Twitter exchange between Brandon Brown and former football assistant Biff Poggi
I find it very fascinating that members of the media, bloggers, and the general public are quick to jump to conclusions and are so easily convinced that their own takes are correct. Anyway, here's Brandon Brown intentionally misinterpreting Coach Harbaugh for clicks, followed by someone who actually coaches football (including coaching at Michigan under Harbaught) providing his own take based on that experience.
Click to visit the original on Twitter
November 30th, 2020 at 3:10 PM ^
Looks like Jim has an army of enablers.
Move over "Speed in Space", "The Process" is the new Michigan Football slogan.
November 30th, 2020 at 3:15 PM ^
Isn't "Speed in Space" what all of you wanted? Wasn't Gattis some kind of home run hire according to all the same experts now calling to nuke our incoming recruiting class and undergo yet another complete rebuild with a big unknown as HC?
Anyway, what makes you think you are a smarter football mind and more knowledgable on the current struggles of the program than Biff Poggi?
November 30th, 2020 at 3:17 PM ^
we are still waiting to see speed in space.
November 30th, 2020 at 3:24 PM ^
Well, we have seen flashes of it at times... but not a fully functioning system. Isn't this just year 2 of Gattis' tenure? (For whatever this covid-adled, injury-ridden season counts, that is.)
Harbaugh can certainly be criticized for the rotation of offensive coordinators/systems in his time, but it seems premature to write-off Gattis' approach entirely just yet.
November 30th, 2020 at 3:31 PM ^
I’m sorry it doesn’t take 3 fucking years to install an offense. That’s ludicrous especially when Gattis’ former boss and employee can do it on a whim in Moorhead and Brady. This is such a Michigan thing in which our hire is the one of the 3 that suck. FFS
November 30th, 2020 at 4:18 PM ^
I completely agree that it normally should not take 3 years to install an offense. However, Gattis has had 1 regular year and then... this year. I'll cut him some slack.
Now Don Brown...
November 30th, 2020 at 4:43 PM ^
Yep, three months of practice this year wasn't enough time. Makes sense. So now explain why it seems they only ran the speed in space offense for about 1.5 games this year. What happened to all the other ones?
And why did Gattis run off the one QB on the roster who could run his offense?
November 30th, 2020 at 4:55 PM ^
It probably didn't help having to shuffle the OL nearly every game (with the only experienced starter going down in game 2). So that "three months" is with a group of starters that no longer exists. They also did not have the traditional spring practice & summer work-out periods.
It also doesn't help when both remaining QB aren't 100%.
Do you *know* that Gattis ran-off the other (presumed starting) QB? If so, please provide that info to the rest of the class.
December 1st, 2020 at 8:48 AM ^
Saying Gattis ran off the one qb that could run the offense is absolute BS! You have what evidence that DMac was suddenly going to be able to run the passing game for speed in space? All accounts by reporters that were able to see practice stated that Joe Milton was way ahead of Dmac and he was fighting off McNamara for the back up role.
It's likely Joe Milton became a practice all american as once defenses adjusted he mentally melted down. And we saw how bad our pass defense was early on so it wouldn't have been hard to look great in practice all summer.
That said, Dmac, how was he running this offense to be behind Joe Milton and McNamara against our pass defense? Not good enough to beat out Joe Milton so saying he is better when he bolted and could be the starter right now to prove he should have been the starter backs my point up. Run away rather than beat him out! That will show everyone who is better.
November 30th, 2020 at 4:06 PM ^
Fair question for ya crg,
Do you believe that Harbaugh doesn't have his hand in the Gattis cookie jar? I have a hard time believing this and he is being augmented at times. No evidence of this, but can't believe all of those short yardage shit calls were all on him. How much is Gattis being throttled to the detriment of the offense?
November 30th, 2020 at 4:15 PM ^
I am not a football coach, so I can't venture a professional opinion on this.
Just from my non-expert observation of the team and tendencies... I would say Gattis is mostly calling the plays with Harbaugh overriding now and then.
I can see what Gattis is trying to do... the dink and dunk is what "speed in space" is supposed to do: get the ball to your athletes and give them a chance to outrun the opposition in the open. It can work, but requires everyone to do their job well (and quickly)... I think the injuries/attrition (especially at QB and OL) have really done a number on making it work.
