I agree that this should be the goal. My concerns are that the coaching staff doesn't let the players fight it out in practice to prove who is the best and most deserving of snaps. I had this conversation with a friend of mine the day after THE GAME and the defense looking completely overwhelmed for the 2nd year in a row. I believe that either one of two things are currently happening with the Michigan FB program.
Either the coaches are falling in love with a player and playing him over a guy who is more talented/more deserving or at the very least splitting snaps between those players, and the better talent is not always on the field. Or they simply have a problem identifying talent (both on the recruiting trail and in their own locker room).
It is hard to determine which one it is, but one of the 2 must be true. Evidence:
Kekoa Crawford (granted he was a good blocker) continuing to be a starter over younger more talented players.
Bushell-Beatty starting at OT James Hudson and Jalen Mayfield.
Patrick Kugler starting at C over Cesar Ruiz.
John O'Korn starting over Brandon Peters
Josh Ross and Devin Gill splitting snaps
Cam McGrone starting the season behind (Ross, Glasgow, and Jordan Anthony).
Daxton Hill not playing defense the first 3 games of the season and not starting until the last two.
Brandon Watson playing over Ambry Thomas
Brandon Watson splitting snaps with David Long and Lavert Hill
Vincent Gray splitting snaps with Lavert and Ambry.
You get the point, as this list could go on and on...
Yesterday on twitter there were suggestions by folks with insider knowledge that recent transfers have mentioned this very thing, that it is no longer a meritocracy.
This is a perfect parallel to my earlier comment that there can only be 2 possibly outcomes, catch and forward progress being stopped, or incomplete pass. In your example since it is in the end zone, it would either be a touchdown or incomplete pass, a fumble is not a possible outcome in either situation.
This is because the receiver establishes and maintains possession while going out of bounds. The sideline ends the active play and the only thing left is maintaining possession.
In this case, because the receiver does not go out of bounds, the play ends when his forward momentum has been stopped and at that point he just has to maintain possession of the ball. Thus, only two possible outcomes as mentioned above is accurate, no fumble because of progress or no catch.
This is similar to a running back who runs into a defender who proceeds to drive him backward while forcing the ball out, it would not be ruled a fumble. However, if a running back starts to get driven backwards and then he breaks free and begins to move up field again and the ball comes out, it would be a fumble.
This is either poor technique by Hudson or a blown assignment by McGrone. Since I don’t know which is true without knowing the play call I’ll address both.
If Hudson is trying to bait Dobbins without having a contain defender or someone to spill to, then he needs to not squeeze and play the block head up while keeping his outside arm free. This makes Dobbins bouncing far less likely as Hudson would have leverage and the more enticing and direct path would be the inside gap which Cam would be in position to deal with. So baiting would be 1. A single player trying to make a play and undisciplined. 2. Unnecessary in any scheme.
If the scheme/play calls for Hudson to spill this and Cam is trying to help out or make a play, this would be 1. A single player trying to make a play and undisciplined. 2. Unnecessary in any scheme.
Coach Brown has to do a better job of coaching his players to do their job and not trying to make a play. If everyone executes their assignments, this play like so many others would be stopped for minimal gain. this is why other teams with less talent can hold O St to fewer points and not give up so many big plays. Discipline.
This is either poor technique by Hudson or a blown assignment by McGrone. Since I don’t know which is true without knowing the play call I’ll address both.
If Hudson is trying to bait Dobbins without having a contain defender or someone to spill to, then he needs to not squeeze and play the block head up while keeping his outside arm free. This makes Dobbins bouncing far less likely as Hudson would have leverage and the more enticing and direct path would be the inside gap which Cam would be in position to deal with. So baiting would be 1. A single player trying to make a play and undisciplined. 2. Unnecessary in any scheme.
If the scheme/play calls for Hudson to spill this and Cam is trying to help out or make a play, this would be 1. A single player trying to make a play and undisciplined. 2. Unnecessary in any scheme.
Coach Brown has to do a better job of coaching his players to do their job and not trying to make a play. If everyone executes their assignments, this play like so many others would be stopped for minimal gain. this is why other teams with less talent can hold O St to fewer points and not give up so many big plays. Discipline.
A few other things to add, most people also seem to ignore.
I've heard people say that OSU prepares for UM differently than they do other teams because they want to win that game more etc., blah, blah, blah. While that may be true, once that game is over, they then go out and play in a BIG Ten championship game in which I'm certain they want to win even more now that they have accomplished their main goal, and a less talented Northwestern team held them to 45 a week later. Then they scored 28 vs Washington and the only person that sat that game out was Bosa which would have impacted their defense and not their offense.
There are 2 things that I'd like to point out:
Recruiting starts with Don and he's not getting it done in his approach. They constantly look for under the radar 3* guys. That's good for the exceptions, but not as the rule.
I would be fine with promoting Patridge to run the same/similar scheme with changes in his approach/philosophy because the Defense isn't broke, the recruiting on defense is and how he deploys his defensive talent. When you platoon Hill/Long/Watson and you have but don't play Ambry Thomas last year, you platoon Hill/Thomas/Gray this year, and you have McGrone and he's 3rd at MLB on the depth chart and it takes an injury and the guy in front of him not playing well for him to see the field, your ability to recognize and deploy talent on your own roster is seriously questionable.
When it comes to being a Defensive Coordinator for Michigan, we have to look at it the same way we look at it for the Offensive Coordinator. If you have a top ten unit that feast on teams that you can overpower, but you look inept against teams that can match or exceed your talent, then your success if inflated and a change needs to be made.
Drevno/Pep took over from Fisch and basically kept things the same.
Michigan moved on from Drevno/Pep era because the offense couldn't get it done against good competition. Gattis had a slow start, but the proof is in the pudding specifically when you consider Yards Per Play.
It may have been covered already somewhere in these here comments however I feel confident it can be repeated. At what point does ax’s turnovers become enough of a problem for Coach Howard to make a point by sitting him for a stretch or at least a couple possessions.
It’s natural to assume that it’s been discussed, however it seems with each game his turnovers increase. He’s simply does not value each possession right now. Coach B’s turnover adverse approach led to more shots with a slower tempo. He’s giving away possessions by trying to make highlight passes at times. What good is a faster tempo if you don’t get the extra shots because of turnovers.
It may have been covered already somewhere in these here comments however I feel confident it can be repeated. At what point does ax’s turnovers become enough of a problem for Coach Howard to make a point by sitting him for a stretch or at least a couple possessions.
It’s natural to assume that it’s been discussed, however it seems with each game his turnovers increase. He’s simply does not value each possession right now. Coach B’s turnover adverse approach led to more shots with a slower tempo. He’s giving away possessions by trying to make highlight passes at times. What good is a faster tempo if you don’t get the extra shots because of turnovers.
Oh boy! It would be awesome to see him play today, but not at the expense of further injuring himself. However, this would be a good opportunity to weave him into the game without possibly needing him to play starter minutes.
What are the benefits/impact of recruits visiting for what clearly is the biggest game of the year against your biggest rival and the energy that the game itself brings versus the bad weather for out of region prospects?
Eventually if they commit they would experience the weather, however, I wonder if the only upside is if it's a great game. If the outcome is poor and it's bad weather also, wouldn't the more positive impact be during a week with better weather and an opponent that affords you more attention to dedicate towards each recruit?
Risk vs. reward?
No real downside for committed targets, but for uncommitted targets, it seems a bit risky.
Not trying to be snarky, but does it really matter?
I guess I feel that either he's going to come or he's not going to come. I'm sure the coaches have a good idea of where things stand and him not signing would not come as a surprise to them. In doing so, while it may not be ideal if he decommits and goes elsewhere, the coaches may have to try to lure a grad transfer or two.
My guess is he's waiting to see how Howard does on the court. A recruiting pitch is built to make you want to go to a school, but the real confirmation comes from what you see on the court. etc.
Disappointing, but expected. As Michigan shows they will continue to compete at a high level on the court, and some of Coach Howard's philosophies that appeal to top end recruits began to show up on the court, they will come.
Wow, amazing tribute, and strong by him to be able to write that knowing how hard it must have been with every sentence he finished. Hate to see endings like this for anyone, my heart goes out to his family and all the families that suffer losses in this tragic manner.
Michigan will beat the teams that they are better than with the ground and clock control game plan and that will lead to 8-4, 9-3, 10-2, 11-1 type years. Maybe one year we will get lucky and win a BIG championship and have a playoff appearance, but the reality is, just because it's good enough to beat most teams, it's not good enough to beat elite teams.
Whether they need it to win or not, they have to work the passing game, even if it means the game is closer than it should be. Without a dynamic passing game, the offense will look disjointed against good defenses.
If LSU taught us anything, it's that a dynamic passing game keeps you in every game, and in their case, combined with a great defense has led to them winning every game so far.
I'm not sure I ever saw a Monday presser (especially following a bye week) where he was super intense. That's mostly on the sideline, and maybe after a game. So nothing to see here.
This is awesome news for the kid! I'm glad he will have a 2nd chance after sticking it out and taking the hard path to redemption as opposed to transferring instead.
Under the lights at the big house with the epic comeback. People were leaving the stadium as they thought it was a loss for sure. My buddy was yelling BYE!!! as fans from the next section over filed out of the stadium. We were sitting in the family section since my brother was a coach at the time so most of that section was still there.
For those of you that were there, the intensity in the stadium just continued to build during that last come back drive so the entire stadium was standing while the play was going on. However, during the timeouts and commercial breaks, some fans behind us would sit down. We along with most everyone in front continued to stand and that's when I heard the down in front. Everyone ignored it and kept standing. Nothing crazy happened though.
