Finally espn acknowledges this is about more than Saturday.
http://m.espn.go.com/ncf/story?storyId=11619074
Also of note mgoblog is mentioned and so is our faithful leader Ryan Cook. ALL HAIL RYAN!!!
September 30th, 2014 at 9:35 PM ^
Meanwhile, Desmond Howard is defending DB on Twitter. Says this is all due to mob mentality and Michigan being 2-3....
September 30th, 2014 at 9:38 PM ^
So Desmond wants Hoke out but still wants to be invited back for the 25th reunion in 2016?
September 30th, 2014 at 9:38 PM ^
September 30th, 2014 at 11:38 PM ^
after choosing his crony for coach who now has the program spiraling downward.
It's about being smug.
Oh, and the $3 for two tickets that cost loyal customers over $200 (effectively) wasn't exactly endearing.
So the dry tinder conditions were there. And when the fanbase was stonewalled and deceived for over two days until the 1AM announcement, the spark was lit and the disgust spread like wildfire.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:43 PM ^
Yes because if this coaching staff were competent to have posted a 5-0 record this year they still would have been INcompetent enough to allow this whole fiasco to happen.
People parading this narrative just can't comprehend that the two issues are both symptoms of the same problem. This coaching staff is so incompetent they are literally unwittingly putting players in harms way.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:40 PM ^
Yes, broadly speaking, they are symptoms of the same problem. The issue is that people aren't presenting it as such. The media is portraying it as the most irresponsible, horrific coaching mistake in football history, the writers for this blog suggested it was a fireable offense by itself, and the fanbase is acting like their moral outrage has nothing to do with the fact that the team is losing.
So let's just be honest about what's really going on here. Hoke and his staff are really bad at managing a football program, and this incident is just the latest in a long line of incompetent actions. That line has finally pushed people over the edge. But please tone down the self-righteousness. It's reaching an incredibly ridiculous level, as is pretty much everything about this story.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:56 PM ^
No, you clearly have no idea what it's about. No one is saying they are morally superior and so now they will protest to show it (or I should say the vast majority is not this way). This staff's incompetence is manifesting itself repeatedly in many ways (one is the team's performance, one is Hoke's incoherent, intelligence-insulting press conferences, etc) Brandon continues to cover for him while also insulting our intelligence, and now when we talk about player safety the fear is that things like this will CONTINUE to happen because the people in charge of their safety are not competent enough to know how to handle it.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:59 PM ^
Okay, I completely disagree, and I don't see any evidence that supports your opinion. That's okay. Have a good night.
September 30th, 2014 at 11:02 PM ^
Okay thanks.
September 30th, 2014 at 11:26 PM ^
September 30th, 2014 at 10:31 PM ^
I don't really get why people are unwilling to accept the possibility that a winning coaching staff could screw up a player safety issue. It happens all the time. Remember when Gholston at MSU was passed out on the field for minutes before returning to that same game later on? I must have missed the MSU protests on that one.
Just think about this example. Hoke wins the B1G in 2013, is 4-0 heading into Minny. Shane is the clear starter. In a tie game in the fourth quarter, the same hit happens, and the staff handles it exactly they way they did here. You think we're protesting in the street over it? Demanding a firing? I sure as hell don't.
September 30th, 2014 at 11:55 PM ^
Had Brady came out Saturday night and said, "Yeah, after reviewing the film, we absolutely should have put Shane through the protocol immediately after the hit", then this would be one more thing for the list or reasons for dissatisfaction and with the calls for an end of season coaching change and the calls for an AD change from the guy who charges us $$$$ while choosing a crappy football coach.
But no, Brady had to stonewall through the Monday afternoon presser, and Brandon was AWOL (intentionally, I suspect) until the 1AM announcement, effectively withholding information while Brady was misleading the public.
That's a giant 48 hour FU to the fanbase.
Guess what, most of us are enraged at the FU.
October 1st, 2014 at 12:13 AM ^
I dunno man, Brian's game column, written before all of that, calls for the immediate firing based on the on-field conduct. And he's the one leading the charge.
October 1st, 2014 at 8:49 AM ^
This aggrivates me more than it should.
Brian's comments were mine exactly.
He NEVER said what you're saying he said.
He said Brady's on-field conduct warranted him to be fired...but not now, at the end of the season, respectfully and honorably (as you can fire someone).
