Is (at least part of) the reason for lack of contested throws because the WR/TEs aren't very good at them?

It is great that Michigan is 8-0 and ranked #5 in the playoff but it might be a good idea to start looking ahead to the end of the season for a minute. So many of the podcasts are talking about how Michigan can beat 95% of the college football world the way they play. Yep! That is great but what are we seeing for the future? 

Corum would be smart to move to the NFL after this season because RBs have short shelf lives. So that leaves Edwards for next year and some unproven talent at RB. Michigan is not getting commitments from any high-rated backs currently and next year outside of Edwards the team could be looking thin. 

A lot of us expected with a 5* QB and the receivers we have now, there would be a bit more throwing and explosive plays but we're not seeing that. The seniors on the team don't seem to be in a position to get drafted in the top 5 rounds, right? So do they come back? What about the others? With it being so easy to transfer now, some of the talent on the team probably leaves and goes to a school where they'll get the ball thrown to them. Recruiting too...like its awesome to get a 5* on campus for a visit but why would they want to come here? I love Michigan but if I was a 5* and making my decision off my NFL future dreams, I need to go where the ball is thrown. I think this could play a factor in QBs too. I know we lead for Davis but it's a long way to go. 

I kinda thought Andrel Anthony looked like that guy in spurts last year. He's been on the field and has had a few targets - it seems clear that Bell in the rotation as a "go-to" guy and the way Schoon/All /Edwards matchup against LBs has cut into CornJohn's targets, and Roman's ability to create deep separation perhaps has done the same to Anthony. But in the RZ, maybe we should get A2 there more since he has flashed that? I also feel like Ronnie Bell has been really close on quite a few contested throws. He'll bring one in.

Bell is really the only guy who consistently makes contested catches (Anthony did a couple last year but he hasn't seen the field much this year) and he's not the type of guy who commands them.  

I've been saying for a while that the receivers are all good-to-pretty-good but there isn't a stud here who can really dominate a 1:1 matchup like that.  That's okay but it's why I blanched at the Johnson is a stud talk to start the year and why I do think the passing offense has been stymied a bit.  All is probably the best overall threat and he's been hurt.

This is a hot take and it’s not meant to be disparaging or hate; I don’t believe Cornelius Johnson or Ronnie Bell are that good and Roman Wilson is a bit limited in his impact. The lack of rotation and snaps here for those really dynamic guys like Anthony and Clemons is soooo frustrating. We did a very similar thing with Roman Wilson last year too. Johnson and Bell dominating the snaps is really kind of limiting the amount of other guys we can get on the field. This seems like such a high school program; rolling with experience for experience’s sake but here we are. I know they’re all very good players but the Johnson hype from Brian and other members of the blog never made a whole lot of sense to me. If he’s your number 3 option you’d be ecstatic, but giving him #1 snaps in lieu of more for Wilson and Anthony seems ultra conservative especially since the dude drops the ball in a crucial moment once a game wether ir a drop or a fumble. Ronnie Bell as a safety blanket is wonderful. He’s experienced, intelligent, a great blocker and great hands, but he’s not a difference maker athletically in my opinion. They don’t get quite creative enough with the passing game to get these solid receivers open imo. 

Whatever the solution, it is clear that the coaching staff doesn't feel comfortable giving JJ three throwing downs inside the 10 and if we have first and goal beyond the 5 the result will be a field goal try.

I truly believe we will have special red zone plays for the OSU game but those wont help Michigan if they make it into the playoff.

What happens if Michigan is not able convert a bunch of first downs in between the 20s by running the football? This is a question we dont know the answer to.

Also, how much of our WRs inability to make a contestable catch falls on Ron Bellamy or the rest of the offensive coaching staff?

Maybe we should start throwing to Drel. He's the best athlete on the team FerGodSakes! Can he get a measly 3 of the billion targets Schoon gets per game, or how about all of Johnson's targets?

Yes I'm biased but my goodness, this is getting ridiculous. Seriously. He's a special special talent and an even better kid, and he has what, 10 catches on the season? WTF 

Considering this has been consistent throughout the Harbaugh regime with only occasional detours to the BUTTZONE - my guess is Harbs just doesn’t coach his QBs to throw at covered receivers. 

