Brady Hoke Presser 3-23
Notes from Brady Hoke's meeting with the media today. Photo from file.
News
Ray Vinopal is no longer with the team. "Ray decided to go back Youngstown. You know, that issue's more a family issue."
Injuries: Christian Pace is doing individual drills only. "Molk's the other guy who hasn't done anything but some individual. He'll be fine by Tuesday." - hamstring tweak. Troy Woolfolk is doing a little group work, mostly individual. JT Floyd doing less group stuff than Troy. Mike Shaw is doing alternate conditioning things. Next week, he'll do more with the cast on. "I think we're OK health-wise. I don't think we're anything of real significance yet."
"We wouldn't play a game" for the spring 'game' with the team's current injury level. Would do more situational scrimmage-type stuff. With only 11 more practice days, "I doubt if we'll play a game game. I'd like to, but we don't have enough depth."
No new position changes. There may be some later in the spring when they've had more of a chance to evaluate.
During the spring, "we'll put [a depth chart] out. Nothing's given. You're gonna have to earn it." If you end spring as a starter, you better keep working over the summer, and in fall camp, because you have to earn your job.
Wants to install 50-60% of offense and defense in spring (Al Borges would like to get 65% of the offense in). You can install more in the fall as you're gameplanning. "Once we get the power play down, then we'll go to the next phase. You know, because we're gonna run the power play." [ed: This is a very MANBALL quote.]
Individual Positions
QBs: "I think both of them have done a good job. I think you look at, the different things are a little more under center, obviously. The ball mechanics and footwork... all those technical things that go along with it. So, I think they've both done a good job, they're both very capable of being tremendous quarterbacks in this offense."
RBs: "I wouldn't wanna say any of them's any better than the other ones. Vince [Smith] has done a good job, [Stephen] Hopkins has come on, Fitz [Toussaint] had a good day in there with a couple good runs, and Michael Cox is a guy that has some outstanding ability, and we've just gotta keep progressing with him."
Fullbacks: "We don't have a lot of fullbacks." Hopkins works out well at FB "for a lot of the old 49ers stuff" with split backs. Hoke wants fullbacks to block so hard they "come in at about 6-3, and leave the program at 6-1." Wisconsin fullbacks get shorter as the years go on.
WRs: "They have to do both" block and catch. They have the most bodies there and at safety. Lots of competition, so guys they have to block well and catch well to see the field.
Lines: "We just don't have a whole lot of bodies there... That's always, up there, because you need a lot of bodies on both sides." They need to address it in future recruiting. With Molk and Pace out, Rocko Khoury is getting most snaps at center. Patrick Omameh is getting a lot of reps with limited line depth.
Defensive line: "There's some guys who have played some significant minutes and downs up there that we've gotta get 'em better when you talk about the fundamentals of playing the position." Quinton Washington ("he shows up") and Richard Ash ("has made some progress") are doing well, you expect the 2 seniors to step up. "I think Will [Campbell] had some real good plays the other day, and he's gotta have more of those than bad plays."
Kicking game: "They're doing OK. We haven't gone full-bore into it... They have their specialists but we put a little live rush on them and those kinds of things yesterday." All the different elements (snap, hold, kick) need to come together.
INTENSITY
There have been three practices so far, one in pads. "I've liked the tempo that we played with. I like how the guys are flying around to some extent. We've still got a lot that we've gotta get better at, and playing fanatical as a team."
"We're not playing as fast as we will" due to the nature of learning. Still pleased with the competition level. Guys come in wanting to improve every day.
How to cultivate a competitive atmosphere: "You do that by rewarding guys who play well, and guys who don't play as well, you maybe don't get as many snaps." In their situational drills (red zone, etc.), "There's consequences for losing." There is competition within positions and also offense v defense.
Smooth transition for Denard? "I think so." He sometimes has issues with rushing the footwork, but both QBs have handled it really well. Once in a while, Denard shows off those feet. "If you leave a little crease in there, he can go get it."
How have players responded to practice intensity? "They haven't come to see me about it. I guess it's been OK."
Etc.
Any spring surprises? "Not yet. I think it's way too early to make any comment, to be honest with you. We're just really scratching the surface, in my opinion." General thoughts: "I think there's a little more, I think good and bad... You want to see some guys be a little more physical and a little more sudden in some of the things they're doing. At the same time, there's some other guys who have done a good job of being physical and the things that you're looking for."
By the end of spring, "We'll never be where I want us to be. Period. I know me." It's typical here, like it was with BSU and SDSU, they know where the team is starting and where they want to be when they finish spring. "We're where I thought we'd be right now, and where we thought we'd be."
There's a learning curve "paralysis by analysis" when installing new O and D. You see it more on the defensive side of the ball (which is by nature reactive). "From an offensive standpoint you may see it when the guys up front start movement patterns." Players over-thinking new plays, technique, etc. being a little different. "They're hungry, and they wanna learn. We just gotta keep as coaches doing a good job of being teachers."
