Defensive Philosophy
90% of our "hawt takes" are regarding the antiquated offense. But, WE GAVE UP 62 POINTS YESTERDAY AND IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE. If anyone told me we scored 39, I'd say we won the game.
Offense wins games, defense wins championships. It's the fundamental tenet of football, even in today's with the field tilted towards offense. Need a benchmark? Why do you think Alabama's the king? Yes, this year they have offensive mojo but for years it was all about boring defense.
We got so out-coached defensively yesterday it was embarrassing. OSU didn't do that to MSU or Purdue and we have way more defensive talent. Our defense is WAY too complicated. Hell, they can't even execute zone defense properly at this point.
Pep is an easy target and Brown is our love child here. No, this is mostly on him and I'd say he should be on thin ice right now. I was more impressed with Mattison as D coordinator because you could see gameplanning and adjustments. This is a one-trick show and it either works (against inferior quarterbacks) or turns into an epic CF against good ones (remember last year's Penn State game)...
November 25th, 2018 at 11:25 AM ^
The problem on both O and D, and JH said it himself, was “we ran our best plays.” Our best O plays do not involve jet motioning guys and misdirection, unfortunately those are the plays that beat OSU so you run those plays.
On D, everyone in the world knew OSU just runs crossing patterns all day. We’re just gonna play man and let them beat us because that’s what we’re good at—wrong. Coaching stubbornness lost this game. The end.
November 25th, 2018 at 2:39 PM ^
FINALLY someone said it right. They watched film and saw what we don’t do very well and attacked it. Our team thought we could just do what we do, no need to watch OSU film. They won’t stop us. Such a stubborn and arrogant approach in a game you have lost 13-14.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:27 AM ^
When you don’t put pressure on the qb, good qbs are going to pick you apart. Offense is so far ahead of defenses in this current college football world. We needed to put pressure on Haskins, we couldn’t, that was the difference in the game.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:30 AM ^
Maybe Brown's schemes work best against offenses with inexperienced or inferior talent.
Heavy pressure man-to-man demands the pressure get there enough to move the QB off "the spot" so he's not comfortable, to throw before he wants to, and requires defensive backs who use a combination of aggression and speed and skills to cover receivers long enough. Yesterday Haskins was too comfortable, too clean.
What zone gives you is a way to cover superior athletes by keeping them inside the defense; more eyes on the offensive backfield which gives better run support and better chances to make interceptions, but requires more patience. I know DB hates Quarters, but maybe Michigan needs a way to mix and match both, especially when it goes against teams with superior speed or talent.
November 25th, 2018 at 2:39 PM ^
Good luck finding that elusive defensive scheme that works best against superior athletes. (Hint: All defensive schemes work best against worse teams and worst against better teams).
In reality, the issue is that every defensive scheme has an offensive method designed to crack it - and vice versa. The problem appears to be that a passing spread attack based on quick short passes into pockets of space designed to give speedy WRs the opportunity to create YAC is precisely the kryptonite to Michigan's defense. It appears that the time to prepare for this game and study OSU's offense did not allow our defensive coaches to develop an effective counter-strategy. That's questionable, of course, and shouldn't happen at this level.
But there is also the reality that we may as a program not be at the level where we can just spend all year planning for the OSU game and then expect to win most of the other games. It seems like we're close enough in quality to the Penn States, MSUs and Wisconsins of this world that indeed we do have to focus on beating them just as much if only to get into a position where the OSU game matters.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:30 AM ^
New philosophy: nihilism
November 25th, 2018 at 11:37 AM ^
eat at arbys
November 25th, 2018 at 12:03 PM ^
Arby’s, Nihilism... same thing.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:39 AM ^
Build stats vs subpar teams, hurt QBs, get torched by any capable QB.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:42 AM ^
Become a basketball school
November 25th, 2018 at 11:48 AM ^
OSU averaged 8.46 Yards Per Play against us, which is their highest total of the year. 2nd was 8.29 vs. Oregon State.
UM averaged 5.14 Yards Per Play (4.7 before the last series), well below OSU's defensive average of 5.84 YPP.
Minnesota averaged 7 Yards Per Play, Purdue 7.48 against OSU.
Maryland averaged 8.6 Yards Per Play.
