Brandon - Hoke Rumors Nonsense

Submitted by swdude12 on

"Brandon said he will meet with Hoke after the season -- as he does with every head coach at Michigan -- and will discuss the season, personnel, the coaching staff and how to fix the problems that have been apparent."

 

FIRE AL!


 

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131127/SPORTS0201/311270121/Dave-Brandon-Brady-Hoke-rumors-nonsense-he-will-remain-Michigan-coach?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Clarence Beeks

November 27th, 2013 at 5:56 PM ^

Of course it's nonsense. There is literally no way it's going to happen. That fact that Brandon even has to acknowledge something so ridiculous is absurd. It's not going to happen, so everyone who is arguing that it should, or could, needs to just shut up and move on with their lives. The only thing the incessant complaining is going to do is negatively impact recruiting.

jsquigg

November 27th, 2013 at 5:59 PM ^

With all due respect, there are idiot fans in any fanbase, but recruits are probably more influenced by what they see on the field.  If you are an offensive recruit or the parent of an offensive recruit, and you don't have a Michigan background (or even do), what would make you want to sign with Michigan?  

jsquigg

November 27th, 2013 at 6:07 PM ^

All of which you can get in other players.  People would think Michigan is an undesirable location because of the dumpster fire that is the offense and the lack of improvement over time.  And also the fact that Michigan has been largely irrelevant for a decade and a half.

Reader71

November 27th, 2013 at 6:26 PM ^

Irrelevant is the wrong word.

During Coach Rod's tenure, Michigan was discussed more than anyone outside of the top 3-5. Even in losses, we're relevant. Brady Hoke became a recognizable name for almost everyone who follows college football when he beat Notre Dame in 2011. As soon as we were good again, we were a top story on ESPN. We are always overrated in the polls. We go to the BCS in front of equally deserving teams. We are picked to go to better bowls than better conference rivals. Michigan is always relevant.

You might want to say we haven't been very good in a decade and a half. I'd disagree, but you would have a better case.

jsquigg

November 27th, 2013 at 6:55 PM ^

I agree with you.  Poor word usage.  I would say that Michigan's performance has fallen far below the expectations of the coaches, players and fans in the past 15 years.  There have been few bright spots, but they have existed.  What is being put on the field is not good enough no matter what the reason(s) are.

titanfan11

November 27th, 2013 at 6:57 PM ^

to say is it that Michigan has been rather irrelevant in the national title discussion for the better part of a decade and half.  All the points you make are true, but the same can be said for the Cubs.  Being in a discussion is not always a good thing.  Meanwhile, in the time since the last Michigan title, Florida, USC, Ohio State, Alabama, and Texas have all won or made multiple appearances.  

mGrowOld

November 27th, 2013 at 8:38 PM ^

Records since 2008:

Michigan         40- 36

Notre Dame     49  26

MSU                55  23

Ohio State       62 -14

Reader71, you are one of my favorite "opposite" posters because you always provide logic, reason and insight with your comments.  But here you're wrong - we've been mediocre for a while now and it the end is nowhere in sight - to me anyways.  

Compared to our rivals over the past six years.....we suck.

 

Reader71

November 27th, 2013 at 9:42 PM ^

The feelings are mutual.
BUT, I always use logic and reason. I'm not saying we've been good, but the period I was talking about is a decade and a half, as the OP said. In that time, we've won B1G titles and entered the last week of 2006 as the #2 team in the country. Not great, but not terrible. AND, as I said, we haven't ever, nor do I think we ever will be, irrelevant. Our most famous loss, to App State, is the most famous upset in college football history. This is why "irrelevant" is the wrong word

Wendyk5

November 27th, 2013 at 6:06 PM ^

I am curious as to how much social media influences recruits these days. Social media plays such a huge role in the lives of all teenagers (I know, I have one), I wouldn't write it off as meaningless. It definitely has to play some role in how they view the different options they have. 

True Blue Grit

November 27th, 2013 at 6:20 PM ^

I don't get much into social media at all (I'm 54 fergodsakes!), but I believe it definitely has an influence on recruits in their decision-making process.  Obviously, it will vary from athlete to athlete.  But the scary part is it seems social media is relatively unregulated by the NCAA compared to everything else.  What personal messages are these kids getting and from whom?  How much negative recruiting is being done via SM?  It would be interesting to know.

Clarence Beeks

November 27th, 2013 at 6:08 PM ^

"If you are an offensive recruit or the parent of an offensive recruit, and you don't have a Michigan background (or even do), what would make you want to sign with Michigan?"



You realize that Kugler signed in our last class, right? I am pretty confident they knew what they were looking for on that decision and kicked the tires pretty well.

jsquigg

November 27th, 2013 at 7:55 PM ^

Is it possible he was too busy coaching the O-Line?  You know what, thank you for pointing this out, because since Patrick Kugler's (who is one of the few lineman who hasn't played this year) father obviously did a meticulous search to put his son in the right place, Borges and Funk are really geniuses.  The offense just isn't talented enough.  Everyone knows you need more than two lineman with NFL talent.  The line has really gotten better when you put it under a microscope.  Stats are way overrated.  I can't wait until Borges gets all of his guys, because then this offense will show the country what Michigan is made of.

Seriously.  Pat Kugler is your point.  A guy who signed when things looked brighter and I am talking about right now.  My first post in this thread makes more sense than all of yours combined. 

