Changing my opinion on the Hoke hire
As one of the more vocal supporters of RR and someone who felt Brian didn't go far enough in his disdain for the Hoke hire I must now publicly admit it looks like I was wrong. Very wrong. If you break down what a person has to do to be a successful college football coach I think the major buckets look something like this:
Assistant coach selection: check
Recruiting: double check
Game planning: ?
Halftime adjustments: ?
With half the precincts reporting in, so far this has been a Hoke landslide. He has massively exceeded my expectations in the first two categories and I'm now more than a bit optimistic he'll do the same in the last two.
Maybe Brandon DID know what he was doing after all. Go figure....a guy with his credentials, background and insight knew more about selecting the right coach to lead the football program I love than me.
...is wrong with that?
A united UM with everyone trying to succeeed is formidable. UM divided and looking to push their agenda, is mediocre. As simple as that. Hoke will be fine, as long as the UM Machine supports him.
However he has done well so far, I am yet to say he is a great recruiter (he has not left michigan and ohio yet and he has yet to show us he can pull elite talent at the skill postions on offense). The point is, just like Rich Rod couldn't win with just his spread, Hoke needs to score points to win.
Furthermore, he has yet to prove he can win on the field. He still has a record under .500. This has not changed since the hire. While everyone wants to act like the spring game didn't happen, it did and we looked bad. You can say it doesn't matter but look at PSU last year (their fans knew QB would be a problem following the spring game).
I was no huge Rich Rod supporter and only didn't like him getting the boot because of DRob and the fact that I believe every coach should be given 4 years.
All this being said, I am 100 percent behind this team, its coach, and its players and will always be.
Slicing the numbers differently
<br>
<br>Comparing the first 4 years of their careers, they both had rocky starts.
<br>
<br>Hoke -
In the first 4 years of their careers they have had similar (bad) records. Hoke 15-31, RR 13-24-2. In the last 5 years they have had pretty similar records. Hoke 37-26, RR 36-25. The big difference is that Hoke has not stayed around once he has had a good season. He thus has not demonstrated an ability for sustained success, and has also not benefited from the wins that come with that sustained success.
<br>
<br>Another set of numbers that I think are important are 25-13 and 15-21. Hoke's vs RR's records in the last three years. I am much less concerned that it took several years for Hoke to learn how to win than I was that RR hadn't shown that he could put together a Big 10 caliber defense or find a Big 10 caliber running back. While my hat is off to RR for giving Denard a shot at QB, I think there are many coaches who could have done at least as well as RR has over the last three years.
For me, the proof will be in wins and losses.
I don't like not follow recruiting with any great interest since the general fawning and hero-worship of 16 year old kids by adults seems creepy to me at best.
So far, Hoke has performed very, very well as the UM coach. I like his demeanor, approach with the press, discipline approach with Stonum, his love for Michigan and his general disdain for all things ohio. So far, so good. However, he will be measured by wins and losses in the end. No evidence either way on that for him as a head coach at Michigan, yet. My expectations are high though, especially offensively. And...just beat frickin' MSU already.
As for the process of hiring a new as conducted by Dave Brandon? I think the criticism of that process is warranted and generally spot on. IMHO, that could've been handled much, much better.
I think the existance of Harbaugh had a huge influence on the proccess. I don't think that the Hoke transition would have been as well recieved if the Harbaugh box wasn't checked. I think it is unrealistic that there is much that Brandon could have done to change that. I also think it is quite possible that Harbaugh was in fact the first choice. I know that many think that even if that is true, Hoke could have been brought on as plan b more quickly. I think that Brandon knew he'd have to do a lot to provide Hoke a good reception and that effort could not start til after the Harbaugh option was addressed. I think there is a good chance that in the period that many people on this board think he was wandering around cluelessly, he was in fact quite focused on laying the groundwork that Hoke has benefited from. I think much of this board was myopically focused on 2011 recruiting while Brandon was focused bigger picture. He traded off a couple 2011 recruits to set Hoke up in a situation where he could do better in 2012 recruiting and better with retention of current players. Note that I said all of this in an earlier post before we had seen any 2012 recruits, so this is not some post hoc ratioalization.
This is ridiculous. Recruiting double check? Please point out ONE recruiting success we've had thus far (Hint: you can't, as Brady Hoke hasn't had the oppurtunity to coach a season, let alone a game). I'm all for Michigan being the best team in the nation, but lets not heap all of this hope onto Hoke just yet.
First off, how many of these 12 commits (including Morris) would've committed to Rich Rod at this point? Can you honestly name one?
Second, James Ross is a huge get. So are Ojemudia and Funchess. Those are kids at schools where Michigan had problems getting in the door. And need I bring up getting Frank Clark from Glenville?
Also.....getting Bolden secures a pipeline to Colerain, lest you remember his uncle is coach and father the AD.
Finally, the words of Chris Wormley's coach at the clinic - "We've heard more from Michigan the past 3 months than we had the past 3 years, and I have a player there (Koger) and one they want (Wormley)."
So yeah, Hoke is doing his job and doing it exceedingly well. But, be negative if you need to.
Tallking about recruits we are getting now, who "never would have committed to Rich Rod at this point..."
And then to top it off by saying, "be negative if you need to..."
Talk about a needless, gratuitous, pointless, baseless cheap shot. You are today's winner. Why just leave it at, "Brady Hoke is doing some very good recruting..." when you can take that one extra step off the cliff, and add "...recruiting, that Rich Rodriguez could never have done."
YOU, jg, ARE A PERFECT EXEMPLAR OF WHAT WILL KEEP MICHIGAN DIVIDED. Rest assured, David Brandon and Brady Hoke won't be happy about continued sniping at Rich Rodriguez. It's not what they want to hear. It's not what they are saying. You're part of the problem at this point, not the solution.
If people defending Rich Rodriguez is what pisses you off, then I hope to keep you pissed off forever.
But you can be negative if you need to...
Now now. Show some discipline Section One. Earlier you conceded that these arguments go nowhere. Go ahead give in to the urge to rip RR a new one. You will feel much better.
As for me, I will try to be good. If I say anything good about Hoke, I will make triply sure to say something exemplary about RR. Whaddya say?
I did. Lack of discipline on my part. I don't regret typing it. I don't take any of it back. I just shouldn't have hit "Save."
None of that refutes the main point that we haven't seen these kids play a down yet. Rich Rodriguez recruited classes ranked pretty high as well, yet we had so many not pan out. That's still a real possibility. Your merit as a recruiter is your win/loss record, and until these kids come here and play we won't know anything.
"but lets not heap all of this hope onto Hoke just yet. "
Um, of course we are going to heap all our hope on Hoke. He is the coach. Who else are we going to heap our hope on??
Unless you are suggesting that we live an existence without hope; with some sort of deep realization that we suck and always will. That would make you something other than a fan, wouldn't it?
Even if Hoke had zero recruits, was gaining negative press, and otherwise doing an awful job as of now, we would still hope he succeeds as the coach. Perhaps the phrase "but let's not believe he is the next Fielding Yost just yet" would work better...
Hope was the wrong word, meant - and should have typed - hype.
I didn't like the Hoke hire either. But he is saying all the right things and recruiting like a madman. Hopefully he can do just as well in games.
During the "process" I was very frustrated and certainly felt the program needed a sexy hire and Hoke was anything but. I felt his recruiting at the other schools (though - consider the difficulty in getting top talent to Muncie) was poor and while he turned those programs around, it seemed that doing so wasn't as difficult since the competition those schools faced was meh.
It took me about 3 days to start to like the hire. The staff he has assembled has impressed me greatly, the rally from the alumni in support, and recruiting is looking outstanding. At this point the on-field product would have to be pretty bad to upset me.
I'm not writing to bang on RR, because I supported him and thought he did a number of very good things. I still cannot, however, forgive anyone that stuck to a sinking 3-3-5 ship.
I hope the offense doesn't take a huge step backward and I hope the defense does take 3-4 steps forward (sorry, should I say 4-3 steps?).
