Snowflake Thread: Coaching Vs. Air Force

So DPJ can run a post route yet or a deep out ? Patience

Just had a pretty random thought. There's a good chance we do not have any garbage time this season, outside of Rutgers. I mean there was a tiny bit against Cincinnati, but I think it was just a handful of snaps. Was just thinking it would be nice to have Peters gets some snaps, as well as Walker and Samuels at RB, but based on how we are playing, and looking at the schedule it might not happen. Purdue looks like a real game now, and Minnesota and Maryland will be games too I think. I mean who would have guessed before the season, we would only have garbage time against Rutgers?

I think there are a lot of things that are less than ideal offensively.  I also think people are exaggerating the issues.  The issues are fixable and the team will get better.  I love all the baseless statements.  The numbers aren't great, but they're better than what people are saying.  The O-line is playing better than people are saying even with their issues.  Speight is not getting helped by his receivers, and in fact has been hurt by them.  I still don't see this team losing more than a couple games.

I won't give up on Speight (yet).  I do think our problems are a combination of issues.  First, the Oline development is dissapointing with Drevno.  I think Pep needs to be upstairs calling plays NOT Drevno.  The play calling is bizarre at times. Like 3rd and 1 and you give it to Issac on a slow developing power lead with 8 guys coming like hungry dogs?  That is a Panda play all day long.  No way they stop Hill as was proven later in game.  Teams are loading box and saying to Harbaugh you are NOT running between tackles.  This is where are TE's should be destroying the opponents will.  Nope, we call slow developing plays where teams are blitzing (Oline struggling to pick up).  Edge plays have been there all year (sweeps, end arounds, etc) but we continue to challange the middle with 6 blockers vs 8 attackers coming down hill.  Makes no sense.  Speight has yet to show he can throw a fade in bounds.  Please, stop calling that play.  If he hasn't got the timing down yet with recievers and does not trust his reciever to either catch it or break it up, STOP calling that play.

I love that Harbaugh has brought back respect and national prominence to Michigan.  I am and will ALWAYS be a fan.  He has forgotten  more about football than I will ever know.  That said, all the points I make above are being echoed by some pretty smart football people.  I do think Speight will come around.  In fact, I think he is coming around.  But, the bigger issue are the players around him going to come around.  Speight is not a lights out, chuck and duck gunslinger of a QB.  He is a system QB.  But if the system around him is sputtering, he will struggle.  Harbaugh himself admitted that the AF staff making better calls in RZ. AF had two weeks to prepare and it showed.

Hard fought win against the best triple option team there is.

Defense was fantastic. Couldn't ask for a better performance from them against that triple option. Held them to under 300 yards. Our Offense moved the ball and put up over 300 yards. Just finish a couple of those drives with TDs instead of FGs and the narrative is completely different. 

I knew the spread was too high. People who thought Air Force was going to get blown out don't know very much about football. That's a system program that won 10 games last year. Once again, returning starters aren't everything when you're plugging in and playing.

Now it's on to B1G play. 

GO BLUE!!!!

While we clearly have a lot more pressing issues to deal with, anyone have an idea of why we haven't brought the rush on punts? Last year we put a ton of pressure on opposing punters. This year we seem to never bring the rush. Maybe its youth, maybe its coaching holding out for bigger games, maybe its dropping more players to protect a true Frosh returner? 

Any inisghts?

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