Michael Spath source: coaches giving up on game plan
Legit or overreaction? I wonder the source...player, coach, staff? 97.1?
https://twitter.com/michaelspathith/status/1079753372738174976?s=21
January 1st, 2019 at 1:54 PM ^
I call BS on this. Spath is not very connected and his source is probably a person he knows, who knows a disgruntled person inside the program. People get disgruntled when they don’t get their way. Just my opinion.
January 1st, 2019 at 2:24 PM ^
I wish they would give up on the game plan.
January 1st, 2019 at 2:36 PM ^
Exactly what I'm thinking. I hope the substance of the tweets is largely accurate, because at least they're not oblivious to what everyone else is seeing.
The fact there's not a clear, unequivocal play caller still chaps my arse. Every play call, from what we've read, is a mini-conference call with 3 guys. No wonder we fight the play clock so routinely.
January 1st, 2019 at 5:06 PM ^
We all have heard the story
Which is true as well as witty,
That a camel is a horse
That was designed by a committee.
January 1st, 2019 at 5:47 PM ^
Thanks, I'd actually not heard that before.
January 1st, 2019 at 10:33 PM ^
Isn't a camel a better animal than a horse? So confused.
January 1st, 2019 at 2:56 PM ^
I think the point of the tweets is, the game plan is a lot more wide open, and then the coaches get in the game and abandon the game plan for the same old "safe" approach. So in this instance we want them to keep the game plan.
Fisch must have been the gunslinger.
January 1st, 2019 at 3:17 PM ^
I knew we were going back to the same ole same ole after the Turner TD was taken back and we ran Mason-Mason for nothing.
That is not “cool” or “exciting” anymore to have a fullback who can bang for a half yard just cause “Yeah Fullback bitches.” It is just stubborn and irritating. If you are going to do it on 4th, break tendency on 3rd and go deep.
There is just so much that I don’t know where to start. Harbaugh needs to hand off the offense entirely. He is a very poor playcaller. Like D- poor. It seemed crazy a couple years ago but if we come back with the same offense next year I am not sure how much more leash he will be given. The program is squandering major opportunities right now and I don’t think that can go on much longer.
January 1st, 2019 at 3:30 PM ^
I don't think that's a fair criticism. All year, Mason had been extremely reliable in short yardage. Giving him the ball was playing the percentages. I'm still surprised we didn't convert.
January 1st, 2019 at 3:33 PM ^
I don't have data to support this conclusion, but it seems to me like his ability to convert went down as the season wore on. It could have been an increase in opponent quality or the predictability of it, but he was most definitely not automatic.
January 1st, 2019 at 3:40 PM ^
I also do not have stats, but the offense in general seemed pretty poor in very short and yard-to-go situations. I can recall several times we needed very short gains, decided to stuff it up the middle and got stopped.
January 1st, 2019 at 5:34 PM ^
Against Florida I thought we had a big weight advantage on our offensive line bc their d-linemen were small too
January 1st, 2019 at 4:13 PM ^
When we didn't use Mason, we often struggled (leading to criticism that we should have used Mason).
January 2nd, 2019 at 3:42 PM ^
Yeah, you don't have the data because Michigan was typically excellent in short yardage situations. They struggled when they got off schedule.
January 5th, 2019 at 8:30 PM ^
Actually, they weren't excellent. On third or fourth down runs with two yards or less to go, 69.2% of UM's runs achieved a first down or touchdown, which ranks as 74th best in the country this season.
January 5th, 2019 at 8:32 PM ^
Here are some statistics that could be found as relevant: https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ncaaol
Particularly, Power Success Rate, which measure the percentage of runs on third/fourth down with two or fewer yards to go that result in a first down or touchdown. Michigan's Power Success Rate this season was 69.2%, which is good for 74th in the country.
That's, eh... not good, Bob. Not good.
January 1st, 2019 at 3:43 PM ^
It is just part of a bigger issue in my opinion though. We had moved the ball straight down the field for the entire drive with some novel concepts and creative playcalling. Why revert to Mason for six inches on 3rd down when you have fourth down to do it if you want? Fake it and do a naked boot. Fake it and slip a tight end down field. Try to score instead of trying to prove a point.
I was not “pumped” when I saw “Bench Mason” on the field and knew he was getting it, I was deflated because it was clear that the called back TD had caused a glitch in Harbaugh’s matrix already and we were going back to the same predictable stuff.
January 1st, 2019 at 4:13 PM ^
Plus he actually made it on 4th down, though we weren't given credit for it. The spot was lousy.
January 2nd, 2019 at 7:58 AM ^
That spot was off by nearly 2 yards. Forward progress was when Mason knocked that LB's head back 2 yards. He was not held short of the line to gain. Shit call.
January 1st, 2019 at 4:14 PM ^
Fair, but it also leads back to coaching. Every time, all year that we ran main angled, off the guard we barely got any yards. Yet, that's the play they call (not surprising). He can't get enough momentum going. Same with putting him at HB. Much better results.
January 1st, 2019 at 4:46 PM ^
But doing it 2 times was too predictable.
January 1st, 2019 at 5:30 PM ^
Not safe in a game where they know your go to becotheu studied the film. Harbaugh does not break tendencies, and nor does Don Brown. They are easy to game plan against because they’re playcalling is situationally and formationally predictable.
Theh didn’t even try to stretch plays outside after the Turner success. That has been the most infuriating part of it—you trust these coaches to adjust and be creative and they are not either in the biggest games.
January 1st, 2019 at 5:38 PM ^
The spot on what would have been a Mason first down was garbage. A drive killed. It's just one data point, and I get that teams have to play past it. See: Ravens, refs actually very nearly did cost them that game. Ravens hung in.
