receivers like Floyd in the future?

Also, I notice Mattison has a tendency to slant the DL pretty often in the 97 highlights and honestly, it's working. Is this the style of slants Mattison we should expect to see this season?

Thanks for the time and Go Blue!
- AJ, UM 2014

Woodson took on a huge, elite outside receiver in 1997: David Boston. He is 6'2" and went 8th overall in the next NFL draft. Floyd is 6'3" and went 13th overall. Boston had a body-building/roid freakout at the next level, but in college he was at Floyd's level. What happened in the 1997 game between the two was one Woodson slip and fall leading to an OSU touchdown and nothing else. Michigan won with 189 yards of offense.

Woodson's gone on to prove himself an NFL hall of famer (7 times all pro). Let's not forget how ridiculously good he was and is. Woodson probably would have fared a little worse than he did in 1997 since the personnel surrounding him wouldn't have been as good, but you can pick a college receiver in the past 20 years and I'm taking Woodson and the points.

In re: cornerback size, see above. Woodson is listed at 6'1", and Michigan is hoping to put out a steady stream of 6-foot-ish cover corners. Again, easier said than done.

In re: DL slants. Yeah, one of the advantages of the under is that you can have the line go one way, drop the WDE into coverage, and send the SLB. By doing this you've flipped your defense at the snap, and this is often confusing to opposing OL. I don't think it'll be much of a problem for Bama and its veteran, All-American-laden line; others may have a bear of a time trying to figure out exactly who they're supposed to block on any given play.

The upside of having a couple of undersized guys at the five and three is that Michigan will be much better able to play games that shoot guys into the backfield unblocked. The downside is when that doesn't work and someone gets manhandled one-on-one. The linebackers are going to have to take on a lot of blocks this year.

If only.

I spotted this graffiti on the back of a stop sign near my office in Los Angeles. Could Taco Pants be considering a transfer to USC?

cheers,

Zach

A "these are my readers" moment.

A little something I made for you guys

Made it for my dad, who lurks on your blog. Thought I would share. You can use it if you like. There are definitely bronies reading the blog.

Cheers,

-Anonymous Brony

I have no idea.

On November 8th, 1997, Michigan traveled to Happy Valley to take on Penn State in a battle of unbeaten squads. The Wolverines pulled the upset, 34-8, led by Chris Howard's 120 rushing yards and the exploits of eventual Heisman winner Charles Woodson, who caught a 37-yard touchdown pass.

The lasting image of that game, however, was the violent collision between Michigan safety Daydrion Taylor and Penn State tight end Bob Stephenson on an otherwise-innocuous first-quarter completion. The hit, perhaps the hardest in Michigan history, ended the football careers of both players.

During the pre-game show before tomorrow's Michigan-Minnesota game, the Big Ten Network will mark the 15-year anniversary of that play with a feature on the hit, with exclusive interviews of Taylor, Stephenson, Woodson, Brady Hoke, and others who were there to witness it first-hand. I've had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the piece, and also had the pleasure of speaking with Julian Darnell, the producer of the feature, and Bill Friedman, the BTN's coordinating producer of original programming. The feature is powerful and sheds light on how Taylor and Stephenson have both moved on from the hit—both, in fact, are now coaching youth football—and I highly encourage you to check it out tomorrow. Below are excerpts from my conversations with Darnell and Friedman:

What was the purpose in putting this piece together?

Julian: I guess the purpose on my end was to reflect on the events—it's certainly newsworthy considering what we've seen in football nowadays, you look to the next level and you see everything in regards to head-first football in NFL, the changes they've made to the football that I was used to seeing when I was coming up, and it just made for an interesting story.

It really piqued my interest, especially when you see, for me, the names that participated in that game. On one side you have Curtis Enis, who was a number one pick, you have Joe Jurevicius, who was a future world champion with Tampa Bay, Charles Woodson, who was the eventual Heisman Trophy winner that year and a Super Bowl champion, Dhani Jones, whom we know very well, Jon Jansen, whom we know very well as well, just so many great names. And it was a great win by Michigan, no question about it, but just that hit, when you see it, it still resonates today.

It really resonated for me when I had the opportunity to talk to Charles Woodson. I had a chance to interview him at Green Bay. During the pre-prep interview when he came in, I was going to show him the hit, because, you know, it's been 15 years. And he's like, "I don't need to see it, I remember." And he did. The details, he remembered it, he didn't need to see it. And this is a guy who's played a whole lot of football since Michigan, and to remember it in the detail that he did, and he didn't even need to see it or want to see it, just resonated to me that, "Okay, I'm really onto something that can really be everlasting," in my opinion. That's what stood out to me.

Bill: The collision between Daydrion Taylor and Bob Stephenson happened 15 years ago this season, so that was kinda the time hook to it. With concussions being a bigger subject matter every day in the national football landscape, we though it'd be an interesting piece, too.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the Q&A.]

I remember growing up and watching this game as a kid and not even realizing that the hit ended two careers, I just remembered it as this great hit, something that was more celebrated than anything else. How do you feel the meaning of the play has changed over the course of the 15 years since it occurred, and how do you reconcile that even today the play is largely thought of first and foremost as a great hit?

Julian: Well, it should, it was a great hit. I think what's changed now is while it was a great hit, now it's not as celebrated as say it was in the past, because we need to think more about the players as human beings. Now it's like, okay, instead of seeing it, say, 20 times over the course of the year, maybe we'll see it five times, not to celebrate it as much because the hit did end two careers.

The thing that's really interesting for me and, for lack of a better term, tough for me, is that I grew up in an era in which you had big hitters like Steve Atwater, Ronnie Lott, Gary Fencik, Doug Plank, and that was the football that I remember. Hits like Daydrion's on Bob Stephenson were celebrated. They're still enormous and they still catch your interest, but now you have to kind of take a step back and say, "Okay, are these guys cool? Are these guys healthy?" I don't think that's a bad thing, I really don't. It's a different thing, but I don't think it's a bad thing. Football is a great sport but you want to be concerned about the lives of the people that are involved, and I think that's how it's changed.

It's changed too because it's been 15 years. There are kids that might have seen this that have moved on and might not remember it as much as you might have or anything like that. You kind of move on, things are a lot more instant now. The goal for me on that is to remember these guys and see that they've moved on with their lives, number one, and what's interesting to me about them is that they've moved on and still are giving back to this game that's been taken away from them, taken away from them in an instant. But they're still giving back, and giving back to young people, with this particular game. I find that really gratifying, to be honest with you.

Bill: I think maybe back then people were like, "Wow, what a hit," and now people might say that but they'd also be like, "God, I hope those guys are okay." I definitely think there used to be less attention paid to the consequences of these hits as opposed to appreciating them for a how big a hit they were, and I think that's changed through the years for the better.

I don't think that would be the reaction to the hit today anymore [think of it first and foremost as a great hit]. Me myself, I didn't remember the hit when I was made aware of it, and I certainly wasn't aware that these two guys never played again. My hope is, for those that aren't familiar with the hit, that they'll see that it did end two careers but also the interesting way that these two guys are still involved in football.

How willing were Daydrion and Bob to talk about the hit and open up about it? What sense did you get about how they've moved on and how they've dealt with it in the 15 years since?

Julian: Bob was easy to track down, as far as talking about it and being very open with it. Daydrion took a little bit longer but eventually he decided to talk to me, and for that I was very grateful, because ... for Daydrion it took a little bit more away from him. He was in a halo because of that hit. He was a junior at the time, and with a hit like that it basically ended his career and any thoughts of perhaps any NFL aspirations he might have had, those went out just like that. For Bob, he was very open and receptive and I appreciated that. It took a little bit longer for Daydrion and I understood that, but I was very happy that he decided to talk to me in Texas [where he now resides] and it was a blessing and a pleasure to talk to both men.

Did either of them mention any lasting physical effects from the hit that have stuck with them through today?

Julian: No, no lasting physical effects on either man.

I took a look on YouTube to see what videos of the hit have been uploaded, and looking through the comments there's a side that celebrates the hit, and there's also a side where people say, "look at what happened to the guys after the hit, this was a dirty hit, and you shouldn't even post this." It seems like there's a large split there, and this is something that happens all the time in football. How do you feel about how these hits should be recognized and viewed?

Julian: For one thing, in regards to that particular hit, Bob Stephenson said it was a clean hit, number one. To this day he says it was a clean hit, and he was the guy that ended up getting licked.

As for me, personally, it's tough because I think it varies in regards to the era you come up in. I came up in an era in which you saw the Ronnie Lotts, the Steve Atwaters, the Gary Fenciks, the Doug Planks, you saw big hits like that, and as a football fan you relish those hits, you really do. Part of me still does. If it gets you to think a little bit more about, "Okay, great hit, are you okay?" instead of "Oh, let's see it again," then I think that's a positive thing. It's a good thing to think about, I really believe that. If this piece accomplishes that then I think I did my job, and if these men enjoy it than I think I've done my job as well, as far as being fair to the moment, being fair to them, and just telling how both men have moved on from this moment.

You see in the piece that both these men have moved on and are coaching youth football, and you see in the piece Bob Stephenson putting a very specific focus on getting his players to learn how to hit the right way. What do you think it says about this that both men are back in football, and how much do you think these injuries can be curtailed based on the information we've got now and a new focus on making sure players know how to hit properly and play the game—and yes, it's a violent game—as safely as they can possibly play can?

Julian: To answer your first question, they love the game. You've got to understand that both men came up in legendary, legendary programs. Penn State, obviously, in their prime, and Michigan under Lloyd Carr. The impact of their coaches and the impact of that game and the impact of those programs at that time is everlasting, and there's still a love there for that game. I could feel it from each of them about that.

As far as your second questions, listen, you don't want to see kids hurt. Basically what they want to do, they want to impart the same love of that game onto the kids that they're working with, and they want to see them have the same benefits that they got from the game for these children. And then, do the best that they can to put them in a position in which they're not hurt, in which they're not going through some of the things that they had to go through in the aftermath of that hit. Are injuries going to happen? Yes. But being prepared to ... being prepared as far as making tackles, making the hits as far as you have to stop your opponent and protect yourself from injury, it's like preparing for a test, it's like preparing to interview me—you don't want to go in cold. It's the same nature. Prepare yourself for football, prepare yourself with repetitions to hit, stop your opponent, and protect yourself. You're not stopping your opponent by hurting yourself. I think that's important, and that's definitely important to them.

Bill: I think any of us that have been in the sports media have been around football enough and talked to enough players that even when you see the effects the game has had on them, if you ask them if they'd do it again, they say yes. I think that speaks to the pull of the game, and the fact that Bob and Daydrion, that some parts of their lives are still involved in football speaks to that pull. I think it's exemplified with them because they never got to play football again, but maybe that's just the pull of the game, and I think either way is speaks to what football means to the men who have played it.

