Rutgers @ Michigan, Saturday, September 28th, Noon EDT, BTN/Fox Video

[Jeff Buchanan]

Here's another post from TTB. It get's right into the stuff I'm talking about and the question of whether Patterson is either not capable or not empowered to make the reads that appear are on offer to him. The comments section of the post are also useful. There is a comment there that suggests Harbaugh has never liked his QBs to make changes at the line. His motto is execute the play call to the ONE guy that is designed to get the ball. The thinking is that as the season, or the game itself, progresses and he gains trust in the QB, his options expand; if he believes the QB can't make the reads or sift through the options pre-snap, he restricts them from doing so.

We're left, then, with the question is Patterson not capable or is he capable but not empowered. My take, purely speculative as it is, is that he is capable and is not empowered. If true, it's killing the offense. Add in to that play design that is sketchy to begin with and Harbaugh is facing a shit sandwich.

I'm an optimist. These are all smart coaches and smart players. We're on the outside trying to put the pieces together and guess. They are on the inside and have all the information they need to see what the problems are and work them out. It appears it might take a while. Maybe Patterson's light bulb will click on in the Gattis offense (assuming he's actually capable and is empowered) or the coaches will figure out the problem is of their making in play design and in-game communications and correct it. I have to admit, the Rutgers game offers a good testing opportunity although it bothers me it's taking this long to install this Gattis (life without Loxley) offense and get everyone on the same page.

https://touch-the-banner.com/snapshots-passing-game-confusion/

[hack]

Hack, here's a thought on your football viewing options: I did a 5d trial subscription to YouTubeTV. I'm in Seattle so my "home" stations feature the local channels here and everything else that the YouTube feed provides in the Seatle Zip Code. It includes the BTN which I don't have in ATL or FTL.

When you select the BTN, I can stream live. The Rutgers game is on the schedule for Saturday at 9am local (PST). I had mentioned to you that it looked like the football games had been packaged with BTN+. I don't think that is the case .... just some of M sports. I'll see tomorrow morning when I open YouTube TV in my Chrome book and see if I can stream the Rutgers game.

After I signed up for the trial and gave a credit card #, I went to the YouTube home page and cancelled the trial to avoid an auto-charge to my CC on October 1st.

Thanks for this, Jeff. Thot you were in Atlanta? Anyhow, you mentioned B10 content on fox last week, and that was great as I hadn't know that but do have access. The odd thing Saturday is that streaming through the Fox app gave me poorer picture quality than following the links on reddit's CFB streams page.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Some final thoughts.......

After three games, this is not a good Michigan football team. I think this team has the potential to be similar to the worst teams Hoke or Rodriguez fielded. Both of these coaches had M teams that featured either terrible defenses - the RR teams in particular - or offenses that made no sense - the Al Borges period with Hoke. All the signs are there for team 140 to have issues on offense and defense.

Here's what to look for:

Shea Patterson will start. He has to become functional in the Gattis offense with his zone reads and RPOs. Is he empowered to make the reads? Does he make them and execute? You'll be able to tell if the offense moves the chains and strings together drives. Does he get rid of the ball when he should?

Look for Gattis to make play-calls that make sense. Is he making calls that keep the Rutgers defense off balance? For example, on standard downs is there variability? Does he avoid the predictability that gets the offense off schedule early in a series? Does he upgrade his vertical passing game? Does he employ the slants and drags that should be featured in a speed in space offense we expected?

Brown has problems at DT. He's employed some schemes that are intended to mitigate those problems. The problem has been poor execution, poor gap discipline and over-aggressiveness causing defenders to over-run the offensive play. Look for the LBs/Ss to improve on their gap discipline. This is key to Brown's scheme that I label as a 2-4-5. There will be an opportunity for Rutger's to punish over-aggressiveness: LBs bite on play-fakes and vacate their zones allowing completions of slants and crossing routes. Rutgers finds ways to screw with M's defensive keys that creates unfilled gaps for RBs to run through and into the second level unimpeded.

If the problems that have beset team 140 persist, M can lose this game. If they get some but not all of them fixed, this game could be close. If they improve in all the areas I've listed above, this will be a comfortable win. Haven't seen anything to change my mind this week. Sticking with my 2 part prediction. M won't lose but it could be close, like 20-18 (45%). M wins comfortably 35-17 (55%).

[Jeff Buchanan]

Gattis is on the sideline, not in the booth.

[lineygoblue]

Jeff - I wish I could tell you to cheer the f#*k up like you did me last week .. .. but I can't. I see Michigan winning, but it will be an uncomfortable, ugly win. I agree Patterson will play, but I see Gattis simplifying the offense for him, and in doing so he may over-simplify, which will play into the hands of a determined Rutgers team.

Michigan probably has enough on defense to stop Rutgers from winning, but again, it will be ugly. Its going to be rainy and wet today, so we can expect sloppy play by both teams.

I'll stick with my prediction of something like Michigan 34, Rutgers 16.

[Jeff Buchanan]

That was an improvement. Patterson look sharp. Nice tempo. Can't tell if the reads on that drive were there. Off the top of my head, I don't think there were any .... maybe pre-snap. Hard to tell.

[Kstat]

[Kstat]

Shea sacks himself for a 3 yard loss running out of bounds.

[Jeff Buchanan]

That was DPJ. So, yeah.

Still, over-all, two decent drives. First time we've seen a nice set-up by Gattis on the Patterson keep TD. Beats three failed running plays into the the center. Note, the keeper TD was a perfect ZR by Shea with the edge protector crashing inside.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Last two Rutger's plays are examples of punishing Brown aggresiveness and hitting the uncovered area in the middle.

[Jeff Buchanan]

This is a good drive by Rutgers with Ash advantaging his offense by quick hitting the empty middle zone and pressure not getting to the QB. Also, Brown switched to zone once and Sitkowski hit in front of it on a crossing route that got a first. So, D still having issue.

[Kstat]

Last two Rutger's plays are examples of punishing Brown aggresiveness and hitting the uncovered area in the middle.

[Kstat]

[Jeff Buchanan]

That was a bad series for Patterson. Gattis was pissed about something but couldn't see who he was yelling at. Think it might have been Black who ran the wrong route.

[Kstat]