Michigan to Use Three QBs in Its Opener, but Denard Robinson’s Probably The Best Talent
1-liner, College Football August 24th. 2009, 11:15amMichigan QB Situation: Rotating QBs is usually a recipe for disaster – though the Gators did ride the Leak-Tebow ticket to a title in 2007 – so we got a chuckle over the weekend when Rich Rodriguez announced Michigan would be give all three snaps during it season opener. But its freshman speedster Denard Robinson, a Pat White clone, who probably has the brightest future: “Rodriguez has been adamant that his spread-option attack works with a variety of different quarterbacks. But he had his greatest success at West Virginia when his quarterback was Pat White, who was a decent passer but an electrifying runner. Robinson is the first quarterback in Rodriguez’s tenure at Michigan who can come close to matching White’s skills.” [Freep]
28 Responses to “Michigan to Use Three QBs in Its Opener, but Denard Robinson’s Probably The Best Talent”
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August 24th, 2009 at 11:25 AM
Its all coming together now.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:27 AM
I thought 2008 was supposed to be Michigan’s rebuilding year? I’ve gone on record saying they will win 7-8 games, but this decision bothers me. Duffy or Maggs are you worried about WMU coming into the Big House and pulling the upset? They have their QB and 4/5 of their offensive line returning and they won 9 games last year.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:29 AM
Robinson is the first quarterback in Rodriguez’s tenure at Michigan who can come close to matching White’s skills
Uhh…hasn’t Rich only coached Michigan for one whole year?
August 24th, 2009 at 11:31 AM
The sports media are all over this matter of using three QBs in the opener as indicative of Michigan’s desperation and disastrous season looming again.
Whenever the “free” media gang up in a unified opinion, often chanting the same words like zombies, parrots, or puppets as most of them are, I get suspicious and have a closer look.
Though Rodriguez has historical precedent against him with the use of multiple quarterbacks, let’s recall when OSU had success using two QB’s in the late 1990s (can’t remember year) that much of the media condemning the idea never ate rightful crow. And then of course in 2006 we recall Florida using Leak and Tebow on the way to their title.
I say hold out to see how each of these QB’s play in this versatile spread offense instead of judging immediately the matter as if it were one for drop-back passers, when the two QB system fails almost always due to changes in timing between QBs and the receiver corp in the midst of a game.
When everyone in the sports media is saying the same thing, usually something is amiss. Another example was the Arizona Cardinals last season, because “no way was Arizona going to be in the Super Bowl” according to the East Coast-dominated sports media. They pulled out for me two wager wins for some small change including beating the spread in the Super Bowl.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Didn’t ask me, but no is the answer.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Rich Rodriguez announced Michigan would be give all three snaps during it season opener
“When you have two QB’s, you have none”
What does it mean when you have 3? Not red-shirting one of them sounds like RichRod is a little more concerned about the need to win than some of the myopians on this site seem to be. Either that, or neither one is good enough on his own to be the full-time QB.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:34 AM
He said he was giving all three snaps in the first game. I doubt it will continue all season. Sheridan will take his place on the bench. Forcier will get the majority of snaps and Robinson will get a few snaps as a change of pace. This really isn’t news.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:34 AM
OMG! Panic everyone!
Maybe Richrod is just treating this game as a preseason game as far as his qb’s go. Michigan should easily beat this team and this 3 QB thing is just a ploy.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:35 AM
paolo…great comment (being serious).
but at the same time, i don’t think this will work, not because of the negativity of having a multi-qb system, but because the guys they have suck nuts.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:36 AM
Not really… The defense is rebuilding this year. UM’s defense was actually decent last year, but wore down as the year went on because of the time they had to spend on the field.
Offensively, they are relying on 2 freshman QB’s, neither of whom will be mistaken for Colt McCoy, Terrelle Pryor, or Robert Griffin. They both have upside that could make them successful in their careers, but neither one would be asked to start for the majority of BCS schools. The line and WR’s aren’t completely solidified. At running back, UM has a couple of guys back, but it isn’t necessarily considered a strength.
UM will be hard pressed to get to 6 wins unless a miracle happens in AA this fall.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:41 AM
the thing that scares me about michigan is their 5-star DT recruit coming in, will campbell.
that dude is an unholy monster from hell. he WILL be amazing. and now, he’s getting the barwis treatment…as a buckeye, this makes me nervous.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:41 AM
soooo you’re saying hes faster than ryan mallet?
