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That's not how football works

That's not how football works in Non-NCAA 14 real life. Plays don't magically work or not work. If something doesn't work, coaches are much more likely to work on it until it does work than scrap it and start all over. You have to practice something to make it work. And if you practice something, you have to play with it.

Nevada.

In all seriousness, I would be stoked to see Michigan study what Nevada does with the pistol. It's STUPID-simple and highly effective. Devin Gardner would be in a great position for success in that type of offense.. 

The kicker is this: Nevada is a downhill, double-tight-based ground and pound attack, but with spread elements (packaging bubbles to spread the field). Inside Zone, Outside Zone, boots and simple route combo's in the pass game. There's a reason Kaepernick and the Niners run this stuff at the next level. 

If you all get a chance, watch a Nevada game on TV. It's a thing of beauty. Cody Fajardo right now is a fun QB to watch.

This is classic

This is classic fan-thinks-he-knows-coaching speak.

even if changes do need to

even if changes do need to happen, everyone here sounds like a fucking 10 year old who wants the fancy toys of one of their friends but has to settle for something perceived to be less.

people around here need to pull their shit together.

yeah. the best way to help

yeah. the best way to help the stress level for me is to stay away from reading comments on the boards. Brian, Ace, Heiko, etc provide great content on this site, but the hundreds of FIRE ALL COACHES NOW over-reacters' comments are too much for my blood pressure to handle. The only thing worse than the 43-40 loss are the assinine comments from drunk, angry NCAA '14 video gamers who want us to be Oregon.

In general, since getting into the sport as a Coach, I have less and less patience

eh, State's fine. But the

eh, State's fine. But the point behind Ohio is to belittle/compare to the Ohio Bobcats, etc. It's just kinda useless, IMO. $uckeye$ was an extreme example. Doesn't detract from my original statement and point. Call your opponent what they are... Michigan/UM. . . Ohio State/OSU

team nicknames.

Call me old-fashioned, but drop the stupid nicknames for the schools and call them what they are. Ohio State. Michigan. The whole Ohio, scUM, whatever moniker of the day is really really tacky and juvenile, IMO. Respect your enemy. Beat them on the fucking field, not in some HAR HAR bEaT tHe $uckeye$ war of unintelligible babytalk. From the outside, scUM, TSUN and Ohio just seems really stupid .

 

Again, just my opinion. Anyone else feel that way?

Roundtree retweeted a message

Roundtree retweeted a message from Todd McShay raving about Martin. He'll be an excellent value pick in the mid rounds.

worst case, he's the Mike Hart of defensive players and starts coaching in a few seasons.

Funk as OC

That would make zero sense, unless Darrell's been secretly learning and mastering the Air Raid, in which case, Y U NO HAZ AIR RAID at Michigan!! But clearly, this is a false rumor. It just doesn't even make any sense.

 

as a side note, I see WSU / Oregon as a can't miss on TV game in a few years. Leach will get the Cougars to the Rose Bowl before he's done there. can't wait to see him thrive in the Pac 12 North.

4.89

yeah, that's more Dual-Threet than dual-threat.

if he can pass, though, which it appears that he can in his recruiting vid (not much of a strong arm, but fairly accurate), he could be serviceable. Not sure he's the next coming of Denard or Pat White, but with a bigger body (207 is his listed weight), he could grow into a little more of the Logan Thomas/Chris Relf type of mobile QB. Who knows.

Uh, Hemingway has had even

Uh, Hemingway has had even more egregious drops than Roundtree over the course of his career. The true difference is getting those 2's and 1's that Brian charts. Roundtree will make an occasional one, but nothing like Hemingway's ability to circus-catch stuff. The drops thing has been magnified a little too much with regard to Roundtree, IMO.

While Borges may be more pass happy, he wisely kept this offense on the ground as much as possible to limit the potential for Denarding ourselves with ints. As has been said, if Denard continues to progress within this offense, next year, he'll have more opportunities to spread the ball around. 

With the unknown status of Stonum, Roy will be expected to step up next year. Gallon, Dileo and Roundtree is hardly a formidable Trio, hopefully one of the taller wideouts can make some plays.

no, more likely that Casteel

no, more likely that Casteel felt comfortable at West VA, and also thought he might get pegged for the HC position if he waited them out. Now, Dana Holgorsen's got a choke hold on that, so if Rodriguez wants him that badly at U of A, why not go there for a few years and see what happens?

fortunately, U of A fans are

fortunately, U of A fans are used to getting trounced by USC, so it won't change anything. If Coach Rod can get U of A to a perennial 8-4 record and beat ASU, they will proclaim him a pooper of gold.

