Michigan Football Tidbits: Part 2

5) For those who missed the Chat on Monday on GoBlueWolverine do we have a quarterback controversy after the Minnesota game? Answer no. However, watching Minnesota game I think fans, posters, and bloggers can now see why it was Sheridan and not Threet who started the first game. It is amazing how in this case Sheridan vs. Threet after almost 10 months the differences between the two have remained constant. Coach Rod had to choose between

Sheridan who does not have the ability or capabilities of Threet, but makes faster and better decisions.

or

Threet a more capable quarterback who has had problems making proper reads and consistent decisions.

This is why you can visibly see Coach Rod get upset with Threet and seems more at ease with Sheridan. It’s because it frustrates Coach Rod when Threet who has the ability and makes wrong decisions, but he has more tolerance with Sheridan when he makes the right decision, but his ability at times does not allow him to be successful.

In addition, as I have tried to explain on numerous occasions it is my OPINION that it really would not bother Threet.

6) MAKE OR BREAK YEAR:
As season ends and off-season begins, I have a list of players who it is make or break off-season. In addition, yes I do think there will be more defections in this off-season. Keep in mind off-season at Michigan is not easy anymore and if a player either does not want to go through the program or they cannot see where they would play even if they did put forth the effort chances are they may not return next year.

WR: Babb, Clemons, Savoy
TE: Webb, Watson
OL: none
RB: Grady, Horn
DL: Patterson, Kates, Sagesse, Criswell
LB: Herron, Evans
Safety: Chambers
CB: Woolfolk

Of course most of the above will probably be back, but next spring most of them will have to make a move or will be further behind because of potential of being passed up by even the incoming class.

7) Player to watch next year B. Smith. I constantly get asked if he will end up at linebacker. Answer: undetermined, but there is no doubt he prefers to stay at safety and going into spring practice that is where he will start. Of course, anything is possible especially when coaches think one of the biggest needs on defense is increased speed at the linebacker position. So unless Barwis can substantially increase speed with our current linebacker / safety or Bell, Hawthorne, or Jones can play early that would mean either Williams, Chambers, or B. Smith would have to move.

8) Overall impression of season:
Of course, hindsight is 20/20. One thing people would notice right away if that Coach Rod has a certain stubbornness and pride when it comes to his practice routines. Like most driven coaches, he values practices as much or more than games. Players have had a difficult time adjusting to the routine and pace of practices, but time has solved most of those issues. Coach Rod simply could not understand how players could practice so well or at a certain pace during the week and then seemingly lose it on Saturdays. Coach Rod since day one has told the players that he wanted games to be easier than practices and as far as physically they have been.

Problem has been that players have not been successful in taking what they learn in practice to games. So what is the issue? To me in a certain way it is the exactly the idea of making practices harder than games that has caused the problem let me explain.

During practices the players go from one drill to another pace is quick and it leaves very little time for players to think on their own. Everything is so organized in practices that it seems like players almost become robots the goal of practices are to just get through them. Then when Saturday has come around and players encounter a little adversity, they do not know how to handle it. In practice there is very little time for adversity because they are quickly going from drill to drill.

Long term:
I think practice structure and player development will win out. However, I also think Coach Rod needs to find way to allow players to be players, which he showed signs of doing last week.

As I stated many times I think this year will make Coach Rod a better coach. As while some posters, fans, bloggers want to point to his early years at West Virginia this situation is much different and needs a different approach. Will Coach Rod adjust? If you would have asked me four weeks ago I was not optimistic, but now I see signs of changes, which hopefully by next year will stop the huge disparity between performance during week and on Saturday.

written by MaizeMan and ErocWolverine