Hoke: Nebraska players "wrong" about offense predictability
November 11th, 2013 at 3:19 PM ^
Hoke is the head coach at Michigan. We can debate whether or not he had the credentials for that or not, but the fact remains that he has been a head coach in college football for a while. He understands football people. He knows the offense is terrible and that the running game is abysmal. He knows that running on first and second down after that muffed punt wasn't a great idea. As the head coach, he's responsible for fixing those things and I think he will in the off season.
But if you want hoke to call out his coaches or players this year or to fire someone during the season, then you are going to be really unhappy. We won't be firing anyone midseason. So just sit back and wait until the offseason before we all freak out over a lack of change.
November 11th, 2013 at 3:39 PM ^
But if you want hoke to call out his coaches or players this year or to fire someone during the season, then you are going to be really unhappy. We won't be firing anyone midseason.
I think I agree with you on this. I'm less sure of that fact than I was a week ago though, but I think it's too late in the season to fire Borges. If the offense continues their crappery against their remaining opponents though, I wouldn't be surprised to see Borges fired immediately following the OSU game.
November 11th, 2013 at 4:42 PM ^
you like weird things
November 11th, 2013 at 6:20 PM ^
Texas shook up their staff in the second game of the season and it worked fine. Granted Brown had no real loyalty to Diaz and had his old buddy GERG working in the program already so it was a bit of a smoother transition. Not to mention that their shakeup happened after game 2? I posted this elsewhere but who is our GERG solution? No one I can think of. USC got tired of Kiffin's shennanigans and had a competent replace in Oregeron.
My point is that 1) I don't think midseason firings should be off the table. They have worked elsewhere with success. Texas is rattling off 6 straight wins and looked inspired against their biggest rival. 2) I think it speaks volumes to the fact that we don't have an in-house replacement who would be capable/inspire confidence should he be asked to take over the reins. Coach O at USC has been around a long time and was a HC at Ole Miss. We all now GERGs career path. Is there anyone similarily capable in Brady Hoke's staff? Not that I know off on the offensive side of the ball. GMATT is good and all but he's never been a HC.
November 11th, 2013 at 6:26 PM ^
I told you to stop bursting my bubble of optimism going into the Nebraska game. Well, I want to apologize to you for being the realist and for my being naive/idiot. The word "optimism" and "Michigan football" will not be used in the same sentence going forward.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:16 PM ^
If he believes this he is a baffoon. Nothing will change - just need to execute. Our worst nightmare come true.
November 11th, 2013 at 5:48 PM ^
More like a buboon
November 11th, 2013 at 2:16 PM ^
blech.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:20 PM ^
about the Nebraska players knowing what we were running before the play. And we thought the Michigan offense was predictable and MSC was drunk giving her halftime speech. Silly us. I'm so glad the University straightened us all out today.
November 11th, 2013 at 3:11 PM ^
November 11th, 2013 at 2:21 PM ^
Brady Hoke is very surprised every year when he learns that he'll have to pay taxes.
November 11th, 2013 at 3:43 PM ^
See also: Wesley Snipes.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:21 PM ^
It's coach speak. Of course he will say that. That is what a head coach is supposed to say in the middle of a season. He won't publicly call out Borges and will support everything he does (again, publicly).
November 11th, 2013 at 2:29 PM ^
He seems to be supporting it during game planing also. Either way, it's getting old really fast.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:51 PM ^
I can agree with that. Clearly Borges needs to be replaced, but I don't really know names of offensive coordinators, so I have no idea who can replace him.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:22 PM ^
You guys seriously want him to come out and say "yes, they're right, we only run certain things out of certain formations and they caught us perfectly"? ffs people, it's a press conference. Why on earth would he tell the press that we're running a predicatable offense? Or that he hated the play calling and thinks Borges is awful? There's no point in that; it's just bad PR.
If we go into next season with the same offensive staff, then and only then can we start calling Hoke stubborn. It's unfair to say that just based off of press conference answers which will always and forever only be motivated by PR concerns, not the truth.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:35 PM ^
Why can't we call him stubborn now when we keep trotting the same ineffective offensive gameplan out week after week? Why does it take an offseason for him to demand that Borges change up the gameplan?
I agree that he shouldn't say anything in the press conferences but the team's actions on the field speak much louder than any answer he can give.
November 11th, 2013 at 5:08 PM ^
This is entirely correct and is what should worry those who think the only problem is Borges. Hoke is the HC and has the ability to change plays now- he doesn't have to fire anybody to get more offensive variety now. it doesn't need to wait till off season or wait for a firing. Hoke is the head coach. The fact that the plays are the same week after speaks to the fact Hoke genuinely likes them- this is not an act on his part. Those who think that this is coach speak and Hoke will fire someone have no evidence at all to support their views- but there is plenty of evidence that Hoke likes the plays. Hoke supporters are not facing reality and the growing amount of evidence that Hoke does not share their views..
November 11th, 2013 at 10:21 PM ^
What if Hoke is happy with the playcalling? What if he is forcing the issue with his offensive line and is willing to let them fail before they succeed?
I am not saying I buy it, but it is the only thing that makes any sense to me. We will know in about 12 months whether he is a fool or a genius!
