Mailbag Question:

Hi Fellas,

First off, let me say that I very much dig your blog. As a football enthusiast and aspiring coach, it is refreshing to see the focus on technique and accountability as well as honest, well though out criticism from people who know what they are talking about. There is at least one reader out there who does not think you all are "haters” per se. Good stuff, keep it coming.

1) Now, I have a few questions about offensive adjustments for the upcoming game. I have noticed that with our play calling, McGuffie seems to thrive best in the I-form and with screens whereas Shaw is much better out of the zone-option read look. Granted Shaw was hurt, but he did not look hurt as he torched the defense on both his carries [against Miami]. Not having seen the tape of the game, but just my first impressions were that I think we looked pretty darn effective out of the I-form, whether running or rolling out on passes. Do you think we will see more of the I-form? What other offensive/personnel adjustments do you expect to see in the upcoming game? What was your evaluation of the running game?[against Miami]

2) My second observation is where is Terrence Taylor/pass rush? It was all too apparent in the Utah game that our lack of a pass rush let Brian Johnson sit back and pick our underneath coverage apart, and I did not see too much improvement in the Miami of Ohio game. Are the offensive lines that we face just that good? Is our aggressive blitzing scheme without any semblance of a pass rush just leaving our cornerbacks in single coverage (as well as Stevie Brown) and linebacker-level coverage out to dry? What can be done?

Greg

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Thanks for the questions and comments. This was one of the better questions we have received.

1) In the Miami game, the rushing attack was definitely improved in our opinion. There were two reasons for the improvement. First, the offensive line played and blocked better. Secondly, Threet was enough of a running threat to slow down the backside pursuit. If Threet, Sheridan, or combination of the two can continue to produce 40 yards or so per game rushing, it will be a big plus for the running game.

As for the two Running Backs, remember Shaw played in spread offense in high school, and McGuffie was I Tailback in high school. They are more comfortable and better schooled in those offenses. Both have talent to be successful in either scheme, just might take a bit longer than we fans would like.

2) Inside push or pass rush was a concern of ours after watching spring practice and scrimmage. Only one of the Defensive Tackles provided that needed inside penetration on a regular basis and he is no longer on the roster.

As for why, it is our opinion that these people were recruited to play a different style than Coach Shafer is using. They were recruited to be gap-plugging run stopping defensive tackles. Johnson has shown improvement from what we saw this spring, but both tackles need to continue to improve and provide that inside push. Blitzing and stunting will not be as effective if you do not get the inside push that requires the offense to double one of the defensive tackles.

3) Linebacker coverage has been a problem, especially in the Utah game. None of the Linebackers was very effective in coverage or tackling in space. To compound the problem, they were out of position and left passing lanes wide open for Utah quarterback Brian Johnson. Much of the problem, in our opinion, is experience. Ezeh played mostly full back in high school, and Panter played eight-man football. Mouton was a safety and Evans played a stand up defensive end most of the time. This may help them with blitzing or playing the run, but does little to help in coverage. This area could continue to hurt Michigan throughout the season. The only fix is reps, reps, and more reps. Film work, film work, and more film work. There are no short cuts to being a great Linebacker. It takes a lot of hard work.

written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine