Greg Matisson has changed my mind....

Submitted by Webber's Pimp on

I just finished watching today's press conferences. At one point Matisson almost broke down in answering a question about Hoke and the jawing on the sidelines. Matisson really went to bat for Coach Hoke today. I encourage everyone to watch the full video on the Mgoblue website.  Previously I had professed that I was done with Brady Hoke but in listening to Mattison's responses today I have to say that I'm willing to go along a little further.These guys are certainly working hard. Let's see where we are at the end of season...

JamieH

September 22nd, 2014 at 5:20 PM ^

"This is a league that requires an ability to have bigger players and have an ability to run the football and have a more traditional offense than coach Rodriguez had with his program."

 

DELUSIONAL. How is that "traditional offense" working out for us? I wasn't a huge fan of Rodriguez, but claiming that the ONLY way to win football is MANBALL ARGH! is complete idiocy. Stapleton is a moron.

Mittelstadt

September 22nd, 2014 at 5:23 PM ^

favorable to Hoke.  In one instance we're told 11-2 was a mirage.  In another instance in a press conference it's used as a defense for and by Brady Hoke.  You can't have it both ways.  (If it was a mirage that's actually more damning to Brady anyway)

Take a step back and look at the trajectory.  Great recruiter and poor coach.  Eventually the poor coach part will catch up with you and ruin the great recruiter.  Kids won't listen anymore.  That's why Brandon needs to make a change as quickly as possible.  Even mid -season to send a message if he has to.

Dave Brandon needs to secure one of the Harbaughs now as they are proven entities.  Jim is the most proven IMHO because of how many similarities Stanford has to Michigan.  How many of you looked at the Harbaugh coached Cardinal and felt that could be Michigan.  I would guess close to all of you felt that.  

Either Harbaugh would be the answer I believe because they both know how to win.  They are proven at doing it consistently.  

Career records pulled from Wikipedia so you may have more accurate facts - but this is representative:

Jim Harbaugh 95-40 for a 70% winning %

John Harbaugh 73-38 for a 66% winning %

Brady Hoke 75-65 for a 54% winning % 

Does anyone have the Big Game Stats on this group?  In fact, after looking at this a coach and their winning % actually says a lot about who they are and what they can accomplish that many games into their careers.  

 

treetown

September 22nd, 2014 at 6:24 PM ^

Many coaches are in the pros for a reason. That reason primarily is not the money but because it is the purest form of their profession. They can focus solely on getting players ready to play, the X's and O's strategy and tactics and planning out the season. No alumni relations, no development and fund raising, no visitng recruit families and making pitches to 17-18 year old kids, no dealing with eligibility and no hassles with central campus about who can or cannot be admitted to the team.

Sure, it could happen that both or either Harbaughs become available but because both have had recent success even if they had a bad year they'll have plenty of job opportunities in the NFL before having to look at any college jobs.

nybluefan

September 22nd, 2014 at 5:24 PM ^

Coach Hoke has a contract at UM that provides for average compensation of $3.25 million per year.  How does that feel?  I would love to work hard (which I do), produce poor results (which I don't) and earn $3.25 million (which I don't).

BlueHills

September 22nd, 2014 at 5:42 PM ^

The University of Michigan, its alumni, students, and fans, deserve a great football coach given the resources we have.

Brady Hoke has had ample opportunity to prove that he is a great coach, and hasn't delivered.

It seems time to pull the plug and accept the consequences of the inevitable transition sooner instead of later.

Maizenblueball

September 22nd, 2014 at 6:10 PM ^

Dude, I'm not saying I disagree with you, I just find it funny how you were calling for Brady's head in a bunch of threads the past few days, now this.

 

I think Hoke really is a great guy, who loves this university.  I REALLY hope he can turn the ship around this season, because I'm not sure he can survive at the current rate.

bighouse22

September 22nd, 2014 at 7:21 PM ^

What it really says is that he has empathy and compassion for Hoke and Mattison.  I think we all do, but results are what matters.  Hoke's history does not suggest that this will somehow fix itself.  I doubt the plug will get pulled before the end of the season, but don't be surprised by the outcome when it's all said and done.

jackw8542

September 22nd, 2014 at 6:11 PM ^

Now that I have recovered from the shock of Saturday, my conclusion is that M-Dog is right and that unless things really spin out of control, Hoke should get his 5th year in 2015.  This is the first year that should really and fairly count for him, and even this year he is saddled with an OL that does not have a single senior, let alone a 5th year senior or two.  He has put a very good, perhaps elite, defense on the field this year.  He has put an improved offense on the field this year, and if the OL continues to improve over the course of the season and on into next season, the offense could be pretty spectacular next year.  Even with the inexperienced OL, things look better than last year and would probably be looking even better if Gardner (one of the greatest kids to play for Michigan in my opinion) weren't suffering from a combination of PTSD and an unbreakable habit of locking on a single receiver.

