December 30th, 2018 at 7:28 AM ^
I can’t believe in the last two games the QB’s that “aren’t that mobile” ran for 34 and 74 yards against us.
December 30th, 2018 at 8:20 AM ^
Let’s see..lost 3 games against the 3 best opponents on the schedule by a combined score of 128-58. I’d say that is a solid F.
They did win the other 10 games rather easily in which they looked like a B+ team.
So overall I would say both the players and coaches did well on the “quizzes” but got an F on the 2 big tests and failed the final.
So if this was a class, they would have to take it again next year.
December 30th, 2018 at 8:10 AM ^
Tempo - I think that bizarre "offense by committee" approach is creating the lack of tempo. If they have to come to consensus for every play, that takes time. A single play-caller who's focused on that task will have plays at the ready.
Punt - "I can't believe anyone ever punts the ball down three scores with 6 minutes in the game" ... that's a very Bo thing to do. It's based on the belief the defense with force a three-and-out and you'll get the ball back with good field position. That approach fails spectacularly when the opposing team is capable of moving the chains.
Soul Searching - Agree, and what happens between now and spring ball will determine the trajectory of things in 2019, for good or bad. Let's hope good changes await.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:38 PM ^
Shit Don if you punt there you are not going to see the ball three more times to score enough points. The only thing it does is maybe make your loss not look as bad.
It’s the equivalent of quitting to me.
December 30th, 2018 at 8:30 AM ^
F-
As in F-me for wasting money and time on this same old regurgitated product.
They have become like the Lions to me where I have no expectations and the losses don't bother me anymore.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:54 AM ^
I wish that I had more upvotes for this.
December 30th, 2018 at 8:35 AM ^
Harbaugh D
Brown B-
Players B+
Overall with better offensive coaching we win 12 games...Untill that improves significantly we will be a 9-10 win team
December 30th, 2018 at 8:37 AM ^
Harbaugh left a lot to be desired this year.
December 30th, 2018 at 8:38 AM ^
Offensive coaches get a D- defensive coaches B+ before the Ohio st. And a F the final 2 games. Coach Harbaugh a D he is to stubborn to change his way.
December 30th, 2018 at 8:46 AM ^
Are we grading on a curve? Did 80 other coaches get D's and F's?
I suspect that 10 wins is a B+ and all conference is an A-.. Do you have to be undefeated or a conscensus All-American to get an A? We do have very high standards on this board.
I like what UofM626 has but I think the WRs did in an excellent job of blocking in the games I watched. I also didn't see a dropped pass from someone not an RB or TE so I think the WRs get an A for skill and excecution and recognize the fact that Shea didn't have time to throw to them when Michigan wasn't emphaziing the run.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:04 AM ^
Jim McElwain did an excellent job. How I wish he had been made the Offensive Coordinator!
December 30th, 2018 at 9:02 AM ^
This is officially one of the most, if not the most, toxic fanbases in all of sports.
Here are the number of wins for various programs over the past 4 years:
Alabama - 56
Clemson - 54
Ohio State - 48
Oklahoma - 46
Georgia - 43 (assuming they beat Texas)
Wisconsin - 42
Stanford - 39 (assuming they win their bowl game)
Washington - 39 (assuming they lose to Ohio State)
Penn State - 39 (assuming they beat Kentucky)
Michigan - 38
Notre Dame - 36
Others of note: FSU (32), Miami (34), Texas (26), MSU (32), LSU (36), USC (34), Auburn (33), Florida (33)
Is this a Top 5 program right now? No. Is it a Top 10 program? Yes, without a doubt. That's the level Harbaugh has set.
I don't understand this reaction that in a game that 99% of the blog said they couldn't give a shit about that the result ends up being a referendum on Harbaugh's tenure as a whole.
I'd rather be at this level than the level we found ourselves at starting in 2007.
Step back for a second and realize that this program is solid right now and that Michigan isn't entitled to be Alabama or Clemson. Realize that our primary rival and chief foil just lost one of the three best coaches in college football and replaced him with a guy who has coached a total of 3 games.
As for the original question:
Coaches - B-
Pretty much the grade I'd give all four years. Lost two of the three biggest games and the Ohio St. loss was embarrassing. But, it doesn't take away the utter domination over a 10-week span. Michigan was in the CFP conversation until the last week of the regular season. It's not a success, but it sure as shit not a failure, either.
Players - B
I have zero idea what happened to the defense the last two weeks. It's like they all forgot how to play, simultaneously. Offensive line improved (and some of that is the coaching), receivers all took a step forward. Need more athletes on the outside to really take the next step.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:07 AM ^
Toxic seems to be the right word. Though I don't think it's the fanbase of Michigan. It's just this blog.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:08 AM ^
1-9 against top 10 teams with multiple embarrassing blowouts would suggest we are not top 10
December 30th, 2018 at 10:19 AM ^
Dominating Penn St, Wisconsin, and Michigan St would suggest they are. Other top 10 teams beat those teams. But none of them dominated them, forget doing it to all 3.
