Michigan Football, Team 137, 2016 Season.

[Hannibal]

Even on well-blocked plays there were rarely any holes. Just little cracks that the RBs could exploit for 4 yards and linebackers quickly filling. Michigan's bread-and-butter running game was largely shit.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Even on well-blocked plays there were rarely any holes. Just little cracks that the RBs could exploit for 4 yards and linebackers quickly filling. Michigan's bread-and-butter running game was largely shit.

I can't disagree with that - the run game was shit whether it was zone or man blocking at the point of attack. I'd attribute that to the very slow to develop passing game which allowed defenses to cheat up on a regular basis and plenty of them just sold out betting that Rudock couldn't make the throw or if he did the receiver would bungle the route or the catch. The passing game got better as the season progressed but not much and it was inconsistent.

I think we're going to see that early in '16 too although the team is going to look better than they actually are until PSU and Wisky come to town. Not that those teams are going to come in and do a number on M but stuff that had been working well for the first three games may not work that well against those two teams who will likely play pretty good D.

On balance, the OL is going to be better, make fewer mistakes and I'm pretty sure the run game is going to be good, maybe not great. I have no doubt that JH knows he has to get a credible passing game going before conference play starts. I think the 3-TE sets are a part of that plan.

If it works, defenses have to pick their poison. They can either play the safeties up, selling out on the run game hoping the QB can't make the throw, or risk a mismatch between M's big TEs/WRs and the defense's LBs and CBs with the QB delivering.

[Ghengis Jon]

Pre-public release - M @ Rutgers and M @ Iowa are now on sale to season ticket holders.

[lineygoblue]

Those are both road trips I'd like to make someday.

[Hannibal]

I can't disagree with that - the run game was shit whether it was zone or man blocking at the point of attack. I'd attribute that to the very slow to develop passing game which allowed defenses to cheat up on a regular basis and plenty of them just sold out betting that Rudock couldn't make the throw or if he did the receiver would bungle the route or the catch. The passing game got better as the season progressed but not much and it was inconsistent.

The passing game was dominant against Rutgers and Indiana and the running game was still shit in those games. It was also pretty good against OSU while Rudock was in there. He averaged over 8 ypa and the longest run from a running back was a paltry five yards. Not only does SuperManball not work against anyone with a pulse, it frequently didn't work last year against teams that had no pulse.

Have you ever noticed how teams that run a spread offense never need to use the "defenses were packing the box to shut down the run" excuse? If the running game is key to winning a game then how come every team doesn't play the safeties close to the line of scrimmage and completely shut it down? OSU only had to throw the ball 15 times last year against us and Baylor shredded the UNC defense for 600 rushing yards with a third string QB running the single wing.

[Rocky Bleier]

"Not only does SuperManball not work against anyone with a pulse, it frequently didn't work last year against teams that had no pulse."

How did M run for 225 yds. v.s. a good Florida defense?

[WM Wolverine]

De'Veon Smith was healthy and looked more explosive than he did all season. Helped that the OL was getting him past the line of scrimmage regularly...

Defensively, not surprised at all how that game played out as Florida wasn't the same team after they lost their QB. Didn't expect the offense to put up 40+ against a pretty good Gators defense.

[Pasadena Blue]

"Not only does SuperManball not work against anyone with a pulse, it frequently didn't work last year against teams that had no pulse."

How did M run for 225 yds. v.s. a good Florida defense?

waiting on Hanni's answer on this too. I suspect he's going to say it was because Alex McCalister didn't play.

[Jeff Buchanan]

...........Have you ever noticed how teams that run a spread offense never need to use the "defenses were packing the box to shut down the run" excuse?

Please ...... you know exactly why this is. Look, I'd love for Harbaugh to run a spread, zone read, power offense at M like osu does and be as effective at it as osu is in the BT. Not going to happen. You also know exactly why this approach to offenses in HS and to a lesser extent, college, is in vogue right now.