It is troubling that both last week and this week there have been what seem like almost inexcusable errors - the 4th and 1 fiasco with Miami and the 10 man punt team with Utah - but they were very different kinds of errors.  (The punt return was a combination of Hagerup making a horrible punt and a terrific returner being on the receiving end of that horrible punt, even more than the fact that we were one man short.  Unless Hagerup can start getting some hang time, Wile should be doing our punting.)  But those kinds of mistakes do happen.  To Hoke's credit, it seems clear that a member of the punt team really screwed up badly, and we still do not know who it was who failed to go out onto the field.

Sometimes it takes patience.  As long as Hoke has the players and coaches behind him, maybe we need to stop being part of the problem.  From what I read, it's the sniping in social media and on the blogs that may be causing potential recruits to reconsider.  So, maybe we would be doing the school we love a favor by exhibiting patience and discretion.

jigsmcgee

September 22nd, 2014 at 7:41 PM ^

would you really say that our defense is elite?  I really dont think our defense could stop an elite offense, regardless of offensive play.

We gave up 26 points on a few easy drives and could not stop Utah when it mattered (every drive).

jsquigg

September 22nd, 2014 at 6:36 PM ^

So Mattison likes Hoke a lot and neither of them want to lose their jobs.  Talk is cheap and wouldn't be necessary if the results on the field weren't so God awful.

SysMark

September 22nd, 2014 at 6:50 PM ^

They're still dealing with a young, relatively inexperienced offensive line, and an inconsistent quarterback.  I'm willing to see what changes they make.  The punting thing however is really starting to bother me.  That seems like stubbornness.

Wendyk5

September 22nd, 2014 at 9:02 PM ^

Do you think it's stubborness or loyalty? I'm beginning to think that maybe it's loyalty to Devin Gardner that keeps him in the game (and that Shane isn't fully ready yet). But Hoke seems like the kind of guy who's very loyal to his players and will only pull them in dire situations or if they screw up and break team rules. 

bighouse22

September 22nd, 2014 at 7:18 PM ^

You are letting your personal feelings and emotions cloud your judgement.  I think we have all been subject to that at one point or another with Hoke, but at the end of the day it is about results.  No one would argue that Hoke or Mattison are solid human beings.  We should not forget that!

Wolfman

September 22nd, 2014 at 7:39 PM ^

I could stop there because I don't know much more about him except for the bad. He's an excellent recruiter, but he cancels that out by being  a terrible coach.  I don't know why Brandon thinks bringing in a coach with a lifetime losing record is going to turn things around.

He was treated like a conquering hero when he came back, receiving three times the warmth RR did. RR was on the hot seat the moment he accepted the job and had to see the local press villify him from day one, making recruits uncertain whether or not they wanted to come to a place he probably would not be.  This they do to a guy they don't like because the part of the country he comes from is somehow seen as less than the emissions capital of the world.

Brady gets the King's treatment from the press which leads to recruiting classes resembling Bama's but forgets that different players possess different skill sets and each position requires something a little different to complement the player beside him, not be a clone of same.  The next thing he does right here will be his first, but he can afford to pay his way out of town because he has enjoyed the "Kiffen Treatment," being the two people who have gained so much financially for doing so little on the field.  If they hang him for being a football coach, they'll be killing an innocent man.

ituralde

September 22nd, 2014 at 8:21 PM ^

Season's not over yet. Wins against Ohio State, Michigan State, and the majority of the Big Ten schedule would go a long way to helping us forget a dreadful start to the season.  This team doesn't look capable of that, but Hoke and crew have all season to prove us wrong and make something of this team.

