De'Veon Smith says Wheatley and being "taught properly" have helped him improve.
FromDetroit News:
Smith appeared Monday night on the "Inside Michigan Football" weekly radio show with host Jim Brandstatter. Brandstatter asked Smith how much he has worked on pass protection.
"I guess until this year I wasn't really taught properly how to pass protect and what are my keys exactly," Smith said. "And (running backs) coach (Tyrone) Wheatley is instilling that into in all the running backs."
We all love Fred Jackson, for good reasons. And maybe there's more to this comment than appears, but still, interesting comment because besides the improved offensive line protection subjectively speaking it does seem that we've had fewer blown blocks by RB's this year
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/201…
November 10th, 2015 at 9:24 AM ^
Amazing what a competent coaching staff can do... just think where we would be if we didn't have to spend time un-learning bad habits
November 10th, 2015 at 9:53 AM ^
I have no doubt Wheatley is good, but I am skeptical that he taught Deveon how to teleport in just one off season. No Deveon, that power was always inside you. Like a baby kangaroo, it was just waiting to get out...
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November 10th, 2015 at 3:43 PM ^
November 10th, 2015 at 10:28 AM ^
Fred Jackson coached him a lot on pass blocking. (And Vince was awesome at it.)
Also, I read somewhere that De'Veon said he gets 8 minutes attending the OL meetings that other RBs don't get because they are in the Special Teams meeting.
I am wondering if it was a limited time focus thing.Was De'Veon on special teams last year?
November 10th, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
The closest we have come to seeing a QB have a concussion or a serious injury was when Rudock sustained two dirty hits beyond the line of scrimmage on one play. The pass protection is definitely a lot better.
November 10th, 2015 at 9:27 AM ^
This was in http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/notes-harbaughs-show but yes what a concept.
November 10th, 2015 at 9:31 AM ^
It's obvious that this staff is significantly better than the last, but these sorts of quotes are so ubiquitous in every coaching transition that they are not all that meaningful, in my view.
Remember when Gardner said Borges never taught him how to identify the MIKE and Nuss had now taught him, and everything was going to be fixed on offense? Yeah.
November 10th, 2015 at 9:39 AM ^
Yeah, quotes should be taken with a grain of salt. But if you look at our "sacks allowed" stats, the numbers back him up (26 sacks allowed in 12 games in 2014, only 13 allowed in 9 games thus far).
November 10th, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^
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November 10th, 2015 at 9:39 AM ^
Yeah, quotes should be taken with a grain of salt. But if you look at our "sacks allowed" stats, the numbers back him up (26 sacks allowed in 12 games in 2014, only 13 allowed in 9 games thus far).
November 10th, 2015 at 10:12 AM ^
It helps that basically our whole offensive line returned, and so did all of our backs. Everyone is a year older and wiser than they were last year.
November 10th, 2015 at 11:26 AM ^
I think a contributing factor to the sack numbers being reduced this year is improved blocking at the center position. Miller was a good center, but I remember him getting driven back a good 5 yards on more than one occasion. QBs are taught to step forward in the pocket to avoid the rush from the outside. Gardner could not do this because Miller was getting driven back so far. Glasgow maintains the center of the pocket better than Miller did.
November 10th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^
Also, we've changed QBs, and Rudock is pretty good about getting rid of the ball when pressured.
November 10th, 2015 at 9:54 AM ^
Agreed, came to this thread to say the same thing. I think you would hear this type of quote during any coaching transition, as guys buy in to a staff's teaching style, terminology, areas of focus, etc.
I don't blame De'Veon for feeling this way and speaking his mind, but probably over the course of his career (hopefully/probably in the NFL as well as after that) he will figure out that sometimes you click with a coach/manager/teacher, and sometimes you don't. It doesn't necessarily say too much about either person.
November 10th, 2015 at 10:36 AM ^
with sleds comments when Hoke came in, yet Count Down to Kickoff videos showed them using sleds. Maybe it wasn't enough of the right kind or something.
I tend to think there is limited time to coach, and each staff has particular points of emphasis for each player based on how they are fitting the puzzel together and what their overall scheme is.
That said, it is great the De'Veon has progressed in this area that has really been a gap since Mr. Smith moved on to community awesomeness.
November 10th, 2015 at 10:01 AM ^
Identifying the Mike means nothing if your O line is a sieve.
November 10th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^
QB points and calls out: "That's the guy that's going to sack me a second and a half after the ball is snapped. BLUE - 32 - SET - HIKE!"
