The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/279958
was that good. The offensive line was below average in the run game, as far as creating holes and recreating the line of scrimmage." Like any true freshman, Green needed to become grounded in as- pects of the game far beyond merely running with the football. "Derrick, at times, seemed to be a little lost in pass protection," Ray said. "He's a good runner, he's strong, he brings a lot of good things to the table. "He runs with a low center of gravity. He did make a few plays last year, but I need more from Derrick Green. If he's going to be an 'in be- tween the tackles' kind of back, or if he's going to run the inside zone or the outside zone out of the one-back set, he needs to have more vision. He needs to have better cutback ability. "He also lets one guy bring him down at times. For a guy his size and strength, that's something that's unacceptable. He needs to go back and watch some tape on guys like Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson and Ron Dayne. He needs to study those guys, because he has the same type of skill set." Green trimmed down from around 240 pounds at one point to what he now claims is 220. He put in exten- sive individual work in addition to the team's winter workouts, and that's a good sign, according to Ray. "Mike Gittleson, our former strength coach, had a motto: 'Your weight is your attitude,'" Ray re- called. "After a year in the system, it sounds like he physically under- stands the expectations. We'll see how much the loss of the weight can help his game, whether he gains a step, cuts better or has better body control." "I feel a lot better, faster, more ex- plosive," Green said recently. "I just knew I couldn't come in the same