Not taking to too far at all.

Not taking to too far at all. Psychotic breaks can definitely appear at his age, especially in guys. He's threatened to kill himself once, already, right? Wasn't that still in Ann Arbor? He takes a very grandiose view of himself and his need for attention. Add in his apparent inability to focus, and it's not outlandish to suggest he might have some psychiatric issues. Most likely, it's a combination of factors.

 

Hope the kid can figure it out and be successful. Hopefully he doesn't have Rod Smith's Illinois '10 rant clouding his head... 

I hear what you're saying,

I hear what you're saying, but the only thing that stuck from your post was "Roy Roundtree will wear the #1 jersey..."

 

might want to remove that sig... just sayin... not too many awards go to guys with 18 catches...

 

in all seriousness, there's no need for the BCS to add the cotton bowl... just make it one of the rotating homes of the NC game when we finally get a playoff system.

I'm pretty nervous about our

I'm pretty nervous about our receiving corps w/o Junior's "give me the ball in tight spots" attitude. Roy Roundtree has falled off the face of the earth, and who knows how good Stonum really can be - he could be anywhere from Roundtree '10 to Roundtree '11.

 

need moar 6'3 receivers.

 

i'm actually a little alarmed by the lack of progression shown offensively in this game, especially after the last 3 regular season games.

Denard seemed completely bored and without fire tonight, and we weren't blocking shit up front. This off-season will be particularly intriguing to follow.

Life w/o Martin, Van Bergen, Molk, etc doesn't sound so promising at this moment.

god...

Classy, Holly. fire that bitch.

 

this is a mindset I don't

this is a mindset I don't get. We beat Alabama next year, we are on the hunt for a national title.  At a certain point, our goals have to reach beyond OSU into the realm of national relevance. Beating a marquee SEC powerhouse in the regular season would put us back on the map.

ergo, I'd rather use meyer to beat Saban. and then use saban to beat meyer. fuck em both.

i certainly hope the team doesn't take the general fanbase's attitude towards that game in texas stadium next fall. don't sit there thinking... eh, we'll probably lose.... whatever.

this mindset is atrocious.

this mindset is atrocious. Boise State is one of the top football programs in the country over the last decade. 

If you're worried about losing to Boise State, then DON"T FUCKING LOSE. DON'T DO IT! Prepare harder than they do (which is tough to do). Prove you are a better team. Put them in their supposed place.

Unfortunately, you may be disappointed to find they could beat us. Good for them. But I'd love to play them. That would be an excellent game to watch.

Boise.

I don't get the hatred for boise. I would love to see us go against a team like that, that you KNOW will bring everything they've got. I would be incredibly nervous about Kellen Moore's deadly accuracy and playmaking. They would be tough. 

This is why the BCS is a bull-shit system. It shouldn't be about "Lose-Lose" scenarios where we shirk opportunities to play tough games in favor of things like:ACC/Big East Orange Bowl and what people are calling "the 2 teams who shouldn't be in the BCS" bowl.

Fuck that. Bring on Boise. let the players decide how the season ends up.

 

=====

Ranting aside, I could totally see Delaney pushing for a Non-Boise michigan opponent. Keep in mind, Michigan State opens their season next year against Boise. Think Delaney wants to risk Boise dropping both Michigan schools in a row? That would be not good for the B1G image and provide legitimacy to the claims that non-AQ schools should get a bigger look when it comes to MNC invites.

By keeping Boise away from Michigan, Delaney preserves an intriguing, but winnable (no Kellen Moore) MSU-Boise matchup next season that ends up being a net gain for the B1G, image-wise.

Just a thought...

=====

Ranting back on: playoffs please. I like seeing the little guys get a chance to bring it against better teams. I loved Boise's win over Tech last year.

 

this is a terrible argument.

this is a terrible argument. I was waiting for someone to drop it. BSU is not a 4 or 5 loss team in the PAC 10. The only teams I see them losing are Oregon (definitely) and possibly Stanford. You can hate them for whatever irrational reason, but no team brings it for the big games like Boise. Kellen Moore's a great QB. Not just a Colt Brennan/Timmy Chang/Red Raider du Jour kind of stat-producer. He gets it done.

Eventually, they'll find their way into an AQ conference and prove their mettle.

 

uh...

For one-

He has coached at OSU before.

Also, Luke Fickell Happened.

Also, Urban Meyer won 2 NC in a short span in the (most beloved) SEC.

Also, Braxton Miller would really work in his preferred offensive scheme.

 

 

That said, the health issues and the I quit, Wait, I didn't quit thing is super weird, and I have a hard time believing this is for realsies. All the sidenotes aside, there's no reason for there to be a backlash to his hiring.

