Your Morning Happy Hoke-y Bits Comment Count

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hokewinner

Hoke reads the Letterman Top 10 in ’07. HT: James

I need you to bite down here. It wasn’t a dream. Brady Hoke is the head coach of Michigan.

Obviously, there’s been some disappointment around these parts and others, and you know my sentiments. I figured, this being our coach and all, we ought to start the morning with a few positives. First, from Brandon in his address to the players (HT: Raback Omaba):

  • He said he interviewed big names from every conference and found that some "big names" clearly have themselves as their first priority, not their players or the program.  This made his search a little easier.

…

  • Everyone he spoke to referred him to Brady Hoke.  Opposing coaches,  former players, former coaches all said he should consider Hoke.  
  • Michigan alumni really supported Hoke (Steve Hutchinson called unsolicited to say that "Brady Hoke was the best coach I ever had")
  • Only offered the job to one man -- Brady Hoke.  Called Brady yesterday morning and offered, Brady accepted immediately.  Didn't even ask about money.

Also in there: DB says he wasn’t on the planes we were tracking – apparently our athletic department has a real, live, functioning telephone.

In other panegyrics, Jason Whitlock, who says that Hoke loves hard:

Hoke is no one’s “compromise” or “second-tier” coaching candidate. Not if you understand football. Not if you comprehend how he got to the point that he’s even a candidate to be Michigan’s next football coach.

Brady Hoke loves hard. He loves his family, his players, his assistant coaches, Ball State football and Michigan football.

Whitlock argues that Hoke’s 12-1 season at Ball State is superior to that of Harbaugh’s at Stanford because Hoke did it despite a band of functional idiots upstairs. It’s also brought up that Hoke comes with S&C coach Aaron Wellman, though the author doesn’t say if Wellman’s got a plan for displacing Barwis.

In other affirmative mentions, Navy says Hoke’s offense was good-good:

"In my time here at the Naval Academy," said coach Ken Niumatalolo, who has worked at Annapolis since 1999, "that's as good of an offense as we've seen."

Which is just bluster about a 555-yard aberrant performance, but also true considering SDSU put up more points (35) in this year’s bowl game than any Midshipman opponent since 2008 (including two ND squads, 2009 Ohio State, and 2009 Missouri). That year, Niumatololo’s cadets sailors jack-tars (thx rlew) gave up 42 to Pitt, 41 to Duke, and 35 in a loss at Ball State which was coached by … oh, Brady Hoke. So score one against the “Brady Hoke makes us ND” meme, because here is a guy who can definitely beat Navy.

Also in that article, a throwaway quote from a happy player:

"Coach Hoke came in and set the standard," Brown said. "You set the bar high and expect nothing less."

Oh good, a bar-setter.*

http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2001/01/25/image267148g.jpg

You might know this already, but Lloyd’s guys seem to like him. Angelique has quotes from a Lloyd guy who wasn’t kind to RR…

"Brady was there with us when we won it," said former Michigan safety Marcus Ray, a member of the 1997 team. "He's a great coach. You knew he cared about players. He would pull you to the side and ask about you even if you weren't one of his position players."

…and a Lloyd guy who wasn’t kind to Harbaugh…

Former Michigan running back Mike Hart, who played for the Wolverines after Hoke, said he has met Hoke several times and thinks he is a strong hire for Michigan.

"He's a great guy," Hart said. "He knows what Michigan is about. He's part of that Michigan family even though he didn't play here. He knows what it is, he knows the pressure, and he knows the type of players he recruits. He knows how to recruit."

Which is fluff, but at least healing old wounds iz gud, yes? One more player whom you might have heard of:

"I'm excited for Brady Hoke and even for Michigan," Green Bay Packers and former Michigan star Charles Woodson wrote in a text message to The Associated Press. "I'm glad this process is over and we can begin to restore the tradition and respect that was once Michigan."

That article starts with a comparison between Hoke and Bo. The official AP article has the new coach positives you would expect, including one from his old boss:

"Brady Hoke is a great choice for Michigan," Carr wrote in a text message.

…but he’s no Mike DeBord. I mean that.

