Former players planning show of support
http://michigan.247sports.com/Bolt/Former-Michigan-players-planning-wee…
Former @umichfootball players are planning a weekend of support for the current players starting tomorrow by going to practice.
— Desmond Howard (@DesmondHoward) October 9, 2014Former @umichfootball players told me that the "current players need to know we are here for them even if nobody else is."
— Desmond Howard (@DesmondHoward) October 9, 2014
Yeah, ok Desmond.
October 9th, 2014 at 11:43 PM ^
but apparently most people agree with me.
October 9th, 2014 at 8:58 PM ^
Nobody is protesting the coaching staff either. A lot of people seem to want Hoke out at this point, but all the protesting has to do with Dave Brandon. He is the one the students wanted fired, not Hoke. Nobody is talking about showing up late so we'll can Hoke and Co. It all has to do with an AD that pissed plenty of people off (both of us included) long before it became apparent that his football hire probably isn't working out.
Fine if the team is desperate for motivation, but nobody is against them. Coke giveaways, RAWK, noodles, skyrocketing prices, and treatment of long-term fans are the problems, and they have nothing to do with the players or even the football team.
October 9th, 2014 at 10:13 PM ^
Well perhaps Saturday's protest is not formally directed at the coaching staff, but the general narrative clearly protests the fact that Brady Hoke has not been fired, tarred and feathered, and shipped to some disease infested hell hole.
I mean come on the level of personal attacks on Hoke has been massive and ongoing. Most of the "corrective measures" demanded by those involved in organizing the protest have firing Hoke and "hiring a competent coach" as one of the first three demands.
You are drawing a line that only exists for the convenience of some arguments, but in reality isn't there. The single most common reason that people are so focused on dumping Brandon is so that he won't hire the next coach.
As my father said, "Don't piss on my shoe and tell me it's raining".
October 9th, 2014 at 10:50 PM ^
Hoke is 2-4 in year 4 on the job, got blown out by ND, Minnesota, and Utah (two of those at home), and just lost to a team that was treated as a complete joke when they joined the B1G this offseason. Things are way beyond worst case scenario bad (imagine someone predicting those results preseason), yet virtually everyone is resigned to the fact that he will at minimum finish out the season. And personally I'd be fine with giving him another year to be absolutely certain he isn't on the right track, especially if a guy like Jim Harbaugh isn't available.
I still hate Dave Brandon's guts. So do a lot of people, for myriad reasons. The students weren't chanting "FIRE HOKE". People didn't cancel their tickets before the season because they hate Brady Hoke, and certainly not because they want him shipped to David Bowie's basement in Labyrinth. People who still paid for tickets at "dynamic prices" weren't pissed to see them given away with a soft drink because of Brady Hoke. People don't hate the RAWK music because of Brady Hoke. They weren't pissed about not bringing the band to Dallas because of Brady Hoke. Need I go on?
It just so happens that the football team is in a ridiculous shithole right now, probably because everything Dave touches picks up some of his stink. But nobody is organizing boycotts and marching on the university president's doorstep because we lost to Rutgers.
October 10th, 2014 at 10:03 AM ^
We gotta fire Hoke, the guy is a moron. Look at the elementary school level mistakes that we've come to expect on a weekly basis. Those inhibit winning.
October 9th, 2014 at 10:40 PM ^
wait till the players try to organize a union- they will get seperated from the rest of the AD real fast
October 9th, 2014 at 8:37 PM ^
People have to do what they think is right. It's not about how old you are either. I'm in the "geezer" category but my 17 year old son is not... and, as Brian said on the radio this morning, football players are not china dolls. I'm not confused on that point.
We are just doing what we think is the right thing to do.
We will be there in Section 43.
GO BLUE!!!!!!
October 9th, 2014 at 8:37 PM ^
For all the "support the team" posters....
Go ahead and Google "Fire Rich Rod" and one thing you'll notice in the first half dozen articles is that NOT ONE article makes the impassioned plea to "support the players".
This tactic of trying to cast the narrative as "true fans support players and the program" is a complete fabrication of the Brandon-led Athletic Dept.
This narrative NEVER reared its head once when Rich Rod was under fire.
What a joke of a narrative created by a self-aggrandizing AD.
October 9th, 2014 at 8:47 PM ^
I couldn't care less what the Google search turned up. I supported the team then and moreover I supported the head coach. Brandon is not influencing my stand, I look forward to his departure. You can't fit people into categories and expect them to stay there. People do what they want for their reasons, not your reasons.
edit: GREATLY look forward to his departure.
October 10th, 2014 at 8:03 AM ^
it doesn't matter that what he's doing isn't effecting you, the point is it certainly seems as if he's trying. As many posters have previously stated, when RR was under fire there was no movement to involve former players to quell the storm. The AD just let things unwind because it suited what they wanted to do all along, which was fire RR.
Fast forward four years and what's the difference? Well now we have a team that has been going backwards for four years so that is certainly different. The other difference is this coach was hired by this AD. Firing Hoke would have been admitting he failed and this DB can't handle that. So what does he do, organizes former players and coaches current players on what to say and do to try and protect him, and in so doing try to buy some symapthy from the regents and president.
It doesn't really matter that you aren't effected by this, the intent is certainly there, and that's what is rubbing people the wrong way especially given that this "support" was nowhere to be found for either the players or the coaching staff the last time around.
October 9th, 2014 at 8:40 PM ^
This shit pisses me off. Do former players really think that we are against the players? We aren't. We are against the athletic department.
On the other hand, maybe the former players will be able to attest at just how good we look in practice. Which is, apparently, amazing.
October 9th, 2014 at 8:45 PM ^
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October 9th, 2014 at 8:49 PM ^
Really, who gives a shit about what some random MGoLoser says on Twitter, arguably the least intelligent form of social media in the post-MySpace era?
