Why Denard Robinson is the Future at Michigan

A few weeks back, thanks to the awesomeness of the Big Ten Network (motto: "We'll broadcast anything so long as it has something--anything!--to do with football"), I was able to watch the entire Michigan spring game on television.

And after watching the maize and blue battle each other for four quarters, I had three thoughts:

1. Michigan is still awful on defense.
2. Michigan is still, at best, a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team.
3. Tate Forcier is out of a job.

Sophomore signal caller Denard Robinson, a run-pass threat who served as Forcier's backup last season, was far and away the biggest star of the scrimmage, and anyone who saw the kid play that day--anyone who saw him not only show off his well-established elusiveness but also hit wideout Ray Roundtree for a 97-yard touchdown strike--had to be thinking the exact same thing that I was thinking when the day was done: That Rich Rodriguez finally has his quarterback, and that while the Michigan defense may once again be awful in 2010 (where's the talent, coach?), the Wolverine offense is almost sure to be a handful.

Thanks, mostly, to Robinson.

Yes, folks, this kid is that good--and that much better than Forcier, who isn't too shabby himself.

There's been no official word out of Ann Arbor yet, and I wouldn't expect any official word until late this summer, but more and more signs are pointing to Robinson taking the starting quarterback job away from Forcier, who started strong in 2009 but then fizzled (badly) down the stretch.

The latest sign? Well, how about the Detroit Free Press running a story about Robinson this week under the not-so-subtle headline, "Michigan's Denard Robinson Looks Ready to be Starting Quarterback."

In that story, Rodriguez downplayed the obvious-but-completely-unfair comparisons between Robinson and former West Virginia star Pat White, but also added that Robinson would bring a "certain dynamic and explosion" to the quarterback position. That's a "certain dynamic and explosion" that Forcier, for all of his talent and gutsy play, seemed to lack against better defenses last year.

On another team, or in better days at Michigan, Forcier probably wouldn't be in this position. Unfortunately, the current situation in Ann Arbor is simply not suited to a quarterback like Forcier--a kid who seems built more to be a "field general" than a "playmaker." The sad fact for Forcier is that Michigan, with a lack of big-time offensive talent, needs as many playmakers on the field as possible.

Including you-know-who.

Robinson isn't quite yet as polished a quarterback as Forcier (he's improving rapidly, however) and he probably isn't as football-smart yet either (Forcier comes from a family of quarterbacks; after years of training, playing the position is second nature to him), but he is a markedly better athlete and much more intimidating presence for opposing defenses. He is the proverbial home-run threat. And RichRod, facing enormous pressure to win this season, is in dire need of some home runs.

That's why, come September, it will be Robinson trotting out there with the first-team offense at the Big House.

That's also why Forcier will be over the sidelines, holding the dreaded clipboard, wondering how he lost the job that, just last season, seemed to be his for good.

Quick response to NCAA should help Michigan limit damage done to reputation

Over the past 130 years, Michigan's football reputation was built on tradition, a track record of success and for always playing by the rules.

How much of hit that reputation sustains after the university admitted to four major violations of NCAA rules and self-imposed sanctions remains to be seen.

Sanctions don’t damage Michigan’s brand, argued athletic director Dave Brandon. Instead, he says they provide a sign the university is committed to integrity.

"I don't think this is a black eye - it's a bruise," Brandon said Tuesday. "We did some things wrong, some systems failed. But I refuse to believe it detracts from who we are and what we're about.

"Our history, our tradition and our value system is out there for the world to see. We've been in the business of football for 130 years and we'll allow our brand and our integrity and our merit stand on our history and our beliefs."

His open-book approach is one Farmington Hills-based marketing specialist Matt Friedman said will aid in the athletic department's efforts to maintain the reputation of honesty Michigan's fan base expects.

The NCAA sanctions are not Brandon’s first experience in damage control.

Last year, as the CEO of Dominos Pizza, he spearheaded the company's response to a YouTube video prank in which a pair of employees in a North Carolina store sneezed on pizzas, stuck cheese up their nose and performed other unsavory deeds to the company’s food before shipping it to customers.

Within days of the video's release, Dominos went on the offensive. It put company officials in front of cameras, addressed the situation and detailed steps taken to rectify the matter. The two employees were fired and criminal chargers were brought.

Friedman called Brandon's response the best example of crisis control he's ever seen, one that sets a precedent for the newly appointed athletic director's actions in addressing the NCAA allegations at Michigan.

