Greg Mattison finalist for Broyles Award
Greg Mattison has been announced as a finalist for the Broyles Award, which recognizes the top assistant coach of the year. It's a pretty big honor just to be nominated let alone be named a finalist, so congrats to Coach Mattison and good luck. The winner will be announced on December 6.
GO BLUE!!!
2011 Broyles Award Finalists:
John Chavis, DC (LSU)
Paul Chryst, OC/QB (Wisconsin)
Greg Mattison, DC (Michigan)
Garrick McGee, OC/QB (Arkansas)
Sal Sunseri, Asst. HC/LB (Alabama)
http://www.broylesaward.com/press-releases/2011/11/28/finalists-announc…
December 3rd, 2011 at 6:20 AM ^
In my admittedly biased opinion, Mattison deserves this award if, for nothing else, finally asserting that, in defenses run by guys named Greg, the "R" comes before the "E".
December 3rd, 2011 at 8:29 AM ^
Does anyone know of another program which exhibited the type of defensive improvement that Michigan experienced between 2010 and 2011 with largely the same personnel?
I'm a little biased, but Mattison deserves this award. What he accomplished may be unprecedented.
December 3rd, 2011 at 8:54 AM ^
Illinois '09 was towards the bottom of the NCAA and jumped up to about midway in '10. Then again a 40-ish spot jump doesn't hold a candle to the near-100-spot-jump we witnessed.
December 3rd, 2011 at 8:57 AM ^
Yeah, scoring defense improved 99 spots from last year to this, without an easier schedule. I can't find a similar instance of one-year improvement.
December 3rd, 2011 at 11:20 AM ^
Without an easier schedule? We swapped Penn State and Wisconsin for Northwestern and Minnesota. I'd say that schedule got a lot easier.
December 3rd, 2011 at 11:29 AM ^
Based on stregth of schedule data we had a slightly easier schedule this year. ND and MSU are better than last year, Eastern went .500 this year, SDSU and Western were decent.
See here:
http://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/ranking/strength-of-schedule-by-team
December 3rd, 2011 at 9:47 AM ^
This might have been covered in a diary about defense earlier. I'm sorry but I don't recall the exact reference, but the highlights were: Bo Pelini took Nebraska from the very low end of the defensive ranks to the upper end (if I recall, a top 3 team by one of the defensive criteria), but it was also noted that the sudden rise occured with the emergence of Ndamukong Suh as a defensive force.
What makes Mattison's work here so impressive is that we don't have anyone on defense who has developed into a theoretical top 3 NFL draft choice.
December 3rd, 2011 at 12:49 PM ^
as NU's D pre-Bo broke many school records--in the wrong way--and this was the number one reason for the downfall of Bill Callahan. The Blackshirts immediatly went from awful to good and then great under Pelini.
And Suh was only a good player when Bo arrived, didn't even make All-BXII the year before.
I totally agree that Mattison did a fantastic job for UM, and predicted on a June post he'd make a big difference in your season:
I think UM will improve greatly on defense and compete for the Legends division this year . Getting Mattison was HUGE for you guys, he coached the best defense in the NFL. When Nebraska hired Bo Pelini, we went from 112th in 2007 to 55th in 2008 to 7th in 2009, with the same players, thats 50 spots improvement in consecutive years. It can be done and I'm convinced it'll happen that fast for you guys.
December 3rd, 2011 at 7:46 AM ^
Mattison did what even Vince Lomabardi couldn't do. Just hope the voters were in the bathroom for a couple of plays last week. I felt like I was having flashbacks to last year.
December 3rd, 2011 at 7:47 AM ^
At this point, Lombardi does have a severe handicap and can't do much.
December 3rd, 2011 at 7:50 AM ^
Verb tenses never were my strong point.
December 3rd, 2011 at 7:58 AM ^
It was always a funny statement to me. When I first heard the quote, my immediate thought was, "No, he couldn't, Rich....I don't know if you had heard, but..."
December 3rd, 2011 at 8:10 AM ^
And unfortunately for coaches, the message boards are kind of like wives: they'll keep bringing up some odd, misplaced comment even twenty years after the fact.
December 3rd, 2011 at 7:52 AM ^
Objectively, Chavis from LSU has to be in the discussion simply because of how dominant that unit is. Yes, most of their success is talent, but you still have to get the guys in the right places and make the right calls. I don't think anyone has done more with less than Mattison though.
December 3rd, 2011 at 8:15 AM ^
That is something that, to this homer, places Mattison a notch above. Don't get me wrong, Michigan has talent on defense, but we still depend a lot on Freshmen and only about half the positions were really set from the beginning of the year. Think about Wisconsin's offensive line, qb and rb. It would be hard to not be successful with talent like that.
December 3rd, 2011 at 8:16 AM ^
If the old adage of "It's Jimmys and Joes, not Xs and Os is true" then those other schools have better Jimmys and Joes than Michigan. Mattison made up for it in the Xs and Os department. That ought to count for something when we're talking about a "coaching" award.
December 3rd, 2011 at 8:41 AM ^
than what amounts to recruiting. The guy that gets the most out of the talent he has should get it over the guy who may or may not have brought the talent in.
