What about keeping coaching staff basically in place?
TLDR; if 2018 is supposed to be "The Year," does it make sense to keep the coaches in place for the sake of consistency and not disrupting the progress?
Over the course of the season, there's been a lot of talk about how Harbaugh needs to make coaching changes on offense. The comparison writeup of Harbs, Meyer, D'antonio, and Franklin showed S&P+ regression on offensive ranking. Various comments of "too many cooks in the kitchen," and Harbaugh should give Drevno, Pep, or both a "firm handshake", maybe go after Jedd Fisch...et cetera, et cetera.
In general I've been in agreement. But I wonder if keeping the staff in place might make sense for one more year to keep the progress going instead of introducing a new playbook and coaching style at this juncture. If Peters earned the starting QB job with his performance against Rutgers, did Drevno earn the right to stay with the gameplan vs. OSU?
I also remember discussion that some of the OL struggles earlier were about being able to execute timing on plays where several things are required to happen in sequence. This sounds like a big change in the playbook might be 2 steps back for us.
Is it too risky to make a big offensive change at this point? Do we shoot ourselves in the foot by bringing in a new OC or PGC?
Caveat: I understand Pep or others may get hired by other teams, but that's not what I'm talking about. That may happen, but if not, should Harbaugh keep his staff in place?
November 27th, 2017 at 2:32 PM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 6:00 PM ^
I hear you and don't disagree with the "let's just leave it to Harbaugh". First of all, no matter what we say or think, it is, in fact, up to Harbaugh. That said, there are some questions I would like answered, and, in my opinion, deserve discussing if we are going to form opinions about the coaching staff and structure of the coaching responsibilities:
(1) Why did we run IZ so much early in the season? Presumably we abandoned it because it wasn't working... but what was the thinking that led to spending practice time on it in the spring/fall practices? Someone must have thought it would work. Who thought that, and why? And, given the fact that it didn't work, why didn't it work? Are the players unsuited/unable? Coaching issue? "Youth" issue?
(2) Why did JBB not win the RT job in Fall practice? What was seen/not seen between Ulizio/JBB that had JBB start the season on the bench? Who made that decision? Ulizio didn't even see the field after being benched for JBB... a number of other OL made game appearances, but I don't remember from watching or UFR that Ulizio ever even appeared again. What changed? Was it just game performance? If so, for what other positions is practice performance not matching up with game performance?
(3) Similar to (1), but with a different tone (as the defense was awesome all year), what was the deal with the 3-3-5? It was a revelation against Florida, then basically disappered over the season. That disappearance coincided with Bush's reduced sack rate. Cause/Effect, or just correlation? I thought the 3-3-5 was effective, at least early in the season when it was deployed. Why did we move away from it? Obviously the 4-2-5 we primarily went to worked great, but how much practice time was spent on the 3-3-5 in the spring/fall for it ultimately not to be a big part of what we did overall?
I'm not complaining, and I'm not pointing fingers. I'm just noting three things that reflect coaching decisions and approaches. I know it doesn't matter what I, or any of us, think of how Harbaugh hires/fires/manages his coaches, but I think we have the resources, talent, and tradition to be great on a sustained basis. Getting there, taking that last step, is a huge challenge. I'm interested in following our progress on that challenge, and bettering my knowledge of football along the way.
Hence, I respectfully submit the above honest questions.
November 27th, 2017 at 9:12 PM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 2:32 PM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 2:33 PM ^
I think it's inevitable that some of the coaches will leave for promotions elsewhere (rather than laterally) I'm fully in favor of keeping the staff intact. The playcalling was pretty effective over the second half of the season and especially late in the year, and the breakdowns will smooth out as all the 1st and 2nd year players mature.
November 27th, 2017 at 2:37 PM ^
... who the hell deserves a bloody "promotion"..
you high bro ?!?!
November 27th, 2017 at 2:42 PM ^
Yeah, but I'm thinking way more rationally than you are, kid.
