Wojo: "poor coaching drags Michigan into first real crisis"
I think most of us like Wojo and rcognize that he is one of the few good sportwriters around in the Detroit MSM. He also is evenhanded and seldom calls out anyone. So to me it's significant that his column today calls out the offensive coaches and Hoke.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131109/SPORTS0201/311090075/Poor-c…
November 10th, 2013 at 2:28 PM ^
i did see Ball State and SDS. one good season at both schools. Michigan had a good season in 2011. not so much since then
November 10th, 2013 at 4:51 PM ^
Last I checked, he was H.C. at Ball State, and the last thing that school wanted was to lose him. He went to SDSU, and was an H.C.. The last thing that school wanted was to lose him. There's no lack of H.C. experience with Hoke. In fact, at every prior stop, he was, in fact, successful (of course, one would expect that of someone at Michigan, right).
I guess if you meant that he was once a position coach, fine. So were most or, actaully all, successful head coaches. Marinelli was a glorified position coach, having no head coaching experience before being hired by the Lions, which was his downfall.
November 10th, 2013 at 1:49 PM ^
We need to raid and hijack Bama's assistant coaches like a bunch of starved Somalis in a pack of Zodiacs loaded with AKs.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:17 PM ^
I'd take IU's OC right now....
November 10th, 2013 at 1:50 PM ^
As I sit here quietly contemplating yesterday's game (which was my son's first game at U-M), I can't help but wonder what our offense would look like under Seth Littrell (currently OC at Indiana). His starting starting offensive line has not one senior and his backups are mainly freshman. Tell me that Indiana's roster doesn't look younger than ours....
78 Jason Spriggs | 6-7, 297, SO | |
57 Pete Bachman | 6-5, 298, RS JR | |
62 Ralston Evans | 6-4, 285, RS SO | |
77 Dimitric Camiel | 6-7, 304, RS FR | |
73 Bernard Taylor | 6-2, 295, JR | |
65 Wes Rogers | 6-4, 293, RS FR | |
50 Jake Reed | 6-4, 291, RS SO | |
70 Jacob Bailey | 6-5, 301, RS FR | |
64 Collin Rahrig | 6-2, 285, RS JR | |
50 Jake Reed | 6-4, 291, RS SO |
Yet his offense is rushing the ball for 5.4 YPC (U-M 3.2 YPC) and passing the ball for 14.1 YPC (U-M 15.6). For the entire season the IU offense has given up 14 sacks. We have 14 in the last two games. IU is averaging over 527 yards per game of offense while Michigan is averaging 385. I could go on but I will stop. Mostly because my Oskar Blues Ten Fidy needs replaced.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:20 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 4:20 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 5:29 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 2:00 PM ^
Has David Brandon become Joe Dumars and Bill Davidson?
I will preface my theories with the concession that I have no inside sources in order to substantiate my suspicions. But a couple of things are surfacing which makes trained analysts note the parrallels.
1. This outfit has the symptoms of a demoralized organization. If you have ever been in an organization that was humming along on all cylinders until the leadership changed, either by retirement or other circumstance..and the new leadership came in with bright ideas that missed; New ideas without consulting the veterans and an inability to read situations clearly, combined with the inability to recognize talent versus the professional ass-kissers..
Then you have seen this before. The situation reaches critical mass at the point where everyone basically quits inside their own mind as a psyche- preservation exercise. The futility erupts into a realization that the situation is hopeless.
2. Bill Davidson, and by default Joe Dumars, became inflated to the point that they believed their organizational structure was responsible for the successes. So rather than accept that Larry Brown's eccentricity was the necessary evil accompanying his genius, they thought that with their superior organization, that just about any coach could plug in and continue the success. Their arrogance destroyed the fiber of the winning chemistry. But, at least the Larry Brown ego was no longer a nuisance.
Is it possible that meddling by the chief is undermining the cohesiveness of this organization? Is it possible that true feelings cannot be expressed or that the veteran's ideas are being overruled? To the point of giving up inside but putting on the face in order to keep the paycheck coming until the ship inevitably runs aground?
Is it possible that a Jim Harbaugh or a Nick Saban or an Urban Meyer have no real chance to be hired here? Was Jim Harbaugh our Larry Brown? His eccentricity overruling his ability to stick regardless of brilliance?
And finally, in closing, I want to answer those who have asked if not Hoke, then who? What 'Michigan Man' is out there or who would want come here?
I will answer that with a question. What Marine, what Seaman, what Airman and what Soldier is just that before basic training?
Close to none of them. That is why they go through basic training. To restructure them into the epitome of the organization.
So along those same precepts, any coach with supreme ability can be molded into a Michigan Man. There would just need to be a 'basic training' program to indoctrinate them as to the do's and don'ts at Michigan.
Michigan deserves to be the best football program in the land. There are coaches out there with the resume accomplished to the point that their thoughts have turned to their legacy.
What greater legacy for a coach would there be than to take the winningest team in history to it's greatest heights ever?
That would equal immortality if you pull it off. There are a few coaches that would bite at a chance for immortality and who 'know' they can do it here.
The only caveat is that the AD would have to give up sitting in on team affairs.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:06 PM ^
Dave Brandon is Jerry Jones and Michigan athletics is his Jerry World/Cowboys.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:15 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 2:31 PM ^
I agree with this sentiment. Jerry Jones has been a crutch to all the Cowboys' head coaches. I 'm concerned no head coach will have good working conditions in the DB era.
November 10th, 2013 at 3:28 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 2:36 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 2:53 PM ^
'Point was that Davidson grew tired of Larry Brown and his ego and interferred and made him go away, thus ending what could have been an extended championship run.
