Around the Big Ten

[froot loops]

If you guys had Lewerke, your offense would be much better and you wouldn't have Gattis as your OC.

Patterson is an indictment of the star rating system.

[lineygoblue]

I think last year Patterson played like a 4 star QB in his first year on a different team.

I think this year he's playing like a guy who is running an offense he hates, and doesn't understand.

At this point the difference between the senior Patterson and the senior O'Korn is nearly non-existent.

[froot loops]

He was better last year but they didn't make him do much, they were able to rely on Higdon and use play action. They changed the offense for Patterson, if he doesn't like it or understand it that is a big problem.

[Hannibal]

If you guys had Lewerke, your offense would be much better and you wouldn't have Gattis as your OC.

Patterson is an indictment of the star rating system.

Not really. He's an indictment of our worthless pile of shit coaching staff. His physical tools are obvious. The talent is there but the guys coaching him are droolingly incompetent.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I'm not sure the offense was changed for Patterson or his supposed skill set which I've begun to question anyway. But, that's another topic.

Yesterday at Harbaugh's presser he was asked how he would describe his offense. He quickly responded it's a spread offense with a West Coast type of passing game. If you look up the myriad definitions of spread or WC offenses, the one that fits what I think Harbaugh has implemented or wants to implement is one that uses the short or medium pass-to-run approach that most NFL teams are using these days. I've been calling it a hybrid spread. The numbers reflect this: it's about a 52/48 split between pass/run. That's up a bit in the pass game from last year but not a lot.

I don't think that in circumstances where M is controlling/dictating the game (e.g. the first half of the Illinois game and maybe the Rutgers game) that M's offense has looked anything like what some people expected it to look like with Gattis calling plays. I didn't count but I doubt the deep ball is used any more this season than it has been with Pep designing those plays - much to the frustration of a good deal of the fan base. As well, the pass plays are more PA than RPO and that too has surprised many who want more screens, slants and drags.

I also think that Patterson's apparent inability to make the pre and post snap-reads required for a heavy ZR/RPO flavored offense have made M's offense, by necessity, look like it does. To me its'a bit janky with this weird mix of incoherent plays that feature IZ/OZ from last year, a bit of pin&pull stuff, also from last year, the continued use of 22 personnel; with 2 TEs or a 1 TE and a FB (which, IMO, is definitely anti spread). It is what it is at this point, limited to an extent by Patterson when he tightens up - which is frequently. It's more like he is being asked to fit into and execute what Harbaugh and Gattis want the offense to be - a lot like NFL level, pro-style/RPO hybrids. Not there and I'm not sure it is going to get there with Patterson at QB.

There are flashes when Patterson has time and gets into a rhythm but drive killing penalties, missed pass completions (on Patterson and the receivers), blocking errors and fumbles has created the impression that Harbaugh and Gattis have no idea what they are doing on offense. I think they do but it's been hard getting to where they want to go for a lot of reasons. My sense is that they know what they are doing, have a game-plan in mind but execution errors are thwarting bringing to fruition the plan that I think they have. Other's can and do, quite loudly, think differently.

[WM Wolverine]

Patterson's apparent inability to make the pre and post snap-reads required for a heavy ZR/RPO flavored offense have made M's offense, by necessity, look like it does

This...

Earlier in the season Shea had the option to make those reads. From my view, they've been taken away since he's unable to make those reads in game situations. Shea being a threat to run would open up this offense dramatically both for his running backs and the passing game.

[froot loops]

Not really. He's an indictment of our worthless pile of shit coaching staff. His physical tools are obvious. The talent is there but the guys coaching him are droolingly incompetent.

I've never seen the tools with Patterson. I haven't seen one thing he excels at.

[iam416]

Patterson is an indictment of the star rating system.

He's an indictment of those saying the star rating system is perfect. He's a data point as to the overall value of the star rating system. As is, e.g., the NFL draft. Or Nick Bosa. Or Chase Young. And so forth.

Patterson's apparent inability to make the pre and post snap-reads required for a heavy ZR/RPO flavored offense have made M's offense, by necessity, look like it does

This I agree with entirely.

[hack]

Agree with froot. Patterson just isn't that good. There isn't a five-star skill in the set. It's supposed to be his accuracy, but most balls thrown on time are to the outer fringes of the WR's catching radius. And it seems we're all unanimous about his inability to read the field. Certainly he looks his best on the move, and the dropoff in accuracy that usually comes with being on the move is much smaller with him than other QB, but that's more gravy than it is a meat-and-potatoes skill. You can't be rolling out on every play.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Good take.

[WingsFan]

I would take lewersky over 'one read' Shea in a heartbeat

[Hannibal]

Patterson showed flashes at Ole Miss when he was throwing accurate deep balls behind a garbage OL. 5* guys at least do that. For that matter, he showed some big time 5* ability against Rutgers this year. He's one of the most accurate QBs in the country on the run. He's also pretty mobile. But he just sucks at being a QB -- reading defenses, pocket presence, etc.

[iam416]

He's late and inaccurate. He has a fairly high level arm and pretty good athleticism and speed.

[WM Wolverine]

He doesn't make quick decisions, or make good decisions either.

[iam416]

3-3 in conference with a little a bad luck. M was probably the right side. Iowa was a 2-pt conversion from a push. Oh well. 2-1 on the specials. The UMass autofade chugs along. 24-32-1 and 13-6-2. Inching toward .500 overall. The B10 is a lost cause.

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