Team 137 by Jim Harbaugh. Football talk and Predictions.

[WM Wolverine]

He said that about himself taking the Colts job.

[lineygoblue]

Harbaugh said that to get people off his back about jumping back into the NFL. He's not going back. He's going to be Michigan's coach until he retires. He likes Ann Arbor and he wants to raise his kids there.

I suppose a future AD could develop a case of the "Jed York Stupids" and fire Harbaugh for some idiotic reason, but I wouldn't give a plug nickel for that AD's life if he did so ... :-)

[Da Geezer]

Going into that game, plenty of people were saying if MSU could do that to OSU then Michigan could really take it to OSU with their defense. There were effort issues in the second half. Quite simply, they did not match the Buckeyes effort. Maybe they were over matched in talent to the point that they couldn't match an inspired Buckeye team. But ask yourself, did you think they played their hardest that you seen all year? And did their intensity match the output of the past few Brady Hoke teams versus OSU.

No, and no.

From now on I'm going to take into consideration Senior Day. Many SEC teams have a "rest' game before their last game of the season, playing FIU or Wofford or some non-P5 team at home. And several of them had a close call, particularly Florida. OSU clearly sleepwalked through their Senior Day.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I can’t think of a post-game week much more depressing than this last one. High hopes crushed. Glad it’s come to an end.

I spent a lot of time analyzing the match-ups for the M/osu game. A lot. I thought I had a good idea of what was going to happen based on the objective data out there and eliminating all the feelingsball stuff. I could not have been more WRONG……. Embarrassingly wrong for a guy that takes a lot of pride in being consistent and right about M football. So, that’s over.

A couple of thoughts on the defense in The Game after credible observers put out some good stuff during the week:

Given HARBAUGH!!!, the performance of HIS defense was beyond bad and beyond comprehension given what we know about a guy who proclaims he does everything with “an intensity unknown to man kind.” I’m kinda wondering about that and not just a little worried that he left everything about defense up to Durkin and his defensive coaches …… ala, RR. Not good.

While I think it is hard for outside observers to flesh out what part of this massive failure on defense was due to player skill sets, injuries and coaching, most people who have commented accurately about this shit show have been amazed that a guy of Durkin’s rep (1) didn’t make changes to how M’s base defense defended spread teams after IU and (2) didn’t anticipate and adjust for what osu was running - its usual read-option and inverted veer - and have his players prepared to defend it better than they did.

It is noteworthy that M’s D dropped from top ten to #22 in FEI after osu …… it was that bad.

So, Durkin did not do a good job and that he managed the D in perhaps one of M’s and Harbaugh’s most important games in 2015 and utterly fucked it up leaves us all with a sour taste in our mouths about him, about M football and maybe most importantly about Harbaugh’s level of involvement in his defense.

Durkin is gone. Maybe a net positive after a season long love affair with him and what he appeared to do with M’s D. What he did do is make it better at fundamentals. The improvement in pass defense had a lot to do with that. Whether Durkin or his defensive coaches should get credit for that is hard to judge. He also improved pass rushing effectiveness. The caveat above applies. Harbaugh isn’t gone but his invincible rep, HARBAUGH!!! Has taken a big hit.

Back to the future, Team 137 and Harbaugh. I can’t imagine, having HIS team get ass-raped by IU and osu, both teams running the spread, that he’s not going to be looking for a D coordinator who can design a defensive game plan against spread teams and get his players to execute it better than Durkin did. And, one with a track record of doing it. I’m following all the reports on DJD replacements. Still, I just don’t know. I don’t think we will know until M meets its 2016 opponents that run spread offenses and consistently shuts them down ……. Including both IU at home and osu on the road.

Is it the LBs v. spread teams? I really don’t think it is entirely on them. Seems to me that the best arguments for the defensive FAIL here is scheme or maybe more precisely, not adjusting the scheme for the downgrade in the strength of the DL after Glasgow’s season ending injury. If the coaches are not putting their players in the right position to succeed, the end result is usually failure unless the talent in that unit is overwhelmingly good ….. and it’s not. Clearly, weakness in the front is going to make the guys behind, in this case the LBs, look bad.

If I’m M’s opponent in the upcoming bowl game, if I don’t run the spread, I’m going to install at least a good dose of it in my offense. If I do run it, my play book is going to look exactly like osu’s and I’m going to coach my QB and RB to read their keys exactly like ufm coached barret and elliot to read there’s.

This is all you have to know:

Things that happened. Ross Fulton breaks down events that transpired on Saturday.

Meyer and Warinner borrowed a page from Utah and Indiana. Both offenses had success outside against Michigan's cover 1-man defense by forcing Wolverine defenders with contain responsibilities to cover receivers while the offense runs outside, and by using spread read principles to outnumber a Michigan defense with a deep safety.
Meyer's staff used a similar strategy. Frequently using two tight ends - with one aligned as a blocking slot receiver - the Buckeyes' success began with power read. On power read the offensive line blocks power, but - rather than kicking out the defensive end - the quarterback reads the end. If he crashes, the quarterback gives on the sweep. If the end stays wide the quarterback runs power following the pulling guard.
With Michigan using a common opponent tactic - slanting towards Ezekiel Elliott to limit tight zone - Ohio State ran outside opposite the slant, providing Elliott a running lane beyond the crashing end.

I’m not sure this gif is going to work and if it doesn’t, just go to mgoblog and it’s there for you to weep over.

I’m actually hoping we see a ton of spread stuff from M’s bowl opponent and I’m equally interested in seeing if the remaining defensive staff can put a scheme together and coach the players to execute it so M’s D can shut it down.

[whodean]

Terrible pursuit there from the safety

[WM Wolverine]

Jake Butt 50/50 on whether to go pro. Pretty sure he's gone, some NFL team is going to have a very good TE and TE's like Butt are hard to find so he might go higher than we think.

[Mike]

That sucks.

[Ghengis Jon]

Hope he stays. He commented last week that he wants to finish his degree. But thats a big ol' pile of green stamps he's looking at if he goes.

[lineygoblue]

Yeah, probably couldn't blame him if he goes.

We need guys like that to stay, especially next season. That road schedule is a killer, and we need all the thump we can get.

[*JD*]

FWIW- WalterFootball.com's latest mock was done on 12/3 and doesn't have Butt (or any U of M player) projected in the first 3 rounds.

[Hannibal]

Butt doesn't need to stay IMHO. I hope that he does but there's no reason for him to. He's an excellent player who has shown what he can do. He'll be a really good NFL TE, I imagine.

[hack]

Butt doesn't need to stay IMHO. I hope that he does but there's no reason for him to. He's an excellent player who has shown what he can do. He'll be a really good NFL TE, I imagine.

Wow. I don't ever think I've heard you say before that an underclassman is ready. Not that I've been here that long, butt still...

[Hannibal]

I have said it many, many times. You just have just ignored it or forgotten about it.

[The Oracle]

Butt's coming back. Pretty damn big news. If we can get RB figured out, we should have a nice offense.

(Cue Hanni to complain about Butt return when he's ready to go...)

[hack]

Fuggin a. Huge returnee for a new QB starter.