There will be bumps in the road, but at this point I highly doubt there's another coach out there, save perhaps Harbaugh, that could have done a better job in 4 months. I hope he doesn't get stale like I felt Carr did his final few years, but if he can beat OSU 50% of the time, re-establish a dominance over that school near Okemos, and win more than half the battles with ND (while beating the remaining "teams they should beat") I will consider myself very happy.
Oh, and can he help us get our bowl record over .500? Please?
I can't recall reading a single negative statement about Hoke made by relevant people who have dealt with him, notably other college coaches and especially high school coaches. Sam Webb has spoken at some length about the latter category; he has his finger on the pulse of HS recruiting as accurately as anybody I know not named TomVH, and he'll tell you that the reception of HS coaches to Hoke is night and day different from what RR encountered. Webb says it wasn't anything that RR was doing wrong; he worked Michigan and Ohio hard as well, but there was a sizeable contingent of coaches at the prep level who just never warmed up to the guy. Certainly the losing in Ann Arbor didn't help things.
Hoke's roots in Ohio and his long-term relationships with area coaches at all levels are paying off massively. I also think he's benefitting from the perception that he represents a return to the best successes of the Carr era; there was a huge pent-up demand for UM all along, but the trials and perceptions of RR & Co artificially depressed the sales, so to speak. Hoke found himself in the perfect position to open up the spigot full-blast, and he's taken full advantage of it from a sales perspective.
It appears for now that Brandon was prescient. I'm curious to see the reaction when we lose our first close game to a rival. Will the knives that have been sheathed since the hire was announced come out for Brady then?
There are always people who don't like something, and want more, waiting to pounce. A first National Title in 50 years wasn't enough for some, and they'd come out of the woodwork with every loss (still do). Bo had to deal with "old-fashioned, boring offense, can't win the bowl game...". And a segment of people will never be satisfied (one of the reasons Spurrier left Florida).
<br>
<br>And another, probably overlapping segment would rather be right than have the program succeed. And all some good recruiting means is that they're hiding the knives behind their backs. But they're still sharpening them.
<br>
<br>I'd say you become safe if you've won multiple national titles, but guys like JoePa and Urban Meyer would disagree that it exempts you...
I was a RR supporter until the bitter end, and I think Hoke is doing a fine job laying the foundation for his type of team
<br>
<br>Not to take away from Hoke or the successes he's having, but I think it may be overlooked just how crucial it was for Brandon to open up his wallet to get these assistants. He gave Hoke the ability to hire people that RR and Carr probably could not have gotten. And these are the guys who are truly reeling in the recruits.
<br>
<br>So while my judgement on hoke is reserved until I see the team on the field, and while I was not happy with the way the coaching search went down, I think that the decision to get top notch assistants was terrific.
I will just state at the outset, I like Hoke as a person, but I don't think he was the right hire. I'm not saying he can't possibly be successful, I'm just saying that he isn't the coach that I think has the highest probability of that happening.
I think we opened the checkbook and got the DC we should have been after 2-3 years ago and that is spot on, but other than that I am not unduly impressed with the rest of the assistant coaching staff or the OC thus far, but that is a judgement that quite simply will remain a ? until we see the results on the field.
Recruiting I think is going okay, however this again is a ? that can only be judged after 2-3 years and is a function of player development as well.
My overarching concern about the new regime is simply whether or not the philosophy/scheme is going to work. I have a lot of doubts that a 'manball, blow them off the ball' type of approach will work in the modern era of college football. I think it will work against Purdue and Northwestern nearly all the time, it will work against Wisconsin half of the time and not very frequently against more elite teams like OSU and/or a nationally prominent bowl opponent. I think there is plenty of evidence to support that opinion in retrospect looking at previous M teams and other teams like Wisconsin that employ that type of approach. I know many disagree with that and that is fine, only time will tell. However in looking at the bigger picture beyond single-season results, I think there is a longer term cycle involved where a program needs to recruit, scheme and prepare to compete on a national basis in order to produce an elite program and that is vastly different than gunning to compete for B10 titles. Furthermore, I have to say that I also just find the entire approach boring to watch and that I can't remember ever being less enthused about an upcoming football season, or actually 2-3 seasons. I can't escape the notion that by next year the program will be well on its way to re-establishing itself as an above average midwestern program that settles in around 9-3 each year with the occasional 8-4 or 10-2 outlier where we have to pray at the end of each year for a favorable bowl match-up against a nationally competive team that won't be able to scheme circles around us.
Put it this way, show of hands please for anyone at this point that is looking towards the Alabama game in 2012 with anything but complete trepidation at being in a high profile game against a powerhouse opponent stacked with talent? I don't think it is realistic to think you are going to blow Alabama off the ball, in fact it is much more likley going to be the other way around.
I hope it can work, I will support Hoke in his efforts to make it work, but in the end I will apply the same standard to him that was in effect previously.......3 years, no excuses.
I am still not convinced that especially after a year in a new system Hoke's offense is going to be that much worse and I think our defense will be much better. Obviously this is all opinion, but since RR has never had a good Michigan defense or red-zone offense, the counterfactual is also opinion.
Alabama is probably coming too soon for us, no matter who the coach was.
But they're an interesting example. Because it seems like that's what we're modeling ourselves after more. Not even so much the offense (Which is pro style similar, yes...but I still contend that any offense will work if done really well with good players), but with the defense. Being a defensive oriented team. We may not be able to consistently get the offensive skill position players that populate those other states, so the answer is to build a hellacious defense. (And that's something that was even slipping in the later Lloyd years). And win with that. No, I don't think it'll be ready by September 2012. But I don't really think our offense was going to tear them up, either, vs. that defense.
But maybe that's just me; I'm a defensive guy, and still think that's the way to win. Run whatever offense you want, but give me a defense that terrorizes the opposition.
Furthermore, I have to say that I also just find the entire approach boring to watch and that I can't remember ever being less enthused about an upcoming football season, or actually 2-3 seasons.
I think the hire is suppose to bring excitement, but more importantly wins. I really don't care if it is boring, if it can win. I hope you are wrong. I like Hoke, reminds me of that uncle who doesn't remember your name. I have an uncle like that who is wildly successful. I understand what you are saying, but let's jsut wait and see.
The more I think people have forgotten, since we haven't seen it for awhile, how exciting truly great DEFENSE is. Sure, '97 was great because of the winning, but we had the consistently loudest crowds I've ever seen way before anyone really thought a National Championship was possible (it had been a little while...we were just glad to get out of September without a loss). The offense was boring, but man, going out there knowing no one was going to score on you, and your defense was going to mess some people up...to me, THAT was exciting. More energy and fire than I've seen for Denard, Henne and Hart, Brady, Wheatley, AC...any of them. A truly hellacious defense is about as fun as it gets. I hope we're building another.
"Put it this way, show of hands please for anyone at this point that is looking towards the Alabama game in 2012 with anything but complete trepidation at being in a high profile game against a powerhouse opponent stacked with talent? I don't think it is realistic to think you are going to blow Alabama off the ball, in fact it is much more likley going to be the other way around."
So "man ball" CAN be successful at the highest levels (I give you.... Alabama).
I also look forward to the day when we can just evaluate Hoke as Hoke and not Hoke vis-a-vis Rodriguez. Not that the OP was doing that necessarily. These conversations just seem to always imply that by supporting one coach you are saying another was lousy. I liked Carr. I liked Rodriguez. I am starting to really like Hoke.
I also think we should really be speaking about the Hoke-Mattison hire, because I think they were brought in as a package and the benefits we are reaping are almost equally shared between the two.
I recall the search when Carr stepped down. Lots of big or "hot" names were contacted, then we settled for RR. I gave RR my support, and wanted him to succeed. While he was in limbo leading up to the bowl game, I really wanted him to have 4th year. This way we would not have to go through HC, and O & D system changes again. Just fire GR, pay the money for a great DC, and let RR handle the offense.......
UNLESS we could get Harbaugh.
