heart of all things Pop Evil?
EDIT: Actually, it is a great story. I would love to chat up DB. He may turn out to be as good as Canham, the AD by which all other ADs must be measured.
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Cool story bro - Pimp Hand Edition
March 7th, 2012 at 11:51 PM
#302
Please tell me you begged him to put a dagger in the
March 8th, 2012 at 9:09 AM
#303
Did you say dagger?
Did you say dagger?
March 7th, 2012 at 11:54 PM
#304
nice.
It was destiny.
March 7th, 2012 at 11:55 PM
#305
So you're saying that when it
So you're saying that when it comes to his job, he's pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good?
March 8th, 2012 at 12:06 AM
#306
Indeed
And if it were possible to engage you in a virtual eyeball-to-eyeball staredown, I would.
March 8th, 2012 at 12:03 AM
#309
I would ask him
which design elements of the uniforms are considered long-term and static, i.e. changing the helmet design or colors, or wearing non-white or -dark blue jerseys (name color) at a home game. I thought the "Victors Valiant" on the M-MSU 2011 undershirts were a little tacky but I feel that printed words or additional block Ms on some part of the unis for a special game could be executed tastefully.
March 8th, 2012 at 10:06 AM
#310
I liked the Victors Valient
I liked the Victors Valient on the undershirt as I have always liked how Nike/UA incorporates the undershirts into the overall design ie Boise States various uniforms rather than treating it as an afterthought.
Curiously I was much more against A. helmet numbers and b. Any uniform combo after UTL and even then I wasnt much of a fan but it was a special game so it gets a pass.
March 8th, 2012 at 12:02 AM
#311
David Brandon is the best.
David Brandon is the best. arouuund.
March 8th, 2012 at 12:18 AM
#312
nothing could ever bring him
nothing could ever bring him down!
March 8th, 2012 at 12:04 AM
#313
I would say he's pretty
I would say he's pretty awesome at his job!! He brought us UTL, he chestbumps D-linemen, and he hired the almighty HOKE!!!
March 8th, 2012 at 12:07 AM
#314
I was able to say hello to
I was able to say hello to Mr. Brandon and Al Glick outside of the stadium the day of the Notre Dame game. We have a pretty good spot in the Blue Lot for tailgating. A lot of past Michigan greats, and players on the team have walked by over the years.
March 8th, 2012 at 1:02 AM
#315
You're from the Class of
You're from the Class of 1606? Wow. No wonder you get a good spot tailgating.
March 8th, 2012 at 12:08 AM
#316
The wave of the future
It will be interesting what the ceiling is for sports like lax and soccer that have seen big upgrades at Michigan recently. The appetite for college sports seems to continue to grow (or maybe there are just more outlets) and everybody wants to see their alma mater doing well (I think this has led to some of the growth in women's hoops as well). With the BTN as a content hungry provider, my hope is that we just get flooded with games across the sports spectrum.
If I met DB, I would bring up these vague ponderings and then yell:
"CRAZY BREAD, BEEEEYOTCH!!!!"
and scurryoff into the night.
March 8th, 2012 at 12:09 AM
#317
That really is a cool story...
March 8th, 2012 at 1:06 PM
#318
Premature congratulations
I see we haven't learned our lesson about jumping the gun on coaching evaluations. To praise a coaching hire before the guy's first recruiting class arrives on campus is incredibly short-sighted. All the signs look great, but at this point there is very little difference between what Coach Hoke has done here (BCS bowl appearance, good chance at another, two highly rated recruiting classes) and what Charlie Weis did at ND, aside from the fact that Brady is infinitely more likeable.
When we see what happens in year 4, 5, and beyond, then we'll know how good a hire this was, just like with every other coaching situation on the planet. I'm very optimistic about the situation, but let's try to learn from history and be a little patient with the undying praise of the athletic director and the 10-year contract extensions. It won't hurt us. I'm pretty sure the guy isn't going anywhere any time soon.
