Josh Gattis expounds at length on the Michigan offense

Submitted by Communist Football on February 20th, 2020 at 10:27 AM

In the latest episode of Jon Jansen's "In the Trenches," Jansen interviews Josh Gattis, who expounds at length on the Michigan offense heading into next year. 

Isaiah Hole has helpfully transcribed most of it for WolverinesWire. Some excerpts:

I think we had a season that was full of everything you could imagine! Highs, lows, mixed emotions there. But the thing that you saw with our kids is they never got too down, never got too high. The thing that we’ve gotta maintain and the thing we’ve gotta preach this offseason this spring is consistency. Because there were times that we played at extreme high levels and there was times that we hurt ourselves rather than other teams hurting us. If we can carry that consistency and add to that to build confidence, that’s gonna lead to a growing group.

His thoughts on how to improve on the results against Ohio State and Alabama:

I think one of the things you saw towards the end of the season, we played, I would argue, two of the top four teams in the country the last two games. We played them competitively for 90 minutes out of 120 and you really need full games.

The things that stood out in those two games was the skill. And that’s an area we have to develop. Games are gonna be won by our skill players, and they understand that and they know the challenge. No offense, the days of just depending on the line – which, we developed there. We were much better by the end of the year than we were at the beginning of the season. But you need skill to take over games. And you need that from your quarterbacks, you need that from your running backs, you need that from your receivers. And that was an area at the end of the year where we just didn’t capitalize and make the plays that needed necessary to be able to win those two games.

When you look at the receiver position, there was some big time opportunities that we missed in those last two games that could have been difference makers in the games. It’s gonna be refreshing this spring. Just to be able to get Nico Collins out there for a full spring. He’s a guy – when you look at our skill players, everyone except for Ronnie Bell didn’t even participate in spring ball last year. Nico Collins was out all spring. Donovan Peoples-Jones was out. Our running backs, all of our running backs playing at the end of the year, they didn’t even participate in spring ball. That’s exciting now to get those guys out here for all the valuable time that they were missing. And it’s not just affecting them – it affects the quarterbacks. The quarterbacks get rhythm and confidence in those guys, well if they’re not out there in spring ball practicing, how are they gonna be able to develop that confidence?

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k1400

February 20th, 2020 at 12:39 PM ^

I don't get the down votes.  When Shea played well, the offense was potent.  When he didn't it wasn't.  Shea had great games, but his inconsistency was crippling at times.  Moving forward the pieces are there...assuming the O line doesn't take a big step back..... for McCaffrey or Milton to spearhead a killer offense.  There are lots of weapons at the skill positions, all waiting for a consistent QB.

Joined: 06/30/2011

MGoPoints: 5984

DutchWolverine

February 20th, 2020 at 12:47 PM ^

To be fair, our WRs were not consistent either.  High ceilings across the board, yes.  But lots of drop and route running was often suspect.  DPJ specifically.  He is already dropping in many of the mock drafts (Kiper has him in 4th/5th round) for slow breaks out of routes, as well as inconsistency. 

Joined: 01/09/2011

MGoPoints: 2519

Mongo

February 20th, 2020 at 1:58 PM ^

You need to listen to the podcast.  Gattis was saying the WRs as a group performed inconsistently, especially in those big games (drops, not correct routes, etc). 

The quote that shocked me was:  "a telling stat for the season was that out of our 203 incomplete passes, 125 were catchable balls. Guys need to go up and make plays, catch the balls." 

The OC was hanging the season lack of consistency on the WRs, not the QB.  He basically was praising Shea "for putting the ball in the correct spot" and saying the WRs were not consistent enough with their "skills" (catching, route running).

Joined: 06/25/2016

MGoPoints: 9585

DCGrad

February 20th, 2020 at 4:42 PM ^

I think this is where Brian has a profound impact on how readers feel about Shea's play.  Brian would mark a lot of throws as uncatchable, and other graders (and also Gattis) put at least some of those incompletions on the WRs.  I am going to trust Gattis on these.  I think Brain would have marked Desmond's catch against ND as uncatchable, but Grbac put it right where Desmond could make the play and no one else.

That's not to say that Shea didn't have some objectively terrible throws, even on completed passes, but I think it is an interesting dichotomy between who the fans blame for inconsistencies and who the coaches blame.

