Hoke post-Brandon firing: "Maybe I just don’t care anymore."

Submitted by SAMgO on October 12th, 2018 at 9:53 AM

Angelique had an entry in this morning's "The worst team I ever covered" in The Athletic to discuss the 2014 football team. The whole entry is fascinating, including Hoke having a preseason premonition that that year would be his last, but this paragraph really stood out:

After Brandon’s departure, Hoke, who would hold pressers on Monday and a short update on Wednesday, seemed to be a little more at ease when talking to us. In fact, they seemed to be some of his best pressers. I walked with him toward the podium on Wednesday and I told him just that, that he seemed more relaxed and the pressers were more information. He looked at me and said, “Maybe I just don’t care anymore.” That comment took me by surprise. But maybe he knew what was coming. Maybe, somehow, he knew in April.

Good riddance.

TrueBlue2003

October 12th, 2018 at 2:05 PM ^

Completely agree 100%.

No one can deny that Hoke loved Michigan and cared about this place and cared about winning to the best of his (admittedly limited) ability.

I read that as him not caring anymore about trying to talk in "coach-speak" and tip-toeing around which information he should share with the media, etc.  He was frustratingly coy in the early parts of his tenure and I think he was saying that he doesn't care about being so careful about being that way anymore.

That is the exact context in which he said this.  It was not in response to anything related to football, it was about press conferences.

As such, this is a terrible clickbait headline, OP.  Just stop.  Let it go.

Section 1.8

October 12th, 2018 at 9:59 AM ^

I am seeing comments that seem suggestive of Hoke's meaning that he didn't care about his job as the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Head Football Coach of the University of Michigan.

I don't read it that way.  

I see Hoke as saying, "I don't care" about his interactions with the press and performances in press conferences.  Now; that is a very, very big part of the job of head football coach in the Big Ten Conference.  It would be a mistake for Hoke to take that attitude and/or say it.  I will never believe that Brady Hoke ever stopped caring about his players, and developing them, and doing everything he could to lead the team to wins.

Also: kudos to Angelique Chengelis, the best Michigan football beat reporter in a generation.  She didn't publish this story at a time when it would have hurt Michigan football players.  But she is publishing it now, as we say farewell to the last players coached by Hoke at Michigan.

 

 

Brimley

October 12th, 2018 at 11:18 AM ^

None?  C'mon.  It's not a zero sum situation where all Hoke stuff = awful.  And before anyone cites The Mattison Exception to Development Meme, please be reminded that Mattison plainly said he wouldn't have come back for anyone except Hoke.  Hoke was not a good head coach, but he did some really good things in his time here, including develop some players.

I Like Burgers

October 12th, 2018 at 3:11 PM ^

He was a dogshit coach, and dogshit at running a big time program.  These are long established facts.  People on this site deservedly flamed him up and down for what happened to Michigan during his time here.

And yet...a bunch of you clowns are now trying to defend him and pretend we all didn't flame him on his way out??

 

"Oooohhhh...he had some decent recruits, and was a nice guy..."

Fuck outta here man...being a nice guy and pulling in some recruits (that didn't do shit while you were coaching) doesn't mean fuck all when it comes to being a good coach or leader of a program.

jmblue

October 12th, 2018 at 10:32 AM ^

The MGoBoard LOVED Brady Hoke when he was hired.

No, it did not.  This community was very down on the hire.  It was assumed that Denard would transfer.  There was a lot of "We just became Notre Dame" comments.  A handful of posters urged people to give him a chance and they were negbanged.

Things changed dramatically over the next week though.  First, Denard announced he was staying.  Then, Greg Mattison came aboard as the DC.  After that the tide here turned in Hoke's favor.  By the spring we were hearing about how Michigan jerseys were selling like hotcakes in Ohio.  But the initial reaction was VERY negative.

As for Brian, he was like a lot of people - very anti-Hoke at first but on the bandwagon soon thereafter.  He was more consistently anti-Borges, although he did sing Borges's praises on a few occasions.

