Antonio Bass Injury Potentially Career-Ending

By Sean · Wednesday, August 2, 2006 · 1:02 PM |  Share | Leave a Comment 

This offseason for Michigan was a very good one in almost every way. New coaches joined the staff, current coaches were promoted to the coordinator positions, and best of all: we got to stop thinking about the 7-5 season. It wasn’t all good though. Antonio Bass, who was going to become a big part of the offense in 2006, sustained a severe leg injury. The injury was thought to have occurred in conditioning drills, but I think there’s more to the story that we’re not hearing.

Yesterday, in Chicago, at the annual Big Ten event, Lloyd Carr addressed the media with some bad news. First, he stated that Bass was doing well in the rehabilitation of his knee.

Carr, prior to going in front of the entire Big Ten media, told Michigan-based scribes that Bass had done very well over the summer in getting himself into his rehabilitation.”He’s doing extremely well,” Carr said. “The knee is coming along really well. Rehab’s gone extremely well.”

That was good to hear. Although he probably won’t get back this season, from that, it sounds he’ll be back in 2007. Not after reading the next part of the story.

“There is a test that they’re going to take in the next couple of weeks involving another [knee-related] issue,” Carr offered.

Carr noted that Bass is not preparing to play this season, regardless of the results of the test. When pressed about Bass’ future, the Michigan head coach acknowledged that it really hinges upon what the doctors find out in the upcoming examination.

“It’s an important test, in terms of his future as an athlete,” Carr said. “The test is going to clarify that issue.”

From the sounds of that, the injury may be worse then originally thought. I hope when that test is done it comes out with a positive reaction. Meaning that Bass will be able to come back and someday play for Michigan again.

Until then, freshman Carlos Brown will take over the role that Bass played last year from the quarterback standpoint. In the spring game Brown took five or so snaps as a QB and ran with the ball just as Bass had done many times last season.

Final Spring Practice in Review

By Sean · Saturday, April 15, 2006 · 9:27 PM |  Share | 12 Comments 

Earlier today I attended the final spring practice, which translated to a bunch of drills and a minor scrimmage at the end. Overall, I have to say that I’m a little disappointed. Players that were “supposedly” improving showed me the same stuff as last year. I’ll get into the specifics a little later, but for right now let’s just go over some of the things I noticed.

The picture to the left is one that I took when I first arrived at the stadium. There was a pretty good sized crowd in attendance, I’d say about 30,000 or so people. If you notice in this picture (click to enlarge), the construction has still got a long way to go before being completed. This so called “Concrete Replacement Project” better get going in order to finish before September 2nd. About half of the lower bowl is completely torn up, and concrete is only in place in a few spots. Bill Martin wasn’t lying when he said the two biggest cranes in Michigan were sitting in the Big House, those things were about 40 stories high. I was very impressed with the turnout for today. Lots of Michigan fans came out and showed their true maize and blue colors.

Now that the atmosphere is down, let’s get into what I actually saw throughout my afternoon in A2. For about the first hour of the practice, different types of drills were run. I had the defensive line practicing right in front of me, so I got to see them very well. One thing that concerned me was that LaMarr Woodley was limping around and also didn’t participate in any of the drills being run. Alan Branch did not impress me very much, he was getting thrown around, and later on was flattened by Adam Kraus when the offensive line came down to do some drills with the d-line. James McKinney looked very good, but during the scrimmage, left the game limping very harshly with an injury. I don’t know what’s in the water at these practice facilities, but the injuries are just ridiculous.

We finally got to see how Zoltan Mesko could punt if you didn’t see warm-ups before last season’s games. He should definitely be the starter this fall. There’s no doubt in my mind. Ross Ryan’s got a great leg for the kickoff game, but for punting he just doesn’t compare. Ryan can get good hang time on his punts, but they don’t reach very far. Mesko has the hang time and the distance. He had a punt that was so far today during the scrimmage that the crowd even gave him a big ovation.

The top third backs are Mike Hart, Kevin Grady, and then Alijah Bradley. Mike Hart didn’t practice too much, probably just trying to stay healthy. Grady and Bradley got the bulk of the plays, along with Carlos Brown. Brown looked spectacular out there. He can really turn into a play-maker. I don’t know which mindset I should be in after Carlos took a run to the house after breaking a few tackles… the defense either sucks, or Brown is something special. Let’s stick with the second one. Brown also took some snaps in the backfield much like Antonio Bass did last year. He’s got the speed to take those kind of plays all the way. Brown didn’t work out at all as a defensive back from what I saw, but it’s better if he just concentrates on running back.

