Coaching Clinic Notes: Offense

I'm taking this out of context, but arrgghh.

2008 had nothing approaching Denard, Lewan, Molk, Omameh, Roundtree, Stonum.

It isn't too early to stop the job hunt for the day and open a bottle of whiskey, is it?

"In this, I don’t see 2011 as much different than 2008. Lotsa round offensive pegs in square holes. In the long run, I have no doubt that Hoke will put high quality football on the field. But this might be three years away."

Someone put Brian on a 72-hour watch.

I like this coaching staff a lot, FWIW, and think that they'll get Michigan back to being Michigan.  I agree with Brian, though, that it might be 2014 before that happens.   The defense might get all the way up to being a 5 out of 10 this year, and you would think that that would lead to an improved record from last year's 7-6.  I don't think it necessarily will, though, b/c I think the offense is likely to drop off while struggling to transition to Borges's scheme.  To put it simply: Michigan won't give up 65 points to Illinois this year but they won't score 67 either...I don't think Michigan will be able to right the ship completely for several years because of both this year's adjustment and the fact that the roster just isn't that talented compared to OSU and teams like it.   It's going to take a little while to get all the right pieces in all the right places.

I think this looks like a .500 year, more-or-less.  I think that Eastern, Western, Minnesota, and Purdue are (knock on wood) the only sure-fire wins. 

And here is where my season prediction of 6-6 comes from. Massive offensive regression coupled with moderate defensive progression is a recipe for mediocrity. I sure hope Hoke is not 7-6 in year 3. Just hearing this offense and 2008 in the same sentence makes me shiver.

To claim that the offense looked similar to the 2008 version is just asinine and ruins the writer's credibility.

First off, your caveat on the front end of this piece is incredibly relevant and makes almost everything else irrelevant: two of the three best linemen hardly played.

Second off, you're willing to say the offense is terrible when the first-team was out there for about 25 plays, after practicing for 3 weeks in the new offense.

Third off, they weren't running plays in the scrimmage that they were already comfortable with and that Borges has repeatedly said they will run 10-15 times a game (Denard-designed runs).

Fourth off, if a defense can't stop a team it sees in practice everyday, where said offense is running no more than 6-8 different playcalls, you should be mortified (hello 2009 and 2010 spring games).

Fifth off, the only square pegs that cannot fit into this offense are wide receivers playing on the outside who cannot catch fade routes, and undersized tight ends.

Patience.

"I have no doubt that Hoke will put high quality football on the field. But this might be three years away." This is unacceptable! If you are right about this then how could anyone be "alright" with this staff? If this year is like 2008 then 2012 will suck too. We would be looking at 4 out of 5 years without a bowl game and no BCS games!

you could have lied to us. I mean, is letting kids believe in Santa really that bad?

The comparison to the 2008 offense is extremely premature. We didnt have the opportunity to see that offense at this point of its infancy because that spring game was closed. There's a lot of practice, voluntary and otherwise, until we should even consider such a comparison.

How much longer do we have to wait as fans to have a good football team. My patience is wearing and I will spontaneously combust if we don't win 8 games this year. The schedule is beyond favorable and the offense can't be 2008 bad with the returning starters UM has. Either way, I will start to walk the plank if they don't win 8 games BEFORE bowl season. (pity party over here).

and I'm no analyst, I think the biggest difference between 2008 and 2011 is that, bar none, the player we need to worry about (namely Denard) is simply a better athlete than the two quarterbacks RR was given when he came to the program. From what we've all been reading and seeing it does look like he is struggling some with the new offense.  Who wouldn't?  He's got to get used to the new foot work that is required of QBs under center, and he has to get used to throwing a bunch of new routes, something he has not had to do his first two years.

Denard is a hard working player.  He will put in the hours.  Because he is such a gifted athlete, I think when the season comes we can feel confident hoping for 8-9 wins.  Our schedule is condusive to a strong year, and even if we lose all of our MAJOR* games (ND, MSU, Neb, and OSU) we still have eight wins.  Not a dynamite year, but a step in the right direction I think. 