That was my experience. The point being, no matter how pumped the stands are, you will still hear it from the few hold overs. But standing cheering fans helps to for home field advantage!
Call me pessimistic, or maybe I'm suffering from the experience of bad things always happening right after you get your hopes up as a Michigan fan, but I'll wait until the University announces it before I believe!
Disagree. Zach is very good, but we have yet to see Zach gallop to a 60+yd touchdown after making people miss and breaking tackles. Not saying that Zach couldn't possibly be the primary option, but to say that he's better than any version of Evans is just not true.
It is possible that Lane is not that bad. He did have 1 decent year at Tennessee. Life should have been much easier at USC, however it's possible that USC just wasn't a good fit?
Who am I kidding, shred his resume on sight if you know what's good for you!
How much of his success at Rutgers (2001-2011) can be attributed to playing in the Big East? The conference is a basketball/other sports conference and the football teams have all struggled in the bigger conferences.
Former members such as Miami, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, and West Virginia have all gone on to major football conferences and none have actually won a conference championship in their new conference. All those schools are in talent rich areas also (maybe not West Virginia as much as the others).
Maybe he gets them to respectable and bowl-eligible, however contending for a conference title I think would be a stretch.
What I would like to see would be some variation on offense. It seems all too often that 1st and 2nd downs are runs, even when previously they got almost nothing on previous 1st and 2nd down attempts on previous drives.
The bubble screens or tunnel screens, or RPO slants can be substituted for 1st and 2nd down runs occasionally.
The QB may be reluctant to throw it deep. There is also a chance that the coaches discourage it. However I lean more towards the former. Shea has been quoted as saying he's taking what the defense is giving. When D Mac came in one of his first passes against Maryland was a deep shot down the sideline (well covered and incomplete). When Milton threw his touchdown it was a 30+ yd corner route. When watching the game we don't often see all the routes unless their is a replay focusing in on the routes. I'm not at the games so I'm watching on TV. So I believe there are routes that go beyond 20+ yds however the ball just isn't thrown there. 1 more example of a replay of a 20+ yd throw is the throw from Shea to DPJ over the middle against PSU. The route was ell down the field and open initially but wasn't thrown. Shea scrambled and threw late and the pass was broken up. Had he thrown it on time, DPJ has 20 on the catch and possibly 10 or more YAC.
Actually that is how it works. The defensive coordinator manages the game plan and calls the defensive plays. Each position coach is in charge of their own room and the depth chart for their group. Of course they discuss it with the coordinator, but they make the call in terms of who is in there and who's up next. The D Coordinator will at times tell his position coach to take a certain player out or get them off the field if they are making mistakes or getting beat. But the position coach will do that also.
In the case with B-Wat, Zordich felt that while he may have been getting beat, he still felt that he was the best option of what they had available.
I was and I still am hoping that Nunez will have a breakout sophomore campaign and provide consistent outside shooting, but it's great to hear that DDJ went 7-8, even if it was a scrimmage. This team will need outside shooting so badly since they struggled so much last year. MMB only added 2 wings, and I don't recall their profiles suggesting either as a knockdown shooter. To add to all that, the line is moving out.
Irrational? Since we have shifted to my analysis of the actual play, lets address that.
For it to be considered a fumble, DPJ would have had to:
1. Secure the catch (which he didn't)
2. Make a football move after coming down with the ball
3. Then have it punched out.
If all those things happen, then yes, it is on DPJ because he has established possession and becomes a ball carrier.
however, the debated on the show was about what caused the "drop". In this case, it was because the DB punched the ball out. The DB had the opportunity to punch the ball out because the throw was late and high which allowed the DB to close down the initial separation that was created to create the throwing window. Those are facts. Nothing irrational about that.
Well one thing you are right about is that I'm owned nothing! I 100% agree with you there.
However, its not important to me that he be held accountable. That was never my point. He is supposed to be an objective journalist, so I'm holding him to the standard of his profession. I could care less if he said nothing about Shea at all. In my original post I made clear that I'm not calling for Shea's replacement, nor did I say that he had a poor performance. I criticized commentary offered by an objective journalist.
I offered my reasons why I no longer listen to TMI. You took issue with what I said because you perceived it as a shot at Shea, when nowhere in my original post did I criticize Shea. I didn't say he had a poor performance, I didn't say that he is a bad quarterback or should be replaced. I made a statement that I wish Sam would stop making excuses for Shea when he is offering analysis. Which is the whole point of the show.
Go back and re-read the original post and don't be so quick to take a statement out and comment on it without reading the entire post. And if you did and it was a misunderstanding of my message, fair enough, however if you don't see that the criticism is aimed at Sam, then you're just looking to hard to disagree and I can't help you there.
Also you're delusional if you believed the team balled all game. Yes, they played hard, yes they played well in the 2nd half and almost came back against a good team. But lets not kid ourselves. They didn't ball all game. If you think so, then you sir are also not objective and I see no point in continuing this conversation beyond this post.
