- Beilein changed his ENTIRE philosophy on how to win, he adapted to his talent and the way the game has changed, in order to win..
The true comparison comes on how a coach adapts. The Day that John Beilein saved his Job/Career and is now NO Doubt a top 3-5 Basketball Coach was January 27th 2011 at MSU.
The runblings had already started about this being his last year he was 1-7 entering Big ten play, he had been a mostly back screen, 3 point shooting, 1-3-1 defending team. Beilein decided to make changes and while it was in motion a little before this game, it was this game that changed his life and how we view him and this Program.
He went from a 4 out 1 in, back screen, “Princeton type” 3 pt shooting offense, and 1-3-1 defense, zones and man sprinkiled in, to that game a high screen pick and roll, still relying on the 3 point shot but focused more on the pick and roll game with Darius Morris getting in the lane, getting to the line etc, and then on defense went mainly to a Man 2 man defense with some zone sprinkled in.
That is why Beilein os looked at this top 5 Coach in the Game, he continues to adapt year to year, he doesnt stay stuck in his belief on how to win games, because he knows there are a million ways to win games and it doesnt have to be just the way he grew up teaching and is accustomed to winning.
I am a Beilein apologist, Even I was getting to the fire Beilein point before that MSU game, if right before that game I would have came and told you Beilein is going to win @MSU that day, then go on and win 2 Reg season titles & 2 back to back big ten tournament titles, two final four appearances, 2 natl champ runner up, and an additional elite 8 and sweet 16 apeearance by 2019, you would ask me what type of drugs I was on.. right?
He did all that because he adapted and he continues to adapt and change year to year, shoot month to month, and hes now getting better recruits, the tier that I think that can continue this great run for years to come. That’s what makes a great coach, a great coach.
- Now look to Harbaugh, he too has adapted but just at a slower rate. He had made adjustments to win all the games were suppose to win and also win games against good not great teams.
Last year he fired one of his best friends, switched from mostly pro, down hill running style to still a down hill running game but mostly out of the shotgun with SOME rpo thrown in, and I say some because only very short percentage of the game was Shea an actual threat to pull it, and not only pull it and run but pull and then throw it.
- Imagine Beilein talking to that 2013 team, Trey burke, Hardaway Jr, Stauskas, GR3, McGary, Caris Levert, Jordan morgan and spike.... Hey guys I know we can run the high screen PicknRoll, run in transition, spread them out, shoot shoot shoot when open and score a ton of pointsetc... However we are going to Play a traditional offense with J Mo at The 4 and McGary at the 5, kill the play clock, dont run in transition feed the post most of the game, and kick it out when doubled and see if we can win that way, and then we they did win but ONLY because they just had a lot of talent to do so, but we’d have lost to Kansas in thay game because no way they score enough to winnthat game playing that way. Well thats EXACTLY what Harbaugh did Offensively this year.
- Harbaugh has 5 star Nico collins, 5 star Donovan Peoples-Jones and 4 star Tarik Black, who are all playing to or above their high school rankings and all 3 players will be NFL draftees FOR SURE, you are basically telling them what I explained under the Beilein 2 bigs traditional analogy. Harabugh said well play a traditional 2 TE sometimes 3 TE set, down hill running, with 1 and 2 WRs, Full backs and an occational TRUE rpo thrown in here and there and on some occasions well go 3 wide and on the rare occasion we’ll go 4 and 5 wide, but only when we have to not when we want to, so Nico, DPJ and Tarik, I wont need much from you all offensively except for blocking from you 3. While everyone knows we can put up the production offensively,the way Beilein did with Burke, THJ, GR3, Stauskas @ McGary did on their 2013 run. And then Beilein goes on another championship run in 2018 with almost a totally different style then how they won in 2013 (That’s what Changing and Adapting does for you).
When you have talent like Nico, DPJ, Black and Eubanks on Offense you USE THEM, all the time. Those 3 WR’s would start on any team in the Country and under lincoln Riley they'd be all at least 1st & 2nd team all conf
Harbaugh had a pretty good offensive line this year and on Talent alone was able to run through everyone on that schedule except for 2 elite teams Notre Dame and Ohio State, we wasted play after play, possession after possession in those games running out Gentry and Mckeon and an occasional Eubanks on a 2 and 3 TIght End set, even on Passing plays.
*******I wish everyone could get and see the all 22 film I get from PFF and see how BAD and slow, almost cringe worthy when those players go out for routes specifically McKeon and Gentry, the players that cover them Jog when they go out on routes most of the time********* (A lot are linebackers, but most are viper types like Khaleke).
I cant release film I signed a non disclosure and I would lose my job, but maybe since we have a partnership with rivals and yahoo maybe its something I can do on the fort under the mods permission, as long as we can get clearance from my boss and just little cut ups, but im telling you its bad and I just wonder what the guys that know a ton about offense could be thinking when they keep letting them play and go out for routes and thinking something is going to change.
I watch a Ton of game film a whole lot and not just Michigan game film, I have worked games from every conference this season from the best games to teams that are 2-10 etc... NONE of the top offenses went to 2 and 3 TE sets unless they were 3rd or 4th and inches or on goaline situations and just trying to eek out a few inches up to a couple of yards, but other then that they never played 2 or more Tight Ends. 1 Athletic but strong TE on the line or flexed out to take advantage of teams going smaller to cover spread, but you cant go big most of the game like Harabugh does.
Like I said people want to point out 39 points and offense wasnt out problem etc.. really we only scored 26 points when it mattered, 1 was garbage time with J Milton and the other was a fumble we recovered on OSU’s 10 yard line. Just like OSU offense didnt put up 62, 3 TDs can off of a punt return td and two INt’s 1 ran back inside the 5 and other was around the 30.
Saban had a quote about changing and adapting, I couldn’t find it but he knew even though he doesnt like the way things are going and isnt the way he wants to do things he has to do things offensively to win and keep up witht the way things have changed.
Harbaugh has Changed and adapted, for some its taking longer then expected, but he is changing and adapting and as long as this 23 loss to OSU isnt in vain and he adapts because of this loss, knowing now what it takes to beat elite teams and he knows that speed, speed, and more speed is the name of the game and being able to win in literally every type of fasion, and that winning with multiple TE’s is no longer the way to go then im ok, and I believe he will learn from this and we again will be king of the Big ten and we will go to indy and be Playoff bound.
Adapt and Go Blue!!
