Can we backtrack a little about JH's offense

My biggest beef with the O is that there is never any urgency.  Down three scores in the fourth and still huddling is mind boggling. 

Also, just saying the O did well because they scored 39 is an over simplification.  They had a lot more opportunities because the D was letting OSU score so much.  The whole argument of "The O scored 39 and that should be enough to win" makes no sense.  If the D held OSU to around 35, then there is no way to know what UM would have scored.  The game would have played out completely different. 

His offense also keeps other teams in games. We can absolutely dominate the first half of a game where other big time school would be up something like 28 points but we are stuck up 17-7. He literally coaches to have tight games. We are basically like his buddy over there at Wisconsin just with better players. Us beating Wisconsin this year was the worst job at trying to win I've ever seen from an opposing team. They stuck to their plan no matter the score or the time. Oh wait, that's also Jim harbaugh. Also. His dad needs to get his lips off of his sons dick saying we should put a banner up. No wonder Jim is okay with mediocrity.

I don't think I've ever been more disappointed, angry and frustrated by Michigan football than Saturday.  Over the first 11 games there were warning signs, but I had wrongfully assumed that Harbaugh and Co. were sitting on things they were waiting all year to break out.  Instead, they tried to sit on OSU like they did every other opponent for 10 games.

Offensively speaking, they've underachieved relative to yardage all season.  They lack cohesion in play calling in certain moments and have seemed disjointed even at their most successful.  What is frustrating is that the framework for a successful offense is there, but they seem intent to burn a dozen or so plays into the ground each week.  It should be no surprise that this burned them against a team and coaching staff that seems hungrier even after 6 straight.  In the context of "The Game," that is inexcusable and unforgivable. 

All the RPOs should have been brought out in this game.  All the praise heaped on the OSU LBs magically playing better was just them activating at every predictable run action and being rewarded for it.  You can fucking run the ball, but attach a pass option in the slot to punish those LBs.  Maybe even the same one Minnesota ran ad nauseum against them.  Michigan has run the same play maybe 3 times this season.  Why?

Also, Collins, DPJ and Evans should rarely leave the field.  Higdon and Evans can be on the field at the same time, but as is typical with this staff rarely are.  Urban would make Evans a Harvin type player.  Michigan subs Higdon out and runs IZ with Evans.  Like RPOs, they have the Evans perimeter attacking plays, but almost never use them.  When they do, they usually go for decent gains.

Finally, it's 2018.  Can we run tempo ever?  This has been a dabbling spread that wants to grind it out.  The grinding would be easier if we made the defense cover the width of the field more.  They dabble in zone read, but like Borges they almost never throw the easy bubble when the defense cheats in.  This is as easy as giving Shea the read if they don't want to be a sideline no huddle offense, or even attaching it as a read post snap.  It's frustrating to have the tools to have your cake and eat it, but the Michigan staff has decided they don't like dessert.  

Defensively, I really have no idea what the fuck Don Brown did all week.  I know injuries, line of scrimmage, blah, blah, blah, but OSU called that game like they knew everything that was coming.  Ennui and depression.

Eat Arby's and Go blue still....Yay

I don't really enjoy watching Harbaughs offense. Not just saying it because of the OSU loss. Harbaugh puts our offense in too many 3rd down situations, specifically 3rd and longs. It feels like in order for us to put together a touchdown drive we need too many high pressure 3rd down conversions. Basically we run on 1st and 2nd downs. One of those runs is solid like 5 yards, second run is for nothing or a short loss, then we would be forced to pass on 3rd. This was a consistent theme all season

Watching OSU's offense I had total confidence they were going to drive down the field no problem. Watching our offense it felt like we were lucky to get a 1st down.

We have WAYYYY too many elite and athletic pass catchers to be a run first, run second, pass 3rd offense. DPJ, Nico, Black, Bell, Martin, Gentry (I know bad game), etc. Our Oline was not good in run blocking so trying to be a run first team was like fitting a square peg in a round hole

Lastly for the love of god does Harbaugh know what a crossing route is? Could we ever hit our athletic WRs in stride so they could make a play with their legs???

It’s a hollow 39 points.  They didn’t score in the second half until it was too late.