---------------------------------------------------------

* Mornhinweg comparison entirely unfair except in a “we didn’t get our guy so let’s get a guy lower down the same tree” kind of way.

Comments

Dagger

January 12th, 2011 at 10:29 AM ^

I think Hoke's hiring can best be related to a college boy's quest for girls:

Jim Harbaugh: Jim is the smokin' hot girl in one of your classes.  You think you have a great shot of getting her, but it turns out that, no matter how hard you try, she's just out of your league.

Les Miles:  Les is your high school friend with benefits that you see every Thanksgiving and Christmas break.  As you begin to see a lot of your friends settling down, you feel the need to try to convert this into a long term relationship.  Unfortunately, the feelings are not mutual and she decides to settle down with someone else.

Brady Hoke:  Brady is the girl you've known since elementary school.  A sweet, homely girl next door sort of girl. You're very close friends with her, and she even decided to go to the same college as you.  You find yourself talking often and people joke that you act as if you're practically a couple.  She's there to listen and comfort you about the recent girl troubles your having.  She longs for you to realize how much she truly loves you.  Ultimately, you come to the realization that after all of your exploits, the girl of your dreams is right there in front of you.  You go on a date, hit it off, and after a brief courting period, ask her to make it official.  You go on to have a very successful relationship, settle down, and end up having a fantastic life together.

Joined: 06/18/2010

MGoPoints: 196

wisecrakker

January 12th, 2011 at 10:31 AM ^

but he has passion for the program.  He accepted the job on the spot without talking money.

Much like dating the the best looking girl in college, she may not be completely into you, and looking else where from time to time.  Always in the back of your mind...is she just going through the motions in the sack.  Doesn't make for a long term relationship.

But dating maybe not the best looking one, but still attractive, you  know she has passion, and is willing to go that extra mile to make sure you are taken care of.  Now thats a girl you can marry.

49ers dont have that, LSU doesnt have that....not many programs have a coach that would ever leave or even interview somewhere else. JoPa and Tressel are the only ones that come to mind.

Joined: 01/11/2010

MGoPoints: 719

M-Wolverine

January 12th, 2011 at 11:20 AM ^

You don't ask just friends. And the coaching thing is a fraternity. Guys know guys, work together, change staffs, hire from opposing teams...I mean Bo was a Woody guy who coached Michigan, but also coached with Ara who went on to coach ND, then had his assistants coaching at USC, Colorado, West Virginia, Illinois. It's not the blanket hate that we as fans have. There's a mutual respect (though there ARE guys who can't stand either other too. But you can learn things from that too). Guys don't recommend people they don't believe in, because they then gave no credibility after that. And that hurts when they want to recommend an assistant they like.

Joined: 10/04/2009

MGoPoints: 42190

Cope

January 12th, 2011 at 10:42 AM ^

Originally, I was as against the idea of hoke as the most skeptical (ardent) members of the board. Primarily, this was due to five years at the helm of Ball St. before a winning record. Something this morning changed for me and I'd like to pass it along, because I now think Hoke could actually be the right coach to re-establish Michigan to prominence.

First, the player quotes (current and former) that you all know. They all like the guy and genuinely believe in him. These guys should know what matters for M success. 

Second, and this was pivotal for me, Gene Chizik's entire HC resume was a two year gig at Iowa State where he led them to a 3-9 season and then 2-10. Total HC: 5-19

I know. I had to do a double take. He was hired last year to be HC at none other than Auburn with an almost exclusively losing record as HC. since then he's gone 8-5 and 14-0 with a national championship.  Of course he won a NC as an assistant coach at Texas and had other notable non-HC work previously, but...remind you of anyone? 

Finally, what I'd already liked, Hoke's purportedly got values, which is important for long term and for a program. He's got the work ethic. I actually like the things he says. Before my change of heart, they were the only things I liked. I want the crazy animal-like physicality and defense he talks about. I think it's been essential to M and one thing we've been missing. 

I'm in, coach!!

