2009 Michigan Football Season Preview: Defense

Moving onto football: The next four days could be the longest of many Michigan fans' lives. With all the ridiculous coverage of the poor journalism by the Freep, Saturday cannot come fast enough. Here's the first installation of our 2009 season preview and we start with the Defense.

As bad as Michigan's offense was a year ago, the defense was the worst in Michigan history. Yes, some of that had to do with an offense that could not keep the ball long enough to give the defense a rest. However, for a defense that was supposed to carry the Wolverines to a .500 record there is no doubt last season was a disappointment. The scene in the picture above was far too familiar with a number of Wolverines unable to bring down a man from the opposition. Highlighted by the record 347 points allowed, the veteran defense struggled through scheme changes, technique changes, and injuries to an underachieving season.

This year, 3 of the top 4 defensive linemen are gone. In addition, the secondary has lost players through graduation and attrition finding itself pitifully thin. Stevie Brown is now a linebacker at the "spinner" position in Greg Robinson's 3-4 scheme. The linebacking corps is the deepest position for the defense. Overall, this is a thin defense that will be playing a lot of young guys. This makes for a scary, uncertain forecast.

Scheme:

First, a little bit about the philosophy of Greg Robinson. Last year, the team could not seem to decide on what scheme of defense was ideal to run. Supposedly under Shafer, position coaches were not communicating as well as a team would like. This lead to a lot of situations where players seemed isolated and confused last year. This year, Greg Robinson has emphasized more of an entire team style of learning as opposed to only with their position coaches. Players have sited numerous meetings with all defensive players which did not occur a year ago under Shafer. Robinson emphasizes "playing to your help" which, again, is something that did not seem to be occurring much last season. Players were often found isolated in coverage and attempting diving tackles instead of getting to an offensive player, slowing him down, and waiting for help to bring him down. This led to the unbelievable number of painful big plays a year ago which the coaches have sited as the main source of the major problems. Hopefully, this philosophical emphasis on "playing to your help" should be enough to turn some of those big plays into only moderate gains.

Secondly, the X's and O's scheme of Robinson is a 3-4 based defense. However, the team will show a 4-3 base from time to time. The main nuances in the Robinson scheme come from the much over-hyped positions in the linebacking corps. These are the "spinner" position and the "quick" position (aka Deathbacker). The "spinner" is an outside linebacker who is the LB/S hybrid so to speak. This is the position Stevie Brown will be starting at. Robinson, insists that this is simply an outside linebacker and not necessarily a hybrid (but for our purposes, the spinner is essentially a defensive back who blitzes and supports the run more than any usual safety). The "quick" spot or as many on the Michigan Blogosphere have dubbed it "deathbacker" is essentially an OLB/DE hybrid. This will be a defensive end who drops back more than the typical defensive lineman. Sometimes they will line up with a hand down in a 3-point stance, and others they will be standing.

While everyone knows of Robinson's struggles (disaster) at Syracuse, he has not had awful stints as defensive coordinator. As far as his career within the last 15 years (I find what is past that to be less useful for our purposes given how much the game has changed) he won two Super Bowls as the Broncos DC, was DC for the terrible Chiefs' defenses from 2001 to 2003, came back to college as DC for Texas in 2004, and was HC at 'Cuse from '05 to '08. Given that the NFL is so much different than college and that he proved to be more inept as a Head Coach at 'Cuse than at any time as a DC, his one year stint as DC at Texas gives us the best insight, albeit a very uncertain one, into how he will be here.

What stands out is his emphasis on stopping the run and his apparent lack of emphasis at stopping the passing attack. The 2003 Texas team (year before Robinson), lost three games and gave up 21.5 PPG, 155 yds. Rush/game, and 170 yards Pass/game. Robinson took over in 2004, the team went 12-1 and the defense gave up 17.9 PPG 107.4 RYPG and 212.7 PYPG. Robinson left before 2005, Texas' Nat'l Title year where the D gave up 16.4 PPG, 130 RYPG, and 172 PYPG. Robinson's defense game up 50 less yards on the ground/game than in '03 and still 20 yards less on the ground/game than the Nat'l title team. So it seems that more recently Robinson has focused on stopping the run. This should bode well in the Big Ten. However, the passing yardage allowed raises a little bit of a flag. Robinson's team gave up over 200 yards/game through the air and even the 2003 Texas defense which was shaky gave up only 170. This reminds me of the Michigan defense throughout much of the Carr era, particularly under English. A defense that stuffs the run, but struggles when opposing teams spread the field.

Again, this is based off of ridiculous projections from one year of data from him as a DC. In reality, this tells us very little. But since this is a preview and the point is to predict and project, this is my ridiculous conclusion: a defense we were used to seeing with Carr/English except with the whole "spinner" and "deathbacker" thing. And, the personnel is not quite to where it was under the English defense experience and depth wise. So even though the philosophy and scheme may be ok, does M have the personnel to execute well enough?

Defensive Line:

Thank God Brandon Graham came back. In the Robinson scheme, the defense only has one full-time designated DE. For this year, that is a very good thing.

#55 Brandon Graham is the starter at DE. As most everyone knows he is probably the best player on the team and a projected first round draft pick. Barring injury, Graham will have a 1st team all-Big Ten season challenging for All-American if he gets help from some teammates and is not constantly double teamed. Behind Graham, though, it gets scary. On the first depth chart released from the team, a walk-on and Adam Patterson are the only backups listed. What's more is #39 Will Heininger, the walk-on with 5 games of special teams experience is listed ahead of #99 Adam Patterson who has 19 games of experience and has at least played some DE. From Brandon Graham to walk-on is quite a drop off in talent. Will Heininger does have size at 6'6" 261, but there is no way to project how good/bad he will be. My guess is that he an Patterson will split time in relief of Graham. The fact that freshman, early-enrollee #90 Anthony Lalota is not listed on the depth chart makes me believe the coaches would prefer to redshirt him. But, if Patterson and Heininger really don't work out or if Graham goes down, Lalota will very likely get his redshirt pulled and see extensive PT.

The Robinson scheme has a NT and a DT where the DT will sometimes play the role of defensive end. Due to this, it is kind of nice to have #53 Ryan Van Bergen as the DT. The third year sophomore used to be a DE and played in all 12 games for the Wolverines last year. So he has some experience under his belt. Alot has been expected from his since he's been on campus. He did not show a whole lot last year, but will have ample opportunity to make plays this season. Behind him is another converted DE in #92 Greg Banks. Banks seems to be one of those players who hasn't and just won't materialize into much at Michigan. He's now a fourth year junior and is still a backup. His experience should enable him to be an adequate backup, but you hardly ever hear the coaches mention him as a potential difference maker on the defense.

