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Coach's Corner: Four Phases for the New Michigan Staff and Their Program

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  • Coach's Corner: Four Phases for the New Michigan Staff and Their Program

    Posted at 7:00am — 2/15/2015

    Phase One: Moving In Done

    Phase two will now start; that phase is getting the Wolverine team to move on, as in upward. The job is not an easy one, the expectations are high, but as Jim Harbaugh mentioned, there are no guarantees. He knows his mere presence is insufficient to cause by itself a great change. But the naming of Harbaugh as Head Coach was certainly a start; one that few would go out on a limb and challenge.

    Of course, there is the meaningless and worthless jabs some will take as every breath of Harbaugh’s is chronicled. Why Coach Harbaugh actually tripped a little going up to the podium; somehow that became news. And I see that one Einstein already has listed the failures and mistakes Harbaugh made in his short recruiting season. Laughable and simply amazing is an accurate conclusion to the above. So, discounting such events that equate to nothing in the long term, let us look back and give a little semi-synopsis of these first six weeks.

    Jim Harbaugh’s connections, with the help of plenty of obvious Michigan money, within the profession paid off for Michigan when hiring the new staff. Collectively, this staff is very impressive. There are professionals with years of experience at high profile jobs, there are former NFL players and coaches, there are specialists, not generalists; most importantly this staff can clearly document coaching success.

    There are a few peeps from critics claiming that the current staff may not be up to recruiting snuff to get top talent to Ann Arbor. But his staff has sufficient recruiting talent that if the wins start to accumulate, other maters should work out.

    One approach that Harbaugh has taken is to form somewhat of a corporate structure with the offensive staff. There is Harbaugh himself, who will not be passive in evaluating and forming the offensive approach. He has proven leadership and quarterback coaching skills.

    Tim Drevno has worked with Harbaugh, as have many others on this staff. He has produced successful tight ends and linemen at Stanford and San Francisco, and lastly in his one season at USC. He brings some experience to the offensive coordinator position, but plenty to the running game.

    Jedd Fisch did a very nice job as the Jaguar offensive coordinator the last two years. His talent level was near minimal on offense and his job the past year was to bring along Blake Bortles. Apparently a disagreement with how to accomplish this aim sent Fisch northward. There are some knowledgeable folks in Jacksonville that thought Fisch could have been a keeper.

    Fisch will work with quarterbacks, wideouts, and possesses the title of passing game coordinator. Michigan has never. lately, put the two realms of offensive attack together as an effective unit, due to many factors, but at least the organizational and coaching talent structure is improved and the expectation and methodology is coordinated.

    Pitty the fool who messes with Tyrone Wheatley. Ty does not have a cruise control speed and the young running backs will learn from a Michigan legend with plenty of NFL and coaching success.

    Not every team can reach out and grab a coach with the success of John Baxter. For nearly a decade, the UM special teams have gyrated between average and just plain mediocre. Baxter provides young talent with a chance to see the field. His success at Southern California the last few years with less than a full roster is noteworthy.

    Baxter brings a laser focus and intensity to doing things the right way; this may be his most important gift. Not hurting the cause is Baxter also having coaching experience with tight ends. So, three coaches on the offensive side will provide an upgrade to the management of this position.

    With the exception of Greg Mattison, the defensive staff will be a new look venture.

    D. J. Durkin was a big get for Michigan. Florida’s problems of the past two years were more offensive in nature, especially concerning the quarterback production. He brings some youth, enough experience, and exposure on the big stage. Durkin is known for recruiting and his mere presence has already yielded positive results in Florida.

    A defensive coach needs talent. Durkin inherits some good talent on the defensive line, adequate linebackers, and some trouble in the secondary. The Gators have far more speed than Michigan, but finishing 2nd in the SEC in defense, with the pressure the Florida offense put on the unit is impressive. Linebackers are his specialty.

    Michael Zordich, like Durkin, is one of the Youngstown gang. He worked with the Philadelphia Eagles after a long professional career. As many remember, Zordich was an All-American at Penn State.

    Greg Jackson is the other secondary coach, having coached with Jim Harbaugh at San Francisco. Like Zordich, Jackson had a long professional career.

    Zordich and Jackson have quite the challenge. But with tons of professional experience as defensive backs and great x and o knowledge, things could uptick.

    Phase Two: About Those Recruits

    Well the move in of the new staff is somewhat complete; it never will be totally complete until after spring practice. The next little item in this series is the personnel, including the fourteen new Wolverines. Forecasting is an endeavor filled with risk and likely final inaccuracies. Once at a convention on energy use, a team of forecasters told me that over a five-year period if the original forecasts were within 10 percent the effort was a brilliant success, caused more by luck than prognostication skill. The usual end result was within a 20% range, and electrical use has far less variables than football teams.

