The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/213966
that's got to be man-to-man. From that aspect, Devin's got to be able to decipher, 'Okay, this one's beating the double, so I've got to get him the ball,' or 'This one's beating the single, so I have to get him the ball.'" The Wolverines need to beat people, period, and that became tougher once they hit November. That's all they're worrying about right now, and not where Funchess will eventually wind up, position-wise. Hecklinski strongly refers any talk of future position to Hoke, and noted it's between the head coach and player. For his part, Funchess isn't inclined to speculate. "I don't really know right now," he said. "I'm just trying to finish out this season, get the seniors to the best finish possible. I'm just focused on that. In winter, spring, all that, I can figure out what I want to do." His focus, Hecklinski assured, has remained where it ought to be. "He made a move that everybody can appreciate now, in terms of his ability to stand up, play on two feet, not be in the three-point stance, the mismatches, the speed, the agility," Hecklinski said. "We knew he had really good ball skills. To his credit, he made a move that obviously was going to benefit him but was going to benefit Michigan. "He's a fun kid to be around. Between Coach Ferrigno and myself, we agree he's great to have in the program and he's great to have in the room." Unless, of course, you're a 5-10 defensive back. ❑ Michigan Has Featured Plenty Of Versatility Devin Funchess shifted just a few yards laterally, moving from tight end to wide receiver over the past few games. It's still a significant change, and the sophomore no doubt gets a certain amount of sympathy from the one delivering the ball to him. It wasn't that long ago, redshirt junior quarterback Devin Gardner found himself on the receiving end of passes. Stuck behind Denard Robinson at quarterback, and with the Wolverines short on lanky receivers, Gardner played most of last season at wideout. He contributed significantly there, snagging 16 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 16.6 yards per catch before Robinson's injury pulled Gardner back to quarterback. So Gardner understands, and admires Funchess' ability to remain both proficient and flexible. "He's doing a really good job," Gardner said. "He's a really good athlete, and defenses have trouble covering him. He's proven that time and time again." The Devin Duo, of course, barely scratches the surface of Michigan football players who were willing to move around for the sake of their teammates and coaches. Before the advent of two-platoon football, performing on both offense and defense was commonplace.