August 24th, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Not expecting much from UM this year either, but this article should remind folks that maybe Rodriguez should be allowed to recruit the talent for his system before he gets run out of Ann Arbor and everyone considers his tenure a failure.
/can’t believe I just wrote that…
//still hate Michigan
August 24th, 2009 at 11:52 AM
there’s another side to that coin.
maybe they should cut him now in case he doesn’t pan out because then you’re left with a roster full of midgets and a full-scale rebuilding effort with the next regime.
/agree that rich rod should be given more time, just playing devil’s advocate
August 24th, 2009 at 11:53 AM
that system cost OSU a NC. Remember Stanley Jackson/Charles Woodson?
August 24th, 2009 at 11:54 AM
The decision to start three QBs is pretty simple:
-With two true freshmen and a so-so junior at the position, questions obviously still linger. Put them in a real game and get an idea.
-Get that idea before the games against bigger teams (ND) and conference play
-/Scare the shit out of the rest of the Big 10 and show them all three are so good that they all have to be on the field
Seriously, I’d go with 6-7 wins for Michigan this season. My expectations are higher than last year but not near pre-RichRod levels of 10-12 wins and a major bowl game.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:56 AM
Vegas has established the over/under on number of Big Ten games before Tate Forcier gets broken in half at 2.5.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:57 AM
Outside of the comparison to other QBs and the WR thing, if you were to take the exact opposite of this quote, you would be accurate. Remember kids, OSU fans may thing they know what is going on in Ann Arbor, but they actually have no fucking clue. The more you know.
August 24th, 2009 at 12:00 PM
mags…paolo is not an OSU fan. im offended.
August 24th, 2009 at 12:02 PM
wait…im an idiot.
im sorry.
whatever.
August 24th, 2009 at 12:03 PM
You guys made it 20 comments without a Muck Fishigan or Fuck Michigan?
We’re slipping people. SLIPPING!
August 24th, 2009 at 12:04 PM
So, Maggs… The O-line is a UM strength this year? It was definitely not last year.
And, at RB? Is there a guy that makes everyone shudder waiting to bust 10-15 chunks at every carry? No.
Truthfully Maggs, I WANT U of M to be good except for the 3rd week in November. They make the Big 10 better. Right now, they are not good. Do you seriously think that they are anything better than a .500 team this year? If so, what makes it so? Because I don’t see it and I spend a LOT of time looking at it.
August 24th, 2009 at 12:15 PM
You should be offended if he is.
@Wally – The RBs are solid. Some returning guys and a few big-time youngsters. Even without Cracker McRunner (Sam McGuffie), it’s a fine group.
I think a lot of people forget that even with an entire new offense, Michigan was a very young and game-inexperienced team last year. It lost starting QB, RB and OT of four years. Top three pass catchers. Top three linemen. Last year was destined to be an eight-win season – tops – with Lloyd Carr.
So was the OL not a strength last year? Yeah. But the guys that were there – like most every other player – weren’t the right fit. They were burly 315-330 pound dudes for a pro-like system. Not 285-300 pounders with quick feet for the spread.
I could go on but I lost my train of thought as I have to take a huge leak here at work. I’ll be back later.
August 24th, 2009 at 12:15 PM
But it GOT them close to there, and didn’t they beat Arizona State in the bowl game with such a system in 1996 (1997 bowl date)?
Coming close and not winning the national championship does not invalidate my point above. NO ONE in the media at the time but OSU homers thought such a system would work very well, and it was overall a solid season back in I believe 1996.
Let’s defer now perhaps to Spencer, the site’s OSU historian.
August 24th, 2009 at 12:20 PM
I think people need to calm down in regards to RR. He is totally remaking a team and that takes 3+ years at the least. All of this talk that he must win now is so silly. When you let the fanatics run the ship you start firing coaches 2 years into their tenure and that is never a good thing.
August 24th, 2009 at 12:21 PM
i agree with paolo on this one. it was damn effective.
August 24th, 2009 at 12:23 PM
/auburn’d
August 24th, 2009 at 1:21 PM
spence, campbell was still fat as f*!# during the spring game, and could not move worth crap. It will be two years before he is consistently effective. He strikes me as one of those huge physical specimens who could play in the NFL, but do not have the mentality to do so.