A frustrated fan's observations
I know that there will be a ton of post-loss "should we keep or fire RR" posts. This is not one of those, although the discussion will involve many of the same point.
The following are my observations of our team, including our coaching staff.
1. Our defense is pathetic. It's a fact. At the same time, our defense is incredible young and as thin in the 2 deap as any I have ever seen. When Mouton went down, I actually had to think for a minute or so to figure out who would replace him. Same goes for Floyd. I would like to see us play better, but I just don't think that it is reasonable to expect the coaches to take what we have and craft much of a defense.
So what portion of the D is on the coaches? Tacking. It is horrible, and this IS on the coaching. Someone teach these kids the concept of tackling. Also, Demens was a marked improvement over Obi. Why the hell has he not been playing?? These are on GERG. Also, our defensive recruiting over the past three years has not been adequate. Some bad breaks, sure, but RR has not done well in recruiting on this side of the ball.
2. Denard is a great potential talent, but remains VERY raw in the passing game. Not a knock on our favorite be-dreaded QB. He is fast as hell, but teams are going to follow the MSU / Iowa blueprint and force him to beat them with his arm. He did great early in the year, but all of those games were against crappy defenses. He has struggled mightily against the past 2 defenses. THis is a concern.
Tate, by comparison, looked like much more of a QB out there, and played with great poise and effectiveness. This is not to advocate benching Denard for Tate - but, why hasn't RR figured out yet that he has 2 good players, and can use both as Urban Meyer did with LEak and Tebow. Hell, play both at the same time on sets. THe bottom line is that having these 2 guys is a HUGE advantage, and neither should be relegated to backup.
3. The penalties. If they were on the defensive side of the ball, I would say that this is largely youth. And some were. But many were on the offense. THis is on RR. Bad coaching leads to excessive penalties, and we have had a ton of penalties.
These are just my thoughts. Feel free to agree / disagree. I am not advocating for firing RR, but at the same time, if he cannot beat a single quality team this season, then are we really making much progress? I am frustrated by how bad we looked these past two weeks, and I am not convinced that we will be any better after the bye. I welcome all thoughts. . .
October 16th, 2010 at 11:43 PM ^
Not with robinson it won't . He got me with the 3 straight weeks without doing a press conference thing.
October 16th, 2010 at 11:31 PM ^
Yes the tackling sucks. The fundamentals there are severely lacking. However, just as you said, our two deep is crazy thin. It is a razors edge the team is walking right now between practicing tackling seriously and staying as healthy as possible. It is a lose-lose in that regard.
You can tackle as many dummies as you want it doesnt help all that much when you need to tackle a real person.
October 16th, 2010 at 11:40 PM ^
that the tackling sucks but it seems to be sucking less with each passing week. Maybe by the end of the season it will be just average, which would be a massive improvement from the start of the season.
October 16th, 2010 at 11:34 PM ^
(1) Totally agree, but that is the reality of the situation, and will probably be the case for at least another year. They players will get better with reps, and I'm not sure if anyone can expect much more than average by 2012.
(2) I agree that Denard is a raw passer, but one silver lining is that while other teams will try to emulate the Iowa/MSU defensive scheme, the next few opponents lack the defensive talent to really pull it off. Iowa and MSU both have very good LBs and defensive linemen, while teams like Purdue, Illinois, and PSU have been giving up yards in bunches to mediocre teams. I expect Denard to show up and play quite well with those acres of yards opening up.
I have also advocated the Tate + Denard offense. Imagine both guys in the backfield, or Denard flaring out or Tate lining up in the slot and coming around for a handoff? This team might have to be a bit gimmicky to succeed, but at this point why handcuff one of the best offensive options to the bench?
(3) Some of the penalties on the offensive line (like most of Lewan's) could be credited at least in part to Iowa's dominant line. When you are lined up against a top-15 pick like Clayborn, it is understandable that some LTs would jump. I remember Graham getting quite a few false starts last year from mediocre tackles. Lewan is learning, and I think the coaches will address some of the offensive penalties very effectively this week.
October 16th, 2010 at 11:34 PM ^
Denard is a much better RB, but Tate is the better QB.
October 16th, 2010 at 11:36 PM ^
You really needed to post a a new thread for this same crap as the other ones?
October 16th, 2010 at 11:51 PM ^
need to be a dick over a thread?
