We started off our list of pre-spring questions for the Legends Division with three questions that the Michigan offense will attempt to answer over the course of the spring. For all of the promise that the offense displayed in 2010, the defense displayed equal amounts of doom and gloom over the course of the season. Last year’s defense was the worst defense that has ever taken the field at Michigan and I don’t think anyone who watched a Michigan game this past season needs me to bother mentioning the statistics to back it up. The defense couldn’t even stop the vaunted UMass Minutemen from rolling up big numbers early in the non-conference slate.
Gone is the 3-3-5 and in comes Greg Mattison and the 4-3 defense that Michigan fans have been pining for since Rich Rodriguez changed the defense mid-season in 2008.
1. What impact will Greg Mattison have in year one?
The biggest off-season move that Brady Hoke has made so far was the hiring of nationally recognized and respected defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. Mattison has been the defensive coordinator at Michigan before. He served on the defensive staff at Michigan from 1992-1996 and was the defensive coordinator in both the 1995 and 1996 seasons. He spent time at Notre Dame between 1997 and 2004, including a four-year stint as the defensive coordinator under Bob Davie. From 2005-2007 he served as the co-defensive coordinator at Florida under Charlie Strong. His past three seasons have been spent working with the very talented Baltimore Ravens.
Michigan could not have found a better man to ressurect a defense that has fallen so far off the path that it has turned into the laughingstock of college football. Mattison’s resume is a who’s who of college football’s elite and when Urban Meyer talks about Greg Mattison being one of the best coaches he’s ever had the privilege of coaching with we should all sit up and take notice. Mattison is a great coordinator, but he is also a tremendous recruiter. Mattison was largely responsible for a majority of the talent that helped Michigan win a national championship in 1997 and he was even the chief recruiter in bringing Tim Tebow to Florida.
Mattison will bring decades of NFL and collegiate experience with him to Ann Arbor but no one should expect him to be a miracle worker in his first season on the job. He has some talent to work with but a majority of it is still raw and undeveloped at this point in time. I do think the Michigan defense will take a significant step forward and hopefully come back towards the statistical levels of an average Big Ten defense by season’s end. Mattison will continue to have a huge impact on the recruiting trail for 2012. With Mattison bringing in, and coaching up, great talent it is no stretch of the imagination to think that the Michigan defense’s we all love and remember could be back sooner than we think.
2. Who will man the outside linebacker spots?
The only returning starter at the linebacker position is redshirt junior Kenny Demens. Demens will bring a nice skill set back to the middle linebacker position and will give Mattison a solid core member for his linebacking group. The outside linebacker spots are completely up in the air following the graduation of Jonas Mouton and the elimination of the hybrid positions that were staples of the 3-3-5.
Michigan will need to find a strongside linebacker in addition to a starter for the weakside linebacker position. The strongside linebacker must be big enough to take on the tight end at the point of attack in the running game but also be fast enough to be solid in pass coverage. The weakside linebacker will typically be “covered up” and will have the range and freedom to make tons of plays in the 4-3 scheme that Mattison employs.
Some candidates for the linebacker positions include:
J.B. Fitzgerald – Fitzgerald, like Demens, will be a redshirt junior who has four years of college “experience”. Fitzgerald has the size and speed that could make him an impact player at the strongside position if he is able to get a solid mental grasp on the system.
Cam Gordon – Gordon will not be a safety in the 4-3 and I actually think that he is also more suited to play the strongside linebacker spot than the weakside spot. Gordon still has the frame to put on another 15 pounds and he is fast enough that he could be a factor against the run on the edge but also be able to adequately cover the tight end in the seams and flats. Look for Gordon to push hard for a starting job.
Mike Jones – Few people remember, but Jones was a starter in Michigan’s first two games of 2010. Jones actually has a skill set that is perfectly suited for the weakside linebacker spot. Jones has tremendous speed for a linebacker but he is not quite big enough to constantly be taking on offensive lineman at the second level. Jones will be covered by the 3-technique defensive tackle and will be given ample opportunity to find the ball and rush the passer from the weak side of the defense.
Jake Ryan – Ryan is a redshirt freshman who was rumored to be coming on strong towards the end of 2010. Ryan is more of a middle linebacker build but with Demens in front of him he might have the ability to slide out to the strong side if need be.
Josh Furman – Furman is a tweener right now and the staff is not sure whether he will be a safety or a linebacker. At linebacker, he would have to play at the weakside spot. Furman’s 4.4 speed would make him a terror off the edge as a blitzing linebacker. It will be interesting to see how much Furman can progress in the offseason.
There are plenty of other options including guys like Carvin Johnson, Thomas Gordon, and Isaiah Bell who don’t’ have well-defined positions at this point and could make a move this spring and fall.
My early leaders to be your starters on the outside are Mike Jones and Cam Gordon.
3. Who will step up in the secondary?
The secondary is a huge question mark heading into 2011. However, it’s a question mark in the sense of who will play where rather than the question of talent issue that killed Michigan in 2010.
The first issue within the secondary revolves around the return of Troy Woolfolk. Will Woolfolk be able to be healthy and effective this fall? If Woolfolk’s healthy does he play corner or make a return to free safety? These are two key questions that could go a long way towards determining how solid Michigan’s pass defense will be this season.
Between J.T. Floyd, Courtney Avery, and Cullen Christian it seems like Michigan will have plenty of options to plug in at corner. However, it remains to be seen exactly who in this group will step up and seize the starting jobs. Floyd has the size, but lacks the speed and Avery has the speed and the instincts but lacks the size that Hoke and his staff would like in corners on defense. Christian presents the best package of physical skills and will have every opportunity to earn himself a position somewhere in the secondary.
A host of true freshmen will also get ample opportunity to break in at cornerback if they prove themselves worthy. Blake Countess and Delonte Hollowell more than likely have the best shot at potentially seeing early playing time at corner but I think this might be the first year in a long time that Michigan will be able to do the smart thing and apply redshirts to all of the incoming defensive backs.
The safety positions are truly up for grabs. Free safety is Woolfolk’s spot to lose if he is healthy, but if he is placed at corner or can’t return to full health then Michigan will not have a ton of options at the free safety position. Ray Vinopal is simply not big and strong enough yet to be an impact player at the safety position. Free safety is not a spot where Michigan has a ton of natural fits and spring ball will offer plenty of guys the opportunity to step up and enter their name in the mix for the free safety job. Tamani Carter, an incoming freshman, could have a shot to avoid a redshirt and earn early playing time at the free safety spot.
The strong safety battle, in my opinion, will be a dogfight between Carvin Johnson and Marvin Robinson. Robinson was an extremely highly touted recruited who could provide a physical presence at the strong safety spot. Johnson was a pleasant surprise playing the hybrid linebacker/safety spot in the 3-3-5 quite well as a true freshman. I think Michigan will be able to feel good about starting either of these guys in the first game of the season as I expect both of them to rapidly improve heading into their sophomore seasons.
No comments:
Post a Comment