March 8th, 2012 at 1:12 PM
#319
Can we never have a Charlie
Can we never have a Charlie Weis-Brady Hoke comparison ever again? Please? I know I've OD'ed on the Hoke-Kool-Aid, but some things should just never be done.
March 8th, 2012 at 1:28 PM
#320
Just a reminder of what can happen
Obviously their personalities are completely different, but Weis remains the lasting lesson in jumping the gun because of early success on the field and in the recruiting rankings. Swap out a few names, and how many Michigan fans wouldn't be peeing their pants with delight if DB/Hoke put out a press release like this right now?
"In a very short period of time, Charlie has clearly and impressively demonstrated the ability to take the Notre Dame program where we all want it to go," said Notre Dame athletics director Kevin White.
"Whether you talk about on-field results, off-the-field understanding of the Notre Dame athletics and academic culture, recruiting, public relations, or any other area, Charlie already has indicated that he possesses the abilities to position our program to compete at the elite level of college football.
"We're excited that Charlie wanted to extend his commitment to Notre Dame, combined with the University's interest in furthering its relationship with him. All of us are enthusiastic about what the future holds for Notre Dame football with Charlie Weis as our head coach. We're confident that we've got the best coach in America ensconced at his alma mater for the remainder of his career." Said Weis, "Since the first day I arrived at Notre Dame as head football coach, one of my primary goals was to be able to see this job through to the time my son, Charlie, would graduate from the University of Notre Dame and to stay in this position until I retire. By restructuring this contract, adding an additional five years, this allows me to accomplish that goal. Maura, Charlie, Hannah and I are very happy to become a permanent fixture in the Notre Dame community."
I don't think the situations are going to play out in the same manner, but acting like anybody knows one way or another at this point is what leads to dumb decisions.
March 8th, 2012 at 1:40 PM
#321
I can appreciate what you're
I can appreciate what you're saying, but do your friends still invite you to parties? Cuz you're kind of a downer.
March 8th, 2012 at 1:51 PM
#322
PurpleStuff...
is on a bit of a thoughtful bender the past few days, but the guy has had some damn funny one liners on here. Ask him what happens when Brian gets your email address, for example.
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/ot-help-job-posting-chicago-cubs-legal-couns...
March 8th, 2012 at 2:21 PM
#323
Like I said
I am super optimistic about the future, both near and distant with Coach Hoke at the helm. Just pointing out that patting ourselves (and especially DB) on the back at this point is ridiculously premature. There are plenty of positive signs from both parties (DB's willingness to pay for assistants, Hoke's success at convincing highly rated recruits, the loveability factor that I and others have mentioned, etc.), but those things don't win you games. Players do. We'll know how things are going when Coach Hoke's players are juniors/seniors in a few years (and at this point it looks like things will go swimmingly at that time). Until then though, acting like anything has been decided or written in stone simply because most fans thought we'd struggle this year and because Scout/Rivals like our recruits is just dumb.
March 8th, 2012 at 1:50 PM
#324
Hoke v. Weis
The difference is that Brady has been a head coach at two previous universities and both showed improving performance year-to-year. Weis was a successful NFL coordinator with no head coaching experience. It's not exactly the same, which is why I think the M fan base is right to be excited about the future.
March 8th, 2012 at 2:33 PM
#325
Still about players
Coach Hoke won 4, 2, 4 and 5 games in his first four seasons at BSU. Then Nate Davis and a few talented receivers came into the fold and he went 19-7 the next two years. He left at the same time those guys did and the program won 2 games the next year with Hoke assistant Stan Parrish and 4 the year after that.
At SDSU he found a quality young QB on the roster and added a fantastic running back in Ronnie Hillman (who has rushed for over 3,000 yards in two seasons). When Coach Hoke left SDSU, those guys were still on the roster, and lo and behold they had the exact same record with Hoke assistant Rocky Long (just lost the bowl game).