 

Poor Wisconsin fans!

Agreed though, next week will be an EPIC day! Those Hoosier fans are in for a treat!

It seems really childish to

It seems really childish to live in fear of another team selecting a head coach. So they get Urban Meyer... oh well. He'll give them, what, 3 years before his health forces him out again?

Hardly an earthshattering, world-domination hire. I'm sure he'll get them back to being perennial 9-11 game winners and B16 contenders, but I'm sure even with time, recruiting and not having 5 key starters suspended, just about any coach who walks into CBUS will get them back on track. 

Holgorsen

I don't think anyone other than Dana Holgorsen will be at WVA for awhile. That dude is going to take that program places. Love his offense. He's taken the Air Raid and added power running to it. Give him a few years, and I'll predict he wins a Big 12 Championship.

(1) could happen. Denard is a

(1) could happen. Denard is a "want-to", coachable guy from all accounts. Borges seems like a great teacher, and has self-assessed that his QB's are markedly improved from year 1 to year 2. Will he be an NFL QB? Probably not. Who cares. His speed alone will get him a gig at the next level at some position. I would settle for: can complete passes with regularity (60-ish percent) to open receivers and not make the crippling mistake.

(2) Not happening. This is a product of a coaching change. Trying to blindly recreate the glory days of the Rich Rod spread n shred would be disastrous without the mastermind at hand. I don't want a Made-in-China replica spread offense, I want the real deal. (Un)fortunately, we fired that guy because his defense gave up 35 points a game. We're going in a different direction. Get on board with it. The staff will find ways to effectively utilize Denard's speed in a west coast offense. I mean, he's going to go for 1k yards this year, after-all.

(3) eh, you can't count on that.

I don't see a backslide next year. Various phases of the game will improve. I think, at least, our offense will be more cohesive, and presumably, less turnover prone. I don't think we'll be back among the top O's in the country, but it's not as though there won't be talent there. At worst, 8-4, and when we're back to a worst case scenario of 8-4, whatever, we can deal.

Reality Check.

Non Non-Bullets:

- Denard's ridiculous production last year was a perfect storm of (1) a 4.3 speed in the QB position with (2) Rich Rodriguez tailoring his offense to maximize the production of one guy. Rich is a pro at this. Taking a guy who would be a receiver or DB at other schools and making him the most dangerous player in CFB. This is what he does (did).

- Al Borges does not have the same frame of reference (somewhere in here is a Lebowski conversation) as Rich Rodriguez. He doesn't have the experience with a spread n shred QB/offense needed to be able to make those subtle adjustments that Rodriguez did last year. He's been quite accomodating, I would say, but it's taking, for example, a PC whiz and throwing him into an Apple world with the same expectation for immediate productivity. Not reasonable. He doesn't know all the hot keys that Rodriguez put into good effect. The end result is an offense with no identity, as Borges tries to implement what he knows and can coach. People around here (Brian, included) often give the impression that, since we have 10 offensive starters returning, we should just let them call the offense as they played it last year. Nostalgia Act? Nostalgia Act. That's not happening. Not how coaching works. This is a new era and the growing pains are happening. Of course Denard is being mis-utilized. The mastermind behind the scheme that got him 4000+ total yards is gone. You can't just re-create that with new coaches and a new system. It's fine to be upset that Rodriguez is gone, but to be upset that our OC is not Rodriguez and not running the same plays? That makes no sense to me. You can't have it both ways. I'll trade growing pains in a new system for a defensive coach who can give our team a chance to compete.

- While Denard is an incredible athlete, his fundamentals are atrocious, and his decision-making can be all over the place. Right now, he is not a good quarterback. Stop blindly thinking he is. He's hesitant and confused in a new system that is built for someone who can throw with NFL accuracy. Sure, he can always break a big play at any time, but that doesn't make him a good QB. 

- Given the last point, let's wait and see how year 2 under Borges unfolds before we crucify our OC - and our QB. The great thing about Denard is that he seems like a workaholic who always wants to learn and improve. Let's see if he and Borges can get it turned around during this off-season. Borges has flat out told us about year 2 in terms of progress.

- Take these points, and try to place yourself in the head of Al Borges and call a game:

(1) Our O-line is not Ohio State's: We are not built to support a 2 pass per game offense. Unless it's Purdue, we can not line up and blow teams off the ball. Furthermore, teams are catching up to your athletic QB's running tendencies. He'll still get at least 1 or 2 chunks of big-yardage plays, but teams are containing him.

