2015 media day

Previously: Jim Harbaugh, DJ Durkin, Tim Drevno, Greg Mattison, Kyle Kalis, Brian Cole, Chase Winovich, Drake Harris, Jabrill Peppers, Royce Jenkins-Stone, Willie Henry, Jourdan Lewis, Wyatt Shallman, James Ross III

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[Eric Upchurch/MGoBlog]

Tyrone Wheatley has his hands tied. Ask him about his running backs and that’s the symbol he shows you, hands mashed together to indicate the lack of separation between the players in his position group. He talked about that at Media Day, as well as what it’s like to have his son play for both his alma mater and the team he’s currently coaching.

Did you go back and watch any film on Drake Johnson to get a feel as far as what you’re going to have with him?

“Yeah, I did. I mean, I knew Drake. I recruited Drake when I was at Syracuse. He’s a guy who has a lot of talent [and] a lot of promise, but once again, he’s going to be held to the same standard.”

How did the group look as far as skills beyond just running with the ball- blocking, things of that nature- in the spring?

“They looked good. They looked real good. They had a great base. They’re all well coached backs. All are well coached backs. The biggest thing now is you just have to separate them.

“Right now they’re all in a pack. One or two just has to emerge and separate themselves from the pack. I think that’s the biggest problem that’s going on right now. They’re all well coached, they’re all good athletes, they’re all good football players, they’re all good running backs, but no one has just said, ‘Hey, I’m going to distance myself’ and that’s the problem right now.” 

Have you had any talks with Fred Jackson as far as picking up where he left off?

“Uh…eh, you asked that question already. No, not really.”

Your son being here- how much does he want to separate himself from you and be a college student? What’s that relationship been like?

“We give him his space, but to say separate himself, he’s already separated himself because the distance of my playing years and his playing years are so far apart that there’s already distance. Now I’m dad, but I’m the running backs coach. Coach Harbaugh, Jay Harbaugh, coaches him. So when you say distance yourself, that’s the distance.

“We’re close. People have to understand that’s my son still and I still will look at him as a father, being proud of him as a father and having expectations. I think sometimes a father’s expectations are a little tougher than a coach’s expectations, you know? But yeah, the distance is already there but we’re very close.”

[Much more after THE JUMP]

Previously: Jim Harbaugh, DJ Durkin, Greg Mattison, Kyle Kalis, Brian Cole, Chase Winovich, Drake Harris, Jabrill Peppers, Royce Jenkins-Stone, Willie Henry, Jourdan Lewis, Wyatt Shallman, James Ross III

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[Bryan Fuller/MGoBlog]

Tim Drevno, a driving force behind Stanford’s mauling offensive lines during Harbaugh’s tenure, takes the reins not only of that position group but the entirety of the offense (at least in part) in 2015 as O-line coach/offensive coordinator. He talked about where his line was coming out of spring camp, what he’s looking for in his starters, and the progress of Michigan’s running game at Michigan’s Media Day.

What are some of the traits you want to see from your starting five?

“Yeah, I feel good about going into training camp. I think those guys had a nice spring, a good offseason in the weight room and things. I want to see us get better every day. Fix a problem; take two things and fix it and get better every day and then we’ll be on course.”

Do you feel like that’s the key to opening up the rest of the offense is how well you guys play up front?

“Well, everybody knows it’s about the offensive and defensive line, [and] it’s about the quarterback. If you’ve got those three things it makes your life a lot easier. Not saying the other positions aren’t important, but it is one of the lightning rods of being competitive and successful.”

How early in camp do you like to have your five? Does it change team to team?

“Ehh, it changes team to team and where you are and what you’re doing. I couldn’t tell you, but you get a feel as you go and see who the best five are. But I couldn’t tell you an exact date.”

[More after THE JUMP]

Previously: Jim Harbaugh, DJ Durkin, Kyle Kalis, Brian Cole, Chase Winovich, Drake Harris,Jabrill Peppers, Royce Jenkins-Stone, Willie Henry, Jourdan Lewis, Wyatt Shallman, James Ross III

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[Bryan Fuller/MGoBlog]

Greg Mattison returns in 2015, and though he’ll be working in a different capacity he inherits a line of which he was one of the chief architects. He talked about the functional differences (and similarities) between the 4-3 and 3-4 and the progress his linemen have made over the summer at last week’s Media Day.

[I jumped into the scrum mid-response]

“You know, one thing [is] you don’t get around the kids much in the summer. I saw him [Lawrence Marshall] today [and] I said, ‘What do you weigh?’ He looks great. All our kids- Kevin [Tolbert] did a tremendous job in the weight program and all our kids worked extremely hard whenever I had a chance to pop my head in and take a look.”

DJ said you guys are going to be multiple. How much of a challenge is that for your defensive linemen?

“It’s not. It’s not. You know, when people talk about different schemes it really comes down to techniques. You can call it anything you want; one time you play a five-technique, one time you play a four, one time you play a three. You’ve got to learn them all.”

Do you like the depth and talent that you have up front?

“Yeah, I definitely do. These kids, we’ve been together for a long time. These guys have played a lot of football and maybe before they should’ve, but now they’re bigger, stronger, and older. Now it’s our job to get them to be as good as they can be.”

You guys have used Taco [Charlton] at a couple different spots his first couple years. He’s played some here and there. He’s a junior now. What does he have to do to really [inaudible]?

“I think he’s got to keep working on his technique. He’s a guy coming out of high school that really wasn’t a defensive lineman, so I think you’ve got to continue to take the technique with the strength. Add both of those together. And he makes flashy plays, [he] makes good plays. Now he’s got to do that consistently.”

[After THE JUMP: ways the 4-3 and 3-4 are the same]