News and Views: Is Michigan really going to air it out more in 2023?

Michigan has come out throwing in early practices, according to junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and is seeking “balance” in the offense. Is that where this is headed? We touch on that subject and more in today’s News and Views column with McCarthy’s quotes.

NEWS: Michigan is ranked No. 2 in the initial coaches’ poll, behind No. 1 Georgia.
MCCARTHY: “I’ve been fortunate to be on a lot of great teams my whole life. It always goes back to what my high school coach said — ‘don’t eat the cheese.’ All that is, is expectations. Don’t let that blind you from the present moment and what we’re doing right now.

“I’m just focusing at the task on hand every single day. The only rankings and only expectations that potentially matter is one in January.”

VIEWS: In short, they aren’t reading the clippings, and it showed both at Media Day and in the meetings with the media today. They’ve come back in great shape and ready to make a run at the national championship. A few of them we interviewed in the spring said, “we haven’t accomplished anything yet” — and that was after Big Ten titles and two straight wins over Ohio State.

So, in response to whether this is a good thing for Michigan, as asked by some fans — we can confidently say it’s not a bad thing. It’s nice to be under the radar at times, but this crew is mature enough to handle the high expectations.

NEWS: McCarthy was recently named behind 8 or so other quarterbacks on a national “best of” list of signal callers.
MCCARTHY: “I don’t get too caught up in rankings. Most go off stats, little stuff out of your control. The only thing I focus on is being the best quarterback I can be for this football team. That’s all that matters. That’s what’s going to get the wins. I don’t care about being top 5 or 3 or 1. That’s not winning football games. I want to win football games. When all that stuff pans out, it pans out.”

VIEWS: And that’s why head coach Jim Harbaugh says he wouldn’t want any other quarterback in the country. McCarthy is a throwback … he’s a lot like his coach, in fact, when Harbaugh was a player at Michigan. Sure, Harbaugh would have liked to air it out more. He even signed a picture of him with head coach Bo Schembechler, one hanging in the late coach’s office, with, “Bo — let’s go for the bomb.” More than anything, though, he wanted to win.

McCarthy is in the same mold. He’d willingly hand it off to his elite backs 75 times and throw zero if it assured a win. He was giddy in talking about backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards Monday.

“Seeing those top dogs back is just great,” he said. “It does something not just to the offense, but the whole team. Having a guy like Blake out there, Dono … it’s just been tremendous for the program.”

NEWS: The Michigan offense has come out throwing in the first several practices this year.
MCCARTHY: “We’ve just [gotten] more reps at it. I think right now we’re just not in full pads, mostly just thud, wrap up, tempo. We’re not really getting into the thick of the whole run game. So, we’re just trying to capitalize on that opportunity for the passing game right now.”

VIEWS: In other words, it’s basically 7-on-7 to start before they get into it hot and heavy. That’s the right move when you know what you’ve got in your elite backs, knowing you aren’t going to get them hit. And getting the new tackles some pass protection reps is going to be critical.

But again, this is not going to be “air McCarthy” — nor should it be. Harbaugh has said he believes it will be 50-50, but the run game is still the strength of this team. It would be surprising if it were less than 55-45 run to pass … and that’s probably what it should be. The good news — if a team sells out to stop the run, there’s no question McCarthy is capable of making them pay. The tight ends have the potential to be elite pass catchers, and there’s experience at receiver.

NEWS: The Michigan pass rushers have been impressive in the early going.
MCCARTHY: “The D-line is moving. They are going to be great this year. I give them props every single day so far … they’re just getting to me really quick. It’s just great to see … it helps our offensive line tremendously. A couple of those boys up front — Josaiah Stewart, he’s going to be great this year. Braiden [McGregor] is doing great things. Derrick Moore and Jaylen Harrell, obviously.”

VIEWS: So — should we worry about the pass protection? No, and for a few reasons. No. 1, everyone is getting reps right now, and it’s going to take some time, especially, on the left side. Ryan Hayes was there for a long time next to Trevor Keegan, so it’s not going to come overnight. In addition, the Michigan pass rushers have been on a mission this summer, working on their moves and adding good weight. Expect much more pressure from these guys this year without having to resort to the blitz.

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