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**hack** · January 26, 2017, 05:17 PM

Appropriately grainy photo.

**WM Wolverine** · January 26, 2017, 06:45 PM

If M is hurt for not landing Swenson it reflects on M not being able to sign and develop who they hoped in '17 than Swenson...

FWIW Swenson's story has changed in regards to what happened.

**Wellington_beefhouser** · January 26, 2017, 07:44 PM

Swenson and his damn alternative facts.

**Wellington_beefhouser** · January 26, 2017, 08:05 PM

I sure hope M can pull in melinfonwu. Lots of talk of his brother being a stud over in the lions draft thread. Good genes.

**Detroit Dan** · January 28, 2017, 04:35 PM

Glad to see Harbaugh making a late push for Nico Collins. I was thinking we had given up on him. Jim Harbaugh to four-star WR Nico Collins: We need a big guy

"He told me they use a lot of spread next year and he's saying I can be that X-position (outside receiver) and be a main factor," he told the site.

U-M hasn't run much spread offense in Jim Harbaugh's first two years but the addition of passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton may be part of a change. Having quarterback Wilton Speight's experience may be a chance to open up the offense as well.

"They need that 6-foot-5 receiver," Collins said. "They have a lot of shifty, slot receivers, but need a big guy." Harbaugh visited him at his school, Clay-Chalkville, and at his house.

**Jeff Buchanan** · January 28, 2017, 05:39 PM

Yeah ..... the most interesting part of that for me is the part about using "a lot of spread."

So, Frey ..... he is the king of Zone Blocking. That tells us a lot. Spread teams are almost exclusively Zone blocking teams. I was surprised to learn that most NFL teams predominantly use this OL blocking philosophy. You can find plenty of tape where M ran Zone blocked plays (IZ and OZ) in 2016 ...... they were not good at it most of the time.

Is Harbaughffense going to go full-on spread, bring back Denard types at QB, go 4-5 wides on all the 80+ plays he'll run in 4 quarters?

No F'ing way. JH is not going to abandon "Power O" ...... ever. He'll incorporate both Zone and Gap techniques and it's needed to improve the run game and I'm betting it will. There's a great piece up at mgoblog that talks about this in really readable detail. For your Sunday morning coffee:

What Is: Gap Blocking vs. Zone | mgoblog

http://mgoblog.com/content/what-gap-blocking-vs-zone

[Dr. Sap] [This is a work-in-progress glossary of football concepts we tend to talk about in these pages. Previously: Offensive concepts: Run-pass options (RPOs), High-low passing routes, Covered/Ineligible receivers, Blocking: Reach, Kickout, Wham Defensive concepts: Keeping Contain/Lane Integrity, Force Player, Hybrid Space Player, One-Gap Fronts, Scrape Exchange. Coverages: Tampa 2, Pattern-Matching, Quarters and how MSU runs it Special Teams: Spread punt vs NFL-style] ------------------------------------------ Depending who you ask there are either two or three or sixteen thousand different blocking schemes offenses use to puncture run lanes into a defense. If we cut out a few exceptions, and a lot of variants, you can boil them down to two basic philosophic schools: Zone and Gap. (And man, and hybrid, and zone can be split between outside/inside but shut up). Harbaugh, as you might have heard, is one of if not the ur gap coach in football, as is his top lieutenant Tim Drevno. New tackles/tight ends coach Greg Frey, as we’ve mentioned twice this week, is not just in the zone camp but is one of the chief practitioners of its outside zone wing. What’s the difference, and why does it matter? I’ll show. HOW GAP BLOCKING WORKS “When badly outnumbered he managed, by swift marching and maneuvering, to throw the mass of his army against portion of the enemy's, thus being stronger at the decisive point.” –description of Napoleon battle tactic This is the football’s fastball: I’m coming towards the plate so fast and so hard that by the time you know where it’s going you can’t catch up. To use a war metaphor, gap philosophy is about picking a spot in your opponent’s defenses, puncturing a hole, and sending as much material into it as possible as quickly as possible before the defenders can match it. The above formation is unbalanced, which did its job in getting the defense to leave a cornerback and safety to a side with zero receiving threats (Mags is ineligible by number). The fullback has a kickout block on the SAM linebacker. Kalis pulls, Asiasi picks off a linebacker, and Deveon Smith gets a 300-pound escort through the gap between Wheatley and the back of Khalid Hill. That gap is the gap they planned to attack, and the most likely one to become available. That it won’t always be available is what makes gap blocking go from very simple to highly complicated. The great power teams know how to adjust on the fly to defenders diving into the important gap, for example on this play if the SAM is coming inside hard Hill might arc outside on the fly, seal the SAM inside, and hope Smith and Kalis adjust to earn a big run. Or what if that Mike linebacker blitzes the gap inside of Wheatley? Or the whole dang defensive line slants playside? In general the OL will do their best to not let that happen and adjust (e.g. Asiasi might have to assist Wheatley, or the puller might kick out an unblocked end discovered at the point of attack). I think you get the gist. Gap blocking has everybody working to widen the chosen gap and get bodies attacking that gap as soon as possible. Emphasis is on overpowering—as you see here this play works mostly because Ty Wheatley Jr. latched onto the playside defensive end, and rode him downfield. [Hit THE JUMP for Zone]

**Detroit Dan** · January 29, 2017, 09:34 AM

Exactly right, Jeff. And Harbaugh's recruiting pitch regarding increased use of the "spread" offense has a ton of credibility based upon his two recent coaching hires. Throw in the Rome trip and you've got a dazzling package to attract recruits.

**Rocky Bleier** · January 29, 2017, 06:41 PM

We shall see. I still remember Bo promising Rick Leach he was going to open up the offense.

**Detroit Dan** · January 29, 2017, 09:11 PM

There's a world of difference between Schembechler and Harbaugh.

**WM Wolverine** · January 30, 2017, 01:02 AM

M is at 72% crystal balls for Nico Collins; might be a much needed, really impressive WR class.

**Detroit Dan** · January 30, 2017, 10:25 AM

if M pulls in Collins and Martin, it would be one of the best WR classes of all time? And that would be following on a good WR and tight end class last year.

**hack** · January 30, 2017, 10:26 AM

Would they take both?

**Detroit Dan** · January 30, 2017, 12:00 PM

Harbaugh has made a push for both in the last week and has scholarships available. So yes.

**hack** · January 30, 2017, 12:14 PM

The push for Martin came when it looked like Collins wasn't coming. Earlier, when it looked like Collins was coming, it seemed to be either Martin or Black. So I'm not sure both are a take, or if someone other than Hawkins might be switched to saftey, etc.

**Rocky Bleier** · January 30, 2017, 12:19 PM

I think they'd take both since they don't play the same position. Nico would be battling DPJ and Tarik Black for playing time. Grant Perry is the one who probably wants Oliver Martin to go elsewhere.

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