The Wolverine

September 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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SEPTEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 25 BY JOHN BORTON T he movie "Tombstone" fo- cuses its quintessential scene on Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, Virgil Earp and Morgan Earp striding towards the O.K. Corral with angry intent. The lasting image features a build- ing on fire as a scorching backdrop. It might have lost some sizzle had the Earps and Holiday merely tele- graphed in a threat from a vacation lodge in North Dakota. That's how spring football felt at times for Michigan and new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. He has plenty of weapons to fire this fall, but many were on an injury-enforced hiatus. Players such as junior wideouts Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples- Jones, redshirt sophomore receiver Tarik Black, redshirt freshman tail- back Christian Turner, true freshman tailback Zach Charbonnet and more are back — locked and loaded. Gattis' first fall camp update couldn't have been much more up- beat. And why not? He's now seeing his X's and O's running with new and improved X's. "Having a ton of guys who have started and played in games before has been a big asset for me as a coordi- nator, because so many of our players have outstanding chemistry," Gattis assured. "You have to have chemistry to be able to have confidence. "We'll do things from spread prin- ciples, but we want to be a downhill running team who comes off the ball aggressively." That kind of talk has the running backs and offensive linemen salivat- ing. Don't think for a second, though, that senior quarterback Shea Patter- son, redshirt sophomore QB Dylan McCaffrey, the aforementioned re- ceivers and more aren't thinking of some shootouts at The Big House corral. Here's a look at where Gattis in- sists they stood heading into the meat of fall camp, with some expert com- mentary by former U-M captain and All-American Jon Jansen sprinkled in: QUARTERBACKS Gattis confirmed Patterson to be playing "lights out" in the early days of fall camp. "His playmaking abilities and ball- placing abilities are impressive, and I've been pleased with his footwork in the pocket as well," Gattis said. "The other players around him see it too, and accountability is one of the things we stressed coming into camp. "Shea has a great feel and a great presence, and has improved on his weaknesses — timing, understanding reads and progressions, etc." Meanwhile, the talk of playing two quarterbacks in every game created a bit of a summer buzz. It shouldn't have, in Gattis' mind. He reacted with more of a shrug. "Multiple quarterbacks have played everywhere I've been, so it's nothing new for me," Gattis explained. "We've even had two on the field at the same time before. In college football today, you have to prepare your No. 2 and No. 3 as if they're starters. "If you lose your top guy, you don't want it to be a culture shock. We're a multiple-personnel offense and will find ways to use all our playmakers. Coach Ben McDaniels has done an unbelievable job developing our quar- terbacks. "Our QBs will all be prepared and play in certain situations, though it's too early to identify what those situa- tions might be. We'll find ways to use them all, and they'll all be prepared as if they're the starters. "No job is ever set in stone, and our guys know they have to bring their best each and every day." Summer, Jansen observed, plays a huge role in chemistry, leadership and a deeper understanding of the offense. He is convinced the quarter- backs and their weapons embraced it all over the past several months. "The great thing is when you know it well enough to be able to explain it to somebody else, then it deepens your knowledge of how you un- derstand the offense," Jansen said. "Anybody that's taught anything knows they have to have a certain base of knowledge to be able to teach it to somebody else. "As you do that, your knowledge base increases, because questions come up. You find the answers. You come back and you explain it again. "That's how some of these guys, like Shea Patterson, Donovan Peo- ples-Jones — the veteran guys on the offense who are running [offseason work], whether it's seven-on-seven or a full offense walk-through. They sharpen the [younger players'] ability to hear the voice of your leaders and be able to perform." Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis "We have all the pieces necessary to build an explosive offense." Senior quarterback Shea Patterson has been "lights out" early in fall camp according to offen- sive coordinator Josh Gattis. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN STATE OF THE OFFENSE

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