I'm not saying that the program is telling Sam to say that it is DPJ's fault. I'm saying that rather than potentially creating waves or backlash from the program by criticizing Shea (even when it's deserved) he tip toes around the subject and assigns the blame elsewhere. The narrative coming out of the program is that Shea has been playing very well. So rather than say: Shea didn't see an open DPJ, and then the throw was late and high giving the DB an opportunity to make a play. He said I don't put that on Shea, I put that on Donovan (key word, emphasis mine) "if I have to assign blame".
I'm just saying call it straight man. The facts are: The throw was late and the throw was high.
I don't disagree that Shea had his best game this year, however, ignoring the facts to support the narrative from the program is biased. So he should just admit to being biased rather than try to convince otherwise.
I used to love listening to the Michigan Insider on WTKA (mostly podcasts not live as I live in TX, and TMI is on during my morning meetings) but I have recently stop listening and only listen to the MGoBlog Roundtable segments. Being originally from Flint, and having Sam be from Flint and lead the show, was what started me listening to begin with. I know that he has to toe the line because of his relationship with the athletic department, however his inability to be unbiased when evaluating M is a struggle to listen to. That is especially frustrating to listen to because he goes out of his way to say that while he has a relationship with the athletic program, he offers unbiased criticism when warranted.
However, when Brian correctly diagnosed that the DPJ drop over the middle was not on DPJ because the db punched it out, Sam goes out of his way to say I don't put that on Shea, I put that on the receiver as a drop. Oh boy, anyone that is unbiased with eyes can see that DPJ had to leap and extend his reach to catch the pass that was thrown high no less! Once he catches it and begins to secure the ball, the DB punched it out.
First, Brian was right, Shea missed him running wide open right in front of his face initially and forced himself into a scramble. Second, even once he found DPJ, the pass was high! If he throws it on a rope and/or leads him to the right a little, DPJ can catch it on the run and turn it up.
I really wish Sam would STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR SHEA!!!!, and assigning blame on anyone but Shea to try an explain why he's still the starting QB at Michigan! While I'm not calling for Shea to be replaced, it's hard to listen to Sam week after week tell his audience that oh, the receiver ran the wrong route, or the receiver has to create separation, etc. etc. etc. Often times we see receivers open with a few yards separation, or even worse, no one within 5-7 yards of them!
It is for that reason I no longer listen to TMI and instead listen to ITH with Spath. I don't always agree with their analysis either, however, it's unbiased and I'm not forced to listen to hosts that try to positive spin every poor effort all day every day by trying to stay lock-in-step with the messaging coming out of Schembechler Hall.
Sorry for the rant, but in the middle of listening to the podcast that comment about putting the blame on the receiver set me off.
I’m a huge fan of Gary and his impact on the defense. With that said, I’m not sure what games everyone else is watching but Gary doesn’t get many if any doubles in the pass game. He doesn’t even get chipped. Gary has all the physical tools to be dominant in the pass rush phase of the game but he seems to have two moves and not many counters. He either speed or bull rushes. He needs to add a rip through, a pull down for when the tackle lunges forward with arms out, and a spin move as a counter to his speed rush. This would lead to more sacks and then those chips and doubles people speak of that he doesn’t actually get at the moment.
With that said, he is still very dominant and his impact is on par with Bush and Winovich.
I looked at the stats and I have to agree with the poster above. There is nothing there that suggest he would have been any better than the backs we have. Games against anyone with a pulse were ok. Against tomato cans he went crazy which Higdon and Evans have both shown the ability to do.
Against better teams he struggled. Our O-Line has not always helped our backs out. Everyone on this site were praising both last year when they were running for 200 and 150 in the same game. With an O-Line that provides running lanes consistently, stats would look a lot different.
Call me superstitious but if they trotted out in the maize pants and white jersey for 1 game and got their doors blown off in that 1 game, I’d rather they leave those pants in AA.
They were awful at IZ last year, but maybe Warriner’s simplified approach has allowed this to be reintroduced. It makes sense if they are indeed going to feature more RPO and spread-like concepts. If they run it well enough it can open the counter and the pass play Denard executed regularly.... the fake IZ quick slot slant pass.
Surprising that both Breaston and Avant saw decreases in their totals a year later. Braylon went up 200 but the other two went down roughly 400 combined. I would have bet big that they each would have seen it increases.
Recent Comments
Here for the meltdown...
I agree that this should be the goal. My concerns are that the coaching staff doesn't let the players fight it out in practice to prove who is the best and most deserving of snaps. I had this conversation with a friend of mine the day after THE GAME and the defense looking completely overwhelmed for the 2nd year in a row. I believe that either one of two things are currently happening with the Michigan FB program.
Either the coaches are falling in love with a player and playing him over a guy who is more talented/more deserving or at the very least splitting snaps between those players, and the better talent is not always on the field. Or they simply have a problem identifying talent (both on the recruiting trail and in their own locker room).