It doesn't surprise me that when you look around the NFL and college football that a lot of players end up coaching, or in the media, or in the front office—that's what they know, they know the game and they like being around it. In that regard I don't think it is surprising, and when you see what Bob and Daydrion are doing, teaching youths, they want to teach them the good things about the game and how to grow from the game. That shouldn't come as any surprise. They were Division I football players and it takes a level of talent and commitment to get to that level. The fact that they can make that commitment in their lives after their playing days are over doesn't surprise me.

There was a moment early on in the piece with Brady Hoke where he mentions that he heard in his headset that it was Charles Woodson who laid the hit. How do you think—obviously, this is a hypothetical—that the impact of that hit changes if instead of Daydrion Taylor whose career is ended on that hit, it's Charles Woodson, while he's on his way to a potential Heisman campaign?

Julian: Oh, that's a tough one ... That's a tough hypothetical for me to answer. Does Charles Woodson have a bigger name recognition and Daydrion Taylor at the time? Yeah, no question he did, just for the fact that he played both sides of the ball. Would [injury awareness] have been accelerated now if that happened to Charles instead of Daydrion? That's a tough thing to answer. That's like answering if cancer research would've been more prevalent if Gale Sayers was the one affected and not Brian Piccolo. I don't know if I can go there. Everything happens for a reason, so that's one I really can't answer.

Bill: That's a great question, and it's one that we'll never know the answer to. It very well could've been a little different. Maybe we would've been made aware of some of the aftereffects of concussions a little sooner. I don't know, that's pure speculation. I think any time a superstar in involved in a catastrophic injury—for me, it was Joe Theismann, I'll never forget the image of Lawrence Taylor signaling for someone to come out to help this guy he'd just sacked. Did that make us more aware of compound fractures? I don't know, but it's a memorable thing. I think it's a very good question, I'm just not sure any of us will ever be able to definitively answer that.

What do you want people to take away from seeing this piece?

Julian: Seeing how they've dealt with it, seeing how they've moved on, and also how they've been so productive in the lives of young people in a sport that was taken away from them. Stephenson was a senior, but there were still more games for him to play—maybe not at the NFL, but as far as the collegiate level, there were more games for him to play, like a bowl game, for example, that was taken away. For Daydrion, he had another year, and also when that hit occurred he didn't take part in that Rose Bowl game against Washington State and Ryan Leaf, so that was taken away as well.

But they've both moved on, they've both dealt with it, they've both moved on to be positive members in society in giving back to this sport—in the same way, in different areas of the world, one in Pennsylvania and the other in Texas, but in the same way. That was the thing that, to me, was so gratifying. They're forever linked by this hit, but they're not defined by this hit. They're defined in other ways. Bob Stephenson not only coaches youth football, he's an assistant principal. Daydrion Taylor with the work that he's done with young people in varsity and junior varsity football. Both of them being parents. It's really cool. It sounds quaint, but it's really cool how they've gone beyond that defining moment to where they're at now. If people who see that, someone struggling with the defining moment in their lives, I want them to be able to see these two men and see how they've grown beyond that moment and contributing to society in the way that they're contributing, and maybe that'll impact somebody else. If I hear that that happens, then I'm going to feel kinda warm and fuzzy inside myself.

[Note on these posts: Yes, gifs are very bandwith-heavy, which is why we put all but one below the jump. There's not really a way around this that doesn't involve people having to click through to a new page for every gif, which isn't exactly ideal. If your page is lagging severely, try hitting 'escape' on your keyboard (unless you have Chrome, in which case you're SOL), which will stop the animation, then you can right-click and hit 'view image' to open each gif individually.]

We're expanding the MGoGifs beyond recapping each game; starting this week, we'll be taking a look ahead with gifs of great (or at least gif-tacular) moments from past games against Michigan's upcoming opponent. So, today's One Frame At A Time features Northwestern gifs of yore, and there's only one place to begin—Jason Avant's absurd one-handed catch in 2003's 41-10 victory.

First, however, I just want to thank everyone who sent in suggestions on Twitter, and also express my eternal gratitude to WolverineHistorian, whose videos provided the source material for most of these. The man is a treasure. And now, here's Avant:

[When you've finished watching that on a loop for, oh, 20 minutes, hit THE JUMP for the rest of the gifs.]

1992 (Michigan 40 - Northwestern 7) — This pretty much sums up Northwestern football pre-1995:

1997 (Michigan 23 - Northwestern 6) — Brian Griese slips the grasp of a blitzing linebacker and hits a wide-open Jerame Tuman for the touchdown:

1997 (Michigan 23 - Northwestern 6) — Charles Woodson undercuts, intercepts, sideline reacts accordingly:

1998 (Michigan 12 - Northwestern 6) — Justin Fargas slogs through rain, mud, tackles:

2004 (Michigan 42 - Northwestern 20) — Steve Breaston breaks a tackle, simultaneously changes direction, and then goes straight gazelle on a 66-yard punt return TD:

Bonus gifs, linked instead of embedded for bandwith-saving purposes:

• 1991 (Michigan 59 - Northwestern 14) — Desmond Howard's school-record 20th touchdown in a season and the NCAA-record-tying 30th career TD connection from Elvis Grbac to Howard comes on the first play from scrimmage.*
• 1992 (Michigan 40 - Northwestern 7) — A freshman Mercury Hayes with a pretty spectacular garbage-time touchdown catch from backup Todd Collins.
• 1998 (Michigan 12 - Northwestern 6) — Tom Brady hits Tai Streets for the game's lone touchdown.
• 2011 (Michigan 42 - Northwestern 24) — Jordan Kovacs with a critical fourth-down stop in an eventual come-from-behind victory.
• 2011 (Michigan 42 - Northwestern 24) — Will Campbell sacks Dan Persa, does Will Campbell things.

---------------
*This game wasn't televised, so of course WolverineHistorian compiled home video shot from the stands and the sideline and synced it up with the radio broadcast. Again, he's a treasure.

via MLive

Omigod omigod omigod omigod omigod omigod omigod omigod—YOU GUYS!

We got a recruit. Like a GOOD recruit. Like the best recruit we've ever got, in the if-he-stays-ranked-as-high-as-he-is-in-May kind of way.

How do we feel about this? Happy right? Extraordinarily happy? Off the roof happy? Roses in our teeth happy? Really really really happy?

Like, the scouting reports are nudging you toward "2016 Heisman!!!" happiness.  But then the Buckeyes in your life are reminding you that it's an aggregate science, not an exact one—and oh yeah in ur cass, stealin ur non-smurf dude. And your Sparty co-workers and family members are all reminding you that recruiting ratings don't matter nearly as much as how good your school is at developing players (and exciting new types of dirt). And your brain is like "there's only ever been between four and zero humans in the last 70 years as good at cornerback as HIM."

Stupid Buckeyes. Stupid Spartans. Stupid brain. #yalljustjealous #iknowitsenvyshutupimtryingtohashtaginhere

Alas, you're a Michigan fan, meaning even in moments like these you can never shut these people up. So let's try to come up with a reasonable level of expectation by peering into the careers of the few other consensus 5-star corners in the history of recruiting databases.

Edorian McCullough

Class: 2002. School: Texas. Ht/Wt: 5'10/190. Rankings: #3 CB (after Leon Washington & Devin Hester) to Rivals, #3 CB (Hester, A.J. Davis) to Scout.

Other Suitors: Texas A&M,Miami (YTM), Nebraska, Oklahoma, Michigan State.

Scouting Report: Speed in buckets; one of the fastest-ever high school players in the country. Also a great running back and accomplished track star. Academic and behavioral red flags: has 'em.

College Career: Started immediately at nickel back and kickoff returner. Was caught with pot with a big group of teammate but the case was dismissed. Academic problems forced him to sit out his sophomore year and finally get dismissed from the team, transferring first to a junior college and then signing a letter of intent to play for Oregon State. However he couldn't get academically eligible there either so he stayed at his JC in '05 then went pro.

Pro Career: Signed with Jacksonville as a free agent in '06, released in preseason. Appeared on NFL Europe teams and most recently signed with an IFL team in 2010.

Applicability to Jabrill: Track star and standout running back in high school. McCullough's best 100-meter was a 10.32 (versus Jabrill's 10.83) and Edorian's 21.0 in the 200 meters would easily be the record in New Jersey, where Peppers came close with a 21.37. Peppers is fast but probably not Edorian McCullough fast. Edorian was a pure cover corner and sized like one—his Scout report said he was 5'9, though he appeared on Rivals and on the Texas roster as 5'11. Had a 30" vertical, which is just okay. The academic problems that sank him are the opposite for Jabrill, who wants to be an orthopedic surgeon and has a 3.9 GPA. Notably, nobody called McCullough "aggressive"—he was an okay high school tackler rated highly for his Deion-like skills.

--------------------------

[Hit the jump for the others]

Devin Hester

Class: 2002, reclassified to 2003. School: Miami (YTM). Ht/Wt: 5'11/180. Rankings: #2 CB to Rivals, #1 CB to Scout.

Other Suitors: Florida State, Georgia, NC State, Purdue.

Scouting Report: Speed and athleticism in surreal levels—nickname was "Sugar Foot." Ridiculous highlight reel of Hester returning kicks and leaving man coverage to make an interception on the other side of the field. Also considered a top talent at receiver or running back. Had a troubled family history but appeared mature beyond his years and sought mentors from the professional ranks, specifically Deion Sanders.

College Career: Immediate star at returner, played both cornerback and wide receiver. His junior year he was used all over the place but didn't particularly stand out beyond his returning skills—he had more carries (24) in his career than catches (10) despite being listed as a receiver the whole time. Played dime back and gathered 4 interceptions as a sophomore, and had 11 tackles, an INT and a sack as a nickel his junior year. Went pro after his junior season.

Pro Career: Drafted by the Bears in the 2nd round as a cornerback/return specialist and became an immediate star as a return specialist—didn't really do much else. Returned the opening kickoff of the Superbowl for a touchdown, though he fumbled a lot too. Carved out a career as the greatest punt returner in NFL history but a guy who still doesn't figure much outside of special teams.

Applicability to Jabrill: Peppers is a running back/returner/receiver prospect as well but not very Hester-like. The difference between them is exactly that between their respective idols—Peppers as a proto-No. 2 versus Hester the Deion Sanders acolyte. Hester had a 38-inch vertical and clocked the 4.33 forty that inadvertently started a wave of FAKEs to that level; while Jabrill can get that high with his added height, he won't be that fast. Hester is instructive because he's a high-quality individual with a good work ethic who just never managed to learn to apply his unreal talent to cornerback. If you're comparing highlight reels though, notice the big things always happened when Hester had an open field—interceptions came from QBs throwing total ducks and tackles were the "throws his body at a guy" variety.

--------------------------

Ted Ginn

Class: 2004. School: Ohio State. Ht/Wt: 6'0/170. Rankings: #1 CB and #2 overall player to Rivals, #1 CB to Scout.

Other Suitors: Well like Michigan and USC and everybody offered but Ted Ginn's kid was the most mortal lock for anything since the Wisterts had a little brother.

