VIDEO: Hoke, Lewan, Gardner, Roh Monday Presser
November 5th, 2012 at 1:39 PM ^
We are all M supporters and I like Hoke as much as the next guy, but anybody who says he's doing anything other than exploiting the players injuries to alter the oppositions preparation is fooling themselves. Hoke had both Denard and Bellomy dress for the last game. He knew neither would play but had them both as a "gametime decision." Now it looks like Bellomy is out for the year and Denard could be as well. We all know Denard's elbow is injured. Is he really being coy about the injury to "protect" the player? How so?
November 5th, 2012 at 1:59 PM ^
This Hoke injury thing has been a hot button issue on this blog recently. I just don't see why it matters. He said Denard practiced. He said Denard was trying to get healthier. That's enough. Why say Denard will be out - even if Hoke knows he will be, and I doubt he knows definitely - and take away another thing NW must prepare for? And what exactly is the problem with Hoke not speaking on the specifics of the Bellomy injury? And what in actuality does Hoke gain by passing over the Bellomy question, besides protecting Bellomy? This whole argument seems much ado about nothing.
November 5th, 2012 at 2:18 PM ^
Agreed. This is football, not national security, and as curious as I am about Russell Bellomy's injury (as much as you), I'm not sure why Brady Hoke has any obligation to reveal it.
November 5th, 2012 at 2:20 PM ^
You pose a lot of good questions. The whole "why is this a big deal" thing starts with the media. Media members are paid to report about their respective teams. When coaches are coy about injuries it makes their job hard as they don't have much to report. When the media's job becomes harder they complain - and they are vocal. And believe me it isn't just Hoke - look at how much of a stir Lane Kiffin caused earlier this year over injury non-disclosure.
November 5th, 2012 at 2:55 PM ^
Making the media's job easier is not Hoke's concern.
November 5th, 2012 at 3:27 PM ^
Hoke is trying to win games, and he doesn't exactly owe anything to the media.
But Hoke -- anybody -- is going to be facing a very angry media, if he actively misleads them. The choices on injuries are these: 1) tell the truth, 2) decline to comment on injuries and current player status so as not to help opponents prepare, or 3) actively mislead everyone in pressers and other interviews, so as to "fool" opponents, through the press.
The press knows how to deal with 1) and 2). Actually, they know how to deal with 3) as well. In the case of 3), one real option is to counter-attack the subject who is supplying misinformation, make him look bad and expose him as untruthful.
But as we have found out, that might be just one motivation for the press. Press motivation can be a very complicated and very tricky thing.
November 5th, 2012 at 5:27 PM ^
He has many hundred thousand (million?) Michigan fans on his side, has a football team to coach, and isn't actually doing anything wrong. I doubt he cares if Drew Sharp or any of the 10 other media memebers gets their panties in a knot
November 5th, 2012 at 1:57 PM ^
So you think Hoke wanted his 1st and 2nd string quarterbacks to get injured just so he could fool Minnesotas preparation?
Ill let you in on a little secret HE DIDN'T. He wants to win, not "exploit" player's injuries only to stump the opposition.
November 5th, 2012 at 2:03 PM ^
Exploit, per Merriam Webster, means "to make productive use of." I am not insinuating in any way that he wanted his players to get injured, rather he is using the injuries in a "productive way" i.e. keeping the opposition on their toes.
November 5th, 2012 at 2:10 PM ^
hoke is not using his players' injuries to his advantage as much as preventing the opposition from using it to their advantage. there is no 'productive use' in your own players being injured.
November 5th, 2012 at 4:00 PM ^
Exactly. What does Michigan gain by divulging our injuries? On the other side, what do we lose? Well, if Minnesota was able to gameplan for non-Denard, they maybe have done better defensively. I hope Hoke gives as little info as humanly possible on this stuff.
Would the media like details on these injuries? Sure. They'd also like details on what cool plays Hoke might use against OSU, but I don't want Hoke to tell them that.
November 5th, 2012 at 3:14 PM ^
disingenuous.
Also per Webster:
: to make use of meanly or unfairly for one's own advantage <exploiting migrant farm workers>
November 5th, 2012 at 3:16 PM ^
Also, it was an away game. And there was 0!! percent chance that I was going to play. We had opportunities in practice to earn a chance to travel with the team.
And thats not even counting the home games!!
November 5th, 2012 at 1:53 PM ^
Lewan... Nice mane
November 5th, 2012 at 2:13 PM ^
Taylor is bringing back the underclassman snark. I love it.
November 5th, 2012 at 2:21 PM ^
Football smart is an excuse for dumb people to say they're smart at something, I guess
I'm sorry but this is just hilarious
November 5th, 2012 at 2:27 PM ^
and i like how he clarified that most of the dumb people he knows are 'back home'.
November 5th, 2012 at 3:16 PM ^
That was followed by a media member asking Craig Roh about the story Lewan related about his HS game and the score. Dear media - they have boo-boos. You bring it on yourself.
November 5th, 2012 at 3:22 PM ^
When are we going to fix this iOS6/YouTube bug?!?!
*self inflicted eye gouge*
November 5th, 2012 at 3:47 PM ^
I thought apple devices didn't have bugs?
November 5th, 2012 at 4:18 PM ^
It's a feature, not a bug.
November 5th, 2012 at 3:27 PM ^
The first question to Taylor was pretty goofy and so was the answer from Lewan. Offensive line play has been a major concern all year in every game so obviously it's a problem and NOT an easy fix. If it was an easy fix it would have been a non issue by now. I know depth is a huge issue as is Mealer being a first year center ( first year ever) but if it han't turned around by now it probably won't without some personel changes.
Some teams wheren't pass rushing Denard and just worrying about contain so it made the pass blocking look better than it was. I think we saw what it's really like the last 2 weeks with Devin and Bellamy as the QB. Until the O line blocks a lot better this is a very limited offense
November 5th, 2012 at 3:46 PM ^
Allow me to paraphrase the exchange:
Clueless reporter: "Taylor, why does your position group suck so much?"
Taylor: "We don't suck."
November 5th, 2012 at 4:05 PM ^
These questions are terrible.... How much under center stuff did you work on?
All of it.
November 5th, 2012 at 5:38 PM ^
Cool enough to button the top button of his shirt, cool enough to do whatever his team needs him to do.
I was slow to buy into the Gardner hype (for no legitimate reasons, apparently), but I look forward to seeing his role increase through next year. He totally deserves the opportunity.
November 6th, 2012 at 12:01 AM ^
Seems like a level-headed guy