If Gattis were calling plays at Bama or OSU right now... he'd probably be killing it since the talent is there (and healthy).
November 30th, 2020 at 5:40 PM ^
It can work, but requires everyone to do their job well (and quickly).
I know you said you weren't an expert or a coach, but I thought this was precisely why we moved away from the pro style...it required too much execution and talent. The spread was supposed to reduce the need to be better than your opponent by putting single coverage and make guys defend one-on-one in space. The spread was supposed to even the playing field and make execution simpler.
November 30th, 2020 at 5:55 PM ^
I think both are true: the spread (or whatever Gattis' system is, since these terms are somewhat nebulous and subjective) requires a degree of execution to work (and speedy talent even moreso) ... the "pro style" requires even more execution but not necessarily as much speed.
I just think that it might be too much for the collection of guys currently playing to pull off against good teams... with the QB and OL positions being the weakest links just now. I think "speed in space" really needs the QB to be able to make precision short/medium passes quickly - not so much throwing bombs (but not abandoning that completely).
I cam definitely see this being better (and much better at that) next year... assuming Gattis is still here.
November 30th, 2020 at 7:26 PM ^
“Too much for the collection of guys playing to pull off against good teams”.
Ummm or against bad teams? (ie their entire schedule minus Wisconsin)
December 1st, 2020 at 3:25 PM ^
Exactly, they literally have only played one good defense this year.
December 1st, 2020 at 9:26 AM ^
Easy to call successful plays when you have far superior talent
November 30th, 2020 at 9:57 PM ^
"I have no evidence of this.... just how much is this happening?"
November 30th, 2020 at 4:23 PM ^
Since we do not know to what extent JH controls the offensive calls, we cannot fully assess Gattis.
If the players on the team and the many recruits give insight, that's better than "disabler" fans. We don't see inside the Halls. We only see the product, which has been below average this year--a little above average at best.
Gattis, if he is fully calling plays, needs to grow. It is less about his offense being installed and more about his inability to call the correct play at the correct time. Gattis, then, needs to grow into play calling.
Look at Locksley. He has developed from a poor coach of New Mexico to a revival at Bama, to revitalizing UMD and their offense. Look at Mel Tucker: he absolutely destroyed my Chicago Bears defense from what Babich had already done to it. Yet, he revived himself at Bama, then Georgia, and now he's leading MSU to wins they shouldn't me winning.
Look at Sarkisian. From dumpster to Bama revival. Gattis may have left Bama early, a little too green? A little to arrogant. He should humble himself, study how Locksley calls games for UMD, and grow.
I would be okay with the offensive staff being given one more shot next year, though I would prefer a push to steal Sheridan and Hart from IU.
I think the defensive staff needs to be completely overhauled, minus Zordich. Don Brown needs to retire. Bring Partidge back as DC, or get someone young and successful as DC at P5 non-powerhouse.
I have a strong bias for JH. If he's fired, I will understand. If he's retained, he needs to make the right hires (and, obviously, fires).
November 30th, 2020 at 6:31 PM ^
Zordich has to go.
The play of this years corners and the lack of a depth chart is on him.
November 30th, 2020 at 5:56 PM ^
JFC, so now you want Harbaugh to replace all his assistant coaches so when we suck again next year you can say "well it's only year one of such and such you have to give it until next year". Please fucking shoot me.
November 30th, 2020 at 6:06 PM ^
When did I say anything about replacing any offensive coaches? I'm saying Gattis is in (a severely hindered) year 2 of his offensive system... were you expecting it to hit peak operation already (and now with so many guys out)?
November 30th, 2020 at 6:26 PM ^
Maybe some more wildcat might help?
November 30th, 2020 at 6:39 PM ^
You would say it for sure whoever is hired as DC because that's what the Harbaugh defenders do. Point to why we had problems the current year, explain why you think it'll really be different next year, rinse, repeat.
December 1st, 2020 at 8:35 AM ^
I mean Joe Brady was in year 2 at LSU last year and they were setting offensive records. Time in the system can be a tad bit overrated.
November 30th, 2020 at 4:05 PM ^
At this point I'd rather watch seed in space.
November 30th, 2020 at 4:21 PM ^
Or Pigs in Space.
