2010 Michigan Football Preview

Credits: Tyler Bruens, John Zaccardelli, Andrew Goddeeris, Bill Rothwell

DEFENSE

The defense will generally be in 3-3-5 scheme but will have many different formations depending on the team and game situation. The team was 82th overall in yards given up per game with 393.33, better than Maryland, but worse than in state rival Michigan State. Even though the secondary was awful last year, it was the rushing defense that was ranked lower among the nation’s teams, 91st out of 120. A more experienced line and linebackers will hopefully improve the run defense along with allowing the defensive backs to cover receivers tighter.

Defensive Line Starter [Backup] (third)
Nose Tackle: #68 Mike Martin [#73 Will Campbell] (Adam Patterson)
Defensive Tackle: #92 Greg Banks [#95 Renaldo Sagesse] (Terry Talbott)
Defensive End: #53 Ryan Van Bergen [#90 Anthony LaLota] (Jibreel Black)

The defensive line is expected to be the strongest part of the defense. Returning starter Mike Martin will stuff the middle while backup Will Campbell will rotate in and team up for goal line stands. Look for both of them to push the opponent’s line and pressure the quarterback on a consistent basis. Van Bergen will move to the end position even though he is not the ideal quick big man. Seniors Banks and Sagesse bring experience at the tackle position, but do not be surprised if Martin slides over to allow Campbell more playing time at the nose position. Freshmen LaLota and Talbott could push for playing time if not the occasional appearance for early experience.

Linebackers Starter [Backup] (third)
Middle Linebacker: #45 Obi Ezeh [#25 Kenny Demens] (Mark Moundros)
Outside Linebacker: #8 Jonas Mouton [#27 Mike Jones] (Isaiah Bell)
Linebacker/Defensive End #88 Craig Roh [#42 J.B. Fitzgerald] (Brandon Herron)
Defensive Back /Linebacker: #7 Brandin Hawthorne [#15 Thomas Gordon] (Josh Furman)

Last year the linebackers looked lost in the old scheme, but it was pointed out that the defensive backs’ missed coverage had more to do with the problem than the linebackers’ actual skills. Still, Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton have too much experience not to perform under Greg Robinson’s scheme. Captain Mark Moundros is getting a lot of reps in pre-season ball which is not a good sign of the quality of the scholarship backups Demens and Jones because Moundros just recently switched from fullback to linebacker. The new scheme will move away from the “quick” and “spinner” positions, but they still have the same feel will Craig Roh trying to rush from the linebackers and Brandin Hawthorne or Thomas Gordon floating into the back field. This is the one unit on the defense that will see the most backups play early in the season because of the uncertainty of performance from the experienced players.

Defensive Backs Starter [Backup] (third)
Corner 1:#12 J.T. Floyd [#18 James Rogers] (Courtney Avery)
Corner 2: [#24Cullen Christian] (Tony Anderson) (DOOOOOOOMMMMMM)
Safety 1: #32 Jordan Kovacs [#14 Teric Jones] (Marvin Robinson)
Safety 2: #4 Cameron Gordon [#5 Vladimir Emilien] (Mike Williams)

There has been plenty of turnover in the secondary going back to last year when Cissoko was suspended then kicked off the team and now Justin Turner choosing to depart before the start of the season. J.T. Floyd, solid but not flashy, is a decent corner. The injury to Woolfolk (out for the season with a dislocated ankle on Aug 17) leads to a lack of depth and experience for the second season in a row. Cullen Christian, a top recruit, will now be tasked with starting on day 1. If he struggles, DOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.The small but effective Jordan Kovacs who led all defensive players in tackles last season will float down to the line of scrimmage to cover the run or extra receivers. Cam Gordon or Vlad Emilien will look to solidify the back field and decrease the big play factor. Ideally both will show promise and allow Kovacs to only come in special situations.


OFFENSE

The Michigan offense was not the main culprit in the team’s disappointing finish last season, finishing 41st in the nation in scoring with 29.5 points per game. However, there is no doubt that there is room for significant improvement.

Running Back
Committee candidates: #15 Mike Cox, #20 Michael Shaw, #2 Vincent Smith, #28 Fitzgerald Toussaint, #33 Stephen Hopkins.

