MSM Comedy From WOJO
I try to stop really, but I was looking for MSU reaction and stumbled across Wojo's recruiting article. This is so bad and so sloppy I can't even stand it. Let's fisk it.
1. Title-Brady Hoke's first class looks like unqualified success. Well no, while much of it was not Brady's fault and he did a fine job keeping things together this class was not an unqualified success by any measure. We lost several high profile recruits and arguably the 2 most important recruits for Hoke left yesterday.
2. Subtitle- Hoke Gets Physical. Wojo talks about getting big road graders like Posada and Bryant and how Hoke is getting back to physical by signing no WR. Wojo fails to point out Posada was already committed under RR and Bryant was a near lock as well so this means nothing in terms of a difference between Hoke and RR. We signed 3 OL and 1 DT/DE so to keep on the Hoke=Bulk, RR=Speed is stupid.
3. Back to Midwest- Wojo covers himself with a sidenote that RR did sign more Ohio and Michigan kids last year, but he still paints the picture that RR goes for the glamour of Florida while Hoke is meat and potatoes in the midwest. He even says that Michigan is getting back to Ohio and Michigan where they used to get their best players. While obviously the majority of our players come from Ohio and Michgan...Anthony Carter, Tom Brady, Amani Toomer, Greg Mcmurtury, Mike Hart etc etc..would like to have a word with him. This is tired and old and stupid. We are a national program.
4. Back to Defense- Wojo says how Hoke is getting back to defense by signing more defensive players(12 of 20). No not really we signed a ton of defensive players last year. Next year Hoke will sign more players on the offensive side it's just the ebb and flow of rosters.
Mgoblog has proven to me over the last 4 years that the MSM is almost useless. I don't know why I care so much, but meeting people and hearing them use this "information" just saddens me. I'm not sure who is "wagging the dog" as they say, but would it be too much to read an article that offered me anything in terms of insight that was actually researched?
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:36 AM ^
the OPs post is simply: "what a dumb asshole... lulz he praised Hoke for solidifying a top 25 class"
dude... it's an editorial. it's his opinion. a lot of his comments aren't wrong, they're simply infused with a bit more praise than necessary. bfd.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:42 AM ^
I don't think that is what he is saying. I think a lot of what he said is probably true. I actually like Wojo and read most of his stuff, but I do think some of the OP's points are valid.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:47 AM ^
in the merest twinkling? The OP points out one FACTUAL error after another in Wojo's column. I like Wojo myself, but that column is horsedoodle.
The most recent converts are always the most zealotic. No one will give you more shit about meat than the guy who stopped eating it yesterday.
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:17 PM ^
1. Title-"Well no, while much of it was not Brady's fault and he did a fine job keeping things together this class was not an unqualified success by any measure. We lost several high profile recruits and arguably the 2 most important recruits for Hoke left yesterday."
Fisher was unhappy with the coaching change and was Oregon or Other bound from the moment RR was fired. This is not someone in which Hoke had him 'in the bag' and didn't retain. Further, the fact only two recruits were missed out of the stack makes it an unqualified success, or at least one by a wide variety of measures. Hoke featured zero attrition while adding to the commitment list and missing out on players who GTFO of Michigan. Cooper I presume is #2 and considering he was down to MSU or Iowa, two places with stable coaching situations and consistent 'uglies' on the line, with little to no transition in their offense, is not a surprise. Whom else? UCF Willingham? He landed Barnett and Clark. This negates one of the losses in my opinion. To claim he failed using the terminology 'not an unqualified success by any measure' is a joke. Is it a bit too heavy on cheerleading the commits? yes. were there a couple disappointments? yes. was there a massacre of epic proportions? no.
2. Subtitle- Hoke Gets Physical. Wojo talks about getting big road graders like Posada and Bryant and how Hoke is getting back to physical by signing no WR. Wojo fails to point out Posada was already committed under RR and Bryant was a near lock as well so this means nothing in terms of a difference between Hoke and RR. We signed 3 OL and 1 DT/DE so to keep on the Hoke=Bulk, RR=Speed is stupid.
The OP puts way too much emphasis on this. Wojo never says it was Hoke who brought Bryant in and specifically mentions one line before that the classes were interspersed. This is more a reflection on Hoke's excitement in the press conference on these players than anything. The subtitle arguably may have been added by an editor anyways. The argument was that instead of picking up a receiver, the Wolverines likely signed an additional LB. This is not something to belabor as the OP claims/implies.
3. Back to Midwest- Wojo covers himself with a sidenote that RR did sign more Ohio and Michigan kids last year, but he still paints the picture that RR goes for the glamour of Florida while Hoke is meat and potatoes in the midwest. He even says that Michigan is getting back to Ohio and Michigan where they used to get their best players. While obviously the majority of our players come from Ohio and Michgan...Anthony Carter, Tom Brady, Amani Toomer, Greg Mcmurtury, Mike Hart etc etc..would like to have a word with him. This is tired and old and stupid. We are a national program.
