Mattison's Great Expectations

It is also the reason he left a successful career in the NFL to return to the college game.  It is crystal clear that he LOVES to teach and develop young defensemen.  I suspect that is much less doable and less rewarding in the pro game where the players have already developed and/or aren't willing to be developed.  

Rake.  Mattison is doing what he was created for, no doubt about it.

Hey, I've got to ask, the term 'defensemen' is used more around the hockey rinks.  Do you happen to be a former player?  I only ask because I coached hockey for 14 years.

This is really a good post.  It's amazing what Mattison has done compared to what our defense had been in years past.  I look forward to seeing what he can do with four and five star recruits.

You can see Mattison's coaching style reflected in the interviews with the players too.  They often refer to be "broken down" by the coaches, and then refer to how they are being "built back up" by working on specific techniques while still referencing the importance of the team.  It seems very very clear that these coaches are skilled at explaining to players precisely what they are NOT good at, and precisely what they need to do to be better... and they seem to be able to do this in a constructive and supportive way.

There's definitely something special going on here.  And combine the talent that's being recruited with this set of coaches, and I dream of the dominating defenses that we will see in the coming years.

Other coaches may be outstanding "students of the game" and football strategists (RR comes to  mind), but the most effective coaches know how to get 110% out of each and everyone of the players that has decided to play for him.  That's the difference in this staff... they have the football knowledge AND the ability to coach kids.  Deadly combo.

When Greg Mattison was hired last year, he more or less said that teaching is what he prefers to do (in interviews, he has mentioned the quizzical reactions he would get when he tried to criticize the technique of Pro Bowlers), and  if you can take a unit and, with not a whole lot of turnover or attrition, take them from 110th to a top 25 defense inside of a year, then obviously teaching is something you do quite well. Indeed, he expressed it best himself in an AnnArbor.com article last March:

"It's the ability to be able to get a young man from point A to point wherever. That's the fun part."

Don't get your hopes up that Mattison is going to be around forever...he said when he got here that he's going to retire a Wolverine and as long as he's healthy he thinks he'll be around 4-6 years.

IMO, completely based off of nothing in particular he'll see this recruiting class all the way through. Guys like Bolden are Greg Mattison type players. IMO, he'll see him through graduation/NFL and then hang up the black sneaks.

If that it the case it will be a BLESSING to have him for that long. Anyone who says otherwise either 1. Doesn't appreciate family or 2. Doesn't realize how BAD we really were two years ago.

Last year was nothing short of a miracle. He and Coach Hoke were co-coaches of the year. People just forget how things were before they came because Denard was being all --- Denard.

I love Coach Mattison and I've met the man one time in passing during his first stint at UofM. When he does retire I hope he stays around the football program...I hope we still see signs of GMat all over the place after he's gone. But screw that, we got more season with the old bald guy...don't take them for granted, sit back and enjoy them. Go watch Illinois or Nebraska from last year and laugh through your tears. It'll be the most beautiful painful experience of your life after that Michigan endured on the defensive side of the ball for so long.

Mattison is teaching a lot more than just defensive techniques.

He, along with Hoke and the rest of the coaches go back, time and again, to their core mission -- to develop young men of good character.  Football happens to be the stage on which the lessons of good character are taught.

Such a thing may sound old-fashioned nowadays, but I'm pretty damn sure deep in the hearts of the recruits and the players it's not old-fashioned at all.  The concept of honor, integrity and earning one's keep is not dead ... it lives in many young men's hearts.

Look at the recruiting classes ... look at the character of the players coming in.  They're coming to Michigan for a lot of reasons ... and the core lessons Hoke and staff teach are certainly part of it.

Add another item to the "you may be an Mgoblogger if..." list, but I opened this fully expecting it to be some mash-up of Michigan football and Charles Dickens.

Duly noted and corrected.

I scored in the 98th percentile for math on my SAT but I struggle writing sentences.

Double post

Gotta give it to Hoke for getting one of the nation's best DC and also OC. The whole coaching staff has exceded my expectations. In recruiting and everything. Feels good to be a Wolverine!