You're right, all those situations were the Athletic Department's fault. Even worse, the way they responded to them, in that 'we know better than you' condescending and dismissive tone, made the frustration more aggravated. Clearly, they erred. But I think you get where I was coming from, right, re: paralysis by analysis in the Morris situation, in part due to what had transpired previously. The AD and his office, his football team and coaches, where all in the figerative bunker by the time the Morris situation happened; completely incapable of recognizing what the right thing to do was and more than likely to make a tone deaf decision out of desperation.
Here's the quote that got me, “I was honest and said, ‘Not that much.’ I’m in the Bo–Lloyd camp. I didn’t think a concussion, and that reaction, made sense to me."
Does it mean that Hackett thought Brandon and Hoke's reaction to the on-field event and fallout made little sense?
Or, does it mean that, like those old-school coaches would have considered concussions back in the day, Hackett thought the media and community furor coming from the Morris situation was overblown?
I'm assuming the former, but there is a little ambiguity in the quote.
I get the frustration, but I'd argue that 'the obvious' isn't so obvious sometimes. Especially so when the totality of the Brandon era is considered. I could see how there could have been reluctance to admit fault --or the desire to spin like Rumplestilskin-- when so many previous negative situations had arisen and burned out of control that year. I'm not excusing the behaviour and I'm not saying that more should have been expected of the school, but if you subscribe to the notion that nothing takes place in a vacuum, then its a little easier to understand why the situation spiraled as it did.
Attributing blame is what we do, now-a-days. Its click-bait, its grandstanding, its easier than f***. Me, I'm entirely willing to admit that even good and just people sometimes make mistakes. That outlook helps me to put away the pitchfork and douse the torch that I save for those moments when I need to crusade righteously.;-)
Yeah, I'm not sure exhausting a prime player --especially when returns and punts are also a part of the athlete's duties-- by having him act as a decoy is the right thing. I remember a BTN piece on the 97 team, where someone was quoted as saying that Charles was never a decoy. If No.2 was in on offense, he was the target. My memory is a little different. I seem to recall Keith Jackson and Bob Griese always making sure to hi-lite when Woodson came in on offense, and he wasn't always thrown at. Then again, that was a long time ago. It'll be interesting to see how much Peppers can handle.
Dienhart and BTN are OK, its just that the last couple of years, especially the last one, there hasn't been much good to report out of Michigan. It makes it look like BTN has a problem with the program. If things turn around, they'll be Michigan's biggest boosters.
All we've heard about is Morris and Rudock, not a mention of the 'other guy' that started in the spring game, Alex Malzone. Its not unexpected that the other two would be the main combatants for the job, but I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about the new guy.
I was watching a bunch of the old games this past off-season and noted how dark the blue used to be, compared to what I remembered last year. Maybe its because of the video quality of old VHS tapes? Maybe not? Anyone remember if the blue has changed tones over the years?
I always liked him, but it was rather apparent that he wasn't a Pat White-type of athlete, which is what drove RR's West Virginia team. He wasn't without skill or ability, but it was the kid's toughness that I remember most. That ND game was epic.
I was just going to make that exact comment. Forcier may have always had the deck stacked against him at Michigan, with Superman warming up behind him and the pressure that was on him because of the pressure on RR, but that kid took some terrible punishment and just kept on getting up. That Millen comment really was a great moment for the young man.
We can't be too hard on RichRod. The guy went from being the apple of the eye of college football studio shows --the next saviour for whatever program he eventually walked into-- to an oh shit moment, "Pat White and Steve Slaton aren't on this UofM roster." The Tate Forcier adventure, in RR's last year, was particularly painful to watch. In no alternate universe possible, was Forcier going to be athletic enough to make that offense work. Then again, for all the criticisms, Hoke ended up taking RR's recruiting classes and went 11-2 the next year.
Weather doesn't care if you think you're tough. Weather doesn't care if you think you're sending a message to your team. Weather, simply is...and life on this planet is meant to adjust.
If it’s cold outside, put on appropriate outerwear.
...it just makes sense.
For what it’s worth, I liked Grady, as a person and representative of Michigan. After the way things went sideways with RichRod, I guess it’s not all that surprising that fans overlooked Hokes' shortcomings. It happens when you’re looking for someone to save you from a precarious situation.