The OP COMPLETELY missed Wojo's point through intentional misreading. Note that the following line isn't included "That reflected a necessary - and belated - adjustment by Rodriguez." Wojo implies Hoke didn't have to be told to do this - he knew to do it. There is frequent reference to the points that RR may have, in fact, been catching on too late the recipe for Big Ten football that Hoke knows and ran with. Since it's an editorial, he's allowed this opinion. Doesn't matter where the players you mentioned came from - in Wojo's OPINION, it's important to have a Midwest base (especially on defense/the lines) and then sprinkle in the best from other regions. Wojo obviously subscribes to the notion that physicality is more important than speed, though both are inherently necessary. Since he believes the Midwest is the source of said physicality, this matches his point.
4. Back to Defense- Wojo says how Hoke is getting back to defense by signing more defensive players(12 of 20). No not really we signed a ton of defensive players last year. Next year Hoke will sign more players on the offensive side it's just the ebb and flow of rosters.
How many of the 12 of 20 were brought in by Hoke versus how many of the 8 of 20 on offense were brought in by Hoke. Hoke's recruiting efforts were almost exclusively based on defense with the exceptions of a TE, QB and RB - all positions, arguably, done out of necessity rather than interest. Again, how many of those 12 were committed before RR was fired versus, you know, brought in by Hoke. Numbers are a bitch sometimes but he has a point when you look at the 3 week window, not the class.
February 3rd, 2011 at 5:11 PM ^
The class isn't an unqualified success because it doesn't include a DT and we lost Fisher. The fact that Hoke did well for what he had to work with doesn't change the fact that the class isn't everything we (and Hoke) hoped for. The class is a qualified success.
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:31 PM ^
tl;dnr
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:11 PM ^
It's a column. That's not a distinction without a difference. Although I understand your point; that it is not straight reporting of hard news, and is in fact representative of Mr. Wojnowski's opinion as a columnist.
Still; while every columnist is entitled to express his own opinion, every columnist is NOT entitled to his own facts.
And I think the OP has done a perfectly excellent Fisking of Mr. Wojnowski. As do many of the posts below.
I see some suggestions that we should just lay off the Detroit newspaper writers, now that they seem to be cheerleaders for Brady Hoke. It's not surprising, but is is a little disconcerting, to think that MGoBlog members will now tolerate the wretched bias and inaccuracies we've seen from local mainstream media outlets, as long as those biases and inaccuracies are pro-Hoke. I am certainly not going to be more friendly toward the media; I don't know why anyone of us would be tolerant of any sort of bias or inaccuracy regarding Michigan football, from columnists and sportscasters.
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:19 PM ^
seriously. even his 12 out of 20 argument doesn't hold water given the fact it probably wouldn't have been that high but for the weekend Hoke spree.
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:38 PM ^
And I think the OP has done a perfectly excellent Fisking of Mr. Wojnowski.
No, he really didn't. Unless an "excellent fisking" involves focusing on headlines and ignoring text, ascribing statements to the author that he didn't make, misrepresenting things that he actually said, and ignoring the author's express words when they are inconsistent with the point the fisker is trying to make. My lengthier counter-fisk is below.
You're basically giving him credit for an "excellent fisking" because he's on your side of the argument, regardless of the actual quality of his work. It's that kind of result-oriented analysis -- give credit to "my" guys, attack the guys I'm opposed to -- that you decry in the media.
You're better than that. Aren't you?
February 3rd, 2011 at 1:56 PM ^
"It's not surprising, but is is a little disconcerting, to think that MGoBlog members will now tolerate the wretched bias and inaccuracies we've seen from local mainstream media outlets, as long as those biases and inaccuracies are pro-Hoke."
Pro-Hoke? Or Pro-Michigan? I think most are happy to see opinion that is pro-Michigan, regardless of who is in charge.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:38 AM ^
"Mgoblog has proven to me over the last 4 years that the MSM is almost useless. "
Really? It has done the opposite for me. The Freep was powerful enough to run a story that got us in trouble with NCAA and the rest of the MSM negativity, IMO, is one of the main reasons why RR could not keep his job. To us, the info provided by the MSM is useless. However, they control the perception of the casual fan, and that is very important. I'll gladly take all of this positivity surrounding the program.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:46 AM ^
Well said. I'm really not looking forward to more posts from malcontents complaining that the MSM is being too positive about the Hoke regime.
