OT - Colts Frank Reich Quote/ Offensive Versatility
The Colts physically decimated a team and won in coach Harbaugh’s favorite fashion yesterday. However, that has not been the Colts M.O historically or even throughout the season. When the physical style does not work, they switch on a dime to RPO’s, crossing routes, 4 wide sets, and light it up through the air. Michigan has the QB and personnel to do the same thing.
Here is Reich after the game:
“We know we have an elite quarterback and we can throw it for 400 (yards) and win when we have to.
But what we talked about is the margin for error in playoff football when you try to do it that way is very thin. When you can win like this, when you can win running the football and stopping it, that’s just everything.’’
Winning can be done in a variety of ways. The elite teams (Alabama and Clemson come to mind) are able to mix up game plans depending upon the opponent or the flow of the game. Michigan has the offensive firepower to ‘throw for 400 (yards) and win when we have to’. They also have the personnel to manhandle the lesser teams on the schedule. We all want to see some offensive game plan versatility, and there is no good reason they cannot start a new approach next season.
I believe Coach Harbaugh will do what it takes to get to that next level. Lack of versatility in offensive strategy held us back in all three losses this season. Make the changes in the off-season and make the changes in the game.
January 6th, 2019 at 6:01 AM ^
A few years back, Andrew Luck took the most hits in the NFL because of a relentless commitment to deep routes and slow-developing plays. He was as physically and mentally equipped as anyone to excel in that type of offense. However, he missed two seasons due to multiple injuries from that approach. A major coaching personnel change was made, and in just one season with an offensive guru calling the shots - the Colts are consistently explosive on offense.
There seems to be a common denominator between the old Colts offense and the current Michigan offense...
January 6th, 2019 at 8:26 AM ^
Hmmm... I wonder what bone head offensive staff memeber would devise such a scheme for Luck?
January 6th, 2019 at 9:51 AM ^
Guess you forgot the part where they drafted 3 immediate starters on the OL. Now he doesn’t get pressured or hit much at all
January 6th, 2019 at 10:44 AM ^
They drafted OL in the top few rounds for 6 years - Grigson just kept missing. Chris Ballard hit on his picks in his first draft. Also, running an efficient scheme with quick release plays has allowed Luck to be the 2nd least hit QB this year (beats 32nd by a margin). That is scheme Billy, not just personnel. I do expect you to give an uninformed take disguised as a knowledgeable one, though.
January 6th, 2019 at 6:08 AM ^
Offensive continuity is key. We return 9 starters on offense. The complicated playbook has been fully digested and the players should be ready to expand their knowledge. Harbaugh has always said he wanted them to get the basics down first. I think you’ll see a better utilization of athletes in space next year. Reich is right. You need both in case one doesnt work. Jim knows this and wanted the team to get the basic stuff down first.
January 6th, 2019 at 7:09 AM ^
We had 14 weeks to get to our fully functional offense vs OSU and a few more weeks to show what we can do vs Florida. No disrespect but do you think a few weeks in the offseason are going to change what we just showed on the field?
January 6th, 2019 at 10:30 AM ^
Even with the improvement that should happen next season with so many returning players, I don't think that still would be enough to win those last two games. Though I think it would be enough to beat Notre Dame.
How about some passes to Chris Evans out of the backfield next season? How about a few 300 yard passing games?
Michigan hasn't had a QB throw for over 300 since 2016. Speight did it twice that year, 312 and 362.
And Michigan hasn't had 4 RBs with at least 400 yds since 2016. There were only 2 RBs with at least 400 yds this season.
So not only is the passing game not as good as it was in 2016, the core of RBs isn't as good as 2016, which is odd considering all the complaints about the running abilities of the RBs that year, especially about De'Veon Smith.
Michigan lead the BIG10 in scoring in 2016, a little ahead of Penn St:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/big-ten/2016-team-offense.html?fbclid=
Fell to 8th in 2017, a far cry behind Ohio St at 1st:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/big-ten/2017-team-offense.html
To 2nd in 2018, not close to 1st though. Shea Patterson has made a big difference:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/big-ten/2018-team-offense.html
The inability of the offense to move the ball showed most in the 3 biggest games this year, Notre Dame, Ohio St, and Florida. Flashbacks to the ugliness of last year happened in those 3 games. But the inability of the offense to move the ball well also showed in the Indiana game, with the offense settling for so many FGs, and not getting TDs.
January 6th, 2019 at 7:57 AM ^
Just wait till next year, Harbaugh will have his guys and the fundamentals down!!!
