There are...
August 17th, 2017 at 6:48 AM ^
August 17th, 2017 at 7:26 AM ^
August 17th, 2017 at 7:35 AM ^
Don't forget the throwback TD vs. Minnesota.
August 17th, 2017 at 8:20 AM ^
A beautiful play and behind a mountain of large men. Love those gigantic offensive linemen.
August 17th, 2017 at 8:55 AM ^
At first I thought you were saying Navarre had a beautiful behind. I was ready to neg you but I get it now.
August 17th, 2017 at 10:43 AM ^
This game was on ESPN Classic last night. Watched the whole thing.
August 17th, 2017 at 10:53 AM ^
I recently watched it on YouTube. It's rough watching in standard definition.
About the game, it was just insane. For most of the game, I could not believe what I was seeing, but then UM's offense finally started clicking. The defense didn't help, either, by letting the Minnesota QB run all over the place. Lloyd's teams' Achilles heels were ALWAYS mobile quarterbacks.
August 17th, 2017 at 12:11 PM ^
And for some reason, to add to the craziness, this game was played on a Friday night if I am remembering correctly.
August 17th, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^
August 17th, 2017 at 8:48 AM ^
August 17th, 2017 at 9:02 AM ^
it is a perfectly fine selection. Of course there are other 16s that this could have been but Navarre was a pretty good QB for a full three seasons that is always overlooked.
August 17th, 2017 at 9:34 AM ^
Correct. I will never understand why so many people overlook John. The guy was really, really good. He was also thrown in the fire a year early because Henson left for the stupid baseball career.
August 17th, 2017 at 12:52 PM ^
August 17th, 2017 at 9:36 AM ^
August 17th, 2017 at 9:45 AM ^
Why? Look at these numbers. He was great for Michigan.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/john-navarre-1.html
August 17th, 2017 at 11:27 AM ^
He was good, but it did get frustrating watching so many passes get knocked down because of his throwing motion. He's 6-6 and couldn't throw over defenders because he threw from the shoulder. Other than that, I loved him.
August 17th, 2017 at 7:39 AM ^
August 17th, 2017 at 7:48 AM ^
actually that is the game he went 24/40 (with a couple of absolute dimes on the final drive) for 244 yards passing and one TD, and ran the ball 28 times for 258 yards and two TDs. We won 28-24.
August 17th, 2017 at 8:22 AM ^
Correct. This is the "they'll never catch him" touchdown:
August 17th, 2017 at 8:30 AM ^
Notre Dame broadcast, it is completely silent for a few seconds and then Mike Mayock simply says "Wow" and chuckles. I think that is basically all any ND fan could do or say at that moment. Before that, people knew about Denard, but they did not KNOW about Denard yet. Just gone in a flash.
August 17th, 2017 at 9:36 AM ^
I have watched that play at least 100 times, not just because it was a great play for us, but because it was the most perfectly blocked play -- by each and every man -- that I have yet to see. Each lineman executed their job to perfection, with Omameh even taking out a ND safety 10 yards upfield*. And the receivers stuck and maintained their blocks until Denard was well in the clear. Watch it from various angles and you'll see utter perfection. Of course, it also helps that Denard ran a 4.3 40.
*Brian Kelly, in his usual fashion, blamed his DBs for running into each other on the play. It was Omameh, however, who got to the second level and pushed one of their DBs into the other, taking them both out. So, he actually wiped out three defenders on the play.
August 17th, 2017 at 10:21 AM ^
Omameh threw second-place Heisman finalist Manti Te'o into first-round NFL draft pick Harrison Smith. It's the best block I can remember in 30+ years of watching Michigan football.
August 17th, 2017 at 8:45 PM ^
I lost my shirt on that play. Seriously.
August 17th, 2017 at 9:40 AM ^
The year the "September Heisman" trope was born. Great memories. I still say that 2010 squad was arguably the best 7th place Big Ten team in history.
August 17th, 2017 at 9:54 AM ^
you hate yourself some Denard, huh. I think that everybody ackowledges his limitations but he single handedly made Michigan watchable during some otherwise very dark years. 2008-2013 were very painful years, but Denard Robinson was a legendary player.
August 17th, 2017 at 11:31 AM ^
See below. I really like Denard Robinson. I just find the reverence here so exaggerated and over-the-top that sometimes it feels like this is a tongue-in-cheek joke that I'm just not in on.
Just my opinion. I know where I stand in this particular debate on this website.
August 17th, 2017 at 10:18 AM ^
Regardless, you make me nausous.