I agree however, that comparing Brandon to Davidson is generous. Davidson brought championships prior to the Larry Brown firing.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:06 PM ^
I've been pretty vocal in my support in Borges, or at that it's not all on him. That said, I thought he called a horrible game. For the most part, after the first quarter, our OL was able to pick up blitzes momentarily and he never found a way to punish Nebraska for the aggressiveness except that one screen and maybe a play here or there (which amazingly, he got away from). Never did he force them to back off. State is one thing, they were just overwhelming our OL, but to have the same exact problem a week later against a much worse defense and not have an answer is extremely frustrating. Execution is a really problem (as much as people think that's a cop out), but the plays had absolutely no coherence what so ever. It was one play at a time and see what can pick up a few yards here and there.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:16 PM ^
IU ran for 92 yards on MSU and their line is younger than ours. We ran for -48 with older and better talent. Let that soak in for a minute...
November 10th, 2013 at 2:25 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 4:22 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 4:29 PM ^
we couldn't even get that "one play."
November 10th, 2013 at 2:17 PM ^
If it makes you feel any better Sten Carlson also said basically the same thing too.
And hey - I once posted an open letter to Brandon begging him to give RR a three year extension prior to the Wisconsin game in 2010.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:37 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 2:52 PM ^
(okay, few) is calling for Hoke to be fired mid-season--at least no reasonable ones. And canning Borges now is simply impractical as we don't have an internal option (or even a QB coach), and Hoke "don't do offense" as he has made abundantly clear. But if there was an internal option, there should be coaching changes.
I also believe that Hoke should get at least 1 more year to implement his program--as RichRod should have been given. But Borges and Funk just work for Hoke and they must go after the season. Hoke needs to sit down and have a face-to-face with Beilein--who did what he needed to do.
November 10th, 2013 at 4:31 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 2:17 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 2:34 PM ^
Exactly! A coaches role is to teach fundamentals and put players in the best position to succeed according to their skillset and the teams/coaches philosophy.
Poor execution in a game happens, and I can live with that because they are young kids, but when it becomes an overwhelming trend over multiple games and multiple position groups its on the coaches. The kids aren't blameless, but the coaches deserve all of the criticism that is coming their way.
November 10th, 2013 at 3:37 PM ^
What could you possible use in support of Borges? Every team we play we become an statistical outlier in the wrong direction on offense.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:08 PM ^
Totally immune to anything that happens the next 1+ years. Wake me up when we have a new, competent coaching staff.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:09 PM ^
if they'd just get better at coaching.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:11 PM ^
Lost to OSU 1 vs 2 . Got worked in the Bowl game, lost the Horror on and on. This program needs a leader in the worst way plain and simple folks.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:27 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 2:29 PM ^
I know that the HC turnover has been infrequent. However, can someone provide an overview of the frequency and reasons for typical turnover going back to Bo?
I know that Hoke was hired by Moeller, and basically coached under Carr, but I'm trying to understand whether it was common at any of his coaching stops for there to be turnover. If there was turnover, it was probably due to coaches ascending the ranks. Much different from the current situation.
November 10th, 2013 at 8:40 PM ^
We were pretty stable under Bo and Mo, mostly only losing guys to become head coaches, but under Carr we had some straight-up staff changes. He had these coordinators:
OC - Fred Jackson (1995-96), Mike DeBord (1997-99), Stan Parrish (2000-01), Terry Malone (2002-05), Mike DeBord (06-07). DeBord left the first time to become CMU's head coach. The rest were relieved of their duties (Jackson was "kicked upstairs" as assistant HC).
DC - Greg Mattison (1995-96), Jim Herrmann (1997-2005), Ron English (06-07). Mattison left for ND, while Herrmann was nudged into taking an NFL position-coach job.
Also, on special teams, the coordinator (name escapes me) who supervised the Oregon and Iowa meltdowns in 2003 was booted midseason.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:35 PM ^
Unfortunately, the only change we'll see next year is the blitz packages we cannot handle will come off the edge versus up the middle. We have a coach who was hired with a sub .500 record and while he has recruited well, he's stuck in mediocrity. 4 million a year should get better outcomes!
November 10th, 2013 at 2:35 PM ^
Does anyone think Dave Brandon watching film with coaches is insane? Christ...we've got our Jerry Jones folks. This shit show is only getting started.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:41 PM ^
I guess it depends on what he's doing. If he's just observing, I don't really care. But if he's trying to analyze and critique, then it's a problem
November 10th, 2013 at 3:08 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 3:36 PM ^
He was an offensive lineman for Arkansas. Not a scrub either. He was a co-captain for their 1964 national championship season. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Jones
November 10th, 2013 at 4:32 PM ^
A practice player? I don't recall seeing that he was much more than that.
November 10th, 2013 at 6:23 PM ^
I thought it was pretty common knowledge that Jerry Jones played for Frank Broyles at Arkansas in the powerful Southwest Conference. I'll admit I did not know he was an All-Conference player but regardless he played college football at a school that was a national power.
November 10th, 2013 at 7:16 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 3:12 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 3:50 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 5:04 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 2:38 PM ^
I hope so
November 10th, 2013 at 2:57 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 2:49 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 3:04 PM ^
You heard it here first: if Borges is let go after this season, Hoke will hire (drum roll)...
Stan Parrish.
Parrish was Hoke's OC during his best three seasons at Ball State (2006-08). Parrish is now the interim HC at EMU, but is virtually certain to be let go at the end of the season.
It all fits together very easily. Parrish was a UM assistant from '96 through 2001, so it will be the return of another "Michigan Man."
November 10th, 2013 at 3:14 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 3:20 PM ^
It seems to me Parrish was actually a pretty decent QB coach. He's getting up there in age though.