http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/eye-on-college-football/21...
Lewan coming back for senior year
[Ed: Changed the title to better reflect content. The USA is stronger when we use descriptive titles!]
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I guess he wants a 1-3 all time record against The Ohio State University
He wants another shot at getting dominated by Adolphus.
Passing up millions to come back to a terrible offense and another 7-5 season... Bad decision.
Not really a bad move..he can go from being the #2 rated offensive tackle this year to the number #1 in next years draft. Doesn't seem like to bad of a decision to me..getting the degree and enjoying your senior year of school as well are things that last forever.
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
He got Clowney'd so bad that he wants nothing to do with NFL DE's at this point.
D. Anthony
Did you watch the game? He had a great game against Clowney and handled him for the most part. And if you are basing his performace just on that big hit by Clowney, rewatch the tape. That wasn't his fault.
Clowney was getting double and triple teamed all game.
I like how he handled Adolphus Washington:
http://www.landgrantholyland.com/2013/1/9/3857710/michigan-taylor-lewan-...
thanks - i couldnt figure out how to embed the gif
Just copy and paste it into the text box, that's what I do. There may be another, more complicated way. But for future reference.
Thanks! i see now (same as still images)
A) Maybe Lewan was underestimating the freshman lined up across him
B) Maybe Lewan is over-hyped
C) Maybe Adolphus Washington is going to be an absolute beast next season
D) All of the above
OWNED! By a true freshman no less...wonder what's going to happen next year...??? ;-)
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
So what? Gholston owned Jake Long in a game.
Jake Long was the number one pick in the draft and a pro bowl LT. Gholston is well..not in the league anymore.
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
Nevermind... I don't know how to delete a comment.
The more I think about it, I bet getting beat by Clowney on the highlight of the 2012 season might have a little to do with him coming back. I mean, he's supposed to be one of the best, but he wiffed on the biggest highlight of the season. Might get in a guys head a little...
Maybe Noah can light him up like Clowney did. Something to look forward to.
Noah is the next Jarvis Jones. Washington will be the next Clowney!
LOL..wishful thinking
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
Well Mitchell is the next Brandon Spikes, Elliot the next Harvin, Barret the next Tebow, while Apple will be the next Shawn Springs.
Loaded. This team is LOADED!
Urban Meyer is the next Urban Meyer.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
NO APPLE IS THE NEXT JOE HADAN!!!!!
LOL
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
joe haden?
mark may wins douchebag of the year... again
Nice spelling error caught there. +1 for your good work sir.
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
even for a michigan football player i dont understand it. i think it is a similar situation that hankins was in. of course i would want him back, but the best move is clearly take the garunteed money. you can always come back to get your degree
He already got his degree, which makes this even more unexpected. He just really cares about this team. He is taking out an insurance policy, and I bet he will go higher in the draft next year (#1 OT) and will actually make more money in the end.
he will have to have one helluva season to do that...this is an incredibly weak class. would think it would be smart to leave
For some reason when people forgo the draft to stay it usually doesn't work out. He should have taken the money and ran. Plus having his degree, it's seems he is scared of the NFL or his coach didn't do the right thing and tell him to go get drafted and take it to the bank!
Wherever you are, there you be!
He does not have his degree yet.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
Those are all good reasons, I cannot fault the young man for that. Those are all great reasons for when his football career is over.
~Because we couldn't go for three~
Funny to see two tTUN fans going back and forth about their own teams knowledge. ON AN OSU website....too funny! MBLOG misses you both....
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
@ Hail... Sorry if I am just naive, but what is an "M" ring?
Tom Crean listens to Nickelback...
Playing with fire, hopefully he doesn't need that insurance policy.
To the new tTUN fan^^^^^WRONG!
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
I get it for the reasons that Hail quoted as him staying. However, conventional wisdom says generally, if you're a first round pick, you go. There have been many guys that passed up that first round money to come back for their senior year, and that year didn't go as well and it hurt their stock. Think Matt Barkley helped his stock much this year? Jared Sullinger (granted, different sport) may have been drafted even higher after his freshman year than he was after his sophomore year (injury played the biggest part of that, but that's one thing that can go wrong if you come back when maybe you should've gone).