I still can not fathom why Harbaugh would want any job other than UMHC. Once it came out that he was not "All in for Michigan", Hoke was the obvious choice for me. Lots of compelling arguments for him prior to the hire, but the best reason for the choice was his love for the University, the Football program, and the position itself. This is his Dream Job! He is not looking for a stepping stone, a current opportunity, or a bargaining chip for more money. Is there any other coach out there who loves UM more, or will put forth more effort for the football progame? Will Hoke want to go somewhere else if he becomes extremely successful at UM? NO & NO!
Yes, wins and losses will be the ultimate evaluator, but for this moment in time we have the HC who gives us the best chance for long term success. Give Hoke time, and I believe another long bowl streak will arise, the B10 Championships will be back, and UM football will be a National Powerhouse again.
AFTER dealing with Harbaugh? Probably getting the...."I don't know what I want to do...I love Michigan....but I want to coach the pros....and Stanford is great too..." (and maybe Miles too), having Hoke saying "Michigan is the greatest job in the world" probably sounded really good to him at that point.
I'm going to start checking people for goatees around here...
But unlike some in here, I'm not going into "I told you so mode"....because we really don't know yet, and won't for years. (Unless things are awesome or awful really quick). And even then, it still might be unsure ("we're doing well, but could be doing better..."). But Brady has a lot of respect in college coaching and Michigan circles. So all you can say is give him a chance. Because 0-0 means wins and losses. Don't freak out on a whole career after our first loss, or declare us national championship bound if we beat ND. Natural single game frustration and/or excitement are to be expected. But like Brian said through much of season 2 of Rich, and over the summer, no one is getting fired/hired for awhile. So lets see how it all plays out, and hope we're back on track to being Michigan again on the field. And the first way you do that is talent. It's not signing day, and this class isn't complete. But there's nothing wrong with being glad we're doing as well as one could expect to this point.
And it's always nice to see that when the pain wears off a little, most people can have an open mind and give people a fair chance.
I wonder how our defensive recruiting would be if we didn't have Mattison?
when it stops being a comparison between UM coaches past and present and merely becomes a comparison against the external enemies - specifically OSU and MSU.
Right now, I like what Hoke is doing to MSU in recruiting. What excuse is there for MSU? Three straight wins against UM on the field and it is unable to secure the top talent against Hoke and Company before a game is played - and some being projected MSU leans?
Now recruiting against OSU in Ohio will be tougher and likely will take more on the field performance, but judging today....and not fretting about tomorrow, I smile.
Go Blue!
I'm still not overly impressed. Recruiting has been good thus far, linebackers are the new slot receivers.
Hoke still has to prove himself on the field and that is something that he has not done on the field yet in his career. I know walking into the situations at Ball State and SDSU were far from great, but other than one special season, he hasn't shown much.
I'm reserving judgement until after the season, unless things get ugly fast.
There is nothing wrong (and there is, indeed, something admirable) in looking at the facts before you and deciding that your previous opinion was incorrect.
His previous opinion hasn't been invalidated yet though. Hoke hasn't won any games here.
I was a huge fan of the RR hire and still thought it could work until the bowl game. looking back i think i wanted it to work more than i was confident it would work. sitting in the stands with my 6 year old daughter at her first MICH game. Amazingly she was still cheering till the end not even looking at the score. I on the otherhand had my head in my hands for the last half of the game like all the other MICH fans around me in stunned silence. I hated that this was her first game but i don't think she minded. all of a sudden during that game, watching the players just basically give up, i knew i too wanted RR gone - like immediately. some people just fit in some places, and some don't. I remember a long time ago Magnus made a comment that he didn't like it when a coach on the sidelines hung his head or had that fustrated look on his face. True or not, i think this does affect the people around you. You want your leader to look confident no matter what. Imagine if your platoon leader acted like that during a firefight.
BH on the other hand; I was upset at the hire but then talked myself off the ledge after seeing him talk. He has that "it". That certain personality that puts you at ease. Someone you really want to root for - the "good guys". Hopefully this will translate into wins on the field. I would like to take my daughter to another MICH game, but this time give her a chance to see her cheering actually work.
I was very unhappy with "The Process." But I like Hoke.