Scouting Report: Neck and neck with Adrian Peterson for best recruit in the country. The son and namesake of Glennville's coach was an all-around athlete and track star, breaking regional records in the 110H, 200H, and was considered a potential Olympian in track (though Morgan Trent beat him in the 200 meter). Considered the best cornerback prospect in Ohio since THAT cornerback from Ohio, and thus drew those comparisons, though the rail-thin Ginn was considered more on the coverage side of that scale. National player of the year. Also considered a potential star at WR and kick returner. Diagnosed with a learning disability though managed to overcome that with the help of tutors to graduate high school with honors.

College Career: Was supposed to be Gamble's heir apparent and as a freshman Ginn succeeded the former consensus 5-star…at receiver. He started at receiver and cornerback, the former more often than the latter, and had 803 yards on 51 receptions as a sophomore to enter his junior season as a Heisman candidate alongside teammate and eventual winner Troy Smith. He was first team All-American either as a returner or "All-Purpose Player" all three years he played, and bypassed his senior year to enter the NFL draft despite being injured in the championship game that year.

Pro Career: Drafted 9th overall by the Dolphins. He was up to 188 lbs and listed at 5'11 at the NFL Combine—there he reported a totally FAKE 4.28 forty at Ohio State. They used him mostly as a returner and receiver, though his drops got him benched and eventually traded to the 49ers, who used him as a return specialist and occasional offensive weapon. Recently signed with the Panthers.

Applicability to Jabrill: Another super athlete projected to big things at cornerback, but ended up mostly a return specialist, albeit a pretty darn good one. I won't repeat all the Hester stuff except to say here is a very similar type of recruit who became a very similar type of player. Notice in both the scouting reports stick to the ridiculous athletic ability. That's a big deal for cornerbacks, but the fact that neither Hester nor Ginn became great ones demonstrates there's a lot more than hip flex and explosive speed to this position.

--------------------------

Justin King

Class: 2005. School: Penn State. Ht/Wt: 6'0/183. Rankings: #1 CB and #19 overall player to Rivals, #2 CB to Scout.

Other Suitors: I don't want to talk about it.

Scouting Report: Early riser on everyone's list since sophomore year. Top RB in the state. Michigan wanted him about as badly as anybody I can remember since I started following recruiting. Finalist for national player of the year. Lived on top-rate recovery/closing speed. Wanted playing time. Nearly committed to Florida but didn't because Ron Zook was fired. Not considered an academic risk.

College Career: Played at nickel and spot running back right away and was starting at corner by his sophomore year, when he was second team all-conference. Was considered one of the better but hardly an elite corner by his junior year, after which he finished his degree early and declared for the NFL draft.

Pro Career: Measured at 5'11/192 at combine but was the fastest defensive back there and was drafted by the Rams in the 4th round. He lost his rookie season to injury, and never cracked the Rams depth chart, bouncing around since as roster depth in Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.

Applicability to Jabrill: Again we're looking at a cover corner whose ratings are tied to his straight-up speed and ups (37.5 inch vertical). We're seeing a theme of these guys—shared by Jabrill—of dominance versus high school competition that is extra apparent when used on offense and returns. Given the depth charts Michigan faced from 2005 to 2008 at defensive back we really could have used this guy. Among this group however, he's pretty much the low bar for on-field expectations.

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Demetrice Morley

Class: 2005. School: Tennessee. Ht/Wt: 6'0/176. Rankings: #2 CB and #21 overall player to Rivals, #1 CB to Scout.

Other Suitors: Michigan, USC, Florida State, Georgia, Oklahoma (in that order).

Scouting Report: Opposite of classmate King—was a guy who emerged late and shot up the rankings at camps after suddenly posting a much faster forty time than he had previously. Considered a hard hitter who may grow into a safety.

College Career: Tennessee notably listed him as 6'2, and played him beginning in October of his freshman year at nickel and safety. Hype peaked when he was making plays in spring of '06 and he gave quotes suggesting he might play receiver too. Founding contributor to the Fulmer Cup. He played strong (deep in that defense) safety his sophomore year as an injury starter but was dismissed for academic reasons. After a year in JUCO he later was readmitted and rejoined the team but was dismissed again after being involved in a robbery and then not showing up to practices under new coach Lane Kiffin. Revealed to be among a group of S Florida recruits to have come from a "diploma mill" exposed by the NYTimes.

In retrospect, he would likely have been DNQ'ed the same way Dorsey was if he'd committed Michigan. Carr failed to do his homework here.

Pro Career: Not drafted after apparently giving up football, but got back in shape and played in the CFL in 2011 and 2012.

Applicability to Jabrill: Here's a guy who measures a bit more like Peppers, though Jabrill is already much bigger than Morley was at this point. Note again the early play at nickel and dime. Morley's potential seemed to be there but he was also a poster child for the kind of recruit for whom the college part is just some antiquated requirement for playing football.

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Eric Berry

Class: 2007. School: Tennessee. Ht/Wt: 6'0/194. Rankings: #1 CB and #3 overall player to Rivals, #1 CB and #10 overall player to Scout.

Other Suitors: Auburn, Georgia, USC, Ohio State, Florida, Miami (YTM)

Scouting Report: A high school wildcat QB and one of the best athletes in the short history of recruiting (bench 315, squat 560, vertical 37.5"—though Rivals listed that at 32"). Scout's listed strengths were burst out of breaks, closing speed and size; his area of improvement was instincts. His position was listed as CB but was kind of unknown—he was considered a top receiver and possible spread QB. Raw raw raw but with upside off the charts. Academics and personality were strengths—GPA and test scores were on par with the average Michigan State freshman (that means it's good you jerks. I'm telling mom!).

College Career: Played immediately as a nickel and then starting safety his freshman year en route to conference freshman of the year honors. Named team captain as a sophomore, playing a little receiver and quarterback in addition to being basically Ed Reed at free safety. All-American as a sophomore and junior, when he won the Thorpe award and garnered enough Heisman chatter to twist Vols fans into knots about the whole "not an award for defensive backs" thing. Also subject of the original "Our Guy for Heisman Because Cheerleaders Have Boobs" video:

Jabrill won't need to bring in a ringer when it comes to this.

Pro Career: Decided to forego senior year, drafted 5th overall by K.C. Chiefs. First rookie to be selected to the Pro Bowl since Derrick Thomas, and been that every year since except the year he tore his ACL. On track to be among the best safeties of his era.

Applicability to Jabrill: Closest match yet—high school quarterback and standout citizen with off the charts athleticism who projects to corner or safety in college, except Peppers will have far more experience as a defensive back, and instincts are considered a strength for Jabrill already. Peppers is two ticks larger than Berry was at this age, and about two ticks down in straight-up speed. Note of course that we're expecting Peppers to be the boundary corner. Berry would make a fine cornerback too, but in the "get me an Ed Reed!" NFL mixed quarters defenses of today, Berry's excellent combination of play diagnosis, athleticism and tackling make him more impactful as a safety.

--------------------------

Patrick Peterson

Class: 2008. School: LSU. Ht/Wt: 6'1/197. Rankings: #1 CB and #5 overall player to Rivals, #1 CB to Scout. #1 CB and #8 overall player to ESPN.

Other Suitors: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, FSU, committed to then dropped Miami (YTM)

Scouting Report: Played mostly cornerback, but also used as running back and occasional QB. Cited for exceptional ball skills, athleticism, and 1-on-1 cover ability. Was basically first by a mile or no lower than third in every category they rate cornerbacks on. Scout came up with "Backpedal Quickness" as an area for improvement. Scouting reports used words like "violence" and "explodes" and "attacks" and trotted out the obvious comparisons long before Les Miles became a fountain of them. Academically somewhat of a risk—his B-minus GPA and test scores were the subjects of speculation up until he was finally enrolled right before his freshman year.

Note: was named Patrick Johnson when he was a recruit. Also was the guy who said he believed Miles was gone to Michigan, and the guy who ripped on internet message boards for posting rumors that he wasn't very firm to Miami, right up until he decommitted from Miami.

College Career: Played immediately as a nickel and had won the starting cornerback job by the last third of his freshman year. Caught that interception against Alabama everybody believed was good but they didn't overturn. Was a sophomore all-SEC and 2nd team All-American, and a Heisman candidate his senior year (helped along by his pose). LSU tried to get him in as a receiver or running back/wildcat QB; he didn't get invited to the Heisman ceremony but was a unanimous All-American before going pro early. Considered one of the best corners in SEC history (this is the conference with Champ Bailey remember!) and perhaps the best tackler.

Pro Career: Selected 5th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Posted the fastest forty time (4.34) of anyone at the combine. Selected as an all-pro his rookie year as a return specialist and made it into the Pro Bowl in 2012 at cornerback with 55 tackles and 7 interceptions.

Applicability to Jabrill: YOU GUYS!!!! The comparisons here are super-duper close, from the agreement in the rankings to the "he is big and tall and in all ways awesome" scouting reports. The differences are speed—Peterson had more of it—and academics, where Peppers isn't the sort of risk that non-SEC teams need to be wary of. Peterson managed to punctuate his ratings by coming out on top of his position group in every camp and showcase game.

--------------------------

Dre Kirkpatrick

Class: 2009. School: Alabama. Ht/Wt: 6'2/180. Rankings: #1 CB and #11 overall player to Rivals, #5 CB to Scout. #1 CB and #4 overall player to ESPN.

Other Suitors: Florida, Texas, Florida State, LSU, Clemson, Tennessee

Scouting Report: If we own the quick comparison for corners over 6 feet who can patrol the DMZ alone and simultaneously own the edge, Kilpatrick is the other type—the kind that gets compared to Antonio Cromartie and some of the items on your bed. Dre was a cover corner dream in a rail thin 6'2 frame. Rivals and ESPN saw that and said "this guy can't miss" while Scout said he's effete—when "toughness" and "jamming ability" are your areas for improvement and then they say you're a "momentum player," they are very not subtly calling you a wuss. Bama boards suggested trying to hang 30 more pounds on him but Kirkpatrick was pretty much your ready-made range corner with low variance.

He was a cornerback first and foremost in high school, but was trotted out to be a dangerous receiver or punt returner. Rivals had him their #2 corner for ball skills and coverage ability and left him out of the top five for the other categories. ESPN praised his fundamentally perfect play. Was at times considered a personality risk and other times a leader.

College Career: Was your standard, ready-made, low-variance range corner. A reserve corner in a deep secondary his freshman year, he emerged as a lockdown man-to-man guy his sophomore year, showing off an underrated tackling ability. On the field he was the guy raising his arms to entice Tide fans to make bestial SEC noises; off it Saban supposedly had to do a lot of motivating. He became a borderline first- or second-team All-American as a junior as part of that ridiculous defense, then went pro.

Pro Career: Drafted 17th overall by the Bengals after posting a kind of eh 4.51 at the combine and being haunted by a would-be shrug-and-forget-about-it dismissed pot possession charge. Because of a preseason injury he played five games in 2012 before getting hurt again at the end of the season.