It is hard to determine which one it is, but one of the 2 must be true. Evidence:
You get the point, as this list could go on and on...
Yesterday on twitter there were suggestions by folks with insider knowledge that recent transfers have mentioned this very thing, that it is no longer a meritocracy.
This is a perfect parallel to my earlier comment that there can only be 2 possibly outcomes, catch and forward progress being stopped, or incomplete pass. In your example since it is in the end zone, it would either be a touchdown or incomplete pass, a fumble is not a possible outcome in either situation.
This is because the receiver establishes and maintains possession while going out of bounds. The sideline ends the active play and the only thing left is maintaining possession.
In this case, because the receiver does not go out of bounds, the play ends when his forward momentum has been stopped and at that point he just has to maintain possession of the ball. Thus, only two possible outcomes as mentioned above is accurate, no fumble because of progress or no catch.
This is similar to a running back who runs into a defender who proceeds to drive him backward while forcing the ball out, it would not be ruled a fumble. However, if a running back starts to get driven backwards and then he breaks free and begins to move up field again and the ball comes out, it would be a fumble.
This is either poor technique by Hudson or a blown assignment by McGrone. Since I don’t know which is true without knowing the play call I’ll address both.
If Hudson is trying to bait Dobbins without having a contain defender or someone to spill to, then he needs to not squeeze and play the block head up while keeping his outside arm free. This makes Dobbins bouncing far less likely as Hudson would have leverage and the more enticing and direct path would be the inside gap which Cam would be in position to deal with. So baiting would be 1. A single player trying to make a play and undisciplined. 2. Unnecessary in any scheme.
If the scheme/play calls for Hudson to spill this and Cam is trying to help out or make a play, this would be 1. A single player trying to make a play and undisciplined. 2. Unnecessary in any scheme.
Coach Brown has to do a better job of coaching his players to do their job and not trying to make a play. If everyone executes their assignments, this play like so many others would be stopped for minimal gain. this is why other teams with less talent can hold O St to fewer points and not give up so many big plays. Discipline.
This is either poor technique by Hudson or a blown assignment by McGrone. Since I don’t know which is true without knowing the play call I’ll address both.
If Hudson is trying to bait Dobbins without having a contain defender or someone to spill to, then he needs to not squeeze and play the block head up while keeping his outside arm free. This makes Dobbins bouncing far less likely as Hudson would have leverage and the more enticing and direct path would be the inside gap which Cam would be in position to deal with. So baiting would be 1. A single player trying to make a play and undisciplined. 2. Unnecessary in any scheme.
If the scheme/play calls for Hudson to spill this and Cam is trying to help out or make a play, this would be 1. A single player trying to make a play and undisciplined. 2. Unnecessary in any scheme.
Coach Brown has to do a better job of coaching his players to do their job and not trying to make a play. If everyone executes their assignments, this play like so many others would be stopped for minimal gain. this is why other teams with less talent can hold O St to fewer points and not give up so many big plays. Discipline.
I agree with this assuming he's also a good coach.
A good recruiter without coaching is about as useless as a good coach without recruiting.
A few other things to add, most people also seem to ignore.
I've heard people say that OSU prepares for UM differently than they do other teams because they want to win that game more etc., blah, blah, blah. While that may be true, once that game is over, they then go out and play in a BIG Ten championship game in which I'm certain they want to win even more now that they have accomplished their main goal, and a less talented Northwestern team held them to 45 a week later. Then they scored 28 vs Washington and the only person that sat that game out was Bosa which would have impacted their defense and not their offense.
There are 2 things that I'd like to point out:
Recruiting starts with Don and he's not getting it done in his approach. They constantly look for under the radar 3* guys. That's good for the exceptions, but not as the rule.
I would be fine with promoting Patridge to run the same/similar scheme with changes in his approach/philosophy because the Defense isn't broke, the recruiting on defense is and how he deploys his defensive talent. When you platoon Hill/Long/Watson and you have but don't play Ambry Thomas last year, you platoon Hill/Thomas/Gray this year, and you have McGrone and he's 3rd at MLB on the depth chart and it takes an injury and the guy in front of him not playing well for him to see the field, your ability to recognize and deploy talent on your own roster is seriously questionable.
When it comes to being a Defensive Coordinator for Michigan, we have to look at it the same way we look at it for the Offensive Coordinator. If you have a top ten unit that feast on teams that you can overpower, but you look inept against teams that can match or exceed your talent, then your success if inflated and a change needs to be made.
Drevno/Pep took over from Fisch and basically kept things the same.
Michigan moved on from Drevno/Pep era because the offense couldn't get it done against good competition. Gattis had a slow start, but the proof is in the pudding specifically when you consider Yards Per Play.
