Round Pegs in Square Holes? A Look at Michigan’s Offense

MX - LenDale White, Jacob Hester
Outside WR - Calvin Johnson, Braylon Edwards, Mike Williams
Slot WR - Percy Harvin, Peter Warrick, Santana Moss
TE - Kellen Winslow Jr.
OL - Jake Long, Jake Long, Jake Long, Jake Long, Jake Long (I’m sure there are plenty of others, I just can’t think of any off the top of my head.  Jake Long is ideal though - he is 6-7, 315, but he is very lean and athletic)

Now that we’ve established idyllic, unreachable archetypes, let’s take a look at what Michigan is working with.

Current Offensive Personnel

QB - Steven Threet (6-6, 230)

Obviously not the prototypical QB that you’d like to run the spread-option, but at times he has shown that he is capable.  He’s the only guy on the roster who can actually throw, so he’s got that going for him, and he is actually a pretty decent runner. 

He’s not going to roll up 100 yards a game a la Pat White or Vince Young, but he’s shown the ability to pick up first downs, get solid yardage on designed runs, and make the defense look stupid every once in a while (TD against Miami, OH, 58-yarder against Wisconsin).

I’m not gonna dog Nick Sheridan like many have the past few days.  He’s a guy who’s worked hard and gotten the most out of his talent.  The only reason he’s playing is because of Threet’s injuries and the team’s lack of depth. 

SB - Brandon Minor (6-1, 214)/Sam McGuffie (5-11, 185)

Against PSU, Minor showed that a bigger back can do damage in this offense as well.  He’s the number-one guy for the time being, provided he doesn’t regress back to fumbling every fourth time he touches the ball (true stat from the first six games).

McGuffie, Michael Shaw (6-0, 185), and Avery Horn (5-10, 185) are the speedy scat-back types preferred by Rodriguez.  McGuffie has also shown effectiveness as a receiver, whether he’s coming out of the backfield or lining up in the slot.

One of the biggest disappointments of the season is that Carlos Brown (6-0, 213) has barely played at all due to a variety of injuries.  In my opinion he’s the best all-around back Michigan has.  He is about the same size as Minor, but with as much or more speed than the smaller backs. 

MX - Kevin Grady (5-9, 228)/FB - Mark Moundros (6-1, 232)

Chiefly short-yardage guys.  Moundros is also a terrific lead blocker.

O-Line

The current rotation consists of one highly touted prospect - Steve Schilling (6-5, 295), three former back-ups - Tim McAvoy (6-6, 288), David Moosman (6-5, 292), Mark Ortmann (6-7, 294), a redshirt freshman - David Molk (6-2, 282), a former walk-on - Perry Dorrestein (6-7, 308), and a former DT who switched positions about a week before the Utah game - John Ferrara (6-4, 274).  Yeah.

Projected starter Cory Zirbel (6-5, 292) and potential starter Mark Huyge (6-6, 292) have both missed every game with injuries. 

Outside WR

Michigan has plenty of these guys, and they fit the offense well (Tall, rangy, possession guys).  Greg Matthews (6-3, 207), Darryl Stonum (6-2, 190), Junior Hemingway (6-1, 214), Toney Clemons (6-3, 201).

Slot WR

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