Bye week topic: What’s different about Michigan now?

19-2 with a win over Osu during that time and one of those losses coming to a generational UGA team…will do quite a bit to change the perception. He just needs to pummel MSU in 2 weeks and there won’t be many narratives left. 

Healthy QB with Good to great QB play (Cade, CJ respectively)

Grown ass men on both Offensive & Defensive lines

D coordinator much more tricky

Good coaching in every part of the program

Next level RB coaching (Hart)

Blue pants.

More than the defense, the offense just makes sense and feels more organized. We can run a 2 minute drill, and a five minute drill. We tease new things every week, and they come together as the season progresses. Honeslty we'd seen this somewhat in 2015, and even in The Game in 2019. But it just feels more organized and less rickety in Week 1 these last two years. The MTSU game in 2018, the Army game in 2019, the Purdue game in 2017 - it felt like we were always figuring ourselves out. But in 2021, even the Rutgers game was one bad half rather than the whole gameplan being off. The Maryland game was maybe an equivalent in 2022, but that one felt even less "this is disorganized" and more "young QB is human and young"

Really good topic.

To me, it all boils down to beating OSU.  Once they did that, the team was totally different.  

I understand that the question is more of "what changes occurred that enabled the OSU win" but I think if they had beaten the Buckeyes in 2016, we would be in the same place we are now in 2017.  It was really all about that one game as much as it is hard to admit that.

Third- and fourth-year players staying and contributing, especially on the line (player development)

Making Ohio State QBs play against an NFL scheme defense (Ohio State QBs don't last in the NFL)

QB play that can make a difference (QB recruiting finally hitting with Cade and JJ)

Younger assistant coaches bringing positive energy (Culture)

Luck. 

Jim Harbaugh is... 1) the flukiest punt block, 2) a horrific ref job or three, and 3) John O'Korn...away from utter domination in his tenure here.

We "should" be about 3-3 vs OSU since 2015 (who are we kidding, we would have been blown off the field in 2020. 3-4). Being competitive with that juggernaut of a team is super impressive. 

Biggest difference is we beat Ohio last year.

If the refs had admitted that JT was short, then 2017 would have felt a lot like this.

Also everything seems just a little bit better - the staff, the team chemistry, the OL, the QB, the offensive and defensive scheme and JH seems like he is in a good place at the moment.

The people make the program different, because they now have a clear identity and culture.  The  team roster is more robust than at any prior time in JH's tenure.  Both the coaching and player rosters are full of people like JH--they embrace the grind, love to do the work, and take great joy on game day. 

Finally Moore has the Offensive Line going, and a pro style defense that is able to neutralize Ohio State’s offense. 

the most obvious difference is consistently good OL play.  more efficient production at QB and elite RBs up there too.  less impactful is staff calling games from the line though still a necessary change

4 out of Harbaugh’s first 5 years, the team was a solid qb short of being a playoff team. 

Change the 2016 spot by an inch and the narrative is completely different.

These have been 90s level Michigan teams throughout his tenure. Only difference is John Cooper isnt coaching OSU. Not sure what else we can wish for.

"So, is anything really different?"   That's the question, and my answer is "everything."   And, comparatively, the attention to detail.

During camp after Harbaugh was announced as Head Coach, he and Drevno were talking on the sideline - and, I believe Harbaugh turned to Drevno and said - "I don't know if we can win a game.  I don't know if we can win a single game."

Fundamentals.  Again, that first season - what was an initial area of attention, the Center / QB exchange.  Think about that - the exchange, snap - the start of an offense.

Recruiting - and having enough quality depth across the roster.  It still irks me that the NCAA ruled the way they did about conducting off campus camps.  Michigan has recruited the type of athlete the staff wants and team needs.  At the core is the character and integrity of the players on the roster.

Development.  Not sure if this really turned a corner in the off season prior to the start of the 2021 season - but, there is something very good going on there.

Line play - both sides of the ball.  I hope the OL has the depth to avoid a drop from this season to next - but, the OL play is finally where it needs to be.

Coaching - everywhere.  The staff brings NFL thinking - which must be attractive to prospects.  But, more importantly, is the communication.   Prior staffs appear to have "told" (particularly) the defensive players what to do.  The staff, especially beginning prior to the 2021 season with Macdonald would "explain" - resulting (IMO) in greater understanding and more effective execution.

Strength of the QB position and ball security.  This goes without saying - Cade and JJ have elevated the quality of execution - and, in a Harbaugh game plan, nothing (again, IMO) is more important than ball security.

The players - their effort particularly in S&C and practice, and in game execution, has been solid.  The 2021 and 2022 teams would not be in this place without a year round effort to prepare them.

As others have pointed out, if the officials call a certain OSU QB "short" on a fourth down play in 2016, we would have probably discussed this five years ago.

Finally, for the record, I have always supported Michigan sports - student athletes and coaching staffs.  I have never suggested that Michigan would be "better off" at this time, with a football head coach not named Jim Harbaugh.  My hope is they maintain their focus and effort.

