🏈 Denard Robinson, Heisman Trophy winner and national champion?

[252BAMA]

Book it, Wolverines

http://www.mlive.com/sports/index.ss...nal_champ.html


What can I say?

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Am I the only guy who thinks Denard Robinson is the best player in college football this year?

Some might think I'm crazy tossing the idea around that the Michigan quarterback could win the Heisman and a national title this year.

He, arguably, is the fastest quarterback ever. What more do you want to see from him?

I think he has not yet played on a great team, but still led the Wolverines to an 11-2 mark and a BCS bowl win in coach Brady Hoke's first year.

Even the Michigan coaches last year doubted him when they tried that ridiculous Devin Gardner dual quarterback experiment that disrupted any offensive flow in the losses to Michigan State and Iowa. What is smart is moving Gardner to the wideout position. He might end up in the NFL one day with that move.

The Michigan coaches know what they have now. Robinson is a freak of sports nature.

He is a one-man offense at times. We all have seen it.

He's that good. The fourth quarter of the Notre Dame game last year looked as if he was playing football the way Allen Iverson looked in his prime on a basketball court.

If Wolverines offensive coordinator Al Borges lets Robinson run to set up the pass, this will be a national championship season. He could have a Cam Newton-like senior season and carry the Wolverines to an undefeated season and win the Heisman. Newton was a better passer, but Robinson has better legs.

Michigan will go 14-0
I have upgraded my prediction from the summer. Michigan is going 14-0. The Wolverines will be national champions this year.

Robinson's speed makes every game on Michigan's schedule winnable. He is what Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders was to the running back position.

It begins with Alabama on Saturday night. Robinson will have a huge night in Michigan's upset of the Crimson Tide. Alabama coach Nick Saban never has faced a quarterback who can run like Robinson.

Hoke and his staff know how big this game is. They are treating it as if it were a national championship game. Eight months to prepare for the Crimson Tide will be a factor in the Michigan win.

Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison also will be key in beating Alabama. He knows how to game plan against an opposing offense as good as anyone I've ever seen, college or pro.

Saban has won titles based on running the football, stockpiling talent and recruiting, and not a lot of out-of-the-box coaching.

His style is boring and predictable.

'Bama won't win
Alabama thinks that just by showing up, they'll win. My gut feeling is the Crimson Tide already are counting the win without playing the game.

Borges will let Robinson do what he does best.

Alabama has no idea what is coming from Michigan's quarterback.

What Robinson and Hoke's staff did together last year was astounding for their first season. Those two things are why I'm picking Michigan to win.

When the Wolverines win on Saturday night, Robinson will become the frontrunner for the Heisman.

I also think with the win, Michigan will move up in the polls to at least the No. 2 spot, if not No. 1. Hoke knows this is his earlier-than-expected chance to put Michigan back with the big boys of college football.

Robinson must deliver in five big games to make this a championship season: Saturday against Alabama, at Notre Dame, Michigan State at home, at Nebraska and at Ohio State.

The only game that I think he could stumble is against the Spartans on Oct. 20. Spartans defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi is one of the brightest minds in college football today.

He knows how to defend Robinson better than anyone else.

What is different this season is that Michigan is at the Big House for this one.

Michigan will end its four-game losing streak to the Spartans this year, but it will be a close one.

Barring a Robinson injury, the Wolverines will finish undefeated with a win over Southern California in the BCS title game in Miami.

Robinson will leave college as another Michigan Heisman trophy winner with a Big Ten and national championship ring.

 

[jdpas29]

i certainly can't deny that DR is a good runner. he may very well be the best running qb Bama's played against in the saban era.. but he's also on a team that has a lot of perceived weaknesses. he also is not a very accurate passer. i watched him play several times last year, and i'm not the slightest bit impressed with his throwing motion or choice of target.

michigan plays backyard, scrappy football which is what DR does best. will that win against Alabama???doubt it.

if meechigan had a renowned defense and a running back that was excellent i could see this prediction being not as outlandish.

 

[Duder]

i certainly can't deny that DR is a good runner. he may very well be the best running qb Bama's played against in the saban era...

Hate Cam that much?

Saban's D stopping mobile QBs is all about scheme and it has been shown to work. Tebow was one of the most dynamic players ever and looked very pedestrian against Bama. Cam was bigger, faster and better throwing the ball and barely looked better than Tebow. Shoelace may be a better runner than Tebow was but he isn't near what you guys shut down in Cam. We had a 1,000 yard RB, a senior-laden OL and consistent WRs and still struggled. No way Shoelace has enough talent or help to pull it off. Bama will have to completely collapse in the secondary or not be able to hold contain. There will be mistakes in your secondary but Shoelace isn't good enough to capitalize.

Short-lived Heisman campaign

 

[jdpas29]

umm.. no i don't hate Cam at all. i think he was a great one at Auburn, but i don't think his ability to scramble and run are better than DR. Cam could actually throw the ball accurately, is about a foot taller and makes better decisions. Those factors are what i think separate the two.

for the record, i think Cam Newton is a far better QB than DR any day.