2019 Offense - 419//YPG - 6.09/YPP - Rank #49 - Gattis
2018 Offense - 348.9/YPG - 5.18/YPP - Rank #105 - Pep
2017 Offense - 424.9/YPG - 5.85/YPP - Rank #58 - Drevno/Pep
2016 Offense - 395.9/YPG - 5.68/YPP - Rank #69 - Drevno/Fisch
2015 Offense - 333/YPG - 5.32/YPP - Rank #112 - Drevno/Fisch
DJ Durkin had a top 10 Defense in 2015
Don Brown took over a Top 10 D and basically kept it the same.
Michigan needs to move on because he can't get it done against good competition.
It may have been covered already somewhere in these here comments however I feel confident it can be repeated. At what point does ax’s turnovers become enough of a problem for Coach Howard to make a point by sitting him for a stretch or at least a couple possessions.
It’s natural to assume that it’s been discussed, however it seems with each game his turnovers increase. He’s simply does not value each possession right now. Coach B’s turnover adverse approach led to more shots with a slower tempo. He’s giving away possessions by trying to make highlight passes at times. What good is a faster tempo if you don’t get the extra shots because of turnovers.
It may have been covered already somewhere in these here comments however I feel confident it can be repeated. At what point does ax’s turnovers become enough of a problem for Coach Howard to make a point by sitting him for a stretch or at least a couple possessions.
It’s natural to assume that it’s been discussed, however it seems with each game his turnovers increase. He’s simply does not value each possession right now. Coach B’s turnover adverse approach led to more shots with a slower tempo. He’s giving away possessions by trying to make highlight passes at times. What good is a faster tempo if you don’t get the extra shots because of turnovers.
Oh boy! It would be awesome to see him play today, but not at the expense of further injuring himself. However, this would be a good opportunity to weave him into the game without possibly needing him to play starter minutes.
What are the benefits/impact of recruits visiting for what clearly is the biggest game of the year against your biggest rival and the energy that the game itself brings versus the bad weather for out of region prospects?
Eventually if they commit they would experience the weather, however, I wonder if the only upside is if it's a great game. If the outcome is poor and it's bad weather also, wouldn't the more positive impact be during a week with better weather and an opponent that affords you more attention to dedicate towards each recruit?
Risk vs. reward?
No real downside for committed targets, but for uncommitted targets, it seems a bit risky.
Not trying to be snarky, but does it really matter?
I guess I feel that either he's going to come or he's not going to come. I'm sure the coaches have a good idea of where things stand and him not signing would not come as a surprise to them. In doing so, while it may not be ideal if he decommits and goes elsewhere, the coaches may have to try to lure a grad transfer or two.
My guess is he's waiting to see how Howard does on the court. A recruiting pitch is built to make you want to go to a school, but the real confirmation comes from what you see on the court. etc.
That alone is worth an up vote! For both of you!
Disappointing, but expected. As Michigan shows they will continue to compete at a high level on the court, and some of Coach Howard's philosophies that appeal to top end recruits began to show up on the court, they will come.
Wow, amazing tribute, and strong by him to be able to write that knowing how hard it must have been with every sentence he finished. Hate to see endings like this for anyone, my heart goes out to his family and all the families that suffer losses in this tragic manner.
Michigan will beat the teams that they are better than with the ground and clock control game plan and that will lead to 8-4, 9-3, 10-2, 11-1 type years. Maybe one year we will get lucky and win a BIG championship and have a playoff appearance, but the reality is, just because it's good enough to beat most teams, it's not good enough to beat elite teams.
Whether they need it to win or not, they have to work the passing game, even if it means the game is closer than it should be. Without a dynamic passing game, the offense will look disjointed against good defenses.
If LSU taught us anything, it's that a dynamic passing game keeps you in every game, and in their case, combined with a great defense has led to them winning every game so far.
I like this level of focus from Harbs. I'm hoping that they destroy MSU, and then the snowball starts to roll down hill.
PSU would need to lose two more games and also beat OSU because in any Tie breaker, PSU would hold the edge over Michigan.
And PSU has Rutgers still so there is virtually no chance in which the tie breakers realistically fall Michigan's way.
I'm not sure I ever saw a Monday presser (especially following a bye week) where he was super intense. That's mostly on the sideline, and maybe after a game. So nothing to see here.
This is awesome news for the kid! I'm glad he will have a 2nd chance after sticking it out and taking the hard path to redemption as opposed to transferring instead.
Can the Big Ten get in on this level of accountability? Or do they just not care? I'm thinking they don't care.
All signs point to Narduzzi
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I agree with this 100%
However, some people complain about this and having to pay for weak OOC games as a part of their ticket package.
I submit that they wouldn't care about those games being included in their ticket package if Michigan is going to the Playoff.
Under the lights at the big house with the epic comeback. People were leaving the stadium as they thought it was a loss for sure. My buddy was yelling BYE!!! as fans from the next section over filed out of the stadium. We were sitting in the family section since my brother was a coach at the time so most of that section was still there.
