espn insider

[wolverine304]

Two stories on espn about michigan. About the bama game. And about the depth chart next year. Wondering if someone with insider could post them here please.

 

[thewolverines24]

Here's the one on the 2012 Offensive Depth Chart:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It seems as if quarterback Denard Robinson has been at Michigan forever, now going into his third season as a starter.

But Michigan comes off a 23-20 overtime win over Virginia Tech in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in which the offense didn't do much -- 184 total yards -- and there are some questions about the future, if not the personnel. But the players offensive coordinator Al Borges will have in 2012 is a reason for hope. Here's an early look at how that might shake out.

Quarterback

[+] EnlargeDenard Robinson
Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesDenard Robinson and the Michigan offense produced ony 184 total yards in the Sugar Bowl.
In the fold: Robinson took a step back during the Sugar Bowl. He couldn't build off back-to-back strong performances to close the regular season and reverted to his old ways. Still, it'll be his team next season, and he needs to improve against a tougher schedule for Michigan to have success. Junior Devin Gardner remains his backup -- and could see snaps if/when Borges moves Robinson to running back or wide receiver for a play or two in the "Deuce" package. Redshirt freshman Russell Bellomy was a somewhat frequent mention from Borges and Hoke during practices late in the season as one showing improvement, but he won't see much time next season if Robinson and Gardner stay healthy.

Needs: Besides a more accurate Robinson, none. Robinson is the immediate future, Gardner the heir apparent, and Bellomy could fight both Gardner and 2013 quarterback commitment Shane Morris (Warren, Mich./De La Salle) for snaps as early as 2013 and certainly in 2014.

Who to watch: Robinson. Michigan will go as far as Robinson can take it next season. He needs to shake the erratic play that led to an inconsistent junior season. Borges has long said how quarterbacks under him improve from their first to second seasons. If Robinson has that kind of improvement, he could be in for a special season. If he doesn't have that improvement, the Wolverines will struggle.

Running back

In the fold: Redshirt junior starter Fitzgerald Toussaint gained 1,041 yards this season and will be the likely starter going into next season. It his job to lose, but he'll likely receive some push from sophomore Thomas Rawls as well as senior Vincent Smith, who will return as the third-down back. Fullback Stephen Hopkins could steal some short-yardage and goal-line carries from Toussaint and even Robinson.

Needs: Continue to recruit bigger backs. Michigan couldn't get Bri'onte Dunn to switch his Ohio State commitment to Michigan, but the Wolverines have commitments from 6-foot, 205-pound Drake Johnson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and 5-11, 210-pound fullback Sione Houma (Salt Lake City/Highland). Michigan is already making strides for 2013 with Ty Isaac (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic) and Wyatt Shallman (Novi, Mich./Central Catholic) expressing early interest in Michigan.

Who to watch: Toussaint. The Youngstown, Ohio, native could be in for a special season. Teams will still gameplan heavily for the special talents of Robinson, which could leave holes for Toussaint almost by default. That would be a mistake. Toussaint has NFL talent and could be in line for a big season.

Wide receiver

In the fold: This is a position in flux. Junior Hemingway departs after an efficient senior season with no one to really replace him. Darryl Stonum was the obvious option, however his recent legal troubles leave his future in question. If Hoke keeps him, he becomes the top option. Roy Roundtree returns for his senior season after a massive drop in production last season. However, expect Roundtree to rebound as he becomes more comfortable in Borges' offense. Jeremy Gallon was a beneficiary of Roundtree's struggles -- but expect him to split time with Roundtree next season. Drew Dileo and Jeremy Jackson provide depth, but watch out for Jerald Robinson, who could emerge as a strong option especially if Stonum doesn't play for Michigan anymore.

Needs: As good as Michigan's 2012 recruiting class is, the one thing it lacks is a big-play receiver to replace Hemingway. Jerald Robinson could be that player, but it isn't a guarantee, as he'll enter his redshirt sophomore season with no career catches. Michigan has a decent haul at receiver in this class with 6-2, 195-pound Amara Darboh (West Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling) and 6-3, 182-pound Jehu Chesson (Chesterfield, Mo./Ladue Horton Watkins). However, look for Michigan to go after wide receivers hard in 2013 -- especially with Roundtree exhausting his eligibility after the 2012 season.

Who to watch: Jerald Robinson. The 6-1, 206-pound receiver is a bit of a wild-card -- there's a chance he might not beat out other guys on the roster -- but he has big-play potential and could be an impact player for the Wolverines down the road. If Stonum doesn't play -- and that is an if at this point -- watch for Robinson to be forced to step up.

Tight end

In the fold: This is the most bare position on the offense. Kevin Koger and Steve Watson are gone. Brandon Moore and Ricardo Miller are Michigan's top options heading into next season, but neither has had a distinguished career to this point. Miller has yet to catch a pass, and Moore has barely played. Look for Devin Funchess (Farmington Hills, Mich./Harrison) to at least be given an opportunity to see some early playing time, especially if he can put some weight on his frame by the time fall camp comes around.

Needs: Michigan needs to replace Koger, who was a good receiving tight end and an adequate blocker. Funchess is a good potential option there, but don't be surprised if Michigan eventually goes toward more balanced tight ends in the future. The position will become even more featured as Borges transitions the Michigan offense from a spread to pro-style.

Who to watch: Funchess. He has a chance to play early and don't be surprised if he fulfills that promise. His 6-4, 215-pound body is somewhat skinny for a true tight end, but don't be shocked if he enters fall camp with 10-15 pounds of added muscle, which could make him into at least a passable tight end as a true freshman.

