gobluegier

September 29th, 2014 at 7:50 AM ^

FInally, someone pointed it out. It makes you wonder why all the "boo boos" are held so tightly to the vest. I wonder how many concussions have been "overlooked"? Now, I dont know anything so this is all just talking out loud. Not accusing anyone or questioning anyone's character. Just something to think about.

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Sam1863

September 29th, 2014 at 5:40 AM ^

This might have been mentioned elsewhere and I just missed it, but: I wonder if Dave Brandon doesn't actually welcome the “Brady Hoke endangered one of his players and must be fired” theme that has been all over the media since Saturday.

Follow me here: Brandon is a man of huge ego who desperately loves his own ideas, and his biggest idea since taking office was hiring Hoke. That decision is now blowing up in his face. Firing Hoke is now being seen at so many levels as at least a strong possibility, if not an absolute certainty, by the end of the season.

But to do that, Brandon has to do one thing that egomaniacs hate: He has to admit he was wrong. That he couldn't judge talent, picked the wrong man for job, and helped set the university's storied program back another three-plus years. Firing Hoke because of his inability as a coach is a public admission that Brandon screwed up.

But, if Hoke turns out to be a boob whose incompetence is now endangering his players' welfare … now THAT'S a different story. Now Brandon has the political cover to fire Hoke and get a little positive spin out of it. He becomes the stalwart leader who is protecting the health and well-being of the young men under his care, just like a true Michigan Man would. Sure, UM still takes a PR hit – but it's getting that anyway. And sure, Brandon still has egg on his face – but this scenario allows him to wipe some of it off.

Understand, I'm not even remotely accusing Brandon or anyone else of orchestrating the outrage over the Hoke/Morris incident. And I may be giving him more credit as a political animal than he deserves. I just wonder if he isn't looking at this and seeing all the possibilities.

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Leonhall

September 29th, 2014 at 6:32 AM ^

Wow. And we think the program stinks now. Things are getting worse by the moment. Every member of this staff will be gone and so will half the team at this rate and not a damn coAch in America is going to come here. Wow, speechless. Someone put out the fire.


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Abram

September 29th, 2014 at 7:23 AM ^

Which shows this is much more about the lunatic fans and the community. It has nothing to do with Brady Hoke or even football. Hoke is just another good guy getting railroaded because people are nasty and look for any excuse to nail somebody decent. You people don't deserve a good team, and you're not going to get one.

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umumum

September 29th, 2014 at 10:14 AM ^

so everyone is simply looking to nail decent people?  Yea, that's the motivation. We hate decent people.  Were you on this blog when most thought that Hoke was going to be the savior after the outsider days of RichRod.  You make no sense and your ranting style (the one you accuse eveyone else of having) does you no favors.  I'd suggest that you go back to not reading the site.

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LSAClassOf2000

September 29th, 2014 at 6:48 AM ^

But here’s a better question we’re left wondering, one Brady Hoke himself asked in July. “Why do you coach? Why do you really coach? If we’re doing everything we can for 115 — the sons — on our roster, (then we’re doing our job). Football’s only going to last for so long. The only pressure is, every day, preparing those guys for life after football.”

A very well-written and thoughtful piece, I think, and the quote above is a good one to have in there. Hoke did ask that rhetorically in July, and this is the perfect time to revisit it. If the goal is to help mold successful people, we didn't see behavior that would be conducive to that on Saturday, I am afraid. It may simply be a lack of awareness in the moment, but if one of your primary responsibilities is the safety of those under you and you fail at it in the manner it seems Hoke did, that can lead to being canned in a lot of places - Hoke may not suffer that fate for this, of course. I don't think Hoke would intentionally devalue safety, but the responsibility to maintain it is ultimately his.

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Leonhall

September 29th, 2014 at 6:54 AM ^

Do we have any idea whether the medical staff communicated to hoke or any other staff member stating that Shane could not go in due to a game ending injury? I'm not defending Hoke, just asking. I HIGHLY doubt whether any coach on this staff would override a medical staff member. Maybe we are attacking the wrong people here. It doesn't sound like we have enough evidence to fire anybody, I hope Shane is okay. Some people I think just want hoke gone NOW, but based solely on the team performance and are clinging into this story in hope that they'll get their wish. Do we know what the medical staff said?


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umbig11

September 29th, 2014 at 6:56 AM ^

The last two statements are a huge indictment. This newspaper called for his job and said we do not support you. Right or wrong, this paper took a huge stance. They even took a shot at the politacally connected Brandon, I am sure this was mean to get the atten of the university president and Regents. 

