What "gadget" plays would you like to see this year?
Maybe not a single "play" but maybe a package or theme...
It seems to me, Harbaugh tends to put in a wrinkle each year, for one year only. In 2015 it was the heavy use of fullbacks. Kerridge and Houma really excelled. Yes, last year the hammering panda was used heavily at the goal line, but wasnt' featured nearly as much as Kerridge and Houma.
In 2016 we saw "the train" debut. Extremely effective early on, it didn't really fool Ohio State.
If our offense is truly moving to more of a 4 wide set, I'm curious what types of wrinkles you guys think we might see. Personally, I'd still love the train. I think it could give us significant advantage if we had 4 WR or 3WR/1TE lined up in that formation, and look how the defense lines up and throw trips at the side where we have a numbers advantage.
What other plays do you guys have? 4 verts? double crosses? Do we see the tunnel screen make a resurgence?
I think this is the play you're talking about (0:57): https://youtu.be/kd2BAH1Dg8s?t=57s
I believe it was used at least one other time, not sure if it was later in 2015 or 2016.
Edit: End-Around beat me to the punch above... by a considerable amount of time.
Rudddock. But yeah, that was sweet.
August 6th, 2017 at 11:18 AM ^
Can suggesting going "Wildcat/PepCat" (or McDoomCat, whatever they decide to do this year) and having an option to pass the ball count as a "gadget?"
Evans playing some slot/WR. Scouting on him out of HS thought his future was at WR, not RB, and he hasn't really used that skill set yet. Would be nice to see them break the huddle and line up 5 wide with 3 WRs, 1 RB, and a TE, while the defense has 2 or 3 LBs on the field. Or as a hurry up play after getting a short yardage 1st down, and spread out Hill, Evans, Wheatley and 2 WRs against the opponents goal line package.
Wheatley or any TE in the slot of what could be called a "pro style spread" formation. Two TE's out of four receivers spread out would cause even more matchup problems.
Do football rules still allow the drop-kick? :-)
Honestly what I most want to see is Michigan lining up against a premier opponent and running the ball down their throat until they beg for mercy.
August 5th, 2017 at 10:05 PM ^
and then laughing at their appeals for mercy, stepping on their throats, and running the ball up their ass just for variety.
The one that puts us up by 7 TDs on tOSU and gets the talking heads screaming that Harbaugh is a bad sport for rubbing it in.
but I'd like to test whether LBs can cover Isaac and Evans downfield. I'd also love to see K. Hill used in some creative ways.
Add a Statue of Liberty in there!
Gentry jet sweep with the option to toss it downfield.
Fake jet sweep to McDoom (who continues to run downfield), fake handoff to Evans, hit McDoom downfield.
The old HB toss pass (Evans to McDoom) would be fun to see.
I want to be surprised against OSU. More than that, I want OSU to be surprised. My frustration with gadget plays is that other teams can game plan against them if they see them. Hold your gadget plays closely, and you have the element of surprise.
So, here's what I want.
- A ton of different gadget plays all season long. Making it more difficult for other teams to game plan against any one play.
- A gadget play that is used regularly all season . . . then not used against OSU.
- Solid running game, setting up vert passing against OSU that catches them cheating for the run.
- A brand new gadget play that no one has seen, least of all OSU, that completely befuddles them. IIRC, MSU ran a wheel route or something with a FB against UM two years ago, and we weren't prepared. It was a great call. It surprised Michigan. And iirc, I think Harbaugh might have adapted it and used it last year. I want a gadget play that is never used against anyone until OSU. Here's an example (which I'm not recommending . . . just an example.) Suppose that Gentry is used in a TE set all season long, and is passed to once or twice or thrice a game. Suppose that formation is used against OSU, but Gentry slides back, the QB throws BACK to Gentry, and he throws downfield to DPJ or Tariq or Martin or Collins, for a touchdown reception, against OSU.
- A gadget play on defense. Assuming JT Barrett is weak against the pass, maybe you have a gadget 5 or 6 on the DL, sacking Barrett at a critical time in the game.
Hopefully this means not just super advanced scouting, but also a few pure trick/gadget plays that NOBODY has seen Michigan out on film. That would be good for maybe 1-2 huge momentum flipper opportunities (or possibly back breakers if we are already well ahead).
Plus ideally, practicing packages of maybe 8-12 plays that all are somewhat related to each other (variations off of a theme) that exploit some type of defensive weakness that our analysts have caught OSU doing over the season.
I guess this last part might just fall under "scout OSU and find their weaknesses", but what I'm talking about is not just scouting weakness & deploying the standard Michigan responses to that defensive look (which OSU will have likely scouted too). I'm saying develop a whole different capability that we just don't show all year. Like a hurry up offense, or some other offensive scheme that basically lets us march down the field 2-3 drives to score TDs because OSU is just totally caught on their heels & need time to adjust & instruct their players.
so we should probably just stop. Here's what you want to see:
1. The ability to run the Power play for 4 yds/play.
2. A passing game that vertically and horizontally stretches defenses beyond their comfort zone.
And besides, gadget plays are only the result of a playcaller setting those plays up. For example, the gadeget play should make a defender's key proven to be wrong. So a TE screen where both RBs flare and take both "box" linebackers with them , therefore, vacating the middile of level 2 (BYU 2015 to Khalid Hil).
Denard Robinson lining up in the Pistol and running the triple option with Charles Woodson and Jabrill Peppers.
WOW! I was imagining that and....
TOUCHDOWN!!!
We all know damn well that Denard's most effective position is as QB under center
The "Win the Game" play. That ones a favorite of mine.
It's also one we could have definitely used in the last drive of both the Iowa and OSU games last year (regular time).
Wheel route is a good one. Whether we have 1 or 2 backs, we could make that work if our RBs have excellent hands. I want to say we've tried a few times last year and Speight either led the RB too far, or threw behind him. You really have to get a precision throw so the RB doesn't have to break speed. I think that may be why we've moved away from it.
Moving away from trick plays on offense for a moment ...
I'd like to see Devin Bush / Joshua Uche / anyone whack J.T. Barrett when he takes off on the type of run that has been largely successful against Michigan in past years.
Statue of Liberty.....
Loved this play until Dennis Dixon ran it twice against us in the Big House (first a fake, then the real deal). Ugh.
Eagles scored on this one
Other angle
