Last Year:
2011 saw Michigan vastly improved at the linebacker position. The struggles at this position were well documented throughout the Rodriguez era at Michigan. It was quite nice to have some production out of the linebackers.
Who's Gone:
Only one contributor is gone from the linebacker corps from last year. Brandon Herron had a big game against Western Michigan but saw his playing time fall off drastically to where he was mostly a special teams player throughout the season.
2012 Personnel:
In the middle is senior Kenny Demens. Kenny now has more than a full season as the starting MLB under his belt. He is likely to put up very good tackling numbers and be on the lists for All-Big Ten, maybe as a second teamer or honorable mention. He'll be one of the top middle linebackers in the conference this season.
In Michigan's 4-3 Under defense they have a weakside and strongisde LB. The strongside LB needs to be almost a DE combo type player as he will be tasked with taking on more blockers and being stout in the run game. For this position Michigan turns to Jake Ryan. As a redshirt freshman last season Ryan played almost the entire season as the starter and was a playmaker, always around the football. The sky is the limit for Jake and he could become a household name around the conference this season.
There are plenty of incoming freshman who will try to earn their way onto the 2-deep. Keep an eye on true freshman Joe Bolden who will probably enter the fall as the backup MLB and is likely to be Michigan's starter in the middle in 2013
On the weak side Michigan has starter Desmond Morgan coming back for his Sophomore season. Morgan, in my humble opinion, was Michigan's weakest starter on defense last season. He continually got blocked, took poor angles and looked generally like a true freshman...though his effort was always there and he seemed to be around the football a lot. Luckily, he's not a true freshman anymore. With starting experience in his pocket and a full off-season of a college strength program I expect a big leap in the level of play of Morgan. He should go from liability to solid starter. If he doesn't, his playing time will come under siege from some other young players on Michigan's roster.
Two more players will see time in the LB rotation. Brandin Hawthorne and Cam Gordon. You may remember Hawthorne as the lean, tall looking line backer who makes tackles for loss. He was outstanding in Michigan's spring game and will get playing time, likely on passing downs. He needs to become a more consistent run stopper because up to this point he has displayed little ability to shed blockers. Cam Gordon, you may remember from 2 seasons ago as Michigan's starting Free Safety. He's now playing a position I described as "similar to a DE". Wow, I'm glad Greg Robinson is no longer coaching at Michigan. Cam has great athleticism and should be able to do good things when given the chance but he's battling rising star Jake Ryan for playing time.
2012 Outlook:
Overall, this unit has depth, production, leadership and room to improve. They should go from a decent unit in 2011 to a very good unit in 2012. I'm excited about the development of Michigan's linebackers as well as their prospects for 2012. This should be a very good unit.
Linebackers Michigan State
Last Year:
Last year for MSU was supposed to be a transitional year for the Spartans. After losing two time All-American Greg Jones and his partner Eric Gordon, there was supposed to be a drop in production. But the opposite happened. The LB core actually looked better with first year starter Max Bullough in the middle and Denicos Allen making explosive plays all over the field. This LB core can defend the short pass across the middle better than the previous group, and is more than adequate at stopping the run. The group is good at attacking sideline to sideline and Max has been able to direct both the defensive line and the linebackers for quick defensive changes. As if you need more proof that they are athletic:
(good way to get a sack)
Who's Gone:
No one. This puts a smile on my face.
2012 Personnel:
Denicos Allen is one of those guys that is easy to miss on the football field. He is only 5-10 and 218. However, once the game is started you cant help but notice him. Allen flies all over the field and is known to attack players out of nowhere in the backfield. With explosive athleticism and a nose for the ball, Allen has turned the tides in games numerous times the previous year.
Chris Norman plays on the weakside and I like to describe him as a guy that can get end to end in a hurry. This past year his highest tackle game was against UM. He is good at covering in the flat and wraps players up to take them down. I really enjoy Norman.
