Mlive Article on Harbaugh Playcalling

Submitted by counter trey on

Please be gentle, first post here. Just saw this article on Mlive on how Harbaugh and all offensive assitants have a "say" in the playcalling. Why it's interesting is this is pretty different from the norm, usually the OC calls the plays with the Head Coach's input or veto power anyway. 

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2015/09/jim_harbaughs_unique_…

xtramelanin

September 16th, 2015 at 5:56 PM ^

see that camera right there?  not that one, the other one.  that gives us all a live feed to you, kind of like an mgotruman show and you are the star.  we're going to get one for the mad hatter too, but we have to find one that will fit in his hat. 

Rabbit21

September 16th, 2015 at 6:10 PM ^

Based on his posts I fear whatever the camera on the Mad Hatter would reveal.  Ferrets in his underwear, tea parties with taxidermied rabbits, weird basement "rituals' involving Johnny Depp's dance moves from that weird remake a few years back?  The mind bottles.

cmgoblue

September 16th, 2015 at 5:17 PM ^

The general paranoia about posting on the MGoBoard is precisely why I frequent this site's board as opposed to Scout's (and I pay to see that board). Seriously, night and day quality.

MichiganTeacher

September 16th, 2015 at 9:49 PM ^

Disagree. I think we miss a lot of good content by relying on paranoia. The value of that content is greater than the benefit of intimidating 'bad' posts.

Relying on fear to keep quality in a board is stupid. If there's another place on the internet that does that, please show me. What should be done instead is update the board software so it actually works, have some goddam subforums for chrissakes, and run this place like it's oh I don't know maybe any year since 1995?

Sorry Brian. Great site. But the boards being as hard to navigate and as poorly organized as they are encourages this boorish 'intimidate posters we don't like' attitude - which is by far my least favorite thing about the site.

bgoblue02

September 16th, 2015 at 5:18 PM ^

sounds like harbaugh picks run / pass and then the position coach / coordination chime in on what works best for their unit

 

"For example, if Harbaugh wants to run, he'll expect immediate input from Drevno (offensive line) and Wheatley (running backs) on which play to call. If he wants to pass, Fisch and Jay Harbaugh are free to make a suggestion."

Dawkins

September 16th, 2015 at 5:20 PM ^

The info in the article is contrary to an answer Harbaugh gave during a pre-camp presser, which was that Drevno would call the offensive plays. Also, the author is an MSU grad who just a few years ago was sitting in the Izzone rooting against Michigan. He is not to be trusted. 

counter trey

September 16th, 2015 at 5:23 PM ^

I know he's a Sparty, but he has to have some type of cred to be a writer. I saw it as an innovative way for play calling, the position coaches know what's going on with their players, why not give them a say? Must admit would get confusing at times and have to be quick getting the call in.



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ThadMattasagoblin

September 16th, 2015 at 5:36 PM ^

I don't really like the writer. We'll see if he becomes less woah is me as the team gets Harbaugh'd. If his sky is falling writing style keeps up with Harbaugh then he's either a glass is half empty guy or he hates Michigan.

jsquigg

September 16th, 2015 at 9:37 PM ^

That is what makes this mgoblog!  You post a thread about Sparty talking trash in your first thread and it's just normal weak sauce, you can expect to be neg bombed to Bolivia.  It's that fear that keeps this place from giving into the trolls.  On any particular day, you could get all your news reasonably from mgoblog.  Where else is that true?

WestPalmBlue

September 16th, 2015 at 9:42 PM ^

I heard Trent dilfer on ESPN radio yesterday talking about play calling verbiage.. he used the 49ers as an example where a play call last year consisted of thirteen words. The exact same play this year is only three words. Wondering if Harbaugh simplifies his verbiage for the college level vs NFL..

Sambojangles

September 16th, 2015 at 10:01 PM ^

I was just wondering the other day what it's like on the sidelines during games. How does a decision get made and a play called within the 15 to 30 seconds between plays? How much do the position coaches help the coordinator and head coach? How many people are on the headset conversation? This was an interesting article but didn't really get into the inside baseball I was looking for.



