Jim Brandstatter is Frustrated
I don't know how I missed this Michigan football blog post series, but over at the U-M Alumni Association page, check out the one penned (keyboarded?) by Jim Brandstatter. This week he talks about turnovers, special teams snafus and other mistakes.
If the game proves one thing, it's what I've been saying for quite a while about this team....they cannot afford to turn the ball over and win. It's pretty much the same for everyone who plays this game, but clearly this year for Michigan it is the most important factor in their success or lack of it.
The real disappointment in the comeback was the special teams perfomance. Twice, when they couldn't afford it, Michigan kicked the ball out of bounds on a kick off. The Hawkeyes started with great field position on both occasions, and it seemed to help them gain some momentum, and pull the game back in their favor. When you are fighting back from three TD's down, special teams, offense and defense must all make plays to make it work. In the case on Saturday, the offense and defense held their end up but the special teams, the kicking game in particular didn't not come to the party. The kicking game hurt rather than helped. A missed field goal, and then two kickoffs out of bounds is will cost you, and yet we saw it on Saturday.
Look, this team after seven games is much improved from a year ago. The answer to their troubles is simple. Turnovers, penalties, kicking game snafu's, and defensive missed assignments and tackling have cost them. If they eliminate these things and play a complete game, they'll win. They will be very hard to handle. These things are all correctable. They are not regressing. They are very close. When they get it all right...they will win some of these games, and we won't have to be as frustrated as we are now.
Seems about right to me. You'd think the guy had been following Michigan football for decades or something.
October 18th, 2010 at 11:25 PM ^
For a moment I thought Blimpy's might have stopped serving him.
October 19th, 2010 at 12:01 AM ^
October 19th, 2010 at 7:32 AM ^
October 19th, 2010 at 12:06 AM ^
OMG that's fantastic. Still laughing.
October 18th, 2010 at 11:25 PM ^
October 19th, 2010 at 9:43 AM ^
I agree - the statement Brandstatter makes is pretty obvious even to a casual fan but the fact that he's making it (and not someone like me) is what matters. Then again, I'm pretty sure every coach on the team also knows and is constantly hammering it into their guys. They probably know what to do, but knowing is only half the battle . . . Its time to execute.
October 18th, 2010 at 11:29 PM ^
It seems that's the reason why any team loses a game. If every team SIMPLY corrected their penalties, turnovers, special teams errors, missed assignments and tackling issues, then wouldn't every game end in a tie?
October 18th, 2010 at 11:33 PM ^
Let's hope no other coach gets hold of this insider information
October 19th, 2010 at 2:34 PM ^
The things he points out - primarily snafus like the kickoffs out of bounds - are really, really basic things. Also, the entire kicking unit had a collective brain fart when they let Sash return that blocked FG attempt. This, too, is special teams. Hagerup, at least, is doing a great job, now that he has his initial jitters behind him (which ironically seems to have happened against IU, the team for which his older brother plays).
Even with the usually porous defense, 2 kickoffs staying in bounds might have changed the complexion of the game, as those were easy 15-20 yards given up (or maybe not, but it's never good to just gift yardage).
October 19th, 2010 at 3:25 PM ^
Seriously though, even if bad teams do all of those things, they would need luck or the other team to play poorly to win. What he's saying is that this team is good, but not experienced enough yet to overcome all those mistakes and win. We are walking a very thin line between winning and losing because of our deficiencies in the kicking game and on defense.
October 19th, 2010 at 10:22 PM ^
There is a difference between forced errors and unforced errors. This present Michigan team is committing too many unforced errors.
The 2008 team was basically overmatched in the majority of games, so even if they had suffered zero unforced errors, then they still would have done poorly.
kicking a ball through the end zone is talent. Kicking it out of bounds is an unforced error. Brandstatter didn't say "If the kicker could have nailed through the end zone instead of kicking it only to the 40 yard line". He said , "stop kicking it out of bounds"
Think of the Fab 5 as the dream team of unforced errors. The talent differential between that team as inexperienced showboating freshman and the rest of the NCAA Division 1 was incredibly wide, so much so that they almost won the national championship on pure talent with no coaching beyond street ball and high school.
The reason I enjoy football above all other team sports is for the simple fact that a Fab 5 situation could never ever occur. The complexity of coordination and experience is so critical that a team with less talent but more experience can win over a team with more talent and less experience.
Even next year we'll see a good amount of unforced errors, just less than this year. And even if talent stays the same, the reduction in unforced errors is going to significantly impact performance/execution.