Joined: 10/07/2010

MGoPoints: 2648

Surveillance Doe

January 12th, 2011 at 10:50 AM ^

Not saying Hoke can't have a similar run as Chizik, but there is more data showing that a history of failure will result in more failure than there is that a history of failure will result in a national title.  Just because Chizik exists doesn't mean that we should all be excited about this hire. 

 

I'm doing my best to come to terms with the hire, and I will support this guy.  But I guarantee Dave Brandon didn't watch the championship game on Monday night and say, "Damn, I need a coach who has failed at lesser programs too."

Joined: 07/06/2008

MGoPoints: 14724

Cope

January 12th, 2011 at 10:55 AM ^

I was merely trying to debunk the Hoke's-negative-record-spells-doom-and-gloom aspect to our cynism. It helped me get perspective to realize there's more to it. And things could turn out well. Even very well.

But no, I certainly wasn't trying to say Chizik indicates we'll have a NC in two years.

Joined: 10/07/2010

MGoPoints: 2648

ranazzi

January 12th, 2011 at 10:39 AM ^

they trashed RR from day 1.  With their pronouncements at network starting lineup shots in the NFL stating "Lloyd Carr's University of Michigan" to even stating their high school instead of Michigan.  I'm sick of them.  I want to hear from Denard and Denard alone.  I'm all in with Hoke.  However DB should have to answer for the worst excuse for a "national coaching search" ever!  From day one Brandon knew who he would hire.  From the point where he demanded Michigan fans not "denigrate or name call the next coach."  Perhaps if RR had been given the same courtesy we may have fared better.  Although courtesy never made a tackle in a big ten conference game so maybe it wouldn’t have made  difference.  Anyway, GO HOKE and GO BLUE!  I'm getting nauseous. 

Joined: 11/15/2008

MGoPoints: 19

eth2

January 12th, 2011 at 10:44 AM ^

Misopogon,

Thanks for putting this message together.   There are more reasons to be optimistic than many expected.

I fully support everyone's right to express their opinions.  The lively debate reflects how much we all care about the team.   However, now that a decision has been made I am not interested in rehashing the would haves, could haves, and should haves.  I'd like to hear more about the team's future: putting together the rest of the coaching staff; working to retain current players and current commits; making a final push for new recruits this year; and thinking about how the coaching staff can adapt the current team's strengths to win more games this fall.

As with every previous Michigan head coach at the outset of their career, I offer my full support to Brady Hoke and am optimistic he will build a successful team.

Go Blue!

Joined: 09/20/2010

MGoPoints: 3204

bronxblue

January 12th, 2011 at 10:44 AM ^

I think the fanbase will rally around Hoke because the media will as well, and unfortunately that is a major reason RR's tenure too such a sad turn.  Personally, I think Hoke will do fine here, but he needs to get on the recruiting trail quick and save whatever he can from this year.  But I'm not ready to call this a great hire, especially if he is mediocre next year and people's memories fade.

My biggest issue with this hire is the way Brandon handled it - it was slapdash and poorly ran in a way that really lowers my expectations for the guy as an AD.  I was never completely sold on the guy even during the NCAA investigation (he basically hired a firm that showed the world how crappy the Freep was), and I really wondered about him after the OSU game and his non-commital nature as recruits left and questions sprouted up about the staff.  I think Hoke is a good guy and doesn't deserve any blame for what happened, but Brandon definitely deserves to all the negative press he's received regarding his handling of this situation.

Joined: 11/22/2008

MGoPoints: 171793

MMB 82

January 12th, 2011 at 10:44 AM ^

But at that time the program was down, and men like Joe Paterno, whom they coveted, were not really interested. Eventually, they got around to me. I flew up for an interview on a Sunday, checked into a hotel under an assumed name, met all day with Don Canham, the athletic director, then flew back home.

Sure enough, I was offered the job. I was in the office of my friend Joe Hayden when I officially accepted. I hung up and said, "Well, Joe, that's it. I am going to Ann Arbor. Back to the Big Ten."

"Great. How much are they paying you?'

I looked at him and laughed.

"I have no idea!"

