Hello Everyone! I know there is much whaling and gnashing of teeth over our passing game (or, rather, lack thereof) in the win over Washington. So I decided to a deep dive on all 15 pass plays and offer my personal assessment on their efficacy/if they make sense. Some caveats: I am a complete amateur when it comes to film study; I played in HS, but I've forgotten most of what I learned (it's been a few years). But, I did observe some very interesting trends.

Summary: 
In conclusion, I think the pass calls made sense for the most part. There were a couple of duds from a play-calling perspective for sure, and Cade made a couple of bad reads and had a bad throw. But the biggest issue on these pass plays was that the blocking was just not ideal, especially by the receivers. However, the good news is that these are all fixable. The blocking issues were more about angles and technique. And that can be taught and improved week by week. Honestly, this is where I think losing Ronnie Bell really sucks. He was an absolute animal blocking people/ no way he whiffs on as many blocks as the other receivers did. Again, I have full confidence that this will be worked out as the season goes on.
For the people asking "Why didn't they take time to get live reps of the intermediate passing game?": they WERE practicing the key elements of their passing game. Those quick bubbles and swing passes are the biggest constraint against loading up the box against us. And there were yards to be HAD against Washington. And, from that personnel grouping and associated motions, we can build the intermediate passing game. The reps they got against Washington were key in getting our receivers to understand they're assignments on the quick passes. They need to get that right for us to consistently punish teams who overcompensate for our run game, especially without Ronnie. So I'm less worried about that.

Now for Cade. I love his decision-making, ball placement, and touch on his throws. I also think he's really good at making pre-snap reads and understanding where the ball should go based on what the defense is doing. However, the one area he seems to struggle with is making post-snap reads. So teams that change the picture on him post-snap than it was pre-snap could theoretically give him a lot of problems. This reminds me of something Harbaugh said in his press conference. He said that Washington was throwing a TON of different looks at formations at them. I'm guessing they really muddled up the post-snap pictures a TON. And, given the WR's inability to execute the basic swing and bubble screens, the coaches preferred to see if UW could actually stop our run game before committing to opening more of the pass playbook up. Turns out, they couldn't stop the run game.

Without further ado, here is the play-by-play:

