Jackson says practices are 'laid back' and 'not very focused' at times
I hesitate to post this as I'm not sure if we are good with Wolverines Wire on here* or if I will correctly imbed the link. But these comments are really discouraging.
I'd like to see Harbaugh figure this out, but it seems like something major is off in expectations and preparation.
*[Ed: Yes of course we are. Isaiah's a friend and sometimes collaborator. Also I use his photos in HTTV. -Seth]
November 11th, 2020 at 10:22 AM ^
This’ll be fun.
November 11th, 2020 at 10:45 AM ^
Actual quotes for those who just read the headline and not the article
“I think we just have to be more consistent, like in practice,” Jackson said. “We practice good, Monday through Wednesday – the last couple Thursday practices haven’t been so well. We gotta pick it up – be more consistent in games, instead of just relying on one or two drives, doing good on one drive, taking it off. We just have to keep our foot on the gas the whole time.
“Thursday – that’s usually our last practice before Saturday. I think it’s not as intense, because we’re not in full pads. I think that carries a big role in it and we’re more laid back.”
We’re a young receiver group – there’s some things we don’t – we’re not as focused as we should be,” Jackson said. “In the meeting room, we should be taking notes – we don’t take as much notes as we should be. It’s just the little things for us. It’s all there, we just have to put it all together. When it’s all together, we’ll be a really good offense and really good receiving room.”
November 11th, 2020 at 10:54 AM ^
You mean they don’t “hear football”?
November 11th, 2020 at 11:06 AM ^
Funny/not funny
November 11th, 2020 at 11:19 AM ^
Well we definitely know they're not hearing any clapping at practice. If they were the D wouldn't be so jumpy.
November 11th, 2020 at 3:07 PM ^
Hahaha......if we had Hoke still, then that wouldn't be a problem. That man sure could clap. ? ? ? ? ?
November 11th, 2020 at 11:37 PM ^
If you hear football being coached but don't take notes on it, did the coaches make a sound?
November 11th, 2020 at 10:56 AM ^
Thanks for the additional context.
November 11th, 2020 at 11:18 AM ^
Context is so important! Thanks for this - it certainly reads better than the clickbait headline. It's not good that they aren't as focused as they should be, but it's a far cry from what I gathered from the OP's title. The coaches appear to need to do a better job of hammering home the fact that really good high school players are just another guy on the field in college. Just because you outran/out-played your high school competition doesn't mean you can do the same in college.
November 11th, 2020 at 12:13 PM ^
Didn't mean for it to be clickbait. I wasn't sure how much to cut and paste and I wasn't even sure I was going to get embedding the link correct!
But it seems crazy to hear that the last couple Thursday practices have felt 'laid back'.
November 11th, 2020 at 1:12 PM ^
Although what you say is true, None of that matters when your coaches put you in a position to fail. It's hard enough to compete at the college level without having to make up for coaches shortcomings.
November 13th, 2020 at 3:55 PM ^
Bluinohia, it’s more about the talent level. Just compare UM’s last 6 classes to OSU.
November 11th, 2020 at 11:26 AM ^
"...It’s just the little things for us. It’s all there, we just have to put it all together. When it’s all together, we’ll be a really good offense and really good receiving room.”
It was 2013 and Jack Miller and company were saying these exact sentiments about the OL. Anybody remember what the ultimate fix ended up being?
November 11th, 2020 at 11:31 AM ^
Getting someone other than Jack Miller to play offensive line?
November 11th, 2020 at 2:11 PM ^
Exactly. I read the whole thing and its really a player trying to take responsibility for himself and his teammates to try to work harder and pay closer attention to details.
He's not blaming anyone just trying to get everyone to work harder. This is what you want to see.
November 11th, 2020 at 2:45 PM ^
Another concerning major tidbit:
"...freshman WR Roman Wilson has three (drops), Ronnie Bell also has two, and tight end Erick All leads the conference with four drops thus far."
That's 3 of the top 10 in the conference in passes dropped.
November 11th, 2020 at 3:23 PM ^
I could've swore that All had more than four drops on the year. Seemed like he had four drops last game alone.
November 11th, 2020 at 5:01 PM ^
Pretty sure All averages four drops/game...
November 13th, 2020 at 12:38 AM ^
Maybe it's not considered a drop if it goes through his hands without actually touching his hands.
/s
November 11th, 2020 at 10:23 AM ^
He will be gone soon a d this nightmare can finally end
November 11th, 2020 at 11:54 AM ^
People said the same thing when Carr left, it was actually the start of the nightmare.
November 11th, 2020 at 12:22 PM ^
Nightmare my ass. It will continue, like it did thru rr and hoke... and then whoever else we get. Michigan's problems is more than just the coach.
November 11th, 2020 at 12:33 PM ^
Wait. Are you blaming ownership?
November 11th, 2020 at 1:58 PM ^
In essence, I think he is. Perhaps it is the big time donors that call the shots, and the donors want to "hear football", old-school smash-mouth 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust kind of football.
