WTKA: Devin Gardner and Al Borges break down the offense
Devin Gardner and Al Borges are back this year on WTKA with their film breakdowns. Telestration and commentary have been separated for licensing reasons (can't monetize videos with film in them) so we get twice the content this year.
Devin's Week 1 Commentary:
Devin's Week 1 Film Breakdown:
Al Borges Week 1 Commentary:
Al Borges Week 1 Film Breakdown:
September 8th, 2022 at 11:57 AM ^
Thanks for the videos... anyone have the cliff notes that they can post?
September 8th, 2022 at 11:59 AM ^
I watched the Gardener one because I am bored at work.
It's pretty much 50 minutes of Devin ripping into Cade (with a few instances of brief praise)
September 8th, 2022 at 12:12 PM ^
Big surprise.
September 8th, 2022 at 12:32 PM ^
More accurately it's Devin reviewing the film on each of McNamara's 18 attempts in the game. It's a really nice breakdown of the route trees and what the coverages are dictating pre-snap, through the lens of someone who has been in that position no less. He goes through his scoring system and offers both praise and criticism (McNamara faired poorly, though he was kinder than PFF was). Yes, he points out pre-snap misreads or instances where McNamara could've climbed the pocket safely or remained in a pocket with no imminent danger and subsequently missed opportunities. He also praises McNamara on a number of plays that he made the right read and right throw on. None of his takes have struck me as ripping into anyone, he wants whats best for the team just like all of us do.
Gardner bends over backwards to talk about how he's reviewing the film objectively, it isn't done with an agenda.
September 8th, 2022 at 1:24 PM ^
People really want to shit on DG for having some sort of bias towards Cade when he just shows repeated film of screaming wide open receivers that the ball wasn’t thrown to, clean pockets that were bailed out of, and either missed or late reads & throws. He graded Cade at a 60 whereas PFF had him at a 48 so he was far more generous.
September 8th, 2022 at 1:57 PM ^
Exactly. People who act like Devin just hates Cade for the sake of hating him have obviously never actually bothered to listen to any of the QB passing play breakdowns they do in these segments.
September 8th, 2022 at 2:04 PM ^
He spent most of last year "mistakenly" calling Cade "Shea" and after almost every win saying that UM couldn't beat someone better with Cade at QB. The idea that Gardner is this wholly objective arbiter of QB play simply doesn't match up.
Yes, Cade made some bad plays but I also listened to him on Monday and he absolutely misstated a number of plays and what happened.
Cade may well lose his job at QB and I hope McCarthy succeeds. But acting like there hasn't been a bias in coverage of the two QBs by certain media types isn't accurate or fair to the discourse.
September 8th, 2022 at 2:22 PM ^
He spent most of last year "mistakenly" calling Cade "Shea"
Pretty sure this happened only a handful of times in a single video segment early in the year. If you can find him doing it across multiple weeks from last year please provide the receipts, but I think you’re either just misremembering or outright lying.
September 8th, 2022 at 3:16 PM ^
I didn't listen to all of them but I remember his analysis against Washington and Northern Illinois he called him Shea, and maybe he did it other times. Now, I get that sometimes people have brain farts and repeatedly misstate someone's name. But it kept happening a year+ after Patterson was at UM, and the connotations around Shea was that he underwhelmed, that he failed to live up to his potential and the team suffered as a result (that was partially fair but also those teams had issues beyond the QB).
Again, it's not the biggest issue in the world but when you've got prominent UM guys constantly talking down McNamara's performance, this very site cyan'ing McNamara after wins, and 18+ months of discussion about how the guy who seems pretty good at being a QB is in fact not good at being QB because *reasons* it's not unreasonable to get a little tired of it all as a fan.
I would love for McCarthy to blow the doors off Hawaii and UConn, steamroll Maryland and Iowa, and lead UM to a national title. But I have a sense that he's going to do...well at times and not so well and yet the narrative won't be this near-constant drumbeat to replace him because any misstep means he's mentally and physically inferior to his competition.
September 8th, 2022 at 3:51 PM ^
I find myself listening to Devin on the air w Webb and he is balanced but does have a slightly negative lean. I caught the "Shea" slips, and felt like for a guy is in broadcasting, he should be sharper. And maybe a bit Freudian in nature.
No one is more popular than the back up QB. It is good for JJ to get a start, have the whole week with the #1's and see a body of work beyond coming in for a few plays. Sure it is the Aloha Rainbows but it is better than not doing this.
Let's resume the discussion post Connecticut, when I feel the starter will actually be named.
