tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post5476230593444356527..comments2024-03-28T20:09:43.455-04:00Comments on Touch the Banner: Troy Woolfolk Answers Your QuestionsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-60408330067023202072012-08-14T11:10:23.533-04:002012-08-14T11:10:23.533-04:00People who are criticizing TOP arguments are makin...People who are criticizing TOP arguments are making the argument way too simply. it is "a" factor, not "the" factor in winning. the all or nothing arguments are not flying, people.<br /><br />Now back to the TOP point. If your defense is well rested, it can respond aggressively and likely hold the opposing team to fewer points and potentially more 3 and outs instead of being winded and unable to attack. Of course their is no 100% correlation, but ensuring your ability to be aggressive as possible on every down increases your chances of stopping the offense. The "math people" and the "non-math people" can probably come up with a way to confirm that if they stop the illogical bickering. Also, we already have confirmation of this by Hoke but I think Borges, and Mattison will agree. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-51973402721787764332012-08-09T07:33:48.435-04:002012-08-09T07:33:48.435-04:00The problem with time of possession is that folks ...The problem with time of possession is that folks mix up cause and effect. TOP doesn't cause winning. It's more often the other way around. TOP is a side effect of solid play, not the reverseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-26201353539686767922012-08-07T15:01:19.294-04:002012-08-07T15:01:19.294-04:00Even if you don't actually believe that, you&#...Even if you don't actually believe that, you're dumb if you think that's a good example to prove your point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-6237755252995853902012-08-07T14:42:02.707-04:002012-08-07T14:42:02.707-04:00It is situational. You want to control the pace, ...It is situational. You want to control the pace, not control the clock. You want to be able to score fast, or score slow, depending on the situation.Lankonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-69054879460374452692012-08-07T14:40:32.224-04:002012-08-07T14:40:32.224-04:00No one argues that TOP is bad, but the debate is w...No one argues that TOP is bad, but the debate is weather its a useful measure by itself. If you're moving the ball, you'll generally have it for longer - so that's good. But you'll also win TOP if the defense gives up touchdowns every play. It's really just a measure of relative pace.<br /><br />Does pace matter? It's hard to say. The 'Math' argument is that you play fast if you are the better team to reduce variability and play slow if you're the worse team so that randomness plays a bigger role. Obviously if you're winning you want the game to end, so you slow things down, and if you're losing you want to speed things up. TOP tells you nothing about those things. The 'Save Your Defense' argument is that you protect your defense, which is more susceptible to fatigue' by keeping them well rested. This never made much sense to me because the offense gets just as tired and the OL almost never substitutes while the defenses can rotate more easily. But there may be something to it - it just doesn't make much sense to me.<br /><br />Everyone agrees that TOP correlates with success. Many disagree if it causes it.Lankonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-71163544417718810872012-08-07T13:18:29.427-04:002012-08-07T13:18:29.427-04:00I doubt it would have happened too, but there'...I doubt it would have happened too, but there's no problem with a player's confidence. Hoke is a different coach after 4 years than he was then. But to Troy's defense, we wouldn't be playing with the 2011 team...we'd probably be playing with a team in year four of Hoke's recruiting. Still a lot that goes into it, but there are other factors.M-Wolverinenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-50112169669504378282012-08-07T13:17:07.183-04:002012-08-07T13:17:07.183-04:00As long as your offense has the ball, the other te...As long as your offense has the ball, the other team doesn't have it. It's not 100% correlated to success, but it's never a bad thing to have a lot of possession.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-27589862195346791282012-08-07T13:15:53.710-04:002012-08-07T13:15:53.710-04:00I don't think either players or recruits neede...I don't think either players or recruits needed to see results. He won the loyalty of his players right off the bat and was recruiting like a demon during the 2011 offseason, before he'd coached a game here. You don't need a W-L record to show what kind of person you are.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-77332600121272537552012-08-07T13:13:04.555-04:002012-08-07T13:13:04.555-04:00Here's the thing with time of possession (TOP)...Here's the thing with time of possession (TOP): I'd guess that high numbers there are positively correlated with good outcomes. Probably fair, right?<br /><br />How do you _coach_ to that, though? Do you say "Hey, Denard -- if you see open field at the 50, pull up when you get to the 20 so we can run Fitz a few plays and take more time off the clock?"<br /><br />Suppose you had Chad Henne, Mario Manningham, Adrian Arrington, a functional (that is, not crazy) tight end, and ... no good running back and a leaky offensive line except for one All-American guy? (Wait -- except for the running back part, that would be '07. Ha.) Do you tell your offense "Hey -- no big chunks of yards, dudes. We need to CONTROL THE BALL."<br /><br />What if running in small chunks really isn't your thing? What if you're best airing it out and (when it works) getting yardage in bigger bits?