Hot Seat
This is my first time doing this and a lot of people don't like my real and sometimes unintelligent posts but isn't this hot seat talk getting carried away? All the Big Ten stuff and then on sportscenter. Then they have the next clip on Braxton the Miller's daughter primed and ready to go. I guess, whatever. Even when you are down they know they must keep you down. Hail! Probably the most worthless post ever but it just bugs the hell out of me. These people who write this stuff, make it televised and keep bringing it up are the ones pouring the gas on the fire. Not that it's a fire though because we going to whoop some ass this year!
a fallacy during RR's three season's here. In his first, he had one returning OLman, a true soph. The remainder were filled with those that had been in the system but had proven they'd never be capable of being starters during their three or four years on campus. Those eligible for a 5th year, already proven to have been wash outs, declined to accept another year, one in which they would actually have to work. And then the next two seasons, with exceptionally young lines and a very good line coach in Greg Frey, they continued to run the zone blocking schemes and gave us the two most productive seasons of the last two decades.
When Borges took over, he had no choice but to keep intact what was working. Actually Brady had 730 days, along with two bowl practices to have his OL ready to at least become "adequate," actually not asking much from kids rated this high. Inasmuch as he's the HC and is not going to fire himself, a decision that would not have been good for the school, he was right in ridding himself of Borges, who had two full seasons to see what a good, but not over abundant amount of star power could do, given the right assignments and keeping things pretty simple. The fact our current OC who came from what some consider a decent program has opted to move us back to that scheme in his first decision aimed at improving the line in terms of scheme & efficiency is completely opposite of what you are saying. As I stated, RR didn't inherit an experienced line either, and they certainly didn't possess the rankings these kids do. But the majority had been in the program about as long. And even odder yet was the injection of RR's kids into the OL as they came in actually improved the offense. Weird, huh? Personally, I think Frey was a tremendous teacher, and he was a hell of a ball player. I believe these attributes, married to an ability to motivate were instrumental in getting maximum production from his charges. I do think it might have backfired with the most talented from time-to-time. Because the season was going nowhere, it wasn't difficult to laugh at the stupid shit N0. 77 would do after the whistle. I'd often make bets with my son - non monetary - on how many yards Taylor would get before they announced the penalty whenever we saw a flag fly into that area right after the play.
Actually what you saw on offense last year was reminiscent of what we saw on defense during the RR era. It's a bitch when there are no replacements and you haven't proven a thing on that side of the ball. Yet, I didn't notice you attacking LC for leaving the program with less than a full two deep on that side of the ball, and the fact we were graduating about 9 out of 11 starters. Yes, that was the year we saw three walk-ons on the D. 65 players on a Michigan roster? How many walk-ons do you think we see in the future? Now just how long does the cover up go back? Inquiring minds want to know. LIke I said, it's ok to attack, although I don't see what good it does. But when you do, you should be fair about it.
Personally, I don't see where that gets us. I think we should just hope Brady doesn't prove to be a Weiss and we can get back to M football. There can be no argument to talent now. Yost brought this university many things other than being the then no. 1 program in the nation. But his most important lesson, imo anyway, was that fans and players alike should all pull together, especially when times aren't as easy as we've come to expect. I see no more reason for attacking past coaches than I do the present one. In fact, I think a public attack on whomever is manning the position in no way improves our situation.
"Hot Seat" = instant offseason story (see also "QB controversy")
As stated in other recent blog posts, I feel like the deficit of upperclassmen is being erased and the recruits are of high quality. Putting Michigan back in the upper half of the Top25 is something that's going to help everything going forward, of course. I believe our new perfectionist OC and guru-level DC are the guys to get 'r' done!
This in part reflects fan base expectations, but the fans themselves do not hire and fire coaches--that's the AD's job. A secure AD can (if they choose) take heat for a coach and really change the hot seat narrative by saying the coach is safe. The AD can also give "the dreaded vote of confidence," which I'm guessing means saying something very different off the record. And an AD who him or herself isn't powerful (sort of like a miniature version of an embattled GM of a pro team) may throw out the coach to save their own job.
All this to say that it doesn't matter what media thinks about hot seats unless they are reflecting the thinking of the decision maker: the AD. So as long as Dave Brandon isn't trying to create a future without Hoke on it, the hot seat chatter is idle for now .
for the University of Michigan, but in my honest opinion he is in over his head as the HC of the program. Everyone brings up the OL, but it is hard to have success when you have 6 or 7 blockers going against 8 to 9 in the box. Borges fault for the play call and not audibling out of it- yes, but Hoke is the HC and should have stepped in and told Al to change the freaking play. Of course that is HARD to do when you don't wear a damn headset so you can know what is going on.. Insanity is continuing to do the same thing and expect a different result and we saw it repeatedly last year.
