Bleacher Report - Articles by Tony Bolton

NHL Trade Deadline Approches

Tony Bolton — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:57:23 -0500

Ah, the NHL trade deadline. A night when Red Wings fans go to sleep dreaming of the new defensemen, goaltender, or high scoring forward who will soon be skating for the winged wheel. And who could blame them? Ken Holland has worked his magic on more than one occasion. Last year Holland brought in Brad Stuart to solidify his defense and rode it all the way to the Stanley Cup. However, fans should not expect a move this year.

There is a reason why Ken Holland is known as the best GM in hockey, and should be considered one of the best in all of sports. He has succeeded in the free spending days and in the new hard capped NHL. And it is that cap that will not allow Holland to pull the usual magic Wings fans are so accustomed to seeing.

Simply put, the Wings can’t make a trade because they are so tight up against the cap. We’re talking less than a million under the cap, so anyone Holland does bring in is not likely to be a big name player. Any move to bring in a super star would force Holland to dump salary and more than a few Red Wing players and Holland simply will not do that.

And who can blame him? The Wings are essentially the same team that won the Cup last year, except they have added scoring machine Marian Hossa. They are currently comfortably in second place in the Western Conference behind only the San Jose Sharks. Some would say this is exactly the reason why Holland should make a move, to better compete with the Sharks.

By only looking at the standings it makes sense, however, if you look at the head to head match up between the two teams the Sharks lead 2-1 with the last game coming up on February 25th. One game saw the Wings dismantle the Sharks and the other two games in San Jose saw very tight games.

Other than the Sharks is there really any team that strikes fear into the hearts of Wings fans? I hardly think so. It will likely be a Wings vs. Sharks Western Conference Finals, and I’ll take the experience the Wings possess.

Some fans have said Detroit needs to upgrade their goaltending and should go after Nicolas Backstrom of the Minnesota Wild. Backstrom is a top goalie that ranks in the top five of all the major goalie statistics. No doubt he would make a great addition to the Wings. There is only one problem, his hefty 5 million cap hit, room the Wings simply don’t have. In order to fit Backstrom the Wings would have to move goalie Chris Osgood, promising young center Valteri Filpula, and another player in order to make room for Backstrom.

Chris Osgood has led the Wings twice to the Stanley Cup, he knows how to get it down in the playoffs. He has struggled this year but that hasn’t been a problem due to the play of back up Ty Conklin who has six shut outs already. If Ozzie can’t correct his game by April the Wings will turn to Conklin to defend the Cup.

The defense has been a little shaky as well this year. Uncharacteristic turnovers, number of shots on goal, and terrible penalty killing have plagued the team all year long. However, much like the goalie situation these guys have been there before and know what it takes come spring. And the cap issue arises again. Any defenseman worthy of trading for is going to cause the Wings to have to shed salary and that means giving up two, three, or more players, and that is something Holland is not willing to do. The Wings made their acquisition to improve their team and that was signing Hossa this summer.

That’s what makes Holland the best in the business. He knows he has a great team right now. He knows his team will be one of the favorites to win the Cup this year, and as they stand now a team that will be favored to win the Cup for years to come. Holland will not sacrifice long term success for an immediate one. Some teams will sell the farm, much like Pittsburgh did last year to acquire Hossa, only to watch him walk at the end of the year, in order to get a super star. Holland is smart enough to realize he has the team to beat in the playoffs, the Cup resides in Hockeytown, and all others will be trying to make a move to pull even with Detroit.

So sleep tight this trade deadline Red Wings fans, and have vision of another Stanley Cup parade come June. You’re still the team to beat.

Michigan Wolverines: Rich Rodriguez May Be Safe But Assistants Should Not

Tony Bolton — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:08:30 -0500

In his season-ending press conference, Rich Rodriguez said he would evaluate all of his coaches and make changes as he saw fit. I’ll believe that when I see it.

Rodriguez also said before the Capital One Bowl that he would adapt his system to his players...we can all agree that didn’t happen. The interesting thing is that Rodriguez has been described as being extremely loyal to his staff, loyal to a fault. Almost all his staff has been with him from the start, and I don’t see him cutting longtime friends after one year.

