One of the coolest aspects of the new Maize n Brew is the new Fanshots feature. As you can see in the right sidebar, you, the reader, can post, upload or link your favorite Michigan videos and photos for everyone to see. If you've got a great photo of you with Bo, post it. If you've got a kickass You Tube of Manningham torching Ambrose Wooden, post it. Some cool recruiting video? Get that up now! If you've got a photo of your buddy passed out at the tailgate covered in beer cans, what the hell, post it.

All you have to do is click on Post Fanshots in the left hand sidebar, and you're off. If you've got a photo, click on images. If you've got video, click on video. It's pretty straight forward. Have some fun with it. Heck, if you've got a list of things that irritate you about Ohio State, you can even do that!

I'm really excited about these new features and I hope it will allow all of us at Maize n Brew to build a great library of Michigan photos and videos, and involve you much more than we've been able to in the past. So, for a start, enjoy Charles Woodson's spectacular 1997 interception against Michigan State as our first Fanshot.

So Charlie Weis said "To Hell with Michigan" to the ND booster club's "Blue Gold buffet" prior to Notre Dame's spring practice. He said Michigan will come in making all kinds of excuses, and leave doing the same. Someone please tell me why I'm supposed to care

Much has been made of this by my fellow Michigan blogs. Brian has declared an "excuse fatwa," MSC declares "Same to you, Frontbutt," The M Zone is somewhat incredulous at the whole thing, and I think Vijay just had an aneurysm . No one seems to be able to believe that a coach who is 22-15, 0-3 in bowl games, 1-2 against Michigan, and 4-8 against ranked opponents would have the cojones to call out anyone else for making excuses.

But that's Charlie. In one breath he'll blame his inability to recruit hoodlums and thugs as a reason he's not winning, and in the next accuse others of making excuses for their shortcomings. This is what he does. And he'll do it long after Notre Dame fires his ass for incompetence. (Just as support for what I'm saying, on May 1, 2008, I was listening to Silvy and Waddle on ESPN 1000AM in Chicago, when Tom Waddle mentioned on air that during his time at this year's NFL draft one of the green room quarterbacks (not named Chad Henne, for you conspiracy theorists) told him that playing Notre Dame was like playing a high school team. You can listen to it via Podcast, if you're so inclined.)

As one of the only, if not the only, Michigan site without a visceral hatred of Notre Dame I simply say, "To Hell with Weis." I'm on record as wanting the Notre Dame Michigan rivalry to go on indefinitely . Hell, I even called out Bo himself for being wrong when he said "To Hell with Notre Dame." The Notre Dame Michigan rivalry is above this sort of nonsense. It's about the two winningest programs in the NCAA going up against each other as a national championship contender elimination game. It's a game that's important to college football.

That's what it's supposed to be about.

Unfortunately, Weis doesn't really get this. But then again he hasn't gotten a lot of things during his tenure at Notre Dame. You know. Things like blocking. Defense. Or the effective use of the run game. What Weis does understand is use of the press. While everyone is focusing on his comments, they're not focusing on his performance. And maybe that was his intention all along.

Dear College Football,

Come home, baby. I miss you.

It’s been four long months since I cradled you tenderly in my arms like one of Darren McFadden’s illegitimate children and we drank PBR in a can at 10am like it was champagne served in crystal on a moonlit night. Baby, ain’t nothing mattered since you walked out in January. I was mad at first, after you built me for two months, promising me something special on January 8, and then walking out the door with my heart  leaving me with another unwatchable beating. I was mad then, but only for a moment. Baby, you know I can’t live without you.

Why’d you have to go? We were meant for each other. You told me you loved the smell of pork products in the morning, diesel fumes mixed with fresh cut grass, and watching white boys do the worm across a portable dance floor. We both love to travel to foreign places, so I took you to Madison, Austin, Ann Arbor, LA, and beautiful South Bend. You said yes when I asked you if a thong that said "endzone" was hot, fat men in skin tight Tennessee T-shirts were funny, and if you hated Ohio State. I did everything I could to make you happy, all that money on tickets for games I didn’t want to see, I ignored friends and family, I watched Rutgers UConn on a Thursday just because you were there, I believed you when you told me Michigan was a national title contender even though deep down I thought you were full of it, I even put up you toyin’ with that doofus from Hawaii. I did all those things for you.

