OT - Colts Frank Reich Quote/ Offensive Versatility
The Colts physically decimated a team and won in coach Harbaugh’s favorite fashion yesterday. However, that has not been the Colts M.O historically or even throughout the season. When the physical style does not work, they switch on a dime to RPO’s, crossing routes, 4 wide sets, and light it up through the air. Michigan has the QB and personnel to do the same thing.
Here is Reich after the game:
“We know we have an elite quarterback and we can throw it for 400 (yards) and win when we have to.
But what we talked about is the margin for error in playoff football when you try to do it that way is very thin. When you can win like this, when you can win running the football and stopping it, that’s just everything.’’
Winning can be done in a variety of ways. The elite teams (Alabama and Clemson come to mind) are able to mix up game plans depending upon the opponent or the flow of the game. Michigan has the offensive firepower to ‘throw for 400 (yards) and win when we have to’. They also have the personnel to manhandle the lesser teams on the schedule. We all want to see some offensive game plan versatility, and there is no good reason they cannot start a new approach next season.
I believe Coach Harbaugh will do what it takes to get to that next level. Lack of versatility in offensive strategy held us back in all three losses this season. Make the changes in the off-season and make the changes in the game.
January 6th, 2019 at 10:54 AM ^
Touché. Even still, my my stand alone sentence taken out of context is quite accurate regarding the inflexible offensive approach and the outcome of all 3 losses (especially the first and last games).
January 6th, 2019 at 11:59 AM ^
I'd say a "better", whatever you want to say that looks like, offense would have won both ND and Florida. The offensive production against a mediocre Florida, in particular, was awful.
That's not to say that both sides of the team didn't flat out suck in the last two games of the year. They were both terrible. However, terrible against a really good OSU is different than terrible against a middling Florida.
January 6th, 2019 at 12:06 PM ^
The defense didn't break until late when the offense was continually going three and out and turning tha ball over. The defense kept us in both games in the first half despite the offense being dogshit. Dont act like the points scored against OSU in garbage time meant anything.
January 6th, 2019 at 9:19 AM ^
Why even bother thinking about it? Harbaugh said no major changes required - just tighten it up. The man is in denial about how to run a modern offense.
January 6th, 2019 at 10:04 AM ^
He said that in the post-bowl game press conference. If you think he’s going to announce staff and philosophy changes there and then, you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought.
“Major changes” aren’t needed, he’s right. Just a slight shift in run vs pass frequency, finding more ways to get speedy talent in space, and most importantly, hitting those passes. If Shea were more accurate nobody would be bitching.
January 6th, 2019 at 9:58 AM ^
January 6th, 2019 at 10:01 AM ^
Well here we go again. A church of Harbaugh member finding any way or thing to put their hope in. Look I would love to see it as much as any Michigan fan and until results are delivered on the field I will remain skeptical. Seeing UM beat up on the lower tier programs just doesn't get the blood pumping anymore. Hanging my hopes on some random comment from a coach in the NFL who happens to have a qb coached by JH in college is quite silly. Time will though.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:00 AM ^
I thought the Reich comment was instructive and revelatory of a deficit in our program under Coach Harbaugh. Other than missing the point and trying to take a weak internet shot, you got really close to having one reasonable point: time will ___ though
Better luck next time guy.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:54 AM ^
You are the one all excited about a random comment from Reich. "Instructive and revelatory", give me a break buddy. ANYONE from coaches to players to fans already knows that, if not, then people are not and have not been paying attention. If you need me to fill in the blank as to the word I accidentally left out then that's on you. You got the point I am sure. You do get another chance today. Couple of NFL games on, maybe one of the coaches will make another comment you can correlate to the state of UM football, this one not so much.
Better luck next time captain obvious.
January 6th, 2019 at 10:04 AM ^
The Colts have a magnificent offenaive line, and yesterday was the first time all five had been healthy all seaaon.
They were just toying with Watt and Clowney.
That's what we need.
January 6th, 2019 at 10:19 AM ^
Yeah, I hate this excuse. Sure the “complicated playbook” shouldn’t be too much of a problem next year because UM has 9 starters coming back. So, in order to run a coherent offense, UM needs Jrs and Srs at almost every position??? That is ridiculous and not even realistic. If the playbook is that difficult to understand, it is a terrible playbook for a college team.
January 6th, 2019 at 10:32 AM ^
I think the single most important thing we can do (other than change our philosophy) to diversify the offense is improve the athleticism on the OL. We don’t need 350lb road graders in this day and age. Current OL should work on speed and shedding weight while increasing/maintaining strength.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:41 AM ^
The Colts fired Pep Hamilton 24 months ago.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:52 AM ^
Captain obvious comes through in the clutch for us! They had a transition/ bad season as they licked their wounds with another whole season without Luck from his injuries under the old regime. The new coaching staff was hired 12 months ago and completely revamped the offense. The common denominator betweeen the eagles super bowl championship team (quarterbacked by nick foles of all people) and this Colts team is Frank Reich. Coaching changes can be life-giving.
