M linebackers' depth from LOS -- closer than everyone else? Does it matter?
I have to admit to being a GERG fan after he coached my youngest son at the M Football Camp a couple summers ago (sentimental fool that I am). He was terrific to Evan and all the other kids.
Nonetheless, I have been perplexed by M linebacker play -- tentative, out of position, overrunning, but most of all, caught in the wash. Watching M LBs, they seem to initiate play from 3 or fewer yards behind the LOS. Watching other teams (and M teams past), you see them most often position themselves 4-5 yards back on anything other than 3rd and long. The difference is, what, 30-60% more distance? More decision time, more distance to get downhill momentum, more opportunity for angles to the ball, more distance and space for an OL (slower and less agile) to cover, and, importantly, a lot less wash.
Being over half a hundred years old, my own high school experience is probably less than relevant, but I do have vivid memories of my coach yelling, "Move back, dumbass!" more than a few times after I buggered up a play for any of the reasons mentioned above.
Any opinions from the more learned amongst us?
October 17th, 2010 at 6:57 PM ^
There are other fundamental and larger weaknesses.
Overpursuit leading to cutback weakness, not filling the right gaps, not having sound pass coverage skills.
I don't think the depth is the glaring weakness.
October 17th, 2010 at 7:04 PM ^
ASS is the weakness.
October 17th, 2010 at 7:11 PM ^
If I had a nickel for every time I heard that...
/s
October 17th, 2010 at 7:13 PM ^
I would be very interested to hear another coach's opinion of this. Much the way Rodriguez likes his QB to be in the shotgun because it is easier to see and and read the field (among other reasons) I would think the LBs playing so close to the line have a more difficult time reading the play.
October 17th, 2010 at 7:18 PM ^
Someone brought up a post with a critical question that may have some merit and he didn't have to yell that everyone should be fired. This is awesome.
October 17th, 2010 at 8:13 PM ^
Desmond talked about this same topic during halftime of the OSU/UW game. He said the OSU LB's were playing too tight to the line and getting lost in traffic. It also seems like most of the long runs against UM occur when the LBs are tight and filling a gap and get burned on the cutback. Is there any chance UM can play the LBs a liitle farther back and let the play develop before over pursuing the ball?
October 17th, 2010 at 8:34 PM ^
But it might be a contributing factor. Magnus? Steve Sharik?
October 17th, 2010 at 8:39 PM ^
too slow to play back deeper.
October 17th, 2010 at 9:10 PM ^
with lineman too often. I recorded the game and watched it today after I got home and at one point the announcers said the fact that JT Floyd is getting so many tackles is just because everyone else before the CBs are getting locked up. I wonder what the solution to this is? Is it a result of the 3 man D line or just a fact that the LBs have difficulting getting off the blocks and reading plays correctly? The other thing that seems really apparent is that Roh is an awesome defensive end, but just not quick enough to play LB. There was one play where Iowa was driving and Roh's assignment was to cover the flat and he got out to cover painfully slow.
October 17th, 2010 at 10:17 PM ^
It's personnel decisions like this that makes me question the defensive coaches. Expertise is not automatically synonymous with sound judgement.
October 17th, 2010 at 11:52 PM ^
It all depends on how the coach wants them to take thier first step. I have always lined my players up between 4 1/2 and 5 yards. My LB's read step is a forward-angled step, so I want them farther off the ball and to get down hill. From having watched Hobson's drill tapes his LBs take a flat shuffle read step...I know that Robinson is the coach now but for the guys who have worked with Hobson for 2 years it would seem that this is something that is carrying over. Also with as much blitzing as Michigan did the last couple of weeks it could just be reflective in the way he has sent his ILBs.