ESPN creates fake QB controversey
On the front page of espn.com right now is the following chantel jennings article:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10402014/brady-hoke-open…
The headline on the front page is "Hoke: Michigan QB job up for grabs this spring."
Unfortunately, that's not at all what Hoke said. This is a media manufactured qb controversey and it's bad for the team. The actual question and answer was as follows:
Question: To be clear, when Devin is healthy, obviously he will be at some point, Shane is going to get a chance, Devin is going to have a chance or is Devin going to go in as your starter?
Brady Hoke: “I think that is an unknown. Again, we were 7-6 and we’ve got a lot of young guys. We’ve got a lot of competition. Now does Devin have the most experience – yes. There is no question.”
Hoke in no way stated that the qb job is "up for grabs." The above was typical Hokespeech. All he is saying is that there is going to be competition. He always says that there's going to be competition.
[Ed-S: Deleted a few of the knucklehead responses from the Habilines around here.]
February 4th, 2014 at 5:33 PM ^
because devin is black
February 4th, 2014 at 1:44 PM ^
It just wouldn't be the internet without a strong dose of misogyny
February 4th, 2014 at 3:55 PM ^
how sexually worthy every male journalist was before we weighed in on what they said.
February 4th, 2014 at 5:07 PM ^
yes yes.. imagine... ha ha. because i don't.. i mean.. we don't already do that. so therefore we have to imagine it. ha ha.. eeeeee...
February 4th, 2014 at 9:02 PM ^
you weren't associating yourself with him.
February 4th, 2014 at 2:00 PM ^
from Hoke. This is not a knicker-wadder, guys. Why wouldn't he want the other two QBs to work their tails off?
February 4th, 2014 at 2:05 PM ^
Controversy, especially when fabricated by the media outlets like ESPN, sells like hotcakes.
Nobody wants to read Captain Obvious headlines like "Devin Gardner returning as Wolverines starting QB.".
That's boring as shit.
Nobody with two brain cells to rub together reasonably believes that a talented, athletic, 5th senior QB at Michigan, who was bequeathed Tommy Harmon's long-dead "Ole 98" jersey number for Christ's sake, is going to be benched in favor of a Sophomore QB. Not impossible mind you, just very, very unlikely, in a may-monkeys-will-fly-out-of-my-sphincter, kind of way.
So I'll say it: Nice job, Chantal. You got the UM fan base waving their fists at the sky again. Mission accomplished.
February 4th, 2014 at 2:08 PM ^
I'm so happy we're at journalists creating fake QB controversies for Shane Morris now instead of threads asking if he's a bust. What a difference being forced to play as a freshman in a system designed around the limitations of a freshman makes.
February 4th, 2014 at 2:10 PM ^
I fail to see what the problem is in her reporting. Accordign to Hoke, the job is up for grabs. That's what she reported. And that's what he said. Also, ask yourself why Hoke mentioned the 7-6 record in response to the question, as well as having young players. He was saying that its ALL up for grabs. Nothing about last year was good enought to be set in stone for next year.
To me, its the OP who is trying to create controversy where there is none.
February 4th, 2014 at 2:13 PM ^
It might be a small detail, but he does mention the 7-6 record for this past season twice, which I took to be the motivational sort of coachspeak which translates to some rough statement about everyone, QBs included, stepping up their game and striving to improve on that performance. Since Gardner will be limited in the Spring, obviously Morris, Bellomy and even Speight will get more reps, but barring catastrophe, I would guess that Gardner being the default #1 on the depth chart is essentially given right now.
It seems like this whole to-do underscores the idea that coachspeak is a dangerous, potentially misleading place to go hunting for stories.
February 4th, 2014 at 2:16 PM ^
February 4th, 2014 at 2:26 PM ^
The press's favorite story is a QB controversy. While there will be and should be "competition" at the QB position, the only way DG gets unseated is if Shane, Speight, or Bellomy is on pace to be one of the best ever to play QB for Michigan. Gardner just had one of the best statistical seasons in U-M QB history, and he did it with no running game and almost no blocking.
In fact, Hoke mentioning Bellomy is, to me, a clear signal that this is just coachspeak--there is NO WAY that Bellomy surpasses DG, or even Shane, IMHO.
February 4th, 2014 at 2:58 PM ^
"Best statistical Seasons in U-M QB History"
What a red hering.