8-4 is a 0.750 win percentage season, which beats the overall/all time Michigan win percentage of 0.737.
Out of all the coaches, even Bo, only Yost cracked through the 0.800 barrier. Why so many people are hanging their heads and starting to whine about this season is beyond me.
October 18th, 2010 at 11:35 PM ^
than why have they not been corrected? I'am sure the coaches have addressed these many a time, but for some reason it is not being reflected on the field.
Brandstatter works for UM. I don't think we can expect a brutally honest assessment from him.
October 18th, 2010 at 11:56 PM ^
Why do 30-year old NFL players make mistakes? They've been coached their whole lives. Their mistakes are correctable. hmmmmmmmmmm...
October 18th, 2010 at 11:35 PM ^
than why have they not been corrected? I'am sure the coaches have addressed these many a time, but for some reason it is not being reflected on the field.
Brandstatter works for UM. I don't think we can expect a brutally honest assessment from him.
October 19th, 2010 at 8:30 AM ^
If you don't know the answer to the question you asked, you are in fact, a moran.
October 19th, 2010 at 9:03 AM ^
You might want to spell it "moron" rather than "moran".
October 19th, 2010 at 9:28 AM ^
Seeing that you don't know what he is referring to, you need to "Get a brain" moran.
Someone dig up the photo for this guy. I gotta get back to work.
October 19th, 2010 at 3:28 PM ^
Why couldn't that guy have "Buckeyes" on his shirt instead? I guess that mulletude action going on in the back should not be ignored.
October 19th, 2010 at 8:36 AM ^
I thought that was one of the better assessments of this team I have seen.
October 18th, 2010 at 11:35 PM ^
"The answer to their troubles is simple. Turnovers, penalties, kicking game snafu's, and defensive missed assignments and tackling have cost them. If they eliminate these things and play a complete game, they'll win."
Isn't this the M.O. for any team to win? This man has played and participated in football for decades, and this is the best critique that he can muster up? If a member had posted this as a forum topic, he or she would be destroyed by "obvious" replies and comparative memes regarding skies being blue and water being wet. 22 defensive players on 2-deep, and 12 are underclassmen. Fundamentals come with time, and mistakes will be made. We knew this year would be tough on the defensive side of the ball, and that the kicking game would struggle because a walk-on beat a scholarship freshman last year. Oh yeah, and then Woolfolk got hurt and Will Campbell didn't develop and Obi became Obi of old and Vlad is still hurt and transferred and J.T. left and .....
October 19th, 2010 at 12:56 AM ^
These errors can mostly be attributed, in order, to sophmores, a freshman, freshmen, freshmen/sophmores, and freshmen.
... and they were playing a team ranked in the top 15. The team wasn't outmanned. It wasn't a case where UM had to play a perfect game just to be close. Far from it. UM had some advantages in scheme and athletes, but couldn't overcome Iowa's advantage in experience. When UM gets the luxury of not playing underclassmen you'll see something special with everything else staying the same.
October 19th, 2010 at 12:04 AM ^
Well, actually two years ago we simply were not good enough to compete, whether or not our kickoffs were in bounds or our offense went penalty-free. What he said was kind of obvious, but when taken along with the second part - that we are progressing and are not far away from being back where we belong - it does make sense. We are not a bad team as much as we are a talented team that is not experienced enough to play mistake-free football.
October 18th, 2010 at 11:36 PM ^
Other than that Mrs. Kennedy, how was the parade?
Turnovers, penalties, kicking game snafu's, and defensive missed assignments and tackling have cost them
October 19th, 2010 at 12:32 AM ^
October 19th, 2010 at 8:34 AM ^
It was pretty good, but two out of bounds kick offs really pissed me off.
October 19th, 2010 at 8:55 AM ^
October 19th, 2010 at 10:35 AM ^
maybe best to stick with the Presidential death references from eras when people might not still be alive who remember it.
October 19th, 2010 at 11:35 AM ^
Other than that, Mrs. McKinley, how was the exposition?
October 19th, 2010 at 11:38 AM ^
Other than that, Xanthippe, how was the trial?
October 18th, 2010 at 11:40 PM ^
Have been trying to correct those easily correctible problems since they first started playing. Why is it do hard to fix things that are so easy?
October 19th, 2010 at 2:37 PM ^
Because the guys who stop making the mistakes graduate and move on, leaving younger guys who haven't learned to stop making the mistakes.
