So the draft concluded today with a few surprises for the Michigan Wolverines. From Jake Long as the #1 pick, to the controversy surrounding Manningham to the speculation over where Hart and Henne would fall, the Blue played a major role in drama of the 2008 draft. A few takes on these guys: Chad Henne: The guy is going to be a very good quarterback if things fall his way, and I think they will. Without getting too far into the comparisons I just don’t understand how a guy like Flacco can be taken way ahead of Henne. Brohm and Ryan? Fine. Now I hear the scouts say Flacco’s arm is stronger (which is also hard to believe) but based on the solely on the four years of experience at Michigan I just don’t get it. I guess we’ll see. Mario Manningham: He kind of lost me during the Wisconsin game this past fall. Bitching at Mallett and at times, seemingly dogging it…I just don’t have any patience for that. So when the drug stuff came down followed by the bite sized Wonderlic score, well, I just started to feel like the guy was getting a taste of what he deserved. He was projected as recently as today (the current ESPN rating) to go late first round and he ended…
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Chalk Talk with Rodriguez
The Free Press dug up this video with Coach Rod in session teaching the offense:
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Carr Calls foul on Dispatch Report
Check out Jim Carty’s blog tonight. Carr told Bruce Madej [above, with Coach Rod at the Spring game] that the Columbus Dispatch report that claims Carr helped Justin Boren land at Ohio State is false: Carr denied the Dispatch report via Michigan athletics spokesperson Bruce Madej, who said the coach was unavailable for an interview Friday night. “Lloyd told me that’s a lie,” Madej said. Here’s the claim made by a “source” to the Dispatch: Maybe they should take a cue from previous Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who according to a source close to the situation worked behind the scenes to help Boren obtain his scholarship release from Michigan. Carr even assured Boren that Ohio State is the closest thing to Michigan that he would find and that there are “good people” in Columbus. Elsewhere: As Coach Rod advised during the his ‘On the Road’ tour, sometimes you just need to let those who stray from the V formation go off….and die (geese metaphorically). Let’s focus on those that are here and that means some recruits. So while everyone’s still excited about Virginia QB Kevin Newsome, here’s a Spring Game outtake of Coach Fred Jackson closing the deal:
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The Jake Long Song
Press play at your own risk. Just a taste: “Jake Long, Bill Parcells is making you rich, so Jake Long don’t turn out like Tony Mandarich” More videos from the “ryanparkersongs’s channel” channel at Heavy.com
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Confirmed: Judas!
Borendict Arnold!! confirmed. Borendict Arnold
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Jake: Your Money Maker
So Jake Long will be the #1 pick in this weekend’s draft, signing for just under $58M. Factoids for you: * He joins the great Tom Harmon as the only Michigan #1 overall picks in the draft. * While we’ll never know the exact figure, taking a swag you figure that Long made himself an extra $30 million or so by staying an extra year at Michigan. Of course, he didn’t get paid last season (we hope) and may have cut off a year of NFL life. But all in all, he made out big. * I know Henne’s stock is rising, but perhaps the fellow four-year starter could join Long in Miami as the Dolphins’ first pick of the 2nd round? * What could Long do with $58 million? How about buy every seat for every game in the Big House next season plus every seat at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2009. He’d have some change left over for parking and Twizzlers.
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From now on, You’ll be Fritz
Great, great stuff from the bountiful Sports Illustrated Vault. I found this beauty via the excellent Winged Helmet message board posted by uber user BlueCheeseHead. It’s a lengthy piece on Fritz Crisler first published in February 1964 titled “The Man Who Changed Football“. Definitely check it out. It presents the former Michigan coach and AD’s influence on college football rule changes but it also provides a few nice nuggets. Among them: Specifically how he got the nickname Fritz: Coach [Amos Alonzo] Stagg fastened the nickname of ‘Fritz’ on him after he had fumbled three times in a row. Stagg made the sarcastic point that there was a violinist, a great artist, who spelled his name Kreisler. He said he was naming Crisler Fritz because he bore absolutely no resemblance to Fritz Kreisler, the artist. On his strategy to defend “the sleeper”….where the offense hides a player near the sidelines, hoping the defense doesn’t notice: “We would put a bugler up on top of the press box with instructions to watch for that sleeper, and when he spotted one to blast out reveille with all the fervor and wind that was in him. It worked, but we could only use him at home games. There was a limit on the number of men we could take on a trip. One time…
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Spring Game: B side Photos
A few more pics from the Spring game a Saline including more of what you savor: Barwis and recruits: Lamarr Woodley and a few former players attended From the end zone More players; Barwis was moving around and barking Rodriguez meets recruit Henry Conway – the fridge II Coach Rod takes the field Barwis with Threet – barking Nick Sheridan waits to stretch