MGoBlog's First Impression of Brady Hoke
This seems relevant now. The first time Brady Hoke appeared on MGoBlog's main page was back in December of 2007, during the first coaching search to replace Lloyd Carr. It would seem that first impressions are usually correct.
Here's the best part:
Even in the realm of people who Michigan would approach after getting turned down by everyone -- EVERYONE -- there are vastly preferable candidates: Ron English. Mike Trgovic. Glen Mason. Jon Chait. Me. The Golden Retriever from "Air Bud: Golden Receiver." Mussolini, who is dead. Dick Vitale. Sigourney Weaver. Richard Nixon's penis. Sigourney Weaver's penis. All of these people and organs don't have a track record that suggests they are a below average MAC coach. It is in this way they are superior to Brady Hoke.
This is also prophetic:
Overall Attractiveness: Awful. Awful, awful, awful. The worst possible candidate. The mere idea this guy -- who's never even been a coordinator anywhere and has his MAC team performing at a level well below the program's historical baseline -- could get the job is infuriating. Only at Michigan could this happen, and if it does I guarantee you that Bo is going to haunt the mofo that signs the contract.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:37 PM ^
Definitely prescient. Remember when Debord as HC was the worst thing we could possibly imagine happnening to this program? We were so young and innocent...
September 29th, 2014 at 12:38 PM ^
Profiles in cronyism!
Brian: Please start the "Profiles in Heroism" series. Thanks.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:38 PM ^
To be fair, in the time the first Profiles in Croynism profiled Hoke (the referenced post), Hoke did rip off 11 wins at Ball St, got a MAC coach of the year, then got a MWC Coach of the Year at San Diego St. So even MGoBlog pointed out that his resume was better than when he was considered in 2007. That said, Brian's 'Hoke React' post is more applicable. And at this time, that post seems actually a bit optimistic and kind...
September 29th, 2014 at 1:35 PM ^
| Year | College | Coach | Record | Bowl* | |
| ____ | _______ | _____ | _____ | _____ | |
| 2002 | Ball St | Bill Lynch | 6-6 | none | |
| 2003 | Ball St | Brady Hoke | 4-8 | none | |
| 2004 | Ball St | Brady Hoke | 2-9 | none | |
| 2005 | Ball St | Brady Hoke | 4-7 | none | |
| 2006 | Ball St | Brady Hoke | 5-7 | none | |
| 2007 | Ball St | Brady Hoke | 7-6 | L Rutg 30-52 | |
| 2008 | Ball St | Brady Hoke | 12-1 | L Buff 24-42 |
*Hoke did not coach the bowl game, so I'm just including the games through the MAC Championship against Buffalo.
| Year | College | Coach | Record | Bowl* | |
| ____ | _______ | _____ | _____ | _____ | |
| 2008 | San Diego St | Chuck Long | 2-10 | none | |
| 2009 | San Diego St | Brady Hoke | 4-8 | none | |
| 2010 | San Diego St | Brady Hoke | 9-4 | W Navy 35-14 |
To be fair, there is a distinct improvement in both of those teams from 2005 onward. Inexplicably, I think his last San Diego St team would give the 2014 Wolverines a tight game (at least as we're playing now).
(None of this comes anywhere close to grounds for the firing acquittal.)
September 29th, 2014 at 1:45 PM ^
You think Michigan would be able to keep it close against that 2010 San Diego State team?
September 29th, 2014 at 2:57 PM ^
Maybe the 2011 version but not the 2014 version.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:38 PM ^
as an "encounter." I'd say first take, etc.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:47 PM ^
Good point, I fixed it.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:40 PM ^
Brian's ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to his newsletter.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:57 PM ^
September 29th, 2014 at 1:58 PM ^
"Internet", eh?
September 29th, 2014 at 12:40 PM ^
All the Sighs.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:41 PM ^
press conferences last year, I'm still amazed this guy could manage to be impressive enough in a job interview to be hired 3 times at the D1 level.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:44 PM ^
To be honest, it's really not that surprising. From pretty much all accounts he's a good guy, and he's great with people in an informal setting. It's why he recruits so damn well and has had such good retention especially with a crap product on the field. I can easily seeing him crush an interview with an AD.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^
That's what Brandon claims, but seems untrue (shocking!). There was a regent or something at LSU who claimed Michigan offered Les Miles a contract. Jim Harbaugh also issued a public statement that he "had an opportunity to coach Michigan" (paraphrasing) when he accepted the SF job.
EDIT: oops this was supposed to be in response to the comment below about Brandon contacting Jim and Les.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:42 PM ^
September 29th, 2014 at 12:42 PM ^
Brian wrote this:
http://mgoblog.com/content/story-2012-real-william-carlos-williams
Things aren't always as they seem.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
September 29th, 2014 at 2:06 PM ^
You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villan.
