Michigan Football Fall Practice Preview: What to Watch for on Offense

Finally, we get to start talking about actual football practice. Yeah we’re just “talkin bout practice,” but at least helmets and pads are set to be strapped on across the country and in Ann Arbor starting on Monday. 

There are a lot of questions to be answered for the Wolverines heading into the opener against Western Michigan and I will examine the most important things to look for over the next few weeks along with a few tidbits from summer workouts that might get you overly excited or overly depressed depending on the type of fan you are.

Key Player

I’ll start by taking a look at the offense. When you talk about offense at Michigan these days you start the conversation with Denard Robinson.

Robinson is already pretty much everyone’s favorite Wolverine and there a thousand reasons why that could be true. Any quarterback that has proven the ability to throw the ball and run faster than the speed of sound would get almost anyone excited, but it’s his work ethic that sets him apart. Work ethic translates into leadership and nobody works harder. 

The monumental improvement in Robinson’s ability as a quarterback from his freshman to sophomore season is highly documented and leaves many fans wondering if he can achieve the same type of result in his junior season. I’m not exactly expecting that type of night and day jump, but it does bode well for his ability to pick up a new offense quickly, which is a significant task for any quarterback.

The “new” offense, particularly taking snaps from under center, is not entirely new to Robinson either. In high school, Robinson ran a similar offense and had success, so he isn't starting with an entirely clean slate.

Another plus for this transition as opposed to the previous one under Rich Rodriguez, is that you can expect new Offensive Coordinator, Al Borges, to do a better job molding the playbook to suit his talent. The previous staff ran what they knew and Borges will too, but the days of “Shoelace” taking it the distance out of the Shotgun formation on a designed run are not over. We saw it in the spring game and you will see it throughout the season as well – just not 30 times a game.

Key Position Battle

Without Robinson carrying the load running the ball, the coaches expect someone to step up and take command of the running back position. Unfortunately, nobody laid claim to the starting up in spring ball. Not Senior Michael Shaw, not the popular choice Stephen Hopkins and not Michael Cox. The list goes on and on. We all have our favorites and each candidate, including guys like Fitz Toussaint have the ability to be the guy, but for this team to get to that 8-9 win area someone is going to have to take the starting job. The coaches do not want a running back by committee approach.

The answer could very well come in the form of incoming freshman, Thomas Rawls. I’ve talked about Thomas Rawls and his ability to help this team right away several times and it is a very real possibility that he shoulders the load as the season progresses. If Hopkins or Shaw don’t step up in summer camp Rawls could start from day 1. He’s got that type of potential.

Rawls still has a little work to do with the NCAA Clearinghouse, but final word should come soon and I expect it to be good news.

The good news for both the running backs and quarterbacks are that the offensive line is a year older and stronger. They have had an excellent summer workout season and have all added significant weight and strength. The coaches want to see them become a much more physical group and that will be something that will be key to develop during fall practice.

Strongest Group

Offensive Guard, Patrick Omameh, is up to 300 pounds and I think he is primed for an All-Big Ten season. He’s an athletic, intelligent guy who has been very good at times already, but just needed to add a little strength to take it to the next level and I expect he does just that.

Taylor Lewan is one guy that the won’t have to prod too much in order for him to become more physical. He looks like an absolute monster already and has the frame to add more weight. More importantly, he already has that mean streak and mentality to drive somebody right into the ground. We saw him take a few penalties last year because of it, so hopefully he can pick and choose his spots a little better. If he continues to progress he could very easily be the next first round draft pick for the Wolverines.

David Molk needs nothing more than to stay healthy to realize his full potential at center. He is the leader of this unit and has everything that you would want at the position. Hopefully he can put together a full season, because this team is significantly worse without him.

One position battle of note will be between Senior Mark Huyge and Redshirt Sophomore Michael Schofield for the starting spot at right tackle. Huyge has the experience, but I think Schofield is the better athlete and could win out at  some point this season. Should be a great battle between the two this summer.

