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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Doug Nussmeier, Wolverine

Doug Nussmeier with A.J. McCarron
Offensive coordinator Al Borges's replacement is none other than Doug Nussmeier, who is leaving the same position at Alabama. Nussmeier was a college quarterback at Idaho under former Michigan State head coach John L. Smith and won the Walter Payton Award, which is given to the DI-AA/FCS Player of the Year. He was a 4th round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints but was used sparingly, throwing for 455 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 interceptions. He went on to play with a couple teams in the CFL.

Here's a list of his most recent coaching stops and some notable players:

  • Michigan State quarterbacks, 2003-2005: Drew Stanton
  • St. Louis Rams quarterbacks, 2006-2007: Marc Bulger
  • Fresno State offensive coordinator, 2008: Ryan Matthews
  • Washington offensive coordinator, 2009-2011: Jake Locker, Keith Price
  • Alabama offensive coordinator, 2012-2013: A.J. McCarron, Eddie Lacy, T.J. Yeldon, Amara Cooper
There will be more to come on this here blog, but for now, Michigan fans should be pretty excited.
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11 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2014 at 6:54 AM

    OT: What is it with college football coaches and pleated pants? I don't see those anywhere else in nature. It's weird.

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    1. DonAZJanuary 9, 2014 at 10:05 AM

      It's probably just part of the game-day uniform dictated by the head coach ... team polo with pleated khakis.

      Pleated khakis look better on men who are not really trim. Flat-front khakis look okay on fit and trim guys, but if there's a bit of a belly involved, then the flat-front makes it look bigger. Pleated has the opposite effect.

      It's an age thing ... pleated slacks are fairly common in older executives. The degree of pleat makes a difference ... really billowy pleats are definitely out of style, but a slight pleat is fairly common.

      Holy crap, what am I ... some kind of HGTV fashion maven? :-)

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    2. LanknowsJanuary 10, 2014 at 12:46 PM

      all pleats are out of style

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  2. DonAZJanuary 9, 2014 at 10:01 AM

    Very interesting development ... when it's all confirmed and official and he has his first press conference wearing blue, I hope we get a sense for how Nussmeier saw this transaction, pros and cons.

    FWIW, I take this as a very good sign ... not merely that Nussmeier appears a good OC, but because it signals Hoke's willingness to break out of past patterns and be bold. This is *not* the kind of move a program wedded to outdated tradition makes. This is *not* the kind of move a timid MAC-level coach would make. This is the kind of move a coach who now understands the world of top-tier football makes to go to a higher gear.

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    1. suduri xusaiJanuary 9, 2014 at 10:47 AM

      Absolutely. I am glad that Hoke went out and got the best in the game. I am also thinking DN will change the staff on offense -- he probably want his own guys in. I am thinking Funk and Jackson will leave the program soon.

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    2. BlastBeat88January 9, 2014 at 10:59 AM

      I don't know about the best in the game, but perhaps the best in running what Hoke apparently wants to run.

      Rumors already hint that Nuss wants to bring a few assistants, so you're probably right on that front. I think Jackson will retire before he gets fired for a replacement, though.

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    3. suduri xusaiJanuary 9, 2014 at 11:16 AM

      Yeah. The best is a relative term. Jackson absolutely deserves to be able to retire for his services over the years. His son just finished with the program, so it is also a good timing. Wouldn't care much about Funk. The TE coach and WR coach are more likely to stay, in my humble opinion.

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  3. DonAZJanuary 9, 2014 at 11:32 AM

    @BlastBeat88 ... do you think perhaps there's a signal here that Hoke is open to variations on his theme? From what I can gather from reading about Nussmeier is he's always blended a bit of power with spread concepts. Which if true, then I'm optimistic. My sense is the game is changing and there's a synthesis of spread and power taking place -- not pure Pat White WVU spread, not Wisconsin Montee Ball, but a blending of the two.

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    1. suduri xusaiJanuary 9, 2014 at 12:03 PM

      well I am not blastbeat, but I assume Hoke is open to that, as that's what he did for the past 3 years. Borges also said publicly that some spread concepts will remain with the Michigan offense. The game really changed over the past two decades that even a lot of NFL teams employ spread concepts.

      Nuss has experience with both, and I have to believe that Nuss and Hoke reached a deal re: how offense will be run.

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    2. BlastBeat88January 9, 2014 at 5:33 PM

      Hoke allows autonomy from his coordinators, but I have to think he's in control of the big picture. This is reflected in his staff choices. San Diego State didn't run a Stanford offense, and neither did Ball State, IIRC, so this means to me that while Hoke is a power running fan, he's not married to a Woody Hayes playbook.

      Given everything surrounding the hire, I don't think Hoke is about to handcuff Nussmeier. The spring game will tell us more, but we're going to run whatever gets us yards and points with our players.

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    3. LanknowsJanuary 10, 2014 at 12:44 PM

      The spring game is unlikely to tell us much. It's typically a glorified practice, especially for a new coach trying to work on core plays. What will happen, what always happens, is that people will read waaaaay too much into everything.

      The talk last spring was much about Dymonte Thomas and Amarah Darboh. Drake Johnson and Justice Hayes were the starting backs. Jack Miller and Ben Braden started on the OL. Frank Clark and James Ross were going to be superstars.

      Actually useful info, like Glasgow emerging as a starter and Bryant fading, was hard to grab onto with so much other noise.

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