Snowflakes: Bowl Game Edition - Coaching

Submitted by LSAClassOf2000 on

In this thread, you have an opportunity to discuss your thoughts on the coaching and coaching decisions made in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. 

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Rabbit21

December 29th, 2013 at 1:11 AM ^

Team needs a huge infusion of fresh blood in terms of coaching talent.  Something isn't right and it never will be as long as we stick with a philosophy of continuity.

Joined: 11/12/2009

MGoPoints: 30304

MGJS SuperKick Party

December 29th, 2013 at 1:12 AM ^

This was embarrassing. This was Mississippi State embarrassing. Atleast 90% of people are asleep.

Borges was okay today, but he couldn't run fakes for Shane so he didn't have to spin before throwing the ball?

The defense has regressed the past 3 years. Why didnt we make adjustments. Why were our corners playing off the line... They aren't that good Greg, give them safety help.

Hoke is out coached every time. He is lost, and I am beginning to question if he's the right coach for us. I don't want to hear an excuse about how were young, or we didn't execute... Take responsibility for once please.

Joined: 08/04/2010

MGoPoints: 14460

JD_UofM_90

December 29th, 2013 at 1:51 AM ^

Less than 2 minutes left in the half, and we go under center in the I formation. WTF coaches. No one on the KSU team was thinking, "boy, they are going to run the ball here." Stupid wasted play again by our offense. Also, 1st 2 possessions when Al has his plays scripted, we move the ball. Rest of the game, Al can't read the defensive adjustments to exploit their weaknesses.

Joined: 11/09/2009

MGoPoints: 5145

KSmooth

December 29th, 2013 at 2:54 AM ^

I'm afraid you may be right about this. Brandon sees Michigan football as a brand to be marketed and monetized rather than as a tradition to be preserved.

Paradoxically, Brandon is stuck on a hidebound version of what makes up a "Michigan Man" that is based on a simplistic view of the man who coached the team when he played there -- Bo Schembechler.

What people don't realize about Bo was how much he adapted. His teams evolved over time -- Schembechler wasn't an innovator but he sure paid attention to what others were doing and if it worked, he was liable to use it. If you don't believe me, go ahead and peruse some of the old Wolverine Historian videos and pay attention to formations and playcalling.

Dave Brandon needs to realize that "Michigan Man" does not necessarily equal "Manball". Michigan's tradition precedes Bo Schembechler (great as he was) and at its core is winning with integrity. You can smashmouth it, spread it, or sling it, as long as you win honestly.

But if you can't do that, all the canned music, flyovers, light shows, neutral site games, and uniform number gimmicks in the world won't paper that over.

I honestly don't know what to do with this coaching staff right now, but if I were Brandon, right now I'd be stripping all the marketing crap away -- just to send a message to the rest of the program -- and then I'd be thinking about what kind of coaching staff gives us the best chance to win.

Joined: 11/14/2009

MGoPoints: 3783

stephenrjking

December 29th, 2013 at 1:14 AM ^

I knew Michigan would lose. I knew, frankly, that there wasn't much to take from the game either way. With Devin in maybe the offense has a spark and we're looking at a 24-24 game late or something.
But I'm growing skeptical. It sounds like there won't be changes. If so, I'm actually fine with that. Let Hoke work and sweat and labor to make next year' s team good. Maybe it can come together.
The schedule is tough, so I don't expect a playoff berth. But if they lose to both MSU and OSU, they had better win every other game. 9-3 with losses to both rivals should be fireable next year, unless some VERY unusual circumstances happen.
Next year is sink or swim. Fun time is over.

Joined: 03/15/2012

MGoPoints: 20143524

stephenrjking

December 29th, 2013 at 1:34 AM ^

Delusional to say "I don't expect a playoff berth?"
Or something else?
9 wins is ok on occasion, down years and all that. But 9 wins does not earn a Rose Bowl berth, and certainly doesn't merit national playoff contention, and those are goals that Michigan should have and at least occasionally reach.
If, in Hoke's 4th year, he can only achieve 9 wins with a roster consisting mostly of his recruits, than it is likely he will never be able to do much better than that. I might be willing to mitigate that if there are some important wins (say, OSU), but otherwise I will be off the wagon. More importantly, Dave Brandon will probably feel the same way.

Joined: 03/15/2012

MGoPoints: 20143524

WolverineHistorian

December 29th, 2013 at 1:23 AM ^

Funny you should bring up the schedule because that's making me dread next year. We have the worst home schedule in school history with our biggest games being Penn State and Minnesota. No rival teams traveling to the big house for the first time in 48 years, a second consecutive trip to East Lansing, a trip to Columbus where nothing has gone right in 13 years, a trip to South Bend where Notre Dame traditionally gets away with flukey shit and help from the refs. Combine that with a coaching staff that doesn't improve the players over the course of the season. This is not making me feel good.