August 17th, 2017 at 11:17 AM ^
The fact is I don't think as highly of Denard as this community does as a whole and sometimes it's fun to bring up the reality of his Michigan teams and soak in the downvotes.
I like Denard Robinson a lot. His highlights are a blast to watch. His numerous bad games are a nightmare to remember. I'll take cement-foot Navarre and his Big Ten Championship over Robinson every day of the week. I find it insane that I'm in the minority.
Look at this dude below. Paraphrasing: "If we're doing slow guys who make bad decisions, I'll bet Grbac is tomorrow."
Elvis Grbac won 4 Big Ten Championships! He delivered the ball to Desmond Howard in his Heisman season! He saw 3 f***ing Rose Bowls!
But yea, just some slow chump who makes bad decisions. Grbac never took a fumbled snap to the house against a sub-.500 Western Michigan team, did he? DID HE?!!?!? That's what I thought.
In no world should Denard Robinson be held in higher esteem than Elvis Grbac. I guarantee if you polled the MGoRegulars, I'm in the minority here with that sentiment and that's just weird, man. I simply don't understand.
August 17th, 2017 at 12:01 PM ^
is so highly regarded and lauded for a number of reasons. He left a lasting impression on people. He was handed a monumental task. He was first asked to almost single-handedly overhaul Michigan's offense without the proper personnel in place to do so. Then, after almost pulling that shit off, he was asked to forget all of that and run an offense that he was completely ill-equiped to run because the program had not developed any other options. And he won the fricking Sugar Bowl that year. If you want to know how much Denard meant to Michigan football while he was there, go watch the second half of the Nebraska game in 2012 when we wasn't there.
There can be no debate that Elvis Grbac was a better quarterback than Denard Robinson, I don't think there are many people that would argue otherwise. But Denard was dealt a particularly brutal hand of cards and found a way to play them. And he did so with infectious enjoyment while under immense pressure and without much help, and without a word of complaint or even frustration. So, yes, his smile did have something to do with it. Those were not great Michigan teams, but Denard sure as hell was a great Michigan man.
August 17th, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^
That's how I remember him, too.
I just don't feel enduring the shit storm supersedes championships. This place definitely does. Nobody with the exception of maybe Woodson and Brady receives the love Denard does here. Again, that's weird man. Brian Griese is the only National Champion QB we've ever known, sure, but do you have a gif of him dancing with the Maize Rage? You do not. Denard wins.
August 17th, 2017 at 12:13 PM ^
you actually do have a good point there.
Except the Maize Rage thing. Didn't exist in 97. There were still very, very old people sitting in those seats then.
August 17th, 2017 at 12:26 PM ^
August 17th, 2017 at 12:04 PM ^
August 17th, 2017 at 12:10 PM ^
I'm with you, mate. Give me a pro-style QB almost every time. I love Denard, but don't miss him. Like someone mentioned, he made horrible Michigan teams (2011 is the exception, of course) watchable just because of how athletic he was (and still is, of course). I much prefer pro-style offenses with large offensive linemen, a guy with a gun for an arm (I know Wilton doesn't have a gun, at least for the long ball), and tall WRs.
August 17th, 2017 at 2:35 PM ^
I don't see how you can compare Grbac (whom I loved) to Denard (whom I also love) based on Big10 championships. Denard had to cope with the tire fire of RichRod's paper defenses. They were routinely getting in ridiculous basketball score shootouts! Did you not watch these games?! Meanwhile, Grbac played with some elite defenses on the other side of the ball, and was surrounded by a much higher grade of players around him. Football is way to much of a team sport to compare individual players by the wins and losses of their 85-man rosters.
August 17th, 2017 at 12:02 PM ^
is probably my favorite Denard photo. Second is every big smiling photo ever taken of him. Love that dude
August 17th, 2017 at 6:52 AM ^
16 should be permenantly reserved for Denard moving forward!
August 17th, 2017 at 7:41 AM ^
Not to be contrarian, but that's really not fair to Navarre. The dude won a Big Ten championship, something Denard never did.
We all love Denard. He was fast and fun to watch. But he doesn't have some exclusivity over #16.
August 17th, 2017 at 11:06 AM ^
I find that it's easier for my two year old to catch a ball if I bounce it to him, so maybe he was just trying to make it easier for the catcher.
August 17th, 2017 at 11:19 AM ^
August 17th, 2017 at 7:08 AM ^
August 17th, 2017 at 7:14 AM ^
August 17th, 2017 at 7:18 AM ^
Is it just me or does Navarre's helmet look comically small on his head?