Applicability to Jabrill: I realize they're close in height but I think the comparison ends there. It's hard to come up with comparisons to Michigan corners past unless your memory of, like, Keston Cheathem is strong enough to extrapolate what he'd be like if his tools were extended to blue chip level. I won't say Jeremy LeSeuer because he didn't play with confidence, while Kirkpatrick just oozes it. Leon Hall is close enough—a great man-to-man player with tons of athleticism for his lanky body. Peppers has some size and length but I don't think his game is Dre's game—Jabrill would ideally have his nose facing the ball.

--------------------------

LaMarcus Joyner

Class: 2010. School: Florida State. Ht/Wt: 5'8/ and 166 (Rivals and ESPN) or 192 (Scout). Rankings: #1 CB and #14 overall player to Rivals, #2 CB to Scout. #1 CB and #6 overall player to ESPN.

Other Suitors: Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC, Alabama, Georgia

Scouting Report: As a fan of the place where Tom Wilcher deposits most of his smurfy cornerbacks, you are already well familiar with Scout's penchant for listing "size" as an "area for improvement" and MGoBlog's penchant for pointing this out. In Joyner's case, it is too bad there isn't some kind of heightiotomy operation available since he's really more of a middle linebacker born into a tiny corner's body. Joyner played strong safety in high school but scouts admitted the little guy would have to move to the outside to cover his 5'8/166 frame. Everything else they said was off the charts, including speed, agility, and ooh ladies wait'll that shirt comes off. Joyner can jump really high and nobody breathes when he's collecting a punt, let alone jetting downfield after one.

College Career: It seems Scout was right about the 30 extra pounds, as Joyner was listed at FSU at 190 in 2010 and is now 195. He also went back to safety after a freshman season as a special teams and nickel corner. In 2011 they let him play tiny wrecking ball a la Bob Sanders or Mike Doss. He was all-ACC that last season. This offseason FSU said they'll be moving him back to corner so Karlos Williams and Terrence Brooks can play safety. This is another defense that's becoming a base nickel, by the way.

He also returns kicks and punts, and has some academic accolades to go with the growing trophy case at defensive back.

Pro Career: Joyner turned down a possible NFL draft spot to return for his senior season this year.

Applicability to Jabrill: Well our guy isn't 5'8 and nobody thinks he's 166. So yeah not much here except another projected 5-star corner who played safety in high school, played nickel and special teams as a freshman, and then seesawed Marlin Jackson style between corner and free safety.

--------------------------

One More Guy

via Toledo Blade

Class: 1995. School: Michigan. Ht/Wt: 6'1/195 Rankings: Listed as the 4th best player overall and best running back by Sports Illustrated.

Other Suitors: Ohio State, Notre Dame, everybody. As a running back.

Scouting Report: Unstoppable running back (218 rushes for 2,028 yards), receiver (10 catches for 160 yards), punt returner (15 for 300 yards), and also the best tackler on the team as a cornerback and safety/rover to go with his 38 touchdowns. Those are just the senior year stats, when he was voted Ohio's Mr. Football. Started playing defense in the middle of his sophomore year (his mom kept him in freshman ball even though his coaches wanted to move him up to varsity right away). Also played basketball and ran track. Not an academic risk, according to multiple second-hands from Lloyd Carr (who apparently used this kid as the type specimen for a Michigan recruit ever after).

College Career: Here's ('93-'96 Michigan nose tackle) William Carr on week one of fall practice:

You heard all about this guy's rep," says teammate Carr. "I figured I'd wait and see. Then the first day upperclassmen joined practice, he's out there holding his own with Amani and Mercury. I figured, O.K., I believe."

Notice how all the other guys were nickels and special teamers who, at best, were pushing the starters by the last thirds of their freshman years? Here's a guy who arrived good enough to start on any Big Ten team, and at the end of that season was good enough to erase the best flanker in the conference. Remember how even Donovan Warren was behind the likes of Johnny Sears and Chris Richards for a time? That. Is. Normal.

Pro Career: Hall-worthy.

Applicability to Jabrill: The closest comparable really isn't. In an age that followed recruiting for one week in February, an RB from a small town in the part of Ohio that isn't even the football-rich part—especially one that wanted to play cornerback—didn't leave the global cloud of awe he would today. But then the way he hit his league you can't dig anywhere in northwest Ohio without uncovering a layer of effusive memories from people who saw him. Given the passage of time and limited historical documentation from that era, there's no way to put this recruit in appropriate context, but the limited evidence suggests he was a Tyrannosaur long before he ate Terry Glenn.

Summary

via iSportsWeb via Magnus.

There are a bunch of other guys who've gotten one or two 5-star ratings from these three sites. Jai Eugene (Scout/ESPN), Greg Reid (Rivals/ESPN), Curtis Brown, Donovan Warren, Ronald Johnson, Darius Winston, Branden Smith, Dee Milliner, DeAnthony Thomas and Tracy Howard (Rivals/Scout) all received that fifth star from 2/3 services. But even with just the consensus dudes above, I think it paints a pretty clear picture of what we can reasonably expect from Peppers provided he hangs onto the top billing he has now:

• Non-cornerback stuff is typical. All the running around with the football or ballhawking from safety seems to less a sign that the player isn't cut out for college corner, and more an indication of a high school coach who's realized he has a once-in-a-lifetime toy he wants to play with as much as possible.
• Nickel and special teams duty early on. No redshirt, but neither will he be a starter right away. This is basically mandatory.
• Return specialist. The guys with with immediately identifiable talent are the guys who end up really good at this on the college level. That fifth star at cornerback rarely misses here.
• A possible move to free safety. It seemed to happen a lot to these guys, to good effect. The coaches may want a lockdown guy at corner but it's a lot more of a seam game than it was 15-20 years ago—in the past Michigan could usually get away with a Tommy Hendricks/DeWayne Patmon/Brandent Englemon type who did a lot of 1-high or came down into box if your corner was good enough to take away the flanker. These days there's three or four receivers in the formation as often as not and it's the teams with an Ed Reed—or instructively, Eric Berry—who can come down on the run AND cover over the top that produce dominant defenses. LSU got to leave Peterson at corner because they were stacked in the rest of the backfield, ditto Joyner's latest move. Michigan's recruiting has been good, but if we don't hit with Delano Hill, Peppers is as likely a candidate as anyone else to give us that key centerfielder.
• A high likelihood of significant contribution. The above guys were mostly successful while being surrounded by lots of other talented players; the ones who washed out were academic risks, and Peppers is the opposite of that. Loads of athleticism did seem to cash in better for the big guys. Low end here is Justin King, and King was still quite valuable.

So…Woo?

Woo. Very much Woo. Just keep in mind the Woo won't really get underway until like 2016, and that while this is just about as close to a guaranteed Woo as you can ask for in recruiting, there's still only ever been one Woo to end up with a  –dson.

When we last met, Jeremy Gallon had rocket boots...

...and Devin Gardner made that "run around forever until somebody gets open" thing work out pretty, pretty well:

Also, Jake Ryan single-handedly destroyed a reverse. Get well soon, please.

[For a veritable stampede of GIFs from Minnesota games past, hit THE JUMP.]

As always, click the stills to open each GIF in a lightbox.

1990

Dear god, Desmond Howard:

Michigan wins 35-18; the Magic Man takes the Heisman the next year.

1994

This is one of the first games I attended at the Big House, and my most indelible memory is opening the free program, seeing that Minnesota's coach was named 'Jim Wacker', and laughing my ass off. I was six.

Those of you not getting an early start on immaturity probably best remember the game for this remarkable Walter Smith touchdown:

Final score: Michigan 38, Minnesota 22.

1997

PROTIP: If Charles Woodson is on the field on offense, you should probably guard him with all available personnel, including backups, coaches, trainers, and ball boys:

The eventual national champs dispatched the Gophers by a score of 24-3; if that sounds at all merciful, then you've forgotten this Sam Sword sack:

Yes, having a tight end named Butt is pretty great, but I miss the days of front seven defenders named Sword, Steele, Irons, and Gold.

2003

Michigan fell behind one of Minnesota's best teams in recent memory 28-7; at that point, it appeared that one of the most entertaining trick plays in school history would go for naught. In the Metrodome, the buffalo roamed:

The Wolverines mounted a historic fourth-quarter comeback, however, highlighted by Jacob Stewart's pick-six of Asad Adbul-Khaliq:

Though Adbul-Khaliq would bounce back on the next possession, running 52 yards untouched up the middle to extend Minnesota's lead back to 14, the Wolverines would tie the game on touchdowns by Braylon Edwards and Chris Perry before winning 38-35 on a short Garrett Rivas field goal with under a minute remaining.

2004

The very next year, Michigan once again needed a late comeback to beat a talented Glen Mason team. This time tight end Tyler Ecker provided the heroics, taking a Chad Henne pass in the flat and eluding two tackes en route to the end zone:

Okay, "tackles" may have been too strong a word. "Pathetic flailings in the general direction of the ballcarrier" is more apt, though less economical.

2008

Nick Sheridan's moment in the sun—er, Metrodome spotlight—included this highlight-reel catch by Greg Mathews:

Michigan cruised to a 29-6 victory in their only road win of a dreadful season.

Six seconds left in a tie game, no timeouts remaining, and Anthony Carter runs an in-cutting route 20 yards short of the end zone for the game-winning catch-and-run. This is something that only Anthony Carter could do, and even then only in 1979 against a team coached by Lee Corso, because how do you let that happen?

[Hit THE JUMP for another play from that game that could only happen a long time ago, plus a few more GIFs from Indiana games past.]

Click the still frames to open each GIF in a lightbox. Some of these are from WolverineHistorian's "10 Memorable Plays Against Indiana" video, which you should watch.

1979: Pitch It To Corso

Anthony Carter made the play that everyone remembers, of course, but he couldn't have done it without a heads-up play by senior fullback Lawrence Reid (NTLR). Reid caught a short pass from John Wangler and couldn't get to the sideline, so he pitched the ball out of bounds—directely to a hopping-mad Lee Corso—to stop the clock with six seconds left. This play is now illegal, obviously, but at the time was totally legitimate.

1989: Terminator Tony Boles

This 89-yard touchdown by Tony Boles still stands as the second-longest run in school history. I can't get over how much Boles runs like a robot programmed to simulate a very fast human.

1992: #1 Strikes Again

A different #1 this time, as Derrick Alexander somehow eluded the first wave of defenders on this 70-yard punt return touchdown in a 31-3 pasting of the Hoosiers.

1996: Woodson Does Woodson Things

Michigan faced a serious upset bid from Indiana, trailing 17-10 at halftime. Then Charles Woodson entered the game on offense, got the reverse everybody could see coming, and scored anyway to tie the game.

"We all knew it was coming," [Indiana coach Bill] Mallory said. "I'm probably lucky I didn't get called on that. I was almost out there to help the play. I could've sworn we had him, but that sucker was in and out of there."

David Bowens (remember him?) stuffed a sneak fourth-and-inches at the Michigan 29 to preserve a 27-20 win.

2004: No Breaston, No Problem

Steve Breaston sat out the 2004 game. Fortunately for Michigan, they had another future NFL player ready to return punts in Leon Hall, who took this one to the house with some help from Braylon Edwards—he's the guy turning the punter into a crimson turfstain.

