Your daily (or semi-daily) rundown of all the Michigan Football, Michigan Basketball, College Football, and College Basketball news that you need to get by at your boring, boring desk job. For good measure will throw in a little irreverent information to help you salt away the time. Here's what's ON TAP:
Things You Need to Read Right Now
The College Football News gives us their annual, and thorough, preview of Michigan Football in 2009. Their Defensive preview, Offensive Preview, and depth charts are also up. There are some good assertions along side some very, very strange ones contained therein. For instance:
Ten Best UM Players
1. DE Brandon Graham, Sr.
2. LB Obi Ezeh, Jr.
3. RB Brandon Minor, Sr.
4. LB Jonas Mouton, Jr.
5. S Stevie Brown, Sr.
6. CB Donovan Warren, Jr.
7. P Zoltan Mesko, Sr.
8. QB Tate Forcier, Fr.
9. WR Martavious Odoms, Soph.
10. WR Greg Mathews, Sr.
So, well, there's that. It's easy to nitpick the little things, but overall it's a decent read and gives you a look at Michigan's depth and strengths. A few things puzzled me, though. First, just because we've inked a number of safeties over the last few years does not mean we have depth there. Depth means you have kids behind the starters that are ready to play and can play. Depth at linebacker and at safety are two things Michigan doesn't have right now. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see it. Also, just FYI, guys, Nick Sheridan is NOT "very fast."
The shallow cross, drag, and drive in the west coast and spread offenses. Smart Football, as usual, Wow.
The Divide Route in the Multiple Smash Concept. Understanding the "Smash" passing routes. Again. Wow.
Purchase University of South Florida season tickets Tuesday through Sunday and receive a gift certificate good for a free dinner at Outback Steakhouse! Seriously. This is not a joke.
New Tennessee Room!!! - VolNation - Holy crap. This is the very definition of mania. Pictures contained therein. Admit it. You'd do this to your house too.
Michigan Football
Mike Hart says Brandon Minor will be the man this year.
Now THIS is dedication. Our buddies over at Spawn of MZone took a Michigan helmet with them on their Roman vacation. Think of it as the "Traveling Ghome" except with a Michigan Helmet.
When Carcajous Attack! breaks down early recruiting commitments (re: June) under Rodriguez versus recruiting under Carr. Great read.
Wolverine Liberation Army takes a shot at the 3* superstar myth that seems to have grown around Rodriguez.
William Gholston and Mylan Hicks commit to MSU - Gholston, 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, is a four/five-star recruit and the No. 11 defensive end in the country. Hicks, a 5-11, 179-pound cornerback, is a high three star. I know Ghloston's a loss, but Michigan needs corners worse than DEs.
Coach thinks recruit found good fit at U-M - There's a lot of fluff on Cornelius Jones for an unrated recruit.
Ranking the best receiving corps U-M faces in '09 - Notre Dame checks in at No. 1. If the D Line can't get to Clausen it's going to be a long, long afternoon.
Ranking the Big Ten wide receivers - Mathews at #3
Five Wolverines Michigan needs to step up. Mike Spath takes a look at five players that Michigan needs to excel this year. These aren't your stars, but these are the guys that let your stars work. In the case of Mike Jones (S), he's not far off. Our secondary is going to be even rawer than last year.
Morgan Trent Signs with the Bengals. Yeah. That's a good move...
The Free Press has an HTML corrupt top players in Michigan list.
Michigan Basketball
Andy Katz seems to be high on Michigan in his final top 25. I guess I can agree with a ranking, but I think 13 is a little too high for Michigan. A lot is going to depend on interior play this year, Sims and Gibson playing together, and whether Ben Cronin is as good as we're hoping.
13. Michigan: I could be in the minority here, but I love the way John Beilein has molded this crew over the past year. Manny Harris has fit quite nicely into Beilein's system. They struggled to make the NCAA field late in the season but did, and won a game. The Wolverines should be poised to make the Michigan State-Michigan basketball rivalry relevant for years to come.
Ohio State Football
There was a glut of OSU news, so it made sense to give it its own section...
The Columbus Dispatch does a fluff piece on Boren giving "his linemates physical education lesson." Never mind how that can be interpreted, I'm kinda lost on how anyone at OSU can be sold on this kid after the Buckeyes (and generally any Defensive tackle) rolled through him for two straight years. WWAHT is not sold on Boren. For good reason. I think they sum it up nicely:
So how is Boren's "bad attitude" better than Boone's "raging, possibly stone-drunk bad attitude"?
If Boren, a guy who claims he left Michigan because he didn't want to hear curse words, has "an attitude with an edge" and is picking fights in practice with teammates, I've think OSU's got a problem rather than an interior line savior, as WWAHT points out. Still. The kid is very talented. If he can harness it, OSU's in business. But if he's still the practice field superstar and gametime bust he was at Michigan Ohio State could have some issues next to their center.
More trouble for the Buckeyes as Ray Small has gotten himself into some (rumored) academic trouble. Of note, Eleven Warriors is almost ready to lump Small in the pile 'o Buckeye underachievers like D’Andrea, Lydell Ross, Alex Boone and others.
College Football
Doc Saturday takes an early peak at Nebraska, and seems to think the Huskers are hurtling toward The Leap. What that Leap is, wellllll, I'm not quite sure. Nebraska should dominate a fairly soft Big XII North, but much like football revenues, there's a big talent gap between Nebraska and Texas in the Big XII South.
"Spartans Continue In-State Recruiting Dominance" - Delusion is a dish best served Green.
Fluff piece on MSU's recruiting this year.
Tailgating with the Vol Navy in Knoxville? - Paul Westerdawg is trolling for a Vol Navy tailgate invite. Can't go wrong here. The musses and I are debating a Tennessee trip this year, so if that happens, you'll see a similar posting here.
The Tennessee Coaches Meet - MONTE KIFFIN: [Wakes up suddenly.] Who are all you? GET OFF MY LAWN! (awesome).
Gobbler County, SBN's fantastic Virginia Tech blog, asks and answers 20 questions facing the Hokies and ACC football for 2009. Great stuff.
Doc Saturday takes a look at the "Team of the Decade" and makes his picks. Can't object to the Vincesanity Texas team at No. 1.
College Basketball
Harrison Barnes does not have nice things to say about Kentucky - The country's No. 1 recruit does not appear to be a big fan of John Calipari or Kentucky. Doesn't affect Michigan in anyway, but damn.