As much as I'd love to have Big Hank back for another year, in my opinion, it would've been borderline foolish for him not to go pro.
Class of 2010.
mgo seems to think that having him come back means an 11 win season and a bcs bowl...
They are insane. I don't understand half the sh&t they yap about over there. Paragraph after paragraph about the difference between a good practice player vs game day player. Delusional....
And we are in no way wearing our Scarlet colored lenses when we talk about playing in the National Championship next year right?
Look at that schedule and tell me who beats us.
Duh silly, Northwestern or Purdue. More likely, its gonna be Purdue given our recent struggles.
You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing. - Gordon Gee
It would be reasonable for an unbiased fan to think OSU could play in the national championship next year. OSU fans, this site included, may like their chances better than non-OSU fans.
Class of 2010.
This! ^^^^^^
do they believe the earth is flat as well ?
~Because we couldn't go for three~
Did you guys know that man actually stepped foot on the moon AND Denny's has a hobbit menu right now??
-MGoBlog
-The Aristocrats!
I think Michigan is going to have a better year with an easier schedule. This move makes them a legit team IMO.
I guess I don't understand that logic, he's one offensive lineman. How does his staying make them 3-5 wins better next year?
Now our line looks like Lewan-Kalis-Miller-Braden-Schofield instead of Schofield-Kalis-Miller-Braden-??? We are essentially replacing a fresh mediocre-at-best lineman with one of the best linemen in college. It should make a huge difference for our offense.
You may be correct, I just don't understand the cartwheels and confetti. I know great Offensive line play is the foundation for a good offense. I just really don't think it's going to make that much of a difference in the long run against Great (see OSU) d-line play.
This is obviously just my opinion.
EDIT: I did not downvote you...not sure why anyone would.
Cartwheels and Confetti:
A) Uber-Surprised, especially since he held his own against Clowney
B) Instead of Michigan's line being comprised of 1 returning starter (who would be switching from RT to LT), they now have 2 and retain 39 starts worth of experience
C) He is a consensus All-American and B1G lineman of the year
D) He will be captain
E) He will help mold this young core of lineman who have no experience
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
Those are all valid points I can't argue with that.
I was just as elated and happy when Roby decided to stay. With me it's more about the offensive line thing. I suppose I would be just as happy if we had another Orlando Pace type of lineman that decided to stay.
Left tackle is a much more valuable position (in a value over replacement sense) than Corner actually. Which is why no corner has ever been taken #1 overall in the NFL but several left tackles have. That said, he probably isn't worth 4 more wins by coming back or whatever. Maybe 1 win or 1.5 wins but that's saying a lot for a single person who isn't a quarterback.
Best reply in the thread. Hail.
I am so shocked by the news, it is a bit hard for me to put into words how happy I am. This is a big deal, and I expect that a fine staff like Urban Meyer's Buckeye football staff knows what a big deal this is. To retain this sort of team leadership, and continuity in a unit that absolutely needs to play together; coaches know what this means, even if fan-board posters are still fixated on new recruits with x-number stars next to their names. We are retaining an All-American we thought we had lost for sure. How many Rivals or 24/7 Sports "rating stars" do consensus All-Americans get? Six? Ten? Whatever; think of it like we just recruited a 6-star Left Tackle for a year.
Even with the best two OL recruting classes in the last two years, Lewan being there is huge. It will matter on the field next year, and it will matter off the field. It might allow us to redshirt a couple of kids who might have needed to play while we found the right mix.
I'm late to this lilttle party, but as to the rest of this thread I don't think I'd have had anything to add. Eleven Warriors is of course property of the Buckeyes and rightly so, but I come here because there are some of the best and smartest general college football fans to be found anywhere right here and wow what a surprise that one of the best college football programs in a very small handful of elites also has some of the very best fans.
