Indiana Snowflakes: The Coaching

Submitted by LSAClassOf2000 on

This will be the repository for your thoughts and hot takes on the overall coaching during our game against Indiana.

MayOhioEatTurds

October 14th, 2017 at 4:24 PM ^

Many plays produced open receivers.  Some of them multiple open receivers.

But if the QB launches deep balls short and into double coverage while a TE is wide open, that's not merely on playcalling or even coaching. 

When TEs and WRs and RBs drop accurate balls like they have hands of stone, that's not merely playcalling or coaching failures.

The problems on offense run deeper than that. 

 

YaterSalad

October 14th, 2017 at 5:14 PM ^

Not sure that is true if TOP is as skewed as today. With Higdon running it that well / often and mixing in play action you can kill the number of possessions. That is what we’ll need to focus on the rest of the year. Defense can probably limit 3 scores any game. Just don’t turn it over, run clock, play field position, and take big play opportunities when they come (kicking game, defensive turnover, or deep shot) ... Recipe for success with this current skill set / experience of the team.

bamf16

October 14th, 2017 at 4:23 PM ^

How's FSU doing with their backup QB?

 

But dang, it was ok to try to write off O'Korn's other starts; one in a blizzard, one in a monsoon.

 

But today was picture-perfect weather and not only did he do absolutely nothing, he wasn't really given much of a chance to after he threw that second play-action pass into double coverage.

BigBlue02

October 14th, 2017 at 6:43 PM ^

Cal’s redshirt freshman also had less than 100 yards passing the game before in a loss to Washington and threw 4 interceptions in a loss to USC two weeks earlier. If we are going to get excited about every freshmen starting around the country and call for a QB switch, we should probably also realize they are inconsistent turnover machines who might look amazing and might look completely lost from one week to another

G. Gulo of the Dale

October 14th, 2017 at 9:23 PM ^

... that WSU turned the ball over SEVEN times.  Cal could have played without a quarterback, run Wildcat all game, and still won the game. 

So, essentially, WSU's wretched quarterback play on one night in October--the real cause of Cal winning--is supposed to imply that Harbaugh can't coach quarterbacks at UM.   

George Pickett

October 14th, 2017 at 4:16 PM ^

"One player didn't develop, therefore the coaches are at fault!"

This is a stupid take.  Sometimes guys don't develop. It happens to the best coaches. If it continues to happen, blame Harbaugh, but right now, our data is literally one guy. 

To be clear, I'm not excusing some of the other offensive problems on this team, many of which seem like coaching issues, but I'm not sure the QB is one of them. 

George Pickett

October 14th, 2017 at 4:36 PM ^

We're supposed to blame Harbaugh because a guy who got benched at Houston is unable to be a successful QB at Michigan?  Come on. 

If O'Korn is given plenty of time in the pocket and wide open receivers to throw to, and he's still not seeing what's right in front of his face, what can Harbaugh do?

George Pickett

October 14th, 2017 at 4:49 PM ^

Maybe O'Korn hasn't "developed" because he's just a bad quarterback. Not every guy can be coached up.  Some guys just suck.

If you watch O'Korn play, it's pretty clear that no amount of coaching is going to fix his issues. 

TIMMMAAY

October 14th, 2017 at 5:43 PM ^

Sometimes guys just don't pan out. There were huge warning signs with O'korn before he even got here. And he wasn't brought in to be "the guy", he was brought in to compete with Rudock, Morris, and Speight, and likely be a backup. Peters seems slow to develop, what do you do? Shit happens. We're in a bad spot, and qb is a position that can be mentally "broken" fairly easily. I think Harbaugh is probably protecting Peters from that, as he obviously knows he just isn't ready. 

All of this while we have a shaky O-line, and tried implementing a new blocking scheme that hasn't worked well at all. 

What do you do? Fire everyone? No. You stick with what gives you the best shot, while putting your future qb in best position to succeed going forward. 

Michigan Arrogance

October 14th, 2017 at 7:49 PM ^

lol wtf are talking about?

you're the one attacking people for being "apologists"

you're the one being arrogant by "knowing" peters is the best option.

You're the one acting like a spoiled arrogant child who is entitled to 25pt victories, 12 win seasons and at making sure coaches are accountable.

finally, around here is implied, as I don't walk around with my MgoHandle tattooed on my forehead. so maybe I already know how to read and can actually do so while interpreting in proper context

Maynard

October 14th, 2017 at 10:11 PM ^

Sure sport, whatever you say. Oh my god, you said I'm not classy. Whatever will I do now? You're the one who came at me with that dumbass email address as if my opinion is any less than yours or isn't legitimate to have. So fuck off, scooter. You're the one with the handle Michigan Arrogance who thought it necessary to make shit up that I didn't say such as 25 point victories and 12 win seasons.