Our WR are good enough to go up and get contested downfield throws but any potential INT prevents Harbaugh for becoming pass happy. It will not work against OSU if you don't practice in games leading up to OSU. I think JJ has gotten so concerned about throwing INTs (due to Harbaugh) that he often over throws on long passes.

How about put Johnson and Anthony in the field in the redzone . Johnson did fine on the fade last year 

The reason is we're undefeated without having to take those risks. 

I'm more confused with how rarely we seem to get a guy running open more than 5 yards down the field. I'm not talking empty side of the field waltzing into the end zone open here. It seems like route running and creating separation aren't the strengths of our WR group. I feel like so many of our passes and completions are short underneath stuff where the DB is glued to the WR who is required to make a somewhat contested catch for his 7 yards. With the success of the running game I would think we'd be able to more open looks to WR past the sticks.

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IMO, our receivers are not big/strong enough to fight through the least bit of contact, which leads to their inability to create separation which in turn contributes to our lack of a deep passing game. 

I sat in the north end zone vs state, basically an all-22 view.  My observations were 1) JJ was looking downfield and had time but WR's didn't create separation so he checked down. 2) too many rollout plays that eliminate the field side and make it easier for the defense to shrink windows and plays away from his arm strength 

Wide receivers seemed better coached under Gattis. I know people love to shit on him but pass routes seemed way better last year as well. 

I don't think Michigan needs to throw a lot of contested balls to receivers who may or not win those battles. Michigan needs receivers who can beat a press and get open; when they are covered they work to get open; who don't run half-ass routes when they are not primary receiver. They need to threaten to get open and score on every snap so the defense is stressed to the maximum extent possible. They also need to make throwing intermediate and deep an important part of the game plan and not just a contingency plan.

The WRs might not be good at contested catches. But then, Nico Collins was, and he didn’t get many opportunities either.

The receivers don’t get contested throws because they don’t get many throws period. Last year, U-M averaged 26.8 passes per game through eight games. This year, despite the preseason chatter about opening it up, they’re averaging 26.5. Michigan only does what the opposition forces it to.

Wouldn’t be MGoBlog without everyone being terrified of some aspect of an undefeated team. The WRs are fine, when the time comes and the staff trusts JJ, they will open things up.

and yes, good WRs will still come here. Earlier this season everyone on here was pearl clutching because we had too many good receivers. Everyone needs to stop trembling like Chihuahuas.

Though I’ve watched football for a long time, I’ve learned more about the intricacies of the passing game this season from watching Devin Gardner and al borges with Sam breaking down plays than I ever knew before. 
 

Before, I would likely have had many of the wrong takes that I see so prevalent amongst people here (not all, just a lot of them). 
 

Saying “our wrs can’t get open”, or “so and so need more targets”, or “Harbaugh is conservative and prefers short safer passes” are all wrong, IMO (though Harbaugh being conservative is true, it’s just not necessarily  the reason there is seemingly more short passes called than downfield throws). 
 

Both JJ this year, and Cade last year, are way more adept at reading defenses and going through progressions quickly to pass to open receivers than most of the other qbs out there. Some plays are designed to get certain favorable matchups, and the passes go to likely receivers (the out to DE in the MSU game that got to the 4yd line comes to mind, but that doesn’t mean all of them are designed or meant for the shorter safer pass first. 
 

The wrs routes and who gets the pass doesn’t happen independent of the defensive coverages, like some of the other teams seem to have (OSU). The same play, defended two different ways by a defense, will get two totally different targets based on what is happening within the game. We’ve seen it before, most notably in the Iowa game where the same passing play was run four different times and got three different routes targeted based on the coverages Iowa used and/or reactions of their secondary to the routes being run. 
 

I like Michigan’s approach more than OSU’s, even if OSU is considered a more dynamic  offense, simply because it prepares the qbs better for the next season as well as the nfl, and I like it more because it’s more repeatable game to game, while still having more flexibility to shift on the fly if needed.