Murray plays QB at UM this year..
OU up to 7 heismans now. Tying USC and OSU I believe.
if Murray played at UM this year what do his stats look like? I don’t think we’d run him as much. He probably gets 4-5 more Passing TDs.
we still probably lose to UM and definitely OSU. We stomp NU though instead of a close game.
man UM needs a new passing game. Hopefully Harbaugh is forced to make some promises on O style to keep Shea and we reinvent the O with our Big 3 WRs
im confident D Brown will make adjustment s
December 9th, 2018 at 10:11 AM ^
"At Michigan, our route combinations are surprisingly bland and lackluster. Our deep routes lack imagination.
At Oklahoma, the routes are multi-tiered routes and have conversions depending on what the defenses does. They are designed to spread out the defensive back 7, generate mismatches, and put WRs in space such that one missed tackled can lead to a long TD."
Based on results on the field this makes sense to me, but can you elaborate? For example, what does "routes are multi-tiered and have conversions" mean, especially in relation to what Michigan does or doesn't do?
December 9th, 2018 at 12:45 PM ^
Conversions = read options. If you see X defense, the route becomes a Y, kind of thing.
commonly expressed in a play call with words like '90 read' or '91 read'.
December 9th, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^
Great post! You’re the first person who has offered an explanation to what you see as the problem.
Hopefully, Harbaugh revamps the routes and tempo.
December 9th, 2018 at 8:44 AM ^
Pass attempts per game rank:
2015: 66 of 130
2016: 94
2017: 98
2018: 107
December 8th, 2018 at 10:24 PM ^
He probably would have just went to the Arizona Fall League.
December 8th, 2018 at 10:32 PM ^
We turtle in the red zone. Murray would have not been in Heisman talks here.
December 8th, 2018 at 10:39 PM ^
Cut everything in half, except cut the running output to a quarter.
December 8th, 2018 at 10:52 PM ^
This whole narrative is 100% different if we dont shit the bed on defense vs OSU. Harbaugh came in during an unprecedented time in OSU history, with them having a head start recruiting top 5 recruiting classes of absolute monster athletes every year. If you honestly expected the tide to just turn because its Harbaugh, it's just not how it works. Harbaugh has had success everywhere he has been running his system because the climate of his surroundings were different. It sucks saying this, but we've got 350ish days to figure this out, losing Dax sucks, but the game of football, like life isnt fair. All you really can do is start formulating the plan for success, and putting it into motion.
December 8th, 2018 at 10:58 PM ^
How many times did we run into a stacked box v osu
Why doesn't our D know how to play zone?
Why don't we have a shield for the punter?
December 8th, 2018 at 10:59 PM ^
I thought You were going to propose that UMs offense would have been dynamic, but flipping to imagine what Murray’s stats would have been was the right take.
You bring up a legit concern. Our offense has some serious horses: Crazy good WRs, heisman potential QB, and had a solid RB. While they moved the ball well against mostly weak defenses (exception of PSU), they never looked like they were reaching their potential. Not even close.
December 8th, 2018 at 11:29 PM ^
I don't think he wins the Heisman in our system. We'd run him less and we'd throw him less. He wouldn't get the stats to win it. I'm not even convinced he's a better passer than Patterson.
December 9th, 2018 at 12:23 AM ^
Murray would've found a way to keep pace with OSU and beat ND. He's a much better QB than Shea and has better mental processing speed. Plus, he can run.
December 9th, 2018 at 12:36 AM ^
ND maybe. OSU, no way. What’s he going to do, stop running harbaugh’s play calls?
December 9th, 2018 at 1:19 AM ^
Murray is an exceptionally accurate passer — especially on deep passes. Shea, on the other hand, is a pretty accurate passer on intermediate passes, very good on the run, but not nearly as accurate on deep passes. He hit some good ones, like the pass the DPJ vs MSU, but as we all saw in the UFR’s, he was often late and short.
Hitting deep passes is the surest way to gash a defense. Now, don’t get me wrong, he’s way better than Speight, Peters and JOK, but in comparing what I saw of him to the elite QB’s like Murray, Tua, Greer, and Haskins, he’s got work to do. All offences are designed to pull the safeties in, and hit deep play action over the top — they just do it in differing ways. OU’s offense was so lethal because Murray hit those passes so frequently that the safeties had to stay back and everything else opens up. When you don’t hit them ...
December 9th, 2018 at 8:33 AM ^
Tom Brady would have had a hard time beating OSU with that game plan. The second we got behind it was over. Michigan doesn’t have a functional second gear in offense. A superb qb doesn’t change that.
The OSU loss was 100% on the coaches.
December 9th, 2018 at 8:50 AM ^
I agree! If Harbaugh doesn’t beat OSU and go to the Big Ten title game he needs to be on the hot seat or on his way out of the door!
This would be Year five with all his guys.
December 9th, 2018 at 10:03 AM ^
Harbaughs offense is Harbaughs offense and he's going to run that offense whether or not it's working. There is nothing else. There is no tricks, no wrinkles, nothing saved. That's it.