THIS situation calls for Hoke to be fired, NOW.
THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE! People keep talking about this 4-0 bullshit without knowing what they are talking about.
The Morris situation is why many people want Hoke fired NOW and not in December. Yes they still wanted him gone, but the pitchforks are out because of the Morris situation, not because we lost and we suck. Those pitchforks usually go away by the next Monday (see after the Utah loss if you think I'm lying).
And if Hoke was coming off a national championship and 4-0, you've changed the entire scenario...because people would still be extremely upset about the Morris situation. But if you're coming off a national championship and 4-0, you haven't shown incompetence in so many other ways that this doesn't become the final straw.
The way this situation was handled was just the final straw for people who have always been frustrated with Hoke's incompetence. If it was the first straw...even without a national championship and 4-0, I don't think as many people are calling for his head.
For example, take out your winning scenario. Let's use mine instead. What if this was Hoke's 5th game of his CAREER at Michigan? And he's still 2-3 and the year has gone the exact same way. Would people want him fired then? No probably not. Why? Because they haven't had 4 years of BULLSHIT that leads to the Morris incident.
But it's not 4 years ago and we do have that bullshit...so this is certainly okay and warranted. PERIOD.
October 1st, 2014 at 10:21 AM ^
By "on-field" conduct, I was referring to the Morris situation, not the actual football performance. Sorry, could have been more clear about that. All I was pointing out was that Brian called for an immediate firing before the AD bungled the press statements and the Monday Hoke conference and all of that.
I don't disagree with Brian. I don't disagree with anything you said either--I agree with the "final straw" argument. I would like Brady and Brandon fired, whenever. The ONLY thing I have been saying in my comments is that people are not making the "final straw" argument--they are acting like the PRIMARY reason for the firing is the concussion situation. It's not--I think the primary reason for the firing, in most people's minds, is the on-field performance, and the concussion situation provides an easy way to make it look like everyone cares so much about safety, when they do not. Indeed, I think if we were winning, not only would people not be calling for a firing, I think they would be interpreting all of the evidence to favor Hoke and indicate he did nothing wrong, much like they did with the Gibbons scandal when Hoke was relatively in favor.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:43 PM ^
September 30th, 2014 at 9:40 PM ^
I think he is right. This didnt happen with the Gibbons issue (at least anywhere near this degree).
September 30th, 2014 at 9:42 PM ^
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September 30th, 2014 at 9:49 PM ^
you obviously mean losses. I've never heard them refered to as data points, but yes, they could be.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:52 PM ^
I think the data points he was referring to are the 2 cokes for tickets and Morris incident.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:02 PM ^
or Brandon alienating students and fans without 5 figure salaries.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:14 PM ^
Unless you are a student, if you don't have a five figure salary you probably don't have a job and have bigger worries than UM's football team. I doubt Brandon has alienated the unemployed, although he could probably find a way.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:23 PM ^
September 30th, 2014 at 10:19 PM ^
Yeah, because when the Gibbons story really started to take off last November, everybody loved Hoke. No one was at all pissed about 27-for-27 in Happy Valley, the utter beatdown in East Lansing, the second straight negative rushing performance a week later against Nebraska, or the collapse against Iowa. Everyone thought Hoke rocked, especially at choosing subordinates. There was no grumbling about his job performance whatsoever.
Or it could just be this particular data point was the final straw.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:34 PM ^
The problem with the "final straw" argument is that people aren't saying this is the final straw. They're saying no one should stand for a staff putting a player at risk--that Michigan is above that. But the fact is, they would stand for it if that staff were successful.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:43 PM ^
Three years ago against MSU Denard's head was slammed so hard on the ground his mouth piece came flying out and he was on his hands and knees shaking his head. Though Michigan would eventually lose it would only be the first loss of what was becoming a magical season. Fans didn't give a damn about Denard and a possible head injury, they cared about win baby, win.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:46 PM ^
The problem with people like you is you are putting words in other people's mouths. I think if this staff were competent and somehow made an honest mistake that lead to this situation, it would be forgiveable because we would feel that it likely would not happen again. Instead, we know this happened because we have enough of a track record to know how unbelievably incompetent this staff really is, and so we are AFRAID that this could continue to happen if this staff is allowed to remain, or similar things like it.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:55 PM ^
I think that's a reasonable view, but I don't see it as what most other people are saying. I also don't think the ability to coach a winning football team and the ability to make reasonable decisons regarding player injury are all that correlated, so they fact that we can't block an inside zone doesn't really make me think the staff can't be trusted to decide whether Shane should come out. But that's just an opinion, and I respect yours.
