I'm on the Shea-Train.
All Hail Cesar!
Imo, leadership is always the key for the Oline since it needs to be the most cohesive unit on the team. Fortunately, you knew even by Ruiz's leadership as a commit recruiter and, especially when he took the lead recruiting role to get Patterson to tranfer, he is a leader that will be a monumental improvement over the Kuglar years.
There were so many problems with the offensive line last year. I was just watching the MSU game. In the first half, I saw a DE run right around the RT, I think JBB, who seemed to be stuck in concrete. Another play MSU rushed only four, but spread out to the far left and far right (no politics), and one of the four was a delay by a DB from the right. I think the two right side rushers got right through untouched. That is a mental or coaching breakdown. Can we expect the mental stuff to be fixed at least? By the way, O'Korn was not good, but not as bad as I remembered. The whole team had problems that night.
You are a better man for re-watching that game. I couldn't even watch the game live and didn't have the heart to watch replays.
For whatever reason, MSU has special plays/blitzes when it comes to playing Michigan. They always fluster us and play us tough. I hate that. I want to beat them into a pulp for once...like OSU did last year. Is it too much asking for a 40-single digit M win against those mouth breathers?
Scary to think JBB had free rushers come from RT...hes the LT now? concerned.
I suppose when you literally put two starting quarterbacks in the hospital in one season, there's nowhere to go but up?
I heard John O'Korn was ballin in practice. BALLIN!
phenomenal change, huh. Jon Jansen, huh. If we were not so flush with content now I would ignore this.
I have no choice but to believe this as I really want a better team this year.
Can they pick up stunts and twists?
God, I hope so.
Pass blocking was as horrid last year as the Brady Hoke years.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:42 AM ^
Poor damn Gardner
The O-Line will be better this year; they almost have to be. If they are really going to be more RPO gun heavy, that will also help/mitigate their issues. I'm cautiously optimistic, especially because if the defense improves they may be good enough to carry the team.
I really think it’s our year!!
What’s considered a substantial change? The ability to block a defending player?
The echos of clapping are slowly fading.
Every year there is hype. I'm not buying it anymore. What I'd like to hear the coaches say is "You'll see in South Bend on September 1".
I will believe it if we run for 200 yards on Notre Dame.
I look at it like this:
1. We now have a QB that has proven he's a legit talent. The same QB that was facing SEC defences, was behind a TERRIBLE OL, but still put up big numbers.
2. Last year's Wide receivers couldn't get open or just dropped everything. They had no dedicated coaching. This year, they have dedicated coaching (by a former head coach at Florida), more experience, and the two main culprits of the drops just transferred.
3. Last year. Our run game had 3-4 running backs constantly rotating throughout the games. This year, the run game will focus on two guys that showed a lot of talent.... that just got older, more experienced, bigger, and stronger.
4. Our very productive tight ends have also gotten older, more experienced, bigger, and stronger.
5. Last year, our OL coach dedicated most of his time to offensive coordinator duties, and (by several reports) directly conflicted with the other OL coach. He was so poorly focused on his OL coaching duties that he actually apologized to the OL, at the end of the season. Now, we got a guy that has proven success at coaching OL.... that has no other duties or other "chefs in the kitchen" to deal with.
6. All reports of the new S&C department is an upgrade (which....Is always stated with new S&C changes, but this one seems more credible)
7. Everyone on the OL is older, stronger, and more experienced.
8. All reports are saying that Harbaugh has adopted some RPO offensive schemes, this year, which help with an overmatched OL.
So....With an improved passing game (QB that knows how to get the ball to the open receiver, WRs that can actually get seperation and actually CATCH the ball, and more experienced TEs), a more focused RB situation (Focusing on the top two RBs...with them being bigger, stronger, and more experienced), a OL that has gotten bigger stronger and is actually getting coaching attention, and a new scheme that helps the OL.....it's definitely going to be a better OL, this year.
It probably looks leaps and bounds better to a guy like Jon Jansen, that pays attention to the OL.
I mean we have to hit on something/someone at some point, no?
How can you not go up against the best D Front in the Country day in and day out and not get better?
Frey and Drevno are very good coaches. Wariner is a very good coach.
What new coaches bring to returning players is simply a different approach, a different perespective. Sometimes it's subtle. Sometimes it is that combintation of the slightly different perspectives that gjves players a full understanding of everything needed to really master a position. Like say, looking at something in the dark with a flashlight, versus two flashlights. Or killing weeds with two different methods, instead of one.
[add better analogy, by all means]
I think that is one reason why sometimes a good coach's most succesful seasons are the first several- when the returning players have the advantage of buying in to the new approach, but the benefit of comparing and contrasting so everything makes sense to them at a deeper level.
Everywhere Ed Warinner has been offensive lines have improved, especially in the running game.
I expect the same here at Michigan!