October 14th, 2017 at 4:44 PM ^
Don Brown is the greatest defensive coordinator of this era.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:46 PM ^
I'm wondering if it's time for his to take over the o? Seriously, if JH doesn't edge Drevno and Pep out, I really don't know what to say. The o is lacking fundamentals, pass/run blocking, etc. They are seemingly unable to coach these kids and there has been little if any progression.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:50 PM ^
No thanks. I'd like him to stay as defensive coordinator.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:53 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 6:38 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 8:32 PM ^
We need to randomly splice Don Brown DNA into Pep and Drevno. Whichever takes better and produces more Don Brownishness, we keep. Cut loose the other.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:54 PM ^
This is a shockingly bad idea. The offense is pretty much DOA on too many drives, but I don't think we're at THAT level of panic move yet, and indeed, we'll probably never get there. Honestly, the shit some people come up with after otherwise unfulfilling games.....it's amusing, if nothing else.
October 14th, 2017 at 5:13 PM ^
I thought the O Line did pretty damn well today, especially considering there was zero threat of a passing attack.
October 14th, 2017 at 8:17 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 5:04 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 5:12 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 6:50 PM ^
pass protection isn't great and the WRs don't get separation very often. John missed some throws and there is a reason Wilton was the starter, but the WRs need to help him out some more (Tarik's injury turned out to be quite devastating, hopefully he'll be back soon).
October 14th, 2017 at 7:36 PM ^
Its not so much that he misses throws it is that he has no ability to check off of whoever is running the primary route. Guys seem to be running open on quite a few plays and JOk never looks their way.
October 14th, 2017 at 7:05 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 7:33 PM ^
Don't know if you're an actual doctor, but you clearly know nothing about football as this is literally the dumbest idea I have ever read in the history of mgoblog.
October 15th, 2017 at 10:54 AM ^
eh, you should scroll down a bit and read the "interesting thought" post about only running the ball.
October 14th, 2017 at 10:01 PM ^
Please tell me you're joking...
The O-line recruiting woes have been highlighted, documented, and, frankly, beaten to death already. Tl;dr: It was a mess when JH got here and it takes time and patience to fix.
And are you actually suggesting that JH, a Pro Bowl NFL QB and an elite QB coach, is NOT telling and coaching these guys to go through progressions and get to checkdowns?! The fact that it isn't happening tells me the players just don't have the mental makeup to get it done. And, unfortunately, there are no viable alternatives.
Finally, enough with "other schools have young QBs playing great!" line. It's a simplistic observation that offers no context or analysis. "Josh Jackson is GREAT!" the dude plays in a simplistic read-option offense where he looks at the sideline every fucking play to get the call and he only has 1-2 reads and just takes off. It looks great against the overmatched and gets waxed by anyone with a pulse.
"Sam Darnold!!" Sam Darnold had a stud WR (Juju Smith), a stud RB (Ronald Jones) and a veteran O-Line last year. This year, he got Jones back, but the other pieces left and now he has been STRUGGLING all year (4:3 TD:Int Ratio).
"Jacob Fromm!!" I love this one! This guy has two elite, bellcow running backs and only throws ~20 passes a game for 100 - 150 ypg.
In conclusion: When a young QB gets the start and plays well, there are usually elite RBs, WRs, and O-lines (or at least 2/3). Michigan does not have any of these things (though Higdon and the O-line were VERY good today).
Michigan runs a complex, pro-style offense with multiple formations, reads, checks, and so forth. The reason they do this is because when this offense is executed properly, it is an absolute nightmare for college defenses to stop. But the drawback is that, yes, it takes a long time to install and learn. And JH clearly has made the decision to not simplify things any more than he already has. This is similar to Don Brown saying that he isn't just going to lay down and be in Quarters coverage because it's easy to learn; he'd rather die. And I agree with this sentiment. Crafting an overly simplified scheme that goes against what the coaches want is simply bolstering up short term gains that don't mean much (do you really think that approach is going to get us to the B1G Championship and National Title?) by sacrificing long term offensive development and stability. You want this young team to keep increasing their capabilities within Jim's offensive system. And that means yes, 2017 may in fact be a developmental year rather than a contending year. But this developmental year is setting up better years to come, and it will still be better than ANY Rich Rod year and better than 3/4 Hoke years.
Seriously, this blog has turned into a fucking cesspool the last week with all these know-nothing, arm chair coaches acting like they're Bill Belichick. If you idiots want to live through 2008-2014 again, by all means, demand changes willy-nilly with no thought and a rudimentary understanding of the facts. Us sane people will understand that there are no easy fixes, and will continue deferring to a coach who has literally turned chicken shit into chicken salad EVERYWHERE he has gone.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:47 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 4:54 PM ^
Agree. I wasn't blown away by his hire initially, but damn if he hasn't proven to be damn good.
October 14th, 2017 at 5:13 PM ^
The Zordich train. Still it might not be the worst notion if he practices his players with boxing gloves now and then.
October 14th, 2017 at 5:15 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 5:23 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 9:56 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 10:55 PM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 5:05 AM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 4:44 PM ^
Two thumbs up! He had one taken away and the second was just ball.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:45 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 4:45 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 4:46 PM ^
top 5 players are on defense.
Gary, Hurst, Winovich, Bush, Hill.
Nordin is an honorable mention
October 14th, 2017 at 4:53 PM ^
gary, peoples-jones, hill, hurst, bush
October 14th, 2017 at 7:00 PM ^
but is anyone in the country playing better than Hurst?
October 14th, 2017 at 8:12 PM ^
Gary getting doubled lets Winovich and Hurst create HAVOC in the backfield.
October 14th, 2017 at 8:19 PM ^
McShay says he's the number 2 DL line prospect for the 2018 draft (don't remember who was 1st).
October 14th, 2017 at 4:45 PM ^
Wish we hadn't burned his redshirt, but he was probably a three-year guy anyway.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:46 PM ^
no offense to Jourdan who's an alltimer here, but the plays Lavert have been making makes me feel like Jourdan got a 5th year
October 14th, 2017 at 4:47 PM ^
They were big commits and proving their worth probably a lot quicker than most expected. The swagger and confidence is only growing which is what you want from press corners. These kids are going to be All B1G!! DEFENSE!!!!
GO BLUE!!
October 14th, 2017 at 5:10 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 5:37 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 5:17 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 7:58 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 4:47 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 4:47 PM ^
shoutout to Mike Zordich
October 14th, 2017 at 4:48 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 11:00 PM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 1:22 AM ^
His recruiting profile didn't have as chop liver coming in
October 15th, 2017 at 1:22 AM ^
His recruiting profile didn't have as chop liver coming in
October 15th, 2017 at 7:39 AM ^