Spring Questions

With most of the other Michigan media outlets posting their own "Spring Questions", I thought I'd take the opportunity and make some of my own. Spring ball is an important development phase for both younger and older players on the Michigan roster, and it's going to be a pivotal period if Rich Rodriguez and his staff want to put a winning team on the field in the fall. So here are a few questions and things to consider as we get underway..

Who becomes "the guy" at running back?
Michigan is fortunate to possess a lot of talented, diverse backs in the running back corps. You've got pure speed in Michael Shaw, a nice blend of power and speed in Michael Cox, an unproven but highly spoken of speedster who likes to hit hard in Fitz Toussaint, as well as freshmen Stephen Hopkins and Austin White, who also are very unique as well.

The only problem is, no player has really proven themselves yet. Michael Shaw has all the talent to be good, but like his predecessors Carlos Brown and Brandon Minor, he's been hurt most of, if not all of his career. Michael Cox is another big question. He's big, but has nice speed and great hands out of the backfield. Toussaint received rave reviews but was injured and redshirted last year.(Photo Courtesy of Tim @Mgoblog)

Will Michigan find a true deep threat?
At times we saw flashes of the offenses true potential. Daryll Stonum has all the tools (size and speed) to be a great deep threat, but the youngster from Texas has yet to put it all together. Junior Hemingway has shown the spark a number of times, but once again injuries have limited him. In the slot, Martavious Odoms is great in space, but not a true deep threat. Jeremy Gallon may have the potential as well, but he has yet to see the field.

With Ricardo Miller, Jeremy Jackson and Jerald Robinson on campus already, Michigan needs to find a deep threat. Without it, opposing defenses will be able to move their safeties closer to the line of scrimmage and eliminate the run as well. Then of course, there is the X-factor. Denard Robinson may be a quarterback now, but don't be surprised to see him line up in the slot and outside. Defenses will be forced to respect his speed, and Denard could be a big advantage if used properly, whether it's on reverses, passes, or flea-flickers.

And most importantly..

Just who steps up on defense?
Michigan is extremely thin in the secondary right now. With the recent move to more of a 4-2-5 look, Michigan will feature three safeties on the field in the fall. Troy Woofolk can play the deep safety position, but he'll be at cornerback until the staff can get more bodies in there in the fall.

Up front, the defensive line should add some much-needed bulk. Greg Banks and Ryan Van Bergen will man both the defensive end and tackle positions, while Mike Martin sits out due to shoulder surgery. The position to watch here is nose tackle. Big sophomore William Campbell and senior Renaldo Sagesse will battle for playing time there. If one of them can secure that spot, it will allow Mike Martin to slide over to Defensive Tackle, where he won't be double teamed every play.

Then, there is the linebackers. Oh the linebackers. There is some talent there, but time is almost running out for 5th-year seniors Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton. If they aren't capable of starting, the staff will bench them in favor of J.B. Fitzgerald, Kevin Leach, or Kenny Demens. But with Greg Robinson coaching them, I expect better production out of the linebackers this fall.