Tag: Brady Hoke

Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 3

Derrick Green (#27, image via Star-Telegram)

Former offensive coordinator Al Borges: Borges, now the offensive coordinator at San Jose State, is part of a 1-2 program after SJSU lost to Utah, 34-17. The Spartans are #69 in scoring offense and #72 in total offense.

Former DE commit Pharaoh Brown: Brown made 1 catch for 1 yard in Oregon’s 35-32 loss to Nebraska.

Former WR/S Brian Cole II: Cole made 3 tackles in East Mississippi Community College’s 54-10 win over Northeast Mississippi Community College.

Hit the jump for many more updates.

read more

Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 2

Pharaoh Brown had his first TD catch since his devastating 2014 knee injury (image via Miami Herald)

Former DE commit Pharaoh Brown: Brown made 5 catches for 55 yards and 1 touchdown in Oregon’s 44-26 win over Virginia.

Former WR/S Brian Cole II: Through two games at East Mississippi Community College, Cole has 17 tackles and 1 fumble recovery, which he returned for 21 yards. EMCC is 1-1.

Hit the jump for several more updates, including on Shaun Crawford, Derrick Green, Damien Harris, Brady Hoke, and Mike Weber.

read more

The All-Hoke Team: Defense, Special Teams

Jake Ryan (image via MGoBlog)

I posted the offense yesterday (LINK), so here are the defenders and specialists. Since Michigan ran a 4-3 Under for three of Hoke’s four years, I’m going with that look for my all-star team.

SDE: Ryan Van Bergen (2011)
45 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries, 4 pass breakups
Van Bergen was a stalwart defensive end for Michigan as a senior, earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention but helping the entire defense by getting consistent penetration and having a great game in the win against Ohio State.

NT: Ryan Glasgow (2014)
24 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
Glasgow made huge strides from his redshirt freshman to redshirt sophomore season, which propelled him past Quinton Washington for this spot. Glasgow was mostly able to hold his ground against double teams.

DT: Mike Martin (2011)
64 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks
Martin was named Second Team All-Big Ten for his performance in 2011, and he was consistently in the opponent’s backfield. Opposing centers couldn’t handle him one-on-one as a nose tackle, which allowed some young and/or mediocre linebackers behind him to make plays.

WDE: Frank Clark (2014)
42 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 2 pass breakups
I hesitated to put Clark on here because he was kicked off the team for an (alleged) domestic violence transgression. But just looking at the on-field results, Clark was a force. He achieved the above numbers in just ten games before being booted, and they would have been higher if Michigan’s coverage in the secondary hadn’t been so poor in the early part of the season.

Hit the jump for linebackers, defensive backs, and specialists.

SLB: Jake Ryan (2012)
88 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 3 pass breakups
Ryan was a huge playmaker for the Wolverines coming off the edge, and he had an ability to keep faster players from breaking contain. He was a capable pass rusher who sometimes played defensive end or blitzed from the interior of the defense.

MLB: Desmond Morgan (2012)
81 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, .5 sacks, 2 pass breakups
Pick any year from 2011 to 2013, and Morgan was basically the same guy in each. Other than a superb one-handed interception against UConn in 2013, I thought he peaked as a sophomore (he has one year remaining after redshirting this past season). Just a steady presence in the middle of the field.

WLB: Joe Bolden (2014)
102 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass breakup
This was a tough choice between Bolden and Kenny Demens, but I think Bolden has developed into a better tackler than Demens. Bolden looked a little out of place in his first two years, but he emerged as a junior under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, who took over the linebacker position.

CB: Blake Countess (2013)
46 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions (1 touchdown), and 4 pass breakups
Playing a lot of nickel corner in 2013, Countess was outstanding. He was named First Team All-Big Ten and tied for the conference lead in interceptions.

CB: Jourdan Lewis (2014)
39 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 6 pass breakups
Lewis got called for a few pass interference penalties, but he almost never got cleanly beaten by defenders. He was the only defensive back to record an interception in 2014, and his hustle plays against Utah and Maryland saved a couple potential touchdowns.