(2) Your QB at the moment is 50-50 whether he'll complete a pass. every 10-15th throw is an interception, roughly. Also, your QB refuses to take off and use his speed to punish over-zealous defenders.

(3) You have receivers that have shown they can go up and fight for the jump ball, but who also show the propensity to drop easy short throws.

(4) Your back-up QB and potential QB of the future appears slow, indecisive, fumble-prone and mentally erratic. You can't trust him to drop back and pass.

- No wonder our offense is totally scattershot. We don't do any one thing really well, except hope for Denard to break into the secondary, which isn't happening much at all. We have little spurts where Fitz looks like a feature back, but as soon as teams not named Purdue or MAC school du jour realize what's happening, they shut it down.

- I don't think there's a clearcut answer right now. Time, recruiting and extra practice time (bowl) seem like the only antidote. People seem to think MOAR RUNZ is the answer. Thing is, i've never really gotten a feeling this year in games where Denard has been less productive that quantity of carries was a factor that would improve his production. If teams are going to send 9 guys to Denard, you have to be able to throw a fucking 10 yard pass with accuracy to whichever receiver is left open. Teams seem to make a concerted effort to contain Denard to the inside, and force M to run up the gut which is not a strongsuit when your O-line averages what, 290 pounds?

 

don't misread me.

It's

don't misread me.

It's idiotic to suggest that the coaches turn him into something different. His NFL prospects mean nothing to coaches, and shouldn't mean anything to Denard at this point. If he wants to be in the NFL, his speed alone will land him that gig - at some other position.

Denard is our QB until the end of next year, barring injury, etc. I'm happy that he's on our team. At this point, however, he has been proven to be that rare kind of absurd playmaker who is also the teams biggest liability. That's the card this coaching staff has been dealt. He has exciting upside with a lot of fundamental flaws. The coaches will work with him to make him a better QB. We'll know next year whether this happens or not.

Until then, people need to chill the fuck out. 

The only way Denard switches positions is if he initiates that request and sells out to make up for the lost time. Honestly, i'd rather him put in the time and effort to make himself a better QB. That would be better for the team.

I've seen nothing in Devin Gardner, other than being tall and able to throw a spiral, that makes me yearn for him to get more snaps as our QB. He seems (a) slow and (b) erratic with decision-making.

eh, at this point denard is

eh, at this point denard is denard... he's a wildcard. great athlete that can break it on any given play. unfortunately, he also maintains abominable fundamentals and is prone to poor decision making. For an OC, what are you really supposed to do? You can't count on him hitting open short receivers and we've seen WR's go up and make the play down the field n jump balls. We got down the field anyway on that last drive, so I have no beef with vertical playcalling given things like: Notre Dame '11. People around here seem to think it's obvious what plays should be being called, and yet, none of you are in the coaches box. the fact is: you have no idea, play to play, what Denard will or will not do. Would make it hard to find that elusive perfect RPS call, no? You're guessing, and that's why this offense is a total grab-bag right now. We seem to get some momentum with Fitz, but can our line sustain a run-heavy non-spread RB? I'm not sure we can. If we had OSU's O-line, we could Braxton miller our way down field and throw 2 times a game. But we don't, so we can't.

 

The good news is this: we're 7-2. Our defense is remarkably improved, even if only into the average category. This is year one in a transition, and we'll definitely have extra practices and a bowl game to keep growing.

We'll talk about borges after next year to see how his self-proclaimed year two progression matches up. I'm not expecting Denard to ever be as productive as he was under Rich Rodriguez. He was meant for that system. He is not built for this system. Even so, he's a great player and a great guy for this program, and has earned the right to keep his job. It's fine if you were fundamentally opposed to heading back to a pro-style system with the coaching change. You will likely always think Denard is being mis-utilized. Fundamentally speaking, Denard will be mis-utilized for the rest of his career, unless he makes a rather significant leap in his progression between his Junior & Senior year. We'll see. These coaches aren't going to be able to recreate the glory days of the Rich Rod spread n shred. It's not happening.

re: Tate

I've thought about this more than once. Just having that QB with sound throwing fundamentals to spell Denard here or there/ push him for the job.

 

I refuse to "blame" anyone in this situation, truthfully. Denard has earned the opportunity to start. I mean, the guy fucking threw for 2500, ran for almost 1800 last year. Borges is put in a bind much of the time because denard is a total loose cannon => that rare combination of extreme athleticism mixed with abominable fundamentals with a dash of the brain farts mixed in for good measure. Denard is, and is until proven otherwise, Denard. He will make his plays throughout the course of the game, but it's only a matter of time until the crippling mistake. Every time he puts the ball in the air, there are essentially equal chances of completion/incompletion and TD/INT. Rich Rodriguez made his name out of tinkering with athletic, quarterback-ish substance guys at the helm of his offense. That is what he does. I can not expect every OC that comes around to have that same skillset. All they can do is learn  and teach what they know. Complain about Borges all you want, but he's called plays that have gotten people open - just haven't hit (or even found) them. I'd love for Fitz's emergence to be a real thing, but I have doubts that our line is built to sustain the hope of a 25 carry, 125 yard back per game.

