Michigan Football, the 2020 Abbreviated COVID Season

[WM Wolverine]

ND's gamelan against us was awful, they added salt on their wounds by over protecting the edge at the expense of getting gashed up the middle. Their linebackers made M's running game look way better than what I see going forward.

Offensive playbook has evolved alot in season, most obvious is the run plays that look straight from the last seasons playbook. Gattis' is a first year offensive coordinator, first year play caller, some transition costs were expected. If M played Penn State and Wisconsin again, good chance they'd win one of them. I don't care who gets blame/credit for the running game, I'm just glad the issues were resolved by the coaching staff. I'd hypothesize that Harbaugh/Warinner have far more control/input on the running game and offensive game plan.

[iam416]

Co-signed.

I'm not a fan of that. I will revisit my post to see where I went wrong.

ND's gamelan against us was awful, they added salt on their wounds by over protecting the edge at the expense of getting gashed up the middle. Their linebackers made M's running game look way better than what I see going forward.

Yeah. I mean, any defense should be able to take away one thing you do. You should be able to stop the run. The only question is how vulnerable that leaves you against the pass. In that weather and those conditions I would have an extra man in the box on every play. I would have dared M to pass. And if you can't stop them doing that then your defense is just shit.

[drok]

The key is the PSU game. If they were a more well oiled machine instead of just putting things together, we probably win that game and we'd still be in the conversation for the division

[Jeff Buchanan]

........And if you can't stop them doing that then your defense is just shit.

Well, ND went into AA ranked #11 in ESPN's Power rankings (Backward looking) and #19 overall, offense #13, Defense #35 in S&P+ (Forward looking) They dropped to #14 Power, #25 overall, offense #22, Defense #38 in S&P+ after the loss to M.

So, they had looked good, not great and no one was thinking their #8 ranking AP/Coaches polls was warranted before they faced M in AA and the result showed they were over-rated.

But Kelly's game plan on both sides of the ball v. M in 2019 contributed to that shit-show and it equaled the shittyness of M's in two previous noteworthy and catastrophic M road losses to osu in 2018 and Wisconsin in 2019. His team got pantsed much like M did in similar losses because, as most observers agreed then, of poor preparation.

Pretty clear to me that ND put Booke in an untenable position trying to pass and that overall Kelley laid a huge turd in not having available and practiced a decent run game as plan B given the very solid weather forecast of heavy rain during the game. You have to give credit to Brown, though, for how he deployed his minions v. ND's run and pass game in a down-pour and after that, how aggressive he continued to make his D with a big lead and clearing WX.

I think Brian's UFR put to rest the notion that M's offense was "brilliant" or "reaching it's full potential", or "fully in stride now" or whatever hype about M's offense that has been floating around out there since M scored 45 points v. ND. Close analysis debunks that view. It was OK but still filled with errors in execution and play-calling (e.g., documented OL blocking fails and the thing about running zone stretch plays X6 when ND had that play diagnosed from the start). OTH, that ND came in having their LBs focus on the edges instead of on the interior was just stupid. That advantaged M ...... when they weren't playing into ND's hands by stupidly running the zone stretch play over and over. Woof.

[Tom W]

Gee, it's not like ND was playing in different weather conditions, got fed fake forecasts, had no experience playing at night in the Midwest, had an inexperienced QB, had sudden significant injuries, had disruptions in the coaching staff or suddenly lost their "luck of the Irish charm" with the refs.

Maybe they weren't a worthy #8 team- but they're not appreciably worse than PSU. They've also made Michigan look pretty bad in the past .

No sympathy or excuses for them getting blasted and then looking shell shocked in the second half. We've been there too many times ourselves of late.

Ef' 'em

[froot loops]

You guys can thank Mark Dantonio for teaching Harbaugh a lesson about rain in 2017.

[hack]

We can't know, so, why speculate about this.

Because if you are curious about the direction of the team that is amongst the most important tea-leaf indicators to be reading. I wish we didn't have to read the tea leaves and instead just had more information to work with so we could work from a position of greater knowledge, but the absence of that information doesn't lessen my desire to know. That desire is the reason why I am speculating about this, and why most others who care to do the same are doing so.

There you are, then. You have my "Theory on the Causes of Speculation By Fans of a Struggling Sports Team". I tried to pad the word count as best I could, and look forward to the peer-review process.

[hack]

You guys can thank Mark Dantonio for teaching Harbaugh a lesson about rain in 2017.

Apparently that lesson had to be learned. Back in 17 though I would have been willing to negotiate a very fair rate to provide advisory services ahead of time. I'm probably not the only one, and I bet there would have been others more qualified than me to provide it, but nonetheless I would have been willing.

[hack]

I don't think you can rule out the notion that the coaching staff mismanaged the changes.

Yes. It sure appears to be that there are going to be fans who will choose to believe this, and, as it happens, I am one of them who can credibly be counted in that group.

[iam416]

I don't think we can credibly know or speculate as to what is truly in hack's credible speculation and unknowing thoughts as it relates to what he credibly thinks the staff has done or hasn't done with respect to credible implementation of the offense and all matters related thereto including speculation. I'm just saying...someone had to say it.

[THE_WIZARD_]

STFU

[Jeff Buchanan]

....... that punt decision at the end of the game and as the clock ran down was a major stain on JH's game management record. So many better options that in the heat of the moment looked to be completely ignored.

Hack, I won't condemn your "desire to know" position, nothing personal and my view of the matter has nothing to do with yours.

The best retort to internet posters who wonder about things that can't possibly be known by fans who are but mere mortals is, one is entitled to their own views, their own speculation but if you post them for the world to see, don't expect such views to be accepted as accurate when no factual proof exists that they might be.

Therefor as I have in the past been reminded by a man of facts here, avoid speculation as conclusions based on it will most certainly be brutally attacked by him and characterized as "blitheringly"dumb.

Fear the Wizard ..... no wait, wrong guy.

[THE_WIZARD_]

All our times have come
Here but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the wizard
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain, we can be like they are

Come on baby, don't fear the wizard
Baby take my hand, don't fear the wizard
We'll be able to fly, don't fear the wizard
Baby I'm your man

[Jeff Buchanan]

STFU

[hack]

Was someone under the impression that The Wizard inspires fear in anything at all whatsoever? I would not recommend anyone engage in speculation that such a being might exist, and, furthermore, if anyone is tempted to do so, I would advise them not to expect that this position will be considered to be credible by others who might be prone to expect factual evidence to be provided.