September 29th, 2014 at 1:00 PM ^
One of the more painful things I think of is that the Sparty and Buckeye fans, the rational ones at least, have stated for a very, very long time that they didn't think Hoke was a guy that would be good enough for this program. At the time it could be dismissive as rival banter but is now incredibly and painfully clear.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^
But does it trouble anyone else that Hoke isn't coaching like someone who thinks his job is in jeopardy? We seem to be assuming he's oblivious or simply incompetent, but what if there's a different answer... his job isn't in jeopardy?
The situation reminds of that scene in The Untouchables where Capone is getting buried with negative testimony and yet he's relaxed and smiling, leaving the prosecutor bewildered and wondering "what has Capone got?" (it turned out to be a bribed judge and jury)
Maybe he's got some assurance from DB's office (or somewhere else) that he's coming back no matter what? Would that explain keeping an ineffective and hobbled Shane Morris in the game long into the second half when it was clear Devin Gardner would give the team a better chance of winning?
September 29th, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^
suck up or give Brian a big head here but he knows his shit...remember when he was pushing for Gus Malzahn for HC and some were like..um who? Ya that would be nice right now.
September 29th, 2014 at 1:01 PM ^
and it would seem to indicate that we need to align the masses and make sure that the collective pull is for Bob Stitt.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:54 PM ^
An OSU poster from a different forum has said on a few occasions...
"I can't believe that Hoke parlayed Nate Davis into the Michigan job".
That looks to be to basically be what happened.
I also remember the national media rubbing it in a little bit when Hoke had his great 2008 season, as if we were stupid for not hiring him.
September 29th, 2014 at 1:04 PM ^
This isn't really fair, since it came before Hoke's one great season at Ball State and his two pretty good years at SDSU. Jim Harbaugh didn't look stunning in 2007 either (though he did upset USC that year). Obviously their careers have diverged a little bit since then.
September 29th, 2014 at 1:09 PM ^
Two straight 11-1 seasons. He was also a quarterback in the NFL for 14 seasons. The biggest knock on Hoke is that he's never been the best of his peers, even in his best seasons.
September 29th, 2014 at 1:23 PM ^
I know this is because I am a huge Michigan slappy but I thought Harbaugh deserved some attention in 2007. He was at beast at San Diego before he was a beast at Stanford. To me blowing up what wasn't broken to hire Rodriguez made little sense.
September 29th, 2014 at 1:15 PM ^
Crazy how far we've come from that time, to two years ago, to know. This is my post two years ago after an M basketball game (forgot which one) saying how Brady Hoke was no doubt the coach for Michigan. I feel dirty
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/brady-hoke-0
What a difference two years can make.
September 29th, 2014 at 1:19 PM ^
http://mgoblog.com/content/its-hoke
Some other gems:
http://mgoblog.com/content/hoke-react-no-swearing
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/well-least-its-over
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/official-please-stay-denard-thread
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/official-hoke-head-coach
Aaaannndd, the best for last:
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/fire-db
September 29th, 2014 at 1:38 PM ^
I really thought Brain's original take was wrong after the 2011 season. Even with the caveats of using RR's players, Carr's seniors, and not utilizing Denard to his potential, at that time Hoke really seemed like he was building a competitve program. Sure it was going to take a few years, but I honestly thought we'd see contant growth and develpoment of the team and individual players. Sadly, it was not to be.
September 29th, 2014 at 1:40 PM ^
Including me, believed that those 1 or 2 good years at Ball State and SDSU were the basis for what would begin here.
And, we were right: we got 1 or 2 (mostly 1) good years.
September 29th, 2014 at 1:32 PM ^
I certainly miss Hoke's headset.
September 29th, 2014 at 1:50 PM ^
September 29th, 2014 at 1:34 PM ^
Just watched Nuss at the presser.....prepped by the same people who told Hoke to say nothing.
Wrong thread....
September 29th, 2014 at 1:34 PM ^
Brady Hoke finally made the mistake that polarized the entire Michigan fanbase against him, complete with a TV announcer who sounded like Sally Struthers doing a Save the Children infomercial.
As long as David Brandon is calling the shots, they could bring in Nick Saban and he would be a .500 coach in three years.
September 29th, 2014 at 1:35 PM ^
Sigourney Weaver's penis? I went back and watched Half Moon Street and I'm fairly sure she doesn't have one. Fairly sure.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:43 PM ^
let me keep my dreams.
September 29th, 2014 at 2:03 PM ^
Everyone go look at this new blog I found, www.uofmdiehards.com
very legit blog with 5-6 articles a week and great writng, they do interviews with top michigan commits like messiah deweaver, grant newsome and more! go checkout www.uofmdiehards.com
September 29th, 2014 at 2:03 PM ^
Everyone go look at this new blog I found, www.uofmdiehards.com
very legit blog with 5-6 articles a week and great writng, they do interviews with top michigan commits like messiah deweaver, grant newsome and more! go checkout www.uofmdiehards.com
September 29th, 2014 at 3:00 PM ^
September 29th, 2014 at 2:07 PM ^
Didn't Minnesota turn Hoke town and hire Kill instead? We should have known.
September 29th, 2014 at 2:18 PM ^
Ya, but he was a Michigan Man fergodssake.
September 29th, 2014 at 2:50 PM ^