Michigan Football Tidbits: Offensive players with the most pressure on them?

One frequent discussion on football sites devoted to a specific team centers on players who will have the most pressure on them to have good showings in preseason (fall) practices. Here is a list of players we believe will be under such pressure.

1) M. Shaw: Some may question this pick, but Shaw is going to have some pretty high-level competition. Shaw is probably healthy for the first time since being at Michigan and claims to have his explosiveness back.

But Shaw has struggled both with injuries and some classroom issues. Recall that Michael Shaw, as a result of the above conditions, was out this spring, allowing others a chance to step up.

Although a completely different back, V Smith is going to push M. Shaw. Smith continues to impress coaches and although he lacks the break away speed of Shaw, he certainly is fast enough. Plus, the young dynamo has the best balance and vision of any back on the team.

And don’t forget Michael Cox, who was impressive this spring, especially catching the ball out of the backfield. Cox adds bulk to the backfield, as he now is well over 200 pounds. Michael Cox is a solid back that will put in the work to up his game.

Michael Shaw is going to get every opportunity to succeed, but he needs to be ready straight out of the gate.

2) T. Robinson: Yes, T. Robinson is only a red shirt freshman and has a long way to go at Michigan. But, this fall will be very important, even critical, for T. Robinson.

Current players Odoms, Roundtree, and Stokes (Roundtree and Stokes could also play wideout) show promise at the slot position. Now add in incoming move-master Jeremy Gallon, and further add the huge wildcard of maybe someday seeing D. Robinson playing some slot, and the conclusion is that T. Robinson must show he is capable of earning playing time sooner, rather than later.

Without early progress, it is possible T. Robinson gets passed up by all of the above and he may never recover. Sometimes it is a matter of just getting opportunity and T. Robinson had every opportunity to make a move this spring and did not. So clearly for young Mr. Robinson, fall practice is critical.

3) Mooseman: Probably this is another surprising pick for some. But Moose is going to get some serious pressure early on from Barnum. Barnum is now healthy and the kid is just a perfect fit for this offense. He is probably a shoe-in to be the starter at right tackle a year from now.

Moose has done everything right since Coach Rod became the head coach, and he has worked very hard this summer. But, Schilling is a sure starter at left guard, Molk has become a fixture at offensive center and coaches would prefer not to move Schilling to offensive tackle, leaving right guard as the obvious spot. Right now, Moose is the odds on favorite, but he will be pushed.

4) Stonum: We have conversed about D. Stonum’s potential and performance almost daily. He is being presented with a great opportunity for becoming a fixture at split end. But a lack of progression/performance could eventually relegate Stonum to spot or bench duty.

Darryl has to demonstrate good performance in all areas of the wideout game. Darryl must give evidence he has matured. For example, he has to show he is still going to do his job, even during the stretches when he may not be getting the ball thrown to him as much as he might want. Without improvement, we think people might start giving up on him. And with players like Stokes and maybe Roundtree available to play the wideout, it is not like UM has no other choice. And keep in mind the wideout commitments of 2010.

5) T. Forcier: Perhaps we should have put Tate first on the list, simply because he just gives Michigan the best opportunity to win. But we do think the coaches will help with Tate’s “pressure” (a dream come true actually) by simplifying what Tate needs to do. Further, we predict the coaches will let him improvise when he wants, since he seems very adept at this skill. Finally, pressure can be ratcheted down a notch through the use of a long-awaited D. Robinson package.

6) Huyge: We put Huyge on the list, although we do not really think Huyge considers his situation as being under pressure. Omameh is close to being ready and we think it is just a matter of time before he becomes the starter.

Huyge is the type of kid who just wants to contribute any way he can. So right now, Huyge is the starter, but competition will be fun to watch this fall.

As readers may assess, the situations of the above players are different. Pressure is a self-derived human venture. Competition can demonstrate who accelerates or decelerates progress while dealing with the pressure to gain a starting position. And this is what is about to happen just a few days from now.

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Written by MaizeMan and ErocWolverine

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