Thread by @sbell021

Thread No. 1: Michigan's offense needs change. But it doesn't need dynamite.

Jim Harbaugh knows change is needed. He knew it last year, too, and made appropriate changes (and tried making more). If he doesn't make additional changes this offseason, he 100% deserves criticism.

These changes don't mean switching to 100% Air Raid or making other widespread changes I'm hearing others suggest. Michigan has recruited for its system and is tooled to succeed in that system. Making a team re-tool and re-learn is just pushing success further down the road.

One aspect of Michigan's identity I don't like: the "body blow" philosophy being a set-in-stone pillar. Taking a proactive approach to shorten games isn't smart unless you're overmatched or trying to avoid injury against a weak opponent. It's a key reason U-M lost to MSU in 2017.

But in general, the ineptitude of U-M's 2018 offense is grossly overstated: a product of people forgetting the 10-game winning streak and just focusing on the end (which I'm not discounting - more on that later).

It was balanced. It was efficient. QB/RB/WR/OL play all improved.

Shea Patterson never put up gaudy numbers. You know why? He wasn't asked to. He was efficient. He rarely made mistakes. His YPA was better than it was when he was leading one of the country's most wide-open offenses. His TDs went up. His INTs dropped. All in a "bland" offense.

People saying Michigan has better options than Patterson are wrong. And it's unfair to Patterson to expect him to put up a 350 yard, 4-TD game against top-tier opponents when he's only asked to manage the game and "don't lose" games in "body blow" games against lesser opponents.

Going forward, does Michigan NEED to go throw the ball downfield against the Marylands and Indianas of the world to win? No. But there are countless advantages of doing so, including but not limited to: valuable prep for when you DO need to/recruiting/morale/tendency breaking/etc

This isn't to say Michigan always needs to air it out. Balance can and should be a tenet of the offense. The running game was successful this year with Higdon. Turner shows significant upside and Charbonnet could (/should?) be a legitimate game-changer. The OL is in great hands.

So: Personnel isn't the issue. Michigan should have the Big Ten's best QB, WR and TE rooms and a very talented group of RBs next season. It addressed some deficiencies (read: speed) in recruiting. That leaves the offensive staff and -- as an extension -- playcalling.

Michigan has one of the largest assistant coach salary pools in the country. It invests even more resources into analysts and makes sure it remains one of the "haves" in college football. All of these are pluses that Harbaugh brings and a hire of his stature commands. Huge help.

But I don't think anyone would disagree that Michigan isn't using those resources as best as it can. Pep Hamilton is the highest-paid offensive assistant in America ($1.45 mil). I'm not here to trash the guy, but he's performing well below the expectations that salary commands.

The biggest issue last year was Tim Drevno. He was a well-paid, long-time "Harbaugh guy" who wasn't performing where he needed to. He "found another job." Pep Hamilton's name is popping up as possibilities for other jobs. It doesn't take an expert to read between the lines here.

So if an OC-type spot magically opens up, what would we be looking at? I personally think the model offense Michigan should be looking at given its personnel, philosophy and success around the country should be Alabama -- a once-bland offense that has modernized and succeeded.

And I think that may be the direction Harbaugh would be leaning, too. You know who he tried to bring in to its offensive coaching brain trust in 2018? Dan Enos. You know who was a part of Alabama's offensive coaching brain trust this year and will be THE guy next year? Dan Enos.

Cliffs
- Change is needed. Not doing anything says you're OK w/ the status quo. But don't blow things up just to blow things up.
- Shea is the guy at QB and you need to let him be Shea all season, not just expect him to be Shea when it's needed.
- Need new body in playcalling mix

Thank you for coming to my Michigan offense Ted Talk.