TheJON wrote:
Did you really think a defensive overhaul was coming if DickRod stayed?
i don't think he would have had a choice. he twice hired someone to coordinate a scheme his assistants were familiar with, not the actual coordinator. i can't explain this (aside from stupidity). but most coaches are given a chance to overhaul their staff and try again.
i get that brandon's concerned with the excitement surrounding the program, but i think there would have been a great deal going into next year: dickrod's first veteran offense, a pretty easy schedule, and a defense with some actual coaching. an average defense would probably net 10 wins next year.
I really don't get it. Michigan has been down for a few years and all of a sudden they can't hire a top-notch coach? It doesn't make sense...you're really going to fire Rich Rodriguez after 3 years for Brady Hoke? Doesn't that just bring you right back to where you were when Lloyd left.......just with a younger coach?
this hasn't played out yet, so who knows, maybe they can. i'm just not in a very optimistic mood. i'm open to being pleasantly surprised. i should also say a big name isn't necessarily the answer, though it'd make me feel better in the short term rather than waiting a year or two to see how it all pans out.
hoke would probably fare better during the transition than dickrod did. quick turnarounds are tied to an emphasis on defense, which is what hoke does. i thought the transition to dickrod would be easier considering a lot of the 06 defense returned, but, er, the 3-3-5 and nick sheridan.
also, dickrod's leaving more talent behind for whomever follows than carr left for him, all of which will lead to self-congratulatory pieces in the free press about a return to michigan values or something when we go 8-4 three years from now.
I keep hearing media members say they need to hire a "Michigan guy". I get so fucking annoyed of media dolts that always claim a program should go after "one of their own" when the last guy who wasn't "one of their own" failed.
you and me both. people act like being a decent human being is something exclusive to michigan. or that you need to understand the unique history of michigan football to succeed there. catching up on tradition takes an afternoon of reading. considering all the resources, the only thing you need to succeed in aa is to be a good football coach. oh, and not having half your alumni sabotage your efforts because you're not stan debord.
and i like something the mgoblog guy said about hoke today: "If he'd been a Michigan State assistant no one would have ever brought him up." makes sense.
Maybe I'm just in denial here, but I gotta believe your AD has something up his sleeve.
i suppose the default is to assume these are smart people, but sometimes they just aren't. hope you're right, though.