It wasn't just the OTs—the RBs also failed in pass protection
MGoVideo's excellent breakdown of all of Shea's (Sheet's?) passing snaps revealed something somewhat surprising to me: it wasn't just the tackles botching pass protection. The RBs whiffing on blocks, especially Higdon, were a huge problem. On Shea's INT, Ruiz and especially Higdon were the turnstiles, creating a pass rush up the gut. In the two-minute drill, Chris Evans took a fake handoff, and actively *avoided* the blitzer, as if he were carrying the ball.
So, by all means, let's complain about the tackle play, but pass protection from the RB spot in was mostly terrible as well.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:16 AM ^
Blocking was awful by the OT's, RB's, and even WR at times. Blocking is something that needs to be worked on.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:23 PM ^
Re this... can someone explain why we cant pick up stunts?
Is it communication? Is it pre snap read? Is it technique? All the above? Not sure if this was covered in offseason, would love to hear the science behind it. Seems to have been an issue not able to be fixed by Frey, Drevno or now Warrnier.
Again apologies if missed the deep dive, any resources welcomed
Thanks
September 4th, 2018 at 12:42 PM ^
Don't forget the TEs...I definitely saw a few plays where they were brought in to help the tackles and did anything but.
September 4th, 2018 at 4:43 PM ^
I agree. They didn't help out nearly enough. I seem to recall on the last play (the sack fumble), it looks like the TE/Wing was supposed to help the OT with at least a hand-check before releasing. He did a "weak" job of that.
[On the other the same guy looked like he was then open after he released, but Patterson didn't dump the ball off to him or throw it away (it was still only 2nd down)]
September 4th, 2018 at 12:55 PM ^
It's a shame there's no way we could have known blocking would be a problem and address it in the offseason. /s
September 4th, 2018 at 8:41 PM ^
Yeah, all block needs to be improved. The wide receiver blocking, in particular, is very under-whelming.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:21 AM ^
Speaking of RB's, where the hell was Evans on Sat night?
September 4th, 2018 at 11:24 AM ^
2010 Moose Krause Cir, Notre Dame, IN 46556
September 4th, 2018 at 11:35 AM ^
I wish our tackles were there too..
September 4th, 2018 at 11:22 AM ^
Meh, RBs whiff blocks. Unless you're Vincent Smith, that happens when you're a 200 lb dude trying to cut down someone with 50-100 lbs on you. I didn't feel it was a huge part of the problem or vastly underperforming the norm like I did with the tackles.
Edit: on the two you mentioned, Higdon has no chance on the first one because he can't cut the guy since Ruiz is engaged (would be a 15 yard chop block penalty). Evans looks to me like he's supposed to go into a route on that play. Probably needs to improvise and get a piece of that guy as the play develops.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:42 AM ^
Maybe you (or magnus or Space Coyote) can answer, but if the RB has a route and there's a Blitzer coming in does he bail on the route? At least try to give him a little shiver on his way out? What's the standard procedure?
September 4th, 2018 at 11:46 AM ^
I'll let Space Coyote and Magnus answer since I'm not a coach, but I would guess it depends on the play design. The Evans one looked to me like he's supposed to give a shove since the play's going the other way anyway and there's really no chance Shea could do a 180 and get the ball to him. If he's supposed to be the hot read, my guess is getting past the rushers and open ASAP would be the priority.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:12 PM ^
No coach either, but on the interception, it looks like Ruiz chips the guy and then Higdon chips the guy and then proceeds into a dump off safety valve position for Shea. It's hard to expect Higdon to sustain a block there so I don't know what his priority is chip and become available as a receiver or block and sustain giving up the safety valve. I also don't know if Ruiz's job is to hold that block or chip and help someone else.
September 4th, 2018 at 1:33 PM ^
There were a number of times Ruiz was too slow on stunts. It is his responsibility he just needs to anticipate instead of react. The RBs are there to close the space to allow the C to pick up the block.
September 4th, 2018 at 5:17 PM ^
If the back is given a "free release" in the protection call/scheme, then he does not have pass protection responsibility. That would be according to the design of the protection in a case where he is one of the primary receivers (or say, a screen).
