GBMWolverine: Coach’s Corner — Michigan Football — Things We Have Seen
Posted at 6:00am — 10/7/2008
GBMWolverine: Coach’s Corner — Michigan Football — Things We Have Seen
Problems we have seen.
Offense:
1) The run blocking is terrible, and it is more than just Offensive Linemen. Split Ends, Tight Ends, and Running Backs are all blocking terribly. Even the players that are doing well can obviously do better than that at this time.
2) No consistent vertical threat: Opponents are able to load the box and crowd the line of scrimmage without fear of getting beat over the top. If spread formation does not spread the defense, its chances of being successful drop drastically.
3) The lack of consistent Quarterback threat in this offense. For this offense to be successful, your Quarterback has to be threat either running or passing, and preferably both. When Threet has provided that with Threet in Michigan’s offense has been good. When he has not, the offense has been bad or worse.
4) Turnovers: Michigan has fumbled twenty times and lost eleven of them. They have also thrown five interceptions. That is losing over three turnovers per game. You will not win many games that way. Hell Michigan has almost as many interceptions as touchdown passes. This team cannot kill themselves and they have done this the past several games. This team is not that good right now and they need to play mistake free football to win games this year.
5) Too many negative plays: Michigan has lost over 200 yards in the first five games. In any offense you will not be very successful if you consistently in long situations. In addition, this offense is even worse especially not being able to get them out of a hole.
6) Michigan needs another slot that is a threat. At this time only Tay Odom is providing any sort of threat from #2. If you do not stretch a defense sideline to sideline, you will not open the running lanes or passing lanes that make the spread offense tough to defend.
At split end the only real deep threat is Stonum and he did not play last Saturday. In this offense Michigan needs to get other options available because the defenses are starting to key on Odoms since he has been our main receiver.
7) Pass protection has been okay at times, but not nearly consistent enough. Seven sacks for forty yards are not too bad. But Threet and Sheridan have been hurried, hit, and knocked down too many times.
Seems like no matter what the other teams are getting pressure on Michigan no matter if they blitz or just send four linemen. The quarterback needs as much time as possible and most of the time he is not even getting his feet set before he has to move or make a decision on what to do before he is ready.
Defense:
1) Way too many big/long plays. This needs to be corrected immediately and stopped. This is one thing that will really kill a defense.
2) Tackling has to get better and that includes everybody on the team. We have been missing many tackles all year long. Some of our star players make one great play and then the next time they miss a tackle and the other team gets a huge play.
3) Overall fundamentals have been less than stellar, angles, maintaining outside leverage, being deepest player in zone etc. Michigan needs to these things much better. It seems like Michigan has had this problem for years. They need to correct these things especially the middle group because against spread offenses they can find a weakness and really take advantage of it.
4) Need to create more turnovers. Ten in five games is not enough.
5) Players, especially the safeties and outside linebackers who and can play in space and cover slots and tight ends underneath.
6) Defensive tackles who can penetrate and collapse the pocket. Michigan’s defensive tackles are not able to get that big push needed to bring defensive ends up field.
At times, against Illinois, there was no pressure at all and “Juice” had all day to either throw the ball or pull it down and find a lane to run the ball.
7) Terrible positional play, outside linebackers, defensive ends, safeties, and corner-backs not where they are supposed to be.
Special Teams:
1) We need a better return game. We have not blocked very well on the kick off return and that even includes a bad Illinois special teams. This offense needs as much help as possible and can’t put them in a hole or bad field position.
Zoltan Mesko has bee a huge factor the past couple of games and has really helped Michigan and the Michigan defense.
Tay Odoms is becoming a spark returning kicks, but needs to hold on the ball and hold the ball correctly.
2) Cannot miss extra points. This is the easiest points that can be made in the football game and should not be taken for granted.
Several things that we have talked about the past several months are starting to really coming out. Coach Rod has been pointing this out the last two press conferences and you can start to see several things that we tried to bring out.
Please comment on our GBMWolverine Message Board about this article and read what others comment.
You can contact us at our e-mail address: GBMWolverine
Written by GBMWolverine Staff
Go Blue — Wear Maize!