Mailbag Question:

Guys,

What are your thoughts on Coach Shafer? I am not so sure he is doing an adequate job. The defense has many more returning starters and upperclassman. His schemes are not anything that should take so long to adjust to (unlike the spread on offense.) So what is the problem? Come on, they cannot even stop a MAC team? The defense that was supposed to dominate this year? What gives?

Q.R.

-------------------------------------

Thanks for the question. Not sure, what everybody expected defense to do this Saturday. They held Toledo to six points, repeat six points. If that is bad performance, then I am not sure what it is going to take to win.

Did they give up some yardage, yes? However, the goal here is to keep opponents from scoring points, and they did that. What the defense did this week was prevent the big play, the type of play that killed them against Illinois.

Yes, the defense has some returning players from last season, these were people recruited to play in bend, but do not break style of defense. They are not ideal fit to play in Coach Shafer's more aggressive style of play.

Michigan at this time just does not have the athletes at many key positions to play in space. What Coach Shafer is dealing with is trying to install the aggressive style of defense he prefers, but still give Michigan a chance to win today. This is not an easy thing to accomplish.

written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine