Coaching Thoughts: Post-Notre Dame

Tag: Erik Magnuson


8Sep 2014
Uncategorized 19 comments

Coaching Thoughts: Post-Notre Dame

I find myself lacking the time to do “snapshot” breakdowns of particular plays, so while I would like to go into greater detail, please bear with me as I simply write about some of the technical breakdowns I saw in Saturday night’s game. To point out these plays, I’m using the Notre Dame highlight video below:



Cover zero: The touchdown pass with 3:58 left before halftime was a result of a man-beater route combination called by Notre Dame, plus a physically outmatched slot corner in Delonte Hollowell. Hollowell correctly had inside leverage on the quick out, but he was aligned a little far off for my liking and did not have the makeup speed to undercut the route or challenge the catch. On the goal line, there’s no need to play off the receiver. If the opponent tries to throw over the top, they have to complete the pass in front of the end line, which is tough unless you’ve got a good jump ball guy.

Seam routes: On the interception thrown with 12:34 remaining in the third quarter, it looks like Gardner simply didn’t see safety Max Redfield in the deep middle. Gardner likely felt a little rushed because Notre Dame was getting a bit of a push. All the routes were covered, so I would like to see Gardner tuck the ball and run or throw it away. If he’s going to make that throw to Khalid Hill, he needs to put some air under it with Hill being the only guy who could catch it. Hill would have had a chance to make the reception if it turned into a jump ball because Redfield was not in great position to defend a deep ball, but even then, a safety vs. a mediocre tight end is probably going to go the defense’s way.

Free safety play: On the botched cover zero play involving Hollowell (above), blitzing safety Jeremy Clark gets chopped to the ground by running back Tarean Folston. Part of blitz technique is using your hands to stay on your feet when someone goes for a cut block, but Clark’s eyes were in the backfield and he was caught completely off guard. If he had stayed on his feet, he would have been in Golson’s face and potentially altering the throw. On the tunnel screen touchdown with 3:02 remaining in the third, it’s well executed by Notre Dame. The guy who should be saving that play is deep safety Jeremy Clark. He reacted by trying to get over the top of the screen, but those plays are designed to come back inside. Because of his overpursuit, Clark took a bad angle. He should have been coming downhill, right up the tunnel. That would have given other defenders more of a chance to converge even if he didn’t make the tackle. It turned out to be a pretty easy catch-and-run score. That’s the inexperience of a redshirt sophomore safety project.

Scramble drill: Late in the third quarter, Devin Gardner dropped back to pass. With a decent pocket forming and several downfield routes – plus a well covered outlet option in De’Veon Smith – Gardner hung in the pocket looking for a receiver. At the 1:00 mark, he began to scramble – first to the right, then back, then to the left, and finally forward across the line of scrimmage. In the four seconds before he crossed the line of scrimmage, not one receiver re-entered the screen to save his quarterback. When a quarterback is scrambling, deep receivers are supposed to work their way short, and short receivers are supposed to work deeper. Instead, Gardner scrambled, spun, got blindsided, and ultimately fumbled.

Amara Darboh’s route running: Darboh is big and strong, and he has decent speed. What Darboh lacks is precision in his route running. When Michigan got the ball back after Gardner’s aforementioned fumble, the first play involved what looks like a 7-yard hitch route. Darboh does not provided the illusion of running deep, either with his footwork or his head. He simply hits 7 yards, whips his head around, and drifts. A receiver is supposed to come back down the chute to the ball, which prevents the corner from jumping the route. Sure enough, cornerback Cody Riggs jumps the route and beats Darboh to the spot. The pass may have been broken up anyway, but a good route there probably has Darboh catching the ball and getting tackled immediately for a decent 7-yard gain.

