Building a modern offense in Ann Arbor.
You have to pay for it, but there's really good analysis of OSU in Hail To The Victors. The staff here does its due diligence in my opinion, if not to the extent that 11 Warriors goes.
I agree with you 100% I have a feeling we just don’t take it serious anymore and even if we're Favorited to win we’ll always be an underdog.
It's a pretty good article but just synthesizing bits from the Athletic and some interviews.
I think this is exactly why Brian doesn't wanna make mgoblog a subscription even though some people want it. Then people have a right to bitch about what they're paying for. Imagine us all paying and then Brian doesn't UFR the OSU game again? People would be really pissed instead of annoyed.
Maybe not here, but HTTV the past few years (including the most recent edition) has included extensive content on OSU, in addition to the actual team preview in The Enemy The Enemy The Enemy.
as long as we showcase our speed
in space....
I'm excited about this offense, but I'm not sold on the whole need for a "modern" offense.
With Rich Rod, we had (at the time) one of the most modern offenses in the country, and by Year 3 we were near the tops in the country in total offense. But we lost a lot, and a lot of talkers (including on this board) berated the offense, saying that most of the yards either came against creampuffs or in the second half of games were were already getting destroyed in.
Enter MANBALL!!!! We were going to become a tougher, more physical offense with an emphasis on power. It was an offense that would more resemble that found in the pros, and it was supposed to be more consistent. It worked! Until it didn't. We became an offense that could produce 500 yards passing or less than 100, depending on the week. Eventually, a QB that was thought of as a possible early-entrant into the draft couldn't even top 200 yards/game in his final year and tried to make the League as a WR.
Enter HARBALL!!! Very much a throwback to the 70s. Tight Ends and Fullbacks and H-backs, oh my! We would be successful because nobody planned for our super old school approach, and we'd grind our opponents in dust. And by Year 2, it worked! We averaged 40+ ppg for the first time in . . . . close to 100 years! But then we couldn't move the ball against Iowa, and that whole approach was instantly looked at with a glare. Two more seasons of huddling when we're down multiple scores in the fourth quarter, and we've had enough of fullbacks.
Enter SPEED IN SPACE!!!! And look, I want this to work. I think this WILL work with the athletes we have on the team. But if a few years down the line we have troubles moving the ball and our defense in turn is back out on the field way too quickly, are we going to be peering over the fence at greener grass again?
Bottom line: I don't give a rip about what's modern or not. I just care if it works! Here's hoping this one does and does for a loooong time.
Amen to this.
Offenses are as trendy as fashion sometimes to many people.
Scheme to my admittedly uneducated eye often seems subserviant to execution and game planning. The scheme sets the stage; but the players and coaches still have to make it work.
I've followed UM football for over 25 years and people will find a way to defend whatever is convenient. Ultimately the results are the results, no need to caveat them like so many do.
Agreed. Any offense will work as long as you have the personnel who can properly execute it. A 1970's-esque offense where you run the ball 70-80% of the time can work in this day and age too as long as you have a dominant OL that can blow opposing defensive linemen off the line of scrimmage. A team that runs the triple option won 11 games last year, and almost beat Oklahoma in its own backyard. RichRod's offense can work as long as you have, among other things, an athletic QB who can properly execute zone read (hence the disaster that was the 2008 Michigan offense).
Are some offenses more practical than others? Probably. But any of them can work with the right personnel who are all coached properly and execute consistently.
Yeah, sure, it can work, but it's like playing on hard mode. Some things are just easier to be effective with.
"A 1970's-esque offense where you run the ball 70-80% of the time can work in this day and age too as long as you have a dominant OL that can blow opposing defensive linemen off the line of scrimmage."
The problem with one-dimensional offenses like that is when you're facing teams with equal or superior talent on defense who aren't quite as one-dimensional on offense themselves. It's no accident that Bo's first Rose Bowl win was with an offense that was as adept at throwing the ball as it was running it.
Gattis offers the possibility that he will be able to adapt his offense both to his own players' strengths and capabilities, and to the weaknesses and strengths of the opposing defenses.
One additional benefit that Gattis and a new offense brings to the table is that it neutralizes any defensive scheming by Mattison as he has not seen this offense from a Michigan perspective.
"Speed in space" by itself is just a sound bite Gattis is putting out there for recruits to get excited about and in turn expedite communicating the kinds of players he's looking for, which from a marketing perspective is a very smart move. It's an extremely economical way of conveying to HS kids what sort of scheme he prefers to run, it's great for that, but overhauling the offense is not where he's going to earn his keep.
What Gattis brings to the table that I like -- if appearances so far can be trusted -- is an element of SunTzuball that I haven't seen since Fisch left. Whatever amount of credit folks think he deserves, the result was an offense that -- once Rudock got going -- was difficult to stop. It continually evolved with the players as well as to defensive adjustments. It dropped plays once they stopped working and then implemented new plays that took advantage of defenses' responses to what they were doing. We didn't just run FB dive over and over (although to be fair, Pepcat far outlived its usefulness). Last year's offense kind of did this, but progressively, uncreatively.