More on Michigan

WolverineNation Everything Michigan, from recruiting to news to game coverage, is available at ESPN.com's WolverineNation.

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[thewolverines24]

Opening Against Bama:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Michigan football team is coming off an 11-2 season, its first BCS bowl win in over a decade, and the first year with a coach who is attempting to restore the Wolverines' program to its previous luster.

WolverineNation sat down with Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon for a wide-ranging half-hour interview that covered multiple topics. One of those, obviously, was football, football scheduling and the future of conferences.

WolverineNation: When you put the Alabama game together, you knew you could be playing the defending national champion in the season opener in 2012. Does that being the case change the dynamic of the game? Does it add something to it from your perspective?

[+] EnlargeNick Saban
AP Photo/Dave MartinNick Saban and A.J. McCarron will lead Alabama into the season opener against Michigan in Dallas.
Dave Brandon: "When I was watching the game, I was thinking as the game ended, 'Gee, the next time Alabama plays, it's going to be against Michigan. That's the next game.' The fact that we're playing the defending national champions takes a game that already had a lot of visibility and a lot of national interest to probably even a higher level. It'll be a real test and real motivational opportunity for our coaches and our players because all spring ball and all summer and all fall camp they are focused on that their first contest is going to be against the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide. I think that is a terrific challenge and a great opportunity."

WN: Are these the only type of one-off games that you'd even really look at, against an LSU or an Alabama or a team in the top five perennially?

DB: "Yes. I don't see going to a neutral site to play a game that doesn't have that much national interest. If we're going to leave our cozy home in Ann Arbor and going to go play in a neutral-site venue, we're going to do it in a way where our fans are going to want to travel; it's going to have national appeal; the networks are going to want to put it on in prime time. To me, if you're not going to do it that way, then why do it? So yes, I think it's always going to be an interesting matchup with another big brand or program that will really be of interest to fans."

WN: Now that you've had a couple of weeks to sit with the Big Ten/Pac-12 partnership, is there more or less benefit than people realize, especially when it comes to football scheduling and from a Michigan perspective?

DB: "People get fixated on football. We have 29 sports here and football is one of them and if you don't get fixated on football, you get fixated on men's basketball, right? But we look at this as a collaboration that affords us the ability to get a lot of our teams to travel to a completely different location, compete against schools we wouldn't get a chance to compete against, expand the footprint of where we go and who we compete against. We will take our brand on the road to markets that are really important and really big that we normally wouldn't get to. That could just as easily be for volleyball and softball and baseball and track and field as it would be for football and basketball. It's a big idea, a significant shift in terms of where we are going as a conference and a great opportunity for the fans. This is really going to fill one of those spots that a lot of people have complained that we're playing non-conference games against less-than-quality opponents and our fans want to see us play big brands, big programs, big contests. The way this is going to get arranged, whatever sport it is, we're going to get matched up against a counterpart that will generate a lot of interest and be highly competitive. I see that as good for the fans, good for TV, good for our student-athletes and probably everybody is going to like it except the coaches because it is another tough game."

WN: Do you look at the partnership as maybe the beginning of the whole super-conference theory?

[+] EnlargeDave Brandon
AP Photo/Max Collins, The Michigan DailyAD Dave Brandon sees the partnership with the Pac-12 as a 'better alternative' to the notion of a superconference.
DB: "I don't think it is the beginning of that; I think it is an alternative to that. To me, I think it is a way to create a lot of benefits of the super-conference in terms of expanding your footprint, getting into more markets, playing against some more interesting opponents without getting into some of the problems associated with a super-conference. This is the best of all worlds. We still are the Big Ten, still maintain control of our own scheduling, are still going to play one another and have close association with our colleagues within the conference but in addition to all those positives, we're also going to be able to create a more consistent pattern of travel and connection with a conference that I think shares a lot of similarities. Rather than a step in a different direction, I think it is a better alternative to the super-conference."

WN: When I say super-conferences, if it becomes four huge conferences, if that's the future of the NCAA or major college sports is it becomes four conferences, is that a possible way it could go?

DB: "Oh, that's been talked about for years. Bo (Schembechler) was talking about that years ago. There's always been a school of thought out there that over time the big are going to get bigger and there's going to be a separation and these mega-national conferences are going to form. I don't know. I wouldn't necessarily think that. I don't think it would necessarily be healthy and you're already seeing some of the dysfunctionality of it when schools are joining conferences for one sport only. To us at the Big Ten, a conference affiliation is way more than scheduling a football game. It's scheduling a whole bunch of sports. It's academic connection. The presidents are all part of a council that work together very closely, and the ADs are all part of a group that work together closely. We think about policies and programs and things that are not just about student-athlete and sport but about research and collaboration on the academic side. That's what a conference should really be about. So when you start doing these I'm playing these sports in one conference and playing these other sports in another conference, you're going to start piece-mealing that and I think you start losing a lot of what a true conference should be. So, that's my opinion. Those people all have compelling reasons for doing what they are doing, I know, but I think in some cases it is unfortunate."

WN: When you look back, you've had a little time to reflect on the football season. What did you think? Big Ten title aside, was it everything you expected?

More on Michigan

WolverineNation Everything Michigan, from recruiting to news to game coverage, is available at ESPN.com's WolverineNation.

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[wolverine304]

Thanks!

 

[uofmdixon]

thanks!

 

[damfran]

Thanks man.

 

[thewolverines24]

No problem guys.