At wide receiver, it was nice to see so many targets out there. Adrian Arrington and Doug Dutch were back for the first time since injuries last season. Both didn’t do too much, but the important thing was that they were out there. Mario Manningham and Steve Breaston looked good. LaTerryal Savoy got lots of playing time today, and had a few good receptions. The best catch was made by Alijah Bradley during an out drill with Jason Forcier. Bradley had to dive with the ball coming from over his shoulder. Somehow Bradley made the grab for a standing “o” from the Big House crowd.

Garrett Rivas was doing his 15 yard kick drill down in my endzone, so I got a good look at him. Rivas looks as though he’s trimmed down. Maybe Lloyd’s message about dropping some weight got through to him. I wish his kicking was better though. On a 25 yard or so field goal attempt, Rivas completely shanked the kick, sending the ball flying way off to the left of the upright. Looks like we’ll have another year of inconsistency at that position.

Last but not least for my observations is the quarterback position. I’m not trying to be really negative, but there was no improvement from last year in my mind. Chad Henne looked really bad out there today. During short passes he just smoked the pass right by the receiver, with no touch whatsoever on it. Many passes were also thrown to high or were off behind the receivers. Henne looked exactly like last year, maybe even a little worse. One thing that really scares me is that Henne now has the impression that he can run it whenever he wants. Henne took off at least 5 times when he couldn’t see anybody. Eventually Henne is gonna get smashed if he keeps running like he did today. We just can’t afford for him to put himself in such a vulnerable position. Jason Foricer, our backup for the season, looked ok. He had the short touch passes down much better than Henne. His running also looked good after a great rollout where he blew by the defense. Forcier disappointed me a little on the longer passes, overthrowing his targets by a good margin, but he doesn’t have that much experience. Overall, I guess he did about what I expected. Jeff Kastl is our 3rd string guy, and didn’t get many snaps in at all today.

Now that you’ve got what I saw, I’ll tell you what I liked and didn’t like.

Impressed me:
*Carlos Brown… Brown came out very fast and showed off his athletic ability with a few very good runs. Brown has only been here for a few weeks and already he’s leaving a good impression in my head.

*Zoltan Mesko… Mesko didn’t get a chance to show his leg off last year, but when the crunch time came during today’s scrimmage, he certainly gave me a good taste in my mouth. Ryan was decent, but Mesko has got a cannon on his leg. He launched a 60-yarder down the field to draw a loud cheer from the maize and blue faithful.

*Alijah Bradley… Bradley has worked his tail off and it finally has paid off. Bradley, now a 5th year senior, has put himself in a position to get a hefty amount of playing time. Alijah has my support, and played very well today making some good runs and a great catch.

*Defensive Backs… The DB’s looked very good today. All day receivers had their attempted catches contested. All were dressed except Brandent Engleman, and even Ryan Mundy has made it back to the field and made some very fierce hits. At the very end of the day, the DB’s ran 100 yards, but had down-ups every 5-10 yards. That takes some athletic ability to survive.

*Fan Turnout… After a dismal 7-5 season, and so much in-stadium construction, I didn’t expect as many fans to show up as they did today. The entire side of the stadium opposite to the press box was crammed full of fans. The fans were also very into it even though an actual game wasn’t being played.

Didn’t impress me:
*Chad Henne… The mechanics still aren’t down it seems. Henne was missing receivers left and right, and was throwing it right by them. He also took off to run every now and then when he had a guy down field open. Henne must improve from now to the first game if we’re going to be successful this season.

*Garrett Rivas… Rivas may have dropped some weight, but his kicks are still bad as ever. Shanking a 25-yarder into the crowd doesn’t do much for me. Inconsistency is the story of his life, now as a senior he’s worse then when first getting here.

*No Jerome Jackson… Jerome is conspicuously absent from the spring roster. I don’t know if this is a direct effect from his attempted rap song, but it looks like he’s not even in the doghouse, but off the team. Jackson filled in great last year, and even won the Iowa game in overtime. I’d like to see him back, I don’t think it’s fair to get rid of a player because of a rap song that wasn’t even meant to be public.

*Injuries… It’s not even the fall yet and already injuries are becoming a problem. 2005 was about the worse season I’ve ever been through injury-wise, and now it’s looking like 2006 could be just as bad with the track we’re on right now. As I stated earlier, James McKinney left the scrimmage barely being able to walk, and LaMarr Woodley didn’t do anything at all today.

*Big Ten Officials… A very recognizable officiating crew from the Big Ten was there to get warmed up I guess. I knew the face, as we’ve been screwed over many times in the past by him, I just can’t think of a name. But, LaTerryal Savoy got jacked out of a touchdown. He caught the ball and put it over the plane of the goaline for what should’ve been a TD, but the refs said he was down at the 1. It’s the spring and already the crappy officiating starts.