Pass protection: At roughly 2:44 left in the fourth quarterback, Notre Dame runs a six-man pressure with a seventh man playing a hug technique (blitz if the running back stays home) on running back Justice Hayes. It’s a man blocking scheme, and everyone is accounted for except the hugger. Right tackle Ben Braden gets off balance and is caught off guard by an inside pass rush. Meanwhile, left guard Erik Magnuson’s second step is that of a left tackle who is trying to protect the width of the pocket, instead of a step by a guard trying to protect the depth of the pocket. He opens up his left shoulder, which allows the defensive tackle to that side to get upfield. Despite Jehu Chesson coming open on a short crossing route, Gardner does not have time to throw the ball before getting hit by Braden and Magnuson’s men.

26Aug 2014
Uncategorized 23 comments

2014 Season Countdown: #4 Erik Magnuson

Erik Magnuson

Name: Erik Magnuson
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 294 lbs.
High school: San Diego (CA) La Costa Canyon
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #78
Last year: I ranked Magnuson #76 and said he would be a backup offensive tackle. He started seven games at offensive guard.

I woefully underranked Magnuson last season, and I even got caught up in the whole “Ben Braden started the spring game so the coaches must like him” wave. Alas, Braden played as a backup in just a couple games, and Magnuson eventually earned his way onto the field as one of the five people to start games at left guard. Magnuson was not what I would call “good” but he was solid playing next to Taylor Lewan. (Personally, I was extremely frustrated when Michigan put Magnuson in at left guard for an unbalanced quarterback sneak against UConn, because I would think Lewan should be nearest to the quarterback and plowing forward for yardage. The attempt failed.)

Magnuson returns to his left guard position this fall after missing much of the spring due to shoulder surgery. The depth chart released on Monday says that he will start at left guard while left tackle will be manned by freshman Mason Cole. I am not a fan of starting a freshman on the offensive line, but that’s the way it goes with so much uncertainty, a lack of much experience, and some terrible play fresh in everyone’s mind. Magnuson’s recruiting profile and play last year suggest that he could play left tackle, and he would probably bump out to that spot if anything were to happen to Cole. But in the meantime, this will give the team a solid interior blocker. Nobody on the line will be approaching all-conference status, but I look for him to be Michigan’s best or second-best lineman this year, right up there with Graham Glasgow.

Prediction: Starting left guard

21Dec 2013
Uncategorized 9 comments

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Preview: Offensive Line

Kansas State center B.J. Finney is the Big 12
conference’s top player at his position.

MICHIGAN
Starters: Fifth year senior left tackle Taylor Lewan (6’8″, 315 lbs.) has been an All-American and First Team All-Big Ten in 2012 and 2013, and he’s projected as a first round pick in next year’s NFL Draft. Redshirt freshman Erik Magnuson (6’6″, 295 lbs.) has played left guard, right guard, and right tackle this year, but none of them particularly well. He has decent feet but struggles at the point of attack. Redshirt sophomore Graham Glasgow (6’6″, 303 lbs.) was the starting left guard early in the year, took over the center position against Minnesota, and will likely start his thirteenth game of the season on Saturday night. Glasgow had several bad snaps in his first weeks as the center, but the snapping issues have largely been eliminated in the last couple games. Redshirt freshman Kyle Kalis (6’5″, 302 lbs.) lost his job after his early-season performance, but now he’s back at right guard. He lacks the foot speed to be effective on zone stretches, and the offense evolved at the end of the year toward more of an inside zone running system to accommodate the likes of Kalis. Fifth year senior right tackle Michael Schofield (6’7″, 304 lbs.) is a three-year starter and was named Honorable Mention all-conference this year, and some draft projections have him going as high as in the second round this coming April.
Backups: True freshman Kyle Bosch (6’5″, 302 lbs.) started three games late in the year after redshirt junior Joe Burzynski tore his ACL. Bosch showed some promise but looked overwhelmed and eventually gave his job back to Kalis, who had been benched in favor of Magnuson. Redshirt sophomore Jack Miller started the first four games of the season at center and has not been heard from since getting benched for Glasgow. Redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant (6’4″, 316 lbs.) made two starts at at left guard before getting benched in the middle of the Penn State game.