Football isn't math class. Devin, half the time, could have passed for one of Michigan's worst starting QB's ever.
February 4th, 2014 at 3:03 PM ^
You're really giving it your all, aren't you? I'm willing to take bets on whether you get banned/Bolivia'd or put in the negative by users first.
February 4th, 2014 at 3:22 PM ^
Oh no, whatever shall I do?
I'll make sure to stop by when Shane is starting by B1G season. It's going to happen.
How that statement can be seen as a negative is beyond me. It's what's best for Michigan football.
February 4th, 2014 at 2:31 PM ^
They baited, we clicked. ESPN is happy no matter how the clicks are generated
February 5th, 2014 at 12:18 PM ^
February 4th, 2014 at 2:56 PM ^
The only people who truly believe that Devin will be handed the QB job this fall, come from this website.
There will be a true QB competition. Maybe Devin wins but he is not leaps and bounds ahead of Shane Morris as a QB.
Also, Devin being out all spring (and possibly part of the summer) is really going to set him back. He needs more work operating in the Pocket than Shane, and that's what's going to make or break him.
May the best QB win.
February 4th, 2014 at 3:02 PM ^
You've said an awful lot of stupid shit on this topic, and it looks like you haven't learned a thing.
February 4th, 2014 at 3:14 PM ^
He hurt his ankle/foot. No surgery required. He may miss spring but summer is 5 months away. 20 weeks! That's A LOT of time to heal, plus time he's already had. He is out of his walking boot...
Probably shouldn't throw out stuff just to start controversy.
February 4th, 2014 at 4:53 PM ^
Nobody thinks Gardner will be "handed" the job. If he sucks and Morris is better, then Morris will get the gig. That doesn't mean it's likely. Whether you like it or not, Gardner set or came close to setting a bunch of records and accounted for 32 touchdowns. Furthermore, he's a fifth year senior and Morris essentially played in two games as a true freshman. Furtherfurthermore, Doug Nussmeier is in the process of handing out offers to several run-pass quarterbacks, so it seems he has a mind toward running an offense that will use Gardner's legs.
February 4th, 2014 at 5:15 PM ^
Gardner doesn't have to suck for Morris to win the job. Morris is going to beat out the same Devin Gardner we saw in 2013 by the start of the B1G in 2014.
I'll be absolutely shocked if Devin can cut out his turnovers and still run the offense Nuss deploys with no spring and only a fall camp. He just doesn't have it and it's something that the stat book isn't going to show.
February 4th, 2014 at 5:22 PM ^
What doesn't he have? The ability to shred Ohio State and Notre Dame? He doesn't have that?
I do think that he lacks the ability to teleport, which is a major drawback. So if you're talking about that, I'm with you.
February 4th, 2014 at 7:01 PM ^
probably need to work on the Funchess Hurdle.
February 4th, 2014 at 3:00 PM ^
February 4th, 2014 at 3:04 PM ^
I don't care who plays qb next year as long as the play is better, or should I say more consistent. If shane raises devin's performance by being in the mix so be it. Gardner is obviously talented, but has terrible pocket awareness. Hopefully, that was just a result of the "coaching" he received. Shane looked pretty darn comfortable in the pocket during bwwb, admittedly small sample.
February 4th, 2014 at 3:11 PM ^
I'll bet $1000 in Monopoly money.
I'm sure we'll hear of some sort of competition...with chatter of 'Shane's improving' and 'Devins experience'
But there will really be no competition at all...Hoke just wants Devin to hear footsteps behind him. Feel the pressure a bit...
February 4th, 2014 at 3:18 PM ^
I think your quibble is semantics-based but I don't think saying it's "up for grabs" is a mischaracterization of what he said. I think we implicitly extract more meaning from that phrase than is actually there. An open competition means "up for grabs" essentially. Every starting job should always be up for grabs, really.
February 4th, 2014 at 3:19 PM ^
The world has turned me cynical. The truth is the mainstream media creates 90% of the news. What is really amazing is the news that is intentionally not reported.
February 4th, 2014 at 3:50 PM ^
February 4th, 2014 at 3:58 PM ^
February 4th, 2014 at 4:36 PM ^
...but getting sick of the Dev negatives. I shudder to think what 2013 looked like without his heroism in spite of his many, many growing pains.