Cade needs to work on one thing to unlock Michigan Football’s offense

Although the battle to see who Michigan football’s starting QB in 2022 doesn’t start for about another month with fall camp, it still isn’t too early to make projections. I’ve already discussed why I believe J.J. should be the starting QB, but I think ultimately, Cade will win the starting job.

If Cade wins the starting job, I don’t believe it’s hyperbole to say that his senior season will be his toughest season yet. Maybe not from a schedule standpoint, as Michigan football has a much easier schedule than last season, but from a mental standpoint, and a pressure standpoint.

I know that Cade McNamara is very confident in his own abilities, and holds himself accountable for everything he does (and honestly is too hard on himself sometimes, as said by his father Gary and family) but nobody is immune to the outside noise. Everybody cares about their image and wants to look good.

This is why this season is so crucial for Cade McNamara. Nobody seems to think Michigan football can repeat as Big Ten Champions, as everyone seems to think last year was a one-off season or a fluke, and they also seem to think Cade is an average QB at best and not one of the best in the Big Ten.

If the offense is to take the next step like we all think they can this year with Cade as the starter, then he has something very important he needs to work on, and something that needs to be discussed.

The most important thing for Cade to work on for Michigan football to have success this fall

When we look back and think fondly of all the things that Cade McNamara did for Michigan football last season, one of the things that gets easily forgotten is that many fans were concerned and/or complained about Cade’s inefficiency and general inaccuracy at the beginning of the season.

I recall there were 2-3 games where Michigan football really struggled to move the ball on offense, and it was the defense that had to carry Michigan to victories early in the season. I recall the games against Washington and Rutgers as two that stand out.

Both times, Cade McNamara played really poorly, throwing sporadic passes all over the field, missing tons of deep shots, and just seeming to lack that signature confidence that we grew accustomed to at the end of last year.

That can’t happen this year. 7-15 for 44 yards, and no touchdowns (against the Washington Huskies) is a stat line that is completely unacceptable for Michigan football standards.

I still don’t recall if I’ve ever seen a QB perform as bad as Cade did in the Washington game. Maybe John O’Korn had some similar moments when he was QB in A2, but for how horrible O’Korn was, I still think Cade played worse that game than in any game O’Korn ever played in at Michigan.

Now, you might be countering my argument and saying Michigan doesn’t need Cade to be great for the first four weeks of the season, which, in its simplest form, is true. But at the same time, QBs need rhythm and confidence to dominate.

And if Cade isn’t confident and dominating Michigan football’s easiest opponents, then what does that mean for Cade’s confidence, and what does it mean for the fanbase’s and media’s confidence in Cade’s starting abilities?

If Cade doesn’t come out and dominate the bad teams, then he shouldn’t be the starter. He won’t need to light up those teams, as Michigan will probably take a more balanced approach, get a big lead, and sit on the bad teams, but struggling against any of those teams after his supposed “improvements” during the offseason is unacceptable.

We also can’t forget that Michigan’s defense will take a step back this year from last season. How big a step back remains to be seen, but there will be some drop-off, and hopefully it won’t be too much.

Just based on this fact, Cade needs to elevate his game to a higher level. Last year, he had the luxury of having a dominant defense, with two stud defensive ends, a star corner, and several battle-tested veterans, but this year isn’t the case.

Michigan football will need to score more points this year, which means throwing the football more, and more games like the MSU game last year might be needed from Cade for Michigan to accomplish their goals.

We already know that that Michigan’s offense will need to carry the team in 2022, as last year was the opposite, but all of Michigan’s goals and dreams rest on Cade’s improvements.

So, we should still get the same confident Cade, the veteran who doesn’t turn the ball over, but also one who is much more accurate in the short to the intermediate area, and improved accuracy on the deep ball.

No more 44-yard passing games. If Cade does all of these things and has worked on this during the offseason, and we see the improvement on the field, then we should all feel confident in Cade’s ability to lead Michigan back to the College Football Playoff, and keep J.J. as the backup.

(Side note: There is a really good interview that WolverineWire’s Isaiah Hole did with his friend Joel Klatt, who discusses what he expects from Michigan football this season. The video is at the end of this article. Give it a watch.)