"He made no bones about the fact that what happened was not acceptable - to him and to the university," said Friedman, a partner in Tanner Friedman public relations firm. "The fact that the athletic department and the university took this very seriously from the beginning is a very good sign to maintain the brand that has been established over the years."

Friedman said an organization's initial public-relations effort is often critical to how much damage is done to the brand in the long run.

Results at Michigan may have been different if more serious allegations, such as academic impropriety or criminal action was involved, but Friedman expects Michigan’s response will help buffer whatever minimal damage was done.

It may not be the overall consumer base that needed addressing.

Until 2008, Michigan ranked No. 2 nationally in NCAA-licensed material, trailing only Texas, according to the Collegiate Licensing Company. In the past two years, though, the school has dipped to seventh nationally, it remains the top Big Ten merchandise seller.

The key constituency that must be satisfied, according to Friedman, is the school’s corporate sponsors, especially when there are still luxury suites to sell after a $226 million renovation ofMichigan Stadium.

"The stakes are very high now," said Friedman.

While accepting responsibility for Michigan's violations, Brandon asked people to consider the program's entire body of work rather than focus on issues dealing with compliance and practice hours.

"Yes, we made mistakes," Brandon said Tuesday. "We are being transparent about it. We're accountable, we're doing something about it, we're going to be sure they don't happen again, but beyond that, I don't know what else we can do."

SDSU Completes 2011 Football Schedule with Road Game at Michigan

Football | 5/18/2010

- San Diego State completed its 2011 non-conference football schedule Tuesday with the announcement that the Aztecs will play at Michigan, on Sept. 24, 2011. The Aztecs and Wolverines will be meeting for the second time in school history.

Rodriguez says book inaccurate; he didn't bad-mouth Morgan Trent

Rodriguez says book inaccurate; he didn't bad-mouth Morgan Trent

By MARK SNYDER
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
Morgan Trent was the most successful Wolverine to come out of the 2009 NFL Draft class, playing most of his rookie season as a nickel cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals.
But his path to getting there was a bit more challenging than he anticipated, according to a book released a few months ago by Rivals.com writer Bobby Deren, as it identified Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez as a factor in Trent slipping down the draft board, getting picks No. 179 overall, in the sixth round.
The book painted a scenario that former U-M coach Lloyd Carr told Trent that Rodriguez bad-mouthed him to NFL scouts before the draft. The story was unattributed, not citing a source.
Rodriguez issued a strong denial Saturday that anything of the sort ever occurred.
“The comments attributed to me are inaccurate and absolutely ridiculous,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “I said just the opposite about Morgan Trent to NFL scouts and wish him well with the Bengals.”
A Bengals.com story on Friday, which brought the story to light, paraphrased Trent’s current position coach, Kevin Coyle, saying “Coyle heard the rumblings, but he didn’t talk to Rodriguez and put more stock in other people close to the Michigan program that had been there before.”
In the book, “Draft Season: Four Months on the Clock” Deren follows Trent and three other draft prospects. The most controversial part came at the end of the book.
“Shortly after the draft, Morgan made good on his promise to pay his former head coach (Lloyd Carr) a visit. Morgan was always happy to see Coach Carr and gave him a warm greeting. However, it didn’t take long for Coach Carr to get to the main reason why he wanted to see Morgan. It was there that Coach Carr told Morgan why he wasn’t drafted until the sixth round.
“Apparently, current Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez had cost Morgan quite a bit of money. Rodriguez had bad-mouthed Morgan to every NFL scout he could. Rodriguez claimed that Morgan was lazy, he had an attitude problem and he was a big reason why the Wolverines finished with a 3-9 record, the worst in school history. In essence, an entire draft season and an entire college career of hard work were decimated by a few petty words. Those words may have meant the difference between a $1.86 million deal and a $2.86 million deal. It may have meant the difference between the sixth round and the third round.”
Trent responded to the comments to Bengals.com in their story.
“I really like Coach Carr,” he told the website. “He’s been very good to me. I think at first he was wondering, but I let him know it didn’t put him in a bad light. I would never do something like that to Lloyd. He’s great.”
Though he said it was “jarring” to hear it, Trent said: “I guess it was motivation. (I) want to show people it was all false.”
Deren said neither Rodriguez nor Carr was interviewed about the story but Deren spoke highly of Trent to the Free Press. The book was published in February.
“In writing this book, I had the opportunity to get a behind the scenes look into the NFL,” Deren said. “Morgan Trent is everything that’s right in a professional athlete. Morgan Trent is everything right in a human being. And it was a privilege to tell his story.”