September 30th, 2014 at 11:01 PM ^
Okay I get what you're saying, and we all have our own perspective so perhaps you have heard different comments than I have from others. This may not relate to whether they can block inside-zone, but I would relate it more to the ridiculousness of, for example, the punt team, clock management, etc. feels like amateurism, and handling Shane Morris seems to fall right in line with that pattern.
October 1st, 2014 at 3:40 AM ^
Or the fact that the head coach doesn't know what's going on on the field mainly because he refuses to wear a headset. Sorry, but this is incompetence unless he can show that he does fine without wearing one -- which he hasn't. There's no question that this incident wouldn't have happened if Hoke was in DIRECT communication with his staff via headset at the time. When the head coach is the only one authorized to call time outs, etc. he MUST have all the information and options instantly, either in his head or whispered in his ear, so he can make the right call.
Add to this the many times we were a player short on the field, back up QBs not able to find their helmets and a strong pattern of incompetence emerges.
It's easy to speculate and dismiss these complaints by saying nobody would complain if we were winning, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. The main point is a team CAN'T win when these type of things happen. It's sloppy and undisciplined, and yes, incompetent. The head coach sets the tone for the team. What we've seen is an organization that is incompetent and easily overwhelmed even by very weak, but better coached, teams.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:54 PM ^
So leave my rage alone!
September 30th, 2014 at 9:52 PM ^
Yeah...the big ones being the 3 embaressing losses DH was refering too.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:05 PM ^
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September 30th, 2014 at 10:31 PM ^
Come on. Just admit it that if things in the AD were AWESOME, we were winning games and were not completely inept looking and totally embarassing that you wouldn't be even half as pissed as you are.
Completely transparent, dude.
October 1st, 2014 at 7:59 AM ^
September 30th, 2014 at 9:41 PM ^
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September 30th, 2014 at 10:49 PM ^
You gonna call him a "Fake Wolverine" like OSU did with Herbstreit? Everything isn't always black and white. I think there are a ton of truths being told to different degrees. Ultimately a level of miscommunication within our athletic department. I'm on board for Dave Brandon to be fired. But the Hoke outrage is a lot about losing and mob mentality is definitely part of it.
Brandon looks awful over the course of the past 6 years, Hoke looks like a bad coach with a little too much on his plate, and we, the fans, look impatient, fickle, and arrogant. Third coach we've tried to push out in 8 years. Can we all just chill out a little bit?
September 30th, 2014 at 9:41 PM ^
it completely is. this was just the straw that broke the camel's back.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:51 PM ^
Holy mother of god I'm almost certain it is impossible for former players to acnowledge that a Michigan Man did something wrong (except Michael Taylor I guess). I am so sick of this shit.
Desmond also ranked us #6 in his preseason poll. He really seems to like to flip flop.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:16 PM ^
I think talking heads like Desmond just can't stop yammering their claptraps.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:52 PM ^
I've never understood why flip-flopping is such a hot topic. Sure, it's bad in some scenarios. But isn't it wiser to adjust your opinions based on the facts that are available? I'll flip flop all day if I'm switching from a bad choice to a better one.
September 30th, 2014 at 11:28 PM ^
"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often."
-Churchill
October 1st, 2014 at 12:03 AM ^
and the air of infallibility that often accompanies current prescriptions that is the irritation.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:15 PM ^
September 30th, 2014 at 10:27 PM ^
@Devotee
Kirk was saying the same thing on Twitter yesterday. To some degree, it's true, though.
September 30th, 2014 at 11:26 PM ^
Watch out guys, Desmond Howard must be one of those aggressively reasonable people that Brian warned us about.
October 1st, 2014 at 8:05 AM ^
Hoke's gone, that's pretty much already a done deal. Brandon is not good at hiring football coaches, so we can't have him in place as the AD when the next one gets hired, or else he's going to fuck it up yet again. Brandon just cannot be trusted to hire the best candidate out there without bias on his part.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:38 PM ^
Yea!! RYAN Cook!!
September 30th, 2014 at 11:16 PM ^
It's not Ryan, it's Ryne.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:39 PM ^
I love ESPN