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.”