• #1: 2nd & 5 - Swing pass to Blake Corum; 3yd loss
  Pre-snap UM: Sainristil and Corum in the backfield; Erick All lined up in the slot; 2 wide (CJ and Roman)
  Pre-snap UW: 2-5 alignment with 6 in the box + nickel corner over All (7 total); corners in press, 2 deep safeties 15+ yards away from the line
  - Far side corner blitz; ILB replaces and covers short route to CJ
  - 2nd ILB drops to cover intermediate middle zone
  - Roman runs his corner deep
  - All pushes away the nickel corner
  - ROLB shoots outside to set the edge; sees Corum catch the pass and attacks; Sainristil whiffs on the block and the ROLB immediately hits Corum
  Assessment: This bites b/c there is space for days! If Sainristil gets the block Corum is off to the races IMO. The nickel corner eventually gets around All and would maybe harass Blake after 7yds, but still. However, because Sainristil blows the block, it’s a 3yd loss. However, Sainristil is trying to block an OLB who has a significant size and strength advantage. I feel like this play would have worked if we flipped Sainristil and All’s roles on the play. Sainristil should line up in the slot and go block the nickel corner, and All should start in the backfield and then go block the OLB. Alternatively, Sainristil could go for a cut block instead of a straight-up one. Overall, the design makes sense, and there were yards to be had.
• #2: 3rd & 8 - Deep pass to Roman Wilson; broken up by the DB
  Pre-snap UM: Corum in the backfield; 4 wide (CJ, Sainristil, Roman + All)
  Pre-snap UW: 2-4 alignment with 6 in the box + safety over All in the slot (7 total); corners + nickel corner in press; 1 deep safety 20+ yards away from the line (out of screen!!)
  - UW sends 3; Cade has time and a clean pocket
  - CJ runs an out on the far side - corner has strong position on it
  - Sainristil runs an out-and-in on the far side and then turns it into a Go - nickel is completely turned around and Sainristil is running free
  - All runs a skinny post on the far side - safety completely jams up and wins the route
  - Roman runs a Go on the near side - Roman has a step but the DB is in excellent trail position
  - Corum leaks out of the backfield and runs an out route - LB has the zone, but Corum has him beat
  - Cade looks at Sainristil first, but then looks away right before Sainristil breaks free; Cade then throws deep to Roman; DB is in excellent trail position and deep safety is coming in fast over top; throw is short, so trail DB breaks it up
  Assessment: Michigan has 2 vertical routes (Roman and Sainristil), 2 intermediate routes (CJ and All), and 1 shallow route (Corum). Cade snapped and threw the ball in just over 2 seconds, so it looks like he decided that he was going to Roman pre-snap b/c he had 1v1 coverage and only a deep middle safety. So I’m guessing he looked Sainristil’s way just to manipulate the deep safety. The throw itself is slightly underthrown. I think this is just a timing thing. That ball only traveled 30 yards in the air, and his bomb to Ronnie last week went 50 yards in the air. So it’s not an arm strength thing. I think he’s still perfecting timing w/ Roman and the other receivers. That being said, even though it is slightly underthrown, I think it’s just a great play by the DB. Roman has him by a step, but the DB is still hand-fighting and in excellent trail position. He then gets his head turned around and perfectly swats down the pass as it comes in. If he misses, that ball is landing right in Roman’s arms for the completion. Roman didn’t even need to slow down much, or at all, to be in position for the catch. In my opinion, still a great throw, just a better play by a really good DB. The other quibble I have - I don’t know if this is possible, but it would’ve been amazing if he spent half a second more looking at Sainristil before throwing to Roman. Sainristil was essentially in 1v1 in the slot and completely dusted his man at the line. He is wide open and it’s an easy throw; there is space for DAYS in front of him. If Cade hits him in stride, it’s a huge play. That being said, I don’t know if that would screw up the timing of the throw to Roman too much; it’s not you can KNOW Sainristil is going to cook the nickel. I’m guessing Corum is the hot route; he’s open, but he probably doesn’t make the first down. Overall, this is a good pre-snap read and I think the throw was pretty damn good, just not perfect. And the DB just had great coverage, which required a perfect throw. But I like the idea of giving Roman a chance
  
  #3: 1st and 10 - Bubble screen to Blake Corum; Corum drops the pass as the defense closes in
  Pre-snap UM: Haskins and Corum in the backfield; Schoonmaker in-line TE on the far side; 2 wide on the near side (CJ and Baldwin)
  Pre-snap UW: 3-4 alignment with 7 in the box + a safety down in the box (8 total); corners in press; 1 deep safety 20+ yards away from the line (out of screen!!)
  - Corum in motion to the near side pre-snap; fake handoff to Haskins; then throw to Corum on the near side for the bubble
  - ROLB reads the handoff and then runs at Corum once the throw is made
  - ILB also reads pass and runs towards Corum
  - CJ takes his DB for about 5 yards and starts blocking the DB to the outside
  - Baldwin does this weird jump stop towards his DB; the DB gets outside of him; Baldwin engages and blocks him towards the outside; Corum is about to make the catch, so the DB now has a straight line towards Corum
  - DB disengages from Baldwin and runs straight at Corum
  - Blake drops the pass
  Assessment: I think Baldwin screwed up the blocking assignment here. Both the ILB and the ROLB read pass and are running towards Corum. Baldwin then needs to get to his DB’s outside shoulder and then block him inside. Instead, because of Baldwin’s weird jump stop, the DB beats him to the outside, and now Baldwin is at the DB’s inside shoulder and blocking him outside. This is a problem because Corum is about to make the catch on the outside. And since the DB is being blocked to the outside, Baldwin is essentially blocking the DB into Corum’s path. And then the DB disengages from Baldwin and goes right at Corum. If Corum makes this catch, the DB either tackles him, or forces Corum inside where the ROLB will clean it up. Both would result in about a 3yd loss. Good thing he dropped it. If Baldwin makes the correct block, and Corum catches it, he’s getting at least 7yds because both the linebackers are too far away. And, if CJ can maintain his block on his DB, and if Corum can beat the ILB’s angle, it would be an explosive play. Great call, poor execution.
  
