Coaches Corner: Top Ten things to look for in Michigan

Every year after summer camp and seven on seven scrimmages, we sit down as staff and make list of ten things that need to happen for us to be successful.

We got the idea from the University of Toledo. They recommended only ten because it is difficult in the short amount of time available to have more than ten.

Ten is number that you can reasonable keep track of and work on. After we finished I did same thing for Michigan. These ten things will determine how good Michigan will be this year. This is different from what I wrote earlier about things to watch.

1) Staying Healthy:
This is universal. No team in college football can withstand injuries at key positions. This heightened over the years with eighty-five scholarship limit and players leaving early. USC, with all its depth and talent and suffered loses at least partially do to injuries. Michigan being very thin has an even thinner margin for error. Michigan’s starting twenty-two can compete with any one.

2) How fast do freshmen assimilate:
More than any other year in the forty plus years of being Michigan fan freshmen are going to need to play key role. By either providing depth, a key skill set for schemes, competition, or playing on special teams. Some or quite possibly many freshmen will need to contribute.

3) How do young guys, who are not freshmen assimilate:
As key as freshmen will be, sophomores and juniors will be just as important. These people were not recruited to play in this system. Can they adapt and overcome, and learn new techniques so that can be successful in new schemes. From what I saw this spring, I am encouraged in this matter.

4) Who provides key leadership:
There seems to be not a huge problem on defense. We have Trent, Jamison, Taylor, and Johnson, etc. who have been through the wars and know the drill. Offense is different matter. Michigan may not have one senior starting on the offense and only three starters from last year’s squad returning. This can actually help in some ways, but when it is third and three with game on line whom do they look to in the huddle. Who steps up and says give me the DAMN BALL. There are plenty of candidates, but still no one who has done it on major college level.

5) Will special teams be better:
And I mean all phases, returning, covering, kicking, field goals. Especially early in year when offense is getting their seas legs, superior special teams can be huge help.

6) Does Michigan have the people to play Coach Shafer's style of defense:
Does Michigan have the safeties and outside linebackers to create the turnovers Coach Shafer desires! Being aggressive has hundred advantages over being conservative, but if you do not have the safeties and outside linebackers to create those turnovers this defense needs, things can get ugly. For record, I am confident our safeties will be just fine. We are four to five deep, at outside linebacker, not as sure. Good news is MaizeMan’s update that Mouton looks ready!

7) Does the team come together:
I was so impressed this spring at the focus and tightness/cohesion, this team showed. I was interested to see if there were any malcontents. There were definitely a few, but the positive people drowned out those who were not 100% onboard. Question is will it continue throughout the season. Will this be team #1 group as it appeared? That was the problem with Michigan last year. There were a quite a few players who were more interested in own self-interest over teams. Coach Rod and staff know what they are doing and will make huge difference. In the locker room without coaches present, who knows?

8) Coach Barwis factor:
Will Coach Barwis demanding players maintain and build strength into the season pay dividend, especially with freshmen who have not had the entire spring and only part of summer in program. How fast these young players get physically ready to play will be something I am watching very closely. In theory, it should be a big help.

9) How fast does staff assimilate to different style of play:
At West Virginia Coach Rod and staff were masters at getting opponents to play at their pace. Then controlling the tempo of the game. That is what they did to Oklahoma in the bowl game and crushed them. Can they force Big Ten teams to play their tempo, or will Coach Tressell and others slow pace and control tempo. This will be biggest test for Coach Rod because if he succeeds, he can beat teams that are even more talented. We all saw what happened to Ohio State when they tried to play Florida's tempo, and what happened when Coach Carr and staff the next year turned the tables. I like Michigan/Coach Rod’s chances here. Everything I saw this spring, practice and scrimmages were training Michigan to be to play at and control tempo. It was very impressive.

10) Can staff generate competition despite lack of depth:
Nothing makes people better than competition. Complacency is death to a team. That was what helped kill last years team, especially early. Not enough competition. I was so pleased at how Coach Rod and staff changed depth charts day to day. Playing time was earned every single day. Ezeh was starting middle linebacker at practice on Friday. He was average and Thompson started scrimmage next day. However, there were few key positions where drop off was so much that competition really did not exist. Hoping that freshmen or other player step up game to push key players.

That is our list. Interested to here some others ideas. Please feel to comment.

written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

Thanks for stopping by http://gobluemichiganwolverine.blogspot.com/

If you have any questions please e-mail erocwolverine@gmail.com