December 9th, 2018 at 10:21 PM ^
If Harbaugh had Tom Brady, he would've passed the ball more because he actually has a QB who can process quickly and doesn't panic when his primary read is covered. That's the biggest problem with Shea which is why he isn't ever going to be considered to be a day 1/2 pick.
December 9th, 2018 at 9:56 AM ^
No all offenses are NOT designed to do that, our offense isn't even designed to do that. Our offense is designed to run. You don't "pull the safeties in so you can hit em with a play action". You use play action to burn em when they cheat up to much which causes them to be a little more "honest" against the run.
December 9th, 2018 at 2:00 PM ^
Cmon Papa! Read what you just wrote.
Our offense is designed to run — but you left out — to pull the safeties in to run support and hit them over the top. Seems like we’re saying the exact same thing.
December 9th, 2018 at 12:30 AM ^
Who cares??? Quit with this bullshit!
December 9th, 2018 at 2:39 AM ^
Have any of you watched Kyler Murray? There’s no comparison between he and Shea. He’s on a completely different level. Michigan would kill Notre Dame with Kyler Murray on the team. He’d probably be the fastest player on Michigan. He’s also a much better passer. Michigan would have a shot at beating OSU. Murray is the best dual-threat QB I’ve ever seen. I get everyone is in a funk but it’s funny how down you all are on Harbaugh. Shea can only dream of being as good as Murray.
December 9th, 2018 at 10:06 AM ^
We would not use Murray like OU uses him.
QB's don't exist in a vacuum. What they do is largely contingent on gameplan and the instructions they are given. Kyler Murray would have looked about the same as Shea with Harbaugh's OSU "gameplan" (or lack of one, really).
Shea is a hell of a talent and we're very fortunate to have him here in Ann Arbor. We expected him to be a gunslinger like he was down at Ole Miss, but the system in place here does not allow it. We expected him to be unleashed in the OSU game, and he wasn't.
There's also the fact that the defense also came into that game with a terrible gameplan, and we'd have lost even if we put up 50+. Changing the offense is the "feel-good solution", and while I agree with many here that are saying it needs to be fixed, that game was a complete shitshow in all three phases of the game. There's no magic bullet. Michigan really fucked the pumpkin on this one.
December 9th, 2018 at 10:15 AM ^
"We expected him to be unleashed in the OSU game, and he wasn't."
Through 12 games, only two BIG teams—Wisconsin and Maryland—attempted fewer passes than Michigan did.
Through 12 games, Michigan led the BIG in number of rushing attempts, even surpassing Wisconsin.
This is a conscious decision by Harbaugh and whoever else is creating the game plans.
December 9th, 2018 at 2:57 PM ^
Let’s see how good OU’s system is after they lose Murray. That team would have at least 4 losses without him.
Again if you’ve watched Murray you wouldn’t be comparing him to Shea. This is two different class of players. Shea is merely good where Murray is all time great. He’s orchestrating the best offense statistically all time. Your going to deploy him differently than Shea because Shea can’t do what he can.
And honestly even if Harbaugh somehow didn’t Michigan’s offense is significantly better. Murray is way better than Shea. This is not a hot take. I’m pretty sure most of you watch one team only. Or just the Big Ten.
December 9th, 2018 at 3:56 AM ^
We would have made him a slot receiver
December 9th, 2018 at 8:37 AM ^
And then passed to him three times a game.
December 9th, 2018 at 7:35 AM ^
Well if we are going to do hypotheticals with Murray playing qb for UM here it goes...
The Game is on the line in Columbus, UM is down 30-24 with under a minute to play and B1G Championship and trip to CFB Playoff on the line. Murray and the offense have the ball on their 40 yard line. DPJ, Black, Collins, and Martin are all split out wide. Murray takes snap, looks through his progressions, pocket begins to collapse, Murray avoids sack, sees Black streaking down sideline, throws beautiful spiral, Black goes up for jump ball at goal line, ball is picked of by Dax Hill to secure OSU victory.
And so begins another abysmal offseason .
December 9th, 2018 at 7:53 AM ^
Is it any wonder UM ismhaving trouble recruiting WRs? Why would any top prospect come here to get one or two targets per game?
December 9th, 2018 at 8:09 AM ^
Feels like year 5 is do or die.
Maybe we can get that marque win to define the program.
December 9th, 2018 at 8:43 AM ^
We had some great wins this year and we’ve definitely defined our program. We’re the second best program in the B1G and far behind OSU.
Hopefully we can stick as a top 5-10 team and land recruiting classes in that same range.
December 9th, 2018 at 8:50 AM ^
Spot on post Frank...!
December 9th, 2018 at 10:05 AM ^
didn't harbaugh recruit so many 4* and 5* QBs? who did he develop? even if Murray played at UM, there is high chance that harbaugh would look for a transfer.
which QB transfer is in harbaugh's mind next year? LOL
December 9th, 2018 at 10:21 AM ^
This post is dumb. What if....who cares it will never happen