New defensive coordinator?

Defensive line coach Bruce Tall

Rumors have begun to float that Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Robinson has been or will be replaced by defensive line coach Bruce Tall, at least in the interim.  Rumors are also beginning that the search for a full-time replacement has begun.  I am not vouching for the validity of these rumors, just reporting that they exist.

Bruce Tall's coaching history:

1985-86: Tight ends and special teams coach at Cornell
1987-92: Defensive line coach at Ohio Wesleyan
1993-97: Defensive coordinator and linebacker coach at Northeastern
1998-2001: Defensive coordinator and linebacker coach at Harvard
2002-07: Safeties coach at West Virginia
2008-10: Defensive line coach at Michigan

Penn State 41, Michigan 31

Happier now?  No?  Yeah, me either.

Michigan lost last night.  I'm not sure if you heard, but it was bad.

Sad bullets:

Michigan's defense is still atrocious.  Matt McGloin, a former walk-on who has been the borderline third-stringer for the Nittany Lions, completed 17 of 28 passes for 250 yards and 1 touchdown (plus 1 rushing touchdown).  Furthermore, the Wolverines were unable to force a turnover even once.  Running back Evan Royster was averaging 64 yards a game until this point, and he torched the Wolverines for 150 yards on 29 carries; his 5.2 yards per carry average would have been significantly higher if Penn State wasn't simply trying to run out the clock at the end of the game and slamming into a stacked line.  The defense got one important stop in the game, but a hurting offense - missing its top two tight ends and its starting quarterback, and with a hodge podge offense line - put up 435 yards and 41 points.

Vincent Smith isn't good at running.  You all know my thoughts on where Vincent Smith belongs in the pecking order at running back on this team, but here's where he ranks among the rest of the Big Ten's lead rushers.  Smith had 9 carries for 24 yards against a depleted Penn State defense and behind a solid offensive line.  Stephen Hopkins had a slightly better day running the ball, and Michael Shaw's lone rushing attempt went for 4 yards.  I wish I had a good reason for offensive genius Rich Rodriguez only being able to squeeze out the tenth best yards per carry average for a running back in the Big Ten, but I don't. 

White, UW: 86 carries, 570 yards, 6.6 ypc, 9 TD
Edwin Baker, MSU: 124 carries, 800 yards, 6.5 ypc, 7 TD
Leveon Bell, MSU: 95 carries, 585 yards, 6.2 ypc, 8 TD
Dierking, Purdue: 67 carries, 403 yards, 6.0 ypc, 3 TD
Clay, UW: 160 carries, 887 yards, 5.5 ypc, 13 TD
Royster, PSU: 117 carries, 600 yards, 5.1 ypc, 4 TD
Dan Herron, OSU: 129 carries, 634 yards, 4.9 ypc, 12 TD
Leshoure, Illinois: 158 carries, 780 yards, 4.9 ypc, 6 TD
Robinson, Iowa: 172 carries, 806 yards, 4.7 ypc, 10 TD
Vincent Smith, Michigan: 79 carries, 349 yards, 4.4 ypc, 4 TD
Darius Willis, Indiana: 64 carries, 278 yards, 4.3 ypc, 4 TD
Bennett, Minnesota: 104 carries, 444 yards, 4.3 ypc, 2 TD
Trumpy, Northwestern: 74 carries, 307 yards, 4.1 ypc, 2 TD

Freshmen play like freshmen.  On a long completed pass thrown by McGloin last night, I remember seeing freshman cornerback Cullen Christian, freshman free safety Ray Vinopal, and redshirt freshman wide receiver-turned-free safety-turned-quasi-linebacker Cameron Gordon converging on the play.  I honestly don't know that I've ever seen a more inexperienced defense.  And that doesn't even include the pain of watching a perfectly positioned Terrence Talbott watch a ball whistle right past his perfectly positioned arm and into the belly of a PSU wide receiver. 

Denard Robinson runs the ball TOO MUCH.  Holy crap, Rich Rodriguez.  When are you going to learn that you're driving Robinson into the ground by running him 27, 28, 29 times a game?  Sure, Robinson had 27 carries for 191 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He had a great game (running the ball, anyway).  But he also missed time due to injury for the sixth time out of eight games.  If he's such a valuable runner, put him at running back and give the snaps to a quarterback who can actually pass the ball, Tate Forcier.  While I haven't been a fan of changing Robinson's position up to this point, the gaping hole at running back makes me think the Forcier/Robinson combo in the backfield might not be such a bad idea after all.  In case you're wondering, Robinson is averaging 20.5 carries a game so far this season.

So much for the bye week.  We thought Michigan would be able to heal its injuries and put together a good game plan for a struggling Penn State team.  But Mike Martin re-injured his ankle injury and missed most of the game, Denard Robinson got dinged up again, and running back Michael Shaw totaled one carry.  Meanwhile, Michigan's defense couldn't cover the flats, couldn't break on deep balls, and couldn't stop a paltry running game.  And Jeremy Gallon still looks like a lineman trying to catch the ball; instead of letting a kickoff go into the endzone for a touchback, he dropped the ball and then kicked it out of bounds at his own 2-yard line.  I don't really feel like the week off helped this team at all.