Don’t get me wrong, baby, you ain’t easy on a man. You thought you were playin’ around last year when you kicked me in the jewels that first weekend in September. Baby, that whudn’t right. I tried to block you, but you went right on through anyway and crushed my boyz.  I ain’t never been right since.

via graphics8.nytimes.com

The next weekend you got drunk and started quacking at me, and then ran me over with your car. It hurt my pride, but baby, you maybe up for it. The next eight weeks were amazing, until you started foolin’ around with that sweatervest wearin’ foo in Columbus.

Why you gotta be that way? You know that stuff riles me up and gets me in a fightin’ mood. You can’t go chasin’ every vest you see, Baby. Sure he looks good up front, but don’t you want a man with some finishing power? Yeah. That’s right. You want a man that finds that endzone in January, ifyaknowwhadImsayin? That’s why you came back for one more Saturday of hot lovin in Orlando, the City of Love. I know nothing gets you hotter than torching a Florida DB on a "Go" route. And, baby, we made that happen all night long.

via multimedia.detnews.com

But the next thing I knew, you were gone. Something about it’s not me, it’s you. Something about you’ll be gone till August.

Baby, I’m willing to chalk this nonsense up to passion. When I saw you this spring, I knew I couldn’t live without you. There you were, spread out in all your glory. Everywhere you went you drew a crowd. Come back baby.

I know you saw me with other sports. Basketball. Hockey. Laotian Roulette. But they don’t hold a candle to your flame, baby. They were just distractions to keep me from realizing the pain of losing you. But look at me now, baby. I’m leaner, meaner, and able to see my toes. No more nautilus for me.  I’m a pure Olympic style beast. Faster, quicker, more explosive, if you know what I mean. Baby you may look at me as the wrong quarterback for your system, but I’ll study your play book and watch your film ‘till you’re second nature. 

I know you got something going on that keeps you away from me for so long. But if I can only have you for a couple months out of the year, I’ll make due. I’ll pretend you’re in the Navy, or somethin’ like that, far a-sea, in a foreign land trackin’ down Osama. But when you get home on shore leave baby, I expect you to come home and sink my battleship.

Damn baby.

Call me. Email me. Send me a letter. Let me know you’re comin’ home.

XOXOXO,

Maize n Brew

Surprising no one, Ekpe Udoh has decided to transfer from Michigan to an as yet unnamed university to finish his college career. Sadly, Udoh's decision to transfer comes on the heels of Bill Martin's announcement that Michigan (finally) has sufficient money to build the desperately needed practice facility every basketball coach since the 60's has been promised.

As you can imagine, the news of Udoh's departure does not make me happy. On a team that features more bricklayers than the Civil Engineering Corps, Udoh was one of the few consistent performers. He was also Michigan's only defensive presence in the paint. Michigan is now left with Zach Gibson as Michigan's starting center, red-shirt freshman Erik Puls (6' 10") and incoming 7-foot freshman Ben Cronin. All three young men collectively weigh 57 pounds and are as comfortable playing in the paint as they are on a roadtrip taken in a clown car. Nothing like a seven foot tall center playing wing. Enjoy.

Your new starting center.

I'm kind of at a loss what to make of the team for next year. Sims and Harris will play possibly every minute of every game, barring foul trouble. Kelvin Grady, though he got better as the year went on, never shot enough and never showed the ability to defend anyone. CJ Lee didn't show he was capable of doing much more than Grady in extensive minutes last year. Laval Lucas-Perry comes in and may immediately take over one of the starting guard spots despite doing nothing at Arizona, and being only 6'1". Anthony Wright  should've been better than he was down low, given his size, but spent his entire time launching off balance threes. The incoming class may add depth, but Zack Novak is going to have to be substantially better than advertised to be a contributor, and I'm not sure what to make of Stuart Douglass other than the fact he likes shooting threes.

If the new guys can hit some jumpers the team will be substantially better. If they can play some defense, it would help to. Take a look at the stats, cringe, cry, repeat.

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGES
## Team                  G     FG   FGA   Pct
---------------------------------------------
 1.Michigan State...... 36    949  1976  .480
 2.Ohio State.......... 37    951  2052  .463
 3.Indiana............. 33    839  1814  .463
 4.Wisconsin........... 36    841  1872  .449
 5.Northwestern........ 30    681  1541  .442
 6.Minnesota........... 34    817  1872  .436
 7.Illinois............ 35    809  1860  .435
 8.Purdue.............. 34    806  1900  .424
 9.Iowa................ 32    616  1455  .423
10.Penn State.......... 31    723  1731  .418
11.Michigan............ 32    709  1796  .395


FIELD GOAL PCT DEFENSE
## Team                  G     FG   FGA   Pct
---------------------------------------------
 1.Wisconsin........... 36    719  1879  .383
 2.Ohio State.......... 37    846  2175  .389
 3.Illinois............ 35    720  1806  .399
 4.Michigan State...... 36    793  1973  .402
 5.Iowa................ 32    661  1635  .404
 6.Indiana............. 33    774  1879  .412
 7.Minnesota........... 34    724  1714  .422
 8.Purdue.............. 34    730  1675  .436
 9.Michigan............ 32    796  1776  .448
10.Penn State.......... 31    746  1664  .448
11.Northwestern........ 30    698  1444  .483

3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGES
## Team                  G     FG   FGA   Pct
---------------------------------------------
 1.Purdue.............. 34    253   679  .373
 2.Michigan State...... 36    179   483  .371
 3.Minnesota........... 34    245   667  .367
 4.Northwestern........ 30    246   671  .367
 5.Wisconsin........... 36    212   596  .356
 6.Indiana............. 33    221   633  .349
 7.Iowa................ 32    222   640  .347
 8.Penn State.......... 31    227   668  .340
 9.Ohio State.......... 37    252   748  .337
10.Illinois............ 35    196   614  .319
11.Michigan............ 32    228   731  .312


3-POINT FIELD GOAL PCT DEFENSE
## Team                  G     FG   FGA   Pct
---------------------------------------------
 1.Michigan State...... 36    228   734  .311
 2.Wisconsin........... 36    194   620  .313
 3.Ohio State.......... 37    281   879  .320
 4.Iowa................ 32    196   591  .332
 5.Illinois............ 35    215   641  .335
 6.Minnesota........... 34    215   640  .336
 7.Indiana............. 33    229   671  .341
 8.Purdue.............. 34    184   528  .348
 9.Penn State.......... 31    235   659  .357
10.Michigan............ 32    237   623  .380
11.Northwestern........ 30    248   632  .392

Is any of this going to improve? I can't say. My gut says "no way," but I could be wrong. Udoh's transfer, while it pisses me off because he was my favorite player, doesn't hurt Michigan too badly. Even though he was blocking shots left and right, he was too lean to defend anyone in the post and got pushed around a lot. His blocks were nice, but when matched up against a solid big man, he didn't fair too well. While Epke would get some points here and there, he never really developed any interior offensive game. No post moves. Nothing other than an outside jumper he had to learn to see any court time. Udoh was never a factor in the second half of a ball game. Why this is can be argued on many fronts (Harris and Sims hogging the ball, Udoh getting shy, foul trouble, etc...), but he usually disappeared statistically in the second stanza.

If the new kids can fill a hole or two scoring wise, Udoh's transfer really doesn't hurt the team that much. It's hard to get too worked up over Udoh's departure when you consider that with him, Michigan was still dead last in FG% defense and 10th conference wide in scoring defense. The defense won't get better, but a few more shots that actually find net will make the transition easier. But based on this year's performance, I'm not getting my hopes up for another year.

Next season will probably be more of the same, but at least there's a practice facility on the way.

Hey Maize n Brew,

Today is the big day. We've switched your community over to the new SB Nation sports blog platform. My name is Trei, and I'm here to help you get adjusted to the new home we've built for you. If you have questions or trouble with the new system, post a comment in this thread and myself or one of the team (lovitt, sixfoot6 or odacrem) will try to point you in the right direction.

Before we begin, I want to let you know we still consider this a beta platform, so don't be surprised if you find a few bugs or if everything isn't exactly right yet. We hope you'll take the time to report any problems you encounter at bugreport@sbnation.com. We'll be continuing to make changes and improving things.

Please take a few minutes to read about what's new below. But if you just can't wait to jump in, here are some quick things to check out:

1. Sign up for your SB Nation network account and claim your old blog accounts
2. Once you're logged in, press your  Z  key in any thread with new comments
3. Explore your dashboard and setup your profile
4. Read the guide to the new FanPost editor
5. Install the FanShot bookmarklet and post videos to Maize n Brew from YouTube or images from Flickr
6. Click the "Rec" button on posts and comments to help other people find the good stuff.
7. Customize display options on your Edit Settings page

What Has Changed

SB Nation Network Accounts - the Big Change

Readers across all of our blogs told us they wanted one account to use on every SB Nation blog. To make this work, we're requiring that everyone create a new SB Nation network account. In most cases you should be able to keep your old username, but a few of you may have to choose something new, since every other community in SB Nation will be going through this same transition. We tried to be as fair as possible in deciding who gets to keep which name, using a formula that takes into account length of membership and frequency of activity.