Joined: 07/06/2008

MGoPoints: 18702

Don

January 12th, 2011 at 10:51 AM ^

If Bo Schembechler was currently a 39-year old HC from Miami of Ohio, there isn't a ghost of a chance he would have even been considered, due to the simple fact that he didn't have any previous Michigan connection. And if he was hired, former Michigan players would have been backstabbing him relentlessly from the get-go.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 148382

Jaysin1414

January 12th, 2011 at 11:13 AM ^

The OP states: Which is just bluster about a 555-yard aberrant performance, but also true considering SDSU put up more points (35) in this year’s bowl game than any Midshipman opponent since 2008 (including two ND squads, 2009 Ohio State, and 2009 Missouri). That year, Niumatololo’s cadets gave up 42 to Pitt, 41 to Duke, and 35 in a loss at Ball State which was coached by … oh, Brady Hoke. So score one against the “Brady Hoke makes us ND” meme, because here is a guy who can definitely beat Navy.

 

Let it be noted that San Diego State put up 500+ yards in 5 contests this year, 450+ in 8 contests this year...and they won half of the contests where their offense did get stymied.

This meme that SDSU and Hoke don't know offense is complete and utter garbage. I totally understand if some folks are underwhelmed by the hire - heck, I wanted Gruden...but just go over to ESPN or some other stat site to do just a little research. 

Everyone wants to quote Hoke saying that the spread is basketball on grass or something to that effect, and deduce that means that his offense *must* be 3 yards and a cloud of dust. 

http://espn.go.com/college-football/conferences/statistics/_/id/17/moun…

Please check how many Aztecs are among the confernce leaders in offensive stats.  QB is 2nd, RB is first, as are the next 2 receivers. 

The obvious response will be, of course, that this was against inferior opponents...which is mostly true.  But it's also true that said offensive explosions were using inferior athletes as well....folks simply cannot have it both ways.

Now living out here is San Diego County, I'm totally of mixed minds on this hire.  I was born and raised in MI, my best childhood years at Pittsfield Elementary School.  I bleed MI blue and want them to dominate the Big10 and college football in every possible fashion. However, I also really enjoyed the progress that Hoke was making with my local team out here. It was really nice to be able to see the Aztecs finally be able to generate some local interest - long dormant since Marshall Faulk went pro.

Hoke's a very good, perhaps even a great, coach that turned around a school that was regularly getting beaten by 1-AA schools - at home.

If you don't like the hire - fine.  But please don't misrepresent that he can't utilize the tools he's inherited when he very clearly can...

 

EDIT:  I forgot to include the Navy Bowlgame.  SDSU put up 500+ yards 6 times and 450+ 9 times, including the bowl.

Joined: 01/12/2011

MGoPoints: 126

zlionsfan

January 12th, 2011 at 11:39 AM ^

and saw that San Diego State's offense did pretty well, given that the bottom half of their schedule made Michigan's look like it read Ohio State, Ohio State, Ohio State, Ohio State.

It is an obvious (but legitimate) response. That's not to say that Hoke can't succeed here, and you're not saying (like others have) that his offense at SDSU was better than Rodriguez' here, but creating offenses that work against lower-tier opposition is not the same as creating an offense that will work against top-tier opponents. (Of course it's not like the Aztecs can simply skip half their conference schedule, and they have no incentive to stack their non-conference schedule with top AQ teams.)

FWIW, I probably wouldn't use yards as a measuring stick. Michigan's 2010 offense was 8th in the country in yards per game, but I'm not sure there are a lot of people who were satisfied with its overall performance. Unfortunately, there aren't many sites using advanced metrics for college football ... Football Outsiders does rate SDSU pretty highly, though, especially on passing downs (6th in I-A according to its S&P+ metric).

Joined: 10/31/2008

MGoPoints: 670

Jaysin1414

January 12th, 2011 at 12:28 PM ^

yards shouldn't be a measuring stick.  I was responding* to the OP who mentioned that the 500-odd yard performance against Navy was an abherration. It clearly wasn't...SDSU did it 5 other times.