The NT position seems much more promising with returning sophomore #68 Mike Martin as the starter. Martin played extensively as a freshman last year which is extremely hard to do on the D-Line. Although he did not officially register a start in '08, he played in all 12 games and played alot more than many expected in relief of Terrence Taylor. As with the rest of the team, coaches have said Martin has worked extremely hard in the weight room bulking up to 292 lbs. He also holds 3 strength and conditioning records for the D-linemen and a team record for 30 reps of 225. Martin has a chance to break out this year and even be in contention for 2nd team Big Ten. He showed alot of promise last year and should only improve this season. Though many want to see true freshman #73 Will Campbell get alot of snaps this year, he is listed behind Junior #95 Renaldo Sagesse on the depth chart. Sagesse should get more snaps than Campbell at least at the beginning of the year. However, I would not be surprised to see Campbell step up and get on the field more as the season progresses. I was shocked to see him so slim on the first day of practice. He enrolled early and came into the Spring listed at 6'5" 330, and many said he came in at over 340 in the winter. He certainly has worked hard to get in shape to contribute. He is now listed at 318, but looks lean and under 310. He honestly did not have a gut (that much of one) when I saw him in practice. With his talent, I do not think Robinson and co. will be able to keep him from getting some significant time this year.

Overall, the D-line lost a lot in the three starters from a year ago. Graham coming back really salvages this line and gives them a chance to be respectable. If Graham and Martin build off the way they played last year and Ryan Van Bergen really steps up in his new role as starter, the unit could begin to gel and be very good midway through the season. Health is a huge factor, though. There is not real depth at any of the three positions. Graham and Martin must stay healthy and Michigan cannot afford to have 2 of the 3 starters out at any point in the season. Even if the backups play up to their potential, it might not be good enough when the Big Ten schedule rolls around.

D-line Preseason Grade: B-. Without Graham this line is in the C range with its lack of depth.

Outside Linebackers

Transitioning from the D-line we'll start with the "Quick" end or DE/LB hybrid. #58 Brandon Herron is currently listed as the starter with true freshman #88 Craig Roh as his back up. Herron is a third year sophomore who played special teams in all 12 games last year. It is very tough to judge his knowledge of the game and how he will play. But, from an athletic stand point, Herron should be fully capable of succeeding. He is arguably the strongest and fastest "linebacker" on the squad. Though he weighs only 220 pounds, Herron holds S&C linebacking records for the power clean, squat, vertical and 40. This combination of strength, speed, and jumping ability could allow Herron to have alot of success at the new hybrid position. The Quick will rush the QB alot and Herron not only could be quick enough to get into the backfield, but also should be able to tip alot of passes and intimidate opposing QBs. Again, he is completely unproven as a defensive player and if he has not grasped his responsibilities mentally he could be terrible. We will have to see. The good news is there is talent behind him on the depth chart in Roh. Roh impressed many with his performance at the Under Armour All-American game. He also appears to be in great shape for a freshman arriving this summer. He is very lean and possesses great quickness. The big question with him is his strength. While coaches believe he has come along well since arriving on campus, he still may have trouble with some of the bigger tackles and tight ends in the Big Ten. His speed, though should allow him to make some plays throughout the year. #81 Steve Watson is listed as the third string. Watson is the least athletic out of the three. If/when he plays, I expect that he will mostly be used more as a traditional DE with his hand down.

The other OLB spot, spinner, is the LB/S hybrid occupied by #3 Stevie Brown. The now infamous Brown had been picked apart by opposing defenses and fans the last few years at safety. Coaches and fans, are hoping this move to hybrid linebacker will make better use of Brown's skills (speed) and minimize his weaknesses (coverage breakdowns, poor angles, poor tackling). I was one of the last to try and stick by Brown, but he made it very difficult. While many want to believe this move will minimize Stevie's blunders, I am very skeptical. Not only has Brown been blown by in coverage, he has had his share of poor attempts at tackling and has taken poor angles time and time again. Those are fundamental mistakes that need to be corrected technique wise, not by a position change. Given the fact that Brown has impressed coaches in practice year after year, I am now convinced it is a mental thing for Brown when he is on the field on Saturdays. His intuition/game-sense or lack thereof has put him and his team in bad situations over and over again leading to some big plays for the opposition. In this new position, he better have learned to take better angles and tackle better since he will be playing in run support alot more. I am very scared that he may miss tackles on running backs who then will be able to get into the secondary for huge gains. While we might not have to watch Stevie blow coverages as much, if he does not start tackling better expect more of the same struggles. Stevie Brown is a great guy and I hope he succeeds, but he has repeatedly made the same mistakes for two years. Here's to hoping they stop.

The reason they need to stop, is that behind him on the depth chart are two or three freshmen in #27 Mike Jones, #7 Brandin Hawthorne, and #23 Floyd Simmons (?). The reason I put two or three and a "?" by Simmons is that Simmons has been previously listed as a CB and Hawthorne is not on the first depth chart released despite the fact that coaches have extensively mentioned him as in the mix at spinner above Jones. Either Jones has stepped up and they would like to redshirt Hawthorne or a mistake was made on the depth chart released to the media. I would assume the former and that, barring injury, Hawthorne will be redshirted with Jones playing. Simmons should not see the field much at this spot, if at all. Hawthorne and Jones both enrolled early and went through spring practice. They were both recruited for their speed and athleticism with Jones being recruited by most as a safety. They are both young and talented. Given that Jones is listed at number two, it would be safe to guess that he has come along a little further than Hawthorne at this point and has maybe has a better grasp of the defense. Jones should see the field for a few snaps each Saturday and if Stevie struggles, Jones may see his playing time go up as the season moves along. This position stands out as the biggest question mark on the defense given Brown's track record and the fact that freshmen sit behind him. Hopefully Brown has learned how to tackle. If he has, his time in coverage should be taken down enough to count this position switch as an improvement. One thing that may help Brown is Robinson's emphasis on playing to help. If Brown attempts to push opposing players to his help instead of diving at them as he did last year, that will be a definite improvement. We'll have to wait and see.