Ironically enough, Lloyd Carr’s critics said the same thing, even though he let go of Jim Herrmann and Terry Malone, among others. Here is my breakdown of each position coach and how I would change the staff. If RichRod makes no changes to his staff, I have no idea how he will sell that to the Michigan fan base, but if he can pull that off he could sell sand in the desert.

Calvin MaGee—Offensive Coordinator

Michigan’s offense ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten, and the entire country for that matter, the passing game was horrific, and the running game was OK at best. What was most concerning was the fact that there didn’t seem to be any adjustments throughout the season.

Rather, it seemed Michigan ran the same three passing plays-bubble screen left, bubble screen right, deep ball on the sidelines-and three running plays-sweep right, sweep left, and up the middle, all season long. The tight ends were an after thought and apparently you are not allowed to throw over the middle in RichRod’s spread. Add to all that McGee throwing Threet under the bus in the media by saying the QB was “consistently inconsistent, same as always” and McGee is as much to blame for Michigan’s woes this season as Rich.

However, McGee has been with Rich from the start and he calls Rich’s plays. They have a track record of looking like a terrible high school offense in year one and then turning things around in year two. They better hope they repeat that feat in Ann Arbor in 2009.

Coaching status—totally safe

Greg Frey—Offensive Line

One of the main reasons for Michigan’s struggles moving the ball this season started up front. The line lost four starters, including number one draft pick Jake Long. The only returning linemen was Stephen Schilling and the team went with six different starting combinations throughout 2008, including converting a defensive tackle into an offensive linemen.

Frey gets a break for the youth of the line, however, this is still Michigan and it’s not like Lloyd Carr was recruiting offensive linemen whose offers read Eastern Michigan, Rice, Temple, and Michigan. The guys waiting in the wings were all 4 star guys who had offers from Michigan, Ohio State, and Texas among others. It’s also not like Michigan just switched to a zone blocking scheme this year, Carr made that switch back before the ‘06 season, so they were familiar with the system.

The line was perhaps one of the most disappointing parts of the team, it also didn’t help they they didn’t improve all that much either. Still, with 4 new starters you give Frey the benefit of the doubt, next year he won’t be able to play the inexperience card.

Coaching status—safe

Fred Jackson—Running Backs

The lone holdover from Carr’s staff, and for good reason. Jackson completed his 17th season at Michigan and is regarded across the country as one of the best running back coaches in the country. He has coached Michigan backs from Hart, to Perry, to Thomas, to Wheatley.

This year he inherited two true freshmen in Shaw and McGuffie and two players who did not see the field much behind Hart last year in Minor and Brown. Jackson also had to adjust to a new running scheme-mainly running more to the outside and out of the shotgun formation.

McGuffie started off with a bang, being the started for much of the first half of the season until he hit a wall and Minor took over the job from there. Shaw showed flashes of brilliance, but like McGuffie, needs to put on some weight in the off season. Brown, who battled injuries all year, showed he is a capable back in the Northwestern game.

Considering the backs were running behind one of the more porous lines in Michigan history you have to tip your hat to the job Jackson did both developing his group and getting yards in games.

Coaching status—totally safe

Tony Dews—Wide Receivers

The receiving core took a hit when both Arrington and Manningham decided to forgo their senior seasons and enter the NFL draft early. Greg Mattews stepped into the No. 1 spot and true freshmen Odoms and Stonum filled out the rest of the spots.

Right up there with the offensive line, the wide receivers were a major disappointment. Yes they were young, but there was almost no improvement from the Utah game to the Ohio State game.

This is where you question RichRod by letting longtime Michigan receiver coach Erik Campbell go in favor of Dews. Campbell was regarded as one of the top coaches and he did his job well. He coached a long line of great receivers at Michigan including Manningham, Arrington, Breston, Edwards, Avant, Walker, Terrell, and Streets. Under Campbell, you knew Michigan receivers were going to run clean, crisp routes, come back to the football to help out the QB, and run block, because if you didn’t, you did not play.

