2012 Spring Game Aftermath Thoughts and E-pinions: Defense

The following is the conclusion on my thoughts and e-pinions on the football team following spring practice. This time I will be focusing on the defense. While the offense was mostly a bore in my e-pinion, the defense looked pretty good. We learned more about the defense than the offense from the spring game this last Saturday. 
Here are some bullets:

• Craig Roh and Jibreel Black fit pretty well in their new positions. Both of them look bigger and maybe even more comfortable at strong-side defensive end and three-tech defensive tackle, respectively. Roh seemed to be around the ball quite a bit and Black was busting through the line on many plays. I tend to take observations like this with a grain of salt, but it is encouraging none the less. As long as Roh is able to contain the edge and Black is able to make good stands on run defense, we should be in decent shape.
• William Campbell in my e-pinion looks better, but is still a bit inconsistent. Some plays he is taking on double teams (his main job) and plugging holes and others he is getting pushed aside. Campbell is going to be a big part of the defensive line this season and we knew that, but he is going to need to be able to consistently take on double teams and dominate the line of scrimmage. The signs are there, but hopefully this summer he can continue to work on his technique. He also looks quite a bit more in shape than in the past.
• Brennen Beyer is the starting weak-side defensive end currently and I think between him and Frank Clark we can't really go wrong. Both are extremely athletic and will be terrors off the edge. Beyer looks bigger as well compared to last season. Clark has the speed to chase down ball carriers from behind, as we seen him run down one this past weekend. Both guys will provide a nice rotation of pass rushers this season.
• Backups on the defensive line include: Keith Heitzman, Richard Ash, Quinton Washington, Ken Wilkins and Chris Rock. At least those are the ones that stuck out to me the most. Heitzman will be a nice backup to Craig Roh at SDE. He was an underrated guy coming out of high school but he appears to have added the necessary weight and was solid during the spring game. Ash was decent in backing up Campbell at nose guard and could get some playing time depending on how incoming freshman Ondre Pipkins shows up in the fall. Washington and Wilkins were underwhelming during the spring in my e-pinion but they could add some decent depth at the defensive tackle positions. Rock on the other hand was bursting into the backfield quite a bit on Saturday. He also looks much bigger and within the next couple years could find some time at the three-tech spot or maybe at strong-side defensive end.
• The linebacker spot looked pretty normal from last year with Desmond Morgan, Kenny Demens and Jake Ryan getting the starts. 
• Morgan is the starting WLB with Antonio Poole and Brandin Hawthorne getting time behind him. Morgan looked good all spring long until he got chopped and hurt during the game. Poole didn't do much to stand out, whether that's good or bad depends on what you think. Hawthorne, on the other hand, tore it up during the game with a couple big tackles for loss and a one handed interception. Hawthorne is the number two WLB in my mind with Poole and freshman Kaleb Ringer there behind him.
• MLB is being patrolled by Kenny Demens. There was talk that freshman Joe Bolden could be pushing Demens for the starting job, but I don't see it. Demens has a few years experience as the starting MLB and is pretty good on the field as well. His coverage abilities are above par and he is a solid tackler. Bolden is going to be a monster in the future and should get some playing time this season, but I think that him and Morgan could be Demens's (spelling?) backup this year. Morgan may slide inside sometime and that will either push Bolden to WLB, where he is a little quicker than Morgan, or he may be a third guy. Time will tell at who plays second team MLB. 
• Finally, SLB is manned by Jake Ryan with Cameron Gordon backing him up. Ryan has the starting experience but Gordon may be a bit more athletic. Both players are great ones and either one that starts in the fall will have a more than capable backup behind him. This is the one linebacking position that has almost no ifs, ans, or buts. 
• Now off to the secondary. Cornerback is pretty much down to Blake Countess and J.T. Floyd as the starters and Courtney Avery and Terrence Talbott as the backups. You could probably throw in Raymon Taylor as well, but I think he is still a year or so away from contributing as a starter. This is arguably the deepest position on the team. Countess is a future star and Floyd is a solid corner with a ton of game experience. Countess made a nice interception in the game, so hopefully that is a sign of things to come for him this season. Avery is a decent corner that will get a lot of time at nickelback and Talbott has looked much better this off season than any other time in his career. 
• At strong safety it is the ever reliant Jordan Kovacs and then Marvin Robinson as his backup. Kovacs is going to be sorely missed after this season. He just simply makes plays, no matter the situation. Robinson has come in and looked solid as his backup and can come up with some big hits as seen during the spring practices.
• Free safety is controlled by Thomas Gordon and, in my mind, is being backed up by freshman Jarrod Wilson. Gordon is a good free safety that has some speed and covers fairly well. He is also solid in run support. Wilson is still learning but may have the biggest upside of any safety we have had on the team in a while.