Fundamentals and techniques of positions are the critical areas. Every position needs to know proper alignments, line splits, etc. Effort and toughness do not have any wiggle room for being less than perfect. The techniques and schemes are new, but effort and toughness do not change. How big is the gap between what players are doing and it should be done? "I don't know. The Grand Canyon size, right now." Players want to be coached and do it the right way. Guys who have played a lot might be further along, but may be slower learning a different way to do things.
They have 1-on-1 padded drills, not necessarily tackling all the time. "You're only limited to a certain amount [of full-contact practices], so you've gotta cherish those dates."
Had to move practice to 5:30 in the morning [ed: !!!] on Monday because 40-some players had Monday afternoon class. "Morning is my favorite time of day, but i worry about the other end of it for the kids" from an academic perspective.
It's important to practice outside in fall, but not so much in spring. "Previous experience here has told me you may get 6 times at the most to get out in the 15 days." The new indoor facility allows full kicking game, you can throw full deep routes without hitting the ceiling.
"Wants to install 50-60% of offense and defense in spring (Al Borges would like to get 65% of the offense in)."
Love the level of specificity. Like, how did Borges arrive at 65%? Kind of a random number, that.
What Borges really means is he want to install the 65% of plays that have Denard under center. The other 45%, with Denard in shotgun? Those can wait.
Till Hell freezes over.
Math isn't your strong suit, is it?
If you ain't giving a 110%, you ain't trying hard enough.
amirite?
Nicely parried, freak.
save and a beauty!
start out under center and then shift into the shot gun. Maybe. I don't know. Just a thought.
we have a lot of bodies at safety???
Furman, Thomas Gordon, Hawthorne, Robinson, Kovacs, Woolfolk, Floyd, etc.
All could play safety.
Woolfolk and Floyd are not playing safety.
However, Cullen BUC NASTY Christian and Carvin Johnson are. Don't forget Tamani Carter as well.
Woolfolk would probably be the best free safety out of anyone in the secondary. I wouldn't mind him at FS and Floyd and Avery at corner. But yeah, add Johnson and Carter to the list.
Something tells me that Red isn't going to let anybody tell him how to run the power play.
Sometimes, there are athletes who for one reason or another never light it up in practice, but are outstanding performers once the whistle blows. There are others who are dominant practice players who simply disappear at game time. I don't think a coach can truly be sure how a player is going to perform in a game—which is the point of the whole thing—until he actually puts the player in the game. If the problems with Cox are effort- or discipline-related, that's one thing, but if he's putting forth the effort the other guys are in practice it seems to me that it's worth giving him the ball early in the season, even if it's only against lesser competition. Give him five or six carries with the first unit and see how he does. If he stinks up the joint, runs the wrong way, doesn't read things correctly at the snap, fumbles, whatever, then you know that the practice issues are indicative of his ability.
Why even have practices then? "Player X, you've put in the most effort, know the playbook and consistently perform the best in practice. That's why we're going to play Player Y over you." What kind of message does this send?
Player Y shouldn't see the field until the players in front of him that earned the spot in practice fail to show up in games. Think Demens overtaking Ezeh - it was clear we needed to try something else.
For what it's worth, Michael Cox (and his 2nd string offense vs. 1st string defense) was better than any other running back in the spring game, including Shaw (and his 1st string offense vs. 2nd string defense). Sure, Michigan's defense sucked, but those were BCS-level starters.
I can't speak for his football skills, but 2 years ago I saw him come back with a girl to her room in East Quad and heard her moans of passion throughout the whole hall for about half an hour. She then proceeded to waddle her way down to the dining hall the next morning. I'm curious to see if he will use these "talents" on the field next season.
Posted from MGoDroid
This is creepy and gross.
Haters gonna hate
No hating...just far too much information.
the first riveting post I have seen on the message board
Smug "classy" ND fan is smug.
halls resound TOGETHER. . . all meet up in the showers to get the muck off, then retreat to the Half Ass to while away the late hours. Those were the days!
Wait, kids in east hall used to get laid?
March 23rd, 2011 at 10:27 PM ^
There are lines that should not be crossed in any conversation, though it's often hard to determine exactly where they are until after the fact.
In this case, the line was somewhere before "waddling."
I am happy with the new coaching staff, but my only concern is the slight sense of negativity that seems to be flowing through all of these reports. I'm sure at least part of it is gamemanship and not honestly having a set idea yet, but everything seems to be "we have some growing to do" or "we don't have enough bodies", which can be a little bit of a downer.
I don't have a problem with it.
But, when RR said similar things people bitched about him throwing his players under the bus. I have a feeling no one will make that same critique of Hoke.