Although Lewan staying is good news for Tsun and B1G, I don't believe Urban and his staff will really care. They are too busy looking at what Saban, Richt, and Miles are doing. My 2 cents.
I somewhat confident that you're not on the coaching staff. Nor am I a coach in any capacity. But, if OSU's staff is already looking past the B1G---especially Michigan---then they are playing with fire. Any given Sunday (saturday) isn't just a phrase. While OSU has an above average chance of running through their schedule, lack of focus against an inferior team could spell doom.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
Ya look at cooper
Wherever you are, there you be!
as was said on another thread:
Those who stay will be 8-5
I regret that I cannot like this post yet :-) +1!
Ding DING! 12-0 vs 8-5....I'll take 12-0!
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
I guess in hindsight, I can't blame him much, it sounds like about the same situation as John Simon wanting to come back here....love for their school and such.
Eh but the thing that made it easier for Mr. Simon is he is a tweener and wasn't passing up an early draft pick
The board blew up in joy when Roby announced he's coming back, how can you guys not see a similarity with thinking Lewan coming back is a big difference-maker?
O-line was/is the biggest question mark for them, so this is big news indeed and could def make the difference between winning a couple close games vs losing them. 8-5 + 2 wins = 10-3, big diff.
What they are saying is that one offensive lineman will not be able to win you two more games. The difference between a great Oline and a mediocre Oline can be significant, but 2 whole games might be an exaggerated impact of a lineman.
We went 12-0 not 8-5 or whatever. Roby had something positive to return to, not a busted season hoping to do better this year. We are legitamently playing for a national championship bid.
Wherever you are, there you be!
Michigan played by far the toughest schedule and held their own against everyone but the eventual National Champion. Sure 8-5 looks bad but look at our 2011 season to the 2012 season. Michigan will not have more than 2 losses and Lewan returning has a huge impact. Their schedule is night and day different next year against an even weaker B1G. Nebraska will be their only real challenge in their division.
I think you are grossly underestimating the difference between Michigan this year and us last year...night and day dude.
They will have the same coaches and for the most part the same players minus the greatest offensive threat they have had in the HISTORY of their program..I think that will have a much more negative effect than you are estimating here.
I don't think they would have held their own with as many of those teams had they not had Denards play making ability.
2013 will be the telltale year to see if Michigan is really "back". I never bought into the Hoke hype. I will give him some props for recruiting well so far but that dries up fast with back to back mediocre seasons and a negative trend. I smell a Charlie Weiss senario. Start fast, build hope then tank. Pro football is a quarterbacks league and college football is now, more than ever a coaches league and at a minimum Hoke aint an elite coach.
Disagree. First of all, you need to define "back." Secondly, while there is a lot of talent on the field, there is also a lot of inexperience. The offense will continue to transform into pro style, but it won't be 100%.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
I agree with Hail. You have to give the kids he recruited a few years. I mean he has a great class this year, but they don't have the experience of a 3rd or 4th year player. Look at Spence and Washington, for example, they were good this year, but they were no Hankins or Simon. Give them a little bit of time to get back.
Only time will tell. It's all about sustaining momentum and I could well be wrong - its just a gut feeling that BH may not have been the right Michigan Man...
And who would you propose? Les Miles? Nope. Jim Harbaugh? Nope. Brady wasn't Michigan's first choice, and he may not be an elite coach now (maybe never), but he is a great fit for Michigan. Sometimes a great fit pans out better than a big name. Add in some highly respected assistants and some very good recruiters and suddenly that 3rd choice seems a little better. It might have been better for Michigan not to have the huge name and all of the pressure it brings. Brady is bringing Michigan back to Michigan, and that is so much more than wins and losses.
So if your gut feeling is that Brady won't win a title or 10 B1G championships, you could easily be right. But if you think that Michigan is worse off now than before Brady arrived, I have to respectfully disagree.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
Points taken. (I do think Les would have been fun though - luv his pressers)
Your oppinion in addition to that of Michigan's fan base is more important than mine. I do hope we start a new 10 year war with national implications!!!
