and everyone knows it.  That comes with a price.  I don't care too much if DB force him to do it, but I do care if Hoke didn't say, "Well, I don't want to, but I know that this is what's best for the program."

Nesbitt's a former Managing Editor for the Michigan Daily sports section. His years covering Michigan football were in that capacity. 

Just a little side info if anyone cares...

How do we know Hoke is very loyal? Because he doesn't throw people under the bus?

i don't think it was Hoke or Brandon's decision..  I think the big time boosters that donate all the money said we have had enough.. this offense sucks..  Get someone that can run a coherent offense or get out

Let's be honest with ourselves here.  As long as our wins are in the double digits and/or snag a big ten title, I don' think anyone would care if the relationship of Hoke and Nuss was a real life version of the film, Step Brothers.

And I mean the beginning of the film, when it's entirely awkward.  Hell, halfway through where they are breaking shit in the garage and building bunk beds would just be a giant bonus.

that maybe DB and Hoke planeed to keep Borges around unless one of a specified list of slam dunk candidates became available or had interest.  Given the timing was after the bowls, and Nussmeier was hired within hours of Borges firing, you have to believe they had an agreement with Nuss before firing Borges.

If they actually did adopt that maybe or maybe not keep Borges plan, Im not sure I agree with that. Let him go or dont, dont let it be contingent on X happening.  If youre even asking yourself the question if someones the right fit, usually its time to move on.

I like that we got Nuss and I hope that this means that we'll have more fan support and less people abandoning the team like this past season.

From a purely intellectual standpoint it would be interesting to determine who the real head coach is and what exactly BH does. If he is just a recruiter then he is very well paid for only that role. It also would affect whether or not anything BH says should be seen as important in the future. I have wondered if BH was chosen by DB as a passive vessel for DB to be the surrogate coach.

When companies have relatively independent business units, there is generally a "CEO" of the business unit (sometimes called president or COO or CEO...). This person usually reports to somebody who reports to the CEO.

While the business unit "CEO" (e.g. Hoke) is king of their castle, their boss (Brandon) basically has final say and reports to his boss, the CEO of the Fortune 500 company (MSC).

It's fairly common, so I don't see a problem. Afterall, Brandon's job is also on the line if the football team keeps playing poorly (even though our other teams are doing very well).

I look around at some of the better programs and see head coaches that will look for every advantage to win games.  No detail is too small.  Whether it's a formation on kickoff to get optimal starting field position, or a punt formation that allows for best coverage, on any other of the myriad of ways to improve a team's chances to win a football game, the better coaches seem to do it.  These better coaches also are quick to look elsewhere when a coach isn't getting the job done. The best coaches will do what it takes.  Replacing Borges was the first sign in a while that Hoke is willing to do everything it takes to make Michigan the best.  If he did it because DB ordered him to in order to placate donors, then it would be more evidence that Hoke just doesn't have it in him at this level.  So, yes, I'd say it probably matters.

The only way it wouldn't matter is if Hoke made the decision, but did it because he knew replacing Borges and then seeing only modest improvement on offense would still probably be enough to get him to 2015, then no, it wouldn't matter who's decision it was.

I'll take Sam Webb's "gut" on this one. 

Must be nice to be a "reporter." Speculate at will and never get held responsible for being wrong.

I'm betting that very question gets asked at a news conference at some point. There's no doubt that Hoke and Borges are good buddies. I have to believe that Brady would have asked Borges to resign before the ax came out no matter whos decision it was to fire him.

of Jerry Jones and we all know how that works out for Dallas. 

If you listened to Sam Webb's show this morning he casted serious doubt on this claim. Since it is Sam, he never actually said it.  (You have to listen carefully to what he is not saying sometimes.)  He commented that it was his belief that DB's style is to let his coaches pick their guys, but let the coaches know that they rise and fall with their guys.  In response to a caller, Ira noted that Sam says things like that based on facts and what he has been told by inside sources. Sam didn't respond to that at all.

Reading between the lines - Brandon let Hoke make his own decision.  At most, he noted that 7-6 with negative rushing wasn't getting it done.  Hoke took it from there and did what had to be done.  Hoke is loyal, but i doubt he would blow his dream job over loyalty to Al.  At the end of the day, he has to think about his career and his own family.  

FWIW - Sam had been going on about how he believed that Hoke was conducting a post-year evaluation.  Since the bowl, he started saying things that suggested there would be a change.  This week his tone and implications strongly implied he knew something might be going down.  

Now, micromanaging I think tends to get too negative of a connotation, sometimes it is needed, and sometimes someone that has most of the information but a different perspective (Brandon, in this case) is a nice thing to have.

Ideally, like you said, everyone is on the same page, but not always. I think ideally it is the HC's decision, as he has more information and idea about his direction, but it can't always be.

While I believe this decision was done mostly because of the team itself (no individual players, but the players as a whole), and a little bit with recruits, fans do drive the outward perception of the program and often times are first impression outsiders have, including recruits, coaches, media (when getting a feel for certain aspects), etc. So fans play a role as well and I think ultimately played a role in this case to some degree.

There is one way this would bother me, and it would be if Brandon required Hoke to fire Borges despite his utmost wishes. If they ultimately agreed it was in the best interest of the program, or if Hoke at least understood, then that's fine. But to go over the head of those underneath you can be problematic.

There is no tougher decision a leader makes than to dismiss an employee, especially when there is a long term relationship and the decision is not for something like cause (violating a law or other ethical rule for which there is no excuse).  Good protocol is go to your supervisor with any critical decisions and to present options especially when there is added cost with a contract buy-out and hiring a replacement.  I think it is safe to say the decision was implemented by Hoke but how it was made (with or without Brandon) should always be kept private for all parties involved.

It is easy for all of us to sit in the stands, in front of the TV, or type on to this blog to fire a coach.  But as a business manager who has fired and layed off people, there is no more gut wrenching challenge as a leader.  This was tough for Hoke and and Borges alike and hopefully they can stay friends after some time apart.

This fanbase is so bipolar.

nothing positive can happen without speculation as to whether or not it actually a good thing or some forboding omen.

Borges play calling bummed me out quite a few saturdays over the past few years. But i didnt expect him to be fired and I was ok with that. Now hes gone, and we have a proven commodity who doesnt need 3 years to retool the roster for things to happen. A recruiter, a big name that people take note of which gives the program a bit of a boost after a thoroughly dissapointing year.

Im happy. 

Im interested to see what out young tallent can do moving forward. I have no intention of joining into a depressing conversation about the baseless validity of the positive thing which just happened to our football program.