Watched Hoke's post game conference
The same bullshit. The guy has lost it. No anger, no emotion, nothing. He seemed not to care.
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:48 PM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:21 PM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:22 PM ^
Nay, one of the best weeks of practice he's seen
November 23rd, 2013 at 7:11 PM ^
November 24th, 2013 at 12:00 AM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 9:14 PM ^
He heard a lot of it.
November 23rd, 2013 at 10:30 PM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:48 PM ^
...he has to watch the tape?
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:00 PM ^
You have to suffer and watch this joke
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:49 PM ^
"Well...." count?
November 24th, 2013 at 12:42 AM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:49 PM ^
"We have to do a better job of coaching"
November 23rd, 2013 at 8:14 PM ^
No, he never criticizes the coaches, remember?
November 24th, 2013 at 10:57 AM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:49 PM ^
He has been given a free pass by Brandon and alot of the fans.
The blame has been placed on Rich Rod (amazingly so)
By the way, Rich Rod's Arizona team is spanking Oregon at this moment and would easily beat Michigan right now
Sad but true
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:51 PM ^
Hoke has anything but a free pass. If Borges isn't gone this year, his seat will be hot as hell next season.
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:53 PM ^
Many, including Brandon, have nothing but good things to say about Hoke.
"we are 2 years away"
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:05 PM ^
Its easy for Brandon to say "Hoke's the guy" now. But after an ass whooping by Ohio State next week, and another 8-9 type win season next year the fans -- and more importantly the donors -- are going to be PISSED.
Brandon of all people knows money speaks, and when the money is pissed, he's gonna have to listen.
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:38 PM ^
Are you kidding? Donors are pissed NOW. The home schedule stinks next year. There are a bunch of people on here as well as people I talked to during the Nebraska game that aren't renewing season tickets. If Borges isn't fired I bet that number goes waaaaayyyyyyy up.
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:05 PM ^
But money talks and god knows Brandon listens. If fans stop showing up I think Brandon is capable of taking drastic measures.
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:12 PM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:27 PM ^
he'll at least have all the Sparty votes locked up.
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:31 PM ^
If I didn't live in Michigan, I would volunteer for his campaign.
November 23rd, 2013 at 8:53 PM ^
but a former player like him is probably more wedded emotionally to the team, and its success, than the both of us put together. He knows what winning and losing feels like.
November 23rd, 2013 at 9:24 PM ^
When the alumni, (etc) especially wealthy ones who give a lot more than us plebes, cut off contributions, then that's when it will become an economic decision. Such as it did with Coach Rod.
With Rod, who for whatever reasons, refused to field a defense.
All those guys/gals in Section 1 (etc) who have been going to every game since the late 60s never ever saw Michigan get run over (by the run) and threatened to cut all support. Brandon got that message loud and clear.
Rod was the coach he couldn't afford to keep.
While I imagine there's not exactly satisfaction anywhere, its not like we had this golden status quo which suddenly got tripped up. We fell into a dark pit of hell and are struggling to climb out. If progress is sensed, then it will be OK. If the desperation and frustration last too long it will not.
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:06 PM ^
In public, you should say. You don't know any more about what goes on behind the scenes than we do, but you're blind if you don't see massive outcry to fire somebody already.
November 23rd, 2013 at 7:00 PM ^
I bet what will happen is they wil hire a QB coach so Al can focus totally on coordinator duties. That will be Hoke's adjustment next year.
November 23rd, 2013 at 10:06 PM ^
November 24th, 2013 at 12:36 AM ^
That won't happen unless we fire someone. We add any more assistants. We're at the limit (nine).
November 23rd, 2013 at 11:01 PM ^
I don't get the sense that any changes are coming. I think Hoke is going to live or die with Borges. I may be wrong, but I expected to see a lot more D. Smith and Green than Toussant today as well.
If all the blather about "the team, the team, the team" means anything then he will do what has to be done because the current plan is not working for "the team".
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:55 PM ^
A free pass by Brandon? What do you expect Brandon to do right now?