All the best
Harbaugh was the home run hire. Battles between harbaugh and Urban would've been epic. He's the only guy at Michigan that would've made me very nervous.
Harbaugh certianly has demonstrated the ability to win. He also has a loose screw. Would have been epic.
Lucky to be 8-5. So easily have been 7-6 without a desperation heave in the NW game that went their way.
I guess we can all count our blessings. Or was that the gameplan for Purdue? And how many other one-score wins? 5 by my count. A win is a win. You have 12, we have 8. Doesn't mean that the games weren't one play from a different outcome.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
When you're talking about the verge of greatness OSU is still right there at 11-1. Not even in the same area code for a team at 7-6 unless the same left tackle comes back that helped the team reach that sparkling record to begin with?? And the fact that the NW game was a desperation heave with 15 seconds left that was pure luck. The tying score at Purdue came on a late game drive with the score in the final seconds. Call it however you want to.
I don't think anyone realizes how close Michigan, OSU and even ND are. OSU is not heads and shoulders above teh B1G b/c they went undefeated in 2012. That schedule was extremely weak. Similar to Michigan's in 2011 when they won 11 games. Michigan had one of the three toughest schedules in the country last season and were in all games except Bama. A weak schedule can cover up a lot of a teams weaknesses.
Not here to troll...Go Blue
So you're in the camp that says the loss of Denard will be easily game planned for and little effect will be seen? And let me get this straight. There is acknowledgement that you had a favorable schedule in 2011? Now that's different.
I do not understand your sentence structure.
Anyways, to answer your questions, yes (as a Michigan fan) I think their (Michigan's) 2011 schedule made them look better than what they were, much like the 2012 Buckeyes. Michigan goes with a tough 2012 schedule and although they could compete with most teams, they are still a few seasons away. I think you would see the same thing with OSU if they had a tougher schedule.
Your first question, which still makes no sense, is tough to answer. Losing Denard hurts, of course, but the team will now be able to start running the type of offense they want to and the coaches are accustomed to. But like I said in a previous comment, they are still a few (2-3) years away from where they need to be.
Not here to troll...Go Blue
BH has won 1/2 his games, he's a lifetime 50/50 guy. A tough schedule means MI is likley to revert to the mean. Urban has one of the best winning percentages of ALL TIME and the higest among active coaches and has won at every school. That's a good sample.
Bama, ND, and OSU are the only good teams you played last year... Unless you want to count Air Force and UMass as good teams... That leaves 9 other teams that weren't any good for you to play.
Silly me, they only played the teams ranked 1, 3 , 4 and I thought the schedule was tough...They also played South Carolina (8), Northwestern (17) and Nebraska (25). Again, going 12-0 is impressive, but going 12-0 against crap competition and thinking that's an automatic invite the NC game is insane. OSU's toughest game was Michigan, they stuggled mightily against, MSU, Cal, Indiana, and Purdue. Nobody really knows how good OSU was or wasn't b/c the level of competition they played, but giving them the eye test, they too, like Michigan and ND, have a LONG ways to go to match Alabama.
Not here to troll...Go Blue
i disagree that michigan was the toughest game. you guys didnt cross the 50 yard line in the second half, and if braxton miller makes reads properly we would have put up 40.
now all those games are close but they found a way to win. i would say the toughest game was purdue... down 8 with a minute left and your backup qb in after an ambulance arrives at the stadium for your starter.
I like football
Northwestern could say the same. Better teams get the win
Wherever you are, there you be!
when a sure fire 1st rounder comes back its going to help the team... i have no idea what their schedule looks like next yr but i do know they are going to lose at least 1 game next year
mark may wins douchebag of the year... again
I get it. One O-lineman can make a difference.
Dont think so? Put JB Shugharts on last years Buckeyes. Still undefeated?
i think TSUN will do fairly well next year for a few reasons:
1) the B1G, excepting us, stinks
2) Removing Denard from QB will save at leat two games. Every year he'd have two games where he went int crazy.