This will be a very interesting situation to keep an eye on throughout the season. As it stands now, four tailbacks have a chance to be the starter, with the other three earning carries. The four tailbacks are Vincent Smith, Michael Shaw, Mike Cox, and Fitzgerald Toussaint. Smith would be the favorite if not for the ACL injury he suffered in last year’s Ohio St. game, as by the end of last season he had emerged as the premiere option. Michael Shaw has the most experience as he enters his third year as part of the system, which should enable him to, at least early on, have a significant number of carries. However, if reports out of practice are to be believed, it is Toussaint who currently receives the most reps with the first team. Mike Cox, at 211 lbs, will be the bruiser of the bunch. He’s not the shifty-type that a spread option prefers for a tailback, so assume most of his carries to be short-yardage and goal line situations. Hopkins could also push for the short-yard situations.

Wide Receivers
Wide-outs: #21 Junior Hemingway, #22 Darryl Stonum [#6 Je’Ron Stokes]
Slot: #12 Roy Roundtree [#9 Martavious Odoms] (#19 Kelvin Grady)
Notable Backups: #83 Jerald Robinson, #82 Ricardo Miller, #17 Jeremy Jackson, #10 Jeremy Gallon, #8 Terrance Robinson

The top two Receivers are expected to be Junior Hemingway and Darryl Stonum. Hemingway is probably the more sure-handed of the two, and Stonum brings speed as evidenced by his kick return performances from last season. Look for him to make a significant impact. At slot is the top receiver from last season, Roy Roundtree. He finished the season with 434 yards, but only emerged late in the year, with 92, 126, 56, and 116 yards receiving in the final four games of the season, respectively.
The backups include Martavious Odoms at slot, arguably the fastest player on the team, in addition to Je’Ron Stokes, Jerald Robinson, Ricardo Miller, Jeremy Jackson, and Terrance Robinson. Stokes, J. Robinson, Miller, and Jackson all provide what the starters lack: height. The shortest in the group is Stokes at 6’1”. Terrance Robinson’s shorter but provides the speed necessary for the spread offense to work. Look for Terrance to make his mark in the return game. Out of the other receivers looking to make a break, look for Stokes to make a splash this year. He was a highly touted prospect, having originally committed to Tennessee before Philip Fulmer’s departure led him to Michigan.

Tight End
#86 Kevin Koger [#80 Martell Webb] (#88 Brandon Moore)

A two-man race between two near-clones: Kevin Koger and Martell Webb. Each provides a solid blocker with size who has a tendency to drop very catchable balls. Their jobs will be primarily to block. Look for Koger to hold the starter’s job, at least at first.

Fullback
#44 Mark Moundros

Practically non-existent. Over/under on plays using a FB this year? 10? Any takers? If necessary, look for Cox or Mark Moundros to fill the role.

Offensive Line
Left Tackle: #72 Mark Huyge [#77 Taylor Lewan]
Left Guard: #52 Stephen Schilling
Center: #50 David Molk
Right Guard: #65 Patrick Omameh
Right Tackle: #79 Perry Dorrestein [#65 Patrick Omameh]

The only loss to the starting offensive line this year is departing left tackle Mark Ortmann… which might actually be a good thing. Fighting for the right to replace Ortmann, and to tow the tackle spot on the blind side this year, are Mark Huyge, Perry Dorrestein, and red-shirt freshman Taylor Lewan. Given the Jake Long comparisons, many would like to see the young behemoth Lewan start, but the front-runner in this competition is Huyge, simply because he started at right tackle last year for the Wolverines.
If Huyge moves from the right side to the left, there are a multitude of options for filling that vacant spot. In order to keep his guard-to-guard part of the line consistent, head coach Rich Rodriguez can put the second place winner of the left tackle sweepstakes at right tackle. This person, due to seniority, will probably be Perry Dorrestein.
Rodriguez also has the option of moving the red-shirt sophomore Patrick Omameh to right tackle. For purposes of consistency, Patrick Omameh will likely play right guard. Opposite him at left guard will be senior stud Stephen Schilling, and splitting the two at center will be red-shirt junior David Molk.