Yesterday was a shit show of epic proportions.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:53 AM ^
Brown is a good DC but his scheme seems to have an exploitable flaw. It appears to be a loser when facing superior skill position talent (OSU and PSU last season) that can abuse the one on one matchups.
That's fine because all systems have a weakness. What isn't fine is that he seems to have no Plan B installed. It's all live or die by his default system. That's not going to work.
I don't want him fired. I do want him to install a functional real zone defense for when his system matches up poorly with the opposing team.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:53 AM ^
Here is a news flash.
Zones are also ineffective without a pass rush.
Our DL getting owned was the entire problem yesterday.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:13 PM ^
Thank you - can't explain it better to more simple-minded people than that.
November 25th, 2018 at 1:17 PM ^
Cream of the crop right here boys. Thanks for great incite.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:54 AM ^
The biggest thing I saw was the difference in the speed in the matchups they targeted. Watson is our #3 corner, more or less he guards the other teams #3 receiver, which to this point he been able to do, not many teams in the B1G can go three deep and be that good and fast. That was the best and fastest WR Watson has faced all year and it showed, he just couldn’t hang.. and that’s just one of the matchups. OSU offensive game plan was masterful
November 25th, 2018 at 12:01 PM ^
I actually don’t blame Don Brown too much for what happens yesterday. What I do hope is that he learns from it and adapts his defense. Two things I blame him for:
1. Playing Gil over Ross
2. Not trying to blitz more when it was clear the game plan wasn’t working.
Things you can’t blame him for:
1. OSU turned what we thought was a strength (Brandon Watson) into a major liability. It’s extremely tough to adapt to that.
2. Our star ends got zero pressure. You have to expect Gary, Uche, and even Chase to get something, this is reason #1 why we lost.
3. The injuries to Chase, Bush, and Long didn’t change the outcome of the game. But they made it a lot worse.
4. OSU was just a flat out bad matchup for this defense, and they’re really good. They were always going to score some points.
November 25th, 2018 at 1:38 PM ^
What pisses me off is the blame is entirely put on the defensive ends from most of you. Something serious needs to done about the interior d-line. Now I might piss some cupcakes off on here but I haven't seen a standout play from those guys since Dwumfour got the sack at the end of sharty game. I thought Mone would be a killer by now. You lose him to graduation. Soloman for a five star just isn't what anyone hoped. Then who is there? Kemp? Anyone want to ask the ohio offensive line about him? Where is Jeter?
Trying to blitz more was not the problem. So you'd rather take the high percentage chance and give jackass Haskins more time? So now without those blitzes, those defenders in this great man defense are just supposed to spy Haskins all day and hope he eludes a safe pocket? Because that's what extra guys do in this defense. If their man doesn't go out for a pass, they don't have a job. They don't have a zone to lock down. They aren't jumping fucking routes and blowing guys up that come in their area.
I'll guarantee you all one thing. This defensive line will not be better than this years unless they get to work hard. Ohio State is going to destroy this man defense next year even worse if Hill and Long are gone.
November 25th, 2018 at 1:50 PM ^
The interior DL was somewhere between bad and not great all season. Those huge QB runs up the middle? That's not a DE break down. The DE's beating their men and then running into each other because the quarterback hasn't moved back an inch? That's not the DEs failing to do their job.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:05 PM ^
A lot of the pass rush was neutralized by Haskins getting the ball out extremely quickly. Meyer knew he could out athlete our linebackers with underneath routes. In 5 wide sets with a single high safety, Meyer knew he could out athlete Watson on the boundary. Let the defensive ends take themselves out of the play by forcing them to go wide around the tackles, and step up in the pocket.
It was a clinical job of exploiting mismatches. There is elite speed on OSUs offense. It's a juggernaut, put simply, and we didn't have the speed and athleticism to cover guys with Don's traditional scheme. Zone concepts seemed to have our guys extremely confused which is on Don.
But make no mistake, Don is still our man. He was got yesterday. One of the what, 2 times that's ever happened? Firing him is one of the most ridiculous notions I've ever fucking heard.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:43 PM ^
"Zone concepts seemed to have our guys extremely confused..."