---

EA Sports has added pre-game traditions to this years game NCAA 11

Lebron James Becomes The 10th Player To Win Back-To-Back NBA MVP Awards

Lebron James Becomes The 10th Player To Win Back-To-Back NBA MVP Awards Lebron James became the 10 player in NBA history to be named the most valuable player for a second year in a row. He Joins all-time greats Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabar won the award at a younger age than James. He received 116 of a possible 123 first place votes making it a landslide victory. It was Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant, not Las Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who was the runner-up with 4 first place votes. "To be MVP is definitely an honor. It's a humbling experience," James told the Magic Johnson in an interview. "To receive that while you are trying to win a championship, you have to balance it out. I've been able to do that so far." When asked how it felt to join the group of other 9 players that have won the award back-to-back James ended with: "I'm just trying to do my job. Hopefully I can add onto that championship list of names and pass it on to someone when I'm done."

J.T. Floyd wants to 'make plays' in secondary for Michigan football team

J.T. Floyd’s motto as cornerback is simple.

“Make plays,” Floyd said last month after the Michigan football team's spring game. “That’s all you got to do to be successful out here.”

J.T. Floyd had a solid spring for the Michigan football team and is in the hunt for a starting role in the 2010 season. (File photo)

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

Floyd did enough of that this spring to emerge as the frontrunner for the starting right cornerback job, oppositeTroy Woolfolk.

He played in nine games and made two starts last year as a redshirt freshman, and said his performance down the stretch - he made three tackles and held his own in pass coverage in theWolverines’ season-ending loss to Ohio State - bolstered his belief that he could be a starting cornerback in the Big Ten.

“I learned just to trust my instincts,” Floyd said. “Just go out there, just believe in my eyes, trust in what I’m seeing and go after it.”

Defensive coordinator Greg Robinsonsaid Floyd, one of Michigan’s most physical cornerbacks, made gains in the weight room that helped him approach spring “like an experienced football player.”

“He looks better, he looks thicker in his uniform,” Robinson said.

Teammates said they noticed a new air about Floyd, too.

“He came out being more confident than ever,” safety Vladimir Emilien said. “He started picking things off. That was a person that really surprised me.”

Floyd is far from guaranteed a starting job. Incoming freshmen Cullen Christian and Demar Dorsey (if he makes it to campus) will challenge for playing time, and backup cornerback J.T. Turner, a redshirt freshman, has some of the highest upside on the team.

But if he can lock down the right side, Michigan's young and inexperienced secondary could turn from huge question mark into a surprising strength.

“I think we’re headed in the right direction,” Floyda said. “We’re not there yet, but we got this summer to work with (strength coach) Mike Barwis, who’s the best in the country, and we’re looking for a real productive season this fall.”

Big 10 Expansion: Four by Four?

DIVISION ONE:  Syracuse, Pittsburg, Rutgers & Penn State
DIVISION TWO:  Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Minnesota
DIVISION THREE:  Ohio State, Purdue, Indiana and Illinois or Northwestern
DIVISION FOUR: IOWA, Missouri, Nebraska and Illinois or Northwestern

Wow, a lot to digest and discuss, such as how would the scheduling line up?  You’d play the three teams in your division each year, then play either five or six more conference games.  The PAC-10 plays nine conference games, which means one year you get four home games an five roadies and the next year its 5 & 4, so I guess that is possible, but not perfect.  Which teams do you get to play from the other divisions?  There would have to be at least one protected rivalry game, because there is no way Ohio State and Michigan won’t play one another in the final regular season game.  Well, I guess there is a way, as Nebraska and Oklahoma interrupted their great and storied rivalry when they joined the Big 12 more than a decade ago.  The last thing those schools would want would be to play the last game of the regular season then have some sort of rematch for the league title game.

How the league would determine just who would play for the league title would be very complicated, and there is also no way that the league expands and does NOT have a league title game…or at least, I don’t think so.  Too much money on the table.  I’d be fine if they expanded and didn’t have a league title game, because they could schedule some amazing games the last two or three weeks of the college football regular season and play the day before the BCS bowl games are announced.  I think that is the most important thing in all of this; staying relevant all season long and not having that long layoff before the bowl game.

So I guess I should probably stop using the term ‘no way’ as it relates to the Big Ten and expansion, because this league is going to blaze its own trail and make its own rules.

