I think the writing’s on the wall as to who will be under center for the Michigan Wolverines come September.

Denard Robinson appears to have the job in hand after an impressive set of spring practices, plus the news that, today, Tate Forcier had his helmet modified to reflect the coaches’ disappointment in his work. Forcier, last year’s number one when healthy, has appeared to fall from grace with both the coaches and his teammates, and will only get back the winged helmet (instead of a plain blue one) when both are satisfied with his performance.

That leaves just Robinson and true freshman Devon Gardner vying for the starting spot. As impressive as Gardner was in the spring game and so far in practice, Robinson has been better. His decision making and accuracy (two major flaws in his game last year) are vastly improved, and his speed, running and elusiveness are still top-notch. So, while I think that Gardner might not get his redshirt (as much as I think it would benefit both him and the team), my money for the starting spot and the majority of the snaps are going to Robinson. And that sits just fine with me.

On a side note, Rich Rodriguez and David Brandon flew out to meet with the NCAA about the violations the school was found to have violated. Let’s hope that the NCAA is kinder to the Maize and Blue than they were to USC. Go Blue!

Now, here comes Mr. Brandon and talks with Alabama about a neutral site game. This is what football should be. Go test yourself against some of the nation’s best. If you struggle or lose, it might be the end of the Title hunt, but then, it might not. There hasn’t been a ‘perfect’ season all that frequently in recent history (Alabama and Texas in 2009 and 2005, and Pete Carroll cheated his way to one in 2004, but that one isn’t official anymore). One loss is not the end of the world in college football, especially if it is against a good opponent.

I want to see more of this. Bo used to be known for insisting on it. He’d have a tune-up game, true, but then he’d pit his boys against the best in the country. Heck, Bo even let you know what he was going to do to beat you and dared you to stop him. (Run the ball between the tackles. Deal with it.) That’s what I want to see from upcoming schedules. Have yourself a tune-up game against the Toledo’s and Massachusetts‘ of the nation. Then play two big names (Notre Dame if they don’t end up joining the Big 10 and someone else, be it Texas, Alabama or the like). After that you’ll be into the Big 10 part of the season, and you will have a much better idea of what kind of team you have.

Interested in some logic to that last statement? Look at it this way, after four games in the 2009 season, Michigan was 4 and 0 and everyone was talking about how Rich Rod had put the program back on track. Heck, I even heard some rumblings about a National Title. What happened with the rest of the season? They eked a game out against Indiana for their fifth and last win. Granted, if they were playing better teams like Alabama, I’m willing to bet that the Wolverines would have been another point to the wrong side of .500, but I would rather have an idea of what the team can do against real competition than how badly they can beat up on the ‘patsies’ of the nation.

So Mr. Brandon, bring on ‘Bama. We’ll roll the Tide. And if we don’t, well, at least you can’t say the Wolverines hid in the MAC and beat up on the directional schools like some other schools we could talk about…

The pregame tours were an interesting look into a usually unseen side of the football experience, and the alumni flag football game was entertaining, especially watching the ‘coaches’ get into it with the referees, Bo-style.

As for the actual game itself, it was encouraging to see how much the defense looks improved. They were making significant strides to stop the run, and Will Campbell clogged the middle well. He looks like he’ll have a good year in the trenches. The secondary was still prone to some bad coverage. They gave up a 97-yard pass between Denard Robinson and Roy Roundtree. To be fair, the pass was perfectly placed (and I mean perfect), but Roundtree shouldn’t have been behind everyone to begin with.

Speaking of Robinson, he looked exponentially better. His throwing was crisp, he still had his explosive running and his decisions were quick and accurate. Since they did not allow hitting the quarterbacks (Tate Forcier was the only one to actually touch the turf with his body on a scramble-run), it was hard to judge Robinson’s running, because there were times I think he would have made the tackler miss, and others that I think he might have been sacked, but he still had his amazing speed and he still moved well with the ball.

Unfortunately, the other two quarterbacks of note were not as impressive. Devon Gardner showed why I believe he needs a year as a redshirt. His arm strength was impressive, but it lacked consistent accuracy. He moved around well in the pocket and up-field, but he wasn’t as elusive as one might have hoped. Forcier, on the other hand, looked slow and rusty. Some of that might be because of his ankle problems, but most of it just looked sloppy. Towards the end, he did start showing signs of his amazing ability to stay in the pocket and make throws downfield, so hopefully the rust shakes off. For now, however, Robinson looks like the leading candidate for the starting job.