Quarterback
#16 Denard Robinson [#5 Tate Forcier] (#7 Devin Gardner)

It just seems appropriate to conclude this preview with the position that has been the focus of the media- quarterbacks. By this time, there is near certainty that true sophomore Denard (Shoelace) Robinson will start for Michigan this year. He is faster, appears to be making better reads than the others in practice, and has vastly improved his knowledge of the playbook. The real question this year is how much Rich Rodriguez will incorporate his very young, talented backup quarterbacks in his offensive schemes.
True sophomore Tate Forcier, in all likelihood, will backup Robinson. Do not be surprised to see Forcier come in for a couple of possessions each game as a change of pace quarterback. Since Forcier seems to have been in Rodriguez’s doghouse since the Iowa game last year, it is unlikely that Tate the Great will reclaim his starting job. Unfortunately for Forcier, he has too much competition sandwiching him on the depth chart.
Expect to see Devin Gardner burn his red-shirt this year on the field. Remember that Rich Rodriguez is fighting for his job this year, and that leaving arguably his most prized recruit in his tenure at Michigan on the bench seems idiotic. Gardner committed to Michigan stating that he did not want to red-shirt, and there is a lingering notion in practice that his wish will be granted.

5 Reasons Not to Panic About Losing Troy Woolfolk

Troy Woolfolk's injury has taken the wind out of the sails of the Wolverine faithful. Losing the most experienced player in an already jumbled secondary is never a good thing, but maybe it's not as bad as we think, and here's five reasons why:

1. He has 3 career pass break-ups.
Morgan Trent- that no talent fool that you hated for 4 years- had 14 after his junior year.

2. He has 0 career interceptions at the University of Michigan.
That's as many as his replacement has, except his replacement hasn't played secondary in 21 games as a Wolverine.

3. He has 1 more career tackle than Jordan Kovacs.
It's true. He has one more tackle (40 vs. 39) over the course of 3 years than that speed-deficient walk-on who only saw real action in about 8 career games last year.

4. He has never forced or recovered a fumble.
That's right, if you're doing the math at home: 0 INTS + 0 FR= 0 Turnovers... pretty bad, huh?

5. His name is Troy...not Butch.
Butch Woolfolk, Troy's dad, was a running back. Butch Woolfolk ran for 3, 998 career yards as a Wolverine and had 3 1000+ yard seasons. Butch was a Michigan great.
Troy plays in the secondary. His numbers indicate that he is very average, and will likely not be remembered in Wolverine history.


Is this team better without Troy Woolfolk's leadership? Abosolutely not...but hopefully what's above convinces you that the Michigan defense is far from destroyed. There's no reason to panic...yet.

2011: Johnny B's Make-or-Break Recruiting Class

Most people can foresee that the upcoming 2010-2011 Michigan basketball season will be a struggle. If you didn't know, allow me to refresh you with a simple equation:

Losing Team+ a bunch of decent freshman- leading scorer - leading rebounder= _________


I hate to sound too much like the kid who screams out answers before the teacher asks the class, but acceptable answers here are: uh-oh, damn it, a worse team, and do we really have to talk about the 2010-2011 Michigan Wolverines basketball team?

No. We do not have to talk about the 2010-2011 Michigan Wolverines (not yet anyway), because I believe that a true reflection of where a John Beilein coached team is headed is not exemplified by next year's team, but rather, is captured in the 2011 recruiting class. In essence, if you haven't been following basketball recruiting for the class of 2011, then you should. Currently, Beilein has only one commit, but is in the hunt for some premium talent. If all goes well, it could be the beginning of a flowering Michigan Basketball program under John Beilein.

What we have committed(according to scout):

6'1" Shooting Guard- Carlton Brundidge **** (Southfield, MI)
- Carlton is a scorer unlike any other we've seen at the University of Michigan in the past few years in the sense that does not have a lanky build like Manny Harris or Deshawn Sims. Sure, we've seen the undersized David Merritt drain the occassional 3-pointer, but this kid is a SCORER. He can't grab rebounds like Manny Harris, he isn't as tall as Darius Morris, but he puts the rock in the circular file. Remember this name, because he will surely impress when he sports the maize and blue.