Max Bullough is better at pass coverage than Greg Jones was and you notice that in the amount of times teams pass short 5 yarders over us. Along with that however, is the fact that our DL has been getting more pressure on and allowing Bullough to be in pass coverage more, as opposed to the constand blitz. Bullough's ability to hit is not be overlooked. He is a big kid and will stick anyone in the middle. He is less explosive than Allen or Norman but is the leader on defense. When out there you can tell he loves playing the game. Along with that, he went to the same high school as Pat and I. Max had 89 tackles last year with 7 tackles for loss. This tackle total should continue and I would expect Max to add a few INTs into the mix
From here there is a varied group of young and talented players led by Darien Harris, Taiwan Jones and TyQuan Hammock. Kyler Elsworth saw some serious action last year including a blocked punt against Wisconsin. Steve Gardiner is another player that will see action. Finally Ed Davis is a RS frosh that will see times on special teams.
2012 Outlook:
This looks to be the strength of the defense in my opinion. The defense ends are a very strong unit for the Spartans but the LBs are that much better and deeper. This unit can keep rolling lines at you to keep players fresh or leave their starters on the field (Bullough, Allen, Norman) and lock you up. I expect this unit to lead the team to victories in tight games. Look for Darien Harris to get a good amount of playing time and Kyler Elsworth to continue to impress both on special teams and in the time he gets at the LB spot. Taiwan Jones is another player to keep an eye on. This unit is critical in stopping a player like Denard and is the biggest reason for our success against Michigan lately. The linebackers will face a number of quarterbacks that are more than capable of running and will be tested throughout the year in games against UM, OSU, IU, NW and UN. One first team all B1G is an expectation of mine from this group.
Edge:
The edge here goes to MSU. This might be the best single unit from top to bottom in the entire B1G. Anything but big things would shock me here.
IMO Denicos Allen is MSU's best player. His speed makes getting the edge nearly impossible. I do wonder if he will suffer more than any other player from the departure of Jerel Worthy as he's now much more likely to see lineman in his face.
ReplyDeleteI think this comparison is closer than it seems. Jane Ryan is going to be a superstar and I am high on Kenny Demens for this season but will agree that an edge here goes to MSU.
i would say that the gap here is about as wide as the grand canyon. the gap should be closer on a position like wide receiver.
ReplyDeleteI love MSU LB corps. But I am obviously biased. I'm not sure if an yof UM's LBs crack the top 3 for MSU. Demens is close to Bullough though. And UM's linebackers have definitely improved.
ReplyDeleteI've posted about recruiting/player development a lot. I think LB is a great illustration of how they work together. The position has steadily improved under Coach D. But it started even before he got "new" players. I've been struck at how fundamentally sound our linebackers have been over the last few years. Greg Jones was not an elite athlete. But he was an elite tackler. He took the perfect angles, he didn't break down when ballcarriers tried to make moves. A lot of that was his own talent, but a lot of it I think is coaching. Because you can see it in other guys too. They consistently are in the right place, make the right reads, and when they have an opportunity they generally make the tackle. Combine all that with the athleticism Zach mentioned that you get from a guy like Denicos Allen and you get a really good linebacking corps.
I am interested to see if the question marks on the interior line hurt them though. Jerel Worthy getting double teamed and eating up blockers surely made life a little easier on those guys the last few years.
That's my only real question mark about MSU. This position should be a strength all year, barring huge injury problems. Because with the depth they have they can absorb the normal level injury bug that a college team is going to deal with.
Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteBullough is a good player. He played quite well for a true sophomore starting in the middle last season, but by every admission he was a very polished prospect. He will only be incrementally better this year. I think he and Demens are pretty much a wash in the middle.
Allen is a stud. He's immensely better than Desmond Morgan, but that gap will close a bit because Morgan has much more room to improve. Still, this is where a massive advantage comes forth for MSU.
However, I think Michigan has the edge in the Norman/Ryan comparison. I think Norman is a good, steady linebacker but I expect to see Jake Ryan on award lists this season. Maybe I'm too high on him but he's simply a playmaker. He's not as good as Alken but he's going to be very good.
ReplyDelete