By the fans? Have you seen all of the blame placed on Hoke on just THIS site?
Rich Rod? Did you forget the Rich Rod era at Michigan? We didn't win very many games.
We have a more than the solid team (not a great team) when we play to our potential, but the offensive coordinator has single handedly ruined this season by not putting players in a position to win.
Sure, people will say "Borges didn't drop that pass..Funchess did" or "Borges didn't fumble...Gardner did." And they're right, but fI can make 50 points for every counterpoint.
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:59 PM ^
what is your definition of more than solid???
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:05 PM ^
We've won more games than we've lost?
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:28 PM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:44 PM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 8:06 PM ^
And I am getting tired of people talking about how Hoke's win total have regressed each year and Rich Rod's improved. Well of course Rich Rod's improved. When you win 3 games the first year, and then 5, it's kind of easy to improve on the win total.
But I do think Hoke's teams not showing progress and improvement really is not a good sign of his coaching ability.
November 23rd, 2013 at 8:59 PM ^
and way to get inside the true (meaning of the) numbers.
November 23rd, 2013 at 9:02 PM ^
the total score from the last 3 games THIS year could also be 112-51 right?
November 23rd, 2013 at 11:20 PM ^
The overall trajectory from a record standpoint was moving upward, but at far to slow of a pace. The last few games were the nail in RR coffin. You could make the case that RR deserved year 4, but the mood around the program was so bad it had impacted recruiting. After the blowout in the bowl game, I found it hard to defend RR in any way.
The problem for Hoke is that he has the same issue RR had where loyalty to a particular approach/coordinator was the downfall. RR's achilles was the defense and Hoke's is the offense. If anything can be learned from the RR situation, it is that you can't allow one side of the ball to flounder. He must know that the window to resolve this issue is in the offseason, but we will see.
The other achilles heel right now for Hoke is "red letter games".
I will start with the best record:
2-1 vs. ND (RR had some success against ND too).
Now for the rest:
1-2 vs. Michigan State
1-2 vs. Nebraska
1-2 vs. Iowa
1-1 vs. OSU (this next game could become Hoke's Miss St. game if he is not careful).
My guess is that Brandon will give Hoke another year and probably two (regardless of the OSU game), but he would be wise to avoid effusive praise of this staff and this season. His comments this past week about this being a fantastic season are contradictory to what we can all see on the field. It makes him look out of touch with the reality on the field. A little to loyal to his choice of "Michigan Man".
November 24th, 2013 at 11:03 AM ^
it is that you can't allow one side of the ball to flounderI'm no coach but it just seems so fucking obvious that you would want both a good offense and a good defense. Am I missing something? Is Hoke?
November 23rd, 2013 at 8:39 PM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 8:57 PM ^
People keep pointing out the close wins, but there were some close losses in there, too. So you consider games like Akron, UConn, or maybe the 3OT NW game as "functional losses," but I'm guessing you're not willing to consider the Nebraska, Iowa, or 4OT PSU game as "functional wins."
This team has won exactly 7 games and lost exactly 4. It's a little silly to just decide that those numbers are different than they are.
November 23rd, 2013 at 11:11 PM ^
Spoken like a stats guy.
I don't understand this reading more into wins/losses...it's a pretty exact science; you get 12 kicks at the can each year and you either win them or lose them.
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:19 PM ^
November 24th, 2013 at 3:13 AM ^
The RR blame game will have to end.
This continuous blame game happens a lot these days! Buck up and have the buck stop where you are standing coach Hoke.
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:49 PM ^
Welll..... We have to coach better?
November 23rd, 2013 at 7:01 PM ^
I hear you coach hoke, I have to also be a better fan and just pay my hard earned money and watch the crappy product on the field.
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:51 PM ^
Pad level?
Oh wait, that the Lions...
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:52 PM ^
ah....The Prince Fielder...that should end well
November 23rd, 2013 at 5:52 PM ^
It's a press conference by an obviously disappointed coach right after the game. What are you realistically expecting him to say?