Overall, it was a fun day. It’s nice to get an early look at the 2006 team. Things will probably change greatly from now until August, but it’s cool to get an idea of what to expect. Before today if you asked me my feeling for the 2006 season, I would’ve said very excited. Now, after seeing Chad and some of the other players do the same old things, my excitement level is back down to average. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait for the season, but I’m just a little concerned now.

The final spring practice was good though. Anything free involving Michigan football is a good result. The football news will be very limited now, the dry spell of the offseason is about to begin. Until then, read up, and go blue!

Ultimate Guide to the Final Spring Practice

By Sean · Friday, April 14, 2006 · 8:10 PM |  Share | Leave a Comment 

As the countdown above shows, we’re less than 24 hours until the 2006 spring game. This year is especially exciting due to the shifting around of coaching positions. I do have to say that this is the most excited for a spring game that I’ve ever been. I’m ready for the college football season already, and it’s only April. Throughout this “Ultimate Guide to the Spring Game”, I’ll take a look at the offense, defense, special teams, and preview each of them. Also, I’ll give you some things to look at tomorrow.

I. Previewing the Team
The 2006 Wolverines football team is going to be much different compared to last years. Many seniors have graduated, and now the positions are going to be put in the hands of new talent. Some of that talent was here before, some is coming for the first time. Let’s first take a look at each separate position to get a feel of what to expect, and which players will have to step up in ’06.

Quarterback… For Michigan, there was lots of worries last year at this position. Chad Henne, even though having great stats for a sophomore QB, was ridiculed. Michigan fans were disappointed in Henne’s mechanics and decision-making. The biggest problems I saw myself were overthrown passes and too quick of just throwing it away. Chad’s gotta step up in the pocket and be patient when nobody is open at first, someone will be later on in the play. Luckily, it seems Henne has progressed this spring. Lloyd Carr had this to say about Chad Henne’s spring performance so far:

“He’s had a good spring. What I see is a different guy, in terms of his total confidence in what he’s doing and in what he needs to do. He’s been around here, and he understands the leadership aspect of that position. I think he’s right where he needs to be.”

Maybe with that Henne will be more aggressive this year, as he showed us in the Alamo Bowl. If he doesn’t see anything, then he can take off and run. With more confidence and a mindset of being the leader of the team, Henne can go out on the field and do great things. I just have this feeling that Henne can and should have a breakout season this year with Mike DeBord now calling the plays.

Henne needs a deep-threat target. As a freshman, he had one of the best wide receivers in Michigan history, Braylon Edwards. Braylon was able to go up and catch anything thrown in his vicinity. Last season there was an absence of that special WR. Jason Avant was more of a mid-range target, and Steve Breaston just couldn’t get those long throws. Near the end of the season we saw Mario Manningham start stepping it up, and really begin to play great, all starting with the Penn State game. In the Alamo Bowl he had a spectacular long touchdown grab. What I want to see this year is a connection between these two that produces great results. Manningham reminds me of a Braylon Edwards-type player, and can do that if him and Chad can be on the same page all year.

One major concern I do have with the quarterback position is depth. With Matt Gutierrez transferring to Idaho State, that leaves Chad Henne as the starter, and Jason Forcier at the #2 spot. If any major injury is suffered, then Jason Forcier would have to be our QB, with no experience. Although, Chad Henne never had any experience when starting the first game of the 2004 season either. Antonio Bass was practicing the QB position, which just shows you how bad we are in need for players at that spot on the depth chart.

Overall, if Chad Henne stays healthy and plays smart all year, then I think the college football nation could be in for a big shock. Henne has the potential and ability to do some great things this year, and he’s got the players to do it.

Running/Full Back… In the 2005 season, Michigan was stung at the running back position with the injuries to Mike Hart. During his freshman season, Michigan fans everywhere fell in love with Hart’s astounding ability to shed tacklers and to never give up. Hart always had that extra push to gain extra yards after first being hit. Hart was banged up all year, and we only got to see Hart play to his full ability in a few games. Kevin Grady, who will now be in his 2nd year, filled in great for a freshman. Grady has slimmed down during the spring, and will have lots more speed.

In his press conference earlier this week, Lloyd Carr talked about the running back position quite a bit. Here’s what he had to say about Grady:

“Kevin had the best day of his career on Saturday. He ran with power. He’s much more comfortable with making the cuts and finding the hole. He’s a guy who likes to compete. He’s very tough. He has made wonderful strides. His weight is down, which has really significantly helped him.”