Winning is about bringing in Davis and Hillman, not about anything else the coach is doing. As you say there is reason to believe Brady Hoke is better than Charlie Weis at that most important aspect of the job (and Frank Clark is providing nice early returns on that front), but we really won't have anything like a definitive answer for quite some time.
March 8th, 2012 at 2:53 PM
#326
You can't really compare what happened at Ball State and SDSU.
You have to look at Stan Parrish's HC record vs. Rocky Long's HC record. Parrish won a grand total of 2 games in 3 years when he was last HC in the 1980's at Kansas State. Those 2 wins came in his first year, meaning he won 0 games in his following two years. I don't quite know the circumstances of his Kansas State team, but I do know those aren't really great stats no matter how you look at it. I also know that a 20 year gap in being a HC (between Kansas State and Ball State) is not going to help.
Rocky Long was HC for 10 years with a 2 year gap before becoming HC of SDSU. HIs New Mexico team was bowl eligible 7 consecutive years and they went to 5 bowl games. Even though he went 4-8 his last year, his HC record is much better than Stan Parrish's. He certainly had more experience in how to be a HC in the present state of college football.
March 8th, 2012 at 4:49 PM
#327
Perhaps I'm confused, but I
Perhaps I'm confused, but I sure saw something other than recruiting that impacted the defense between 2010 and 2011. Unless you are including recruiting of defensive coordinators.
March 8th, 2012 at 8:05 PM
#328
Not confused, just too lazy to look
Will Heininger returned from a season ending injury to regain a starting spot he had earned going into 2010. Troy Woolfolk did the same (though he would eventually be relegated to backup duty). JT Floyd returned from an injury that saw him miss the tail end of 2010. Mike Jones (who started the season opener in 2010) also returned from a season ending injury. Blake Countess, Desmond Morgan, Frank Clark, and Brennen Beyer arrived on campus for the first time. Jake Ryan and Richard Ash came off of their redshirt season.
That is 8 of the 18 guys who played on D in the Sugar Bowl who either weren't available at all the year before or (in JT Floyd's case) missed a substantial portion of that season. That is 10 of the 22 guys on the two-deep roster and 4/11 starters. Throw in a freshly healed Mike Martin (he was hobbled with a busted ankle for the 2nd half of 2010) and you are talking roughly half the used portion of the roster, before you even mention other new arrivals and guys like Furman/Robinson who are still extremely young. Moving BWC back to defense helped improve the talent pool as well (though this move should certainly be credited to the current coaching staff).
Greg Mattison is obviously a better coordinator than Greg Robinson, but he didn't turn water into wine. The guys who had played as youngsters got a little better (Roh, Black, Avery, Kovacs, Gordon, Demens, Floyd) and they were helped tremendously by the arrival of the cavalry. Frank Clark didn't refuse to intercept passes the year before. Jake Ryan was able to live in Virginia Tech's backfield because he was actually on the field. Nobody turned Talbott and Christian (or Taylor or Hollowell) into Blake Countess, they just told Blake to grab his helmet and the defense immediately got better.
Getting better talent/experience/depth at every single position (save WILL linebacker, where we saw the team's biggest struggles this year as a matter of no coincidence) allows for the kind of exponential growth we saw and that I told everyone we were going to see no matter if Brady Hoke, Rich Rodriguez, Gary Pinkel, Pat Fitzgerald, or anybody else (probably not me, I just know Tecmo Bowl plays) ended up leading them out of the tunnel. Any difference in actual/expected performance (you can't exactly run trials with different guys) amount of slivers of degree when you actually look at the underlying facts in any kind of detail.
March 8th, 2012 at 2:11 PM
#329
But clear eyes and full hearts prevail...right?
