Wolverine Q&A: Jedd Fisch
3/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 11, 2015
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch spoke Tuesday night about the progress he's seen after four spring practices, and what he's looking for leading up the annual spring intrasquad game on April 4.
Junior Shane Morris, sophomore Wilton Speight and freshman Alex Malzone are the leading candidates currently practicing. Incoming freshman Zach Gentry will join them when he comes to campus in June. Morris, with two starts and 389 yards passing on 47 completions in 87 attempts, is the only one with college game experience.
Last year, as offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fisch was mentoring first-round pick Blake Bortles and trying to get him up to NFL speed. He noted how Bortles threw his share of interceptions until settling down to become efficient with a half dozen games remaining. Now he's working with a stable of former high school stars trying to make the jump to the college level.
Fisch also was a wide receivers coach for the Denver Broncos, and will be working with that position group.
Amara Darboh (36 catches, 473 yards and two touchdowns) is the leading returning receiver, and Jehu Chesson, Dennis Norfleet and Freddy Canteen also made contributions last season. Da'Mario Jones and Bo Dever are returning lettermen. Highly recruited Drake Harris (with injury) and Maurice Ways sat out their freshman seasons, and incoming freshman Brian Cole was one of the nation's top recruits. Cole joined Malzone as an early enrollee.
Q. What have you seen from the quarterbacks?
A. We're seeing progress. We're looking at how they've picked up what we're asking them to do. We've been able to do a lot of drill work with them, and watch them kind of pick up the system the best they can. There's really good progress in terms of control at the line of scrimmage and understanding the offense. Now it's a matter of slowing the game down for them.
Q. How do you slow down the game for them?
A. Slowing it down comes from knowledge, No. 1. No. 2, it comes from experience. And then, three, it comes from some form of comfort level. Right now, their knowledge is still growing, and it's not where we want it to be yet in terms of always having to fast-forward the process. In terms of experience, they have none in the system. And they really don't have much college football experience. As we continue to go through this process and give them opportunities, I think they will continue to develop every day. And that will slow the game down for them.
Q. How do Morris, Speight and Malzone vary from one another?
A. Wilton is a very large man (6-6, 235 pounds). He's a big guy. He can see everything and he's a pretty good athlete. He throws the ball well, but doesn't seem to have had a ton of experience. Shane took more reps last year because he was the No. 2 (behind senior starter Devin Gardner). But Wilt makes a lot of good throws.
Shane has a very strong arm. He spins it well, but he just has to understand that it's really not the most important thing. So, now it's a matter of what can you do with it? How do you utilize it? And he's very comfortable as a quarterback. It's fun to watch him in the huddle, and he has a really good command of what we're asking him to do.
Alex should be a senior in high school right now. So, he's got a lot going on, and he's handled it unbelievably well. He is unbelievable in terms of his ability to not let things bother him, being consistent, and being able to jump right back in and play the game if a play doesn't go right. He's right back in there ready for the next one, and short-term memory is phenomenal for a quarterback.
Q. Malzone has a quick release. Can you talk about how it factors into what he can do?
A. All of their mechanics are getting tweaked here and there. We have four eyes on them almost all the time (with Coach Jim Harbaugh included). So, there's a tweak here, a tweak there, and we're trying to make them comfortable. And with them being comfortable should come quick delivery, should come decision making.
I think, though, the most important part of the game is decision-making. And therefore, if you have a quick release it helps.
Q. What is it that Morris most needs to understand about the position?
A. He's got a strong arm and can make all the throws. But you talk about how the prettiest ball isn't always the best ball. If I threw you a knuckler and you caught it for a touchdown to win the Super Bowl, it's better than if you threw the best spiral in the world and I missed you.
What we want to talk about with each quarterback, first and foremost, is to complete passes and take care of the ball ... The ball is gold and you've got to take great care of it.
You have to realize your job is to be a point guard -- give assists. And by doing that, it's completing passes.
Q. How comfortable are you with the talent level you have?
A. I think (Dallas Mavericks owner) Mark Cuban said, "Work every day like there's somebody trying to take your job 24 hours a day." And I want them to take that approach -- to absolutely challenge each other every day to get the next guy better. And if they really work that hard, the talent level is plenty good.
Q. What does Zach Gentry have to do to get into the mix?
A. Well, first, arrive on campus. Then we have to see how much he really knows and how much he can handle. We don't really have a great feel for how much he can process. When he arrives on campus in June, he's going to have to come and really dig into that playbook. Then it's a matter of between June and August, when we're not with him, how much can he pick up from the other guys to be somewhat ready to compete with the other guys.
Q. Are there specific goals you want them to accomplish in these 15 practices?
A. The first goal is to continue to raise your completion percentage every day. The second one is to not turn the ball over. If we can have those two things, then we've had a success. Then, it's avoid the sack in practice. Then, it's create the explosive play.
Q. What are your impressions of Amara Darboh, the leading returning receiver?
A. Today was the first day that we were able to see him go full-go, and he is exciting. He's a good player, and I'm excited about the receiving corps. I think we've got some size, strength, catching ability. We've got guys who have instincts. We have speed, but we also have quickness. And now we have to get them to grasp everything we're asking them to do. When they do that, they'll go from thinking to just playing.
I'm excited not only from Amara, but also from Jehu, what he's bringing, what Freddy Canteen is bringing, what Mo Ways is bringing, what Brian Cole ... I mean, he's another one. The guy should be a senior in high school. I said, 'Your ball skills are unbelievable. When you know what you're doing, it's going to be unreal.' He makes some plays that are just tremendous. Right now, he's just figuring it all out and being on a college field. So, it's an exciting group, and so are Drake and Da'Mario.
Q. Cole played all over the field and on both sides of the ball, but was primarily a running back in high school. Some of Michigan's best receivers were high school running backs, guys like Desmond Howard and John Kolesar. Can you talk about how that background helps a receiver after he makes the catch?
A. (Running backs) have an ability to see the field in a certain manner. They use their peripheral vision in a way. You have all that space as a wide receiver and now what do you do with it all rather than having to run between tackles. But I know there are a lot of guys on our squad who are fun to watch with a ball in their hand.