But more often, backs have a "check-release"--looking (inside-out) for any blitzers the OL are not taking, and if they don't come, releasing into the pattern, usually as some form of an outlet underneath if the other receivers are covered. Sometimes they are told specifically to stay in and help or clean up before releasing.
Regardless, one would hope that they are taught that (with this OL especially) unless they are the primary receiver in a pattern, when they see a whiff like that (especially up the middle), to protect the QB as the priority and abandon the route.
It's possible on the one play that Evans was supposed to free release "Hot" or as the outlet so I can't say for sure, but it looks like a serious weakness that needs to be corrected lest it is further exploited.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:47 AM ^
On the Evans play, I thought he was actually the intended receiver and his job was to avoid people and get into the middle of the field.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:18 PM ^
Yeah, that's sort of my take as well regarding RB blocking. You should engage and obviously a Vince Smith or pre-2016 De'Veon Smith might be able to hold up a bit better than others, but Higdon or Evans will do a lot more good being open for dump-offs than try to hold up a 270+ lb guy who has already beaten his initial blocker.
That said, my guess is that the UFR will show some missed opportunities to pick some guys off, and they should come down for tsking for those. But to me, your RB is supposed to do stuff with the ball in his hands and any additional benefits he provides are just that. When your tackles can't block anybody, that's a much bigger problem because that's why they are out there.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:22 AM ^
Every player on the O seemingly missed blocks. Several times Gentry and/or McKeon did and I believe DPJ more than once. The play where we threw a pick when Ruiz and Higdon both missed the same D tackle was infuriating.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:53 PM ^
DPJ's run blocking near the OL was a disappointment--keep in mind that he's just a WR trying to block bigger guys--and a couple of edge runs were totally nuked as a result. Gentry got smoked on one play where his only assignment was pass pro. He's still got work to do there, it seems.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:23 AM ^
Soooo what you’re saying is Braylon Edwards tweet was correct
September 4th, 2018 at 11:30 AM ^
Shhhhhhhhhh!
We've decided we hate him now. He said things that were unpleasant and made us mad.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:42 AM ^
I mean, he called out two players and was wrong about both. Dunno what his (or your) point is.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:08 PM ^
It wasn't that he said unpleasant things, it's that he sounded like a cretin doing so. He embarrassed himself, and in doing so he embarrassed the program because of his association with it.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:58 PM ^
Braylon is a flaming asshole who has no filter, or sense of when to STFU. He deserves every bit of the scorn he's getting.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:32 AM ^
No, I don't like him attacking the players the way he did, given his position. Also, Shea's game was even better than it looked if you take the protection into account. Whenever he actually had time to throw, he was lethal.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:10 PM ^
He wasn't bad on the run either. It seems like if he gets out the pocket sooner, he can put more pressure on the defense. If they have to worry about his legs, that should open up more of the offense.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:36 AM ^
Our problem with Braylon isn't his content, it's the way he said his message.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:44 AM ^
What's the saying?
You're not wrong, you're just an asshole.
September 4th, 2018 at 1:12 PM ^
Braylon was definitely wrong though. He obviously cares about the team, but has been spending too much time around the media(where the hottest of takes are encouraged in the right circumstances to drive ratings).
I used to be like him, but figured it out at the age of 25ish(and it helps that I don't ever post anything like that under my own name on social media).
September 4th, 2018 at 3:06 PM ^
So.....what happened to the winning on Saturday by 2-3 touchdowns easy? Pretty sure you had the game at either 45-3 (best case) or 31-10 (worst case).
Missed it by that much chief.
September 4th, 2018 at 3:53 PM ^
Yeah I guess he got his prediction wrong.
September 4th, 2018 at 4:34 PM ^
All hail mgrowold! He has never got a prediction wrong and he probably thinks he could still "recruit" better than Harbaugh if only he didn't have to leave the "staff" in the 90s. You're shtick is old and played out and I wish you would've stayed away from 3.0 like you said you were going to. This board is going to shit and it's these pompous arrogant "told you so" posts that drive ppl away
September 4th, 2018 at 11:24 AM ^
No worries. Our well-regarded, veteran RB coach should be able to fix these issues right away.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:29 AM ^
Ya Jay will definitely get this fixed. He has a tremendous track record dating all the way back to the early 2000’s when he was in Jr. High.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:41 AM ^
If Jay was such a great coach (RB, TE's, whatever), maybe he'd be working for someone that isn't his dad or uncle.
