Coaching updates from Isaiah Hole
Looks like Al Washington to OSU is just a rumor, Don Bown is 50-50 to leave, Mattison is weighing retiring, and no information on whether Pep will be Drevno'd.
https://wolverineswire.com/2019/01/05/saturday-thoughts-catching-up-on-some-michigan-football-happenings/
January 6th, 2019 at 11:22 PM ^
Informative - except for the lack of any new information.
January 7th, 2019 at 5:41 AM ^
Well you did start a thread with a comment from the Colts head coach that was even less informative and then you post this gem of a comment.
January 7th, 2019 at 12:39 PM ^
Lol, Totally fair. A message board is definitely an appropriate place for speculation and conversation. I was striking up a conversation about the Colts offensive changes (including a very pertinent coaching correlation). I just found this link to be more unsubstantiated speculation. But, it does start a good conversation - so apologies to thad!
January 6th, 2019 at 11:27 PM ^
Instability on defense is the last thing this team needs.
January 7th, 2019 at 12:57 AM ^
Instability on defense.
Going forward, Brown will be rumored to be going to a lot of openings, which is instability.
We just had a great recruiting class signed during early signing period. IMO, now would be the time to bring in a new DC if there ever is one.
Like Coach H said/says an opening on coaching staff is an opportunity to get better.
January 7th, 2019 at 8:56 AM ^
The two main issues with the defensive side of the team were interior DL play and better OCs out scheming Brown.
If GMatt feels like he’s done, he should absolutely retire. That has to be a tough job, and having one foot out the door sounds like trouble.
Same goes for Brown.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:29 PM ^
If Washington were to leave, it’s Roy Manning, yes?
January 6th, 2019 at 11:31 PM ^
To coach LB’s? I think Bush would be the move if it’s internal.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:35 PM ^
Maybe. I do feel like have a true west coast guy could be beneficial.
January 7th, 2019 at 8:09 AM ^
Is Roy Manning a true west coast guy? He's from Saginaw (IIRC), played at Michigan, and has now spent about 3 or 4 years at Washington State/UCLA. I don't know if spending 3-4 years out of 38 (or however old he is) on the west coast counts as being truly from there.
January 7th, 2019 at 9:37 AM ^
I don't know about the West Coast, but 2-3 years in NYC makes mid-Westerners "New Yorkers", so...
January 7th, 2019 at 11:09 AM ^
Roy Manning is 38??? GD I feel old
January 7th, 2019 at 11:23 AM ^
I just Google searched for you: he's 37. So I was close.
January 7th, 2019 at 11:28 AM ^
If the rumor is true about the pretty heated blowup between Harbaugh and Bush Jr. about Bush sitting out, I wonder what that does to Bush Sr. And Harbaugh 's relationship?
it could mean nothing at all, but it at least makes me wonder.
January 7th, 2019 at 9:07 AM ^
How about Chris Partridge? And as far as Washington, maybe he's the heir apparent to Mattison.
January 7th, 2019 at 9:24 AM ^
Cannot lose this dude!
January 7th, 2019 at 11:05 PM ^
Pay Partridge Pep type money.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:30 PM ^
None of that is great news. Brown, Mattison, and Washington would all be big losses
January 7th, 2019 at 8:17 AM ^
But isn't saying "just a rumor" essentially squashing the Washington loss?
January 7th, 2019 at 8:26 AM ^
The Washington rumor was always just that - a couple of message board posts based off the same tweets from Yoder. The Brown and Mattison situations at least have some factual basis to them; Brown interviewed for places and Mattison has been talking retirement for a while. But there's a reason these fringe-y guys say so much shit; they are slightly more connected to the program than me and figure if you speculate about everyone you'll be right a couple of times.
January 7th, 2019 at 8:38 AM ^
"...say so much shit"
Or, they are just throwing shit on the wall to see what sticks. Then, they can claim to have been the first to report. Or, look connected to the program. Either way, it's self-serving on the fringe-y guys part.
January 7th, 2019 at 10:34 AM ^
FWIW, it's "quash", not "squash". It's a legal term, so I don't think too many people know it. Also, dropping the "s" somehow makes it so much more fun to say.
January 7th, 2019 at 12:02 PM ^
It's not just a legal term. Rebellions are often said to be quashed, and in my line of work (Computer Architecture) commands and transactions that are suppressed are typically said to be quashed.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:35 PM ^
Brown and Mattison being gone would be scary. I’ve come to peace if Brown leaves in part because Mattison was here and could really help the transition to the next DC.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:36 PM ^
What if the next DC was Partridge?
January 7th, 2019 at 12:03 AM ^
Pros and cons I guess...
Pros: Great track record as a recruiter and young, rising position coach. Got to study under DB and would cause very minimal transition changes.
Cons: Are there more established coaches that have DC experience? Also served on the same defensive staff that got torched by OSU/UF. Probably needs a defensive minded HC or current D staff member to guide him initially with Harbaugh focusing on offense.
January 7th, 2019 at 7:02 AM ^
Another pro in my opinion is that you keep both him and Washington. They both get promotions in this scenario you’d think
January 7th, 2019 at 7:15 AM ^
Especially if it’s Partridge, I’d really want to have Mattison’s experience there to lean on.
Edit: I guess Todd Day felt the same way.
January 7th, 2019 at 12:34 PM ^
Going from one year of experience as a position coach to DC is a pretty big jump. I'd much rather look for someone with a better resume.