Now, as for these division that Dienhart tweeted about (again, he is the national college football writer for Rivals/Yahoo, not some dude from the Grand Island Bee), Ohio State gets far too easy of a pass here.  I don’t think Michigan would stand for that.  Division One listed above makes sense, and gives Penn State regional and historical rivalries.  Division Two is solid and balanced geographically and with history in mind.  Which schools would be giving up the most history and tradition in this hypothetical?

Illinois or Northwestern, one of those two, along with Iowa.

While I would love to be in the same division as Missouri and Nebraska, because that means Iowa would play them each year and the rivalries that would grow out of those series could be epic and entertaining, Hawkeye fans would be losing traditional rivalry games with Wisconsin or Minnesota; I doubt they’d get to protect both of those rivalries.

Would it be worth it?  I am going to have to chew on this one a bit.  It’s likely all moot, because I cannot fathom Ohio State getting that much of a free ride to being 3-0 in their division each year.

As for the five new teams listed in general, that’s a pretty solid basketball league, too.  Missouri, Pitt and Syracuse would all be great additions on the hardcourt, with Nebraska and Rutgers throw ins.  Rutgers’ basketball program would get a boost from this, while Nebraska’s program would likely continue to languish in mediocrity.  Missouri and Nebraska would be solid wrestling additions as well, and Nebraska has a very good baseball program.

From a television standpoint, the Big Ten Network would pretty much own New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa (sorry Iowa State).  That’s a lot of real estate and that is a lot of subscription dollars and homes with television sets.  You are basically talking about one third of the population of the United States here and all of it running together contiguously.

This move would also destabilize the Big East and the Big 12, and it would really hurt Iowa State; they’d lose their two most natural rivals in the Big 12, two border states, where Iowa would gain those.  Figuring that Iowa and Iowa State would still meet in football, you are talking about three games each year against programs that are within a five hour drive of Iowa City.  Throw in a fourth with either Illinois or Northwestern in this example, and a fifth if one of Minnesota and Wisconsin can be kept as an annual rival.  Indiana and Purdue would fall into this category, or real close, whenever you had to play there.  Iowa’s road traveling legacy would be expanded upon, which is what the bowl scouts love.

I still think that items like this get leaked out there to put pressure on Notre Dame.  I’d be content if the Big Ten only added the Irish and moved to 12 teams and said ‘we’re good’.  To me, that’s the best case scenario; you keep your traditional league intact, get to play your traditional rivals and you add the history and tradition of Notre Dame that has some degree of history playing against most every team in the league, and they are located in Indiana.

But if that won’t happen, I’d much rather see Nebraska and Missouri join the league than any of the teams from Texas, because I think Iowa would wind up in their division…and that is not something I am remotely interested in.

Rich Rodriguez talks quarterbacks, running backs and more spring football

Big Ten Network's spring football wrap or just crap.

Notes from the pre-production meeting:
Wiscy- "This game looked like a bunch of dull cheeseheads. That should be enough to win 9 in the Big Ten this year. I guess that means they had a great spring."
UM- "Uh, gee: it's really trendy to trash RR right now, but they looked really good. I guess we'll just have to be quiet about it."
MSU- "Other than a LB with "low pad level," there really wasn't much to talk about. Let's go with the "low pad level" thing."
OSU- "Terelle Pryor looks more and more like someone who is more interested in "being a QB" than actually doing the work it takes to be a QB. Let's just talk about how great they are and forget about Pryor."

Big Ten Network's spring football wrap

Big Ten Network's spring football wrap

My MacBook is out of commission

My MacBook is out of commission for a few days. There's more than one way to skin a cat. Thank god for smart phones. I do have a desktop pc as well but I can't go back. I would like to thank my readers for your support. I have a few production problems as well. My t-shirt designs are slow to be released. I'm in the process of switching my production and manufacturer stay tuned.

Air Jordan 2010 Black/Dark Charcoal-Varsity Red

Air Jordan 2010 Black/Dark Charcoal-Varsity Red




The cleanest colorway in the 2010 lineup for this year, Jordan Brand highlights a Black/Dark Charcoal-Varsity Red release for June 2010.

Pryor struggles mightily in scrimmage

Terrelle Pryor still has much to prove as he enters his junior season at Ohio State. If yesterday's jersey scrimmage in Columbus is any precursor, Pryor won't prove much this season. The Buckeyes' starting quarterback completed just 5-of-15 passes for 45 yards in what coach Jim Tressel called "the most lopsided jersey scrimmage score," he's ever seen (the defense won 78-24). Pryor has a week to turn things around before he has to prove himself before tens of thousands of Buckeye faithful at the spring game.

