a question about Nussmeier's role in this
Sorry if I missed this discussion, but it seems like he has been given a total pass. He's the QB coach and is staying on the sidelines so he can talk to the QBs in person during the game. He is the coach on the staff that had to know Morris' condition best and the one whose responsibility it was to get Bellomy ready. I don't know if he's the one that told Shane to go back in, but in nomal circumstances I would expect him to be.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not absolving Hoke of the blame. He was in charge and this was too important for him to delegate. I just don't get how Nussmeier's role isn't getting questioned. I can't see an explanation where he's not at fault too.
September 30th, 2014 at 8:34 AM ^
this whole thing is fucked. Boycott everything. I'm not watching or attending another game until these guys are on their way out of Ann Arbor. Disgusted.
September 30th, 2014 at 8:47 AM ^
September 30th, 2014 at 8:34 AM ^
Because he seems to be getting a total pass there as well.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:10 AM ^
I thought the problem was that we weren't getting any passes at all?
September 30th, 2014 at 8:35 AM ^
This is from the game recap yesterday:
Shane Morris had just taken a headshot from a defensive end. He momentarily lost the ability to use his limbs. There was no real reason for him to be in the game anyway, what with his 49 passing yards and air of being totally overwhelmed. And Hoke threw him out there, because he "didn't see" his quarterback stagger onto one of his offensive linemen.Even if that implausible excuse is true, somebody did. The announcers did. Doug Nussmeier—who was desperately trying to get his quarterback to fall on the ground—did. There were 80,000 people still in the stadium looking at the quarterback, and
I may have missed Nussmeier addressing this yesterday or he wasn't asked. Others feel free to shed light on this.
September 30th, 2014 at 8:35 AM ^
Nussmeier was standing there looking at it and didn't pull the kid. He's responsible, too.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:09 AM ^
If you are injured such that you cannot play, you stay down. As a player, this is universally known. Morris hopped right back up after getting hit big. This may have played into the lack of call from the ref and the confusion and slow decision making on the sidelines. That said, when Nussmeier saw him limping, he should have TOLD him to come off the field and not ASKED him.
September 30th, 2014 at 8:35 AM ^
he had em someone in the box should have said something to him
September 30th, 2014 at 8:37 AM ^
I do find it amazing that Bellomy was not ready to get in the game!
September 30th, 2014 at 8:46 AM ^
September 30th, 2014 at 9:33 AM ^
I dont have as much issue for the Bellomy issue.
-Bellomy was busy the entire time signalling plays in and had a headset on.
-Bellomy likely never even thought he was the backup. Shane was replaced by Devin but for all Belomy knew Shane was still the backup. Bellomy wouldnt have known Shane couldnt go back in.
-If Bellomy thought he was the backup, his thought would be he would either come in if there was an injury (which gives you plenty of time to get a helmet while injured player is being attended to) or because of porr play (where coaches would tell him to warm up).
Yes - communication could have been better but Bellomy would have had to know that Shane couldnt go back in before he would get the helmet ready and Bellomy was busy the entire time signalling plays so its not like he was totally in space the entire time.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:27 AM ^
His helmet was next to Hoke's headset.
September 30th, 2014 at 8:40 AM ^
Nuss was the only one clamoring for Shane to go down to the ground so that he could get medical attention. He is not removed from criticism, but he isn't nearly as culpable as hoke is in this case.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:24 AM ^
He wanted Shane to go to the ground to get an injury timeout. That's it. If he wanted Shane to get medical attention, he could have called a timeout to make sure he got it. What were his priorities? We can at least question whether Hoke noticed the injury at the time. Nussmeier noticed it and did nothing to help him.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:37 AM ^
I think I just read that only players and the head coach can call a time-out? Can anyone confirm that? If so, Nuss should have been in Hoke's ear to call a time-out. I personally blame Nuss as much as Hoke for this situation. The video shows that Nuss saw Shane and talked to Shane. I haven't seen any video of Hoke talking to Shane.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:24 AM ^
can call timeouts. Nussmeier could have certainly gotten Shane to call one by not sending in a play.
September 30th, 2014 at 1:38 PM ^
September 30th, 2014 at 9:00 AM ^
Fall to the ground to get medical attention? So you don't have to burn a time out in a game you were clearly not trying to win?
September 30th, 2014 at 1:37 PM ^
September 30th, 2014 at 9:03 AM ^
Nuss isn't totally out of the woods in culpability, but at least people can easily pick out something Nuss had to think about, which is call plays. If Nuss was trying to get Shane to fall over, and Shane wouldn't, then his thought process goes like, ok, I can't do anything about that and I have a job to do before the clock runs out. The reason I point at mainly at Hoke - besides the fact that he's in charge - is that he's not in communication with either of his coordinators and he's not calling plays, so what exactly is he doing?
