The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/279958
FROM OUR READERS fensive linemen, linebackers and de- fensive backs as Hoke and company. The talent is there! What everyone needs to remember is that it takes time to mold these talented players into a juggernaut. It just doesn't happen overnight. One thing the 2011 team that went 11-2 had was an experienced and talented offensive line. That's probably the biggest difference between the 2011 and 2013 teams. Make no mistake, the offensive linemen U-M has will be an out- standing line in the very near future, comparable to Alabama's great of- fensive lines of the past few years. It just takes time to jell, to develop the players so they know how to react to stunting defensive linemen, blitz- ing linebackers and defensive backs, overloading the box, and to develop consistency. Once defenses knew how to con- fuse them and take advantage of the lack of experience of these young of- fensive linemen, it was open season on Devin Gardner and the running backs. Next year, most of those line- men will have more experience, they'll have had two spring and summer camps to develop and learn their trade. When I think back to the U-M win- ning coaches and teams, their offen- sive lines usually had two or three All-Americans, or developing, future All-Americans or all-conference players, much like the 2011 team had. Above all, they were mostly juniors and seniors with a lot of ex- perience. Wait until these young players have gained a little more experience, developed some more through the spring and summer camps, gotten bigger and stronger, before we start pointing fingers. It takes time, and we're almost there, to see the fruits of Hoke and company's hard work and perseverance. Believe me, we're not far from having both an offen- sive and defensive juggernaut. Gordon Craig Crown Point, Ind. Your optimism could get rewarded as early as September, Gordon. At the same time, the transition issues aren't completely over yet. In the case of the offensive line, they're getting younger before they get older. HOOK FOR TEAM 135 Dear The Wolverine: I recently re-read the book Bo, written by Mitch Albom. I found it very interesting that Bo left Ohio as a graduate assistant because he joined the Army. The Army had several football teams and Bo was on Regiment 135's team. I thought it would be a nice tribute to Bo if Team 135 somehow incorporated Regiment 135 in their team name. Something like: "Team 135, Regi- ment 135, a tribute to Bo." What do you think? Phillip Rodriguez Ann Arbor Nice connection, Mr. Rodriguez. We'll leave it up to the powers that be on this one.