September 16th, 2017 at 3:25 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:25 PM ^
As long as this is a hot take snowflake joint: Can we now assume that Jedd Phish is good at coaching football?
September 16th, 2017 at 3:27 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:45 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:27 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:38 PM ^
Harbaugh has done this before - look at the UNLV game in his first year. There's an element of staying conservative if the opponent is overmatched, and right now our line isn't good enough to blow a team out with an overly-conservative gameplan.
September 16th, 2017 at 3:54 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 9:50 PM ^
I'm doubtful about that. There's having a conservating gameplan, but then there's having only a 3-point lead in the 4th quarter. Turning conservtive after jumping out to a substantial lead (as in that UNLV game, in which UM had a 21-0 halftime lead) would be understandable. The other thing, not so much.
Edit: Just a clarification: The lead was 3 points late in the 3rd quarter; then Nordin hit another field goal. So a 6-pt. lead going into the 4th quarter. Still just a one-possession lead at that point.
September 16th, 2017 at 4:02 PM ^
is a lot better team than UNLV.
UNLV is a scrimmage. AF is a real team.
September 16th, 2017 at 3:28 PM ^
Drevno is the main play caller, right? If so, he had a terrible day.
Hamilton is the passing game coordinator. Why has he almost abandoned TE game? That has been a huge part of the offense since JH arrived. Suddenly it is gone, other than the 1 (very sucessful) crossing route to Gentry) today.
The offense is never going to work without using the many different types of TE weapons. Those are usually less challenging throws for a QB to make. And it is great on 3rd and 8-10, etc.
September 16th, 2017 at 3:29 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:47 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 5:05 PM ^
and none of the other TEs are very good?
September 17th, 2017 at 10:25 AM ^
Zach Gentry is looking like a very good TE receiver this year. Good speed, good routes, good hands.
September 16th, 2017 at 3:30 PM ^
My hope is that Harbaugh and the offensive brain trust are hanging onto some things for State, Penn state, Wisky, and The Game.
September 16th, 2017 at 3:51 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 4:05 PM ^
correct.
But that is not what happened today. Just too many mistakes and atrocious offensive play calling.
September 16th, 2017 at 4:57 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 6:45 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:31 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 8:44 PM ^
why did the offense rack up points in the pre-conference portion of the schedule last year?
September 17th, 2017 at 12:33 AM ^
other than CU was a joke. The non-conference schedule this year is much tougher.
September 16th, 2017 at 3:31 PM ^
Drevno/Pep. I am beginning to wonder if the offensive coordinator by committee discussion involving Harbaugh himself is done because none of them want to take credit/blame for the product on the field. I mean...who do you blame for this lack of progress?
Where are the TEs??? Where is play action? I realize it may be kept vanilla for a reason but I seriously doubt they kept it vanilla when the game is within 3 points.
Brohm looks like an offensive guru and Purdue is playing better than they have in a decade, so we better get the offense clicking by next week.
Can't keep putting pressure on Brown and the D to win the games for us. They spent 75% of the playing time on the field because our offense sucks so bad.
September 16th, 2017 at 3:53 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 4:08 PM ^
in fact time of possession was almost exactly evenly divided (even though is did not seem that way).
Offense moved the ball o.k., but kept stalling and failing to score due to poor play calling and many mistakes (from penalties, to dropped balls, to derp passes).
September 16th, 2017 at 3:31 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:32 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:36 PM ^
Not buying it. We were in danger of losing last week and this week. Any stops that can be pulled out likely were (or should have been).
September 17th, 2017 at 12:16 AM ^
At no point in either of the past two games did I feel that Michigan was in danger of losing. Cincinnati's quarterback play was terrible, and Air Force had no way to score besides long sustained drives or blown assignments / missed tackles.
Michigan hasn't trailed since the 11:53 mark of the third quarter against Florida. It's hard to lose when you have more points than the opposition.
September 16th, 2017 at 3:37 PM ^
I agree that the offensive playcalling was unimpressive. Right now I'm going to assume it was the combination of:
1. Nonconference team we should outphysical, so why put stuff on film for the conference.
2. Confidence in the QB is not at an all-time high.
3. Rookie receivers.
4. An offensive line that is a work in progress.
The good news is we're 3-0, pretty healthy, none of the games were within 1 possession, and I think it's unreasonable to think we won't improve more than other teams given the youth..
There is no point letting a win get you really down.
September 16th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 5:11 PM ^
"they didn't want to give away the playbook" excuse is bullshit. You don't do that if it puts you in danger of losing. And you certainly don't do it in game 3. If you're playing a cupcake in game 1 and a really good team in Game 2, then maybe, but that's it. I see other teams laying blowouts on people all over the place...they don't seem worried about who has film on them. College football is far, far more about talent and execution than about deception.
September 16th, 2017 at 4:09 PM ^
noticed that they are not running the few pass plays in the first 5 pages very well? How are they going to execute the rest?
September 16th, 2017 at 7:22 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:34 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:36 PM ^
The QB isn't the problem. Speight played fine. The line and receivers just need to find their feet.
September 16th, 2017 at 3:40 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:44 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:49 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 4:12 PM ^
Speight did not play well today. Lots of other problems today. But Speight was definately one of the problems. Not all his fault. But far from blameless.
September 16th, 2017 at 3:39 PM ^
UCLA's defense is gaaaaaaaaaarbage.
September 16th, 2017 at 3:54 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 4:05 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:38 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:57 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 3:42 PM ^
What's maddening is we find success doing some things... and then promptly ignore those things
Where are the TE routes? The WR crossing routes? The 5 wide quick slants?
Why do we insist on running so much when it is clearly not working, and then run PA max protect to 1 guy?
Where are RB screens,since DL is getting upfield so fast?
September 16th, 2017 at 3:51 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 10:47 PM ^
This is pretty much par for the course with Harbaugh. He wins with a physcial mentality and a strong defense. It's not always pretty, there aren't that many Luck's to go around, but it's winning football. I mean hell, there were a lot of ugly games where he was winning with one of the worst QBs in the NFL.
That doesn't mean things can't or shouldn't improve on offense, it just means my expectations aren't that I'm going to be watching an Oregon game when I'm watching Michigan this year.
I'm just relaxing and remembering how much our team relied on the defense during our last National Championship season. You don't need to score 60 points to win if you hold your opponent to 10. That's most likely going to be the way we win our games this year.
I'd take these kind of wins over any where we scored 40 and let the other team score 30. A lot of Michigan teams since 2006 would have found a way to lose this game by not stopping the option run.
September 16th, 2017 at 3:42 PM ^
September 16th, 2017 at 4:11 PM ^