Joined: 08/10/2009

MGoPoints: 55432

stephenrjking

December 29th, 2013 at 1:58 AM ^

Typical mindless straw-man argument: "I think Brandon is an idiot, so I think he'll leave Hoke to protect his image."
So I must conclude that you believe that Brandon doesn't care about money. That puts you at odds with most of the board.
Why do I say this? Because if Michigan scrapes together a mere 7 wins next season, they will be bowl eligible. Apparently good enough for your view of DB. But if DB cares about money, your logic falls apart.
Because next year will be a tough sell for tickets as it is. There's a chance the 100k streak will be broken. Some season tix holders are already turning theirs in.
If Michigan is this bad next year, the apathy will become open revolt. Doners will start seriously grumbling. No-shows will become a problem. Booing will be rife. The negative feelings will attract national attention.
And DB will see, just like with RR, that Michigan athletics will have serious money problems if the staff is retained after another season like this one. The fanbase will be pushed past it's breaking point, and only a new regime could possibly provide the hope necessary to retain the base.
And he would make the change.
The good news? There's talent on this team. The right coach can win and win big with these players.
We find out next year if we have the right coach.

Joined: 03/15/2012

MGoPoints: 20143524

TheNema

December 29th, 2013 at 2:19 AM ^

You don't know anything about Michigan's finances yet. Right now, you are relying on "I'm not gonna pay the PSD for this crap!" rumblings you've read online. Time will tell if those people walk the walk.

There are deep emotional connections to Michigan football that are no so easily severed. That's why Brandon operates the way he does. He thinks he has found his Suckerville.

If Brandon fires Hoke, he is admitting he screwed up the biggest decision a UM AD can make. If he is at UM for the long haul, it's one thing. I am of the mind that he wants to be Governor, a Senator or run another Fortune 500 company in the future. His image is crucial.

 

 

Joined: 12/18/2013

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stephenrjking

December 29th, 2013 at 2:39 AM ^

I'm relying on what I see with my eyes and hear with my ears. On what my mother, season ticket holder and Stephen Ross Business School graduate (masters degree) talks about. And on a logical analysis, rather than an emotional broadbrush cartoon of a person I have invented in my own mind.

If you think that holding on to a mediocre football coach as your loyal fanbase streams for the exits and stops donating and spending money is good for one's image, you must have a funny idea of how one gets elected in politics. Frankly, you've allowed your dislike of Brandon to cloud your judgment, to the point that you will believe anything you imagine about him as long as its bad. Thus you invent an evil genius who is so corrupt that he will deliberately make bad business decisions if you think the decision is wrong.

If you think people won't flee for the exits if Michigan has a rough season next year, you haven't watched much college football in other venues lately. You haven't seen how Tennessee's mediocrity has bled passion out of its fanbase, and left it with not-infrequent empty seats in its gorgeous stadium. You haven't seen the thousands of empty seats at places like the Swamp, whose fanbase is allegedly as passionate as any in the country. You haven't seen the empty seats at Beaver Stadium, home of a fanbase still known for its passion and cohesion even as it began having a hard time selling out even before the Sandusky scandal beset them with chaos. You didn't see all the empty seats at Auburn last season, a fanbase two years removed from a perfect season. And you clearly didn't hear Nick Saban begging Alabama students to show up to cheer on perhaps the most dominant football team of my lifetime.

College football lives on a bubble. It is very close to deflating. People are emotionally attached to Michigan football and always will be; however, if the emotions associated with actually attending games becomes almost universally negative, people will stop seeing that as a good way to spend their many hundreds or thousands of dollars.

And Brandon, a businessman, will see that disaster looms. And he will make a change. 

Joined: 03/15/2012

MGoPoints: 20143524

bighouse22

December 29th, 2013 at 12:29 PM ^

If next year is as bad as this year and Brandon gives Hoke another season, then you have to start to look at the Athletic Department leadership.  At that point you have to wonder whether they are placing relationships and pride above winning.  They have both been hired to demonstrate results not line their pocketbooks.  You have a coaching staff paid top ten money and an AD that is the highest paid staffer at Michigan. 

Results are what matter!  Period!

Joined: 10/29/2013

MGoPoints: 2912

uminks

December 29th, 2013 at 1:51 AM ^

Playoffs!  Given the tougher schedule in 2014 and the fact that many of the B1G teams may actually improve more then we willnext season, I think we will be lucky to see 8 wins, probably another year like this one even though the team may improve through the season.

I'm just glad we did not have to play OKST, LSU or Georgia. It would have been even uglier.

The coaching was poor! I'm disappointed that this game really was not even close. KSU dominated us. They were much more physical and looked a lot faster. This is actually kind of alarming.

Joined: 11/10/2009

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