The Blue Board

Modern Warfare 3 isnt out yet I cant!!

Marvin Robinson did not, and he played in 11 games on special teams. He'll be a sophomore.

William Michael Campbell did not, and he played in all 13 games. He'll be a junior.

Ricardo Miller did, but he saw action on special teams against UMass. He'll be a redshirt freshman.

Is Campbell still gonna play DT beside Martin in the 4-3?

FWIW, I heard that the coaches devote a lot of time into improving Campbell's technique and worth ethic. They know they have a monster physical specimen to work with, they just need to get him playing at the level he could be with his athleticism and size.

I was only asking about Campbell for the simple reason of taking some load off Martin up the middle. I think Martin got double teamed way way to much last season along with getting pounded on. If Campbell can atleast eat up some bodies it will be interesting what Martin can do.

If the coaches can convince William Campbell that he can be a 1st rounder in the 2013 NFL Draft and a future millionaire, then it would go a long way in helping him motivate himself.

I hope Campbell does not waste the incredible opportunity he has to not only secure his future but also help his family.

Sean Rogers? Did you mean Shaun Rogers?

I had to look him up and wiki says that he's a 3 time Pro Bowler. I doubt he was able to reach that level without some level of hard work. And if he did coast to those accolades, then it speaks to how much more dominant Rogers could have been if he had been a self-motivated, go-getter.

Anyways, Campbell has the potential to be a dominant DT (in the mold of Nick Fairley) in the 4-3 base defense.

If Campbell puts in the time and effort, then I can't see why he can't be a terror in both college and in the NFL.

Gabe Watson didn't do much of anything his first two years at UM either. Played TWO games in 2002 (god I hope Hoke is better at managing redshirts than Lloyd and RR were), saw spot duty in 2003, and then was All Big 10 1st team in 2004 and 2005. He always had the conditioning and work ethic issues, but overall he was a big plus for our defense. With three DL coaches on staff, I'm confident that Big Will can have a solid last two years.

Quick question for you guys. With Mattison as the DC, what scheme will you be running primarily: 3-4 or 4-3? I wondered it after the hire, but never heard what you'll be doing.

Campbell, Washington, Martin, Van Bergen, Roh, Ash, and Black are going to make a very nice corp of DL after the coaching staff spends time with them. I'm actually as excited to see this DL play as I am the offense and Denard.

It's more important for the front three to be big IMO. For example, the Green Bay Packers run a 3-4 and average 311 lbs. up front. If we were to run a 3-4 this season at UM we would average 305 lbs. (assuming Martin, Big Will and Van Bergen are the starters). And with the DL's we've brought in so far (and Pipkins hopefully) that size is sustainable.

The one linebacker that you do need to be a little bigger in a 3-4 is the strongside backer. Clay Matthews plays this for GB and he's only 255. Bolden, Ojemudia or even Pharaoh Brown could get to that weight. Kenny Demens is there right now. The average weight of the GB starting LB's last season was 247 lbs. Michigan this season would average 227 lbs (and this is with Cam Gordon at 210 lbs.).

We'll see I guess. I also think that Mattison ran a 3-4 in Baltimore.

Explain. I did say we'll start out as a 4-3, never said it would be soon.

First, there are a lot more factors at play than position and weight. Showing that the weight of Michigan's players at certain positions are comparable to that of a pro team that ran a 3-4 doesn't demonstrate that Michigan has the personnel to run the 3-4. (Hint: They don't.)

Also, Mattison didn't run a 3-4 at Baltimore. They ran a "Hybrid" 4-3/3-4 scheme. It played a lot like a 4-3 under scheme with a lot of zone blitzes. From everything that has been talked about and said, it's the same scheme that we'll be running.

While we have a large stock of LBs to choose from with the 2012 class.... we also have a ton of talent that fits right into the 4-3 under scheme that they are looking to run. I don't see any reason to believe we will be running a 3-4 in the near future.