Carr also mentions that Mike Hart has had a very good spring, and that Mister Simpson, who was redshirted last year, is showing off his great ability. He even broke a 70-yard run that past Saturday. One other thing to add is that Alijah Bradley has practiced great, and has put himself in a position where he will probably receive a fair amount of playing time in 2006.

The depth at running back is unbelievable at Michigan this year. You’ve got Mike Hart and Kevin Grady as the top 2, and then the talent continues after that. Jerome Jackson can come in (as long as he stops rapping) and play great, and now we have Alijah Bradley, Mister Simpson, and Carlos Brown as well in the backup roles.

One thing I’d like to see is both Hart and Grady in the backfield together every now and then. Like a punch of thunder and lightning, the defense wouldn’t know who the ball is going to. That type of set could really be unstoppable if coached correctly. I expect and hope that Mike Hart will have a great year, especially after missing most of ’05. Kevin Grady won’t be left out either. Even though Mike is the starter, Kevin can still rack up a thousand yards this season. The best thing would be to give mike 60% of the main carries and Kevin the other 40%. You don’t want to play only Mike, where he could get worn down and re-injured. Plus, why waste a great talent by sitting him on the bench in Kevin Grady.

For the teammate of the running backs, who will be the guy sitting in the backfield most of the time with either Mike, Kevin, or Alijah? At the full back position there are a number of great players that could start. Brian Thompson had a stellar 2005 season, and played great. Will Paul was brought on and played more towards the end of ’05, and will most likely see that kind of playing time again in ’06. Also, you’ve got Obi Oluigbo, who was #4 on the list of Bruce Feldman’s “Spring Revelations.”

4. Obi Oluigbo, FB, Michigan: The 6-0, 230-pounder, a onetime UM linebacker who has essentially been just a special teamer during his career, has shed some weight and might be a key contributor at fullback as he returns to the Wolverines for his fifth-year. Thanks to his improved quickness, Oluigbo is a guy Lloyd Carr is kind of excited about this spring.

I don’t know where this comes from. But, good for Obi. It’s nice to see a player who has been there all this time to finally getting some accolades, now let’s see him turn those into on-the-field results.

Wide Receiver/Tight End… From Anthony Carter, to Desmond Howard, and to Braylon Edwards, the position of wide receiver at Michigan has always been very strong at Michigan. This year should be no different. Veteran Steve Breaston will be back and should be great at the WR position. He is recognized more for his ability to return kicks and punts, but now is the time to show off his skill at catching the ball. With Breaston’s speed, he can turn any short screen into a long touchdown. Just ask Iowa. Mario Manningham will most likely be Michigan’s main receiver this season, as he has played great as of late. Lloyd said on April 10th that Mario sprained a knee and has missed some time. That’s not good news for Michigan, but as long as he can get back to full health by the start of the season, then no worries.

Carl Tabb will also be back for one last season, and he’s had a great spring. Adrian Arrington and Doug Dutch will also be back this year, after an injury-ridden 2005. Both should be great assets to the receiving corps. Redshirt freshman LaTerryal Savoy is said that he will be a factor, and he should be since he’s such a big guy a 6 feet, 2 inches. Antonio Bass, who was involved in many different forms last year, will probably not be catching any balls this season. That severe injury is likely to keep him out of the 2006-2007 season barring any miracles.

These wide receivers are going to play a very important role in Michigan’s success for a few reasons. First off, Chad Henne’s development will depend greatly on the ability of the WR’s, the offense for Michigan is changing, so the WR’s will have to adapt, and lastly, the play of WR’s can create a better running game if the passing game is successful.

Let’s shift over to the other receivers, the Michigan tight ends. Tyler Ecker and Mike Massey will carry the load this year after the departure of Tim Massaquoi. Ecker and Massey both should be great this year, and also there’s Carson Butler Jr. who is gonna get playing time as well eventually. Chad Henne’s got plenty of targets, now he’s just gotta find them.

Offensive Line… The 2005 season was a bit of a disappointment for the offensive line. Mind you, they had a lot of injuries, but most felt that they had underachieved. Here’s Lloyd’s take on the o-line:

“I think we’ve made some real progress. Jake Long has had a great spring. Mark Bihl has had an outstanding spring. Adam Kraus has had a very good spring. What we’re looking for is to solidify ourselves at the tackle position. Rueben Riley played there for almost two weeks before he got hurt. Cory Zirbel, a young freshman, has made some strides there. Mike Kolodziej has worked in there some, and Mark Ortmann, another freshman, has gotten a lot of work. I think we’ve improved in that area. At the guard position, Alex Mitchell has done some good things. He’s going to have to compete. He’s going to have to lose some weight, and I think the same is true of Jeremy Ciulla. The right guard is a position where we’ll go into training camp having to make a decision at that position. We’ve really gotten a lot of work, and we’re much improved in that area from the day we started spring practice.”

