The Michigan Football Identity Crisis
The Michigan football program is searching for an identity. Players, coaches, and fans alike are all trying to pin down who or what is to blame after being undressed by Wisconsin 35-14. You will always get plenty of cliches and coachspeak after a bad loss, and there was no shortage here. However, there have been some interesting quotes that allow us to do a deep dive into just how much trouble this program is in.
These quotes were pulled from a variety of sources, such as MLive, The Athletic, and 247 Sports.
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Jim Harbaugh
Quote: “We were outplayed, out-prepared, out-coached”.
Takeaway: No lies were spoken there. This isn’t just a case of the head coach nobly falling on the sword, protecting his staff and players. In year 5 of the Harbaugh regime, the seat is officially hot. Harbaugh has his fingerprints all over this program, and it might just be time to get out the Windex.
It still begs the question of why? Why were they outplayed, out-prepared, and out-coached? There are a lot of moving pieces at play here, but we will stick with Harbaugh for this section. Is it fair to question whether Harbaugh has overstayed his welcome at Michigan, just by being too…Jim Harbaugh-y?
Stewart Mandel of The Athletic suggests that Harbaugh’s over-the-top enthusiasm and general quirkiness can be a breath of fresh air for a program trying to return to past glory. However, in speaking to his previous employers, found that extended exposure to Harbaugh’s wackiness can have a negative impact once the honeymoon phase is over.
I can buy this theory. Despite deep post-season runs with the 49ers, Harbaugh seemed to fall out of favor pretty quickly in Frisco. He then took over a Michigan program searching for a spark after a 5-7 season under Brady Hoke. Hoke, remember, was the safe, boring, “Michigan-man” hire following the Rich Rod era.
I often find myself thinking, “There is no way these kids actually find Harbaugh relatable. He’s such a weirdo”. Jim Harbaugh looks like one of those guys sitting at the bar by himself just looking to make a new friend. Don’t make eye contact unless you’re ready for a three hour conversation with a stranger.
Josh Metellus, Safety
Quote: “They came in with a different type of scheme than they did last year.”
Takeaway: This quote doesn’t seem significant until you take a step back at and look at the bigger picture. Defensive coordinator Don Brown was jumping for joy to get started with Big Ten play, and Wisconsin specifically. Check his quotes from last week’s article if you need a refresher. This was supposed to be Michigan’s opportunity to show what they had prepared for all offseason. This was why they looked sloppy against Middle Tennessee and Army, because they were preparing for Wisconsin. Their chance to finally play “Michigan football”, whatever that is these days.
Instead, Michigan looked like a team that wasn’t prepared at all, physically or mentally. Don’t take my word for it, just listen to Michigan legend Charles Woodson’s analysis…
“It didn’t seem like there was a lot of detail in this game. Defensively, I seen guys that were out of their gaps. They didn’t play very disciplined football.”
“It looked like they had never watched Wisconsin football before. I’ll be honest with you, I’m embarrassed.”
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Josh Metellus (bonus quote)
Quote: “We pride ourselves on being the best defense in college football.”
Takeaway: Confidence is a wonderful thing, but this crosses the line into delusional territory. Michigan had the best defense in college football, as recently as 11/24/2018, the date of last season’s Ohio State matchup. Do you know what has transpired in the 3 games against OSU, Florida, and Wisconsin since? Strap in, this is gonna hurt.
Record: 0-3 | Points per game allowed: 46 | Yards per game allowed: 494 | Turnovers: 8 | Takeaways: 1 | Fans disappointed: All the fans (100% or 1.000)
I had to set up an optometrist appointment after looking at those box scores.
Nick Eubanks, Tight End
Quote: “There happened to be a big turnover when we first got down into the red zone, that kind of killed us a little. And after that, we just kind of dwelled on that, and that kind of sent us downhill.”
“When we went down 14-0, I looked around. There were a couple players dropping their heads.”
Related: Josh Gattis, OC
Quote: “Missed some opportunities to capitalize on some big plays in the game, that really devastated the morale of the team.”
“I felt the pain for the kids. When you’re able to go in the locker room and look in their eyes and see what they’re going through, and how they feel, it hurt. It hurt.”
“When the first piece of adversity strikes, we can’t fold.”
Takeaway: Man, this team is mind-bleeped right now. On one side you have guys who still believe they have the best defense in the country. Other guys think the game is over after an opening drive fumble. The upcoming matchup against Rutgers is coming at a good time for this team. They simply need opportunities to distance themselves from their early-season struggles.
Time has a way of healing things organically. You can’t force confidence, or convince yourself to believe in your coaches and teammates. These are things that need to be felt. Beating up on an inferior opponent won’t change Michigan’s perception from the outside, but it could be the start of the healing process internally.
Nick Eubanks (bonus quote)
Quote: “As a whole group, we don’t have an identity yet. It’s up to us to find our identity. We’ve got a game coming up on Saturday, we’ve got to find it quick.”
Takeaway: This sounds like a criticism someone in the media would have. It’s not often you hear a player say that about his own team. This makes it all the more alarming because you know they feel it in the locker room if a kid is going to come out and say it publicly.
And why does this team not have an identity? Does it come back to the mad scientist head coach, who relies on catchphrases and inspirational quotes to get his messages across? You don’t need a $5 million head coach for that, just tell the players to go stand in the picture frame section at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I have a 20% off coupon if anyone needs it. It’s expired, but they’ll still take it.
Perhaps it’s the revolving door of coordinators and assistants that players have had to deal with in recent years, all while preaching “family” and “brotherhood”. Granted, it is commonplace in college football to have staff turnover, but Michigan truly are the “leaders and best” in this area. Is this another Har-flaw?
Is 2019 over already?
At the end of the day, my goal is to keep things in perspective. This team feels like it is 0-3, but the reality is they are headed into game four sitting at 2-1. They will be a four-touchdown favorite against Rutgers. They still control their own destiny for the season.
Unfortunately for Jim Harbaugh, with each passing game, it seems his destiny is the unemployment line.
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