 

 

 

 

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MichiganITtoWINit

September 29th, 2014 at 6:57 AM ^

I feel like Hoke is at a point where he feels defeated, so instead of trying to fix his wrongs or put together an honorable end to his tenure here, he is letting everything deflate (or perhaps has just lost control himself) This reminds me of when I get frustrated playing grand theft auto.. instead of finishing the missions I fuck shit up to the degree of a 6 star wanted level.. where my life inevitably ends with me jumping out of a helicopter onto the streets below. The only difference is that Hoke, from what I know, hasnt cheated yet.

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Abram

September 29th, 2014 at 6:59 AM ^

Hoke has no history of compromising of player safety, at least not that I've heard of. One thing happens where he obviously didn't realize, since he's actually working, unlike viewers, and assumed others had immediate charge of such things. It's not like he put Morris out there for competitive advantage. You hypocrites watch guys destroy their bodies every weekend for your entertainment, but work up some self-righteous fury when it's convenient just to attack a coach you don't like.

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Leonhall

September 29th, 2014 at 7:07 AM ^

I agree somewhat, I think this getting out of hands and honestly has more to do with product on the football field. No member on this staff would deliberately ignore a players well being. The medical staff would not have allowed this and I don't believe Hoke would over step this.


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mbee1

September 29th, 2014 at 7:21 AM ^

If Michigan was 5-0 Hoke would be questioned about Morris but not vilified. People typing behind a keyboard shouldn't act like they care more about these kids than the coaches that recruited them, see them everyday, and know their families

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Njia

September 29th, 2014 at 12:04 PM ^

Not in my case, buddy. I just sent a letter to the President of the University - something I have never previously done - because in the view I share with many, including national media with no axe to grind whatsoever, Brady Hoke's conduct and statements demonstrate that his incompetence is endangering player safety and Dave Brandon is his enabler. 

I suffered through three years of Rich Rod terrible football and six of the last seven (seven of the last eight if you count THE HORROR). At no time did I feel compelled to ask a University President to exercise his authority over a matter with the Athletic Department or any other.

That all changed because these two incompetent idiots would like to pretend that not only did they not see what was plainly visible to every other person watching the game from any part of the world, but based on their press release yesterday, would apparently like us to believe that WE didn't see what was plainly visible.

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MGoNOLA

September 29th, 2014 at 7:24 AM ^

I'm sorry. This is just not true. Maybe some people are getting a little too righteous, but not most of the comments and not this piece.

At the bare minimum what transpired was gross negligence and poor game management. It deserves a thoughtful and thorough response. Instead we got hackery from the AD.

If they had gotten out ahead of this with contrition and a full investigation (or an explanation that alluded I someone thinking abut this for more than a couple of minutes) I don't think this level of vitriol would exist.

Add this incidence - which was like 4 (and maybe more) incidents tied together - to a history of football negligence..... Ya gotta go.

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iamtjeff

September 29th, 2014 at 9:47 AM ^

My sentiments exactly. Not to mention everyone assumes that Hoke saw everything they did. As fans, our job is to zero in on the play at hand. Many of us have HD seats at home. I'd imagine that Hoke's job requires more than that (coaching and what not despite the losses) and it's quite possible that Hoke thought Shans's ankle was THE ISSUE. That said, it is a shame that, if Hoke didn't see Shane dizzied - Hoke has nothing is his background that suggests he is either malicious, negligent or willfully ignorant on injuries; the opposite is true in fact - that no one from the booth advised Hoke of the situation.



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YoOoBoMoLloRoHo

September 29th, 2014 at 8:10 AM ^

push for the removal of Hoke and his staff, but player health is not reflected in one incident. Football by it's very nature puts players in "harm's way" and players play with pain & injury all the time. Heck, playing behind this OL is the definition of harm's way. Yes, concussions are serious business and this looks bad. The media should probe on safety. However, turning this into an assassination of Hoke's character only distracts from the core issue. The team just isn't meeting UM's standard.

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jimt1023

September 29th, 2014 at 9:56 AM ^

I totally agree. Did the coaching staff make a mistake keeping him in the game? Of course. But the fact is that players take similar hits every Saturday around the country and stay in the game. The only reason anyone is making a big deal out of this is because they want Hoke fired and smell blood in the water.

Hoke should be fired because his football teams suck. He made a mistake but it's not a fireable offense deserving of 1500 threads.