What we have a decent shot at:

6'9" Center- Amir Williams **** (Beverly Hills, MI)
- While it is true that Michigan is competing with basketball powerhouses such as UNC, Duke, and Michigan State for this kid, Michigan still holds a few wild card factors that could play into its favor when attempting to land this kid. 1) He is a local kid. 2) He is friends with Carlton Brundidge (see above), and has done interviews with Carlton in which Carlton openly admits that he constantly recruits his AAU teammate Amir to come to Michigan. 3) He goes to Detroit Country Day. Now, the last time I checked, Michigan got a 6'9" center from DCD about 20 years ago and he went first overall in the NBA draft (I'm just saying...).

7'0" Center- Marshall Plumlee **** (Arden, NC)
- How John Beilein has found a way to maneuver Michigan into being one this kid's 3 "high interest" schools continues to baffle me, but I won't complain. Marshall Plumlee, whose two older brothers Miles and Mason just won a title at Duke, is a kid with size, versatility, and scoring ability. As mentioned, I'm not sure how John Beilein has slid Michigan into the race for this kid, but whatever he's doing, I like it.


What we have an outside shot at:

6'10" Power Forward- Cody Zeller ***** (Washington, IN)
- Yes, Michigan is in the hunt for a 5 star (according to scout) recruit. Much like Plumlee, I have no answers for how Beilein got into this position, but I do know this: Michigan is one of this kid's top 7 schools, and he has said in an interview that John Beilein is a guy that he could see himself playing for.



Yes, there is a still a lot of work to be done, and yes, star ratings are not perfect determinants of a player's potential. However, if your maize and blue heart is empty after a fruitless basketball season last year (and potentially one this year), I encourage you to look to the future. There is no guarantee that Michigan will land any of the non-committed recruits above, but if it could land one to compliment Brundidge, along with a 3 star supporting cast, John Beilein may be ready to take this program to the next level.

Listen: Michigan Softball in the NCAA Super Regionals

The Round of 16 for the NCAA Tournament has arrived and Michigan will be hosting the Super Regionals. Listen in live as the Wolverines host the Lady Vols of Tennessee for a ticket to Oklahoma City and the Women's College World Series!!

To listen to each broadcast, click HERE! Click on the WCBN Sports Stream link
Thursday (7:30 P.M.)

Friday (4:30 PM)

Saturday (7:00 P.M.): If Necessary

Go Blue!

Listen: Michigan Baseball vs. Iowa

Due to the impending weather on Sunday, Michigan will play a doubleheader today against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Wolverines enter play tied for first place in the Big Ten with a 6-3 conference record.

To listen to each broadcast, click HERE!

Friday (2:30 P.M.): RHP Alan Oaks (4-4, 3.60) vs. LHP Jarred Hippen (2-3, 3.86)

Friday (Game Two): LHP Bobby Brosnahan (4-3, 4.26) vs. RHP Nick Brown (2-4, 7.27)

Saturday (1:00 P.M.): TBD

Go Blue!

Listen: Michigan Baseball vs. Bowling Green

Tune-in to WCBN Sports for the only way to hear Michigan baseball's mid-week contest vs. the Bowling Green Falcons!

Goodbye Mr. Fresh?

News has recently been surfacing that suggests that junior guard Manny "Fresh" Harris is ready to leave the University of Michigan Men's basketball program for the NBA. According to sources, Harris will observe his draft prospects in the near future and, by the deadline of April 25th, is likely to declare for the NBA draft. If Harris decides to declare for the NBA draft, however, as long as he remains agent-free, he has until June 14th to change his mind.

While it seems like Harris, a Detroit native with a big family, could obviously use the financial comforts that come with being an NBA draft pick, I question whether Harris was impressive enough last year to even be an NBA draft pick at all.

Let's start with some statistics: 18.1 points per game, 4.1 assists per game, 6 rebounds per game.