Inside Linebackers

At the MIKE or middle linebacker spot is #45 Obi Ezeh. Last season, I thought Ezeh played very well in the opener against Utah reminding me of a younger David Harris. As the season went on though, Ezeh was very inconsistent and often made poor decisions and poor tackling attempts. Now a fourth year junior, Ezeh has the most experience on the unit and will be the leader of the linebackers. There is no doubt Ezeh has the physical talent to be a very good linebacker. But his inconsistency last season leaves many wondering if his game instincts are not good enough to make him a great linebacker. While those concerns are fair, I am not in that camp. Alot of Ezeh's apparent problems last year, may have come from the confusion of the whole defense. Robinson has renewed an emphasis of meeting with the entire defense not just individual units. Ezeh and other players have said the whole defense rarely met as a group last season, whereas this year it happens frequently and reminds them of how English ran things. This should lead players having a better understanding of what their teammates will be doing on any given play. In turn, this could allow Ezeh to relax a bit more and make better decisions this season. Ezeh made some very bad decisions last year in run support as far as which gap to cover. I believe it would be very easy to second-guess yourself and think too much with a defense that obviously was not on the same page last year. I expect Ezeh to play much better this season, similar to how he played in the Utah game. But that's just me.

Behind Ezeh at MIKE are two very talented and highly touted second year guys. Sophomore #42 J.B. Fitzgerald and redshirt freshman #25 Kenny Demens both have good careers ahead of them. Both have good size weighing over 230 pounds and are known to be very good athletes as well. Demens especially was known for his speed coming out of high school. Fitzgerald played special teams last year in each game with a few snaps at linebacker. He will get alot more snaps at linebacker this year and it should be fun to watch him develop week to week. Demens redshirted last year and is behind Fitzgerald on the depth chart. Still, I expect him to get some playing time since Rodriguez likes to substitute often on both sides of the ball.

At the WILL or weakside linebacker spot #8 Jonas Mouton will start for the second year in a row. Mouton showed alot of upside a year ago despite being banged up for almost the entire season. He finished second on the team in tackles with 81 and made some plays behind the line of scrimmage with 6.5 TFLs and a sack. Many are expecting Mouton to have a bit of a breakout year. Provided he stays healthy, Mouton could surprise alot of people this season. Behind him is a walk on and a redshirt freshman. On the released depth chart, walk-on #52 Kevin Leach is listed ahead of up and coming redshirt freshman #4 Brandon Smith. I'm not buying it. Coaches have been talking about Smith all camp as a guy who will be able to contribute at linebacker. I think this might be a way to motivate Smith if he has been taking it easier in practice. However, Rodriguez has an affinity for walk-ons and that is what Leach is. You may remember Leach from recovering the opening fumble against Utah which led to Michigan's score. Leach also peaked last season seeing some time at linebacker against Toledo before getting injured for the remainder of the season. So that is Kevin Leach for you. Smith is certainly the more talented of the two and I expect him to play more. But Leach will get a few snaps as well.

Overall, the linebacking corps is the strength of the defense experience and depth wise. It still is far from being a great linebacking corps. Ezeh struggled at times last year, Mouton has not still solidified that he can become a great linebacker, and the two hybrid spots are somewhat foreign to any defense Michigan has seen in the past.

Linebackers' Preseason Grade: B. Talented, but the depth is young and the starters have been inconsistent.

Secondary

The Secondary's depth is extremely frightening. If the starters do not stay healthy this defense will stand no chance against teams with any semblance of a passing attack.

At cornerback #6 Donovan Warren and #33 Boubacar Cissoko return. Warren's apparent decline in play last year has since been somewhat explained by the fact that he was playing hurt for nearly the entire season. He is now healthy, though not completely 100%, and should return to improving off of his freshman campaign. Cissoko played extensively last season as a true freshman. For the most part, he played well. This season he will step into the starting role and be expected to play well every down. Both Warren and Cissoko are very talented, but by no means are they All-American caliber just yet. If Warren bounces back, he could challenge for first team All-Big Ten. Cissoko is still young and relatively inexperienced. He will take some lumps along the way, but hopefully will be able to make some plays in the secondary on a consistent basis. The coaches have praised his ability to play in press coverage. Expect to see alot of press coverage from Cissoko this year. After those guys though, it gets scary. Redshirt freshman J.T. Floyd is listed as Cissoko's backup. He will probably play the most out of the backups, at least early in the season. Coaches have asserted that Floyd is their third guy, but he has not yet played a snap. He will have to learn on the job. The coaches have been searching for a fourth solid corner and that will be one of two freshmen. Michigan Cass Tech product #14 Teric Jones and Charles Woodson's clone, #2 J.T. Turner, are those two freshmen. I completely exaggerate Turner as Woodson's clone, but he was one of the top corner prospects in the country, has great size at 6'2" and many expect him to be the next great Michigan corner. He arrived at camp a little late due to some clearinghouse issues, but his talent has kept him in the mix for playing time. Jones is much smaller at 5'8" but has impressed coaches since his move from slot receiver. I fully expect Turner to be the one to get the most playing time simply due to his size and talent. But as you see, not one backup at corner has played a single snap. That means alot of uncertainty and trouble if Warren or Cissoko gets injured.

Safety is a similar story except neither of the starters have had a full time starting role yet either. #19 Troy Woolfolk is listed as the starter at strong safety with #40 Mike Williams playing opposite him at free safety. Woolfolk switched to safety from corner during the spring and is known for his speed. Woolfolk holds the title for team's fastest player, except Denard Robinson is now challenging him for that title. Woolfolk played special teams last year and did not see the field much in the secondary. Williams played safety in 9 games a year ago and perhaps has the best leg strength in the secondary. He holds DB records in the vertical, squat, and power clean. The coaches have both noted that Woolfolk and Williams like to play physically and will play some press coverage this year. Williams played well at times last year and many have been expecting him to get this starting role for a while now. Woolfolk is a bit of a flier, however and it is hard to judge him without seeing him in a game. Michigan better hope he plays well because the depth at safety is terrible.

Behind Williams at free safety is true freshman early-enrollee #5 Vlad (The Impalor) Emilien. Emilien was a highly touted recruit out of Florida and many have been expecting him to contribute this year. He is very talented with good size at 6'1" 198, but was playing high school ball a year ago. He will see reps each week and will be the top backup at the safety spot. Behind Woolfolk at strong safety, though, is very scary. The only listed backups are two, yes two, walk-ons. Third year sophomore #31 Jared Van Slyke is currently listed at number two on the depth chart. Other than his size at 6'3" 197, I have absolutely no clue how he will be at safety. The third string is listed as #22 Jordan Kovacs who stands at 5'10" 194 pounds. I do not know how good or bad either of these guys are, but we will probably see Van Slyke on the field this Saturday. Apparently the staff is electing not to play true freshman #15 Thomas Gordon who was actually recruited. This puzzles me because coaches have been saying he has been playing pretty well at safety. Perhaps the walk-ons are playing well too and they would prefer to redshirt Gordon. Regardless, if Woolfolk or Williams gets injured at any point in the season, do not be surprised to see Gordon get a shot.