Don Brown was exposed the past 2 games. But it will end up being good for him. He will watch game film. He will learn his hard lessons, as he has done over his entire 40 year career. You think he has climbed this high by accident, or luck? No. He's a winner. He will make adjustments. And he will be a better coach. He will climb higher.
I'm not so sure the passing game is repairable with the current staff. Changes may have to be made there.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:18 AM ^
Context is everything. It's not the raw win total that reveals where this program is. It's how they folded like a cheap suit after the first Patterson interception yesterday, just like they folded against SC last year after the Higdon fumble at the goal line.
The team is mentally soft. That's on Harbaugh.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:41 AM ^
You thought they made it to the first interception without folding? I think they cracked when the TE dropped that totally catchable ball early in the first quarter.
This game was over when Florida got a lead. It was just a question of how bad it would look in the final score. All things considered - it could have been a 70 point blow out.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:03 AM ^
76.923%
At Michigan that is an C
December 30th, 2018 at 9:03 AM ^
Players: B+
Asst Coaches: C
Harbaugh: A (in the spirit of UM’s love for John Cooper)
December 30th, 2018 at 9:04 AM ^
F for Don Brown. I know everyone likes to blow him bc he gives a good halftime speech but frost called him out years ago. Anyone with decent athletes can pound that defense into the dirt and we’ve seen it. And he clearly doesn’t want to be here anymore - cut him loose
December 30th, 2018 at 9:06 AM ^
Coaches? B
Players? Idk, overall maybe also a B but each player varies
December 30th, 2018 at 9:48 AM ^
We didn't see the WRs get the ball thrown to them too much at all this season, so how can we know how to grade them?
I'm very happy with Jim Harbaugh for making the moves of getting Al Washington, Ed Warinner, and Jim McElwain. I'm very unhappy with the passing game. There is a failing grade for Jim Harbaugh in that area. He's going to have to focus on that area and get it to an A. And I'm not really sure Ben Mason is being used in a way the benefits the team the most. Maybe he should be put back at linebacker.
Chris Partridge gets special recognition for the 2 blocked punts yesterday. The only real great moments in the game---though Florida has a strange way of running their punting game.
Kwity Paye gets an A+ for the season.
Special Honors for Chase Winovich.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:44 AM ^
Remember, we had the former HC consultant on board for this game - his specialty was "special teams".
Special teams looked... not amazing all year, so I'm not sure Partridge should get all the credit in this game.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:19 AM ^
Geez you're a happy go lucky guy.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:33 AM ^
Whatever dude. I'm an honest guy. Our ST looked great after bringing in a consultant whose specialty is ST.
Partridge is one of the bright spots on the staff, but ST wasn't great this year.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:57 AM ^
You might be confusing honesty with pessimism and exaggeration.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:51 AM ^
I agree with your takes regarding McElwain. He should have been kept. I would agree with making him OC as well. The receiing corps was the ONLY group who progressed thoughout the season. I listened to the radio broadcast and Dierdorf was begging Harbaugh to use the Big Three more, and begging for them to be in the game together. It never seemed to happen.
The radio guys were very disappointed and remember, Brandy and Dierdorf are former Michigan players who love the program. They seemed to be doing a lot of questioning of this staff while the game tortured their Maize and Blue souls.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:01 AM ^
Offense Coaches:
Warriner: A-
Jaybaugh: C
Hamilton: D
Overall: C
Defense Coaches:
Mattison: C
Partridge: B+
Zordich: B+
Brown: C
Overall: B-
Harbaugh: C-
December 30th, 2018 at 10:04 AM ^
Coaching -
Offense - D +. They beat the teams they should have beat, but some were closer than I would have liked. Maryland kicked the crap out of the Buckeyes on the edge. How many times did UM attack the edge? Florida game started out with RPO and Jet sweep. Both big gains, how many times did they use that? They approaching both games with a businesslike attitude. No emotion, no urgency. I was more fired up for those games than the team.
Defense - C. Great talents - Lack of adjustment on the fly.
Abandoning the team - F. I have hit the delete key on all 3 of them having been a part of UM football.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:47 AM ^
You're not willing to give Bush the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't his choice to sit out, as it appears he wasn't even cleared to practice?
December 30th, 2018 at 10:07 AM ^
C- for everyone.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:22 AM ^
I’ve had a few hours to calm down and overall, I’m ok with the record as this is what we all pretty much thought this team would be. A 3 loss squad.