Joined: 09/20/2014

MGoPoints: 9255

ESNY

February 20th, 2020 at 9:45 PM ^

There is a big difference between catchable and a good pass and they are not mutually exclusive.  A reasonably accurate pass a second late is both catchable and a bad pass.  A number of passes Shea was a hair late so an otherwise accurate pass was broken up.  I’d say that is the QBs fault 

Joined: 11/06/2008

MGoPoints: 12310

UMFanatic96

February 20th, 2020 at 10:41 AM ^

I like he's still emphasizing the skills positions. Hopefully, Nico and Ronnie Bell continue their performance from last year, the backs continue to improve, and Gile Jackson/Sainristill break out 

Joined: 06/21/2016

MGoPoints: 6348

blueday

February 20th, 2020 at 10:43 AM ^

Not worried about where the O is headed. Need to see progress by the D in big games ... like the last 2. Or does the O need to outscore in those types of games?

Joined: 11/04/2014

MGoPoints: 6493

JFW

February 20th, 2020 at 10:10 PM ^

I do think they really build off one another. I just remember Shea going to the Defense in the Northwestern game a couple of years ago saying 'Get it back, we'll win it'. If the D can depend on the play little more to carry the slack, even psychologically, it may allow them to play looser. 

Joined: 10/20/2010

MGoPoints: 15285

Brian Griese

February 20th, 2020 at 11:05 AM ^

College football 2020 is all about scoring as many points as possible as fast as possible. We need to learn how to use tempo to our advantage so we don’t force the defense into these situations of where they must shut down the other team or we lose. 
 

Yes, the defensive busts due to hyper-aggressive play drive me crazy but in my humble opinion it strongly pales in comparison to the coach(es) that refuse to use tempo, can’t manage the clock and don’t always embrace 2020 game theory. Just my two cents. 

Joined: 10/25/2014

MGoPoints: 30240

Brian Griese

February 20th, 2020 at 11:21 AM ^

Bama had 21 points through 3 quarters

Florida had 27 points through 3 quarters

If you watched the National Championship game this year, both teams were in excess of 24 points at the end of the 3rd quarter.
 

The two best teams in the country couldn’t exactly ‘stop’ each other. That’s what college football is these days, plain and simple. The days and ages of expecting your defense to keep high quality teams to 20 points are over. Our offense has to be more aggressive. 

Joined: 10/25/2014

MGoPoints: 30240

DeepBlueC

February 20th, 2020 at 11:40 AM ^

You’re absolutely right. The failure of Gattis to even attempt use tempo as a weapon last year was inexcusable, especially in the last two games, where we needed every possible advantage.

And of course, underlying your assertion is the fact that you can’t compete at the highest level any more with just a good QB. You need a great one, and an offense that uses his talent to the fullest.  LSU finally broke through the ceiling when they figured that out. Harbaugh still hasn’t.

Joined: 03/08/2018

MGoPoints: 1431

DeepBlueC

February 20th, 2020 at 3:15 PM ^

Poor fellow. I know you think that if you keep saying that, they’ll make you one of the cool kids, but it’s not going to happen.  

Btw, everything I said in my post is true. I know you hate to hear it about this program, but after five years of the same thing from Harbaugh, the Kool Aid’s gotta be tasting a little bitter.

Joined: 03/08/2018

MGoPoints: 1431

dragonchild

February 20th, 2020 at 11:37 AM ^

I mean, kind of.  You'd like to see us hold OSU to about thirtysomething, at least, but that's half the battle.  We scored 27 on them last season.  Their output in 2019:

45, 42, 51, 76, 48, 34, 52, 38, 73, 56, 28, 56, 34, 23.

27 wouldn't have been enough if paired with any defense they'd faced up to that point.  We'd have won. . . if we had Clemson's defense.  Barely.

Alabama in 2019:

42, 62, 47, 49, 59, 47, 35, 48, 41, 38, 66, 45, 35

Michigan scored 16.  So there wasn't a single defense Alabama played last year that would've changed the outcome, and FWIW, Michigan held them to their lowest point total all season.  The only times Alabama lost, they were out-scored.

