Sunday, September 4, 2005

U-M has no defense vs. critics who say it can't stop anyone

By Bob Wojnowski / The Detroit News

Offending teams Which team impressed you more over the weekend? The Lions' offense MSU's offense U-M's offense Get results and comments Related links  NCAA football scores and stats Big Ten Talk Big Ten Weblog U-M schedule U-M roster U-M stats Big Ten schedule Big Ten standings Big Ten stats AP Top-25 poll USA Today / ESPN Top-25 poll Game photo galleries U-M 33, N. Illinois 17 Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery

ANN ARBOR -- They plug in receivers. They plug in running backs, quarterbacks, tight ends and linemen. The Wolverines have evolved into a self-sustaining offensive machine, which is why the voters' eyes bug out, pushing Michigan to fourth in the polls.

But that preseason hype is also slightly sketchy, for a reason that won't go away. We saw it again, in troubling doses, during U-M's 33-17 beating of Northern Illinois on Saturday.

We still have no idea -- no idea -- if U-M is capable of playing enough defense to give its offense a breather.

At least we know it won't get boring around here this fall. On a sunny afternoon, the Wolverines showed exactly what they are -- a terrific offensive team with questions scattered all over their defense. Maybe next week, when Notre Dame visits, we'll start seeing what they can be, or need to be.

The last we saw the Wolverines, they were grasping for Texas quarterback Vince Young. They never caught him in that Rose Bowl. In some ways, they're still chasing.

Against Northern Illinois, the problem wasn't a running quarterback. The problem was a running back, junior Garrett Wolfe, who had a 76-yard touchdown and finished with 148 yards, part of the Huskies' 411. They also scored on a 16-play drive in the first half when they were hanging tight, 14-10, before they started fumbling all over the place.

U-M sophomore quarterback Chad Henne keeps getting better. Mike Hart keeps getting stronger, now pushed by freshman Kevin Grady. Receiver Jason Avant stepped in superbly for the departed Braylon Edwards and Steve Breaston remains the most-dangerous player on the field, even when he doesn't get the ball.

But no one is deluding anyone. The Wolverines might be the glitziest team in the Big Ten, but until they tackle with more consistency, they risk being branded just a fancy package of entertainment.

I know they're sick of hearing this. Defensive players talk about the chips on their shoulders from the criticism. They'd better not let those chips get too heavy because they need all the speed they can muster.

To be fair, there are injuries, and two of last year's top defenders, Marlin Jackson and Ernest Shazor, are gone. Lloyd Carr sounded defensive talking about his defense, which means he knows it needs a boost.

"When you have injuries, you're not as good, that's the deal," he said. "The experience factor is critical. Look around the country, that's the era we're in. People are scoring 40, 50 points every week."

Carr is sticking up for his players and coaches, and that's fine. But Northern Illinois is a straight-ahead team with an inexperienced quarterback and still did damage.

Carr and coordinator Jim Herrmann are waiting, hoping, for a defensive star to emerge. Maybe it will be linebacker LaMarr Woodley or tackle Gabe Watson. But in the big stadium where defense ruled for a long, long time, the transformation is still staggering.

I mean, U-M lost Edwards as the third overall pick in the NFL draft, and as the new Cleveland Brown strolled the sideline Saturday, he saw an offense that should be even more dynamic. We all saw familiar sights, many on offense, some on defense, nothing to tell us U-M deserves the hype -- yet.

You can reach Bob Wojnowski at bob.wojnowski@detnews.com.