  #4: 3rd & 6 - Short pass to All; All drops it
  Pre-snap UM: Empty backfield; Corum split out wide on the far side; All is an in-line TE on the far side; trips on the near side (Sainristil, Roman, and CJ)
  Pre-snap UW: 3-3 alignment with 6 in the box; corners + nickel corner in press; 1 safety 5 yards deep on the trips side; 1 deep safety 15 yards away from the line
  - Corum motions all the way from the near side to the far side pre snap; Corum leaks out for a short swing pass; safety tails him and is waiting for the pass
  - Nickel corner blitzes straight at Cade; Cade sees him pre-snap and is ready
  - Sainristil and Roman run crossing routes from the near side to the far side; linebackers are in zone and ready
  - CJ runs a quick slant into the vacated area from the nickel blitz and is wide open
  - All runs a crossing route from the far side to the near side; he eventually comes open, but the nickel has reached Cade at that point; Cade throws to All, but it the ball is behind him due to the pressure, forcing All to turn his body and try to make the catch; All cannot make the catch
  Assessment: This is a good call. I think Cade just made it more difficult than it needed to be. To me, it’s clear that Cade is expecting that nickel blitz - the 5yd safety is directly behind the nickel. CJ is wide open almost immediately after blitz, and he’s right in front of Cade. That’s an easy throw, catch, and conversion. But Cade wants to throw to All for some reason, and is therefore waiting for him to finish the route. That extra wait time allows the nickel to get close enough to affect the throw. So it ends up being behind All. It’s a difficult catch, but it’s something that All should be able to bring down in that situation. If he makes the catch, he probably makes the first time. Good call, wrong read.
  
  #5: 1st & 10 - Checkdown to Haskins; tackled immediately for no gain
  Pre-snap UM: Haskins in the backfield; CJ out wide on the far side; bunch on the near side (Henning, All, and Roman)
  Pre-snap UW: 3-4 alignment with 7 in the box; 1 corner in press on CJ; 1 corner 7 yards deep in front of the bunch; 2 deep safeties 15 yards away from the line
  - UW sends 4 - 3 DL + LOLB; ROLB drops into flat coverage
  - Haskins leaks out for a swing pass
  - CJ runs a route that’s off camera
  - All runs a quick slant; linebackers are waiting on zone
  - Roman runs a curl; corner is waiting in zone
  - Henning runs a wheel route; both corner and safety are in zone waiting
  - DE beats Hayes and gets into Cade’s face just under 3 seconds post-snap
  - Cade checks out down to Haskins; ROLB on flat coverage takes him down immediately
  Assessment: This was the right defense for this call. So Cade took the checkdown, which was the correct read, and then Haskins couldn’t shake the ROLB. Correct read, defense was just better. Not necessarily a bad call in that instance, but it looks like UW had the most favorable defense for the play.
  
  #6: 1st & 10 - Pass; Cade gets hammered as he throws; pass turns into a duck and falls incomplete
  Pre-snap UM: Haskins and Corum in the backfield; 1 in-line TE on the far side (Honigford); 1 in-line TE on the near side (Schoonmaker); CJ out wide on the near side
  Pre-snap UW: 3-4 alignment with 7 in the box + 1 corner at the LB level (8 total); 1 corner in press on CJ; 2 deep safeties, 1 is 10 yards away from the line and 1 is 15 yards away from the line
  - UW sends 4 - 3 DL + ROLB; LOLB drops into zone; everyone else plays zone
  - Corum leaks out into a shallow out route; safety waiting in zone
  - Honigford stays to block
  - Schoonmaker runs a seam route and is wide open; the ILB has no chance to cover him and the corner is too far away/confused
  - CJ is running a 15yd dig route; Cade is waiting for him to clear the ILB to throw it; it’s open
  - Haskins is supposed to block the ROLB but he whiffs badly; ROLB hits Cade as he throws; pass turns to a duck and is incomplete
  Assessment: This was a great call. If Haskins maintains the block for another half-second, CJ clears the LB level, catches the pass, and has a TON of space in front. At least a 20 yard gain. This may be unfair because it’s not the primary read, but Schoonmaker may be open for a TD. I think this route is supposed to take away one of the ILBs so that CJ’s route opens up. It works far better than expected. Schoonmaker dusts this dude, and the ILB is hauling **** in pure panic. The corner realizes this late and tried to get there as well. But I think if Cade bombs this down the seam, Schoonmaker is in the endzone. That being said, I don’t think that’s the primary read on this play. And there’s no reason to go off CJ since the play is working as intended. No one can anticipate that Schoonmaker was gonna dust his dude that bad. Great call, bad block by Haskins.
  
