RPO bad play design or wrong route?
Wisconsin is in man coverage with no free safety. Michigan runs inside zone with Bell running a 5 step slant. The safety takes a few steps up, Shea makes the correct read but throws the ball behind Bell.
If you look at the opposite side you see both WR's running slants as well. Nico actually almost ends up running into Bell and brings his defender right to where we want to throw the ball. I wonder if this is why Shea ended up throwing in behind Bell. This concept makes no sense to me. Why would we run Nico on a slant into the same spot as Bell, was it a wrong route? If Nico runs an out or a corner, his DB runs with him and Shea has much more room to lead Bell and this should be a TD.
Plays like this make me wonder what the hell we are doing on offense, and if Gattis has any business being an offensive cordinator.
Here is an example of what the RPO should look like with the backside slot running an out
September 27th, 2019 at 9:32 AM ^
Not on same page. Simple answer, tough task.
September 27th, 2019 at 9:34 AM ^
Get off the internet and study the gameplan sir!
September 27th, 2019 at 10:53 AM ^
To be honest, it feels like our offensive coordinator needs to study the game plan. I'm not the smartest football person ever, but I stayed at a holiday inn express last night and this site helps a lot. It seems to me that we don't have much of a cohesive game plan at this point. it really should not have been too much to hope for by Wisconsin.
September 27th, 2019 at 10:31 AM ^
Wonder if when Shea throws up a bad pass, if he yells “fore!” out of habit.
September 27th, 2019 at 10:48 AM ^
I regret that I have but one upvote to give this. Whenever I read about a great quarterback, I read things like how they have a maniacal commitment to improving. Usually not how they do the minimum expected, and hit the links as much as possible while they can during the off-season.
September 27th, 2019 at 2:24 PM ^
I have no idea what level of golfer Shea is. But he's an athelete, so I'm wondering if there's even a small chance that he's decided he's not going to have an NFL future after all, and is thinking about giving pro golf a chance. (To be clear, I wonder only out of curiousity, I have no idea what his practice and study habits are, how much time he actually spent on golf, etc. I'm not criticizing him, just genuinely curious.)
September 27th, 2019 at 11:59 AM ^
This is perfect. Bravo!
September 27th, 2019 at 12:15 PM ^
This kind of error does not bother me much. This is exactly the kind of error that we should be expecting with adopting to a completely new offensive scheme. There are growing pains related to those changes.
There are much bigger things happening, like basic lack of planning and lack of any kind of answers to defense overplaying our tendencies, that is a much much bigger issue that we have to deal with right now.
September 27th, 2019 at 9:33 AM ^
Run the ball and play defense.
September 27th, 2019 at 9:35 AM ^
Drink breast milk and flick urself in the fleshy patch between your legs.
September 27th, 2019 at 9:43 AM ^
We can't even run the ball.
September 27th, 2019 at 9:44 AM ^
We have the personnel to play football the way it’s supposed to be played.
instead we line up in shotgun in short yardage on the goal line. I die inside a little bit every time I see that shit.
September 27th, 2019 at 10:23 AM ^
Stick to shit apparel threads that nobody cares about. Your actual sport knowledge is lacking.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:10 AM ^
Pretty obvious people do because they always get a ton of comments.
Your posting history is sad. You sound like a miserable boomer.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:06 AM ^
Plenty of other teams manage to line up in shotgun in short yardage. Is there some reason why this only effects Michigan?
September 27th, 2019 at 11:16 AM ^
Better have an OL who are a fit for your system if you're gonna stupidly line up a couple yards behind the line of scrimmage and hand off to someone who hasnt even started moving yet.
Spoiler: we don't. Harbaugh caved to all the critics and look what it's gotten us. Those same idiots are the loudest to complain.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:26 AM ^
Do you have any evidence that the OL is not a fit for this system? They're running some things that are awfully similar to last year and they seemed to be a fit for that system.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:31 AM ^
Do you think offensive linemen who can zone and power block from the I-formation and offensive linemen who can zone and power block from the shotgun are two different groups?