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umumum

September 29th, 2014 at 10:07 AM ^

I am comfortable that Hoke didn't knowingly send back out on the field a concussed player.  But he should have known.  And while that is not as bad from a moral or human level, it is that bad from a football level--this staff is unbelievably disorganized during the games [referencing countless examples].

While some/many people are doubtlessly using this as an excuse to pile on Hoke because he appears to be in-over-his-head, people aren't necessarily being hypocrites.  No one--or virtually no one--wants players to get hurt and they certainly don't want them playing hurt.  Physical and hurt are two different things.  The crowd's reaction (of almost horror) to Morris's injury and the aftermath was immediate and genuine.  It was that bad.  The crowd didn't decide that this would be a good way to get rid of Hoke.

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Ed Shuttlesworth

September 29th, 2014 at 7:16 AM ^

I'm really sick of the corporate propaganda that comes out of my alma mater.  That's bad enough.  The fact that the propaganda doesn't even allude to the thing everyone's rightly concerned about makes it doubly infuriating.

If Shane Morris had been in a boxing match, they would have given him a standing eight count. The kid fucking staggered into one of his teammates to stand up.  And he just happened to do it after a helmet-to-helmet hit.  How could anyone possibly think that was because of his ankle?

And then he played two more plays.  In a 30-7 blowout.  How is that even remotely thinkable and possible?  How could that possibly happen?

Stop lying and insulting our intelligence.  It's simply unfathomable that the school propagandized in this way more than 24 hours after Hoke's failures.

Brandon and Hoke both must go. 

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Ed Shuttlesworth

September 29th, 2014 at 7:19 AM ^

It's good to see that the entire football beat at the Daily -- meaning essentially the paper itself -- called for Hoke's firing.  It obviously should happen.

The program has become a bumbling embarrassment.  

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might and main

September 29th, 2014 at 7:29 AM ^

While Hoke and Brandon look out only for themselves, the University of Michigan students lead. Increasingly I believe President Schlissel and the regents are negligent too, now that player safety is in question. I hope the rest of the student body will take the lead now too. A protest outside of Fleming would make national headlines.

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Avant's Hands

September 29th, 2014 at 7:38 AM ^

Your preference for firing Hoke and the reasons for it aside, it's pretty amazing to me that almost everyone in America except a handful of people on this board can tell Shane took a hit to the head. Even if you choose to believe that no part of his helmet was touched by the hit, his head still snapped back and smacked the ground. I won't tell anyone they should feel outraged, but can we all please admit that his head took a pretty good shot?

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samsoccer7

September 29th, 2014 at 7:56 AM ^

Yes we all admit that. But don't all football players take a shot to the head during a game? What severity constitutes a concussion workup? Do we know Shane was showing any of the symptoms of a concussion not attributable to his leg? I'm a devils advocate but I don't know how we can all say things about the kid without knowing. I believe he should have been held out of the game bc of his ankle and inability to stand. Also, if we were undefeated people would be making excuses for hoke and nobody would make a big deal about this, at least not to this extent.

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Yo_Blue

September 29th, 2014 at 8:14 AM ^

How many screaming for Hoke's head on a pike are the same ones demanding Shane be the starter?  It's easy insisting on change.  It's more difficult to exact it.

Nothing should happen today or tomorrow.  Let it play out.

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Abram

September 29th, 2014 at 8:20 AM ^

Every time a guy gets hit now it's the coaches "disregard for player safety"? It's football. You get hit every play. DG got hit at the end of the ND game because he wasn't paying attention. Watch the gif. How is THAT Hoke's fault? And pulling starters in a losing game is NOT the norm. Obviously, they need the reps. And how is any of this due to "Brandon's meddling"?

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Hannibal.

September 29th, 2014 at 8:39 AM ^

It's incredible.  I mean absolutely fucking incredible, that Hoke still has a job at this point.  There is absolutely not one other program in the country that wouldn't have fired Hoke by now.  USC fired Kiffin last year.  MSU fired Bobby Williams with three games left.  Even Kansas just fired Charlie Weis despite being 2-2.  The team is a complete mess and the program is burning to the ground.  All of my non-Michigan friends have expressed utter bewilderment to me over the fact that Hoke is still our coach.  I don't know what it's going to take at this point.  Will a blowout at Rutgers do it?  What about a blowout loss at home in UTL III?  Would a 41-0 shellacking in East Lansing do it?  Why do we need to wait?

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