  #7: 2nd & 15 - Short pass to Schoonmaker; Cade misses him
  Pre-snap UM: Corum in the backfield; Roman bunched next to the line on the far side; Schoonmaker TE off the line next to Steuber on the far side; 2 wide in the near side (Sainristil and unknown due to our-of-screen)
  Pre-snap UW: 2-4 alignment with 6 in the box + nickel corner 3yds from the line (7 total); 1 corner in press on Sainristil; 1 corner covering the out of screen wide receiver (I assume); 1 safety 10 yards deep; 1 safety 15 yards deep
  - UW sends 5 - 3 DL + LOLB + ROLB; Cade has a clean pocket; everyone else in zone
  - Corum leaks out into the flats; nickel is there in an intermediate zone, but Corum will have space
  - Roman runs a Go route; both safeties are there in zone
  - Don’t know what the mystery, out-of-screen receiver ran
  - Sainristil runs a seam route
  - Schoonmaker pretends to block, then leaks out for a short slant; Cade throws behind him and misses
  Assessment: Decent call. Corum has some space if Cade throws it there, but the nickel would scream down. Decent chance that Corum could dust him, but true gain probably tops out around 10 due to LBs and safeties showing up. The throw to Schoonmaker is probably the best place because the WR routes have cleared out the safeties and Schoonmaker just has to outrace some ILBs. This probably gets 10 yards, maybe 15 if they get lucky. This was just a bad throw by Cade that nerfs this play. Good call, bad throw.
  
  #8: 3rd & 15 - Deep pass to CJ; gain of 33 yards
  Pre-snap UM: Corum in the backfield; 4 wide (Roman and All far side, Sainristil and CJ near side)
  Pre-snap UW: 1-4 alignment with 5 in the box; 2 corners in press on Roman and CJ; nickel in press on Sainristil; 4th DB w/ 5yd cushion on all; 1 safety 13 yards deep; 1 safety 20+ yards deep
  - UW sends 3 - 1 DL + 2 LBs; Cade has a clean pocket; everyone else in zone
  - This looks like 4 verts; DBs have great position on CJ, Roman, and Sainristil; All seems to have a step and inside position on his DB, but can’t see where the safety is
  - Cade throws a back-shoulder to CJ; CJ sees it, adjusts, catches, and then runs for another 10 yards
  Assessment: This was an absolutely AMAZING throw. And to the casuals yelling “this was a lucky underthrow” - it was on purpose. Though I will grant that it didn’t help that Todd Backledge kept on saying “beautiful underthrow” instead of “back shoulder” for some reason. There seems to be this idea that Cade has a wet noodle for an arm in the insufferable portion of the fan base. Dude had an inch perfect bomb that traveled 50 yards in the air last week to Ronnie. This throw didn’t even go 30. Cade’s not JJ, but he’s got some juice. The one thing Cade has been excellent at is decision-making and ball placement. The DB is in front of CJ the entire time; Cade sees that. He undoubtedly sees the deep safety screaming in over top. So he knows if he leads CJ, it’s getting broken up, picked, or CJ is getting lit up. So back shoulder. In fact he throws it in a spot that lets CJ stop and gather himself so he can get YAC. But sure, you could believe that he simply lucked into the perfect placement, perfect throw, and perfect decision if you want to be miserable. Good call, amazing throw.
  