Secondary Grade: C. Though the starters should be just fine, they cannot play every snap. The depth is so scary here that I could not give a higher grade.

Defense as a whole

This is the third scheme these players (the ones who have been around long enough) have had to learn in three years. While their is talent, most of it is young and inexperienced talent. For this defense to be good, they will have to stay healthy and have alot of young guys grow up in a hurry. Having said that, they cannot get much worse than last years' defense which gave up a Michigan record 347 points.

With an offense that should hang onto the ball for longer stretches of time, the defense should have fresher legs throughout the year. That should be enough to give them slightly better numbers than a year ago. Bottomline is Graham has to play like B.G., Martin has to step up, Ezeh and Warren have to bounce back, and the team, particularly the secondary, has to stay healthy. If these things happen Michigan might turn some heads in a good way. If not, it'll be another frustrating year of watching a sub-par Michigan defense, albeit one that is slightly better than last year's horror.

Defense Preseason Grade: C+/B-

Damage Already Done

For myself and many other Michigan fans, the last few days have been spent by incessant brooding over the journalistic childishness of Snyder and Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press. When I first saw the headlines of "NCAA Allegations" I was scared. After I read the article, however, all that fear went away and was transmuted into pure anger at how unprofessional, subjective, and one-sided the two so called "reporters" are allowed to be while maintaining their job. No players contacted them, they decided to write the story and called 10 unidentified "current" or former players. Do you think that was a random sample? It has come to light that the current players used for reference in the article were not even complaining about workload, but were two freshmen, questioned under false pretenses who feel terrible for the ensuing ordeal.

While I could go on for hours about the problems with the article and "research" done by the reporters, I will not. I have wasted too much time and already have given the two writers what they were looking for. Attention to themselves and negative attention towards the Michigan football program and Coach Rodriguez. What is going to happen from here on out is pretty clear to me. Investigations will be carried out, no punishments from the NCAA will follow, and eventually this will be put to rest. What will not ever go away, however, is the damage done to the public perception of Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez broke down yesterday in a press conference not out of remorse for anything he has done. He has nothing to be sorry about. He has given the local media more access and transparency than anything they ever had under the Carr era. Previously, local media would have to scramble to create a story since Carr would allow them very little access to players or the program. Rodriguez comes to Michigan and invites the media to observe practices, interview all players, and show them the program behind the scenes. Yet, instead of taking this gift and bringing more real news to the public, Rosenberg and Snyder twist the quotes of a couple freshmen they are now allowed to talk to and turn it against Rodriguez and make the kids look dumb in the process.

Those two so called "reporters" have succeeded. Rodriguez's reputation has gained another undeserving stain as someone who pushes his players too far and is too self-absorbed. Did Rosenberg and Snyder take the time to investigate or mention that the team's Winter semester GPA was the highest in over 20 years? No, they instead wildly suggested that the "over-demanding" workouts were making the kids suffer academically. Who mentioned to them that workouts were hurting academics? Kurt Wermers the guy who left because he did not put any work into school? Nobody will ever know because the Freep granted anonymity even to former players who would face no wrath from Rodriguez. The majority of the country will not look deeper into the gaping holes of the article. They will only read the headlines which say "Michigan and Rodriguez Accused of NCAA Violations." Other so-called "reporters" have started to say the Rodriguez should be fired.

The damage has been done and it is absolutely disastrous for Rodriguez and the program. I hope that Rosenberg and Snyder are happy for unnecessarily dragging their alma mater through the mud. If Michigan players were struggling academically and in life, or if Michigan was doing something corrupt such as paying players, then by all means investigating those as a journalist is what this world needs. But this was sloppy reporting on a very trivial matter that only does damage to another man, Rodriguez, and what he has spent his life doing. I have never seen more genunine emotion than Rodriguez in yesterday's press conference. Teaching those young men is his passion and has been his entire life. He's run such a transparent and open program that any truly frightening violations would have come to light already.

But a couple men who have disgraced their own profession are not content allowing Rodriguez to work happily in his own. They have succeeded. Rodriguez is unfortunately and incorrectly now seen as a man who puts greed in front of integrity. I hope the same public perception falls on the heads of Rosenberg and Snyder. Karma.

MGoBlog To The Rescue!

For any Michigan fans feeling overwhelmed and stressed out by the recent allegations by the Free Press, look no further than MGoBlog's Brian Cook. It's pieces like this that make Brian so well-respected and admired.

Jihad The Second: The Journalism-Type Substance

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Practice and Facilities Impressions

[Editors Note - This is a bit overdue, but in the midst of PracticeGate, I thought this would be a welcome relief from the Michigan news of the hour.]

A couple of weeks ago, Rushi and I had to the opportunity to attend the first Fall practice of the 2009 season and get a tour of the new Al Glick indoor practice facility. Suffice it to say, the day was action packed. We'll start with practice impressions.

The offense goes through stretches.

The first words out of Rushi's mouth had to be something along the lines of, "Wow, this team is in good shape." Barwis clearly has been putting these guys through an extremely rigorous S&C program. The linemen are in serious shape, and their are only a handful of guts out on the field. Super-recruit Big Will Campbell out of Detroit Cass Tech came to Michigan weighing in at over 320 lbs., and was looking svelte and under 300 lbs.

Vince Helmuth (32) transferred to Miami (OH) and is obviously fat.

Terrence Robinson, Greg Matthews, Martavious Odoms, and Donovan Warren were taking punts during practice. There were a couple fumbles reminiscent of last year's return game woes, but all in all the group looked decent. Keep in mind this was the first practice of the year, and the reports out of camp now are that the fumbles are down.

As far as the quarterbacks go, we saw them throwing from essentially a standstill, and mobility wasn't tested. Tate Forcier threw the most accurate balls of the day, but Nick Sheridan wasn't far behind. Denard Robinson floated a few out passes, but threw a better spiral than expected. Of course, the reports coming out of subsequent practices have been that Robinson throws a good ball and is electric with his feet. I fully expect Nick Sheridan to start against Western Michigan, but Tate and Denard should get plenty of snaps and will have a chance to make some big plays.

Freshman Denard Robinson under center.

After our designated time watching practice, we were ushered inside the new Al Glick practice facility for a tour. The building is absolutely stunning. Assistant AD Scott Draper explained that it stands as unofficially the biggest [in terms of height] indoor practice facility in college football. The facility will give the team a chance to have full practices indoors now that punting can take place (Zoltan tried numerous times to hit the roof and succeeded, but he was kicking as high as he could). The frosted glass you see from the outside was designed to let in natural light while eliminating glare and shadows, and the building style was meant to mirror Yost.