I will acknowledge that these numbers are good, but are they NBA worthy? Even if the reader's response is yes, let's also consider the fact that Harris' team went 15-17 last season (ouch), Harris made slightly over 30% of his three pointers (yikes), shot 80% from the charity stripe (solid), and averaged 2.8 turnovers per game (what if every starter did that?).

Yes, Harris is a great slasher. Yes, in the last 10 minutes of the season, Harris showed great poise against Ohio State. Yes, Harris can create off the dribble. But does anyone else get the impression that last year, regardless of the numbers, he just wasn't as "Fresh" as the Ohio State game at the end of the year evidenced he could be?

Is it possible that NBA scouts saw the same Manny "Stale" Harris on a 15-win Michigan Wolverines basketball team that I did in 2009-2010? The one who jacked up 3-pointers at inopportune times all season long, punched his teammate in practice (which lead to a suspension), and turned the ball over constantly?

Even a "maybe" here still gives hope that Manny Harris will return to Michigan for his senior season to regain his "fresh" form. Without Harris' friend and stud teammate DeShawn Sims, it could be a tough road. But if Harris gets honest feedback about his draft position and the NBA does not come calling as I believe it will not, Harris will have no choice but to accept the challenge of turning around a sub-500 Wolverines basketball team.

My greatest fear, however, is that Harris will have poor draft prospects, declare for the draft anyway, not be drafted, and never make the big money that he has worked hard for his entire life. I would hate to see Harris in Europe or as a mainstay in the NBA development league.

For a kid with such high potential, it would be a shame to not watch him at least attempt one more year of college, where I strongly believe he can only improve his draft position and capitalize on the monetary award that will come with the draft position improvement.

Thoughts? Feel free to share you views about the future of Manny Harris in the "comments" section.

Game of the Week Tonight

Call-in to Game of the Week on 88.3 WCBN-FM Ann Arbor from 7-10 P.M. tonight at 734-763-3500.

We'll be discussing March Madness, recapping home-openers for Michgan baseball and softball, and previewing the NCAA Fort Wayne Regional.

Michigan Softball Home Opener

Check out Michigan Softball's Home Opener vs. Bowling Green tomorrow at 3:00 P.M. on the WCBN Sports Stream and MGoBlue.com!

Michigan Softball is #5 in the nation entering play, fresh off a 4-1 effort at the Judi Garman classic. Bowling Green, out of the MAC, features junior pitcher Zada Lines, who tossed her first career no-hitter earlier this season in a 3-0 win over Dartmouth.

2010 CCHA Tournament Finals

LISTEN HERE to WCBN's call of the CCHA Tournament Finals, as Michigan seeks an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Hockey Tournament against Northern Michigan. With a win, the Wolverines would extend their streak to 20 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and become the first team with a seed worse than #4 to win the CCHA Tournament.

2010 WCBN March Madness Picks

WCBN Sports' Podcast

Michigan-LSSU Game Two Highlights

WCBN Sports' Podcast

CCHA First Round Continues Tonight

Listen live to WCBN Sports as the Michigan Wolverines hope to finish off a first round sweep of the Lake Superior State Lakers in the CCHA Tournament tonight at Yost. Use the link in the post below or go to WCBN.org and navigate to the WCBN Sports Stream.

Game Time: 7:35
Venue: Yost Ice Arena
Broadcast: WCBN Sports Stream

Listen: CCHA Playoffs First Round - Michigan Hockey vs. Lake Superior State

We are LIVE at Yost for tonight's Hockey game between Michigan and Lake Superior State. Michigan swept the Lakers over Halloween weekend in the Soo and look to repeat that performance starting tonight in the first round of the CCHA playoffs. Michigan will be playing in the first weekend of the CCHA playoffs for the first time EVER, with a trip to Munn as a reward assuming no upsets of UNO or Alaska by the two worst teams in the CCHA.

Listen Live HERE on WCBN.org's sports stream.

Andrew Seid and Jeremy Kreisberg on the call.

Go Blue!

CCHA Standings Update (2/25)

After a feel-good night at Yost featuring the final regular season home game for five Michigan seniors and a shutout performance from Shawn Hunwick (not a typo), Michigan is one win closer to a first-round bye in the CCHA Tournament...

