UM vs. Purdue pink slips
Stephen Schilling, RT. Despite the loss, the offense scored 35 points. It's hard to pick a particular player - with a viable backup - who performed poorly. Threet's performance was frustrating for many reasons, but largely because he refused to keep the ball on the read option. The backside defensive end was crashing every time and Threet seemed not to care. But since Sheridan is clearly a worse option, my vote goes for Schilling. I don't know if I'm frustrated more by Schilling's play or his seeming underperformance as a former five-star lineman. Either way, with 20 seconds remaining in the game, he made Purdue's defensive end, Ryan Kerrigan, look like Vernon Gholston. Schilling got bull rushed straight back into Threet for a sack at a crucial time - when Purdue was only rushing three defensive linemen. Perhaps Perry Dorrestein and Mark Ortmann should be the starting tackles. I don't know that it would be better, but it would be less frustrating because I expect three-star linemen to get owned.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER WHO SHOULD KEEP HIS JOB
DEFENSIVE PLAYER WHO SHOULD LOSE HIS JOB
Scott Shafer, Defensive Coordinator and/or Tony Gibson, Secondary Coach. Shafer has weakened Michigan's best position group by taking one defensive lineman off the field to run the 3-3-5. Gibson has taken several promising defensive backs and turned them into sieves and/or umbrellas. With a very athletic and fast secondary, Michigan isn't making interceptions. Cissoko came out of high school with coaches and recruiting gurus raving about his technique and his backpedal. A cornerback with a great backpedal is a very dangerous weapon, because he has the ability to break quickly on passes thrown in front of him. It also lengthens the time he can keep his eyes in the backfield before a receiver breaks his cushion and forces the cornerback to open up his hips to turn and run with a deep route. But every time I see Cissoko in anything but press coverage, he immediately opens his hips (as do the other corners). This is a big reason that so many passes are completed in front of Michigan's corners, because as soon as they open their hips and turn to run, opposing wide receivers break off their routes to run outs or hitches. There's no reason a lousy Purdue team should rack up 48 points - more than undefeated Penn State and explosive Illinois did - on Michigan's defense. None. Shawn Crable, Jamar Adams, and Brandent Englemon were solid players, but the defense should not have fallen off this much with seven returning starters. In 2007 Michigan only allowed 35 points to Heisman winner/national champion Florida, 39 to then-Heisman front-runner Dennix Dixon and Oregon, and 14 to national championship game participant Ohio State.
November 1st, 2008 at 5:11 PM ^
- Coach Rod was upset
- It's frustrating, they were trying to make plays in space on defense, but they couldn't.
- They have switched to the 3-3-5 stacked defense ...
- Justin Siller - they expected exactly what they saw, that he'd run around, make plays with his legs and his arm.
November 1st, 2008 at 6:55 PM ^
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:56 AM ^
BUt The 3-3-5 is a situational defense that should be used more as a gimmick than a base. It didn't work well at WV,
In 2007, WVU had the 4th best defense in the nation.
In 2006, they were 52nd.
In 2005, they were 8th.
In 2004, they were 21st.
Their defense, in the past 4 years, was better than Michigan's in all but one season.
November 1st, 2008 at 5:20 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 5:35 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 5:21 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 5:38 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 6:14 PM ^
November 2nd, 2008 at 7:36 AM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 5:28 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 5:48 PM ^
The psyche or psychology of Michigan's defensive players is ghetto.
What the fuck are you talking about? Take this nonsense elsewhere.
November 1st, 2008 at 7:45 PM ^
November 2nd, 2008 at 3:24 AM ^
Umm, to summarize your argument...
Since our defense is having problems, and we don't have an white players on our defense, it is a ghetto thing?
Why is it a ghetto mindset? Is it the way that they celebrate? The way they look? Because when I played lacrosse, our goalie always played great until he got scored on once, and then the rest of the game it snowballed form there. Is that ghetto? Should the private school attending, lacrosse playing, rich ass hell, white boy stop thinking ghetto?
You sir are a RACIST!
And also...why do you say that if someone is ghetto they can't learn? That sir, is another terrible statement...
November 1st, 2008 at 6:01 PM ^
When they leave the program then judge Shafer.