We also had the opportunity to tour the new practice facility locker rooms. They were very impressive, with huge flat screen TVs everywhere, snazzy stalls, and a sunken level for upperclassmen. It is definitely a room that will have a wow factor for recruits, and it allows upperclassmen and underclassmen to share a locker room in the practice facility for the first time.

New practice facility locker room.

The day finally came to an end with a Coach Rodriguez press conference, but anything he said then would be old news now. He did take the opportunity to introduce the "All In For Michigan" rally towels that he hopes will improve the game day atmosphere at the Big House.

I came away from the day feeling very positive about the upcoming season. We'll save predictions for a later time, but it is safe to say I'm optimistic about the September 5th season opener against Western Michigan, and the rest of the 2009-10 season.

Stay tuned to Maize and Blog for continuing coverage of all Michigan athletics in the upcoming year.

GO BLUE!

Last Call for a National Championship

Dear Class of 2009,

I hope unemploy- er, I mean "post graduation life" is treating you well. We've only been away from campus a few weeks, but I'll go on a limb and say you already miss Ann Arbor. You miss "halter-top"/"beach" days on Elbel in the Spring, the Law Quad in the Winter, and Football Saturdays in the Fall. I know I do.

We came to Michigan as freshman just as the Hill Cafeteria was beginning construction, the Art Museum's new wing was breaking ground, and "the Markley Tunnel" under the School of Public Health was in the infant stages. The new Business School was still a hole in the ground, and the School of Public Policy was about to open next door. During the four years we were in Ann Arbor, things always seemed to be in a transition phase. Nothing seemed complete. Nothing seemed finished.

Things weren't much different in the Michigan Athletic Department. Michigan Football went 11-1 our Sophomore year, but missed a national title chance with a loss against OSU. Michigan Hockey made the Frozen Four, but missed a national title chance in OT to Notre Dame. Michigan Baseball beat Vanderbilt (and Rays' pitcher David Price) to win the regional title, but lost to eventual national champs Oregon State the following round. Each time we saw a team close in on a title, they couldn't complete the journey. They couldn't finish what they started.

And, yes, Michigan Lacrosse won back-to-back national championships our final two years...but they are still a club varsity team waiting for their shot to play with the big boys. Can't count it.

Plain and simple, we have not seen a national title in our time at Michigan... in ANY sport. As if being part of the worst four year Football stretch of any graduating class the past fifteen years wasn't bad enough! Attending Michigan and witnessing one national title team is part of the athletic experience! Shouldn't we be eligible for some type of reparations payment?

While most of us have left Ann Arbor, we still have one last sport to help make up for all the close calls the past four years: SOFTBALL. This was the last Michigan sport to win a national title (2005), and it came the summer before our first semester on campus. The first team to win a softball title west of the Mississippi River. Down 0-1 in the series to UCLA, they came back to win two straight (the last one in 10 innings) and put Wolverine Softball on the national map. This season's team was 20-9 to begin the Big Ten season (last place in the Big Ten) and have now gone 27-1 since then to run the Big Ten title and make it to the College World Series. Most people had this team counted out after losing the opening series to Northwestern. Now they stand as the only Big Ten team left in the NCAA tournament, and are two wins away from the final series for the NCAA Championship. It is a comeback that Mickey Rourke would stand and applaud.

Like so many other things on Michigan's campus, this team had a transition period of its own. With only one senior and four upper classmen playing regularly, the season started out rough before slowly coming together after the Northwestern series. Freshmen Bree Evans and Amanda Chidester began playing softball well beyond their years. Dorian Shaw started living up to much of the hype the greeted her during her freshman season. The pitching duo of Nemitz and Taylor was unhittable. The foundation for a tournament run was falling into place. The finishing touches came during a sweep of OSU, that helped secure a Big Ten title on their home field.

Our class was at the Big House for "Touchdown MANNINGHAM" against PSU in Football, the NCAA Berth and beating of Duke at Crisler in hoops, and the '09 sweep of MSU at Yost in hockey. But we were also there for Toledo and Appalachian State, Harvard and the entire Amaker era in Basketball, and the Air Force game. We've had our good moments, our bad moments, but never our great moments.

That said, let's root as hard as we can for this softball team one last time. Drink to every Nikki Nemitz strikeout, cheer for every Dorian Shaw home run, and hope that Coach Hutch can keep her team, as she likes to say, "in the moment." The graduates from our 2009 class will always be Michigan fans, but this is the last chance for us to truly call a team "ours."

And as for all the construction projects I mentioned earlier? They were all finished before we left Ann Arbor, the last being the Art Museum opening two weeks before graduation. The University finished it all just in the nick of time.

Hopefully, Michigan Softball can do the same for us.

DSR Archive: Final Show of Year

LISTEN HERE (starts 15 minutes in)

ID: wcbn

Password: wcbnfm

The Mixer: Finals Edition

It's Finals Week!!! That means a real lull in blogging and everyone too busy to celebrate the end of school/college. I'm sick of seeing the old baseball post remain at the top, so it's time for another edition of The Mixer!

I don't know how much longer I'll be blogging on this site (my next blogging site is in the works), but I just want to thank everyone who has visited our site regularly. I always enjoy hearing feedback from our listeners on MGoBlue or from our weekly shows. You guys have been awesome and it has been a great ride.

OK, put the tissues away. Time for The Mixer!

The week that was....: Hash Bash is a huge "tradition" at U of M, and I would be remiss not to acknowledge this. Now, in full disclosure, I DO NOT smoke weed. But I will never forget the first time I saw 60 year-old men in rainbow t-shirts walking down State Street my freshmen year. Only in Ann Arbor. I'll miss it. Anyways, here is the Family Guy song from last weekend (one of their best):



Cavs Playoff Proposal: I'll be at the Pistons game this Friday to watch LeBron complete Leg 3 of a first round sweep. It's so depressing to watch the shell of a championship team limp into the off-season. However, I'm still amazed at how loose the Cavs are right now. So much pressure to win the first professional title in their city going back to the 60's, yet they still have the sense of humor to do this...



Shameless Self-Promotion: Two new stories up from me this week. I told you guys about the Captain's Corner story I was working on, and that just got put up on MGoBlue. The video is in the Multimedia player in the right margin of the page.

The other story is about Michigan Soccer Captain Katie Miler and her college career. I really enjoyed doing both stories, and it took me a long time. Enjoy!

Good-Bye, College: Can anyone think of a more over-used song in heart-warming slide shows than "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)" by Green Day? I really feel like it was a good song that was killed by radio over-play...but then people just kept on drilling it into every emotional class video project and MTV reality show finale. Well, you won't get that from me. But I did have some of the best times in Ann Arbor in my last two years among friends at the Ann Arbor bars and restaurants. Here's a good example:



One of the greatest bar scenes from a movie ever created. We had plenty of these types of nights while I was here, too.