2010: Denard Needs One Cut

Miss you, dude.

"...he has no idea Charles Woodson can jump 15 feet in the air." — actual call, not really hyperbole.

When I posted the above GIF on Twitter today, someone pointed out that the icing on the cake was Dhani Jones (#55) body-slamming the MSU receiver on the sideline. I've watched that play literally hundreds of times since it first happened (gulp) 16 years ago; this is the first time I've ever noticed Dhani's hit. Watching a purportedly-mortal human take flight can be distracting.

[Hit THE JUMP for Braylonfest.gif, Desmond Howard doing Desmond Howard things, Manningham FTW, and more.]

My laptop is being a pain so no lightboxes for these. If you have a non-Chrome browser, hit 'escape' to stop animation. If you have Chrome, I highly recommend adding the extension GIF Scrubber, which gives you movie-like control of GIFs.

Last year's MSU OFAAT post lives here; it was actually the first full-blown OFAAT, and I was still getting the hang of the GIFs thing, but this one holds up well:

From 2007, here's Mario Manningham's game-winning touchdown:

Other 2007 GIFs: Henne's freakin' perfect TD pass to Mathews, Hart saves Mallett's bacon, Henne's comical yet triumphant exit.

From 2004, BRAYLONFEST DOT GIF:

Tyrone Wheatley laughs at your futile tackling attempts:

Yep, still laughing.

Interfere with this:

Kicking to Desmond: not a good idea.

No, Michigan State did not invent, nor perfect, the fake punt:

Move, ref, get out the way.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

The NFL preseason is officially underway, and with mandatory roster cuts (down to 75) set for August 26th, now is a good time to check in with the former Wolverines currently playing in the league. After scouring the interwebs, here's my best guess at where each Michigan representative stands as we near the start of the season.

Locks To Make It

Jason Avant, WR, Carolina. After being relegated to decoy duty in Chip Kelly's offense for Philadelphia in 2013, Avant—who boasts the lowest drop percentage in the NFL over the last three years—should be one of Cam Newton's top targets with his move to the Panthers.

Tom Brady, QB, New England. Brady threw for over 4,300 yards with 25 touchdowns last season while working with a very raw receiving corps. It was universally considered a down year. I think he's gonna make it, y'all.

Alan Branch, DE, Buffalo. Branch was an integral member of the D-line rotation for the Bills last season, recording 39 tackles, and he should reprise that role working behind up-and-coming star Marcell Dareus again this year.

Stevie Brown, FS, New York Giants. After finishing second in the NFL with eight interceptions in 2012, Brown missed all of 2013 with a torn ACL. He's back from the injury and expected to start at free safety.

Larry Foote, ILB, Arizona. The longtime Steeler—Foote has played 11 of his 12 NFL seasons in Pittsburgh—was cut in the offseason, but quickly found a home in Arizona, which lost both of their starting ILBs from last season. He's currently atop the depth chart, and even if he doesn't hold that spot, he should stick around to provide veteran leadership for a young position group.

Jonathan Goodwin, C/G, New Orleans.According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Goodwin and Tim Lelito, the two players competing to start at center, are "certain to make the final roster." Goodwin's ability to play both center and guard gives him extra job security, even at 35 years old, as does his relatively cheap one-year deal.

Leon Hall, CB, Cincinnati. While Hall tore his right Achilles tendon last season, just two seasons removed from tearing his left Achilles, he's back in the starting lineup as Cinci's slot corner, a spot he plays about as well as anybody in the league when healthy. Barring further injury, his spot is very much safe.

David Harris, ILB, New York Jets. Jets head coach Rex Ryan called Harris"the most underrated player in the league" after he was left of the NFL Network's top 100 players list for 2014. Yeah, he's safe.

Junior Hemingway, WR, Kansas City. Even though Hemingway missed a good deal of training camp with a hamstring injury, he came right back and was a prime target for QB Alex Smith out of the slot. This very thorough rundown of the Chiefs' roster situation has Hemingway safely on the team—in fact, he should start in the slot—and that doesn't look likely to change.

Chad Henne, QB, Jacksonville. Though Jacksonville used the #3 overall pick on QB Blake Bortles, Henne started the first preseason game, and the Jaguars higher-ups insist there's no QB controversy. Bortles is the QB of the future; for now, however, this is Henne's job.

Taylor Lewan, OT, Tennessee. First-round picks don't get cut in their rookie seasons, especially when they're competing for starting jobs.

Jake Long, OT, St. Louis. Long is coming back from a torn ACL and MCL, so he's been held out so far in the preseason, but he's on track to make a surpringly quick return. Also, he's Jake Long, which should be enough.

Ryan Mundy, S, Chicago. Even though the Bears have shuffled their safeties around, Mundy has seen the most action on the first team of anyone, and he can play both free and strong safety in their system. He started the preseason strong, picking off a pass in the opener.

Michael Schofield, OG/OT, Denver. Third-round picks also don't get cut in their rookie season, except in very unusual circumstances. Considering Schofield is "in the mix" at both left guard and right tackle, it looks like he'll be a critical backup at the very least in Denver.

LaMarr Woodley, DE, Oakland. After seven productive years in Pittsburgh, Woodley was unceremoniously released by the Steelers over the offseason, and the Raiders were happy to get him. He provides a major upgrade from them at DE, a spot that may suit him better than 3-4 OLB, where he played in Pittsburgh.

Charles Woodson, S, Oakland. At 37, Woodson came back to Oakland, where he's beloved by the fanbase. He'll play safety there, and he is Charles Woodson, so he'll play well until he decides it's time to hang up the cleats.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the list.]

Should Make It

Will Campbell, OG, New York Jets. After making the switch to the offensive line upon entering the NFL, Campbell is working as the second-team left guard for the Jets.

Michael Cox, RB, New York Giants. Cox toted the rock 22 times as a rookie last year after making the team as a seventh-round pick, and the very unfortunate end to the career of David Wilson (repeated neck injuries) gives him a chance to take on a larger role this season.

Kenny Demens, ILB, Arizona. Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said last month that Demens will make the team if he continues his level of play, and he cleared a big hurdle last week when Arizona cut Ernie Sims, whom he was competing with for a spot as a second-team inside 'backer in their 3-4 defense.

Brandon Graham, OLB/DE, Philadelphia. If Graham isn't on Philly at the start of the season, he'll almost certainly be on another roster; the issue here is he's been moved to 3/4 outside linebacker, a transition that hasn't been easy. His name is being thrown out there as a possible surprise cut/trade candidate, but he's graded out well recently and will find a home somewhere—it's just a question of whether that home is in Philadelphia.

Tim Jamison, DE, Houston. Jamison is listed as J.J. Watt's backup at SDE on Houston's official depth chart, and at least one local pundit expects him to "rotate in quite a bit" this season.

Mike Martin, DL, Tennessee. Martin hasn't produced as Tennessee hoped after spending a third-round pick on him. He has a chance to make a bigger impact under a new coaching staff, however, and he'll do so at a new position: 3-4 defensive end.

David Molk, C, Philadelphia. Molk seems like a perfect fit for Chip Kelly's offense, and now he looks very likely to earn a roster spot after taking advantage of an injury in front of him on the depth chart; after a strong camp, he should be their #2 center.

Patrick Omameh, OG, Tampa Bay. Omameh got a spot in the starting lineup for Tampa Bay's exhibition opener, but the line didn't perform well, and the coaches are still trying to find the right combination on the interior. He should make the team, though his roster spot could be in danger if the Bucs bring in outside help.

Denard Robinson, RB, Jacksonville. Denard has seen time at both receiver and running back due to numerous injuries among Jacksonville's skill players, but they want him to focus on RB, where he's competing with former UConn back Jordan Todman and rookie Storm Johnson for third-string second-string duties behind Toby Gerhart, who's replacing now-Raider Maurice Jones-Drew as the starter. Robinson ran for a touchdown in their first preseason game (GIF'd above), and given his versatility and potential it'd be a huge surprise if the Jaguars let him go.

Stephen Schilling, C/G, Seattle. In his first season on the Seahawks, Schilling is taking first-team reps at center with starter Max Unger out. That's a good sign, as is the fact that he can play three spots along the line.

On The Bubble

Jay Feely, K, Arizona. Feely could be a camp casualty after a down year in 2013; he struggled to record touchbacks on kickoffs and missed three kicks inside 40 yards. He's also owed $1 million, while undrafted free agent Chandler Cantazaro would cost the team less and fill the same role.

Jeremy Gallon, WR, New England. As I covered here after the draft, Gallon has a tough road to a roster spot, and now he's on the Physically Unable to Perform list. While I'd bet he gets a chance elsewhere—the Pats have a lot of options in the slot—it's looking increasingly possible that Gallon won't stick with the team that drafted him in the seventh round.

Jordan Kovacs, S, Miami. Man, it pains me to put Kovacs here, but Miami's depth at safety is decent, and he could be battling for the team's final roster spot. His chances of making the final cut did increase recently due to safety Reshad Jones' four-game suspension for PED use.

Mario Manningham, WR, New York Giants. After recording just nine catches last season for San Francisco, Manningham is back with the team he helped win a Super Bowl just three seasons ago with his incredible sideline grab. The NFL isn't big on sentimentalism, however, and Manningham is right on the cut line; knee injuries have slowed him the last two seasons.

Craig Roh, DE, Carolina. Roh spent all of last season on Carolina's practice squad after going undrafted. He was inactive for the first preseason game with an ankle injury. There's little news on him, but just going based on that, he's got a tough road ahead of him.

Every undrafted free agent. Too many of these to cover individually, but here's the list as it stood after the draft:

DL Jibreel Black, Pittsburgh Steelers
LS Jareth Glanda, New Orleans Saints
OLB Cameron Gordon, New England Patriots
S Thomas Gordon, New York Giants
RB Fitzgerald Toussaint, Baltimore Ravens
DT Quinton Washington, Oakland Raiders

Former Michigan safety Marvin Robinson, who played his final season of eligibility at Ferris State, earned a training camp invite from the Dallas Cowboys.

Being a UDFA in the NFL means that you'll be on the cut line unless you really outperform expectations; Glanda, as a long snapper, may in fact have the best chance at finding a roster spot somewhere.

Waiting For A Call

David Bass, C, Free Agent. The 32-year-old Baas is a man without a team right now, and his career appears to be winding down. He's one of the most experienced free agent centers out there, however, and a team like the Dolphins or Colts that are in need of help at the position could come calling.

Zoltan Mesko, P, Free Agent. The Steelers cut Mesko after seven games in 2013, as he averaged just 37 net yards per punt. He briefly appeared on Cincinnati's roster, but he's no longer listed there. Punter is a position that sees a lot more in-season movement than others, so hopefully the Space Emperor will get another shot this year.

Jonas Mouton, LB, Free Agent. Mouton missed two of the last three seasons with shoulder and knee injuries, and last month San Diego—which drafted him in the second round in 2011—cut him after he failed a physical. That could spell the end of Mouton's NFL career, unfortunately.

