Brown or Partridge?

Submitted by Monkey House on December 31st, 2019 at 1:10 PM

Most know I'm done with Don Brown and ready to move on. Since Partridge is being looked at by other programs who else here is in favor of booting Brown and making Partridge the DC? If not what are your reasons for wanting to keep Brown and let CP leave?

MGoBoard

TheCube

December 31st, 2019 at 1:13 PM ^

Partridge. Would rather keep the star recruiter who is also younger and connected with a state with higher tier recruits. 
 

Recruit better and scheme is less of a problem as we’ve found out with Brown. 
 

 

Joined: 12/19/2018

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energyblue1

December 31st, 2019 at 1:54 PM ^

I would have zero issues promoting him to co-dc.  My issue as an elite recruiter, why have we abandoned New Jersey to pennst, osu and nd all taking more players than we have from jersey and all highly rated so it wasnt as though they took kids we wouldn't be interested in or couldn't sign. 

Joined: 03/19/2010

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bronxblue

December 31st, 2019 at 2:20 PM ^

Fine, then calling Don Brown a "competent" DC also undersells him.  It doesn't change the equation.

I'd be fine giving him a chance at DC if it seemed like he was trending in that direction; I'll be honest I don't know how he is as a coordinator.  Special teams has been good at blocking punts but the safeties have also been a bit of a mess at times this year.  But just because he's a really good recruiter doesn't mean he deserves to be named co-DC over guys who may be better at actually coaching a defense.

Michigan doesn't need to follow the lead of Lane Kiffin or force a bad situation just because he can recruit guys; that's what mediocre programs do and it almost always blows up in their face in the long term.  If Partridge is given a chance at DC at UM, then good.  But it should be because he's shown acumen and promise at the position.  Because if he does go to Ole Miss (or anywhere else) and is a mediocre DC, I doubt the same frothing hordes we see calling for him getting a co-DC spot now would be as amenable to that option then.

Joined: 11/22/2008

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energyblue1

December 31st, 2019 at 2:47 PM ^

Partridge came up under Don Brown as a p5 defensive assistant.  So, i'm not sure where fans are getting the preference other than reputation as a hard worker great recruiter.  He's coached lbers and safeties while being our special teams coordinator. 

Don Brown, his scheme had issues among the biggest concerns is alignment in zero coverage with multiple rec, bunch formations et cetera.  No levels, doesn't jam either interior rec esp the first rec almost always the clear out.  This allows for straight block/pic by mesh or clear out rec.  He also never has his defender knock the mesh rec on his back for doing it.  The play may get called again and the defender might get a penalty but the rec will not do it again!  Next is the use of safeties over a slot in zero coverage.  This is fine for cover safeties but not over a #1 or elite rec.  This is where Brown has been caught big time and it started in 2016 vs colorado, psu has done it several times, osu under haskins had a qb that could take advantage as well as rec. 

This year and the end of 2018 just revealed the lack of depth at DT.  Injuries, transfers and to many sde's hoped to turn into 3tech dt's didn't pan out left a very thin dline that got exposed.  A big part of this is evaluation, most of that dline was landed by Gregg Mattison.  But we also landed Smith and Hinton. 

Going forward, Brown has instituted a lot of coverage options this past season and looks to want to run a 3-3 shell much the same that Clemson ran.  He needs to get this defense much stronger at the dt and needs far more athletic players than Hudson.  Brad Hawkins injury hurt as well and ended up putting more on Hudson than he could handle.  Harbaugh must dictate to him to have a much stronger DT rotation and ensure proper evaluation is priority! 

If Harbaugh moves on from Don Brown, I'm fine.  If he keeps him, bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic....

Joined: 03/19/2010

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bostonsix

December 31st, 2019 at 7:58 PM ^

The worst ohio state fuck troll there is. 

He couldn't hide trying to be a Michigan fan for his first five posts and he is still trying to pull it off. 

I've been to eleven warriors 3 times and it's because I clicked on a link posted here on mgoblog, then immediately clicked back. BuckeyeChuck, and buckeyeJones at least contribute to posts and dont hide the fact of who they root for, and are welcomed by most posters. 

This taint is just a cuck.

 

 

 

Joined: 01/01/2013

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Phaedrus

December 31st, 2019 at 3:44 PM ^

Considering that Partridge has learned under Brown, what makes you think he would be any different as a coordinator? I find it hard to believe that Partridge is on the staff sitting on a bunch of invaluable knowledge and not sharing his thoughts with Brown.

Joined: 09/02/2019

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cbs650

December 31st, 2019 at 5:20 PM ^

We know that on offense, its all hands on deck as Jim has said in the past they  come up with the game plans together. We don't know if that happens on the defensive side of the ball. I doubt that the defensive coaches don't provide input but I don't recall Brown ever talking about collaborative planning like what happens on the offensive side of the ball. 

Joined: 02/07/2011

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chunkums

December 31st, 2019 at 5:09 PM ^

In 51 games as Michigan's defensive coordinator, Brown has given up 30 points or more a total of 8 times. Five of those games were against SP+ top 5 offenses, two were against top 15 offenses, and the last one was a triple OT game where Brown's defense gave up 10 points in regulation to Ohio State. Some of the beatdowns have been epic, but let's not be stupid and pretend he gets pounded by every "decent" team he plays. 

Joined: 06/30/2008

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trustBlue

December 31st, 2019 at 5:42 PM ^

Partidge has never coordinated a defense in his life. Partridge has been a college coach for only four years, all four of which have taken place under Don Brown.  

