DetroitBlue

January 8th, 2016 at 11:30 AM ^

Who said anything about devastating. I agree that it's not devastating, but it's still a loss. You can cherry pick stats all you want, but this was a really good special teams unit.
The td punt return by Indiana was bullshit, since there were 2 blocks in the back and a targeting call that somehow got overlooked. One of the other return TDs had everyone in position and we just missed a tackle. Our special teams consistently got is good field position and our punt return was pretty effective, even if they didn't manage a td



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 30311

jmblue

January 8th, 2016 at 9:06 AM ^

There are well over 100 special teams plays in a season.  Only a tiny percentage result in touchdowns.  Special-teams touchdowns are outlier events.  

Look more at how we performed on a play-by-play basis.  How frequently did we down punts inside the opponent's 20?  How frequently did we prevent opposing kickoff returners from advancing past the 30?  How often did we return punts for 10+ yards?  

This was the first year in quite a while in which I didn't feel that any aspect of special teams was a weakness.  I was confident in quality play from every unit.  In the first two-thirds of the season, this was huge for us as our offense struggled to sustain drives.  My only disappointment was that we struggled to block punts despite regularly coming very close.

Joined: 11/07/2008

MGoPoints: 102861

wahooverine

January 7th, 2016 at 11:00 PM ^

Good cherry picking. You mentioned three negative plays and a metric where 1 is good and 0 awful. Yet you're ignoring the many more positive plays and statistics. Chessons return which was a deliberate power blocking play. Many long kick and punt returns from Peppers and Lewis some which were inches from going the distance. High punting net distance, numerous punts downed inside the 5, 10, 20. Several game changing boomers. The overall great field position we enjoyed as a result, which greatly helped an emergent offense as it developed. who do you think coached Peppers in his punt catching tactics and decision making and deployed his athleticism effectively? But yeah just focus on like 4 individual bad plays over a whole season. Good analysis.

Joined: 11/14/2011

MGoPoints: 6799

Perkis-Size Me

January 7th, 2016 at 9:55 PM ^

Well poop on a stick.

Minus the play that shall never be named (which really isn't on Baxter), I thought special teams took a good leap forward this Fall. I'm confident Harbaugh will find a great replacement, but still, Baxter definitely had that unit trending upwards.



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 11/30/2011

MGoPoints: 105803

Amutnal

January 8th, 2016 at 7:38 AM ^

What about the Ohio state punt block fail in their own end zone which possibly changed the course of the game? He should have coached Blake to just fall on the ball a MSU as well. Maybe he did and Blake just reverted to his old instincts. Stills loss but not one I'm really worried about because Harbaugh.



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 02/05/2011

MGoPoints: 2294

Impaler 19

January 7th, 2016 at 9:57 PM ^

Wasn't Baxter the one responsible for the acedemic support program we heard so much about when this staff came on board a year ago. I might be wrong on that but if I am right that may be as big of a blow to Michigan football as losing him as our STC.

Joined: 05/05/2009

MGoPoints: 196

VauntedD

January 7th, 2016 at 10:08 PM ^

This is very disappointing in one way since Baxter improved the special teams in many ways. The positive is it will possibly open the door to Partridge if e is interested in special teams. I am not aware of his expertise in terms of that. I am sure he learned a lot as well as the team from Baxter.

Joined: 02/11/2015

MGoPoints: 1729

Mabel Pines

January 7th, 2016 at 10:13 PM ^

Is it not a known fact that it snows in Michigan and gets cold? Do people not know this when they choose to move here? Because then Al Roker needs to step it up or something...

Joined: 10/02/2010

MGoPoints: 27568

socalwolverine1

January 7th, 2016 at 10:27 PM ^

After the effing disaster that was "special teams" under our previous head coach's tenure, Coach Baxter showed us The Way to Play Special Teams.  For that we are eternally grateful, and wish him the best back in LA.  I have the utmost confidence that the fundamentals, techniques and tactics of Baxter's coaching can be carried over and incorporated into the next coach's repertoire; and that Coach Harbaugh will make sure there is no fall-off going forward.

Joined: 10/08/2012

MGoPoints: 1235

Reader71

January 7th, 2016 at 10:53 PM ^

Eh, this is only really true of 2014. Before the wheels came off, Hoke fixed the FG kicker and improved the punt return game drastically. No long returns, but also no more letting the ball bounce and losing field position. Coverage units were terrible last year, but weren't much better this year in all honesty. Kick return was an obvious improvement for Baxter, though.

Joined: 08/30/2009

MGoPoints: 22968

RJMAC

January 7th, 2016 at 10:35 PM ^

So Blake O'Neil is back to punt at the end of the MSU game. Didn't the ST coach 'drop the ball' as much as the punter on that play by not making it clear to said punter that if he happens to drop the ball to just FALL ON IT?