October 20th, 2010 at 11:34 AM ^
We must have mothballed "hang on to the damn ball" and must have a hella good punt return team now that the same guys have had their mistakes corrected since they were younger, and we don't have to play new young guys in their place.
October 19th, 2010 at 12:01 AM ^
young grasshopper, these are young players most of the mistakes are being made by young players. It will be solved by developing poise experience is the route to poise.
October 19th, 2010 at 12:53 AM ^
is the shit! I like that a great alum and former player think good things will soon be seen!
Hail
October 19th, 2010 at 2:32 AM ^
Mistakes will always kill you. Especially if your defense is not up to par. I hope we play much better against PSU and get a nice road win. I think the pressure will be off this team once we get the magic 6th win!
October 19th, 2010 at 3:02 AM ^
Nice grammar from JB: the kicking game in particular didn't not come to play, a missed field goal and two kickoffs out of bounds is will cost you, etc.
I know when I'm am frustrated, I tend to not make is simple grammar mistakes to.
But seriously, I feel for Jim and Frank, because when shit goes south they have to keep calling the game. They can't throw their TV out the window like me and then lock myself in a dark room for days. I can understand a little missed grammar.
October 19th, 2010 at 3:33 AM ^
Deffinately not something we all noticed.
October 19th, 2010 at 3:57 AM ^
and I see it as a youth issue. Give the boys some time - hopefully they'll put it together for Wis or OSU and play a complete game.
October 19th, 2010 at 6:33 AM ^
correcting these issues is proving to be quite difficult, for some reason. Coaching problems? Player shortcomings? Schemes not fitting personnel? All of the above?
There's always next year.
October 19th, 2010 at 6:50 AM ^
Don't lose hope already!
October 19th, 2010 at 9:46 AM ^
Keep on, keep truckin'!
October 19th, 2010 at 8:56 AM ^
Tempo is everything, perfection unobtainable, as the body coils down at the top of the swing.There's a slight hesitation. A little nod to the gods.
Yeah, to the gods. That he is fallible. That perfection is unobtainable. And now the weight begins shifting back to the left, pulled by the powers inside the earth. It's alive, this swing! A living sculpture and down through contact,always down, striking the ball crisply, with character. A tuning fork goes off in your heart and your balls. Such a pure feeling is the well-struck golf shot.
October 19th, 2010 at 8:58 AM ^
to be a Michigan homer. Still, I've always kinda liked him--reminds me of my uncles, reminds me of my Dad. And I've been curious about what he REALLY thought of RichRod, since he always seemed to worship Lloyd.
If this is him going out of his way to convince the alumni--which looks to be the case (?)--that might be kind of a big deal. And tho' what he says is fairly obvious, I agree with his assessment. I just need to hear over and over, like a mantra, that the D is much improved next year.
October 19th, 2010 at 10:21 AM ^
he doesn't post on MGoBlog, he just calls a former Michigan teammate. Whether it has been shared here or not, I rather suspect it has been shared.
October 19th, 2010 at 9:07 AM ^
I reiterate. To call Tate a "change of pace" and a "backup" is absurd. If he is a nice "change of pace" here, he will be an all-conference performer somewhere else next year and a possible All-American the following year..
Tate came in down 21, threw two touchdowns and passes and nearly led an impossible comeback. He came in desperation mode already, of course he is going to throw interceptions when he has to make something happen immediately with no time to spare. He was the most impressive player on the field for Michigan.
One of the biggest problems with our D against State and Iowa has been our flat inability to effectively score on offense. Note - the stops referenced in this article came when? In the third and fourth quarters when we were scoring points. Scoring points came when? When our "backup" came in the game.
Others that feel the same way and are getting really pissed every time he is called a "change of pace" or a "backup," please speak up and be heard with me on this blog.
October 19th, 2010 at 9:53 AM ^
Tate Forcier is currently number two on the depth chart and sees limited action. That makes him a back-up. The pace is totally different when he goes into the game. That makes him a change-of-pace.
I guess facts can be absurd sometimes.
October 19th, 2010 at 10:27 AM ^
The old axiom is as true now as it ever was. The most popular football on any football team, at any level, is the backup quarterback - the answer to all that ails.
October 19th, 2010 at 10:32 AM ^
three touchdowns in 18 minutes of game action is what ails, as opposed to three touchdowns in the previous 95 minutes.
And why does Michigan have a different backup quarterback then they did last year? I thought their starter was pretty good last year.