But hey, we're 7-2 with an insanely rootable group of guys, an actual-ish Defense (Mattison has been astounding given the scrapheap he inherited). Our offense has no identity beyond hoping for that elusive big-play td from Denard's feet or the jump ball. What we do know is that our best chance to win a game rests on #16. You can't take his production off the field.

We could lose out. We could win out. Let's just see what happens and try to keep in mind that this is year 1 in a transition to another direction, and largely, things are fine.

 

31-27 M

I think Iowa is going to come out pretty inspired and will give us some fits tomorrow. Fortunately, I think we will also give them Fitz. (Sorry.)

- Toussaint eeks past 100 yards on 22 carries and a TD.

- Denard makes some nice plays here and there, but puts up similar numbers as he did to purdue. 12-20, 175 yards 1 td / 1 awful interception. 12 carries, 75 yards and a td on the ground.

- We score a TD out of the Devin/Denard package (Devin)

- Coker annoys us all day to the tune of 25 carries, 125 yards, 2 TDs.

- Vandenberg finds McNutt on a big play td, puts up Cousins-esque numbers, but gives an INT and a fumble on a sack. 20-35, 225 yards, 1 td, 1 int

- Roy Roundtree has a big day. 6 catches, 100 yards and a TD. welcome back, Roy.

 

if you don't see anything

if you don't see anything that worries you, then I commend you for your positivity, but you're missing things. Take ownership of your homerism and hate for OSU.

BUT, to the "heart"-like substance of your posts, Wisconsin knew that every play would be a handoff to herron or scramble, and they still gave up 250+ to Miller & Herron.

OSU can block. They can block the shit out of people. That O-Line is taking the team on their backs and challenging opponents right up front. Hat on a Hat. If you saw Miller's gamebreaking 44 yard td behind the 2 tight end behemoth set and didn't think, oh god, how will we defend that, then I don't know what to tell you... watch more football, maybe?

Miller still plays like a freshman, and it's clear he's still on a pretty tight leash, but when they take the thought out of their playcalling and give him simple reads and decisions, allowing him to play fast, they are a dangerous running team. Not to mention, sooner or later, someone is wide open downfield for the occasional - read, 1 per game - pass.

For now, let's focus on Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska. But when we get there, OSU is going to come at us like MSU did, and our players better have a response.

I enjoy seeing Mike Martin get a couple of sacks and a safety, but Mike, it's time to see that production against the elite teams - ala Brandon Graham, OSU '09.

 

OSU

2 observations of OSU:

(1) How can a team that really plays tough, sound football suddenly have such gaping holes exploited in the 4th Q (twice, now)? It's bizarre. They can totally shut down the other team, and then on one drive they turn into UM10 Free Touchdown factory...

(2) I'm both concerned by and in awe of their twins right, double tight-end left formation with the pistol. When they lined up like that and absolutely blew wisconsin off the ball, allowing Miller to run right through the left side, I was impressed. That's what you do with a spread n shred QB and a fat-ass pro-style line. No wonder they run the ball 90 percent of the time.

WAC

I could definitely see Tate putting up big-time numbers for SJSU next year. If he can put it all together, the kid has a ton of potential.

I know it's useless now, but how would he have looked in Borges' system? He still wouldn't be the starter, but given what they've done with Devin, I think he already would have made a big contribution.

Good points, although SAM

Good points, although SAM would be in a position to make a play on the bubble first, or at least discourage it. 

To run this, though, you need to be sure that the guys up front can win matchups and get pressure. A team looking to pass against this thing will find many things, I'm sure.

That Illi-wheel would be a killer, that's for sure.

So true. I would say, though,

So true. I would say, though, to that option you spoke of. I would expect, as a D coordinator, that one of my SS, C, or W guys could win their matchup and make a play. Probably not my WILL, since he's likely faceup on a stud left tackle, but SS on running back? I think it would be OK more times than not. But it's that one time it gets broken that can kill you (Denard. Notre Dame. 87.)

I don't actually think this

I don't actually think this would hold up ALL that well against a true spread team. I think at some point you'd have to get one of those DT's off the field for a safety/nickel corner. A slant to the weak side could disrupt the option, but your point is valid. This is also why I made that note above about the Mike having to be a sure tackling stud who can clean up. With David Harris, I'm Ok-er with it. With other recent Mikes, not so much.