Personally, I don't think many teams could do what osu does in this conference with the quality of defenses across the board and dominate the conference like osu has either. IU has developed a great offense under Kevin Wilson. Tell me they are going to compete for Conference Titles on the regular. osu's talent level, on both sides of the ball, allows that team to dominate. That ufm is a really good football coach and recruiter doesn't hurt either.

So, "sadly" I guess in your view, M is saddled with Harbaugh and the SuperManball offense you seem to think he has in store for M. Never mind that a pro-style offense, though I'd call what JH does a hybrid of that, has tremendous potential to attract high quality HS talent that wants to be prepared for the NFL draft by Harbaugh and his staff. So, there is that.

The point of my presentation is that, IMO, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with what we've seen so far from Harbaugh's play book; the 3 TE set is just one play in his repertoire. I guess you'd disagree.

If there was something wrong with it, the NFL would be running the spread and shred and the 49'ers, the Steelers and the Patriots would not have anything in their playbooks like a 3 TE set or anything like the heavy formations that you call SuperManball..... and, of course they do.

You seem to think there is something wrong in AA with the advent of JH's offense despite the qualifiers with respect to 2015 production in the run game that have been offered. Clearly, there are teams at the elite collegiate level that successfully run pro-style offenses with pro-style QBs and that do not suffer from any of the restricting qualifiers that M has right now; they play man-ball and can play with any of the best spread teams. I feel pretty confident M is on the way to being able to do that too.

You can have your Baylors and Clemsons. It's not my kind of football nor do I think that kind of football would produce a sustainable winning record in the BT ...... you can always route for Kevin Wilson and the Hoosiers though.

If the running game is key to winning a game then how come every team doesn't play the safeties close to the line of scrimmage and completely shut it down? OSU only had to throw the ball 15 times last year against us and Baylor shredded the UNC defense for 600 rushing yards with a third string QB running the single wing.

.

The running game is one "key" to winning football (I think you are talking about offensive production by what follows in your quote above). To answer your question, how come every team doesn't play the safeties close to the LOS ........ because that approach would obviously be stupid in today's game. Not so stupid in the 50s, I guess. It's a silly question in the context of this limited discussion about a single play.

Furthermore, I've never said, and I'm pretty sure JH does not believe that an offense doesn't need a blend of running and pass plays to be effective. I'm also pretty sure that JH, like almost every other CFB coach with a sustained winning record, thinks the offense, going in to a game, has to be balanced like 50/50 or maybe 55/45 pass/run. As the game goes on, as in the case of osu v. M last season, things change. You do what works (I'm reminded of Wisky v. M during the RR tenure).

There's no question Harbaugh favors a run oriented offense but, like Saban, there are going to be variations on that theme, hybrid plays if you will. I'd call the 3 TE sets, especially when they are used as the play diagramed in my post is supposed to work, a hybrid. Obviously, in that play, there are more ways than one to get the short yardage it is designed to get. SuperManball is one of them, throwing the ball over the heads of the Ss and LBs who have played up to stuff the run is another.

[Rocky Bleier]

De'Veon Smith was healthy and looked more explosive than he did all season. Helped that the OL was getting him past the line of scrimmage regularly....

Jimmies and Joes.

[Tom W]

I'm pretty sure there was a lot of sarcasm in Tom's post. If there wasn't then he's drunker than hell

Of course, it was PURE sarcasm- although I do envision Brady making some sort of contribution when the NFL is finished with him..

[Detroit Dan]

Drake Johnson and De'Veion Smith should be a good 1-2 punch at running back. Johnson is our most underrated player.

[WingsFan]

Maybe not the most underrated, but definitely the most underachieving, I'm looking for Ty Isaac to have a big year in his second year with Harbaugh. Got to love Johnson though, what a great kid.

[jaadam4]

Of course, it was PURE sarcasm- although I do envision Brady making some sort of contribution when the NFL is finished with him..

lol nice!

and I hope you're right although I think Brady transcends U of M with all of his achievements after the wolves never really gave him his fair shake in college.

hell had he been given the starting job like he deserved he might have went higher than the 6th round!

[Mike]

He started every game his last two years at Michigan going 20-5 in the process.