We want to make it as easy as possible for you to participate on all of our blogs, but we don't want to encourage everyone to start visiting rival team blogs and initiating flame wars. To maintain friendly communities we ask that you explicitly join each blog in order to participate. It's a two-click process, but it does means accepting each blog's community guidelines. Just as you join each blog individually, you can be banned on each blog individually.

You can claim old accounts from multiple SB Nation blogs, and your new username will be retroactively attached to all your old comments and diaries. So now you'll be able to access all your writings from your single profile page... like magic.

To get started, click here to claim your old blog accounts and create a new SB Nation network account.

FanPosts (the Section Formerly Known as Diaries)

We changed their name. Why? Because we took this major upgrade as an opportunity to leave behind some vocabulary that never made much sense for a sports blog. SB Nation is the network of, by and for fans, and these are the blog posts we make. So we call them FanPosts. When you're at a bar telling someone to check out your online sports opinions, you don't have to suggest they read your diary.

FanPosts are displayed differently on the homepage - we include your avatar to give more credit for the time you spend writing great posts. The new post editor has a WYSIWYG view that provides easy formatting. It also auto-saves drafts so you don't have to worry about losing your work when you compose a post within the web browser. And you can now associate teams, players and games with your posts: these tools promote your FanPosts on our new team, player and game pages - across the entire network.

The new system does not work like the old diary editor. For example, in HTML mode the new editor doesn't auto-create a new paragraph from two line breaks. But it does offer a whole array of new features. Look for the blinking help button on the right side of the FanPost editor for quick tips, and take a look at our full guide to writing FanPosts on the new platform.

IMPORTANT - if you write your posts in Microsoft Word or some other off-line editor, you will get the most reliable behavior if you cut & paste your post into the HTML view of the FanPost editor. And if you do that, remember to wrap <p></p> tags around each paragraph so your text doesn't run together.

Visual Redesign

This one is probably the most obvious change of all. Like other major websites working to improve readability for their audience, we've adopted a fixed-width layout optimized for the 1024 x 768 resolution used by the majority of Maize n Brew and SB Nation network users. Use the switcher below the user menu if you prefer the wider layout designed for 1280 monitors. We've introduced a top navigation bar with quick links into old and new sections of the site. We also polished a few edges, made some things larger, others smaller and moved a few boxes here and there. More changes and adjustments to come.

Search

We've completely replaced the old search engine with a new one. We're excited to make it easier to find old posts and comments, but we've only taken our first pass on the tools we're offering. We're focused on making search even better than what you had before, so please know that we're aware search is missing key features and we're working on it.

What's New

Schedule, Scores, Stats and Roster

Maize n Brew now has all the basic information about the Michigan Wolverines and hundreds of other teams. During games you'll see a regularly updated line score, and as the season progresses we'll track team stat totals and leaders. This is just our first step, so look for us to publish more detailed and archival stats in the future. The best part about all this sports data is that we've integrated it directly into the blog so. We now have special pages that aggregate all blog posts written about games, players and teams.

Recommending FanPosts

Some writing deserves more attention and more conversation. If you want to bump a FanPost up to the top and keep it there for awhile, just click the 'Rec' link under the body of the post. When a FanPost receives enough recommendations it will make the recommended list.

Auto-refreshing Comments

You no longer need to refresh the page to see new comments. If you're logged in, new comments will automatically appear on the page every few seconds. When you post a comment, the page will not refresh either. If you want to quickly cycle through all the new comments, you can press the C key on your keyboard. Unmark a new comment after you've read it with the X key. And use the Z key if you want to umark comments as you're cycling through them.

As you use these shortcuts to cycle through comments, press the R key to reply to the current comment. All these helpful keyboard shortcuts are listed at the top of each comments section for reference.

Recommending Comments

Now you can reward those folks who take the time to look up stats and make smart arguments in the comments. Next to each comment there is an 'actions' link that you can click to find the recommend and flag options.

Flagging Comments

To help the moderators on a site, we've built-in tools that let you flag comments that are spam, trolling or just plain inappropriate. Only moderators can see those flags.