<br /><br />What would you prefer? Scoring in three plays or running fifteen running plays (taking several minutes) and kicking field goal when the red zone plan doesn't work out? (Not saying that a field goal attempt would be the inevitable result ... just teeing up an example.) I honestly believe some of the TOP acolytes would prefer the FG attempt.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-62571517436815547292012-08-07T12:42:59.878-04:002012-08-07T12:42:59.878-04:00They also had close wins. It always takes luck to ...They also had close wins. It always takes luck to win a national title, but it would have taken extraordinary luck to win with last years team.<br /><br />But the argument is pure fantasy since 80% of the personnel would be different and Denard wouldn't have to Michigan at all.Lankonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-8332355173026623362012-08-07T12:40:25.314-04:002012-08-07T12:40:25.314-04:00Math is Fake! Anon has shown me the light.Math is Fake! Anon has shown me the light.Lankonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-59688835214131252102012-08-07T12:39:23.791-04:002012-08-07T12:39:23.791-04:00@Anon
That's mostly true, but the offense did...@Anon<br /><br />That's mostly true, but the offense did have some success against good teams. For example, in 2010 they put up 28 against Wisconsin and Notre Dame and 31 against PSU and looked dominant until Molk got hurt. For most defenses that should be enough to win games.<br /><br />More importantly, Denard was a sophmore, Lewan and Schofield were freshman, Toussaint was hurt, etc. This was a team that was clearly ramping up. They had a plan and a vision. I think the players trusted the coaches on that side of the ball. Defense, on the other hand, was a total train-wreck and a historically bad embarrassment to Michigan football. <br /><br />If Michigan keeps putting up similarly effective offenses without Denard, with Hoke's players, then I'll agree with you, but for now he's doing it with Rodriguez's guys.<br /><br />As for Rodriguez in AZ - we'll see. I suspect Casteel will have success. I don't think Rodriguez will look incompetent with a true 'Coach of the Defense' in place. That's what he needs, and if he had let Schaefer have more control things may have turned out very differently.<br /><br />@Andrew<br /><br />I agree. Hoke's much better as a program CEO than Rodriguez was. Hoke has put great staff around himself. He's handled the high level stuff while keeping his head in the detailed stuff by coaching the DL - letting his staff handle most of the stuff in between. Hoke's been as lucky as Rodriguez was unlucky, but he's put himself in a position to succeed and has avoided making many mistakes - Rodriguez made many.Lankonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-60787005485048738692012-08-07T12:38:59.240-04:002012-08-07T12:38:59.240-04:00Rich Rodriguez didn't "then move on to Ar...Rich Rodriguez didn't "then move on to Arizona like it never happened." He was fired at Michigan in Jan 2011, and only hired at Arizona in November of that year, having worked as a TV analyst in the meantime.<br /><br />I'm no great fan of RR, but I don't like seeing people make things up to denigrate him when there is plenty of factual material to use.<br /><br />I'd also note that you've got a lot of hate in that message. Maybe it's time to move on? The RR era was a mistake, but the blame properly goes to Lloyd Carr and Bill Martin, IMO. Michigan knew what it was getting when it hired Rodriguez and declined to hire Casteel. RR's faults were well-known and they hired him anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-13428276819047137692012-08-07T12:24:46.349-04:002012-08-07T12:24:46.349-04:00I don't believe in all the math stuff over the...I don't believe in all the math stuff over there. But statistics are statistics, and in my opinion, it's often better to go for it on 4th-and-short. In this case, math and my personal belief dovetail nicely together.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-72339352028452989412012-08-07T12:22:19.199-04:002012-08-07T12:22:19.199-04:00Come on Thunder, you are going to argue that its a...Come on Thunder, you are going to argue that its all mathematics? It's all probability? Please, give me a break. You have been spending too much time at Mgoblog, where abstractions, i.e., mathematical depictions of the game, get turned into the reality of the game. It's what they can offer - they can't actually give inside information on the game, but they can use statistics to analyze mathematical abstractions from the game, which is why its so sacred over there. Please dont bring that false reality here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-88853502432884014102012-08-07T12:11:46.807-04:002012-08-07T12:11:46.807-04:00Coaches of very successful D-I programs also belie...Coaches of very successful D-I programs also believe in punting on 4th-and-short and other mathematically silly things.Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708792562446136381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-18896283580921792112012-08-07T12:11:02.874-04:002012-08-07T12:11:02.874-04:00Same responder - here's an example from an AA....Same responder - here's an example from an AA.com story from last year's Nebraska game: <br /><br />"The Wolverines held the ball for 41:13 while Nebraska had possession for just 18:47.'You play really good defense when you get to watch your offense,' Hoke said. 'Our offense, not in every game, but (it does) have a little advantage in time of possession. 'One of our best defensive calls is (our offense) on the field.'<br /><br />http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/michigan-special-teams-play-up-to-their-namesake-in-romp-over-nebraska/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-72901622140024263602012-08-07T12:08:32.594-04:002012-08-07T12:08:32.594-04:00Thanks, Anon!
