The value of the Anchor position
The main idea of this video, done by Beelzebub, was to show the importance of leverage and the problems caused when it's lacking.
There's a couple of plays where the Safety does a great job of keeping the ball carrier inside where there's teammates to help, making the ball carrier easier to stop.
While does show great plays by the Safety, it also perfectly shows the value of a good Strong Side Defensive End aka Anchor.
When you have a great one, they can be counted on to set the edge on their side.
This allows the Safeties to help in other areas and with other responsibilities, makes the LBs' jobs a lot easier to fly to the ball, and helps the WDEs by sending traffic their way or slowing the runners up enough for them to Chase them down from behind when running to the opposite .
Also opponents are then less probable to run plays to that side because of a decreased likelihood of success, thus condensing the field even more helping various blitzes and vipers get home.
Anchors don't get a lot of stats (see the anchors opposite Bosa and Chase Young's stats) but they affect the game more than stats show.
Long post short: We are really missing a healthy Rashan...and Bush and Wino and the '17 Hudson, and Peppers and Wormley while we're at it.
September 27th, 2019 at 10:44 AM ^
Their also probably missing a healthy Graham, Taylor and Branch.
September 27th, 2019 at 10:50 AM ^
And a healthy Harmon.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:41 PM ^
And a Harbaugh.
September 27th, 2019 at 1:31 PM ^
Gary was injured all of last year and the fan base killed him for not putting up video game sack numbers.
Knowledgeable football fans understood what a phenomenal job he did setting the edge on the run and maintaining contain on the qb’s pocket.
Chase and Bush had ridiculous stats, but Rashan’s gap contain and assignment responsible technique allowed for the rest of the D to fly all over freely.
I’m sure healthy Rashan, even when getting double teamed, could have had a few more bend around the tackle speed sacks, but don’t let the lack of highlight plays fool you...he was as important as anyone on that defense.
Reality is, to be elite you need a dominant front 4. Clemson and Bama have had it for years now, and OSU isn’t far behind - (OSU’s back half has been their weakness in recent years)
September 27th, 2019 at 10:46 AM ^
Also missing Branch, Foote, Gold, Jones, Mone, Graham, Sword, Woodson .....
/s just fuckin with ya OP ..... it's Friday
September 27th, 2019 at 11:33 AM ^
No offense taken, It's funny stuff.
I was actually going to jokingly do the same, but I just stopped at Peppers.
September 27th, 2019 at 10:50 AM ^
Rashan wasn’t a glitzy player here but he was so remarkably consistent. He basically never screwed up.
September 27th, 2019 at 10:56 AM ^
He was undervalued as an anchor as well, most don't get that he freed up Chase to basically just chase around everyone without contain responsibility.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:31 AM ^
Yea ppl really didn’t/don’t understand how consistently and dominantly he shit down runs to his side because sacks and QBs rushes are so much cooler. But he almost never lost contain including when teams would try to double and a few times triple him.
September 27th, 2019 at 1:02 PM ^
Sometimes you shit down runs and sometimes the shits run down.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:01 AM ^
Except the opening Barkley TD against PSU in '17 if I remember right.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:11 AM ^
That game was such a mess on both sides of the ball that I turned it off and never looked at it in detail. That's the game that made me come to terms with the possibility that Harbaugh isn't some irreplaceable future legend.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:41 AM ^
That game conversely and painfully confirmed to me, up close and all too personal, that Barkley was indeed just that.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:59 PM ^
While he was held on that play, I don't know if he would have caught up to Barkley, in the backfield, for a stop had he not been held. That was a fantastic play design. And it never worked again. Rashan got whooped, downloaded it to long term memory, and kicked the shit out of it ever since...
September 27th, 2019 at 11:00 AM ^
You cannot lose contain. We did a huge way on Jonathan Taylor's 72 yd td. DE's learn to set the edge in little league, so I'm not sure why we are playing so undisciplined right now.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:06 AM ^
I think it's a case of trying-too-hard. They feel pressure to do something, so they try to be a hero instead of play sound football within the scheme, which usually has the opposite effect that you want and you get a JT 72yd TD in your face. They need to loosen up and play smart & fast within the scheme.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:01 PM ^
On a side note. Johnathon Taylor. What a beast. Man child. A dude that big that will flat out break your back if he gets a step on you. Either that or our safeties are really slow.... ?
September 27th, 2019 at 12:22 PM ^
He can definitely run. LaVert Hill is pretty fast and he wasn't making up any ground on him.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:32 PM ^
Edited: wrong spot.
September 27th, 2019 at 1:15 PM ^
He's probably the best football player in the country. That alone should require an extra focus to stay gap disciplined.
September 27th, 2019 at 6:37 PM ^
When is Michigan going to have the best player in the country?
September 27th, 2019 at 6:32 PM ^
Jonathan Taylor ran a faster 100m than Saquon Barkley in HS and Saquon ran 4.3 in the combine. You can guess how fast JT runs
September 27th, 2019 at 12:01 PM ^
On a side note. Johnathon Taylor. What a beast. Man child. A dude that big that will flat out break your back if he gets a step on you. Either that or our safeties are really slow.... ?
September 27th, 2019 at 12:33 PM ^
Charbonnet has close to that upside with a good OL and a couple years of seasoning.
Otherwise, it's just poor damn ZC.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:14 AM ^
so the anchor position is sinking us?
September 27th, 2019 at 11:43 AM ^
Precisely +1
September 27th, 2019 at 11:24 AM ^
I don't know why some people neg'd this. Much better than most posts on here this week.