For those of you that were there, the intensity in the stadium just continued to build during that last come back drive so the entire stadium was standing while the play was going on. However, during the timeouts and commercial breaks, some fans behind us would sit down. We along with most everyone in front continued to stand and that's when I heard the down in front. Everyone ignored it and kept standing. Nothing crazy happened though.
That was my experience. The point being, no matter how pumped the stands are, you will still hear it from the few hold overs. But standing cheering fans helps to for home field advantage!
Call me pessimistic, or maybe I'm suffering from the experience of bad things always happening right after you get your hopes up as a Michigan fan, but I'll wait until the University announces it before I believe!
Disagree. Zach is very good, but we have yet to see Zach gallop to a 60+yd touchdown after making people miss and breaking tackles. Not saying that Zach couldn't possibly be the primary option, but to say that he's better than any version of Evans is just not true.
BANG! I wonder why they didn't just take his name off the list before releasing it. Maybe because he's appealing?
Can we some how get Brady to take over at OSU? No? One can only hope...
It is possible that Lane is not that bad. He did have 1 decent year at Tennessee. Life should have been much easier at USC, however it's possible that USC just wasn't a good fit?
Who am I kidding, shred his resume on sight if you know what's good for you!
How much of his success at Rutgers (2001-2011) can be attributed to playing in the Big East? The conference is a basketball/other sports conference and the football teams have all struggled in the bigger conferences.
Former members such as Miami, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, and West Virginia have all gone on to major football conferences and none have actually won a conference championship in their new conference. All those schools are in talent rich areas also (maybe not West Virginia as much as the others).
Maybe he gets them to respectable and bowl-eligible, however contending for a conference title I think would be a stretch.
What I would like to see would be some variation on offense. It seems all too often that 1st and 2nd downs are runs, even when previously they got almost nothing on previous 1st and 2nd down attempts on previous drives.
The bubble screens or tunnel screens, or RPO slants can be substituted for 1st and 2nd down runs occasionally.
The QB may be reluctant to throw it deep. There is also a chance that the coaches discourage it. However I lean more towards the former. Shea has been quoted as saying he's taking what the defense is giving. When D Mac came in one of his first passes against Maryland was a deep shot down the sideline (well covered and incomplete). When Milton threw his touchdown it was a 30+ yd corner route. When watching the game we don't often see all the routes unless their is a replay focusing in on the routes. I'm not at the games so I'm watching on TV. So I believe there are routes that go beyond 20+ yds however the ball just isn't thrown there. 1 more example of a replay of a 20+ yd throw is the throw from Shea to DPJ over the middle against PSU. The route was ell down the field and open initially but wasn't thrown. Shea scrambled and threw late and the pass was broken up. Had he thrown it on time, DPJ has 20 on the catch and possibly 10 or more YAC.
Actually that is how it works. The defensive coordinator manages the game plan and calls the defensive plays. Each position coach is in charge of their own room and the depth chart for their group. Of course they discuss it with the coordinator, but they make the call in terms of who is in there and who's up next. The D Coordinator will at times tell his position coach to take a certain player out or get them off the field if they are making mistakes or getting beat. But the position coach will do that also.
In the case with B-Wat, Zordich felt that while he may have been getting beat, he still felt that he was the best option of what they had available.
I was and I still am hoping that Nunez will have a breakout sophomore campaign and provide consistent outside shooting, but it's great to hear that DDJ went 7-8, even if it was a scrimmage. This team will need outside shooting so badly since they struggled so much last year. MMB only added 2 wings, and I don't recall their profiles suggesting either as a knockdown shooter. To add to all that, the line is moving out.
Closing my eyes and wishing for the best!
True, that is as good of a reason as any!
Irrational? Since we have shifted to my analysis of the actual play, lets address that.
For it to be considered a fumble, DPJ would have had to:
1. Secure the catch (which he didn't)
2. Make a football move after coming down with the ball
3. Then have it punched out.
If all those things happen, then yes, it is on DPJ because he has established possession and becomes a ball carrier.
however, the debated on the show was about what caused the "drop". In this case, it was because the DB punched the ball out. The DB had the opportunity to punch the ball out because the throw was late and high which allowed the DB to close down the initial separation that was created to create the throwing window. Those are facts. Nothing irrational about that.
Well one thing you are right about is that I'm owned nothing! I 100% agree with you there.
However, its not important to me that he be held accountable. That was never my point. He is supposed to be an objective journalist, so I'm holding him to the standard of his profession. I could care less if he said nothing about Shea at all. In my original post I made clear that I'm not calling for Shea's replacement, nor did I say that he had a poor performance. I criticized commentary offered by an objective journalist.
I offered my reasons why I no longer listen to TMI. You took issue with what I said because you perceived it as a shot at Shea, when nowhere in my original post did I criticize Shea. I didn't say he had a poor performance, I didn't say that he is a bad quarterback or should be replaced. I made a statement that I wish Sam would stop making excuses for Shea when he is offering analysis. Which is the whole point of the show.