January 6th, 2019 at 8:04 AM ^
Better utilization of athletes in space.
Based on what? His complete lack of doing that or anything approaching that his 1st 4 years here? Sorry but I'm starting to think we've seen the extent of Harbaugh's offensive ingenuity.
January 6th, 2019 at 8:58 AM ^
The second half of 2015 wasn't so bad. Those play designs and offensive flow were far better than what we saw late this year. This is not an 'all or nothing' gambit, as you would have us believe with this post...
January 6th, 2019 at 8:55 AM ^
I've subscribed to this ideal the last several years... And I still do, but differently. I still agree that it takes a while to build up the depth where you can run junior and seniors out and let the new croots learn the system. This is how Alabama and Clemson continue to dominate year in and year out, despite whoever leaves each year. But this idea has nothing to do with offensive versatility or scheme.
Harbaugh is the coach, and he will continue to be the coach for a long time. Mostly for this reason, and knowing full well that he (Harbaugh) controls the offense, I'm going to hope and believe that the passing game coord - Pep - is the one drawing up the long passing trees and ball control plays over everything else. There is plenty of evidence showing that is his MO...
January 6th, 2019 at 10:00 AM ^
How long is it gonna take to get the basics down? It's been 4 years. Not like none of these kids had never seen a football before stepping on campus. The basics should be down pat after year 1. No excuse for a team full of 3rd and 4th year players to look like they did at the end of the season.
Yes, I get the limited practice time but then that just leads me to believe Harbaugh's scheme is way too complicated for college (not necessarily they can't handle it, but to get everyone on the same page clearly takes too long to make it worthwhile).
I'm not a Harbaugh needs to go guy, but something has to change and it needs to be more than just tweaking the offense. I have no issues with his style, but maybe simplify it a bit going forward so they can add more wrinkles over the course of a season.
January 6th, 2019 at 10:32 AM ^
Agreed. Blaming the offensive ineptitude on a lack of understanding or fundamentals is ridiculous. It's the same system that's been in place since 2015.
I'm confused why Harbaugh is sticking with Pep. We know he is capable of making great coaching hires (Brown, Warriner), so why not cut bait with Pep and try somebody new that has demonstrated success in the college game?
January 6th, 2019 at 10:44 AM ^
If Pep’s departure is being handled like Drevno’s, then be patient. Warriner wasn’t hired until early March. Could take some time. Given this, I won’t panic until March.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:07 AM ^
Wasnt Warriner hired as an analyst in January then moved once Drevno left?
January 6th, 2019 at 1:48 PM ^
We return 7 starters on O, not 9. We lose JBB, Higdon, Perry, and Gentry.
January 6th, 2019 at 6:08 AM ^
Double post. Sigh.
January 6th, 2019 at 1:57 PM ^
Rather have a double post than misread title of thread.
I thought Frank Reich was quoted as saying something offensive.
January 6th, 2019 at 2:06 PM ^
Haven't we seen enough of these slow developing plays?
January 6th, 2019 at 7:57 AM ^
I love all the Madden players asking for offensive flexibility. Having a dominant oline allows that to happen. Oline is not there yet and Shea isn't either. We will be closer next year
January 6th, 2019 at 8:06 AM ^
^^This times a quadrillion^^
January 6th, 2019 at 8:39 AM ^
I really hope Warinner doesn't go to Alabama
January 6th, 2019 at 11:17 AM ^
^^This times a quadrillion^^
January 6th, 2019 at 11:53 AM ^
a la Enos.
I cannot help but think over the past 2 months how much different this season would have been with Enos?
January 6th, 2019 at 8:40 AM ^
You need a dominant o line to win with the scheme that we have. You don’t need one to win using quick hitting pass plays.
So why are we running pass plays that don’t match our OL’s capabilities? Because Pep sucks.
January 6th, 2019 at 10:11 AM ^
Every year we get "closer" just to find out that it looks like maybe next year.
When does next year actually get here?
January 6th, 2019 at 11:54 AM ^
When does then become now?
Soon.....
January 6th, 2019 at 10:20 AM ^
LOL, next year, next year, next year.
We never hear that. If we weren't sitting on next year for about 15 years then your post would have some credence. But we are not, so its just another post for those who like participation trophies.
January 6th, 2019 at 2:22 PM ^
Well, you're earning your participation trophy for complaining about losing to OSU 14 of 15 years instead of focusing on which moves make a victory in 2019 most probable.
Harbaugh is responsible for four of those. He is 1-9 vs the Top 10 and 37-5 vs 11 and below. His 38-14 record over four years places his winning percentage at 9th among Power Five teams.