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:30 AM ^
Well, they're completely useless in a human's fundamental search for truth.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:39 AM ^
Hart was from NY.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:41 AM ^
IIRC, not even indirectly but, rather, straight out of there
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:42 AM ^
Editorials are editorials. Either they're there to make you happy, feel your pain, or get you pissed.
Anyways, getting pissed is just so much effort.. I'd rather look at puppies instead. Or breasts.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:46 AM ^
It's mainly about pushing a narrative. In this case, it's the Rich Rod and The Spread are terrible football styles and "smash-mouth" football is what works. Wojo usually stayed above the fray with the MSM bashing RR, but apparently he's not above dancing on his grave.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:50 AM ^
I wonder what would have happened if RR had come in and just said, "We're gonna play smashmouth football." and then gone out and run the spread anyway. I feel like most of the fans would have just said, "OH MAN, LOOK AT OUR RUSHING YARDS! B1G FOOTBALL BOOYAH!"
February 3rd, 2011 at 1:35 PM ^
most of the fans would have said something like "If we're playing smashmouth football, how come we're getting smashed every year in our conference?" or "Well if we're playing smashmouth football against the likes of Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, MSU, and OSU, we suck at playing smashmouth football."
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:13 AM ^
Wojo is bodysurfing on the wave of simplistic fallacious meme-love sweeping the state regarding UM football
edit: fallacious is not about oral sex
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:59 AM ^
Michigan just finished 4th in Big Ten recruiting this year.
Hoke is portrayed as a hero by the Michigan media, that he saved Michigan from the abyss of a Wisconsin- or Illinois-esque recruiting haul. I think he did a good job.
My cynical side says that eventually Brady Hoke's team will be lining up with around 20+ starters in 2011 and some decent depth at most positions. Combine that with Michigan's easier 2011 schedule, I sometimes think even Betty White could coach the Wolverines this fall and win 8 games.
Be that as it may the game I'm thinking about most next year is that Notre Dame game in Ann Arbor early in the season. Michigan's new defense against Brian Kelly's spread offense. Hmmmm.
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:32 AM ^
Has anyone else caught on to the whole "push a button, up or down, and points aren't really affected"? If this has been posted somewhere else, I apologize (but not really since you can't actually neg me, no matter what the little arrow says).
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:18 PM ^
http://mgoblog.com/content/unverified-voracity-confirms-obvious
See the bottom bullets.
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:38 AM ^
I try to stop really, but I was looking for MSU reaction and stumbled across Wojo's recruiting article. This is so bad and so sloppy I can't even stand it.
Ironic you should say that, because I found your fisking of Wojo's article so bad and sloppy, and filled with misrepresentations and miscomprehension, that I couldn't stand it. Let's fisk your fisking.
1. Title-Brady Hoke's first class looks like unqualified success. Well no, while much of it was not Brady's fault and he did a fine job keeping things together this class was not an unqualified success by any measure. We lost several high profile recruits and arguably the 2 most important recruits for Hoke left yesterday.
Wait, so to consitute an "unqualified" success every recruit that we go after must sign with Michigan? By that standard, no one in history has had an class that is an "unqualified" success unless it consists entirely of five-stars.
Instead of getting caught up in the title (which Wojo may not have even written - editors typically provide the headline), why not look at the substance of the article, which is eminently reasonable? Or is that too difficult. Wojo says that the class finished well, and was ranked by some as 21st in the country, and that Michigan should do better in the future. He acknowledged that the Wolverines "lost some key guys" and in the future "need to land home-state stars" such as Fisher and Zettel. The thrust of the article is that Hoke did better than expected, given that many people (including on this board) were predicting a biblical disaster -- "For all the doomsday predictions, the Wolverines recovered just fine . . . Hoke came in behind and did an excellent job catching up" is essentially the summary. Nowhere in the article does he suggest that the class is perfect or flawless, as you misleadingly imply.
2. Subtitle- Hoke Gets Physical. Wojo talks about getting big road graders like Posada and Bryant and how Hoke is getting back to physical by signing no WR. Wojo fails to point out Posada was already committed under RR and Bryant was a near lock as well so this means nothing in terms of a difference between Hoke and RR. We signed 3 OL and 1 DT/DE so to keep on the Hoke=Bulk, RR=Speed is stupid.
No, he didn't talk about "getting" big road graders [sic] like Posada and Bryant. He talked about the way Hoke described those guys, as a means of explaining the type of players that get Hoke's juices flowing. This is evident when he quotes Hoke's description of those players, and then says: "Hyperbole is mandatory on signing day, and Hoke's hunger for physical players was evident." Which is 100% correct. Again, he didn't suggest that Hoke alone is responsible for signing these guys -- that's your takeaway, possibly the result of preconceived biases.
Again, instead of focusing on titles and subtitles, maybe read the actual text underneath -- there's nothing really controversial in what he says here.
