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Monday Presser Notes (Week 7)

By · Monday, October 6, 2008 · 6:59 PM |  Share | 1 Comment 

Rich Rodriguez:

  • “We didn’t execute well.”
  • “I thought we played a little soft.”
  • There were more blown coverages against Illinois than there were in all the previous games combined.
  • Total blown assignments led to many big plays by Illinois.
  • “We gotta get faster; we gotta get tougher.”
  • Threet played okay at times and was a little inconsistent.
  • Martavious Odoms has a sprained shoulder and didn’t practice on Sunday. The hope is that he will return on Tuesday.
  • Perry Dorrestein got “dinged in the head.” If he doesn’t return to practice tomorrow, then he should be back on Wednesday.
  • Carlos Brown and Junior Hemingway are still out.
  • Austin Panter hurt his shoulder and is questionable for tomorrow’s practice.
  • Brandon Graham “still” has a leg infection and will be limited a little bit.
  • Whether or not Terrence Robinson will be medically redshirted depends on how this week goes for him.
  • Mike Martin will be fine.
  • Darryl Stonum’s status for Saturday is “yet to be determined.”
  • “We were soft in our kickoff return.” (Rodriguez was referring to the blocking, not Odoms)
  • Kevin Koger is playing better than any other tight end on the team.
  • Donovan Warren’s quad muscle is bothering him.
  • Ryan Van Bergen will probably see more playing time in the future.

Kevin Koger:

  • He didn’t think he would be starting this early on in his career.
  • His blocking has improved from high school.
  • “We’re getting better.”
  • He’s got a few friends on Toledo (where he is from).
  • “The second or third game of the season I started getting more reps.”
  • “We left a lot of plays on the field (against Illinois).”

Steven Threet:

  • The team is eager to get back on the field.
  • Kevin Koger has done very well.
  • Toledo is a dangerous team.

Morgan Trent:

  • Illinois ran a few things that Michigan hadn’t seen before. They had a good scheme.
  • Blown assignments were the cause of the big plays.
  • The Toledo game isn’t going to be a cakewalk.
  • The defense never wants to hear the word “soft.”
  • “The film never lies.”
  • “Mike (Williams) played well at times.”

Ryan Van Bergen:

  • “I feel like I’m playing well.”
  • He’s just trying to make the most of his opportunities.
  • Tim Jamison has helped him with how to watch film and Brandon Graham has helped him on the field.
  • He prefers playing outside rather than inside on the defensive line.
  • It’s a horrible insult to be called soft, but that’s what they were against Illinois.
  • Tim Jamison, Obi Ezeh, Terrance Taylor, Morgan Trent, Stephen Schilling, and Steven Threet have all stepped up as leaders.
Category: Football, Press Conferences
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1 Comment

  1. Voice of Reason says:
    Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 11:10 AM

    The truth is that a Spread Option offense is a read and react offense and requires skilled and experienced players to run it well. Michigan’s offense is talented but they are young, inexperienced and they are learning it as they go along. Couple that with problems of injuries on a thin offensive line and players who have heart but from time to time plays tentatively and you have what we’ve seen this year so far.

    It will take at least a year or so for this offensive to come together. Threet is a good guy with skills but he is not the best QB for this system. Next year the QB learning curve starts all over again with the freshman QB in the mix. However, once this offensive finally “Gets it” it will be dangerous.

    Defensively we have experienced players who are playing within a new defensive system. Even though they are playing a basic 4-3 defense the philosophy and the coaches are different because the coordinator’s approach to it is different from Ron English’s. Although defense is easier to control it still takes some time to develop when you have new staff running it.

    Michigan’s defense is still very good but it’s difficult to play shut out defense when you’re on the field so much and you have to defend a short field because of offensive turn overs. Sometimes you mentally, emotionally and physically just wear down.

    Being a Michigan fan, we have a tendency to expect success because after all, we’re Michigan. However, the reality is setting in and we see that this year at least and maybe even part of next year will be a time of transition for our football team.

    I have no doubt that even througout this period, there will be times when our team will make us proud.

    THAT’S MY OPINON!