November 27th, 2017 at 3:12 PM ^
Your post history is even worse than I suspected. I'm willing to bet you will find yourself in Bolivia in the very near future.
November 27th, 2017 at 3:22 PM ^
Yeah - this is the guy (GordonG) that openly pined for Mike Leach to replace Harbaugh. And he defended that statement in several follow-ups to that post! His opinion means nothing to me...
November 27th, 2017 at 4:07 PM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 2:33 PM ^
That's what Mgoblog gets following the "shut down"
November 27th, 2017 at 3:13 PM ^
But that's an arcus cloud, not a tsunami.
November 27th, 2017 at 3:25 PM ^
Hi Dwight
November 27th, 2017 at 3:26 PM ^
Hello, Jim.
November 27th, 2017 at 3:33 PM ^
You're an arcus cloud
November 27th, 2017 at 2:34 PM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 2:45 PM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 2:35 PM ^
HELL NO !!!!!
November 27th, 2017 at 3:15 PM ^
Why not? We would have beaten everyone except PSU with slightly better QB play on one of the youngest teams in FBS.
You spout a bunch of 'rah-rah' bullshit and none of it is informative.
November 27th, 2017 at 4:16 PM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 4:37 PM ^
...he was the backup QB, courtesy of JH's grading system/meritocracy. JOK was so bad, however, that he was replaced by the #3 QB, Brandon Peters, even though Peters had had little opportunity to practice or play with the 1st team.
November 27th, 2017 at 4:41 PM ^
He was always 3rd in talent and by the time he played against Wisconsin and OSU he was 3rd string on the depth chart. It's accurate to call him our 3rd string QB.
November 27th, 2017 at 8:11 PM ^
First of all he was not "always" 3rd in talent. We had little to no idea how good Peters could be up until the coaches finally put him in. Obviously the coaches had a lot more info so the fact that they still thought O'Korn was the better option is pretty inexplicable. People on here saying Peters "wasn't ready" are nuts. The dude had been with the program for over a year and a half and but it was those 4 extra weeks this fall that made the difference? I'm no coaching expert but that doesn't sound right. The coaches clearly thought O'Korn was the better option and then they had to bench their chosen 2nd string QB for their 3rd stringer when it became clear O'Korn couldn't hack it.
November 27th, 2017 at 4:40 PM ^
I know we do this every year, and that this is true for many teams, but this 2017 Michigan team was only a handful of single plays from 11-1. I realize that it doesn't always feel like this, but this team, as young as it is, is so close. A proper JOK read to Gentry on our first drive and/or the Ty Isaac fumble against MSU. The PI call and the Peters hit against Wisconsin. The Metellus dropped INT or the improbable missed PBU between Watson and Kinnel that kept a scoring drive alive against OSU. Yes, the reality is we were 8-4 and you get no credit for being almost 11-1, but the fact that such a young team was so close to more speaks volumes about the coaching and talent that we have.
November 27th, 2017 at 6:46 PM ^
So was Indiana
November 27th, 2017 at 2:38 PM ^
I am not sure 2018 is "The Year" with road games @ND, @MSU and @OSU. Not to mention we are also @RU for our rivalry game.
November 27th, 2017 at 2:40 PM ^
Next year's next year remains "the year".
November 27th, 2017 at 2:40 PM ^
stand right now, if there is going to be "The Year" anytime soon it will be in 2019 or 2020. Last year needed to be "The Year" if we were going to have one for a while, and as Brian said, "it was until it wasn't."
November 27th, 2017 at 2:47 PM ^
Eventually you just have to win the games.
Expectations for a 8-4/9-3 year are probably correct, but it would be nice for the team to overperform for a change.
2018 would be a great year for Harbaugh to dispell the road game, rivalry and underdog woes for good.
November 27th, 2017 at 2:54 PM ^
2019 is the year.* 2018 is the year before the year. So, if we are going to make any coaching changes we should make them now and go into 2019 with continuity.