Spring Game 2010

2010 Michigan Spring Game notes

D-ROB is the real deal. He has definitely benefitted from having a season and a full spring practice under his belt. He made several nice throws, he went thru his reads and progressions. D-ROB made a nice fake and run for the first T.D for the white team. Ricardo Miller is hugh its hard to believe that he should still be in high school. Roundtree had a good spring practice he had a 95 yard TD Strike thrown to him. JT Turner made some great plays on the second unit defense. specials teams has a long ways to go "Thank God its the spring" or supposed to be. It was very cold, I hope those Florida and warm weather kids are not scared off at the weather we had.

D Arnett was in the house i spotted him talking to Lamarr Woodley on the side line. Lamarr Woodley was giving him his best sales pitch to come to Michigan or so it may have seemed. D Hart was in the house in his michigan gear.

T Forcier did not look as sharp as i had hoped for a true soph, But he is nursing an injury so i am gonna take a wait an see attitude. He has alot of competition from DG and DROB let's see how he responds.

DG looked good he made a few freshman mistakes. He thru a Int from his own goaline Dg made some nice thows to the tightends to lead the white team to a FG. The First unit defense Looked much improved the tackling looked alot better.

Please stay tuned for more details

Eminem Scraps Relapse 2 announces "Recovery" Due out June 22

The new album from Eminem, Recovery, will be released June 22, 2010, it was announced today by Interscope Records. On Recovery, his seventh major label studio album, Eminem has reached out to an exciting list of first-time collaborators, including DJ Khalil, Just Blaze, Jim Jonsin and Boi-1da, among others.

Also according to Eminem.com Marshall will be touring Europe beginning in July.

"I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come out last year," remarked Eminem. "But as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery came out very different from Relapse, and I think it deserves its own title."

More Great News: Zeigler to CMU

This is old news to die hard high school Basketball recruitnics.

The good news just keeps on coming for Michigan sports: four-star prospect Trey Zeigler will announce his decision to go to Central Michigan today, choosing the Chippewas over Michigan, MSU, UCLA, and Arizona State. Zeigler’s father, Ernie, just signed a four-year extension to remain the coach for Central, and the opportunity to not only play close to home but also to play for family appears to have swung Zeigler’s decision for the Chips.

To put it bluntly, this is a big hit for the Michigan basketball program. You never want to put too much stock in landing a recruit, but with Manny Harris departing early for the NBA, the Wolverines could really have used a wing player who can create his own shot, and Zeigler was the last guy on the board for Michigan who could have come in and contributed immediately. The Wolverines may still extend an offer to Detroit Denby guard Isaish Sykes, a three-star prospect, but it would be very surprising if he was able to have the same impact that Zeigler would offer.

With Zeigler off the board, fans can begin speculation about next year’s team. At this point, it looks like your starting five will be Darius Morris, Stu Douglass, Zack Novak, Evan Smotrycz or Blake McLimans, and Jordan Morgan, with Laval Lucas-Perry, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Matt Vogrich rounding out the rotation. Unless Morris has a tremendous breakthrough year and guys like Douglass, Novak and LLP find their shooting stroke in a big way, it’s tough to see that team contending for postseason play.

Article about U of M's first football opponent in 2010 Uconn.

STORRS, Conn.
This team, as expected, has a lot of depth and maybe more overall talent than it's ever had under Randy Edsall. On Saturday, the Huskies scrimmaged nearly the entire two hours, used three teams on each side and hardly had much dropoff from starters to subs. One obvious example of the depth is at quarterback. Zach Frazer is clearly the starter, but UConn has four guys behind him -- Cody Endres, Michael Box, Johnny McEntee and Leon Kinnard -- who can all play and who are all getting reps. No other Big East team can match the Huskies' depth at QB.
Kinnard, by the way, is fun to watch. He may be no taller than 5-foot-9, but he's got a good arm and can really fly when he scrambles. Edsall might have to find ways to incorporate him into the offense because he's such a playmaker. If nothing else, Kinnard will be a great asset on the scout team when UConn needs to get ready for players like B.J. Daniels.
Interestingly, Edsall has made his quarterbacks live during spring practice. Part of that is the depth, and part of it is he felt like the team wasn't getting the right intensity when the QBs couldn't get hit. He has the luxury of being able to turn to another guy if Frazer gets hurt. But an even bigger luxury is that tremendous offensive line. Frazer didn't get sacked and barely got hit the entire scrimmage behind the No. 1 line, and that's against a pretty good defensive front seven. Adam Masters and Kevin Friend are making a big move at tackle.
There's so much depth and good competition that Edsall can use it to motivate and/or punish his guys. Endres was down to third string on Saturday because of a transgression. Guard Erik Kuraczea overslept and was late, so Edsall told him to go back home and go to sleep. Star tailback Jordan Todman didn't practice Tuesday or Thursday because of an academic issue. Twyon Martin, who started most of the last two years at defensive tackle, has been knocked down to third string. When asked what Martin needed to do to get back in good graces, Edsall said, "Stop being so lazy."
The receiving corps is really coming on. Kashif Moore has emerged as probably the top guy after a strong end to 2009. He made several nice catches during practice and gets a lot of YAC. On Saturday, he caught a 60-plus yard TD from Frazer and later had another touchdown grab on a ball deflected by Jerome Junior. Michael Smith and Isiah Moore are also playing well. UConn's wideouts are small, but Malik Generett -- at 6-foot-4 -- is one to keep an eye on.
The concern going into the spring was the secondary, so it wasn't surprising to see that group struggle during my first practice viewing. The defensive backs got chewed up that day. During the scrimmage, the group played a little better. There are a lot of young players with ability back there, but they need to figure things out. The secondary should improve when corner Blidi Wreh-Wilson returns from his shoulder surgery this fall. But the Huskies still need to find a safety and add more depth. That remains the biggest problem spot on this team, one that the front seven may have to cover up at times, especially early in the season.
This was my first experience watching an Edsall practice, and it wasn't surprising to see the team focus heavily on fundamentals. Sure, a lot of teams do that in the spring, but the UConn staff really worked with the players on things like hand placement and footwork. Edsall's teams are always well coached, and he develops players as well as anybody in the country. That's not by accident.
I've always heard great things about UConn's facilities, and I had my first chance to tour the Shenkman Center and Burton Family Football Complex. The reviews I'd heard and photos I'd seen don't do the place justice. It's magnificent, and if UConn doesn't have the best football complex in the Big East, it's no worse than tied for first.

Michigan Football Spring Game / locker room pics 2009

College Football's 10 Best Looking Uniforms according to SI.

10. Auburn: Tigers Blue
9. Oregon: Ducks All Black Jersey Black Helmet
8. Michigan: Blue Jersey
7. Alabama: Crimson Tide Jersey
6. Texas: All White
5. USC: Cardinal Jersey
4. Texas: Burnt Orange Jersey
3. Oregon: All White, Green Helmet
2. UCLA: Dark, Powder Blue Jersey
1. Notre Dame: Blue Jersey

Come on now we got the best uniforms in the game, The number one Helmet in the Game. The Maize & Blue winged Helmet "Go Blue".

Flashback Friday: Watching Michigan V.S. OSU 1997 on BTN

Watching Michigan V.S. OSU 1997 on BTN one of the greatest rivalry games ever. two words Charles Woodson was MONEY. Woodson played college football at the University of Michigan. He became the starter after the second game of his freshman season and played in 34 straight games. In addition to playing cornerback, he returned punts and occasionally played as a wide receiver.
In 1995, Woodson was selected as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He was named to the All-Big Ten First Team by conference coaches, and Second Team All-Big Ten by the media. He led the team with five interceptions and eight takeaways.[6]
In 1996, Woodson set a Wolverine record for pass breakups with 15. For his efforts, he was named the Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year and an AP First Team All-American. He was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and named to All-Big Ten First Team by conference coaches and the media.[6]
In his junior season in 1997, Woodson became the third Michigan player to win the Heisman Trophy, joining Tom Harmon (1940) and Desmond Howard (1991). Woodson received 282 more voting points than runner-up Peyton Manning.[1] He was the first and is still the only primarily defensive player to win the prestigious award. [2] Woodson led the Michigan Wolverines to an undefeated season and a share of the national championship in the same year. He won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the best defensive college player.[2] He was named to the All-Big Ten First-Team for the third year and First-Team All-American for the second year. It was his second year winning the Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year award and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Woodson won the Jim Thorpe Award, an award which he was nominated for the previous year.[6]
Throughout college, Woodson was known for big plays in big moments of a game. As a freshman he had two interceptions in a victory against the #2-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.[7] During his Heisman-winning junior year, he made an acrobatic one-handed sideline interception against the Michigan State Spartans. Woodson had two interceptions in the game.[8] In a game against Ohio State, he returned a punt for a touchdown, made an interception in the end-zone, and had a 37-yard reception that led to Michigan's only offensive touchdown of the game. The win lifted Michigan to the Rose Bowl.[9] Michigan played the Washington State Cougars in the Rose Bowl. Woodson recorded an interception in the game, helping Michigan defeat the Cougars and win a share of the 1997 national championship. Bottom line, there hasn't been a cornerback more responsible for a national championship, than Charles Woodson.[10] In 2007, Woodson was ranked #11 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list.
Woodson was a part of an impressive defensive performance that beat Ohio State three straight years. A feat that Michigan hadn't done since 1991 when they beat Ohio State 4 straight years. The Wolverines defense held the top-5 ranked Ohio State teams from 1995, 1996, and 1997 to 23, 9, and 14 points.
[edit]