    So, while reading this effort understand the above.

    Some, laughingly, have written some blog stuff informing Jim Harbaugh of his failures and mistakes for the first recruiting class. Yep, the non-expert with little or no technical knowledge can see the results four or five years down the road? Find the nearest utility company and sign these guys up as forecasters.

    Harbaugh had several limitations and to the knowledgeable, those with experience, his tasks were obvious.

    First, hang on to the small remnant of what was left of the 2015 class. Second, strike out and grab players that fit the new staff’s criteria. As mentioned in an earlier article, the overall effort of the last two years yielded a C type grade. Jim Harbaugh and staff had only three weeks in that process. It is worthless to provide a “grade” for that time period.

    Michigan ended up with fourteen recruits. Any such number will yield weaknesses. There were the obligatory three offensive linemen. All are big enough to play at this level and it is now a matter of who will develop enough to contribute.

    Michigan is still tight end poor. Yes, indeed, Tyrone Wheatley Jr. is a recruit listed at tight end, but that designation may be more driven from a signing necessity to make a youngster happy than reality. Clark, as predicted fled for another venue. Those who are still around need to step it up and show high improvement, not just normal progression. This group will have at least three sets of eyes on it. There is always a chance that one of the fullbacks will be turned into either a hybrid or a pure tight end. There is always a small chance that an offensive lineman can slip into a role as a part time tight end. The “loser” of the center battle could be a candidate. The situation is not ideal and some creative solutions will need to be employed.

    The class did not achieve a big name running back, but the more everyone learns about Karan Higdon the more the sorrow recedes. A tough, southern runner with a decent ability to hit a hole, Higdon just might see a role in this offense. The fact that he picked Michigan as an educational option is refreshing.

    Michigan has lacked a true pass-rushing end for years. Two ends with some potential were signed, Shelton Johnson and Reuben Jones, both listed as strong side picks. Both are undersized for the college game but possess a nice first step. Johnson is long at 6’ 5” and two years from now could be a handful. Remember the dangers of precise prognostication. Both were flips from Florida, and clearly both were well known to former defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin.

    The quarterback situation has been at critical mass for years. Remember those Tate Forcier, Denard Robinson, and Devin Gardner for Heisman signs? Success can be fleeting and depth is a necessity. At best, Michigan had on roster only two guys who could remotely contribute. At one time Michigan found itself in a position of having the best two athletes at quarterback; so one went to wide receiver. Denard was it, and all things considered, he certainly did his share considering his limitations as a pure quarterback.

    Now two recruits, Alex Malzone and Zach Gentry, with decent potential and differing strengths, enter the picture. Then add in an old-fashioned gunslinger, John O’Korn, and Michigan will have a nice quarterback situation in 2016. O’Korn comes from St. Thomas Aquinas of Ft. Lauderdale, one of the very top programs in the nation. He is 6’4” and savvy in running a pro style, let it fly, type offense. It is still to be determined whether or not Michigan will use the pass to any degree similar to Houston. A simple prognostication guess is no way.

    This is 2015 however and the task for the collective offensive staff that will work with quarterbacks remains stiff. One thing for sure, Michigan could take the quarterback roster and come up with a nasty sized intramural basketball team.

    The wide receiver haul consisted of high potential athlete, Brian Cole, and late entry Grant Perry. Cole is untapped, rough, lacks some balance in his route running, but is the best athlete of the 2015 group. He could play running back, wide receiver, or on defense. Somewhere, somehow his ability must be utilized. The best guess of course is at wideout and it is nice to have a wide receiver with the size and running back skills of Cole. Grant Perry is one of those guys who just catches the ball and at the current time more polished in wideout play than Cole. Some discount his value since Alex Malzone had a laser production year. He still caught the ball and having guys like that around is nice.

    Perry is a little bigger than Roy Roundtree was when he entered Michigan as a result of Coach Rich Rod’s snake oil sales job. Roundtree, though not impressive in any one way, made some catches that should linger in Michigan football lore. He turned out to be a class guy who just got the job done. Perry may follow that path.

    Besides quarterback, the area of most immediate concern at Michigan is the defensive backfield. Too many have struck out as Mattison kept bringing in big corners with athletic potential. Jeremy Clark and Channing Stribling could still find a role, but cornerback is pretty much dead for those two. And Dymonte Thomas may have to switch positions; safety seems a stretch for him, especially with Peppers moving to safety. Thomas was one of the nation’s best athletes when recruited.