As for those staying behind, make sure you get your Ann Arbor Bucket Lists finished before it's too late. Here's one example:



The video quality is low, but that's what you get when you use iMovie to edit a project.

Hopefully, I'll post one more time before the year is over. Also, baseball coverage this weekend.

Until Then,

MB

MICHIGAN-MICHIGAN STATE BASEBALL LIVE AT 12:40 ON WCBN

By far, the largest crowd of the season is expected at Ray Fisher Stadium for the 2nd game of a 3 game set between Michigan and Michigan State. Join WCBN for LIVE coverage of the game and the pre-game ceremonies where former Michigan pitcher Jim Abbott will receive the honor of having his #31 retired.

LISTEN HERE!!!

More Paulus

Well, I was putting the finishing touches on a beautifully written blog post and was about to hit the "Publish Post" button when I saw that Rob had created a post of his own...basically taking all of my same thoughts and stealing my thunder. There goes an hour out of my day. Thanks, Rob!

In all seriousness, Rob did a great job of showing why Paulus and Michigan do not mix. I agree that he should not come to Michigan and a scholarship should not be offered (Way to drop the ball on that story, ESPN!). Forcier and Robinson need time to learn and get experience and this would just cut them at the knees in getting a chance to play.

Lastly...Billy Gillespie? Really?!? This could be the coldest thing Rob has ever said about anything outside the state of Minnesota. But back to Paulus.

I'm willing to go a step further. Not only should Paulus not play for Michigan....He shouldn't be playing football at all!!! The fact the Green Bay Packers told this kid he had no shot to be drafted should have been a huge hint a Duke grad could follow.

Watch this interview. Does this look like a guy who seems confident in his ability to play football?



It's like you can almost see Paulus thinking "What the ^#$% am I getting myself into?" just by looking at his face. I don't think he can be a football player, and that interview shows that he probably doesn't believe it himself.

Here's something Paulus DOES do well: Basketball! Sure, he got bounced from the starting lineup at Duke this past year. But he was arguably the best sixth man in the nation. (Note: UNC's Ed Davis is not a Sixth Man. After the whole Marvin Williams departure of 2005, I'm buying into the conspiracy that Roy Williams was trying to keep Davis from jumping early because he knew his team was going to lose ten guys this year. After that Final Four, you cannot tell me Deon Thompson is better than Davis. It's not possible.) Paulus should head to Europe for a couple seasons and refine his skills. Great example of what Europe can do for a guy's skills is Will Bynum in Detroit. Coming out of Georgia Tech, Bynum didn't have the necessary skill set to make it in the NBA. But after he played in Europe for a few seasons, he developed a great first-step and a smooth jump shot to compliment his speed. Now he is arguably the Piston's starting point guard next season, after Stuckey took nights off this year and the "Iverson Experiment" went south.

I think this can work for Paulus. He is a tough guy, a smart basketball player, and has a great three point shot in his arsenal. With a little refining, I think he could definitely "pull a Bynum." OK, so he'll probably end up playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv or throwing alley-oops to Josh Childress on Olypiacos in Greece.

But it sure beats getting beat on by Will Campbell and Brandon Graham every week.

The Greg Paulus Debacle

Greg Paulus... Rich Rod... really? Look, I understand Michigan has the scholarship available. I get that Michigan has no depth at QB. I get that Paulus threw for close to 12,000 yards and 150 TD's at Christian Brothers Academy, but that was in 2004, wasn't it?

What we know for sure: Greg Paulus visited Michigan Football spring practice last Tuesday (4/7).  Paulus did not conduct an official workout, rather had a lengthy conversation with the Michigan coaches, namely Rich Rod. From all accounts, everything went well.

What G-Paul says: Rich Rod has given him the opportunity to play football at Michigan next fall. A scholarship has been offered and Paulus will have the chance to compete for the starting QB job.

What Tate & others say: Forcier told the Michigan Daily that the Michigan coaches told him that Paulus had not received an offer. In addition, I was told by a reliable source that an offer to G-Paul has not been made (as of Thursday morning).  Now this doesn't mean that Paulus won't receive an offer this weekend or next week, but as of now no offer to G-Paul.

My Take: Plain and simple, I don't like it.  The circus around Rich Rod only continues exactly at the time when it seemed the Wolverine fan base was starting to rally around him, with an estimated 50,000 attending the Spring Game last Saturday and a QB in Tate Forcier off to a great start. My concerns over G-Paul are as follows. First, the physical challenges. Paulus has not played football for 4 years. Sure, he was great in high school but that was against mediocre opponents in northern New York. He's only 6'1, 170 lb., that's smaller than Tate. Even G-Paul's high school coach questioned how successful he could be in a spread offense on the college level, specifically at a place like Michigan. Second, timing. Even if the NCAA grants G-Paul eligibility (which is another issue in it of itself), he will at most only receive one year. Paulus has missed all of spring practice and will basically be in the same camp as Denard Robinson in learning the complex Michigan spread offense in a short amount of time. Third, stunting the growth and alienating Tate Forcier. While Tate is far from a sure thing, I'm fairly confident in his abilities after watching his performance in the Spring Game last Saturday, 11-13, 130 yds that included a 60yd play-action TD pass to Roy Roundtree. Some of the initial quotes by Tate on the Paulus saga are understandable. How would you feel if you were the top QB in Spring and then suddenly, out of the blue, you would have to compete for the job with a guy who hadn't thrown a football in 5 years? Look, Paulus is the same guy who was mediocre at Duke, losing his starting point guard job his senior year to Nolan Smith and Elliot Williams. No thanks.

To me, this seems like a short-term fix when Rich Rod should be thinking about the the long-term. Is Michigan really better off going 8-4 with Paulus for 1 year, as opposed to Tate going 7-5 or 6-6 in his 1st of 4 years in '09? If G-Paul is willing to come to Michigan as the 3rd string, yes 3rd behind Forcier and Robinson, then fine, but if not join the Packers. Overall, I have always felt that Rich Rod was never a great fit for Michigan. His margin of error will always be thin, especially when compared with Lloyd Carr. It won't be as easy for Rich to get away with a 7-5 or 8-4 season in the years ahead. Frankly, Rich Rod should have made a gradual shift to the spread offense, playing to the strengths of the talent remaining on the team. Isn't that what great coaches do best? Instead, a huge roster turnover happened with transfers in Mallett and Threet, amongst others. His judgments have been highly questionable thus far: selecting Shafer and Robinson as defensive coordinators and picking Sheridan over Threet to start vs. Utah in the opener last year. My biggest fear now... Billy Gillespie. Yes, the former Kentucky basketball coach. Gillespie is a great coach but failed to fit in properly or live up to expectations in Lexington, causing his firing after 2 years. I have no doubt that Rich Rod is a great coach and has recruited great players, but a 6-6 or (god forbid!) a 5-7 season in 2009 and I'll really begin to doubt whether he's the right fit in Ann Arbor.

