Michigan Tuesday: Shines a Light on the Positive in the form of Denard Robinson

In a world where most of us can only talk about whether Rich Rodriguez is getting fired or not, sits a very humble young man with another piece of hardware from his first season as Michigan's starting QB.  

I don't know Denard, but I have watched him close up this year after he has left the field in a win and a loss.   In a win he is the happiest guy on the field, hugging his friends and teammates.  You would of thought the young man had just won the lottery or was a 7 year old  kid again on Christmas morning.   He has a smile from ear to ear.

After a loss it's just the opposite.  He walks with his head down like the entire loss was his fault and knowing he has to address the media in a few minutes.  I'm pretty sure the last place on earth Denard wants to be is in a small room at Crisler Arena addressing what went wrong in this painful loss.   When he takes the podium you see the emotion in his eyes.  The loss is hurting him more then the other players.  He feels he has let his coach and his teammates down by making a mistake that most any first year sophomore QB's do.  He answer questions quietly and sometimes with one word answers.  He will say the "offense came out flat" but doesn't give a reason why.  He talks about his interceptions as bad reads or poor throws.  He spends 5 un-comfortable minutes with the press and then heads back to be with his teammates.   A place where he is comfortable.

Denard is a quiet competitor, he prefers to lead with his actions and not his voice.  Many players even say they have to look to sideline for the correct call because they just can't hear Denard when he is saying the play in the shotgun.   You also see him take a moment to give thanks, when he scores a touchdown.  He is not showing a logo on his gloves or jumping into the stands, he is just taking a second to give thanks to his higher power that gave him the skills to be able to play this great game.

Sometimes, I think the important things get away from us when are looking at this program with Rose Bowl colored glasses.  We miss the special opportunity we have to watch a special young man transform the QB position not just at Michigan but for the entire country.   Denard broke the all time QB NCAA Rushing record in the Wisconsin game and it was just a footnote.  A guy in the press box said to me that he still has one more game to play.  I actually corrected him and said, 2 with the bowl game.  He could destroy that record with a big day on the ground in late December or early January.

So yes, we are all worried about whether RR will keep his job in Ann Arbor when we should be celebrating Denard being named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, but again nobody really notices.   I could barley find the story on the Detroit News website.  Which is perfectly fine with Denard.