3. Back to Midwest- Wojo covers himself with a sidenote that RR did sign more Ohio and Michigan kids last year, but he still paints the picture that RR goes for the glamour of Florida while Hoke is meat and potatoes in the midwest.
He does more than "cover himself with a sidenote." He acknowledges that more than half of Rodriguez's recruits last year were local, but that this was a belated adjustment. Which is pretty indisputably true.
He even says that Michigan is getting back to Ohio and Michigan where they used to get their best players. While obviously the majority of our players come from Ohio and Michgan...Anthony Carter, Tom Brady, Amani Toomer, Greg Mcmurtury, Mike Hart etc etc..would like to have a word with him. This is tired and old and stupid. We are a national program.
Here I agree with you. We need to recruit nationally, and Wojo is an idiot for suggesting otherwise . . . oh wait. If you actually read the article, right under the "Hoke gets physical" subtitle that you so hate, his first sentence is "Michigan still must recruit nationally, and still does." Why, its almost as if your entire point is invalid!
4. Back to Defense- Wojo says how Hoke is getting back to defense by signing more defensive players(12 of 20). No not really we signed a ton of defensive players last year.
Now this is just complete bullshit. For the past few weeks everyone on this board was talking about how almost every recruit that Hoke (as opposed to Rodriguez) signed was on defense, and how Hoke passed up receivers to add more defense. Are you seriously attacking Wojo for making the indisputably correct observation that Hoke has focused on defense? If so, you have no credibility.
I'm not sure who is "wagging the dog" as they say, but would it be too much to read an article that offered me anything in terms of insight that was actually researched?
Is it too much to read a "fisking" offered by someone who actually read and understood the article in question?
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:21 PM ^
you put exactly what i did and i could have saved myself the 4 minutes replying.
well said.
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:27 PM ^
Hey, great minds, yada yada.
February 3rd, 2011 at 5:50 PM ^
Saved me a lot of typing.
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:42 PM ^
To Wojo: Please send me a picture of a "road grater."
Did the intern @#$% up the spelling, or was that Wojo?
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
The real comedy was Wojo attempting to eat the microphone at the press conference yesterday.
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:48 PM ^
I stopped reading once you claimed that we only landed 1 DT/DE recruit.
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:50 PM ^
It's definitely a lot easier to avoid the MSM than it is friends and relatives who rely on it. Getting texts "informing" me of Michigan news 3 days after it has been posted on the board 4+ times is fun at times... but I have found it so painful to talk M football with anyone who doesn't frequent mgoblog. Some of my favorites:
"Brady Hoke had a better record at Michigan than RR."
"RR recruits guys like Demar Dorsey (recent add: Forcier), and Hoke knows to stay away from kids like that."
"The Michigan offense was only good against non-big ten opponents."
"Dude, they didn't get better every year. Look at the bowl game!"
Some of you may be asking why I still consider these people my friends... I do not have an answer.
February 3rd, 2011 at 1:32 PM ^
February 3rd, 2011 at 2:40 PM ^
I think that when columnists write articles like this, they are really going off of what the coach will give them. Coach Hoke and others gave the "we need to recruit Michigan/Ohio" line and the "we need to be more physical" bit all day long. Wojo in this case just seems to be regurgitating the quotes he was given and letting them metastasize into a theme of sorts.
Whether the total effort is attributable to Hoke or Rodriguez is a bit of a technicality to me. I am assuming that Hoke had to talk to all the kids who stayed, so you can still say that he recruited them. If they didn't want to be a Hoke recruit, they would have decommitted (Dee Hart) and gone elsewhere.
February 3rd, 2011 at 5:07 PM ^
From the title, I thought this was about a Wojo comedy piece. Wojo is at his best when he is writing comedy and doesn't come off as if he has a stake in the outcome.
MSM writers are basically lazy. They get paid to write pap, so they put as little energy into it as possible. They are now very, very happy that Hoke is the coach, because they can keep rewriting stories from twenty years ago on autopilot. They can use every old University of Michigan stereotype that they have used since the Bo era.
It really all comes down to passion. Bloggers write with it; MSM writers don't. Unless, of course, they are indignant about something, in which case they are very passionate.
When I first got internet access down here in Florida, I was ecstatic to find out that my "home" newspapers all had websites. I used to go through the sports sections of the Det News, Freep, and A2 News. Now, as far as Michigan media goes, it's usually just mgoblog and A2 dot com, with an occasional peek at Angelique, with mlive for occasional Sparty schadenfreude.
And really, I don't miss the freep, detnews, or mlive. At this point, blogs provide a superior product. And that is what probably pisses off the MSM about blogs the most: they are losing readers to a superior product that does a much better job at targeted readership. Not to mention all of those cushy writer jobs that could soon be biting the dust...