Coaches Corner: Things to watch for the next 3 weeks

Simple list of five things that will show me that despite record things are going in right direction. In addition, Yes WINNING should probably be #1, just think that is too easy would be insulting your collective intelligences.

1) Does team with passion and effort?
This will be big task / test for Coach Rod and staff. It is tough to get kids fired up week after week when things are not going well. If Staff is, it will major kudos to them.

2) Does defense look and play less confused then last week?
Defense has not been good all season, average yes, good no. Last week on top of poor fundamentals, they looked step slow. That comes many times from not being confident in what you are doing.

3) Does team show improvement from week to week?
This is huge; thought offense in particular was making some nice strides until Toledo game. Even with forty-two points last week the thing I found the lack of consistency troubling. Not blaming offense for loss in any way, any time you score forty-two points you should win period, just that there disappearance in third quarter was troubling. In addition, after last week defense has nowhere to go put up.

4. Can team finally play full four quarters?
Not once has this team played full game well. I would really like to see Michigan show up this weekend and put 100% effort and performance into four quarters.

5) Will we finally see Michigan?
Offensively and defensively play a nasty, physical, edgy game. From physical standpoint, this team has been excessively easy to play against. How many truly outstanding, crowd stopping, wow hits have there been this year? There is nowhere near enough.

Both Coach Shafer and Coach Rod are big on physical play and preached it all spring. We need to get some. Want to make Quarterbacks think or hesitate before scrambling, or make those Split Ends think about and make all those easy short catches. Easy, rip their damn heads off.

On offense would love to see one Split End / Tight End / Offensive linemen clean some defenders clock when they are standing around the pile or talking crap, somebody please HIT somebody and hard.

Sorry for the rant! However, this pillow fight attitude is driving me crazy. Let us be mean and nasty.

Are there more things sure, but been my experience that if I focus on more than just five I get confused, Old Age and All. What do others want to see?

written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine