Michigan Football, the 2020 Abbreviated COVID Season

[Jeff Buchanan]

The link below is a very good mgo analysis of "Unit Cohesion." What does this mean? The article looks at how in-play adjustments are made (or not) by the defense as a play unfolds. If you move to the comments section (a tedious process to avoid so, I'll note what's important within it), you'll see that observers did not think the interior DL was getting beat up by osu's OL like the meme on this would have us believe. Instead, it was a matter of excellent run-play calling and excellent OL execution (holding blocks) by osu. IOW, great coaching ..... the talent gap is over played at least in this instance.

It's the start of the 3rd quarter, osu has the ball with a 12 point lead at 28-16. M needs a stop and a quick score to close the gap. What happens on 1st and 10 is a 40+ yard run by dobbins to the M 33. osu then scores to go up 35-16.... game over.

What happened (Cliff Notes):

M is in a 4-2-5 (subject to formation naming confusion!). fields is under C, dobbins is behind him 7y deep.

The D anticipates correctly and is set for a zone run. On this kind of defensive play, Brown's approach is to "spill" the runner into numbers. This isn't a play. It is an in-play adjustment the defense has to execute. M has numbers and should stop this play for minimal gain if it executes the spill.

Instead, the author (Seth) thinks that an inexperienced MLB, Cam McGrone, mis-reads Hudson's push, goes to help inside instead of setting an edge and, as planned, dobbins, who is locked on to read McGrone's move, cut's outside the undefended edge to open grass. Classic mistake by McGrone in what looks to be in Seth's mind an aggressive risk McGrone knows he's taking to make a big play.

Aggression ....... and Seth thinks this may be a fundamental issue with the way M's defense is coached. Instead of discipline - what was required to keep this from being a big play - we have aggression that gets exploited (and Seth does give credit to day's play calling here as it is probably an RPS win - see the whole article for details). There's a ton of very detailed analysis in this mgo piece if you want to see it. Intricate and interesting if you have time. If you do anything just click the link and watch the MP4 Video (that I can't embed here). You'll get the picture.

The reason I posted this here is that if Brown's aggressive approach to defense - like we see Cam McGrone being aggressive in an attempt to make a big play - is an underlying problem that opposing OCs are going to exploit, and I think it is because it is identifiable trend with Brown, this kind of thing isn't a talent issue, it's a coaching issue ....... and I am damn sure both Harbaugh and Brown know it is.

This isn't a fire Brown hawt-take. It's an attempt to highlight a fixable downside to what Brown seems to be all about. The downside goes away against non-elite teams with just good RBs. Against osu, a team with dobbins and what appears to be a coaching staff that can depantz (RPS) an opponent, esp. Michigan, by setting up and then exploiting identifiable trends, it becomes clear why M is 0-5 v. osu under Harbaugh.

You can bet that Alabama will try to do the same thing in their run game with Harris. Worth looking at to see whether or not Brown has addressed this, his defense is better v. Harris than it was v. dobbins and the Tide doesn't roll up 300 yards rushing

https://mgoblog.com/content/neck-sharpies-unit-cohesion#read-more

[hack]

Many a Michigan Man needs to hear that, hack

This, too, is true. Some of the more confused in our fan base even wanted to hire Urban Meyer. Thankfully most of us reacted appropriately. I won't say how many confused people, because I want to avoid advancing this discussion to a point where some of you would have trouble following it, but let's just say that even for those of you with all your digits that wouldn't be enough to count them.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Y'all need someone who can tell good stories about Fritz Crisler, as 19-year-olds look on in rapturous awe.

[iam416]

As a quick FYI, OSU fans usually only count by 7s, especially as far M is concerned. So, while the 10 digits may seem like a very low ceiling, it's actually higher than one might think. And, to date, we've been able to keep track of the OSU score against M, though the last two years are getting dangerously close to being too big to track. But, that's the State of M football.

[lineygoblue]

When Michigan has had enough, they'll do something about it.

So far, they seem to be willing to accept any scoreboard that pops up.