My singular point was that, despite a statement made about the spread, Hoke used the athletes he had at SDSU and managed to put up points and yards and wins that run contrary to the amount of teeth-gnashing that's going on here.  Even SDSU's four losses were incredibly close affairs.  3 of them, in all honesty, should have been wins if not for a poor QB decision (Utah), dumb luck (Missouri), and perhaps the worst replay review this past season (BYU).  The TCU game was not as close as the final score, but it was close enough that Horned Frogs were worried at game's end.  Hoke got the most out of what he had and a very few of his own players (Hillman), and turned the Aztecs into a conference contender.  SDSU is out-recruited in the MWC by BYU, TCU, Utah...and most really good local prospects in San Diego to to UCLA, USC, or Oregon.  In a place where he has every organizational disadvantage possible, he found a way to succeed.

For that...I'm all in for Hoke at beloved Michigan....and saddened to see him go from my adopted home team SDSU.

* I do need to apologize to the OP, however, since he did not at any time state that Hoke was incapable of executing an explosive offense.  While several have bemoaned the "Basketball on grass" statement, the OP did not...and as such, apologies to him.

Joined: 01/12/2011

MGoPoints: 126

Jaysin1414

January 12th, 2011 at 12:28 PM ^

yards shouldn't be a measuring stick.  I was responding* to the OP who mentioned that the 500-odd yard performance against Navy was an abherration. It clearly wasn't...SDSU did it 5 other times.

My singular point was that, despite a statement made about the spread, Hoke used the athletes he had at SDSU and managed to put up points and yards and wins that run contrary to the amount of teeth-gnashing that's going on here.  Even SDSU's four losses were incredibly close affairs.  3 of them, in all honesty, should have been wins if not for a poor QB decision (Utah), dumb luck (Missouri), and perhaps the worst replay review this past season (BYU).  The TCU game was not as close as the final score, but it was close enough that Horned Frogs were worried at game's end.  Hoke got the most out of what he had and a very few of his own players (Hillman), and turned the Aztecs into a conference contender.  SDSU is out-recruited in the MWC by BYU, TCU, Utah...and most really good local prospects in San Diego to to UCLA, USC, or Oregon.  In a place where he has every organizational disadvantage possible, he found a way to succeed.

For that...I'm all in for Hoke at beloved Michigan....and saddened to see him go from my adopted home team SDSU.

* I do need to apologize to the OP, however, since he did not at any time state that Hoke was incapable of executing an explosive offense.  While several have bemoaned the "Basketball on grass" statement, the OP did not...and as such, apologies to him.

Joined: 01/12/2011

MGoPoints: 126

Tha Quiet Storm

January 12th, 2011 at 11:19 AM ^

I think I have heard more support for Hoke from former players in the past 19 hours than RichRod got in three years. Way to support a program in transtion, guys. Also, Jason Whitlock said on the radio this morning that Brady Hoke is following the same path of success as Urban Meyer. I guess that's accurate, minus the whole undefeated season, BCS Bowl win and #1 drafted QB stuff.

Joined: 12/22/2008

MGoPoints: 2260

Chippewa Blue

January 12th, 2011 at 11:22 AM ^

You said that SDSU's 35 was the most anyone put on Navy since 2008. That's not true. This Year I know that when Central played down there we lost 38-37 after going for two with 4 seconds left... So there is at least that score beating it. Besides that great post

Joined: 06/06/2010

MGoPoints: 1074

Sparkle Motion

January 12th, 2011 at 11:40 AM ^

I am interested to know what else they plan to do other than send texts and twats to help rebuild the program we all love.  I've always been jealous of the way former Miami (YTM) players seem to remain so tied to that program.  Charles, Mike, Hutch...tIme to step up guys -Let's see your faces in AA!   

Tom, feel free to send Giselle if you are busy...

Joined: 11/02/2010

MGoPoints: 2634

Space Coyote

January 12th, 2011 at 11:56 AM ^

Brady Hoke is a very easy name to spell, unlike Jim (Jon?) Harbough, Less Miles, and Rick Rodriquez. Yeah for not having to type every thing in word then copy and paste it onto mgoblog!