Thanks for putting up this diary! I like the concept of the Bear. Like anything, I don't think it can be an exclusive look. It should have its moments.

I put up some diagrams in

I put up some diagrams in another thread, but what I'd like to see Michigan do is take a little bit from the Bear, but rearrange the LB's and S's so that it's almost more like a 4-2-5 Over, if that makes sense... Chart? Chart!

 

                                         F

 

                                                    M                        SS

C                           S           E  T   N  T      W                               C

X                                         T  G  C  G  T                                     Y

                                      E            Q

                                                    F

                                                   RB

 

Personnel Notes:

W = Will = Jake Ryan (which would be the opposite of what he's been doing). This position is ideally a hybrid LB/DE - think Woodley in his steeler days... a 3-4 End.

S = Sam = Cam Gordon/Hawthorne. Ideally a Safety/LB hybrid who has great open field tackling ability but who can cover as well.

M = Mike = Demens. Needs to be a stud and sure tackler, who can clean up the trash left when you send 4 linemen against 4 O-linemen. Note: I'm not sold that Demens actually fits that description. but he's what we've got.

SS = Strong Safety (ironically on the weak-side, here) = Kovacs. I like Jordan closer to the LOS, which puts him in position to make plays on the ball carrier. from where I diagram him here, he can still cover deep if necessary, or blitz, or be run support.

Depending on the confidence level of our Corners, you can drop that SS back to a 2-deep to provide over the top help. That could be useful on passing downs.

============

How would this look against a Rich-Rod spread team?

Chart? Chart! [Offense is lined up in Calvin Magee's supposed bread and butter formation]

                                                                       F

                                                

                         SS                  M                        

C                              W      T   N   T   E         S                          C

X                                   T  G   C   G  T                                      Y

                                                                                   Z

                                        RB   Q  RB

 

A supposed weakness of Bear Front d's is perimeter running. With Kovacs rolled up towards the LOS, I don't see any glaring weaknesses, and having 4 O-linemen covered up hampers an offense that wants to pull linemen to the perimeter or 2nd level. The bubble wouldn't look all that inviting from an offenses standpoint. QB Oh Noes would be the major concern.

I knew it...

I was waiting for you to drop the "Offense scores too quickly" line. it was inevitable. That invalidates your opinion in my eyes immediately. Which is too bad, because I agree, in principal that an offense's success inevitably will be measured against the success (or lackthereof) of the defense.

But to actually suggest that it's a bad thing to score on quick strikes is ludicrous, and makes me quite happy you're not in charge or anywhere near in charge. If you can score every play, that's a good thing. . .

Would you prefer that Denard pulls a peyton manning and slides down in the open field, just so the offense can run more plays? you do realize how ridiculous that is, right?

yeesh.

 

Leach.

... Needs to get back on the sidelines.

Here's one for you: take some of the Air-Raid stuff and mix in a little (I'm sorry for this, in advance) of what OSU did in '06 with the 4 wide, singleback (Wells, Pittman) look, and you've got a potent offense that stretches the field horizontally, vertically, and adds that slashing bruising Running back up the gut. -type stuff.

I guess, in summation, that's largely what Oklahoma's done for the last decade, so, uh, that!

re: Bear

Theoretical weakness of the "Bear" D is perimeter runs and the aforementioned fact that you expose your corners.

Now, I respond to that by saying: what if you combine the Bear front with a 2-deep safety look and try a little cover-2? Well, it won't be all that effective against a team like Illinois running a spread-ish offense. But against Iowa & Ohio State, I think this would be an interesting concept to explore. I think there are multiple looks the D could give out of the below formation. Cover-2 man, 1/4-1/4-1/2 Cover 3, 5-under, 2 deep zone. Anyway...

 

would look like this:

                                      FS                                            FS

 

                                                             M

 

          C                                 S    E  T  N  T    W                      C

        X                                          T  G  C  G  T                          Y

                                               TE          Q

                                                             FB

                                                             RB

 

 

"Bear" Front on D

...want more of this. Would be ideal if Will Campbell could become more of a frequent force.

Imagine, in the below diagram, Roh, Martin, Campbell, RVB as the "Bear Front" with Hawthorne and Ryan as "Sam" & "Will" respectively (obviously, flipping their current roles). Bring Kovacs closer to the line on the Weak Side, edge Gordon over to the strong side as a safety, and on 3rd and long, sub a nickelback for one of the linemen. I haven't quite fully thought this out, but I've been a big proponent of Bear Fronts from the couple of coaches clinics I've attended.

anyway... just a thought, particularly as a way to hamper teams trying to move their linemen around or getting them to the 2nd level. 