November 11th, 2013 at 2:23 PM ^
if he keeps making dumb statements like this then he should be let go pretty quick as well. I dont care if he wants to save his OC's ass. But 171.5 ypg and -34.5 rypg in the last 2 games and you liked the play calling????? Look at Texas, they solved their problem in Week 2. Fired their DC and now they have 6 wins in a row.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:34 PM ^
In the last two games. This is just amazingly poor. We would probably have better production if Gardner drew every play up, sand-lot style, on his own.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:48 PM ^
November 11th, 2013 at 4:16 PM ^
November 11th, 2013 at 2:36 PM ^
This is a hilariously ominous leading indicator of how much of a tire fire we've become:
even GERG is more successful right now than Michigan.
November 11th, 2013 at 3:09 PM ^
They had a solution waiting. GERG was already in the AD working for Texas and had a past relationship with Mack Brown. Who is our GERG?
November 11th, 2013 at 6:42 PM ^
Don't joke, because Mike Debord is employed currently by the AD as some kind of administrator for non-rev sports.
November 11th, 2013 at 6:50 PM ^
I would gleefully welcome him back. At least his OL could block.
November 11th, 2013 at 10:25 PM ^
No! No! No! You know it's bad when Mike Debord seems like a good option!
November 11th, 2013 at 4:04 PM ^
thay gives up almost 190 yards a game rushing, goes -21 on our ass, it must have been just pure luck, right Coach. Or lack of execution. Or blah, blah, blah......
November 11th, 2013 at 2:25 PM ^
April Fools... in November. They'll never see it coming.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:28 PM ^
is starting to just be funny. I am not sure if its really funny, or I just chose to laugh to hide the tears
November 11th, 2013 at 2:29 PM ^
November 11th, 2013 at 2:31 PM ^
Tough mans can't ever get predictified in advance. It's impossible.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:53 PM ^
Physicalnessly unpossiblistic.
November 11th, 2013 at 4:06 PM ^
Strategory.....
November 11th, 2013 at 2:32 PM ^
Making public statements of support is one thing. Backing those statements up by allowing the OC to use the same gameplan week after week, to the point that opposing players now say they know exactly what's coming, indicates (unfortunately) that Hoke actually believes in what he's saying.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:34 PM ^
between throwing Borges under the bus and reiterating, twice, that there is absolutely no question that the play calling/plan was right on.
For those who are quite assured that Hoke is cracking skulls behind the scenes...where's the proof? Have tendencies changed? Have personnel/formations changed? Have adjustments been made at halftime? Has Borges' demeanor changed at all? etc.
If anything, it looks like Hoke has been "cracking skulls" on the defensive side of the ball - which has been above average to good this year. Why did the secondary get overhauled this week and the offense remained the same?
November 11th, 2013 at 3:02 PM ^
It appears that Brady is fixin' what ain't broke, and breakin' what needs fixin'.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:35 PM ^
November 11th, 2013 at 2:39 PM ^
If he really believes that, maybe he should join Borges and Funk on the bus headed out of town at the end of the season. He's either unconsciously incompetent, arrogant or both.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:42 PM ^
November 11th, 2013 at 2:43 PM ^
November 11th, 2013 at 2:45 PM ^
No player! No coach! Is more important then The Team!
November 11th, 2013 at 4:51 PM ^
I agree. As much as I want Borges, Funk and Jackson gone Hoke is taking the right tack in the pressers. While I also think that one can publically "coach speak" in a manner that would still convey much, much more leadership and concern, Hoke's even-keel public personality is only going to help the team's psyche
November 11th, 2013 at 6:33 PM ^
November 11th, 2013 at 2:47 PM ^
November 11th, 2013 at 2:53 PM ^
In all fairness, Hoke spoke a bit more in depth about this and to some extent this is true of all teams. He mentioned a two TE pistol set that Michigan knew exactly what to expect out of and dropped Nebraska for a loss every time out of it.
That said, I'm not exactly sure what you'd expect him to say. Hoke is going to publicly support all of his coaching staff and assistants as well as players. Why would he say anything to the contrary?
I would've liked maybe something like "Al and I typically meet twice a week to go over the offensive gameplan but I will be spending more time there with him" or something to that effect so that he acknowledges the issue, but what he says in these press conferences is not necessarily what goes on behind the walls of Fort Schembechler.
November 11th, 2013 at 3:07 PM ^
I would've liked maybe something like "Al and I typically meet twice a week to go over the offensive gameplan but I will be spending more time there with him" or something to that effect so that he acknowledges the issue, but what he says in these press conferences is not necessarily what goes on behind the walls of Fort Schembechler.
I understand what you're saying, but be realistic. Hoke cannot say anything approaching what you want to hear, even if he thinks the same thing. How could he? He has to be seen as supporting his team, which includes coaches. You'll get nothing other than boilerplate during the season, and I doubt any more than that after...
November 11th, 2013 at 2:49 PM ^
It will be unscientific, of course, but a comparison of the MSU and Nebraska offensive UFRs would be interesting just to get a play-to-defensive response handle on how similar the game plans were. I must admit, I am intrigued by the notion of a historic study of playcalls versus defensive replies and yardage gained/lost for this season now. It might speak to predictability, but it might also speak to other issues.
November 11th, 2013 at 2:53 PM ^
But I have to say it, even though I just got my points back. Does Hoke = Bush? Nice guy everyone likes seemingly in over his head? Stubborn and unwilling to bend on principle even when there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary of current beliefs/strategy?