Go Blue!

Harbaugh came in with a clear notion. It appeared he wanted to replicate what had worked at Stanford: I formation, TE, 2 WR, fullback, solid QB play. That he went out and got Rudock and later Paterson and O'Korn shows he was not happy with the QBs he had available. This year with McCarthy is what seems to be what he is looking for.

The OL as many have noted has only gotten stronger. The RBs as well. Michigan always has at least one decent RB but the recent sequence of Charbonnet (yes, he does count), Haskins, Corum, and Edwards is terrific - all are tough backs who can take it all the way.

The defense has changed - defending everything risks giving up the big quick scoring play, so this new approach (a very NFL approach) seems to be working.

So his basic ideas are the same: Good defense, good QB play, solid OL and running game. It is how he got there that has changed - which shows his adaptability. Some college coaches are great at recruiting, enthusiasm (getting their teams up for that one big game a year) but really a not good trainers and terrible at game planning and in-game coaching.

Harbaugh had shit luck his first few years, was almost comical.

Then got blasted by OSU in 18 and 19 because Don Brown is as stubborn as a Goat and will only run 1 defense.

The team now has confidence, an identity, and, hopefully, isn't falling victim to flukish plays like 2015 Sharty punt 6, or the ref robbery at the Shoe in 2016. That said, MSU fluked into a win last year with 7 replays including an overturned UM TD - Sharty gonna Shart.

Being dominant on the O-line obviously helps overcome flukish scenarios, like being down 14-13 to PSU after dominating them the entire game.  

TLDR - O-line is dominant, flukish plays not creating a narrative of Harbaugh choking big games, and overall confidence

This may be an odd take but I look at JH's coaching staff as one that is very professional, perhaps more so than in the past. With Minter and Weiss from the Ravens, Elston from ND, Mike Hart (all world Mike Hart). And Newsome, Clinkscale, Bellamy, Hello and Herbert with Jay (DNA) all channeling that professionalism.  I think this has led to a culture that is performance driven. 

The difference is Michigan has now shown they can play Harbaugh’s game and beat Ohio State. 

Also, having JJ’s legs, arm strength, and accuracy adds a new element. 
 

I think what tripped us up was Don Brown’s inability to dissect the Ryan Day offense, and insist on being overly aggressive and playing man to man. This was very bad news with quick OSU over the middle passes in 2018, and then in 2019 he did basically nothing different and JK Dobbins took advantage of Dlinemen and backers running upfield, and the usual strict man to man caveats against their receivers. Jim has always moved the ball fairly well against OSU, and remember Don had Urban’s heavy QB run offense dialed in, but when Day turned OSU into an Air Raid teams that’s stretches the field to open up the run game, Don Brown could never figure out how to stop the “stretching the field” part of that offense. Don should have been fired after 2018 OSU game in hindsight. 

2020 was a joke

Wish we had gone to the Ravens D-coordinator well earlier, 2019 could have used a creative approach to stopping OSU, but who could blame Jim for the defensive success of Brown up until the 2018 OSU game. 
To reiterate again, Brown should have been fired after 2018 in hindsight.

Also, as much as people hated Pep Hamilton, his offense did move the ball pretty well in 2018 with a good Oline, decent QB play, and a team that was truly playing for something still. They also still moved the ball decently against OSU in 2018, the biggest problem was the crossing routes of OSU and a couple bad turnovers that were not on Hamilton.
 

All that said I agree with you about all the other we felt “back!” 2016 had a few unlucky extremely close losses, and not quite offensive talent we have now, 2015 was just nirvana because of what we had been thru for 7 years, and 2018 was the year Don Brown forgot that OSU became an air raid team. 

Good question. Beating OSU is the one thing that has changed. It just means that peak is obtainable in the right year where the team just has something special. As a fan, I feel different about the OSU game this year than I did last year. The team proved it last year. That weight is off their shoulders. This team is BETTER than last year imo

Twice in a row. Beating teams regularly. Rising up against better teams. Not sinking in big spots. If you recall, early in Harbaughs tenure, we consistently came out flat in big games

He has constructed a roster like a pro roster leading to a very balanced team in all three phases. On offense he can power rush or sling the ball all over the place with a dominant O line, speed and skill on the wings and a generational QB. On D, with the Raven's scheme, he can amoeba into what's needed. Best ST's in the country. He went younger with the assistants which helps connect better with recruits and the team all while building a culture that is uniquely his. 

I mean the only thing that held us back was losses to OSU in '16 and '18.  Win those games and the tenor is much different

The QB position is better than it was between 2015 and 2020.  All due respect to Rudock, Speight, O'Korn and Milton but none of them are equals to Cade or JJ.  The assistant coaches are better now than they were.  DJ Durkin?  Don Brown?  No thanks, I'll take Mike MacDonald and Jesse Minter any day over those two.  Gattis vs Moore/Weiss?  No.  I think the coaching staff synergy is just better now.

Yeah, but don't forget there's been lots of winning since he got here. Not as much as we wanted but more than nearly all other football programs.