* Unless it doesn't work out, then we're looking at 2021 as the year since the 2020 schedule looks brutal. And if that doesn't work out, we are playing Chip Kelly's UCLA teams that will be hitting their stride in 2022/2023 so maybe 2024. Except that year we have Texas who will be fully rebuilt under Tom Herman so actually if 2019 and 2021 don't work out then 2025 is 100% for sure the year.
/s
November 27th, 2017 at 2:40 PM ^
also @ NW..
who will be no cakewalk either
I see 8 - 4 or 9 - 3 next year because of the OL and younger QB
2019 will be the year to make a championship run, if one is to be made
November 27th, 2017 at 2:44 PM ^
Expecting 9-3ish type of year. Just too many road games against teams who will also improve.
November 27th, 2017 at 3:03 PM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 2:49 PM ^
You'll have to excuse me if I am not afraid of going to the unfriendly confines of Ryan Field to play the talented juggernaut that is Northwestern Football. They got smoked by Duke this year, went to OT with Iowa, only beat Nebraska by 7 and only beat Maryland by 4. They had a good year this year, but they will never improve to the point of being a team that we can't push off the ball and kill slowly.
November 27th, 2017 at 3:06 PM ^
I'm not sure why some people are including NW in the "Road Hell" games for next year. Michigan has soundly beaten them year in and out (except Rodriguez, who only faced them one year and lost 21-14). I don't think they are much to worry about next year, home or away. Michigan is 10-2 against the Wildcats since 2000, and 22-4 since 1980.
November 27th, 2017 at 3:14 PM ^
Bc Michigan fans are largely pessimists and are looking at Northwestern having a better record than us this year without looking at the context of who they played and what their games were like and they aren't considering the fact that they play in a high school stadium that will be 50/50 Michigan fans for that game.
November 27th, 2017 at 3:43 PM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 4:08 PM ^
Your comment about basing future results off the current season - is that to argue that Northwestern could be better or worse? I'm not sure I see the relevance of that comment to what I said above? Records don't change the talent on the teams and the coach on the sidelines, which remains the greatest predictor of present and future success. The fact is that Michigan will always have better talent and coaching than Northwestern (and MSU) and should expect to win every game against them, barring some extreme circumstances. That doesn't mean it will happen, but it does mean that a reasonable person should expect it to happen.
As to your last point, you often pick quarrels with me on here, but arguing that Michigan fans are some kind of wide-eyed, level-headed optimists seems to be a particularly foolish fight to pick. You would be hard-pressed to find a less rationale and more negative fan base in Power 5 football.
November 27th, 2017 at 4:28 PM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 6:20 PM ^
I could be wearing my Michigan goggles, but I do not fear Michigan State next year. I truly believe they got lucky this year against us. As soon as I saw we were expecting a storm, I had a very bad feeling about that game. Okorn is Okorn, and we just had everything going against us that game. Sure, Michigan State took advantage of the bad weather and played smart and tough. I strongly believe if we had a competent quarterback we would have beaten Michigan State if we had halfway decent weather that game.
November 27th, 2017 at 6:31 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 3:38 AM ^
It's not exactly an advantage but it does absolutely turn the game more into a coin flip than best team wins. For as bad as O'Korn was, half of his interceptions came in the MSU game.
November 28th, 2017 at 7:50 AM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 6:36 PM ^
Is being hampered by your Michigan goggles.
November 27th, 2017 at 6:22 PM ^
Sorry, it made a double post.
November 27th, 2017 at 11:18 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 7:52 AM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 3:43 PM ^
"...high school stadium that will be 50/50 Michigan fans..." is a spot on description. If anyone hasn't made that trip, it is highly recommended. No hassel or ridicule from the opposing fans, and a great place to visit. It's a home away from home for the Michigan team and fans.
November 27th, 2017 at 3:21 PM ^
November 27th, 2017 at 11:30 PM ^
We will have several NFL early entrants candidates after next year, so next year has to be the year.