*As a caveat, I know there are people who will say  that Iowa should be included in the major games category, but I didn't include them because they lost their starting QB, their horror inducing D-lineman and I expect them to still be struggling with the self induced plague come fall

but from what I can see there are only 2 teams that have a + coming as far as defense goes and that's Neb and OSU. Illinois and Notre Dame could get a 1/2 + but the rest of the schedule looks like we can get some decent yardage/pts. 

Some big things that may be less stress inducing is the inflated numbers our O had last year from 1) terrible D never getting 3 and outs 2) KO returns not getting much past the 20. If the D this year can help us get some drives starting at the 45ish then we don't need a top ten O but one that can manage 1-2 first downs then let our + WRs work their magic or let the scrambles from Denard for the end zone begin.

Oh how I relish the thought of not needing 35 pts to be in a game at the end.... 

Son of a bitch, can we get SOME POSITIVE NEWS PLEASE?! Something REASSURING?!

Please?

By the way thank you for being honest in the post even if it seems like this is blaming the messanger it's not, I just want the team to win football games. These posts have been informative and well written.

I

Dave Brandon said a critical factor in the hiring process was bringing in someone that was willing to be flexible and adjust to the talent. I'm assuming he saw this in Hoke.

The true test of this premise is when they are having trouble running the power play--what will Borges/Hoke do? I'm extremely interested and excited to see.

I'm more optimistic than Brian. They have talent and decent depth on offense. If it takes three years to field a good offense with the personnell this team has--Borges was the wrong hire.

that our offense is fitting square pegs into circles, but that we might still have the ability to actually do that from time to time simply because we have a lot more talent available now?

an extremely insightful and informative analysis of Michigan's current situation.  But I don't think the comparison to 2008 is entirely accurate.  Our QB talent level is much higher now than in 2008.  In 2008, we had two QB's who were bad to very bad no matter what the system whereas this year we'll have two QB's who are likely either decent (if forced into an ill-fitting system) or very good regardless.  In addition, I think Hoke is more flexible than Rodriguez and is more likely to adjust his system to fit the players on the roster.   

Nay

to ban clips of last year's offense on the front page.  I keep watching them and it's making me depressed.  To say nothing of its production, that offense was incredibly fun to watch.

(This is the part where someone says something like OH YEA REAL FUN WATCHING US BOG DOWN IN THE RED ZONE AGAINST GOOD DEFENSES HERP DERP.  Save it.)

My heart can’t take three more years of this…. It’s true I have a doctor’s note.

Is anyone else dissapointed that we didn't run any power out of the shotgun in the spring game? That seems like it would be a perfect way to transition into Borges offense. It keeps Denard in the shotgun where he is more comfortable and is still able to the power which is the base running play in the offense.

Really?? 2008?? That was a f-ing debacle. I willing to bet that we will be WAY better on offense than 2008 and only slightly lesser than last year(statistically).

1. We wont have a QB standing 7yds behind the LOS clapping, stomping, staring over at the sidelines like a deer in the headlights. Only to mistime a handoff and watch as his running back gets stuffed 5yds deep. 2nd and 15.

2. We wont have numerous procedure penalties per game on inexperienced O-lineman trying to figure out what clap or stomp the should go on.

3. We have experience at WR & RB, even though nobody has emerged a "star" out of those groups, they're all becoming bigger, stronger, smarter football players every year and regardless of "scheme" those things cannot be undervalued(as we proclaimed by every RR apologist for the past 3 yrs)

4. We have a QB who is a world class athlete & great instinctual football player, even when the "plan" breaks down he secondary option remains what was essentially last years primary option...RUN MOTHAFUGGA RUN!!  This is a whole lot better than 2008 when, if the "plan" broke down you had a pocket passer crapping his pants and waiting to be clobbered.

5. Out on a limb I predict that 2011's team will make more 1st downs than the world beating offense of 2010 did. This means more sustained drives, more offensive momentum(something I always felt we lacked under RR, his offense was like a cruise missle, deadly as hell but when it misses its right back to D, first downs & sustained drives are like a machine gun, you hit some and miss some but you get to keep shooting) and less turnovers(experience again).

I guess I just dont see all the doom & gloom. I see a ton of potential in this teams O. Its still got all the pieces of last years "ferrari" we're just going to give it a lower final drive gear, bigger tires & a better off road suspension so that it doesnt get stuck in even the shallowest of mud bogs. I expect more consistancy, less flash and better overall results(wins).