While the starting unit is very strong and there are some quality backups available, there isn’t much depth. Health along the line will be vital to Michigan’s offensive success this year and even if they stay healthy, you can expect incoming freshman Chris Bryant to be forced into actions at some point. He’s got a Big Ten body already, so it’s not all bad, but you’d always like to be able to redshirt lineman unless they are just too good to keep off of the field.

The Rest

Tight Ends are thin this year as well because the previous scheme didn’t utilize or recruit the position well. Senior Kevin Koger has all of the tools to be a stud at the position, but has had trouble holding onto the ball the past few years. Perhaps getting him more involved in the game will help his focus.

Behind Koger there isn’t much that you can count on. Brandon Moore has the frame and size you would like to see, but will likely provide more value blocking than as a receiver downfield. Former big-time receiver prospect Ricardo Miller has moved to the position this year and could potentially be a big help in the middle of the field as a receiver, but he needs to add some weight before he could contribute every down as a tight end.

Incoming freshman Chris Barnett is someone who could possibly contribute early as well, but he is coming off of a pretty bad knee injury that could slow his progress. His knee is coming along well, but he has some work to do in order to get into game shape. Lack of depth may force him into early playing time anyway as long as he is healthy enough. Hopefully, he comes along quickly, they could really use a 6’5, 245 pound frame in the middle of the field.

You could argue that the wide receiver is the strongest position group experience wise, but every player on the depth chart still has a lot to prove.There is a lot of depth and some very good talent this year, but they will need someone who can stretch the field and go up and get the ball. 

Daryl Stonum would have been an ideal candidate for this position as he has great speed and very good size, but his off-the-field issues will force him to sit out this season. Just yesterday Coach Hoke announced that the talented receiver would redshirt for the 2011 season. He really is a good guy, but Hoke has done the right thing and Stonum will have a year to prove that he is ready to have the privilege of playing football again.

So who will be able to give them that downfield threat? I expect that it will be senior Junior Hemingway. Hemingway does not have near the speed that Stonum possesses, but he has a knack for catching the ball at it’s highest point and does a good job getting open. He has a huge frame and uses his body well to make plays on the ball. Can he stay healthy and remained focused enough to be Robinson’s go to guy? They started building a good rapport towards the end of the year and hopefully they can build on that this year.

Roy Roundtree was the standout receiver last year, but I’m not sure he is the type of big-play receiver this new offensive needs. I expect that he will lead this group again this year, but he seems like the type of guy who really benefited from the previous offensive style. He’s been proving everybody wrong since day one, so hopefully he can continue to surprise this year.

Guys like Martavious Odoms and Drew Dileo will contribute and likely make key contributions throughout the season, but they aren’t game breakers.

In my opinion Jeremy Gallon and Jerald Robinson are two guys to watch this August. They both have big-play ability, but have not been able to make good on it yet. They are both very young and have different skill sets, but could provide some big play ability if everything clicks.

Finally, it is time to talk place-kicking. I almost don’t even want to bring it up, but it must be done. The position features a lot of walk-ons and two scholarship players. The roster is highlighted by two returning kickers Seth Broekhuizen and Brandon Gibbons, which would be great if they hadn’t combines to be 4-14 last year. Neither kicker has shown any ability at any point of being a starting kicker, so it is best just to turn our attention to incoming freshman Matt Wile.

The exciting part is that Matt Wile is as ready to kick as a freshman can be. He has proven to be capable off kicking off of the ground, which is the biggest hurdle for any kicker during their transition from high school to college. He has outstanding technique and the ability to kick from distance, but the likelihood that he will have to punt as well for the first 4 weeks won’t do him any favors.

A lot of people think that doing both will be way to much for the freshman to take on in his first year, but it can be done. He has the right makeup mentally to handle the task and that is as important as anything else when it comes to the kicking game. I expect some early jitters, but if fans can be patient for the first couple of kicks I think he will get stronger as the year moves on.

Stay tuned for a look at the defense later this week and as always visit the Michigan Recruiting Board and The Guide to the Incoming Class of 2011 for a look at the future of Michigan football.

Check out my website, www.5thQuartersports.com, which features this story along with other articles and reports on college and other major sports. You can also follow me on Twitter for real-time updates on recruiting and other breaking news, @5thQuarterMatt.