The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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"Our defense is always going to be one of those that can shorten the game for you, because they don't allow points. If you can get to 28, that's always kind of been the magic number with Coach Hoke. Every place I've been with him, if we're averaging 28 or more, we're in a position to win every game. "Think about it last year. There's not one that you can look at, other than maybe Alabama. But if we'd scored 28 against Alabama, we probably would have shortened the game. They don't have as many possessions. We probably don't turn the ball over as much, and now the game is a one-possession game." Hecklinski and his receivers are well aware of Gardner's abilities in the playaction game, and to say they're excited about it ranks as an understatement. "It's huge," Hecklinski said. "He takes the secondary out of the pass game with that. He makes them now become run players. So now all of our double moves, everything we run off all that, and even our individual single cuts, we're only having to beat one instead of two. "Before we were run to throw. Now we're throw to run. That's where you see the transition. The run game is not less important. In fact, if anything, it's more important. Now, if you can run the ball, now they have to become run players in the play-action game. "Now they can't say, 'Oh, this is just token. We're going to play pass, and we'll give you your three yards.'" Big Changes For Receivers Hecklinski's group makes a huge adjustment this season. Instead of figuring out ways to get Robinson free, they're working Wide receivers coach Jeff Hecklinki said that quarterback Devin Gardner's abilities in the play-action game will add an important element to Michigan's offensive attack. photo by per kjeldsen toward liberating themselves downfield to become a key part of a balanced attack. "We were very extensive in our run schemes with Denard," Hecklinski said. "We had to be. We had a ton of run schemes in, so we had to be able to find out how people were keying Denard in the run game, then we would send a wideout to try and eliminate that run key. "We don't have to become that complex anymore. The complexity now shifts in terms of route running and adjustments and things that have to take place in terms of coverage. "We can never be covered. If a defense covers us, that's the receiver's fault. That's the shift I'm talking about." That's a bold statement as well. It emanates, though, from the shift in emphasis, allowing receivers to still block with vigor when the tailbacks are running, but not always making them try to decipher the attack against one clear weapon. "Basically, our job was to find out what the defense was doing to Denard," Hecklinski said. "Our kids would come off the field and say, 'Okay, this is what they're doing to Denard.' Well, then we're going to get this person into this position in order to block that man, in order to get Denard free and loose into the secondary." Balance remains the key. People make a mistake, Hecklinski said, when they think Michigan is going to become all air attack. The run game is as important as ever, he insists. Foes won't be able to load the box against a one-man wrecking crew, however. That can make a huge difference. "The vital part of all this is the multidimensional part of it," he said. "When Denard was able to throw, you saw how dangerous it could be. And when Denard saw the throws, you saw how dangerous it could be. "It's going to be the other way now. When we're able to run the ball now, you'll see how dangerous it can be and much it opens things up for Al to be able to call. That's how it all fits together. "The better the plays, the better the proficiency of the plays, the more yards they gain, the more first downs we gain, and the more calls are made. It all adds itself together through the process." Hoke, Borges Communicate Extensively On Offense Brady Hoke doesn't try to hide the fact that his longtime passion and expertise lie on the defensive side of the football. At the same time, anyone thinking he's completely hands off in that area isn't seeing the big picture, he insists. Hoke puts great trust in offensive coordinator Al Borges, who first joined him at San Diego State, but who has run very successful offenses at Auburn, UCLA and a number of other stops in nearly 40 years of college coaching. That said, the two leave nothing to chance, communication-wise. On game week, they meet at length twice. The initial discussion involves the opponent, the matchups, Michigan's strengths and weaknesses relative to that foe. Later in the week, the scrutiny centers on how the game plan has developed, whether or not more tweaks are needed, etc. On Fridays, the staff discusses probable weather conditions, whether or not to take the ball or defer if Michigan wins the toss, and special teams approaches, and goes over the matchups again. Hoke exerts direct impact on game days, depending upon the situation. "When it's time to manage the game, I take control," he said. "I get on the headsets when I feel I need to manage the game, whether that's telling Al, 'Hey, we need to run the ball a little more — we're playing too many plays on defense, we're tired,' or whatever. Or it could be 'Let's go 40 ■ The Wolverine 2013 Football Preview NASCAR and speed it up. I want to change the tempo on them.'" What he doesn't do, and won't, involves stepping in to call specific plays, Hoke cautioned. "That would be ridiculous for me to do," he said. "I don't watch as much film as Al Borges does on an opponent, or Darryl Funk does. I don't have that luxury. I get to deal with you [laughs] and other things. "I see a lot of opposing offensive film, because the defensive staff room is right there, and I'm also involved in coaching the nose tackle and the three-technique. Believe me, Al and I have a very good working relationship. "He's been with me, so he knows what the expectations are. On Sundays when we reevaluate, he'll tell me exactly what happened, and what he says is how I feel. We have that relationship." Big picture, Hoke knows what he wants on offense, and trusts the coaches and players on that side of the ball to deliver. "You want to have an offense that can control the line of scrimmage," Hoke said. "We want to have an offense that, if we're behind, can score quickly and put points on the board. We want to have an offense that, at the end of the football game, can be the last ones on the field. "If they've got to grind it out for five minutes and keep getting first downs, and not allow the other team to get the ball in those close games, that's what we'd like to do." — John Borton