Anonymous Coach "Scouting Report" on Michigan Football
This is an informed outsider's take on our team:
"“If you took the name Michigan off, most coaches in the country would be happy to have the success they’ve had, happy to have the players on that roster,” the coach said. “Most of us wish we could hit nine and 10 wins a year as a baseline. But they’re Michigan, so we all expect them to be better. ... They look undecided on offense, like there's too many cooks. No one thinks that's the exact offense Josh Gattis wants to be calling. The defense fell apart on them, and now they might go to a more NFL-style 3-4; that's gonna be really interesting to see. ... A smart way to look at this program is the quarterback position. When is the last time they've had game-changing QB play? They're overhauling the QB room because they know it's been a weak spot. They recruit really well, byt [sic] they still lack top-end speed Ohio State has. I don't think you could call anything they've done under Jim Harbaugh explosive. ...When you look at them from outside, you see a successful program pretty much everywhere but on the field against their true peers. That’s really what it boils down to. They don’t need a complete change, but they have to identify what separates their offensive scheme and their development from the programs they expect to beat. This is a good program. But they’re Michigan, so you can’t be unremarkable."
You can find this at https://www.google.com/amp/s/247sports.com/college/michigan/Article/mic…
Michigan will always be champions in their own mind. Maybe now that Bo and Yost are cancelled the "Michigan Man" shtick can die. I doubt the illusion of superiority will ever go away. Somehow we must adopt the annoying "us against the world" or "chip on our shoulder" mentality that works nauseatingly well for college kids apparently.
Yeah the offense is just mind bottling. Michigan runs some stuff that works and then never goes back to it the rest of the game. A running back is gashing the defense but is then benched. It makes no sense. All the QB’s somehow get worse the longer they stay. Just beyond ridiculous.
It is very frustrating to see a play work and then never see it again.
It bottles the mind.
This analysis is why I wasn't mad that Harbaugh was extended.
He has not succeeded the way he or we wanted him to, but he has not "failed". Ignoring the ridiculous mess that the 2020 season was, the team is consistently GOOD. It just has not been GREAT.
The best thing about Harbaugh is that he has been open to change. He acknowledged that things weren't working and has revamped a lot of stuff. Will it work? We will have to wait to see, but at least he is trying to fix things and not just sticking with the "this has always worked for me and I'm not changing" mindset.
Take OSU out of the argument. I despise the futility against them BUT I can understand it given the dominant talent they have at every position. It's so lopsided in their favor.
What I don't understand is us not being able to beat ANYBODY decent on the road. And the winless record on the road as an underdog under Harbaugh. Statistically, the best road opponent we've ever beaten is Northwestern in 2018 who went 9-5. But even in that game, we had to come back from a 17-0 hole and win late in the 4th quarter. Wins at Purdue in 2017 and at Penn State in 2015 were against 7-6 teams. The two wins at MSU were nice but Sparty sucked both years.
I get feeling helpless against OSU. But we're not even at the point where we can beat a so-so team on the road. That's frustrating as hell.
It's not as bad as it looks. Probably 2 years ago someone here compared Michigan's road record against top 25 teams to other programs and they're about just as bad. It turns out beating top 25 teams on the road is just hard unless you're OSU Clemson or Bama basically.
Splitting against MSU isn't good.
Excellent main points -- weak QB play, too many cooks on offense, the need to determine what separates them on offense from their peers.
I would add -- they have to ADDRESS and DEVELOP what can separate them on offense from their peers.
I would change -- too many cooks has not given them a lack of identity. Under Harbaugh, Michigan has an identity. It's mistake-averse, uber-conservative, extremely stubborn, and fails to take advantage of excellent skill-player talent to turn the offense into a weapon to score as many points as possible and take over games. Instead, the Harbaugh philosophy allows weaker teams to stay in the game and teams with similiar talent to use superior scheme -- scheme that attacks us at our weak points to score -- and aggressiveness to beat us. It relies on superior defensive play to shut down modern offenses, which are increasingly favored by the rules of the game. The Harbaugh philosophy does not effectively disguise anything, and the result is a predictable offense as well. When Player X is on the field, it's an end-around. When Players Y and Z are on the field, it's going to be a run, so stack the box.
Definitely a good article though.
Nothing on there I don't agree with. Seems very fair.
This is a pretty fair and honest assessment. But the one thing I don't think it takes into account enough is the direction the program has been trending. This feels more like it's averaging out Harbaugh's tenure, which would be fine if the performance was more or less consistent across the six (going into seven) years. But it's not. The program has been trending down for a few years now. This isn't the same program that we had in 2015-2016, just like Harbaugh isn't the same coach that he was those first few years. Recruiting, development, retention, etc. have all been really lacking lately, which is how we find ourselves where we are...
Excellent point -- upvoted.
This is a pretty fair and honest assessment. But the one thing I don't think it takes into account enough is the direction the program has been trending. This feels more like it's averaging out Harbaugh's tenure, which would be fine if the performance was more or less consistent across the six (going into seven) years. But it's not. The program has been trending down for a few years now. This isn't the same program that we had in 2015-2016, just like Harbaugh isn't the same coach that he was those first few years. Recruiting, development, retention, etc. have all been really lacking lately, which is how we find ourselves where we are...
Excellent post -- again. Upvoted -- again.
I give Harbaugh credit for pulling out all stops to try to fix the problems —-from team chemistry to adequate QB talent. Yeah, his program resembles a jail break somewhat. But the changes Harbaugh made needed to be made. For the next few months, at least, Cade is the most important player in the program. Let’s hope Cade produces. JJ is his tail…but needs time.
I give Harbaugh credit for pulling out all stops to try to fix the problems —-from team chemistry to adequate QB talent. Yeah, his program resembles a jail break somewhat. But the changes Harbaugh made needed to be made. For the next few months, at least, Cade is the most important player in the program. Let’s hope Cade produces. JJ is on his tail…but needs time.
I think this is a fair assessment at the moment. What I'm worried about is the upcoming year, I'm worried it could be a repeat of 2014 where things go off the rails. Thing will look a lot different if we lose 6 or 7 games which I think is very possible.
In 2015 and 2016 they were taking steps toward being remarkable.
Hopefully with these new coaches Michigan will get back on track.
Iaffed so hard I peed a little in my pants.
What's wrong with Michigan? LOL!
Why does your butt stink?
finding a good QB is the key to any team in the NCAA...not exactly a news flash.
Fun fact: in the time that Harbaugh has been the coach at Michigan. 70 QBs have been drafted into the NFL...Michigan has had zero.
Who's to blame for that is entirely dependent on what colored glasses you wear.
Spot on
The thing that has the best chance to change Michigan's fortune is the 12 team playoff. Making a 12 team playoff is a realistic goal for Michigan, and OSU will probably take a small recruiting step back when its implemented.
I read not till 2026, though, because that's when the ESPN deal expires. Barring a radical change in results I can't imagine Harbaugh is still leading the squad in 2026.
Michigan used to occasionally win the conference under Lloyd. Harbaugh wishes he had Carr’s success.