Hanging Onto Brandon Gives Michigan the Best Chance At Harbaugh For Next Season--Sam Webb
See link for exact language:
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=162&f=1088&t=13280630
The gist is that it would take too long to fire Brandon, bring in a new AD, and then hire a new football coach. So if we want a chance Harbaugh next season, we should want Brandon to remain AD at least through the football coach hiring process.
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:38 AM ^
This contradicts a lot of mgoblog groupthink. Many people, including myself, have pointed out out stupid it is to talk about "mgoblog groupthink."
October 21st, 2014 at 10:21 PM ^
I'd rather have Jeff Long than Brandon. Long hired Missouri's BB coach, Wisconsin's football coach and Bobby Petrino. All Dave's done is try to turn Michigan into a business at the expense of the football program and culture.
October 21st, 2014 at 10:22 PM ^
Someone's trying to make some extra bones given the current vacuum in any news on the AD or Coach. It is a bye week afterall. Someone's gotta make dough. Why not Sam?
October 21st, 2014 at 10:30 PM ^
October 21st, 2014 at 10:44 PM ^
directly stating that the best way to get Harbaugh was to keep Dave Brandon. He was just implying that the timeline would be difficult to fire both DB and BH, which makes sense to me.
October 21st, 2014 at 10:48 PM ^
He didn't imply it in this post:
"IF you are one that thinks making a coaching change and "getting Harbaugh" are the most important moves, then you want Dave Brandon to remain the A.D . . ."
October 21st, 2014 at 11:18 PM ^
The Superbowl is early Feb, right.
Maybe we do make a coaching change in February. Yes yes yes, NSD and all that in early Feb, screws this year's class, etc. But if you could choose (1) a guy whose first name begins with the letter J and a screwed up first class, or (2) someone else hred in December/early Jan ... really, you'd go for door #2?
I'm not saying, I'm jus' sayin', the timeline is fine if you're chasing a guy who is gainfully employed through January.
Obviously, I'm referring to Jon Gruden.
October 22nd, 2014 at 10:06 AM ^
that Brian has touched on previously is that the next class of recruits is likely to be only 8-10 kids, and several have stated they're coming no matter what happens (include caveats here); but the idea that we can't do anything based on the recruiting effects and NSD is a bit of a stretch
October 21st, 2014 at 10:28 PM ^
That's why we should have fired Brandon a month ago. The longer this goes, we're going to be screwed when December comes and we're looking for a new coach.
October 21st, 2014 at 10:28 PM ^
October 21st, 2014 at 11:46 PM ^
Neither does Brian.., see front page
October 21st, 2014 at 10:31 PM ^
Brandon reviews season immediately upon conclusion; he would've fired RR sooner if not for the Jan. 1 bowl game. What date did he fire RR? Jan. 8 IIRC. So, assuming a 1-week review period, DB would then fire Hoke on Dec. 6. Schlissel fires DB the next day.
It's been done before, wouldn't surprise me to see it that way again.
October 21st, 2014 at 11:18 PM ^
If you're going to have someone new make the decision about a new coach, why not also let him do the evaluation of Hoke? Your timetable has Schlissel cutting the new guy off at the knees the day before he takes the job.
You say it's been done before--can you give an example? It's extremely unusual, out in the world, for a departing executive to be encouraged to make major personnel decisions on his way out the door, after his replacement has already been selected but before he's moved into the office. I don't know why an athletic department would run any differently and it certainly doesn't seem like something Schlissel would be likely to do.
October 22nd, 2014 at 12:52 AM ^
Okay, then.
I don't think it will be directed, but if Brandon is going to continue doing his job his way, then he'll take one week to decide whether or not to keep Hoke. And since there's almost no way we make a bowl game, I don't see how Brandon can conclude that Hoke's the guy (given Brandon's track record).
October 21st, 2014 at 10:33 PM ^
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October 21st, 2014 at 10:35 PM ^
I tend to believe John U Bacon more than Sam Webb and his ''gut feeling'' crapola.
Brandon around the football program is more toxic for the future than anything. He needs to go.
October 21st, 2014 at 10:38 PM ^
If the plan is to fire Brandon why would you allow him to stay long enough to hire the new coach? Makes zero sense and shows an incompetence that goes farther than brandon and hoke.
Wouldnt the new AD want to have say in the hiring? if HC position was filled would it not make the AD position less attractive?
Im going to have nightmares tonight. thanks sam webb
October 21st, 2014 at 10:53 PM ^
and it can't be a lame duck Dave Brandon.
It's certainly a dilemna. Part of which would be watching season ticket sales plunge.
October 21st, 2014 at 11:02 PM ^
AD job less attractive? If I was an AD candidate I'd be very happy at the prospect of having a top-notch coach already in place. It certainly sounds better than having to fire the current guy, serve on a search committee, negotiate with all sides, deal with the inevitable infghting and not know who you're going to wind up with. If you don't want to work with the new hire, then you don't take the job. Do we want someone who wouldn't hire JH?
Whether it's plausible whether Brandon could hire either Harbaugh, I don't know about that.
October 21st, 2014 at 10:46 PM ^
October 21st, 2014 at 11:40 PM ^
You mean Drew Sharp right?
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:32 AM ^
October 22nd, 2014 at 6:36 AM ^
You say you value what Brian says and just a couple weeks ago Brian was quoted as saying Sam is as dialed in as anyone with Michigan.
IMO this is unlike Sam. The whole "gut feeling" type stuff was only about recruits before. He usually doesn't come out and say things like this.