October 9th, 2014 at 9:10 PM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 8:54 PM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 9:57 PM ^
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October 9th, 2014 at 10:04 PM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 10:09 PM ^
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October 9th, 2014 at 10:18 PM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 9:46 PM ^
Fans are against Gardner? Didn't desmond say last week on Gameday that no one at practice looks like they want to be a great player other than Peppers?
Doesn't sound like that is much support to me
October 10th, 2014 at 1:27 AM ^
I believe that was Utah gameday
October 9th, 2014 at 11:24 PM ^
October 10th, 2014 at 12:23 AM ^
Don't know that he would have a problem with the staff itself, but when the athletic director is saying you and many of your teammates had little/nothing to do with your group success (Lloyd Carr's seniors) and can't stop talking about the awesome guys who are going to replace you and many of your teammates (and then the new guys are 2-4), I can certainly understand being bitter. Especially if you scored 17 more touchdowns for Michigan than Dave Brandon ever did.
October 9th, 2014 at 8:41 PM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 8:50 PM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 8:50 PM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 8:59 PM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 9:31 PM ^
October 10th, 2014 at 1:40 AM ^
I agree. Our greastest coach in the past 60 years had nothing to do with Michigan before he got here other than being an assistant coach for a team that was regularly beating our asses in the years prior. Of course there was no way to tell before the 69 season that he was going to be one of Michigan's greatest coaches. Just as there was no way to tell in 2011 that the Hoke era was going to be almost more of a nightmare than the RichRod era.
There is one thing we can know however. The point which the team is at now is nearly the same crossroads that the team was at after the 68 season. Either the next coach comes in and turns into a legend, or Michigan sinks into permanent mediocracy while playing a neverending game of head coach musical chairs.
October 9th, 2014 at 8:55 PM ^
playing one part of the Michigan family off against another. It's all so blatantly obvious too. He thinks he's a puppetmaster, but he's just showing how pathetic he truly is.
We're not stupid, Dave. Dividing the Michigan family to save yourself is your lowest move yet. But I'm sure there's something even lower coming.
October 9th, 2014 at 8:56 PM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 8:57 PM ^
October 10th, 2014 at 9:01 AM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 8:59 PM ^
What is going on here? Everyone is supporting the players. Even Hoke is getting a bit of a pass due to the extreme ire towards Brandon.
What info. or take is Hoke/Brandon giving the former and current players? I think that they are putting a wedge between the players and the fanbase in order to save themselves.
This seems very strange.
October 9th, 2014 at 9:00 PM ^
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October 9th, 2014 at 9:23 PM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 11:28 PM ^
Again, I feel bad that the players are stuck in the middle of all this, but this "support the players" bullshit is misguided at best and completely hypocritical and worst. Where were the former players 4 years ago when we were on a (slight, very slight) upward trajectory? Why is there a different standard now than then? Hoke and Brandon have to go, and anything that makes that more likely to happen is a good thing for the program hurt feelings aside. The sooner they're gone, the sooner Michigan can be Michigan again.
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October 9th, 2014 at 9:02 PM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 9:04 PM ^
Let's Go Blue!! Beat Penn St!!
October 9th, 2014 at 9:12 PM ^
Wish I could give you a million MGO points.
October 9th, 2014 at 9:04 PM ^
Then find another way to protest DB. There are many other ways to protest him that don't affect the players. Instead of showing up a quarter late insulting the current players and name of Michigan football chant fire Brandon 100 times. Why do we have to destroy the thing we love when there are other ways.
October 9th, 2014 at 9:07 PM ^
Cut the histrionics and explain how students skipping the opening kickoff (which they seem to do a lot anyway) in any way concretely "affects the players."
Really. Explain. Because it makes no sense whatsoever.
October 9th, 2014 at 9:31 PM ^
Why Bando?
BECAUSE IF YOU SKIP THE KICKOFF THE TERRORISTS WIN.
October 9th, 2014 at 10:03 PM ^
I'm not sure what you mean by "concretely affects," but it's reasonable to assume that not having a full stadium for kickoff serves as a distraction to the players and decreases their motivation to play, especially if they know it's the result of a boycott. That's just human nature.
Do you really think it's not at all disheartening for the athletes to look at empty seats and know people actually planned that?
October 9th, 2014 at 10:23 PM ^
credit for a lot more intelligence than that. They are in dorms/classes/elsewhere on the U of M Campus and interact in enough various ways with other students, read the Michigan Daily, are on Facebook and other social media, etc., enough to know what the Kickoff Boycott is about.
To state that it's going to negatively affect how the players perform, is, to say the least, falsely presumptive. Give these players some credit for being able to figure this out and play their game to the best of their abilities.
October 10th, 2014 at 1:03 AM ^
Of course they know what it's about, but that doesn't mean it doesn't negatively affect them on game day at all. Come on. It's harder to get amped up to play when there are empty seats. That's just a fact and anyone who has ever played sports knows it.
October 10th, 2014 at 8:17 AM ^
You know what the opposite of love is? Not hate, but apathy.
Do you really think it's not at all disheartening for the athletes outside football and basketball to look at empty seats and know people actually didn't have to plan that? That they were so apathetic it took NO plan and no one showed up...?
Why is football deserving of all this support, but no one is railing against the lack of support for women's field hockey?
October 10th, 2014 at 8:35 AM ^
October 10th, 2014 at 8:55 AM ^
Why though, when almost no one is actually thinking or saying this? Is it because the coaches AD are preaching this us against the world mentality that a lot the former players seem to be preaching?
I mean, if you're a current player and you're at all following this situation, you'd see pretty easily that this is all about getting Dave Brandon fired so that Michigan can move forward.
October 10th, 2014 at 9:00 AM ^