October 17th, 2010 at 12:09 AM ^
he's right that this is the same stuff as other threads, except that he is hiding his "Fire RR" behind a statement "I'm not sayin, but I'm jut sayin"
October 17th, 2010 at 7:07 AM ^
He made some statements about accountability for things we are seeing on the field. The bigger danger on this blog isn't the fire rich rod crowd. There isn't much of that in reality.
The way bigger danger is if the knowledgeable fans avoid criticizing the obviously questionable. Tackling, the players not knowing what to do after a blocked field goal, the shakey clock management at times, discipline issues manifesting in personal fouls, the seeming lack of fundamentals on the part of the DBs. There might be others worth mentioning as they appear.
The specifics are all fair game. We hope. Sometimes it feels like Rich is up for reelection in November and we go out of our way to be his official campaign website. That is overboard in the wrong direction.
October 17th, 2010 at 8:52 AM ^
has been addressed by the board and by RR. To truly practice tackling requires tackling in pads at full speed. With the current depth on defense, practicing full speed tackles would be very dangerous, as any injuries (see Woolfolk, when Floyd went down for a litte bit, etc.) can cause this defense extreme pain. The fouls, I was as upset about as anyone, but, as someone explained earlier, was only a little more than the veteran team they were playing against, and 15 yards was by a RS F who was to agressive, a 15 yard facemask penalty, that didn't look like it was as bad as most, and a questionable 15 yard pass interference call on Floyd. Yes there were other penalties, but young players tend to make more than veterans and we have young players in bunches.
The kicking game we were warned about before the season by RR. With all the youth on the secondary, he was most worried about the kicking game coming into the season and has been doing everything to try to get someone in that can handle kicks.
Michigan lost to 2 teams that are possible top 10 teams. In both contests, it was mistakes by young players that kept them from being more competetive. Knowledgable fans are not avoiding critisizing the team, but it is dissapointing to have to defend over and over the same points that seem to be sending people into defcon 5. Yes I will defend this coach, cause I don't want recruits or current players to have to question the head coaches stability when he is 5-2 and has 2 losses to top 10 teams.
Feel free though to believe all the chicken littles though
November 4th, 2010 at 3:38 PM ^
Fouls?
October 16th, 2010 at 11:46 PM ^
in all levels including the NFL. Tackling is one of the most basic part of the game and has been taught since youth sports league. It's sad to see some of the players who can't tackle properly, most of them have been watching too many sportscenter highlights of big hits which doesn't show good tackling forms.
October 18th, 2010 at 10:36 AM ^
Nobody is as bad as Michigan. JT Floyd and James Rodgers just don't even make an honest attempt at stopping anyone in the open field, although JT will go and hit people in alleys, so I'll respect him for that. Cam Gordon's struggles are well documented. Obi Ezeh might as well not be out there. And whoever wiffed on that last-Iowa drive tackle, when the guy had his back turned, so no longer be starting. You have to make that play. Kovacs is the only player not on the defensive line that can tackle. 1/7 will not win you football games.
October 16th, 2010 at 11:58 PM ^
our heroes failed today. Tomorrow is Sunday. Look east. the big ball of fire in the sky is is often called "the sun." It does that whole crazy "rising" shit every day, like clockwork.
Seriously, handwringers. Go drink a beer, communicate carnally to member of the appropriate gender (or a mammal of your choice, if you're a lurker from a "rival" school)* , eat a taco or whatever you need to feel right. You're not coaches or players. Have some goddamned perspective about stuff you cannot possibly control or affect.
/R. Lee Ermey, who is sick of this pansy assed whining.
**Miss Michigan doesn't count, nerds.
October 16th, 2010 at 11:58 PM ^
I'd say we are right on track, but with a + to the upside on the O. In case you didn't read Brian's own preseason predictions, I suggest you go back in the next two weeks and re-acquaint yourself with reality. Here is an extract to jog your memory:
"The offense will undergo Leap II: This Time It's Obvious, becoming legitimately scary to opponents across the league... Defense? Last year again with less confusion and very long stupid easy touchdowns, shredded by experienced, good quarterbacks (of which there are 4 or 5 on the schedule), considerably better against the run, slightly better overall, still prone to major breakdowns."
| OOC | ||
|---|---|---|
| 9/4 | UConn | Leans to win |
| 9/11 | @ Notre Dame | Tossup |
| 9/18 | UMass | Must win |
| 9/25 | Bowling Green | Must win |
| Conference | ||
| 10/2 | @ Indiana | Must win |
| 10/9 | Michigan State | Leans to loss |
| 10/16 | Iowa | Leans to loss |
| 10/30 | @ Penn State | Leans to loss |
| 11/6 | Illinois | Must win |
| 11/13 | @ Purdue | Tossup |
| 11/20 | Wisconsin | Longshot |
| 11/27 | @ Ohio State | Longshot |
| Absent: |
Minnesota, Northwestern |
|
We won everything that was "Tossup" to "Win". I'll take it. the two losses were more painful than expected based on early season success and the TO and mistakes that led to those losses. I expect to win at least two of the next three. The last two will be tough.