This year the receivers failed at all three of those things. Their routes were sloppy, they got almost zero separation from the defensive backs, they hardly ever came back to the football, and the run blocking left much to be desired. Setting up the block on the wrong side is acceptable only in the first few games; it is not acceptable as a year long trend.

Yes, losing Manningham and Arrington hurt, but Matthews was a solid receiver last year and Stonum was a highly regarded WR prospect out of high school and he was hardly ever noticed on the field. Odoms got most of the passes but a majority of these were behind the line of scrimmage and he struggled to catch the ball down the field.

Coaching status—should be let go

Rod Smith—Quarterbacks

Should we really be calling Smith a “quarterback coach”? Maybe we should just call him the second running backs coach. Pat White’s throwing ability leaves much to be desired and there is a reason why NFL scouts are looking to him as more of a WR than a pro QB. This will be the trend of Michigan QBs. No longer will Michigan fans see the Hennes, Navarres, Hensons, or Bradys of the football world, but rather a QB who can run first and throw second.

Much of the success to those great Michigan QBs can be credited to Scott Loeffler who is now coaching QBs in the NFL. No doubt Leoffler would have been able to help Threet and Sheridan with their throwing motion, delivery, and decision making.

Did we really see any improvement in these areas with Threet and Sheridan? The answer would be an empathic no. There seemed to be a common trend this year where there were no noticeable improvements in any area of the team as the season moved forward. Threet and Sheridan are pretty much the same QBs now as they were in August.

However, what Leoffler would have been able to correct in the passing game he would not have in the run option part of the system, and let’s face it, this is what Rich wants to run, and thus, is the most important part of the quarterbacks coach’s job. It hurt to see Leoffler leave, and I am sure he will find himself as an offensive coordinator one day, but you knew his leaving was inevitable once Rich took the job. We can only hope Michigan finds a “quarterback” who can make all the runs and just be efficient enough in the passing game.

Coaching status—totally safe

Bruce Tall—Defensive Line

This is sort of the good and the bad. The defensive line was undoubtedly the strength of the 2008 Wolverines, but they also underachieved. You took one look at the line on paper and it looked like one of the strongest units Michigan had ever had; it didn’t turn out that way.

With names like Jamison, Johnson, Taylor, and Graham, the line was going to carry the team and keep the Wolverines in games. What ended up happening was the line would play great for a half or so and then get ripped by the running game in the other half. Or, as we saw against Ohio State, they would bottle up a running back and then—BAM—one run for 60 yards and a touchdown. A part of this was the time of possession that put Michigan’s defense on the field for the majority of the game every Saturday, and that wears on any team.

However, the thing that made most Michigan fans scratch their heads was the use of three down linemen throughout the year. When you know your front four is your best unit why would you intentionally take away one of those players and use only three of them? And Taylor was rotated out in favor of freshmen Martin, who played great as a true freshman, but he is no Taylor, who should have been out there on every 3rd down.

The three down linemen is inexcusable as far as I’m concerned and who ever pushed to use it should be fired. There is no explanation that could possibly warrant taking away one of your best players off the field in key situations. More on this latter.

Coaching status—on the hot seat, but safe

Jay Hopson—Linebackers

Who knew the loss of Crable would make this unit such a weak spot? Ezeh was a man among boys to start the season but seemed to struggle as the season wore on. However, this was the one spot that was pretty bare by Carr’s staff.

Last year Crable was able to use his speed to cover mistakes made by his fellow linebackers and Ezeh was just starting to come along. Other than that the unit was weak and thin and Hopson didn’t inherit much. Unlike the other units you saw steps from the linebackers, they may have been baby steps, but they were steps none the less. Mouton was able to correctly fill gaps and make tackles as the season moved forward and Ezeh was solid in the middle.

Coaching status—safe

Tony Gibson—Secondary

Yikes. I guess if we are to fully understand the secondary issue we must go back a few years to 2006. Michigan has the best defense in the land, except for that pesky secondary giving up huge yards. Carr tried to hide it by saying Michigan stopped the run so well teams were forced to throw more and that resulted in the yards threw the air. Then came Ohio State and USC, who torched the secondary into oblivion.