January 6th, 2019 at 11:49 AM ^
The Colts also gave up only 7 points. Let's talk about what they did on D, so we don't get exposed on that side again.
January 6th, 2019 at 12:34 PM ^
Frank Reich is doing one hell of a job with these Colts.
January 6th, 2019 at 12:59 PM ^
"when you can win running the football and stopping it, that’s just everything.’’
That's only part of the equation. What do you do when you're not "stopping it?"
January 6th, 2019 at 1:11 PM ^
Throw for 300+ yards because you can do that too, and try to win a shootout.
January 6th, 2019 at 1:15 PM ^
Michigan hasnt thrown for 400 yards since the 2015 Indiana game. And has only done it 3 times in program history.
Michigan hasn't thrown for 300 yards since the 2016 Maryland game.
I agree we need to open up the offense but I dont think we have the qb to for 400 yards regularly
January 6th, 2019 at 1:39 PM ^
Yeah we never seem to have the QB or the OL for any of this according to Michigan fans EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
Went from “We got the QB needed to win big!” to “Well we just don’t have the right QB” in around 9 months
January 6th, 2019 at 1:53 PM ^
Which is crazy considering how many OL we've put in the nfl over the last 4 years.
Glasgow, Kalis, Magnuson, Braden, and Cole are all on NFL rosters.
And Bredeson, Ruiz, and probably Onyewu will get drafted.
So clearly we have NFL talent at the OL so why are we perpetually "not there yet with the OL"?
And as for Shea, he is good but clearly a tier below Tua, Haskins, Murray, Lawrence. Better than Speight and Peters for sure.
January 6th, 2019 at 2:34 PM ^
"I agree we need to open up the offense but I dont think we have the qb to for 400 yards regularly."
It's hard to throw for 300, let alone 400, when you're simply not attempting that many passes in the first place.
Through the 12-game regular season in 2018, only two BIG teams made fewer pass attempts than Michigan: Wisconsin and Maryland.
Michigan had one more pass attempt in 13 games than Minnesota did in 13. We had only 18 more pass attempts in 13 games than Illinois did in 12 games, and we had 4 fewer pass attempts in 13 games than Rutgers did in 12 games.
Conversely, Michigan led the conference in rushing attempts through 12 games. After the post-season games are taken into account, only two teams had more rushing attempts than Michigan: Ohio St. with 570 in 14 games, and Wisconsin with 571 in 13 games. Michigan had 549 attempts in 13.
It was a conscious, intentional decision by the Michigan coaching staff to have over 61% of our offensive plays be running plays this season. It was a sound strategy in 10 of our games; whether it was sound in our three losses is open to debate.
Not that OSU is the only way to do things, but their run/pass balance was 561 pass attempts/571 run attempts, virtually a 50/50 split.
OSU had 1131 offensive plays in 14 games for 80 plays per game. Michigan had 896 in 13 games for 68 plays per game, which is at least three fewer possessions per game. Our comparatively slow tempo plays a big role in this.
January 6th, 2019 at 3:34 PM ^
Shea broke 300 passing yards 7 out 10 games at ole miss. He averaged 42 passes a game with a low of 35 in those 7 games.
In 2018 he averaged 25 passes and only broke 35 one time, in the bowl game.
It certainly looks like Shea could be the qb to go for 400 a game. But we will never know unless the OC game plans for it.
January 6th, 2019 at 2:09 PM ^
I always wondered why Chris Berman didn't go for the obvious Frank "Lloyd" Reich. He's drawing up some plans for a comeback.
January 6th, 2019 at 3:10 PM ^
Michigan hasn't thrown for 300 yards (let alone 400) since Speight against Maryland in 2016.
January 6th, 2019 at 3:15 PM ^
Here's the problem--you can run a zillion different sets when you're a pro team. You practice every day, your players are at the facility every day. When they aren't lifting, they're watching tape and mastering your 150 page playbook. They do football all day, every day.
College kids are restricted to, I believe, 25 hours of practice a week. They've got classes to take and study for. Many also have jobs, since they don't get paid and still need money because they're college kids with college kid expenses. THEY DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO MASTER A 150 PAGE PLAYBOOK AND DRILL TO EXECUTE MULTIPLE OFFENSIVE SYSTEMS. This is why the best college offenses master a single system then add plays as needed for specific opponents. This is what we need to do.
January 6th, 2019 at 8:04 PM ^
If the offense only changes to just get the 3 receivers the ball in space, the output will go way up. Michigan has one of the best receiving groups in the country.