Joined: 09/23/2014

MGoPoints: 777

blueblueblue

January 7th, 2016 at 10:40 PM ^

I agree. O'Neil said he reverted to his Australian rules football instincts in terms of just tryign to move the ball forward instead of falling on it. I see that as a coaching failure - he wasnt coached to develop new instincts. If they had practiced that over and over, or perhaps if he was simply even told what to do, that debacle might have not happened. 

Joined: 12/28/2008

MGoPoints: 6630

blueblueblue

January 7th, 2016 at 10:35 PM ^

Lots of anchoring effect going on here. Yes he improved from 2014, but my blind grandma could have improved special teams from 2014. I dont think our special teams were any better than the same units on teams where they are coached by a position coach. Baxter was competent, but the bar should be higher. 

Joined: 12/28/2008

MGoPoints: 6630

Craig Dunaway

January 7th, 2016 at 10:38 PM ^

Really sorry to see Coach Baxter go. Great teacher. Very good at breaking things down to simple tasks the players could easily master. Gave them great confidence and solid fundamentals.

I know this is just an excuse, but I thought some of the ST negatives, like the Rutgers punt return, were tied to personnel changes as much or maybe even more than the coaching. Chesson was pulled off punt coverage that week and his sub didn't make the play he should have.

Good luck to Coach Baxter. Really smart guy who will be missed.

Joined: 04/20/2015

MGoPoints: 432

Section6

January 8th, 2016 at 8:28 AM ^

I was a huge fan of his academic program.

Whats your opinion on what happened with the spread punt formation at the end of the MSU game?

Can't wait to see your son blowing kids off the line and doing his best Bennie Joppru impression!

Joined: 11/19/2015

MGoPoints: 5875

Craig Dunaway

January 14th, 2016 at 9:09 PM ^

In the moment, I was fine with the formation. After the fact, yes, max protect. Or, once you see you didn't pull a Spartan out wide, a shift to max protect might've been wiser. Great thing, hindsight, eh? Though given what happened, it may not have made a difference.

When I saw 11 up I thought for a moment about a pass to the left wide out, who was uncovered. But then I thought, all we have to do is kick the ball over the LOS and we've won. Doesn't matter if we're in spread or max protect, just catch the ball, kick it over the line and let it roll until the clock runs out. For me, it was only hindsight that said go max.

Also, I didn't recognize it live, but saw on replays O'Neill was lined up a yard deeper than normal (16 yds instead of 15 yds). That made a low snap ever so slightly lower. In a game of inches, could Blake have handled a snap a fraction of an inch higher that arrived a split second sooner?

Joined: 04/20/2015

MGoPoints: 432

Reader71

January 7th, 2016 at 10:47 PM ^

I think he did a fine job this season, but I was never a fan of a dedicated special teams coach. Partridge will share LB duties with Brown or DL duties with Mattison. This allows him to go on the road to recruit, which is a plus, and allows a good young coach to hone his craft by learning from a damn good position coach. It also lightens the load on either the DC or our most senior coach.

Joined: 08/30/2009

MGoPoints: 22968

MotownGoBlue

January 7th, 2016 at 11:30 PM ^

I got reemed 2 days ago for suggesting opening up Baxter's STs position and promoting Jaybaugh from TE/STs assistant to TE/STs coach. Well, now we'll see what happens. I think Baxter's a fine person and good coach who was dedicated to student-athlete academics as well as coaching on the field. It is a loss, and he'll be missed (briefly) but there will be attrition and these younger, highly motivated assistants like Partridge, will need to be promoted, if we're to retain them. Bottom line is that JMFH knows what the fuck he's doing. He is the only one that is not expendable.

Joined: 08/09/2014

MGoPoints: 25343

GoWu

January 7th, 2016 at 11:55 PM ^

Baxter's time here may have always been temporary. He might of just agreed to come in and set up his academic program and be a mentor for the young Jay. I am guessing Jay will become ST/TE coach. Partridge most likely will coach linebackers. I would also guess that we still lose one of the defensive backfield coaches.

So the question is where will hire another current staff member or get someone outside of the program next?

Joined: 12/11/2012

MGoPoints: 170

uminks

January 8th, 2016 at 12:22 AM ^

May have said hit the road.  I think overall   he did a great job and the MSU miscue was just a fluke. I hope Partridge is just as good!

Joined: 11/10/2009

MGoPoints: 32049

gobluedore

January 8th, 2016 at 2:59 AM ^

Reading some of these comments in this thread I'm amazed! If my memory serves me correctly (granted at times that's a stretch) didn't we lead the country through most of the season in special teams? I haven't seen any final stats but that's amazing work by coach Baxter and I believe he will be sorely missed!!

Joined: 01/11/2011

MGoPoints: 556

68 Wolverine

January 8th, 2016 at 7:23 AM ^

Didnt see this coming, hopefully JH wasn't totally blindsided by this. Our special teams were light years better than any Hoke produced, John Baxter will be missed.

Joined: 09/18/2014

MGoPoints: 230