Passing Attack through 2 games.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:02 PM ^
Front 7 looks awfully good, but a hapless Cincinnati getting open over the top a few times makes me worried about the back 4-5 a bit. We're going to have to wait and see till Purdue probably. I'm gonna bet Florida is a horrendous offense and Cincinnati is probably bad too. TBD.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:10 PM ^
It speaks well of the recruiting and coaching of this staff that phrases such as "this is a playoff year for Michigan" doesn't simply get laughed out of the building. Michigan has a back four that starts one guy older than a sophomore, a receiving corps that essentially has nobody of such experience, and an OL that lost three starters from a mediocre squad last year. Our QB is a redshirt junior 3* recruit.
When the experienced guy among your receivers is the true sophomore, you're going to have some growing pains. When you lost your best TE to an unexpected transfer and you're cobbling together a team from (talented!) spare parts and position switches, you're going to have some growing pains.
We are two games in. The QB has missed some throws. The OL has biffed some blocks. There have, however, been good throws. And open looks. And holes.
This exceptionally young team has a lot of growing to do. A lot will happen this year. Maybe we can throttle back on the feelingsball subtext criticism of the coaches and the QB, and wait and see what happens when we play quality B1G teams.
September 12th, 2017 at 1:28 PM ^
That was just too damn logical for this thread. You need to cut out the specifics and go with more generalities.
September 12th, 2017 at 5:53 PM ^
kidding; obvious upvote
September 12th, 2017 at 12:10 PM ^
TomVH just hammered home an astounding dichotomy. I mean, those pocket numbers approach the highest level for his position. But those scrambles...
http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/142819/back-to-fundamentals-f…
"Through two games when Speight is passing in the middle of the field between the numbers, he has completed 76.4 percent of his passes for 396 yards. Outside the numbers on the left and right side of the field, when out of the pocket, Speight only has completed 10 percent of his passes for 6 yards."
September 12th, 2017 at 12:18 PM ^
Now those are some useful numbers.
Weird ones, too. Speight was good scrambling last year. I don't know the source and my memory is vague, but wasn't he really effective when moving around compared to the pocket?
Perhaps there's some usable information here: Michigan has young receivers. Last year the receivers had some athletic limitations, but they were smart and experienced. It's not hard to wonder if last year's crew of Chesson, Darboh, and Butt were good at improvising on scrambles to find space to get open, whereas this much younger group of pass-catchers isn't as good at moving around when things break down and/or hasn't developed the same chemistry with Speight that existed last year.
September 12th, 2017 at 1:08 PM ^
All that says is that we played some teams with good speed at the edges in defense and slow (er) middle linebackers or inexperienced safeties.
It is REALLY hard to have a really solid conclusion based on two games worth of stats.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^
Outside the numbers? Isn't that pretty close to the sideline? I imagine most QBs have terrible stats from that area.
September 12th, 2017 at 1:13 PM ^
It says passes to the area outside the numbers, not from there. Just passes from outside the pocket to the sideline.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^
Most of all, I combine this (that he's been very accurate from within the pocket) and Brian's recent arguments about Wilton being stable and knowing the offense (which I find persuasive) to imply that this miscues from games 1 and 2 remain overcomeable.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:35 PM ^
Sure, Wilton admitted to needing to keep his fundamentals sound when under pressure. But how many of the 90% incomplete passes were throw-aways? When a big, mostly immobile QB gets flushed from the pocket, throwing an uncatchable pass is often praised the right, "live to fight another day" play.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:39 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 12:42 PM ^
OL not creating pocket.
More players in to block means fewer out to receive when pocket breaks down.
Inexperienced players not working back to QB when needed.
Coaches/players haven't developed a bailout option like RB in the flat.
Seems like a lot of ways to improve those terrible outside the pocket numbers and hopefully maintain those very good inside the pocket numbers.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:15 PM ^
UF's dline is very good. Probably a top 2-3 dline we play this season. We ran for over 200 yards against them
Still plenty of time to imrpove the passing game.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^
VS OSU 2016
23/36 (64%), 219 yards, 2TD, 2INT, 18.1 QBR
by a 9 game starter in the toilet in November
17/32 (53%), 226 yards, 2TD, 2INT, 22.8 QBR
by a 20+ game starter, hiesman hopeful, at home in week 3
Maybe Speight will show the same improvement in the same amount of time, and still in half the games it took Mayfield.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:27 PM ^
It's not about one guy. And because it isn't, laying the blame at the qb's feet for everything wrong with the passing offense is neither correct nor advisable. Because you don't know the blocking schemes and protection requirements as it relates to the patterns and eligible receivers on any given play.
I'm fairly certain that Speight is willing to correct fixable mistakes like adjusting his handoffs on given plays and setting his feet whenever possible before making certain throws which offset his ability to hit receivers in certain windows along the sideline and downfield. The fact is that in game mechanics sometimes lead to bad habits becoming issues in throwing motion.
In any case, we are moving forward 2-0 and the team must help the qb improve as much as Speight needs to imrove his own game in order for all of us to enjoy the kind of season we are all hoping for. It's better in fact that we can identify and work on something that our coach is also an expert in dealing with as both as a coach and player because he understands the nuance of adjusting amid the pressure of performing at a school he attended.
This will get fixed on way or the other.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:47 PM ^
...isn't there a video of "some guy" in a Michigan hat talking about when things get rough we support our team and don't get down on them....or some such feelingsball.