FanShots

Many members of the community just want to post that one link, video, photo or quote, but don't need a full FanPost. We've got you covered: FanShots let you share YouTube videos, Flickr or PhotoBucket photos, quotes from articles, portions of chat transcripts, top 5 lists and simple links. If it's a video or image we'll put a thumbnail on the homepage when you post it.

For those of you who are experienced internet hunter-gatherers of Michigan Wolverines material, install the bookmarklet onto the links bar of your browser and share FanShots with the community from wherever on the web you find that killer quote or photo.

Archives

It's much easier to find that post about a certain deadline trade or prospect retro feature. You can browse by year and month.

Avatars

Upload an image so folks can see your custom avatar on your profile, your FanPosts, and all your comments.

Network Profiles

Now that we have unified SB Nation network accounts, your profile will be your central hub for all of your activity on any blogs where you are a member.

Network bar

The top bar stays with you on all SB Nation blogs. It's a quick way to login and logout. When you're logged in, you'll see your avatar and screen name which links to your profile. The icon to the right leads to your Dashboard area where you can edit your settings, profile, account details and any FanPosts or FanShots you've published. As we add more blogs to the new SB Nation network, the My Blogs menu will be a handy way to navigate between the blogs you've joined.

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There are plenty more small changes and additions we've made, so please take a careful look around and explore this new system. We appreciate your patience and hope you'll help us improve the new platform for this and all the other SB Nation blogs.

And in case you missed it, you'll want to start by claiming your old blog accounts and creating a new SB Nation network account.

Changes are comin' folks. SB Nation's transition to its new blogging platform has hit high gear and many of its college sites will be making the transition this week. This is especially exciting because Maize n Brew gets its facelift tonight. As Kyle has pointed out, Rocky Top Talk has been previewing some of the new features of the new platform. I highly encourage you to head over to Rocky Top Talk to check it out. But if you're not so inclined, trust me. The new platform is awesome.

Not only have the Reader features been upgraded considerably, things like "FanShots" will replace the Diary Section (and be substantially easier to post for you, the reader), but you'll be able to access scores and similar information on other blogs with the click of a finger. However, I would venture a guess that perhaps the biggest difference the new platform will make is with me, your humble blogger. The posting mechanism I now have is now superior to anything I've seen, anywhere.

This is big of two reasons. 1) I absolutely suck at HTML. Any cool graphs or pictures or other interesting techy things? Stolen. Right Click. View Source. Steal. Steal. Steal. I have next to no HTML ability, but the new platform will allow me to make graphs, tables, and link with ease. I usually waste between 30 minutes to an hour fumbling with links and HTML screwups that delay or kill posts all together. The new platform erases those problems. It's a god send. I'd hug the guys that created it if I could, but I suspect they'd probably prefer a handshake. Whatever. Being married has softened me somewhat. 2) The new posting gizmo also has all the littel tihngs liek spell cecker, which is huge for a guy like me whotendsto tyep faster than he tinks. The Posts will come out clearer and look less like they were scribbled on a napkin by a four year old, in crayon.

So really it's win win for everyone.

Once the move is complete, and you'll know the move has happened because the site will look more like this, except not in vomit orange (j/k Pete), site members will need to claim their network-wide screen names. You're in there, so don't worry, you just need to confirm a few things. Once you're in, you'll be able to post FanShots and explore the Plethora (yeeeees, El Jefe) of new features including Michigan's rosters, schedules and statistics! Not too shabby, eh?

I'm really excited about the move and really believe it's a great step forward for this wonderful network and a giant leap for Maize n Brew.

Moon landing = Site upgrade? What the hell, I'll stand by it.

After burning just about every bridge in Louisiana, counterfeitin' n illegal gamblin', fightin' in da club, drinking underage, and smoking enough marijuana to give Timothy Leary pause and suggest someone might have a slight drug problem, gifted but troubled $60 Mother Fucking Million Dollar Man/quarterback Ryan Perrilloux was finally booted from the LSU team.

Apparently this was the final straw for head coach Les Miles, who finally pulled the trigger on Perriloux' Tiger career from his hospital bed,* after Perriloux had "allegedly" pulled the trigger on Miles six times following a "discussion" on Perriloux' "future."* Kirk Ferentz called the dismissal "Harsh" and has offered Perriloux a scholarship.* City Boyz Inc., has also contacted the quarterback in support of his matriculation to Iowa.*

Ryan's got connections, Boyz. As the $60 mother fucking Million Dollar Man he'll be able to at least double that stack. Perriloux just has to end up in Iowa. I've got $50 that says he's got a meth lab up and running in Iowa City within a half hour of arrival.