As for GERG. He gets a pass until he has more experienced players, and stability in the D coaches is more important than just about anything else, at least from my point of view, although recruiting is a close second. I expect that we end up with a pretty good D class.
The link to MGoBlog's Preview 2010, including position groups expectations...
http://mgoblog.com/content/preview-2010-heuristics-and-stupid-prediction
October 17th, 2010 at 12:55 PM ^
I had them losing this game and to ND. I wanted us to beat MSU. WI and OSU are most likely loses. That leaves PSU, IL and Purdue to win one of these for us to be 6-6 and a bowl game. The season is still young, anything is still possible.
October 17th, 2010 at 12:01 AM ^
Again, it's likely the youth, but I was just yearning for this defense to cause a turnover today. At this point, I'll take good tackling.
Lewan: What was up with that?
October 17th, 2010 at 8:00 AM ^
he dropped one and a couple plays later Iowa scored a TD and he could have easily picked off the pass before Iowa's last FG, but stopped when he saw no one behind him. That one would have kept it a TD game and gave us the ball with over two minutes left.
October 17th, 2010 at 12:21 AM ^
That Florida team was much more about the players that they had at their skill positions, than either of those two guys. In fact, that team was really carried, by its defense. Nevertheless, the main reason that Tebow and Leak could even stand to be on the same team together was because one was a freshman and the other was a senior. The only reason Tebow saw the field was because Meyer had to crumble against heavy pressure when Leak wasn't doing so hot.
Having two guys in the same class splitting reps at QB is a recipe for disaster. QB is unlike any other position, you cannot just swap guys in and out. It is virtually inevitable that there is a dropoff in quality from the entire offense when switching guys at QB. It can throw off an opposing defense or two, but the lack of consistency on offense will catch up with you more times than not.
October 17th, 2010 at 2:52 AM ^
stopped reading when I read the phrase "2 deap".
seriously, when was the last time you misspelled "deep"?
October 17th, 2010 at 2:52 AM ^
I was hoping the MSU game would be close. UM almost came back to tie this one up with IA. A few plays just didn't go our way. We'll see how we do against the more average or sub average b 10 teams in the next month. If we can get at least two wins out of the next 3, then we will be in good shape with a guarantee record of 7-5. May be an upset against WI or OSU?
October 17th, 2010 at 3:57 AM ^
What I don’t understand is why everyone points the finger at GERG, but nobody calls out the fact that the defensive staff is made up entirely of RR’s guys. I respect RR’s decision to focus on offense and hire a DC to manage the defense, however if you are going to do that, you need to give them control and the ability to put their own staff in place. I don’t know many D coordinators worth their salt that wouldn’t request having their own guys. Imagine if RR was offered the job and told he could have it, but he needed to retain Lloyd’s entire staff? People asking for GERG’s head seem to forget about this. Once again, I think there is a lack of chemistry on the def side of the ball (coaching) and a lot of finger pointing going on, which doesn’t help. Yes, our linebackers suck, but GERG isn’t the only one who put a lot of stock in Obi only to have him falter in games. Inability to tackle is not a function of scheme, it is more related to terrible position coaching, which is largely of RR’s crew. I would rather see us shake things up with the def staff rather than firing GERG.
October 18th, 2010 at 2:08 AM ^
Imagine if RR was offered the job and told he could have it, but he needed to retain Lloyd’s entire staff? People asking for GERG’s head seem to forget about this
Big, big difference between a head coach and a coordinator. Coordinators do not normally choose their own staff. The situation with GERG is pretty typical. I don't think that's a valid excuse.
As for the position coaches being the problem and not GERG, well, I think Tall's done a fine job with the DL, and Braitwhite seems OK with the spurs and bandits. Gibson is hard to evaluate given the enormous turnover. The one unit that has unequivocally been a disappointment is the inside linebackers . . . coached by GERG.
October 18th, 2010 at 3:11 AM ^
Let's just win at PSU. A coaching change is such an overhaul. I have thought about it a lot and it's late:) Come on RR, we want you here but we have to have some success! Let's win for Michigan.