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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — You might call it a fringe benefit, the fact that Michigan football is switching defenses from the schemes planned by Don Brown to Mike Macdonald. But not necessarily on the defensive side of the ball.
While results will come for better or worse this season on defense, the fact that Macdonald’s scheme is purportedly more multiple than his predecessor is giving something of a leg-up to the offense.
Though Brown’s defense did occasionally move to a three-man front, the set base was a 4-3, and Brown loved to have his corners on an island in man coverage. Now there are several fronts, several coverages, and seemingly different schematic changes and looks designed to disrupt the offensive flow. While that might sound like something of a hindrance in a camp setting, instead it’s giving the offense a holistic preview of what they can expect to see from different teams at different points in the season.
As Wolverines fifth-year offensive lineman Andrew Stueber says, it’s keeping the offense on its toes.
“What I’ve seen right now is the unexpected,” Stueber said. “They show a bunch of stuff, they make adjustments, they’ll make switches. A lot of unexpected stuff keeps happening that I’ve never seen before, that I’ve never seen our players do. It’s really cool to see that. I like the way they’re playing around. They’re playing really fast, they’re playing to the ball, they’re playing physical. It pushes us as an offense to come together and to work harder. Iron sharpens iron. I can’t wait for them to keep putting in tougher schemes, tougher stunts. Trying to decode that and figure it out. So far, it’s been really fun to see and can’t wait to see how they do in the season.”
Of course, Stueber is working at deciphering what the front seven is going to do on any given play. For a player like senior wide receiver Ronnie Bell, adapting to the changes present similar challenges.
“I was laughing with somebody about it — because in the secondary, it’s a lot more complicated than it used to be,” Bell said. “They’re all just moving and doing different things now, so it’s not all man like it used to be.”
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But how does any of that help? For the lack of a better word, wouldn’t that — stunt — the offensive progress?
Not really, as it not only helps the offense prepare for future looks, it has the unit already in game preparation mode like it would be during the season. Especially because with the defensive install being more aggressive now that it’s fall camp (compared to spring ball) the offense isn’t really sure what it’s going to see on a given day.
“I definitely think it helps us, because — Don Brown’s defense was great in so many ways, it was a very unique defense in a lot of ways,” Stueber said. “I think that what Coach Macdonald is doing right now is very impressive in that they’re showing us a lot of different fronts and a lot of different stunts and everything, but a lot of those stunts are things that we’re gonna see this season. So we’re already starting to game plan four-down fronts, some Okie fronts. Obviously, a lot of teams play that and a lot of teams have those fronts in.
“So, being able with every install, having to game plan our defense and the looks they’ve shown so far and the things we think they might put in, too, it’s really cool to game plan our defense like a whole new team. It’s transferring more than spring ball, because in spring ball you can only put in so much. They put in everything in fall camp. So being able to learn what they’re trying to do and how they’re trying to do it to such a different defense has really been impressive and I think that’s gonna be able to help us in the season being able to game plan teams quicker and recognize the fronts they’re putting us in because we’ve experienced them already in fall camp.”
“I do see it as a positive change, yes,” Bell added, discussing the more complicated secondary. “As an offense, especially as a receiver, when you’re running around, trying to figure out who you’re blocking or who you’re running your route off of, it’s definitely a lot more complicated than it used to be.”
We’ll see how the new-look defense pays off on both sides of the ball come Sept. 4, when Michigan football opens up the season against Western Michigan at The Big House.
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