If you could ask DB one question...

Submitted by JLC21 on

What would you ask him? A buddy is going to a private luncheon with DB in a couple weeks, and there's supposed to be time for a short Q&A. Would love some suggestions, so we can make sure he doesn't waste his opportunity.

His Dudeness

February 16th, 2011 at 9:27 AM ^

Why won't you admit your mistake regarding the process? It was a disaster by all accounts and it makes you look even more arrogant and in over your head by continually claiming that your were correct to wait until after the bowl games to look for a new head coach.

Section 1

February 16th, 2011 at 10:57 AM ^

"Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" 

(Now Jan usually attends dinner engagements with Dave, but not usually luncheons.  So she probably won't be there if it is just a lunch, and anyway, asking Jan that question would defeat the purpose of the question, wouldn't it?)

Fallacy:  A question with a false, disputed, or question-begging presupposition.

profitgoblue

February 16th, 2011 at 9:35 AM ^

I love Dudeness's passion and scorn.  You always know where he stands on the issue.  One of the interesting side-stories on the Board is going to be watching Dudeness's position as 2011 unfolds.  Will he maintain his angar?  Will he warm to the new regime as the offseason and season progresses?  Will he get more bitter?  Stay tuned . . .

profitgoblue

February 16th, 2011 at 10:36 AM ^

I always forget that there are some young whipper-snappers that never got to enjoy Woodson at Michigan.  The kids that are juniors now had to suffer through the past 3 years and never got to experience the historic Michigan football experience that everyone always references.  Brutal.

Mitch Cumstein

February 16th, 2011 at 9:34 AM ^

I'm not defending the process, but I feel like those who wanted to give RR another year would have been just as, if not more, upset with DB if he had fired RR before getting a chance to "prove himself" in the bowl game.  You're obviously in that camp, maybe you can shed some light on it.  Would you have been OK with DB firing RR right after OSU?

His Dudeness

February 16th, 2011 at 9:39 AM ^

Had we fired RR before the bowl game and had the chance to bring in a coach who  has a proven track record of success at any level of his coaching career, yes I would have been satisfied. I would still have wondered what might have been with regards to a 4th year under RR, but I would be looking positively at the future success of Michigan Football.

The problem with the process is that it left us with fewer options to find a successful coach who wasn't already locked up with another school.

I also would have been very happy with hiring Coach Magee. It was never even considered...

coldnjl

February 16th, 2011 at 9:55 AM ^

to go along with this, would RR still have his job if they were at least competitive in our bowl (which was considered a favorable matchup for us)?

It is my opinion that RR doomed his second chance with that atrocious showing last new years day and would love to see if RR had his future in his hands. 

michgoblue

February 16th, 2011 at 3:46 PM ^

First off, I actually like your proposed question to DB.  While you and I have disagreed about the RR firing / Hoke hiring in just about every thread, the question to DB is a good one - if Hoke was the result, he should have done so WAY sooner, so as to allow Hoke more time to get players that fit his vision of the program. 

As to Coach Magee, huh?  Calvin has never been a HC.  His mentor - RR - just completed a 3-year stint that, regardless of your opinion on the issue, will go down as the worse three years in M history.  Why do you believe that Magee could have done better? 

 

joeyb

February 16th, 2011 at 9:37 AM ^

Exactly which part ended in disaster? I seem to remember finishing with a pretty good recruiting class. We haven't see any attrition aside from Greg Brown. We ended up with a pretty good staff too. Just because it's not the way you would have done things doesn't make it a disaster.

BTW, I'm not talking about this anymore because I don't want to see this thread turn into another argument about the process. I suggest you do the same because it's done and over with. All of your bitching isn't going t o change the outcome.

STW P. Brabbs

February 16th, 2011 at 10:30 AM ^

We'll see what happens.  All I want from you, Dudeness, is to promise not to change your username in the event that Hoke actually turns out to be a good hire.  .  I'll grant that the bar should be higher for Hoke, since he's inheriting more talent and experience - at least on the offensive side - particularly at the QB position.  But if Hoke is averaging 9 wins or more after year three, I want you to come forward and tell everyone that, in retrospect, you were a fucking prat for weeks after his hire.  If Hoke is not successful, I'll gladly come forward and admit that the hefty fella turned my head with his Bo impression, and that I was clearly a gooey-hearted idiot about the whole thing.

