What do you get when a program introduces a new coach, a new system, and loses not only their most prolific rusher and passer in school history, but the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft as well?
Ladies and gents, say hello to your 2008 Michigan Wolverines.
To label this past offseason as tumultuous for this Michigan program would be a vast understatement. Starting with a chaotic coaching search garnering harsh criticism from a number of former players—including a certain Heisman Trophy winner—to a returning starter not only transferring to hated rival Ohio State, but bashing the program’s “family values” on his way out the door—Michigan fans have had a lot to digest in the past months.
However, these off-field events were not enough to distract fans from the questions surrounding the upcoming season’s on-field product. Chad Henne, Mike Hart, Jake Long? They’re all gone. Throw in Biletnikoff finalist Mario Manningham, Capital One Bowl human highlight Adrian Arrington, and oft-maligned Ryan “Got a Case of the Fumbles” Mallett to those three departures, and those highly publicized concerns about this offense—yeah, they’ve been validated.
As bleak as it seems, all is not lost. The fact remains, Michigan is still Michigan, and though the talent pool may take a dip this season, Lloyd Carr and his staff consistently put together top-10 recruiting classes year after year, so the cupboard is far from bare. Last season both Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown flashed the ability to be solid contributors at running back, and Greg Mathews has proven to be a reliable receiving threat.
Coupled with the likes of incoming skill position freshmen Terrence Robinson, Sam McGuffie, Martavious Odoms, Michael Shaw, and early enrollee Darryl Stonum, what this team lacks in experience, it has the ability to make up for in explosiveness, giving Michigan fans a certain style of playmaker that they have rarely been accustomed to seeing don the Maize and Blue.
The defense should be the ultimate strength of this team, returning seven starters from last year’s squad. Returning both Morgan Trent and Donovan Warren at the corner spot is certainly encouraging, but the biggest questions on defense remain in the secondary, primarily with the safety position. Since the days of Ernest Shazor obliterating Dorien Bryant, Michigan has had a startling lack of consistency at safety, a problem made increasingly evident by their recent inability to prevent long TD scores by Ohio State running backs.
However, the biggest and most publicized problems facing this Wolverine squad are at quarterback and offensive line. With Justin Boren headed south, Michigan returns only Steven Schilling at right tackle, and after watching the last Ohio State game, that could be seen as either a good or bad thing. As of now I project the O-line to look something like this: Mark Ortmann and Steven Schilling at tackle, Tim McAvoy and Corey Zirbel at guard, and David Moosman anchoring the line.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Michigan Wolverines Football articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
21 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete