Hoke NFL Caliber Coach per Analyst

Submitted by Roy G. Biv on

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120619/SPORTS0201/206190422/1131/sports0201/Michigan-s-Brady-Hoke-might-NFL-coaching-material-ex-QB-says

Per Brock Huard, on the radio in Seattle.  I can see his point. Hoke obviously isn't afraid to surround himself with quality assistants and has a very good sideline demeanor.  Quite a compliment for a guy who was supposed to be no better than M's 3rd choice.

Conspicuous for his inclusion among other NFL-quality coaches is Brian Kelly.  I don't think purple-faced implosions would play well in the NFL.

JeepinBen

June 20th, 2012 at 12:29 PM ^

Hoke seems like more of a college guy than an NFL guy to me, he enjoys the leadership/teaching that comes with college kids (at least IMO). But he does have the CEO type attributes that lead to success, I could see him succeeding in the NFL if he wanted to (but I doubt he will).

And in terms of Kelly, that kind of tirade won't fly with millionaires. Pros can tune out good, established coaches and get them fired, I don't think NFL players would respect this very much:

beevo

June 20th, 2012 at 9:16 PM ^

I've thought this since day one.  Hoke has his dream job and will/has poured everything into it.  I feel, if the winning percentage is above .680 or so, that Hoke will pull a Lloyd type career logging between 12-15 years before hanging it up.  I don't think he will permanently leave though....he'll hang around in some capacity and that is a good thing.  I would love to see the man win a NC as I think we would appreciate it a bit more than the typical BCS egoist coach. 

SamirCM

June 20th, 2012 at 12:36 PM ^

If mothers and fathers of top level high school football players are willing to send their sons to play for Kelly, I think he will be fine in the NFL where the players should be able to handle such yelling (they are getting paid millions after all). 

JeepinBen

June 20th, 2012 at 12:47 PM ^

I'm saying they would tune him out after a while. The ND players certainly have at times. No eye contact, no desire, the way he is talking to them isn't motivating college kids to play better. Will that work with professionals?

yoyo

June 20th, 2012 at 12:42 PM ^

This is pretty silly.  The guy lists chip kelly and brian kelly on his top 5 of NFL ready coaches and both run spreads that would never work in the NFL.  Also, Brian Kelly lacks the rsume of an NFL coach.

BigBlue02

June 20th, 2012 at 1:29 PM ^

Ah yes, all those extremely talented running backs and wide receivers they are working with like Kevin Faulk and 90 year old Deon Branch. The only constants they have had are Tom Brady and Wes Welker, who aren't extremely talented, just extremely smart. The Patriots have had one of the best offenses in the league with Tom Brady handing off to no one and having 1 legit main target (Moss)

Mitch Cumstein

June 20th, 2012 at 1:47 PM ^

Not that I'm agreeing with the spread doesn't work in the NFL guy, but the Pats have a pretty solid O-Line too.  Also, I think people tend to lump in all "spread" type offenses into sweeping statements.  For instance,  I haven't seen a mobile QB rushing type spread work consistently in the NFL.  Please let me know if I'm missing something.  On the other hand, the west coast type passing spread has been very successful.  The term "spread" isn't as all-encompassing as it is used on this board. 

Tater

June 20th, 2012 at 2:25 PM ^

The spread works in the NFL; it's just the "option" part that doesn't.  The Run and Shoot turned the worst franchise in the league into one that actually made the playoffs.  The return of the Lions to the "typical" NFL offense under Bobby Ross was so bad that Barry Sanders retired rather than face the consequences of what would have been multiple concussions.  

NFL teams have used the spread since the 1970's; they call it the "two-minute offense."  It's no accident that teams often score more in the last few minutes of the game than the rest of the game combined.  

The reason it hasn't been used more is coaching politics.  Coaches hate change, and the last thing the "old guard" wanted was to have their apple carts upset, especially after it took so long to build them.  

The new form of an NFL offense, when it fully arrives, will probably be called a "hybrid," but it will mostly be standard NFL plays out of spread formations.  Most of all, though, they will keep the "Billy Bob runs it up the middle" play for the red zone and for running out the clock.  That will answer and silence the main objection to anything resembling the run and shoot or spread for years.

TheTruth41

June 20th, 2012 at 2:27 PM ^

When your cable goes out you get bored.

When you get bored you coach Notre Dame football.

When you coach Notre Dame football you think you're better than you are.

When you think you're better than you are you go to the NFL.

When you go to the NFL you attempt to coach Ray Lewis.

When you attempt to coach Ray Lewis you get the evil eyes.

And when you get the evil eyes you wind up dead.

Don't wind up dead and switch to Direct TV.

...now only for pictures/.gif slides.

FrankMurphy

June 20th, 2012 at 12:48 PM ^

A lot of coaches are smart to not fall for the lure of coaching at the so-called "next level". Hoke is one of them. He'll never leave for the NFL, even if he could be successful and make more money there. When Nick Saban left the Dolphins for 'Bama, he likened coaching in the NFL to working in a factory. That's an apt metaphor. As an NFL coach, you're not in charge of building and maintaining a program. You're just a foreman who is paid to supervise employees who make more money than you and whom you have no authority to hire or fire. The mentorship aspect of coaching is also less pronounced in the NFL, since the players are all grown men whose skills and personalities have already been shaped to some extent. 

Ali G Bomaye

June 20th, 2012 at 2:33 PM ^

The annual salaries might be good in the NFL, but I wouldn't be surprised if a top college coach can make almost as much in the long term.  Coaches who last more than 4-5 years at one stop are rare in the NFL, whereas a reasonably good coach of a major program (other than Notre Dame) can last anywhere from 10 years to as long as he wants.  Seeing as the money is in the silly range anyway, I know I would take the certainty and stability over the constant possibility of getting fired over one bad season and having to uproot my family every few years.

blueneverquits

June 20th, 2012 at 12:51 PM ^

if Brock Huard says so, then I guess that settles it.  Up next, an article where Bobby Higginson says Carol Hutchins could manage in the majors.  They're running out of stuff to print this summer.

pdgoblue25

June 20th, 2012 at 12:58 PM ^

I think Brian Kelly is an A-hole, but Charlie Weis was a very successful NFL coach that failed at ND like every coach has since Lou Holtz.  I don't think being an A-hole and failing at ND (possibly) can be the only criteria used for judging a Coach's NFL potential.

Ali G Bomaye

June 20th, 2012 at 2:42 PM ^

The most impressive thing on Weis' resume is his one season with the Chiefs, when he coordinated the 12th ranked offense in the NFL despite having Matt Cassel at QB.  In five years with the Patriots - with a future Hall of Famer at QB - the Patriots ranked 22nd, 19th, 21st, 17th, and 7th in the NFL in offense.

Somehow people still regard him as an offensive mastermind, presumably because he won 3 Super Bowls with a dominant defense, even though he's never coordinated a very good offense.

Bobby Digital

June 20th, 2012 at 12:56 PM ^

Describing Kelly as an NLF-quality coach is a hell of an unintentional insult. I like to picture the NLF as a knockoff upstart with teams like the Oakland Pirates and the Green Bay Sackers. TO is on a roster. It will fold within three months.