Wisconsin Snowflakes: The Coaching

Submitted by LSAClassOf2000 on

This will be the repository for your thoughts and hot takes on the the overall coaching performance in our game against Wisconsin. 

abertain

November 18th, 2017 at 3:56 PM ^

Is a mixed bag. The defensive staff is very good, probably great. That said, Brown needs to put Thomas or St. Juste on the filed in passing situations. Too many good teams are taking advantage of the safeties and blitzing linebackers on third and long. The Bush interception came on a nice drop. 

 

Offense. Well, the blocking has been better against bad teams, but they got manhandled today. I say that because Drevno appears to be the lone postive in the second half of the season. It's a mess. I don't know where they go from here as a team. 

I got downvoted once again in the game thread for saying that fans are reasonable to be annoyed about the probably 8-4 season, but that it didn't mean the sky was fallling. This blog can be unbearable at times. The general thinking mid-game seems to be that JH can do no wrong. The truth lies somewhere in between. Brian predicted 10-2. I thought that was reasonable as well. Michigan lost Speight and probably the Michigan St. game as a result. That means M would probably be 9-3 instead of 10-2, which is, I don't know, fine? But football is a results based game, and they are going to end up 8-4. It is reasonable to be frustrated at that when M has the highest or second highest paid staff in college football? I think a reasonable person would say yes, even with the caveat that they know 9-3 is probably realistic. Anyhow, I like insightful thinking and comments not negging for not agreeing that everything this year is sunshine and rainbows if not for inured QB's. It turns out, both injuries happened on blown stunt pick ups, which is an aspect of coaching. People blamed Hoke for everything, and he was not a great coach, but it's not fair to give JH a pass on everything. I look forward to him being M's coach for a long time. I am cautiously optimistic after this year. I was very optimistic before the Iowa game. More data has come in, and it's reasonable to be downgraded to cautiously optimisitc. 

 

DrFeelGood

November 18th, 2017 at 3:57 PM ^

But Jim will take the team to the Moon next year, and climb a tree, and dive into a pool, it'll be great!  Then he'll never win a big game, and we can do it again next year!  Until he goes to the NFL.

MinWhisky

November 18th, 2017 at 4:00 PM ^

Harbaugh = C- (QB development, offensive philosophy, play calling)

  • Team failed to meet expectations
  • Disappointing QB play, no signature wins, and several disappointing loses
  • WRs did not develop (why don't we have a WR coach?)

Brown = B+ (D Coordinator, defensive philosophy)

  • Agressive, sound defeense
  • Seemed inflexible to making in-game adjustments

Zorich = B (DBs)

  • Young players, overall pretty good development, a few key mistakes at critical times

Drevno/Hamilton = D (O Coordinators)

  • Nothing really worked, zero imagination, no in-game adjustments did not improve during season

Mattison = B+ (D Line)

  • Young, but played really well almost all of the time

Jay Harbaugh = C (RBs)

  • Pretty good at running; very bad at blocking

Greg Frey / Drevno = C- (Oline / TEs)

  • Just couldn't get it done

Jay Harbaugh / Partridge = C- (Special Teams)

  • Did nothing noteworthy but several key mistakes

 

MWolverine7

November 18th, 2017 at 4:00 PM ^

A bunch of millennials in this board who want the wins now and don’t want to put the work in to rebuild the program. Fred Flintstone left a mess and Harbaugh is cleaning it up and rebuilding it. Does this mean he should not re-evaluate his offensive coaches - it doesn’t and I expect changes will be made at the end of the year. Anyone calling for Harbaugh to be canned in a bridging year doesn’t know what they are talking about and probably haven’t had to work hard to be a success at anything in life.

MWolverine7

November 18th, 2017 at 4:12 PM ^

Ok so which top QB recruit was waiting in the wings? Speight was a bad recruit period but a bunch of slappies got excited because the guy at the podium could utter this is Michigan. Yes , there were some good players and Harbaugh got the most of them. Go take a look at Hoke’s OL recruits and see what was left in the cupboard.

Youngharbaugh4

November 18th, 2017 at 4:02 PM ^

Harbaugh is way to bullheaded to even considering any changes at all. None of these coaches that all of us want gone are leaving. Drevno and company will be back standing on the sideline doing the same stupid shit as this year so be prepared.



Side note, sometimes as fans we see things that need to be changed and are actually right. I think Warde Manuel should do something to make Harbaugh get some new coaches. But again we won’t get new coaches anytime soon unless someone leaves. And, if we do get a coach, it won’t be anyone worth a damn cause harbs won’t hire anyone he doesn’t know on offense!

Durham Blue

November 18th, 2017 at 4:05 PM ^

Peters' looping sideline fade route to McKeon (?) from our own 40-ish yard line was a ridiculous looking play.  It had zero chance of working.  The long developing passing routes are getting our QB's killed.  The pass pro is atrocious.  And all of a sudden we can't run block.  Good Wiscy D but still where are the adjustments?

ak47

November 18th, 2017 at 4:07 PM ^

Started 4 drives inside their 50 and came away with 10 points with a healthy peters and no red excuses. Just bland playcalling and shit oline play. The coaching hasn’t gotten it done this year and those games against Rutgers and Minnesota don’t magically fix the offense being overwhelmed by any team with a pulse.

