The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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michigan football When people ask how it feels to be back at Michigan, he just smiles. The venue never changed, so it's tough to describe a different sensation. "I didn't go anywhere," he said. "I went to Louisiana after the bowl game and came back here and I said I was staying. I had a talk with my dad. He picked me up from the airport and I told him I was staying. He said, 'What if it gets to be March, April and you feel differently? You could be in this draft, do this. What if you regret the decision?' "But so far, so good. I'm loving it here. I'm thoroughly enjoying Michigan and hoping to make the fans proud, coaches proud and be successful during the season." Part of that means making the quarterback successful. Although an era ended when Denard Robinson scampered out the door with a host of Michigan offensive records, Lewan sounds ready to move forward in a hurry with redshirt junior quarterback Devin Gardner. "We got a feel for it the last four games last year," Lewan said. "He did a great job. We'll all miss Denard Robinson, the legacy he left. Those are big shoes to fill. But Devin's arm strength and accuracy — I'm excited to see what he can do this season. Meanwhile, the fifth-year senior likes what he sees out of the revamped offensive line. "We've done a tremendous job competing, moving the line of scrimmage," Lewan said. "We'll be very successful if we do it at the rate we are right now, compared to past springs. Guys want to win everything. Everyone is working so hard. I'm really excited for this team, and Team 134, 135 and 136 are going to be in good hands." Greg Mattison Likes His Squad's Movement Some Michigan defenders have stressed the speed their side of the ball will bring to the table this year. While he's never satisfied with where they stand, defensive coordinator Greg Mattison sees some improvement in that area, in part because of the training his players receive. "I'm seeing us play faster. I'm seeing us play a lot faster than I remember my first year here," Mattison said. "That comes from a number of different things. "One is our strength and conditioning program. You don't just, in one year, say, 'Okay, here you are.' This is the third year that [strength and conditioning coach Aaron Wellman] has had these guys, and these kids' ability to run and ability to play harder and more consistently is a product of that strength program. "The second thing is the recruiting. We've tried, since the day we got here, to recruit athletic guys that could run. When you're there watching Mario [Ojemudia], you're there watching Chris Wormley, who now you see every day feels better about his knee, you see James Ross … "I could keep going. You see an Ondre Pipkins, who is down 30-some pounds from the day he got here, and all of a sudden, he's running full