Michigan Football: What Brady Hoke and the Wolverines Must Focus on This Spring

With the news of the position changes coming down in Ann Arbor, and then the notice that the game at Notre Dame has been moved to a nighttime affair, there has been plenty of football chatter swirling around the Michigan Wolverines' program this week. Well, throw another log onto that ever-burning football fire as Brady Hoke kicks off his second spring in Ann Arbor this Saturday.

Excitement is even higher now than it was in Hoke's first season, and that is due largely to the Wolverines' win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. Throw in the excitement of a Top Ten finish, mix in a lot of talent returning, add in a recruiting class that was among the nation's best and what you get is the maize and blue fanbase ready to explode. Brady Hoke has got an opportunity to really stoke the fire of one of the nation's most faithful groups of fans and that 2012 flame gets more fuel with the start of spring ball.

But, going into this spring, the Wolverines have a lot of opportunity for growth as the team that won 11 games a season ago loses some important pieces. The team needs improvement out of the returners in order to make back-to-back trips to the BCS.

Losing a guy like Rimington Award winner David Molk, and defensive leaders such as Mike Martin, Ryan Van Bergen and Troy Woolfolk, means that while there are chances for players to get on the field, the team is losing the element of leadership each of these seniors brought to the table. So as new guys like Ricky Barnum, Craig Roh and Jibreel Black shuffle positions to fill the holes, they will also be tasked with assuming a more prominent leadership role.

While leadership is a nebulous term that manifests itself in many different ways, the truly palpable need this spring comes at the quarterback position. Both Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner need to show growth so that Al Borges can truly work his offensive magic and open up the playbook.

Sure, the Wolverines won the Sugar Bowl over Virginia Tech, but in the end the quarterback position was 10-22 with a 2:1 touchdown to reception ratio and just 128 total yards. Ultimately Michigan was a couple of really outstanding, and freakish, plays from taking the loss in New Orleans.

Spring defensive growth must continue, but the biggest thing Hoke and Borges need to see and Michigan fans need to hope for is progress at the quarterback spot. Accuracy on throws. Consistency in making the smart read. Patient, calm footwork that will put Robinson in a position to make the quick throw when needed. Ball security. Intelligent decisions on when to run for yardage and when to move laterally for more time to throw.

That's the sort of growth Wolverines fans need to be looking for as the first of 15 practices starts up on Saturday. If Shoelace can make those improvements then the Wolverines could be headed to their second consecutive BCS game.