Michigan Football: 5 Thoughts on the Wolverines no-huddle offense

Disadvantages of the no-huddle

One negative of the no-huddle is a simplified and reduced number of offensive packages and plays. Kyle Jones of Eleven Warriors observes that:

"“The downside of running an up-tempo, no-huddle system… is a noticeably decreased playbook…the offense is…forced to reduce the number of plays they can call when running without a huddle, as the time needed to organize and make adjustments at the line has been removed from the equation.”"

Also, the up-tempo often emphasizes getting the ball out of the hands of the quarterback quickly, so according to Jones, “one of the biggest weaknesses of going so quickly is the inability to recognize and diagnose blitzes from the defense, leaving downfield passes out of the equation.”

Another challenge is communication. You’ve now lost verbal commands in the huddle, so your players better have the plays and signals down cold.

Coach Warinner has said that the entire offense is reading the play calls from the sideline. But it’s not yet clear how Michigan football coaches will communicate plays from the sideline; it probably will be hand signals but you have to wonder whether those poster boards with the curious photos and characters will be used, probably in conjunction with the QB’s wrist cards.

Watching Michigan football’s controlled spring scrimmage didn’t help. The shotgun was used exclusively, with none of the QBs stepping back from the line of scrimmage looking to the sideline for the check out the play, and directing the offense to realign.

Obviously, the strategy was not to show too much. Whatever system is used, if even one player is not on the same page, the whole play will break down. There are many wide receivers and running backs out with injuries this spring- all those lost reps with a new communication system will be a concern going into the fall.

This offense can work if the defense doesn’t adequately adjust. To counter the O’s read and react, the prepared, capable defenses disguise their alignments. They show the coverage, and then when the QB steps back and looks to the sideline for another play, the defenders bounce into a different formation.

Also, defenses utilize players with hybrid linebacker/back skillsets- in Michigan football’s case, at the Viper position (we miss you Jabril Peppers, but Khaleke Hudson, who is returning for his senior year, is a solid successor).

Great defensive coordinators have also sped up their personnel and play calling adjustments. Defenses have also been known to fake injuries at the end of a play to slow the offensives roll and allow substitutions.

Kyle Jones also adds “there is one final downside to the philosophy of using symbols (for communication), as there is a strong possibility of these symbols being decoded by one’s opponent.”

Another risk is that if your up-tempo offense scores quickly, your own defense has to go back out with little rest. Fatigue of your own defenders, who can be on the field more often than desired, can take its toll.

There is a reason behind the old maxim- the best defense is a good offense.

Teams that control the clock with long drives by running the ball with short possession throws mixed in do so to keep opposing offenses on the bench and their own defense fresh. The no-huddle with quick-strike capability is the opposite of that philosophy. Don Brown’s Michigan football defenses are great, but let’s not expect them to do more than their fair share.