Sr. Chad Henne
Fr. Ryan Mallett
RS So. Jason Forcier
RS Fr. David Cone
Chad Henne enters his third and final spring practice as part of a 2007 Michigan
offense that has a chance to be special. Unlike past springs, Henne will be
more focused on knocking off the rust instead of having to adjust to a new
offensive coordinator or learn more of the playbook. By now, the Pennsylvania
native should be well versed in reading defenses, knowing the progressions
of pass concepts, and being in tune with his receivers. From the standpoint
of the passing game, the only two contributors that have departed are Tyler Ecker and Steve Breaston, and both are both replaceable. In fact, both positions
may be considered to be upgraded if Adrian Arrington and Mike Massey are available.
Add in the fact explosive wide out Mario Manningham is back, and the passing
game is at no loss for star power. All in all, the spotlight won’t be
on Henne like it was in past springs but there is no question he is the teams
most valuable player.
The main
question at quarterback this spring is just who will be Henne's backup. Redshirt
sophomore Jason Forcier is recovering from surgery and will face a big challenge
from the number one quarterback prospect in the country in Ryan Mallett. Mallett
is an early enrollee and his presence spring gives him a realistic shot of
backing Henne up. There is no question he is the most physically gifted quarterback
on the roster and has a much greater ceiling than either Jason Forcier or redshirt
freshman David Cone. The problem is, it will be impossible for Mallett to be
100% mentally ready even with his early enrollment.
Generally speaking, most college quarterbacks say it takes at least two to
three years to know the playbook inside and out. When Chad Henne started at
quarterback for Michigan as a freshman, he ran a limited version of the offense
throughout the season. The pass concepts themselves are not that tough to memorize. The
challenging part is knowing the read progressions against various coverages.
Mallett's place on the depth chart will largely depend on how far along he
already is and how comfortable the staff is with him. Jason Forcier has the
obvious edge in experience with the team, but he hasn’t taken many game
snaps. Mallet's physical talent and experience in a pro-style passing attack
give an outstanding chance of unseating last year's backup.
Thankfully
for the Wolverines, Chad Henne has been extremely durable. That said,
all it takes is one play to get injured. We know the Michigan staff isn’t
afraid to play a young player here and that only makes Mallett's chances greater. Michigan
headman Lloyd Carr stated pretty emphatically at his signing day press conference
that his star freshman will see the field. There is little doubt Mallett
will be the starter once Henne moves on, so getting him some playing time this
season appears to be high on the priority list.