The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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CHANGE FOR THE BETTER Remade Defensive Line Could Exceed Last Season's Productive Front Four DL "Since the day Coach Hoke was hired, his message has been — 'This is Michigan, and the expectation is for the position,'" defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said. "Our players hear it every day. Every day. They hear it on the practice field. In the weight room. In film study. In everything they do, because they need to understand that when you step on the field, you have a role and a responsibility to your defense and to your team. And to Michigan. "We push them every single day to be the best they can be for Michigan. So it doesn't matter who we've got in the room and who's not here anymore. It doesn't matter if we have a great player or one that wants to become great. It may be easier to have three seniors that have started some games, but the expectation is for the position, and our expectations for the defensive line are high." The Maize and Blue linemen have big shoes to fill after Martin and his cohorts headed up the defensive resurrection that occurred in Ann Arbor a season ago. With relentless effort, Martin, Van Bergen and Heininger accumulated 10 of U-M's 30 sacks and 22.5 of Michigan's 72.0 tackles for loss. The 2011 Standard Living Up To But more than numbers, they set the tone for the defense, willing their teammates to rise up in critical moments while re-instilling the toughness along the line of scrimmage that had been lacking during the Rich Rodriguez era from 2008-10. do their jobs, and in our defense, if 11 guys do their job, you'll win ballgames, and that's how we "We're going to have guys that measure success around here." DEFENSIVE LINE COACH JERRY MONTGOMERY Senior defensive end Craig Roh was on the move this spring, switching from weakside to strongside defensive end to fill a hole generated by the departure of Ryan Van Bergen. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN A BY MICHAEL SPATH t Michigan's spring game in mid-April, a 300-pound defen- sive tackle slipped through a momentary seam in the offen- sive line, splitting the center and guard as he burst into the backfield. The ball carrier, headed for a hole off-tackle, was stuck. He accelerated horizontally, hoping to outflank the obstacle, but charging up field was another defensive lineman, an end that had made quick work of the tight end blocking him. The ball carrier turned back in- side but the defense gobbled him up. For the past two years, at least, U-M fans would have quickly identified the two defensive playmakers as nose tackle Mike Martin and end Ryan Van Bergen. But the three-year starters, along with 12-game defensive tackle starter Will Heininger, are gone, having exhausted their collegiate eligibility. Senior Will Campbell and sophomore Brennen Beyer teamed up for the impressive stop this spring, and they represent part of a new-look front four that will break in three new starters this season. Montgomery and defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, who also handles the rush ends, along with the rest of Michigan's coaching staff will be forever grateful for the contribution the 2011 Wolverines made, but they haven't lamented one second over the challenge set before them to rebuild the line. Nor will they accept excuses if the front four doesn't improve upon the performance of the Martin, Van Bergen and Heininger defensive line. "We're going to have guys that do their jobs, and in our defense, if 11 guys do their job, you'll win ballgames, and that's how we mea- sure success around here," Montgomery said. "Did we win the Big Ten title? If we accomplish that, then we've succeeded. Anything less and we didn't play well enough up front." In Mattison's 4-3 scheme, the nose tackle is the most important posi- tion on the defense. His ability to demand double teams opens up one- on-one opportunities for the rest of the defensive line, frees linebackers to make plays on the ball carrier and allows blitzing defensive backs to hit seams without a lineman putting a hand on them. Martin held that role last year, and senior Will Campbell will occupy the post this fall. The Men In The Middle Of It All THE WOLVERINE 2012 FOOTBALL PREVIEW s 143