3) Their offense is structured for a more traditional QB and RB. The coaching staff didn't really know what to do with Denard. When they used him as a QB, they tried to make him a pocket passer. When they used him as an RB, they ONLY used him on runs, completely neutralizing the versatility of speed like his because everyone knew what was coming. Honestly, Denard confused th crap out of Hoke and co. They'll call games better with their guys.
If their QB situation works out, I could see next year being the first year we beat TSUN twice in one year.
Without Denard they have no elite playmaker. They have RBs and WRs and a QB that are serviceable but they are without a dynamic player on offense that Denard was. He could score anytime he touched the ball. Next season, if they have a great left tackle or not, they will struggle mightily at times on offense. They will be our offense without a Braxton Miller at the start of 2012. They may move the ball at times but will never have that type of score at any time threat. They will miss him a lot IMO and Lewan will not impact them one way or another significantly. He is taking a huge gamble.
Your points are well taken, but the B1G is bad enough that they're just fine. If they can run it (not sure if Touissant is back, but he's a solid RB) and Gardner throws a little better, they can win if their defense remains steady.
There's nobody to beat them. It's not so much what they are as what the rest the crap conference is.
The scUM fan or other that downvoted should give a reply that says otherwise. Nothing false in anything I said. At least have the balls to give your opinion rather than simply downvote a true statement.
Yeah, I have no idea who down voted you. We were having a good conversation here. I upvoted both your posts to compensate.
Devin Gardner was a very big play maker for the Wolverines last year as well as Gallon. They will strive on offense IMO and will not rely on Denard for the whole offense. Yes, he was a playmaker, but they were more balanced without him. Remember this Gardner kid played/practiced at WR most of the year and only stepped in at QB for the last half of the year.
He or anyone else is not Denard. They will never duplicate what he brought to that offense. He kept defenses honest. He always had to be accounted for. Sorry but you do not have that personnel anymore and you will notice it in short time. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not is up to you. Why you guys come here with the word Buck in your name trying to blend in is entertaining. You have been sheepishly trying to remain coy about your allegiance for a while.
Actually I get tired of all the homerish comments about how we should be so awesome and everyone else will suck. I am trying to think as a rational fan and f*ck michigan. You may call it what you will
This is an Ohio State blog, it's not really high up on the unbiased pole. If you get tired of hearing about Ohio State you may want to try a different website. You need to come on here expecting "homerish" comments, but at the same time know that 95% of what everyone says is opinion. Even when you are trying to be unbiased there is not a lot of solid concrete fact you inject into the argument which kinda makes you seem like a U.M. homer.
Every comment this one makes is pro-ttun, however it is disguised. Account history proves a lot. Book 'em Danno!
Looking back through every comment you have made makes you look like a worry wart. Almost all your posts are about Michigan too. Yes it's a rivalry that I love. It's also one I respect. I just remember certain years when we under estimated them and we were on the losing end.
I've simply been around long enough to have been subjected to the most ridiculous scUM fans on the planet. As a common sense guy hearing their excuses, their blood on the field boasts, and Desmond Howard type accusations of impopriety makes me steadfast in defending my team. Never heard a true OSU fan so adamant on providing scUM value. To each his own. But if you plan to be here making points supporting those guys, they better be strong points. Or you will be treated as such. And if you're a scUM fan trying to be cute, it is all the same. Sorry for the dose of reality.
Gardner, who may not be dangerous in the same way Denard was dangerous, still makes things happen and kept many drives alive with his legs and arms. Another offseason of experience with Borges will help and I think we'll see him take a step in 2013. Like you said, Michigan doesn't have a Denard anymore, but you saw how they spread the ball around when Denard was out. Let those guys mesh for an offseason and I think you'll see improvement overall.
Not here to troll...Go Blue
The part about Shugarts you are missing is, he never had the benefit of Ed Warriner. How many of us thought our O-line would be as good as it was this year?