Here's another Woolfolk quote o...Thanks, Anon!<br /><br />Here's another Woolfolk quote on Hoke that I probably should have found a way to include in the interview:<br /><br />"It was weird that I connected with Coach Hoke so soon. I felt like I've know him for four years. He just seemed cool, and he's just a good guy. That's the first quality I see looking at Coach is great character. I really believe he's a good person at heart and honestly cares about his athletes. I was able to read that early on, so he was all good with me after that, and we just got closer throughout the year."TTB Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14360667391085484476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-30499707270137991302012-08-07T12:06:07.162-04:002012-08-07T12:06:07.162-04:00I was not the commenter you attacked, but you do k...I was not the commenter you attacked, but you do know that head coaches of very succesful D1 programs, including the winniest program in history, talk about the importance of time of possession, dont you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-14744123598145602192012-08-07T12:01:42.271-04:002012-08-07T12:01:42.271-04:00Thank you, Lanko.
One of the things I like best a...Thank you, Lanko.<br /><br />One of the things I like best about Michigan going 11-2 during Hoke's first year is that he now has instant credibility with everyone (players, fans, recruits). He's had the relationship aspect down since day one - which helped his team go 11-2 - but ultimately fans and players need to see results, in addition to strong relationships and PR, to fully trust and have respect. Hoke has both covered now.TTB Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14360667391085484476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-70581358838026045722012-08-07T11:46:58.316-04:002012-08-07T11:46:58.316-04:00My pleasure. Thanks for reading.My pleasure. Thanks for reading.TTB Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14360667391085484476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-67632433268439552072012-08-07T11:17:36.057-04:002012-08-07T11:17:36.057-04:00When you consider that Michigan's two losses l...When you consider that Michigan's two losses last year were very close, I don't think it is unreasonable to think they could have at least competed for a NC. Hell, if they beat MSU and managed to win the B1G CG, they may have even had a shot with one loss.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-92168689912966690952012-08-07T10:57:43.873-04:002012-08-07T10:57:43.873-04:00To anonymous 10:34: The "time of possession&q...To anonymous 10:34: The "time of possession" argument is ridiculous and I can't believe that it's still being flogged.<br /><br />What if the offense scores in one play every time? What difference does it make?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-1017872298977582762012-08-07T10:34:55.291-04:002012-08-07T10:34:55.291-04:00Too bad the offense only put up big points against...Too bad the offense only put up big points against mediocre defenses under RR. <br /><br />When we played teams that used to be considered peers (OSU, PSU) or even MSU, we didn't put up jack squat. Those days are changing. Hoke has improved the offense in many ways (time of possession being one of them to help the defense) and the defense speaks for itself. The players regularly testify as to their improved strength and toughness. <br /><br />RR was good for the Big East and may have some success in the Pac 10 but it will be limited until he learns how to play defense against teams like USC and Stanford.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2440694009017367434.post-4342509227920920112012-08-07T10:18:56.507-04:002012-08-07T10:18:56.507-04:00Excellent interview Andrew. Injuries suck.
That ...Excellent interview Andrew. Injuries suck.<br /><br />That part about not trusting Rich Rod and his defensive staff - oy. I bet the offense didn't feel that way but it's hard to blame the players on defense based on everything we've seen and heard. Will be interesting to see how AZ looks with Casteel back to manage the defense.Lankonoreply@blogger.com