I thought he was barking up the wrong tree with the whole physicality emphasis he wanted to install. Football teams need to be tough, don’t get me wrong. But you also have to cook with what you’ve got and be aware of what the other chefs are going to have a comparative advantage in. If the goal was to compete nationally, Man-ball was going to create more limitations on that national stage than it was going to provide for tactical advantage. Oh, that’s right, we have a recruiting super power in our conference too. Yeah, what’s brewing in Columbus was going to make cornering the market in physicality tough up here too.
Considering the way that the spread has allowed some lesser lites to chip away at Alabama's vaunted toughness advantage, I thought any emphasis on line-play over throw-and-catch schematics were probably always going to be a failing course for Hoke's Wolverines. Oklahoma's Knight made mighty Bama look pretty ordinary, and the Sooner roster was more similar to Michigan's type of recruiting expectation into the future than it was to the Tide's. It’s not fair to invoke the name of Johnny Football, but A&M's spread'em-and-make-plays also took the emphasis off of Bama's LOS and put the game in the hands of athletes that could win the day.
Meh, hindsight is 20/20. I hope Grady has peace with the way things finished for him at Michigan.
Revsine's opinion on Hackenberg, that his "body language" from 2014 was poor, was interesting to note. Most traditional media love the PSU QB and this is the first negative impression I can remember being shared. Now, to be fair, there were plenty of reasons for Hack to act like a moody teen. The loss of his HC/QB-whisperer being more than enough to get things off to a less than Happy (Valley) start. The beating he took in the pocket was probably more than enough to cement the teenage "how many more years until I can start getting paid for this sh*t" attitude for the rest of 2014. For me though, I was kind of surprised that Revsine would be so honest in his opinion.
Whether there's any legitimacy to his observation, you gotta respect a talking-head, who needs to maintain relationships, both with the school and the player in question, but still calls it like he sees it. Was that a moment of weakness? Perhaps, I doubt that guys like Revsine made their way to the top by burning too many bridges. Still, I though it was an interesting and unique perspective.
That's a great point, about the "us" versus "them" idea. I attended a different school and was not a varsity athlete but the type of things I've heard at varsity sports banquets, where appealing to donors is a big part of the evening's objectives, the "our love for [insert your own school] is more significant than that of the typical student" vibe has always rubbed me the wrong way.
No doubt, a student-athlete's appreciation is different than that of the good natured shmoes that pay full tuition and don't have the red (blue) carpet rolled out for them. The key misinterpretation is in the term, "different." Here is where the varsity sports scene organizers and hangers-on, of which the AD and his office are certainly in that category, too often have an inflated opinion of themselves. All kinds of "different" types of people attend university football games. Some spend significantly on their school passion. Some simply drop a couple of bucks for a ticket and a pop. The key is that the totality of the "different" types that make up a fan base all play a part in the success and visibility/lack-of-visibility of the university sports scene. ADs and those who consider themselves important alumni/donors would be wise to appreciate the entire fan base and not just the uppity-ups.
Maybe, had Brandon recognized the importance of everyone that drops cash on a ticket, he would have been able to ride out the bad press from rising costs and poor performance on the field.
No clue, man. Even though RichRod was an outsider, that lack of connection playing a part in his eventual demise, Grady was a part of the family and it didn't help him much.
I tweeted Bacon that exact question. He said there was no previous relationship between Coleman and Brandon and no quid pro quo he was aware of; no "you scratch my back, I shave yours." She simply liked what he brought to the equation. I'm not sure how it all played out among the regent and the power plays during their elections, but it sounds like a decision that was made in good faith, ignoring the fact that there now appears to have been other candidates that had more favour. Its seems like it was just one of those things. Kind of like ND going with Bob Davie and letting Barry Alvarez go to Wisconsin.
Excited by the excerpts of John U. Bacon's newest Michigan Wolverine tell-all, re: the demise of tradition under former AD, Dave Brandon, I thought I'd share a vid that I ran into this past winter. Said video offers a perspective and timeline that differs from the story that is universally accepted at the UofM. By no means am I suggesting that the esteemed Mr. Bacon is off-base. My offering is simply an alternate universe caveat, one that suggests that all the evils and short comings that befell the mighty Victors were already well entrenched, before Brandon assumed the mantle. I'm not saying you can't or shouldn't hate Brandon...
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Always go with the bratwurst. Eat enough of them or a bad one and its a guaranteed squirter through the hole. #poop
In the tribal highlands of Pakistan? In a walled two-story dwelling near a military school?
Nope, AA.
Agreed.