Lots of good takes here, but in general, I'd say it's almost everything. Better players, more depth, and better coaching. 

The only spot I'd say we might not technically be better that everyone else keeps saying is the Oline. The current line is good, but it doesn't have more talent than the Runyan, Onwenu, Ruiz, Bredeson, Mayfield line from a couple years back. That line was LOADED with talent, not sure how we didn't pave everyone with those guys...

Anyway, in general we have the best QB room we've had, the running backs the last two-three years have been loaded, and our WRs are all potential NFL guys, and a nice mix of slot guys and outside guys as opposed to all one or the other. TEs are stacked up a mile deep - All's not even playing and we barely notice.

DL depth and talent is the best since the Hurst days. LB is the weak spot obviously, but we're also solid across the defensive backfield, and have a bit of depth with Green/Turner/Johnson/Sainsristil giving us a lot of options at corner and three okay to good safeties. 

IMO, there have been individual position groups (outside of QB) that have been in the ballpark of some of these groups, but not all at the same time.

The difference is Michigan now plays like it expects to win.

Many interesting points already. I think another factor is that Jim Harbaugh has learned what it takes to run an elite college football program, whereas in the NFL there are fewer obstacles to developing and maintaining excellence. The unique circumstances that factor into building and maintaining an elite college program are maybe not so evident or transparent...

- building your playbook and schemes to expose rivals' weaknesses (this weighted approach is very different than the weekly grind of the NFL)

- recruiting and culture building (can't get it done just with old dudes as your assistant coaches -  need to be able to relate to the players and retain them in your program)

When he arrived at Michigan, it seems like there unfortunately wasn't much of a blueprint for staffing a modern recruiting department, a world class gym, or how to approach rivals. Jim needed to learn these important college-specific things that weren't such a prerequisite at Stanford, where it was easier to rise to the top of the conference.

I think we have more talent than we've had in 20ish years and OSU completely fucked up their defense last year. Mostly people just look at results and think thats the whole story.

I've heard a lot of friends say, "Maybe Harbaugh isn't The Guy." Until last year. But truth is, he's got a terrific record, there was That Year When We Got The Stop In Overtime against OSU But Didn't Win Anyway, the fluke punt vs MSU, etc., to sully his record.

Harbaugh's a great coach, though maybe he's not as lucky as some coaches - Napoleon said he always wanted his generals to be lucky. How can that even be determined, except in retrospect?

I've always tried to respond to Harbaugh's critics: Find a better coach than JH! It's a difficult proposition, subject to luck and the vagaries of the great gods of football. Just look at Nebraska, USC before Riley, Notre Dame for several years, Michigan with Rich Rod, and the list goes on and on with 'can't miss' coaches laying very, very large eggs.

Not happy with 9-10 wins? Roll the dice and hope you find that sure-fire, 12-win person.

Hey, how about that Illinois team? Who'd have thought they'd be any good under Bert? After the record at Arkansas, who'd have been clamoring for him, absent complete desperation? Certainly not our fanbase! But it's a good fit.

It's a crapshoot. Ask MSU fans who just spent 95 million dollars on a pile of self-admitted horseshit.

Back when Chris Spielman was a regulator commentator he observed that at the time what separated Michigan from the truly elite teams was depth.  Beyond the first string there was a significant falloff in talent at Michigan.  The top tier teams had talent stacked like cord word.  This allowed them time to develop players, regularly rest players through the season and minimize the effect of injuries.  This made a lot of sense to me and I would attribute some of our recent success to greater depth.  No rebuilding, just reloading.  

By my assessment, our success over the past two years relative to the preceding ones stems from a combination of the following:

1. No glaring roster weaknesses or critical injuries (2016 QB injury, 2017 QB situation, 2019 DTs)

2. Steady depth with modest year-over-year turnover (2016-2017 and 2019-2020 talent losses)

3. Culture (rumors of discontent amongst the talented 2018, 2019, 2020 teams)

4. Simple good and bad luck (Nebraska 2021 vs Ohio State 2016)

Point four might be the biggest factor working against earlier teams. Imagine how our memory of the Harbaugh era would differ if just six controversial or unlucky plays unfolded differently: 

- 2015: No fluke loss to MSU; finish 11-2 and go to the Rose Bowl in Jim's inaugural year.
- 2016: We beat OSU, Iowa and head to the playoff ranked #1 or #2 with a healthy Wilton Speight.
- 2017: Our safety nabs that interception and we beat OSU for the second consecutive year.
- 2018: Looks similar
- 2019: We beat PSU in the night whiteout; Harbaugh's record against PSU later becomes a dominant 7-1 in non-Covid years
- 2020: Covid year

- 2021: We head undefeated to the playoff as the #1 seed against Cincinnati 

Additionally, it's easy to imagine how recruiting momentum shifts in light of our hypothetical multiple playoff appearances, split record vs OSU, and PSU's earlier repositioning as the clear #3 in the B1G. Success begets success.