Going forward shouldn't the lesson be that Brown must install, and then use in games, zone concepts at least enough to be able to run them competently against OSU/Day/Meyer?
OSU is going to do the same thing next year if Brown cannot roll out a scheme that is specifically designed to frustrate OSU's base plays.
What good is it to have a defensive scheme that puts up great numbers against every opponent when that scheme is the exact wrong scheme for the most important game every year?
November 25th, 2018 at 12:46 PM ^
I agree. The other aspect of it is our QB play.
Do you remember Wilton throwing that ball straight into the hands of the Florida player? Harbaugh admitted that Wilton wasn't prepared to face a zone defense because all he ever saw in practice was man to man.
I suspect this is why Shea is slow to read zones. It's a problem on both sides of the ball.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:06 PM ^
If it were true that Don Brown's defense does not work against superior athletes, then he would have been a failed D Coordinator at UConn, Maryland and Boston college. But he wasn't. Even though all of those schools sit towards the bottom of the conference, he wasn't. When facing better athletes and competition, he still produced outstanding defenses at every stop.
Also, stop shouting about 62 points when at least 21 of those came on the other side of the ball (both offensive turnovers and special teams).
Any casual observer of CFB knows that when the other team's offense can't keep up and you get a decent lead, coaches tend to take more risks and open up the field rather than play it safe. Had our offense ever been even a remote threat in this game, OSU's offense would have been different. But because OSU knew that we were not capable of putting points on the board, they had no reason to fear the risks that come with airing it out.
Watch the game. Think critically. Don Brown is not the issue.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:18 PM ^
Offense did not give up 14 points. That is spin. Defenses can and do stop other teams from scoring after turnovers.
The defense gave up 55 points and 567 yards of offense. This a year after the save defense was humiliated at Penn State.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:32 PM ^
Offense gave up a pick from Shea that left OSU in the red zone and lead to a touchdown. Milton threw a pick that left OSU on the 3 and lead to a touchdown. Special Teams had a punt blocked that went for a touchdown. That's 21 points. Please let me know where the disagreement lies.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:39 PM ^
By the time Milton was in the game was over. Defenses can still stop offenses after TOS in red zone.
Thry gave up 567 yards of offense. That is indicative of a bludgeoning.
November 25th, 2018 at 2:09 PM ^
That is irrelevant in terms of my comment about 62 points. Thanks for confirming my initial statement.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:07 PM ^
Two years ago, we gave up 7 points the entire game minus the 3 seconds the kicker had to boot the game-tying field goal as time expired. Last year, we held them to 24 points with short-fields and shoddy offensive drives. They added a last minute TD against a gassed defense. Any good D is predicated on getting heat on the QB - yesterday we didn't do that and they made plays. I give OSU credit - their 5-star OL finally showed up to play and you could tell we couldn't time up their snap-count, they were physical with our edge rushers and their RB's/TE's chipped us on any long passing concepts - they kept us off-balance all game long and ultimately we got frustrated, gassed and broke down. It happens but I'll take Don Brown any day of the week into battle with me.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:53 PM ^
OSU's offense in 2016 and 2017 was much different then their offense in 2018. In '16 and '17 their offense was centered around Barrett and his running abilities. This year their offense wasn't centered around the running ability of the Haskins, but rather Haskins ability to pass. Rewatch the 2017 UM-OSU game. When Barrett got hurt and Haskins came in, OSU started to burn UM with the passing game and crossing routes.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:07 PM ^
Haskins is a NFL-level passer. Such passers will eat up strict man-to-man which is why Brown needs a change up. The ability to adjust coverages in order to confuse the QB is crucial to stopping QBs like Haskins.
November 25th, 2018 at 2:42 PM ^
YES. Need to mix it up. All about confusing the QB. When they watch film and you do one thing, not a good receipe for success with good QBs.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:15 PM ^
You would have thought that Indiana was a wakeup call. Indiana and DeBorg for heaven's sake. Mr. Brown, it's okay to scatter in zone defense particularly in circumstances that warrant it. Poor Watson got picked on time and time again so that would indicate he needs helps, as do you.
November 25th, 2018 at 4:43 PM ^
The defense is boom or bust, and when it busts it busts huge. Why does it have to be like that? Answer: it doesn't.