I don't think the lack of Shugarts had as much to do with going 12-0 did as having Warriner take our O-line to heights not seen since 2002.
Therefore I still don't see one O-lineman making a team 3-5 wins better. Just my opinion.
It boils down to a 21 year old making a big life decision, so I'm not a huge fan of saying whether it's a good idea or not, since it's his call. Would I have taken the guaranteed money? Absolutely, but that's me.
He consulted Jake Long when making his decision, so when you're getting advice from someone that stayed and helped his stock by eventually going #1 overall, that could certainly impact your thought process as well.
Regardless, I hope he goes 1-3 against us and gets destroyed this year by Adolphus and company.
Over at Mgo, they think because Lewan is coming back that they have a shot at 12-0 or at worst 10-2 next year (I almost laughed so hard I passed out)!
Every team has a shot at 12-0. I certainly don't think Michigan goes 12-0, but 10-2 is pretty realistic if they can reestablish a running game.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
That's the big IF I see. Denard's running was huge, if they can have someone step up and replace his production they got a shot to be pretty good. He's leaving big untied shoes to fill though.
More Ding DINGS! Denards GONE...who's going to run the ball effectively...freshmen???? Nothing to debate...OSU owns tTUN in the last 20 years (Tress's and now Urban will too). I don't want to hear about 1897-1950...bc most if not ALL of us weren't even alive. 10-2...good luck with that (as much as I want tTUN to be good so it helps tB1G...it's not happening with NO running game...freshman can't do it all). I say you'll see more of this below by OSU Dlineman:
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
OSU 12-8-1 in the last 20 years...which conveniently leaves out the previous 4 years which were all Michigan wins.
More appropriately, since Bo started at Michigan ('69), it is 21-21-2. Or since Hoke and Urban, 1-1.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
fair point, but its not 1-1 since Hoke and Urban. Its 1-1 since Hoke. its 1-0 in favor of OSU since Urban.
Hoke is 1-0 against Fickell, which isnt too bad, considering Beliema was 0-1!
Thank you for clarifying this JL for tTUN/closet Buckeye fan. It's going to be a long time before your team will be as successful as we will be (recruiting, winning on the field as well as bowl games...our coach is better and was with Tress too). Face it....I'm not going to debate...because there isn't one.
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
Urban is a better coach than Hoke. No one is debating that. It doesn't mean that Hoke will never beat Urban.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
Ive been following this rivalry for 40 years and it has its peaks and valleys for both teams. When i was little, we didnt lose for 4 years (the Archie years), then Bo took 3 in a row. Earle had a slight edge. Then we had the Cooper years followed by the Tres years (domination for one, followed by domination by the other). During the Cooper era, I remember thinking, as I was taunted repeatedly by Michigan fans that didnt know anything other than succuess, that their day will come. And it did in a big way. I do think OSU's future looks brighter than Michigan's future, but Hoke clearly gets the rivalry (though some of his antics seem a bit contrived to me) and while I expect Urban to dominate, anything is possible in this series (see the '69 Game or the '04 Game).
EDIT: this was meant to be a reply to Hail's post
Yeah, sometimes it's convenient for us to remember the Tressel (and now Urban) era, and sorta forget the Cooper years....Tressel essentally offset Cooper (don't know the exact W-L's, but I bet it's close). Point is (same point you're essentially making), most recently OSU has dominated, but it wasn't SO long ago where we lost many.
Lord, why do the only 1 or 2 rational UM fans in existence have to be on our site?! I just agreed with a ttun fan!
I lived through the Cooper era...it sucked....that's why I throw this in their faces because I got it for YEARS...now it's pay back time!
Not to mention.....they are coming to an OSU website....their either glutons for punishment or closet OSU fans. Either way or not....I don't understand why they come here....and never will....
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
IMO, Devin Gardner is a much better QB than Denard. I agree 100%, than if Michigan finds itself an above average RB, they will be a handfull for the Big 10.