I agree, though, that Gentry’s two drops were crippling.  One was for an easy TD, and another was an easy first down, that resulted in us punting and getting blocked for a TD.

Those who are hoping for radical changes in Harbaugh’s offensive approach will be disappointed. He’s far too stubborn to realize he’s not taking advantage of the capabilities of his players, and there’s little sign either he or his offensive coaches would know what to do if he wanted to change anyhow.

I'm fine with the offense, for the most part. I'd like A LITTLE less 'runs into the line', if the line isn't opening up lanes. I understand about "softening them up" for later in the game but if we are getting little to no yards on first AND second down, you set yourself up for a third and long with a pass rush coming. Against real good teams I don't think taking the chance it will work the second time is sound; we can't afford to risk getting 'out of schedule' against a team with an offense as potent as the one Ohio State uses, let alone risk wasting possessions on the hubris of 'Soften them up'. Last Saturday, 39 points was far from plenty. 39 points is fine for 99% of the teams out there but Ohio State (and Alabama and Clemson) is the 1% that if all goes well we will be facing in big games. It would behoove the coach to present more possibilities to those teams versus "You know what's coming, try and stop it". They have the talent and the coaching to stop it. One play that I think would be golden in our offense is the flea flicker. This play SHOULD be incorporated into the offense and ran at least twice a game: Nothing really needs to be changed offensively and yet it would give the defense something more to think about.

BS. First of all, one of the TDs was a gift...so they really only drove for 32 pts....against a defense that was shredded by Maryland for 50+

Secondly...the scheme was the same that they used all year.  Boring, no innovation.

Thirdly...when was the last time that we saw that offense go Up Tempo other than late in the games when behind (which they suck at btw).?

They are incapable or unwilling to change the pace and go Up Tempo unless they absolutely have to.

Meanwhile, OSU can go Up Tempo at will and do it often.  All great offenses can do that in today's football landscape.

When did this offense ever go for the jugular and play aggressively?

After all the term is "offense" isnt it?  That offense does not attack shit. 

The offense is predicated on Fear-Based principals and is designed "not to lose" rather than 'PLAYING TO WIN' and taking it to the opponent's D unmercifully. 

Harbaugh wants to win, and plays from fear not to lose.

Urban Meyer refuses to lose and will do whatever it takes to win.

Big difference in philosophy there. 

It needs to change. 

Joe Milton has a rocket arm, decent enough runner and its been said that he has a mind for the game as well.

Even if Shea comes back, they had better give Milton a solid shot next year to be the starter.

With Milton at the helm, (and a new OC) they could be as effective of an offense as OSU had this year with their QB.

Georgia had a similar or better defense than us last year (S&P+/FEI).  Oklahoma still hung 45 points on them in the CFP semi-finals.  Georgia, however, could keep up with their scoring and prevailed in 2OT. 

In 2018, you need a dynamic offense if you want to have a shot at a national championship.  Even Alabama, with the number one recruiting class six (?) years in a row and basically a semi-pro team, recognized that they needed to adapt and utilize the advantages of a modern college offense (e.g., using tempo to prevent substitutions, etc.).  

No, no - the blowout loss is all the offense's fault, even though the game was close right up until David Long and Devin Bush left the game with injuries.

The offense needs the defense to make stops. The defense needs the offense to contol time of possession and score.

Clearly... 39 points was not enough.  

“Win with defense” does not exist against elite-level teams anymore.

Was a good play by the osu guy punching the ball out of gentrys hands - but he had 2 hands on that & I think he was trying to switch it so he could showboat. Clutch the damn ball & pull it in tight quick. Once it's signalled td ...then celebrate 

The no tempo happened at ND also. Huddling & burning 40 sec a play down multiple scores in 4th.

Inexcusable for a guy with JH experience not to have that practiced & ready. 

I don't listen to his podcast - so no idea what banner Jack wants to hang? The co division champ? Are you fucking kidding me?? 

The time he is doing the podcast - he should be scheming for osu- like Meyer is doing against us. He was hired for that kind of coin to play big boy football - not be humiliated on national tv...