…more day till the scrimmage that's a week till football [SI]

21 versus 1. Three weeks before the season is when I start getting amped. Three weeks is that it-doesn't-feel-that-far spot when you realize you have that thing this weekend, and you get next weekend, and after that the weeks have numbers.

I had this question posed last night: Who's the most exciting player you've ever watched?. Obvious first candidate was Denard. Then the people old enough to remember Carter were like "It's Anthony Carter hands down!" Nobody bothered to listen to my feelingsball about when you'd scan a Grbac ball's trajectory, hoping, and then you'd see it was in fact Desmond, and that moment you realized you are once again about to be treated to things that happen when Desmond Howard interacts with a football. No, I am told: that was AC. With 21 you feel it coming; when it's 1 you can almost touch it.

Announcements

Playing time. HELLO to a 10-pound baby-in-South-Bend (not actually in South Bend). Bry_Mac's (2nd) kid joins mine, Fuller's, and Schnepp's to round out MGoBlog's huge 2014 class. That should close out the year in MGoOffspring.

Tickets are going cheap. You may have noticed a slight reorganization of the menu bar this week:

We're partnering with TiqIQ this year. They're an aggregator so they'll pull listings from a bunch of secondary markets plus direct from the box office. The current schedule will link to tix. The nice part about them is they have a free, Facebook-based fan exchange (SellerDirect) we can incorporate into the spreadsheet. Hopefully that should clear up some of the security problems the open google doc had. Right now the App State tix are going for $27; the Miami (NTM) are $23 and Maryland is $30. #thisseasonman.

Diaries

2013 in Gifs. Drkboard is now Red_Lee. Last year he was giving us a spectacular gif per game until everyone switched those off, and those are collected in one diary. Along with, well… Well since the point has already been made and bandied about how the fanbase feels about the AD we've been making a conscious effort to save the griping for gripes. Also the free, open scrimmage a few weeks ago was very appreciated by the hardcore fans who attended, despite the abandoned attempt to get people to register for it. We're trying to be good, but you know what: it's the day before an opening game that only an insane person would schedule, and the gif guy makes it so easy to be bad! Compromise: it's after [the jump].

You said it, pasta.

Maybe I'm over-concerned about giving offense. Maybe they'll include this gif in the next mass email begging you to buy Miami(NTM) tickets to show they're "enhanc[ing] the fan experience" that "make[s] Michigan special and great." Maybe the 100,000 streak was just celebrating our own discomfort, and this will be the first year of a new era when 45,000 "true" fans can finally stretch out and enjoy the impresario's highly leveraged circus.

…which is packaged with Michigan football so yeah: still excited.

Quarterbacks in the B1G. If you are going to talk to someone about opponent/Big Ten QBs at all this year, don't stand there in the pocket; RUN to MCalibur's second-year study. This week's guy:

Kam Bryant, Appalachian State

2013 Rating: 151.1	CMP%	YPA	TD%	INT%
Expected Values	0.638	8.29	0.074	0.019
Actual Values	0.712	8.15	0.042	0.012
Single Factor Rating	183.6	148.2	116.6	221.9

Eh boy…Kam Bryant was kind of good last year. And, he actually improved his completion percentage from the previous year. Sure, sure, FCS, but you still have to make the ball go where you want it to. They had a lot of returning players last year and I can’t figure out why they lost so many games. My guess is bad defense and the fact that they we in the first year of a coaching transition. This year they once again have a lot of experience returning on offense including all 5 offensive lineman with 126 career starts among them. So, like, good QB, veteran team, um, uh…eh boy. Its good that we like our defense this year.

Projection: too many unknowns

Last season he was pretty much dead-on-balls-accurate—on a high-low of 160 to 125 he was within about 6 points for every Big Ten QB except he underrated Colter and had a bunch of low-performers replaced by better. This year he's adding schedule strength and in the process of that produced a pretty handy chart for evaluating the pass defenses of Michigan opponents:

The schedule has the bad pass defenses early on, which has to be a good thing.

Bring back life form: Priority One. Eye of the Tiger's Reading the Tea Leaves weekly series always has a year-long theme: Star Wars movies, Game of Thrones books, etc. This year's: ALIEN MOVIES. This is rather appropriate since the spread of possibility for this season isn't all that great: it's easy to have 8 or 9 wins; tough to see them getting less or more unless Michigan sweeps all the tossup (Maryland, PSU, Utah, ND) games and doesn't get tripped up by the semi-dangerous (NW'ern, Indiana, everybody). Here's hoping the end of the year article starts thusly:

Ash: You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? Perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.
Lambert: You admire it.
Ash: I admire its purity. A survivor... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.

…because I'm sick of mentally applying that to last year's Spartans.

Etc. Offensive linemanship is like learning math (don't put 9th graders in Calculus II, Al Borges). Gordon replies to Brian's annual tone-setter with remember that time Lloyd Carr went into a make-or-break season with a great defense and averaging 4 losses a year? Comparing two-deeps of M and rivals by recruiting stars. THE_KNOWLEDGE. The programs. Wallpaper options (click the one you want):

Best of the Board

PRE-GAME RITUALS

Mine:

It grows by one or two every year. The M Fanfare has Grapentine announcing the band director as Gary Lewis so has to be from mid-'90s. Readers paint their toenails blue, get a workout or a beer in, and kill bears with their hands.

REDSHIRTS?

This year seems pretty obvious but speculators gonna speculate so:

Certainly playing: Peppers, Canteen, Cole, Mone

50/50: Watson, Bunting. Depth is a problem at their positions even though both could do for a shirt. In Watson's case if he plays I hope to Bo they get a retroactive shirt on Dymonte.

Shirts: The rest.

GOOD QUESTION.

If the top two are the Devins on offense and Ryan/Clark on defense, who are the thirds? I'll take Butt or Glasgow on O, and a Bolden on D with a slice of lemon.

ETC. EGD's annual preview PDF. Volunteers needed for curating the Michigan-friendly bar map. How to watch football with the internet. Freeze ends practice by pretending to murder someone. Rawls looking good against a bad FCS run defense CMU barely beat. Hoke says nos. 11 and 21 won't be given out this year; I expect that doesn't disclude adding a patch to Countess's jersey. Every Big Ten school is harder to get into now but one (hint: it's a rival). Your favorite MGobloggers. Brian's found a punter for future Draftageddons. Attracting this kind of sponsor tells me we're doing something right around here.

Your Moment of Zen:

Tip for playing nickelback:

Always use two hands.

So that happened. This was a spoof off of Michael Irvin and Warren Sapp's "U Know It"—the U meaning what you think it means. Relevant information to recruits:

They also point out that Ohio State has never had a quarterback play in the Super Bowl. This got me wondering which schools produced the most SB starters. Results are in a Google Sheet.

The two tied at the top are Stanford (two Plunketts, five Elways) and Notre Dame (Montana's four, Theismann twice, and Daryle Lamonica). Brady now has Michigan at six, tied for second with "the Cradle of Quarterbacks" (Purdue, in that needs to be pointed out now). I didn't count schools that guys transferred from—if you do, Russell Wilson gives NC State two, Vince Ferragamo credits UCLA as well as Nebraska, Jeff Hostetler gives Penn State another, and Troy Aikman puts Oklahoma on the board—still no Bucks. All hail Touchdown Tom!

Filling the Class

This year's diary rock star alum96 kind of collated the knowns and unknowns and think we knowns and Sam Webb hinted at knowns regarding the 2015 class as Michigan races to fill at least six and maybe as many as 11 more spots. He's updated the diary so it's fresh, and also added a profile of Zach Gentry, who seems to be trending very blue.

Versus a Bivouac Wolverine? I've met a lot of different groups of Michigan fans, enough to start finding slight differences in what they like to talk about. Western Michigan fans have to deal with a greater number of Domers, East Coasters tend to care a lot more about Penn State, Southern transplants need constant ammunition against SEC der. Ohioans have a Bo-like loyalty that can only come from a fandom borne under siege. Ann Arborites don't need arguments for what's good about the program; they want to know what's wrong and how do we fix it right now!

In Metro Detroit we have to deal with Sparties. When I was growing up Michigan went to Rose Bowl after Rose Bowl, all the while going on about values and academics. From the perspective of the Perles-era Sparties, whose own program was basically a despicable version of Brady Hoke's, we were insufferable. The Spartan fanbase as a result got VERY sensitive to things like non-alum Michigan fans telling the old "they both got into Michigan State" joke and came up with "Walmart Wolverine."

No good Michigan fan uses that term. The whole concept is ridiculous: Across America, college football programs are the biggest sports team in the state and what outsiders identity it with. Nobody in Ohio would question if it's alright to root for the Bucks if you actually went to truck driving school. The Cornhuskers without the support of the entire state of Nebraska would be in the Mountain West. Notre Dame would have a national following of 150,000 lapse Catholics who came from money. The SEC would be in Division II. The only people who care if you went to the school whose colors you wear are either uber-pretentious, or more likely went to an "other" school that nobody would root for if they didn't have to.

Etc. National college hockey general update.

Best of the Board

CAN I GET A SHIRT IN HERE?

One of our constant complaints under Hoke was the number of redshirt opportunities he missed. Marley Nowell speculated whether Michigan might try to get some shirts on some guys (you don't have to be a freshman to redshirt). I think it's a good question, especially since Michigan could end up graduating more players than we can replace in a couple of years (the roster currently has 26 juniors).

Of course when you get into the candidates there's always reason not to. Gedeon, Canteen, Jenkins-Stone and Dymonte are already on the two-deep; Taco, Lewis and Cole, the running backs and Morris are already starting. That leaves Houma, DaMario, Ways, Watson, and Stribling. If the staff gets a late shirt on any of them it's at least a good sign that they value the future of the program. Doubt it happens.

WHO IS GOLDEN ARM?

A trip back through Bo's Lasting Lessons turned up Bo-bits on Brad Bates, Jim Hackett, Jerry Hanlon, and of course this about Jim Harbaugh:

Jim Harbaugh

"Jim ended up being twice as good, in my book, as the Golden Arm- Harbaugh was the Big Ten MVP his senior year, beating the other guy by a mile- and Jim's teammates liked him. Maybe Harbaugh didn't have half the arm of the Golden Boy, but he had twice the brains and ten times the heart. Give me those specs, anyday."

This sparked a long thread about who this "Golden Boy" was that Bo was talking about. Testaverde? Jeff George? A guy who was on that team said Jim Everitt.

ETC. Slate calls us nerdy. Gary Anderson was frustrated by core requirements. UNC players pushed into paper classes suing for the educations they were supposed to get. Jay Harbaugh asks Twitter if you can own a pet wolverine. Rosenberg gets fisked for inflating deflategate. Bubba Paris'heartfelt call to Michigan fans reposted from Facebook.

Your Moment of Zen:

I remember Charles.

Not literally a comic book. 28 minutes of Charles Woodson highlights from high school do not quite feature him bounding over a tall building:

Full go minus one decision. John Beilein doesn't see anyone transferring this offseason:

"Everybody seems to be all onboard 100 percent," Beilein said Monday after attending a USBWA Final Four luncheon honoring freshman Austin Hatch. "Obviously, we're not with them 24 hours a day, but I love their attitude right now."

That does not include Caris LeVert, who is deciding on the NBA draft. It seems that people around the program are cautiously optimistic he will stay for his senior year, but we won't have certainty until the early entry deadline, April 26th.

That would leave Michigan with zero scholarships this year and two plus any attrition after next season in 2016. Unless Hatch goes on a medical scholarship that would cut out Mike Edwards, the various transfers looking at Michigan, and Jaylen Brown.

In related news, it looks like Max Bielfeldt will spend his grad transfer year at Bradley.

Meanwhile, another one bites the dust at Indiana. The Hoosiers get a commitment from prep post Thomas Bryant, bringing the number of Indiana players guaranteed to get run off this offseason to three. Someone please fire Tom Crean.

Spike surgery. Spike Albrecht will have surgery on both hips to eliminate the pain he played through this season. His projected return is in four or five months, which cuts him out of all the summer stuff but should have him back on the court a couple months before the season. That should be enough time to knock off the rust.

Soon, a fully healthy Spike will also be dunking on fools.

Out go the successories posters. Harbaugh on the weight room:

"It was shiny, like somebody from Chicago came in [from a ] P.R. firm," Harbaugh said. ""This isn't a slide show.

"This is work."

Don't get a DUI and then fail your probation. Harbaugh on Glasgow:

"The legal system has got as much hanging over his head as anybody else could possibly put on him," Harbaugh said. "There's nothing more that I, or the football program or the university could have on Graham right now than what (the courts) have.

"This is somebody who is taking a breathalyzer every morning and every night. He's got to be clean, 100 percent clean, not a drop of alcohol. And he'll either do it, or he won't. I believe in him, I believe he will. But we'll all know, there will be no secrets on that. Whether he does it or he doesn't, it'll be for public consumption."

He will have to do this through January, so he will either be clean as a whistle or you'll know he wasn't.

This is a lovely shot chart. Aubrey Dawkins did two things last year:

Threes and throwdowns. He was excellent at the threes, average at the throwdowns, which still means he was extremely efficient. Next year's project is getting some of those hexagons to be larger without changing their distribution. Oh, and doing the defense and rebounding stuff.

Okay, let's do it. Kenpom looks at the effect the 30-second shot clock (and expanded no-charge circle) had on the tournaments that used it:

Adjusting for the matchups and expected points in each game, scoring in the smaller tournaments has been about 5.6 ppg more than the NCAA tournament. This is 2.4 ppg higher than the typical difference in these events. That's not something that will transform the game, but if you assume that boost applies to the entire 2015-16 season, it would take the sport to scoring levels not seen since 2003. (That statement excludes last season, when scoring increased dramatically, partly because a bunch of fouls were called.)

Pace

Not surprisingly, most of the scoring increase can be attributed to an increase in pace. Accounting for the teams involved and the increase in tempo normally seen in lower-level events, there have been two additional possessions per 40 minutes than we'd expect under normal rules. This is a more modest change compared to scoring and only turns the clock back to 2011 in terms of pace. This suggests simply reducing the shot clock to 30 won't produce significantly more up-and-down basketball. A surprising finding here is that slow-paced teams were affected as much as fast-paced teams were.

Efficiency

One of the concerns of the 30-second clock is that it may make offenses less efficient, but the postseason experiment isn't providing much evidence of that. Accounting for the quality of the teams and the usual increase in efficiency seen in the lower-level events, efficiency was actually up, though by a miniscule 0.6 points per 100 possessions.

The efficiency thing is almost certainly noise, but it looks like any effects are going to be minimal in that department. I don't think there's much wrong with college basketball other than the fact that block/charge is impossible to call and the refs are hilariously bad in general—but that's not something you can wave a wand and fix.

Final CSS rankings out.Minor movement for most players. Zach Werenski is 9th, down from 6th. Kyle Connor moves up a spot to 13th. 2016 recruit Cooper Marody moves up ten spots to 53rd. There were some more significant moves:

• NTDP forward Brendan Warren dropped from 34th to 66th, which is an early third round pick to the fifth or sixth. He had an okay year only with the U18s.
• Incoming defenders Joe Cecconi and Nick Boka went in opposite directions; Cecconi dropped from 70 to 88 and Boka shot up from 176 to 117.

Given Michigan's needs next year I'm happy that Boka's stock has apparently surged, even if Warren is less of a prospect than you think he might be. I wonder if Michigan will try to bring Marody or another 2016 recruit in now given Copp's departure.

The Hockey Writers have an extensive breakdown of Werenski that compares him to Trouba. I know I'm seeing Werenski a year younger, but he is not Trouba. Trouba was a commanding defenseman at both ends of the ice. Werenski really came on in the offensive zone late in the year but was a significant source of defensive problems.

Etc.:1914 All-American ring for "Maully," which is either John Maulbetsch's nickname or a cartoon hammer. Bacari Alexander is up for the UW-Green Bay job, which is a pretty good mid-major posting. Various OMG Harbaugh stories on spring from ESPN, MLive, MVictors, etc.

Sports "donations" are still tax-deductible. Alabama assistant salaries have gone up 60% in four years(!). Michigan's are probably in the same range.

We didn't see Mundy coming either

"People tell you who they are, but we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be."

--Don Draper

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The Question:

Ace: Which Michigan alum—aside from Tom Brady—most surprised you with his NFL/NBA/NHL success, and which most surprised you by not panning out?

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The Successes:

David Nasternak:Jamal Crawford. This is probably a controversial choice for several reasons. A). He only played about half a year at M. 2). His M career ended rather notoriously. C). He's kinda the forgotten man, associated with M, that just keeps churning out respectable NBA years.

The thing I remember most about Jamal Crawford is the way the NCAA handled him was the moment that separated me from the NCAA party line on extra benefits, as it was so obvious the NCAA was way more the bad guys than the players they went after.

Never known for his defense, Crawford has found his niche coming off the bench and providing instant offense, over the last half-decade or so. He's a career 35% 3PT shooter, hits 86% of his FTs, and has never averaged less than 13.9 ppg since 02-03, his third year in the NBA. Crawford has been a little hard to keep track of because of the six different uniforms that he's worn. He reinvented himself with his stellar bench play in 09-10 with Atlanta, winning the 6th Man of the Year. He also won it again in 13-14 and was highly considered two other times (10-11 and 12-13). Crawford also passed Reggie Miller for most career 4 point plays...he is sitting at 44, currently. Until 2010, he had the record for longest tenured player to never make the playoffs. Once breaking into the postseason, Crawford showed he belonged, averaging 15.0 ppg off the bench in 42 games.

I don't think that Jamal Crawford is/was one of the best players in the NBA at any time during his career. He was never an elite shooter. But he could always find a way to score the ball. After embracing his 6th man role, Crawford became a very credible asset. His numbers have continued to remain steady with the Clippers in his 16th (!!!) year in the NBA (only one significantly shortened to 11 games). Jamal Crawford has been M's longest presence in the NBA since Juwan Howard (who somehow managed to play 19 years??? Although, the last 7 years of Howard's career didn't touch any of Crawford's stats, including Games Played). Watching him play, I still think Crawford has a couple solid years left...even at the young age of 35. Love him or hate him, Dude just keeps contributing.

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Ace: Mundy isn't a star by any means, but he's started 28 games over the last three seasons, including all 16 last year for Chicago. Anyone who remembers Mundy's much-maligned stint as a starting safety—before he played his fifth year at West Virginia—is probably surprised by this. While the Bears defense was bad last year, Mundy managed to be something of a bright spot with over 100 tackles and four interceptions. Just by remaining in the league this long, he's surpassed most expectations; not many undrafted players get starts at age 30.

[After the jump: what's a safety, and Don Draper]

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Seth: You mentioned Ryan Mundy; the same breath usually carries Stevie Brown. Both were liabilities in coverage with the rare explosive moment to justify the recruiting stars. But where Mundy turned into an NFL safety under Tony Gibson of all people, Stevie struggled until Michigan made him a Spur, a two-parts-linebacker/one-part safety hybrid space player in the 2009 3-3-5. This he was pretty good at, but setting the edge and fighting tight ends said nothing about his ability to cover NFL receivers over the top.

That he turned into an NFL safety may say things about Michigan's coaching when he was here, but that was the same Tony Gibson who fixed Mundy. And except for some coffee cups (Jamar Adams, the older Curry brother), Michigan's safety representation in the NFL was non-existent before two guys this fanbase remembers as the goats of the late aughts. I am ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

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Brian: Cato June! How am I the last person to answer this and Cato June is still on the board? June's main contribution at Michigan seemed to be standing over guys other people tackled, looking fierce. Then he makes the Pro Bowl in the NFL. 

As a linebacker. He obviously should have been playing there all along, but Michigan's recruiting then was the opposite of what Miami did. Miami took the fastest guy they could find and moved him down; Michigan took big guys and put 'em wherever. I'll never forget June getting smoked by Jason Witten in that Citrus Bowl hammering. Witten turned out to be a really good tight end, but having your safety lose five yards on a TE is just.... woof.

Stevie Brown doesn't fit in this category because his last year at Michigan was actually very good.

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Adam: Charles Woodson.

If you'd kindly take a step back and lower your torch and pitchfork I think I can explain without getting more of my eyebrows singed off. I'm judging success (and failure) on two components: one is temporal and the other achievement-based. Woodson has surpassed expectations in both.

The NFL says that the average career length for a player who makes a Pro Bowl is 11.7 years; Woodson's already played 50% longer. More impressive is that his role hasn't decreased as his age has increased. He's still a corner/safety/hybrid space player worthy of starting, and those numbers don't include his 113 tackles, four interceptions, and eight passes defensed from 2014.

I'm acutely aware of Woodson's accomplishments while at Michigan, and I expected him to have a successful NFL career. To say, however, that I expected him to play almost twenty high-quality seasons is like saying I know how Mad Men is going to end; there may be hints, but the end result is axiomatically unpredictable.

-------------------------------

Surprised he didn't pan out:

Seth: I'm sorry Adam, but Mad Men has been telling you how it's going to end at the start of every single episode. No, I don't know this like we knew from his freshman year that Woodson would be one of the greatest football players of all time, but the foreshadowing was apparent bordering on blatant. Weird things happen to upset expectations, but I believe in arcs, in spirals, in factors of Pi, and meaning in the things that went before to the transpiration of things after. Charles Woodson was destined to rise. Don Draper is going to fall.

(perhaps just metaphorically)

There are genuine surprises, but when a solid prediction goes sour we tend to rediscover the warning labels. I thought Braylon Edwards would have a Larry Fitzgerald-like impact his first year with the Browns. Perhaps the problem was the Browns because Browns problems usually are—rooming him with Kellen Winslow Jr. and sending him to LeBron's favorite night clubs was courting Brownsness. But there was always either a contract dispute, or injury, or off-field incident, or something limiting him to half the production he was capable of.

