Michigan football podcast, The Balas and Skene show — talking O-line with guest Jon Jansen

Michigan offensive linemen Jon Jansen, an All-American, and Doug Skene, an All-Big Ten selection and five-time Big Ten champion, know a few things about line play, both having played in the NFL. They’re encouraged by the change of direction in the program as it pertains to line play and believe the personnel is there to form a very good offensive line this year.

Michigan assistant Jim Harding set the expectation before spring, even, and the new line coach had high hopes.

“Really, just that mindset and that competitive fire, that’s got to be established in the spring,” the first-year Michigan line coach said. “So, there’s a fine line. You can’t do anything over the top against the defense because they’re your teammate, but you also want to hold your ground and you want to not back down to anything.

“As a player, the defense alignment, they’ll shove, they’ll push until you stick up for yourself or maybe hit a ball carrier in the back. They’ll do it again until you go over there and you remedy it as an offensive line. So, that kind of mindset would be the other thing. But really try to establish the top five, get the rhino [extra lineman] established, the center depth, and then just having that physicality … the nastiness of the offensive line, just kind of develop that.”

They made progress, but there are also other areas of concern. Michigan’s backside blocking, for one, needs to improve, both Skene and Jansen agreed.

“One of the things I know he drilled on, because this would drive me bonkers last year when you’re talking about blocking movement, is simply, hey, backside cutoffs,” Jansen said. “If you can’t cut somebody off backside, then you’re cutting the field in half.

“We’ve got last year, Justice Haynes, good awareness. Jordan Marshall, really good awareness. And by God, if you don’t have somebody this year in [Michigan frosh] Savion Hiter that can utilize the entire field. So, if you find a way to just get a stalemate on the backside, not allow penetration — don’t get movement, but just a stalemate — there’s going to be a bunch of times where Savion or Jordan are bumping their head on the goalpost because those cutback lanes are big in college football.”

Coincidentally, this is an area in which Skene had major issues the last several years. He’d bring it up regularly during podcasts, especially in the last two Michigan football seasons. 

“I was just thinking back to what we’ve watched the last two years. Backside blocking has driven me up the wall,” Skene said. “How many times have I said not only is backside lazy blocking inhibited the opportunity for the play, but it’s also, in my opinion, it’s just dangerous, 

“Jon talked about it a second there that at a very minimum, a stalemate. I don’t want stalemates, and I don’t think Jon does, either. You ought to be blocking backside like you are front side, because if you’re just standing around backside and you’re just playing basketball, boxing dudes out, now you’re going to get rolled up on. You’re going to get hurt. Someone is going to make a cutback and you’re going to get somebody laying on your leg. You don’t want that.”

More on that and other great Michigan football conversation in today’s podcast.