From players mouths, Hoke was the man a week ago
Alright, I know this may get me a neg bang but i dont care.
My buddy has a sports management class this morning. After class this morning he went to talk with his prof when he heard two prominent members of the team talking to the prof about the search. Supposedly, Brandon told them Hoke was the number 1 (and only) option a week ago (cause Harbaugh was already out picture). Basically, this last week has been a farce to make it look to fans that he "searched." Les Miles was never offered. Finally, they say that denard is the 1 million dollar question.
Fwiw, I hate the Hoke hiring for all the obvious reasons, however I will support this team regardless. I hope I am wrong and it turns out great.
(EDIT: Since I didn't explain my obvious reasons, it seems to be pissing some off so i'll copy my response from below ... it takes him 6 years to build a program, he has a losing record as a head coach, ties to michigan dont mean anything to me, no big time expirence as an OC or DC, "no basketball on grass," denard, i feel we would have been better of with rich rod ...)
January 12th, 2011 at 11:47 AM ^
I don't know whether DB was just shining on the players in order to make them feel special. Taken at face-value, though, DB is a colossal tool who needlessly wasted time and embarrassed everyone, including Hoke.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:48 AM ^
I'm negging you note for your all of your post, but just the last paragraph. What are all of your reasons for hating the Hoke hire. He's not Harbaugh or Miles?
January 12th, 2011 at 12:08 PM ^
it takes him 6 years to build a program, he has a losing record as a head coach, ties to michigan dont mean anything to me, no expirence as an OC or DC, "no basketball on grass," denard, i feel we would have been better of with rich rod ....
i guess these arent common knowledge
January 12th, 2011 at 12:11 PM ^
Or in the case of SDSU, a school that hadn't had a winning season since 98, or a bowl win since 69 it only took him a year.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:21 PM ^
This to me says that he may have been made an HC too soon. But, rather than learning his chops as an OC or DC, he learned as an HC and is getting pretty good at it as evidenced by the quick turnaround at SDSU. Maybe a positive spin, but there's so many people spinning things negatively that we need balance.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:21 PM ^
This to me says that he may have been made an HC too soon. But, rather than learning his chops as an OC or DC, he learned as an HC and is getting pretty good at it as evidenced by the quick turnaround at SDSU. Maybe a positive spin, but there's so many people spinning things negatively that we need balance.
January 12th, 2011 at 1:25 PM ^
I think that's plausible - especially given the serious lack of institutional support he seems to have received at Ball State. For those worried about his record, Hoke went 25-13 the last three seasons. Let's give him a chance.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:18 PM ^
on pointing to the "basketball on grass" quote. Have you watched any of his games at SDSU? You sound like a complete moron. Look at how Rich Rod finished the season and look at how Hoke finished his season...people like you are pathetic.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:35 PM ^
(not really trying to start an argument.)
1.) "it takes him 6 years to build a program" It took him 6 years to turn around Ball State... and it was his first HC spot as well. The fact that he turned the program around at all (And how it's performed since he left) is a good thing. He went into SDSU and got that team to, and won, a bowl game for the first time since '69. These are good things.
2.) "he has a losing record as a head coach" Also doesn't really matter considering his two stops. And there has been more than a few situations where hiring a coach with a losing record didn't really matter all that much.
3.) "no expirence as an OC or DC" Not sure why that matters... He's the HC, and has HC experience.
4.)"no basketball on grass, denard," I also did not like the "basketball on grass" comment at all. But the guy does run spread concepts in his offense. We also don't know what Denard is going to do or how Hoke may or may not use him... let that one play out.
5.) "i feel we would have been better of with rich rod ...." Offensively, I do agree... I don't think that Hoke will be able to come in here and pull off the same type of offensive output that RR did. However Rodriguez had 3 years... and I was a big RR supporter too.... but those defenses were simply flat out bad, and there was little to look at and think it would start getting better. Yes, they were very young and very thin... but the issues on that side of the ball were not purely talent.
January 12th, 2011 at 1:37 PM ^
I'm not so sure he can't match our offensive output from this past season. SDSU actually averaged slightly more PPG than we did in 2010. And while they may have faced weaker opposition, they aren't exactly as talented as us, either. They put up 35 on TCU's defense, which is no mean feat.
