The Best Thing Erick All, Trevor Keegan, Christopher Hinton & Vincent Gray Said: Aug. 31, 2021
Four players who expect to have a lot to do with how Michigan performs this year met with the media on Tuesday night and gave some good answers ahead of the opener.
Junior tight end Erick All spoke about how the new defense has improved tight end play, senior cornerback Vincent Gray went into great detail when comparing Don Brown's defense to Mike Macdonald's, junior defensive tackle Christopher Hinton touched on what he likes about Macdonald's defense and junior offensive lineman Trevor Keegan candidly spoke about last year and how it's affected this year's approach.
Erick All looks bigger, stronger and ready for an expanded role in 2021.
"I feel like we have great opportunities ahead of us. Schoony [Luke Schoonmaker] and myself have become more like route runners and sitting in the right zones because of the new defense. We're not always in man so we have more of a feeling of how our opponents will play. I feel like we have a better understanding of different defense."
Man...I honestly hadn't even thought about how the new defense could make the offense better. All's answer made it sound like Don Brown was just as stubborn in practice as he was in games. If Michigan's offense really only saw man coverage while Brown was in town, that would explain why the offense has been largely ineffective. I'm still not convinced that Mike Macdonald is going to be great at his job, but giving the offense more looks is a very positive development that I hadn't even considered.
Vincent Gray was pretty straight-faced but his answers illustrated that he's excited about the new defense.
"I did think [a new defensive coordinator] was going to be a really good change. I was ready for a change schematically. This is going to prepare us more for the next level. It's going to allow us to compete and make plays on the ball, which is what I enjoy."
Good for you, Mr. Gray. Most players will give a disclaimer whenever talking about Don Brown and his scheme, which is totally understandable since he recruited these guys and was a good dude, by all accounts, but it was time for a change. It was obvious. And I love that Gray said it like he did. He didn't bash Brown, and he didn't bump his gums about the new defense. He simply called it like it was/is and explained why he's excited about the new approach.
Gray is not the fastest cornerback in the world, but he's long, physical and has good ball skills. He could end up being a phenomenal cornerback in a zone scheme, which he never even got to learn under Brown. Now that the defense is changing things up more, we might see players like Gray take a big leap forward.
Chris Hinton has been good at Michigan but it feels like he has another level to reach as he enters year three.
"What I like most about this new scheme is we're playing square up front. The biggest thing is keeping our pads square to the line, which allows us to play primary and secondary gaps. That allows us to make more plays. It's an NFL type of scheme. I really like it a lot."
That sounds simple, and seems like the most obvious approach, but when you hear these defensive guys talk, you really get the sense that not much was done that way under Don Brown. We've heard guys like Rashawn Gary complain about playing the "anchor" position at defensive end, which hampered his explosive abilities. We've seen the same thing with Aidan Hutchinson over the last three seasons. Now, guys like Hutchinson, Josh Ross and obviously Hinton, are playing to their strengths and making more plays because of it. At least that's what they've all been saying.
We'll soon see if it's just talk or if Macdonald's scheme really does allow guys to fly around and get after it. I don't know how much we'll be able to glean when Michigan hosts Western on Saturday, but that week two matchup against Washington will be a great, early-season measuring stick.
Trevor Keegan is battling against Chuck Filiaga for the starting spot at left guard.
"[Being the underdog] doesn't feel too strange. We kind of knew that was coming; we expected that and we're okay with it. After last year, I feel like [it is warranted]. We didn't play good ball; we didn't play Michigan football, and we're ready to change that this year."
Props to Keegan for owning last year's poor performances and realizing that the criticisms and underdog monikers are warranted. Anyone who watched Michigan play last year knows that it wasn't good football, but not every player or coach will come out and say it. I'm glad Keegan did because it shows that he gets it. He's not tone deaf and he's not saying things that clearly aren't true just for lip service. He called a spade a spade, explained how he felt about it and made it clear that he doesn't want to go through that again. That's all you can ask for five days ahead of the season opener.