September 8th, 2022 at 4:00 PM ^
Yeah, I feel like I'm coming across as too negative about McCarthy - he's not a villain here (really nobody is) only that we don't have a ton to go on after one week. I will say that the wonkier parts of UM football twitter have been coming around to the fact that the playcalling last weekend did Cade no favors and so it'll be interesting if that was just a 1-week thing or if the new offensive identity really plays more into McCarthy's skillset than McNamara's.
September 8th, 2022 at 3:54 PM ^
about how the guy who seems pretty good at being a QB is in fact not good at being QB because *reasons* it's not unreasonable to get a little tired of it all as a fan.
Alright you should probably just stop with the constant Cade defending. People aren’t manufacturing reasons to criticize Cade and no one is biased against him. I mean, Gardner points out lots of mistakes and misses ON FILM. Like, you realize that’s… real tangible evidence-based criticism right? Not just manufactured “reasons” to criticize him.
The ‘cyan Cade’ saga is one of the most overblown issues I’ve ever seen; Seth’s reasoning was pretty clear and logical. Cade’s inability to help in the run game, and demonstrated (again through film) hindrance of the run game, was what earned him a cyan. And that cyan marker is a meaningless, made-up distinction, in a chart that has no actual bearing on the games played on Saturday. I mean, you’re seriously that upset about that?
Plenty of knowledgeable people, like Gardner, Seth, and Brian have all done a lot of film analysis of Cade and come back with consistent critiques and issues with his play. Sounds like you just don’t want to hear what they have to say and so you fall back on the same few lines of argument: “Oh they’re biased against him, you can tell because Gardner accidentally called him Shea a few times”. “Well the team is winning these games so clearly McNamara is the best QB Michigan has.” “But but but he won the Big Ten and beat Ohio state (don’t mind that the defense, oline, and H2 had much more to do with that than Cade did)”. Please just give it up already. You’ve become more annoying than even the most insistent “backup QB should start” posters that have existed since forever.
September 8th, 2022 at 4:32 PM ^
Okay, so let me get this straight - you asked me to show examples of where Gardner kept referring to the starting QB with the name of a guy who last played at UM in 2019 and I provided those "receipts". I said "I get it's probably just a mistake but it happened for a couple of weeks and was in the larger context of a pretty negative analysis of McNamara that felt a bit unwarranted. At no point did I argue that McNamara is beyond criticism - I pointed out he made mistakes against CSU but also noted that the gameplan didn't really give us much to go on for either QB from a passing perspective. I'll be interested in what the offensive UFR comes out - my guess is it'll ding McNamara quite a bit but who knows.
As for "check out the tape analysis, it's objectively true" there are numerous ways in which a post-hoc analysis doesn't match the actual gameplan, the playcall, what a QB was seeing, etc. It also, by its very nature, relies on the subjective view of the analyzer and what he/she feels is the "right" play to make. Gardner feels a ball should go to a WR out on the boundary with a safety lurking because he feels like he could get the ball there before the defense arrives; McNamara maybe isn't as confident, or believes another read is getting open for a larger gain. Is someone right or wrong there? I don't honestly know - maybe the QB checked the guy first and he was covered, then moved through his progression and found another receiver after that first one broke free. Maybe he lacks confidence in his arm, or understands the game situation and feels a safer throw keeps the drive going and out of danger.
My point is that we have 14 games last year with McNamara being decent-to-very-good. He's certainly displayed flaws but the narrative around him has been that any replacement-level QB could have been stuck into that role last year and UM would have had the same results, which is categorically false and tiring.
As for the cyan, yeah it is meaningless and dumb. All of this is meaningless and dumb - everyone here doesn't play on Saturday yet we talk about college kids who do. None of it mattering doesn't mean you can't have opinions about it. And when it happened I simply pointed out that at no point did Shea Patterson, Joe Milton, Jake Rudock, Dylan McCaffrey, or Wilton Speight ever get a cyan; I believe only John O'Korn got one after the IU game in 2016 in which he went 7/16 for 59 yards in a snow storm. So yeah, it's a meaningless designation, but I'm simply pointing out how extra meaningless it is because of how inconsistently it has been applied.
So in summation, I'm fine with criticisms of McNamara, and agree with some of them. I also think there will be issues with McCarthy and I hope they are recognized and discussed with the same focus as those with McNamara. Regardless, I simply am arguing that people spend a lot of time pointing out McNamara's flaws and not discussing his strengths, and that as a result it has been a steady stream of "why won't McNamara simply step aside and let McCarthy take over" coverage around him for the better part of a year. By all accounts McCarthy played well during the offseason but not well enough to win the job from McNamara, and so instead we have this convoluted dress rehearsal during the OOC season wherein my assumption is JJ will "win" the competition at QB until the first time he really struggles and then Cade will be called in from the bench for a drive or two, then they'll bounce around a bit. I say this because I've followed college football for more than a year in my life and have tried to see teams play this game with their QBs and it almost never works out. I do think McNamara and McCarthy like and respect each other so I doubt it'll hurt cohesion or chemistry on the team but it's going to be a clusterfuck regardless.