                                          FS

                                      

                                                    M                                               

                                                                               SS 

C                              S         E  T   N  T      W                                 C

X                                          T  G  C  G  T                                        Y

                                       E            Q

                                                     FB         

                                                     RB

I hate everything involving

I hate everything involving any mention of MSU right now... the Little Bro meme, the discussion of the meme, the way they play football, Mark D'Antonio, Mark D'Antonio's wry smile, etc, etc, etc... Yes, Michigan needed to play harder and be stronger, but the penalty count and variety demonstrates that the Spartan team is 

Fuck them all, and may Russell Wilson, Montee Ball and James White piss on their ashes. 

 

 

 

ps... I have really conflicting feelings about Devin Gardner. When he finally gets a chance to take over the reigns, his physical abilities will be a breath of fresh air. Still has a ways to go mentally, but that size will be an enormous benefit down the road. I love Denard, and I will not clamor for him  to get benched, but he is all over the place, and I'm pretty sure msu blue-printed how to stop our offense. Urban hit the nail on the head, amidst the bewilderment of putting Devin Gardner on the field: the coaches consider him to be one of their potential playmakers, and I'm pretty happy that he's getting a chance to play more and more.

video and penalty stats tell the tale.

Yes, MSU made plays and we didn't.  They won the game. Whatever. That sucks.

The FACT is, however, there's countless video evidence to submit to the league in favor of Michigan State University's football team acting like future convicts of America. It's a travesty to the game. I hope Hoke finds some things to send off to the league administrators.

All the aforementioned examples + the textbook example of the new taunting rule on the Pick Six. That's inexcusable. 

We will be fine. Mark Dantonio is the ringleader of a rather despicable squad. They'll get their's down the line.

shouldn't be a total

shouldn't be a total surprise, but I've got a feeling Roy Roundtree doubles his productivity to date tomorrow.

Some predictions:

(1) 'Tree: 8 catches, 120 yards, GW TD catch(!)

(2) Denard: 20-35 passing, 300 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTS (hard time on the ground: 12 carries, ~50yds, but scores on a goal-line series.

(3) Shaw: 8 carries, 50 yards and a TD (most productive of the backs)

(4) MSU frustratingly moves the ball up and down the field. We even the turnover battle at 2 on a tipped-ball Kovacs INT and a fumble recovery. Cousins completes two thirds of his passes for 250+ yards.

(5) M 31, MSU 27

 

[Scoring Sequence:]

1q: MSU 7, M 0 [Cunningham 25 yard TD from Cousins on opening drive]

1q: M 3, MSU 7 [Gibbons nails a 35 yard FG as M's first drive sputters]

2q: MSU 14, M 3 [Tailback du jour (Baker or Bell) pounds it in on the goal-line after a long drive]

2q: MSU 17, M 3 [M's defense holds MSU to 40 yd FG after crippling Denard int #1]

2q: M 10, MSU 17 [Denard scores on the goal-line to end the half]

3q: MSU 24, M 10 [Cunningham 20 yard TD from cousins after crippling Denard int #2]

3q: M 17, MSU 24 [Koger 10 yard TD from Denard after RVB causes a fumble as MSU drives]

4q: MSU 27, M 17 [MSU responds with a clockeating FG drive to start the 4th Q]

4q: M 24, MSU 27 [Mike Shaw scores on an 8 yd run with 6 minutes to go]

4q: M 31, MSU 27 [Kovacs picks off a tipped ball as MSU threatens to add to their lead, Denard leads M down the field, hitting Roundtree for a 25 yd TD with 45 seconds to go].

 

Yeah. I feel a frustrating, ND-esque game unfolding tomorrow. We'll see. there will be lots of good with the bad.

You're up 21 in Memorial

You're up 21 in Memorial Stadium when your starting QB goes down and your D is starting to struggle... Bauserman or Sheridan?

 

I choose Death (Sheridan).

disagree.

this package

disagree.

this package simply tries to get the defense to think 'DenardDenardDenard' (//Tommy Rees: FloydFloydFloydFloyd). If you ran the same play with Denard under center and someone like shaw streaking across, I really doubt it would be any more effective. Not that we've really broken anything noteworthy out of it, but it's also never been a total fail. I'd actually like to see Devin step back in the pocket and fire up a deep ball... see if we can catch a safety/db cheating. 