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UofMfanJJ (not verified)

September 17th, 2015 at 1:37 AM ^

I don't like websites where people care about reputation, it turns people into whores that just want attention

Primo

September 17th, 2015 at 9:00 AM ^

How this article is being read as some sort of indictment on Harbaugh and Co.  The main point that comes across to me is that his "collaborative style" has produced a lot of head coaches in a relatively short timespan.

It also appears to me that some on this board believe that every news outlet outside of maybe the DetNews has it out for U-M.  

FauxMo

September 17th, 2015 at 10:03 AM ^

Does anyone remember the episode of the TV show Friends where Joey claims in an interview that he writes his own lines for his character and the writers don't do that much, then gets written off the show by the bitter writers for lying? I wonder if Jedd Fisch is pulling a Joey here...

treetown

September 17th, 2015 at 1:32 PM ^

This sort of collaborative decision making can work but depends on:

1. Expertise - everyone involved has to really know their stuff.

2. Mutual Respect - everyone involved has to fundamentally respect the others involved and believe that they have real expertise and experience.

3. Familiarity - everyone involved has to be comfortable with the others and know each other well enough that one call/play/disagreement won't be held against them and poison the relatioship.

Sounds simple but given the pressure of a playclock this suggests that Harbaugh usually runs a pretty collegial group.

Wings Of Distinction

September 17th, 2015 at 3:12 PM ^

Something I have been unsure of and has come to light a bit is the play-calling.

It is not just Drevno...or Fisch, or Harbaugh...

There is some sort of murky collaboration going on, whereas none seem to hold sole responsibility.

If you have 2 (or3) qb's, you have none.

"Too many cooks in the kitchen", etc.

...Are potential issues that could come from this. Right now they all seem to be playing the company line...

 

Maybe you guys (Nick,Brendan) could delve into this a bit...heck, maybe it will work (in Harbuagh we trust, lol;), but to me this is a recipe for eventual disharmony.

Wolfman

September 17th, 2015 at 3:53 PM ^

As pointed out, it's a system JH has perfected, i.e., alloting only a certain amount of time for imput but certainly listening with an open mind to those he hired w/the ability to coach in this manner. Example is having an OL completely dominate a defender. This is reported and stored for use. TE not being able to hanlde a responsibility on a play you would otherwise call and opposite thereof applies as well. That's why you hired the coaches you did because you understand they have bought into your coaching method and it's not meant as an avoidance of responsibility because regardless of why you ran a certain play at a given time the responsibility for Ws and Ls ultimately will fall on the HMFIC.  Prmie example is the 4th and short against UT that was given to Smith but prior to the snap I thought and probably many others on this site agree, should have been a bootleg with a heavy fake to the rb. The fact that we came up short doesn't mean I would have been right. We are certainly going to have plays that work and plays that do not. But who other than JIm, and I ask this sincerly, would you rather have in charge of your offense given all the HCs in the league. I can take one as a plausible consideration but even there you have a completely different offensive philosophy so it's difficult to compare.

There is no doubt, absolutely none, that JH and his offensive stategy will work w/in a three year time period that will lead to his method. Long, sustatined, time eating drives, thereby keeping your defense off the field as much as possilbe to ensure their effectiveness when they are in the game while also keeping the opposition's offense off the field.

The fact that he coaches using this method should not even be questioned unless it actually proves to be unsuccessful in the normal time frame associated with turning a program around. 

Wings Of Distinction

September 17th, 2015 at 4:32 PM ^

These coaches under the Iron rule and intelligence of Harbaugh likely could make this "collaberation" work.

When articles/coaches state 5 different options for play-callers, then to fans, the process IS murky. Might not be for them. It is for us.

This type of scenario is very much the exception rather than the norm.

"In Harbaugh we trust"...I will stand by my observation that this could be a recipe for disharmony amongst coaches...maybe just not in this particular instance. Time will tell. 
 
Go Blue!