Yet you guys have convinced yourself that Partridge secretly been holding on to the killer plans to beat Ohio State and PSU, but he's simply decided to keep them all to himself until Don Brown gets fired? 

Good grief.

No wonder people think Michigan fans are idiots.

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NeverPunt

December 31st, 2019 at 1:18 PM ^

CP is a talented recruiter and seems to be a good position coach. With no evidence of his coordinator abilities, however, it's tough to say how he will do in that role. Promoting him to DC just to not lose him seems a risky choice. 

If you are done with DB, that's of course fine to be your opinion. I would take umbrage with the notion that the way we should replace a guy who's run a top 10 defense most of the last decade and yet we still find unsatisfactory is promoting a guy with zero coordinator experience so we don't lose him. Hire the best available DC if that's your take. 

DB is in his mid-60s and won't coach forever. Whether he stays or goes from UM, let Partridge get some experience and bring him back if he's an awesome DC. Harbaugh gave him his shot at major college FB and they seem to get on well. Not sure why he wouldn't come back whenever DB is retired or fired or leaves to be a head coach in new england. Again, if he's the best available coordinator at the time.

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CityOfKlompton

December 31st, 2019 at 2:10 PM ^

If you are done with DB, that's of course fine to be your opinion. I would take umbrage with the notion that the way we should replace a guy who's run a top 10 defense most of the last decade and yet we still find unsatisfactory is promoting a guy with zero coordinator experience so we don't lose him.

All I needed to read to upvote this. The wild disdain for Don Brown is absurd in my opinion. If anything has been consistent since Harbaugh arrived it's been the defense. The program has had the unfortunate circumstances of being in the same division as an OSU team in the midst of a historic run. That won't last forever, and running top talent out of town because they're just a hair below that is probably not a good long term strategy, especially if the plan is to replace them with unproven commodities.

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Dr. Detroit

December 31st, 2019 at 1:19 PM ^

Brown.

Unless you want to stake your name, reputation and income on the assumption that Partridge will be the greatest defensive coordinator of all time & magically turn a team from Ohio into a limp noodle you should just quit while behind.

Joined: 01/12/2019

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bronxblue

December 31st, 2019 at 1:24 PM ^

Don Brown is a respected DC who fielded yet another top 10 defense per SP+ despite having a relatively young defense and some holes on the defensive line.

Chris Patridge who has coached either LB or Safeties for less than 4 years and has no relevant defensive coordinator experience anywhere.

You can be unhappy with Don Brown and th defense's performance against OSU all you want, but it's stupid to believe that Partridge is ready or capable to run a defense, let alone at the level Brown does at UM.

Joined: 11/22/2008

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TennesseeMaize

December 31st, 2019 at 7:40 PM ^

I get both sides. I know It’s fun for people to proverbially slap each other around on this board with sarcasm, but I think the discussion around Brown is fair. Consecutive years of OSU scoring almost at will against our D is truly disturbing.
 

I agree that reasonable evaluation should be given on the matter rather than making rash judgments. After watching our D completely cave again and allow big play after big play in the most significant game of the year... it seems irrational to say “all is fine” and ridicule anyone who disagrees. I’m not even factoring the meltdown against Wisconsin or Army running at will on our defense either. 
 

Don Brown seems to have a strong scheme that works against most teams, but he has one or two big busts every year, namely against our chief rival. I’m not convinced Partridge would be a better option either. It looks as if DB will get another year, so I would like to see a better game plan in 2020 as OSU offense will, yet again, be loaded. 

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befuggled

December 31st, 2019 at 2:05 PM ^

Agreed. I like Chris Partridge and hope we can keep him. However, there's only a small chance that Partridge is going to be a better DC right out of the gate, and a big chance that he's worse. 

It'd be far smarter to give Partridge more responsibility and put him in a position to take over for Brown when he retires. Yes, you risk losing him to Lane Kiffin--but you may also be able to hire him back after Kiffin gets fired.

Joined: 07/01/2008

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s1105615

December 31st, 2019 at 2:34 PM ^

I don’t believe Brown should be fired because as several have noted, he puts out statistically great defenses year after year, and I don’t see a better option to bring in (including Partridge), but I don’t track the coaching carousel very much.  
I do believe the argument that those statistics are propped up by demolishing less talented teams while not fairing bear as well against more talented teams is fair and bears considering.  The UM D hasn’t been elite, which is needed to slow down high powered offenses now.  Twenty years ago if he’d had this level of talent, Brown’s D is probably good enough to shut down the most potent offenses around, and that may even have been true of ten years ago because it used to be D that had the edge over  offenses.  Now, offenses have all the advantages.  Throw in some serious home cooking by officials in the losses at PSU this year and at OSU in 2016, and you are left with a narrative of looks much bleaker than it should.  
The gap has widened since 2016 considerably in OSUs favor, and that’s a problem that has no silver bullet other just than finding a way to win.  Frustrating as is it as a fan, some times the best course of action is to do nothing.  Consistency in the staff should help lead to better recruiting and retention of talent.  As long as Brown continues to dismantle the lesser talented teams and makes progress against the PSUs and Wisconsin’s of the CFB world, he’s worth keeping in the hopes he’ll find a way to scheme and prep players well enough to bottle up OSU as well.  Just my $0.04.  Go Blue

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umchicago

December 31st, 2019 at 2:43 PM ^

same people that wanted to give yaklich the job at the risk of losing him. 

make the guy prove it first.  if CP is solid as a DC elsewhere for a couple years and brown retires, then CP can always come back with a big pay increase.  exactly how many top recruits would we lose if CP left for a couple years?

i would take a good proven coach over a few high rated recruits any day.

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