September 27th, 2019 at 12:42 PM ^
Harbaugh caved to the critics? If he's the type of coach and person that you claim he is and that you want to be here, then I highly doubt he would cave to critics. Harbaugh clearly marches to the beat of his own drum and I think he understands as well as anyone that when you are struggling against top-10 teams and can't beat Ohio State then something has to change. Ya know... definition of insanity and all.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:18 AM ^
football the way it’s supposed to be played
guess you haven't watched the last few national champions huh
September 27th, 2019 at 11:26 AM ^
Pretty obvious that my quote is a feelingsball take of what I WANT football to once again be.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:06 PM ^
Normally I'm with you WD but I think the "to play football the way it's supposed to be played" bit is total BS. Attitudes like that are what lead to the forcible rejection of progress (and guys like RichRod) and innovation.
Offense generally needs to evolve from 1984 to be effective over the long haul.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:17 PM ^
Rich Rod was not progress, he was a mistake. While his offense was fun to watch with Denard, that was the only thing about his entire program that had an element of fun. Everything else was a shit show.
I repeat: Denard running an offense was fun - everything else Rich Rod was a complete and utter shit show.
September 27th, 2019 at 10:21 AM ^
I think we forgot to coach our o-lineman how to properly run-block this season.
September 27th, 2019 at 4:42 PM ^
We were doing that when Harbaugh first got here, and the result was a slow, lumbering offense that didn't know how to play from behind.
September 27th, 2019 at 9:38 AM ^
One of those two ran the wrong route. My guess is Nico was supposed to run a post or a go to clear the middle of the field for Bell
September 27th, 2019 at 9:58 AM ^
I would say bad read. The DE doesn't crash down, so he should have handed it off. The LB's freeze and actually drop in coverage when he keeps the ball. The dline is sealed off, If he hands that off the RB gets 4 - 5 yds. If the DE crashes down, his option is to run the ball or pass the ball. If the DE crashes down the LB comes up for support and the passing lane opens up.
September 27th, 2019 at 10:00 AM ^
Interesting. You're thinking the right play call was an RPO where 2 receivers run into the same spot?
I only played HS football but usually when there's 2 receivers in the same area, one of them done messed up.
And yes, I agree, a hand off likely gets 3-4 yards.
September 27th, 2019 at 10:36 AM ^
SPEED IN (very narrow) SPACE
September 27th, 2019 at 10:48 AM ^
I don't think you understand RPO. I never said whether it was the right or wrong play call, according to the defense, but since you don't know what the receivers were supposed to do, you don't know either. I just said that he should have handed the ball off since the DE didn't crash down. Maybe Bell should have run a post as opposed to that shallow route. Maybe Nico should have run a button hook and not been there, but we don't know. But all plays are designed to get positive yards. There is no touchdown play. If you watch Turners reaction, he is surprised he didn't get the ball. If he hands that ball off, the RB will get 3 - 5 yards, so yes, I think it was a misread by Shea.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:42 PM ^
I never said I understood RPO and I never claimed you said whether it was the right or wrong play. I also never claimed I knew what the receivers were supposed to do. I (as well as numerous other people) thought it was very odd there were 2 WRs within 3 feet of each other. In addition, I have never seen or heard of a properly executed play where 2 WRs are supposed to almost collide with each other.
Your comment comes across as awfully defensive for me just asking a question about your opinion and then basically agreeing with you re: run the ball.
September 27th, 2019 at 10:50 AM ^
The DE is not the read, the safety is. Would be impossible for Shea to pull with a crashing DE, run to the left and throw a post back across his body.
Michigan know that Wisconsin will shuffle their end, and this will give time for Shea to throw if its a pull read, and wont immediately blow up the run if it is a give read.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:05 AM ^
You didn't read what I said. I said he should have handed it off, not to mention, if the DE crashes, he isn't thinking about Shea, and it would be easy to pull and pass. He wouldn't be doing anything different than he does in your example, but if you are correct, and he is reading the safety, it's still a bad read, the safety is to close for that pass.
September 27th, 2019 at 1:50 PM ^
You cant read the DE and the safety at the same time. If you think he should have handed it off bc the safety didn't fly up like he did in this video that is fine. But the pull or give read has nothing to do with the DE on this play.
Also I see they have the slot running a slant right at the post on this play too. So it wasn't a wrong route, just a dumb concept. There is zero benefit to having the slot run to the same area as the WR.
