University of Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Robinson sees progress in his defense
Mike Martin looked down the sidelines during a recent practice and saw the encouragement and the backslapping as he watched his teammates stop Michigan’s offense. That’s when he started to believe.
After a switch from a 4-3 to a pro-style 3-4 in the offseason and a change in defensive coordinators from Scott Shafer to Greg Robinson, Martin thinks the Wolverines are starting to settle in.
“We’re watching practice, we’re like ‘Dang, that looks pretty good out there. It’s starting to click,’” Martin said. “A lot of times guys don’t say anything about it but you can just sense it, you know.”
Robinson returned to a coordinator’s role after being fired by Syracuse last season, but every indication is that Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez is giving him wide latitude as Rodriguez worries about the offense and the search for a starting quarterback.
It also might be the easiest way to explain why Rodriguez often seems to not be as informed about defensive matters. Yet he believes his team’s defense is progressing.
“I think so,” Rodriguez said. “Greg and I have not sat down and talked at length about where we’re at scheme-wise and all that, but I like what we’re doing. I like some of the things that Greg is teaching and our defensive staff is teaching. Sometimes I get upset at the defense. You get bothered when you give up big plays but sometimes it’s just a matter of an offensive guy really executing and doing pretty well.
“But, we’ve got a little ways to go. As a matter of fact, a long ways to go in a lot of respects.”
The time for those concerns, though, is dwindling.
Rodriguez said he’s going to become more defensively-focused this weekend as Michigan transitions from installations to preparing for Western Michigan. Within the next day or so, the installation will stop. Whatever Michigan’s defense has learned will have to carry the Wolverines throughout the year, save for a few tweaks and adjustments, depending on the opponents.
And whatever they’ve done will have to be good enough to win with.
“For a while there, early in training camp, these guys were drinking out of a fire hose,” Robinson said. “It comes at ‘em, comes at ‘em, comes at ‘em. But it’s slowing down now and as it comes closer, there’s a time where we just kind of shut it off.
“But they’ve absorbed a lot of things.”
Despite all the switching, Robinson sees progress, especially in some of the younger players Michigan is going to need to be big contributors in both its starting 11 and as critical reserves.
“You see glimmers of it all the time,” junior linebacker Obi Ezeh said.
Michigan will need more than glimmers to help fix a defense that was 67th nationally last year (366.92 yards per game) and struggled against the pass, allowing 230 yards a game.
Even though the scheme will change, depth is still a key issue for the Wolverines, so much so that Rodriguez said a couple of injuries on the defensive front and he may look at players to switch positions.
That isn’t going to change the way Robinson has taught his players to attack. He wants to have a defense that will be known as an attacking defense, although his definition doesn’t involve a constant blitz.
“Sometimes that’s taken wrong, that it means everyone is going to blitz every play, but that’s not it,” Robinson said. “We’re going to try and control the tempo on defense and try to dictate to the offense.
“That’s our intention.”
Between Michigan’s youth and lack of quality, experienced depth, it’s tough to say how well Michigan has truly adjusted to Robinson’s scheme until Sept. 5 against Western Michigan and then a week later against nationally-ranked Notre Dame.
It doesn’t mean, though, that Michigan doesn’t believe.
“I know the first game isn’t too far away but there still is a lot of work as far as details on defense,” Martin said. “Just small things but overall, it’s really close to being there. We just have to keep on working and things will come together for us.
“I can’t put a number on it, but we’re pretty dang close.”
Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for annarbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or on Twitter @mikerothstein.
Comments
raddes
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 4:31 p.m.
What I like about reading these articles is that both the coaching staff and the players are virtually saying the same thing. With a young football team, they should all be quoted as saying "...there's still a lot of work..." In my opinion, the defense was a major let down and I'm tired of listening to the excuse that the offense kept them on the field too much last year. With the exclusion of Toledo and Minnesota, half time scores for the last 6 games were Illni(17-14/L), PSU (17-14/W), MSU (14-14/Tied), PUR (28-21/W), NU (14-7/W), and OSU (14-7/L). Just as easily as it was to say the offense was horrible (and it was), the defense only had 30 minutes of football to tackle, cover, and get their as@@@ off the field. Too much to ask from a veteran defense? Also, realize that veteran defense in those six games gave up a combined 11 touchdowns of over 30 yards!!!! It wasn't like all those teams were driving the ball 80 yards down the field and wearing them out. Once again, it was a defense who stopped working as a team while tuning out the new coaching staff. Although I still think they're one year away, the cohesion between staff and players will be the difference in a 6-7-8 win(my prediction) season. Go Blue
tater
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 3:51 p.m.
I don't want to see UM's D return to 2007's "level." The Appy State and Oregon debacles should never again be repeated. Appy State was bad enough, but the body language of the D as they watched Oregon playing pinball with them is something I will never forget and never want to see again.
azwolverine
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 2:23 p.m.
They certainly need to be better than they were last year to be competitive. If they can play at the level they did two years ago, I will be thrilled. That defense shut down some good teams, including OSU (too bad Henne was hurt), PSU, Illinois, and Florida (yes, after turning it over 4 times on offense, I would say Michigan's D did a GREAT job despite Florida's point total). If we can get back to that this season with what should be an improved offense, we will win a lot more games. Robinson certainly has the pedigree to get our defense back to the top.
tater
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 12:18 p.m.
The defense will probably be better than it was the last two years. The proliferation of the spread is evolving the definition of "good" defense, anyway. I'm guessing that anything under 21 a game will be considered "good" in the next few years.