KANSAS STATE
Starters: Fifth year senior Cornelius Lucas (6’9″, 328 lbs.) was a First Team All-Big 12 selection in 2012, but this year he was just Honorable Mention. Redshirt sophomore Cody Whitehair (6’4″, 309 lbs.) was Second Team All-Big 12 this season. Redshirt junior B.J. Finney (6’4″, 303 lbs.) was named the best center in the conference. Redshirt sophomore Boston Stiverson (6’4″, 312 lbs.) started a couple games as a redshirt freshman and is the team’s top backup lineman this year, and he’s been filling in for an injured Keenan Taylor at right guard. Senior Tavon Rooks (6’5″, 280 lbs.) has been the starting right tackle for the past two seasons, earning Honorable Mention all-conference in both his years on campus.
Key backup: Fifth year senior Keenan Taylor (6’4″, 290 lbs.) is questionable for the bowl game due to a knee injury, but he started all 13 games last year at right guard. Stiverson has been starting in his stead for the past few weeks, but Taylor should be in there if healthy.

THE TAKEAWAY
Michigan is tied for 111th in the country with 35 sacks allowed, and they’re #101 with 131 yards/game given up on the ground. The paltry 3.25 yards/carry average ranks them 114th. Kansas State is #54 nationally with 180 yards/game on the ground, and they’re #51 with 4.53 yards/carry. They’ve also allowed 24 sacks, which is tied for #62 in the country. So while Kansas State is a wee bit above average, they’re still a long ways ahead of Michigan in many ways. The Wildcats also have a few guys with all-conference accolades, while Michigan’s Taylor Lewan has been pretty lonely when it comes to postseason accolades.

ADVANTAGE: Kansas State

16Nov 2013
Uncategorized 4 comments

Mailbag: Offensive line and Al Borges

Thunder,

As a regular reader of “Touch the Banner,” I want to thank you for
the continued great effort/product you deliver . . . and today, ask
you some questions about the continuing poor performance of the
offensive line.
 


1. Too often seems to be confusion about blocking assignments, true?
 


2. While I appreciate the long readiness curve for offensive lineman
(both mentally and physically), shouldn’t U-M be able to get by reasonably
well with two senior tackles (including an All-American) and some highly
touted (albeit young) recruits? The guys who are in their 2nd year should
be further along, right?
 


3. For young lineman, isn’t it easier blocking out/forward than side-to-side?
Seems that prevailing offensive philosophy promotes these lineman being
on their heals more than being aggressive – is this accurate?
 


4. Personally, Borges just doesn’t seem to be getting the results . . .
and he is responsible for COORDINATING, not just sitting in a box
calling plays. He doesn’t seem up to the job. Your thoughts?

Thanks for any insight you can provide. 


Go Blue!
 


Best,
 


Jim

 1. Yes, the problems up front are more about mental mistakes than physical ones. Even with the young guys in place, Michigan has good size up front. And while their strength may not be up to par with fourth- or fifth-year guys, the physical disparity should not be that significant if that’s all it was. If you’re the same size as your opponent but a little bit weaker, you should still not be giving up 7 sacks a game or rushing for -69 yards over a two-game stretch. The mental side of playing offensive line is what’s killing Michigan right now.

2. The youth on Michigan’s interior is sometimes blown out of proportion on the internet, although perhaps it’s not commented on enough by the broadcast crew each Saturday. There should probably be a happy medium in there somewhere. Senior left tackle Taylor Lewan has done a very good job this year from whistle to whistle; the problem for him has been stuff before the play (false starts) or after the play (the MSU nonsense). Senior right tackle Michael Schofield is apparently being looked at as a possible second round pick, but I have a hard time believing that he’ll be selected that high; he’s so-so in the run and the pass, not dominant at either one.