/s
September 12th, 2017 at 12:30 PM ^
by posting a generic article (albeit by TVH) from espn about this very topic:
Here i'll help ya out
http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/142819/back-to-fundamentals-f…
September 12th, 2017 at 12:30 PM ^
also correctly points out he is a Junior, not a Senior
September 12th, 2017 at 12:54 PM ^
Speight is indeed a senior though he's a RS Junior for eligibility.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:30 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 12:46 PM ^
....but IMO it still seems to stem from Drevno trying to get this run game going early.
The actual passing plays do seem to be working because there are a lot of open receivers whether Speight hits them accurately or not.
Too many 3 and 7+ after running on 1st and 2nd downs; you end up throwing to the first down marker way too much and giving a huge advantage to the defense.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:52 PM ^
Maybe the generic, basic, un-flashy play calling has something to do with a new scheme, new WR's, new TE's, and new right side OL? Perhaps its been basic because it can be while the new parts are all learning how to run routes against hostile opposition? While the new parts are learning to pick out and block hostile tacklers?
Do people realize that DPJ ran nothing but go routes in high school? He's learning the various route trees that professionals in teh NFL run. And that's not just patterns, it include different types of breaks and the various moves to setup those breaks. It includes depth - where and when he should be there to get the pass. Black is still learning that, too. Evans is still learning pass pro schemes that Smith had trouble with last year.
Settle down - they'll be alright...
September 12th, 2017 at 7:21 PM ^
September 13th, 2017 at 1:01 AM ^
Harbaugh, Pep and Drevno.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:30 PM ^
Lets see if I can summarize this thread...
OP calls it a numbers thread, doesn't give it any numbers, and then says math is for nerds to a bunch of nerdy, science-y, Michigan grads. When the lack of numbers are pointed out, OP calls out a bunch of plays the offense should run - because the offensive coaches don't know anything about personnel or play calling, obviously. When confronted with the reality of rookie players playing like rookies in thier rookie year, OP says it shouldn't matter - the 4th year players that were beaten out by the rookies and haven't earned playing time in 4 years should be playing if the rookies don't know the part.
Do I have this right?
September 12th, 2017 at 12:33 PM ^
pretty much
September 12th, 2017 at 1:08 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 2:32 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 3:10 PM ^
You have a really weird view of what a "troll" is. Of course, you also think "stand down" is a cool way to end a conversation on the internet in 2017, so maybe that shouldn't surprise me.
Yes, those are all plays people can run. Point out instances where Michigan called bad plays in games recently, plays that cost them yardage or use the wrong personnel, and we can talk. But literally everything you've written in this thread reads as reactionary and rudimentary, the "to win this game, they'll need to score my points"-level of analysis that I take issue with it. And I remember how you went after Brian (and others) after the spring game when he said it looked like Evans was the lead back and guys like Higdon and Isaac would be complementary, and you were demonstrably accusatory that he was purposely downplaying Higdon despite repeated references by him and others that Higdon was a good back and brought a lot of positives to the team. So yeah, keep on yelling at everyone and thinking that matters. But I'm sorta done trying to talk to you about this, as it won't ever change your outlook and certainly nothing you've said here will change my views.
September 12th, 2017 at 12:39 PM ^
as a huge asshole in his replies. Very defensive.
Sad.
September 12th, 2017 at 2:38 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 12:55 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 1:06 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 2:38 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 1:21 PM ^
If Shane were better, he'd be the starter at UM. Also, you do know that Shane Morris literally had a 51% completion percentage in his game this season against.. Rhode Island.
September 12th, 2017 at 1:05 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 2:39 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 3:25 PM ^
I've been keeping stats on average 3rd-down position this season as part of my diary writing (and yes, getting ahead of the inevitable 3rd-grade insult you'll hurl at me, I am a "nerd" who can do basic math on a calculator).
Michigan's average 3rd-down position in the first two games are:
| Opponent | 3rd-and-X |
| Florida | 7.7 |
| Cincy | 6.6 |
By comparison, I think Michigan's 3rd-down position last year was in the 5's.
I don't have the stat for the most recent game, but against Florida Michigan rushed for almost as many yards on 3rd and 4th down as they did on 1st and 2nd; that's not remotely good. You put your offense behind the chains on 3rd down that consistently, you are going to have trouble converting. But yeah, "okay".
September 12th, 2017 at 1:14 PM ^
This post is trash dude. Quit while you're behind.
September 12th, 2017 at 2:42 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 5:13 PM ^
are you channeling DOTMAN?
September 13th, 2017 at 4:24 AM ^
September 13th, 2017 at 2:47 PM ^
First, people brought up your lack of numbers, on a post you titled (then edited) "Inside the Numbers". Second, your arguments convey that you think you know more about how to coach a football team than our coaching staff, which, okay dude. Third, you "rarely post"? What? You have almost 18k points, and have only been on this board since '12.
Am I a clown too?
September 12th, 2017 at 1:33 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 2:04 PM ^
...it is more of a timing issue between the OBs and receivers because they haven't adjusted to Speight's lack of accuracy, and that can be corrected.
If it was just a "Speight issue" that would be because he's making bad reads, not giving his teamates a chance to make plays and not making sure all these inexperienced players are in the correct place. He seems to be doing a pretty good job in those areas.
September 12th, 2017 at 3:46 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 2:36 PM ^
that Speight had offseason surgery? Or, is this just a rumor?
I thought I remember him being asked at some point and refusing ti answer it.