Brady Hoke Obviously Not the Right Guy for Michigan [BLOG]
By: Jeff Riger
@riger1984
"I told you so!"
Nobody ever likes to hear that phrase. If someone says it to you, there is a good chance that you were wrong about something that you probably spent hours debating. To hear those 4 awful words after you already know you're wrong, it just....well...sucks! And I should know because I'm never correct about anything so I hear it a lot.
Well that's not 100% accurate. I did predict that Dexter Morgan would live at the end of the series. Man did that show "Dexter" turn awful! So I got that going for me. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm sure I have been right about at least a couple of other things too. I just can't think of any examples right now.
But don't fret people. I'm right about this! I told you at least a season ago that Brady Hoke was not the right coach at Michigan and after the evidence we saw in South Bend on Saturday, I'm going to go right ahead and say it... "I told you so!"
What an embarrassment!
Quick story before I continue... I actually never knew how to spell the word embarrassment. I didn't have that much use for it. But after writing blogs about Michigan football for the last 3 seasons, I no longer need spell check's assistance when spelling EMBARRASSMENT. It's now automatic for me. So thank you Brady Hoke for that.
Before I get to the purpose of this blog...you know...why Hoke must go. Lets do a quick recap of the misery that was the Notre Dame game.
-So did anybody hear that Saturday's game vs. the Irish was the last time that Michigan and Notre Dame would play until who knows when? And Michigan delivered that performance! Not only did ND embarrass (that word again spelled correctly) you by backing out of the series and then scheduling Ohio State instead, but then they shut you out. How? And, spare us the excuse that Hoke has to get his players. This is year four.
-Anybody happen to check out the defensive coordinator for the Irish? His name is Brian VanGorder and he was the guy that delivered that massive fist pump when it was apparent that ND had secured the shutout. He's got a sweet mustache, cool shades and has also coached in the NFL. I have no idea how much he makes, but I did try very hard to find out. I googled "Brian VanGorder salary" but nothing really came up. See? I told you I tried hard. Anyway, VanGorder was fired up when his team pitched a shutout, something that Notre Dame has NEVER done to Michigan. And, then there's Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison who last time I checked makes $851,400. Mattison's D gave up 31 points on Saturday and there wasn't one single fist pump. But hey, he coached Ray Lewis when he was with the Ravens so there is nothing to really worry about.
-What about offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier? Michigan stole him from Alabama. Wow! Amazing! What a hire. Yeah, his offense put up 00000000000000 points. But he's calling plays from the sideline and he probably gets Christmas cards from Nick Saban so his offense getting shutout must surely be a fluke.
-Hoke still refuses to wear a headset. Seriously, when you get blown out by 31, don't you think you might want to at least listen to what plays are being called during the game? Even if it's to just to hear something other than the laughing crowd behind your back. But Brady continues to refuse. Instead he just stands there and claps while his team embarrasses (that word again) the once storied tradition and program that used to be Michigan football. Where's the anger Brady? I'm getting mad just typing this thing. Don't you think you should show a little displeasure yourself? Are you afraid somebody might actually think you care?
That about does it for the review portion of the blog. Now for the fun. Did you happen to hear the comments from Hoke on Monday and Wednesday? Let me share with you some of the more infuriating ones.
Hoke was asked why he decided to leave his starters in a blowout on Saturday. Michigan was down by 31 points. Why risk injury? Why not take a look at some other players? Why not see if there is anybody on the team that actually wants to play because the starters sure didn't look like they wanted to. "For someone who competes, is the game ever over" Hoke asked. "I know I played for Ball State we scored 21 points in a minute and 6 seconds one year."
Well if it happened at Ball State then it obviously would happen in South Bend too? Really? I wonder if any subs were brought in that Ball State game? I'm willing to bet the answer is yes.
Hoke wasn't done addressing the issue. "You've got a point there, there isn't any doubt that you don't want to be too prideful and too bullheaded and all that kind of stuff but we were still in the football game" said Hoke.
Still in the football game? According to whom? Good to see he has sound reasoning. Because clearly it's more important to be able to compete and maybe score 21 points in a little over a minute than to risk players health for the rest of the season. I'm sure the starters really wanted to be in that game at the end. Yeah, probably not!
No doubt Hoke and company must be feeling the pressure from, like everybody after that loss on Saturday. People speculated that the coach and his staff were on the hot seat when the season started so that seat must be on fire by now. Hoke was asked about all the outside talk yesterday and he responded with his own criticism. "I don't worry about myself or the staff because people are going to have opinions and that's fine. But when your quarterback takes some criticism that might be unjust because of things that transpired. I guess that's the way we are in society right now but at the same time I don't know if that's called for."
Not only am I forced to watch this embarrassing (there it is again) brand of football but I also can't criticize a QB that was 19/32 with 0 TD's and 3 interceptions. Devin Gardner had a QB rating of 32.6 in that game. You can't criticize that? Since when? Don't give me the old bit that these are college kids and blah blah blah. They play division 1 football. One hundred thousand fans show up every Saturday to support their team and help keep Michigan Athletics economically healthy. C'mon! How about this Brady? Move Devin back to receiver and put Shane Morris in and maybe Gardner will experience less criticism. He'll probably throw fewer interceptions too.
The above quotes got me fired up but there was one comment from Hoke that seemed to rile me up more than the others.
Hoke was asked what his message would be to Michigan fans?
"Well if they are truly fans they'll believe in these kids and what they've done and the hard work they've put in. If they're not they won't" Hoke said.
So let me get this straight? If I'm a fan then I have no other choice but to support the program and be ok with every laughable folly on the field? That's what makes a fan a fan in Hoke's eyes? That's...wait for it...embarrassing! I don't doubt that the kids work hard and want to win. They simply don't have the talent and/or coaching to do so. I don't fault most of the kids; I fault the coach and his staff! So forgive me if I don't believe in the kids because I don't believe in their leader.
This program is such a joke. First you got the AD David Brandon telling people that there is more to football than wins and losses and now Hoke gives fans the ultimatum to either believe or they're obviously not fans. I can't take it anymore. I am a fan and I want this team to lose every game they play so they will have no other choice but to make a change. Only losing teams and coaches of losing teams want fans to just blindly follow them and trust in their bad decisions. God forbid the fan base has the audacity to have some expectations of a once great program.
Since Saturday, numerous people, alum and Walmart's have come out and voiced their displeasure with Hoke, the program and the overall unsettling feeling that Michigan has turned into a laughing stock. It's a good start by Michigan followers but it must continue and get stronger. Feel free, voice your displeasure. It doesn't make you a bad fan and it could even help. The so called "insiders" claim Brandon will never fire Hoke. They might be right. But with enough losses which I'm sure the team will provide and enough criticism from the fans, maybe just maybe we'll see a new direction from the Michigan football program next season.
And finally I'll get to officially say "I told you so!"