The biggest problem, obviously, has been from guard to guard. Michigan has a bunch of guys playing out of position. It’s a line in disarray. I’m giving Kyle Bosch a free pass because he’s a true freshman and shouldn’t be playing, anyway. But redshirt sophomore Graham Glasgow is a tackle or a guard playing center, who can’t snap the ball, make proper line calls, or block the correct defender on a consistent basis; he’s in over his head, and you can tell by the look on his face in the huddle – the game is moving too fast for him. Redshirt freshman Erik Magnuson is a left tackle playing right guard; the scouting report on him coming out of high school was “good pass blocker but needs to be more physical in the run game.” You do not take a guy who lacks physicality and put him at right guard if you want to run over teams. That’s the type of guy you hear about in year four or five when people say, “He’s really improved over the past couple years and become a good run blocker.” The other guy worth mentioning here is redshirt sophomore Jack Miller, who was brought in to be a zone-blocking center but tried to become a hybrid zone/power center before getting sent to the bench. Miller seems to be more mentally ready for playing center, calling protections, etc., but he loses ground too often. If you look at the pros and cons of Glasgow vs. Miller, I think Miller gets the nod after seeing both in action this year . . . but neither player is ideal.

Concluding the answer to question #2, I think Michigan has a decently talented crew of linemen who are playing out of place and being asked to do too much. If I were Michigan’s coaching staff, I would at least attempt to see what it looks like with Lewan at left tackle, Schofield at left guard, Miller at center, Glasgow at right guard, and Magnuson at right tackle; that way you have a strong side with Lewan/Schofield, a better general at center, and Glasgow/Magnuson playing their more natural positions.

3. Young linemen do a better job of blocking forward/out (gap or man blocking) than zone blocking, because zone blocking requires timing and an understanding of defenses that takes time to develop. Most high school teams don’t run zone the way that colleges do, and especially when you have a dominant lineman, you use him to crush down one side of the line while you run right off his butt. Zone blocking became all the rage because it allowed smaller, more athletic, but less dominant blockers to double-team and “just get in the way” to allow runners to pick an alley. But high schools that produce 6’5″, 300 lb. linemen don’t need that kind of tactical advantage.

I’ve taught zone blocking to high schoolers, and I’ve taught gap blocking to high schoolers. The zone concept is easier in theory but ten times more difficult to put into practice because you’re taking guys who are normally very aggressive and teaching them to take an angle bucket step, read the defender, and then react appropriately by double-teaming, taking over a block, or going up to the next level. Rather than saying before the play “I’ve got that guy,” now these guys have to say “I’ve got this guy, this guy, or that guy, depending on what they do when my buddy snaps the ball.” Unless you teach zone exclusively or almost exclusively, it’s going to be very tough sledding.

4. I was really frustrated with Borges during the Nebraska game because of his insistence on running the ball when it clearly wasn’t working for the second week in a row. I mean, Michigan hasn’t been able to run the ball consistently all year, but Michigan State stops you with their defense . . . fine, they do that to everyone. When Nebraska’s 85th-ranked rushing defense stops you and you still keep slamming your head into the wall, I start to have questions about your willingness to adapt.

All that being said, I think Michigan fans have to accept that what is being put on the field is bound to be unsuccessful much of the time. I suggested a lineup change above that I believe would help, but that won’t instantly make Miller, Glasgow, and Magnuson great football players. When three-fifths of your offensive line is overmatched mentally and physically, there’s not a whole lot you can do as a play caller to mitigate the problems.

My suggestions for Borges would be to concentrate on one type of run play (zone or power) but not both, develop more play action off your best run play (currently the inverted veer), throw more screens until defenses stop blitzing, roll or half-roll Gardner, throw more quick-hitting passes, and resort to an occasional or full-time no-huddle to prevent defenses from having so much time to key in on formations, personnel, etc. Of course, Al Borges knows a ton more about football than I do, so he probably doesn’t need my suggestions. But as an offensive coordinator, that’s how I would try to get around my weak offensive line.