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Following the surprise departure of Josh Gattis in February, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh made a slightly unusual decision. Instead of making a one-to-one replacement, Harbaugh went with two, retaining Sherrone Moore as co-offensive coordinator while elevating Matt Weiss to the same position.
Following a mixed bag performance against the Maryland Terrapins, that decision has received some criticism. The most vocal detractor has been FOX analyst Joel Klatt, who spoke about the system on Saturday’s broadcast and on his podcast, The Joel Klatt Show.
“I was critical of the play calling situation for Michigan and I stand by that,” Klatt said. “I think (Matt Weiss and Sherrone Moore) are both really smart guys, I loved meeting them on Friday, but I pressed them on ‘who’s the play caller?’ I’m a firm believer that you’ve got to have a play caller when the rubber meets the road, when there’s big third downs. So I was critical of their play-calling situation because they wouldn’t tell me who calls the plays.
“Somebody’s got to be the play caller, and I think at some point this season that’s going to have to come to fruition.”
When given the chance to address Klatt’s comments on Wednesday during his time with the local media, Weiss had a relaxed but pointed response.
“Yeah, so I mean, Joel is a really smart guy,” Weiss said. “He knows football, has playing experience, every week he’s studying the game. He knows what he’s talking about. I guess a lot of times when people see something or hear something new, their first reaction is to say ‘I’m not used to that so that can’t be a good way to do it.’
“I think it’s a work in progress just like everything in our offense, whether its the run game, the pass game, the play calling — everything can be better. Everything is a work in progress and if we were out of rhythm or whatever he said, then I can’t wait to see what we look like when we’re in rhythm. I think the system we have in place is really good. I know that Sherrone helps me a ton, I think I help him a ton, and it’s really a great way to do it. I think we have a great rhythm and so far, the results have been good.”
With the Wolverines playing a formidable Iowa defense this week, Weiss and Moore have an opportunity to put the skepticism to bed. If the struggles continue, however, this could become a common point of contention as the season moves along.