[froot loops]

If your school hired Urban Meyer, you wouldn't be delving into the esoteric arguments about payola, RICO or whatever. You would just win. You might not get a lot of talks about Milk chugging and trips to Europe though.

[hack]

That's true. Heck of an implausible scenario though. There's nothing we know about Michigan that suggests they would hire Urban Meyer, and point after point after point of evidence that they'd never let him do the stuff he's done at other stops along the way. Michigan's sanctimony may be annoying or arrogant or whatever you want to call it, but it's also just plain fact. Michigan just isn't going to do all that stuff.

[hack]

I mean, can anyone even imagine what it would be like if, say, Steve Fisher were to teach a ``character and leadership" course in A2? LOL! People here just aren't like that. Now, that is not to say there aren't hundreds of faculty in Columbus who might feel the same way about the Orwellian nature of Meyer's current formal role there -- there are plenty of good people there -- but they know what would happen to them if they ever expressed such a thought.

Concussiongate would be another example, Froot. An incident like that may not be a big deal in EL or elsewhere, but in A2 thousands of people protested in the what amounted to the last straw for Dave Brandon. Here, people here expect the university to do right by the kids who come here and risk disability on the field. People expect back at least SOME of its bullshit. People aren't interested in winning at any cost. That's clearly not the case in other places. Call them arrogant if you wish, or find it annoying if you must, but all that stuff is still just fact. Michigan and its fans hold their programs to a higher standard than most. It's just weird and awfully cynical to expect them to not be proud of that.

[froot loops]

Urban Meyer would be the most successful coach of all time at Michigan, it wouldn't even be close. He would be afforded all of the things that Harbaugh is afforded and would be much better. He's a much better coach.

[hack]

What is the point in saying that? Is there anyone here who wouldn't agree or doesn't already know that?

[Jeff Buchanan]

Urban Meyer would be the most successful coach of all time at Michigan, it wouldn't even be close. He would be afforded all of the things that Harbaugh is afforded and would be much better. He's a much better coach.

Occam's razor applies to the essential accuracy of Froot's take.

I do agree with Hack though and we've shared this position for as long as both of us have been posting here. It is what it is and you can feel it in a ghostly sort of way that affects the U's decision making, e.g., who gets hired for M AD positions and how the U handles anything that smells of scandal, e.g. PracticeGate, ConcussionGate ,,,,,.this shit goes way back.

The Fisher example Hack mentions is perfect. 30 years later, Steve Fisher and Chris Weber are still, for all intent and purpose, PNG. Banners re-hung? Nope. M will continue to stew about any kind of mistepp - both minor or major - within M's AD and when they occur they will self-flagellate themselves and grovel for forgiveness.

My oservation, FWIW, is that other schools/sports programs typically - and to their credit, IMO - will simply stonewall NCAA investigators and continue to elevate and officially honor poorly behaving folks (what osu does for both tressel and ufm, what MSU does with rapists and criminal MDs for example, I could add the Joe Pa shit.), winking and nodding along the way.

[lineygoblue]

Well done, Jeff. And Hack too.

The biggest problem with the "Meyer to Michigan" bullshit is that Meyer is on record as not wanting to coach at Michigan. He's been asked on national TV. He said he has no interest. So, even if Michigan wanted to stoop to his moral level and talk to him about coaching in Ann Arbor, he's not interested.

I think that's good for both sides.

[froot loops]

It may seem easy to point fingers at outside institutions when it comes to the mishandling of sexual assault, but to find examples of egregious maltreatment of victims, we need not look far from home. In November 2009, Brendan Gibbons

[lineygoblue]

Nobody ever collected dirt on Michigan better than Chuck Hardway.

RIP Chuck.

Oh yeah??? Meet me at the Ypsi Tower in 10 minutes!!!!!

[iam416]

The only reason M wouldn't hire UFM now is because he coached at OSU and he has zero interest in ever coaching there. M would have backed up the brinks truck to hire him away from Florida. I mean, come the fuck on. They hired RICHGOD. Lol.