My apologies for the length...
To anyone interested, one of my best friends in a Michigan grad who follows Michigan as closely as many of us follow Bama, i.e. recruiting, inside info, what's really happening, etc., and we talk football extensively and have watched several games together this year. I am quite acquainted with their program as a result, and can shed some light or get info from him if anyone would like to ask some questions to myself or him.
A few tidbits:
They are not losing a ton on either side of the ball. The only people they'll miss are 2 OL (Rimington award winner - Molk), a TE, their best receiver, and 2 DL. Other than that, they're not losing any true playmakers.
Offensively, Robinson is returning, as is their RB who emerged in the second half of the season as a pretty good back. He's not awesome, but he gets there and has proved a decent compliment to Robinson in their running attack.
Also, even though they're losing their best receiver, they will get a playmaker back at that position from suspension next year. They are also in the running for the WR who's transferring from Tenn back to his home state because of his father's illness, and word is it's gonna be Mich or Mich State. He was an ESPN150 kid with good freshman numbers.
Defensively, they have looked a lot this year like Saban's first Bama defense, meaning their blitz package is a shell of what it will be next year and beyond due to it being their HC's and DC's first year. They don't have a lot of speed on defense, and are losing their best defensive player (Dlineman), but they are fundamentally sound. They tackle well, and don't make a ton of mental mistakes, but they don't have the athletes that we do. The do have a playmaking white-boy at safety - one of those kids who doesn't have the measurables, but if a nice play is made by their secondary, it's usually him.
None of their current starting linebackers would make our 2-deep, and it shows quickly on film. LB is the weakest part of their defense, and they've played more and more 4-2-5 as this season has gone on, although their base is the 4-3 under. Two of their starting LB's are freshman but have shown promise, particularly late in the season.
Their Dline has been by far the strength of their defense despite not have a great pass rush, but they're losing 3 of 4 starters from that unit, 2 of whom would be considered playmakers. Significant improvement is needed at LB and DB, and they've had to play a lot of zone this year due to not having many guys that can play man.
They did just have a good recruiting class, and are having an excellent one this year. Expect to see a bunch of young guys on the field next year at several positions, mostly on defense, and it will actually be a good thing.
Offensively, they are run heavy b/c of Robinson and have kept some of RichRod's plays in place b/c they work. They run mostly shotgun, but do have part of their offense from under center, which they did more of earlier in the year but got away from it as the season went on. My buddy can't remember a single play where they actually threw it from under center.
They do run a lot of play-action, but it's mostly from shotgun and is often a QB run fake or a fake read-option look.
Robinson actually has a cannon, and will shock you with his arm-talent on one play and surprise you with his inaccuracy on the next. He is inaccurate at times, usually low, but he also threads needles more than you think. He also takes way too many chances, throwing into double coverage, particularly on 2nd and long. But don't mistake me - he can beat you with his arm, and can throw it over those mountains. However, he is only 6 feet tall and gets a lot of passes batted down at the line.
Running the rock with Robinson is a different story. He is maybe the fastest player in CFB, and any seam at the line is a first down or significantly more. Imagine if Darren McFadden had less power, more speed, and a cannon - that's Robinson. He's a slasher with excellent elusiveness, and would probably be the best punt returner in CFB if he didn't play QB. The emergence of their RB has also kept Robinson healthy this year.
With special teams, their place kicker was horrible last year, but rebounded to have a solid, but not great, 2011 (about 77% on the year). They try to kick fg's as seldom as possible. Their punter is a weakness.
They don't have a lot of depth, speed, or talent on D, but they actually have a pretty good defense when looked at as a whole and will have an infinitely better blitz package next year. This year they've struggled to get a pass rush, but have been reasonably successful with a bend-but-don't-break mentality this season. They've played the run nicely, although in my opinion they line up their LB's too far back and are extremely symmetrical in their formations. They also have a tendency to line-up slowly, and are vulnerable to the quick snap. However, they've also had a handful of games with impressive defensive performances, and their defensive improvement from last year is as much the reason for their record as their offensive prowess. (FYI, RichRod had hired a 4-3 guy and then forced him to run a 3-3-5, which he knew nothing about, and forced him to use RichRod's assistants. That DC, upon leaving, said one of RichRod's main assistant's, the DB's coach, was the worst coach in college football. RichRod wanted to run the 3-3-5 because that what he had at WV. Ridiculous.)
Their OL, while pretty good, is built for the spread b/c of RichRod and is quick, but undersized. They pull nicely. They will have to recruit their way to a larger Oline, as they do run more of a pro-style offense. If they had a pro-style QB, their HC would have a fully pro-style O in place.
Their O is a big play offense that often doesn't struggle with being, at times, behind schedule with the chains, but can grind it out if needed. They live by the big play, and have been successful with that mentality this year.
Their coach is a stand-up, class guy and word around town is that he does things the right way, both on and off the field. Don't expect sound bytes from them leading to our match-up, and they usually play with class and don't play dirty.
Next year, Robinson will be in his second year in that O, and their offensive progress will be directly tied to his improvement in the decision making department.
My take: While Michigan is a good football team this year, the Big10 was down and they benefited from that. They do have a very good offense, and their defense is much improved and should be even more so next year. Specialists are not a threat at this time. If they put a similar product on the field in JerryWorld as they did in the bowl game, we should win by a few scores as their D won't stop the run consistently and their back 7 is woeful. However, if they improve and put it together, they can beat anyone they play as they are explosive on offense.
Also this is by far the best Michigan Blog and forum, if you want to venture:
Click here for link They have 3 full-time employees, and have had 2 guys from that blog parlay their blog work/analysis into jobs with ESPN and Rivals, respectively. Also, If you want to view Michigan's units firsthand, guys from this blog post videos on youtube of every offensive and defensive snap from every game. Include "every offensive snap" or "every defensive snap" in your search.
If anyone has further questions of comments, leave them here and I'll talk to my buddy. My apologies again for the length. Roll Tide.
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