Navy Wolverine

October 14th, 2017 at 9:44 PM ^

I wonder if they should have kept Gentry at QB. He would not have been a prototypical Harbaugh QB but would have been more like Kaeoernick at SF. The problem with moving him to TE and Malzone not developing is the class of 15 is a total miss coupled with Hoke's abysmal QB recruiting. Having our prized recruit from 16 develop slower than hoped means we end up with JOK unfortunately. Glad to see we plan to take 2 QBs in this class. We have to continue to do that going forward.

Hail Harbo

October 14th, 2017 at 5:01 PM ^

O'Korn is a Harbaugh get.  I don't GAF if he was a benched QB at Houston, Jimbo saw something in him and made him a scholarship offer to play at Michigan.  So either you blame Harbaugh for not identifying JOK as no better than a scout team QB, or blame him for not developing him into a servicable QB.  Your choice.

Speight, when healthy, is barely servicable, JOK is a trainwreck, and Brandon Peters isn't better than at least one of them?  On the contrary, word is that he's behind DM.  

 

George Pickett

October 14th, 2017 at 5:20 PM ^

Do you honestly think Harbaugh brought in O'Korn to be the starter in year 3?  Of course not.  He brought him in to provide depth because the QB situation was downright scary.  It's not like Harbaugh had 100 options and hand-picked O'Korn.  We were desperate. 

rc90

October 14th, 2017 at 4:30 PM ^

I would refine this by saying the QB is definitely a problem, but I'm not sure how much it will help if they drop the freshman into this mess. And I could see where it hurts Peters' development.

Yes, I'm still scarred by what happened to Devin Gardner.

cbs650

October 14th, 2017 at 5:42 PM ^

This also points to why he can't get a Josh Rosen, Jacob Eason, Castello, or any other top QB he wanted. There is something that QB recruits are seeing in him from a coaching/developing standpoint. Also could it be they dont want to play in a Drevno offense?

G. Gulo of the Dale

October 14th, 2017 at 9:41 PM ^

Eason committed to Georgia in 2014.

Costello is from CA and committed to Stanford in early 2015.

Rosen grew up less than 20 miles from UCLA and committed there in early 2014.

Meanwhile Harbaugh gained the commmitment of two high four star QBs for the 2016 and 2017 classes. 

So, three years ago Costello and Rosen divined that Michigan quarterbacks would struggle in 2017 and took this as a sign to commit to schools in CA--just like most other top QB recruits from California.  I think you're onto--or on--something.

(I'm sorry for being snarky, but this is ridiculous.) 

Maynard

October 14th, 2017 at 4:12 PM ^

Bullshit. If by not developed you mean he can't throw the ball 5 yards down the field or take snaps and hand it off, I'm calling bullshit. He's in his second year. I'm pretty confident that he knows some plays. Either something else is going on, or there needs to be some serious questions asked of Harbaugh and staff about it.

Maynard

October 14th, 2017 at 4:25 PM ^

If he can't get snaps after this garbage, I think it would be in his best interest to transfer. That would indicate that it's not likely it would be his team next season (Speight or McCaffrey?) so he would sit his entire eligibility. 

BoFlex

October 14th, 2017 at 7:42 PM ^

 

Harbaugh started at Michigan with:

Add 2 transfers for 2015:

  • RsSr. Jake Rudock: 3*, #23 PRO, #627 overall
    • At Iowa: 25 games, 4819 passing yards, 42 TDs, 18 INTs
  • RsSo. John O'Korn: 3*, #32 PRO, #632 overall
    • At Houston: 19 games, 4068 passing yards, 36 TDs, 18 INTs, AAC RoY (2013)

Two recruits in Class of 2015:

One recruit in Class of 2016:

One recruit in Class of 2017:

I honestly do see some value in pointing out that almost all (5/6) 2015 QBs were not Harbaugh's recruit, but some of his mystique of being a "QB Whisperer" came from developing outside guys (i.e. Jake Rudock, Alex Smith). When Harbaugh first got into town and loaded up on 6 scholarship QBs, everyone was rambling about how Harbaugh had setting up a dynasty of 1st round QBs!

Harbaugh has had 3 full seasons with John O'Korn, Wilton Speight, and Alex Malzone at this point with Speight being the best of the bunch, and Alex Malzone pretty much disappeared off the face of the Earth.

I almost wonder if QB depth was in such bad shape, why didn't Gentry get more of a shot before moving to TE? Couldn't McKeon, Eubanks, Wheatley, Bunting, and Hammering Panda hold down the TE group without Gentry's 119 yards and 1 TD?