Carr then hired Vance Bedford, who was last seen in Ann Arbor coaching Charles Woodson to the Heisman Trophy. Bedford worked his magic and turned Trent into a shutdown corner and made Warren look like the next great Michigan DB. The secondary was the best in the conference and eighth best in the country in 2007.

Rich let Bedford go, who is now at Florida, and Gibson inherited two shutdown corners. It all went wrong from there as Trent regressed back to his '06 form and Warren looked like a true freshman. The safety play was horrendous all season long as they bit on every single play action called. The secondary constantly took bad angles, did not stay in their back pedals long enough, and opened their hips too early.

No improvement at all as the season went on, in fact, they might have gotten worse. All of this is magnified because of the unbelievable job Bedford did in his one year at Michigan. This unit was without question the worst of the Michigan team.

Coaching status—should be let go

Scott Shafer—Defensive Coordinator

The strength of Michigan’s ’07 team became the biggest weakness, and that wasn’t supposed to happen. The offense was the unit that was to struggle, the defense was there to bail them out and keep Michigan in games, it didn’t happen that way.

In fact, Michigan’s defense was the more disappointing unit, and that’s with an offense that ranks dead last in the Big Ten. No doubt there has to be changes made on this side of the ball, but which coaches? Gibson should be gone regardless, but what about Shafer?

Usually when a defensive coordinator is hired he is given the green light to hire his position coaches. That didn’t happen with Shafer. Everyone on the defensive staff came with Rich from West Virginia and was in place when Shafer was hired. You could tell that there were differences in opinion of how the defense should run, should it be four or three down linemen?

West Virginia ran three down linemen and you could tell this was the problem. Shafer wanted four, but with all the struggles Michigan suddenly went to a 3-3-5, which is what West Virginia ran under Rich and Michigan was torn apart by a QB who was playing running back two weeks before. The next game against Minnesota it was back to four down linemen.

Something has to be done here. In my eyes there are two solutions 1) you allow Shafer to fire/hire all his position coaches and run the defense he wants, or 2) you let Shafer go and you bring in a guy who also runs a 3-3-5. Michigan cannot have another season of defensive ball like 2008. I’m betting scenario No. 2 plays out since Shafer is not part of the RichRod family.

Coaching status—most likely gone

Could we hire a special teams coach, too? Just sayin’.

Michigan Wolverines: Last Chance for Rich to Save Season

Tony Bolton — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:51:57 -0500

Eight losses. 33 year bowl streak broken. First losing season in 41 years.

To say Rich Rodriguez’s first year at Michigan has been a disappointment would be the understatement of the year. The team ranks dead last in offense in the Big Ten, the secondary gets burnt more than my morning toast, and there have been minimal improvements seen on the field on Saturdays.

However, there is one more chance to salvage the season this Saturday.

It’s Michigan-Ohio State week and the game represents a chance for a coach to save face amongst his fan base. Michigan is trying to break a four game losing streak against the Buckeyes, and a win in Columbus would mean the best 4-8 season any Michigan team has recorded.

Coaches at both schools are measured by how they do in this game. Coaches have been fired for their inability to beat the other, just go ask John Cooper. Cooper was perhaps the best 10 game coach Ohio State ever had, he just couldn’t win that 11th game against the Winged Helmets. Heck, Woody Hays was on the brink of being fired but then beat Michigan and, well, the rest is history.

If you win in this series you are the toast of the town. That’s why Jim Tressel has taken on God like status in Columbus because of his 6-1 record against the Wolverines. Lloyd Carr started with such a record before the tide swung to the rivals.

When Rich was hired by Michigan most were willing to give him a free pass in his first year. History had shown that his first season at a school is miserable, but that he can turn it around given time.

However, even the most die hard Michigan fans couldn’t have envisioned a season with three wins. Rich officially used up his free pass after the Toledo game, where Michigan lost for the first time ever to a school from the Mid American Conference.

Since then, the temperature of Rich’s coaching seat has grown hotter and hotter with each passing week and each passing loss. You could tell the pressure had gotten to Rich after the Purdue game where Michigan officially broke their bowl streak. He was short with reporters who had the nerve to think the first losing season at Michigan in 41 years was a big deal.

