Coaching staff is complete

Submitted by umbig11 on
There will be no more departures. Despite how many of us feel about Pep & Drevno they are returning. Offensive coaching assignments remain unsettled to this day. They will be settled well before spring. Warriner will remain an Analyst. Warriner will be working one week ahead preparing the team for the following week. McElwain started yesterday. One area of his duties that are not getting enough attention yet is that he will be developing the weekly game plans. Yes, we know many contribute to the plans, scouting, analysts, OC etc., but McElwain will be counted on to deliver those each Saturday. So, when the position assignments are complete. I think we will see some sort of title next to WR Coach. There will be a streamlined effort when it comes to play-calling. More McElwain than chatter on the headsets.

ak47

February 19th, 2018 at 10:01 PM ^

Lol at building a coaching staff without thinking of defined roles first. That’s a terrible way to create a team that causss dysfunction and leaves gaps in necessary areas. Like a recruiting specialist for example. I thought one of harbaughs strengths was to identify young hungry coaching talents. Who’s the durkin or willie taggart on the offensive side of this staff? It’s a bunch of coaching retreads

bronxblue

February 19th, 2018 at 11:02 PM ^

It amazes me that the vast majority of posters here have no idea how a coaching staff is created a month ago are now suddenly experts and decrying what Jim Harbaugh is doing.  I have no idea if this will work.  I have no idea if this is normal; you couldn't pay me to sift through message boards and "insider" info to deduce how others teams' staffs are compiled.  But dear god this fanbase cannot just let something fucking breath before freaking out and demanding something be done to address some untold and unknown wrong.

I am fine being wrong, but at least I want to be wrong when it actually happens.  Not 8 months before the season, when the best you can do is freak out about the unknown.

blueblueblue

February 20th, 2018 at 9:17 AM ^

Dude, you are a valued poster, and I appreciate your thinking on things. But you have got to stop posting like you are smarter than "the fanbase" because you recognize your own inability to decifer and predict what is and will happen with the team. Many, many of us here feel and recognize the same thing, but we also like to give a flimsy, worthless opinion every now and then. And we know they are not worth anything. But we still do it. Only a few here really really think they can predict the future.

It feels like are cherry-picking in order to feel superior. Denouncing the "the fanbase" is akin to denouncing "the media." You focus on a few bad actors and examples and let them represent the whole as a way to elevate your own position. Your thinking is typically much more nuanced, and realistic, than that. 

WindyCityBlue

February 20th, 2018 at 10:07 AM ^

He clearly stated he doesn’t know anything about putting together an elite staff. And neither do you (or I). We can certainly discuss and/or criticize it, but the whole “sky is falling” dogma is ridiculous considering we are about 1 week into the new staff. Let’s see how this plays out.

FrankMurphy

February 19th, 2018 at 11:17 PM ^

I'm going all-in on McElwain. The more control he gets over the offense, the better. I'm a little concerned that Harbaugh won't come out and just tag him as offensive coordinator, but the fact that he seems to be getting quite a bit of responsibility and influence is a positive sign.

chunkums

February 19th, 2018 at 11:38 PM ^

Let's hope McElwain and Drevno are just perfect examples of the Peter Principle. McElwain was an excellent coordinator and coach at a small school before he failed as a head coach at a major program. Drevno was an excellent offensive line coach before he was a failure as an OC. Hopefully going back to their roots will help them. 

Richard75

February 20th, 2018 at 12:45 AM ^

First of all, what is this obsession with the Peter Principle? Second, how are Drevno and McElwain examples of it?

The Peter Principle says people will reach a level they can’t succeed at **and then stay there.** The second part is crucial. The whole idea is premised on the notion that the organization will either promote people or let them stay put in roles they aren’t suited for.

The sports business doesn’t work like that. McElwain had 1 year of incompetence at Florida and he was gone. Drevno had 1 such year at U-M and now his job is changing. This is the antithesis of the Peter Principle: They’ve been demoted and returned to positions in which they’ve had success before.

chunkums

February 20th, 2018 at 1:03 AM ^

Ah, I guess I never knew about the "stay there" aspect of the Peter Principle. Nevertheless, the argument I was trying to make is still valid. McElwain and Drevno were both good at lesser jobs and won't be doing the jobs at which they failed. Instead, they'll be doing things they did well in the past. 

uminks

February 20th, 2018 at 12:35 AM ^

can open up this offense. We will have the tools, we just need a good game plan. I hope to see more accurate passing and a better run vs pass balance. Now one of our QBs need to emerge  and lead this offense.

FrankMurphy

February 20th, 2018 at 1:08 AM ^

I'm taking the McElwain hire as a sign that Harbaugh is not as stubborn or loyal-to-a-fault as he is reputed to be. He's willing to change his approach and shift influence away from longtime friends (i.e., Drevno and Pep) in order to turn things around. McElwain has no prior ties to Harbaugh or to Michigan, and I'm sure Harbaugh knows that a guy who is coming off a head coaching gig at a top-tier SEC program isn't coming to Michigan to be a yes-man or a glorified position coach.

UMFoster

February 20th, 2018 at 7:23 AM ^

Having Warriner behind the scenes while Drevno is coaching the OL is pretty upsetting IMO.  We have one of the top OL coaches in college football in a scouting/gameplanning role.  

 

Other than that I am happy with how everything unfolded.  Went out and got two good recruiters in regions of need.  Went out and got McElwain who before the Florida gig was thought to be one of the better offensive minds in football.  Demoting Drevno and Pep.

 

Lets hope it works out.

poseidon7902

February 20th, 2018 at 8:01 AM ^

Man, I was up way too early this morning.  Saw a post from umbig11 and got excited to see what it was.  Didn't read the topic title correctly.  Thought it said Coaching staff is incompetent.