Bring Back Jedd Fisch as OC
It's time for Harbaugh to bring in a legit offensive coordinator, but we need someone who is not only creative and modern, but one that can work with Harbaugh's views on football. Earlier this year after watching the Rams played, I thought, "This is the offense Harbaugh should try to run in AA."
I say bring back Jedd...Not only does he know the school and Harbaugh, but I can't imagine how much he has learned with the Rams this year.
(Apologies for initially posting this as a diary entry..a tad hungover. Mods, if you can, please delete the diary entry)
November 25th, 2018 at 2:44 PM ^
Except that Shea was off on his passing all day yesterday (consistently short/low) and when he was on target, it seemed his receivers couldn't come down with it. The team was just way out of sync, all the way around.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^
I never thought I'd say this, but I think the guy is just too loyal.
Watson continually getting abused and he's just left on his own for most of the day. Thomas sitting on the bench, to... rest for kickoff returns? I'm sure Coach Brown knows more than I do, but watching us on defense yesterday was beyond frustrating; we kept doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Meyer/Day had a counter for any adjustment we threw at them, and OSU's offensive line played like the 4/5 star recruits they are for the first time this season. I don't think we touched Haskins once on a passing play where he didn't scramble.
A run-first, play-action, ball-control offense is predicated on the defense not giving up 62 points. Which, for the most part, our defense didn't do all year. Or last year. Except when it faced offensive players that were bigger, stronger, faster (or all of the above). It's a really simple reality to accept, especially once you admit that OSU's 2-Deep roster would replace our starters at many positions.
Unless we want to start paying kids, paying families, and putting football above all of our ethical boundaries as a university... we will continue to be outside of the "upper echelon" of NCAA football (see: Alabama, OSU, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame).
Me? I like the team that does it right, beats mostly everyone all of the time, and upsets the cheaters every now and then. (See: 11-2, 10-3 seasons on the reg.)
November 25th, 2018 at 11:40 AM ^
The second half of your post is pretty much where I'm at. Double digit win seasons with a nice bowl game seem to be the ceiling for the way we go about our business. I'm comfortable with that. It's easy to be jealous of the trophy cases the elite teams have, but I'd wager most of us wouldn't want to pay the cost.
The way things stand, we're going to have a lot of seasons like this where we rack up wins and then get our lights punched out (if not by OSU then in the playoffs. It's hard to imagine we wouldn't have gotten pancaked by Alabama the way Sparty did when they made it.)
0-4 against OSU and no B1G title are disappointing, especially considering how close we've been at times to avoiding that, but I'm not ready to go back to hiring the Rich Rods of the world. It would be nice to have a dedicated OC, but that's about it on the coaching side of things.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:10 PM ^
I doubt ND is paying players...we use this excuse whenever we fall short. They played a tough schedule and still went undefeated, yet we can not do the same. Our ceiling is 11-2, 10-3 because our brass doesn’t want to evolve and grow. Kelly fired both of his coordinators, now they’re in the playoffs.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:44 PM ^
I agree that Notre dame/ Kelly were smart with firing coordinators and adjusting schemes, but their schedule was baby soft. Their second best win is Syracuse.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:13 AM ^
Is Jedd a candidate for HC gigs or does he just want to be a candidate for HC gigs?
I like the guy but seems like it's been more Jedd putting his name out there for gigs than schools pursuing him.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:31 AM ^
Offense wasn’t the main problem yesterday.
Offense was absolutely the problem yesterday. It has been all season long.
Unless you're happy with hanging 40+ on teams with losing records.
Michigan in the red zone this season is 50 attempts, 29 TDs!!!!
If you factor in RZ FGs, that still only brings Michigan up to number 50 in Div I. NUMBER FIFTY!
November 25th, 2018 at 11:41 AM ^
We gave up 62 points and you think the offense was the problem?
November 25th, 2018 at 11:45 AM ^
Both sides were problematic. Special teams too. It was an equal opportunity debacle.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:48 AM ^
Because OSU has a great offense that scores on everyone. Their defense is garbage. And when the game was on the line Michigan's offense utterly failed. Because we could not use the rpo and spread stuff we were supposedly saving for this game effectively against that shit defense until they went prevent.
November 25th, 2018 at 10:50 AM ^
It's not indentured servitude. The guy needs to WANT to come back. Harbaugh should have fired Drevno and made Jedd (or someone else) the OC at the end of 2016.
The offense didn't play well (scheme, play calling, or execution) against OSU, regardless of the score. However, this loss sits right on Don Brown's plate. He fucked up majorly and had no plan B option. You can't just put out someone like Watson and say "tough shit, cover this guy who's way faster than you, and no matter how bad you fuck up that's what you need to do".