Similarly, the ongoing radio debate on Coach of the Year (all of Sparta believes it should be Dantonio because he beat Hoke in the head-to-head match). Why did Ron English win it for a 6-6 season in the MAC? Why didn't Carr or Tressel win it when they went undefeated and won MNCs? Dantonio does do more with less -- there are a lot of 1st or 2nd All-B1G players on MSU's team, but there aren't a ton of 4 an 5 stars. Dantonio coached his players up over time. The difference is, Hoke and Friends did it in 1 year.
December 3rd, 2011 at 12:02 PM ^
The award is for how good the coach is, not how good the defense is. The coaching job Mattison did with "Mike Martin and some Indiana-level players" is just phenomenal. Best coaching job of the year, hands down.
December 3rd, 2011 at 4:23 PM ^
Agreed. His influence on this D has been evident in so many different ways-- the insane number of forced turnovers, his trust in Mike Martin and RVB to make play calls on the field, etc. etc. So happy to have him on board at Michigan.
December 3rd, 2011 at 8:26 AM ^
Interesting to see that.
December 3rd, 2011 at 8:48 AM ^
My opinion, of courses.... but if Mattison does not win this thing, the award has little meaning. If it is to recognize coaching, how can the coach of one of the best units in the country after being one of the worst last year NOT win that thing.
As far as I can tell, there has never been a defensive turnaround in one year like this. Obvioulsy, a lot goes into that but the coach of that defensive unit has to be recognized.
December 3rd, 2011 at 9:12 AM ^
Yeah, even with my homer glasses as far off as I can get them, it seems like Mattison has done the most with the least.
I really dont mean to disparage the guys who played for us this year, as they did all the real work. The point Im trying to make is that Mattison did it with walk-ons and freshmen littering his line-up, while LSU and Alabama did it with oversigning and NFL athletes all over the place. I feel signing free agent quarterbacks who come in with 3-4 years of big-time experience isn't really as impressive as a 99 place turnaround in what is to me, at least, the real stat of a defense, scoring defense.
I cannot wait to see what happens when we have a defense full of Crables and Bergesses, with Mattison calling the zone blitz packages. Our guys did such an amazing job this year, setting the bar so high for those who come after, the idea that it is only going to get better from here is enough to make me giddy.
December 3rd, 2011 at 9:44 AM ^
Mattison's second nomination. I believe he was a finalist in 1996 as well. Hermann won it the year after in 1997. Hope Mattison can reel it in this time.
December 3rd, 2011 at 9:44 AM ^
No slight intended to the kids on defense, but Mattison "made a silk purse out of a sow's ear". GERG was incompetent, to put it mildly, and Mattison molded the kids into a very good defense. Not only that but he's taught them fundamentals and how to take ownership and accountability.
December 3rd, 2011 at 9:53 AM ^
This is a lock
December 3rd, 2011 at 9:56 AM ^
Do NOT give Mattison the Broyles (or any other award) this year.
Of course WE kmow he's a miracle worker, but HE doesn't (says he never watched any old tape).
Just keep promising he'll win it NEXT year.
Rinse & Repeat until a MNC.
December 3rd, 2011 at 9:58 AM ^
December 3rd, 2011 at 10:03 AM ^
Eh.... they were a top 20 defense last year. They got a little better, but where is the tremendous coaching?
December 3rd, 2011 at 10:46 AM ^
In any other year I think that arguement would work, but Mattison has done a job that no one expected. He overcame the talent deficit with solid fundamentals and unexpected schemes (and personnel decisions that made sense). LSU has dine a great job, but they also get to just "release the hounds" a lot. I hope we get to do the same soon.
December 3rd, 2011 at 10:28 AM ^
96 - Mattison
97 - Herrmann, Al Borges
98 - Borges
2000 - Fred Jackson
03 - Terry Malone
07 - Calvin McGee (while at WVU)
08 - Stan Parrish (while with Hoke at BSU)
11 - Mattison
It's also interesting to see the number of finalists who went on to some degree of success as head coaches in their own right; some are still getting it done (Chris Peterson, Mark Dantonio-ugh), some had their moments but were eventually fired (Mark Mangino, Randy Shannon), and some were complete disasters (Chuck Long, Stan Parrish)
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:36 PM ^
Alan Borges, which is awesome.
December 3rd, 2011 at 3:17 PM ^
December 3rd, 2011 at 10:42 AM ^
Mattison definitely deserves it. I knew he was going to improve the defense but never to the extent that he has. Go Blue!
December 3rd, 2011 at 10:45 AM ^
I'm not a gambler but, anybody want to bet on this? It's Mattison this year.
Go Blue!
December 3rd, 2011 at 12:03 PM ^
Congrats to Coach Mattison. Does anyone know if there's a similar process for head coach of the year? If so, have the finalists been named there?
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:35 PM ^
Jim Hermann won it in 97... some guy named Alan Borges was a finalist that year.
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:37 PM ^
Congratulations to Mattison and I have to believe it is really between him and Chavis. Mattison turned around the worst defense in Michigan history to one of its best in one season while Chavis is in charge of one of the best defenses of modern college football. My bias is toward Mattison but I am just happy he is getting recognition for the job he and the other UM coaches have done.