Michigan-Eastern Michigan Baseball LIVE on WCBN at 3:00

Weather permitting, join WCBN for LIVE coverage of today's Michigan-Eastern Michigan baseball doubleheader. Both games can be heard on the WCBN Sports Stream and MGoBlue.com with coverage beginning at 3pm.

LISTEN HERE!!!

NHL Playoffs Preview Podcast

WCBN tackles the 2009 NHL Postseason.  Round-by-round predictions are made and a surprise Stanley Cup Finals matchup unfolds.

LISTEN HERE!!!

The Mixer: Late Edition

With school coming to a close, I've been backed up on school work and the holiday weekend set me back. I was going to do a Mixer with a Masters theme last week. But seeing as we pimped out our web page to look like a Masters' jacket and beat you senseless with non-stop golf all week, I thought I'd just stick to what everyone is used to seeing.

...Speaking of what you are used to seeing, this web page seems to be having an identity crisis with its look. I think we've had 5 different web layouts in two days with three different color schemes. I don't call the shots on this blog, I just write for it. However, based on the color scheme, it looks like we've decided to start covering Syracuse athletics. Awesome. Go Orange.

Anyways, here is the Mixer...better late than never.

Baseball woes: Michigan Baseball dropped 3 out of four games last week, the first coming against MAC opponent CMU. I figured we were in trouble because this was a mid-week MAC game, but things went from bad to worse when I saw CMU was pitching their freshman phenom (drafted by the Royals in the 30th Round last year) and Michigan had put "Staff Day" where you would usually see the starter's name. Can you say "White Flag?"

As if this wasn't bad enough, Michigan decided to start freshman Kevin Vangheluwe. Hearing this, I thought "That name sounds familiar... where do I know this kid from?" Then I remembered....



Our boy is the one on his backside in the back row. He is also the one messing around with the chair. The video ends before Vangheluwe would eventually take off his shirt in strip-tease fashion. Thank me later for not including this.

RIP "The Bird": Today was bittersweet for me with the passing of Mark "The Bird" Fidrych. I grew up listening to stories about that magical 1976 season when The Bird won Rookie of the Year and started the '76 All-Star game. The Tigers weren't great back then, but The Bird gave people something to look forward to during a time when the city needed something to root for. It wasn't exactly like the '68 Tigers, when a championship was a calming influence to a city ripe with racial conflict. But Fidrych united people similar to the way that championship did. People loved the lanky 21 year old with shaggy hair and quirky antics, and the question "Hey, when's The Bird pitching this week?" was heard throughout auto plants all over Detroit. He'll never be in the HOF, but he will always be in the hearts and memories of Tiger's fans. God bless you, Bird. We'll miss you.



E:60 is Back!: Probably my favorite show on television, E:60, is back with a new season tonight. I'm not a big fan of Jeremy Schaap, but I really enjoy the kind of reporting they do: the longer, feature stories that give deep insight into topics that are interesting, but I might not have otherwise thought about. Being someone who does sports reporting, feature stories of this length and size are incredibly difficult. I have a huge amount of admiration for what they accomplish with the video they get and the people they interview. I highly recommend tuning in this season. Here are two of my favorite stories they've done so far. First, they profiled Kelly Pavlik and his hometown...



My family is originally from Youngstown and Warren (Ohio), so this story hit home. But beside that, Pavlik's attachment to his hometown is fascinating (as is the city itself).

...And, to end things on a lighter note, here is one of the features Bill Simmons did for the show on Prop Betting. Love him on the podcasts and articles, but I really like him doing these features, too. I just hope they don't over-expose him like they do Stephen A. Smith.



That's all I got. Baseball this week... also, look for a story I got coming up on MGoBlue about the "Captain's Corner" blog that has gained some recent popularity.

Until then...

Michigan-Illinois Baseball Highlights

Listen HERE to highlights from the final three innings of Michigan Baseball's 4-2 win over Illinois on Friday night.

The Masters Preview Podcast

Less than 1 day 'til the start of the 2009 Masters.  Listen to WCBN get you set for the 75th playing of the year's first major, with a look at the compelling storylines, the Augusta National golf course, 1st round pairings and predictions.

LISTEN HERE!!!

Best Ball Challenge and Streak for the Cash

To all the readers out there,

We hope you guys are enjoying the Master's coverage this week. For those of you who aren't golf fans, I'll be posting a baseball story from this past weekend tomorrow... as well as a Masters Edition of "The Mixer." So be sure to check back in for that.

UPDATE: Rob and I will be doing a podcast to preview the tournament this week, making our picks and hopefully throwing in some fun "off-the-course" stuff along the way. Should be up later this week.

Also, I just created groups for "Streak for the Cash" and "Masters Best Ball Challenge" on ESPN.com. These things have gained quite a bit of popularity among our staff at WCBN, so I figure we'd extend the opportunity to compete with us to our readers. To join, CLICK HERE and then go to either the Streak or BestBall main page. After that, search for our group in the search bar area after filling out a Best Ball roster. Each group is named "WCBN Sports" so it shouldn't be hard to find.

Note: You must have an ESPN account to join. This takes two minutes and is free, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Hope to see everyone in the game!

Countdown to The Masters: 2 Days

We're now less than 48 hours away from the start of The Masters.  Today, a look at the Round 1 Pairings and the long-range weather forecast.

Notable Round 1 Pairings:

8:00am- Woosnam, Reavie, Baird

9:28am- Player, Donald, Ames

9:50am- Langer, Norman, Westwood

10:12am- Rose, Stenson, Cabrera

10:23am- Vijay, Ogilvy, Els

10:34am- Weir, Harrington, Imada

10:45am- Mickelson, Villegas, Furyk

10:56am- Appelby, Wilson, Garcia

12:02pm- Mediate, Couples, Newman

12:35pm- Romero, Weekley, Campbell

12:46pm- Crenshaw, Casey, Stricker

1:41pm- Immelman, Scott, Lee

1:52pm- Tiger, Cink, Jeev Milka Singh

2:03pm- Kim, Mcilory, Ishikawa

Weather (Subject to change):

THURSDAY- 77, Partly Cloudy, 13mph

FRIDAY- 77, Scattered T-Storms, 12mph

SATURDAY- 79, AM Clouds/PM Sun, 11mph

SUNDAY- 73, Partly Cloudy, 8mph

Enjoy the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday. Coverage begins at 3pm on ESPN.