Anyway it may not be exciting especially with people in the mood to dump on anything to do with our coaches or players, but Mason most definitely had a first down that was denied.
January 1st, 2019 at 4:23 PM ^
It's objectively not working a critical part of the time. Jimmy may know what he'd doing, or what the trajectory looks like. But he needs to explain it, publicly. When the whole world sees things one way, either they're right or wrong. But if they're wrong you need to explain why. And if not fix it.
January 1st, 2019 at 5:15 PM ^
Bo was a poor play caller as well. Play it safe, don't pass and rely on the defense. Of course that was before spread offenses and quarterbacks started playing football at 12-13, no 7-8 and did not spend their summers with quarterback gurus. Back then stop the run on first and second down, stop the team.
January 1st, 2019 at 6:33 PM ^
I've yet to see this so called wide-open game plan. If it exist it is always way back in the playbook and never used for some reason?
January 1st, 2019 at 2:36 PM ^
I think there is a good discussion here. I would ask that people refrain from calling one another asshats or dickwads so we can talk about this. Thank you.
January 1st, 2019 at 2:47 PM ^
I would ask that people refrain from calling one another asshats or dickwads so we can talk about this.
Does this mean that all other insulting names are still on the table?
Asking for a friend.
January 1st, 2019 at 3:59 PM ^
What if I go old school and throw out a "butt munch" every now and then?
January 1st, 2019 at 2:42 PM ^
"Someone said something I don't like, so I'm gonna call it BS".
January 1st, 2019 at 3:43 PM ^
The 247 board summed up right now
January 1st, 2019 at 9:44 PM ^
Exactly. Spath's tweets makes sense and he is a pretty decent source.
January 1st, 2019 at 3:54 PM ^
we are all very gruntled.
-Michael Scott
January 1st, 2019 at 4:18 PM ^
To me, the Spath explanation makes far more sense than any other. The lack of an OC with play-calling duties, the call a play by committee and take a lot of time to do it -- all this means that the HC can't track things like "how many touches did Evans get" because he's too busy thinking up the play.
Get Jedd Fisch in there or at least self-scout enough to move away from the offense-by-committee concept. "It's the way Bo did it" is not an acceptable answer given Bo had exactly the same problems in terms of losing bowl games and losing to well-coached opponents.
January 1st, 2019 at 4:20 PM ^
Your opinion on spath is spot on. He’s not very connected and usually talks out of his ass. Could there be a sliver of truth to this? Maybe but nothing to the extent he’s trying to pitch
January 1st, 2019 at 5:25 PM ^
Well if it's BS then it's one HECK of a coincidence... Because any true observing fan could have told you what has shown to be...
January 1st, 2019 at 7:20 PM ^
I don't remember seeing the coaches fighting on the sidelines or walking away from each other or press conferences. What's yoiur proof that the coaches gave up on the game plan? Other than anecdotal "I'm depressed" stuff.
January 1st, 2019 at 6:48 PM ^
They'll need to change the offense, but this source sounds like some GA who wants to vent a bit. It was obvious the game plan fell apart, but it didn't help when Michigan's previously-fine suddenly couldn't block anybody and guys just missed holes that were there.
I want to see a change at offense, likely with Hamilton out and someone (probably not Jess) coming in. But the biggest change needs to be a consistent playcaller on the team, not this three-tier system they seem to have.
January 1st, 2019 at 11:01 PM ^
Spath is not very connected and his source is probably a person he knows, who knows a disgruntled person inside the program.
Uh, he's basically saying there are possibly going to be surprise transfers. Wouldn't those surprise transfers be DISGRUNTLED PLAYERS INSIDE THE PROGRAM??????
I know Mike. He wouldn't be saying this stuff if he wasn't pretty sure it was legit. I don't know what your definition of "connected" is, but he talks to a lot more people that have eyes and ears inside the program than anyone else I've ever known.
Now, will those disgruntled players cool down and change their minds? Maybe. But I still believe something Spath says over most Michigan rumor mongers.
January 1st, 2019 at 1:57 PM ^
Fake news.... Just stop trying to understand what happened. You will be much happier.
On the other hand, if UCF beats LSU... Sheesh, I'd be pissed if I were them for getting snubbed.
January 1st, 2019 at 2:07 PM ^
Wait, which kind of fake news?
Like, the real definition, "something being reported that is demonstrably false and intended to spread false information"?
Or the alternative definition, "this thing being reported is totally true, but it paints me in a bad light and comes from a source that doesn't exclusively fawn over me, so I shall call it 'fake news'"?
January 1st, 2019 at 3:21 PM ^
Never heard of operation mockingbird? Almost all news is fake bc it is manipulated to push an agenda.
January 1st, 2019 at 3:52 PM ^
lol, you could fill a man getting shot and people will still say the man getting shot is fake news.
January 1st, 2019 at 3:45 PM ^
Man that ucf hit on the lsu qb was beautiful
January 1st, 2019 at 4:29 PM ^
It was hilarious seeing Orgeron bitch about it when he knew it was perfectly legitimate and (had the roles been reversed) he would have been cheering the hit.
January 1st, 2019 at 1:57 PM ^
Spath is a dumb asshole. Stupid and makes things up. No idea where he’s pulling this from, but I dismiss everything he says on principle.
January 1st, 2019 at 2:02 PM ^
Well he may be full of shit, but it’s certainly plausible after watching the last two games. The offense has no cohesion and absolutely no sense of urgency when down.
January 1st, 2019 at 2:13 PM ^
Seems irresponsible to spread transfer rumors if the source is not vetted/weak.
January 1st, 2019 at 2:34 PM ^
My thoughts exactly
January 1st, 2019 at 4:04 PM ^
Ah, confirmation bias at its finest ... truth doesn’t matter if I like the implication or the messenger.