Go back and re-read the original post and don't be so quick to take a statement out and comment on it without reading the entire post. And if you did and it was a misunderstanding of my message, fair enough, however if you don't see that the criticism is aimed at Sam, then you're just looking to hard to disagree and I can't help you there.
Also you're delusional if you believed the team balled all game. Yes, they played hard, yes they played well in the 2nd half and almost came back against a good team. But lets not kid ourselves. They didn't ball all game. If you think so, then you sir are also not objective and I see no point in continuing this conversation beyond this post.
I'm not saying that the program is telling Sam to say that it is DPJ's fault. I'm saying that rather than potentially creating waves or backlash from the program by criticizing Shea (even when it's deserved) he tip toes around the subject and assigns the blame elsewhere. The narrative coming out of the program is that Shea has been playing very well. So rather than say: Shea didn't see an open DPJ, and then the throw was late and high giving the DB an opportunity to make a play. He said I don't put that on Shea, I put that on Donovan (key word, emphasis mine) "if I have to assign blame".
I'm just saying call it straight man. The facts are: The throw was late and the throw was high.
I don't disagree that Shea had his best game this year, however, ignoring the facts to support the narrative from the program is biased. So he should just admit to being biased rather than try to convince otherwise.
I used to love listening to the Michigan Insider on WTKA (mostly podcasts not live as I live in TX, and TMI is on during my morning meetings) but I have recently stop listening and only listen to the MGoBlog Roundtable segments. Being originally from Flint, and having Sam be from Flint and lead the show, was what started me listening to begin with. I know that he has to toe the line because of his relationship with the athletic department, however his inability to be unbiased when evaluating M is a struggle to listen to. That is especially frustrating to listen to because he goes out of his way to say that while he has a relationship with the athletic program, he offers unbiased criticism when warranted.
However, when Brian correctly diagnosed that the DPJ drop over the middle was not on DPJ because the db punched it out, Sam goes out of his way to say I don't put that on Shea, I put that on the receiver as a drop. Oh boy, anyone that is unbiased with eyes can see that DPJ had to leap and extend his reach to catch the pass that was thrown high no less! Once he catches it and begins to secure the ball, the DB punched it out.
First, Brian was right, Shea missed him running wide open right in front of his face initially and forced himself into a scramble. Second, even once he found DPJ, the pass was high! If he throws it on a rope and/or leads him to the right a little, DPJ can catch it on the run and turn it up.
I really wish Sam would STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR SHEA!!!!, and assigning blame on anyone but Shea to try an explain why he's still the starting QB at Michigan! While I'm not calling for Shea to be replaced, it's hard to listen to Sam week after week tell his audience that oh, the receiver ran the wrong route, or the receiver has to create separation, etc. etc. etc. Often times we see receivers open with a few yards separation, or even worse, no one within 5-7 yards of them!
It is for that reason I no longer listen to TMI and instead listen to ITH with Spath. I don't always agree with their analysis either, however, it's unbiased and I'm not forced to listen to hosts that try to positive spin every poor effort all day every day by trying to stay lock-in-step with the messaging coming out of Schembechler Hall.
Sorry for the rant, but in the middle of listening to the podcast that comment about putting the blame on the receiver set me off.
Carry on!
I’m a huge fan of Gary and his impact on the defense. With that said, I’m not sure what games everyone else is watching but Gary doesn’t get many if any doubles in the pass game. He doesn’t even get chipped. Gary has all the physical tools to be dominant in the pass rush phase of the game but he seems to have two moves and not many counters. He either speed or bull rushes. He needs to add a rip through, a pull down for when the tackle lunges forward with arms out, and a spin move as a counter to his speed rush. This would lead to more sacks and then those chips and doubles people speak of that he doesn’t actually get at the moment.
With that said, he is still very dominant and his impact is on par with Bush and Winovich.
I looked at the stats and I have to agree with the poster above. There is nothing there that suggest he would have been any better than the backs we have. Games against anyone with a pulse were ok. Against tomato cans he went crazy which Higdon and Evans have both shown the ability to do.
Against better teams he struggled. Our O-Line has not always helped our backs out. Everyone on this site were praising both last year when they were running for 200 and 150 in the same game. With an O-Line that provides running lanes consistently, stats would look a lot different.
Yes. The oline basically stayed at home.
The offensive line still sucks.
People wonder why fans say they will believe it when they see it.
Those look like practice jerseys. No thanks.
This I can agree with!
Call me superstitious but if they trotted out in the maize pants and white jersey for 1 game and got their doors blown off in that 1 game, I’d rather they leave those pants in AA.
They were awful at IZ last year, but maybe Warriner’s simplified approach has allowed this to be reintroduced. It makes sense if they are indeed going to feature more RPO and spread-like concepts. If they run it well enough it can open the counter and the pass play Denard executed regularly.... the fake IZ quick slot slant pass.