The majority of the talk surrounding Michigan’s football team this spring has centered around first-year coordinator Josh Gattis and the up-tempo offense he has installed.
Many have wondered what kind of impact his no huddle system would have on U-M’s quarterbacks, and those answers were at least partly answered at this afternoon’s spring game.
The transition still appears to be a work in progress, as there were several missed throws and opportunities the offense failed to cash in on.
Senior Shea Patterson, redshirt sophomore Dylan McCaffrey and redshirt freshman Joe Milton — in that order — rotated throughout the game, and each put their respective skill sets on display all afternoon.
The trio spoke with the media afterward, with all three of them giving their take on what the transition has been like to Gattis’ offense.
“I like that we have the option to [to run or throw],” Patterson began. “It’s night and day different, though we’ll carry over some stuff from last year — very little though. I didn’t know much about Gattis before he got here, but I read up on him once we hired him.
“We’ve been meeting every other day and getting to know each other, and it’s just been fun learning a new system. It’s Coach [Jim] Harbaugh’s team, but Coach Gattis is running the offense.”
“I’m really enjoying it,” McCaffrey added. “We’re moving at a much faster pace and the offense has a lot more energy — it gives a lot of our guys opportunities to make plays.
“Coach Gattis brings so much energy and has gotten all of us playing harder than we ever have before. We have a group of athletic quarterbacks and this offense allows all of us to utilize that athleticism. It’s also a new dynamic of not huddling, but we’ve adjusted well to it after there were some growing pains at first.
“It bodes well for an offense when you’re able to get the play in faster and catch the defense off guard a little bit. It’s still a learning curve for us, but it’ll be good to nail it down in fall camp.”
“It’s the same offense I had in high school,” Milton chimed in. “I put my foot on the gas when I found out this was the kind of offense we’d be running under Gattis.
“The quarterbacks’ job is more mental now, in terms of knowing who to look at on defense and understanding the concepts. Last year involved a bit more checking out of plays, but we want the tempo to be fast.”
Despite starting all 13 games last year, Harbaugh made it clear at the start of spring practice that Patterson would not be able to kick back and relax if he hoped to retain the starting job.
The senior ran with the first-team offense this afternoon, but McCaffrey and Milton both appeared more than capable of operating the team if pressed into starting duties.
“We all push each other every day,” Patterson said. “I took the mindset of preparing myself this spring, and not making the same mistake twice.”
“I’ve made strides as a leader,” McCaffrey added. “It happens as you get older, but I’m feeling good in that department. I’m treating this as a wide open competition, because that’s what you have to do.
“The whole quarterback room has pushed each other and has improved a lot as a result. We understand we’re competing with each other on the field, but we also want to win football games. We’re rooting for one another.”
Milton — who Harbaugh declared third-string at the start of the spring — admitted there are still some areas he needs to improve on if he hopes to win the starting job.
“We’re all competing and having fun, but I wear wristbands that remind me to just be myself,” he explained. “I’ve improved a lot since last year and feel a lot more comfortable now. I still have to get my feet quicker and think faster out there — you do that with more reps and by watching film. The whole competition is still open though, because you never know what can happen.”
Whoever wins the starting job is going to have a plethora of above average receiving targets to throw to, most notably in the form of juniors Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones, and redshirt sophomore Tarik Black.
Sooner-than-expected contributions could also be in store for freshman wideout Mike Sainristil and freshman tight end Erick All, however, who have each flourished in Collins’ and Peoples-Jones’ absences (injuries) this spring.
“I love the energy Mikey has brought to practice,” McCaffrey exclaimed. “A lot of guys don’t think they can make an impact right off the bat as freshmen, but he came in knowing he could. Mikey has impressed, and [redshirt sophomore receiver] Oliver Martin has stepped up big time as well. Erick is another one who has fit the system, and has brought a lot of energy to us — he’s been balling.”
“Erick and Mikey have both done a great job learning the playbook ever since they got here,” Milton added. “As a quarterback, I trust them both.”
Notes
• One of the coaches in a new role who hasn't received as much attention this spring has been Ben McDaniels. Despite now being the ever-important quarterbacks coach, he has seemingly been overshadowed by Gattis and everything the first-year coordinator has brought to the table. Both Patterson and McCaffrey were quick to declare McDaniels' importance, however.
“He brings so much energy to the table, and all the quarterbacks are in a better place mentally off the field because of him," the latter revealed. "We’ve all improved at recognizing defenses as well, due to the simplistic ways he teaches it."
“Coach McDaniels brings a level of focus and teaches us to be more engaged in everything we do," Patterson noted. "He preaches taking mental reps even when we're not taking physical ones. He has slowed the game down for me.”
• Patterson was asked this evening about his decision to return in 2019 for his senior season, and whether or not U-M's collapse last year had anything to do with it.
“Our attitude drives us, and a lot of our guys have been using the OSU and Florida games as motivation to work harder," he explained. "The last one for sure [made me come back]. The game against OSU was also unacceptable and had a huge impact.”
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