There was one more unpleasantness. Zoltan Mesko will be missed. Watching the kickers proved that. The field goal attempts were actually rather good, with some of the kickers hitting 40+ yard attempts in a swirling wind. The punters, however, were rather pathetic. In all seriousness, the best punt o f the day came from Forcier on one of his rugby-style kicks on a fourth down. I think one of the two punters did not connect on a punt for over 20 yards; one of them didn’t make five. So let’s pray that the punters spend some time in the off-season practicing, or you might see Tate out there for fourth downs too.

Defensive coach Greg Robinson is implementing a 3–3–5 defense to the overall scheme for the Wolverines. Basically, the 3–3–5 is designed to use more defensive backs to help cover the spread offense’s multiple receiver options. Three down linemen are used to stop the run, three linebackers are to help either with the run or the pass (or to blitz) and the five defensive backs cover potential receivers and are also used to run unusual blitzes or deeper zones. The National Football League generally does not employ this defense, preferring instead to go with what is called a nickel defense (4–2–5), taking away a linebacker for an added defensive lineman to assist in stopping an opponents running game (and possibly to add more pressure to the quarterback without blitzing), or a dime defense (4 –1–6 or 3–2–6) for plays where running the ball really is not an option.

When Rich Rodriguez was first hired by Michigan, I wondered how long it would take for this defense to make an appearance. It was a highly successful tool for Rodriguez down in West Virginia, and definitely fits his style of player better than the standard 3–4 or 4–3 defenses. Also, the secondary has been a bit of a weakness for recent teams. Rodriguez recruits athletes that are considered more of secondary players rather than linebackers or linemen. Having more of the type of player you recruit for on the field makes sense, especially when you play them in a scheme that utilizes their talents.

Like everything new or unusual in sports, getting adjusted to the new scheme will take time, but I believe that, used properly, the 3–3–5 can be a great tool for Michigan. I do not think, however, that it should be the standard from which the rest of the defense starts. The Big Ten is a conference that prides itself on being a punishing, pound-you-into-the-ground conference. Its teams have been more focused on running the ball, and they generally do it right down the middle. While some schools are beginning to go away from this philosophy and are starting to adopt spread offenses, lining up with two tight ends and running between the tackles will always define the Big Ten. Having a defensive style that cannot stop this type of attack will be a liability in the long run. However, having a standard 4–3 to stop the run and a 3–3–5 to cover the emerging spread could put Michigan ahead of the curve. Hopefully, that is exactly where Greg Robinson is heading.

Tate Forcier is the safe bet for who will get the opening day start for the Wolverines. He has the most game experience, did the best in the previous season, and proved that he can lead the team downfield when the game is on the line. While not the fastest of the bunch, Forcier showed the ability to move the ball on the ground himself when the situation arose. His accuracy and arm strength could use a bit of improvement, but that will hopefully develop as he progresses through his collegiate career. He is a leader on the field that gets respect for his grit and determination.

Denard Robinson is probably the fastest man on the field for the Wolverines. He is a born playmaker, making people miss and breaking tackles as he scampers down the field. Robinson’s major drawbacks as a quarterback is a lack of accuracy and decision making mistakes. Honestly, Robinson would probably be best used as a running back or wide receiver, where he can use his speed to beat coverage or run through or around opponents. If, however, he insists on staying at the point of the offense, Robinson would be best acclimated to a Wildcat-type offense. The problem with this, as shown last season, is that you cannot bring him in specifically for that purpose, or the defenses in the Big Ten realize what you are about to do. Expect to see more of Robinson this year, but I would not count on his being a starter.

Devon Gardner is the best of both worlds; he’s fast and has an amazing arm. Unfortunately, he’s green in college and needs to get acclimated to the speed of the game on this level. Enrolling early helped, but Gardner would probably be best served by a red-shirt. Gardner’s skills lean to him being potentially the best of the three candidates and he eventually will earn a starting spot at quarterback, but a year of experience will be enormously beneficial to him.

Looking forward to the season, it will be interesting to see how Rich Rodriguez handles this ‘problem’ that most coaches would love to have. I’d love to see him let Forcier and Robinson handle this season and let Gardner grow before throwing him to the fire. Time will tell how this will shake out. Go Blue!