And we should acknowledge that RR's offense didn't have its downsides - most notably, the fact that his QBs regularly got hurt. Denard is a fantastic runner, but he may not have the physique to handle 20+ carries a game. If we cut down on those, maybe he won't set any rushing records, but he might stay healthy through an entire season.
January 12th, 2011 at 1:37 PM ^
I'm not so sure he can't match our offensive output from this past season. SDSU actually averaged slightly more PPG than we did in 2010. And while they may have faced weaker opposition, they aren't exactly as talented as us, either. They put up 35 on TCU's defense, which is no mean feat.
And we should acknowledge that RR's offense didn't have its downsides - most notably, the fact that his QBs regularly got hurt. Denard is a fantastic runner, but he may not have the physique to handle 20+ carries a game. If we cut down on those, maybe he won't set any rushing records, but he might stay healthy through an entire season.
January 12th, 2011 at 1:04 PM ^
January 12th, 2011 at 11:51 AM ^
I may not have been enthused about the hire yesterday, it's done and I'm right behind Coach Hoke for next season. I want to shut up little brother's chirping, and I want to beat Ohio State's ass.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:52 AM ^
I'm sort of getting concerned with the hate Hoke comments. I think this guy is the opposite of Rich Rod and that is what is needed right now. He gets the rivalry, he gets the tradition, and this is not anything to do with Michigan Man, but you have to grasp the greatest rivalry in sports with this job and RR didn't do that. I think Hoke will be a good hire, I think he'll bring a passion that will reunite this fanbase.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:57 AM ^
He doesn't have a winning record (in the MAC and the MWC) / has a mediocre resume, and he doesn't have the national cache that a Harbaugh, Miles (controversial as he is), Mullen, Patterson, et al have which will make it far harder for him to recruit.
All this adds up to it being really difficult for the fan base to align behind him.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:07 PM ^
January 12th, 2011 at 12:09 PM ^
If you don't want to "align" behind him, then root for another team, please.
January 12th, 2011 at 1:13 PM ^
January 12th, 2011 at 11:58 AM ^
For the last 3 years any dissenting post would always have the disclaimer "for the record I support RR and hope he turns it around". Is this the new disclaimer? "For the record I hate the hiring of Hoke but will support the team". I certainly hope not.
I realize his resume isn't amazing, but I do love the fact that he wants to be here and wasn't lured here by some huge contract or promises of control or anything like that. Only time will tell if he was a good hire or not, but I think as fans we need to give him the same confidence and support we would have given Gruden or Harbaugh.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:05 PM ^
Have you notice that perhaps more of the hate is aimed at Brandon? Don't know if that's good or bad, but I share your concern about the hate comments.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:53 PM ^
1- Right now my anger is pointed at Brandon. Hoke isn't to fault for this, hence the 'I'll support him' comments people keep making.
2 - I don't think pointing out that our hire has a losing HC record is hate.
3 - Regardless of who DB hired, if he had his man a week ago, attempting to placate the Miles fans by dragging it on for a week is incredibly stupid...did Brandon not think people would connect the dots? I deserve what I get for having blind faith in Brandon.
It's the last point that worries me about Hoke as our coach: He doesn't have bona fides that help comfort my worries about his abilities and Brandon butchered the hiring process so badly that I now have no faith in him to make a competent hire.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:07 PM ^
sorry, double post.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:13 PM ^
Concern is probably a good word right now. Count me in the camp of "Hoke Haters" (although I dont hate the guy...i've heard he's actually pretty nice) because I have never felt more depressed and angry about the state of the team.
Let me pose you a question. What hire would you have been unhappy with if Hoke makes you happy? Are you one of the "he must come from Michigan" line of thinkers? It seems to me that all the pro-Hoke fans would've been happy with a pink bunny rabbit as coach as long as the search ended. I'm not in that camp.
We have taken a giant and quantative leap backwards and I feel lied to by Brandon.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:33 PM ^
It sounds to me like you are more of a DB hater than a Hoke hater. I am not sure why DB waited if Hoke was the first choice, due diligence. I am excited that we have a coach. Not having one was pretty darn bad.
Everyone has hair on them and there was no perfect candidate.
January 12th, 2011 at 1:45 PM ^
January 12th, 2011 at 11:52 AM ^
Isn't this essentially what Brian writes on the home page? DB said Hoke was the only person offered the job. DB was doing due diligence (perhaps to appease some folks).