Brown is a good DC, but he needs something besides "aggression" and grabby man to man DBs.
November 25th, 2018 at 10:52 AM ^
This is a Harbaugh offense. Until that changes it won't matter who's the OC. Won't play toe to toe with elite offenses and athletes with 1 WR sets.
Works great playing crap teams as it wears them down, doesn't work good against good teams unless you're elite (not Michigan).
November 25th, 2018 at 11:03 AM ^
Agreed. We almost always have two or three TE in the game and it's like playing in a phone booth. Plus, those guys can't get any separation downfield. I saw Shea under center in this game WAY more than I thought I would and very few zone reads where he kept it. As was stated earlier, ball control offense means nothing if you can't score TDs and have a defense that backs you up.
A new OC won't make a difference unless Harbaugh gives him full control. I do see us recruiting more speedy type athletes. Hopefully we see more spread moving forward and less TE, but I'm not holding my breath. Also, the Oline just got abused yesterday, particularly in pass pro.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:11 AM ^
You guys are a bunch of children. The offense was really good this year and will be better next year. We gave up 62pts people...62pts...
November 25th, 2018 at 11:44 AM ^
Even my five-year-old child realizes that 6 field goals against IU isn't really good. What's your problem?
November 25th, 2018 at 11:13 AM ^
we don't necessarily need Jedd Fisch. McElwain taking over the OC duties could be effective.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:20 PM ^
No.
What JH really needs is an OC that will bring NEW IDEAS. Pep and McElwain are too similar in approach to offense to JH's philosophy.
The 'body blow' approach is outdated, and will never get Michigan into the playoff.
CFB offense these days is about creating mismatches, getting the ball in the hands of play-makers inspace, confusing the D, etc.
JH needs new ideas that he can blend in with the best stuff he did this year on offense.
JH needs to hire an OC who will come in and say: "Jim, you have DPJ on your roster, but give him 4 targets per game. What the hell are you thinking? Get that guy the ball in space." "Jim you said you had a bunch of RPOs in your playbook. And you have the perfect QB for those concepts. Why the hell are you not using them?"
Meyer and Saban brought in guys with new ideas on offense. If Jim fails to do the same, then 2nd in the Big Ten will be his ceiling.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:21 AM ^
1. Can people stop saying this is "Harbaugh's Offense" and that he's the one calling the plays? It has been thoroughly discredited.
McElwain explicitly said that Pep Hamilton calls the plays. Harbaugh explicitly said that Pep calls the plays and that he's tired of addressing the issue. Anyone who watched the Amazon documentary could see that Pep called the overwhelming majority of plays even while Drevno was OC. There has been a significant change in offensive philosophy since Jedd Fisch left and Pep became involved. Outside of conjecture on these boards, there is literally zero evidence that anyone other than Pep is calling plays and all evidence and statements indicate Pep is in charge. Please, stop saying anything to the contrary, as it is patently false.
2. We do not need to bring back Fisch. We already have someone on staff known as a great offensive coordinator that runs the same pro-style philosophy Harbuagh likes: McElwain. The guy has a proven career as an outstanding offensive mind, and he's wasting away as a low-tier position on our staff. Get rid of Pep. Give McElwain the reigns as OC. It's that simple.
3. Something lost in all this discussion is how much the offensive woes fall on Harbaugh's decision making. His stubbornness in the Drevno transition, and refusing to appoint Enos to the position Enos rightly deserved, is the reason we aren't playing in the CFB Playoff right now. Had he given Enos the OC position from the get-go, this team is markedly different. Look no further than the offensive play of Alabama this year.
tl;dr JH screwed up in the offseason and can make it right if he fires Pep and promotes McElwain.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:29 AM ^
Somebody needs to rewatch the Amazon series and pay attention to what Pep says about the offensive play calling and who it goes through.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:34 AM ^
I'm aware the JH has "final say" on playcalling. That's no different than any HC at any school (or any superior position in any profession for that matter). Final authority has very little effect on a play-by-play basis, and it's not as though Harbaugh is going to reverse Pep's decision on every single play call and do the job entirely on his own.
If you can't see the difference between being in charge of a duty and having the final sign-off on it, I can't help you see it.