You're right, all those situations were the Athletic Department's fault. Even worse, the way they responded to them, in that 'we know better than you' condescending and dismissive tone, made the frustration more aggravated. Clearly, they erred. But I think you get where I was coming from, right, re: paralysis by analysis in the Morris situation, in part due to what had transpired previously. The AD and his office, his football team and coaches, where all in the figerative bunker by the time the Morris situation happened; completely incapable of recognizing what the right thing to do was and more than likely to make a tone deaf decision out of desperation.
Here's the quote that got me, “I was honest and said, ‘Not that much.’ I’m in the Bo–Lloyd camp. I didn’t think a concussion, and that reaction, made sense to me."
Does it mean that Hackett thought Brandon and Hoke's reaction to the on-field event and fallout made little sense?
Or, does it mean that, like those old-school coaches would have considered concussions back in the day, Hackett thought the media and community furor coming from the Morris situation was overblown?
I'm assuming the former, but there is a little ambiguity in the quote.
Yeah, I didn't know that either....
I don't know if that fact had been reported previously. If it had, I missed it. I assume lots of other fans didn't know as well.
Kudos to Bacon.
I get the frustration, but I'd argue that 'the obvious' isn't so obvious sometimes. Especially so when the totality of the Brandon era is considered. I could see how there could have been reluctance to admit fault --or the desire to spin like Rumplestilskin-- when so many previous negative situations had arisen and burned out of control that year. I'm not excusing the behaviour and I'm not saying that more should have been expected of the school, but if you subscribe to the notion that nothing takes place in a vacuum, then its a little easier to understand why the situation spiraled as it did.
Attributing blame is what we do, now-a-days. Its click-bait, its grandstanding, its easier than f***. Me, I'm entirely willing to admit that even good and just people sometimes make mistakes. That outlook helps me to put away the pitchfork and douse the torch that I save for those moments when I need to crusade righteously.;-)
HA!
I looked at Malzone's stature and instantly thought, not Drew Brees --that would be just too much to hope for-- but OSU's Joe Germaine.
Yeah, I'm not sure exhausting a prime player --especially when returns and punts are also a part of the athlete's duties-- by having him act as a decoy is the right thing. I remember a BTN piece on the 97 team, where someone was quoted as saying that Charles was never a decoy. If No.2 was in on offense, he was the target. My memory is a little different. I seem to recall Keith Jackson and Bob Griese always making sure to hi-lite when Woodson came in on offense, and he wasn't always thrown at. Then again, that was a long time ago. It'll be interesting to see how much Peppers can handle.
Yeah, that's a good point. I get the bunker mentality, but its rarely a good idea to bite the hand that feeds.
Dienhart and BTN are OK, its just that the last couple of years, especially the last one, there hasn't been much good to report out of Michigan. It makes it look like BTN has a problem with the program. If things turn around, they'll be Michigan's biggest boosters.
All we've heard about is Morris and Rudock, not a mention of the 'other guy' that started in the spring game, Alex Malzone. Its not unexpected that the other two would be the main combatants for the job, but I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about the new guy.
I was watching a bunch of the old games this past off-season and noted how dark the blue used to be, compared to what I remembered last year. Maybe its because of the video quality of old VHS tapes? Maybe not? Anyone remember if the blue has changed tones over the years?
I always liked him, but it was rather apparent that he wasn't a Pat White-type of athlete, which is what drove RR's West Virginia team. He wasn't without skill or ability, but it was the kid's toughness that I remember most. That ND game was epic.
Man, that is amazing.
I was just going to make that exact comment. Forcier may have always had the deck stacked against him at Michigan, with Superman warming up behind him and the pressure that was on him because of the pressure on RR, but that kid took some terrible punishment and just kept on getting up. That Millen comment really was a great moment for the young man.
We can't be too hard on RichRod. The guy went from being the apple of the eye of college football studio shows --the next saviour for whatever program he eventually walked into-- to an oh shit moment, "Pat White and Steve Slaton aren't on this UofM roster." The Tate Forcier adventure, in RR's last year, was particularly painful to watch. In no alternate universe possible, was Forcier going to be athletic enough to make that offense work. Then again, for all the criticisms, Hoke ended up taking RR's recruiting classes and went 11-2 the next year.
Funny running into you here, man!
Ahhhh, you guys got me . . . what's a G and a B among friends.
Weather doesn't care if you think you're tough. Weather doesn't care if you think you're sending a message to your team. Weather, simply is...and life on this planet is meant to adjust.
If it’s cold outside, put on appropriate outerwear.
...it just makes sense.
For what it’s worth, I liked Grady, as a person and representative of Michigan. After the way things went sideways with RichRod, I guess it’s not all that surprising that fans overlooked Hokes' shortcomings. It happens when you’re looking for someone to save you from a precarious situation.