To your point, any scheme can work if it's run by players properly recruited, shaped, and developed for it. "Old-school" (for whatever that means to people) offenses are absolutely still capable of doing this, as long as you're not running iso like DCs don't already have shelves of books on how to defeat it. The problems with the Drevno/Frey/Hamilton offense were that it put itself into conflict, applied pressure to players that could barely handle it while playmakers withered on the vine, exposed weaknesses without defenses having to do a damn thing. Long-developing pass plays when we have vulnerable tackles, for example. These kind of problems would compromise any scheme. If Gattis sucks at optimizing his playbook, #speedinspace is going to suck.
But I think he gets it. As (IIRC) Gattis himself put it, the goal of his plays is to put the defense in conflict. Force them to account for something, then punish them for it. Present a player trained to do one of three things based on keys to want to do all three things at the same time. These concepts aren't new, but to impose your will on a defense you need to understand what the defense is keying on, because no DC worth his salt is content to let a defender be read with impunity. Remains to be seen how good Gattis will be at this, but I'm encouraged that he seems to know what needs to be done.
Well put and thanks for the imput. The word "Modern" means nothing to me personally. An offense that utilizes our talent, can defeat a defense more times than not and is run by a coaching staff that are successful football minds sells me. "Speed in Space" isn't a gimmick IMO, it is a brilliant philosophy. When we consider the +1 concept, no huddle, better coaching and improved player quality overall, that is a winning offense. Rich Rod, Hoke and even Harbaugh didn't have the quarter back room as exists today or the OL. The OL with Warinner, the receiver group and a Don Brown defense that gets us into "the game" with a chance to get into the Big title game, thats the deal.
30 yards and a cloud of torched earth
The comment section of 11W always gets me...
",,,putting lipstick on Rosie O'Donnell doesn't make her Jessica Alba"
The bar is obviously quite low down there.
Jessica Alba wears lipstick?
She's doing the "busy mom influencer" thing on IG these days. Probably doesn't have time to indulge herself like she used to. But when she does, she just LOVES this lip balm conditioner from.......
In fairness, that statement is very true...
I expect the offense to click rather quickly. This system is what the majority of these players come from now and to my understanding the concepts and schemes are much easier on the offensive line vs. our previous style. I’m looking forward to it.
I'm just looking forward to play calling other than run, run, pass.
Right, and it would be more effective if tight ends catch the ball. First and second down run schemes were so predictable for the last couple years. Anything different will be at lease more effective IMO
This is the best article on Gattis that I’ve read, and I’m disappointed it had to come from 11W.
I've always said this - Buckeye fan is annoying and obnoxious as hell, but they do know their football.
with words of 2 syllables or less.
If you haven’t picked up HTTV yet, you should. The section on Gattis and his upbringing was phenomenal. And it was far more in depth and technical than this 11W article.
We need a slogan for a tshirt this year:
Embrace the Suck - Beat OSU!
Here's to ryan day, may he be the next john cooper.
Moorhead, of course, rebuilt the Nittany Lion offense seemingly overnight upon his arrival from Fordham in 2016.
This is what gives me the most optimism about the upcoming season. Other than a known elite RB in Barkley, Michigan’s offensive roster is actually quite similar to PSU’s when Moorhead took over. Both have a skilled, durable QB with great leadership skills and elite WR’s and TE’s. While PSU’s had the advantage in RB, I think the 2019 Michigan roster has the advantage in OL, and that may be more important a great OL improves an average RB significantly. Further, we’re not quite sure what we have at RB yet. Wilson and Mason are known commodities who I’m sure Gattis will find great concepts for, and Turner and ZC could actually be very good to elite given the right scheme.
Obviously, it remains to be seen but I think there is a great deal to be optimistic about with the new offense, if only that it’s new and no opposing DC will have seen it yet. As I’ve said since we hired Gattis and I started learning about the RPO scheme — it’s a complete departure from the traditional “out execute” schemes. This scheme puts so much pressure on a defense that they will eventually make a misstep. Ostensibly, this then require less individual talent as space is found by routes and scheme rather than one-on-one skill. We have lots of guys on the roster who have those skills, now they’re going to be matched with a scheme that raises those skills.
This is going to fun to watch!
Go Blue!
I agree. Anyone who thinks that scheme doesn't make an absolutely huge difference should take another look at what OSU's passing scheme did to Brown's D last year. It wasn't like they just forgot how to play football - they were constantly put into awful positions and they just couldn't stop it.
Putting 3 star CB's and safeties in man coverage against 4 and 5 star WR's is both a scheme and a talent issue. I don't see Don Brown changing his defense or playing less Cover 1, so the answer is he clearly needs more talent to play the way he wants to play against the better teams.
Hey Maizen,
Unwelcome back. It's been nice here without you.
- Everyone
I love this, when anyone can't counter a fair and objective arguement, bitch about Maizen.
I’m sure you do love it Maizen. It’s clearly what you live for.
How is it possible that someone with all of your knowledge has not been offered a position on the Michigan Staff? Getting your knowledge to Harbaugh is the only thing standing in our way of a National Championship.
Really hope Gattis isn't all talk, getting kinda worried about it to be honest.
I'm going to trust JH wouldn't have been fooled by a coaching candidate that is "all talk".
Because they do post some good stuff. Personally, I think Ramzy Nasrallah proved himself such an insufferable scumbag over the Urban Meyer situation that I will never give his site another click, but that's me.