  #9: 2nd & Goal - Throwaway
  Pre-snap UM: Haskins in the backfield; 6 OL; 3 TE, on next to the line far side (Honigford), one next to the line near side (All), and one split out wide on the near side (Schoonmaker)
  Pre-snap UW: 4-4 alignment with 8 in the box; 2 corners right at the line; 1 safety 10 yards deep;
  - UW sends 5 - 4 DL + LOLB; ROLB drops in zone; UM rolls the pocket towards the far side
  - Honigford runs an out; Safety and ILBs have it covered in zone
  - All runs a crossing route; ILBs in zone and ready
  - I don’t know what Schoonmaker is running; some sort of shallow route, then he turns it up; ILBs in zone have it covered
  - Nothing is there, so Cade just throws it away
  Assessment: I don’t think this was a good call. UW has been exclusively playing zone this entire time. So I don’t get why you would try to run man beaters out of a heavy set that just goes straight into their zones. Bad call, right decision.
  
  #10: 2nd & 8 - Bubble screen to AJ Henning; no gain
  Pre-snap UM: Corum in the backfield; TE in-line on the far side (All); 3 wide on the near side (Henning, Roman, Baldwin)
  Pre-snap UW: 2-4 alignment with 6 in the box + 1 corner in blitz position (7 total); nickel 3yds deep in between Roman and AJ; 1 corner in press on Baldwin; 2 safeties 20 yards deep
  - UW sends 4 - 2 DL + 2 LBs; Cade has a clean pocket; everyone else in zone
  - Fake to Corum, then immediate throw to Henning for the bubble
  - Baldwin successfully blocks his man
  - Henning loops around Roman and catches the ball; Roman is then supposed to block the nickel
  - The nickel reads the bubble and absolutely annihilates Roman’s block; Roman stands still and catches the nickel who’s running at full speed; Roman therefore is blown backwards into Henning
  - Nickel then successfully tackled Henning
  Assessment: This is a good call. If Roman blocks the nickel, Henning is off to the races. Baldwin has successfully blocked his man. This play probably goes for at least 8 and could be an explosive play depending on how long Baldwin can hold onto the block and if Henning and can beat the ILB’s angle. Alas, Roman has bad technique on the block. He can’t wait on this - he needs to run at the nickel and meet him halfway. Roman can’t just stand their and catch a guy coming at full speed - he’s not big enough to handle the impact. And yes, it’s perfectly legal for him to go out and get the nickel - the pass is behind the line of scrimmage, so blocking downfield doesn’t apply. Good call, poor execution.
  
  #11: 3rd & 6 - Short pass to Corum; gain of 8
  Pre-snap UM: Empty backfield; 5 wide (Roman, Sainristil, and All far side, Corum and CJ near side)
  Pre-snap UW: 2-4 alignment with 6 in the box; corners in press on Roman and CJ; nickel 4 yards deep in between Sainristil and All; no one over Corum; 2 safeties 15 yards deep
  - UW sends 4 - 2 DL + 2 LBs; they run a stunt w/ the 2 DL but it’s picked up; Cade has a clean pocket; everyone else in zone
  - Roman and Sainristil run a run route; it doesn’t work because UW is in zone; but Roman clears the zone and has soave
  - All runs a seam route; gets picked up by the safety and ILB in zone
  - CJ runs a Go; DB sticks with him
  - Corum runs a slight curl that is in a hole in the zone and he’s wide open; he catches and gets the first down
  Assessment: Good play call. Gets Corum out in space in a hole in the zone and it’s an easy throw for Cade. Good call, good execution.
  
