Hoke's Latest Loss Goes Far Beyond the Scoreboard [BLOG]
By: Martin Weiss
@martinweiss22
Michigan could be 5-0, ranked No. 1 in the nation and Brady Hoke should still be fired before Rutgers on Saturday.
His decision to play Shane Morris after the quarterback sustained a leg injury and what appeared to be a concussion on back-to-back plays was indefensible. His explanation for why he made that decision was idiotic.
Hoke was asked about the decision during his postgame press conference. He cited Morris' competitive nature, stating if Morris had wanted to come out of the game, he would have come to the sideline. If he wanted to come out, he would have taken himself out.
In my lifetime of watching sports, I've only known one instance where a player was thought to have taken himself out of the game: Jay Cutler in the 2011 NFC Championship Game.
There is a precedent set in both collegiate and professional sports. Players cannot be trusted to determine their health. That's the coaches and trainers job, and Hoke abjectly failed. Concussion or not, Morris was hurt and quite frankly not very effective when healthy.
This ignorant decision regarding Morris' health made me think of two instances, one this season and one last season.
At Notre Dame, down 7-0 with just under 12 minutes left in the half, Devin Gardner lost his helmet on an incomplete pass. Hoke took a timeout to ensure Gardner would take the next snap, which was a one-yard quarterback run.
So in a close contest, Hoke showed he would take a timeout to ensure his backup QB didn't have to come on the field. He wouldn't do the same down three possessions on the play Morris was hurt -- or three plays later, when a visibly injured Morris came in after Gardner's helmet came off.
Last season, Michigan drove the length of the field on Ohio State -- scoring a touchdown with 32 seconds left. Michigan went for two and the win, but Gardner's two-point pass attempt was intercepted. When asked about going for two, Hoke said he gathered the seniors around and let them decide. Game on the line, the head coach left the final decision up to 20-year-old kids.
Brady Hoke has underperformed at virtually every level a Michigan head coach -- save for recruiting -- but his reluctance (or inability) make important decisions -- whether they be regarding player safety or the outcome of the game -- is inexcusable and irresponsible.
If he can't make these decisions and be right more often than not, there's only one decision that needs to be made: the next head coach at University of Michigan.
