Coach Warinner comments on MI protective protocols and their impact on practice this season (freep article)
Long time lurker but found this article today and thought, what the heck, there may be more behind closed doors than any of us know. The way MI has protected itself this season may be PART of the reason why results have been less than stellar. Food for thought. Coach Warinner:
“It’s been challenging," offensive line coach Ed Warinner said last week. "We’ve had a lot of guys miss a lot of time because of contact tracing because of this or that. You get the sniffles you miss two days because they’re checking to see and double-checking to see, which is the right thing to do whether or not you have COVID, so you’re out a practice. And then all of a sudden you miss the two work days of practice and you’re back in and are you really ready to go when you miss the two bulk days of practice, who knows? We’ve had all kinds of things going on that have interrupted continuity in training.”
Not defending or calling for Coach Harbaugh’s job, just another data point the school might be considering in its OODA loop.
(didn’t see this posted as a main entry, apologies if duplicative info)
December 1st, 2020 at 12:21 PM ^
Are.you seriously asking for evidence that Michigan would have beaten Wisky in the Big Ten title game in 2016, when they had already beat them that year and held them to 159 yards for the game? Only reason that game was even close was because of missed field goals by UM. I mean yes it is no guarantee, but both UM and OSU for that matter would have most likely beaten that Wisky team in the title game. So yes UM was a couple inches away from the playoff in 2016 in all likelyhood. Also most likely in if the game up until the spot was called even remotely balanced.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:31 PM ^
Michigan played Wisconsin at home at the beginning of October. It's about momentum. Leading into that OSU game, they lost to a 6-4 Iowa team, had to come back to beat a 5-6 Indiana team at home, then played OSU.
A home game in October is a far cry from the Big Ten Championship in December, and as Jim has showed, he isn't exactly known for winning big games.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:57 PM ^
Nothing about how Wisconsin's offense matched up against UM's defense would have changed.
December 2nd, 2020 at 8:44 AM ^
Nothing about Harbaugh lacking the ability to get his team up for important games would have changed either.
December 1st, 2020 at 9:21 AM ^
We are what our record says we are.
December 1st, 2020 at 9:28 PM ^
I'll drink to that.
водка!
December 1st, 2020 at 9:37 AM ^
How does that explain losing to MSU and PSU and OT with RU? PA & NJ had just as strict (if not more strict) COVID restrictions and 2 of the 3 had brand spanking new coaching staffs.
December 1st, 2020 at 10:17 AM ^
Was it supposed to? I don't think there is a one shot explanation you seem to be looking for. Losing top 6 OL (Counting Hayes) hurts. As far as state restrictions each team can have their own protocols so maybe UM is more conservative than others in pulling guys out at any sign of trouble. I think that combined with losing so many players can "explain" a lot of the OL troubles at least.
December 1st, 2020 at 10:19 AM ^
"Trust The Process"
December 1st, 2020 at 10:29 AM ^
Urban to Texas, Warriner goes with him.
*shrug
December 1st, 2020 at 10:46 AM ^
Yeah, I've gotten a sense that a lot of the choppy play across CFB has been due to guys being out for a day or two because of contact tracing or other COVID-19-related concerns but not actually missing games. Makes sense.
December 1st, 2020 at 10:50 AM ^
I don't doubt that its been challenging, Warriner. Its been challenging on everyone in the country. Not just your team. None of this explains why MSU was put under the same constraints with the virus as you (if not more), had multiple outbreaks on campus, not to mention had a new head coach installing completely new systems, and in only Mel Tucker's second game on the job, he came into your house, took your lunch money, and whooped your ass up and down the field. That doesn't explain why you needed three overtimes, THREE, to beat Rutgers. This program has just had excuse after excuse after excuse for the last ten years.
At the end of the day, they're just a bad football team. No beating around that bush.
December 1st, 2020 at 12:31 PM ^
Yep and MSU was also able to pull off another ranked win this weekend. This excuse even though it has some merit now with all the injuries/players out does not excuse losing to a team dealing with the same restrictions when you were still healthy as a team. They were a bad team when they were still close to 100%.
December 1st, 2020 at 11:07 AM ^
Separately, and FWIW - our comrade bighouse1979 has gone ahead and deleted almost all of his comments ranting about Covid tests in the program. I wonder why that is?
December 1st, 2020 at 12:06 PM ^
I totally get the COVID struggles, I really do. And if this was the only flawed season in an otherwise stellar era a Michigan, I would be on the forgiveness train.
But this is something every team has struggled with. In fact Oklahoma had an entire position group whiped out for most of their camp. There is nothing suggesting Michigan has been more effected by Covid than any other team.
Its also not an excuse for the lack of fire, passion, and energy both Harbaugh and the team have shown. Its also not an excuse for losing to MSU, and its not an excuse for why Ohio State has widened the gap against us with zero evidence its closing anytime soon.
December 1st, 2020 at 1:21 PM ^
Did it ever occur to you that M has not been effected because Harbaugh is doing more to protect his players than they do in other programs? It is entirely consistent with how he, you know, makes them go to class.
December 1st, 2020 at 1:19 PM ^
It's exactly why grading Harbaugh on anything that happens this year is absurd. He is protecting his players. That is job 1. End of discussion.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:45 PM ^
We all need to prepare for Harbaugh to still be on the sidelines come 2021. No doubt, there is a laundry list of reasons to call for and expect his dismissal - but Warde isn't doing that. Instead, because this is 2020 and because there is a global pandemic currently affecting all of our lives and because it sounds like Harbs & Co. are doing the "right things" to keep player safety the priority - he be going anywhere, unless he himself decides to leave.
With that in mind, the "best case" scenario for next year is this: Don Brown is gone. Derek Mason comes in as DC. Gattis will leave because he is in the last year of his contract and is clearly being limited by Harbaugh. Warriner will be promoted to Co-OC. Harbaugh, realizing that he needs to make a move to appease the base, will bring in Nick Sheridan or Mike Hart to be the other Co-OC. This won't do much to move the needle and Michigan still doesn't get over the hump finishing 9-3.
December 2nd, 2020 at 6:50 AM ^
Not many on here who will know about Boyd's OODA loop my fellow Crayola eater