Gut Check - The Monumental Task Before Devin Gardner

If we're lucky, Devin Gardner will turn out to be too brash and naive to truly understand what he's playing for this season. At 21 years old and finally in complete control of the Michigan offense, it's entirely possible that Gardner feels invincible right about now. Maybe he's hungry, chomping at the bit to finally seize his shot at greatness. Maybe, he thinks waiting for Denard Robinson to graduate was the harshest trial he will ever face at Michigan. Maybe he believes that the 5 games he started at quarterback in 2012 have prepared him to be the undisputed starter this year. There's still a slim chance that nobody has told Devin Gardner that this season will test him as both a player and a man in every way imaginable. Hopefully, coach Brady Hoke has him locked in a soundproof room with his playbook, far away from the screeching harpies of college football media.  With any fortune at all, Devin is too busy preparing for the upcoming season to turn on a television, listen to radio or crack a newspaper in Ann Arbor. It really would be best for all concerned if Gardner lived entirely in the moment this summer because if the poor kid stops to think about the future; it just might crush him.

It goes without saying that the 2013 season will be an important one for the Michigan Wolverines. When you represent the most decorated program in the history of college football, every season is important. The last guy who failed to understand this concept is currently coaching in the middle of a desert. Coach Hoke understands this sort of thing in his bones because he was the man hired to remind Michigan of it's past when the program lost it's way. So far the results have been good, but not good enough; Michigan went 11-2 in year one of the Hoke era, beating Ohio State and winning a BCS game. The Wolverines regressed in the face of a more challenging schedule in 2012, finishing 8-5 including a loss to the Buckeyes. Neither year ended in a Big 10 Championship and after being dominated by Alabama and physically overpowered by South Carolina questions about Michigan's ability to compete with elite (read: SEC) programs returned to the forefront. To make matters worse, Urban Meyer's Buckeyes are off probation and dripping with confidence after a 12-0 season in 2012. Hoke knows that the two rival schools are gearing up for another decade long war for control of the Big10; noted recruiting gurus Rivals.com ranked the Wolverines 2012 freshman class as the 4th best in the nation, Ohio State was ranked 2nd. It's a vicious cycle. To win games on the field, Hoke needs to keep winning on the recruiting trail; a task made immeasurably easier by winning on the football field. In short, Michigan needs to start winning games that matter right now and to do that they'll need Devin Gardner to not just replace the contributions of Denard Robinson, but to exceed them.

Replacing a popular starting quarterback at an elite college football factory is difficult at the best of times. For Devin Gardner however the matter is further complicated by the stature of the man he succeeds. Denard Robinson may have been tiny for a football player but his legend still looms large in Ann Arbor. During most of his time in college, Robinson was the Wolverines offense for better or for worse. Even as offensive coordinator Al Borges was desperately trying to diversify the attack, when trouble came it was usually Shoelace's fancy footwork that bailed the Wolverines out. Off the field Robinson was a quiet leader, his relentlessly positive attitude was said to be infectious and he always represented the program with class and dignity in the public eye. Some will argue that Robinson never reached his full potential in college but it says right here that Denard Robinson will die as both a Michigan Man and a hero to Wolverine Nation. Dragging the Wolverines back from college football hell earned Denard a permanent place in the hearts of Michigan fans; no small feat for someone who never won a Big10 championship. Now that Robinson has graduated, fans will expect no less a masterful performance from Gardner; although they'd also prefer he ran less, protected the ball better and avoided throwing as many interceptions as Denard did. No pressure kid.

Of course Gardner will also have to contend with the pressure he's placed on himself by having the audacity to perform so well in the 5 games he started at quarterback last season. Over that span Devin lit up opposing defenses for 1219 yards passing with 11 touchdowns and a 59.5 completion percentage. He also threw in an eye-popping 7 rushing touchdowns and showed few ill effects from his time moonlighting as a wide receiver earlier in the year. Naturally, impatient Wolverines fans with access to a calculator are projecting Gardner to finish 2013 with roughly 3,000 passing yards, 30+ touchdown passes and more rushing TDs than Mike Hart ever had in a season. To say that this seems unlikely in Borges reputed new pro-style, smash mouthed attack would be a massive understatement but such are the expectations Devin Gardner will toil under this fall.

Finally in addition to replacing a legend, playing for a coach who won't tolerate losing and bearing the unrealistic expectations of a fanbase who may not know it isn't 1997 anymore; Gardner will also be fighting for his right to play football on Sundays. Devin's 6'4", 205 lb frame will bring all the scouts to the yard but it's his cannon arm and ability to make any throw in the playbook that will keep NFL personnel types watching. In order to advance to the next level Gardner will need to exhibit improved body mechanics, footwork and decision making on a weekly basis this fall. If he can show scouts what they want to see, Gardner has the arm and body to be a first round draft pick. If not? Better physical specimens than Devin have gone undrafted due to mental or mechanical issues in the past. Unfortunately sitting behind Robinson has done him no favors in that regard; even after the NCAA granted Devin a medical hardship he has a maximum of two years to prove he belongs in the NFL.

Personally, I have never met Devin Gardner face to face. I don't know him as a person and I can only draw on the information that's available to any other fan: his interviews, videos, photos and actual performance in the games on the field. To my untrained eyes however, there appear to be two versions of Devin Gardner. Off the field and between plays he seems content, if not joyful. Out of uniform it's hard to find a picture of Devin in which he's not smiling. Between the whistles however Gardner's eyes smolder behind a mask of grim determination.There is no joy in this man's actions; he plays with a chip on his shoulder brought on perhaps by being forced to wait so long for his chance at glory. Right now, it's hard to tell which of these personas is the real Devin Gardner. If I had to bet however, I would guess that the Gardner we've only seen on the football field is the more genuine article. As a general rule, quarterbacks are extremely intelligent people so it's more than likely that Devin Gardner knows exactly how much he's playing for this fall. If that's true, then I hope he isn't spending too much time thinking about it or Yost help us all.

- Sportsball Chic