By the sounds of that, we should be back to the old days at Michigan where year in and year out the o-line has been successful. Michigan’s got great talent coming back, and this season should be able to capitalize on it. As long as the injuries are minimal, then Mike Hart and company should have a great blocking force leading the way.

Defensive Line… Michigan will have to put some new faces on the defensive line this season after the losses of Gabe Watson and Pat Massey. Lucky for us, we have lots of new faces to use. The talent on the d-line is amazing this year. Every player is great.

Lloyd Carr had this to say about the defensive line:

“Terrance Taylor has a chance to be a great nose guard. The thing that he has done in a short period here is, he’s gotten much stronger. He has really had a good spring. Marques Walton has played very well this spring. James McKinney – we’ve moved him inside, and I think he’s made very good progress. He needs to continue to get stronger, but he’s a very athletic guy and he’s going to give us some help in an area where we need to develop some depth. Tim Jamison didn’t have a very good day on Saturday, but up until Saturday, I would say he probably has had as good a spring as anybody on our team.”

It sounds like the defensive line is going to be very good this year. Terrance Taylor has bulked up and as stated above, gotten a lot stronger. Also, in good news, the rumor is that Eugene Germany is out of the doghouse and has been given one more chance from Coach Carr. Germany had supposedly stolen a girl’s cell phone, and was in trouble with Lloyd, but hopefully he does something with that second chance.

Predicting who starts where, I’d say Jeremy Van Alstyne and Rondell Biggs get the start as the defensive ends, and then Alan Branch and Terrance Taylor at the guard positions. These are way early, but just my thought as of right now.

Linebackers… With the talent Michigan has at the position of linebacker, and with a new coach, it’ll be especially interesting to see how they perform this year. Steve Szabo, coming in from the Buffalo Bills, has lots of coaching experience, and hopefully can shape these players into great on-the-field performers.

Let’s just look at some of the talent we have in the linebacker’s position. With player’s like Shawn Crable, Prescott Burgess, Chris Graham, LaMarr Woodley, and David Harris, these talent pool is there. David Harris had a stellar 2005, and I would expect that to continue into this season. Also, Shawn Crable and Prescott Burgess should be great this year at the outside linebacker’s position. With so much depth, the rotations should be there, and we’ll have to see how Steve Szabo utilizes all of this talent.

Defensive Backs… Speaking of new coaches, Ron Lee, from fellow Big Ten team Wisconsin signed on as the cornerback’s coach. Not even talking about the new recruits coming in, which are great in the defensive back spot, Michigan has talent coming out of the wazoo. At corner, you’ve got the veteran of Leon Hall coming back, and also you’ve got Darnell Hood, Charles Stewart, Morgan Trent, and the highly acclaimed Johnny Sears Jr. (redshirted last year) at this spot. Morgan Trent has especially been playing well, at least coming from these comments by Coach Carr:

“Morgan, the last week, has played better. This is true at every position – what you’re looking for is competition, and finding out how important this game is to a guy. I guess he’s in a very competitive position because he came into the spring as No. 1. (Johnny) Sears and (Charles) Stewart have really come on. He’s like a lot of guys, he’s got to step up.”

The defensive backs have played great and have been getting increasingly better year after year, and that will definitely continue into 2006.

Also very strong at Michigan are the safeties. Willis Barringer and Brandent Engleman played great early on in the season, but then suffered some injuries, and then Branden Harrison and Jamar Adams filled in greatly at the spot. Also, we’ve got the return of Ryan Mundy to look forward to after sitting out 2005 with a nerve injury. Michigan is loaded in the defensive backfield, and it should be great for the defense in ’06.

Special Teams… Let’s get this out of the way right now and talk about kicking. Garrett Rivas has great accuracy when it comes to mid-range kicks, but he’s so inconsistent. You have games where he’ll hit any kick, like the Rose Bowl against Texas; but, then you have games where he just misses about everything. And when Garrett misses, it’s not even close. Throw in that missed extra point every few games, and you’ve got a kicker that you don’t know what to expect. It’d be nice to just cheer after a touchdown and relax. Instead, you’ve gotta watch the extra point on the edge of your seat when it should just be automatic. Something I’ve noticed about Rivas is that each year he has gained a significant amount of weight. When first coming to Michigan, he was 204 pounds, now he’s up to 217 pounds. It may only be 13 pounds difference, but he just looks bigger. He’s become just like his kicks are, “short and wide.” Maybe that affects his kicking, who knows? But, in 2006, Rivas must become more consistent and hit these chip shots.