January 12th, 2011 at 12:53 PM ^
There is no doubt in my mind he had to play the "politics" of the job on this one. Easing alums/boosters who wanted Les 3 years ago.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:52 AM ^
im negging you because a very reliable source close to me that also was in that class said it was you and not your so-called "buddy" that was rudely eavesdropping.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:11 PM ^
classes before noon
January 12th, 2011 at 11:53 AM ^
This pisses me off.
David Brandon wasted a week of Michigan fans' and recruits time for some little gameplaying. Is he a damn fool or something?
January 12th, 2011 at 11:54 AM ^
to erupt into (aherm) spontaneous applause when the hiring was announced.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:55 AM ^
Is that we can't really trust anything that comes out of Brandon's mouth. He's no different than your run-of-the-mill politician - and that's the way he's playing his "process" now. He'll say anything to save face and "spin" this to the "constituency."
If only M Football were a democracy...
January 12th, 2011 at 11:59 AM ^
We already learned that after the divisional alignment fiasco. Brandon has proven to be a liar and a manipulator who will say anything it takes to construct his own vision of the athletic department.
The fact that he could fire Rodriguez because "the record wasn't good enough" only to hire a guy with a losing record and refer to him as a great coach should tell us everything we need to know about Brandon and his agenda.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:16 PM ^
Prove he's lied or manipulated. We still play OSU at the end of every season right? He didn't say anything regarding the coaching search except for "open the wallet" that may not be true. But he still could open it for coordinators, etc. There's no proof the job was ever offered to Harbaugh or Miles so there's no way to prove he lide there.
He's the AD, which means it's his job to mold the athletic department into something he thinks can succeed. So I guess you could say he has an agenda but that's because it's his job to have one and execute it!
However, there are people who's job is to support the team (us as fans) without an agenda. Yet I am reading posts by many people who would implement one regarding our program if they could.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:33 PM ^
First off, we're playing OSU in a game that is far less meaningful than if we were both in the same division. Just look at the difference/change in the OU/Nebraska rivalry in recent years and compare it with OU/Texas. Brandon shifted the focus to the end-of-season date so fans would feel like they had won concessions, manipulating expectations so he could get the two schools put in separate divisions in order to some day see UM-OSU in the Jiffy Pop B1G Ten Championship Game one week after a meaningless rendition of The Game.
Dave Brandon said he was going to conduct a national coaching search. It appears that the nation was restricted to people who spent an extensive period of time in Schembechler Hall. He ignored context and progress and said Rodriguez was fired because "the record wasn't good enough" only to hire a guy with a losing record over a much larger sample size, giving him every benefit of the doubt simply because he used to be an assistant coach under Lloyd Carr.
If you don't think Dave Brandon is full of shit, that is fine, but it seems pretty obvious to me and a lot of other people that he is.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:56 AM ^
There are many reasons the hiring was bad. Abandoning 21st century football for another stab at anachronism and caving into the Carr-tel are two reasons that come to mind. But we now have to live with it. And, as Brain said, it's not Hoke's fault that David Brandon decided to hire him.
To not support Hoke now would be just as damaging to the program as the Carr-tel was when they sabotaged RR. I have plenty of ire toward DB, but I am giving Brady Hoke the same four year exemption that I thought RR should have. Anything else would be hypocritical.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:58 AM ^
I just read an article about Elway's handling of the search for a new coach of the Broncos. It is very interesting and refreshing and something tht would have been nice for Brandon to do. If Hoke was always the choice, why the charade?
When the Denver Broncos recently announced the hire of former all-time quarterback John Elway as their new executive vice president of football operations, it marked an entirely new way of doing things than we had seen under the ineffectively secretive Josh McDaniels or in the history of the NFL.
All of a sudden, Elway popped up on Twitter, announcing everything from the names of new potential head coach candidates to his thoughts on the future of quarterback Tim Tebow (notes). It's been refreshing for fans, and a look in the eye to those NFL organizations who believe that CIA-level confidentiality must accompany every single move they make -- down to a change in the brand of bathroom tissue in the coach's office lavatory.
Now, Elway and his team have upped the ante when it comes to giving the fans an inside view. They've posted snippets of the pre-interviews with current interim coach Eric Studesville and New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. The linked videos give unique insight into the thought processes of the men interviewing to become Denver's newest head coach. One has to wonder if Rick Dennison and John Fox, who are expected to interview by Wednesday, will do their own videos, but the signs are good -- Elway told the fans via his Twitter account just exactly why Fox's interview was delayed.
