Big House Blurbs

Spring game analysis

I cannot give you accurate statistics, I cannot give you an official attendance figure, and I'm not positive which team won. But I swear I attended today's spring game, and I have a few opinions on it.

The Good

-Defensively, you had to like what you saw. Guys were active, before and after the whistle, and they appeared to react to what was happening around them quicker than we've seen in recent years. There is a reasonably high level of detail that goes into what these guys were doing, and yet they didn't appear to be "thinking" too much. Specifically, I like that Mike Martin was moving all over the defensive line to create mismatches for himself. Martin is a playmaker and his playmaking ability is somewhat stymied when he's lined up inside. I like the movement. I also liked the play of Jake Ryan (quick off the end) and Carvin Johnson (seemed to always be in position to make a play).

-Michael Cox. I recognize that his handful of carries is a small sample size, but he made the most of them, taking one 68 yards for a score. Coach Hoke was not very complimentary when asked to assess his running backs as a whole, but he did say Cox had a very good day.

The Bad

-Quarterbacks. Denard had a poor day passing and had problems receiving the snap from under center. Still, in the framework of a "real" game in which he's permitted to run until he scores or is tackled, Denard is a real talent. I've seen it before and I'm not concerned. As for back-up Devin Gardner, frankly, he didn't show me much today. Like Denard, Devin's ability to make plays with his feet was largely neutralized today, so I'm keeping that in mind. As a passer, he was inaccurate --- throwing back to back interceptions --- though to his credit, he hooked up with Je'Ron Stokes (Stokes pushed off the defender!) for the game-winner in the corner of the end zone. Suffice it to say, both quarterbacks have a lot of work to do.

-Kickers. Explanation unnecessary.

Three questions entering Saturday's spring game

There's probably more than three, but the sun peaking through the windows at Panera is unforgiving and I'm wearing a long sleeve flannel. Gotta move fast.

Place kickers: Didn't matter if it was Brendan Gibbons or Seth B. getting the nod, Michigan couldn't buy a field goal in 2010. Absolutely unacceptable for a Big Ten program to be this bad at such an important position. Rich Rod claimed his two kickers performed fine in practice but just couldn't get it done on Saturdays. I'm guessing Rich wasn't being entirely forthcoming about what transpired between Monday and Thursday. One thing that's not up for debate, however, is the level of mental toughness a kicker needs to perform well in pressure situations. Both Gibbons and Seth B. were freshmen a year ago, so I'm not ready to discount either as being able to piece together a quality career at Michigan. Coach Hoke said this week that Kris Pauloski and Jeremy Ross are also in the mix. I don't know much about either one except that neither was better than Gibbons or Seth B. in 2010. Recruit Matt Wile arrives in the fall, but I'm not excited about the idea of another season of a freshman kicker. Someone already on the team needs to run away with this job, and surely, a strong performance Saturday can go a long way toward doing that.

Devin Gardner: Most of the quarterback talk this spring has centered around Denard Robinson and whether he'll be able to adapt to a new system. I believe this is a non-issue, or at least a minor issue, as the coaching staff will do whatever is necessary to ensure Robinson's strengths are being highlighted. What does concern me, though, is Robinson's durability. He came out of 10 games last season, and although he'll be running less this time around, he's still going to take a pounding due to the nature of the position. If Robinson goes down, does Michigan have a reliable back-up at quarterback? I don't know. Tate Forcier, perhaps the best back up quarterback in the Big Ten in 2010, is now playing for Miami, leaving Michigan with Devin Gardner as the next guy in should something happen to Denard. Depending who you ask, Gardner was a five-star recruit and one of the best quarterbacks in the 2010 class. But that's all we know at this point. He played very little last year before suffering a back injury, which prompted Rich Rod to say that they'll seek a medical redshirt for Gardner. (We won't find out for a couple of years whether the NCAA grants it) Frankly, Gardner should have been redshirted from the very beginning but the coaching staff wanted to send a message to Forcier that because of his poor attitude and laziness, he was going to begin the season No. 3 on the depth chart. I digress. From the little I've seen, Gardner is not yet an accurate passer, and when asked to evaluate Gardner's spring, Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges seem reluctant to praise him beyond stating the obvious, that he's "gifted" and "talented." On Saturday Gardner has a chance to show he might be a reliable back up if called on this season.

Defense: Have they gotten faster? Are they in better position to make plays? Are they getting off of blocks, something Rich Rod said was the biggest issue last year? Are multiple defenders getting to the ball carrier? Will four down linemen make a difference? Have the young corners gotten better? Is Will Campbell ready to start living up to the hype? Has either Craig Roh or Jibreel Black developed into a solid pass rusher. Basically, I have a lot of questions concerning the D.

A look at the linebackers

This morning I asked my Twitter followers to respond by naming the position group that intrigues them the most entering Saturday's Spring Game. Whichever group got the most votes is the one I'd blog about today. Of my 463 followers, only one got back to me. So if you're not happy with me breaking down the linebackers, blame Toddjudy, not me.

Todd writes: Kenny Demens will be the Mike, but who steps up as the other 2? I think there is some talent on the roster

The MIKE position Todd refers to is another name for middle linebacker, and I agree with his assessment of Demens. Demens took over for an inffective Obi Ezeh midway through last season and seemed to play pretty well. He's got good size (6-1, 250), can tackle well, and runs OK. A shoulder injury has limited Demens this spring, so I'm not sure whether he'll play Saturday. If not, you might see Isaiah Bell, a redshirt sophomore who has yet to play for the Wolverines. But Demens will eventually be the guy at Mike, you can count on it.

For the second spring in a row, Cam Gordon has elicited excellent reviews from his coaches. Last year, Gordon was switching from receiver to safety, and according to just about everyone, he played very well in the spring. Then fall came and Gordon had a poor scrimmage and was mostly pedestrian in games. But that's what you should expect out of a redshirt freshman, especially one making a position switch. It was unfair to think he was going to excel, frankly. At SAM (strongside linebacker), Gordon will be expected to cover tight ends and lay wood to running backs. I like this kid. By all accounts, he's mature and hard working, and I'm very impressed by his continued development physically. He has really taken care of his body; he looked like an animal at last week's practice.

At WILL (weakside linebacker), be prepared to see Mike Jones. Frankly, we don't know much about him. He played sparingly two years ago as a freshman and broke his leg two games into last season and never came back. Based on practices, he's working with the first team defense.

In recap, your perceived leaders to win the starting linebacker jobs are Kenny Demens (middle), Cam Gordon (strongside) and Mike Jones (weakside). It's not a great bunch, at least not yet, but I'm encouraged by Demens and Gordon. As I said earlier, I don't know much about Jones.

Others possibly in the mix are: Jake Ryan, a redshirt freshman whom Ryan Van Bergen praised during bowl practices; J.B. Fitzgerald, who started three games in 2010 when Jonas Mouton was injured; Brandon Herron, who was a projected starter in 2009 before Craig Roh ripped the job away in the final week of fall camp; and perhaps Marell Evans, who played in 16 games between 2007-08 - starting one - and is back with the program after a two-year absence.