Michigan Football: Should They Continue To Run the Spread Offense?

Three years ago, the University of Michigan decided to break from tradition and switch to a spread offense. So the Athletic Director went out and hired the spread guru, Rich Rodriguez, to transform Michigan Football. The Rich Rodriguez era is officially over and Michigan is now at a crossroads. Do they stick with the spread or go back to their roots? Let’s examine the issue.

1. The Spread was designed to level the playing field.

The impetus for the creation of the spread offense was to allow lesser talent to compete with the big boys. But now the majority of teams run the spread. It reminds me of the 1990’s when “alternative music” went mainstream. The spread was designed as an alternative to the pro-style of play so that the Davids of college football could slay the Goliaths. But what do you do when everyone is now a David? Doesn’t it make sense for someone to be a Goliath? If you can attract the best recruits, then running a pro-style offense would make sense.  

If so, who should be a Goliath? The schools with the best tradition, national recruiting appeal and resources are the obvious candidates because they can attract the best players. Some would argue that Michigan is losing its appeal to 17-year-old kids who have no appreciation for tradition. Those same people said the same thing about Notre Dame as Charlie Weis hauled in great recruiting classes (and then failed to develop anyone besides the offensive skills positions).  Michigan would qualify as a Goliath as long as you have a head coach who is a great recruiter.

Rebuttal: So then why do Texas and Florida run spread offenses?

I firmly believe that Texas and Florida are two of the three premier programs in college football based on tradition, resources and natural recruiting advantages. So that does work against the theory that the premier programs are better off running pro-style offenses. However, Florida is switching back to a pro-style system under the nascent Will Muschamp regime. Muschamp’s rationale is that he can recruit the best players in the country so it makes sense to go pro-style. Additionally, he can sell five star recruits on the fact that Florida will get you ready for the NFL. We’ll elaborate on this in a minute. Florida hired Urban Meyer because he was the best coach out there and the spread is what he knows. We’ll get to that point later on as well.

Mack Brown seems like he wants to be the kind of coach who adapts his offense to fit his players. This approach makes sense since he can cherry pick the best talent in the state of Texas every year. However, his ability to implement this strategy with Garrett Gilbert was shown to be lacking this past season. But it is a sound strategy if you can pull it off. This also brings us to our next point.

2. The Spread-type talent doesn’t reside in the Midwest.

Before you scream out “Terrelle Pryor”, understand that I realize that this is a gross generalization and that there are notable exceptions but for the most part it’s true. So for Texas, which is the premier college football program in my mind, running a spread offense could make sense given the in-state talent that is clamoring to don the burnt orange every year.

But for Michigan, which has its strongest recruiting ties in Big Ten country, the best players for a spread offense are not raised on the Maize and Blue. They grew up in places like Deerfield Beach, places where U-M brings to mind the University of Miami not the Wolverines.

Rebuttal: Michigan has national appeal so it is possible to get top recruits from the warm weather states.

This is true. If the coaching staff doesn’t mind living out of their suitcases and can get it done, what’s the difference which states the recruits are coming from? But they should have an easier time recruiting players in their own backyard.

3. But what about Denard?

Denard Robinson is the most explosive player in college football. He has two more years of eligibility and he has demonstrated that he can very nearly carry an entire team on his shoulders. Or at least carry them to a New Year’s Day bowl game. Rich Rodriguez recruited him by promising him that he would let him play quarterback. It’s unclear if he could be persuaded to move to running back (where he would have a much brighter future in the NFL) or if he’s destined to transfer. The fact that the three Florida powerhouse schools are all pro-style teams now helps but there are a plethora of spread teams that would welcome him with opens arms. And I would not discount the possibility that he follows Rich Rodriguez to his next destination.

Denard Robinson is Michigan’s best chance to win in the short-term. Whether he’s the quarterback or the running back, there is no doubt about that. But he can’t play for Michigan for the next 10 years. Michigan has to think long-term. Ideally, Michigan needs a coach who can adapt his offense to fit his players but how many coaches can actually do this? Urban Meyer and Mack Brown both showed this season how difficult that actually is and they are two of the most successful coaches out there. Most likely, when you hire a coach you are either hiring a pro-style or a spread coach. For Michigan, the next coach will have a greater impact on the program’s success than Denard Robinson because the next coach will be around longer. However, Michigan could lose Ryan Mallet and Denard Robinson in the space of just over three years. That is a sobering thought. So much for Quarterback U.

4. The Recruiting Appeal of an NFL-factory school

Speaking of Quarterback U, Michigan used to be known as a school that sent guys to the NFL by the bushel. The list of Wolverines in the NFL is long and distinguished (no Top Gun jokes please). It’s something that Michigan was known for. It is not easy to develop this reputation. You need to have world-class facilities, a very high profile and of course a very good team. Michigan has world-class facilities. The Big House has a larger capacity than any NFL Team. Michigan has two indoor practice facilities, which is more than the Cincinnati Bengals have. Despite recent struggles, Michigan’s profile is as high as ever. You can debate whether Michigan is still an elite program but the fact that you care enough to debate that fact (or read this article) just proves that Michigan Football is still on everyone’s mind. As for putting a great team on the field, that is why they pay the head coach the big bucks. Whoever it may be.

Rebuttal: Isn’t there a risk to recruiting players by promising individual success in a team sport?

Yes, there is. Both Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer struggled at the end of their dynasties because of this issue. You’re promising these guys that you are going to get them ready for the NFL and then you’re surprised that all these five star recruits come in with a sense of entitlement? I think that you can become a victim of your own success because of this issue. On the other hand, Florida and USC had a pretty good run over the last decade. At least they’ve had some success to be victimized by. Michigan fans are a demanding bunch but I’m confident that if you offered them a national championship followed by a down phase they would take it.

5. Playing “Michigan Football”

I don’t believe in blindly following tradition for tradition’s sake. Just because Michigan has been successful in the past with a particular style of play does not mean that you should just play that way forever. Once upon a time, teams didn’t use forward passes. The game is constantly evolving and you need to evolve with it.

You go back to a pro-style system because it makes sense to do so. Not just out of a sense of tradition. There are certain traditions at Michigan that should never be changed. I am referring to traditions like the winged helmets and the M Club banner. The style of play should be constantly evaluated.

6. “It’s not what you do; it’s how you do it!”

Those immortal words were spoken by Pete Bell, the head of the Western University Dolphins in the movie Blue Chips. My point here is that you’re going to be better off with a great coach who runs a spread offense than a mediocre coach who runs a pro-style offense. Even if a pro-style offense is a better fit for your program.  

At the end of the day, this is the most important point. Dave Brandon needs to identify and hire the best coach out there, regardless of style of play. All other things being equal, a pro-style coach would be better than a spread coach but all other things are rarely equal in the real world.

What do you think? Should Michigan stick with a spread offense now that Rich Rodriguez is gone?