Since we’re talking about kicking, let’s take a look at the punter, and kickoff specialist. Last season, Ross Ryan was kicking off for Michigan, and did a great job. He’s without a doubt going to be doing that again. It’s nice not having to worry about a kick return for a touchdown most of the time. Ryan also punted, and mind you, did a decent job. But I think we’ve got more talent sitting on the bench. Zoltan Mesko redshirted last year, and I think this year has a great chance of starting. From what I observed in warm-ups before games last fall, Mesko punted it a little further than Ryan did. Actually, walk-on Mark Spencer punted farther than both, but he’s graduated. Lloyd has said Mesko has improved greatly from last fall, and has been practicing in all types of conditions.

Lastly for special teams is the return game. Speedy Steve Breaston provides excitement on every kickoff and punt. He set the Rose Bowl record for kickoff return yards, and once he starts to get hot, the rest of the game is a show. In the last 2 seasons, Breaston has taken the first part of the season to get going due to injuries. What would be nice is to see a healthy Steve Breaston all year so we can get that starting position up near the 50 yard line. The way we beat Penn State was from great field position thanks to a Breaston kick return up to the 50 or so yard line. Breaston can seriously do some damage with his returning abilities, and will be sure to show it off in his final season.

II. What to Look For
Tomorrow there will be lots of new things and many things to look for when watching the final spring practice. Let’s rundown some of the things to take note of tomorrow.

1. Newcomers… Following the trend started by Kevin Grady, Justin Boren and Carlos Brown enrolled early so they could take part in spring activities. Not much has been said about Justin Boren, but lots has been talked about Carlos Brown. Why you ask? He’s been working on both sides of the ball. At running back he brings great speed to the table, and now in the secondary as a DB, he is able to keep up with every receiver. If he gets an interception, he’s gonna be off to the races.
2. New to Old Offense… This won’t be a flashback tomorrow when looking at the offense. Mike DeBord takes over the reins, and will hopefully bring the results of when he was the offensive coordinator from 1997-1999. Over that time Michigan went 26-5 and won a national championship. With Terry Malone leaving for the Saints, the position opened up and DeBord was promoted back to it.
3. More Aggressive Defense… Jim “Mr. Conservative” Herrmann is gone to the New York Jets, and DB’s coach Ron English is now the defensive coordinator after coming back from a Chicago Bear’s job. Look for the defense to be more aggressive under English as he’s been known to call for more blitzes and a more violent-playing attitude.
4. Upperclassman Leadership… Look for Chad Henne and Mike Hart to step it up and become leaders this year. Both have been here for 2 years, and both seem to be the poster boys for this year’s team. The quarterback-running back duo will provide the team with a spark coming from the backfield in ’06, bank on it.
5. Balls to the Walls Attitude… Lloyd Carr has been failing in Michigan fans’ mind for the past few years, especially after a 7-5 season. In 2006 Lloyd will have to leave everything out on the field to just survive. If this season is as bad as 2005, then expect something to be done with Carr. I’m not saying a firing will take place necessarily, but the alumni and fans’ outcry will be too big to ignore.

III. Covering the Game Live
I will be attending the game, or final practice. Whatever you want to call it. Due to injuries, no actual scrimmage may take place, but we’ll still get a look at next year’s team. Over the weekend I’ll have a full report on what I saw, and anything to take note of. Pictures will also hopefully be included, so look for that this weekend. Thanks again for reading, and GO BLUE!

Antonio Bass Injury Update

By Sean · Monday, April 10, 2006 · 11:03 PM |  Share | Leave a Comment 

In the pre-spring game press conference, we finally got an update about the injury-ridden Antonio Bass. Lloyd Carr stated during the presser that Bass sustained a knee injury during conditioning drills just before spring practice, and has had surgery on it. Obviously the injury was very serious, as Carr said “that it would take an extraordinary rehabilitation for him to come back.”

Bass was working out at quarterback during the early part of spring practice, which shows a couple of things. One, Michigan’s depth at quarterback is very small for Lloyd Carr to put a WR (former QB in high school) at QB during practice. And two, maybe Lloyd’s catching up with the times in seeing that the need for a mobile QB is very high now as the more successful teams have one. Just look at Texas with Vince Young. I hope that Bass can somehow get back for the fall, but I wouldn’t count on it. I’d say that the chances are he will probably miss the ’06 season, redshirt, and then have 3 years of eligibility left at Michigan.

BlogPoll Roundtable: Spring Practice Edition

By Sean · Wednesday, April 5, 2006 · 12:00 AM |  Share | 3 Comments 

I may not be apart of the BlogPoll just yet, but hopefully by the start of the season I am. In my effort to contribute to the roundtable, and get back into college football mode, I’ll answer the 3 preseason BlogPoll questions. Here’s my take:

1) It’s early, but thus far, which offseason change or changes in college football are you most excited about?