November 10th, 2015 at 10:09 AM ^
it was true right? But all the other problems overhwelmed that one minor advance. Now we don't have all those other coaching problems, so these minor advances become real advances.
November 10th, 2015 at 10:48 AM ^
Gardner had a much better line after Nuss arrived. It was just a different way of doing things, not necessarily better for him. Effectively changing how a senior QB looks at the defense probably required a lot more coaching than Gardner got.
November 10th, 2015 at 9:40 AM ^
November 10th, 2015 at 9:47 AM ^
November 10th, 2015 at 10:05 AM ^
drops in every once in a while with some snark and then bounces. Carry on.
November 10th, 2015 at 10:06 AM ^
November 10th, 2015 at 11:16 AM ^
November 15th, 2015 at 6:05 PM ^
November 15th, 2015 at 7:03 PM ^
November 16th, 2015 at 8:25 AM ^
November 16th, 2015 at 9:01 AM ^
November 16th, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^
Sorry, I'm not as obsessed with my replies as you are and don't check them as often.
"Internet Tough Guy"? How is your lame cat-calling in this example somehow not an example of that? And I'm probably the last guy on this forum who gives a shit what people here "buy."
November 16th, 2015 at 2:19 PM ^
November 16th, 2015 at 3:24 PM ^
I have a life. You've got McNothing.
November 16th, 2015 at 3:52 PM ^
November 16th, 2015 at 5:40 PM ^
November 10th, 2015 at 9:48 AM ^
I wonder who taught Wheatley how to block in college. Must have been a great coach!
November 10th, 2015 at 10:30 AM ^
Great point, but something was clearly off the past few years(Rawls does nothing at UM, suddenly an NFL contributor, Toussaint going to Baltimore and getting praised for his pass blocking when it was such a weakness here, Mike Cox suddenly becoming effective enough to get drafted and earn playing time) and there was one common thread through all of it.
That said, Fred Jackson was the one member of the staff beating the drum for Drake Johnson and I shudder to think what the situation would look like right now without him.
November 10th, 2015 at 11:28 AM ^
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November 10th, 2015 at 1:02 PM ^
Drake was a 2*/0* recruit who was offered when scholarships were tight. He wasn't a late add like Norfleet either.
November 10th, 2015 at 3:50 PM ^
November 10th, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
It's entirely possible that Jackson was an excellent coach earlier in his tenure and not excellent by the end. Coaches aren't unchangeable robots.
November 10th, 2015 at 9:50 AM ^
I've said this for 5 years...it was absolutely ridiculous the last two.
I will never forget in one of the spring practice videos when Jackson was "getting on" a couple of the RBs and they looked at each other like with a slight laugh and a "ha, get the fuck outta here" look --- not disrespectfully, but in the, this dude must be crazy if he thinks I'm listening to him right now look.
He was completely out of touch and no one took him seriously. As a coach, I wasn't impressed whatsoever...you can only get by for so long telling stories of the glory days...at some point you have to update your teaching methods and out work your counterparts.
Sure Jackson taught Wheatley, but it's not like Wheatley is just spewing Jackson's old rhetoric...he's clearly developed his own coaching style, he's learned for other coaches, he's modernized his approach.
Our RBs are night and day better than they have been in the past. Now when they make mistakes, it's a lot clearer that they made a mistake and it wasn't a coaching error.
Yes, the OL is better (due to better coaching), but I'm not talking about production. I'm talking about our RBs knowing what bltzer to pick up, what hole to hit, knowing how to chip a DE and fall into the flat (which Rudock loves). Knowing how to read ZONE coverage - my GOD what an improvement here...how many times has Smith found a hole in a zone and Rudock hit him for a 5 yard gain rather than an incompletion?
Those things are coaching...that has nothing to do with skill. Hell, I can find a hole in a zone if you teach me what to look for and where to go. I may not catch the ball or do anything after the catch, because I'm not a D1 scholarship athlete...but I'd be in the right spot - that's a good coach.
November 10th, 2015 at 9:58 AM ^
Rushing YPA 2015 4.3
Rushing YPA 2014 4.6
November 10th, 2015 at 10:33 AM ^
can be very misleading. This staff has dialed up effective runs all season long at crucial times in terms of down and distance, the use of the fullback has been a stroke of brilliance, and we are getting players to edge with screens and end arounds on a routine basis. Yeah, we don't line up and truck people, but I think you would be hard pressed to argue that the "running game" as a whole has not been upgraded from last year in terms of effectiveness.
November 10th, 2015 at 10:44 AM ^
I've been very impressed with the play calling. I haven't been impressed with the running backs.