Michigan Football Preview 2013

2013 Michigan Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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then you come into a situation where you compete as hard as you can and you come up short," he said. "Coach Hoke always said they believed in me, but when you're not the guy, you feel like everyone is against you. It's hard to listen to the coaches tell you to be patient and that your chance is coming and to keep working hard, especially when you think you could be the starter. I feel like I dealt with it in a decent manner, without embarrassing myself; I think I was a team player." Offensive coordinator Al Borges empathized with the 6-4, 210-pound standout, and he was confident that one day Gardner would be under center. "I could see the kid had a hell of a lot of skill, and it made perfect sense from his perspective to struggle wrapping his head around the fact that he wasn't out there," Borges said. "It was tough … when you have that much ability but you're playing behind, essentially, a legend, and this phenomenal athlete. "It was our job as coaches to find a role for him and to keep his spirits up because we knew, someday, this team would need him." In 2011, Michigan utilized a "deuce" package in which Gardner entered the game at quarterback and Robinson would move to running back or split out wide. However, Gardner was relegated to only a handful of plays, or less, each weekend, and the Maize and Blue's coaching staff felt they were wasting his talent. They inquired about moving him to receiver, both to capitalize on his immense physical skills but also to fill a need at the position. Gardner appeared in eight games at wideout last year, catching 16 balls for 266 yards and four touchdowns. "I didn't want him to play it half-hearted — we wanted him to love it — but I knew he couldn't really go all out if he thought we were going to make this move permanent. I told him, when the right time comes, you'll be a quarterback, and he had this big grin on his face," Borges said. "I think that helped him give it his all." Gardner, of course, remained at receiver for the duration of the week-eight loss at Nebraska despite the fact backup Russell Bellomy was scuffling — he completed only 3 of 16 attempts with three picks in relief of an injured Robinson. The fans were livid, and the media questioned the decision not to try Gardner, but he had not practiced at quarterback since fall camp. "The competitor in me wanted to go in, but in two-a-days, when I was going [back and forth] from receiver to quarterback, it was too much, and we made the decision to focus entirely on receiver so I could be my best and help the team that way," Gardner said. "Had we known Denard would get hurt, maybe it would have been different, but I was dedicating myself to receiver, and if it had been me in that situation at Nebraska, it would have hurt the team." With Robinson out indefinitely, though, and Bellomy showing he wasn't the answer, Gardner returned to quarterback. "I kept wondering if I would ever get my opportunity, but then, there it was, and I was excited," he said. "Looking back on it now, things happen for a reason, and me going through that adversity, and moving to receiver for the team, I think it will make me a better quarterback, back guy. He's going to sit in the pocket, profile the defense, and make a play with his arm, and then use his legs when he has to, but he really knows when to scramble. "He has unbelievable confidence in the pocket, and he can feel pressure from the blind side, up the middle. He knows when blitzes are coming, and he knows how to read defenses. He can pick apart anybody when he's locked in." Tailback Fitzgerald Toussaint went for 1,041 yards in 2011 running in the same backfield with Robinson, and he anticipates, potentially, having even more room to run with Gardner under center. "With Denard there was so much focus on him that if you could make one guy miss, you could hit that home run, but the After two seasons as a backup quarterback, Gardner opened the 2012 campaign at wide receiver. He hauled in 16 receptions for 266 yards and four touchdowns before moving back under center to become U-M's starting signal-caller. photo by lon horwedel a better teammate and a better leader this season." A Different Kind Of Quarterback In his first career start, Gardner overcame a sloppy first quarter, in which he went 1 for 3 with an interception and took a sack, to connect on 12 of 18 attempts (66.7 percent) for 234 yards with two touchdowns in a win over Minnesota. He also rushed for 21 yards and a score. In five games, Gardner threw for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 101 yards and seven scores. His passing accounted for 92.3 percent of his total offensive production, a stark contrast to Robinson, who accrued 41.8 percent of his career 10,475 yards with his legs. "The fans and the media should do themselves a favor and give up on the idea of comparisons because they are two very different quarterbacks," Lewan said. "Denard was so unique, and Devin is more of a drop- thing with Denard is they always brought an eighth defender into the box," Toussaint noted. "With Devin, defenses can't just stop one part of his game. He can throw the ball and he can run the ball. You'll have to respect both, and that's going to open up running lanes for us." While Robinson's style of play differs considerably from Gardner's, he did own an element the new captain is eager to emulate. "The thing about Denard is that he was a tremendous teammate and made everyone around him play up to his level," Gardner said. "When he was injured, he was talking to me after every series, giving advice and encouragement, and telling me, 'This is your team. Take charge.' "That was incredible because he could have been upset he wasn't out there, but he never let that affect him. "He helped me so much, and just really proved what it meant to be selfless and a great teammate. Those are traits I want to have." The Wolverine 2013 Football Preview  ■ 77

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