Coundown to The Masters: 3 Days

As you may have noticed, we have switched the background color of our site from blue to green in tribute to Masters Week (and Michigan State tonight???).  While it may not seem like it with a snow storm outside, spring is officially upon us with the start of The Masters later this week. WCBN will continue its tradition of comprehensive coverage of the year's first major. In the days leading up to the start of play on Thursday, I will provide you with some images from Augusta National Golf Club. On today's docket: Amen Corner, Butler Cabin, Magnolia Lane and the Green Jacket.

20 Hour Rain Delay

Huge rains in Ann Arbor forced Baseball to cancel today's game in favor of a double header. It stinks that we won't be on MGoBlue today, but we'll be back tomorrow (at the very least, through this website tomorrow).

Check back tomorrow for the link and cheer up!....It could be snowing.

UPDATE: Rob just informed me that we ARE ON MGOBLUE tomorrow for radio coverage. We are getting the call up from the minors for this one. Looks like platoon duty is still in full effect.
Jeremy, Rob, and I will be there tomorrow starting at 12:05pm.

Tune In!

Michigan Athletics... According to Me

While it has been a rough week for me personally, with school work starting to pile up, I still made time to make my usual rounds through the blogosphere and podcast universe. A couple things I especially liked this week:

For those of you who haven’t made this connection themselves, I’m a huge Bill Simmons fan because….well, because I’m a huge fan of pop culture and sports (When my family plays “Trivial Pursuit: DVD Pop Culture Edition,” it’s my four family members vs. me. Not trying to brag, but this is the only way to make it fair). Simmons is the best in the business at blending these together. Anyways, Simmons does a great job of talking to former ESPN ombudsman LeAnn Schriber in his podcast this week. I really enjoyed the past few podcats because he has been critical of ESPN with John Walsh and Schriber. He gives his “gripes” with ESPN, and proposes changes to their coverage.

This made me think of the web site I work for (MGoBlue.com), and some of the changes I would make or things I would do differently if I were in power. Granted, Simmons has way more power at ESPN than I do at MGoBlue. Lemme put it to you this way: People beg Simmons to write more columns and do more podcasts. At MGoBlue, I’m the one racing just to do post-game coverage. So, his suggestions might actually get picked up. Mine have a much slimmer chance.

Awesome. Glad we cleared that up.

Nevertheless, I know a lot of you visit MGoBlue.com and watch the highlights that are up there. So here are my suggestions on changes I would make if I ran my own website:

More Athlete Blogs: Michigan has some of the most talented and intelligent athletes in the country, so why not showcase them? For example, Tim Kalczynski wrote an excellent live blog about the Baseball team’s trip to Iowa last week. I talked to Tim about his blog in the beginning of the season. He seemed a little embarrassed when I brought it up and said he didn’t have a great passion for writing. However, I’ve talked to a lot of people who really liked this post. Shout-out to our boy FormerlyAnonymous at Varsity Blue for mentioning this quicker than I could.

But why not do this for more sports? I give Michigan Baseball SID Matt Fancett a lot of credit. He is responsible for UM Volleyball as well, and used this idea a little bit at the end of the season with the team’s two seniors (Karpiak and Hance). This season’s “Captain’s Corner” blog for Baseball has been written nicely and at semi-regular intervals. These types of blogs can be very entertaining when you get the right people to write them. UM Hockey’s Chris Summers would have been the ideal candidate for this last year…along with Eric Puls from Basketball.

I mentioned this in The Mixer last week, but I’m still pushing for it. Puls has a great perspective from his spot on the team! If he is uncomfortable writing, I’ll volunteer my services and transcribe it form him. It’ll be the most read journalist/athlete duo since Barkley and Wilbon did a book together!

…OK, maybe that’s a stretch. But there is definitely a market for more student athlete insight!

Institute a podcast: This is probably my most realistic idea I’ll mention in this post. The website tried this with the “MGoBlue Report,” but there was one problem: It didn’t physically work!!!! I tried this link on five computers, and not a single one could play this file. So I technically have never heard an episode of the “MGoBlue Report.” But I like the attempt.

Here’s my plan: Make three “multimedia podcasts” that consist of the following: 1) A normal news-bulletin type podcast giving an update on scores, injuries, highlights, etc. etc. This could be done in video form too, almost like a Michigan Sportscenter (I’d watch!). 2) A coaches show, where you interview a different coach each week and ask them questions about the team and the season (i.e. The Rosen Report for Volleyball last year). 3) A show interviewing student athletes, and/or media members that cover U of M athletics, covering a wide variety of topics off-the-field and on-the-field. This is to be hosted by Yours Truly. Or Doug Karsch. Actually, Karsch already has his own radio show. Forget him! I’m doing this show. I’m calling the shots in this “never-in-a-million-years-will-this-occur” scenario. Number 3 goes along with my point that some of these athletes are extremely interesting and intelligent and would make great guests.

My first guest on this show? Eric Puls, for reasons already mentioned. Goalie Emmy Scheidt from Women’s Lacrosse, and Matt Miller from Baseball would be high on this list as well. Miller was very well-spoken and Scheidt is the funniest athlete I’ve talked to this season. Hey, even the varsity club sports are shown some love on my show!

More money for Michigan Sports TV: I’m biased because this is the department where I spend my time. However, if the University invested in more camera and editing personnel (while keeping all the great producers/editors already there), we’d have more highlights, videos, and interviews for MGoBlue. The biggest complaint I get from viewers is the fact that MGoBlue doesn’t put up enough coverage of the smaller sports outside of football. With limited resources, and football the obvious money maker for the Athletic Department, football is what people are going to get. With more personnel, better equipment, and better compensation, this problem would end and niche viewers get to see their favorite teams on a semi-daily basis. This will increase hits for the website. More hits translate to greater advertising, which means more money for Michigan. Everyone wins.

I really enjoy working for the AD and it has been a great experience. And if nothing changes, I won’t have any problems still working there. I love that job. But if these changes come to pass, I want to be able to show them this and say “Hey! I called this….. What’s that, Bill Martin? Sure, I’d accept a full time job.”

If this were the 90’s cartoon “Doug,” this is the part where the little dream bubble pops and I realize I have 5 more pages to write for tomorrow. Dammit.

Like the blog? Hate it? Are there changes to the website you'd like to see that I didn't mention? Leave them in the comments section