Michigan Football, Team 140, 2019 Season

[Whitley]

Lifted the link from mgo .........

Phil Steel, cranking up his 2019 CFB season predictions says M wins the BIG East, the BTCCG, enters the CFP and loses to Clemson in the first round. Alabama beats Clemson in the NC contest.

https://thespun.com/big-ten/michigan...on-phil-steele

Except Michigan has not shown an ability to beat very good/elite teams under Harbaugh.

The offensive line is a question mark until proven otherwise

RB is very inexperienced and how deep are they really

WR has talent but they have to stay healthy and get open

I will believe Gattis has the keys to the offense when I see it

Defense lost a lot of very good talent too and you have question the scheme a bit after they got torched against OSU and Florida

Still think the best case is 9-3 would be surprised at 8-4 and with some bad luck 7-5

[Jeff Buchanan]

This is a really good article on a couple of levels. First, and I'll get to a brief summary of the Zone Read Triple Option Offense that might describes M's under Gattis in 2019), is how do you defend this offense that has grown from ufm's (add Dan Mullen's UF offense) IZ/OZ run-centric offense to the brilliantly executed pass first version that shredded Don Brown's offense in 2018.

The preferred way to stop the zone-read



Read that paragraph above carefully. That is exactly what it appeared to me was going on in the 2018 M/osu game. The article makes what bringing in a skilled QB that can move past the traditional triple option ("dive, keep, pitch) and be quick enough and good enough to command the short, bubble screen and deep vertical passing game where speedy receivers are coming from all over a formation.

Can Patterson become this guy in a Gattis RPO offense? Remains to be seen but from what we've seen he has the tools.

RPOs really came into the public consciousness when Auburn caught Alabama with that famous play back in the 2013 Iron Bowl. Since then, RPOs have been more about having a QB execute a pass standing in the pocket as an option (Harbaugh without using formations for getting Patterson enough space to throw into short), but skilled and athletic QBs like pump fake Purdy (Iowa State)(Is Shea Patterson that guy and will Gattis not be hamstrung by JH who insists on using the FB?).

https://www.footballstudyhall.com/20...source=twitter

[Jeff Buchanan]

This is kinda interesting. It's Taylor Lewan describing techniques for the LT position. Lewan was a dominant player in college - the average fan has no clue why the LT position is so important and what that means to a team's success on offense. While a quick releasing QB - all the rage these days - would seem to lessen the importance of the LT position in pass protection, watching this film study where Lewan at LT is protecting Marcus Mariotta, it's pretty clear it doesn't.

The video also shows how important coordination among the OL - knowing what the C, Gs and RB are doing on a given play - is. Worth watching. (I got the link from perusing mgoboard).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWhuw2rNWFI&feature=player_embedded

[Jeff Buchanan]

Not startling, the Freep is picking M to win the BIG Ten ...... along with every book and a host of other sports writers. I hate it.

I'd like to create a history of Michigan football teams that have, either on paper, or in actuality by talent level, been picked to win something in the CFB world and it doesn't happen. I'd bet a lot of times.

I've seen plenty of the predictions and thought about posting them here but, IMO, those predictions are not realistic. M has the offensive talent,........

From mgoboard: "........but there are so many questions and holes throughout the line-up. We have a brand new OC, we lost a ton of NFL talent from last year including most of our key defensive players, we have no depth on the D-line and questionable personnel being keyed in as starters in that group, and our running backs are Tru Wilson and a host of unproven guys. I kind of want the media to shut up and let the team prove itself game by game. After how we finished last season, we do not deserve any hype.

Could not have said it better myself.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2019/07/17/big-ten-football-predictions-michigan/1745829001/

[Whitley]

Yep....I can see this team being 7-5 with a couple bad breaks. Still see them saddled with at least 3 losses (Army, ND and Notre Dame)

[WM Wolverine]

I really like the talent this season, I see a 9 win floor despite a very tough schedule. 4 games against the top 11...

I have high expectations and hope Gattis delivers as OC. Still, brutal schedule in a tough division/league means you need to win those head-to-head battles against the Buckeyes, Sparty and Nittany lions to win the tiebreaker. Leaning 10-2 over 9-3 and have a tough time seeing them win 11+ in regular season.