November 11th, 2020 at 10:25 AM ^
Why don't we like Wolverines Wire?
November 11th, 2020 at 10:47 AM ^
There’s nothing wrong with it and as far as I know the blog has no issue with the website
November 11th, 2020 at 12:11 PM ^
I wasn't sure. I haven't seen it mentioned too often around here, so I didn't know if I had missed something or not.
November 11th, 2020 at 4:26 PM ^
I think that's just because we say "Isaiah Hole" instead of "WolverinesWire" when we mention him. Isaiah's cool.
Also, in general just assume we're cool with anyone in Michigan media unless it's pretty clear nobody in Michigan media is cool with that person. We just do so much of our own stuff that we don't end up quoting them very much. I guess we could do a better job of that, but it feels like huff huff self-puffery whenever I'm like "oh and this media clique that we're part of, bluh bluh bluh." Press box at Michigan is pretty collegial.
November 11th, 2020 at 10:25 AM ^
Well regardless of how intense practice is Jimmy can still cash that check.
November 11th, 2020 at 10:25 AM ^
Sounds about like the team plays on the field. Also sounds like someone is checked out.
November 11th, 2020 at 10:39 AM ^
Personality wise, Harbaugh just seems like an entirely different guy than he was 2-3 years ago.
And who knows...maybe there's something to the "4 years" thing we heard about early on -- except its not the institution getting tired of him, maybe he's tired of the challenge. As a coach he's never had to try and sustain success. It's always rebuild, create a winning team, and then bounce to the next opportunity. Keeping something running at a high level for 5, 6+ years is entirely different than rebuilding something.
November 11th, 2020 at 11:06 AM ^
Well stated. I am getting the same feeling about the Jim Harbaugh HC career. It's about his resume that shows the diminishing returns.
Bottom line: Jim runs out of steam after 4 years.
November 11th, 2020 at 11:44 PM ^
If the team got four years, that would have been great. They got two.
November 11th, 2020 at 11:07 AM ^
He has gotten bored because we have achieved a lot under his 5 years!!!
November 11th, 2020 at 11:35 AM ^
Harbaughs best years as a college head coach have always been with his predecessors players. Think about that. The best Michigan teams he has had were with Hokes recruits.
November 11th, 2020 at 11:53 AM ^
This is factually inaccurate. His win totals at Stanford were 4, 5, 8, and 12. As he got more of his players into that program, their winning percentage increased. By year 4, almost all were his players. They won 12 games. Think about that.
At USD, he won 7, 11, and 11 games. Again, upward trajectory.
November 11th, 2020 at 12:33 PM ^
There is a big difference between building a program and "Lucking" out. He got a generational QB to come into Stanford, with a monster RB to work with. Then once he had success, there was plenty of grumbling that he wasn't the guy that they wanted to keep around at Stanford.
At USD they were 8-2 the year before he came in. That was back when ramming running backs through a line still worked in college football, especially on that level of play. 16 years later, and that's still what he thinks can work.
November 11th, 2020 at 6:44 PM ^
Same thign with Hoke too -- he had has best years with RR's players and steadily trended downward.
November 11th, 2020 at 10:16 PM ^
Zero truth to this comment.
November 11th, 2020 at 11:18 AM ^
“Also sounds like someone is checked out.”
Nice way of saying- Ohio State broke him.
November 11th, 2020 at 11:41 AM ^
It was probably the officials in the 2016 osu game that broke him.
November 11th, 2020 at 11:19 AM ^
Every man has his breaking point.
November 11th, 2020 at 10:29 AM ^
I wonder how much this has to do with that "Captains Meeting" at the end of 2017 season about adjustments the players would like to see to keep from getting burned out.
Regardless, this is just another example of less intense things are since JH first arrived. Oh well.
November 11th, 2020 at 10:30 AM ^
Someone please bring back the Jim Harbaugh that showed up in Dec. 2014.....with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.....
The guy we have now seems sedated, low energy, uninspired......
November 11th, 2020 at 10:35 AM ^
Harbaugh: "JACKSON. DID YOU REALLY TELL THE REPORTERS OUR PRACTICES ARENT VERY INTENSE AND LACK FOCUS YESTERDAY?????
Jackson: "Yeah coach. Sorry."
Harbaugh: "THAT'S INEXCUSABLE AND SERIOUS BREACH OF THE TRUST WE'VE ESTABLISHED INSIDE THAT LOCKER ROOM. I WANT TO SEE YOU RUN THE STEPS OF THE STADIUM UNTIL YOU PUKE!!!!"
Jackson: "Nah, I'm really not down with that. I think I'll pass coach."
Harbaugh: "Ok then fine. You go over there and sit down for five minutes and think about what you did."
November 11th, 2020 at 11:05 AM ^
Surely you know Harbaugh couldn’t possibly string together those sentences in your made up conversation!
November 11th, 2020 at 10:46 AM ^
Why? That guy didn't understand you need to score points either.
November 11th, 2020 at 10:30 AM ^
Michigan hasn't led in two straight games. I wonder what the record is for not leading in consecutive quarters or games?