12/22/24
September 29, 2014
Brady Hoke's Dangerous Incompetence So Bad ESPN Announcers Denounce It: Michigan quarterback Shane Morris took a nasty, and illegal, hit to the skull in the fourth quarter of last night's loss to Minnesota. Not only was Morris immediately re-inserted into the game, but Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke claimed " I didn't know if [Morris] had a concussion or not." Over-the-top deadspin headline aside, there is a growing demand to relieve Coach Hoke of his duties in Ann Arbor that isn't even based on the team's 2-3 start to the season. The university released a statement last night defending the team's handling of the situation, though not referencing the suspected head injury.
Considering how bad Morris was, the fact that Brady Hoke is still employed at the University of Michigan nearly 48 hours after the game makes me think the AD should join the list of those who should be relieved of their duties as well.
posted by NerfballPro at 01:56 PM on September 29, 2014
Considering how bad Morris was, the fact that Brady Hoke is still employed at the University of Michigan nearly 48 hours after the game makes me think the AD should join the list of those who should be relieved of their duties as well.
You are not alone in this -- I was at the game, and near the end of the 1st half, on 3rd and 13 from about the 3 yard line, Hoke called a run up the middle. The student section immediately broke out into a FIRE BRANDON chant (Dave Brandon is the AD who has pissed off the students, the faculty, the alumni and pretty much everyone else he's physically capable of pissing off at least once in his five-year tenure). Not FIRE BRADY -- I think the students have accepted that Hoke is simply in over his head.
I left the game (sick kid) after the third quarter, but saw that play later and was appalled that Morris went back in (aside from the fact that Hoke should have been arguing over the targeting non-call for long enough for the third-string QB to get his damn helmet on in the first place).
Hoke might finish the season, but he won't be Michigan's coach in January.
posted by Etrigan at 04:19 PM on September 29, 2014
Considering how bad Morris was, the fact that Brady Hoke is still employed at the University of Michigan nearly 48 hours after the game makes me think the AD should join the list of those who should be relieved of their duties as well.
There have been calls for that as well, though I would agree that this particular episode is sufficient reason on its own.
posted by bender at 08:29 PM on September 29, 2014
Pretty darn well delineated Peter principle threshold on Hoke's career track. He did pretty well at his previous stops. He can probably use metrics to figure out where he should go next without exceeding his competency quotient after he gets canned at UM. Aim only as high as is reasonably appropriate. He's gonna get hired somewhere. He doesn't necessarily have to settle for a UTEP level gig.
UM must be writhing a bit. Premature to write them off as a relevant major program, and they've seen other schools crawl back from the precipice with solid hires, such as Bama and OSU. They need to nail the next HC decision. They can't lose to Columbus indefinitely. Lloyd Carr will end up trading swag for tats.
posted by beaverboard at 09:20 PM on September 29, 2014
Fire Hoke NOW, don't wait for the end of the year, don't forget to fire the athletic director also.
posted by ic23b at 10:16 PM on September 29, 2014
Fire them all! Every last one of them!
posted by Hugh Janus at 02:13 AM on September 30, 2014
The ever-present Unnamed Q. Source says that two Michigan Men are already being considered for Brandon's job.
This is against a backdrop of a brand-new UM President with very little experience in dealing with big-time college athletics (he was Dean of Biological Sciences at Cal, but that's as close as he got). One of the most-cited (locally, at least) issues in the disastrous hire of Rich Rodriguez back in 2007 was that no one involved in the hire had ever conducted a coaching search before. If Schlissel and the Board of Regents want to get rid of Brandon and Hoke, they'll want to dump Brandon ASAP to get someone in place to hire Hoke's replacement before Signing Day.
posted by Etrigan at 06:03 AM on September 30, 2014
The student section immediately broke out into a FIRE BRANDON chant (Dave Brandon is the AD who has pissed off the students, the faculty, the alumni and pretty much everyone else he's physically capable of pissing off at least once in his five-year tenure). Not FIRE BRADY -- I think the students have accepted that Hoke is simply in over his head.
