While Michigan football fans are eager to learn more about a Sherrone Moore-led team with Kirk Campbell as the offensive coordinator and Wink Martindale as the defensive coordinator, those are just two aspects of the game. The third proved to be equally important – special teams.
Games can be won and lost on special teams, and the Wolverines have seen many games swing due to big plays on the third unit. Even in the Rose Bowl, when Jake Thaw made what could have been a catastrophic mistake on special teams, his recovery saved the game for the maize and blue, and Michigan held on to beat Alabama and advance to the national championship game.
The man now leading the special teams offense with Jay Harbaugh having left for the Seattle Seahawks is JB Brown, who was promoted from analyst. He spoke with Jon Jansen on the ‘In the Trenches’ podcast on Wednesday and shared that fans shouldn’t expect widespread changes, but he will certainly put his own spin on things.
“There will probably be some adjustments and some different techniques may be taught,” Brown said. “But other than that, the main core will still remain the same. We’ve been explosive the last three years that I’ve been here and we’ve kind of built the whole scheme together behind the scenes, basically, in the aquarium. But now I think with me it will take over, it will be very similar – but there will be some adjustments and adjustments.”
The good news for the Wolverines, elevating someone who has been in the room the last three years, is that while there may be subtle changes – and certainly personnel changes – there will be enough similarities that will allow the players to continue to play fast.
Brown is also excited to see what the younger players can do, but knows he will also have plenty of veterans to lean on.
“The terminology will really stay the same for us. So that’s the most important thing,” Brown said. “And when that stays the same and consistent, like you just said, and then we continue to build off of that.
“And then with the new guys coming into play, I’m really excited about all these guys. They have length, speed and a lot of athletic traits. But they are very smart and good kids too.”
Michigan is in a unique position compared to some other teams in that it prioritizes special teams.
Once established, playmakers often still find themselves on the field in the third unit and have even noted over the years that they have asked to play on special teams despite their primary roles on offense or defense.
But for younger, less established players, it’s also a place where they can earn their way into the other two units, Brown says. There are transferable skills and if you want to play in front of the biggest crowd to watch a football game anywhere in America that Saturday, special teams is one way to get into the rotation.
“The biggest thing we try to sell is the development piece, right? Because at the end of the day, everything we do, special teams-wise, is a transferable skill,” Brown said. “So even though you’re an offensive lineman, you’re still learning how to protect yourself, right? There are many similar techniques we use on special teams that produce all football skills. So for us, we try to sell transferable skills and the better you get on special teams, the better you will get at your position naturally.”
