WTKA Roundtable Thoughts on McElwain
Brian is pretty down on the McElwain hire, which goes against what many on the MGoBoard think in the thread below.
His points center around the fact that McElwain is another coordinator thrown into the pot rather than a specific skill position coach, awkward (shark thing and weird Florida press conferences) and poor Florida recruiting AT Florida (which is hard to do).
The roundtable is still collectively down on Drevno and baffled regarding Michigan's Oline issues for the past 3 years. They also hope that Warinner has a big influence on the line this upcoming year.
It feels like we're in the twilight zone when Brian is the most negative guy on the roundtable.
Craig with the bold prediction of Newsome starting tackle next season as well with Hudson on the other side.
Speight is looking at schools ranging from oSu to Texas Tech.
A caller brings up a question on whether Harbaugh's odd approach to offense is hindering Michigan from hiring a bonafide offensive coach.
February 15th, 2018 at 4:11 PM ^
Analysists are not allowed to coach games or practices. He can provide input, he can speak with players about practice film, all that. But he is not a coach so there are strict limitations on him being "on-field"
February 15th, 2018 at 3:40 PM ^
He can coach during practices, though, right? He just can't be on the field for games.
February 15th, 2018 at 11:54 AM ^
He should be a huge upgrade from Drevno. Honestly, we don't need the offense to be top 10. If we are top 30ish, with Don Browns defense, we should be one of the top teams in the country.
February 15th, 2018 at 12:23 PM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 12:55 PM ^
Right, and FWIW before his tenure at UF he was thought of as one of the best offensive minds in college football.
February 15th, 2018 at 3:48 PM ^
Per S&P, Michigan had the 32nd best offense in the country in 2015 and the 41st in 2016. It feels like everyone just assumes that an offense without any experience and cycling through QBs due to injury should remain elite, but we've seen that Drevno and co. can wring a decent offense out of this team. Now, if you want a top-10 unit that might not be feasible for this staff, but I'm not sure how much of that is coaching per se and how much is recruiting and schemes.
February 15th, 2018 at 4:07 PM ^
I said that we DON'T need a top 10 offense. Youth was obviously an issue this year, but I also wonder how much Fisch leaving impacted things.
Even with the youth that we had we should never be ranked 100+ in offense and throw single digit TD passes.
February 15th, 2018 at 9:22 PM ^
He should be a huge upgrade from Drevno. Honestly, we don't need the offense to be top 10. If we are top 30ish, with Don Browns defense, we should be one of the top teams in the country.I was simply pointing out that we've seen Drevno put forth a top-30 offense, so there isn't an upgrade necessary to possibly see those numbers again. Yes, Michigan shouldn't have had so much trouble throwing the ball, but their offense was "only" 86th last year thanks to a really solid running game and I do think having that many first-time players on the field (and the numerous injuries at QB and receiver) could lead to a bad year. I am confident next year will be better.
February 16th, 2018 at 9:31 AM ^
I guess I am confused by what you are getting at. Yes, in 2016 we were top 40ish on offense and had Don Brown here. We were a couple plays from a B1G Championship and potentially the playoffs. There is talent all over this offense, if they can't produce an offense that is sniffing the top30 this year then there are some major problems.
Once again, one has to wonder how much the loss of Jedd Fisch hurt us. It has been noted that players loved him and he simplified the offense and put them in a position to succeed. There is a reason that Speight wanted to follow him if he stayed as an OC in college.
February 15th, 2018 at 11:55 AM ^
Yeah, I've gotten a sense that Brian is just pissed at everything and is sort of shaking his fist at the sky right now. It's the 10th freaking assistant coach, a guy who has mostly stuck around in college and coached this position multiple times. Sure he's a weird guy and I wouldn't want him as my head coach, but he's perfectly fine at this spot.
Also, he wasn't the best recruiter at Florida, but he has some connections and wasn't terrible by any means at Florida recruiting locally. But good lord, people were fucking heart-broken about Dan Enos and that guy screwed Michigan rather openly, and yet this weird guy from Florida is some affront to Michigan. They're head coaches at football programs; they're all weird.
February 15th, 2018 at 1:16 PM ^
Remember how everyone thought Al Borges, a non-factor as a recruiter, was an awful OC and QB coach, and yet the offense completely fell off a cliff and Devin Gardner massively regressed as a fifth year senior when Borges left?
February 16th, 2018 at 12:17 AM ^
I wouldn't call our new offensive cooridinator the "10th freaking assistant coach." That would imply his job to be very little involved, like an analyst or something. OC is a huge deal. Especially after last season's offense.
February 15th, 2018 at 11:56 AM ^
Who was better than Mickelwane?
DISCUSS
February 15th, 2018 at 12:10 PM ^
Haha!! I look forward to the answers... But keep them real: what OC's (or HC's, or analysts) can work an offense inside of Harbaugh's philosophy better than McElwain? (Yes, inside of Harbaugh's philosophy. Harbaugh will ALWAYS be intimantly involved with all things offense.)
I know McElwain's resume. And I know Enos would have worked. But who else? I legit don't know, and look forward to answers...
February 15th, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
DISCUSS!!!!!
February 15th, 2018 at 1:50 PM ^
Haven't hear from DiSCUSS Man for quite a while. His last post was this little gem from over 2 years ago "go be a fan of theirs then or stop being such an ungrateful shithead."
February 15th, 2018 at 2:12 PM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 11:57 AM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 11:58 AM ^
Florida is a weird job. Spurrier left after really the ONLY coach to have success there. Florida used to suck as a football program until he got there. Urban left and had as much, if not more, success at Ohio State. Muschamp left and is doing very well at South Carolina in his second year. Saban also called McElwain about his OC gig as well. I like the hire, to be honest.
February 15th, 2018 at 12:35 PM ^
Outback Bowl
February 15th, 2018 at 2:38 PM ^
From 1950 until Spurrier got to Florida (a span of almost 40 years) Florida only had 5 losing seasons. They weren't competing for national titles but they weren't exactly Northwestern of the 60s, 70s and 80s either.
February 16th, 2018 at 3:43 PM ^
"Suck" was a little harsh but they weren't dominant like they were in the 90's and 2000's.
February 16th, 2018 at 10:16 PM ^
Florida was the most underachieving program in the country prior to Spurrier's arrival. It had been considered a hidden goldmine for a long while.
I'm not sure what makes it a weird job--it's a top 5 type job that's biggest issue is it shares a talent rich state with other big-time programs.
Now Florida IS a weird state.
February 15th, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^
Interesting. I sort of wonder why Drevno is the one with a coaching position and Warriner is the analyst... I'd feel pretty good about the offense's prospects next year if Warriner got the bump to OL coach and Drevno got bumped further down and/or fired, but what do I know
February 15th, 2018 at 12:14 PM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 12:51 PM ^
While having Warriner around as an analyst certainly won't hurt, I have to wonder how much of an impact he'll have as an analyst. He can't be on the field coaching the players so that limits what he can do.
I have to defer to Harbaugh because he knows the game far more than I do, but when you have Ed Warriner on your staff, a man who built some amazing OLs at OSU and is famous for building one that bulldozed Alabama and Oregon en route to a national title, why would you not offer him a position as your OL coach?
Even if Drevno remained OC, I would feel so, SO much better about next season and the ones beyond it if Warriner was personally overseeing the OL.
February 15th, 2018 at 12:04 PM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 12:04 PM ^
Brian compared the McElwain hire to the... Greg Robinson hire. Brian has definitely lost it. Nothing is that bad.
February 15th, 2018 at 12:11 PM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 12:22 PM ^
the Lane Kiffin Bama OC hire. Guy was highly regarded but fell on his face and now has something to prove and rebuild his image.
February 15th, 2018 at 12:58 PM ^
Let's hope it works out similarly.
February 15th, 2018 at 1:19 PM ^
While I'm not convinced that McElwain is going to be the difference-maker we all want, comparing him to GERG is really unfair.
Greg Robinson already had three serious negatives on his resume before RR hired him:
• a single terrible season as Terry Donahue's DC at UCLA in '89 when the Bruins went 3-7-1, by far the worst season in Donahue's tenure. Gerg left UCLA after that season.
• a stretch of three seasons as DC in Kansas City that was so bad defensively by the end that his close friend Dick Vermeil had no choice but to fire him even after the Chiefs had gone 13-3.
• his catastrophic turn at Syracuse as HC, where he had a major hand in defensive matters.
by contrast, the only black marks on Mac's are the seasons at Florida, two of which saw them win division titles.
February 15th, 2018 at 5:09 PM ^
thats when i almost turned it off..shouldve
February 15th, 2018 at 12:05 PM ^
program has come to a halt after the finish last year. A lot of people are very negative at the moment. Brian is especially so. Honestly, no one knows what is going to happen and whether JM will be a help or hinderence next year. I'm not going to get too positive or negative. It's Harbaugh's program and he's the one who will have to live with the decisions he's making. Let's hope it works out.
February 15th, 2018 at 12:13 PM ^
If it does go over the edge it’s against trend, against the grain of the guy, and then we might be in huge trouble.
At that point... not sure what we do. But 8-5 with horrific luck does not mean we are doomed
February 15th, 2018 at 12:17 PM ^
have come to a halt. All depends on the perspective one wishes to take. Personally I like the hire other than the fact that from the outside it seems to have muddied the O playcalling. But I'm guessing that it will sort itself out one way or another.
February 15th, 2018 at 12:14 PM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 12:22 PM ^
where online media journalist just hyperlink everything to other social media outlets or formats.
1/2 the time that show is spot-on, hilarious spoofs on hipster culture and the other 1/2 is just lost on me or not funny.
February 15th, 2018 at 12:14 PM ^
and a product of 2007 - 2014 more than anything. When Lloyd retired, if the next head coach would have went 10 wins, 10 wins, 8 wins, plus had the returning startes we do this year, we'd all be whistling zippity-do-dah out of our assholes!
February 15th, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 12:28 PM ^
An upvote to you for a great Vacation reference.
Praise Marty Moose.
February 15th, 2018 at 1:02 PM ^
I really think that Nick Saban's success at Alabama has changed what people are satisfied with in a head coach. While I agree I would have liked to see a division title by now, the fact of the matter is that Michigan football still feels a whole ton different than it did from 2007 - 2014. I'm taking last year with a grain of salt, and have some cautious optimism about this upcoming year.
February 15th, 2018 at 1:19 PM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 1:41 PM ^
I'm actually very excited and optimistic about this season
February 15th, 2018 at 6:15 PM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 9:36 PM ^
This started with LC, for reasons i don't understand, underestimating Tressel, as was the case with the fan base at large. The man had proven he could coach but UM fans, and apparently LC thought because he was at YSU there was nothing to worry about at this level.
We had two clearly superior teams and should have won the games easily. By time years 3 and 4 rolled around that lazyattitude was biting us in the ass. His recruiting in toay's world would have had him laughed out of the conference.
As to McElwain, the thing that I see as the possible reason for OC making sense is that he does coach just like Harbaugh, believes in the same things and JH might want someone like this, who has his undestanding of the scheme, what he wants to do, why, importance of certain things at certain times and time for lowering the boom with trickeration or going vertical say 4 out of 5 times. This can be done easily with this defense. You can back those fuckers off the line whether or not you complete these passes. Just don't throw it into their hands. And chances are if you get it close to DPJ or Gentry, we'll come down with it. They both possess tremendous catching radius.
A like minded coach can certainly free him up to do other things he feels are of great importance and if this is why he grabbed him I can see the reasoning here, especially if
another school is paying for a lot of his salary.
February 15th, 2018 at 12:16 PM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 12:19 PM ^
Brian in regards to anything football now:
February 15th, 2018 at 12:29 PM ^
Turkelton
February 15th, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
If it's true that McElwain is the OC, Drevno is demoted to OL, and Pep is relegated to QB's, I'm good with it. McShark's resume as WR coach and OC speak for itself.
At Michigan, Drevno has time-shared the OL with another coaching responsibility (OC), and with another coach. At no time has he been allowed to focus exclusively on the OL (so far as we can tell from titles). His resume and history as an OL coach is impeccable. If he is, in fact, demoted to only be the OL coach, I can easily see the OL making a big improvement this coming season.
Football is littered with coaching washouts that were promoted too high. Spurrier in the NFL; Hoke; Gerry Faust; Rod Maranelli; etc... Sometimes, people just don't do well at the next position up. It seems obvious (to me, anyway) that Drevno had too much to deal with as OC and OL coach. Besides, I've never met anyone (myself included) that can perform two full-time jobs at once - let alone perform them both well.