* Nothing after the first paragraph is true. However, the fact that the first paragraph is true, well, that's just scary.

Mike over at Black Shoe Diaries offered up a roundtable following spring ball. Predictably, I'm a little late to the party. Nevertheless, thanks Mike, here are Maize n Brew's answers:

1. I love spring. Flowers blooming. Birds chirping. Bones breaking. ACL's tearing. List the injuries your team sustained and describe their impact on 2008.

Somehow, someway Michigan seems to have escaped the serious injury bug. Aside from the normal knocks, bruises and hush-hush running back injuries, no one (knock on wood) got banged up too bad. Kevin Grady and Brandon Minor were nicked up, and I've sent out an APB on Carlos Brown, who was nicked up early on and hasn't been heard from since, but the rest of the squad looks healthy. A couple of backups sat out the spring game, but no starters. All hail mighty Barwis. The non-ice cream diet combined with actual workouts seems to be working.

2. Break down the major position battles going on with your offense.

Is it cheating to say "everywhere?" Michigan lost basically its entire offense to graduation and people not wanting to actually go to the gym. There are questions everywhere from QB to wideout, and I'll try to break it down.

- QB - Despite a leg injury early in the spring, it looks like rsf Steven Threet will take over as Michigan's new singal caller. Threet was pushed somewhat by the far more mobile rsj Nick Sheridan, but ultimately Threet was simply a better passer and better at leading the offense. Threet will get an additional push from Justin Feagin, a darty incoming freshman, who is Pat White small and quick.

- Line - Observers at Michigan's spring game were pleasantly surprised by the work of the line. IIRC Schilling and Ortmann, Michigan's right and left tackles respectively, were the only "touted" high school players on this year's line. The rest of the line is a bunch of "huh"? And "who?" type players. Help is on the way in the form of Dan O'Neil, Michigan's highest rated offensive line recruit and a few other substantial sized freshmen. The ongoing "battle" is simply to field a competent line. One positive thing of note, Schilling had an awful year under Andy Moeller's tutelage of the "zone running game." The move to the spread is much more similar to his high school system, where he dominated. Expect a much improved right side of the Michigan line this year and, God forbid, a few runs to the right behind Schilling.

- RB - At this point Brandon Minor appears to have the inside track for the starting running back position. It also seems like Kevin Grady will slot into the Owen Schmitt full back slot. Two names to watch are Avery Horn and true freshman Sam McGuffie. Horn is blazingly fast and fits into the offense as that home run hitting little guy Rodriguez seems to love, and is IIRC a redshirt frosh. McGuffie? Do you really need to ask?

3. You knew this was coming. Break down the major position battles on defense.

The only "position battles" of note are at Linebacker and safety. The rest of the D seems set. At linebacker senior JUCO transfer Austin Panter seems to be pushing for a starting slot on the outside. Obi Ezeh will move to MLB and former high school safety Jonas Mouton will probably start at the other outside position. However, nothing appears set in stone, and it wouldn't surprise me if any one of our three incoming four star Linebackers takes over a starting spot as a freshman.

At safety things are a little screwier. Troy Woolfolk had a great spring game and my secure a starting spot alongside Stevie Brown. Neither player has much playing time under their belt and this position may be Michigan's biggest area of concern on defense.

4. Who are the unknown kids on your team that will be household names come December?

Like it or not, you're going to know Steven Threet's name really, really well by the end of the season. Despite the speed of incoming freshman Feagin, I don't see Threet giving up the starting slot. Therefore the praise and the fury will be directed his way depending on the outcomes of Michigan's games. On offense, look for Greg Matthews to be the teams leader in both receiving yards and on the sidelines. He's drawn praise from everyone watching as being both a playmaker and a leader. One coach even used the phrase "Braylonesque," though I can't find the link to it. If that's even partially true... oh baby. On defense, manbearfreak DE Brandon Graham is coming for you. He's a freak of nature and seems to have bought into Barwis system to the point that he could be Woodley-esque, except really big.

5. How would you describe the general mood around your program? Are you gearing up the tailgate party for a conference title run or do you get the impression there are going to be a lot of empty seats in your stadium this year?

