MLive: Article on Nussmeier-Gardner relationship
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2014/07/michigan_devin_gardne…
Couple of interesting bits:
One of those challenges is the freedom to change offensive line protection schemes. One offseason emphasis from Nussmeier has been to call plays quickly, allowing the offense to break the huddle and get to the line of scrimmage with plenty of available time.
With that time, Nussmeier wants Gardner to evaluate the opposing defense and assure that the offensive line is correctly assigned.
“He’s given me the opportunity to protect myself before the play starts,” Gardner said. “If I see something the offensive line might not see, I can make the change to make sure I’m protected.”
Was that an option a year ago?
“Not as much, no.”
It sounds like two of the (related) things we've been clamoring for are going to become reality this year. A) Gardner having some more freedom to audible at the line and B) getting out of the huddle and to the line fast enough to have time to make those changes. At the moment, only protection scheme is mentioned, but reading between the lines, I wonder if Gardner will have more freedom to check out of plays as well.
I really think we're going to see an improved offense this year and the benefits of a non-Borges led offense. I also believe, as others have stated, that it will be a building process throughout the season. I'm not expecting to see the same floundering, wallowing, taking backward steps offense of last year.
They were just done by the OL rather than the OL and DG both. This puts one more thing on DG's plate, good or bad, but also puts another set of eyes on the protection, a set of eyes that isn't in an OL stance right before the snap.
So the good is that you have more people with the option of seeing things develop across from them from the defense.
The downside is that you now have multiple people that may see things differently, and who has the final word. This wasn't always a smooth thing at Bama, even between highly experienced players.
So positives and negatives to both. If the QB is comfortable adding this to his responsibilities, I prefer it. But if he's overwelmed by other aspects of the game still, I'd prefer he focus on other things.
FWIW, Gardner will almost certainly making checks at the line, at least in the run game. It's pretty much a necessity for a zone based run team at this level. Other than that though, most of the adjustments in the pass game will come post-snap, and I'm not sure DG will have much freedom checking from run to pass (he may have more freedom checking from pass to run, that's hard to say).
Meh, I'll take a disagreement here and there if we're beating ND 42-14.
..as long as they make up, get to the line and go deep to put us up 49-14.
the same protection calls at their disposal? It seems like you could get into a situation like where the pitcher and catcher don't agree on the next pitch.
At least, to some degree, all the protections won't be necessarily carried over to Nussmeier's offense. But the OL should always have the capability of making protection calls, and almost all coaches work that way (there are some that don't, I remember this being a topic of discussion in the past few years, I think at Nevada or somewhere, but I wouldn't recommend it and I don't think Nussmeier will go that approach either. IMO, that puts way too much on the OL's plate to be completely responsible for all those aspects of the offense, and doesn't give the OL ability to see things themselves and adjust for something that they are personally responsible for.
I don't think that gives much confidence for the OL, and I don't think it gives credit to their intelligence. It also doesn't make sense in terms of it's already something the OL is learning about, rather than an extra thing, so you might as well utilize them (it takes relatively very little more to teach them about these sorts of things than it does to teach the QB).
I see during games when the OL identifies a matchup problem, or a defender tips his blitz, but I don't always understand what the old protection was vs the new. I don't understand how many protections they have to choose from And are the pros dependent upon the defensive alignment or not?
I'm a sucker for anyone who gives good diagrams and charts.
"I'm a sucker for anyone who gives good diagrams and charts."
Between your user name and this comment....i'm sorry...i just had to chuckle.
I think the biggest difference will be having more time to make that call, whether it's Gardner or the OL. I agree, it's one more thing on Gardner's plate, but if he has more time at the line, it might not be too big of a deal. Obviously there are potential downsides and it's just one more thing to go wrong, but I feel like we solidly on the not adaptable side of the spectrum vs the giving the QB too much side last year.
You make a call in the huddle and get to the line and the oline starts making calls to figure out what their blocking assignments are going to be. Gardner changes the play and that also might require the oline to change their blocking assignments. For a line that most people feel is young and inexperienced, it's another item that gets thrown on their plate too.
WOTS is that Nussmeier has taught Gardner how to throw as a lefty. You're all going to be very surprised (although less so with this inside info) when he completes a 17-yard dig route with his left arm on the first series against Appalachian State. Even more surprising? The guy who's going to catch it is Ondre Pipkins.
You heard it here first.
August 1st, 2014 at 12:43 AM ^
YA
YA
YA
WHATEVS
Fantastic.
Not having Al Borges call the plays in the first place?
Priceless.
I can't like/upvote this post enough.
I have a feeling that this season will just reinforce what we already knew. Al Borges cost us football games last year.