When does a dead horse stops being beaten?

Expect former Michigan QB Steven Threet to make an impact at Arizona State.
Third down
Who is your biggest impact transfer for 2010?
Hayes: QB Steven Threet, Arizona State. It's unfair to judge Threet from his time spent at Michigan.
He was a pro-style quarterback trying to fit into a spread-option system. That scenario had little hope for success. Now Threet—who Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez told me in January will have "a lot of success" in a pro-style offense—is in a one-back, passing offense that Dennis Erickson has used for years at previous stops. It's an offense where quarterbacks who make good decisions thrive.
Perfect example: Jonathan Smith, the diminutive quarterback who led Erickson's Oregon State team to the Fiesta Bowl in 2001. He was all of 5-10 (maybe) and made smart decisions and beautiful throws—and ranks second in Beavers history for career passing yards. ASU's three quarterbacks (Danny Sullivan, Samson Szakacsy, Brock Osweiler) last year ranked 102nd out of 120 Division I-A teams for passing efficiency.
Curtis: Phelon Jones, cornerback, Alabama. Both Tide starting corners are gone, and Jones, who started his career at LSU, continues to compete to replace them. He's got the talent and the athleticism to help Alabama, which faces strong passing attacks in Arkansas and Florida in the season's first five games. Jones might not make the top two by the end of spring, but bank on him seeing the field throughout the year, especially on third downs and in long-yardage situations

Scouting report on Deshawn Sims from Portsmouth

Michigan senior forward DeShawn Sims has been competing in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Virginia over the past two days in preparation for the upcoming NBA Draft. The Tournament functions similarly to college football's Senior Bowl, and attracts a similar level of talent. The players Sims has been competing against this week are all trying to improve their draft stock.

According to Ryan Feldman, a reporter with The Trentonian, Sims has "put up solid numbers" despite having to play with "what was probably the worst team" in the tournament.

Sims's team has lost two games, but he tallied 16 points shooting 8-for-17 with nine rebounds in the first game and had 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting with seven rebounds in the second game, Feldman wrote in an e-mail to The Michigan Daily.

"Sims did have one noticeably poor effort guarding Rutgers 7-footer Hamady Ndiaye," he added. "As Ndiaye was backing him down, Sims laid off him and backed up towards the basket, allowing Ndiaye to get an easy dunk and also fouling him in the process for a three-point play.

"Sims looked smaller than most of the big men he went up against but he did show some decent range on his jumper. He even drained a 3-pointer in his second game

Clarett could move to secure facility

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Former Ohio State Buckeyes football player Maurice Clarett is in county jail and awaiting a judge's decision on Wednesday that would release him to a community-based correction facility after spending 3½ years in prison.

Clarett, 26, was convicted on charges of aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon.

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday that Clarett, who led the Buckeyes to the national championship in 2002, was moved from a Toledo prison to the county jail in Columbus on Monday and would meet on Wednesday afternoon with Judge David Fais, who handled his original case.

O'Brien said he expected the judge to allow the former tailback to be transferred to a secure facility in Columbus where he would be evaluated for possible release within six months. O'Brien described the facility as one which has barbed-wire and is residential, but is not a lock-down institution.

Clarett pleaded guilty in September 2006 to having a gun hidden in his SUV and holding up two people outside a Columbus bar in a separate case. He was sentenced to 7½ years in prison with possible release in 3½ years.

Messages seeking comment from Clarett's attorney, Michael Hoague, were not immediately returned after business hours Tuesday.