Anyway, I'm sorta done after this little exchange regarding Gardner and his analysis of McNamara. I'll stay out of these discussions from now on and hopefully the team will play well and succeed. Feel free to keep negging my posts and creating this complete narrative of my takes because I answer your "show me receipts" posts with actual examples and disagree with your ideas, though.
September 8th, 2022 at 3:35 PM ^
Come on. Because he called someone with a different name, he can't be objective? What personal grudge he has against him?
SMH. Give one of our graduates benefit of the doubt. My two cents ...
September 8th, 2022 at 3:58 PM ^
Like I said below, if it was a mistake that he just kept making so be it; it's not a great look but whatever, people have brain farts. I see you missed the part where he kept saying after basically every game that UM couldn't keep winning with Cade's most recent performance (I didn't listen to all of them but the ones I did that was a comment thread) and yet UM did in fact keep winning.
I don't think Gardner has a "personal grudge" against McNamara; I do think he has a view of how he'd play the QB position and Cade decidedly doesn't do so and so we're seeing Gardner's biases come out in his analysis.
And if we're all about giving a graduate the benefit of the doubt, how about we expect that graduate give the current student-athlete the benefit of the doubt that perhaps it's a bit easier to harp on the "perfect" play in hindsight than in the moment when we don't know the playcall, what McNamara was seeing, and other conditions. Again, I really wish they made the all-22 available because watching the actual analysis in these videos you get a lot "oh someone's open but it's off-screen and when they cut to that player again the fact he's covered is because Cade missed him".
September 8th, 2022 at 4:07 PM ^
I thought I watched every one of DG's breakdowns and I somehow missed his continued reference to Shea. I am not sure what style of play we are taking about here. Dual threat? DG's many comments are about Cade being afraid to take a shot and not stepping into the pocket. I think he calls it in the fight? His criticism is based on what he sees on the field and nothing to do with Cade's character. My challenge has been the bias part everyone's putting it there. I feel like he has every right to challenge his play and it not biased.
Let us see what he says next week regarding JJ. I may have to eat my words. :)
September 9th, 2022 at 5:51 PM ^
I listened to all of them too and it boggles the mind that some people think a frequent brain farting of calling cade shea means anything at all. My take--who the fuck cares! DG seems to try very hard not to be overly critical of cade but cade does him no favors in many a game.
September 8th, 2022 at 3:33 PM ^
Gardner bends over backwards to talk about how he's reviewing the film objectively, it isn't done with an agenda.
He absolutely does have a bias.
That doesn't negate his expertise, nor does it automatically invalidate what he is saying about Cade.
But his whole thing about how he's only "laying out facts, no opinions", is, well, not true. It may be a well-reasoned analysis backed up by the evidence and his own expertise, but it is still an opinion nonetheless.
September 9th, 2022 at 5:54 PM ^
I see no evidence of a bias in fact when he keeps mistakenly saying 'all facts, not opinion' when clearly a lot of it is opinion I think what he means to be saying is that it's unbiased, he's not playing favorites, just saying what he sees.
September 8th, 2022 at 5:23 PM ^
Holy cow that PFF comment made me look it up. I'm not a member so grades are locked BUT if they are still ranked in order that they are presented, Cade ranked 129/131 of all college QBs last week. Woah.
September 8th, 2022 at 2:00 PM ^
Did he call him Shea again or has that at least fazed out?
My level of interest in Gardner or Borges's analysis of UM's offense started dwindling last year and after the first MMQB this year I'm sorta out. I might circle back to see what they say about McCarthy in order to determine just how hypocritical they are but that's it.
September 8th, 2022 at 4:16 PM ^
Is the Shea thing any worse than the continual comparisons with Tom Brady? And, yes, even with the "I'm not saying" caveats that are thrown in, it's pretty clear what argument the Brady comparison is supposed to address.
September 8th, 2022 at 4:46 PM ^
I mean, one is made with a positive connotation for a player and the other is negative. That's the difference. I agree both are absurd but if you heard "hey, you remind me of a really successful person" you'd be happier than "hey, you remind me of a disappointment".
