What anonymous Big Ten coaches said about Michigan football
Michigan football is the defending national champion. The Wolverines are the three-time defending Big Ten champions, but they are also one of the biggest question marks in the sport.
That's because Jim Harbaugh is gone and so far 13 NFL draft picks, a total that includes top-10 selection J.J. McCarthy, who might be the best quarterback Michigan football has ever had.
Sherrone Moore seems ready for the job though. All of his actions since taking as head coach have only fueled my confidence that he'll be a great head coach. He's hired a great staff, has done a stellar job on the recruiting trail, and has already proven he can handle coaching in big games. He's already out-coached James Franklin and Ryan Day in top-10 showdowns.
Looking ahead to the season, Athlon Sports talked to anonymous Big Ten coaches, and here's what was said to Athlon Sports (via On3.com) about Michigan football in its first season with Sherrone Moore as the head coach.
“The trick for Sherrone [Moore] is to keep the momentum of a national championship culture through all the roster turnover,” the anonymous coach said. “I think you’ll see a lot of familiar [Jim] Harbaugh practices and ideas this first season because they’ve got to rebuild before they can put a new signature on the program."
The coach also talked about the defense and how the Wolverines will rely on that side of the ball this season.
“The defense will lead the way for them; that can help bridge the rebuild on offense. Will [DC] Wink [Martindale] just rip it and blitz? That will be interesting to see… They’re basically turning over the entire offense, and they need to find some receiver talent for whoever wins that starting job at QB…. This is going to be a massive transition even though they kept on the interim from last year. They’ll take a step back, but maybe not as far as you think.”
The final thought is the most interesting. "They'll take a step back but maybe not as far as you think." That's my exact read on Michigan football this season. I don't expect another undefeated national championship.
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I also don't expect Michigan to go 8-4. This is a playoff team in my opinion, as long as Michigan can figure out something at quarterback and if the QB position is somehow better than expected, than another Big Ten title could be on the menu.