and it’s something you just have to be born with, a wide skeletal frame that produces a muscular structure where great power is generated from a naturally low, wide center of gravity that gives a Defensive Lineman 2 advantages over opposing offensive linemen:
1). Generating power that gives them a natural leverage advantage. When I was in A2, All-American DL Will Carr often came to the Mongolian, as most of the team did in the 90s, and if they listed him as 6ft 300lbs on the roster, they were definitely lying about his height. I had yet to lose over an inch from compression of collapsed discs and was almost 6-2, and I had to look down to talk to him. I’d say he was at most 5-10, but the guy was built like a bulldozer. He would get underneath guys and practically launch them into the backfield because on the inside, excluding tackle play, the low man wins. It was the same for Mark Messner, Hutch’s dad, Brandon Graham, and now 2 1st round draft picks on this year’s DL in Graham and Grant.
2). A low wide powerful center of gravity makes inside line players on DL and OL very hard to defeat by driving them off the line or blocking them off their feet. In my case, when I had dropped down to 175lbs, my lightest weight after my Dr. told me in 2010 if I didn’t lose a majority of the 330lbs I was laboring with at 44 yrs old, I wouldn’t make it to 50, my visible hipbones were still a wide 35 inch waist size. When I was playing ball, the head coach called me “Weeble” because I may wobble, but I was never on the ground after a play. I did the minimum amount of upper body work to make the “325 Club” and spent a lot of extra time on the squat rack and leg press. All those Michigan DLs I named, add Rob Renes, Mike Martin, and Maurice Hurst to the “Short Wide Body” inside DLs list have historically been a key part of the defensive philosophy of Michigan football that has recently been revitalized in Defensive Line recruiting. Graham and Grant are the fruits of that renaissance of a long tradition dating back to Schembechler’s days. Nobody was predicting those two wide squat fireplugs would become such a dominant tandem. Hell, without the out of his damn mind play of Mason Graham in both games of the CFP, Michigan definitely doesn’t beat Alabama without Graham blowing up the OL on almost every play in the critical 4th quarter and overtime, let alone hitting Penix all game against Washington to the point he was limping and holding his ribs while failing to ever get the Huskies back in the game. It was Graham hitting Penix that caused the Int that sealed the NC for Michigan, and Grant was in the backfield all game as well, all while shutting down their running game mostly at or behind the line of scrimmage. It’s no coincidence that both Graham and Grant have very similar heights and wide body, low centers of gravity where their explosive power is generated.
I truly hope this recent recruiting trend is something that becomes cannon for DL recruiting under Moore. Pressure up the middle is the kryptonite for any offensive system, and just from all the hardware undersized but squat wide body DLs at Michigan have garnered over the years, it’s a proven Michigan tactic to find the under recruited DL guys due to their 5-11 to 6-2 lack of height and perceived slowness from their body types, who end up becoming legendary players at Michigan. Being almost impossible to be knocked off balance and short for a Guard were the only natural gifts that kept me on the starting 5 (besides being psychotic), and I believe fully it’s a winning recruiting philosophy to continue to find the next Grahams and Grants every year.
- Argus “Weeble” 99…lol.
**Dear Black Jesus did I hate being called that. Every time I’d get infuriated, like I do, and go 100% on a counter sweep practice in pads play and lay out an unsuspecting linebacker or cornerback in a rage. I can hear him now, laughing and taunting me, “Play like that on Friday Night!”, and I’d yell back, “I do..Dupek!”(Polish for a**hole) It was an all-boys Catholic HS with a few guys with “iewz” and “ski” at the end of their names on the team who would laugh when I would use Polish insults in a largely Irish or Italian school.
Just a typical cruel coaching tactic of the 70s and 80s. Kids would literally cry today if they were coached by the angry tyrants of my generation. I crack up hearing today about whether a player likes his HC or not. I hated every coach I ever had..we all did. The only constant is change, and though I’m nostalgic for the past, I realize that kind of change has been for the better.**
1). Generating power that gives them a natural leverage advantage. When I was in A2, All-American DL Will Carr often came to the Mongolian, as most of the team did in the 90s, and if they listed him as 6ft 300lbs on the roster, they were definitely lying about his height. I had yet to lose over an inch from compression of collapsed discs and was almost 6-2, and I had to look down to talk to him. I’d say he was at most 5-10, but the guy was built like a bulldozer. He would get underneath guys and practically launch them into the backfield because on the inside, excluding tackle play, the low man wins. It was the same for Mark Messner, Hutch’s dad, Brandon Graham, and now 2 1st round draft picks on this year’s DL in Graham and Grant.
2). A low wide powerful center of gravity makes inside line players on DL and OL very hard to defeat by driving them off the line or blocking them off their feet. In my case, when I had dropped down to 175lbs, my lightest weight after my Dr. told me in 2010 if I didn’t lose a majority of the 330lbs I was laboring with at 44 yrs old, I wouldn’t make it to 50, my visible hipbones were still a wide 35 inch waist size. When I was playing ball, the head coach called me “Weeble” because I may wobble, but I was never on the ground after a play. I did the minimum amount of upper body work to make the “325 Club” and spent a lot of extra time on the squat rack and leg press. All those Michigan DLs I named, add Rob Renes, Mike Martin, and Maurice Hurst to the “Short Wide Body” inside DLs list have historically been a key part of the defensive philosophy of Michigan football that has recently been revitalized in Defensive Line recruiting. Graham and Grant are the fruits of that renaissance of a long tradition dating back to Schembechler’s days. Nobody was predicting those two wide squat fireplugs would become such a dominant tandem. Hell, without the out of his damn mind play of Mason Graham in both games of the CFP, Michigan definitely doesn’t beat Alabama without Graham blowing up the OL on almost every play in the critical 4th quarter and overtime, let alone hitting Penix all game against Washington to the point he was limping and holding his ribs while failing to ever get the Huskies back in the game. It was Graham hitting Penix that caused the Int that sealed the NC for Michigan, and Grant was in the backfield all game as well, all while shutting down their running game mostly at or behind the line of scrimmage. It’s no coincidence that both Graham and Grant have very similar heights and wide body, low centers of gravity where their explosive power is generated.
I truly hope this recent recruiting trend is something that becomes cannon for DL recruiting under Moore. Pressure up the middle is the kryptonite for any offensive system, and just from all the hardware undersized but squat wide body DLs at Michigan have garnered over the years, it’s a proven Michigan tactic to find the under recruited DL guys due to their 5-11 to 6-2 lack of height and perceived slowness from their body types, who end up becoming legendary players at Michigan. Being almost impossible to be knocked off balance and short for a Guard were the only natural gifts that kept me on the starting 5 (besides being psychotic), and I believe fully it’s a winning recruiting philosophy to continue to find the next Grahams and Grants every year.
- Argus “Weeble” 99…lol.
**Dear Black Jesus did I hate being called that. Every time I’d get infuriated, like I do, and go 100% on a counter sweep practice in pads play and lay out an unsuspecting linebacker or cornerback in a rage. I can hear him now, laughing and taunting me, “Play like that on Friday Night!”, and I’d yell back, “I do..Dupek!”(Polish for a**hole) It was an all-boys Catholic HS with a few guys with “iewz” and “ski” at the end of their names on the team who would laugh when I would use Polish insults in a largely Irish or Italian school.
Just a typical cruel coaching tactic of the 70s and 80s. Kids would literally cry today if they were coached by the angry tyrants of my generation. I crack up hearing today about whether a player likes his HC or not. I hated every coach I ever had..we all did. The only constant is change, and though I’m nostalgic for the past, I realize that kind of change has been for the better.**