I thought Brandon was a complete dick to let a Michigan head coach twist in the wind in public the way he did at the end, even though by then I didn't care if RR was let go or not. If he didn't know that he was going to fire RR after the OSU game, I'll eat my shorts. He should have cut the man loose to find another opportunity early on.
I would guess that Brandon thought that by waiting to fire RR, he was giving Harbaugh time to finish his bowl game without a lot of controversy, because for whatever reason he felt JH would come to Michigan. But truth be told, Harbaugh's kind of a dickhead himself, and made Brandon cool his heels in public for a while as well. Karma.
But I had a good feeling about Hoke, and still do. So far, by all measurables, he's doing an excellent job.
As to the higher-star recruits, I think it's far too early in the recruiting process to make any judgments, as those kids often wait until much later in the season to make decisions. The 3 star recruits know they need to commit early to avoid the chance of having their position already filled.
Obviously, if he doesn't win, it won't matter that he's a great guy. I think UM will be a pleasant surprise this year, because like some others, I think you win with defense, and that ours will improve as the season wears on. I think we'll be feeling pretty lousy after the Notre Dame game, and things will look a bit disorganized until the team has a few games under its belt under the new systems. But once the B1G season starts, there will be a better feeling.
I wanted hoke again...............
For those upset about the hiring process, the only thing I didn't like was waiting till after the bowl game....I thought that was kinda bogus, but other then that the process itself that Dave Brandon had was very good. I didn't see anything changing after the bowl game, no defense was going to magically show up against miss st after the season this staff had and after the osu game I didn't care who was the coach, they needed to go.
Hoke is a great hire and has done everything the right way from the outset. He also was a great hire due to his familiarity with bigten, midwest/ohio/pa/mi/ill recruiting and even better he was on the staff that had won bigten titles and a national title...he brings familiarity to michigan, he brings great success back with him from before and turned horrible programs into winners. It just speaks volumes........
Perhaps since you were a RR supporter, then you neglected the fact that Hoke has managed to depolarize the Michigan family (by most accounts anyway). As you have already exemplified, most skeptics are changing their mind, and he has the public support of previous Michigan players and staff.
I will admit that Harbaugh was my first choice. I thought that he would make the coaching transition quick while reduce/eliminate any current player defections and bring in top recruits in the future; both of which Hoke and Co. have been able to do so far in overwhelming fashion.
I always thought Harbaugh would be risky since he does have those NFL aspirations, but I am content that Hoke will make his stay at Michigan for the long haul, since there's no place he'd rather be.
I am pleased with the direction of the program and also that you and others are changing their mind about Hoke.
...but he hasn't won a single game as the Michigan coach. Suppose he goes 3-9, 5-7, 7-6 will you think it was a good hire then?
I freely admit I was happy about the hire. It literally was his dream job and he seems to be able to coach. As such, I suspect he'll work that much harder to keep his dream job and do well. It starting with surrounding himself with people who are experienced and well qualified for their position.
RR was in over his head from day 1. He's a great OC, but was a work-in-progress as a Head Coach having only had real D1 experience in a Big East that had contemplated dropping football at one point. A historic job like Michigan and a few other programs is not a place for on the job training.
RR will do great at Clemson next year and Hoke will begin our new era of dominance in the B10. It's good to be a Michigan fan!
It was a stupid firing and a stupid hire. That being said, Brady Hoke can transcend DB's stupidity and arrogance by doing a great job. I am very impressed with what he is doing so far, but they haven't actually played a game yet.
The defense will be in great shape; we all know that. If Hoke can avoid being LCII on offense, the team will be fine. But for this team to ever have a chance at a National Championship, it will have to develop a hybrid offense. Nobody wins it all without spread elements anymore except Alabama, who recruits 125 kids for every 85-player cycle.
I'm still not sold, but I do know that Hoke will get the five years any coach deserves to get his system in. I really hope he succeeds, becuase I don't know if I can take another five to ten years of rebuilding.
I am out of dead horse flaggelation photos. You are all on your own.