The modern college game is a lot more like basketball on grass than anyone over 30 remembers.  To jump to the next tier of football programs you need the capability to score at least 40 against elite defenses, which is something Michigan hasn't demonstrated yet, although we've come a long way from 24 points against Army.  Sure, that's still not going to beat OSU while they're dropping 60ppg on us, but those going "it's the defense" aren't looking at the complete picture.

Though I'd at least wonder what the hell they're doing with DL and CB recruiting.  You can't slow down a modern offense with just linebackers.

Joined: 10/13/2011

MGoPoints: 60912

MileHighWolverine

February 20th, 2020 at 12:19 PM ^

Agreed....but if the O had scored in the high 30's to low 40's I don't think our D would have given up so many points. By the end of the OSU game we were going for it on 4th down in our own territory, not getting it, and then the D was thrown out to the wolves. Happened more than once and that kind of distorts the data a bit.

We need a high functioning offense and the defense will be fine.

Joined: 09/02/2008

MGoPoints: 7749

Maize N' Ute

February 20th, 2020 at 12:00 PM ^

Alabama scored 35 points on Michigan with their 3* back-up QB.  Michigan had all their weapons and 5* QB and managed 16.

You help the defense by moving the ball and scoring points.  Instead, Harbaugh relies on eating the clock to win the game.  It's the ultimate conservative game plan.  This Speed In Space offense had zero tempo.  Never put the defense on their heels with Speed.  Here you have Gattis talking about how you no longer win by just winning upfront, but you have to win with your QB and skill players. I can't think of two polar opposite mindsets than Harbaugh and Gattis.  How does this work?

I'm not trying to defend Brown and his Defense, because they have plenty of problems, but they've shown up far more than the Offense has.  Don Brown has won more close game than Harbaugh and his offense.

Joined: 02/01/2018

MGoPoints: 6332

Bodogblog

February 20th, 2020 at 1:11 PM ^

Your post is from 2018, when killing the clock and relying on the excellent defense was a viable strategy that had Michigan 10-1 and favored in Columbus for the first time in a billion years.  It was especially strategically correct given our 1 loss in those 11 games came when our OL repeatedly nearly got that 5* QB killed against ND.  Yes Michigan was a bit of a paper tiger, getting destroyed on the road against OSU, but remember OSU played the best game of their season that day, and Michigan probably played its worse.  The blame for that loss, if you want go about assigning it, lay almost completely on the defense.  

People believe tempo solves everything.  It certainly does not.  Alabama sees tempo on the regular and kills it.  Tempo is a strategy like anything else, and it's good or bad depending on its use, like anything else.  Using fullbacks is a strategy: MSU did it horribly in 2018, the San Francisco 49er's did it brilliantly in 2019.  If the coaches believed in tempo above other strategies they employed, they'd practice it.  Of course given limited practice time, they'd lose proficiency somewhere else.  They've made the decision to focus efforts elsewhere. 

The problem last year was not tempo.  In fact once the break-in period for the offense elapsed, there were few problems (#21 SP+, and if you pull out the first 4 games or so it would have been much higher than that).  The problem last year vs. OSU was the fumble on their 7 yard line, too many drops by our WRs, and missed opportunities (the Hankins missed running lane on 4th down, for example).  And playing Ohio State, which was the #1 team in SP+ last year (#4 offense, #2 defense).  Against Alabama, that 3* QB was outstanding.  As were their WRs.  As was their RB late in the game.  In other words, the skills players.  

 

Joined: 06/08/2010

MGoPoints: 26674

Bodogblog

February 20th, 2020 at 1:30 PM ^

Now your'e talking about 2016.  Blame on that loss goes to the refs, first and foremost.  Beyond that, there's not much blame to go around.  It was a great overtime game between two really good teams.  Too bad it was on the road, too bad the refs gave OSU two 3rd and long conversions with terrible PI calls, and then did not provide the same to Michigan and equivalent 3rd and long PIs, and then gave the 50-50 call to OSU. 

There would be one issue with Harbaugh I had in that game: throwing from his own end zone.  The play was there, the guy was open.  It was bold and worth taking the risk in such a game.  But you have to be sure you can block that play  With that 2016 OL, you could never be sure you could block that play.  Speight had his guy, threw a touch late, got hit and that led to the pick 6.  

Joined: 06/08/2010

MGoPoints: 26674