That would depend of course, on Vincent Smith finding his helemt.
~Because we couldn't go for three~
excited to see him get Bosa'd
Who's he blocking for at RB? Devin is going to struggle once team's put in a tape on his play... His throwing motion under his shoulder is not good, he doesn't have the speed of Denard, and he won't have a proven back behind him.... I don't see this offense getting better. IMHO..
I'll give the kid a little credit for not running to the money, not saying he's smart for it though. I guess we should applaud him for wanting to return to finish out his degree, oh, and to get dominated by any D End we line up against him.
Losing their top passer, top rusher, 2nd leading receiver (and 4th, since someone has to throw the ball), and a good chunk of their defense (Kovacs, Campbell, Roh, Demens, Floyd)...not sure how this team improves much. Taking Bama off their schedule will save them an embarrassing opening loss, but I still see an 8-4 football team no matter what Lewan does.
Not sure why you think he wont make an impact. Aside from 1 or 2 plays, he pretty much dominated our Dline last year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMftU0S58qw
Thanks for the link, but after watching it, it's hard to see how you concluded that Lewan "pretty much dominated" the Buckeye defensive line. Just based on the reel you linked, I see him doing some solid work, but I also see him getting inside help, getting brushed off rather easily by Shazier on a tackle that stuffed an attempted 4th down conversion, whiffing on a block on Bennett that led to a fumble, getting beat by Big Hank to stuff a goal line run,getting knocked on his back by Nathan Williams, and of course getting smoked by Washington on a sack that led to a fumble. I guess it all depends on what "pretty much" means.
Correct. This year vs OSU was pretty well documented as his worst game of the year, if not his career. It's why I was pretty shocked Clowney didn't have 12 TFL and 4 sacks.
I see what the poster of the clip is saying, but it's hard to say you dominate when the plays where you failed to do you job were huge, impact plays.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
In fairness, the plays you speak of their QB took way to long to throw the ball. We sent 6+ guys on the plays Lewan got beat. I am on the same team here, but to say that it's not a concern he's back is foolish. It will be an interesting matchup for sure.
I should downvote you for making me watch that reel again, but that's not the way I roll. In any case, only two of the specific plays that I mentioned were passes, and in both cases the rush got in on Gardner immediately. Pretty hard to blame Gardner for either sack. However, there was another sack of Gardner that should be credited to Shazier, where Gardner held on to the ball a little long which allowed Washington to shake loose of Lewan and seal off the scramble.
However, the larger point is that regardless of his performance in The Game (solid, not outstanding imo) he was clearly not a difference maker for his team. Michigan failed to score or even cross midfield for the entire second half. This leads me to conclude that though michigan would most likely be worse if he left, his returning does not make them any better than the team we beat in November.
True but you can't argue that having a 1st All-American and top 10 draft pick vs an unknown name is not a huge improvement for them. I think you are missing my point that they would have been screwed without him.
Is this the point that you think I'm missing:
btw, I think Hail and MMAN can assure you that Michigan posters are treated with respect on this board and need not disguise themselves as Buckeye fans.
I think it's funny the huge difference in the opinions on the 2 homer boards. Clearly the answer is somewhere in between, i.e. the unbiased answer. Having a first round pick left tackle rather than a freshman or whatever is certainly very valuable and arguably as impactful as any non-QB returning player could be. That said, it isn't the difference between 8-5 and 12-1. Especially since the 8-5 included him... It could easily be the difference between 7-5 and 8-4 or 9-3 though. Michigan still has to play Notre Dame, Nebraska, MSU and OSU next season.
Losing their main/only offensive weapon, I wouldn't count out Northwestern or Penn State either as possible losses
I think meat chicken will be at least 10-2 or 11-1, not because they will be that good, but because the conference is that bad. The bad part of that record is that they will have to play the Bucks twice and they will be 10-3 or 11-2. This is what I have been waiting for. The chance to kick them in AA and then in Indy. Go Bucks.