Clarence Beeks

November 27th, 2013 at 8:56 PM ^

As for your first post making more sense than all of my posts combined, you'd probably know that Kugler (a recruit without a prior Michigan connection - in other words, precisely the example you asked for) signed after last year's offense line struggled nearly as badly as this year's offense line.

Maize and Blue…

November 27th, 2013 at 7:56 PM ^

Imaginary conversation- Kugler's why is the interior of your Oline so bad? M coaches well were trying to run an offense to fit our talent and we're not great at it, but wait til next year when we can install MANBALL!
Sounds like a reasonable excuse, but after seeing the results of MANBALL maybe they wouldn't have signed giving the offensive ineptness this year has presented. M had a couple good recruiting classes and potential is there with player development. The question is will that development occur or were our recruits greatly over rated?

denardogasm

November 27th, 2013 at 6:15 PM ^

How do you not realize you're doing the exact thing that caused the Hoke rumors? There is exactly nothing that makes it seem they're gone except more rumors! It's one thing to say you want them gone. It's another to say it seems like they're gone. One can actually start a conversation, while the other is total bullshit that makes the program sound unstable.

exmtroj

November 27th, 2013 at 6:34 PM ^

First, this a fan blog started and run by a fan and frequented by fans, almost none of which have an official connection to the program other than buying tickets.  I know we like to inflate our self-importance by thinking that recruits will bail on us if we speculate on a blog, but I see very little evidence that will happen outside of maybe directly tweeting or facebooking a recruit or something.  I think Dave Brandon publicly supporting Hoke pretty much crushes any super-legitimate rumor started by a fan on an internet blog.

Second, Brandon says they're going to evaluate staff and how to fix the apparent problems.  Well, let's see, what are the team's problems? Offense? Check. O-Line? Check. Running game? Check.  How is it somehow irrational to speculate that the three coaches directly responsible for all-time lows in those areas in year three of this coaching regime will likely be gone, given that quote from Brandon? 

I seriously doubt that Peppers read my reply and decided he's not coming to Ann Arbor anymore. The Hoke 'rumors' I feel fairly certain are probably coming from rival staffs/recruiters, and they wouldn't need blog material to start them.  Just take a look at the offensive performace and team record in year three and I think that gives them about all the rumor material they need.

denardogasm

November 27th, 2013 at 7:09 PM ^

First, this is a fan blog run by fans and frequented by fans that was one of the best there is because of the uniquely informed and intelligent conversations that take place here and has recently gone to absolute shit because of the regurgitated calls for Borges's head and mindless extreme negativity ignoring all positive happenings.



Second, you still have not offered any inside knowledge regarding the coaching situation and are merely reading into Brandon's statement what you want to hear. I can just as easily say Brandon reiterated that he trusts Hoke and the guys he brought in but based on a direct question regarding he coaches he said he evaluates the coaches every year and looks for the problem. He and Hoke can just as easily come to the conclusion that youth is the primary problem at those positions as this week's diaries have revealed and in the case of the RBs, as 20 years of excellent RBs have revealed. Are the coaches going to get fired? We don't know. And that's the point.



Third, I'm pretty sure the rumors actually started with he ESPN piece (the predominate sports news source for every recruit I'd bet) saying Hoke is on the hot seat with absolutely no evidence. If you don't think those ESPN idiots look at this and other blogs and their own mentally impaired article commenters, then you are the one UNDERestimatig our importance. This is the age of social media when even CNN uses random tweets as a source so you can bet the major sports news outlets look to the fans for a sense of the program's health. ESPN has in fact cited this very blog on multiple occasions. And when they look at the blog and other recruiting boards now they see panic and pitchforks pointed at the coaches despite the obvious need to rebuild. So yeah, if you take a broader view like a functionally abstract thinking adult is capable, you will see that we do in fact have an impact. If we didn't the media wouldn't even be asking about the coaches at these pressers.

exmtroj

November 27th, 2013 at 7:44 PM ^

I've been on this blog for over five years and it hasn't changed much, despite people's generalizations.  If you think it's bad now, you couldn't have been around here during the Rich Rod years.  The MGoBoard is what it's always been, a place for the masses/more casual fans to speculate and throw whatever random comments out there that they want.  Granted, the old moderation system made it easier to block out some of the worse comments, but overall it's pretty much the same. 

The content from this blog that ESPN cites is the content that appears on the front page or in some of the better diaries.  It's one thing if Brian posts a front page article saying that some coach is on the hot seat, or if one of the main contributors who actually have some access to the program post something saying that their sources are talking about coaching changes.  It's another if username mileytwerk69 posts some random comment deep in the recesses of the message board saying that his personal, uninformed opinion leads him to believe that a coach will be gone.  If random posts like that can end up on ESPN as "sources" then 1. Whoever writes that for ESPN should be fired, and 2. Brian should just shut down the MGoBoard for the benefit of the Michigan football program. 

Of course Brandon's quote could be interpreted multiple ways.  Mine was that there will probably be some coaching changes, and yours was different.  Of course I don't have any insider information or sources.  That's the whole point of creating a message board like this in the first place.  This is the cyber equivalent of sitting at a bar, sipping a beer and watching TV and talking with the guy sitting next to you.  I would have to think that the real common fan impact comes from people selling their tickets to OSU fans or booing at the stadium, neither of which I've done.

SFBlue

November 27th, 2013 at 6:03 PM ^

Brandon is a little late on this.  By the way, who do you think is spreading those rumors that Hoke may be fired?  (If you guessed staff members of programs who are also recruiting Jabril Peppers, you win the prize!)