[Gerdeman] Michigan Monday - Week 1
For those interested, the first "Michigan Monday" by Tony Gerdeman is up on O-Zone.
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:04 PM ^
ugh...BPONE indeed...
i need a drink after reading that
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:10 PM ^
I always like his analysis. It hurts that he basically just feels bad for us at this point
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:11 PM ^
not these again
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:19 PM ^
UM has become apathetic and OSU fans are actually feeling sorry
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:20 PM ^
Tony is spot on.
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:20 PM ^
I usually think he does a good job on these, but this one seems off the mark.
The conservative game plan was to protect the OL. The short passes, bubble screens, designed roll outs, all were basically the wishlist the last time Michigan had a line this bad and Hoke/Borges refused to accept the reality the OL simply couldn't protect long enough for vertical routes.
Next, he knocks the s&c staff for the cramping even though both teams had guys going down with them (ND had more by my count).
He then claims Michigan's defense got lit up for 3 touchdowns without mentioning the litany of penalties that kept those drives alive and moved them down the field.
And he never even mentions the very heart of Michigan's offensive dysfunction, the OL.
September 4th, 2018 at 1:42 AM ^
Uh, he did.
Did you miss the following line?
"The offensive line wasn’t great, obviously. They gave up three sacks and paved the way for a running game that found less and less room the longer this one went on."
September 5th, 2018 at 7:23 AM ^
I don't think that's the same thing. The guy critiques the line's play and connects it to running output with that sentence. He doesn't discuss how it hamstrung the entire offense into a very conservative approach.
September 4th, 2018 at 2:27 PM ^
I think the knock on the S&C staff is warranted. One thing you glean from watching tennis is every opportunity they get to replenish and rehydrate, they're doing so. Federer eats a bite of banana periodically throughout the match. Nadal has a special "recuperation" drink that he prefers during matches. I can only think of one instance in the current US Open of a player cramping up, despite the extreme heat they're experiencing during play right now. I don't know what the Michigan staff does specifically, but there's surely a problem; having two of your most important players sitting on the sideline simply cannot happen.
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:29 PM ^
I’m not interested but thanks!
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:31 PM ^
Our offense is lifeless, pedestrian, mediocre, antique, boring, unimaginitive, and predictable. If I were a DC, I would be drinking a case of beer, not a 12 pack when facing Harbaugh. On Saturday, a Michigan WR might catch the first touchdown pass in a year! App St had a few in one game on the road in Happey Valley on Saturday.
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:37 PM ^
That’s what bothers me the most, the stubbornness on offense and lack of actual identity.
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:46 PM ^
Ohio State has an interim head coach and a sophomore quarterback and put up 721 yards Saturday (Yes, Oregon State caveat applies).
Hard to fathom those types of numbers.
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:47 PM ^
The lack of production from the WR spot speaks volumes.
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:50 PM ^
I know you say that this is Jim harbaughs offense, but how do you explain the radical change that happened from fisch to pep?
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:55 PM ^
Players. Fish had seniors at WR, RB, and across the OL.
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:00 PM ^
Are you suffering from BPONE, UMbig?
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:03 PM ^
This is a bad take. Michigan out gained ND on the game by running the exact type of plays they needed to mitigate the impact of the tackles. Bubble screens, quick passes, and up-the-gut runs were the exact type of plays Harbaugh ran and other competent coaches would have done as well. To pick on the lack of tackle development would be more appropriate given what occurred on Saturday.
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:13 PM ^
Holy crap UMBIG11 has gone emo.
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:56 PM ^
Pretty sure that was a sarcastic take by UMBig11...
September 3rd, 2018 at 11:39 PM ^
Maybe?
I'm not sure how you can explain the second half of his post as sarcasm... but I'm admittedly confused.
September 4th, 2018 at 8:19 AM ^
I'm pretty sure it wasn't.
September 3rd, 2018 at 10:32 PM ^
This is an odd take from you IMO since you seemed so confident leading up to the first game.
September 3rd, 2018 at 10:34 PM ^
Dangit I think I missed the sarcasm
September 4th, 2018 at 12:55 PM ^
Based on the practice news that you were privy to, were you surprised by what you saw on the field Saturday? Or did you have an idea the offense was going to look the way it did?
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:49 PM ^
Not even sure why they waste time on these anymore.
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:16 PM ^
Same reason you keep coming here, posting your emo: you both care deeply, but to act as if you no longer care ramps up the drama.
September 4th, 2018 at 8:20 AM ^
They should just move on to Wisconsin Wednesday.
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:51 PM ^
We know the offense isn’t changing anytime soon, but at least now we’ll see if he can change how his team reacts to difficult situations.
It's a fair statement at the end really. One game isn't enough to gauge how this offense responds to adversity, but it is going to face it if it doesn't change and it will need to find a way to respond.
