... his own view of playing in a bowl, and Shea Patterson's return for 2019. He touched on...
• Sitting out the bowl game: "It's definitely a different feel, and it's crazy how much of a shift there's been just since I played, 10 years ago. I understand it from both perspectives. If you're a young player that's predicted to go in the first round of the draft, and it's one game, and you could potentially end up in a Jake Butt situation … my injury that I sustained impacted me, and that was in the bowl game. So I can understand the players' perspective.
"The person it's going to be the toughest on is the fan. Obviously, you'd like your team to be able to go in and show where they stack up against other non-conference opponents, against some of the best in the country. But I do think you're going to see this impact spread to other teams. It's not just going to be Michigan that's impacted by this. Any team that has guys that are projected first round, you're seeing it and it's becoming more common.
"I had a chance to talk with Jon Jansen and Dan Dierdorf earlier this year. We were talking that, if you're out of the college football picture, you're not in the playoff picture any more, game nine, game 10, guys shutting it down. It's going to be sad, because it's definitely going to impact the enthusiasm going into the end of the year, especially into the bowl games.
"But it's tough to criticize, because you'd be criticizing a player that's making a decision that's the only first career decision they ever get to make. I'm not one to cast stones, but it's definitely tough on fans, and tough to close out a year without your best foot going forward."
• Personalizing the decision: "I do want to be clear. I don't want to criticize people who are making the decision to forego the bowl game. But me, personally, I never would have sat. I talked to Jon Jansen and he said the same thing.
"Never, if I had the opportunity to put the winged helmet on, would I have said, 'No, I'm okay. I don't need it this time.' Never would that even cross my mind. If I had an opportunity, if I had a pulse, and I could stand on two legs, and they said there was an opportunity to go out on the field, I would go today.
"I don't know that those guys aren't going to look back and regret that decision. The NFL … we constantly had guys coming back that were NFL guys coming back and saying, 'Understand that the position you're in right now is completely unique. The NFL is great, but you wear a different helmet every week, or you could. This is a different type of sport here in college, the way you get to grow with your teammates. You've been with them for three, four years. You won't be with any NFL guys that long. So take advantage of every opportunity you get — practice, game or otherwise.'
"So I would not be one to sit out this game. I applaud and tip my hat to [fifth-year senior defensive end] Chase [Winovich] for making that decision [to play]. That's the kind of guy I'd want to be on a team with. At the end of the day, if you're making that choice [not to play], you're choosing you over the team. That's you're choice to make, but that is the choice you make, and I get to make my perception based off of your choice.
"I applaud his choice. I would make his choice, too. I know a lot of guys that would. I'm not going to criticize anyone who that doesn't, but I think it's honorable of him to do that. He will be respected for it."
• Shea Patterson coming back in 2019: "I'm hoping with him saying that, what I heard from that is 'Coach, give me the ball. Give me the ball, let me take care of this game for us. There are guys leaving, there are guys staying. I'm coming out in front of the media. I'm declaring what I'm doing, and why I'm doing it. Give me the chance to lead this team in the bowl game.'
"I know he didn't say any of that, but that's what I heard. I'm looking forward to that happening. We talked all year, from the Notre Dame game even into the Ohio State game, developing as a leader. Not only as a quarterback, in how he plays the position, but how other people on the team go with him and grow with him.
"Giving him more control, more of the reins, is a coach saying, 'Shea, this is your offense today. If you see a check, run your check. I've got your back. Just go out there and play football the way you want to play football. We'll help correct and guide you, but you have no handcuffs on.'
"I don't know that he's had handcuffs or anything like that, but I have a feeling that there has been some conservatism in their approach to how he's utilized in games. The way I see it — and I could be 100 percent wrong — because it's a bowl game, and because you have people sitting out, and because you have your entire receiving corps and Shea, thumping his chest and saying, 'I'm a Michigan Man,' give him the ball. Let's see what he does with it."