Current Standings

1. Miami: 26 GP, 66 Pts., 20 W

2. Ferris St.: 26 GP, 46 Pts., 13 W

2. Michigan St.: 26 GP, 46 Pts., 13 W

4. Alaska: 28 GP, 45 Pts., 11 W

5. Nebraska-Omaha: 28 GP, 44 Pts., 13 W

6. Michigan: 27 GP, 43 Pts., 14 W

7. Northern Michigan: 26 GP, 42 Pts., 11 W

8. Ohio State

9. Lake Superior

10. Notre Dame

11. Bowling Green

12. Western Michigan

Michigan Hockey Begins Push Towards CCHA Title

It begins tonight. Michigan Hockey has one more shot at lengthening its streak of 19 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances -- the longest in the sport. We are still one week away from raising the curtains on the 2010 CCHA Tournament, which represents Michigan's lone opportunity to qualify for a tournament that will surely not afford an at-large bid to this year's group of Wolverines. But it begins tonight. Michigan welcomes Notre Dame to Yost Ice Arena in the first of a two-game, three-day home-and-home to finish the regular season. In order to receive a bye in the first round of the CCHA Tournament and a home series in the Quarterfinals, Michigan will need to win twice and get some help...

Current Standings

1. Miami: 26 GP, 66 Pts., 20 W

2. Ferris St.: 26 GP, 46 Pts., 13 W

2. Michigan St.: 26 GP, 46 Pts., 13 W

4. Alaska: 28 GP, 45 Pts., 11 W

5. Nebraska-Omaha: 28 GP, 44 Pts., 13 W

6. Northern Michigan: 26 GP, 42 Pts., 11 W

7. Michigan: 26 GP, 40 Pts., 13 W

8. Ohio State

9. Lake Superior

10. Notre Dame

11. Bowling Green

12. Western Michigan

Tiebreakers: 1. Conference Wins; 2. Head-to-Head Record; 3. Head-to-Head Goal Differential

CCHA Series' This Weekend: Notre Dame vs. Michigan, Bowling Green vs. Michigan State, Western Michigan vs. Ferris State, Lake Superior at Northern Michigan, Ohio State vs. Miami

So, what does this mean for everyone else?

1. Miami has the top spot locked up

2. Michigan State and Ferris State are playing this weekend for the number two seed. If their respective series' this weekend don't settle things, Ferris State will get the number two seed by virtue of a 6-4 goal differential in the teams' only series (played last weekend).

3. Alaska and UNO are done playing CCHA games - UNO cannot get a first-round bye, and Alaska would be the beneficiary of failures from Northern Michigan and Michigan

4. Northern Michigan can clinch the #4 seed with five points this weekend at home against the Lakers

What does Michigan need for the #4 seed?

1. Two wins - In order to jump Alaska and UNO, Michigan needs five points. Michigan would win a tiebreaker over Alaska by virtue of Michigan's 13 conference wins, so Michigan could receive the #4 seed with one regulation win and one shootout win

2. NMU must lose at least one game - if Michigan picks up all six points available to them against Notre Dame, NMU would be forced to gain at least five points against Lake Superior, as Michigan owns the conference-wins tiebreaker over the Wildcats. If Michigan wins once in regulation and once in a shootout (five points), NMU would need four points (one regulation win and one shootout loss or two shootout losses).

And then we're in?

Not even close. But, in order to have a chance at making a run in the CCHA Tournament, Michigan would be greatly aided by a first-round bye and a home series in the Quarterfinals. If Michigan can get to the Semis, they'll need two wins in front of a favorable crowd at Joe Louis Arena in order to extend their streak of consecutive tournament appearances to 20.

It won't be easy, and it's far from likely. Miami is one of the best teams in the country, and Michigan has been tremendously inconsistent this season. But this is a talented team with the best coach in the country, and our job, as fans, is to keep hope alive.

Soccer Facility Update

Via Twitter, a new set of photos popped up online today that show some progress on the new soccer facility being constructed and slated to open in Fall 2010.

