When is the problem with the o line the quarterback? It's easy to love Devin because of his arm and speed. But I've been through this before with my local NFL team. Check the stats on the Eagles 2012 o line ranked 20. 2013 o line ranked 1. Big change in personnel? Not on the line. The difference was going from a qb with speed and a big arm to a pro style qb who could go through a read progression. Haters will say it's the NFL so it's different. That's what they said about Chip Kelly being a pro coach. Different coach or scheme? Even with Vick playing during the beginning of the 2013 season in the same scheme as Foles the o
Ine struggled. The only difference with the line came when the QB changed. When UM goes to a solid read progression qb who can manage the line of scrimmage before the snap and make a quick decision the o line will become great.
So UM was 123 in tfl during the season. Insert a freshmen for the KSU game and the team cuts the tfl loss average in half. So is the offensive line to blame or.......wait for it......DEVIN. I believe Devin is responsible for Devin becoming hamburger meat. I believe Shane was responsible for eliminating at least 4 tfl's.
I went through the same thing with my pro team in Phili. Early in the season a running QB with a great arm is getting hammered and the team must have a bad o line. The Eagles put in a quarterback who doesn't really have the option to run and he begins to go through his progressions, the team stops throwing interceptions, the team develops the top running attack in the NFL, the tfl's disappear, and the o line suddenly becomes great.
Is it the system? No, it's the same system when Vick was QB. Is the line different in Philly? No. So the primary change that led to improvement was the quarterback. The same thing was true for at least one game against KSU.
Maybe the answer is a quarterback that can go through a read progression, read a defense, and make adjustments on the fly. Put in Shane coach.
M may still loose 3 more games if that will make you feel better about a possible coaching change. But if they go 1-2 then the team finishes within the predicted pre-season range and the coaches deserve another season to develop the players. Even if they're 0-3 then Borges and Funk will be on the hot seat, not Hoke.
Michigan-Northwestern parity? Northwestern went to overtime against Michigan, but Michigan won and NW is having a Richrodesque season overall.
And it's way too early to say that the program has fallen because of OT two years in a row. Michigan lost twice to Northwestern in '95 and '96 then won the national championship.
The only game where they had similar carries was Nebraska and Green doubled Fitz's output. Oh, and he weighs 240# and might be able to block a linebacker.
After the running disaster the last couple of weeks M finally got some positive yards on first down, pass protected a little in the backfield, and gave us a little hope for the future. Then Hoke said Fitz is the starter and will be in next week if he's healthy.....WHAT!?
I like Fitz but I cannot stand seeing him get thrown back after contact when he runs and steamrolled in pass protection. We need a big back to pass protect even if it's a freshmen. You cannot tell me a linebacker running free through the a gap doesn't have a different feeling seeing a 240# blocker versus Fitz. At the moment the linebacker sees Green he isn't thinking, 'it's okay he's just a freshmen'. He's thinking, 'holy s.., that kid is big'.
The definition of insanity applies doubly here. It doesn't only apply because M can't run or pass protect with Fitz, but because we actually had a little success running and pass protecting without him.
After seeing the gif of the student section I've changed my view on affirmative action for admission....as long as it includes a quota for reasonably attractive women to fill up the student section and cheerleading line up.
As he said, 'The best laid shemes.......oft go awry'
The future is now and this team needs to win. I'm a bit tired of hearing about transition, how the team is almost ready. Hoke has been great at recruiting and has one good season coaching.
This team has talent. It's time to see if Hoke's game management equals his recruiting ability. The last two Ohio coaches had early success following a regime change. I know, I know...I can hear the yelling all the way from Michigan in my quiet home in PA. But it's true.
I love the Wolverines and am ready for the season to start. This will be an excruciatingly long week. So let's get it started, no excuses or talk about the future, and put up a 10 win season. The future is now.
I used to live a mile from Rutgers. In my younger days I had some friends visit on a Friday night. We were out for a few then decided we'd try to get tickets to the Rutgers-Northwestern game. No trouble getting tickets. Actually a couple of my boys slept in the stands across three or four seats. The only thing I really remember from the game other then the empty seats was the 10-15 Northwestern fans shaking their keys at the Rutgers students. I think the Rutgers students thought they were showing off their shiny new Camaro keys.
Recent Comments
amen
M may still loose 3 more games if that will make you feel better about a possible coaching change. But if they go 1-2 then the team finishes within the predicted pre-season range and the coaches deserve another season to develop the players. Even if they're 0-3 then Borges and Funk will be on the hot seat, not Hoke.
Michigan-Northwestern parity? Northwestern went to overtime against Michigan, but Michigan won and NW is having a Richrodesque season overall.
And it's way too early to say that the program has fallen because of OT two years in a row. Michigan lost twice to Northwestern in '95 and '96 then won the national championship.
The only game where they had similar carries was Nebraska and Green doubled Fitz's output. Oh, and he weighs 240# and might be able to block a linebacker.
Michigan 34
Other 12
As he said, 'The best laid shemes.......oft go awry'
The future is now and this team needs to win. I'm a bit tired of hearing about transition, how the team is almost ready. Hoke has been great at recruiting and has one good season coaching.
This team has talent. It's time to see if Hoke's game management equals his recruiting ability. The last two Ohio coaches had early success following a regime change. I know, I know...I can hear the yelling all the way from Michigan in my quiet home in PA. But it's true.
I love the Wolverines and am ready for the season to start. This will be an excruciatingly long week. So let's get it started, no excuses or talk about the future, and put up a 10 win season. The future is now.
Go Blue!