September 9th, 2022 at 5:53 PM ^
Oh no, a guy made a slip of the tongue mistakenly calling one qb the name of the prior qb with a similar name. Gimme a break, its neither a comparison nor a criticism, it's a slip of the tongue.
September 8th, 2022 at 9:53 PM ^
You missed the part of DG giving McNamara a better grade than PFF? I was startled to hear PFF graded McNamara performing better against Georgia than CSU.
September 8th, 2022 at 12:20 PM ^
Borges thought the run game was too efficient. He would like to see it more at 27 yards on 27 carries.
September 8th, 2022 at 12:30 PM ^
I put as much credibility into Devin Gardner's critique of our QBs and Al Borges' view of our offense on par with Matt Millen analyzing the recent draft picks of the Lions .
September 8th, 2022 at 12:34 PM ^
And why is that? I'm assuming you watched the whole segment, what specific issues did you have with his analysis?
September 8th, 2022 at 12:55 PM ^
Didn't listen and don't care to - heard enough of him being critical of Cade unfairly last year.
September 9th, 2022 at 1:16 PM ^
It wasn't "unfairly", Cade objectively is not a great QB, he is just fine. If H2 and the oline didn't destroy OSU, we would not be having this conversation about Cade, because almost every game of his has more frustrating moments than great moments. Even in his best game last year against MSU, he still got stopped in the red zone four times and that cost us the game.
September 8th, 2022 at 3:37 PM ^
So, DG doesn't know what he is talking about? Because Borges didn't do a good job as OC, he can't analyze plays. I have nothing to say about Millen LOL. I like the guy when he is commenting on a game though...
September 8th, 2022 at 9:50 PM ^
Borges did a helluva lot better than that cast off from Alabama.
September 9th, 2022 at 12:35 AM ^
Josh Gattis? *ducks*
September 8th, 2022 at 12:33 PM ^
Still too soon (was there for that one, will always be too soon...)
September 9th, 2022 at 12:44 AM ^
As was the passing game - not like Al’s magnum opus “make Denard Robinson a pocket passer in an East Lansing trash tornado”
September 8th, 2022 at 12:07 PM ^
Thank you. These are treasures!
September 8th, 2022 at 12:16 PM ^
I don't have time to watch this. I'll assume we ran vanilla plays and Cade struggled with throwing.
September 8th, 2022 at 12:53 PM ^
Thanks for weighing in, Sleepy. We were all waiting on tenterhooks.
September 8th, 2022 at 12:32 PM ^
I could listen to DG break down a cooking competition.
September 8th, 2022 at 12:50 PM ^
What else is Al Borges doing? He coaches a travel baseball team. We ran into them this summer at a tournament.
September 8th, 2022 at 4:11 PM ^
Al is a fixture at a lot of travel and high school games. He's a great chat on the sideline if you get the chance.
September 8th, 2022 at 12:56 PM ^
I can never see or hear Devin Garnder without thinking about his 2013 performance in The Game.
Scoring 3 touchdowns after breaking his foot, 451 yards, only to lose it on a failed 2 pt conversion. I so badly wish he could have walked out of that with the victory.
September 8th, 2022 at 1:55 PM ^
Same. He's one of my favorite Michigan quarterbacks, despite never having gotten over the OSU hump or the conference championship.
September 8th, 2022 at 12:56 PM ^
Gorgeous Borges!!
September 8th, 2022 at 12:58 PM ^
Devin Gardner and Al Borges break down the offense
FYI, this is not a repeat of 2013.
/ it's a joke OK? I just came over from OppWatch.
September 9th, 2022 at 12:45 AM ^
Honestly I’m shocked Devin can be in the same room as Borges without just wanting to punch him repeatedly in the rib cage.
September 9th, 2022 at 12:35 PM ^
I love his honesty and stories about his time as QB here. He told one story about the 2014 MSU game where we got run over badly. He said he found out about the guys planting a spike after the first series of the game when a MSU linebacker drilled him and the whole defense was amped like he couldn't believe. He was hot pissed when he found out because they basically riled up the defense to kill him. It was just so funny lol
September 9th, 2022 at 5:57 PM ^
Pretty sure they're completely different segments and they never are together.
September 8th, 2022 at 1:44 PM ^
I wasn't sure if this was new information or a post from 10 years ago describing Borges' play calling skills.
September 8th, 2022 at 11:25 PM ^
I think Borges got screwed. The blog criticized him constantly for not designing a fully spread offense, but it's pretty clear that he was handcuffed by his superiors and tumultuous OL recruiting/development. While he bears some responsibility, being the OC and all, it's a really shitty situation to say, "here's Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner and an OL vacuum, you are required to run MANBALL."