IMO, blowing it all up and starting over is more likely to cause Michigan to move down from 9th in winning percentage and make it less likely to beat OSU in the future. Plus, I don't think many coaches will be eager to sign up for a job if they know they'll get canned if they "merely" produce the 9th best winning percentage.
Bo had a saying. "Identify what is wrong, and fix just that."
Obviously, the board is not happy with the offensive scheme and attributes that most likely to Pep.
What specific moves do you want to see? Throwing around "Unacceptable!" is a cop out.
FYI, this site shows Mich ticket prices on the secondary market to be the 9th highest. (I would have thought we'd be in the Top 5. My Google-Fu wasn't able to find a ranking of a direct measure of prices charged by the schools.)
https://blog.ticketiq.com/blog/uga-leads-nation-as-most-expensive-college-football-tickets
And, while the fans don't bear it directly, UM is spending the third most on Harbaugh. Is there someone on that list that you think Michigan should pursue? (Or somebody from outside of college football head coaches?)
January 6th, 2019 at 11:03 AM ^
OSU's offensive line couldn't block air. So they used a gameplan of getting the ball out quickly and not letting UM's pass rush have a chance to get home. UM's O-line is not "there" yet, so they ran the ball and forced them to block against blitzing LB's and stacked boxes. If the O-line isn't there yet, that makes this end of season game planning even worse.
I would imagine our O-line is a lot better than it looks but it is never put in a position to succeed. 2 run plays into 8/9 man boxes and then pass protecting on 3rd and long when everyone knows it's a pass. On top of that the defense knows when the snap is coming because UM can't get a play in in time to snap it before 2 seconds every play.
January 6th, 2019 at 3:06 PM ^
In 2015 we had 5 NFL OL on the field, Cole, Braden, Glasgow, Kalis, Magnusson.
In 2016 we had 4 NFL OL plus Bredeson who was a top 40 national recruit. Braden, Bredeson, Cole, Kalis, Magnusson
In 2017 we took a step back. We had 1 NFL OL in Cole, but Bredeson entered his 2nd year starting and Ceasar Ruiz was good enough to displace Cole (literally an NFL starter at C) back to LT. Onwenu is a 4 star guy we will see if he gets NFL buzz and RT was a disaster between Ulizio, JBB, and Runyan.
In 2018 Bredeson was a captain and entered his 3rd year starting. Ruiz and onwenu entered 2nd years. Runyan got LT and ended up getting 2nd team all big ten and JBB was the RT.
We have had NFL talent on the OL. So to me it is entirely a coaching issue.
January 6th, 2019 at 8:02 AM ^
Sorry, I have zero confidence that Harbaugh can do this. He's shown he'd rather just slam his head into a brick wall all day. Why do people think the O-line will be good next season when we just saw that Oline against Florida?
Everyone should have "an I'll believe it when I see it" attitude about any big changes in philosophy. But according to a bunch of people on this site we should be happy with 10 wins every year because we're not Ohio/Bama/Clemson and never will be.
January 6th, 2019 at 8:49 AM ^
You hit the nail on the head. My expectations for a national title are long gone, but I’m shocked at the amount of people that are perfectly happy with the ‘10 wins is fine no matter who you beat’ philosophy.
I can’t really be excited about anything with Harbaugh right now. And if you are, would you have believed me when I told you when Harbaugh was hired that after 4 years we would have fewer BCS/NY6 Bowl Victories than Hoke did, the same amount of conference titles Hoke had and, most shockingly to me, a lower winning percentage in rivalry and bowl games than Hoke (26%-23%)? Those results were more than enough to get Hoke (rightfully) fired, yet people will come on here and yell and scream we should be satisfied with the current results.
If Michigan isn’t going to win National Titles, is it too much to ask to have some success against our rivals and in bowl games?
January 6th, 2019 at 8:55 AM ^
Why are you guys complaining? How can you expect Harbaugh to field a competent offense against good teams when he doesn’t have All Americans all over the line?
That’s sarcasm of course, but amazingly there are people on here who actually think that.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:06 AM ^
Our OL had two guys make the All Big Ten team in Runyan and Bredeson and Ruiz, Onwenu and JBB made honorable mention.
It’s a pretty good line and should be very good next year.
Except for the ND game our line play was not something that cost us.
January 6th, 2019 at 12:00 PM ^
It's highly likely that Harbaugh won't frequently have a more talented team that he had this year. There's not a single area of the team that wasn't at least OK.