Oh, you're definitely right in that we should be wary of giving Hoke a life time contract. No doubt. More results on the field, getting a few of those Big Ten Championship that he always talks about, National Championships, golden poops etc... results that need to be seen over time. But, I'd feel bad comparing anyone to Charlie Weis. He was kind of a jerk and no one really likes him as a person. By all accounts Hoke is really just a nice guy (even his ex-players that he left at SDSU still like him), I'd rather just never see such a comparison. I'd rather see him as our non-hot Coach Taylor (Friday Night Lights) that will win some big games/titles/championships, lose some heartbreaking games but will always love his players and love football. Then again, Coach Taylor was run out of the school and then coached his new school from crap to beating his old school repeatedly. Let's just not see that part of the analogy happen.
March 8th, 2012 at 8:24 PM
#330
Why exactly do we need to be
Why exactly do we need to be "reminded" that coaches sometimes fail?
You sound almost mad that Hoke is here.
March 8th, 2012 at 12:59 AM
#331
I'm guessing...
that DB's life accomplishments stack up nicely when compared to anyone on this board.
If you mean he's made mistakes, color me shocked that someone in a decision making capacity hasn't pleased everyone with his decisions.
March 8th, 2012 at 1:18 AM
#332
Agree with some, but not all
Agree with some, but not all of this post.
March 8th, 2012 at 4:39 AM
#333
Someone sounds jealous...
Someone sounds jealous...
March 8th, 2012 at 8:33 AM
#334
He
was being blamed for a lot of things that were not his fault. Rich Rod was gone and thus could not be crucified (and was still being shown the respect of a mythical god by many which i still will not understand), Harbaugh simply did not care, and Sparty was pissing on our burning corpse without consequence because M was not beating them at anything and it did not look like it would happen any time soon. Somebody had to be blamed. Brandon was the only target available, and as an example of why he is being idolized now, he put himself right in the crosshairs and took 10 for the team. The hatred aimed at Brandon was never really directed at him and was never legitimate. He knew that, so he sat back and took it for as long as he needed to. He never lost the Pimp Hand, part of having the Pimp Hand is not having to convince people you have it. You have it, you know it, so nothing needs to be said. And now we are all systems go.
March 8th, 2012 at 12:45 PM
#335
We uh... still haven't beaten
We uh... still haven't beaten MSU in football. Revisionist history makes things easy for the one making the point.
March 8th, 2012 at 2:17 PM
#336
What
did I revise Dudeness?
March 8th, 2012 at 10:11 AM
#337
really ... 1%er ?
funny what hard work and realizing the importance of a good education can get you. Save it for your CNBC posts ...
DB isn't going to please everyone with everything (no one can) - but the Hoke hire has turned into gold!
Go Blue !
March 8th, 2012 at 12:16 PM
#338
Occupy MGoBlog until Pop Evil
Occupy MGoBlog until Pop Evil is disbanded?
March 8th, 2012 at 3:07 PM
#339
*
March 8th, 2012 at 1:40 AM
#340
...
March 8th, 2012 at 1:53 AM
#341
Remember when our own fans
Remember when our own fans were complaining about Hoke being hired by DB since he was a bit of an unknown and never at another BCS school and never recruited 4 and 5 star guys.
Then Ohio fans were making fun of him for having a 48% winning percentage.
All I can say is......FACE!
March 8th, 2012 at 7:50 AM
#342
48%
Not to be THAT guy, but our own fans were making fun of him for having a 48% winning percentage. Some of the same people posting in this thread.
March 8th, 2012 at 10:27 AM
#343
I'll be honest
His record had me scared. It did help that someone (Mispogen?) created a spreadsheet that helped explain his record, as every year he showed improvement over the last.
His first press conference easily dispelled any concerns. I forgot how hard it is to measure intangibles like coaching grit.
I also feel like the coaching staff has been around for at least ten years by now, and this is just from a fan's perspective. I can easily see why kids who actually do speak with this staff instantly want to by in and join. ( I have no explanation for the pairs thing).
and end random rant (phew)
March 8th, 2012 at 4:43 PM
#344
Raises Hand
I am guilty as hell. And I was wrong as hell.