November 30th, 2020 at 4:32 PM ^
I rather we hire the evil Kirk to be the AD or HC...
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Mirror,_Mirror_(episode)
November 30th, 2020 at 5:03 PM ^
Shut up
November 30th, 2020 at 3:22 PM ^
Relax, trust The Process!
November 30th, 2020 at 3:29 PM ^
I don't recall seeing anyone say they know more about football than the coaching staff does, so I don't get your point. What I do see, though, is people mentioning how poorly the team is playing while stating a lot of very obvious reasons that point to poor outcomes. Just because people aren't football coaches doesn't mean that they can't recognize when a team is playing poorly.
Michigan is playing poorly, in ways that specifically point to poor coaching. Feel free to defend the program, but at least have some valid reasons for doing so. You know, just like people should have valid reasons for pointing out the program's faults.
November 30th, 2020 at 3:34 PM ^
One of the most egregious things to look at for me every Saturday has been how poorly our team has tackled. It seems that every single play our defense is giving up additional yards after contact.
Do you think that this points to poor coaching? In that case, what kind of changes would you like to see to the way that our coaches are teaching tackling?
Please be as specific as possible in your response.
November 30th, 2020 at 3:43 PM ^
You're right - the team tackles poorly. But I don't need to know how to fix it - I'm not one of the coaches. But, like you, I can clearly see that it's an issue, has been all year, and that it's not getting fixed. And yes, I can point to poor coaching as the reason - because they are using poor form (angles, technique, positioning, etc), and (probably) don't really care enough to fight the guy down. And yeah, that all points back to coaching.
Stop trying to sound smart. Everyone here has watched or played the game pretty much all our lives. We can recognize that things are wrong - just like you can. We're not even paid $8M/yr to notice such things!
November 30th, 2020 at 3:45 PM ^
You dodged my question so I'll ask it again:
What kind of changes would you like to see to the way that our coaches are teaching tackling and defensive technique?
Please be as specific as possible in your response.
November 30th, 2020 at 3:58 PM ^
Wait, so you are saying they just recruited a bunch of kids that are poor tacklers? That’s a coaching issue as well. Now to your question.
First, I have a hard time believing you would even know what the specific drills consist of should someone mention them. That said, without being at practice to see how they teach tackling and what their current drills look like, it would be pretty tough to make suggestions. There are countless tackling drills. If you are overrunning plays or losing contain, you can do butt/post tackling drills to get players reps on performing their specific role based on their assignment and alignment. perhaps we are tackling too high. You can drill form based on your specific technique. You can run long to short drills to get kids to “eat up grass” before bringing themselves under control and then accelerating through contact.
There is a handful of possibilities. Again, you need to see what they are currently running. My personal guess is they teach tackling technique. They are a college staff, after all. Tackling also has a “want-to” component to it. Judging by what I’ve seen on the field, I would bet some of that is missing. I think a lot of those kids are checked out. Maybe they have been for some time. I have no idea why. Sometimes that happened between teams and coaches. Coaches trying to get kids excited on the sideline after a good play is a pretty big red flag to me. Regardless of reason though, it’s a problem.
November 30th, 2020 at 4:05 PM ^
Hire a position coach who....you know.....actually coaches the team, instead of whatever the hell Shoop is doing. ?
In all seriousness.....tackling is a glaring issue. That and hesitation. It can be traced back to youth and inexperienced players, learning on the fly, because of the weird/unusual off-season. However, game 6....they should be doing nothing but hitting drills, and that doesn't seem to be happening. Maybe they are worried about more injuries, on a MASH unit of a team, but no better time than now to learn how to tackle correctly.
November 30th, 2020 at 4:10 PM ^
My understanding is that practicing technique and focusing on player development is their #1 priority at the moment. That's consistent with what coach Poggi is saying above. Coach Harbaugh has repeatedly stated this season that they are focused on getting better at fundamental football skills.
November 30th, 2020 at 4:27 PM ^
He also said they were close then proceeded to take 3 OTs to beat Rutgers and lost to 0-5 Penn state. Do you really believe everything he says?
November 30th, 2020 at 4:29 PM ^
It's year 6 and getting your guys to understand and execute fundamental football stuff is a concern. Sure, the roster is young and that is a reason. But it's young because talented players that would have contributed and helped bring along the young guys in this regard have transferred or opted out.
