Wednesday Presser 9-24-14: Brady Hoke Comment Count

Adam Schnepp

Hoke presser 2

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News bullets and other items:

  • They have a plan for what they want to do at quarterback, and it won’t be revealed until the game.
  • Same goes for any other personnel changes.

Opening remarks:

“We ready? Alright. The team- we had a great practice yesterday. Came out and had a good day of work. It’s exciting to move forward, as you all would expect. We get to start the Big Ten season. The Brown Jug is a very big deal to us and keeping the Brown Jug here. We’ve talked about it as a team. We read the history of the Brown Jug and it’s something that has another part, not just being a Big Ten game but being a game that’s the oldest trophy game in Division I college football, so we’re excited about that. Obviously getting to conference play is exciting and we have to have another great day today, another great day on Thursday and Friday in our preparation and we will do that.”

 

Brady, any further developments on the quarterback situation?

“Well, you know, we’ll wait until game time with it. We’ve got an idea of what we want to do but for what’s best for us and the program and what we’re trying to get done, and that’d be the same at any other position.”

 

Coach, is Brad Berlin capable of being keeper of that little Brown Jug?

“Yeah, Brad does a great job and obviously some of you don’t know [but] Brad is our new equipment manager and he has big shoes to fit himself into [since] we’ve had Jon Falk for 40 years, but Brad on Sunday came up and said, ‘Okay, what do we do with the Jug’ so I had to educate him a little bit but he’s done a great job.”

 

What have you told the kids about the history of the Jug?

“Well, the inception of it and the games that have been those games that have been very exciting and down to the end. I think one of the messages is you don’t want them to come over and take the Jug off the sidelines. We want to keep it stored away here.”

[After THE JUMP: all the quarterback talk that’s fit to (electronically) print]

Brady, you said you you’re not going to tell us who the quarterback is but you had a plan. Are reps being shared at this point?

“Yeah, I think we practiced the way we need to practice so that we’re in a place where what we want to do we can do.”

So you’d say one guy is getting the bulk of the reps?

“Well, I don’t know if one guy- you know, we’re fortunate here. We’ve got two very good quarterbacks. We’ve got two guys who we’re very excited about so we’ll just see on Saturday.”

 

Minnesota’s kind of got its own quarterback issues. Their quarterback only went 1-for-7 passing last week against San Jose State. Is there going to be an extra emphasis on defending against the run? They’ve still got one of the leading rushers in the Big Ten.

“Well, I think whenever you play a Jerry Kill team- and I don’t know if Minnesota has issues. They’ve got a guy who was hurt, and they played the game to win the game and did what they needed to do but with a Jerry Kill team you’re going to have a physical football team you’re going to play. It’s in his DNA to run the football. Their running back, Cobb, is a guy who I think he’s averaging 126 yards a game or something in that area. He’s very downhill, very physical. Streveler, the young man who played the quarterback against San Jose, had a very good day rushing the football. Really a zone read kind of quarterback, so it will be a challenge for us. We’ve played pretty good defense so far against the running game but this is a unique and different challenge and one that we’ve got to play our best.”

 

Brady, since we know what Devin…how he is as a starter, what makes you confident if Shane is your starter? What makes you confident in his ability to go into this game and start?

“Well, like I said, we’ve got two very good quarterbacks. I think the improvement that they both have made in the course of a year in a new system obviously hasn’t been perfect the way we all want it to be but I think both of those guys we’ve got a lot of confidence in.”

And are you completely ruling out playing both as a plan?

“We won’t play both unless we feel we need to.”

 

Brady, Derrick Green saw the bulk of the carries last week. Got 14 compared to DeVeon, who got 4. Are you kind of using him as a feature back now seeing as you gave him more carries than DeVeon?

“Well, I think Derrick, when you look at carries over the course of the year, Derrick’s averaging 6.1 yards per carry, which tells you a little something but DeVeon’s averaging 6.9. I think we have two very capable backs. Now, has Derrick been the guy who’s been featured? He’s got more snaps, so I’d say so.”

 

Obviously Devin Funchess is limited because of his injury. He told us yesterday he’s going to have to deal with it all year, possibly. How limited is he, and do you guys have to adjust to his limitations?