S: Thomas Gordon (2011)
67 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 2 pass breakups
Surely it was a run of good luck, but Gordon was always around the ball as a redshirt sophomore in 2011. From his one-handed interception against Eastern Michigan to his four recoveries, he was a takeaway machine.

S: Jordan Kovacs (2011)
75 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass breakup
Kovacs was a revelation for Michigan fans who were used to predictable defense from 2008-2010. Often used as a blitzer, Kovacs would stunt off the edge and was very adept at keeping outside contain despite average speed.

PR: Jeremy Gallon (2011)
19 returns, 192 yards, 10.1 yards/return
In general, the returners were not good during Hoke’s tenure. Gallon was the only one able to manage over 10 yards/return, nobody returned a punt for a touchdown (blocked punts notwithstanding), and Hoke generally went for safety over big-play ability.

KR: Dennis Norfleet (2013)
40 kickoff returns, 938 yards, 23.5 yards/return
Norfleet is #1 all-time at Michigan in career returns (94) and return yardage (2,203). I thought his patience and vision were best in 2013, but all three seasons have seen him with between a 23.05 and 23.63 yard average with a long return of 38-44 yards, so his seasons are mostly indistinguishable from each other.

P: Will Hagerup (2012)
45.0 yards/punt, 3 inside the 20-yard line, 4 touchbacks, 4 fair catches, 13 punts of 50+ yards
It’s tough to pick a season for Hagerup. He was the Big Ten Punter of the Year in 2012, but the coaches in the conference voted him as Honorable Mention All-Big Ten. He showed a big leg, but he only pinned teams inside their own 20-yard line 3 times while having 4 touchbacks (by contrast, he landed 16 inside the 20-yard line in 2014 but also had 9 touchbacks while averaging 42.9 yards/attempt).

K: Brendan Gibbons (2012)
16/18 on field goals (88.9%) with a long of 52, 45/45 on extra points
Gibbons had some memorable kicks in each of his final three years, but he was clutch in 2012. He hit his career long of 52 against Nebraska, he knocked one through to send the Northwestern game to overtime, and he hit the game-winner against Michigan State.

LS: Jareth Glanda (2011)
1 catch for 11 yards
Glanda was only the short snapper (field goals, extra points) in 2011, leaving the long snapping duties (punts) to Tom Pomarico. But Pomarico never caught a pass like Glanda did in the Sugar Bowl. Neither one had a bad snap, and Glanda would go on to be the long snapper in 2012 and 2013, but I’m picking 2011 because it’s my blog, dammit.

H: Drew Dileo (2011 and 2013)
Once again, I’m breaking the rules because you can’t stop me. In 2011 Dileo converted three fake field goals – a 3-yard run against Michigan State, a 4-yard run against Nebraska, and a pass (which was tipped and ended up in the hands of Glanda). Then again, in 2013 he slid into the holding position for Brendan Gibbons’s game-tying field goal at the end of regulation, which helped turn a loss into an eventual victory.

Poll results: Which coach(es) should be retained beyond 2014?

Roy Manning (image via Maizeandbluenews.com)

Leading up to last week’s game against Ohio State, I asked a question about which coach(es) should be retained after the season. Voters were allowed to pick multiple answers. Here are the results:

Roy Manning (cornerbacks): 51%

Greg Mattison (defensive coordinator/linebackers): 49%

Doug Nussmeier (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks): 18%

Mark Smith (defensive line): 18%

Fred Jackson (running backs): 7%

Dan Ferrigno (tight ends): 5%

Curt Mallory (safeties): 4%

Jeff Hecklinski (wide receivers/recruiting coordinator): 3%

Darrell Funk (offensive line): 2%

Brady Hoke (head coach): 0% (1 vote)

No coaches should be retained: 18%

Hoke has been canned, and defensive coordinator Greg Mattison reportedly cleared out his desk upon learning the news. So the 49% of people who wanted him back will be disappointed, and the one lonely soul who wanted Hoke to return is drinking a beer by himself. The other staff members could possibly be interviewed and retained, but it’s unusual to keep on more than one or two guys from a previous regime.

Brady Hoke, Ex-Wolverine

This is the way I want to remember Brady Hoke.

As had been expected, Michigan chose to let Brady Hoke go on Tuesday afternoon. A team meeting was held at 3:00 p.m., where the 2014 team captains were announced before the news of the firing.