All are problems that point back to poor coaching and decisions made by coaches over time.
November 30th, 2020 at 4:48 PM ^
Specifically, I believe this roster is ranked #125 in all of NCAA division 1 in terms of average age / returning experience. And we have this weird ass COVID season and lack of an offseason that certainly hurts a more inexperienced team significantly more than it hurts a more experienced team.
Are there specific coaching decisions that you can point to which lead to guys transferring out when they were on the cusp of contributing in a major way?
November 30th, 2020 at 5:42 PM ^
You respond to every post by asking for specifics. What are the odds you even understand the specifics you are given? My guess, zero. What is your football experience? Have you coached before? Do you have any understanding of technique or scheme? Do you recruit or have you been through the process with kids you have coached (or your own)? Why should anyone give you specifics when you don't know what to do with them when they are given?
November 30th, 2020 at 6:25 PM ^
Maybe "decisions" is not the right choice of wording. But I guess a decision to act in a certain way or lead in a certain way that doesn't mesh well with player(s) is a decision so whatever. The answer to your question is, "how would I know?" Only the staff and the transferring/opting out players know the answer to your question. But it is odd that guys like Aubrey Solomon and Mike Dwumfour bolt when there are starting opportunities and PT galore waiting for them...don't you think?
I can make reasonable judgements based on what I see on the field of play...thoroughly dominated/humiliated by Wisconsin, soundly beaten by Indiana, beaten by a really crappy MSU team with a first year head coach, beaten by a winless PSU team. If the season were not to mercifully end before OSU I have zero doubt that we will lose by a really wide margin, yet again. Nothing is going right for this team and I don't see any glimmers of hope. The team is not playing well at all. The guys looked unprepared and outschemed. They simply do not look well coached to me. Outside of the corners MAYBE, not one facet of the team appears to be getting any better as the games roll on.
Please don't ask me to specifically point out what "not well coached" means. I am tired of typing.
November 30th, 2020 at 9:39 PM ^
Maybe. Just maybe. That after 2016 he went all in with reps and Jim never took them off the field at the detriment of future. ..for the revenge tour .in blowouts boths sides would be in til the final drive. I thought that was risky and short sighted, not giving any time to the backups... d'Antonio seemed to mix in his backups early in games, and seemed like no dropoff. And when we did see our backups in it was a massive drop.
Now all these guys graduated, transferred, sat out, and are left with players with no experience.
November 30th, 2020 at 4:26 PM ^
Also regarding Shoop, I'm very eager to know what is going on there. It's total uninformed speculation on my part but I have a hunch that he has some kind of health condition which makes him particularly at risk for COVID.
November 30th, 2020 at 5:40 PM ^
That there is your problem. You’re assuming they’re actually teaching it but that seems to be in direct contradiction to the footage we are all seeing.
November 30th, 2020 at 9:58 PM ^
Ok, Have our defensive coaches head down to Tuscaloosa this Summer, they will learn more in 2 days about form tackling, driving the ball carrier down, denying yac, than anything I've seen this staff yield since Hoke's coached players were here.
Watch Saben in practice teaching pounding tackling techniques. Dude is relentless about it, saw it first hand when he was at MSU.
You play word games when the product is obviously flawed. I don't care if mgoblog members have the answers for what fucking changes need to be made, there's about 12 million in payroll going to those who should.
Christ, MSU tackles better than this team.
Dodge the question jedi mind games. You don't need to win the f'ing board with every post.
November 30th, 2020 at 7:09 PM ^
From the moment Gattis was hired, I thought to myself, why would he leave Alabama? I don't wonder that anymore.
December 1st, 2020 at 6:37 AM ^
Have you seen the number of offensive coaches that have been in & out of Alabama's system under Saban? That turnover is not due to underperfornance (mostly)... they are leaving to get better jobs elsewhere using their success at Bama as a resume boost.
Gattis was in demand by a number of programs (including Bama, which wanted him to stay but did not have room to promote him), which Michigan outbid with a better offer.
November 30th, 2020 at 3:10 PM ^
We should do our very best to ignore any and all social media - especially the cancer that is Twitter. Everyone is better for it.
November 30th, 2020 at 3:17 PM ^
^^^^ This, 1,000 time this.