Monday, July 25, 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
2011 Football Season Preview: Defensive Line
By STEPHEN J. NESBITT
* Daily Sports Editor
With the 2011 season just weeks
away, Michigan defensive coordi-
nator Greg Mattison's first order
of business is to right the Wolver-
ines' defensive corps - a veritable
*sinking ship.
That overhaul began the
moment Mattison stepped on
campus, announcing Michigan's
return to a standard 4-3 scheme.
And with inexperience across the
board on defense, Mattison will
rely heavily on the defensive line.
At first glance, it's a rather fear-
some foursome on the front lines
for Michigan. And it is - all four
projected starters were once four-
or five-star recruits.
But, still, they are an unproven
cast. The top four names on the
depth chart - defensive ends
Ryan Van Bergen and Craig Roh
and defensive tackles Mike Martin
and Will Campbell - are identical
to what Michigan fans expected to
*see begin the 2010 season.
But with then-defensive coor-
dinator Greg Robinson's switch to
the 3-3-5 formation, things were
thrown into limbo. Roh spent a
good deal of time as an oversized
linebacker, seeing minimal suc-
cess on the field. And Campbell,
a junior who played on both sides
of the ball as a standout at Cass
Tech, was pulled across the line
for stints at offensive guard.
Just like that, the front line of
Michigan's defense was just as
shaky as the rest. The Wolverines
tallied just 18 sacks all season -
Van Bergen led the way with four.
In comparison, NCAA lead-
ers Florida State and Boise State
gathered 48 sacks. And Clem-
son's Da'Quan Bowers trailed just
behind the entire Wolverine squad
with 15.5 sacks of his own.
Ouch. Add that the defense
allowed an average of 450 yards
per game - nearly 190 of those
yards were earned on the ground
- and Michigan's startling 35.2
points allowed per game and it's
not hard to see why Robinson isn't
gearing up for another season as
defensive coordinator.
But though Robinson was
shown the door, most of the line-
man - and all of the starters -
have returned. And Michigan's
success in 2011 depends on wheth-
er Mattison can complete the
defense's turnaround.
Redshirt senior defensive end
Ryan Van Bergen returns as ateam
captain for Michigan coach Brady
Hoke's first year at the helm. Van
Bergen played on both the end and
on the interior, but with a pair of
capable defensive tackles, Van
Bergen should give valuable expe-
rience coming off the edge.
A talented end from Scottsdale,
Ariz., Roh will shore up the other
end of the line. To put it simply,
Roh is hoping to forget his lack-
luster sophomore season. After
accumulating 35 tackles and a
pair of sacks as a freshman, Roh's
shift to hybrid linebacker/defen-
sive end curbed his growth as a
pass rusher. He finished with just
43 tackles and a half sack in a full
slate of starts in 2010.
While Van Bergen is a captain,
Martin is the unquestioned leader
of the pack on the defensive line.
A 2010 All-Big Ten second team
selection, Martin made the deci-
sion to return for his senior season
in Ann Arbor rather than chase an
NFL career.
Martin's effectiveness was
severely hindered - especially
during Big Ten action - when a
mid-season ankle injury hurt his
explosiveness and affected the
powerful leverage he uses to beat
the double teams he routinely
faces. Taking the pressure off
Martin will be key, and Mattison
already showed part of his plan
during the Spring Game when he
stunted Martin off the edge as a
hybrid linebacker.
Don't expect to see that often,
but it's an option to get Martin a
clean look at the quarterback. The
move had quite the positive effect.
"It's another thing offenses
have to watch film on," Van Ber-
gen said after the Spring Game.
"You'll see a nose guard at 300
pounds, coming off the edge in a
two-point - good luck."
"Man, he's a great athlete,"
junior quarterback Denard Rob-
inson added, his eyes widening.
"So whenever I see him, I'm like,
'Man, I've gotta watch where he's
coming from.' "
But the ability to move Martin
around hinges on Campbell's con-
p..s
FILE PHOTO/Daily
(Above) Senior defensive tackle Mike Martin is the leader on the line's interior.
(Below) Redshirt senior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen led 'M' in sacks in 2010.
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(Above) Sophomore defensive end Jibreel Black is looking to break through in 2011.
Belo)iJ i..idf nsivaand Craia Rah is making- a transition frm hybrid L B/DF.
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Co
ng and dependability. The line remained relatively
pbell - at 6-foot-5 and healthy in 2010 - although Mar-
unds - entered last season tin missed the Purdue matchup
enormous question mark, with an ankle injury - but Michi-
sehow it's only gotten big- gan could be in trouble if one of
ering the 2011 campaign. the projected starters goes down.
h two seasons, he's col- But look for redshirt sophomore
ust five tackles. defensive tackle Quinton Wash-
ington, redshirt freshman defen-
sive tackle Kenny Wilkins and
sophomore defensive end Jibreel
Vlan, I gotta Black to get their shot at some sig-
ratch vhere nificant playing time.
atchtwhere Black is the frontrunner slot-
ted to take over for Van Bergen in
2012, with good explosion off the
n line despite his smaller size. And
ming from. Washington was in a tight posi-
tion battle this spring with Camp-
bell, vying to be Martin's hefty
sidekick, charged with clogging
the departure of seniors the middle.
o Sagesse and Greg Banks Preseason Grade: B+
ing, the depth on the defen- Projected Starters: Ryan Van
e has worn thin - an adjec- Bergen, Mike Martin, Will Camp-
rely used when describing bell, Craig Roh
und linemen. The duo saw Key Losses: Renaldo Sagesse,
ninutes last season to spell Greg Banks
on the line. Surprise Player: Jibreel Black
With
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