I’m not ok with how we got skull boned the last 2 games. Don Brown looked like he could give 2 shits yesterday and just seeing Pep in the box makes me lose faith that we’ll be anything more than we are right now. For those who are saying we don’t have the talent...come on. You put a real offensive coordinator with Mcaffrey and the 3 receivers we have and things would be fun. That’s ultimately the only issue we have, that’s it. We aren’t far off. Harbaugh isn’t going anywhere, nor should he. Am I the only one who remembers getting our asses kicked by Rutgers? Paying face value for season tickets in the corner of the end zone while seats on the 50 were $20? Being Bama takes a lot of underbelly BS and it took Dabo years to perfect the seedy shit that Saban does. We may never get there, but I won’t forget where we were. Let’s also not forget that a few seasons ago Brian Kelly was on the hot seat for a beyond shitty season. So far our worst under JH is 8 wins after the entire team had to reload.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:48 AM ^
Unless Harbaugh fires Pep and his kid (who, let's face it is almost surely not the best RB coach that Michigan could hire), I'm not sure how anyone can be OK with Harbaugh or the direction of this program.
Football consists of three phases: our offense sucks, our defense sucks now, and our special teams aren't great.
We beat three kinds of teams. Teams with bad QB play, teams that we hold a huge talent advantage over, and teams coached by James Franklin. When it's a meeting of near equals, coaching matters and Harbaugh and Co and been completely outcoached - even in some of our wins.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:05 AM ^
Agree that Pep and Jay need to go. For what we're able to pay coordinators and position coaches we should have top tier people in every single job.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:36 AM ^
Definitely. Pep clearly sucks, regardless of what anyone wants to admit he does. Jay may, or may not, be good but he's not the best we can get.
Also, when you're turning a team around from 5-7 to 10-3, "I hired my kid" is excusable. When you're getting blown out back to back and then limping into the offseason (for the third year in a row), you lose that latitude.
Everyone pointed to Hidgon as proof that Jay was qualified for his job. He clearly didn't engender any good feelings from his only decent RB.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:49 AM ^
I hope the story of what the fuck happened with the players sitting out situation is told eventually.
Something happened and I want to know what it is. No other team had so many players skipping the bowl, and they certainly didn't have a CAPTAIN sitting out.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:59 AM ^
Hidgon not only sat out, but he also talked shit(by way of his dad) on his way out the door. Combine that with Gary's mom needing to interject mid-season, Aubrey leaving and his mom spouting off, the other DL player's family jumping in and then him leaving too.
Clearly, the family's of these players aren't happy with the way their kids are getting treated. One family can be explained away, but so many? It's frankly shocking to me that Michigan was able to land the class they did this year with so much negativity around the program.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:45 AM ^
I do not understand why anyone is comparing this regime to the Rodriguez or Hoke regimes. Those were anomalies, corret? Is this program historically bad or mediocre? Does it aspire for better things that 8-4?
To keep comparing it to dark times when the program inexplicably collapsed is missing the point.
This IS Michigan. Money, resources, facilities, national brand, and exposure are all among the best, and should ensure at least 9-10 wins per year. If you want to say it's all good, or even justify the return to mediocrity under Harbaugh, well, I just don't think that's why he was brought in here and I don't think that is what he is being paid for.
Harbaugh was brought here to Make Michigan Great Again, and to bring it to OSU, Alabama, Clemson, etc levels. NOT to go, "Well, 10-3 works for me because we don't pay players and we actually have players that can read so we're the bestest school ever!"
This is not a hire that is providing the results it was brought in to produce. After four years, next year is and must be a Hot Seat year. AND we must stop the incessant, "If not Harbaugh, then WHO?? We can't have a better coach!" Yes, yes we can. He's out there and if it's not Harbaugh, then Harbaugh can help us find him.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:08 AM ^
Yes we can! make Michigan great again!
Wait a minute...
December 30th, 2018 at 10:50 AM ^
(Coaching, players)
QB - C+, B-
RB - C, B
TE - C+, C+
WR - C+, B-
OL - A-, B
DL - B+, B+
LB - B+, B+
CB - B+, B+
S - B-, C+
ST - A, A-
Defense largely gets a knock on each category for play in the 3 biggest games (national stage). It's a unit that'll destroy bad-average teams and struggle with good-great teams.
Offense was another disappointment outside of OL play to me. I truly didn't think an OL with Runyan, JBB and Onwenu could be so much as mediocre, let alone decent. They definitely improved so that's positive.
The rest was largely what I expected and that's sad as I have very little faith in Pep, Jay and at this point Jim when it comes to doing even the most obvious to win a game vs anyone better than average. It's as if they assume the defense will always pitch a sub-10pt game and up through the bowl game we had starters looking absolutely lost out there.