OSU had just given up 51 to Maryland and gave up 49 to Purdue a few weeks back. Michigan had 19 points at the end of three quarters, when the game was effectively over. Against most teams, that might be fine. Against, OSU, it wasn't nearly close enough. I also don't see how M can sell guys like Black on staying at Michigan to get 20 targets a season. They should open up the offense as Alabama has done and like you're seeing in the NFL. As one poster noted, 11 personnel was the most effective grouping. I think they should be using it 80 percent of the time. In part because throwing the ball more would allow them to feel comfortable in games that turn into shootouts. I mean, this defense would also be shredded by Alabama and Oklahoma. You'd need to be able to keep up. 

Using pass to setup run - also allows the rb's big play opportunity & saves them getting beat to a pulp running into a brick wall stacked box every play.

Perhaps I watched a different game but the defense was getting zero stops.

If you're looking for Michigan to open up the offense, OSU would get the ensuing kick off and score again in a 2-3 minute drive. The defense was a sieve.

You're right about the defense. Don Brown's D plan was a complete failure. Offense has to match OSU's scores in that case though.

They could have controlled clock & kept OSU off the field by driving down the field & scoring. Also momentum for the D to maybe step up ...

Just had a chance to rewatch.

Shea had a bad game: missed a lot of receivers, didn't see the field well, stepped up into sacks he could have escaped from or thrown to an open receiver or thrown away. Line missed a lot of blocks. Run plays: no misdirection (something Ohio State's LBrs are terrible at). The few times Michigan throws on first down, it will invariably run on second down.

People, cut through to the essential facts...

---The offense was pretty good, at least as it developed by October.  But pretty good is not good enough and it will not reach the goal.  Has to be better to get back to beating OSU 50% of the time and winning the Big Ten. 

--Sorry, but when you have Patterson and that fleet of receivers, your are under-utilizing your most talented offensive guys by running on 70% of first and second downs, no matter the opponent.  You can overcome that sort of stupidity against 2018 versions of MSU, Penn State, Wisconsin.  But against OSU, you have put yourself at a disadvantage.  Body blows offense alone, that cannot also go 4 wide, pass on downs other than 3rd and 7 or more, run RPOs, and get the ball to your talented receivers in space...man what a waste of roster talent.  You recruited great talent on offense.  Us it.  All of it.

--The offensive game plan against OSU was terrible.  Stop saying Michigan scored 39.  It  was over midway through the 3rd and at that point the offense had been terrible by any metric.  It was a self inflicted wound that reduced Michigan's win probability from 60% to 15%.  Gotta bring an A game offensive game plan against OSU.  That was a C. 

--That fact that the D had some problems is not relevant to whether or not the offense/offensive game plan were good.   Don't let the lack of pressure from the d-line last Saturday distract you from equally bad problems on offense.

Yea...

I used to think ball control was great as recent has 2-3 weeks ago. It is a great strategy when it works. As in if you can RUN THE BALL. Not go three and out and can't stop a breeze much less OSU offense. 

Then you wake up to the reality that in today's college games, defenses get shredded on the regular. Elite teams will score on you. Heck look at NFL. See that or hear about (like I did) KC vs Rams? that went 50+ each side. You need to be able to score 50+ if needed.

To be able to score 50+ any given game and against good defenses == having a  dynamic passing game. M needs to have a scheme that can do this. Mostly our receivers are catching contested balls. OR blocking for a plodding TE catch that goes 9 yards short of the stick.

Much more practical thing to discuss now are future prospects as in 

1. Does recruiting suggest we are going to be passing the ball more ? See slot ninja recruitment. I think so. 

2. Harbaughffense in 2016 -> 2017 -> 2018 - can we prove if we are becoming better passing the ball? Eyetest says yes? 

If so there is hope. Kinda. Get a passing OC or hopefully Harbaugh realizes this after talking to his NFL buddies. 

Thanks for the great post

Some people are spread heads; and nothing will satisfy them unless the ball is in the air all the time. Even if we have spread and read option looks, any running will be frowned upon. 

A 1st and 2nd down pass that flies over the receiver, or is dropped, will be better received by the fan base than a 1st or 2nd down run that nets 1-2 yards.