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Thursday, June 23, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

Inside Jim Harbaugh’s camp

By ORION SANG

Summer Managing Sports Editor

If you were to walk by Al Glick 

Field House or any of its outdoor 
fields Saturday afternoon, there’s a 
good chance you wouldn’t have had 
any idea what was going on.

There 
were 
moments 
when 

dozens of high school football players 
were 
running 
around 
shirtless 

playing soccer. There were moments 
when rubber balls flew through the 
air as they played dodgeball.

And there was even a moment 

when Chicago Bears quarterback 
Jay Cutler fielded cutoff throws 
from campers as Michigan defensive 
coordinator Don Brown hit fly and 
ground balls.

In reality, what went on Saturday 

in Ann Arbor wasn’t a multi-sport 
camp. It was a football camp, 
specifically for quarterbacks. But the 
Ann Arbor Aerial Assault camp — A4 
for short — ran according to Michigan 
coach Jim Harbaugh’s plan, and 
that was with a unique emphasis on 
athletic versatility combined with a 
heavy NFL presence.

In fact, Harbaugh’s own views on 

what make a good quarterback were 
influenced by a NFL legend himself 
in Super Bowl-winning coach Bill 
Walsh.

“It’s in the name of Bill Walsh,” 

Harbaugh 
said 
of 
the 
camp’s 

unorthodox 
drills. 
“Spent 
time 

with Bill Walsh before he passed 
away when I was in my first year at 
Stanford, and I happened to ask him 
one day, ‘What do you look for in a 
quarterback?’ and he said, ‘Athletic 
instincts.’ I said, ‘Explain that to me. 

What does that mean?’ and he said, 
‘It means that he’s the best athlete 
in the entire high school. It means 
that he could go make the basketball 
team, the soccer team, he can swim, 
he can field balls from centerfield, he 
can be a shortstop, probably pitches 
on the baseball team. Even if he 
didn’t play the sport, he’s a good 
enough athlete that he could go make 
the team.’

“That just always resonated to 

me, and you just want to pick some 
of that up here in the camp, see how 
they operate taking athletic reps 
wherever they are. Some youngsters 
aren’t playing multiple sports as 
much as they used to, so you’d like 
to test it. There’s a lot of athletic 
reps you can take — you can climb a 
tree, and that’s about as good of an 
athletic rep that you can get in terms 
of balance, strength, core, planning 
out what your next move is.”

So Harbaugh and his staff, 

including passing game coordinator 
and wide receivers coach Jedd 
Fisch, interspersed Saturday’s camp 
with pickup games of other sports 
in hopes of bringing out the inner 
athlete from all 240 participating 
campers.

And they did so with the help 

of numerous NFL quarterbacks 
— including Cutler, Detroit Lions 
and former Michigan quarterback 
Jake Rudock, Indianapolis Colts 
quarterback Stephen Morris and 
San Diego Chargers quarterback 
Zach Mettenberger — as well as 
numerous NFL coaches and private 
quarterback coaches such as George 
Whitfield.

The NFL presence added an air 

of professionalism to the setting — 
even when campers were engaged 
in non-football activities, they were 
urged on by the professionals. And 
when campers completed drills in 
which they actually used a football, 
the coaches studied them even more 
sharply.

In one activity, the campers 

were supposed to simulate a play-
action rollout before completing a 
20-yard pass to the sideline. With 
Mettenberger 
watching 
closely, 

highly touted 2018 quarterback 
recruit 
Artur 
Sitkowski 
began 

the drill. Sitkowski was less than 
a second into his attempt when 
Mettenberger interrupted, yelling at 
Sitkowski to come back and repeat 
the drill before showing the young 
high-schooler how it was done.

Later, while the campers ate lunch 

inside the Field House, they listened 
to 
speakers 
including 
former 

Michigan Heisman Trophy winner 
Desmond 
Howard, 
Michigan 

basketball coach John Beilein and 
Buffalo Bills president Russ Brandon.

It was all part of the plan — a 

plan that even included giving 
each camper a Wonderlic test, an 
examination used to test the mental 
acuity of NFL prospects at the NFL 
Combine.

