Michigan Football Tidbits: Going into Spring Football — Defensive Line
Posted at 8:00am — 3/5/2010
Michigan Football Tidbits: Going into Spring Football — Defensive Line
It is the beginning of March and the football team will soon be into spring ball. Below is what we think of a few key players:
Of course, the GBMW staff will have a better, more complete idea in a couple of weeks, but this is where the opinion is riding heading into spring football, now less than two weeks away.
Most of these article will be about the defense, but some info is sprinkled in concerning a few offensive players. Obviously the defense is featured because quite frankly this side of the ball currently has so many question marks and much speculation going on, and the burning question remains: who might actually step up this year?
William Campbell:
In our opinion William Campbell is the key player to watch on the defensive front. He has the skill level to be a difference maker. Big Will’s development, and how much he contributes, will go a long way to the eventual defining of how good the defensive line will be.
Craig Roh:
He had a very good freshman year, but can he take the next step improving his game to become a true impact player? We have been hearing rumors that he has gained some weight in the off-season, which is a good thing, and is bigger physically.
The one thing we noticed is that Craig needs to improve on is his run defense, and getting a year in with Coach Barwis, along with adding weight, should help him out. It will be interesting to see if Craig can take over the position that Brandon Graham once occupied so well.
If Roh does not provide Michigan with a presence off the edge, generating any meaningful pass rush from the current players will be difficult. This kid has to play and play well.
The next two players could actually benefit this spring by getting more reps with the first group since Mike Martin is out, but will this opportunity be taken advantage of help and will the two players below finally step it up?
Adam Patterson:
He is a big body who could be a key depth provider. Patterson is a classic tweener in our opinion, not athletic enough to play defensive end and lacking the size to play defensive tackle.
For the past two off-seasons we keep hearing how he is one of Coach Barwis’ hardest workers in the weight room.
As we all know, being a work-out warrior does not always translate on to the football field, but the strange thing is when we observed practices it almost seemed like Patterson just enjoyed being there and did not show the “hunger” to compete for a starting job or playing time. One would think that with what these returning players have had to go through the past couple of years, they would want to rip somebody’s head off when on the practice field.
Renaldo Sagesse:
Here is another player that many are counting on to step up and add depth to the defensive line this year. And here is another big body that could see playing time. If Sagesse can compete and contribute, this would be a big plus, not only for depth issues but also for competition purposes all through the week to make the team better.
The biggest associated factor to the success of Patterson and Sagesse might be what defense Michigan will use in 2010. Will the scheme try and go to more four-man fronts to get some bigger bodies in the game to stop the running game, along with getting more pressure from the defensive line?
Sagesse is another player that always seems to get injured just when it seems he is making a breakthrough, so let us hope he can stay healthy and show the coaches he can play.
Written by GBMW Staff
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