Joined: 06/18/2009

MGoPoints: 38962

stubob

January 12th, 2011 at 12:39 PM ^

The one thing that sticks out in my mind about the Hoke hiring is the effect on recruting. I do worry that saying "Hi, I'm Brady Hoke, from the University of Michigan" won't carry the cache that saying "Hi, I'm Les Miles, from the University of Michigan" would have. I'd expect that, for now, we'll get the kids who always wanted to go to Michigan, but will miss out on the cream-of-the-crop until we're a national contender. That will come with success, but that is the largest weakness of the hire: that it will take a few years for Hoke to get the name recognition of the bigger coaches.

Will the alumni/media be willing to give him more time than RichRod, just for being a Michigan man, or will he get run out in three years if he doesn't win a Big 10 title? And, is this finally enough to kill the Harbaugh talk forever, or will we have to go through this again in 2014?

Joined: 08/20/2008

MGoPoints: 1553

GoBlueinAL

January 12th, 2011 at 12:39 PM ^

I understand the desire by many to "fall behind" Brady Hoke, and blindly support him.  Its a natural tendency to welcome the new guy. However one wants to sugarcoat his resume, it is still by all standards underwhelming.

Everyone wants to think that he might be successful here - they say, look at Urban Meyer, or Jim Tressell, or Bo Schembechler - relative unknowns who had successful careers. They say, "Hoke can be that too". Of course, its natural to hope for the best.

But many relative unknowns have become head coaches, and failures as well. The state of Michigan has a good history of those: Bobby Williams, John L. Smith to name a few. John L. Smith also came from a history of success in second tier conferences (Idaho, Louisville) and was billed as a likable guy - he didn't pan out. The entire college football scene is replete with these failures - but nobody remembers them because they are not positive stories to remember.

The humanity in us wants us to remember the best case scenarios, but forget the worst case scenarios, but the latter far outweighs the former. The debacle of the coaching search puts him in an even worse position.  His record is mediocre and similar to about 50% of second-tier conference head coaches. His only qualification for the Michigan job is his arbitrary former employment by Michigan.

So drink the kool-aid, eat the cornbread for now. Talk about how the players love him, and he's a great guy-  which he might be. The media will always prop up the new guy - it makes it funner to bring him down when the results fail to appear. And with a name like Hoke (that rhymes with Joke, and Choke), and a look similar to Morningweh,  - he will be easy media prey.

Joined: 01/11/2011

MGoPoints: 3

OregonWolverine

January 12th, 2011 at 1:11 PM ^

As a former corporate exec myself, I think there's an angle to this hire that has been largely missed. If you listened to Brandon in the firing presser, he spoke of Michigan football as a brand maker for the university, and the primary funding mechanism for the entire athletic department. The clear implication is that Brandon's strategic goals are: 1.) Keep those seats and luxury boxes filled. 2.) Eliminate, insofar as possible, public controversy and negativity. Winning, per se, is not the first order objective, as DB made clear in his comments about the goal being the Rose Bowl, not necessarily national contention.
<br>
<br>On the previous thread, I commented that it isn't a major stretch to see Hoke as a Dantonio/Beilema type - and I'd bet Brandon agrees. If Hoke averages 9-9.5 regular season wins, beats OSU 1 out of 3 times, turns the tide of press coverage, and damps the rampant factionalism among alumni, former players, and AD personnel, he'll be a strategically successful hire from DB's perspective.
<br>
<br>As a rabid Michigan football fan, this is not satisfactory for me. I want to see M as a Florida/Alabama type of program, contending regularly for national titles. But I can see that hiring, say, Gus Malzaahn is a high risk/high reward move for DB, and he's not going to do it. After the last 3 years, this is no time to be risking the "core business" on new sauce and cheese recipes.

Joined: 12/19/2009

MGoPoints: 402

bdneely4

January 12th, 2011 at 4:38 PM ^

I believe the entire focus of DB is profitability and he knows that if Brady Hoke can sustain a football team that avareages 9-9.5 wins each year, he is going to put people in seats and make money for the University.  I know you can never please everyone, but what I want is someone that is going to get in front of the microphone and say "we are building this program to win National Championships."  If you win National Championships guess what??  Big Ten Championships are won as well.  Set our goals and standards high and acheive them with great integrity.

Joined: 01/06/2009

MGoPoints: 13938