January 7th, 2019 at 9:09 AM ^
Ok so it wouldn't be ideal, but Jim Harbaugh would bring in a great DC. Jim Leavitt would probably be first on the short list. Losing Brown would stink but it wouldn't be the end of the world. I could actually see GMatt leaving as a slight positive, just because you could argue that the constant questions about whether or not he'd retire would be over. But it would definitely suck.
January 7th, 2019 at 10:10 AM ^
IF Brown does decide to leave, I would love if Leavitt ended up being his replacement. However, I really hope Mattison and Washington stay.
I feel keeping the assistants who already know the players would make for an easier transition if a new DC came in.
Worst case is losing Mattison and Brown.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:41 PM ^
Here’s what I make of the chatter (and after speaking to a connected OSU booster):
OSU did reach out to Washington. They were confident but they offered him pretty much the sa,w positions so it was a lateral move. If Brown and GMatt retire, there is thought that Washingtoncould move up at Michigan. Who knows what that means. Probably not DC, but there are additional responsibilities he could assume.
GMatt us seriously considering retiring, but Harbaugh has pretty much been begging him for one last season. Brown is likely gone.
as for Pep, this seams like the classic situation where Harbaugh is getting a ton of pressure to make a big offensive change but he is resisting. This last part is pure speculation. The prior paragraph is info from my OSU booster friend.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:47 PM ^
Temple is looking at NIU’s Rod Carey. Where is Brown supposed to be going?
January 6th, 2019 at 11:49 PM ^
If they do go that route, I hope they enjoy being blown out in bowls
January 7th, 2019 at 6:22 AM ^
....Disney World.
January 7th, 2019 at 6:36 AM ^
They just closed Peter Pan's Flight and Tomorrowland Speedway for a while; so he should stick around a bit before he heads there.
January 7th, 2019 at 8:51 AM ^
Wut??? Really wish that Disney would would think about the kids!!!
January 7th, 2019 at 6:36 AM ^
They just closed Peter Pan's Flight and Tomorrowland Speedway for a while; so he should stick around a bit before he heads there.
January 7th, 2019 at 8:11 AM ^
Glad I got to ride on Peter Pan's Flight with my grandkids over Christmas then!
January 7th, 2019 at 12:31 AM ^
how would a osu booster know about Mattison info ?
January 7th, 2019 at 12:36 AM ^
Because he has close friends who are M boosters and who are involved with our program. That said, he specifically told me that none of this is verified - just scuttlebut that he gathered from those close to the program and definitely second hand.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:43 PM ^
If Mattison and Brown are gone, there will likely be a ton of unhappy defensive recruits and players. Mattison you can hardly blame, but Brown will cause the Twitters to blow up. Both will be hard shoes to fill and will likely cause some strain on moving the program a step forward.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:46 PM ^
Brown would be devastating initially. We'd be fine in the long run, but still I'd rather not lose him. Just pay him whatever Temple offers.
January 7th, 2019 at 1:03 AM ^
He might already make more than Temple is offering.
I am surprised some people seem so quick to kick DB to the curb. He has had three really poor games as the DC at Michigan. That’s going to happen and he needs to learn from it.
If he leaves the DC job at Michigan is one of the best opportunities in football. I’m not so sure I would be so quick to shove off a guy who has had a top defense every year he has been here.
January 7th, 2019 at 9:19 AM ^
I am not at all wanting to kick DB to curb. Hoping he stays. Unfortunately, his bad games were at the worst possible times. OSU defense got torched by Purdue and Maryland. What happen for Michigan game? OSU upped their game. My issue with Brown is his team plays well against inferior talent. But when it comes time to scheme against equal or better talent, he seems unable to adjust. And when he does adjust, the OSU and Florida coaching staff anticipated those changes and had plays waiting. I would much rather Brown have a bad game against an inferior team but have his team ready vs elite teams. After what I watched for the past 3 years, I don't know if Brown has it in his game to make all the changes on defense to win a chess game against elite coaches and talent.
January 7th, 2019 at 12:19 PM ^
Yes, Michigan was out-schemed/out-executed the last month of the season. But I seriously doubt it's because Brown and Mattison are incapable of playing "chess" against elite coaches and talent.
One of the things older veteran coaches do give you is perspective and a vast wealth of experience having seen wrinkles before and knowing what to do to adjust. Howerver, knowing what to do is not the same as having the athletes to do it or the time to practice all those things, especially in ways that are coherent with your philosophy in a way that makes sense for the players.
January 7th, 2019 at 12:08 PM ^
His downright refusal to implement any sort of zone defense is why I don’t think he will ever be able to stop Ohio state or other top notch offenses. You have to be a special kind of stubborn to get torched by the same play over and over again without doing anything about it.
Then there is Harbaugh and his stubbornness. Our two most important coaches both think that their approach is flawless and beyond reproach. Refusal to change or adapt has cost this team several huge wins. When will either one realize that change isn’t always bad?
January 7th, 2019 at 10:13 AM ^
Yeah didn't we promise Dax that Brown would be staying? Not cool If he bails now.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:52 PM ^
Probably just grasping at straws here but is there a timeline involved for any of these possible moves?
I don’t see DB or Mattison as the types to drag things on longer than needed. I also would hope that if they do move on, JH doesn’t have to start from square one.