Photo courtesy www.mikedesimone.com
I love that photo. Nothing sums up my expectations for 5th year senior and starting Michigan Defensive End Tim Jamison like Mike Desimone's photo of Jamison crushing Percy Harvin like a little bug. It's just awesome. Michigan's final defensive performance against Florida's offensive juggernaut did two things. It made us scratch our head and wonder where the hell this had been all season. It also whet our whistle for the potential of this defense in 2008. After watching Jamison chase down Tebow and Harvin like a man possessed, I'm left wanting, and expecting, so much more.
Jamison is the most important player on Michigan's defense you've heard absolutely nothing about. For all the adulation we heap on Terrance Taylor, Tim Jamison will be just as critical to Michigan's success this year as any member of Michigan's front seven. Up to this point in his career, Jamison has only provided us with glimmers of his seemingly bottomless potential. Whether it was schemes, conditioning, tough opponents, Jamison first year as a starter at Defensive end was good, but not worthy of his potential.
This year that all changes. Like the rest of the team, Jamison has trimmed down and bulked up, shedding both buddha and bunda. The result is a lightning fast 270 pounds of kinetic energy bound in Barwisized muscle. He also has the advantage of hyper intense and aggressive Defensive Coordinator Scot Schafer barking attack orders like Patton on amphetamines. This can only mean good things for a player who is at his best when on the attack. That's why Jamison will be one of Michigan's senior leaders on Defense and one of our Michigan Football Players to Get Excited About in 2008.