I hope Hoke is successful this year because I don't want to see another coaching change. People complained about RR meddling with the D, but Hoke seems to be just the opposite and doesn't meddle with anything even when things are going really bad. A true HC would not allow his OC to continue to run the ball up the gut into a stacked box for nothing over and over and over and over..............
The reality is that Michigan football was unwatchable for a good part of last year and I use to wake up after three hours sleep to watch them on TV when I lived in Cali.
hones?
Were you going for onus?
Do you really think that Hoke was incapable of changing the gameplan because he wasn't wearing a headset? If Hoke wanted them to mix in a pass or two, he didn't need a headset to pass that message along.
think he should just wear a headset and be done with it. It only makes sense. Yeah, I agree that you can coach without one but I can also send a two sentence message by way of the US Postal Service but I think email is a little more efficient. I guess the question becomes, why doesn't he wear one?
"You ever watch guys on headsets? They don't say a word. This gives me an opportunity to coach kids during the course of a game. The game is a mental game. It's a game of emotion and enthusiasm, a game of teaching. No. 1, not wearing a headset, I get to teach on the sideline, and I get to be a real part of it. The other thing is, I do know what the calls are, because there's a guy standing right behind me who tells me every call that's going in."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/10/05/brady-hoke-headset/1614933/
first sentence is just untrue. Is he saying that Spurrier and Meyer and Saban and Harbaugh and Carrol do not teach or are somehow not able to speak words to their players due to the presence of this ultra-prohibitive headset mechanism?
He didn't just change the bad play call, he changed the bad play caller.
I will know we are heading in the right direction offensively this year, if we get to the line with a stacked box, and throw quick slants and screens via an audible enough to the point, where we force teams to stop stacking the box against us.
Hell, Ohio gets to the line on every play and makes calls based on what the defense is showing them. Teams are running no huddle, signal type plays ALL the time in college football now. It is not a gimic any more, it is the norm.
It is extremely difficult to line up against another power conference team, and just push them back when they have 8 or 9 guys in the box on defense. You have to be both physical and smart about how you call and execute your plays. All teams are training 365 days a year now. The chances of you "outworking" every other team in the FBS and just dominate them with sheer strenght, are about zero in the modern college game.
I want our offense to be physical, but equally smart, adaptive and unpredictable. So far, Hoke hasn't come close to scratching the surface of where our offense needs to be. This is the year. No more excuses. If it was the OC fault, then this year we should see vast improvement. If not, the common cause is Brady. Nice guy. But it is get it done, or get the F%^* out of dodge Brady, for me.
To me, this is a product of today's 24/7 in your face media. College football has a long offseason so these guys have to stretch to come up with stories. It's easy to look at Michigan's disappointing season last year and, without any inside info, fabricate an article detailing why Hoke is on the hot seat and 90% of college football fans would eat it up.
I kind of think all the hot seat talk is because Brady is kind of on the hot seat. I think his team needs to perform this year or it will be very hot. Sorry, I don't think this is an example of the media creating the story. Sure, if some other high profile coach kind of crapped the bed last year they would talking about that coach, but then again that coach would probably be in a crunch to perform at a high level the next year as well, so either way they are just reporting the reality of the situation, albeit too much, but they have to fill air time somehow.
But I think this has almost become a meme similar to "Craig James killed 5 hookers". The Brady Hoke Hotseat meme. We all know the dude's job is safe(despite what several reactionary/hyperimpatient idiots are trying so damned hard to make you believe). Even bringing this up is promulgating the meme.
I move for swift and harsh punishment for those who would bring this up in the future(at least until the guy has a losing season).
caused by banging Florida coeds? Or did he just miraculously get better?
Are you saying that Craig James didn't kill 5 hookers? (allegedly)
I mean, what do you expect? Hoke is on the hot seat. Because the team's performances and losses to rivals are piling up against him just like the coach that preceded him. Except that Hoke had a magical first year that seemingly has bought him more patience with the fans and admin.
The first year helps, but its more DB believes in Hoke and knows a 4th coach in 9 years would likely be worse in the short haul...which is all DB will be here.
Is a 4th coach in 9 years worse than the program being considered 'toxic' and watching our main rivals benefit while UM fades into the Big Ten second tier? Now I'm not saying that would happen, but just keeping a coaching staff because you don't want to have a 4th coach in 9 years, regardless of whether that staff can actually create a winning program, seems just silly to me.
You can't look at the roster being built and really believe that, can you? Also, changing coaches 4 times in 9 years would be the definition of "toxic" for a program.
I don't believe in an arbitrary number of wins to save a job or an arbitrary year in a coaches tenure where "he has to win, or else." I also don't believe in keeping a coach at all costs just because of 4 in 9 years.
I do think its too soon to judge the long term effectiveness of Hoke, and there is enough reason to keep him (short of unexepectedly drastic failure/scandal) rather than gamble on finding the "right" coach -- again.
but don't agree entirely. Hoke is different from RR in that he
- Beat OSU (and played very competitively in 2 losses FWIW)
- Beat MSU
- Is recruiting vastly better
- Has been a part of making the defense not earth-shatteringly awful
- Does not reference Josh Groban in public
The losses are piling up a bit, but Hoke has done way better than Richrod in almost every aspect so far
If you have a sweet gig at ESPN talking about college football, you will find something to talk about. Because, you know, it's your job.