Mood? Ha! We're Michigan. The mood is always one of cautious pessimism. If this team wins 8 games Rodriguez should get the coach of the year award not only handed to him, but have it re-named in his honor. It's going to be a rough year, especially early. The offense is going to turn the ball over. A lot. And the defense is going to have to carry the load, something it seemed incapable of doing last year. The seats will never be empty at Michigan, but expectations will be fairly low by Michigan standards. But let's be clear. A 3-9 record and torches will be lit and pitchforks sharpened.

Wolverines in the NFL Draft: A Pre-Draft Look at Chad Henne

Henne completed his Michigan career as the statistical leader in just about every offensive category a quarterback has any business rating in. Completions, Attempts, Yards, TDs, etc... He possesses an arm that seems like it was touched by Zeus himself and is tougher than a sack of bricks, but sometimes seems like he's just about as mobile. Henne is not a mobile quarterback. He will never be a mobile quarterback.

What he is, is the best drop back passer in college football. He can make every throw. He reads defenses. He knows when to check from a run to a pass. And he knows how to manage a game. Any team that drafts Chad will get a game ready quarterback with a big arm and boatloads of experience and talent.

Stats

Strengths

Henne throws the best deep ball I've ever seen. Whether he's lofting it on the solar winds, waiting for it to glide back down to earth, or launching a 40 yard PRG that has absolutely no arc, Henne can get the ball downfield in ways I haven't seen out of any other college quarterback. Give him a deep threat. Randy Moss would love this guy.

And it's not just deep stuff. Henne throws the ball well all over the field and is especially adept working the sidelines. He has a knack for putting that 20 yard pass right on the line where only his receiver can catch it. Frankly, he throws all the distances relatively well, though his short and long passes are superior to his intermediate routes.

One thing that will especially translate well to the NFL is the fact Henne is one tuff S.O.B. ("Tough" is misspelled for added emphasis, as in the Fabulous Tunderbirds' "Tuff Enough." Now it's stuck in your head too. -Ed.). After getting knocked out of the Illinois game with a separated shoulder this past season (on a missed block by now departed Justin Boren), Henne came back into the game after missing a quarter and change to lead Michigan to a victory over the Illini and mulletacular J Lehman in Champaign.

Another plus, unlike his Michigan predecessor, John Navarre, Henne doesn't have a lot of tipped balls. In fact it was generally unheard of for Henne to clank one off his line or the defensive line.

Finally, one of the issues that's been thrown around like it means something is Henne's 1-7 record in "big games." It is a fact Henne was 0-4 against Ohio State and 1-3 in bowl games. But to hang those outcomes square on his shoulders is not just lazy, it's stupid.

Here are his numbers from his Bowl Games:
2004/5 Rose Bowl - 18 for 34, 227 yards, 4 TDs, No INTs, 1 sack
2004 Bowl Which Shall Not Be Named- 21 for 43, 270 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INTs, 4 sacks
2006/7 Rose Bowl - 26 for 41, 309 yards, 2TDs, 1 INTs, 6 sacks (this is a lie, Henne was drilled 9 times by my count, and hit at least 7 more times.)
2007/8 Capital One Bowl - 25 for 39, 373 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, 3 sacks

Here are his numbers against OSU:
2004 -27 for 54, 328 yards, 2TDs, 2 INTs, 1 sack
2005 - 25 for 36, 223 yards, 1TD, 0 INTs, 1 sack
2006 - 21 for 35, 267 yards, 2TDs, 0 INTs, 4 sacks
2007 - 11 for 34, 68 yards, 3 sacks (bum throwing arm).

These are not the numbers of a guy who flops in big games. Henne single handedly almost won the Bowl Which Shall Not Be Named. His Rose Bowl performance against Texas was one of the best I've ever seen, and he topped it against Florida this year. Michigan lost those games on defense, not because Henne wasn't doing his job. He's a gamer that shows up for the big games. I promise you that.

Weaknesses

Runner? Not so much. I have office furniture with more mobility than Henne. He literally is a 6'3" statue with a howitzer. Like any quarterback worth a pro-paycheck, let him play flag football and he'll pick you apart. But smack Henne in the mouth and he tends to go haywire. He simply does not have escape skills. He's a strong kid and hard to bring down with arm tackles, but he ain't going to high step out of trouble.

Another problem is that Henne's pocket awareness is as close to zero as a pro quarterback's can be, frankly you have to measure it in Kelvin to get low enough. Henne has a delightfully torturous manner of actually rolling into a sack. Despite having Jake Long protecting his left side, Henne would roll right. Directly into whomever had recently beaten Schilling, Boren, Mitchell, Ciulla, etc... It was maddening.