September 30th, 2014 at 9:11 AM ^
Reminds me of the scene from Office Space. Brady, what would you say ya do here? Apparently nothing.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:30 AM ^
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September 30th, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^
I keep telling you! I'm the one that smooths everything over in the God Damn press conferences!
September 30th, 2014 at 11:15 AM ^
I think that's exactly right. Nuss here's the penalty, has 40 seconds to get the right play called, communicated in, and think if any substitution packages need to be sent in. He then has to immediately start thinking about the next play.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:32 AM ^
Nussmeier did mention at press conference that at first they thought it was now 4th down..but then someone in booth over the headset told them there was a flag and that it was roughing the passer so they would have new set of downs. Then Nuss said the focus was on getting the 1st down play in. Remember he said he didnt see the hit (which is plausible without a replay and being blocked by players on the field) so he may have still thought it was leg injury at that point.
In terms of actual seeing the hit and realizing the possible severity, the staff in the box (Hecklinski and whoever else) would have had the best chance to see that if they have access to replays. This is along the lines of the change in process that Brandon mentioned last night to have a medical staffer watching in the box and having access to the TV broadcast and video replay.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:47 AM ^
Yes. Nuss' place in the blame game is significantly lower than Hoke, coaches in the box, and even the refs. He has to go on what he is being told from up above and then do his job of getting the next play in. One of those other three has to stop the game or tell Nuss to stop the game.
September 30th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^
You can't take anything Nuss said at his press conference as truth regarding the situation around Morris and the hit. Once the press release went out late last night, I'm certain that the coaches were given talking points on what to say around the Morris hit and concussion.
I didn't happen to see Nuss on TV while this was going on. It has been relayed that he was trying to get Morris to lay down. My understanding is that coordinators (and players not n the game) do not have the ability to call a TO. It would have taken a pretty big deviation from standard proceedures for Nuss to get a play stopage. He would have to effectively gone on the field and dragged Morris off. This is probably what he should have done, but there would have been an internal conflict for him of doing his job calling plays / not taking a penalty and doing the right thing for the player.
The person with the easiest solution was the HC who could call a timeout.
September 30th, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^
All he had to do was not send in the next play. Morris would have no option but to call a TO.
October 1st, 2014 at 9:44 AM ^
I don't disagree with you that he could have done that. I'm not sure that in the heat of the moment that he would have come up with that solution.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:55 AM ^
September 30th, 2014 at 10:53 AM ^
There's nothing else Nuss can say in this situation. I don't understand what some people on this site(not saying you) do for a living. Maybe they're business owners or something, but in general, contradicting your boss after he's already given his own version of events is a poor career choice in pretty much any field. He's not going to make the situation any better by contradicting Hoke and he'll make his own situation a lot worse. Expecting Nuss to saying anything other than what Hoke already said is unreasonable.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:16 AM ^
I am at the point where I am willing to give almost everybody besides Hoke a free pass. This is the worst five game stretch that Nussmeier has ever had as an assistant. I still have enough confidence in Nussmeier to hand him the interim reins if it comes down to that.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:38 AM ^
giving nuss the interim job would at least give him the authority to run things. he's been elsewhere (ie. with saban) so he could possibly provide a different perspective on how to get things (like block) done correctly, if placed in charge.
September 30th, 2014 at 11:41 AM ^
I don't want anyone auditioning for the HC job. The problem is that even a very mediocre finish to the season can be seen as promising, considering where we're headed now. The players are almost always in the coach's corner and we'll keep him without a search.
While I don't pretend to know how a coaching search will turn out, I don't think we're risking very much at least trying for a home run hire. We're risking more by not trying. If Nuss turns the offense around, he'll get a look anyway. His chances of doing so are probably better without giving him additional responsibilities.
Whoever the interim is will be expected to give the coordinators free rein to do their jobs. Jackson and Hecklinski have experience at assistant HC, fwiw. I'd rather see one of them or Mattison and everyone knowing they are simply finishing out this season.
September 30th, 2014 at 11:33 AM ^
Nuss was going crazy yelling, gesturing, and doing everything from the sidelines to get Morris to get to the ground. No doubt in my mind that Shane refused.
The ethical question is that should Coach Nuss gone onto the field, taking the penalty to take Shane to the ground. I say yes.
I would also say that every person on the field had a responsibility to help Morris to the ground, willingly or not.
That is something I expect has been made clear and will never be in doubt again.
September 30th, 2014 at 1:10 PM ^
Assistant coaches can't call timeouts, but I would've been much happier with him cartwheeling his way out onto the field to get some play stoppage for a 15-yard penalty.
Or at least tell one of your players to call TO for the love of gawd.
September 30th, 2014 at 1:28 PM ^
is why couldn't Bellomy find his helmet? It didn't make the situation any better that ABC's cameras were following him around as he was bumbling for his helmet.