“You know what, not really. I think Devin’s probably been a little bit more candid. We’ve got a lot of guys who’ve got bumps and bruises that are a part of playing the game of football. It’s a long season. It’s a grind, and those things happen. Guys end up playing with them. I think he took a couple good shots the other night, but when you watch practice and you watch how he competes and challenges he’s been doing everything.”

But because he’s so valuable do you adjust his targets and try to limit [inaudible]?

“No, I think what you do is you have a plan to win the football game. And whether you’re putting him in at Z or H or wherever you can do the most as you look at your game plan to take advantage of what the defense gives you.”

 

Brady, we talked to Norfleet yesterday and he was pretty fired up, passionate about how he was sick and tired of people saying things about you. Said he talked to you about that. How does that make you feel?

“Well, number one, Dennis brings so much emotion to the game. He brings so much energy and emotion to our team. I think what we have here is a program that we have a lot of accountability for each other. We have a lot of respect for each other. I think we all are going to fight the fight for each other, and I think that’s Dennis and he’s turning into a valuable leader inside the locker room.”

 

MGoQuestion: On Monday Doug [Nussmeier] said that Devin Gardner needs to work on tying his eyes and feet together and then decision-making. What specifically has the coaching staff done to help him work on that and what-

“Well- go ahead. Go one more time, because I didn’t get it all.”

MGoHeLooksVerySkeptical: Okay. Just wondering what the coaching staff can do to help him work on that and then what he can do himself to work on that?

“Well, number one, I think your every day drills. What you’re doing every day. If you need to drill something differently, or if you need more routes on air for timing or for fundamentals of where your feet and your eyes are and what you’re looking at. I think all those things are part of it. I think film study and preparation. And if you haven’t, and you haven’t, but when you are in a Doug Nussmeier quarterback meeting there’s a lot of energy and there’s a lot of great coaching going on. [Ed. I’m available to sit in…]

 

Brady, I have two. You talked on the conference call yesterday about other possible personnel changes. Have you made some changes?

“Well, if we did and if we do I’m not going to say anything about it.”

Would you consider on the offensive line making some? Do you think there’s a need to tweak the offensive line?

“Well, like I said, if we did or we are I’m not going to talk about it.”

Okay. My other question is about the quarterback. Is it easier, if you make a quarterback change- is it easier to do it at home because you’re not putting somebody in that position on the road, and playing a team that plays into your defense’s hands as Minnesota does?

“You know, I think any time you’re at home and decisions that you make and those things, I think there’s a comfort level that guys have. We’ve got great fans and those people being behind that team, I think that always helps. You can go into some environments, obviously, on the road that will be pretty intense, so I think there’s no question that playing at home for everybody is more of a comfort level.”

The fact that this team sort of plays into your defense’s hands…

“Well, that’s easy for you to say.”

It is. 

“I know what they like to do. We have to play our best, so I don’t know if it’s…I don’t look at it that way. I would say we’ve just got to play our best football.”

 

Have Ben Braden and Mason Cole switched positions at all in practice in preparation for Shane possibly starting, or do you keep-

“No. We’ve kept exactly where we’ve been.”

 

Brady, they’ve allowed a little over 500 yards rushing this year. They have a pretty solid rush defense. Minnesota, that is. What do you do to maybe counteract that so you guys get your own run game going?

“Yeah. Number one, I think Tracy Claeys, their defensive coordinator, really does a nice job and being with Jerry a long time there’s a lot of familiarity. I think the kids always play hard and they’re ready for us. Obviously we want to gain the line of scrimmage better. We’ve got to make sure when we’re in our combo blocks and those type of things that we’re getting to the second level. I think the verticalness that we need to play in the running game and the directness of the running game will be very important. They don’t want you on the edges, and they’ll work like heck to have everything funneled as the run game goes. And some of it in the pass game with what they do with protections. Not protection-wise, coverage-wise.”

SID: We’ll end with Angelique.

“You’re on fire today, Angelique.”

Brady, when you have a player whose, maybe, confidence level has changed, do you find that it’s- that he has a confidence issue, perhaps. My perception, I’m not saying it’s yours. How do you deal with that, and is it easier to say, ‘Look, you need to sit back and watch what’s going on’ as you did in that game last week with Devin, and perhaps for this game. To say, ‘Sit back and see how things develop and get a different perspective’?

