Everyone talks about the new quarterback, hypes the new quarterback, can't wait to see the new big guy. It's football, that's how it works. At Michigan, that's especially how it works, since they've been waiting a while.
But the Wolverines' fate in a pandemic-shortened season does not rest solely on the huge frame of sophomore Joe Milton, even if it seems that way. It rests where it often does, on a defense that's usually good enough to bully lesser foes, but has lost its lunch to the upper crust. Defensive coordinator Don Brown has an outsized personality and stellar reputation that make him a popular target � for critics and Buckeyes alike.
As the nine-game season nears, Ohio State once again looks fearsome. Michigan again could be a Big Ten contender, perhaps all the way to the final game. But so much will depend on Brown and his ability to evolve, to handle the heat and deliver the heat. The Wolverines have fielded defenses with more-acclaimed talent in Brown's four seasons, but this should be one of his deeper units. With seven returning starters and loads of experience along a potentially imposing line, it should rank among the conference's best.
Right now, that means nothing. And it'll mean less until it means something when it matters.
"Our strengths on defense are in different places, so you gotta play to your strengths," Brown said Wednesday, as the Oct. 24 opener at Minnesota looms. "To say we haven't expanded (our scheme) would be a lie. I really like our football team, that's all I can tell you."