Greg Robinson is gone after this year.  I'm almost sure of it.  Somebody's head has to roll after this year's performance, and Rodriguez will be lucky if it's not his.  But I do not expect Greg Robinson to return in 2011, whether the defense has been littered with freshmen or not.  This is the worst defense in Michigan history and perhaps the worst in the country.

Preview: Michigan at Penn State

This must be how the remainder of Penn State's two-deep feels.

This is a big Saturday for me.  Not only does Michigan get a chance to avenge two consecutive losses to Penn State and earn a bowl berth, but I live in some fairly heavy Penn State country and these people talk a lot of smack.  I have some friendly bets with some of my players - the loser(s) have to run a mile after practice on Monday.

Rush Offense vs. Penn State Rush Defense
In comparison with a similar offense to Michigan's, the Nittany Lions gave up 282 yards on only 54 carries against the Illinois Fighting Illini two weeks ago, and that defense has further been depleted by injury.  Interestingly, Michigan has the #7 rushing offense in the country and averages . . . 282 yards a game.  Despite that outburst, Penn State sits at a middling #52 against the run.  As one might expect, Penn State's bad opponents (Kent State, Youngstown State, Minnesota) have run the ball poorly, and the solid opponents (Alabama, Illinois) have gashed them.  I have not been impressed with Michigan's running backs this season, but with PSU's injury issues on defense, I expect Denard Robinson and the Running Back du Jour to have a great day.
Advantage: Michigan

Pass Offense vs. Penn State Pass Defense
Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson has suffered a lull in his passing efficiency over the past couple weeks, turning in subpar passing games against both Michigan State and Iowa.  Iowa has the somewhat unique quality of being able to stick to their game plan and do a pretty good job of stopping whatever offense the opponent runs.  Whereas Michigan flops between several defenses, Iowa just played their base personnel and Cover 2 defense and they were able to stifle the previously explosive Michigan passing game.  Prior to the season, I suspected that Tate Forcier would become more valuable when the Big Ten season arrived; true to form, Forcier stepped in once Robinson got hurt in the third quarter and rallied the Wolverines to 21 points.  However, opponents are completing 63% of their passes against the Nittany Lions, and leading interceptor Nick Sukay will miss the game with an injury.  And not that defensive linemen have much of an impact on Denard Robinson, but the injuries to Penn State's defensive ends will make it difficult for Penn State to add to the total of only 4 sacks allowed by the Wolverines this season.
Advantage: Michigan

Rush Defense vs. Penn State Rush Offense
I don't know what to think here.  Running back Evan Royster has torched Michigan over the past couple seasons, rushing for something like 500 yards on 2 carries.  On the one hand, Penn State's offensive line is made up of wet Klee-nex, Stefen Wisniewski, and a balloon animal.  On the other hand, replace "Stefen Wisniewski" with "Mike Martin's sprained ankle" and that's a pretty good description of Michigan's defense, too.  Considering that Michigan hasn't been able to stop the run at all this year, I have to assume that Penn State will gash the Wolverines once again.  It will be the #86 rush offense against the #54 rush defense, but keep in mind that teams feel like they can beat Michigan through the air whenever they want; just ask Indiana and Notre Dame whether the running game was important for running neck-and-neck with Michigan.
Advantage: Penn State

Pass Defense vs. Penn State Pass Offense
Penn State is the #71 pass offense and the #93 pass efficiency offense.  So . . . they're crappy.  Recent reports indicate that freshman starter Robert Bolden will miss Saturday's game with concussion symptoms.  I got a chance to see former Michigan commit Kevin Newsome back in the spring of 2009 when he enrolled early at Penn State, and he looked like me playing quarterback, except only if I drank a fifth of whiskey first.  That means that redshirt sophomore, former walk-on Matt McGloin will likely get the start on Saturday.  McGloin's career stats are 6 completions on 15 attempts, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception.  And now that we're aware of the mediocrity that is Penn State's pass offense, you should expect at least 350 yards passing and a few touchdowns.  Okay, maybe not.  I'm feeling gutsy, so . . .
Advantage: Michigan

Final Predictions

• A healthy Denard Robinson runs for 180 yards
• Michigan exploits the middle of the field for 220+ yards passing
• For only the second time this season, Evan Royster rushes for 100+ yards
• One of Michigan's inexperienced cornerbacks gets his first career interception
• I won't be running a mile after practice on Monday
• Michigan 42, Penn State 24

Slightly Attractive Michigan Girl of the Week: Lucy Liu

Actress Lucy Liu graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor's degree in Asian Languages and Culture.  You may have seen her in the TV series Ally McBeal or movies such as Kill Bill and Charlie's Angels.

Feel free to e-mail me at touchthebanner@gmail.com if you know of any other attractive Michigan alumni.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: David Bowens

David Bowens (#6) played defensive end for Michigan
for a couple seasons before running into academic trouble.