His team currently sits at 3-8, the most losses a Michigan football team has ever recorded, and remember, Michigan has been playing football for 129 years. With a loss at Ohio State the heat on Rich would be volcanic, and it would last all the way until Aug 2009 when Michigan opens their season.

Rich would constantly be on defense against reporters throughout the winter and spring months, having to answer the same questions all off season, and in 2009 the kiddy gloves would come off. The fans and alums would have nine months to stew and complain on sports talk shows throughout Michigan.

However, a win on Saturday? Well, that would change everything wouldn’t it? If Rich could pull the biggest upset in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry—yes even bigger than Bo’s 1969 upset—it would buy him an offseason of peace from the media, fans, alums, and boosters.

The media would be gentler, the fans anger would be lowered, the alums would be happy to finally beat Ohio State again, and the boosters would be satisfied as well. Everyone would be riding a wave of emotion leading up to the 2009 campaign, people would start saying, “You know, he just might work out here.”

If Rich can pull this one off he will buy himself another nine months of good will with the fans.

If not, well, he might as well be walking on the sun. I hope he brought his sunscreen.

Michigan Lost More Than a Game Saturday

Tony Bolton — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:01:33 -0500

33 years. 33 straight seasons the University of Michigan had celebrated the holiday season some place warm. Some place far away from the 20 degree days in Ann Arbor. Most years it was Pasadena, where it never rains on January 1st.Other years in was in Central Florida with sun and temperatures in the 70’s. Some years the team was down in Texas laughing it up on a ranch.

Not this year. For the first time since the Big Ten Conference got rid of its archaic rule in 1975, which only allowed for one Big Ten team to participate in bowls, the Wolverines will be sitting at home with the rest of us watching the bowl season.

Ironically enough it was a game that involved Michigan that made way for the rule change. It happened after Michigan was shut out of the Rose Bowl after a 10-10 tie with Ohio State where the Athletic Directors voted in favor of sending the Buckeyes instead of Michigan to Pasadena. Ever since then Michigan was a lock to go bowling; until 2008.

This was a streak I never thought I would see end. Not when there are about 90 different bowl games starting in early December and running through mid-January. Six wins are required to become bowl eligible, and playing in the Big Ten with teams like Northwestern, Indiana, Minnesota, and Purdue on the schedule six wins was always assured.

If, for some reason, Michigan stumbled in conference play it was OK because the Wolverines had the easy nonconference teams to play like Eastern Michigan, Toledo, or Rice. Not this year. Even if the schedule read "Miami, OH" 12 straight times I wonder if this team would have been able to get the required six wins.

Think 33 years is a long time? I have an even bigger number for you, 41. 41 straight seasons in Ann Arbor without a losing season; until now. Oh sure, there were times when the streak seemed to be in jeopardy. In 1984 when QB Jim Harbaugh suffered a season ending injury, but Bo guided that team to a 6-6 record and a trip to the Holiday Bowl.

In 2005 Michigan never seemed to find a rhythm but Lloyd Carr finished 7-5, with an upset of a then undefeated Penn State team, and ending up playing in the Alamo Bowl.

Last year, a season that had National Championship hopes, started off 0-2 with losses to Appalachian State and Oregon at Michigan Stadium. Starters Chad Henne and Mike Hart were both injured in those games and had to battle the injuries all season long. However, Carr rallied the team, rattled off seven straight wins and landed in the Capital One Bowl where Michigan defeated Florida.

There was adversity in those 33 years but Michigan always found a way, they always found a path to a .500 season and a bowl trip, but that ended Saturday in a small college town in Indiana.

Michigan lost a lot more than a game on Saturday. As Steven Threet’s desperation Hail-Mary fell to the turf at Ross Ade Stadium the Bo Schembechler Era official died at Michigan. Oh sure, we said the Bo Era came to an end when Rich Rodriguez was hired back in December, but things still looked and felt the same.

At Rich’s introductory press conference, held at the Junge Family Champions Center, you had to pass by a giant block ‘M’ on the wall with the saying, “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions” under it. This was Bo’s most famous saying, one that he put on the wall shortly after taking the Michigan job.

