Michigan Tuesday: Double Doug Dutch

Sometimes, professional sports amaze me. The latest example is former Wolverine Doug Dutch. For those of you that don't remember DD (no, not Demar Dorsey) let me give you a refresher course.

"Come on guys it's a ball bearings these days!  Na Hay"

Doug came to Michigan as a wide receiver/cornerback prospect out of Washington DC in 2004.  He started his Wolverine career as a WR and caught a couple of passes and returned a few kicks, but never really saw any playing time.  So he decided to move to CB before his senior year, recording one tackle and playing mostly on special teams. 

Doug went undrafted but was signed in the 2009 preseason by the Washington Redskins.  Doug played well in the last preseason game by making three tackles, but was cut in September during the last rosters moves.  After that Doug tried to take his services to the Las Vegas Locomotives in the UFL but was cut from that team as well.  

So it doesn't look good for DD to continue his professional football career right?  Wrong.  The phone rings in November of 2009—it's the Redskins again, and they want him to join their practice squad, which he does.  In January 2010, he signs a small contract with the Redskins.

Yesterday, Doug Dutch was traded to the Baltimore Ravens for QB John Beck from BYU, a second round draft pick in 2007, and the 40th overall pick. Wow!  Good Luck to Doug with the Ravens.  I wonder if the Locomotives are kicking themselves?

• The only newsworthy thing that came out of media day for Michigan fans was that RB Michael Shaw might be having some issues in the classroom and might not be eligible to start fall practice next week.  At this point, there are still two weeks left in summer school, so we will see.

• Jim Delany, the Big Ten Commissioner, said he expects the league to play a championship game next year and that the league may play ning conference games in the future . Here are my ranked spots for the Big Ten Championship game:

1. Indianapolis: The city has a new indoor stadium and is used to holding big events.
   
2. Ford Field: Also has a new indoor stadium and some new hotels/casinos that could support the event.
   
3. St. Louis:  This may be a surprise pick for some, but it's very centrally located and might be less expensive to travel to then other cities.  It's also a town that is used to tourism with lots of hotels and the arch.
   
4. Minneapolis: Features an old indoor stadium, and has hosted big events.
   
5. Outdoor Stadiums which include: Green Bay, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.  I know many in the media want an outdoor venue for the championship, but they won't be playing $100 a ticket to sit outdoors.   I think it could be an option, but I would rather see the Big Ten think about their fans and pick a stadium where they could play in 72 degrees.
   

• Jack Tabb, a TE/DE from New Jersey, visited Ann Arbor yesterday.  Jack is rated 3-stars by Rivals, but has a nice offer list that includes a number of Big Ten schools and Florida.