I'll use this space to point out that I'm enjoying watching Al Borges tinker with the offense. It's got to be very interesting for him, even moreso when Denard has an amazing ability to make atrocious throws/decisions right on the heels of a Heisman highlight reel play. He's building something totally unique, and it seems to be inspiring him to be creative. Sure, there have been some dud calls here and there, but overall, I'm impressed with his willingness and ability to be flexible with his comfort zone (spread v west coast, etc).

when these 2 seasons with denard have come and gone, I'd love to ask Al whether he and the staff would actively try to recruit raw QB athletes like that again, rather than returning to the prototype pocket passers of old.

I'm not getting all the disdain for RR (NTRR)

Here's a guy who caught 70+ passes for damn near 1000 yards. He'll be back.

Before everyone attributed his success 100% to denard's feet, Roy came on strong at the end of 2009 as Tate's favorite target, and not nearly as uncovered in space. I remember thinking at the time that this guy has a knack for making the play and heading downfield. Not to mention that he's an excellent blocker downfield.

I do think Al Borges will start to get him in on the action with some drags, hitches, slants, etc. It's not like anyone is really tearing it up at the moment. Our leading receiver through 5 games has what, a dozen or so grabs? There aren't a lot of balls to be caught at the moment. Let's not start talking about casualties yet.

I still don't get how people frown on Roy's hands/concentration and not on Junior. Yes, Junior can go upstairs and outjump some dudes, but honestly, when the ball's headed his way, it seems like it's 50/50 that the ball will clang right off his facemask. 

I'll predict that Roy still surpasses 50 catches and 600 yards.

really?

You're way off base here.

(1) Maybe you're a spread zealot and all that jazz, but to assume that a new OC under a new regime will try to call games by running a scheme based on what he does not know. . . is nucking futs.

(2) If you can't see how this is shaking out, despite watching each game a gazillion times, I hope you don't end up in the coaching profession. Stick to X-Box. Borges is doing a pretty damn admirable job accomodating parts of a system that will be totally erased/replaced in a few years to take advantage of the unique talents of a 4.3 speed QB, while still attempting to add in bits from what he knows and does well. This latest presser really gives you all that you need to know. QB's have struggled under Al in their first year, with marked improvement in year 2.

(3) Denard is airmailing the shit out of his receivers right now. comfort or no comfort, he's flat out missing open receivers routinely...

and yet...

(4) He's still leading the nation in rushing per game. Borges has been smart enough to maybe go against his instinct to cut down on the carries. He very much realizes that Denard=Offense right now. If we can get away with throwing the ball under 20 times a game until some pass game kinks can get ironed out, I'm all for it. As long as we're able to get production (200+ yards) on the ground from Denard and Fitz/Vince, I'm OK with what's happening.

(5) Brian has mentioned on this blog that the offense has a "grab-bag" feel to it. While this is true, Al and his players are still developing a chemistry and offensive identity. That doesn't just appear out of nowhere. Again, I cite the latest presser: Borges notes that they just have to continue to try things out, and if they don't work, they keep working on it the next week. It's hard to place blame on the playcalling when there are blatant execution issues between Denard and the receivers. Poor throws and blatant drops are going to make the O look pretty bad. I think Borges has said all the right things, and there's absolutely no way to pass judgement on his ability.

(6) While I'm not a fan (obv) of running a 5'6 back out of an I-form, I think things such as the new option addition and QB lead oh noes are clear examples of progress and Al tinkering with the game plan to meet his players half way. At the very least, you have to like that he's not routinely and stubbornly running arrogant plays that have no chance. This is a "feel it out" phase of Michigan football. We will be better.

(7)We are lucky to come out of this CC with such seasoned, smart coordinators. Relax, and watch things improve. We're going to get beat at some point, but honestly, I could see anywhere from a low end of 8 to a high of 11 wins this year (including a bowl).

hey, whatever, we're 1-0 against Urban.

I personally don't care if he goes to Ohio State, or Penn St. We beat him when Jesus was his QB... I think it would make for great competition in the B1G. Bring it on!

I swear, some people have developed a serious "Losers" mentality after OSU's streak. Things are very cyclical in rivalries. We'll be fine. I'd like to see us beat OSU at their best on a consistent basis, not when they're flailing with non-permanent coaches and suspended players. No reason to freak out about a coach.

Not to mention, it's not like his medical issues are going to magically disappear as he gets older. Best case scenario for OSU, he gives them 3-5 years and the chance to maybe hand off to one of his staff members. I don't see him as a permanent fixture if he winds up in CBus.

PSU doesn't seem to make much sense as a destination for Urban Meyer. As mentioned, I think they will stick to the JoePa tree, unless they deteriorate to the point where a total overhaul is warranted.