Well, as a Michigan fan, that answer would obviously be changes to the coaching staff. After having to sit through the disappointment of a 7-5 season, it was time for a change. The coaches that I wanted out are out, and the positions are filled to my liking as well. At defensive coordinator for Michigan, Jim Herrmann, who in my opinion is a great coach, just not at the collegiate level anymore, is now at the NY Jets as the linebacker’s coach. Ron English fills that position, coming back from the Chicago Bears after a few days. English was reportedly calling those all-out blitzes that actually did work in the Alamo Bowl, and has thus far used the word “violence” when talking about his style of defense, that’s always good.

Mike DeBord will fill the offensive coordinator position as Terry Malone left for the New Orleans Saints. DeBord was the offensive coordinator from 1997-1999, where Michigan accumulated a record of 26-5, and won a national championship. Let’s hope we see those same results in his second term at the OC spot. Also coming into new positions, from different places are Ron Lee and Steve Szabo. Ron Lee will be the cornerback’s coach, coming from Wisconsin; Steve Szabo will be the linebacker’s coach, coming in from the Buffalo Bills.

Personally, I love the changes made, that has made me very excited for this coming season. English will be a great fit at DC, and I think that Mike DeBord can bring back some spring into the offense for Michigan. Both Lee and Szabo are from the outside, which hasn’t happened in a while, so it’ll be interesting to see the play of the CB’s and LB’s this season.

2) With spring practice underway, what are the three concerns about your team that are causing you the most anxiety? (USC fans can’t just list the departures of Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, and LenDale White.)

After a 7-5 season, you can imagine that all Michigan fans have more than three concerns on their minds. I know I do. But the main three I think I can come up with. Let’s break them down.

*Injuries Last season injuries completely decimated this team and any chances of success. First it was Mike Hart early on in the season, then Tim Massaquoi, then virtually every offensive lineman, and so on. As soon as an injured player returned it was someone else falling out of the game. This season we’ve already experienced an injury, and it’s only the spring. Antonio Bass injured his leg, and that’s about all we know. More details are scheduled to be released soon, such as the extent, severity, and type of injury. The reports that I heard said that he tore his ACL in a pickup basketball game. He could miss the entire season, or possibly be ready for the fall. We’ll have to wait on that.

The key this season is staying healthy and limiting those pesky problems. In 2005 the big-time players we needed to be in the game (Mike Hart) were strained with injury problems all season, and that was one of many causes for a 7-5 record. If Michigan can keep the injuries to a minimum, and stay healthy, than 2006 could be a very great year. One main thing is to keep Chad Henne safe. Michigan has a method of protecting the QB, but the one year when we can’t afford to lose him it’ll end up happening probably. If Henne is out for any extendable times, then we’re in some trouble. Jason Forcier is very talented, but would he be ready to go into a game and be successful? I don’t wanna find out.

*Holding a lead The 2005 season brought 5 losses. 4 of those 5 losses happened because of blown 4th quarter leads. Against Wisconsin, Michigan led with just 24 seconds left, and then John Stocco ran it in on a QB draw to seal the win for the Badgers. Against Minnesota, Michigan didn’t necessarily give up a lead, but they did however give up a 61-yard Gary Russel run with just a few seconds left to setup a game-winning FG. In the Ohio State game, another blown lead due to conservative play causes the 4th loss in 5 years to the Buckeyes. Finally, in the most heart-breaking game in recent memory, Nebraska scored 15 points in the final 11 minutes of the game to defeat the Wolverines in stunning fashion.

Michigan has got to play for all 60 minutes of the game, not just up until the end. The biggest thing I saw was that Michigan played aggressive the entire game, but then once the pressure was on, and it was crunch time, the defense switched to a soft zone, or the offense to a yard and a cloud of dust for 3 straight plays. Here’s my favorite of all, a Chad Henne draw on 3rd and goal. Don’t change what’s been working just because the clock is running down. Against Nebraska all-out blitzes were working great as Michigan pressured the QB into throwing bad passes or not even getting a throw off at all. Once the lead got to 11, and the game was coming to an end, Jim Herrmann switched to a 3-man rush which enabled Nebraska to quickly comeback and win.

This season Michigan has got to close out these close games. If we’re on offense and ahead with a few minutes left, run some clock by handing it off, but also throw it if needed. And please, don’t send Chad running on a draw play. And on defense, continue to be aggressive, hopefully something we see with Ron English at the helm.