One of Henne's strangest weaknesses was his inability to consistently deliver a catchable mid range pass 12-20 yards out. Anything over 20, generally perfect. Anything under 12, generally perfect. 15 yards? 50% at best. And by 50% I mean, half the time it wasn't anywhere near its intended target, and the remaining 50% was broken down into his normal distribution of passing. It generally wasn't pretty. I'm willing to give him a little leeway because Manningham absolutely refused catching anything in traffic and Michigan's tight ends were either suspended or the equivalent of tackling dummies in the flats, but Michigan lived and died on the short and long passes and the mid range stuff was iffy.

Finally there is the injury issue. The only reason we know Henne is tough is because he's played through pain. This year Henne got the hell beat out of him and missed a number of games and might as well have missed a few more. You can praise his toughness all you want, but its hard to overlook a separated throwing shoulder and not get worried.

Intangibles

It's hard to judge Chad based on his killer first year. In 2004 Henne had a safety blanket in Braylon Edwards (#3 pick in the draft), he wasn't so fortunate his second. Henne's freshman year numbers were horrifically inflated by Braylon's presence, as No. 1 caught everything thrown at him within a five mile radius. I'd venture a guess that at least 30% of Brayon's catches would've been dropped by any other receiver that year.

I say that to make a point, don't be deceived by the drop off in production. Henne grew considerably over his second and third years. Had the offensive line served to block rather than usher, I'm confident his senior season would've been his best. Henne grew out of staring down receivers and throwing the ball ten feet over the heads of his receivers. He learned to spread the ball around and not always look for the deep ball. He learned touch.

That said, Henne is a good, not a great decision maker. Knock him around a little and his football IQ likewise takes a hit. He's a very smart quarterback that can make some bad decisions when he's rattled, like the occasional WTF!? interception or a fumble when he tries to scramble (which is akin to a wildabeast trying to swim out of a crocodile infested river. Of note is the fact Henne isn't a gunslinger. To the contrary, he'll eat the ball and take a sack rather than risk the turnover. He takes care of the ball almost to a fault, and that's why the occasional dumb inception is so puzzling. That no mistakes attitude has pluses and minuses, and I'm willing to bet it'll change once Henne is out of the "avoid mistakes at all costs" institution that was Schembechler Hall over the past four years. Free him up and the benefits are obvious. Just ask Florida.

Henne missed a full game and parts of three others with a separated shoulder. He also missed two games early in the year with legs injuries. Despite that, he still threw for almost 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns. Take away his 10-34 in the Ohio State game, a game he played after a botched cortisone injection literally went right through a shoulder nerve, and he finished the season with a 61.8% completion percentage.

This becomes all the more impressive when you consider, Henne played in a system seemingly designed to minimize his talents. Michigan, especially under former offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, almost refused to play to Henne's strengths. Despite a cadre of elite receivers Michigan focused on an inept running and block scheme that was only effective when Mike hart was in the game. When Chad was allowed to throw the ball, operate from the shotgun, and play to win rather than not lose, the results were spectacular. You need look no further than his performances against Florida and in the Senior Bowl. He's a top notch talent that will thrive in an NFL pro-sytle offense not coached by gerbils. However, if your team is coached by gerbils, you should probably not draft him. Or anybody for that matter.

Evaluation

From the outside Henne is apparently an incredibly hard quarterback to rate. People tend to focus on what he can't do. His numbers declined from his outstanding freshman year onward. He takes a lot of sacks. He doesn't run the ball. He gets injured. His combine workout wasn't the best. My answer to those criticisms is "So What?" Are you drafting a running back or a quarterback?

Chad still a four year starter at Michigan. He owns or shares almost every major quarterback record at Michigan. His teammates love him. He never, never got into trouble. Lloyd Carr, who coached NFL golden boy Tom Brady, raves about Henne in a way he never raved about Brady. He's incredibly tough and controls his team in an even tempered manner similar to Eli Manning, just without the "I'm a total doofus" look on his face. He the type of quarterback who can take over a game when he's allowed to by his coordinator.

Is he ever going to make a pro-bowl? I can't answer that one. He's got the talent to do it, but with quarterbacks it's impossible to predict.

I personally think Chad will have a long successful career in the NFL. If you're looking for parallel, perhaps an Elvis Grbac type career. A long term starter with great potential. Henne is a great pick up for any team in need of a quarterback.