I share in this concern. Hoke's pressers remind me almost exactly of RR's pressers during spring. No real sense of optimism.
I am not criticizing Hoke for this - as I did not criticize RR, either - just saying that when RR sounded negative, there was reason and the seasons turned out shitty. Hoping that Hoke's negativity doesn't portend similar results.
Reading too much into a presser 3 days into the spring? Hell yes, but what else is there to talk about?
I get the feeling he is trying to set everyone up for a lukewarm season. "Only installed part of the offense/defense players are not that good, depth is a problem". I did not sign up for another 3 year transition. They better get it done and done fast. I don't get the "we must throw everything out and start over". Haven't football coaches ever heard of a transition? I can agree to throwing our the entire defense, buy why change absolutely everything right away on offense?
I didn't know there was a sign up sheet for being a michigan football fan. What are you going to do, Quit?
...if you had a career losing record then you'd probably be trying to set expectations low too.
Love the bit about old 49'ers split backs.
Awesome. Can't wait.
There's a reason I don't watch the NFL anymore... The offenses are boring. Seriously, almost all the plays look the same.
I wonder if all the Hoke enthusiasts have thought about the fact that this is what we now have to look forward to.
Somehow I doubt watching two 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard back is going to be boring. Not that Michigan will necessarily make that happen, but SDSU did last year...
HELLO 3RD DAY OF SPRING BALL!
The new coaching staff has not seen enough of anyone to determine anything. Cox will get his shot and I am confident that Hoke and Borges will learn more from watching everyday then any of us will from any Magnus post or other speculation good or bad.
I'm not sure what this has to do with me trying to refute the notion that this offense will be boring to watch, but okay.
But with his "Hoke enthusiasts" comment, it seems he's disaparaging the coach for having a boring offense.
Exciting offenses are the ones who move the ball and win games. So if you like to see first downs, big plays, scoring, and balanced offense, then it seems like a coaching staff with three 1,000-yard gainers (2 WR's, 1 RB) might just fulfill that desire. I have a hard time imagining how a team with that kind of production will be boring to watch in the least.
Maybe I'm the only one, but I thought Michigan's offense was kind of boring to watch in 2010. Unless Denard was running the ball, it was lots of short throws and mediocre running backs. Good players will be exciting to watch, whether it's Braylon taking over games, Desmond making plays, Tyrone Wheatley running the ball, etc. It doesn't really matter if it's the triple option or the spread - good football is good football.
"Michigan Football enthusiasts". Some have still to join that group.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:36 AM ^
I couldn't have said it better...
But what, that has happened once so far in his coaching career, it isnt like that is the every year occurrence. Prior to last year, in his last 5 years at Ball State and his other year at SDSU he has had a player other than QB go over 1000 yards 3 times combined(2 WR, 1 RB). So that is a blind squirrel finding a nut, more than the norm. Actually the year before, his leading rusher had what 559 yards???? Sounds like real MANBALL to me.
Wait...do you mean to tell me that in his first year taking over a program that was 9-27 in the previous three years...
...his team was...
...*gulp*...
...not very good?
EGADS!!!!
So, you'd rather watch a flashy-fun team that gets steamrolled every year by State?
ballgame. :)
Since everyone in college is running the spread, this will be the one where the plays are the same.
But I'm sure you'll enjoy watching boring offense more if it's winning than exciting offense losing.
No wait, lemme guess.
You're a HUGE XBox guy. Am I right?
I've said it before and I'll say it again. People like you that are still holding on to RR are setting themselves up to be the same piece of shit fans that Lloyd Loyalists were.
I've never touched an XBox controller in my life, hate video games.
Won't even address the second part, not really worth it since the judgmentalism and stereotyping obviously isn't really working well for you.
I agree, and I touch xbox controllers. I also touch pussy and booze. Everyone's got a hobby - not all video game fans are antisocial dorks huddled up in West Quad past their freshman year.
March 23rd, 2011 at 10:31 PM ^
"I also touch pussy and booze"
I actually don't think there's anything you could have said that would have been more convincing that you are, indeed, a virgin sitting alone in his bedroom.
NTTAWWT.
...you realize we're back to the same old thing that Lloyd used to run right? Thus making everyone that supports Hoke a "Lloyd Loyalist"? Well, not literally, but you know what I mean.
Oh, you poor thing. That's the last thing that anyone would want all the way from the coaches to the players, for you to be a little bored. Screw that winning shit, we just need to entertain maizeandbluedevil.
Let's just win football games...
If Borges runs a lot of the young Joe Montana / veteran Steve Young 49ers sets and plays, that puts Denard in a great position to make easy reads and then take off if 2-3 reads are covered. With Denard's ability he could turn that 600-700 yds rushing Steve Young would get into 1000.
Hey look another presser where a coach says the exact same things he has been saying for a couple months now. I hate coach speak so much and every coach does it.
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