He wanted to come back to make history. Join the first group of Michigan players to lose in back to back weeks to OSU. Michigan and OSU are on a collison course to Indy. Off course I think Meyer will be able to go 2-0 in back to back weeks. This will close the win-loss gap up one year faster...
You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing. - Gordon Gee
Lewan won't be able to handle guys like Spence, Lewis, and Washington. He's a typical B1G tackle and those guys are SEC type DE's. They're strong and fast. It's guys like them that have led the SEC to 7 straight titles. I'm glad Urban is changing the style of recruiting and play in the B1G.
He handled Clowney who is 10x anyone on OSU's 2013 Dline.
Not here to troll...Go Blue
Clowney was double and triple teamed the whole game. If you want to call that "handling" that's fine... You are entitled to your opinion.
If only someone could already have posted a video above, in this very thread, of Lewan "handling" someone on OSU's 2013 D-line who isn't 1/10th as good as Clowney, that'd be great.
If you are not here to troll, I would tone down the hyperbole and the pointless comparison.
Hyperbole: 10 OSU D-lineman < Clowney? Really? That is patently false and not helpful in any discussion about whether one player is better than another.
Pointless comparison: Lewan did not handle Clowney. Couple of errors in that statement. First of all, scUM double and triple teamed him all game long. Second, one of the biggest highlights of the bowl season was Clowney blowing up Vincent Smith. Even if Clowney only had 5 or 6 tackles, which is not shutting him down, all anyone is going to remember is how he exploded Michigan's running back. Not exactly "handled" in the way that most people use the word.
I'm cool with it. Anything that helps Michigan helps OSU. After all, despite some ingrained (Inbred?) need to hate all things Michigan, the Buckeyes are better off when the Wolverines are a good football team. Lewan is a pretty good player. I know, again, he plays for Michigan so he sucks and what not but the guy is a first round pick for a reason. I'll use those pesky "Facts" things again so I'm sure I'll be called a witch but the guy has the big but not pudgy build NFL GM's love. Long arms, good feet, can play LT in the NFL and probably wants to raise his stock from top 20 player to top 5. I'm pretty sure I'll be met with "He's not a top 5 player" but despite the clip of Diesel blowing him up with a nice dip move, he had a very good season as a junior and seldom, if ever, do tackles hurt their stock by coming back. I find it poetic that Clowney and Lewan will be picked before the 8th pick in the draft next year in my humble opinion, given that their names are linked to the most memorable play of the bowl season-even though Lewan appeared to be releasing up field on that play. Clowney didn't exactly beat Lewan...but what do I know?
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
you are certainly not a witch and you made some very valid points...the problem is this thread has evolved far from the orignal post into a few Michigan fans stating this is going to make their team 3-5 wins better next year which I just honestly can't see. I agree with you that Lewan is a Great offensive lineman but the argument now is that his staying makes them that much better next year.
I don't agree with that.
If you look again, I think those types of comments were pulled from MgoBlog by other posters on here. It's what they said at least. If the argument is Michigan is likely to win more games with Lewan than without, I don't know how you could argue. No one can quantify how many.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
TSUN is good for one more win regardless because they don't have to play Bama next year.
Class of 2010.
is Taylor going to carry the ball for them? ehh, unimpressed..
Those who stay will get beat again.
You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing. - Gordon Gee
Yeah he will get beat again but he is a good player and this is a plus for scum.
I still have nightmares of the 95 and 96 teams Ls! It still sucks! I have really enjoyed most of the Tressel era, and Urban's era.. I think TTUN will be better. I also think we will be the SEC midwest with all the southern kids. I cannot wait to watch special teams littered with All-american freshman! Their day will come when they will get their turn to defeat TTUN! On a side note, I still wish Urban would have turned them lose on that last drive to add a little spice to the rivarly.. We all know the game was no where near as close as the score.. It would have been cool to pad El Guapos stats. ( I love it when my 4 year old says"El Guapo by the way, sorry ADHD, dammit!)
Roby, Hyde, J. Hall > Lewan
That is all.