The schemes and concepts themselves don't make sense, execution or not. It just doesn't make sense too often to trust they'll ever be more than mediocre. I couldn't grade anyone but Warinner above a C+.
Special teams was solid once we got Moody in there, punting great.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^
D. Can't mask annual epic collapse. Harbaugh's offense is a joke. Guy is too stubborn to change and relies on his defense to team's detriment. This isn't the NFL, perfect execution doesn't happen. Don Brown looks like he wants to leave.
B+ for players. Except for Gentry I give a D for lack of effort and concentration. Winovich and Bush get A+. Great players who deserved better.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:00 AM ^
Coaching did well against teams they should do well against. Whenever they had to actually, ya know, coach, they shit the bed. D+ at best.
Players get a B
December 30th, 2018 at 11:05 AM ^
So Jim Harbaugh is running the offense?
Then the difference between double overtime against Ohio St two years ago, and 62-39--bad offense for 3 qtrs until it didn't matter anymore in the 4th, was a Jekyll and Hyde performance by Jim Harbaugh? Or was it actually the difference between Jedd Fisch and Pep Hamilton?
December 30th, 2018 at 11:18 AM ^
It feels like a lot of people are giving Brown a pass, but in my opinion he’s the reason we lost the OSU game, and probably shares the blame with Pep for Florida. Notre Dame is on Pep. I’d give Pep a C- and Brown a C. JH gets a C as well.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:41 AM ^
Brown sucks. It's not a coincidence that his unit looks great when Michigan's offense can "manball" the other team to death, and looks like shit when it can't.
Brown's defense absolutely crumbles right at the moment that the team needs it not to. That's not to say that the offense isn't total shit, because it is.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:20 AM ^
Everyone gets a C+. Did better than expected/projected, lost two huge rivalries on the road, then our best players walked out on us for the bowl game. Some development and some talent upgrades in key spots and we are right there with the cream of the crop. It will take something special to be there with OSU, Bama, Clemsons of the world though.
I'm not spreading doom and gloom, got no time for that. On to 2019. Have a great new year folks.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:29 AM ^
I’m ok with Manball as our primary offense especially since our current roster is built for this. But for the love of God with some of these speedy new recruits, can we get about 30% of our offense to be more modern spread with crossing routes, less tight ends who will drop the ball, and at least make teams wonder if this familiar looking formation is manball or spread on first and second down.
Just something to look innovative and giving the offense some life that doesn’t need perfect execution. Here’s a basic thought, let’s get our athletes in space so they can make plays rather than asking them to be professionals at every position.
I give the coaches a B- for little to know changes on offense and defense to win the big games. I give the players an A- for doing as well as they did with wins when they were at a disadvantage scheme wise.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:43 AM ^
What part of our offense is suited to manball? Is it our great OL? Our dominant RB? Our mashing TEs? Maybe it's our QB who can throw into a perfect NFL window?
Our team is better configured to run Meyer's scheme than Harbaugh's.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:43 AM ^
B’s all around. Maybe a C for coaching (inability to adapt at the end of the year)
Because you don’t get an A for 10 wins when you give up 100+ points to end the year.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:58 AM ^
Head Coach - B-
Offensive Coordinator - C- (between JH and Pep)
Offensive Line Coach - B+ (worked miracles, but wilted under good team D line pressure)
Players - B
RB Coach - C+
Players - A- (Higdon) - C+ (The Rest)
WR Coach - A-
Players - A-
TE Coach - B+
Players - B
D Coordinator - B+ (A and great but for the two biggest games)
D Line Coach - B
Players - B (Chase A+ when he was healthy)
LB Coach B-
Players A+ (Bush) / Others C
DB Coach - A-
Players A-
Special Teams - A
Players - A (Hart and Moody) / Nordin (C)
Offensive plays were way too predictable. Who couldn't say we were always running up the middle on 1st down ahead of time? Maddening time management. Like everyone said, why not throw more?
Defensively picked apart by slant routes (adjust!) and when facing Haskins, everything. Also our inability to stop Wimbush runs in the Game 1 I remember vividly. Why are we still playing Man 2 Man in teams with teams with good 3-4 WR sets and stud RBs for flat passes?
I'm at the point where I don't want to blame the players. Most are executing at the level of coaching they received. It's the coaching that is letting us down with all the talent there is. Playcalling on offense is hamstringing the team.
What really worries me for next year is our apparent lack of depth at LB. That's on Harbaugh and the recruiting coordinator. (look at previous year commits and who is left) Exploited by slant routes over and over. When Bush went down versus Ohio State, was going downhill and then the wheels came off the bus completely. Same for yesterday with Gil. Hoping McGrone and Anthony can step in but they likely won't be at Bush's level. Or they bring in a grad transfer somehow. Otherwise, it will be a long year.