This is a blast from the past.  Cleveland Browns defensive end David Bowens had his best career game on Saturday.  Bowens only had 1 tackle in Sunday's victory over the New Orleans Saints, but he made 2 interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns.  One interception was returned 64 yards for the TD, while the other was taken back 30 yards for the score.  Bowens has played 12 seasons in the NFL for the Broncos, Packers, Dolphins, Jets, and Browns.  Altogether, he has 294 tackles, 38 sacks, 8 forced fumbles, and 4 interceptions.  Bowens struggled with academics and personal issues as a Wolverine, although he totaled 12 sacks in his final season in Ann Arbor (1996) before transferring to Western Illinois and playing out his college eligibility.

Honorable mention: Defensive tackle Alan Branch, currently of the Arizona Cardinals, had 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 4 quarterback hurries in Sunday's 22-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

2011 Offer Board Update

JUCO safety prospect Byron Moore

The 2011 Offer Board has been updated:

Quinta Funderburk (WR) committed to Arkansas.

Added Byron Moore (FS).

Ray Ball (OT) committed to Wisconsin.

Demetrius Hart (SB) committed to Michigan.

Added Antonio Kinard (ILB) who will apparently enroll in January. Kinard was also part of the 2010 class.

Jonathan Aiken (SS) committed to Rutgers.

Paul Gaughan (OT) committed to Boston College.

Added Armonze Daniel (LB).

DaVaris Daniels (WR) committed to Notre Dame.

Added Quinta Funderburk (WR).

Brett Hundley (QB) committed to UCLA.

Mailbag: How important is motivation?

Hey, Man. Are the "motivational powers" of coaches overrated? How significant is this aspect of coaching compared to game-planning, recruiting and whatever else it is that you guys do?


Thanks,
Andrew

I can't speak for everyone, but I certainly think the idea of motivation is overrated.  In my experience, motivation comes from within.  True competitors don't need an inspirational sermon or pregame speech to get hyped for the beginning of a game.  Kids are either ready or they're not.  Besides, by the time a team runs out of the tunnel, comes out of the locker room, listens to the national anthem, waits for the coin toss, etc., all that adrenaline from the pregame speech seems to wear off.

The more important aspect of motivation comes on a daily basis when it comes time for practice.  Even some of the better game-time competitors need to be inspired to practice hard, condition hard, use the correct footwork, etc.  Coaches play a lot of mind games during the week, not only to get kids prepared for the game, but to prime them for competition.

Personally, I don't like to lie to kids.  If a kid is doing something wrong, I'll tell him.  If he's not good enough to get on the field, he needs to know that.  It's not that he doesn't have a chance to get on the field, but my job is to help win football games, and there's no way to keep everyone happy.  For example, I had a kid yesterday ask me if he could get some time during defensive practice.  I told him no.  He asked why, and I said, "It's not in the game plan.  You haven't shown us that you can work hard consistently in practice, and that carries over to games.  You take plays off."  During scout team a little later, I tried to give him a breather by sending in another player.  He didn't want to come out.  When I asked why, he said, "I need the reps.  You say that I don't go hard in practice, so I'm not going to take plays off."  I don't know that yesterday's practice will turn him into a star or even a starter, but if nothing else, he played harder and gave our offensive players a better look.

There's also a lot to be said for positive reinforcement.  I've worked with coaches before whose lone tactic is to scream at players who screw up.  They want to terrify those kids into thinking that mistakes are unacceptable.  But the problem with that is that not all kids respond to being screamed at to submission.  I've seen kids shut down mentally from being yelled at too much.  I've also seen kids lose their aggressive nature because they're afraid of making mistakes.  As a coach it's important to know the difference between the kids who respond to yelling and the kids who respond to encouragement.

I do think that "bulletin board material" is helpful for motivating players.  Kids (and adults) really like to prove people wrong, so quotes in newspapers, rumors kids hear through the grapevine, actions from previous years' games, etc. are all effective for keeping kids focused.  In the fourth quarter of a football game, kids still latch onto the idea of beating the player across from them because of something that was said or done previously.  When an opponent or the public in general shortchanges your team, players, or program, that can be a very unifying event.

To summarize up to this point, I think the idea of motivation in the form of pregame speeches and hokey stuff like that is overrated.  If your team is full of kids who aren't intrinsically motivated to beat an opponent, then no amount of hype is going to overcome that emptiness in their competitive soul.  The key is to keep kids confident and excited throughout the week, so that they're ready to perform on Friday night or Saturday afternoon.

As for how motivation compares to other aspects of coaching, I think they're all pretty equal parts of the pie.  Game planning is extremely important, but the best game plan can't be executed if the players aren't confident in themselves.  Scouting is extremely important, because we need to know what plays have been shown from which personnel groupings and formations.  Discipline is important because teams can't be successful if kids don't realize that their decisions and actions affect every one of their teammates. 

I can't speak for recruiting much because I'm a high school coach, but I do believe that's one of the most important aspects of college recruiting.  The old saying goes, "It's Jimmys and Joes, not X's and O's."  And there's another relevant saying: "You can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit."  Coaches don't simply need great players to be successful (ask Boise State), but they need solid players who will be disciplined, stay within the system, and work hard to achieve a common goal.  As a high school coach, recruiting is a non-factor.  For college coaches, it is perhaps the most important aspect of the job.