Brady Hoke: Whole staff will return next year
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:50 PM ^
Doesn't make it any less galling.
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:49 PM ^
Borges has cost us 2-3 games a year, expect this to continue. This is why Michigan has not won a title in quite a few years. Crap.
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:49 PM ^
Very hard to have patience but these guys do deserve one more year. Would like to see a name QB coach installed.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:36 PM ^
Who would you removed on the staff to have made room for a dedicated QB coach?
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:50 PM ^
Really don't think this is a terrible idea. This year was really year one of the type of system Hoke wants to run (IMO) because of Denard's absence, but I would agree with everyone else, that puts a lot of pressure on Hoke and Co.
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:56 PM ^
Um.......I told you so?
I guess to some this is wonderful news. To others (like me) it's like the failed two point converstion try emotion multiplied many times over. And yes, once and for all, Hoke DOES love Borges and his playcalling - he told you that in his pressers and he wasnt lying.
And no rage from me. I saw this coming months ago when Brady was telling everybody how wonderful the playcalling was and that he saw nothing wrong with any of it. Just defeated acceptance at this point.
And sadness.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:03 PM ^
I don't want to get into a whole argument again, but I think it's more that he likes the idea of where the offense is going in his opinion. He obviously doesn't love the results as they happened, I just think he has a similar opinion to things as I do, which is different than most fans, and we can't yet say who is right and who is wrong.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:13 PM ^
I really just don't understand your insistence on having Borges around. It baffles me.
I understand your general thought process, which I believe you once stated as "he calls plays that are designed to succeed", but is that ALL there is to be an OC? And, couldn't you really say that about every single coordinator in football? I'm sure if I sat down with the OC from every last place team in each conference in college football, he could explain to me why he called the plays he did and why they didn't succeed and how all he needs to be successful is just better "execution". Do you really believe that for the money he's being paid he's the best man for the job? Do you really believe that there is no one else out there in all of college football who could have avoided 4-7 debacles (depending on your definition of the word) that this team came up with this year?
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:37 PM ^
If he would have let go, I would have agreed with Hoke's move to let him go (because he's inside the program and knows better than any of us). My personal opinion is that I've seen what he wants to do and why he can't, and when he has a consistent OL (note: not great, just consistently in a mediocre or better way), I beleive he can do much of what will make his offenses successful.
And I believe I have seen Gardner improve over the course of the year, and there are other circumstances why it appears he hasn't (namely: the OL). I still prefer having a QB coach that isn't also the OC, but I think, as far as practice is concerned, that Borges has done well there. I think Borges can and will be a good OC for Michigan. I could be wrong, and if I am than I won't lose sleep over it. I have just believed there are other circumstances that would have severely limited any OC's ability with this team. Hopefully those limitations are fixed next year, or he deserves to be gone. But that's my opinion from outside the program.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:44 PM ^
I have just believed there are other circumstances that would have severely limited any OC's ability with this team.You could very well be right about this and my feelings on Borges would change very little. My opinion is that the offensive coordinator's job is much, much more than just drawing on a chalkboard and going home. He's responsible for the output of the offense. That means the "handcuffs" that prevent his plays from working are ALSO his responsibility, at least in part.
December 2nd, 2013 at 4:03 PM ^
He is much more than just drawing up plays. I think the lack of interior OL consistency really hurt him. Saying much more beyond that is getting deeper into a debate I don't want to get in to. In my belief, you will see a much better output next season (not just better, because being better consistently is must and shouldn't be difficult, but much better game-to-game and over the whole course of the season).
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:16 PM ^
Nor I. And you are one of the people I would expect to be happy about this news and hey, only time will tell if it's the right call or not. I sincerely hope it is for everyone's sake. But I really don't think it is and I really think we've just locked ourselves into 8-4 records for a while.
My main point here is that for the past several months I've been saying this would happen because I believed that Hoke was telling the truth in his pressers re Borges and lots of people here either didnt want to or couldnt believe it.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:40 PM ^
I'm happy as far as I think it's the correct move from my opinion, but it doesn't really prove my point outside of the fact that Hoke probably thinks something similar. But I'm not going to go around telling people "I told you so!", mostly because he still may not be the guy. I believe he is, I think next year will clearly tell if he is or not, at which point I'll either be correct or come around to the other side, albeit a year later than everyone else.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:09 PM ^
I don't know that this is wonderful news to anyone other than Borges et al., but I do see some limited benefit in being seen as a program that does not cut bait every three years. I guess I am grasping for butterflies.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:26 PM ^
Hoke DOES love Borges and his playcalling
The playcalling that racked up 603 yards, 41 points, and 31 first downs against the No. 3 team in the country? Borges has had good games and has bad games, and while I am not content with this season I know for a fact neither are Brandon nor Hoke--who have made it clear that Big Ten (and more) titles are priority.
If they're retaining Borges, it's for a reason to achieve that goal, and we can speculate all we want as to what that reason or reasons is/are, but I'm not sure it's worth anything because none of us are inside Schembechler Hall. Maybe it simply is blind loyalty to his staff, maybe something else, but if Dave Brandon is running Michigan athletics like a corporation (as we've all lamented about at some point or another) then he is results-driven and sees value in retaining the staff.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:27 PM ^
Remember when Charlie Weis almost beat USC? That ended up well.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:29 PM ^
I never said it was the right decision, only that the people in charge see value in retaining the staff, and I'm apt to trust the people intimately involved in the daily operations of the football program than mindless speculation from fellow MGoBloggers.
December 2nd, 2013 at 4:06 PM ^
Remember when it wracked up negative rushing yards against a woeful Nebraska team? Borges has had a few good games, you are correct there. But his terrible (or worse) games outnumber and outweigh them.
December 2nd, 2013 at 6:05 PM ^
it is dave and brady's sandbox so let them call the shots. while the retention of this offensive staff makes zero sense, to those of us that want to stay w/ in an arms distance of urban, let the traditionalist have their way. save your money and your time this upcoming season and do something else you enjoy.
sometimes folks have to learn the hard way. as upset as i could get about this decison, i can only laugh and watch it crash and burn into oblivian.
michigan is a great program but because of PAST history they don't know how to make any new history. they just don't know how to get out of their own way. quite sad actually and in this case they are definitely not getting what they are paying for.
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:51 PM ^
I'd love a job where I can perform like crap and get paid oodles of money.
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:51 PM ^
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:52 PM ^
Well Brady you certainly are putting all your eggs in one basket. If things next year do not improve on offense, I'll be calling for a new head coach. Hoke's taking a big gamble here.
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:52 PM ^
you actually expected accountability? hahahah, this is madness!
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:03 PM ^
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:52 PM ^
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:53 PM ^
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:01 PM ^
at some level, if Hoke can learn to be more directive. I'm okay with loyalty from Hoke, but obviously the empowering CEO version of coaching isn't working. He needs to be in charge.
But Funk??? Seriously, with that much talent they've recruited, this should be the best part of the offense every year. I hope they get him some help.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:29 PM ^
In Funk's defense, the talent he's recruited is all freshmen (redshirt or true) right now. He doesn't have many upperclassmen to work with beyond the tackle duo. Also, both he and his GA, Stenavich, suffered deaths in the family during the season, and we can only guess how much that affected them.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:34 PM ^
How can you expect me to over react with such foolishness?
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:53 PM ^
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:54 PM ^
Clearly continuity is being placed at a premium here, even if we got the best OC/Staff in the world there would be some growing pains related to the transition. I, for one, expect this to help us flip back all those one-score losses this year and end something like 11 or 12-1 next season.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:08 PM ^
Why would there be growing pains? It didn't happen at ohio? Nor LSU? Auburn? Bama? What about when Stoops took over Ok? Why does there need to be more than 3 years of growing pains? Why? 8-4 is best we can hope for.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:15 PM ^
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:48 PM ^
One year, it's Tressel signing a class coming off a BCS win against Arkansas, the next year it's Urban Meyer who was hired on Nov 28, 2011. A mere blip in recruiting. Fickell clearly was in over his head, but he never presided over a signing day.
RichRod's classes, on the other hand, were trending downward, and so today Hoke is dealing with the three-star 2010 smorgasbord and the near-disaster 2011 class, which Hoke had to mitigate given only three weeks from his Jan 11, 2011 hiring date.
December 2nd, 2013 at 10:04 PM ^
Not to mention that Ohio was allowed to have essentially 2 coaching staffs. One to recruit and one to coach for the end of the season.
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:57 PM ^
Simply amazing.
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:01 PM ^
Our QB coach you guys....
December 2nd, 2013 at 9:25 PM ^
you missed what happened next; instead of throwing it to the open Tree, Borges tucked it and ran into the line of photographers, thus losing two yards.
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:55 PM ^
Many of us already knew this was going to happen. Raging about something over which you have no control over, will do nothing. Brady was always going to keep this staff intact. If you didn't think so, then you haven't been paying attention. Accept it, and resign yourself to what it is.
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:56 PM ^
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:25 PM ^
Read this and first thing that popped in my mind was Cypress Hill
"When the shit goes down, Hoke better be ready. When the shit goes down!"
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:56 PM ^
I am not surprised that the entire staff will return next season. If the offensive line is average, or approaches good next season, then Saturday's gameplan becomes the norm.
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:57 PM ^
December 2nd, 2013 at 2:58 PM ^
December 2nd, 2013 at 3:11 PM ^