News & Views: Josh Gattis Makes It Clear This Is His Offense To Run

NEWS: Ever since Michigan's collapse in the final two games last year, some fans have been clamoring for redshirt sophomore quarterback Dylan McCaffrey to be named the starter over senior Shea Patterson heading into the 2019 campaign.

GATTIS: “Shea has checked us out of some negative plays this spring, simply because of his knowledge of this offense. Part of his skill set includes a quick release, which is so crucial in the RPO game.

"He also throws a soft ball that he can place anywhere on the field, and can create plays with his feet, just as he often did last year. I’m so excited about Shea and his development, because he’s comfortable in this offense.

"He often shows his passion during plays — if he overthrows a guy, he’ll have a certain demeanor about him, but he'll be jumping up and down after a big play as well, and that’s what I like to see.

"He has that passion and energy inside of him that's needed to be great. When you have that energy and combine it with his leadership qualities, that’s what makes the people around you better.”

VIEWS: Make no mistake, the quarterback battle is a heated competition that will rage on into the fall, with some reports out of spring practice even citing that McCaffrey was performing better than Patterson in the early going.

With that being said, however, it's still difficult to imagine McCaffrey overtaking the senior for the starting job.

Patterson was outstanding for almost the entire 2018 season, while McCaffrey only saw a handful of meaningful snaps in a backup role before being lost with injury for the year in mid-October.

That game experience — along with his skill set, intangibles and leadership qualities — is what will allow Patterson to retain the starting job and be the signal caller who gives Michigan the best chance to win in 2019.

NEWS: Gattis has actually never been a full time offensive coordinator before (he was the co-coordinator at Alabama last year with Mike Locksley), but is finally learning what it's like to be 'the guy' who gets to run an entire offensive operation.

GATTIS: “I actually called the entire spring game off the script, and that’s how I do practice too — we don’t need a script because I have the plays in my hand. This is my offense and I know what I want to call and what I want to accomplish.

"We don’t script half of practice — we’re just calling it on the field and running our plays. It’s neat because the players understand what I like to run as a play caller in certain situations. We often watch those plays together afterward so I can explain to them what I was thinking, in order for them to think like me.