Michigan Football: Tidbits from MaizeMan — Spring Practice Recap — More Thoughts
Posted at 6:00am — 5/2/2013
Michigan Football: Tidbits from MaizeMan — Spring Practice Recap — More Thoughts
Okay, I can’t help it, just have to say a couple things (of course, this is my opinion).
1) Mike Cox, was drafted and of course the topic came up that the reason he did not play at Michigan was because of his inability to remember the playbook. For the last time, this is a fabrication that was started by people who simply wanted to justify why previous coaches did not play Cox (now if those same people would of said something to the effect that he fumbled occasionally in practice, or he did not fit the overall offensive scheme) that would be fine. But to try and say a kid, who went to Michigan and as far as I know, had zero grade issues, then goes to UMass. where he played in a more complex system (keep in mind, RR running schemes were very, very simple) is just another example of how people would throw anyone under the bus to try and say they are right or make a point.
August 30, 2012; East Hartford, CT, USA; Massachusetts Minutemen quarterback Mike Wegzyn (10) hands off to running back Michael Cox (5) against the Connecticut Huskies during the second quarter at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-US Presswire2) I need to make a statement about Michigan and recruiting, and the NFL draft. For those who want to criticize me for being so anti-RR let me remind you, I have been harping about our overall recruiting since 2003. Sure, we got some good kids, but the depth of our recruiting (and ability to develop those players) have been poor.
One other note:
There is a huge difference between being able to play at Michigan and being developed up to your potential. The Big 10 (in terms of overall talent) has been down for years and no team as seen such a drastic drop in talent than Michigan.
The fact that we had to continue to play kids like M-Rob, Big Will, even Gardner I could go on and on, as a freshman should tell you about our lack of overall depth and talent.
3) More importantly, when it comes to development, once again I point out, there is a huge difference between putting in the time during S&C and actually improving on one’s development.
Barwis was the best thing during the RR tenure. He was sorely needed, when he came to Michigan our S&C program was not great (however it was more because of lack of emphasis vs. lack of knowledge).
But, and I think if you ask Barwis today he would agree when you ask kids to show up and then a majority amount of time, all you do is run, it gets old quick. S&C is a grind, its tough, but it got to the point where kids just wanted to get through the workout vs. see the end results.
Another negative aspect of all the running, the kids rarely did any extra stuff, they were just so glad they got through the workout, that they left and you did not see the number of kids around to see improvement.
January 1, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator Greg Mattison prior of the 2013 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsNote:
Our current S&C program still has some cardio involved, but it is more centered on quickness and strength, and coaches have really emphasized that all of the S&C is worthless unless you can improve on your fundamentals on the field.
So, as Gardner has recently stated, that he could now throw an “out route” blindfolded or when Coach Mattison keeps telling the players there are drills you can do in summer to help your pass rushing skills, these are positive trends.
4) I don’t know how many NFL players we currently have on our roster, but it is getting harder and harder to differentiate in terms of overall size and speed between Michigan players and NFL. That is not to say, Michigan is close to being as good as a NFL team or Alabama, but we are getting closer at least to Alabama.
Like I stated in my recent post about Clark, the overall program coaches, recruiting, communication to players and parents, physical practices, off-season workouts, ability for a kid to progress, all that is in place and improving all the time.
Now its time for the players, who are big enough and fast enough, to produce.
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Written by GBMWolverine Staff — MaizeMan
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