What the hell has this guy ever done as a coach to have earned that kind of a free pass? He's been DC at a crap MAC program for two years, DC at a terrible Pac-10 program for one year, and DC of now-terrible Michigan for one year. He doesn't deserve a long rope. A year ago we seemed halfway competent on D for most of the season. We returned eight starters, and now we're Detroit Lion bad? Shafer was a gamble when we hired him, and it's blowing up in our face.
November 1st, 2008 at 6:23 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 7:01 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 7:42 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 6:04 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 6:05 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 6:25 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 7:34 PM ^
The strength of any good defense is in the middle and right now Michigan's middle (middle and strong linebackers and safeties) are to young or aren't performing. Plain and simple. It doesn't matter what scheme you draw up or play you call, if guys don't perform thing won't get done.
Did you see the tackling? Is that Shafer's fault?
November 1st, 2008 at 7:57 PM ^
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:52 AM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 7:57 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 8:15 PM ^
Did you see the tackling? Is that Shafer's fault?
Uh . . . yes? The entire D staff is accountable to him. If the positional coaches aren't working enough on tackling (which may be the case, given that all three units are poor at it), he should get on them about it. It's comical how you guys act like Shafer has next to no influence on the play of the defense. If that's the case, then why have a DC in the first place?
November 1st, 2008 at 9:56 PM ^
I agree. With the way some are shielding Shafer from any of this blame, I'm starting to think we can replace him with dice. Hell, that's the only other thing that would explain some of his misplaced (or should I say "innovative") calls.
Plus the kids are really ghetto...we can't do anything about that, right? Not even coaching could...you know...coach them...
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:11 AM ^
I agree that at the end of the day the coaching staff is responsible to get the kids ready to play. That said, at the D-I college level these kids should have tackling fundamentals down. You work on tackling drills at the JV level in high school, not college.
I would also be inclined to believe that (and at this point in the season the point is weakened) they've been spending most of their time working schemes and techniques to put them in the positions they need to be in and not working on tackling.
Look, you have to give any coach a pass on his first year, at least. If we are having this same discussion next year, I will join you on your side of the discussion.
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:55 AM ^
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:30 AM ^
Giving credit where credit is due, Magnus you definitely stuck by Minor all season- and I silently agreed with you, but found it hard to excuse the fumbles. He's always had big play potential and after fighting off his injury, he's playing great football. He is indubitably our best overall back and, probably, player. Kudos.
On the 3-3-5 stack- Our defense looked atrocious. As bad as it was though, does anyone else agree that Purdue got away with holding several times? Perhaps my eyes deceived me because we only had 3 on the line, but i mean we got NO pressure on the QB whatsoever! I'm sure I'm late in discovering this, but has anyone else noticed our 3rd Qtr performance?
Here's our 3rd Q breakdown per game
Utah - 3, Michigan - 0 Lost by 2
Miami(NTM) - 3, Michigan - 0 (Win by 10, didn't really matter)
ND - 0 Michigan- 0 (Fumbles, didn't matter - I was there, it stank)
Isconsin - 0 pts, Michigan - 7 pts (win by 2, huge 4th Q- Thanks for the W!)
Illinois - 7 pts, Michigan - 0 pts (Didn't matter, but close until the 4th)
Toledo - 3 pts, Michigan - 0 pts (ARgghhhh)
Penn State- 12 pts, Michigan - 0 pts (Close until 4th)
Little Brother - 7 pts, Big Brother - 7 pts (No Mike Hart or Braylon + bad 4th Q =L)
Purdue - 14 pts, Michigan - 0 pts (D'oh!)
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:06 AM ^
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:57 AM ^
I derive my MANHOOD from the success of Michigan football! And my self esteem just took a big fucking hit too.
How the hell am I going to survive the offseason not being superior to all my Sparty breathern, but even having to take endless abuse from them! Let alone the surviving yet another beatdown and subsequent abuse from the all of the bucknuts.
I am going to have to live in a fucking cave until next season!
And its all Scott Shafer's fucking fault!
This is fucking serious, man!
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:03 AM ^
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:49 AM ^
November 5th, 2008 at 10:10 PM ^
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