Weekend Roundup: Return of Demetrius Calip Edition, 1/12/09

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Here's what you missed while making a sausage roll out of bacon and sausage and bacon.  Ya, I said that.

File This Under...

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​...things you always wanted to hear about the Florida Gators:

But the defense was downright humbled against Michigan.

The Wolverines racked up 524 yards of offense and scored on seven of 13 possessions. It could have been worse, too, had Chad Henne not thrown two interceptions and Mike Hart not fumbled twice near the goal line.

The Gators couldn't tackle Hart, couldn't pressure Henne and couldn't cover Adrian Arrington or Mario Manningham. Florida's coaching staff has shown highlights... lowlights, really... throughout the offseason to remind the players how much room they have for improvement.

Spikes wanted to turn away at times, but eventually decided to use it into a motivational tool."


It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine. Ahhh, but as I always say, the past is the past. For a look at the present, 

I give you Maize and Blog's Spring Practice Coverage

...first the good:

The offense involved a lot of quick rollouts and passes to the outside to one of the wideouts, mostly the slot guy which Clemons was playing. Threet was surprisingly quick and effective in these plays which made up most of the offense. The offense ran no-huddle the entire day, not huddling once during a series. Threet seems to be getting a great grasp on the offense very quickly leading the team in this no huddle. Most of those quick passes to the outside picked up about five yards and some broke for more.

OK, OK, sounds somewhat promising. My only issue is...what spread offense has ever had a problem with the Michigan defense. I kid! I kid! Some points of concern:

...offensive lineman (from LT to RT) Mark Ortmann, Tim McAvoy, Dave Moosman, Cory Zirbel, and Stephen Schilling.

Who? And this Navarre-esque tidbit:

(Threet) has about a 3/4 delivery which means alot of passes were and will be batted down at the line.

Good, because I've really been missing those.

And in "I swear I'm not bitter" news, Mallet hurt his thumb:

The sophomore struggled to move the second-team offense at the start of Friday's scrimmage, and he missed a considerable amount of snaps after injuring his right thumb.

So voodoo dolls do work! Well, he can't play this year anyway, despite his whining.

Spring. As in...warmer. As in...football.

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​Seriously? I think EDSBS says it best with the title of their post: It's Too Soon to Talk Spring Practice Let's Talk Spring Practice. However, it's certainly worth mentioning that there's going to be a spread offense running plays in Ann Arbor in five weeks. That's right, the new era of Michigan Football in all of its adidas wearing glory will begin on March 18th. Barwis is going to have some sore players on his hands, being that they are going to now be going to lifting actual weights.

EDSBSdigresses...
Michigan begins practice on the sensible date of March 18th. With Lloyd Carr gone, we may assume the dogs and razor wire have been removed from around the practice fields, and the process may be a more transparent one as a whole for the Wolverines. DickRod may actually correlate reports of weather conditions, something Carr thought was for pinko commie sissypant dog rapists.

Well said fellas, I don't even mind the "DickRod" crack.

Of note on the Rivals.com list of Spring Practices...a Spring GAME date for Michigan. April 15th people...mark the calendar right now. Ummmm.....but that's a Tuesday!?!? Where? Your guess is as good as mine. Just be happy it doesn't interfere with THE season schedule. God I miss Jeremy Lesueur.

Summer-Like Weather Brightens Spring Game

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It's your last little bit of football before enduring the sporting boredom of summertime. It's the Spring Game / Scrimmage / Last Practice. Allowing us to peer a bit into the future, this event shows us the latest edition of the maize and blue (sans most incoming freshmen) and is a kind of halfway point of the college football offseason. Pundits weigh in on the condition of the team, what they look like with x or y graduating senior missing from team, who's injured, who's overweight, who's a step slower or a step faster. The most fun is when you get to hear a new name for the first time.

For those that don't scour the recruiting boards, we have a new running back, Carlos Brown, and a la Kevin Grady, he is an early enroller…just the third early enroller in the Wolverine's history. Prior to the Spring Game, I had read that he would be the new change of pace back, replacing the injured Antonio Bass...but I didn't believe it. But there he was, the latest #23, in the shotgun formation, taking snaps in the student body left and student body right plays we saw so many times out of Bass last season. Prior to his practice stint at QB, he broke one for 50 yards from the running back position. Was he showing off his blazing speed? Well, it was the Michigan defense, so perhaps they were just replaying the sideline sieve defense they gave to Gary Russel when he went for 61 yards to grab the Little Brown Jug.

But I digress...

It's tough to find things wrong or right in the mish-mash practice setting, and I am no expert, so my take on the Spring is as follows:

Jason Forcier has the arm of Barry Bonds, and the accuracy of John Navarre. Barring significant improvement leading up to September 2nd, offensively the season will hang on the health of #7. If Chad goes down, I’ll see you in Nashville in mid December. On the positive side, the fact that Carlos Brown took snaps Bass-style is a bit exciting...especially before his 18th birthday.

The word around camp is that things are more intense and everyone has lost weight and worked themselves into better shape. The Angel of the Big house has a full article on the leaner, meaner Wolverines. 

The Junk Food Theme

The tailgate began at 10am, and was 3 people strong until about 11am, when some more familiar faces arrived. We had a full table covered in chips, chips, and more chips... and dip, cheese and crackers, and hummus and pita. The captain and coke still brimmed my mug, even in the absence of the Godfather, while others filled up on beers of their own choosing. A somewhat successful tailgate, but I felt a little outshined by several of our neighbors, who came with full grill setups. Next year, we need more participation!!!

Anyway, enjoy the pictures in the gallery by clicking the picture above.
What are we going to do for the next 4 ½ months?????

Keep in touch everyone...and as always, GO BLUE!!!!

 

A Little Spring In Our Step

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It was "quality, not quantity" at the Spring Game tailgate. That is to say, this tailgate was about as much a tailgate as the Spring Game is actually a game.

Everybody seems to be too busy to make their way out to Michigan Stadium between the wedding showers, birthday parties, and being in labor. The upcoming Winter (now Spring) Reunion also put a damper on the turnout, with several tailgaters holding out for next week and the arrival in Ann Arbor of the Godfather. Stay tuned to the message board for a detailed schedule of this event which will occur on Saturday, April 23.

In the parking lot, it was Captain Michigan, Janet, Bloomfield, and the Webmaster. Just drinking a few beers, watching the limited edition DVD of last season's tailgates, and telling stories of tailgates past. As far as the Spring Game itself, you couldn't have asked for much more. The best weather of the year thus far, a large crowd in the stands, and the back-to-back Big Ten Champion Maize and Blue on the field. Enjoy the photo album by clicking the picture above, and we'll see you all soon (some of you next week!).

GO BLUE!

The Webmaster