Hoke released a statement shortly after the news became public:

I feel very fortunate to have been an assistant and head coach at the University of Michigan. I will always support the University and this football program. This is a special place and one that Laura, Kelly, and I have enjoyed representing during our time in Ann Arbor. I want to thank all of the sons that played for our teams and appreciate the commitment that our coaches and support staff made to the program every day. I will miss the relationships that I’ve been fortunate enough to make within the university and community. I additionally appreciate all of the support that our fans, alumni, students, administration, and former players have provided our Michigan. I leave with fond memories of my time at Michigan. Thanks and Go Blue!

Hoke was hired in January 2011 (check out my introductory post on Hoke) after Rich Rodriguez was fired. Rodriguez was 15-22 from 2008-2010, incurred NCAA sanctions, and did not fit well with Michigan’s established administration, but he did have increasing win totals (3 in 2008, 5 in 2009, 7 in 2010) during his career. As for Hoke himself, he had gone 47-50 during his head coaching career with Ball State and San Diego State, taking those teams from 4-8 in his initial years to 12-1 and 9-4, respectively, in his final season at those schools. Despite the losing record, he was considered to be a coach who could build a program.

Bucking his own established trend, Hoke led Michigan to an 11-2 in his first year, beating Ohio State and winning the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech. He followed that up with an 8-5 year that ended in an Outback Bowl loss to South Carolina. The 2013 season saw Michigan fall to 7-6 with a loss to Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. The Wolverines completed a 5-7 season this past Saturday with a 42-28 loss to Ohio State, dropping him to 1-3 against the Buckeyes – not to mention 1-3 against the intrastate rival Michigan State Spartans. Hoke finishes his Michigan career with a 31-20 overall record and at 18-14 in the Big Ten. That includes records of 12-13 and 6-10, respectively, over the past two seasons.

As for the reasons Hoke was fired, the problems were multiple. One of the biggest symptoms was the failure to develop a solid quarterback. Hoke inherited Denard Robinson in 2011, and while Robinson won a lot of games and had pretty good overall numbers, he regressed in the passing game. Due to injury, Robinson and Devin Gardner split time in 2012, when Gardner looked like a future star. Unfortunately, he also regressed in 2013 and then even more so in 2014. That seemed largely to blame on Michigan’s offensive line, which was among the worst in the country despite having 1st and 3rd round NFL Draft picks as the bookend tackles in 2013. Some improvement occurred in 2014, but not enough and not quickly enough. Unhappiness was rumbling prior to this past season, and the calls for Hoke’s head were exacerbated by anger at then athletic director David Brandon – which seemed to be aimed at Hoke and the team at certain points – and some very questionable in-game decisions that made Hoke look overwhelmed.

I have mixed feelings about Hoke’s firing. Hoke was too often unsuccessful on the field, but he has been universally acclaimed for the relationships he builds with his players and the leadership he provided for them. Michigan improved their academic standing and generally kept players around under him, which was a huge problem during the Rodriguez administration. He liked to claim that 69 out of 69 seniors graduated during his tenure (although Frank Clark and his domestic violence situation might mar that perfect record).

Hoke also had some admirable personal traits. He was obviously elated to be hired by Michigan in 2011, saying he would have walked from San Diego to Ann Arbor. It’s hard to find major faults in someone who is that unabashedly excited to be doing his job. Furthermore, he referred to his players as “sons” and genuinely seemed interested in seeing them succeed. He usually refused to wear long sleeves on game days, presumably because he wanted to lead by example in getting players to tune out the weather. Unlike some coaches around the country who berate players on the sideline or call them out in press conferences, Hoke kept criticism behind closed doors.

Ultimately, the goal at Michigan should be to win national championships. If not, then at least Big Ten championships. If  not, then at least beat Ohio State and Michigan State. Unfortunately, Michigan never won any kind of championship under Hoke and went 2-6 against those rivals. Hoke’s time had come. It isn’t fair, but it’s the way the world works.

Wherever Hoke ends up next year or in two years, I hope that Brady, his wife, and his daughter find happiness and success. His next team will be my second-favorite team.*

*Unless it’s Ohio State or Michigan State