Michigan offensive coordinator Tim Drevno met the media today following practice. Here’s our take on his comments:
NEWS: Redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Peters is back practicing and throwing well.
DREVNO: "It's good to have Brandon back. He's doing a great job … he’s getting better every practice."
VIEWS: Peters is essentially auditioning to be the No. 1 guy next year. As head coach Jim Harbaugh said, he should have the mindset that it’s his job and nobody’s going to take it from him.
“I don't really care,” Peters said last week when asked about Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson’s addition to the program.
But he does. And if it’s lit a fire in him, that’s a great thing for the team. We’ll see a quarterback competition like we haven’t seen in a long time in Ann Arbor, and he can prove he’s a serious contender with a great showing in the Outback Bowl.
NEWS: Left tackle Mason Cole will start his 51st consecutive game, which will tie a Michigan record, when U-M plays South Carolina Monday.
DREVNO: “He’s been outstanding. He’s been a four-year starter here … a lot of great linemen have been through Michigan. It’s been a real pleasure to coach him.
“He’s always doing the right thing, wants to be physical, always asking the right questions, wants to be the best. We want to get this ninth win for him and push him to the NFL.”
VIEWS: The NFL is where he’ll very likely play on the interior, his best position. Drevno sees him as a guard, possibly a center.
“I think he’d be an outstanding guard, but he could play the center position, too,” the offensive coordinator, who also coaches the line, said. “Just the way he sets an anchor on the pass, being able to move his feet on the three-technique [defensive tackle] … That’s a hard thing to do in the NFL with the speedy those guys bring on pass rushes.”
Cole is better suited for the interior, yet he’s played tackle most of his career at U-M. That speaks to the program’s inability to find outstanding tackles, too (Grant Newsome’s injury noted), and it’s something that has to change if the team is going to reach its potential.
NEWS: The offense was stagnant for much of the year, in large part due to issues up front.
DREVNO: “We’ve got to score points. That’s our number one objective every game we come out. If we do that, great things will happen.”
VIEWS: The unit has made improvements, the coach insisted.
“Just functionally understanding the route progression with the quarterback and the receivers, technique wise up front, overall as an offense, understanding concepts," he explained.
“We were a young team and have done a great job learning it over the last ‘X’ amount of days. We’ve seen a lot of progression, knowing how to do it, what to do, in the meeting room, saying it back to you. It’s really registering.”
Seeing is believing. It’s time to witness it on the field.
NEWS: Sophomore wide receiver Eddie McDoom, a Florida native, is back home and hopes to have a big game in front of friends and family.
DREVNO: “He’s a Florida guy. You’ve got to love that. He has unbelievable quickness and can shake people out of their boots when he gets the ball.
“He’s a true competitor, really likes to compete. Doesn't have any fear. Fearless.”
VIEWS: He’ll block, take a bubble screen and do something with it, and is an "explosive player," Drevno added … Yet we haven’t seen a lot of it this year (McDoom has eight carries for 43 yards and 11 catches for 81 yards). In fact, the sophomore receivers have been somewhat of a disappointment.
They’ll be fighting for their jobs from this point on. The freshman receiver class is outstanding, and only getting better. If McDoom and Kekoa Crawford (12 catches for 182 yards and a touchdown) are going to make an impact, now’s the time.
NEWS: The offensive line is still in search of consistency. It gave up an almost-unfathomable 34 sacks this year.
DREVNO: “They’re just getting better fundamentally, understanding passing offensive line play, becoming better picking up pressures, getting hats in the right spots in the run game. Using their hands, getting strong and physical with the punch.”
VIEWS: They’re also working better together in combinations and have made a lot of progress the last couple weeks, he added.
And again … let’s see it. The Wolverines played pretty well up front against Ohio State, but were not good much of the rest of the year. A lot of it was missed assignments.
It’s time the U-M offensive line became a strength again for the first time in a decade or so.
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