“I think we do that at a lot of positions sometimes. We’ve done it before in the secondary, and I think when you have a player that’s maybe not reaching what they want to be, their potential, you want them to meet their potential or be as good as we’ve all seen or know they can be. Sometimes I think for all of them it’s a chance to bring them out a little bit so they can get a feel.”

Comments

ijohnb

September 24th, 2014 at 5:18 PM ^

the combined level of ambiguity and dismissiveness he is acheiving.  Not to say it is not frustrating at times, but "We won't play both unless we feel that we need to(!?!?).  That is unreal.  I mean not only does he not answer the question, but he actually makes you re-read the question because the answer makes you forget what was asked.  Hoke makes Lloyd Carr look like a straight shooter with an open door policy.

michfan6060returns

September 25th, 2014 at 12:46 PM ^

but that's not what he said at all. He said they won't use two QBs unless they need to. Which totally does not anwer the question. We don't know if they need to use two QBs or not. Brady should use his pressers as an opportunity to improve his interview skills because he's going to need to get a lot better when he starts interviewing for other jobs in a few months.

Ron Utah

September 24th, 2014 at 7:06 PM ^

The press just doesn't get it.  There was exactly one good question in the entire session, about how to counteract Minnesota's strong run defense.

The MGoQuestion was good, but needs to be directed at Nuss.

If you're in that room, stop trying to find a backdoor to getting Hoke to talk about the QB situation.  It's not going to happen.  There are other interesting things to talk about, and I have to say the media is performing no better than the U-M offense at this point.

Mr. Yost

September 24th, 2014 at 7:28 PM ^

It is EXACTLY my feeling. I could write 15 interesting questions pertaining to this team, this season or this program...that are better than 90% of the garbage they ask trying to "backdoor" their way into the QB question.

Hoke may not answer them all, but at least he'll be not answering something he hasn't been asked versus something he's been asked a million times.

I understand someone in the room asking ONE time, but after the man says he's not going to talk about it to EVERYONE in the room...ask something else that will provide your readers insight on Michigan Football. You know, the topic you're getting paid to cover?

DrewGOBLUE

September 24th, 2014 at 10:23 PM ^

I would also guess a lot of the questions reporters plan on asking are predetermined. Then someone else will bring up essentially the same question others have in mind. And, unfortunately, most these people probably don't have the wherewithal to to think of something that's both different and insightful to inquire about.

trustBlue

September 24th, 2014 at 9:13 PM ^

This.  Everbody climbs on the board to cry and moan about Hoke's non-answers, but the biggest problem I see is that every time someone asks a question that Hoke doesnt want to answer, all the reporters in the room feel compelled to waste the rest of the time by taking turns asking increasingly ridiculous versions of the same damn question.  

The whole presser basically went like this:

Question 1:  Coach, what's up with the quaterback situation.?

Hoke:  We know we are going to do, but I'm not going to talk about it.

Question:  So who is getting the bulk of QB reps? 

Hoke:  We know we are going to do, but I'm not going to talk about it.

Question: Coach, have you made any personnel changes?

Hoke:  We know we are going to do, but I'm not going to talk about it.

Question:  Is it easier, if you make a quarterback change - is it easier to do it at home because you’re not putting somebody in that position on the road, and playing a team that plays into your defense’s hands as Minnesota does?

Hoke: Nice try.

Question: Have Ben Braden and Mason Cole switched positions at all in practice in preparation for Shane possibly starting?

Hoke: No (and if we did, I wouldn't tell you about it).

Angelique: Lets say, hypothetically, that you have a player whose confidence appears to be shattered - lets call him - oh I don't know, "Devin".  Would you hypothetically have this hypothetical Devin person sit out a game - hypothetically this next game against  Minnesota - so they could see how things develop and get a different perspective’?

Hoke: You're cute, so ill pretend like you're asking me a general question that has nothing to do with who will be starting at quaterback on Saturday.

The rest was basically whether the equipment manager would be able to figure out what to do with the jug, if we manage to hang on to it.

At some point an (apparently rogue) reporter had the gall to ask about defending Minnesota's running attack, but I'm sure he/she will not be welcome back.  

M-Dog

September 25th, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^

This is awesome.  Because it's true.  
 