    The two recruits out of the 2015 package, Tyree Kinnel and Keith Washington, give Michigan a prospect at safety and cornerback. Kinnel has mixed reviews from scouting sites, from a top safely prospect to a lower end four star. Washington is an athlete with physical tools and lacks the finished elements a college starter needs. But talent and size cannot be taught, just coached.

    The flips accomplished by Harbaugh and the transfer of O’Korn will take at least two years to determine the impact. Most of this group may not even play this year. One exception may be kicker Andrew David. Freshman kickers must overcome the adjustment to a new game and a new ball. But sooner or later the ultimate test is what happens in a game, and sometimes there are rough spots before things fall into place for a young kicker.

    Phase Three: What To Do With What Is Left -- Offense

    The remnants from the Coach Brady Hoke regime remain. The remnants consist of many factors and conditions, the most important being the players. It still remains their team and future program success will in large part be determined by how well they play in the near future. The coaching staff understands this and we should expect no attitude displaying a massive purge to clear the deck of past problems that imitates a no stepchild welcome from a previous marriage scenario.

    The coaches will treat the players, new and old, as Wolverines, there will be no group favoritism. The players will learn that. But one nuance the players already know is that if they fight the law, the law will win. Fighting the law means bad attitude, inadequate work ethic, placing the self before the whole, and probably more than anything else, not showing improvement. The players must understand and practice this treatise.

    The formula for improvement is never finite and certain, such as in geometry. It includes variables assumed and unassumed. Certainly, intense work, toughness, maximum program efficiency, maximum coaching ability, and fiery willpower to succeed are commonly accepted.

    Jim Harbaugh and staff may be working on a maxim that could read like this: soon you will improve or you will be gone. I see no instance in which a one-year hiatus will be given for sheltering low numbers and salvaging by compromise the next year. I see Harbaugh immediately starting his quest to do exactly what he plans without deviation, and if the next year is a semi-mess, so be it; the sooner the expectations are in place and reached, the better.

    Harbaugh and staff will not purposely seek out victims to toss into the general populace; for the most part those exiting will be self-selecting. The players will learn they need to be far more adaptable than the coaching staff.

    After the initial culture shock diminishes, the staff needs to develop (some may say redevelop) what remains. As mentioned in the past months, the cupboard is not bare, but it is far from stocked. What Coach Harbaugh and staff have is a collection of decent talent, with nice academic backgrounds, and for the most part somewhat similar to what he inherited at Stanford, probably less.

    The quarterback situation has already been highlighted, dissected, analyzed: whatever. And for good reason, as the past few years have clearly indicated teams go no further up the feeding chain than a good quarterback allows. The coaching of this group will be far more precise, intense, and collective than perhaps at any other time in Michigan football history. It will play out, one way or another; the matter is simple, the methodology and path perhaps not so simple.

    The offensive line situation did show some improvement at the end of the season, but not enough to have any significant effect on the team’s success. Coach Tim Drevno and others know the nature of the power running game. There is talent, there is hope, there is proven coaching, but that does not guarantee radical improvement. Who plays where is pure speculation, the staff will clearly experiment and decide on who can start, probably one guy at a time, that is, who stands out the most, then second most, etc. over a period of time.

    Tight ends, already discussed, remain a problematic group, as only one, Jake Butt, has contributed in a manner Harbaugh expects. Using what is left and recruiting with a vengeance are the only available strategies moving forward.

    Harbaugh and staff also have a big question mark at wide receiver. Fortunately, this question mark could turn for the better. There are a bunch of guys with decent potential that have never separated themselves from the field, even to the extent of past players like Jeremy Gallon and Roy Roundtree. The supposedly best athlete and top talent fled. System guys like Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson must step up production.

    Their production should be aided by a very strong wide receiver staff, competent on the field through teaching and off the coaching turf by analysis. Drevno has proven success in tight end production, Jedd Fisch has had success with the entire passing game, including receivers, and T.J. Weist (Senior Offensive Analyst), not even on the field, has a strong knowledge of wide receiver development. Young Jay Harbaugh has tutelage advantages and a work ethic. He has received a great opportunity at a young age.

    Drake Harris and Freddy Canteen are young guys that remain with the label of potential. If Canteen can become a tough third option, gaining a favorable match-up, regain his ability to just catch the ball, and improve through coaching, the future could yield nice results. Harris, once touted as a can’t miss prospect, will first need to demonstrate an ability to be injury free. He has the physical tools coaches covet.

    Brian Cole is a very well rounded and talented athlete, one who played numerous positions well in high school.

