11/18: Coordinator Press Conference Questions

If it's zero degrees outside today and it's supposed to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold is it going to be?

 

Double

"When life hands you lemons do you look at them quizzically for a few seconds before ordering 4  hot-n-ready pizzas?"

Follow-up : "When your family sees you heading to the john after your morning coffee do they just leave the house and go on a long drive?"

Follow follow-up : " What brand of toilet do you have in your home? I have been having a little trouble lately and I want one of those 'could take down a baby arm' type units. I have to assume a man of your sizeable girth has seen all there is to see on that end of the digestive tract."

Re: salary "Do you look at yourself in the mirror every morning and laugh hysterically because you've fooled everyone with the authority to fire you?"

I'd like to pick Al's brain about two playcalls

• PA on 3rd and goal at the NW 11
• PA on 4th and 2 at the NW 6? (I think it was 6).  Whatever that QB sweep thing was, it looked like Gardner faked a handoff.

I understand the appeal of PA but it just simply doesn't appear to work for us this year.

what happened during OT that seemed to make DG more confident and the offense more effective?

Mattison: Why do good things happen to bad people?

Borges: Why do bad things happen to good people?

Did you learn anything about being aggressive in OT from the Penn State game, when all did was call plays to set up field goals?  Did you turn the page of the play book during the game?   Were you trying to score a TD after NW gave you the ball on the 10 yard line after a 7 yard punt? becuase it sure didn't look like it.    Are you earning your salary as the 3rd highest paid OC in the country?   Your title says QB coach as well, how are you a QB coach?   Is your house for sale yet?

As much as I would love to hear Heiko ask some of the pointed, abusive, or negative questions of Borges - it won't happen, and it shouldn't.  Heiko gets to ask one legitimate question each week amid all of the inane "talk about _____ " questions from the MSM and we don't want to lose that opportunity.  

So here are some more normal questions that would still be informative:

• We have not seen very many jump-ball throws to Funchess as compared to Gallon, which is surprising given his size and skills.  Is this by design or just something based on situation or Devin's comfort level with Jeremy?  
• We have seen several instances of play-action from under center on long-yardage situations - is there an advantage of doing that in an obvious passing down or is that just a by-product of the plays that happen to be called?  
• There has been a lot of discussion regarding the youth of the interior OL and how that affects execution and overall performance.  Yet we are seeing multiple examples of the senior tackles missing assignments or not executing - how do you explain their struggles considering their experience and talent level?  Do you feel that you and Coach Funk need to reconsider the teaching methods you're using with the OL given the consistent struggles?  

And I loved the idea of trying to come up with an intelligent way to ask about the parallel between Auburn and Michigan without sounding like a dick and getting the press pass revoked.  Here's one attempt:

• Given the way the offense regressed at Auburn from years 2-4 and the regression you've experienced this season, what can you tell the players and the fans to reassure them that things are still headed in the right direction for the future?  

I'd really like to see someone get a real answer out of Borges as to what extent Gardner is allowed to change plays at the line and how much coaching he's received on what to change to. There were a couple plays that were just begging for an audible and he either didn't make one or checked right into the strength of the defense.

Dileo had 20 receptions in 2012.

He has 9 in 2013.

If you prorate that over 3 more games (and add in a couple for drops) and account for injury, he is close or right on  last year's numbers.

Asking about Dileo's "decrease" in use probably wouldn't make sense.

hey al, why are michigan fans so presumptuous?

Two offensive stats that jump of the page to me are the sheer number of tackles we have given up for a loss (9.20 per game) and our inability to convert on 3rd down attempts. I admit it, I saw both of these stats on mlive (I know, not my favorite source either). I knew we would be towards the bottom of the league in both statistics, but I did not realize we had given up the most tackles for loss in the country.

That being said, my question to Borges would have to be how do we address these issues the next two weeks against conference foes who each tank toward the top (fourth an fifth) in the conference when it comes to defending 3rd down conversions?

I understand that weenies more production on the first two downs, but why are we so ineffective in this situation.

I would also be curious to see what percentage of plays on third and medium/third and long are play action based. Seems to me and countless others that play action is far less effective when you struggle to run the ball.

As expected and warranted, this thread has focused on Borges.  Let's throw some legit questions out there for Mattison:

• Washington had a strong junior year where he occupied blockers and allowed the LB to make plays.  This year his playing time has been reduced in favor for smaller guys that put more pressure on the LB to avoid blocks.  Has this achieved the end result you were going for or is Washington's health preventing him from playing more often?  
• It is unusual for most teams to rotate defensive backs and there also have not been many obvious instances of Jarrod Wilson making a mistake that would cost him playing time.  What have you seen on game film or in practice that makes you want to rotate so often at that position?  
• When you face an offense that makes frequent adjustments at the line and they catch you tipping a blitz, does anyone on the field have the authority to change the playcall?  How often do you allow your players to adjust the call on the field versus you making all of the calls from the sidelines?  If the players suspect they're in the wrong defense do they have the ability to call timeout or is that something only a coach should do?  

 

I remain perplexed by the fact that neither our offense or defense seem to make play-call changes based on what they see in front of them nearly as often as our opponents do.  

If Ohio leaves their entire offense in Columbus for THE game and just traveled with their special teams and defense, would we still even have a chance at winning?!!!?

For Borges:

With our struggles blocking against a heavy load in the box, why are we calling running plays from formations that intentionally overload the box?  For example, the failed 3rd & 4th down attempts before the miracle FG.  Our formation was I-Form, double TE and our lone WR was split about 5yds outside of the TE.  This formation put all 11 defenders in the box and we tried to run both times in to this wall.

Who took over playcalling responsibilities for you in the overtime?

The pro-style versus spread argument is bogus.  Borges is supposedly a disciple of the West Coast Offense, which emphasizes 3 step drops, quick timing patterns and screens.  It is an offense designed to quickly get the ball into the hands of playmakers and would seem to be an offense more suited to the personnel available.  Still pro-style but suited to the personnel.  The main problem is that Borges seems to want to run power and throw deep, exactly what the personnel available make it nearly impossible to do.  In the Nebraska game, the drive to open the second half looked more like a WCO approach, but after it worked it was abandoned.  Bo's philosophy was to keep doing whatever was working until it stopped working.  Borges seems to stop doing whatever it is that is working to go back to what he wants to do.

Why can he not remember the snap count, ever?  It's a simple thing, and it's a coaching thing, and it's been consistent all year.

Maybe TE's at the college level never get to hear the snap count, I don't know.  But it doesn't seem that way when I watch other teams.  Williams cannot get off the line on time, and often neither does Funchess.

I would love to know if Borges ever studies the NFL to get an idea for the Offense? And if so, could he please study the Bronco's where it takes 2.5 seconds or less for Peyton to get rid of the ball. Maybe that kind of quick strike offense would take some pressure of the O-line? 

Of course, it helps to have Peyton be the QB but a 4 wide look with 2 second reads might help Devin as opposed to the 10-15 second double move plays we seem enamored with....

...then again, what the hell do I know?