March 8th, 2012 at 3:00 AM
#345
I've also had the chance to
I've also had the chance to meet Brandon. In my experiences with him, he's demonstrated that he loves Michigan above all else. The success of the University of Michigan, as nebulous as its definition is in such a huge community, is his highest priority -- not the bottom line, the revenue stream, the count at the gate. He is fueled by the image of Michigan coaches thrusting championship trophies over their heads rather than dollar signs. His love for Michigan just happens to manifest itself in a way that invites those dollar signs into the conversation. He is, perhaps, not as reverent for traditions that other Michigan men and women hold dear, such as our football uniforms, but he's convinced me that his heart is in the right place.
March 8th, 2012 at 10:33 AM
#346
I find it pretty fucked up
I find it pretty fucked up that wikipedia cites DB as a sufferer of Crohn's disease.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brandon
Also surprising that he doesn't have an MBA.
March 8th, 2012 at 10:33 AM
#347
DB's Best Decisions
I think Dave Brandon's best decision was to go for a non-high profile, Michigan-loving head coach, Brady Hoke, rather than one of the other liabilities in the runnings (Harbaugh or Les Miles, if they ever were even considered). He also splurged on high-quality coordinators in Mattison and Borges. At one point, I remember hearing our defensive and offensive coordinators were paid the highest salaries in all of the NCAA. I think it was Van Bergen or another senior on the team who said he did not fully understand his position until Hoke and Mattison's teachings. The new coaches have had a profound effect on our performance, the players, and recruiting.
That being said, I think DB has done great bringing Michigan athletics into the 21st century as well as upholding a lot of the tradition. We paid for an impressive stadium addition/renovation without the help of sponsorships in the Big House. Crisler Center has been updated and improved to help bring our basketball team back to relevance. Sure, he's had some questionable things happen such as the piped-in music and 5 different football uniforms last season alone, but his triumphs are much bigger than these minor grievances we may have.
March 8th, 2012 at 11:10 AM
#348
I think when people like Tom
I think when people like Tom Brady and Charles Woodson are calling you up and saying "hire this dude", the man is going to be pretty high on your list. And when you spend half a press conference on firing your last coach saying why this other dude (Harbaugh) is not going to be your new coach, he's not going to be on top of the "hire" list. Just saying. I know they splurged for Mattison, but Borges came from SDSU with Hoke. Don't think they necessarily had to spend top dollar for him. But good for them if they did. But you're right, Dave Brandon deserves the highest props for hiring someone who didn't have a "hot name" at the time and just going with who he ultimately thought was best for the program. Even when he had min-fan revolts going on. Bo who? Oh wait, wrong guy.
It's still pretty early in Dave Brandon's tenure. However, I'm quite happy with what he's done so far. I'm not here to judge his economic situation or whatever, just how he's doing as Michigan's AD. Maybe I'm just not a hardcore traditionalist, but I don't think the rock music is that bad. I do wish we could hear the marching band more (because I'm ex-marching band), but when I watched UTL on TV, the rock music definitely made an impact. If he keeps ads out of the Big House and doesn't make the uniforms too ghastly, I won't have many negative things to say. He loves Michigan, he loves Michigan athletics, he hired Hoke and he's doing his job well.
March 8th, 2012 at 1:18 PM
#349
"Best Decisions?"
Brady Hoke is turning out to be a "tremendous" coach, and might even qualify for the word "great" in a few years. That, however, is independent of DB's decision. The decision was a terrible one. DB stepped in poo and, hopefully, will soon end up smelling like a rose: in Pasadena.
I am not giving DB any credit for how well Brady Hoke does his job, nor am I giving him any credit for hiring a sub-.500 coach to coach the University of Michigan. DB is extremely lucky that Brady Hoke is turning out as well as he has so far. Brady Hoke deserves all of the credit, and DB deserves none. He'll be happy to take all that you want to give him, though.