  #12: 2nd & 13 - Throwaway
  Pre-snap UM: Empty backfield; 3 wide on the far side (Corum, CJ, and Henning); TE off the line on the near side (Honigford); 1 WR in-line next to the TE (Roman)
  Pre-snap UW: 2-4 alignment with 6 in the box + corner covering Roman (7 total); 1 corner in press on Corum; 1 corner 5 yards deep on Roman; nickel 3 yards deep on CJ; LB over Henning; 1 safety 10 yards deep; 1 safety 15 yards deep
  - UW sends 4 - 2 DL + 2 LBs; LOLB beats Steiner and flushed Cade; DL breaks through and chased Cade down; everyone else in zone
  - I think both CJ and Blake run Go routes (they’re out screen); couldn’t really determine quality of coverage (again, out of screen)
  - Henning runs a 5yd curl; LB is right there in zone
  - Honingford runs a 5yd out; safety is all over it and probably picks it if thrown
  - Roman runs a 10yd curl; LB is right there in zone
  - No one is open and pressure gets to Cade; throwaway
  Assessment: This call and route concept makes no sense. You have a super fast receiver in Henning that’s initially covered by a linebacker. Yes there is a deep safety. But, both Corum and CJ are going deep, so the safety has an eye on those. A great concept would be send Henning on a corner and Roman on a post. That puts that safety in a hell of a bind and, chances are, one of Roman or Henning becomes screamingly wide open. Instead, we don’t punish them for trying to put LBs on fast receivers and most of the routes are short. Bad call, poor protection.
  
  #13: 3rd & 13 - Short pass to Corum; gain of 6
  Pre-snap UM: Corum in the backfield; 3 wide far side (Roman, Henning, and Schoonmaker); CJ out wide near side
  Pre-snap UW: 2-4 alignment with 6 in the box; corners in press on Roman and CJ; nickel 4 yards deep in between Henning and Schoonmaker; 2 safeties 15 yards deep
  - UW sends 2 - 2 DL; Cade has a clean pocket; everyone else in zone
  - Roman and Henning run Go routes; corner and nickel seem to be in good position with safety help over top
  - Schoonmaker runs a post; ILB has this initially, and then passes to the safety
  - I don’t know what CJ ran (out of screen)
  - Corum leaks out and runs a quick out with a lot of space; Cade throws to him, but all the LBs and safeties in zone quickly converge and tackle after a gain of about 6
  Assessment: Ok call. It’s 3rd and pretty long and they have to two real deep safeties. Cade didn’t like what he saw from the other routes so took the checkdown to Corum. That was the right decision. Ok call, good decision.
  
  #14: 2nd & 6 - Bubble screen to Sainristil; loss of 1
  Pre-snap UM: Edwards in the backfield; 3 wide far side (Roman, Schoonmaker, and Sainristil) CJ out wide near side
  Pre-snap UW: 3-3 alignment with 6 in the box + blitzing nickel (7 total); corners in press on Roman and CJ; nickel 4 yards deep over Sainristil before moving up in blitz position; 2 safeties 15 yards deep
  - UW sends 6 - 3 DL + 2 LBs + Nickel; Cade throws quickly; everyone else in zone
  - Fake to Edwards and quick throw to Sainristil
  - Roman blocks his corner decently; Schoonmaker completely whiffs on the safety
  - The safety that Schoonmaker whiffs on comes down to make the play
  Assessment: This is a good call. If Schoonmaker blocks the safety, Sainristil gains at least 8-10 yards. Good call, poor execution.
  
  #15: 3rd & 7 - Short pass to Sainristil; incomplete
  Pre-snap UM: Corum in the backfield; CJ out wide in the far side; 3 wide on the near side (Schoonmaker, Sainristil, and Roman)
  Pre-snap UW: 2-4 alignment with 6 in the box; corners in press on Roman and CJ; nickel 3 yards deep on Sainristil; no one over Schoonmaker; 1 safety 8 yards deep; 1 safety 15 yards deep
  - UW sends 3 - 2 DL + ROLB; Cade has a clean pocket; everyone else in zone
  - CJ runs a curl; corner and dropping LOLB all over it
  - Schoonmaker runs a post; well covered by safety and linebacker
  - Looks like Roman ran a Go; he has inside position and a step on the corner, but safety is there over top
  - Sainristil runs a really lazy in-and-out; the cut and transition to the out is not at full speed; corner is still behind Sainristil despite the poor route
  Assessment: I think this is a good call - having your most skilled slot receiver go to work. But, unfortunately, Sainristil runs a real lazy route and isn’t where he’s supposed to be when the throw comes. As a result, Cade throws too far in front of him. Good call, poor execution.