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:09 PM ^
So...coming back from 21 3 and giving themselves a chance to tie with 2 minutes to go is not the reaction to a difficult situation you all are looking for??? I thought they gave themselves a chance against a very good team in a difficult environment.
September 3rd, 2018 at 10:05 PM ^
Yeah that’s better than cashing it in and saying “fuck it” and kudos to the squad for playing hard til the end.
My question is why is our offense so anemic in the first place? How is it that Utah state, app state, and Oregon state can drop 30 + on good big 10 teams and we can only score 10 offensive points on our “good” opponent. I haven’t done an in depth analysis, but I’d wager that our team has (at least) similar talent on the OL as those squads. And I’d wager my child’s soul that they don’t have a 5* qb , a 5* wr, and a ton of 4* and 3* wr, te, and rbs surrounding them. So what’s our issue? Why can’t we rack up yards and yard and TDS against good teams the way “lesser” programs can?
It has to do with coaching and game plan. And for the record, I’m not a JH hater thaT thinks Harbaugh is obsessed with some antiquated offensive scheme. I think he’ll adapt this season and open things up. I also think he’ll get a legit OC this offseason. But I’m not making excuses... lesser schools have put up more production on similar opponents. We should score 35+ points on every opponent with the talent we have.
September 4th, 2018 at 8:24 AM ^
Agreed. In spite of everything our OL recruiting is still better than App State and Oregon State.
The idea that we can't score more than 10 points a game until we have 5-stars at both OT's is stupid.
Other programs have figured it out. Go find out what they did.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:10 PM ^
It’s a good question. The answer is U-M has holes on the OL. There’s a huge difference between being mediocre or even below-average and being nonfunctional.
If you can trust your OL, as Utah State, App State and Oregon State could, you can just run your offense, and from time to time you’ll string together some drives and/or hit some big plays even against an opponent like Ohio State.
U-M couldn’t approach the game that way. They had to build their whole game plan around keeping Shea upright, which limited their options and made them predictable. The fact that he still got pressured a lot says it all.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:36 AM ^
The offense only scored ten points.
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:29 PM ^
Based on the last 3 years and last Saturday i see no improvements by this coaching staff that suggest anything better than 7-5
September 3rd, 2018 at 10:22 PM ^
Really? Remember when hoke lost to Rutgers and Harbaugh came in the next year and took most of the same players and got 10 win, With the only really bad loss being to Ohio? And how we got a new defensive coach the next year to help mitigate the asskicking we took by teams like OSU?
Ill agree that Harbaugh seems more stupborn on the offensive end, but he’s clearly willing to make changes to help his team.
September 4th, 2018 at 8:25 AM ^
Except the one we all know needs to happen . . .
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:52 PM ^
They need a wider array of plays. A couple more screens would be effective. Throw the ball up for your athletic receivers or your 6'7" TE. There is a good chance it will be caught or pass interference.
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:25 PM ^
Well, Gentry proved there's a good chance won't make the catch
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:48 PM ^
Based on one attempt on which the ND DB made a good play by ripping an arm away? Plus, that's why I mentioned receivers also.
September 3rd, 2018 at 8:56 PM ^
Pep is trash and should be fired tomorrow. This dude has been trash everywhere he has been.
Promote Jim McElwain because at least he has a solid track record as an OC.
Secondly, he's right about Gary. He's not living up to his recruiting status.
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:09 PM ^
Thanks for that Braylon.
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:24 PM ^
I don't care what they do or how they do it anymore. They need to figure this out and fast. Had a perfect opportunity to take the criticism down and just ramped it up big time. Earn your pay and win a big game for once.
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:19 PM ^
Agree about Pep. Hope I’m wrong though. Seems like everything died the second Fisch left. Passing game did feel like an improvement over last year though. I’d like to see how they progress over the next couple games. If we can’t put mediocre teams away Pep should be gone before game 6.
September 4th, 2018 at 1:16 AM ^
When fisch left our entire oline graduated as well...
We had almost all juniors on the oline harbaughs first year, and Kalis and company were all seniors the next year as well as newsome.
Only people left that aren't injured is all of the young lineman or hokes awful tackle recruits.
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:39 PM ^
I enjoyed Michigan Monday in 2015 and especially 16.
Now, not so much.
September 3rd, 2018 at 9:54 PM ^
Uuuggghhhh after reading that. I think I need another Vodka & Vernors. I’m sick.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:25 AM ^
Jamison's with Vernor's is the nectar of the Gods!
September 3rd, 2018 at 11:43 PM ^
Hard to argue with any of that. It’s overdue for JH to find an offensive identity and stick with it. We have the talent—time to cash in.
September 3rd, 2018 at 11:50 PM ^
Okay, I admit, this part was pretty funny...