bronxblue

September 22nd, 2014 at 8:36 PM ^

I will say, you know the fanbase is in dire straits when a coach showing real emotion is reason enough for people to come out and shit on his career and minimize his accomplishments at a school.  Seems like a lot of people desperately need to be "right" about Michigan football.

erald01

September 22nd, 2014 at 10:10 PM ^

Its hard to hate these coaches because they all mean well for the kids and the program... The problem is they aint getting it done on the field, this is business and the oposite team could care less about your issues, they will keep punding you till you fail

KC Wolve

September 22nd, 2014 at 10:11 PM ^

I'm glad you watched and got choked up, but in year 4 UM got destroyed by Utah at home and didn't have the right amount of players on the field a few times. I'd say we've seen enough of what Brady can do.

lmgoblue1

September 22nd, 2014 at 10:17 PM ^

Is much improved over last year.They pass the eye test and are getting better each game.If you can't see that you don't know Jack. Offense clearly another story. But stop sniping about the defense. They give us a chance. 4 games under 300 yards total offense.....I have not seen that in years. Neither have you. So let's be honest. Defense is decent and if we had offense to go with it we would be great.

bdneely4

September 22nd, 2014 at 10:27 PM ^

I always side with emotion. Seeing GMAT like this makes me not as mad at Hoke and Co. Reality is though, today's age it is either win or lose. There is no in between.



I hope Hoke figures out how to win, otherwise it will be up to someone else.

michfan6060returns

September 22nd, 2014 at 11:07 PM ^

It's tough because obviously Greg loves Brady and obviously Brady absolutely loves Michigan and wants to succeed very badly, but we just absolutely suck.

AlwaysBlue

September 23rd, 2014 at 12:04 AM ^

issue today...the program Hoke inherited was a mess. It wasn't all Rodriguez' fault. Carr was running on fumes his last few years and Bo's death left them without their patriarch.

Basically Hoke has had to rebuild. Peppers said as much last year when people thought he was going to bolt. "That's why they call it rebuilding," was his response to their struggles.

So Peppers comes in to be a part of that but we can't stand with them through the process?

bluins

September 23rd, 2014 at 3:03 AM ^

Hoke doesn't control the things he can. The tempo, adapting on special teams, using your players in a way that fits their talents, etc. I have a strong belief that no matter what, good coaches have their teams do the small things right as well.



No matter who was the coach last year, we would have had a crappy o line because RR didn't recruit linemen for 2 years. However, Hoke is now screwing up decisions, which is inexcusable. That and his disdain for the media and fans is totally inexcusable. This isn't fun anymore and it's year 4. It's completely on Hoke's shoulders. For the first time in 10 years I'm going to voluntarily not watch the game live because I don't want to ruin my weekend.

uminks

September 23rd, 2014 at 12:46 AM ^

of this season to turn things around. We may still finish 8-4 or 7-5 but will this be good enough for Hoke to get one more season? I'm thinking this team is actually headed for 4-8 to 6-6. If Hoke goes, Brandon should go as well. Brandon has failed in so many ways as the AD and hiring his friend was his number one failure!

hotchkiss1

September 23rd, 2014 at 8:05 AM ^

The problem with the Michigan coaching isn't lack of hard work or dedication, it's a lack of team enthusiasm.  Hoke is a great guy, but he does not exude enthusiasm, himself.  It isn't apparent in his press conferences, nor does it show on the sidelines.

The team has sufficient tallent, but it appears too complacent, and that's on the head coach. Programs that consistantly win games exude exceptional enthusiasm, and they have coaches who are not afraid to be emotional on the sidelines.  Hoke never appears enthusiastic, so how would we expect his team to be energized?

 It's all a matter of developing and maintaining sustained positive energy throughout the season  Hoke is probably an adequate assistant coach, but he does not provide adequate leadership.  This is his duty, not the duty of seniors, as he believes.

We don't need a nice-guy coach; we need a coach who is an energized roll model for his team, and one not afraid to kick butt when needed.  The reason why we can be embarrased by teams with inferior talent is because they have something we do not have: the drive to give 100% on every play. It's a matter of psychology, not talent. This is Hoke's #1 responsibility, and he is failing.

UofM626

September 23rd, 2014 at 12:29 PM ^

FEAR! The Wolverines do not fear the head coach, therefore they are inclined to play just average instead of worrying about getting there ass handed to them if there accountable for there actions!!!