Jordan2323

January 12th, 2023 at 9:48 PM ^

Perhaps they will diversify their offense with a junior quarterback that won 13 games last year. By diversifying the offense, I mean playing to the weaknesses of the defense and not trying to run through a 8-9 man box.
 

I think the Joe Moore award was more detrimental to the coaches psyche than the players. They saw that award and 3-3-5 and saw a freight train running loose in their heads. 

Joined: 11/09/2013

MGoPoints: 48927

Jordan2323

January 12th, 2023 at 9:55 PM ^

Long long time. I get it. I’m practically begging for them to utilize JJ’s legs more. That alone would’ve won the game against TCU. I’m just hoping and praying they realized the lack of any diversity in playcalling and not using JJ’s legs cost them a shot at the national championship. 

Joined: 11/09/2013

MGoPoints: 48927

1VaBlue1

January 13th, 2023 at 8:02 AM ^

I doubt they realized anything.  For 8 years we've been thinking this same thing - 'they're going to diversify the offense and open it up next year'!  And they haven't done it yet.

Listen to the podcast from yesterday - they all said TCU was just a 'weird game', and many guys here do, as well.  It wasn't a 'weird game'.  It was a game that the coaches overlooked and didn't prepare the team for, and the team followed their coaches lead expecting an easy win.  They went in expecting to blow out an 8-man box, and when they couldn't do it and the 21-6 deficit came up in a hurry, they were too slow to figure it out and respond.  The 39 points in the second half was the result of a desperate swing for the fences to catch up - it wasn't part of the offensive game plan.  The first 2.5 quarters of the game prove that.

Keep thinking of it as a 'weird game' and nothing will change.  Understand it for what it was - a team executing a poor game plan because they expected an easy win.

Joined: 01/31/2016

MGoPoints: 127354

TIMMMAAY

January 13th, 2023 at 9:25 AM ^

They didn't, at all. 

Chose a poor play call on our first series, which ended poorly. Then fumbled at the goal line, TCU recovered. TD taken off the board by replay booth. Then the pick 6's... 

The gameplan was solid, the execution was not, in the first half anyway. That's what forced the reliance on the passing game. Just wasn't our day. 

Still clearly the better team. 

Joined: 09/08/2008

MGoPoints: 56289

Blinkin

January 12th, 2023 at 8:39 PM ^

Great news. We have good young talent on the line, so we probably don't strictly need all 3 of Keegan, Zinter, and Barnhart. It would have been really tough to lose all 3 though, so getting at least 1 of them back helps a ton. LFG. 

Joined: 08/17/2022

MGoPoints: 28528

Ronswanson13

January 12th, 2023 at 11:16 PM ^

I mean in the grand scheme of things, not really. It is, but how many other schools can basically say that they’ll have guys with significant experience at 10 of the 11 positions on defense?

Between the young CBs on the roster and even the potential for another transfer, they should be able to figure it out.

Joined: 02/11/2016

MGoPoints: 10264

Jtre1212

January 13th, 2023 at 12:16 AM ^

Eventually you have to let the guys you’ve recruited on your roster compete for spots. You’re not going to have a returning starter or guy with a bunch of experience fill every position every single year. There’s plenty of young defensive back talent on the roster. Let them battle it about in the spring and see who wins the job. We can’t always transfer portal everything. 

Joined: 02/15/2016

MGoPoints: 561

Ronswanson13

January 12th, 2023 at 9:19 PM ^

Love it. A lot of bodies will be competing for starting spots, so don’t be surprised if there’s still some attrition to come by the time the season starts, but the way Sherrone has this machine rolling I’m confident they’ll be one of it not the best group in the B1G.

Zinter was the more likely of the two to head pro, but even if he does El Hadi showed promise and I’m assuming he could slide to RG - not to mention transfers/others fighting for that spot. The tackles will be the more interesting battles though.

Joined: 02/11/2016

MGoPoints: 10264

waittilnextyear

January 12th, 2023 at 9:27 PM ^

A couple thoughts come to mind here.

First, nowhere else on the team is the "iron sharpens iron" adage as true as it is about the OL position group right now. The DL is a distant 2nd place.

Second, the huge turnaround in the OL's depth and effectiveness from the beginning of the Harbaugh Era to now just cannot be overstated. Dramatic. Striking. Unreal.

Joined: 09/11/2021

MGoPoints: 16272

1VaBlue1

January 13th, 2023 at 8:09 AM ^

Not sure why there's so much disdain for Drevno.  His OL's in 2015 and 2016 were pretty darn good, especially for what he had to work with.  They started going south when Greg Frey was brought back and Pep Hamilton came in and changed the structure of the offense.  He stayed too long, and turned out to be a Peter Principle OC - but those were Harbaugh's decisions to keep him and not move on.

Joined: 01/31/2016

MGoPoints: 127354