JD_UofM_90

October 12th, 2018 at 11:01 AM ^

Speaking of Borges.  Remember how he had 15 plays scripted at the beginning of each game that made you think “where was this all year?”  And then the offense and play calling would revert back to the norm for the rest of the game. It sucks that this years team has issues getting going on offense at the beginning of the game, but at least we adapt and adjust as the game goes on.  

evenyoubrutus

October 12th, 2018 at 10:41 AM ^

That is completely untrue. I remember Brian's announcement, the headline read simply: "It's Hoke." From the moment it seemed like it could be a possibility, there was an ominous tone about it around the blog. The closest we ever came to "loving" him was the point when he seemed to be finding successful coordinators who would run the Xs & Os for him. But it was never "we love this hire."

The Maize Mafia

October 12th, 2018 at 10:59 AM ^

Your first sentence is not true. My stance at the time of his hiring was: Even if he turns out to be good, this will have been a lucky hire, not a good hire. And I was absolutely not the only person in that camp. After his first season, it was very much: The outcome was positive, but the team was not good.

The process and the hire were always failures. At best, people were hoping to be able to deploy cliches about blind squirrels and broken clocks. 

I agree with your last two sentences.

LSAClassOf2000

October 12th, 2018 at 11:09 AM ^

Yes, the initial reception to Hoke on this board was that it was a highly underwhelming hire, which it was, and that if it turned out somehow that it worked, it would probably be a lot more due to sound assistant hires than because of Hoke himself. We felt a lot better about it as 2011 progressed, and then 2012, 2013 and 2014 happened. The 2014 Minnesota game and the Morris incident more or less sealed it for anyone who had not already had enough of Hoke, as I recall. 

Space Coyote

October 12th, 2018 at 11:23 AM ^

Yeah, that's my recollection too. 

The initially hire was perceived as anywhere from underwhelming to not liked. Then there was the first presser, which say what you will, Hoke knocked it out the park. That got people on board at least. Leading up that first year, Hoke at least talked-the-talk and seemed to walk-the-walk. People were still hesitant, though Under the Lights got some people on board (probably incorrectly, due to the sheer luck involved in that game) but then he kept winning. Things got a little shakey with losses to MSU and Iowa, but the Nebraska game I think was a high point and ended with a win against OSU and a BSC win (both of which you take however you can get them). 

2012 started out showing just how far Michigan still had to go. The results themselves were up and down, but how Gardner looked at the end of 2012 and the continuing solid performance of the defense showed promising signs, even if the love for Hoke was starting to plateau. Then 2013 happened. Cause for concern with some closer than expected wins, and then it all fell apart at MSU. From there it was anywhere from a gradual to a immediate down hill, depending on the person. I don't really think there was anyone fully on the bandwagon post 2014-Minnesota (still people that supported Hoke, but no one I think arguing that he for sure should keep his job).

PopeLando

October 12th, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^

I took the rollercoaster ride, myself... 

I didn't support RichRod being fired until the abysmal bowl game (was not aware at the time about his behavior).

Then I wanted him gone, but wanted a head coach who would use a running QB. Basically I wanted Les Miles.

I did not like the hiring of Brady Hoke.

Then 2011 happened, and I admitted I was wrong.

Then 2012 happened, and I thought that I might have been wrong about being wrong.

Then 2013 happened, and I thought that we were probably an OC away from being good.

Then 2014 happened, and I fell into the Pit of Despair, and Prince Humperdinck sucked 50 years off my life for daring to love Michigan football.

Now, having gone through all that, I'm pretty down on Hoke not just as a football coach but as a leader. I think it's unconscionable to put the safety and wellbeing of players into his hands. He's nice and I don't question his love of Michigan, but his incompetence is dangerous. 

Gitback

October 12th, 2018 at 10:45 AM ^

Christ.  "Trash"??  Really?  

He was in over his head, but "trash" is just... I dunno... c'mon man.  

Jerry Sandusky is "trash." 

Brady Hoke was just not good enough.  

The world not only needs to adjust it's OUTRAGE!!! meter but it needs to start checking its word choices.  If "trash" is somehow an accurate word to describe Brady Hoke, then what words describe someone like Rick Pitino?