Areas of improvement you want to see this season?
Outside of the obvious (better OL, WR, and QB play), what areas of improvement are you looking to see this season?
For me:
1. Clean up the mental mistakes. Too many missed assignments, penalties, etc last season. We looked like a Brian Kelly team and not a Harbaugh team on that front. Hopefully that was due to youth and a bad OL, rather than not coaching the fundamentals.
2. Special Teams. After having some success in Harbaugh's first few years, last year was a let down. We brought almost no pressure on punts and the punt return game was iffy with DPJ (Although, I think Ambry is going to be a star this year on kickoffs. He might even take punts now after Tarik's injury). Nordin was also wildly inconsistent and so were the punters. (Special teams is a HUGE concern of mine going into this season).
3. Better play calling that will hopefully give this team an offensive "identity." Also, I want to see Harbaugh take more control on the sidelines and not rely on the committee approach during games.
4. Jim's demeanor on the sideline. I want the crazy, fiery, piss & vinegar coach back. Despite the refs hating it.
5. Defensively, and kind of obvious...limit the big plays.
August 28th, 2018 at 11:53 AM ^
No board meltdowns on every punt.
August 28th, 2018 at 11:55 AM ^
I just want the team to play as if their heads aren't straight up their asses every time they're on the road against a team with anything resembling a pulse.
I want them to make plays when it's time to win the game.
I want to see them arrest the slide when things start to go against them, rather than allowing a snowball.
I admit, I may be over-rating the bowl game here, but it felt like an avatar of all the things we've seen with this team over the course of years and the very things that Harbaugh was supposed to fix.
August 28th, 2018 at 12:42 PM ^
I'm hoping that was just one last clusterfuck to get it all out of our system. Smooth sailing from now on.
August 28th, 2018 at 12:03 PM ^
OL, OL, and OL.
August 28th, 2018 at 12:11 PM ^
Mental toughness.
We have the talent. Do we have the will and belief to withstand all the challenges of a 12 game schedule in the Big Ten East?
August 28th, 2018 at 12:25 PM ^
1. Protect the QB
2. More than 3 WR TDs
3. Generate TOs on defense
4. Offensive time of possession. I feel at least a few of the big plays given up by the defense would not have happened if our offense could remain on the field for longer drives.
5. Punt. Don’t shank half of them.
6. Karan for 1,000+yards
Oh and can we please throw to the TEs in the red zone? Ok, thanks!
Go Blue!
August 28th, 2018 at 12:29 PM ^
1) Offensive line
2) Offensive line
3) Offensive line
4) Offensive line
5) Offensive line
6) Quarterback
August 28th, 2018 at 12:48 PM ^
I'd like to watch the obvious gains from the off-season S&C bring back some semblance of old-school Michigan football. If they are having success passing, great. If they are having success running, great. If the defense is stopping everything in sight, great. However, those old Michigan teams flat-out wore most opponents down in the second half of games. When you demoralize your opponents by being bigger, faster and stronger, you're a team to be reckoned with.
August 28th, 2018 at 3:20 PM ^
However, those old Michigan teams flat-out wore most opponents down in the second half of games. When you demoralize your opponents by being bigger, faster and stronger, you're a team to be reckoned with.
Except for, you know, Rose Bowls and what not.
I'm all for bringing back the aspects of old-school Michigan football that worked, but expecting to beat the likes of 'Bama et al. by trying to wear them down doesn't strike me as the best strategy.
August 28th, 2018 at 12:49 PM ^
1) The fan base be waaaaay less whiny and actually be supportive of any struggles.
2) Recruitclowns to accept UofM is not yet a top 10 recruiting destination and stop pooping in Welcome threads.
3) O, and mostly for you idiots to stop talking in absolutes when it comes to record and rival victories, we won't get a better coach than who we have, but damn do we need an aficionado upgrade.
O ....wait ....that's not what you meant ..nevermind.
August 28th, 2018 at 1:53 PM ^
1. We have a supposedly elite coach being paid a bazillion dollars to win big games and championships, in his fourth year. For that kind of money and hype, we have a right to expect better than *struggles* this far into his tenure.
2. If not now, when? 5 years? 6? 10? Elite recruits were supposed to be flocking to our NFL success story right from the get-go. And can we please, please stop with the “we’ll never get another coach as good as Harbaugh!” nonsense? I hope we won’t need to look for quite a while, but it’s just silly to say, no matter how much of a mancrush you have on him.
August 29th, 2018 at 10:24 AM ^
We? You thought he'd be winning championships by year 4?
I thought he'd bring UofM football back to a top 12 program and make them competitive in a tough conference. Two double digit win seasons and 8 more victories in his three years than the previous three and two top 12 finishes.
Seems he has done what I expected, maybe you're just not good at expecting.
And I stand by my non-sense: Harbaugh is the best coach for UofM and we aren't getting anyone "better" right now.
If you disagree tell me who.
August 28th, 2018 at 1:01 PM ^
OL play (specifically pass blocking) is the obvious one, QB play, and the number of "explosive plays". Just a few completed passes down field to take the top off the defense will reap huge rewards in both the run game and in pass protection. Gotta hit a few deep balls early and earn that respect.
August 28th, 2018 at 1:03 PM ^
1. Beating good teams
2. Beating good teams on the road
3. Improving as the season goes on instead of collapsing at the end.
4. Having a well-conceived passing game where open receivers get hit in stride.
5. Thinking at the end of a game “wow, we really outcoached them”.
August 28th, 2018 at 1:22 PM ^
The offense needs to improve. I would like to see the D become more of lock down D like the '97 team. If we had the '97 D in 2017, Michigan would have probably won the WI and OSU game despite the underwhelming offense.
August 28th, 2018 at 1:35 PM ^
1-Weekly improvement on the offense, from top to bottom. O-line to Qb to WR and rbs.
2-Weekly improvement on the offense, from top to bottom. O-Line to Qb to WR and rbs.
3-More consistency out of the kicking game with Nordin. And the good kind of Consistency.
4-Weekly improvement on the offense, from top to bottom. O-line to Qb to WR and rbs.
August 28th, 2018 at 1:49 PM ^
The favorable calls going our way in the Game this year.
But it's in Columbus, so...
August 28th, 2018 at 2:28 PM ^
Score more points than every opponent we face.
August 28th, 2018 at 2:42 PM ^
I would love to see the offensive line play well enough as to allow us to run the ball and eat clock when we have a lead. The past couple years have proved to be a real problem - struggled with this and lost games bc of it
August 28th, 2018 at 3:54 PM ^
Absolutely right regarding eating clock at the end of games. It's one thing we haven't been able to do at all since Harbaugh has come here. It cost us bigly against OSU in '16, Iowa in '16 and MSU in '15.
August 28th, 2018 at 5:27 PM ^
Know the weather forecast and gameplan accordingly if necessary. If you take half (or more) of O'Korns pass attempts against msu and turn them into Higdon runs, we win.
Monsoon 1 Harbaugh 0
August 29th, 2018 at 7:03 AM ^
Sorry, but that is an utterly laughable excuse for losing... [again].
August 28th, 2018 at 6:21 PM ^
More wins. Finish opponents and games. Tall order given the difficulty of schedule. Harder than 1997 IMO.