Why do you blitz in football?  I would say most teams blitz because they're overmatched on the line and want to get pressure on the quarterback so he doesn't get to casually meander around the pocket, jersey unblemished, picking apart their secondary.  Others do it just as a change of pace to keep the opposing quarterbacks confused about where the pressure is coming from versus where the one-on-one coverage will be.  The Eagles' Jim Johnson does it because he likes it when the FOX announcers use the word "exotic" in regards to his blitzing schemes.  Some do it to run up their stats for the Butkus Award on NCAA 2009, while others just want to watch the world burn.

Coach Jon Tenuta might in the Jack Napier-mold when it comes to bringing inordinate amounts of pressure, but I believe it would be best for Notre Dame's chances of victory if he curtailed that urge and resolved himself not to send five, six or seven gentlemen at the Steven Threet/Nick Sheridan combination on Saturday.  Perhaps the most important reason why blitzing needs to be limited is that against San Diego State, a team with a patchwork offensive line and a history of being cover-your-eyes bad at offense, it wasn't super effective.  While it led to a sack, a pick and a bunch of deflections, it also led to a series of text messages ranging from "We don't have to blitz every time if we never get there" to "We're such cute blitzers."

The other thing it resulted in were some biggish plays for San Diego State, turning shovel passes into some decent games.  While it's possible that the Michigan offense will be completely confused by the array of formations and angles taken to wreck their quarterback carousel, the more likely scenario for their spread's response is a bunch of quick hitters to Sam McGuffie, Michael Shaw and All-Name first teamer Martavious Odoms that turn into huge gains simply because so many Irish defenders were out of position.  If we're going to look at risk-reward, at this point in the evolution of Rich Rodriguez's offense in Ann Arbor, there doesn't seem to be much risk in not blitzing.

Against Utah, Threet and Sheridan combined to average 4.4 yards per pass.  Against Miami (OH), that jumped up to 5.7, but included a fifty-yard burst by Odoms that was nearly all yards-after-catch.  To put it simply, no vertical threat has revealed itself in this offense that the Irish have to worry about curtailing.  There's a chance that if the Irish start sitting back and giving the Michigan quarterbacks time to work, they'll start bombing away with aplomb and accuracy, but Coaches Brown and Tenuta can always adjust if need be.  But as of now?  That downfield attack seems to be a ways away.

Again, from Maize n' Brew:

Are we ever going to try a forward pass again? Maybe. Maybe not. Threet had receivers wide open and flat out missed them. At least two of them (an overthrow of Butler on Michigan's second possession, and a sideline over throw of Hemmingway later on) would have resulted in touchdowns. After Threet's second sideline overthrow, it was apparent that McGee did not trust his quarterbacks to throw the ball vertically ever again. However, even prior to the three overthrows that banished Threet to the headset, the majority of Michigan's passes were glorified running plays with the QB throwing a quick 90 degree pass to Odoms or one of Michigan's other jitterbugs. Until Threet learns not to let his emotions/adrenaline get the best of him, Michigan's vertical passing game may remain tucked away in the "break glass in the case of 21 point deficit" box.

And MGoBlog:

 

Okay, I watched the San Diego State game. During this game, a performance in which Notre Dame nearly lost to one of the worst teams in Division I-A, I was repeatedly wistful because Notre Dame's quarterback completed passes downfield. What sort of pass? Any sort of pass. I miss John Navarre 2001. I miss John Navarre 2000. I miss Ryan Mallett.

 If we want to continue with NFL analogies from yesterday, this would be similar to the scheme Jacksonville employed against New England in last winter's playoffs.  They dropped seven, hoped their front four could get some pressure and denied Tom Brady (RIP) anything down the field.  This was a solid plan that kept the Jags close, but fell short because David Garrard was as perfect as the MVP and the Jags never started to bring the heat even though it appeared they would never, ever stop the Patriots with that plan.  I don't think the Irish have to worry about Wes Welker catching nine balls or Michigan QB's going 26 for 28, and again, if this strategy awakens some sort of downfield passing monster in the Wolverines offense, start bringing the heat until they kindly stop it.

It appears there is absolutely no reason for the gameplan not to be "Crowd the box, keep all of the gadgets of the spread in front of the back seven, adjust only if it turns out there is a vertical passing game to worry about."  It may not be exciting and it may not yield a lot of turnovers, but it should properly stymie the Wolverine offense, which is all Notre Dame needs to do to win (along with putting up a pair of touchdowns).  If the Irish come out blitzing, I imagine the results will resemble some combination of McGuffie taking a jailbreak screen eighty yards for a touchdown or a linebacker plowing into Threet after the ball was gone, getting a penalty called and erasing David Bruton's most athletic interception you've ever seen.

So to sum this up: Until Michigan makes it necessary to do otherwise, please please please Coach Tenuta, use blitzing only in moderation.

via mgoblog.com