I don't like the nepotism. Let him cut his teeth at a lower level program, then come work for dad later.
The coaching staff at the University of Michigan is not the place for on the job training. We should be choosing each of our coaches from the top 50ish on the entire planet. Not based on the uterus they fell out of.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:54 AM ^
I suppose you could say the same thing about our LT
September 4th, 2018 at 11:59 AM ^
A great friend of ours played football in the Ivy League and is now an NFL scout -- he's just about JayBaugh's age. He works his ass off and makes about $65,000/year and is arguably more qualified than our coach's son to be a position coach at UM.
Warde Manual needs to step up on this matter.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:08 PM ^
Now there is a recipe for success. Warde should come in and tell harbaugh whom to hire as his assistant coaches. I can see that ending wonderfully. Maybe she should set in on film sessions too.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:18 PM ^
Yeah that's a horrible idea. When Harbaugh was hired (and filling out his staff) I remember saying that I'd be fine with his mother coaching TE's if that's what it took to get him here from SF.
I didn't think it would actually happen though.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:46 PM ^
It was all the buzz at the Soaring Eagle Casino surrounded by ex players.
Did you happen to hear he was at the Soaring Eagle Casino with a bunch of ex-players?
Well buddy-boy let me tell you here that he was at the Soaring Eagle Casino with a bunch of ex-players and . . . things were said!
September 4th, 2018 at 1:10 PM ^
I wonder how many heads this DB reference flew over.
September 4th, 2018 at 7:57 PM ^
definitely mine
September 4th, 2018 at 12:20 PM ^
I don't understand why we didn't try this once, Gentry gained weight specifically for continuing doing this to opponents
September 4th, 2018 at 2:31 PM ^
I beg to differ on Jay Harbaugh. I was as skeptical as anyone in 2015, but let's review the results. In 2015 he coached the TEs, and they were a revelation. The consensus in these parts is that Jake Butt was robbed for the Mackay award, at minimum he should have been a finalist, and other credible TEs emerged.
In 2016, he was the special teams coach, taking over ST after the departure of the recognized ST guru who was hired to fix the issues of the late Hoke era. Even without 2015's grad transfer Aussie punter, the STs continued to contribute better than average results for P5 programs.
In 2017, he moved over to RB coach, and I didn't hear too many complaints about Michigan's rushing attack, other than the initial confusion over zone vs. power running, which was more an O-line/O coordinator issue. In fact, I think several people seemed to appreciate that we had three different RBs who were capable of being the featured back, as each and every one of them missed time due to injury that year. Admittedly, their pass pro was not as good as their running, and we sorely missed De'veon Smith as a pass protector.
So, now that the team as a group laid an egg in its first game, we're looking for scape goats, and the cry of "nepotism" goes up. I ain't buying it. We got problems, but Jay-baugh isn't one of them.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:30 AM ^
Thank you. I was worried for a minute.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:30 AM ^
That's a funny joke, mostly because running back was the only unit on the offense that performed at a plus level last year.
September 4th, 2018 at 12:06 PM ^
Wheatley had Higdon for two years and he couldn't block then either. To blame this on Jay is just stupid.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:27 AM ^
The boss' kid is usually not the best at anything. Just sayin'.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:41 AM ^
Idk, Scott Paterno looks like he could do some damage at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
September 4th, 2018 at 11:33 AM ^
1. The spot on Patterson's slide was unbelievable. Seriously, that referee just flat out lied about it.
2. It looked to me that the Evans play on the final drive had a throw back screen as a possibility and that Evans was looking for that. But yes, would like him to impede the DE for at least like 1/2 second there.
Patterson looks better than I thought when I was heated during the live broadcast. The upgrade from the QB play last year is quite staggering when you string it all together like this video.