*Pressure After the worst season of Michigan football in 20 years, this season may be the “make-it or break-it” year for Lloyd Carr and the rest of the team. After going 7-5 in 2005, Michigan has got to put together a double-digit wins season. With 13 games to be played (12-regular season, 1-bowl), that means that only 3 losses occur. Normally that would upset me as it has in recent years, but with added games, and also after ’05, that’ll be a great improvement. You know Lloyd will be feeling the pressure to do well, and that could very well help us out. LC is on the “getting warmer seat” in my perspective. You know it would take an absolute disaster for Bill Martin to make a change, but if another 5-loss season or worse occurs in ’06, then I guarantee something will happen. The outcry from alumni would be to loud to ignore.

This season really will swing the momentum for coming years. If Michigan can put together a solid 10 or even 11 win season, then we’re back in the elite category, and can look ahead to a promising future. But, if there’s only 8 or so wins, then that means it will have been another disappointing season, and the overall state of the football program will be at rock bottom. The start of the season will be critical, mainly in the Notre Dame game on September 16th in South Bend. It’s been way too long since Michigan has won a road opener, and also now since we beat Notre Dame. You know the Fighting Irish will be pretty confident, as they will most likely be inside the top 5 of the polls. The scale for the 2006 season is set, and will be a reader to if we’re happy or sad in next January. A win over Notre Dame will give this team great confidence and will show us that we have a great team capable of great things. A loss won’t kill the season, but it also doesn’t help. Either way you slice it, this is the year to make a statement, and the pressure’s on no matter what.

*I couldn’t resist in just adding a little extra tidbit of my concerns. Last year Chad Henne caused me great pain week in and week out. Without that go to receiver that he had as a freshman in Braylon Edwards, he seemed to struggle. I don’t know if it was just a sophomore slump or just bad mechanics, but he’s gotta step it up this season. Limiting deflected, overthrown, or too quick of passes will be key. Hopefully he can find that go to WR to hook up with this year, I mean look at the crop he’s got to choose from. Mario Manningham showed me something last year that I liked, so that’s my choice right now. But seriously Chad, you gotta stop doing this to me, I can only take so much. And without Gutz there backing you up, I’m gonna have to live with you now, so make the best of it!

3) Care to take a stab at a preseason top five?

Sure, it is very early, the football season is roughly 5 months away, and everything will no doubt change by then, but I guess there’s no hurting in some very early predicting of this sort.

1. LSU – LSU had to beat out not only a very tough SEC last season, but also the worst hurricane in American history. After just annihilating Miami in the Peach Bowl, and with a great recruiting class coming in, I’d expect Les Miles and co. to be very good next year.

2. Ohio State – As much as it pains me to say this, OSU is really good. During the Tressel years it’s always been about defense, now that most of their spectacular defense is gone, look for the offense to be putting up 40+ points a game to lead this team. Heisman candidates Troy Smith and Ted Ginn are coming off a great Fiesta Bowl and will be on the short list of NC contenders.

3. Texas – Even though I don’t think Texas will be as good as this year next year because of the departure of the one man wrecking ball Vince Young, I still think they can put together a Big 12 championship. The offense and defense are suffering great losses in 1st round players, but with a top 5 recruiting class coming in, the Longhorns can make up for some of that.

4. Notre Dame – I’ll put this as plain and simple as I can, the media loves Notre Dame, and for that reason they’re in the top 5. An already average defense isn’t going to be greatly improved, so A.J. Hawk’s future brother-in-law will have to carry this team on his back, and with Charlie Weis on there, that is one heavy load.

5. USC – How is this possible after losing the entire 1st round of the draft? Well, even with the losses, they still have great players and leadership returning, not to mention one of the best recruiting classes in the country. With Pete Carrol firing himself as the defensive coordinator, which takes some balls, I’d look for USC to dominate the Pac-10 again.

I must say now, that after all that, and with the college basketball season officially over, I’m ready for college football. The Spring Game Easter weekend may be all I have until late-August to early-September, but this summer I’ll be cringing everyday for some college football action. Already April and I’m in college football mode, hard to believe. I can get through the rest of the month with continuing spring practice, but May and June are gonna be hard to deal with. Once July rolls around I’m just plain out excited, EA Sport’s college football video game comes out, so that gets me ready for the season, and before you know it, you’re singing “Hail to the Victors” and driving home in disappointment again. Let’s hope that isn’t the case this year. Thanks for these BlogPoll questions, and can’t wait for more!

*One last note: check out some other BlogPoll responses/tidbits at these other great blogs:

-MGoBlog
-Schembechlar Hall
-Dawg Sports
-EDSBS
-View from Rockey Top
-I’m a Realist
-Sexy Results

(Sorry if I missed your’s, just post a link to it and I’ll get you in there)