You should do the presser posts from now on.
 
Welcome to "gotcha" journalism.  They don't want to report the news.  They want to be the news.  
 
"Look at us, we got Brady Hoke to inadvertently reveal the QB after he said he wouldn't.  Whoo Hoo!"
 

Wave83

September 24th, 2014 at 5:39 PM ^

Hey, remember when we were winning and we though Hoke's obfuscations were cute?  He is being no more, and no less forthcoming as he ever was.  Perhaps he owes us more infomation now, but he never gave out information.  Maybe you are thinking of Rodriguez.

amphibious1

September 24th, 2014 at 6:56 PM ^

Either way, his press conferences are fairly pointless and contain ZERO information. It seems to me to be a dog and pony show of miniscule importance.

I remember a Sugar Bowl, but that was a long time ago... Maybe he should try to change his approach since it isn't working, both on the field and off.

Also, I'm drunk. Soooo... yeah. Stupid football....

ann.arbor.lover

September 24th, 2014 at 5:25 PM ^

“Yeah, I think we practiced the way we need to practice so that we’re in a place where what we want to do we can do.”

Thank you, Coach, for being so lyrical. It's almost like a prose... someone please write a rap tune to go with it.

Reader71

September 25th, 2014 at 3:03 PM ^

Not really. There were a few practices that he criticized in 2011. And in 2012, he went through almost all of camp without a lot of "good practice" talk, often saying he wasn't sure what kind of team they were going to be.

The lesson, if there is one: Hoke uses the press to challenge some teams and praise some others. It's part of coaching.

Shop Smart Sho…

September 24th, 2014 at 10:52 PM ^

Ace answered my questions about it as much as he could in another post.  Just click on my name and track it down.  

Short answer is Ace won't talk about it because his source is his father.

I assume Brian won't talk about it because he sometimes treats us the way Hoke treats the media.

Love you Brian, but it's true.

Todd92

September 24th, 2014 at 6:33 PM ^

I feel bad for Fleetwood's misplaced loyalty.  Resigned to suffering through the rest of this miserable season, watching my team continue it's poorly coached ineptitude.  One can only hope a change is coming, it's all that keeps me from just StubHubing the remaining tkts and enjoying my fall weekends.

uncleFred

September 24th, 2014 at 8:16 PM ^

Very sad.  You haven't put the time, effort, heart, soul, and pain in day after day week in and week out to have the remotest understanding of what bonds these players and their coaches together. Neither have I. But when one of those players stands up to try to tell those of us on the outside that we have no understanding of what has gone on, and that the coaches are doing their jobs, and the players own their lack of execution as a team ( and the team aspect here is critical) I consider his statement and think - Okay he is in a far better position to understand the situation than I. 

You on the other hand dismiss his effort, his ability to understand the life he is living, because if he is in the slightest degree right, your world view about the coaching staff is wrong. Rather than respect his effort on behalf of his team(s) and the program over the years he's been at Michigan you call it "misplaced loyalty". 

Open your eyes and ears for a bit. Yeah it's been a tough out of conference season, but there is a growing body data that suggest that it's way to early to write this team and this staff off. Maybe what you see as "misplaced loyalty" is the courage to stand against the flow and try to tell that part of the fan base looking for blood that they are either wrong or looking for the wrong blood. 

Fleetwood stands in the crucible, and it's pretty clear that he doesn't care one bit about your bad feelings fo him. In fact I have a hunch that if you offered him solace he'd tell you to take a hike. 

He hasn't given up. The rest of the team hasn't given up. They don't want you to "feel bad" for them, they want you to support them, believe in them and that they can turn this around and help to "pick them up".  Listen to his comments that is the single thing he's asking from the fans.  Why have you given up and why aren't you able to give those players the one thing, Hell the only thing, they need - your faith and support? Which by the way means giving the same to the coaching staff because to the players there is NO difference. 

Yeah, this team is plenty tough, some of the fan base - no so much.

TheTeamx3

September 24th, 2014 at 8:05 PM ^

What advantage even is there in talking about whose going to play or who's hurt? Although it would be nice to learn something from these once in a while.



I just want Michigan to win so we can go back to walking around saying "This is Michigan!" And yelling out Manballlll