Marcus Ray and Blaine Breakdown Michigan's Defense at The Sports Bar Westside

Is anyone else wondering what is going on with the Michigan defense? 

     I'm not talking about talent, points allowed, or how they saved us against Akron last Saturday. I'm thinking schematically. A good friend of mine stopped by the spot last night, Marcus Ray, a member of the '97 national championship team and we spent some time breaking it down.

    There hasn't been a lot of pressure brought in the first three games. For the first time in Brady Hoke's tenure as the Michigan Head Coach there is depth on the defensive line, running two or three deep at some positions. Is the thinking get pressure with the front four and run guys in and out?  If it is, it doesn't seem to be working. I personally would like to see a more aggressive approach, pick and choose your spots, but more often. I noticed as I'm sure you did, when we brought pressure against Akron it led to an incompletion or a short gain, especially on third down. when we brought just the front four it seemed for the most part that Pohl could sit in the pocket and pick the defense apart. I know the thinking is you don't want to give up the big play, but methodical movement down the field due to having time to sit and distribute can be just as effective as hitting a big play. Another thing we have to consider is, how hard it is to put blitz packages in when teams spread you out, A lot of teams are doing it now, and it has to be a nightmare to game plan for.

    In conclusion, when it comes to the Michigan defense, I would rather go down swinging, not sitting back and letting opposing teams quarterbacks sit in the pocket for 4-7 seconds. We are going to face much better teams and much better quarterbacks, I'm not saying bring the house every play, but we have the coaching expertise to install blitz schemes at the right time. And also, this isn't a article bashing our defensive coordinator, he's been great and brought this program back defensively where it is supposed to be.
  
Come out and watch Michigan battle Connecticut at The Sports Bar Westside Saturday at 8 o'clock. We hope to serve you soon! 

And a BIG THANK YOU to Marcus for stopping by.  We always enjoy talking sports with you! 

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