September 27th, 2019 at 9:41 AM ^
More posts like this, please. I love to hear what football junkies have to say about specific plays. I know we have UFR, but this Neck Sharpies stuff is fodder for great discussion.
My gut reaction...someone ran the wrong route. Check out Nico's reaction after the incompletion. He moves his head around a few times like "what the hell just happened"? Should one of the slants been a shallower route?
September 27th, 2019 at 10:36 AM ^
in comparing it to the video of the play below that was run correctly, I would say our timing looks off as well. Seems like Shea should be delivering this ball as soon as he comes up from the pull, but instead waits a couple beats before throwing it, which allows the (possibly) wrong route from Nico to complicate matters. it may be that the safety is causing Shea some pause there with his positioning
September 27th, 2019 at 9:41 AM ^
Not only are the RPOs not great in design and execution but Michigan is running so many of them opponents are dictating where the ball goes.
Michigan Offense 2019: Be careful what you wish for.
September 27th, 2019 at 10:30 AM ^
But this isn't necessarily what we wished for. After last year, what we wanted - to a man (person) - was a better designed passing game that featured quick throws and it's talented WRs, and a sped up offense. Nobody - NOBODY - was pining for an utter and complete changeover to a spread offense. Nobody, at any point, called to throw the entire thing into the trash bin and start over from scratch.
Why was it all scrapped? Kinda feels like scheme means only one thing - a dead slow pro-style offense; or an up-tempo spread. Right now, we have neither.
I really hope they picked out 10 or 20 plays and rep'd them 1000 times each...
September 27th, 2019 at 11:09 AM ^
Plenty of other teams manage to run RPOs. Is there some reason why this only effects Michigan?
September 27th, 2019 at 11:27 AM ^
As with any scheme you need to mix up who you’re reading and how you’re attacking.
If you’re predictable in running a bunch slant/inside zone RPOs a defense can dictate the read and address both of those options.
September 27th, 2019 at 9:43 AM ^
Is it possible those were supposed to be crossing routes, but Shea has to throw the ball early because of the defender in his face?
September 27th, 2019 at 9:45 AM ^
Don't think so. It is an RPO with an unblocked DE. They know they are going to have to get the ball out quick if its a pull read. Just makes no sense to run the slot across the field instead of running him on an out or corner and clearing his defender out of the way.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:32 AM ^
There's not enough time on a play like that to run a crossing route.
September 27th, 2019 at 9:44 AM ^
Shea should have looked to his right the second the safety stepped up in his lane. He paniced
September 27th, 2019 at 10:39 AM ^
Unfortunately you are spot on. Shea made made his rating in 7 on 7 drills. He can throw the ball. But he is not any way shape or form......a Big Ten football player. Football is a contact sport....Shea panics when he feels pressure and the possibility that someone will contact him.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:30 AM ^
We've seen too many QBs regress at Michigan for it to be a Shea problem. Most decent teams manage to consistently roll out a decent QB each year, even sometimes when that QB is a RS Freshman.
Either Michigan can't identify a good QB as well as other teams (bad coaching), or Michigan can't develop their QB as well as other teams (bad coaching). All signs point to the coaches being the problem.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:07 PM ^
Rudock and Speight both progressed, not regressed. The only QBs who seemingly regressed are Shea.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:33 PM ^
You have a poor memory.
Rudock was here one year, so he's in another category. Wilton was good one year, then much worse the next. OKorn regressed as he got more first team coaching. Peters played much worse once he started taking first team reps. Now we have first year Shea (pretty good) and second year Shea (total shit). It's exactly the same as with Wilton.
Like I said. Either the coaches are terrible at identifying QB talent, or they're doing something bad to the QBs once they get here. Both are damning of the staff - not the kids.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:53 PM ^
Agreed.
It might be an artifact of a "pro" mindset vs. a "college" mindset.
It looks like we ask our QBs to learn too much maybe? When a guy can handle it, like Rudock, then it works well. When they can't, like O'Korn, Peters, and now Shea, it falls apart.*
Harbaugh has simplified an NFL offense before for Kaep and played fast trying to get the ball to playmakers. What I don't get is wtf is going wrong here?
*Speight gets a pass because he was good before he died in Iowa City. McCaffrey gets an incomplete.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:35 PM ^
What a surprise we had Jedd here in 2015 and 2016