Time will tell.  But in the meantime, your schtick is getting really fucking old.  At least do like Section 1 and mix in some narcissistic paranoia and overweening attachment to your misty Rodriguez Memories to keep things fresh.

profitgoblue

February 16th, 2011 at 10:39 AM ^

If Dudeness has to admit that he was a f-ing prat, then you sure as hell better admit the same in the alternative.  A "gooey-hearted idiot" is much tamer than how you refer to Dudeness.  As a somewhat-neutral bystander, I could say that your signing on to the new regime is no different than Dudeness's refusal to do so until some later date when he is turned.  There's nothing wrong with existing that way, especially after the last few months of sh-ttiness from both sides.

M-Wolverine

February 16th, 2011 at 11:48 AM ^

Fun, interesting, engaging, thought provoking....but "somewhat-neutral" isn't one of them...

And painting Dudeness as just leaning one way is like saying dahblue just kinda didn't like what Rich Rod was producing. Dudeness is an extreme...lots of people (around here, anyway) had problems with the process, and didn't like the hire...but they didn't go trolling every recruiting thread for 3 weeks after the hire. And sound like a broken record since. Even Brian hasn't done a donut joke in ages.

profitgoblue

February 16th, 2011 at 12:05 PM ^

I definitely took a strong stance during the "CC" period, but I have actually cooled and removed myself from the discussion entirely.  I like to think of myself as a neutral now, if only because I'm too emotionally spent to participate anymore.  I'm more focused on trying to heal my Michigan football wounds incurred during the "CC" period.  I can't help but be impressed by Dudeness's stamina and scorn but, at the end of the day, you're right . . . The negativity is not productive.

M-Wolverine

February 16th, 2011 at 8:06 PM ^

Or even that negative. Just that you come from a non- neutral viewpoint. As honestly, most do. I'm not neutral. I love Hoke. But I never hated Rich. Struggled with it, didn't really lean till after the Bowl, and still have questions. That why I did a rare call out by name. There might still be one or two still in his state (one really doesn't like the Freep...I mean REALLY).
<br>
<br>Even in the heat, you were strong about your feelings, as were most, but never resorted to trolling. And that's what was going on. A lot of lost recruit posts with "HA HA HA Enjoy the 8 man recruiting class!". Take a look at the Orange Bowl Thread...
<br>
<br>...and I think I'll continue this in the next post...

M-Wolverine

February 16th, 2011 at 8:12 PM ^

I have never said anyone can't question the process. I have doubts myself. You can even not be sold on Hoke yet either. I named a name, because there are a very few that seem to actively be rooting and undermining things to be right. (And they would have been bombed if it had been done under Rich). Most of the doubt at this point is reasonable, not fueled by emotion. And the vast majority of those with doubt are hoping to be wrong. There's nothing wrong with root, but verify. It's just the few that can't wait till we don't win X games so they can say "I told you so", just because some idiot did that to them with Rich.

michgoblue

February 16th, 2011 at 3:52 PM ^

"one of the worst recruitng classe sin years"

Actually, if you strip out transfers, this class is arguably better than RR's last two.  But, I agree that the class was not stellar, and that DB's "process" directly caused this problem.  Had RR been canned in November - as should have been the case, since there wss no way he was being brought back - we could have made a real play at a few more kids, and even had a better jump on 2012, where we are still coming from behind.

"we have an unproven coach"

Well, RR was a proven coach.  How did that work out?  Also, Hoke has proven that he can take crappy programs (which, one could argue, we now are, at least on D and special teams), and turned them around into winners. 

I think that the result of the process - Hoke (and Mattison and Borges) was a great success, but the process was terrible and hurt recruiting, which is the lifeblood of the team. 

unWavering

February 16th, 2011 at 11:23 AM ^

I'll bet Dave Brandon can lay down many more good reasons for waiting than you can name bad ones, especially with the outcome.  He would out-argue you without breaking a sweat.  Part of that comes from him being a former CEO, and part of that comes from him actually having some good reasons behind what he did.  Would I have done the same?  Probably not, but it is one man's opinion against another.  Let it go.  There's a reason he has his job and you don't.

EDIT:  This was directed at His Dudenss' first comment.  Kind of hard to tell with all of the other replies.