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:36 AM ^
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:45 AM ^
The only consistency we have is that John U. Bacon, in his own, personal opinion, doesn't feel that Harbaugh would work for Brandon. That's not really evidence, that's an informed opinion.
October 22nd, 2014 at 8:11 AM ^
October 22nd, 2014 at 9:14 AM ^
you forgot how to comma.
October 22nd, 2014 at 10:23 AM ^
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:27 PM ^
Dave Shand- haven;t thought about him in a while. I wonder what his thoughts are re: football and the AD. He was always a straight shooter
October 21st, 2014 at 10:47 PM ^
October 21st, 2014 at 10:48 PM ^
October 21st, 2014 at 10:53 PM ^
October 22nd, 2014 at 6:38 AM ^
but he will let critical callers go on. He won't dismiss many people aside from Phil.
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:32 AM ^
After the Rutgers game I thought it was clear that he thought Hoke was done. He's not the type to call for his head, but he didn't defend him at all.
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:32 AM ^
After the Rutgers game I thought it was clear that he thought Hoke was done. He's not the type to call for his head, but he didn't defend him at all.
October 21st, 2014 at 10:50 PM ^
Didn't Brian address the AD swap timing stuff before and basically said it wouldn't take much more than two weeks notice? Why the big delay? For all we know, they're working on terms with Long or whoever right now; maybe his notice to Arkansas / UConn is already in. Sam's great but I'm not sure I'm with him here.
October 22nd, 2014 at 10:33 AM ^
...that they've obviously been watching what's going on in Ann Arbor, and are aware of Long's potential as candidate for replacing DB; they've said that the scuttlebutt down there is that he and his family are super happy in Fayetteville, that he is extremely well-liked and respected within the University community, and that the only position he'd potentially leave UofA for would be to replace Mike Slive as the head of the SEC.
Now, again, that is nothing more than my friend's pro-razorback, SEC-biased view and his reading of various news outlets, blogs, etc., but still...
I personally still think our ADirectorship is a hugely desirable position within college athletics, and Long was (a) hired into the athletic department by Bo, and (b) an associate AD here for 11 years, but I think we should probably hold-off on convincing ourselves that he's already given his notice and is going to jump ship at the drop of a hat...
October 21st, 2014 at 10:54 PM ^
"Hi, uh, Jim? Guess who ... Dave Brandon how are ya."
"Great Dave, you?"
"Well, not so good actually, as you may know ... um ... well, thanks for taking my call. I was wondering if you could help me out of a little predicament I've gotten myself into."
"Now why would I want to do that, Dave?"
...oh, would that be a fun phone call.
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:48 AM ^
"Now why would I want to do that, Dave?"
"I can name eight million reasons, Jim."
October 21st, 2014 at 10:53 PM ^
Regardless of whoever our AD is at the end of the season, they need to open the checkbook and swing for the damn fences. Go balls to the wall and bring in the best damn coach you can possibly get. If Harbaugh wants $7 million/year, you pay that man $7 million/year. Maybe even $8 million just to be safe. We need someone to turn us around ASAP, or we risk descending ever further into irrelevance. If kids are growing up not ever knowing Michigan to have been a good football team, that's a serious problem.
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October 21st, 2014 at 11:01 PM ^
Is there an MGoBlog diary or post or front page snippet that documents a first-hand eyewitness depiction of Brandon sitting in on those film sessions? Was he critiquing and drawing up new plays? What if DB just goes around as an informed AD sitting in on all his coaches' film sessions and practices from time to time? Again, I want him gone as much as the next guy for a multitude of other reasons, but this whole Dr. Evil-sits-in-on-Number Two's-film-sessions thing has taken on a life of its own.
This seems to be the #1 "no way Harbaugh would work for Brandon" factor, too: That DB likes to sit in of film sessions.
October 21st, 2014 at 11:12 PM ^
October 21st, 2014 at 11:31 PM ^
It's hard to imagine that there ever would be a first-hand account. Who would it come from?
What we have is Bacon's statement in Three And Out that Brandon started watching film with the coordinators beginning with the MSU game in 2010, and Brandon's own statement on the Huge show that he watched film with the coordinators. We also have Bacon's comments that other B1G coaches found this absurd and would never put up with it, and I don't think anyone's ever come up with another example of another AD doing this routinely.
October 21st, 2014 at 10:55 PM ^
October 21st, 2014 at 11:13 PM ^
regarding Michigan as he sees them through his Sparty filter. He always puts things in a way to get people calling in, usually irate Michigan fans. Whether he's trying to be honest or not, I've never heard any evidence that he knows more about Michigan than the average MGoReader. .
October 21st, 2014 at 11:40 PM ^
because he has always referred to Sam Webb as a shill. I'm a huge fan of Sam, but maybe this is an instance of Valenti being validated.
October 21st, 2014 at 10:59 PM ^
October 21st, 2014 at 11:41 PM ^
any other coach out there would not want to come to UM because of DB. If the issue is DB sitting in the film room, then the coach can negotiate that one out. He will have a 3-4 year contract and if he is successful, then he would not care if DB is the AD. This rumor that DB cannot hire Harbaugh for personal reasons, is nonsense.
October 22nd, 2014 at 12:46 AM ^
I bet most follks are friends with a lot of people who they would never want to have as their boss. If anything, that sort of power dynamic could ruin a friendship, especially between two egos as inflated and self important as Brandon's and Harbaugh's.
October 21st, 2014 at 11:00 PM ^