The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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lenge, sometimes using humor to de- flect some of the heat. "With social media and all, there's no way you can avoid seeing what people say about you," he said. "The biggest thing is, the people in this building believe in me. I really couldn't care less what anybody else is talking about. "These guys genuinely believe I can help us win games, and when things break down, I can make a play. That's all you really need. My mom believes in me, too. I'm pretty good." Now, Gardner knows, he and the Wolverines have to be pretty steady. "We've just got to stay focused, and continue to prepare exactly the same, maybe even more each week," Gardner said. "There were opportu- nities where we were amazing, the best in Michigan history. There were opportunities where we were the worst in Michigan history. We've got to keep it with the former. "It's staying consistent, where it's not a question mark. What offense are you going to get?" The head coach concurs on that line of thinking. "Tom Brady was in here in August and met with the quarterbacks and talked about what it takes to play at an elite level," head coach Brady Hoke said. "It helped all of the quar- terbacks, but I think it sunk in more with Devin, especially concerning the preparation and the responsibil- ity. The quarterback feeds the team." No. 10 — CB Blake Countess Countess has a chance to continue his strong impact as a playmaker, in a reshuffled Michigan secondary. He could find himself at cornerback in various situations, or get assigned to cover the slot receiver in abundant nickel situations, like he did last year. Countess' six interceptions tied for seventh in the nation in 2013, with he and Purdue's Ricardo Allen the only Big Ten performers to pick off that many. In addition, the redshirt junior made something happen with the football when he flipped the pos- session script. Countess returned the half-dozen pickoffs for 169 yards, second nationally only to Louisiana- Monroe's Isaiah Newsome (175). Hoke is certainly seeking oppor- tunists in pressure defense situations, and Countess should be one to count on. "Blake and those older guys have played a lot," Hoke said. "The lead- ership from Blake is going to be im- portant. But there's great competi- tion, and they've got to play every day." The head coach wasn't committing to a position regarding Countess, at least early on. He could again move between the corner and nickel spots. "We'll see, "Hoke said. "He knows the position, he's played it, but we'll see." No. 20 — LB Joe Bolden Bolden proved the talk of Michi- gan's spring practices amid all the linebacker position switches. He played the middle linebacker last year, but is expected to make a strong bid toward a starting position at weakside linebacker this fall. There's nothing weak about the