herm edwards

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Nick’s Question:

Nick: Can you guys do one on the new coaching hires this offseason?

Seth: SURE!

Nick: Can you do Herm Edwards last since otherwise I know you guys will just make fun of Arizona State the whole time?

Seth: (sigh) fine.

We’ll do the Power Five, reverse alphabetical order.

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1. UCLA. Out: Jim Mora Jr. In: Chip Kelly.

la-sp-live-chip-kelly-ucla

David: I'm not sure they could have done better.

Brian: I am disappointed that UCLA broke with tradition and did not hire a washed-up ex-NFL coach who was last in college when he was literally in college.

Seth: I am disappointed our reaction to losing recruits to UCLA now won't be /giphy Her?

Ace: They kinda got halfway there?

But washing out under that 49ers regime doesn’t really count.

Brian: I do wonder if Kelly is a bit of a Rich Rod analogue, though, and now that everyone's caught up to him he'll be mediocre. Smart Football's articles on Kelly's time in the NFL are really damning.

Instead, Kelly’s answer has been to simply run plays that look like read-options, but without any reads or options. This has not gone well. Defenders who used to stand and watch the QB as the running back ran free now immediately collapse toward the runner to stuff the play.

Kelly once said that the shotgun inside zone “is not a great play if the quarterback hands off to the running back and everyone in the stadium knows who has the ball.” He was right, and his NFL offense is now proof.

Still: best possible hire for UCLA and they managed to woo Kelly away from Florida. A.

Ace: Yeah, not sure it’s an absolute slam dunk like people seem to think, but definitely a good hire and a huge upgrade over Mora. A.

BiSB: Agreed. The concerns are all "no hire is a guaranteed success"-type concerns. A.

David: Oh, actual grades. Ok. A.

BiSB: ...

Seth: He's still Rich Rod-good at offensive tweaks for an offense that is highly efficient, and whatever difference half a decade of defensive catch-up makes is made up for by Southern California and the fact that a UCLA degree is an easier sell than being a Nike barbie doll. A+

[After THE JUMP: BERRRRT! Consider yourself warned]

He’s a pinhead. He’s a small-minded, grouchy…he’s a great coach.

WTKA cover 12-7-17

Things discussed:

  • Shea Patterson: Game is like Baker Mayfield, but this is a different offense and writing off Peters to beat him out is silly. Also silly: concern trolling from rival fanbases. Craig compares him to 1970s Vikings, also Jim Harbaugh.
  • Sam feels good with Patterson and Van Jefferson. The safety, Anderson, could be the biggest impact one. Sam thought Michigan had Jefferson on signing day (yeah go ahead and read into that).
  • Sparties gonna Spart: we feel bad for the Outback in East Lansing.
  • South Carolina preview: dink and dunk offense that dies against elite defenses (hello!).
  • Arizona State University and Vice President of Football Operations Herm Edwards unveiled plans for a restructured ASU football New Leadership Model approach using a general manager structure. ASU is a a collaborative approach to managing the ASU football program that includes sport and administrative divisions, which will operate as distinct, but collective units focused on elevating all aspects of the department to form a multi-layered method to the talent evaluation and recruiting processes, increase its emphasis on both student-athlete and coach development and retention, and provide a boost in resource allocation and generation.
  • Is Michigan’s offense complicated? Auburn’s Wing-T system is a ton of motion and frippery to make something very simple look complicated. Michigan is sort of like that.
  • Hoops talk: ideas for PG and the four? MAAR, Brooks, Poole at 1-2-3 and put Mathews at the four. Beilein offenses can’t handle a PG who won’t shoot.

You can catch the entire episode on Michigan Insider's podcast stream on Audioboom.

Segment two is here. Segment three is here.

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