[Whitley]

I really like the talent this season, I see a 9 win floor despite a very tough schedule. 4 games against the top 11...

I have high expectations and hope Gattis delivers as OC. Still, brutal schedule in a tough division/league means you need to win those head-to-head battles against the Buckeyes, Sparty and Nittany lions to win the tiebreaker. Leaning 10-2 over 9-3 and have a tough time seeing them win 11+ in regular season.

9 wins is their absolute ceiling. Nothing that has happened this offseason makes me think Michigan is capable of beating ANY top flight program. Not sure they are going to sweep @Wisky, @Penn State and vs. MSU either.

[lineygoblue]

I think they have a better chance of losing at home to ND than they do to Sparty. I'm not saying 9-3 isn't probable. I just don't think Sparty is as big a threat as they have been in the past. Michigan has caught and surpassed them in overall team talent.

[WM Wolverine]

I've Sparty and the Nittany Lions not quite as good as some project them. Wisconsin is down a ton imo however Iowa looks as good as they've looked in a long time, they are my team to win the West. M should win 3 of these 4...

ND, Buckeyes are strong top 10 teams that both could go to the CFP. M could play well and lose both, but I see a split as add more likely.

[Jeff Buchanan]

There is so much TBD going into the season it's really hard to pick the outcomes of the games with teams that M has to beat to win the East. Most of us, and I include myself, are biased by what happened in M's last two games in the 2018 season and by the past decade of suck. But this is an entirely new season that will feature a new OC calling plays that, if things go like they should, will improve M's offensive efficiency.

The offense will be better. The defense? Lots of talent and experience gone, replaced by players whose production is unknown and hard to predict. The talent in all phases of the game are there though. The biggest question for me is how good is Don Brown? Can he take what's on the roster and make it into a formidable defense? I'm not sure that Brown's approach hasn't been eclipsed by innovative offensive coaches. He doesn't seem like a guy that will change his stripes. That's a worry to me. It makes the outcomes of games that M has to win to get a championship and, on paper, M should win pure guess work. At the same time, it's not unlikely they may lose those key games (@PSU, MSU, osu) because M can't stop teams from scoring.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Harbaugh "guarantees" M will win the conference at BIG Media Day today. .........




Hah, Hah not really but that's what's bouncing around mgoboard. Don't bother to read any of the posts in that thread on this.

[lineygoblue]

Harbaugh should have left off the part about Meyer leaving behind controversy. It may be true, but he didn't need to say it. He needs to learn when to shaddup.

Interesting that Michigan may be 'playing a game on foreign soil'. I imagine that's going to go over well with the season ticket holders. I just hope its not ND in Ireland.

Another interesting quote was Harbaugh stating that both Patterson and McCaffery will play 'at important times'. I hope that's a sign that McCaffery is pushing Patterson, and is actually earning that playing time, and not just getting mop up time.

Defensively, we don't return a lot of starters, but there are 8 guys coming back who have starting experience. What that means is that they may have started a game or two, and also had significant playing time. They're not bringing in a bunch of guys with no game experience.

Was watching ESPN's "Get Up" this morning, and the hosts could not resist talking about Harbaugh returning to the NFL. They still think it will eventually happen. I don't believe it will. Harbaugh will finish his coaching career at Michigan. He'd likely be considered for AD if Manuel moves on. But, I don't see that happening either. Manuel is there for the long term.

[WM Wolverine]

McCaffrey I saw last season was ready to start for half the B1G.

[Hannibal]

The foreign soil game will be an exhibition game against the Saskatchewan Rough Riders.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Harbaugh made a comment at the BIG Ten media day that M was close to announcing a football game to be played on "foreign soil."

Of course this sparked all kinds of mgobard comments. Don't bother.

UmBig - a known reliable source - said the game was going to be v. a service academy in London. Still lots of legit questions surrounding this. Season ticket holders will be rightfully pissed off if this is a home game and Manuel is giving this away for a game in London. It's also dumb from a revenue standpoint. Why would one give up a game in the largest football stadium in the US that routinely sells out it's home games for no guarantee the revenue from the lost home game is going to get replaced in any suitable London venue? Crazy...... besides, who in the AD has a hard-on for the fucking service academies let alone playing them in London with a +6 hour time difference.