I thought he was barking up the wrong tree with the whole physicality emphasis he wanted to install. Football teams need to be tough, don’t get me wrong. But you also have to cook with what you’ve got and be aware of what the other chefs are going to have a comparative advantage in. If the goal was to compete nationally, Man-ball was going to create more limitations on that national stage than it was going to provide for tactical advantage. Oh, that’s right, we have a recruiting super power in our conference too. Yeah, what’s brewing in Columbus was going to make cornering the market in physicality tough up here too.
Considering the way that the spread has allowed some lesser lites to chip away at Alabama's vaunted toughness advantage, I thought any emphasis on line-play over throw-and-catch schematics were probably always going to be a failing course for Hoke's Wolverines. Oklahoma's Knight made mighty Bama look pretty ordinary, and the Sooner roster was more similar to Michigan's type of recruiting expectation into the future than it was to the Tide's. It’s not fair to invoke the name of Johnny Football, but A&M's spread'em-and-make-plays also took the emphasis off of Bama's LOS and put the game in the hands of athletes that could win the day.
Meh, hindsight is 20/20. I hope Grady has peace with the way things finished for him at Michigan.
I ran into this podcast last night,
http://theradioblast.com/2015/08/big-ten-football-preview/
Revsine's opinion on Hackenberg, that his "body language" from 2014 was poor, was interesting to note. Most traditional media love the PSU QB and this is the first negative impression I can remember being shared. Now, to be fair, there were plenty of reasons for Hack to act like a moody teen. The loss of his HC/QB-whisperer being more than enough to get things off to a less than Happy (Valley) start. The beating he took in the pocket was probably more than enough to cement the teenage "how many more years until I can start getting paid for this sh*t" attitude for the rest of 2014. For me though, I was kind of surprised that Revsine would be so honest in his opinion.
Whether there's any legitimacy to his observation, you gotta respect a talking-head, who needs to maintain relationships, both with the school and the player in question, but still calls it like he sees it. Was that a moment of weakness? Perhaps, I doubt that guys like Revsine made their way to the top by burning too many bridges. Still, I though it was an interesting and unique perspective.
That's a great point, about the "us" versus "them" idea. I attended a different school and was not a varsity athlete but the type of things I've heard at varsity sports banquets, where appealing to donors is a big part of the evening's objectives, the "our love for [insert your own school] is more significant than that of the typical student" vibe has always rubbed me the wrong way.
No doubt, a student-athlete's appreciation is different than that of the good natured shmoes that pay full tuition and don't have the red (blue) carpet rolled out for them. The key misinterpretation is in the term, "different." Here is where the varsity sports scene organizers and hangers-on, of which the AD and his office are certainly in that category, too often have an inflated opinion of themselves. All kinds of "different" types of people attend university football games. Some spend significantly on their school passion. Some simply drop a couple of bucks for a ticket and a pop. The key is that the totality of the "different" types that make up a fan base all play a part in the success and visibility/lack-of-visibility of the university sports scene. ADs and those who consider themselves important alumni/donors would be wise to appreciate the entire fan base and not just the uppity-ups.
Maybe, had Brandon recognized the importance of everyone that drops cash on a ticket, he would have been able to ride out the bad press from rising costs and poor performance on the field.
No clue, man. Even though RichRod was an outsider, that lack of connection playing a part in his eventual demise, Grady was a part of the family and it didn't help him much.
I tweeted Bacon that exact question. He said there was no previous relationship between Coleman and Brandon and no quid pro quo he was aware of; no "you scratch my back, I shave yours." She simply liked what he brought to the equation. I'm not sure how it all played out among the regent and the power plays during their elections, but it sounds like a decision that was made in good faith, ignoring the fact that there now appears to have been other candidates that had more favour. Its seems like it was just one of those things. Kind of like ND going with Bob Davie and letting Barry Alvarez go to Wisconsin.
Excited by the excerpts of John U. Bacon's newest Michigan Wolverine tell-all, re: the demise of tradition under former AD, Dave Brandon, I thought I'd share a vid that I ran into this past winter. Said video offers a perspective and timeline that differs from the story that is universally accepted at the UofM. By no means am I suggesting that the esteemed Mr. Bacon is off-base. My offering is simply an alternate universe caveat, one that suggests that all the evils and short comings that befell the mighty Victors were already well entrenched, before Brandon assumed the mantle. I'm not saying you can't or shouldn't hate Brandon...
The rest on my blog.