Moreover, if you wish to ignore all the evidence pointed out above (change in philosophy since Fisch, direct video evidence, etc.) and believe that Harbaugh, who has put together successful offenses at every team he's ever coached at for the past 20 years, coincidentally lost his ability to coach offense at the exact same time that Pep Hamilton, an OC with a history of failure, takes over, I'm certainly not going to change your mind.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:49 AM ^
Well said. I don't think Pep sucks. I also don't think he adds any value that a number of other people can't surpass.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:49 PM ^
I think Pep is mediocre and delivers mediocre offenses that look great when you've got Andrew Luck making throws, but otherwise are the same kind of thing you expect to see, like, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers run for 19 consecutive seasons.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:05 PM ^
What you're failing to acknowledge is that pep knows what Harbaugh wants on offense. That influences the play calling. Imagine any other job where you have to get approval for every single action you make. Eventually your decisions will morph into what your superior is wanting you to do, regardless of what you really want to do.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:19 PM ^
I work in such a profession. It does not have the effect you think. And again, if your point is true, it does not explain the offensive production Harbaugh has had his entire coaching career prior to Pep, including Fisch. It also does not explain why Pep failed as an OC prior to Harbaugh.
Instead of pointing out what "might be" a hypothetical situation, let's go on what we know. You've got one individual who has been successful offensively everywhere he's been, both professionally and at the college level, for 20 years. You've got another individual who has failed repeatedly as an OC and is in charge of play calling. As soon as the person with the history of failure took over, there was a noticeable downturn.
To try and point the blame at the successful guy and say that he's holding back the historical failure and that's the reason the team isn't producing defies all logic.
Let's stop over complicating things. It's not hard to grasp what's going on.
November 25th, 2018 at 1:14 PM ^
I think you are missing what people mean by "Harbaugh's Offense". If you think Pep, McElwain or whoever would be calling plays for single WR, single RB, 3 TE sets under any other Power 5 head coach you are crazy.
Calling plays and being in charge of the overarching offensive philosophy are 2 different things. The team needs an OC that runs that show from soup to nuts. Harbaugh needs to do the Dabo thing and be the CEO/head recruiter/brand manager thing. To the OP's point: That is the only way you get a guy like Jedd to come here.
November 25th, 2018 at 2:26 PM ^
I'll say it one last time and then I'm done belaboring the point because people keep picking at the edges of my post without addressing the main, fundamental points: If what you say is true, and it doesn't matter who the OC is because Harbaugh completely controls his offensive coordinators, please explain why Harbaugh has had successful offenses at every stop he's ever coached, both collegiately and professionally (including Michigan), prior to Pep.
Pep is the cause of the issues. It's so blatantly obvious that I truly find it unimaginable people fail to accept it.
And to your point, I'm not missing what people mean by "Harbaugh's Offense." I'm speaking to the many forum posts throughout this site that believe Harbaugh calls every single offensive play.
Finally, unless "I'm crazy," your statement that McElwain wouldn't call a similar offense under Harbaugh as he would with any other Power 5 coach is wrong. He did. Under Saban. And again at Colorado State. I specifically addressed this point in my original post when I said that McElwain runs an offense that fits Harbaugh's pro-style philosophy.
I'm done explaining and re-explaining these points. It's becoming exhausting.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^
UM lost for two main reasons:
1. OSU has more, better athletes. In the past 5 years, only Alabama overall has recruited better than OSU.
2. Don Brown's super-aggressive, constant man-to-man cover defense DOES NOT WORK versus dink and dunk spread attacks. Brown does not coach zone, Brown doesnt want to coach zone, and Brown doesnt know how to coach zone.
For the OSU game, reason #2 was more important than reason #1, but as I said early, both are important. The offense played well. The D played their worst game of the year, and it was mainly Don Brown's fault. If any coordinator should be replaced, it should be Brown. Bring in a DC who is more flexible. More open-minded. Less stubborn.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
As I posted in another thread, if it were true that Don Brown's defense didn't work against superior athletes, he would have failed at UConn, Maryland and Boston College. He didn't.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:20 PM ^
Bring in Mike Hart for running back coach. He would be an awesome recruiter for Michigan. He is a better coach than Jay H.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
Offense was a big source of issues yesterday. It’s not the only issue, but a big source. The 39 points is misleading, as we had a gift in that score, plus some garbage minute scores.
UM needs a dedicated OC with full control. The time has come for it. In addition, DB needs to determine if he can shift his D philosophy to combat speedy spread offenses. It was apparent against IU and OSU that we cannot stop anyone with a pulse that spreads it out and has some speed.
November 25th, 2018 at 12:59 PM ^
Yes, please! Or something similar. It would be a real sight for sore eyes to see receivers catching a ball on the run heading into open space for the first time since 2016.
November 25th, 2018 at 2:54 PM ^
We take too long to call plays, we need to go uptempo more, norvell and Memphis do what Michigan does (run power with multiple te's out of spread formations) just much quicker, take a page from b Kelly's book and pinch their oc.
November 25th, 2018 at 3:03 PM ^
Would people just shut the fuck up about Jedd Fisch?
November 25th, 2018 at 3:26 PM ^
Too Funny! The same Jedd who was calling pass plays in Columbus from our own endzone with an injured quarterback.
Gotcha!