 

[Houndstoothpuller]

I watched inside college football yesterday and the commentators were commenting that (paraphrasing) "If Denard can get to the outside, he may be able to have some long runs".

Do these guys ever watch Alabama's defense?
There is no corner to get around. The whole Saban system is predicated on pushing things to the inevitable sideline and/or containment, particularly the QB.

Our defense, being in its first game together, WILL stumble here and there, but without collapse occurring frequently I see little chance in anyone making ground around the proverbial 'corner' on us. I think our d is still too fast and schemes too well for that.

Where DR is dangerous will be improvised running, misdirection, and possibly lucky long bombs.
Mich will need a very good first half to be in this game, and their coaches know it.
Let's hope our D doesn't get burned too much, too early and can settle down into a good three and out rhythm asap.

 

[TerryP]

I watched inside college football yesterday and the commentators were commenting that (paraphrasing) "If Denard can get to the outside, he may be able to have some long runs".

Do these guys ever watch Alabama's defense?
There is no corner to get around. The whole Saban system is predicated on pushing things to the inevitable sideline and/or containment, particularly the QB.

Our defense, being in its first game together, WILL stumble here and there, but without collapse occurring frequently I see little chance in anyone making ground around the proverbial 'corner' on us. I think our d is still too fast and schemes too well for that.

Where DR is dangerous will be improvised running, misdirection, and possibly lucky long bombs.
Mich will need a very good first half to be in this game, and their coaches know it.
Let's hope our D doesn't get burned too much, too early and can settle down into a good three and out rhythm asap.

I had the U on in the background practically all afternoon yesterday and there was only one guy who pointed out what I'm about to point out.

Every one of those guys talking about Denard and Michigan said, "If he," or "If they." The key word is hard to miss; IF.

Even into practice yesterday it was common to hear Rumph yelling—and by that I mean re-enforcing—"stay on your feet, stay in your lanes."

I still suspect we'll have a gap open up a few times for Denard to squeeze through. It's going to happen. I know it's not going to be something that is just a foolish error though.

I firmly believe we'll end with Denard having less than 175 all-purpose yards—and I'm being gracious with that 175 number.

 

[TerryP]

252, 'preciate the link.

It is a hell of an article.

 

[252BAMA]

252, 'preciate the link.

It is a hell of an article.

You're welcome!

I suppose he thinks Robinson can carry Michigan as did Newton with *U and Tebow with UF. What he and most people fail to realize or fail to admit is that Tebow couldn't do it twice and that Newton did it only because Bama ran out of gas on offense. Sure he got them 28, but Bama should have had at least 45. Hell they should have had 42 in the first half.

 

[TerryP]

You're welcome!

I suppose he thinks Robinson can carry Michigan as did Newton with *U and Tebow with UF. What he and most people fail to realize or fail to admit is that Tebow couldn't do it twice and that Newton did it only because Bama ran out of gas on offense. Sure he got them 28, but Bama should have had at least 45. Hell they should have had 42 in the first half.

I don't know what he's thinking. Quite frankly, it's so out there I'm almost left speechless.

Saban wins running the football. But, we had more passing yards last year than we had rushing yards. It was only nine yards more, but still.

I had to smirk a bit when he happened to mention Pat Narduzzi, Michigan State's DC. Narduzzi has been at Michigan State six years.

"The only game that I think he could stumble is against the Spartans on Oct. 20. Spartans defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi is one of the brightest minds in college football today."

49 points. 271 yard passing, 275 yards rushing.

I just don't know...

Hey, the comments were entertaining.

 

[Ump]

Having studied the match up on both sides of the line I may have to up my bets. It's all over by the 3rd. Mass subs to gain experience for the underclassmen. Just saying.

 

[Duder]

umm.. no i don't hate Cam at all. i think he was a great one at Auburn, but i don't think his ability to scramble and run are better than DR. Cam could actually throw the ball accurately, is about a foot taller and makes better decisions. Those factors are what i think separate the two.

for the record, i think Cam Newton is a far better QB than DR any day.

I'm not entirely sure I would say a better runner. Faster, perhaps shiftier but Cam was more of a threat. But I digress...

For what he needs on Saturday night Cam is the better runner style- wise. DR won't outrun them too much. He's going to have to bang and get. Att yards. He weights 78#...

I'm glad I'm involved in a Cam debate that hasn't included the terms "bat man" or "we all know (insert violation)" and it actually ties into a relevant, current point!

 

[JoshB]

meh, Coach Saban just made the Cam Newton comparison as saying hes a dual threat that you have to scheme for like Cam... I would never think anyone thinks Denard is a better "runner" than Newton, because he could run over some LBs and DBs just as well as around. He was more like a running back that could throw (the anti Tebow). Denard is more in the Michael Vick mold (just not as strong an arm). Hes obviously faster but cant take anywhere near the beating Cam could because of his size and strength.

 

[jdpas29]

DR will likely have some long runs on saturday.. some of which may go for points, but that will be about all for michigan's offense.