As you can see from the lengthy writeup we are pretty deep on defense for the most part. Defensive line is the biggest question mark and we knew it since the end of last season. If the guys on the line can pick up the slack that Ryan Van Bergen, Mike Martin and Will Heininger left behind, we will be in good shape. 

2012 Spring Game Aftermath Thoughts and E-pinions: Offense

The 2012 Spring Game was this last Saturday at the Big House. Along with others, I thought this spring game was blah. Nothing good, or bad for that matter, happened last Saturday. In my e-pinion, it was boring to watch on BTN (Big Ten Network) and slow. Maybe it was different at the Big House in person, but I doubt it. 
Below are my thoughts and e-pinions on what we saw this past weekend (and during spring practice in general). I also added a new tab with the unofficial 2-Deep for the Wolverines Football team. The 2-Deep is mostly based on what we witnessed during spring practice, as well as, what I believe the 2-Deep will be going into fall practice. 

• Denard Robinson only played a handful of plays, but he did look a little crisper in his throwing motion. Throughout the spring practice videos that MGoBlue.com posted I noticed Denard stepping into his throws a little more. Time will tell if he has corrected this on a consistent basis and if not, then his interception rate could be high again this year. He did appear to be a little quicker when running the ball. Not necessarily faster, but quicker to pull down and shoot through the defense if his throwing options we not there. The biggest thing for Denard is his decision making. If he can progress through his reads and make the right decision on who to throw to, he will be much more successful this year. Being in year two of the Borges offense, we should see some decision making improvements. 
• Devin Gardner split the remaining time at quarterback with Russell Bellomy during the Spring Game. Gardner looked excellent running the ball, but his throwing is still something of a concern. We didn't see hardly any long passes from the quarterbacks on Saturday, but the one that sticks in my mind is the one Gardner threw to Blake Countess (yes an interception). He was late on the throw and therefore Countess was able to step in front of the receiver (can't remember who) and pick it off. In my e-pinion Gardner should see some significant time at receiver this fall. He is too athletic to leave off of the field. This leads me to the next point...
• Russell Bellomy looked pretty good on Saturday. He doesn't have the big arm that can throw a ball down the field, but he makes his reads pretty well and has enough athleticism to run away from a defender. Sometimes his throws seem to be slow getting to his receivers, but I think that may be correctable. Bellomy is a decent backup, but I still think that Gardner is the number two quarterback by a mile. If Gardner plays some receiver and Denard gets hurt, Gardner can still step in at quarterback and play. But Bellomy could be a good replacement at times also. 
• Fitz Toussaint is the number one running back and there is no argument. He looks a little more quicker this year as well and his vision is increasing everyday. He also looks a little stronger in breaking tackles. Thomas Rawls is clearly the number two every down running back behind Toussaint. Rawls showed some power and vision bursting into open holes on Saturday. He will be a nice backup for Toussaint, giving him a few breathers here and there.
• Vincent Smith is undoubtedly the third down back again this fall. He has great hands receiving the ball out of the backfield and can block just about anybody. He doesn't have the power to run through guys, but he is shifty and quick enough to evade them. Justice Hayes will probably get a few carries here and there as well since he appears to be Smith's backup.
• Stephen Hopkins is the starting fullback going into the season and he is a pretty good. He blocks pretty well and carries the ball with authority. However, he is fumble prone, so hopefully we rely more on him for blocking than running the ball.
• Wide receiver was not on display much on Saturday. Whether that be because the receivers couldn't get open or because the coverage was tremendous, it remains a major concern. Roundtree had only the one catch that I can remember from Denard right at the beginning. Jeremy Gallon caught a few balls showing that he can be a go to guy, but he is a bit on the short side to be a down field threat. Jeremy Jackson is big but not very fast and Jerald Robinson didn't get much thrown his way (neither did anyone else) to show us anything. Hopefully with Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson coming in in the fall we get some spark to the receiving corp.
• Offensive line was solid for the most part with walk-on Joey Burzynski being the surprise starter at left guard. This may not mean much since Elliott Mealer and Chris Bryant had been talked about all spring as the front runners. But Mealer did get some time on the second team offensive line at right tackle; maybe just providing some depth at that position. It will be interesting to see where incoming freshman Kyle Kalis plays this fall. 
• Ricky Barnum looked pretty good at center as well. There were a few dropped snaps, but I am not worried since Barnum just switched positions in the offseason. Jack Miller is clearly the backup there and looked decent but needs to add more weight before he will be a big contributor.
• Brandon Moore and Ricardo Miller were the two tight ends that stuck out on Saturday. But that is because they were the only two I really noticed playing. Miller seems to be out of position and Moore isn't a great enough blocker in my e-pinion. Hopefully A.J. Williams and Devin Funchess bring some much needed talent and ability this fall.

The offense looked okay on Saturday. Wide receiver is the most concerning position along with tight end. If the guys at those positions can make an impact this season, the offense will be fun to watch. If not, then it could be scary having to rely heavily on the running game.