August 1st, 2014 at 12:11 AM ^
Nuss isn't Chip Kelly, but he runs a much higher-tempo offense than Slothball Borges. I look forward to not burning 20 seconds off the play clock every goddamn time before even lining up.
I remember Devin did it once last year... which resulted in a TD. (Didn't look like he had a lot of ok to do it, but it was a gaping hole that he checked into instead of a sure sack)
I remember that play like it was yesterday. I was screaming at the TV (and my wife) that there was a huge opening and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Gardner call the audible. The excitement I was exuberating was probably unnecessary but I didn't care. He made the right call and we got a TD.
I'm as optimistic about this upcoming season as just about anyone, but I am concerned that there might just be a step or two back before improving. Gardner is bright and has a lot of experience, but this will be this 3rd OC and 3rd system he has to learn. I expect there to be some glitches, especially early in the year.
probably wont be pretty at first I agree, but hopefully by the end of the season we have it all figured out and are able to gain positive rushing yards consistently (pls Nuss pls)
Wasn't that Borges idea of O against PSU last year. We have seven blockers they have 9 in the box. What the hell- lets run up the gut again because they can't possibly stop us for no gain or negative yardage AGAIN can they?
I found it interesting that at the beginning of the article Gardner mentions that Nussmeier is really hard on him, but later in the article he states repeatedly Nussmeier is a "player's coach". It made me realize that I'm not sure what "player's coach" really means, or if it means anything at all. Is it just one of those superlatives that attaches to any coach that someone likes and thinks is a good coach? Or does it have a more precise meaning?
I'm geeked for what how this will translate positively for our 2min offense. That's been generally woeful since the Carr years.
If we struggle badly offensively, I will be seeing plenty of limes in the gin-and-tonics I will be drinking.
from the occasional spring practice updates and the spring thing, was a greater sense of urgency between plays and from the hudle to the line, than I had seen in previous years. Gardner also mentioned this during one of the update interviews last winter. I don't think you'll see a 15 second savings of time, but even three or four can make quite a difference. As I'm sure you know.
Not to get off on a tangent, but all the substitution packages we used last year made us more predictable, not less. Norfleet on the field? Some jet sweep variation. Jeremy Jackson subs in? Run play. I'm sure there were another half dozen of these a keen DC could pick up on. If we can run what we run out of the same look and personnel and sub more for fatigue and injury I think we will actually be less transparent.
use 43 different formations for 88 plays. Something Fester seemed extremely proud of last year. You don't need different personnel packages to run different plays. In fact, part of Borges' predictablity was that his personnel packages seemed tied to specific plays. The more plays you can run out of the same personnel package the better.
This may just be my opinion, and I have no statistical evidence to back it up, but I always felt our offense did better the last three years when we went no huddle (2011 ND [multiple times], 2011 OSU, 2012 Northwestern, 2013 Uconn/Akron, 2013 Northwestern) just to name a few.
Obviously, Nussmeier is just mentioning getting out of the huddle quicker. I'd like to see us push the tempo a llittle bit more as well. It does not have to be a no look spread like Rich Rod, but catching a defense off guard 2-3 possessions a game without huddling with moderate tempo couldn't hurt.
More importantly, it slows the defense down (generally) and allows the offensive line to get to them while out of position.
I think it is possible but there is the 2 minute no huddle/hurryup and then there is the quickly get lined up after a play and then run dive once "no huddle".
Even under RR the Michigan offense didn't seem to have as fast a tempo as Chip Kelly's Oregon teams, a Gus Malzahn offense, or even RR at Arizona.
If Gardner can make the proper reads both in the passing and running game, and we can avoid the fitting the square peg in the round hole crap we saw so much of last year, then sign me up.
No one's expecting a no-huddle offense, but getting to the line with like five seconds left every play last year was painful.
The other bothersome thing was the approach to halftime with the ball. Hoke likes to go all Carr on us and take a knee even if we're at midfield with a minute left and a timeout.
From what I have heard so far (and please keep in mind that this is coming from a good friend who knows someone who works in a minor role on the football team, so even though I trust him, it's still "friend of friend, grain of salt"), Nuss is a huge improvement over Borges in teaching, coaching, and scheming.
Gardner should be more disciplined this year (i.e. he's being encouraged to throw the ball away and not run back as much) but we won't know if that translates until game time. The line (and the RBs) will be better, not only from experience, but from having a consistent game plan that doesn't wildly fluctuate from week to week and is no longer full of a few dozen useless trick plays that they will probably never use. Expect the offense as a whole to be more consistent.
I know that is not exactly news for most of you all, but this story reminded me of that conversation and it's nice to have some confirmation that things are going to get sooooo much better.
Also, this is why I've been saying that Michigan can absolutely win 10 games this year. The Defense should be great and now the offense should be good enough to help win a game or two.