Here's the full podcast: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/michigan-wolverines-football-pre-game-podcast-ryan-van-bergen-3
• Sitting out the bowl game: "It's definitely a different feel, and it's crazy how much of a shift there's been just since I played, 10 years ago. I understand it from both perspectives. If you're a young player that's predicted to go in the first round of the draft, and it's one game, and you could potentially end up in a Jake Butt situation … my injury that I sustained impacted me, and that was in the bowl game. So I can understand the players' perspective.
"The person it's going to be the toughest on is the fan. Obviously, you'd like your team to be able to go in and show where they stack up against other non-conference opponents, against some of the best in the country. But I do think you're going to see this impact spread to other teams. It's not just going to be Michigan that's impacted by this. Any team that has guys that are projected first round, you're seeing it and it's becoming more common.
"I had a chance to talk with Jon Jansen and Dan Dierdorf earlier this year. We were talking that, if you're out of the college football picture, you're not in the playoff picture any more, game nine, game 10, guys shutting it down. It's going to be sad, because it's definitely going to impact the enthusiasm going into the end of the year, especially into the bowl games.
"But it's tough to criticize, because you'd be criticizing a player that's making a decision that's the only first career decision they ever get to make. I'm not one to cast stones, but it's definitely tough on fans, and tough to close out a year without your best foot going forward."
• Personalizing the decision: "I do want to be clear. I don't want to criticize people who are making the decision to forego the bowl game. But me, personally, I never would have sat. I talked to Jon Jansen and he said the same thing.
"Never, if I had the opportunity to put the winged helmet on, would I have said, 'No, I'm okay. I don't need it this time.' Never would that even cross my mind. If I had an opportunity, if I had a pulse, and I could stand on two legs, and they said there was an opportunity to go out on the field, I would go today.
"I don't know that those guys aren't going to look back and regret that decision. The NFL … we constantly had guys coming back that were NFL guys coming back and saying, 'Understand that the position you're in right now is completely unique. The NFL is great, but you wear a different helmet every week, or you could. This is a different type of sport here in college, the way you get to grow with your teammates. You've been with them for three, four years. You won't be with any NFL guys that long. So take advantage of every opportunity you get — practice, game or otherwise.'
"So I would not be one to sit out this game. I applaud and tip my hat to [fifth-year senior defensive end] Chase [Winovich] for making that decision [to play]. That's the kind of guy I'd want to be on a team with. At the end of the day, if you're making that choice [not to play], you're choosing you over the team. That's you're choice to make, but that is the choice you make, and I get to make my perception based off of your choice.
"I applaud his choice. I would make his choice, too. I know a lot of guys that would. I'm not going to criticize anyone who that doesn't, but I think it's honorable of him to do that. He will be respected for it."
• Shea Patterson coming back in 2019: "I'm hoping with him saying that, what I heard from that is 'Coach, give me the ball. Give me the ball, let me take care of this game for us. There are guys leaving, there are guys staying. I'm coming out in front of the media. I'm declaring what I'm doing, and why I'm doing it. Give me the chance to lead this team in the bowl game.'
"I know he didn't say any of that, but that's what I heard. I'm looking forward to that happening. We talked all year, from the Notre Dame game even into the Ohio State game, developing as a leader. Not only as a quarterback, in how he plays the position, but how other people on the team go with him and grow with him.
"Giving him more control, more of the reins, is a coach saying, 'Shea, this is your offense today. If you see a check, run your check. I've got your back. Just go out there and play football the way you want to play football. We'll help correct and guide you, but you have no handcuffs on.'
"I don't know that he's had handcuffs or anything like that, but I have a feeling that there has been some conservatism in their approach to how he's utilized in games. The way I see it — and I could be 100 percent wrong — because it's a bowl game, and because you have people sitting out, and because you have your entire receiving corps and Shea, thumping his chest and saying, 'I'm a Michigan Man,' give him the ball. Let's see what he does with it."
Here's the full podcast: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/michigan-wolverines-football-pre-game-podcast-ryan-van-bergen-3