Plus he referred to Urban Liar as Beelzebub , not simply the devil or satan
I think it's dead on to finally appreciate Gary's low key bring your lunch pail MO
September 27th, 2019 at 11:48 AM ^
I didn't neg it, but maybe I should have because it's just a bunch of randomness. The video has nothing to do with the Anchor position, and the Anchor position has nothing to do with where Michigan was losing leverage.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:29 AM ^
what's the value of having truly elite-talent players at every position, depth behind them that's just as elite, experience and veteran leadership, good coaching and excellent game plans to take away the other team's advantages? hold on let me call Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and Ohio State...brb.
We need a good anchor. We also need a lot of other stuff. Right now it feels like we need training wheels and some bagmen.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:31 AM ^
Yeah but didn't Gary play mostly on the end ?
September 27th, 2019 at 11:45 AM ^
I’m pretty sure Tyquan Lewis and Chase Young were still near the top 1/3rd in terms of stats when they played opposite of Joey Bosa and Nick Bosa respectively.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:48 AM ^
Was Dremont Jones an anchor when the Bosa's were there?
September 27th, 2019 at 12:01 PM ^
Chase Young plays WDE, Nick Bosa's position. Chase did good while rotating with Nick, the took over when Nick shut it down.
Cooper and I think Landers played opposite.
They played a different type of defense when older Bosa and Tyquan were there.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:09 PM ^
I think I'm getting it now. So question then, if it's supposed to be a run gobbler, blocker-taker on guy, why was he so far upfield at times that allowed for the QB to step up and make a throw? The ND game especially seemed bad in that respect.
September 27th, 2019 at 6:40 PM ^
He did that a lot
September 27th, 2019 at 7:29 PM ^
You understand that they don't play in Don Brown's system right?
September 27th, 2019 at 11:46 AM ^
Didn't his Hello Post compare him to Ndamukong Suh? Maybe that's where the expectations came from.
September 27th, 2019 at 1:45 PM ^
The thing with Gary is people expected him to dominate but he rarely was.
He seemed like a high effort player and good person but he was not better than a Woodley, Graham or even a Frank Clark.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:47 AM ^
WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT...
What does this video have to do with the Anchor position? The only time Michigan's Anchor is mentioned in the video, it's Aidan Hutchinson and Urban Meyer says he did a great job.
If you even watched the video, I don't think you understood it.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:06 PM ^
He just said he did a good job, but he really didn't do the great job Rashan used to consistently do.
Aidan was doubled, pushed, and pinned inside and was a non factor. Which made Metellus come down and set the edge.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:23 PM ^
Have you searched to find any plays where Rashan Gary got double-teamed and didn't make the initial tackle?
FWIW, Aidan Hutchinson is currently #1 on the team in tackles for loss, while Rashan Gary finished #9, #5, and #4 on the team in his three seasons.
September 27th, 2019 at 12:50 PM ^
What I'm saying is the ends aren't being trusted like when Rashan was in there. A partial reason why Hudson got beat on that pass.
Rashan let Bush flow and make those plays. Now safety Metellus has to worry. Throws them out of wack.
That play you mentioned, the way Gary stood them up, Khaleke would be free to make that tackle because Rashan rarely got sealed. Now you see Levert as the last line of the defense on the end where it used to be the ends.
Let me guess, Gary was behind Wino, Bush and Hudson that last year and probably them and Hurst. Then Taco, and Wormley too that first year.
Aidan played Army and Wisconsin FWIW. Gary and Bush were beasts against Air Force.
September 27th, 2019 at 1:37 PM ^
What play did I mention?
Your posts are all over the place. I can't follow what you're talking about. Yes, Hutchinson played Army, Wisconsin, and MTSU...
Gary made 7 tackles and 1.5 tackles against a 5-7 Air Force team. Hutchinson made 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss on a (so far) 3-1 Army team. I don't understand your point...
September 27th, 2019 at 2:30 PM ^
As a team, they are getting far less TFL's, so he probably does lead. Aidan had the same TFL's and played inside too so I'm guessing a lot of those tackles were on the fullback.
Hudson un-noticeably leads the team in Tackles, where before he was getting TFL's bc Gary caused so much attention it let him be free, like Wormley did for Peppers.
The plays were much easier to stop for TFLs when they could gamble, bc they trusted it wasn't going to be stretched or bounced outside causing the corners and Safeties to come up where it used to be LB Bush.
September 27th, 2019 at 11:51 AM ^
When did it become the anchor position? Or is it just a Michigan football thing?
September 27th, 2019 at 1:36 PM ^
Gary>>>Hutchinson
Winovich >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Paye
That is all.
September 27th, 2019 at 1:44 PM ^
well, I'd like to also add that Mattison was pretty freaking good
September 27th, 2019 at 1:47 PM ^
Yep. Mattison was just so-so as a defensive coordinator, but he is/was one of the top few defensive line coaches in the entire country.
September 27th, 2019 at 2:20 PM ^
So at least Ohio State isn't using him efficiently, since he's not coaching their DL but is their defensive coordinator. Yay?
September 27th, 2019 at 4:25 PM ^
Unfortunately, Ohio State has one of the few DL coaches I would place ahead of him in Larry Johnson, Sr. And Mattison is helped out by the ridiculous talent in the defensive backfield, so even if he's not the best DC, some of that 5-star talent on the back end like Jeffrey Okudah and Joshua Proctor is going to make plays.