Wolverine247 Board

No need to worship me....

... well, maybe a little.

Well, let the football talk begin here...

What are the three things you are looking to see today? (I know, Offense, Defense, and Special Teams, oh and cheerleaders) Additionally, who are the 3 players you are going to watch? There may be some crossover here obviously, but here are mine:

1) Passing Game: Although Borges won't delve too much into the playbook, I really want to see what the passing game looks like. I don't want to single out players to watch in this part, but I want to see what type of plays are run, specifically more passes to the RBs. Will the QBs remain in the pocket, or will they roll out more often than not?

2) Battle of the Trenches: Hoke has said many times that games are won or lost in the trenches. I am not overly concerned about the 1's, but depth to me is a concern on both sides of the ball. Do we have serviceable backups?

3) LB Play: A position of relative weakness last year, I am looking for steady improvement from the linebackers. This is largely affected by the D-Line, but I want to see LBs flying around, filling gaps, and making plays at the point of attack. LBs have to be able to shed blocks and wrap up. This is still an area of concern for me.

On to the players:

1) Denard: Obviously, all eyes will be on Shoelace, but I will be specifically watching his mechanics and progressions. Will he revert to his bad habit of throwing off his back foot? I think he concentrates on this in practice, and by all accounts, he has improved, but I worry about the heat of the moment in a game. He said something like 10 out of his 15 INTs were a result of throwing off of his back foot and not stepping into his throw. Many of the jump balls he threw were also off his back foot. Luckily his receivers bailed him out a lot of the time. For this offense to live up to its potential, Denard needs to be more accurate and eliminate some of these mistakes. Some have said that he has a much better understanding of the offense, and he knows his progressions better. I think he waited far too long for a play to develop when he could have used his best asset, his legs. He needs to learn that if option 1 and option 2 aren't there, to tuck it and run.

2) BWC: The effectiveness of the D-Line is heavily dependent on Big Will. Several have said that the lights have finally gone on for him, and we all know when he plays with proper technique, he can be dominant. Consistency is his issue. Will he fire off the ball, stay low and get good punch, or will he stand straight up and get pushed back by the opposing O-Lineman?

3) Jarrod Wilson: Ever since I watched this kid's film, I have been excited about him roaming around in the secondary. It's a bit shocking that I would pick a true frosh to focus on, but we have been lacking a playmaker at FS for a very long time, and I think Wilson has the skills. I don't think he will beat out Gordon, but he has had a good spring, and I don't see him getting redshirted.

What say you?

Yes ^^^

BTN has lots for Michigan fans on today. '99 game against ND on now, next is last years "The Game", then the spring game, BIG icons (Bo), and then the lacrosse game against OSU.

Will there be punch and pie?

Go Blue!!!

hows the weather in AA pouring here in Cincinnati

Not even on DirecTV? It comes standard on my DirecTV package here in Utah, so I'm sure you could get it in Texas..

Yeah, I thought BTN was available almost everywhere but in some places you need to add it as part of a sports tier.

rain stopped, sun came out, nice day for a spring game here in AA

Yup, have a smile from ear to ear right now even though the game happened last season.

Funchess isn't on campus yet.