I sit in the front row of the student section. After the game a woman we believe to be Hoke's daughter confronted us saying that the "Fire Brady" chants were "assholeish" and that it affects him/them. We had to explain that we were chanting "Fire Brandon" and not "Fire Brady". There is no real reason to chant "Fire Brady" since he is as good as gone. With all the money Brandon brings into the university it is more likely that they might keep him.
The band also began playing in between every play in an effort to keep us from chanting.
It is extremely likely that Michigan will break its streak of over 100,000 fans in attendance this year. I'm skeptical that they will be able to fill the seats come November when it is colder and they have lost a few more games.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 08:15 AM on September 30, 2014
The NFL must be working hard to keep UM from hiring John Harbaugh.
1) As long as he stays with the Ravens, he can't come out and tell his side of the Rice story in its entirety. Which would likely not make the team or the league look good.
2) The league hungers for compelling themes to coin revenue from. If they lose one of the Harbaughs and Peyton retires, the NFL will be toast in the brotherly love cash cow department. Somehow, Rob and Rex Ryan just don't pull the same numbers (or heart strings) on the Hallmark scale.
(If UM fires Brandon and then Hoke, hopefully the biology professor at the top won't notice that Charlie Weis is now available).
posted by beaverboard at 09:52 AM on September 30, 2014
With all the money Brandon brings into the university it is more likely that they might keep him.
I feel like the Powers That Be will realize that the money will come anyway thanks to the B1G Network and suchlike, and that on-field success is going to drive that more than selling another ad on the stadium. I think the only way Brandon sticks around is firing Hoke and getting a #1 top tier proven coach, or convincing Schlissel etc. that a new AD won't be able to hire that #1 top tier proven coach until he gets his feet on the ground.
(If UM fires Brandon and then Hoke, hopefully the biology professor at the top won't notice that Charlie Weis is now available).
Ann Arbor will burn to the fucking ground if they hire Weis. To the ground.
(My favorite thing about Charlie Weis right now is that he's still being paid by both Notre Dame and Kansas not to coach. You have to admire that level of Getting Over.)
posted by Etrigan at 11:26 AM on September 30, 2014
I feel like the Powers That Be will realize that the money will come anyway thanks to the B1G Network and suchlike
I wonder about this, too. People have said similar things about Roger Goodell as well, but really, how hard is it to make boatloads of money for Michigan or the NFL? I'm not saying that I would be a good candidate, but I don't buy that these guys are irreplaceable from a financial standpoint, particularly when they are generating this much bad press which must (at least over time) have a cost.
posted by bender at 12:20 PM on September 30, 2014
Looks like there was a bit of a rally at UM about this.
posted by beaverboard at 11:15 PM on September 30, 2014
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 08:26 AM on October 01, 2014
Exclusive video (briefly NSFW, which I had totally forgotten about) of Brady Hoke on the sidelines during the game.
posted by Bonkers at 08:35 AM on October 01, 2014
Brady Hoke would not be caught dead wearing a headset.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 07:20 PM on October 01, 2014
This is appalling. There should be an immediate investigation into all coaches who saw Morris looking so wobbly after the illegal hit and let him go back in, and Hoke should be held responsible regardless of his claim he didn't see it.
When Hoke says this, it's the kind of callous and unenlightened remark that got Mike Leach dumped by Texas Tech: "I don't know if he had a concussion or not, I don't know that. Shane's a pretty competitive, tough kid. And Shane wanted to be the quarterback, and so, believe me, if he didn't want to be he would've come to the sideline or stayed down."
A coach at any level who ignored the heatstroke and dehydration risks at practice and got a player killed would be fired and potentially prosecuted. We've become more enlightened about that. Maybe it's time for the same approach towards concussions.