The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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it might surprise you, but it doesn't surprise us, because he's a hard- working kid. "Did anyone know who Jordan Kovacs was four years ago? Now, a guy like Joey is putting himself in the same position, and he's working hard. He is a guy that is so-called 'limited,' but he does everything the coaches ask him to do. When you do what you're told, you're going to be successful." But Burzynski still has some very stiff competition for the starting job. ONE MORE CHANCE Michigan offensive line coach Darrell Funk said of the battle at the left guard spot, "We're just looking for someone to come in and take it over." PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL won the Rimington Award last sea- son, given to the best center in the nation. guy on the field, at 6-2, 286 pounds, he used his brute strength and quick feet to dominate the interior of op- ponents' defenses. Burzynski, like Molk, has found Although Molk wasn't the biggest matic 23-20 overtime victory against Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, Mealer stepped back and evaluated his career thus far. As a redshirt junior in 2011, he had Shortly after the Wolverines' dra- I can go out there and do my best." Heading into the 2011 season, there was, like this year, a vacancy at left guard, for which Mealer seemed to be a front-runner. Funk did not elaborate on why Mealer didn't take over the position, but the position coach did hold true to his motto: the five best players will play. Although Schofield is a "natu- ral tackle," and he has moved back to right tackle in 2012, he started 10 games at left guard last year. "I'm not sure what has held him seen offensive playing time in just seven games, mostly in mop-up duty at the end of one-sided wins, and played in all 13 contests on special teams. Since arriving in Ann Arbor, he had lined up along the offensive line in just 10 total games. "There's going to be frustration his strengths, and he plays to them in order to get a leg up against more athletic defenders. "Joey has built-in leverage, because of his height," Funk said. "I kid him about that, but it is what it is, and that's a good thing. And he plays low, he plays tough and he plays hard. He does what I tell him to do. "He's not perfect; he knows that. when you're not playing," Mealer said. "Part of it is, you come to Michi- gan knowing there's going to be a lot of competition, but the other part Junior left tackle Taylor Lewan "It's a good problem to have, two guys that are just as capable of being in there and playing next to you … We have confidence in whoever plays." He has plenty to work on, but he's just a fearless player in what he does. On top of that, he's a very coachable kid." Some fans have expressed doubt of you says, 'Hey, I'm a pretty good player, too. I can compete with these guys.' So, there is frustration, but I've always tried to fight through it." Now, he's a senior. One last chance; that an undersized walk-on can keep up against the Big Ten's best defen- sive linemen — let alone the talent he will potentially square off against in the first game of the season. But Burzynski's linemates — ev- eryone from Lewan to Omameh and Barnum — express a deep level of trust in the walk-on, as well as other left guard suitors, like Mealer. "I don't see why he can't start," Lewan said. "Everyone sees his size and the tag 'walk-on.' The fact that Joey is being mentioned right now, 40 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2012 the realization hit him suddenly. "Obviously, the pressure is going to be on a little bit this year," Mealer said. "But I like to think that I've worked hard every year I've been here. There's always improvement you can make, and maybe I've had to have more than others, but hopefully I've closed those down and I'm at a position where I can go out there and pay Michigan back for everything it has done for me, get on the field and play for my teammates. "I want to give back to those guys. They hold me accountable, and this is a great opportunity, so hopefully on at the end of the first week of fall camp Aug. 10, Funk has been por- ing over tape, meticulously watch- ing and re-watching every step and every block, grading the two guards, until one separates himself. "There have been some things Since the Wolverines put full pads in Elliott's life that are hard to deal with, and he has had to push through those," Funk said. "He is a solid kid. He's a great teammate. He's coach- able. The biggest thing he has to do is rise up and take the thing, tell him- self he's going to do it and have con- fidence." And Mealer is keenly aware that, with every practice, he's one day closer to the end of his career. He's fighting, digging in, unwilling to let this last chance pass him by. back the last couple years," Lewan said. "We have always had good players come in, but Elliott has al- ways had a great attitude about ev- erything. On and off the field, he is a great guy to be around, and he al- ways has a smile on his face." Mealer has continued to make progress all offseason, and he and Burzynski have been neck-and-neck in competition since spring practice. "Elliott has done a nice job," Funk said. "He came in a little bit lighter, he's moving around. Usually in these situations, it doesn't go down to the wire and the night before a game you decide. Someone takes it, and they say, 'This is going to be my job, and I'm going to start.' That's usually what happens. And Elliott has put himself in a position to do that."