January 6th, 2019 at 4:30 PM ^
Hell we have more 4-5 stars than Oklahoma, Clemson and Florida.
The talent excuse is wearing thin.
January 6th, 2019 at 4:54 PM ^
The talent excuses and "well it took Dabo such and such years" excuses are really getting old. Meanwhile down in Texas.....and before the next JH lover says "look at the tire fire JH inherited" Tom Herman seems to have/probably has passed the football genius/qb whisperer bye in half the time and look at what TH inherited.
But hey, the Michigan man has gotten UM 10 wins and the "wait till next year" attitude.
Oh I almost forgot(silly me) "UM football is trending up with the right coach" and alas the "Whos got it better than us" mantra. Watch out Nick and Dabo....There is a storm a brewing in college football from up north... blah blah blah blah blah
January 6th, 2019 at 9:15 AM ^
Cool! I can cherry pick numbers, too! Hoke's records were 11-2, 8-5, 7-6, 5-7; and Harbaugh's are 10-3, 10-3, 8-5, 10-3. But yeah, Harbaugh should be fired because Hoke won a bowl game and beat OSU one time in four years. By all means, lets bring back Hoke - he's free!!
Yeah, I thought they would've been better, and I still think they can do better. But cherry picking stupid numbers to say all is lost and nothing will ever get better says more about you than it does about anyone else.
As for our rivals, we don't play any ol' school as a rival. We have nationally relevant, championship caliber rival competition (excepting, of course, Illinois, Rutger, and MSU). When we can beat them, we'll have a legitimate chance to win playoff games.
January 6th, 2019 at 9:35 AM ^
I never said anywhere in my post he should be fired. I never said all hope was lost. All I’m saying is Hoke’s winning percentage against ND/MSU/OSU/Bowl Game was 26% and Harbaugh after 4 years is 23%. I’m not the one calling the shots, but the person making the big bucks needs to realize *something* needs to change.
This board rips James Franklin all the time, and most of it is deserved. But that in-game coaching moron realized he was on the hot seat because of his horrible offensive scheme, and what did he do? He went out and got the best O coordinator he could find (which was an entirely different philosophy) and got the hell out of the way. The same year they beat OSU, MSU and Wisconsin and hoisted the Big Ten Trophy. I guarantee without those changes they don’t do any of that.
January 6th, 2019 at 10:03 AM ^
no one is happy losing to ND, OSU (badly) and Florida. The National Championship or bust attitude sucks. The only teams that win more than one national championship every 10 years are notorious cheaters. Barry Switzer’s OK, Miami And Nick Saban’s car dealership. If you’re not going to cheat, you want a solid team that is competitive in every game . That let’s you beat your rivals and win your conference. National Championship follow from that when the ball bounces your way.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:56 AM ^
The National Championship or bust attitude sucks
Is it NC or bust or is it... hey, Michigan has 3 of the best WRs in the country and we don't throw to them?
... or is it Michigan looks amazing hanging 50 on the Little Sisters of the Poor but looked completely unprepared against tOSU and FLA?
January 6th, 2019 at 9:31 AM ^
"Why do people think the O-line will be good next season when we just saw that Oline against Florida?"
Wow there are people here who think returning experience doesn't matter.
January 6th, 2019 at 8:47 AM ^
Bama and Clemson have like 23 2019 NFL draft picks combined playing tomorrow (11-12 on average per team).
Michigan has like 4 (in an NFL based offense). That’s the only stat that matters
January 6th, 2019 at 9:31 AM ^
How many did Jim have in 2016?
January 6th, 2019 at 9:56 AM ^
Wasnt it 11? And still went 10-3.....
January 6th, 2019 at 10:06 AM ^
I know right bc it is still 2016.
Why in the hell do people around here keep bringing stupid shit like this up. The past has not one thing to do with the present. Geesh!
January 6th, 2019 at 1:37 PM ^
Actually the past has everything to do with the present when it comes to Michigan football.
The response was to the poster who stated how many NFL picks Bama and Clemson have as if Michigan wasn’t loaded with Hoke recruit NFL picks. Oh I forgot Harbaugh got those guys ready for the NFL...pffffff
January 6th, 2019 at 9:17 AM ^
Lack of versatility in offensive strategy held us back in all three losses this season.
The defense gave up 55 points in the final game of the regular season and 41 points in the bowl game. No amount of offensive tweaking is going to matter much if the defense plays that poorly. Just sayin’
January 6th, 2019 at 9:24 AM ^
Indeed. That was a lack of DEFENSIVE versatility.