For the New Guy with a bumper crop of talent emerging from Michigan & Ohio H.S. in the offing, Tressel self destructiing and all oars in the water pulling together in rhythm.
As someone who has sat on boards for non-profits and has had the opportunity to be part of the decision of hiring chief executives, one thing that has to be recognized is that institutions have phases that they go through and each phase has the right kind of leader. Institutions that survive over the long term go through cycles from birth through adolecence, adulthood and then old age. Each era has leaders that suit the issues and concerns of each phase. At birth an organization is about a vision, a core idea and has a more entrepeneurial feel. With Bo that core idea was better athletes winning through superior execution [as opposed to offensive gimmics or creativity]. That core idea remained through the Carr era. As it grows and matures it begins to deal better with developing the people it needs to implement the core idea as well as develop the structures and traditions needed to support that idea. Eventually, though, the institution begins to ossify and the vision is greadually lost and it just keeps on keeping on. That is where Michigan was with Carr. Coach Carr was a stable figure who was asked to manage the end of a long era that began with Bo. Malaise had take over the program.
But the unfortunate thing is you cannot just turn back the clock on an organization. Eventually if an instituion is to survive it must die and be reborn with a new vision. This is what happened with Bo. It might preserve something of the old, but it might not either. In that regard, RR was the perfect guy for what Michigan needed. It needed to die and be reborn. He had a core vision. Spread the field, make the quarterback a run/pass threat, play fast, and work till you puke. He injected new energy, new ideas, a new philosophy. Even though he put to death the old era, there were many who resented what he was doing and did not support it. He did appear to trully appreciate how ossified the old system was. without realizing it he ended up violating one tradition after another. Coupled with not winning and his time here was doomed to failure. Even though he put to death the old structure, he never managed to give birth to a new life cycle of the organization that could survive like the Bo legacy. The Rodriguez era arrived still born.
Coach Hoke arrives as a figure who understands the old structures. He has a knack for saying the right things because he was part of the old dying order. Some might have prefered sexier picks, such as Harbaugh [ambitious and ready to throw Michigan under the bus to advance his career at Stanford] or Miles ["corrupted" by the SEC], but Hoke is a humble figure who seems to genuinely have the interests of the school, the program and its athletes ahead of his own career ambitions and he seems to have a grasp of what is needed at the moment. He evokes fuzzy and non-descript images of "Michigan Football" while imprinting them with his own unique stamp.
From what I can see of the Hoke vision he sees Michigan as school that plays "tough" [yes we all love that word], that values technique and fundamentals over scheme and the growth of young men ahead of any "system." He seems to have embraced the dirty word "family values," [its like the "N" word around here] making it a big part of his launching point, without ever using the words. He has captured enough of the old for his vision to feel essentially "Michigan" in character. Yet if feels new and not just a warmed over version of what Carr presided over. He has had early wins by hiring excellent co-ordinators, especially Mattison. His "molding young men" approach seems to be a hit on the recruiting trail. Now all he has to do is demonstrate that he can win football games. He has less of defined "system" than did RR, but his vision is there and it is at once refreshingly new and yet respectful of the past. We shall see, but for now, I like what I see. I think he has a very good shot of building an enduring legacy here at Michigan very much like Bo did beginning in the 60's.
One could argue that Michigan was not ready for the changes RR brought, and that the old guard and old ways were not going to die so easily. If someone like Mike DeBord or Ron English were promoted to head coach and put up the records that RR did, then the table is set. But following the success of Carr, perhaps the attempted "rebirth" came a little prematurely and met with too much resistence.
I'd just like to say that I was in favor of the Hoke hire from day one, and screw you all for not agreeing with me.
I loved the hire right away because I knew we were getting a guy who wants to be here and only here. Once he left Ball State he made it clear to San Diego State right away that he was committed to them unless the Michigan job opened. I didn't even realize at the time that he had been with the team before but after I found all this out I saw how his team played and wow he must be doing something right.
Even though I thought he'd do good he has still exceeded my expectations in recruiting and doing it the right way for Michigan staying with homegrown talent in the Midwest for the most part. Excited for the future.