“Maybe we aspire to be the NFL’s 

33rd team,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve 
got 30 of their players and a whole 
heck of a lot of coaches out here 
today. So it feels like it.”

That 
was 
the 
environment 

Harbaugh tried to create, though 
not completely. After all, the average 
NFL team probably doesn’t have its 
players hurl dodgeballs at each other.

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Jim Harbaugh had campers at the A4 quarterback camp playing soccer, dodgeball and baseball.

Speight steps up 
summer schedule

By ORION SANG

Summer Managing Sports Editor

Looking back on it, Wilton 

Speight admits his first moment 
in the driver’s seat last season 
didn’t go as planned. Then a 
redshirt freshman, he was the 
first quarterback off the bench 
after starter Jake Rudock was 
injured against Minnesota last 
Oct. 31, but the offense sputtered 
on its first two drives with 
Speight in control of it.

On the third, though, Speight 

finally 
found 
his 
groove, 

completing two passes while the 
Wolverines marched down the 
field looking to take the lead late 
in the fourth quarter.

And on a third down at the 

Minnesota 12-yard line, Speight 
made the biggest play of his 
career, threading a pass to fifth-
year senior receiver Jehu Chesson 
for the go-ahead touchdown.

Throughout 
the 
offseason, 

Speight has made it a point 
of emphasis to build upon his 
performance against the Golden 
Gophers. 
With 
the 
starting 

quarterback job open, he battled 
against redshirt juniors John 
O’Korn and Shane Morris during 
spring practices before pulling 
ahead and taking snaps with the 
first team.

Then in the Spring Game, he 

led his team to a 14-13 victory, 
accounting for both of his team’s 
touchdowns.

But Speight hasn’t slowed down 

since. In fact, he has only worked 
harder, going out to California to 
train with private quarterback 
coach Steve Clarkson alongside 
other 
college 
quarterbacks 

including 
Clemson’s 
Deshaun 

Watson and UCLA’s Josh Rosen.

He has also continued to train 

with his team in Ann Arbor, 
organizing team workouts and 
7-on-7 competitions.

“It’s tough with the coaches 

being out with satellite camps 
and 
everything, 
but 
talking 

to coach Fisch on the phone, 
talking ball and everything with 
him helps a ton,” Speight said. 
“He’s got tests we take every 
week. Then it comes down to 
how much we can do as a team, 
player-led, myself and the other 

quarterbacks organizing 7-on-7 
(drills) and workouts. We started 
back in May, early June.”

His 
experience 
in 
the 

Minnesota game, in particular, 
has stuck with him.

“One thing going into that 

Spring Game was starting fast,” 
Speight said. “In the Minnesota 
game, I came in and was a little 
sloppy at first. That was a big 
focal point for me for the entire 
spring, and I never really got to 
the point I wanted to be until the 
Spring Game.

“That’s just what I want to 

build on going into (fall) camp. 
I want my first play to be a 
touchdown.”

Speight admits that familiarity 

with the playbook has been a key 
component of his progression.

For him, this is the first time 

since high school that he hasn’t 
had to learn a new offense 
heading into the season.

“Seven-on-seven (drills) and 

stuff seem like they’re in slow 
motion compared to when I first 
came in and first started in this 
offensive system,” Speight said. 
“It’s slowed down tremendously, 
and it’s been fun.”

And as he has blossomed on 

the field, Speight has also tried 
to lead off of it, drawing upon 
lessons learned from watching 
Rudock last year.

“I’m not really the most vocal 

guy as far as the quarterbacks that 
are always willing to break down 
the huddle and have a comment 
here and there,” Speight said. “I 
don’t really do that. I try to lead 
by example and go with the flow 
and lead by that way. As far as 
changing any other things, I still 
do all the optional workouts like 
I have been (as) a fourth string or 
second string, just trying to stay 
consistent the whole time.”

Next up for Speight this 

summer? Helping the incoming 
freshmen — most of whom are 
arriving this month — adjust to 
life in Ann Arbor.

“We’ve got a bunch of wide 

receivers coming in, and we’re 
going to make sure they get 
adjusted as quickly as possible,” 
Speight said. “Just doing our best 
to make sure they’re up to speed 
and learn the new offense.”

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