Twitter and that most Americans now carry a broadcast studio in their pockets exposed us to the personalities of our gladiators, so we now know things about Braylon's personality that he airs. Fairly, he's now the number one source for eye-rolling comments by Michigan football alumni. Even before that, the whole campus knew of Carr's acrobatics to keep Braylon focused—the jersey promise was only one (ha!) part of a constant effort to maintain page sameness.

I knew Braylon's friends in college, and know some of his teammates now. And I know a guy who started a business with him in California. All of these people talk about a side of Braylon he doesn't tweet: a guy with extraordinary everything who wants to be everything, but most of all wants to do something good for everyone he's ever around. Jim Harbaugh and then Pete Carroll took fliers on him. One Pro Bowl season tempted all the things we could have had. I'm surprised it didn't work out. Also sad.

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Brian: The other dominating wide receiver Michigan sent to the top ten of the draft who flamed out in no small part because of personality issues. That would be David "Bomb-Ass D" Terrell, who tore up Alabama's secondary in his final game, a game in which I spent most of the first half moaning "throw it to Terrell" to myself as Michigan pounded its head against the brick wall of the Tide's front seven.

But Terrell was too much of a diva to be an NFL wide receiver, which is just... how does Michigan have *two* guys with enormous talents that are too unstable to be wide receivers?

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Ace: Tyrone Wheatley entered the NFL as a first-round pick with commensurate expectations, and even as a child learning about football for the first time when he was a senior, it wasn't difficult to see why: his combination of size and track-star speed made him the rare home-run threat that could also take an every-down pounding between the tackles.

What happened to the ones of yesteryear? [Jonathan Daniel /Allsport via CBS]

While Wheatley stuck around for ten years—no small accomplishment—he never made the expected impact, breaking the 1000-yard barrier just one, after he'd gone from the Giants to the Raiders, and surpassing four yards per carry only twice. He did have a mid-career breakthrough sharing time with Napolean Kaufman for the Raiders, but on the whole his career was a disappointment, especially for those who remember his dominance at Michigan.

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David Nasternak:David Terrell. Terrell had a good sophomore year in 1999, a huge breakout game in the 2000 Orange Bowl (definitely one of my Top 5 M games of all time...maybe Top 3?), and great junior year in 2000. He was the first M receiver to have back-to-back 1,000 yard receiving years. I'll never forget that catch against Wisconsin in 2000 (start at 7:15 mark).

Quite the career at the Big House. Granted, he was on a couple of the most talented offenses that M has ever fielded. But he never really got anything going in the NFL. He had decent size (6'2" 216lbs). After being the 8th overall pick in the 2001 Draft for the Chicago Bears, he only managed to play 3 full seasons -in 2002 he only played 5 games with 9 catches but 3 TDs (!!). He tried out with the Broncos, Patriots, and Chiefs between 2005-2009...he was actually ironically beat out by Amani Toomer in 2009 in Kansas City. He also had some off-the-field issues. It's really too bad that he didn't have a longer NFL career. I sure did love watching him in Maize and Blue. That 2000 Orange Bowl was a performance for the ages.

Previously:Jim Harbaugh, Kyle Kalis, Brian Cole, Chase Winovich, Drake Harris

[Eric Upchurch/MGoBlog]

Jabrill Peppers was constantly surrounded by cameras and sound recorders, but he answered every question with candor typically reserved for one-on-one interviews. Below he addresses the Woodson comparison, playing offense, defense, and special teams, and critics of the program. Note: the following questions were from a media scrum and aren’t MGoQuestions.

On deleting his Twitter:

“Camp, I don’t want any distractions. I don’t want any distractions from camp.”

Where’d you get the idea? Someone else do it and you said ‘I should do this’?

“No, it’s just for me, man. These past couple months I’ve noticed that they look at my Twitter a lot.”

You’ve been vocal on lots of issues.

“Yeah, so for me it was just a kind of thing where I don’t want anything that can put a negative connotation on or anything that they can spin or do anything with. We just as a whole are going to go complete darkness. Let them speculate what they want- how good we are, how good we aren’t. We don’t really care what anyone else thinks. We care what the guy next to us thinks. We care what our coaches think, what our family thinks. All of the outside outliers, you know, we could really care less about. We just want to put the ball down and play football, you know. That’s it.

“We didn’t come here to worry about the media or how good they think we are. The only thing that I would tell people is this is Michigan and this is always going to be Michigan. That’s it.”

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest]

Greg Jackson said he’d like to get three safeties on the field. What makes him think that’s the best possible look?

“I can speak on that specifically because I’m around those guys a lot. We bring a different kind of flavor to the table, especially with Jarrod Wilson, Delano Hill, Dymonte Thomas, Jeremy Clark; we all can do things that would maybe be like a hybrid linebacker type of deal. We can cover the slot, we can come in and support the run. But then the question would come to who do we take off the field? Our linebackers are just as good. Our D-linemen are just as good. Our cornerbacks are just as good. If we work out a way that there’s three safeties out there I would love that, but the 11 that we put out there for a fact will be tenacious, hungry, and just go tooth and nail to pull out the W.

“Like I said previously, it’s attitude, man. It’s personal. It’s a chip on our shoulder. This is Michigan. They talk about us like this isn’t Michigan. That’s basically how we see it.”

How does it change the defense to have three safeties out there versus having a fourth linebacker?

“Personally, I think we’ll be a great defense regardless. If there’s 11 guys on that defense then you can count on that defense being a fantastic defense.”

You said before that you liked the idea of being a centerfielder, but if you’re in this three safety look will you be more of a guy who plays closer to the line of scrimmage?

“Doesn’t matter to me. Whatever the coaches ask of me to do. I try to let me versatility speak for itself. One thing I was told when I was younger was be a guy they have a hard time taking off the field.

“Be a guy who can play multiple spots just in case we need a Delano or Jeremy to come in. Be able to slide, be able to be a SAM, be able to even go back out there as a corner. So I just think about it like that. Whatever the scheme is that week, whatever they feel is best for us, that’s what we’re all going to do.”

You said be a guy who they can’t take off the field. How much offense can you play if they tell you they want you to give it a shot?

“Personally, offense is something I’m comfortable with.I even like to think I’m a better offensive player but I like defense a lot more, and I’m just as good on defense. So I work on my craft everyday to try and be well rounded and contribute to the team as best as I can but at the end of the day, man, whatever guy we have out there we’re all capable and have worked just as hard to achieve the ultimate goal and that’s just to win- to be winners out there on the field.

“If they feel that moving me to offense will help us win then I’ll do it. I’m just a guy who’s trying to do whatever he has to do to help this team win, and I know my brothers feel the same way.”

How much offense did you do this spring? Any reps at receiver?

“It was strictly defense. Everybody’s asked me about this offense thing but this is the first-“

Well, did you and Harbaugh talk about it all this summer?

“He kind of alluded to it but we haven’t really had an open discussion about it because he really didn’t know us from a can of paint when he first got here. He saw the film and last year’s practices and stuff so he kind of had conversations with everyone just one-on-one. I don’t know what other people talked about but we talked about be a guy who’s just going to be hungry and can lead by example. Just do whatever the coaches ask of you at your maximum potential and your maximum effort.”

You’ve said that you want to play offense and want that ball in your hands, right?

“Absolutely. Absolutely. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll bring me over there. I can say I’d love to do a lot of things. Offense is just something that always came natural to me. It’s just…there’s something about defense, man. It takes a different kind of guy to play defense. But it really doesn’t matter to me. I’ll just do whatever I got to do to help my team win.”

Coach talked about trying to transform you into a triple strategy [guy]- offense, defense, and special teams- basically trying to transform you into the next Woodson. What’s your thoughts on that?

“I hear a lot of these comparisons, man, but I don’t really pay it no mind. It’s just, there’s one Woodson comparison, man. I just find it hard that people can compare me to Woodson. Based on what I’ve done in high school I can understand it, but at this level what is expected of you and how much different it is from the high school level, I just…Woodson is in his own league, man. Like, I can see if I get me a national championship or I return a punt against Ohio State or one of the things that he’s done but you can’t compare me to Woodson. Woodson is on a whole other level.

“Now, what I will say is that when it comes to the work ethic and how my love is for the game and how I feel that me and my brothers can change this program around, I definitely say we have some correlations there. But all these comparisons I don’t really pay no mind to.

“In terms of that three-way player thing, I just heard about it today. We haven’t really talked about offense and things like that. They’ve alluded to it but we’ve never really talked about it. The kicking game is something that I really want to do, whether it’s on kickoff or punt return, kick return, whatever. Whatever way they need me to help the team or whatever I can do to help the team and just put the best 11 out there in whatever facet we’re talking about is something I’m definitely open to.” 

As always, click the links/stills to open each GIF in a lightbox.

I attended my first Michigan game in 1994, at the tender age of six. One year later, Charles Woodson made his debut in Maize and Blue.

Yesterday, Woodson announced his impending retirement. In the interim, he put together arguably the greatest career by a defensive player in football history. Those of us lucky enough to watch him at Michigan are hardly surprised.

I could talk about how Woodson changed the game of football at the college and NFL level, how he became the archetype and the prototype of a spread-killing defensive back. Today, though, I'd rather remember how he changed the games in my backyard. In my first couple years in Michigan, I'd run through the yard as Tyrone Wheatley or Tim Biakabutuka, scoring touchdowns against imaginary defenders. After seeing so many athletic feats of this ilk, however...

...I spent much more time crouching down, backpedaling, and jumping imaginary hitch routes. Woodson made defense cool. How could you not want to be this guy?

As Woodson's Michigan career wore on, imitating his greatest moments required an increasingly versatile imagination. Doing so also had some unintended consequences. My mother always wondered why we had so much trouble growing a patch-free lawn in the backyard. My attempts to replicate cuts like this didn't help the cause.

Then, of course, there was his most famous moment as a Wolverine.

Throw the ball as high as you can, catch it clean, take off towards the fence, cut up towards the house, cut back to the fence, then make sure not to trample the garden/bench while sprinting up the imaginary sideline. I did that more times than I could count.

With Woodson, though, some moments transcended imitation even by the most imaginative of grade-schoolers. I could not fly 15 feet in the air, so I didn't attempt his Michigan State interception. I could not float for an eternity, so I was content to leave his final collegiate pick as a memory.

20 years after he first arrived in Ann Arbor, Woodson is still making awe-inspiring plays. Just two days ago, the 39-year-old met 220-pound James Starks—ten years his junior—in the open field; while Starks had a full head of steam, Woodson's perfectly placed shoulder jarred the ball loose. I watched the play unfold on my television, and while I didn't head to the nearest park to replay it, the thought crossed my mind.

As I write this, I'm sitting on the couch in my parents' house, the same I house from which I walked to the Big House with my dad on so many football Saturdays growing up, with the very backyard in which I tried with all my might to be Charles Woodson. We're sitting down to dinner soon. While sports are rarely the foremost topic of conversation in the Anbender household, there's no doubt Woodson's retirement will come up; the only question is how long we'll swap stories once it does.

Perhaps, once the food has settled, I'll sprint aside that fence one more time.