A star as a freshman at Ohio State, Clarett, a standout running back from Warren, Ohio, was declared ineligible after one season for receiving extra benefits that were brought to light after he filed a false theft report about a car break-in. He never played another college game after scoring the winning touchdown in Ohio State's 31-24 double-overtime win over Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, the Buckeyes' first national title since 1968.

After he was ruled ineligible, Clarett sued the NFL in September 2003 to be permitted to enter the league's draft. At issue was the NFL's rule denying anyone to be drafted who has not been out of high school for three years. After an initial court victory, Clarett lost on appeal.

He eventually was drafted in the third round of the 2005 draft by the Denver Broncos, but was cut before the season started.

On Jan. 1, 2006, Clarett was charged with aggravated robbery after police said he flashed a gun at people outside a bar and robbed them of a cell phone. Then, on Aug. 9, Clarett was arrested after a chase when police said that they tried to stop him for a traffic violation.

O'Brien said he had no doubt that Judge Fais would release Clarett to the community-based facility because of the conditions of Clarett's guilty plea and his good behavior at Toledo Correctional Institution the past 3½ years. O'Brien also said he would not oppose Clarett's move.

A typical assessment at the facility takes a maximum of six months, and at that time if Clarett had met employment, housing and other requirements he would most likely be released into the general public, O'Brien said.

Clarett has been taking college-credit courses in the Toledo prison, where he was confined to a single cell but was not isolated from other inmates. He was able to exercise and eat with other inmates.

At the time of his plea, Hoague said of his client, "He was up here," raising his arm to eye level. "He got down here," he said, lowering his arm to his waist. "And he's going to be back up here again."


Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

Our First Ever Father and Son Fishing trip

Tigers win season opener with six-run seventh inning against Royals bullpen

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- As it turned out, neither Zack Greinke nor Justin Verlander were the story in Detroit's 8-4 opening day win Monday against the Kansas City Royals.

The Tigers' six-run seventh inning and brilliant relief pitching told the tale. The new and old pieces in the batting order came together quite well in the tide-turning inning.

Rookie center fielder Austin Jackson, who later cut down a runner at the plate with a throw, made his first hit an RBI-double off reliever Robinson Tejeda that scored rookie second baseman Scott Sizemore, who had walked and moved to second on a Ramon Santiago single.

Then, new left fielder Johnny Damon laced a two-run double to give Detroit the lead. Damon had two hits and scored twice.

Miguel Cabrera drove in Damon with a single, and Carlos Guillen kept it going with his second single of the game.

Brandon Inge brought them both home with a hit-and-run double off Juan Cruz.
Three Royals relievers had given up six runs, and the sellout crowd of 40,052 booed long and loud with every run-scoring hit.

Detroit’s bullpen assured that the big inning held up. Joel Zumaya and Ryan Perry were brilliant and Phil Coke got the job done despite allowing two singles.

New closer Jose Valverde entered with a four-run lead and no save opportunity, but pitched a scoreless ninth to secure the win.

Neither Greinke nor Verlander were at their dominating best.

The Royals simply did a better job of capitalizing on opportunities.

Verlander got ahead of shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, 1-2, but Betancout battled to a full count before drilling a two-run homer in the second inning.

And first baseman Billy Butler, hitting .423 against Verlander entering the game, kept it up with a two-out, two-run single in the fifth.

Verlander left after five innings, having thrown 93 pitches and striking out six.

Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline, at the request of Detroit manager Jim Leyland, spoke with Tigers hitters near the end of training camp about the approach to take when facing pitchers such as Greinke.

“I had Kaline talk to them about the art of hitting against the best pitchers in the business,” Leyland said. “He made some real good points. You’ve got to grind. ... And sometimes it’s the little guys who gets the big pitchers, who are gearing up for the big boys.”

Detroit got two runs (one earned) on six hits against Greinke, who came out in the sixth with a 4-2 lead.

The Tigers caught a break in the first when third baseman Willie Bloomquist dropped a Guillen pop up, allowing Magglio Ordonez to score from second with two out. Ordonez had doubled off the wall for his 400th career two-bagger.

Greinke faced only one batter over the minimum in breezing through the next four innings. But Damon, Ordonez and Cabrera opened the sixth with successive singles for another run.

Detroit couldn’t make a big inning happen, however, as Greinke got the next three batters. Bloomquist, however, saved a couple runs by robbing Inge of a double down the line.