New soccer facility set to open Fall 2010

The coolest thing about the new facility, though, is the inclusion of a new press box. With wireless internet, this press box would potentially allow WCBN to begin broadcasting UofM soccer and tap into a whole new audience. We'll stay with this developing story and certainly do our best to be bringing you Michigan soccer in Fall 2010.

Who Dat?

As Tracy Porter raced 74 yards for a Pick-6 with a little over 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter, you knew the game was over. You could feel the excitement all the way down in the French Quarter. These Saints are 'Aints no more: the New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl champions. Drew Brees earned the MVP honor by completing 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns to tie the Super Bowl record for completions. Peyton Manning had a good game of his own, going 31 out of 45 for 333 yards and a TD, but his one mistake cost the Colts the game. Does this end the discussion of Peyton Manning being the greatest QB of all time, at least for now? Did Sean Payton have the greatest Super Bowl coaching performance in history? Does Drew Brees now belong in the same echelon of QBs as Tom Brady and Manning? Who are the favorites for 2010? Listen in to Extra Points at 6:00 pm tonight as we analyze Super Bowl 44 in vivid detail.

So Rich...who exactly is this negative recruiter?

During today's football press conference, when asked about the difficulty of recruiting this year in contrast to the the past, Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez brought up the topic of negative recruiting. Negative recruiting, characterized by insulting other schools as a means of promoting one's own program, is something that is consistently present in only one school in the Big Ten, according to Rodriguez. When asked what school he was referring to later in the press conference, Rodriguez wisely responded, "I'm not gonna tell you." He then retracted his statement with, "You mean the one in the Big Ten?", he paused and smirked, "I'm not gonna tell you."

So who was it? Currently there are 9 possibilities, as Rodriguez was adamant that he was not talking about Ohio State. Too bad... there's always room for more bad blood in that rivalry. Nonetheless, there are still nine candidates to think about, and with some common sense, it's plausible to narrow it down.

Rodriguez claimed that he heard about this school recruiting negatively through the recruits that he was pursuing.And if Michigan was in the running for the same recruits as this other school, then the program must be decent. Let's face it- Michigan doesn't exactly recruit along the same lines as Indiana, Illinois, and Northwestern.

Down to 6.

There are two other clues:

1) The first, and it's an admitted stretch, is that Rodriguez, based on his hesitation and simply the fact that he brought up the topic of negative recruiting, seemed like deep down he wanted to tell the media who the school was, but knew it wasn't in his best interest. And if he wanted to tell the media, then he probably had negative feelings toward this school.

2) Rodriguez mentioned later in the press conference that there are "guys" that complain that he's trying to steal guys that are already committed.

Conclusion: Purdue

Purdue is a solid football program that has been at odds with Rodriguez ever since he "stole" Roy Roundtree from then Purdue head coach Joe Tiller in his first recruiting season with the Wolverines. Not to mention the incident last November when head coach Danny Hope approached Rich Rodriguez at midfield after the football game and confronted Rodriguez for being responsible for getting one of his players suspended.

A good program + negative feelings on both sides= a likely candidate


Please feel free to theorize any other schools that coach Rodriguez was targeting by posting your ideas in the "comments" section.

Demar Dorsey commits to Michigan

Safety Demar Dorsey has faxed his letter of intent to the University of Michigan. He is the number 2 rated safety according to ESPN. With Dorsey's commitment, Michigan's class is now complete. For a more in-depth look at Michigan's class of 2010, listen in to WCBN today at 5:15 for a special signing-day version of the Daily Sports Report.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/18960/michigan-gets-huge-boost-with-dorsey

UPDATE:

WCBN Sports would like to take this opportunity to introduce the "DREAD the DREADS" campaign. With eight players on the roster with dreadlocks - including Dorsey, Denard Robinson, and Vincent Smith - it's time Michigan built up a dreadlocks cult. I want to see this phrase on t-shirts, posters, and I want to see the Michigan Stadium student section complete with scattered dreadlocks wigs. We all know dreadlocks are a sign of superior athletic ability and general awesomeness, and it's time Michigan supports its dreadlocked demons. When opponents step onto the field at Michigan Stadium on Saturday afternoons, they WILL DREAD THE DREADS.

- Andrew G