Michigan Football: Denard Robinson and 4 Wolverines Who Will Be Better in 2011

The great irony of Michigan football last year is that although their offense ranked in the top three in the nation in scoring, passing yards, rushing yards and total offense, the team still managed to achieve a disappointing 7-6 record.

Finishing a season with a winning record can be a step forward for many schools.

Rich Rodriguez might be the most brilliant offensive coordinator in college football today, but that's all he is good for in my books.

Head coach? Out of the question.

Michigan being in the top three in the nation in so many offensive categories but finishing with that record leads me to conclude that Rodriguez did not care about defense enough last year.

Enter Brady Hoke, the Michigan man.

Hoke's job is tough: bring Michigan back to the top 10 nationally within the next three-to-five seasons, or even sooner if you're wanting to please the fan base.

This slideshow will lay out which five players I see taking a step forward and leading Michigan back to a more promising record this season.

1. Cam Gordon

Cameron Gordon, redshirt sophomore-to-be, took tremendous strides forward in his first full season last year

Despite Michigan's defense getting run-over in most games, Gordon was usually a bright spot.

His numbers last season were as follows: 77 tackles, 3.5 tackles for losses, three interceptions, four passes broken-up, two fumble recoveries, one blocked kick and a defensive touchdown.

Not too bad for a redshirt freshman.

With former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison coming to coach Michigan's defense, look for the safety/hybrid linebacker Gordon to take a big leap forward this season.

His 6'3", 222-pound frame could even benefit from another 15 pounds if he wanted to play middle linebacker.

If not, I'm sure he could be a tremendous outside linebacker in Michigan's new 4-3 defense.

2. Jordan Kovacs

What a difference between Jordan Kovacs' freshman and sophomore years. 

Kovacs walked onto the team back in 2009, and did not look like he belonged on the field at all. He was out-muscled when it counted the most: making tackles.

Last year was a different story. Kovacs put up 116 tackles, good for second in the Big Ten.

While I don't like seeing Kovacs, a safety, being second in the Big Ten in tackles, this year he should not have to make as many because Michigan is going back to a 4-3 defense.

Kovacs also had eight-and-a-half tackles for losses, one sack, two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass broken-up.

I feel that the redshirt junior will improve tremendously in his pass coverage this season, as I'm sure everyone at Michigan would like to see him register more than one pass broken-up all season.

Expect great things from Kovacs this season.

3. Roy Roundtree

There's just no reason not to be excited about Roy Roundtree and Michigan's receiving squad this season.

The redshirt junior is one of the most dynamic receivers in the Big Ten, and has a chance to score every time the ball is in his hands.

Last season Roundtree set the all-time Michigan record for receiving yards in one game with 246 yards in the marathon overtime game against Illinois.

He is a big play receiver, with 12 catches of over 20 yards and three catches of over 70 yards.

Roundtree's statistics may drop off a bit with the new Brady Hoke pro-style offense instead of the "Rich Rod" offense, but look for Roundtree to still be a significant factor.

Roundtree's ability to block down-field will determine how much he succeeds in the pro-style offense this year.

4. Mike Martin

Senior Mike Martin might have had the hardest job on the entire Michigan team last year.

Nose tackle in a 3-4 defense.

Martin was not physically big enough to fill this position, especially against bigger offensive lines who blew Michigan's defense right off the ball.

Enter Greg Mattison and the 4-3 defense that he used in Baltimore.

Martin will now be a part of a four-man front, making him a force to be reckoned with by opposing centers and guards.

With the 4-3 defense, Martin, who had 37 tackles, six tackles for losses and two and a half sacks, will likely see his numbers rise.

A big reason for these increased numbers will be due to Martin getting more opportunities and less double-teams this coming season.

Fans should look for Martin to be one of the top five defensive linemen in the Big Ten.

5. Denard Robinson

Hold on a second, I thought this was a piece about players who could improve?

Well the truth is that Denard Robinson can improve.

Despite being spectacular in almost every facet of the game last year, setting record after record, achieving feat after feat, Robinson also had some downright awful games.

Eight completions on eighteen attempts?

That's not going to beat Ohio State.

He did have 105 yards rushing that game, but he was kept out of the end zone and Michigan lost 37-7.

Last year Robinson had three interceptions against Michigan State (another loss), and another team Michigan has not beaten recently.

Robinson's ability to slow down the game in front of him as well as how quickly he learns how to pass out of the pocket will dictate how efficiently he settles into Hoke's offense. 

He must use his speed sparingly so teams do not expect him to run as much as he did last year.

Robinson also put on some weight since he was recruited, and now weighs close to 200 pounds.

This should keep him from getting tossed around by other teams if they flush him out of the pocket like they did so often last season.

Look for Robinson to not score as much as last season. Michigan will dictate the flow of play, instead of just scoring and giving the ball back.

Keys to a Successful Season

Michigan's ability to run the ball out of the power-I formation early this year will be an excellent forecast of their record at the end of the season.

We saw last year how the inability to run the ball would force Robinson to either run it himself or make an errant pass.

This ended up giving Michigan little or no hope to keep close with teams that were equally or more skilled than they were.

The transformation to a pro-style West Coast Offense instead of a four wide receiver look every time will be the saving grace for Michigan football.

Some people are not a fan of tradition, but I say if it ain't broken, don't fix it.

Prediction:  Going back to the power run game, Michigan's bread and butter, while still keeping some of the flair from last season, will keep Michigan going and put them back on track for a nine or 10-win season.

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