Harbaugh is good but if he doesn’t shake up the offensive staff and get someone with fresh ideas in he’s too loyal for his own good.

gbdub

November 18th, 2017 at 4:58 PM ^

4 drives inside the 50, 2* TDs and a field goal. Actually not bad. Hell, even if you don't think DPJ caught that ball in bounds, if Peters doesn't fumble that's 3 points right there.

Peters also missed a couple deep shots that were open, and well-called against a defense clearly keyed to stop the run.

Not sure what else you do with an inconsistent QB and an OL that gets the QB hit on seemingly every other pass play.

2016 Speight probably wins this game, or it gets decided by that punt return, because 2016 Speight DID in fact win basically this game.

LSA84

November 18th, 2017 at 4:07 PM ^

We were in the lead on the road midway through the 3rd against the undefeated #5 team in the nation with the least experienced team and a QB starting his third game and without our top DB.  They finally exploited Hill's absence, then took out BP on a dirty play.  Tough to recover from that, and you could tell that the wind went out of the team's sails.  Quite natural, especially for a very young team.

I love where we're headed.  Given the inexperience, the injuries, and the other bad things (e.g. weather, bad refs), this has been a very good season. 

Next year will be awesome.

We have everyone back except Mason Cole, who will be replaced by one of the redshirt frosh (or Bredeson moves to LT while Spanellis plays RG), and Kugler, who will be easily replaced by Ruiz.  The OL will improve.  DPJ will improve, and Black will be back.  And now we have a QB, as BP looked good today against a great D.  

The D will be the best in the nation.  Everyone is back except the unspectacular McCray and the spectacular Hurst, but the latter will be replaced by Aubrey Solomon just fine.  

We're a playoff contender next year.  PSU loses key playmakers.  OSU will be breaking in a new QB.  And we're already better than everyone else, including Wisconsin when we're healthy.

Year 4 under Harbaugh will be just like the previous times he's coached a college team - the break out year.

Relax and enjoy the ride.

Doc Mango Gibbs

November 18th, 2017 at 4:11 PM ^

This is total feelingsball, but it seems like a huge problem with the coaching staff is that they're arrogant.  They don't make any effort to gameplan to their weaknesses because they think every player can do everything.  

We continue to put safeties in man coverage on 3rd and long, throw corner routes to McDoom in the red zone, run right up the middle for 1.5 YPC 35 times in a game, scheme long developing pass plays for an offensive line that can't pass protect. 

It just comes across as a really stupid football team and staff.  Almost every game it feels like we're being outsmarted.

enlightenedbum

November 18th, 2017 at 4:21 PM ^

Well, yeah, the one thing I genuinely have a problem with Brown on is the insistence on McCray in man coverage against RBs.

As for today's play we're playing a true freshman backup in that position regardless.  I dunno if one of them would have done a better job.  I know Hill would have and it feels like that was the reason that play happened.

adgar12

November 18th, 2017 at 4:57 PM ^

I also always find it strange that the defense is not prepared with its best combination of cover men in the game on third and long.  If the other team is subbing in players to add receivers, why wouldn't we put in our best cover group?  My assumption would be that the best cover group would include only one of the starting safeties at most.  I really don't understand why JKP would be in the game instead of Thomas or even St. Juste on third and long. 

Of course, not having Hill hurt us today on that specific play.

MgerBlerg

November 18th, 2017 at 5:41 PM ^

Your comment has helped me formulate a feeling I've for a while now, which is kind of related.

I'm still fully behind Harbaugh and believe he will be the savior we hoped for when he was hired.  That being said, it seems to me that since he's stepped foot in Ann Arbor, his demeanor has been neutered.  I don't know if it's mellowing with age or if he feels like he has to tone it down to honor the memory of Bo or whatever it might be, but I'm not seeing the Harbaugh who guaranteed victories, or the one who punched Jim Kelly in the face, or the one who trolled Pete Carroll, or the one who slapped Jim Schwartz on the back.  This might be what some posters are calling the "killer instinct".

I don't think he's lost it but I do think there need to be changes on the offensive staff.  And it looks like we're going to get screwed on flags regardless, so let's see some of that old Harbaugh fire on the sidelines.

Lastly, put the pitchforks away people, at least for now.  Harbaugh's track record speaks for itself, and how quickly we forget the years preceding.

fksljj

November 18th, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^

If you take away Hoke's win against an interim-led o$u, R2, Brady Hoke and Harbaugh will all have gone 0-3 against o$u. I'm not saying that Harbaugh should be fired but people's patience are running out. Should he be held to the same standards that the previous coaches were held to? I believe so. But if we change coaches every 3 years we will always be in rebuilding mode. I give Harbaugh 2 more years, but a change is definitely needed on the offensive coaching staff. The defensive is very young but I still believe in Don Brown. Next year will be the telling year as to where we stand.