Coach’s Corner: Breakdown of the Secondary
Posted at 8:00am — 8/3/2010
Coach’s Corner: Breakdown of the Secondary
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Cornerbacks:
Weakside Cornerback:
1) Troy Woolfolk – A good argument can be made for Woolfolk being Michigan’s best defensive player. He is a smooth and fluid defensive back with excellent speed. His improvement has been noticeable over a two-year timeframe.
2.) James Rogers – GBMWolverine must give James credit for sticking it out and doing whatever is asked for the benefit of the team. He has good speed, but is not overly physical.
3) Rookie – This is a great opportunity for one of the true freshmen to step in and contribute.
Boundary Cornerback:
1) JT Floyd – He uses his size and hands well. JT has a solid jam and just okay quickness. Just like last year, speedier split ends will be a challenge for him, especially if he is in man coverage.
2) JT Turner – He is noticeably taller, but still is relatively thin. JT, long thought to be a potential big time stud at safety, might just be a better fit at one of the safety positions (Deep, Spur or Bandit) but depth is still needed at cornerback.
3. Same as #3 above- a great place for a true freshman!
Safeties:
Deep Middle Safety:
1a) Cameron Gordon – Cam is a good tackler and plays a physical game. He has solid movement skills. Cam’s coverage skills are still a work in progress and going up against a competent passing team might be a challenge. Again, one problem in evaluating how well Cam may play is that he was going up against Michigan’s passing game in practice, a scenario that provides little work or preparation against the deep, vertical game.
1b) Vlad Emilen – Vlad is the best deep middle defender on the team in our opinion. He reads well and shows a good short burst. When healthy Vlad does a good job at safety and staying healthy is the biggest problem for him right now. Others can catch up by getting extra playing time in practice when Vlad is injured.
2) Teric Jones – Teric is still learning his new position and he has bounced between deep safety and bandit.
Spur/Hybrid Outside Linebacker:
1) Thomas Gordon – Thomas is a solid, physical tackler. His coverage skills are still a work in progress.
2) Mike Williams – He plays a solid, physical game and is a good run defender. Mike needs to play better in space.
3) Floyd Simmons – You have to love this kid, a walk-on who does whatever is asked and always gives 100%. If only Floyd was a little bigger or a little better athlete.
Bandit/Box safety:
1) Jordan Kovacs – A good argument could be made for Jordan being the most improved defender this spring. He is a good tackler and has a head for the game. Quicker, elusive slot receivers/split ends will be a challenge in coverage.
2) Brandon Hawthorne – Brandon is possibly the best blitzer on the team. Really explosive and finishes his tackles. Like many in this group, his coverage skills are a work in progress.
3) Cam Gordon- If Vlad can stay healthy this spot could be a perfect fit for Gordon.
4) Rookie – could a freshmen, say Marvin Robinson, help here?
Comments:
The secondary is again a huge concern. An injury to either starting cornerback would be scary, and an injury to both simultaneously; we do not even want to think about that scenario, which is truly scary since the starting nod might then go to players that have not even taken a snap at the college level.
The overall depth chart is starting to fill in, but the quality of players coming in and seeing major playing time is still a question mark. Yes, somebody is likely to play with limited snap or experience this year, but will said player(s) be truly ready or just be forced to play due to depth and talent issues? In our opinion there is a big difference between playing because of need or because of performance at the collegiate level.
Michigan is counting on players with reasonable potential to step up and produce without having seen much game action. Sometimes there is just plain uncertainty regarding readiness level when newcomers step on the field in game action.
Vlad, can he stay healthy? GBMWolverine was the first to report about Vlad’s injury and the knee brace he was wearing. Some reported it was just a wrap, but we saw on several occasions it was a complete knee brace just like the offensive linemen wear, so you know the knee was bothering him this spring and he wore it during spring practices.
Cam Gordon did some work at bandit this spring.
The key to Marvin Robinson’s playing time will be picking up the defense. The hybrids are among the toughest positions to learn, with many responsibilities, and in our opinion Jordan Kovac’s box safety/bandit position is the tougher of the two spots to learn. The hybrid bandit needs to force opponents to the flat and master all the rerouting/positioning techniques that accompany this assignment, play a deep 1/2 coverage in cover 2, and play strong run support from 7 to 8 yards on the hash.
One of the biggest question marks for this group is how well it can collectively defend a passing team that uses the entire field and has deep threat capabilities. As stated at other times on this site, GBMWolverine was not able to see this group play this spring against many passing situations other than the horizontal slot game (which is what the offense practices), especially the deep vertical game. So, it will be interesting to see what happens when the games are played and Michigan must defend a system distant from its own.
Again, UM may possibly be counting on true freshman to come in and see playing time or compete on the two-deep chart. Freshmen can play well, but also can make critical mistakes. This is why coaches like the luxury of talented, contributing seniors.
Written by GBMWolverine Staff
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