Fred Jackson was still on staff as the running backs coach, he coached under Lloyd Carr, who coached under Bo. Lloyd was still on campus serving as the associate athletic director, and the football practice facility was still called Schembechler Hall. It was going to be different, but it was still Bo’s Michigan. It was what he had built. It was what he had created.

And from 1969-2007 no other college football program was able to achieve the same level of sustained excellence. For 38 years this was Bo’s Michigan. He didn’t coach all 38 years himself, but there was always a part of him on the coaching staff, whether it was Gary Moeller taking over for Bo, or Lloyd Carr after him.

They were both Schembechler products, they came from the Schembechler coaching staff. They were one of us, they were familiar, they were comfortable, and they won.

The transition was easy from one to the other because they were essentially the same; they were Bo. When Lloyd would yell at an official you saw Bo coming through, when Chris Perry ran 50 plus times against Michigan State you saw Bo, when Desmond Howard scored touchdowns like Anthony Carter used to you saw Bo, or when five foot nothing Mike Hart was carrying the team like five foot nothing Jamie Morris did you saw Bo.

When Threet’s desperation pass fell to the ground on Saturday the Bo Era fell with it. It came to an end after 38 years and compiling a record of 360 wins, 101 losses, eight ties, 21 Big Ten Championships, and one national championship. And, like all history, when one era comes to a close another starts.

The Michigan football program now belongs entirely to Rich Rodriguez, and with it everything that has been familiar to Michigan’s alumni and fans is gone. Saturday officially marked the start of the Rich Rod Era, and that era is off to a 2-7 start, something Michigan has not seen since 1967, and something that is not going to sit well with the followers of the House of Bo.

Here’s hoping this new era is as prosperous as the last. Rich doesn’t have a choice.

Rich Rodriguez Should Slow Down Michigan's Hurry-Up Offense

Tony Bolton — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:26:26 -0400

Ever sine Rich Rodriguez stepped onto the University of Michigan campus, he has talked about playing fast. He wanted his players to be faster, to get to the ball quicker, to hurry to the line of scrimmage faster than the other guys.

The idea behind “playing fast” is to wear the other team’s defense down, so that come the fourth quarter his team is the stronger one, running away from the opposition.

In theory, it makes perfect sense. Be the better-conditioned team and run the other team silly for three quarters chasing you, and then break through in the fourth.

However, Rich plays a very risky game with his hurry-up offense. If your offense can move the ball, the concept is going to work—but if your offense can’t muster first downs, you put your defense on the field and the concept works against you, wearing out your own defense.

If you have watched a Wolverine football game this year, you know the offense struggles to get back to the line of scrimmage, let alone make a first down.

Most of the time a Michigan possession will look something like this: first down, a sweep to the right for no gain; second down, a run up the middle for two yards; third down, an incompletion results in a punt. All this takes about 45 seconds off the clock as Michigan hurries to the line after each down.

The defense can hold up for the first half, but come the second, and especially the fourth quarter, they are the ones getting blown off the line of scrimmage and out of gas.

In eight games thus far, the defense has been on the field for 35:54, 35:13, 27:48, 36:04, 33:06, 33:08, 30:19, and 35:18. The defense is averaging 10 more minutes per game than the opposition, and you can see it each and every week.

What should be done? It is clear that Rich does not have the type of players in place to run the type of offense he wants. Well, he can run it, but he cannot run it effectively.

So scrap the "hurry-up" part of the offense.

Take advantage of the 40-second clock and shorten the games. Run the ball but eat up some of that play clock, break the huddle later, and slow things down. You may not produce more first downs, but you at least give your defense a chance to catch their breath.

Will this result in more wins? Probably not. You can’t look at the Illinois or Penn State games and say it would have made a difference.

However, what about Michigan State? The defense was gassed by the fourth quarter, and Ringer ran it right down their throats. Perhaps if the Michigan offense would have slowed things down a bit instead of being down 14 at the end, the defense could hold and Michigan is only down seven with a chance to tie.

Does the lack of time of possession absolve the defense from all their problems? Not by a long shot, but that is a topic for another article. However, in the remaining four games the offense has to help the defense out if Michigan has any chance of winning another game—and the place to start might just be time of possession.