Hoke came in and had to build depth damn near from scratch on both the lines. We are almost back to having talented depth at all positions. I don't think coach is on a hot seat unless this season is an absolute trainwreck (7 wins or less) and we look horrible against our rivals.
I'd like for someone tell me the 4th and 5th year guys ((other than DG & JMFR)) Hoke will have this season who under ANY coach would be draftable?? Maybe 3 guys out of those 2 classes and all are middling draft choices except maybe Ryan. No one else even comes close. Is it Hoke's fault that the talent level he inherited??
With that said...player development HAS to improve this year.
While Hoke's seat may not be "hot" from the perspective of his relationship with the AD, this is a pivotal season for Michigan. If the program wants to continue the recruiting momentum it's enjoyed the past few seasons, then Hoke needs to get a contract extension to extinguish the perception that his position as coach is tenuous. The only way Brandon can credibly give Hoke an extension is for Michigan to have an impressive season. An 8-4 season with losses to MSU and OSU again, and it's going to be a tough sell to extend Hoke's contract, and without that, it's going to be tougher to keep pulling in top recruits and keep morale high around the program.
A lot of us are pointing to 2015 as the year Michigan really gets "back", but I'm concerned that 2015 might be too late. The trajectory for this program is going to be set this season and there are enough question marks surrounding this team to make all of us nervous. Here's to being pleasantly surprised this season.
To me, the situation you described is pretty much the 'hot seat'. If the program really is facing such a pivitol season that winning big, and/or against our rivals on the road, is necessary for the program to be succesful as a whole in the near future, then the coach is on the hot seat. A coach isn't on the hot seat if his team goes 7-5 and everyone is like "Huh, well that sucked. Oh well, we'll be back to kicking ass next year.".
For me, "hot seat" simply means whether Hoke's job is in danger this season, which I don't think it is. We could have a meh performance this season and Hoke could save his job by the team going out next season and winning a conference title.
I think you can differentiate between Hoke's job status and the trajectory of the program. It's easy for me to see scenarios where Hoke manages to hang on as head coach, but the program overall continues to limp along, mired in uncertainty over his leadership, but the team doing just enough to allow Hoke to hang onto his job for 4 or 5 more years. On the other hand, I think a great season from the team this year could energize the fanbase behind Hoke and the staff, punctuated by a big contract extension from Brandon, ensuring recruiting momentum is maintained, and the foundation is laid for the next decade or so of Michigan being a major player on the national scene. It's feels to me that the program has kind of arrived at that fork in the road now, which sucks because we all want to believe we have one more grace year before what looks to be a very promising 2015.
Guess we differ in opinion then. Unlike last year, I can totally see a realistic season outcome where Hoke loses his job after this year. Again, that may not come to pass, but a 6-6 or 7-5 season, depending on the losses/wins, I think could see Hoke shown the door. And I don't think a 6-6 or 7-5 season is completely out of the relm of possibility. I could also see a 10 win season. There's just been so much damn inocnsistanncy in Hoke's tenure so far that I don't even know what to expect. That's what I'm looking for. Consistancy. Which means a solid foundation.
The seat is a four legged stool - 1 & 2) administration 3) fans and 4) media. The media is set on medium high because that's what's best for them. A very vocal minority of fans are on high, but most are on low and the administration hasn't turned up the heat at all.
The seat's temp is tepid in reality and would need something like a losing season and total disarray heading into next year (coaches infighting, players making publicly negative statements, lots of drama etc.) to get DB to do something.
He was answering a question.
Jules?
because one pop culture reference apparently isn't enough for me this morning.
Maybe Devin should have ran this play:
It wasn't till I found out that Brandon's contract is through 2017 that I realized we have Hoke pretty much no matter what. Initially I thought he had to have a 9 win season with a win against a rival to not be getting warm and toasty. Now I see that Brandon is as tied to Hoke as Hoke is to Brandon. it would take a monumental break down like a loss to App State or a 5 win season for Hoke to be on the hot seat. Brandon just can't afford to bring in a new coach that would likely be directly tied to his renewal and a huge variable. If Hoke wins 7 or 8, he's safe. There will be another sacrificial lamb (O line coach possibly) to the fanbase by the time 2017 rolls around, it'll be all sunshine and roses or all but over for both.
The only variable in all this is the new President. I don't get the feeling he will delve into the world of sports that much, but I could be wrong. He's only been there a couple weeks now.
and I thought to myself, Rex Qwon Do is right ... you really do have to "learn to discipline your image."
Clearly, we'd be defending B1G champs if Hoke looked like Starla:
the only right answer is to replace Hoke with Pedro
