The Daily Traub

After the disappointment that was last season, it is tough to say that I’ve been really looking forward to this Michigan football season. It’s not often that I can say that, but the Outback Bowl left a really sour taste in my mouth and I was bitterly disappointed in the team’s performance and the coaching staff. Fortunately, it’s a new year with new players and quite a few new coaches. Jim McElwain and Ed Warriner are joining the offensive side of the ball with Sherrone Moore and Al Washington is going to work on the defensive side of the ball. McElwain is going to work with the wide receivers, Warriner with the offensive line and Moore with the tight ends. Suffice it to say that they are re-working the offense and the departure of Tim Drevno should mean they are going in a new direction. The offensive line is supposedly working on simpler calls and schemes which are supposed to work this time around. The most important new person at Michigan is obviously Shea Patterson. He is the real deal…but the offensive line still needs to protect him and the coaches need to gameplan better and call better plays to put players in a position to succeed. Will that happen this year? I hope so, but it’s far from a guarantee. This should not be considered a dig at Jim Harbaugh or Don Brown…but Pep Hamilton. The coaches have said they’ve simplified things on offense quite often this offseason, but we have not seen it work in a game yet. Harbaugh has the final say on all of the play calls and he is supposedly taking more ownership of calling plays this year (I don’t think he ever gave it up) so hopefully he can work some magic.

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