    This section is more about the returnees, but his name will be mentioned. The question now becomes can he excel at one position in college? Playing many positions has advantages and disadvantages. The obvious disadvantage is no one position was mastered in high school; Brian is a little rough in technique as one could expect when watching a guy playing both ways in multiple spots. The answer is intelligent decision making by the coaching staff and hard work by the player to merge technique and athletic talent, a formula easy to state, but not always possible to achieve.

    Running back is a potpourri of options, that may or may not be a good thing. No one runner has separated himself from the pack, although Drake Johnson certainly tried last year. Each knee injury makes it tougher and longer to come back to past levels, but here is to the best for the Ann Arbor native.

    Ty Isaac should be the most versatile and the west coast contingent of the new Michigan staff is familiar with what he brings to a game plan. Issac is a little bit of a slasher, a little bit of a blaster, and good to the flank, an asset Michigan dearly needs.

    The other returning running backs will be under new management and the rules of engagement now change. Give any of these guys a decent attack at the line and positive yardage can be achieved. Johnson had the speed to the hole the others did not have, and perhaps a little better vision. Smith is stronger and perhaps possesses a little better vision than Green. Green can bounce better and if the blocking is sufficient pile up more runs that surpass the 10-yard benchmark, more so than Smith.

    Take note, this group is not chopped liver, it has potential to shine and finally there is some depth with experience. The two ingredients that will move this group forward remain better line play, perhaps most critical at tight end, and better development of individual skills.


    Phase Four: What To Do With What Is Left — Defense

    The last section ended with the small proclamation that the defense was a better scenario than the offense.
    For the first time in several years the defensive tackle play of Michigan was above standard, not spectacular, but pretty good. And the talent and experience returning can only produce preseason optimism. Coach Greg Mattison knows the ups and downs of this group; some would cite an advantage; some may take an opposing view.

    Bryan Mone is a big time player waiting to happen. He is not Vince Wilfork, but no one is calling him tiny, at least not within close range. Ryan Glasgow, like his brother, just keeps hanging around, getting bigger and better. Ondre Pipkins needs a big year, the clock it is a ticking to the future. He has had sufficient time to regain strength and will actually have to compete heavily to break the starting lineup. Matthew Godin, depending on the front scheme, can play at a solid level and provide some versatility. He still has plenty of work to get to a near impact starter, but as in the past gives Coach Mattison a guy who can start or be first man in off the bench. Chris Wormley has the potential to play several positions on the line, and with all of the options available to Coaches D.J. Durkin and Greg Mattison just forget the speculation, the line will play out.

    The defensive end position is not as dire as the quarterback situation, but like the gunslingers and manager gang, this group needs a big ol’ question mark attached. Next year, get bigger, get stronger, and get experience. Well, just get better is this year’s mantra. Listen to the following names: Taco Charlton, Mario Ojemudia, add newcomer to the mix Lawrence Marshall, and the still to be determined fate of quick Henry Poggi, who may up somewhere else on the line, and then gasp just a little.

    Linebacker time will depend on Coach D.J. Durkin wishes, or on what is the best overall group balance, or who may just want to separate from the pack. Gone is Jake Ryan and back is Desmond Morgan. This is certainly not a straight up trade, but Morgan is pretty decent if left inside. Joe Bolden will just play football, the way coaches want him to, where they want him to, and the results will be positive.

    Now on to the two elevator guys, Royce Jenkins-Stone and James Ross III; both have demonstrated the good and the bad; both have warts, and both have yet to reach those dreaded expectations. Both may end up playing situational football unless they display a more well rounded linebacker game. Michael Ferns fled the pack, leaving Chase Winovich as the most promising newcomer.

    But just do not be mega shocked if Michael McCray makes far more of an impact this year. He just seems to figure it out when the game comes around and he can lay the wood.

    Besides McCray, newcomers from the defensive back corps may arrive as reinforcements, most hypothesized is Jeremy Clark and Dymonte Thomas, both decent hitters.

    Michigan may be able to put together a nice front line of defensive backs in Jourdan Lewis, Blake Countess, Jabrill Peppers, and Jarrod Wilson. Then, it is a collection of what has been underwhelming achievement. One or two more need to rise up and contribute at a starting level. Again, a little meet at the quarterback ability from the front line could help these guys immensely.

    And so with the preliminaries done the series concludes with the worldview of Jim Harbaugh and how the foundation of Michigan football will be affected.

    Written by GBMWolverine Message Board Staff — CoachBT, Doc4Blu, and ErocWolverine

    Go Blue — Wear Maize!


    Twitter: @ErocWolverine
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