The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/299859
MICHIGAN IN THE PROS played (three starts) last year. "You've got to have mental focus and not be worried about anything other than your injury," he said, adding another Super Bowl ring is among his goals. "I know players who have gone to a Super Bowl and never won, so for me to be blessed to go and win, that's a plus." JASON AVANT AND CHARLES WOODSON SIGN ONE-YEAR DEALS Former Michigan and Philadelphia wide receiver Jason Avant is now a Carolina Panther. Avant signed a one-year deal with the team with fi- nancial terms not disclosed. "He provides a versatile player at receiver and brings good size as well as experience to the position," Pan- thers head coach Ron Rivera said of Avant in a statement released by the team. Avant started a career-high 13 games for the Eagles last season, and finished with 38 catches for 447 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 52 catches and 633 receiving yards in his previous three seasons, and has racked up 297 career catches for 3,646 yards and 12 touchdowns. In Oakland, former U-M Heis- man Trophy winner Charles Wood- son inked a one-year deal to rejoin the Raiders. Woodson has played in 222 career games with 219 starts, and ranks second among active players with 56 interceptions (Ed Reed has 64). Woodson rejoined the Raiders, the team he spent the first eight years of his career with, last year as a safety after spending seven years as a cor- ner with Green Bay. He totaled 97 tackles (which ranked second on the team), two sacks, four forced fum- bles, two fumble recoveries (one re- turned for a touchdown) and one interception. The NBA TREY BURKE AND TIM HARDAWAY JR. COMPLETE IMPRESSIVE ROOKIE SEASONS Former Michigan point guard Trey Burke started his rookie season on the injured list with a broken finger and ended it as one of the top rook- ies in the NBA. The Utah Jazz (25-57 record) were a disappointment, but Burke was one of the team's high- lights with averages of 12.8 points and 5.7 assists per game. Burke was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for April after also earning the honor in both December and January, becom- ing the first Jazz player to win it in multiple months. He averaged 15.6 points and topped all NBA rookies in assists with 9.0 per game in seven contests during April, and he is a can- didate for NBA Rookie of the Year. Former Jazz forward Karl Malone was named NBA Rookie of the Month in December 1985, the only previous monthly rookie honor for the Jazz. The award, which has been given monthly since the 1981-82 season, was originally the NBA Rookie of the Month before splitting into Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of