The bottom line: DB is like a tourist in Vegas who bet the Big House on an inside straight and won, and now puffs his chest out and tells people he's a "professional gambler."
March 8th, 2012 at 1:39 PM
#350
Is great better than
Is great better than tremendous? I thought it was the other way around? Like Legendary>Stupendous>Tremendous>Excellent>terrific>great>good>ok>average>poor.
I think it was his 2 hour turned 5 hour interview with Hoke as opposed to pure luck. Say what you want about Dominoes pizza, but it is a very successful business. If Dave Brandon were as incompetent as portrayed, he would not have had that success.
And also the story behind the sub .500 record kind of helps as well. A pure position coach turned head coach at a school that sucks harder than an octopus tentacle that also doesn't give a crap about football? Yeah, his record is going to be pretty terrible to start. Getting that team ranked and in BCS contention? Impressive. Losing to 4 highly ranked teams (one of which beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl) by a total of 15 points at another mildly crappy school? That's also pretty damn impressive. You kind of have to look beyond W-L's when looking at a coach. It's easy to not do that and many prefer to just judge based on W-L's, but that doesn't tell the whole story.
You're right. DB deserves absolutely no credit for Hoke's success. But he does deserve credit for seeing that Hoke could acheive that success.
March 8th, 2012 at 1:52 PM
#351
C'mon. It's not like he
C'mon. It's not like he pulled a name out of the hat and got lucky. He spent a good deal of time talking to Hoke and talking to other people about Hoke. I think he, like many of our recent recruits, realized what a good and passionate coach Hoke is after spending some time with him.
March 8th, 2012 at 2:18 PM
#352
Please explain to me why
Please explain to me why hiring Brady Hoke was a terrible decision. Would every head football coach that had a better winning percentage than Hoke have been a better choice in your eyes?
I presume DB did more than just look at the win/loss column of all of the various head coaches to make his decision. He actually talked/interviewed candidates and based on that information, he decided Hoke was the best man for the job.
We do not know what the hiring process really was. We presume it was Miles/Harbaugh/Hoke and nobody else because that is the meme that has been constructed here. Why can't you give DB the benefit of the doubt and believe that he is capable of finding a diamond in the rough rather than assume he sucks and got lucky?
Is there some DB hiring precedent that leads you to believe he could only get lucky? Where is he bragging that he's a great AD (pro gambler)?
Most of this site's vitriol toward DB is based on over-blown slights (he said his door was open to players, but it wasn't), game experience quibbles (RAWK muzak), slippery slope-type things (stadium advertising), and general who-really-gives-a-shit bs (mascot!)
March 8th, 2012 at 5:48 PM
#353
I know the pop evil song is
I know the pop evil song is campy, cheesy, boring and not anything we as UM fans want to ever "officially" embrace. That said. My 7 yr old loves it and when they played it over the PA when we were at a couple games this year him and his 2 similarly aged cousins were just rocking out to it. That makes it sort of OK in my book. I understand that the musical tastes of a 7yr old are not very developed. He thinks the greatest song ever is "Iron Man" followed closely by "Thunderstruck".
When I see folks here getting their panties in a bind over the RAWK being played at games it just reminds me alot of the "get off my lawn" mentality. Remember, they used to call the big house the 100,000 seat library for a legitimate reason. Blue Hairs just sitting hands folded listening to the band play and clapping gently for a touchdown is not what I want to see and if playing some pop evil, white stripes or whatever else keep the fans pumped up, including 7yr old fans. Thats a good thing by me.
Flame away.
March 8th, 2012 at 6:03 PM
#354
Fair point
Its not the RAWK music per se but rather the choices and timing (see "Buttercup" at crucial moment late in Ohio game). And I agree that engaging the youngsters is a good idea - as long as it doesn't involve a mascot.