Due to the weather in North Carolina, our interview with John Fox has been rescheduled for Wednesday.
John Elway
johnelway
I hope that the Broncos' new modus operandi leads to a change in thinking among other organizations. Especially in a climate where the league is bringing in higher TV ratings and making more money than ever before, it's clear that fan interest in the process has reached a level we've never seen before.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:09 PM ^
So for three years we saw a coach who was destroyed by the media and many of our responses were "this never would've happened under Carr because he's tight lipped." So now we want the AD to express every little tidbit of information of what's going on? The only reason there are issues regarding "losing" Harbaugh and Miles is because of media speculation and the speculation of this board that got people into a tizzy.
Brandon did what he did because that's the way we used to do things with the media and we rarely had any debacles (at least few I can think...the academic thing in 2006/2007 was shot down real quick). We let the media have too much access and look what happened.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:22 PM ^
When did we let the media have too much access? I don't think that staying in touch with the fanbase (and recruits!) could have caused all that much harm. I didn't say that Brandon should be tweeting about every little thing he does, but he could have at least told people not to pay attention to the flight tracker. Something like that. A little tidbit. Its the 21st century. He should know people are hanging on every piece of information. A good leader informs his people - and good leaders are not necessarily corporate types that like employees to know nothing (I know, from experience).
My whole point, I guess, is that Brandon had the opportunity to really do something different and refreshing and he missed the opportunity.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:35 PM ^
He did say, on Monday I believe, that the flight tracker stuff was bogus.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:59 AM ^
Based on my readings Hoke was Brandon and Coleman's 1st choice all along. The rest was a dog and pony show to appease the masses looking for a big name hire. If, IF that is the truth then Brandon is playing politiican and causing more damage than good. Also making Hokes job even more difficult with recruiting decommits and possible transfers.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:00 PM ^
Seems to be to hate Brandon, express contempt for Brandon, call for his immediate firing, etc.
I think it is time to move on.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:16 PM ^
If y ou're referring to Brandon when you say "move on" i'm with you 100%. If you're referring to those of us pissed off about the hire and the manner in which the "search" was conducted?
Not a chance in Hell.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:00 PM ^
Why is pro-style football considered outdated everywhere except the NFL? There's no one way to win football games. It's players and execution.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:12 PM ^
Pro-style football (i.e., paying players) is still popular in Auburn. And look, they just won the BCS championship! Hooray, that's the way to go!
January 12th, 2011 at 4:16 PM ^
I'm bookmarking this post so I can come back and +1 it when the site isn't having so many issues.
EDIT: As promised, +1.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:15 PM ^
Ugh.... Lloyd Carr's pro-style football is considered outdated because it is. Watch pro-football these days, the offensive systems vary greatly and have evolved greatly over the last 10-15 years. Look at what the Patriots do, does that bear any resemblance to what you consider "pro-style?" How about the Saints? The Eagles? The Colts?
You're right about one thing, there's no one way to win football games. But there are ways to limit your effectiveness on offense. Trying to emulate what worked in 1997 will not help anyone.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:01 PM ^
My sister's cousin's boyfriend's plumber apparently told someone none of them know that Hoke broke Troy Woolfolk's ankle in order to help ensure RR would get fired so he could get the job.
You seriously think DB would tell players that? How naive are you? He's a very media savvy person. He knows full well that anything he tells anyone has a chance of making it to the public, and right now everyone wants to seem like they are in the know somehow. Even if this was true (it's not), no way he's telling 19 year old kids secrets.
What are the "obvious reasons" for hating the Hoke hire? Because Brian said it's a bad hire? Because you wanted Harbaugh, and now you feel rejected because he had other career ambitions? I just don't get all this negativity. Brandon has been nothing if not consistent in his message. He was pretty clear yesterday. He did a lot of research, and everything kept pointing back to Hoke.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:09 PM ^
He has a losing record as a head coach and there are dozens of more qualified candidates. It doesn't appear like Dave Brandon pursued any of them.
None of that is Brady Hoke's fault, but the only reasons to like the hire are because he seems like a swell guy and he's already here so we might as well all get on board.