Coaching Staff

Must admit that I am very disappointed that there has not been any changes to the coaching staff!

Go Blue!!

Think the OSU game may have ensured Borges' return even though everyone else shredded their defense too.

'shoes

GOBLUEJOE66 wrote:

Must admit that I am very disappointed that there has not been any changes to the coaching staff!  

Go Blue!!    

I don't understand how the 8th best record within the Big 10 is acceptable for this program or anyone in it. People look at the 7 wins and think it was a bad season, but the deeper you look the uglier it gets. Have we become Indiana, Illinois, or Minnesota? Based on the complacency within the program it certainly looks like expectations have changed.

Still think it is down to Brandon, this is his boy his only choice and if he doesn't pressure Hoke to make changes, Hoke will be loyal to his staff

Agree MMan

I have a sixpack bet with someone that Michigan stays pat. They say somebody will get the ax I say not

I think coordinators can be found all around so I won't touch too much on them right now but realistically I think you'll find that if UM wanted to make an impact with a head coaching hire they would have to look to the NFL.

Sure you could look at Sumlin or Shaw as possible candidates but I think they will only leave A&M and Stanford for a NFL job.

In the NFL ranks there are a handful of guys that I think could be hired away with a bit of nudging ($$$).

1. Jon Gruden - Don't laugh, he has to be itching to get out of the booth and back onto the field. He has midwest ties and he was on the short list of candidates the last time around. In fact I believe he actually interviewed for the job.

2. John Harbaugh - While not an alumn, he's a self proclaimed Michigan Man. It doesn't hurt that Greg Mattison is the D coordinator.

3. Todd Bowles - A name that doesn't get thrown around a lot but he's ready for a high profile job like Michigan. Sure he was an interim coach at Miami but it wasn't really for long. But speaking of which... Miami... cough cough... Stephen Ross. You get the point.

4. Greg Schiano - He's looking for a job but I'm a bit concerned about how he snubbed UM the last time around. I think Brandon's ego won't allow him to consider Schiano again.

I'm sure if I did a bit of research I could find a dozen candidates. These guys are just my no-brainers.

Please add any candidates you can think of.

I also want to add that this post is actually pretty irrelevant. Hoke isn't going anywhere this year. Just thought I'd throw a wrench in the discussion.

I don't know if Gruden will ever return to coaching. Not with the ridiculous check he's collecting from ESPN these days - essentially a coach's salary without the stress.

Unless Harbaugh loses his job in Baltimore and, for some absurd reason, can't find another NFL gig, I don't see him dropping to the college ranks. Keep in mind college coaching is a completely different beast. There really is no offseason. As soon as it's over, you're full-tilt 'crootin. NFL coaches know that, and I think most of them feel that if they can keep an NFL gig that actually does come with a break each year, they're going go stay put.

I have no interest in Greg Schiano. He had a nice season at Rutgers at 11-2, but other than that year, he never won more than nine games. That's not bad at Rutgers, by any means. But I don't think Michigan needs to be hiring an up-an-coming coach, per se. Let Penn State hire him and suffer.

Re Schiano (and Bill Martin)- per John U Bacon, after Schiano originally said no, he had second thoughts and his agent recontacted Mich but at that point we were full bore into the discussions with RR.

'shoes

Grudges has no interest in coaching again at this point in his life.  His name comes up every year and ESPN gives him a raise.

I wouldn't want schiano, not impressed with him. I still like hoke with the some staff changes. I am afraid though that he is too blind/ loyal/ stubborn to make them and that is going to be his downfall.

For those who like Hoke long term, I am curious as to what the qualities are that lead you to that conclusion.

Here are what I see as his strengths.

1) He is a likable guy. While IMO this not critical for the HC, all things being equal, I prefer it.

2) He knows his limitations and leaves a lot to his assistants. As Clint Eastwood would say, this makes him a good man. On the other hand, that puts a great deal of pressure on getting the assistants right.

3) He tends to be calm under pressure. This can be very good and I thought was never more evident than in UTL1.

4) He is a good recruiter. This is one I struggle with because I'm not sure that in his case this isn't more a function of where he is, not who he is (and that he has Mattison who is a great recruiter and has proven it at 3 major programs, 4 times).

The concern which I have previously voiced is that with another 5 or more loss season, the recruiting will drop significantly.

'shoes

I honestly think Bill Martin sent Michigan football Back 10 years with his Coaching search. Tried to change the face of Michigan football to an unaccepting fan base, and a team that the coaching style didn't fit, but Billy boy thought that he was getting such an offensive genius that they fans would, Hold ole Billy boy as a GOD, it didn't happen forcing another coaching change back to the way Michigan wants to be. Hence the situation we are in now...

RR was a consensus top ten coach when he came here, wanted by Bama the year before, he made many mistakes but he had enormous pressure put on him by the backstabbing from within, Hoke is nowhere the coach RR was, he is lucky that $$$ were found for Mattison, could care fuckin less if he was not a Michigan Man that is the stupidest mantra I have ever heard

MM that not the point . The point is exactly that he was not the man the fan base wanted there fore they have had to change the personnel for this team twice, setting Michigan football back. Had RR addresses the defense with the same enthusiasm as the offense, he may even still be here. My point is because he didn't fit in here, Michigan has had to redesign its team for 6 years.

Don't agree that he didn't fit the fan base as a reason, that bs came from the media repeating it over and over as well as the poison spewed by Carr, how many of the fan base think Hoke is the right man, blame Brandon as well for firing RR without maybe backing him with $$ to get a top notch DC, so Brandon is the one that caused a setback in the personnel not fitting the new coach, he went after a pro style guy knowing full well what type of players were here

RR walked into a bad situation talent wise and addressed the offense first which was in the worst shape. You don't have unlimited scholarships. The offense improved dramatically over 3 years. He had shifted (recruiting-wise) attention to defense in his last year with something like 65 percent of his recruits on that side of the ball.

As we have also discussed Mich would not even pay 2/3 of what they paid for Mattison to get RR's DC of choice.

Arizona had a better defense than Michigan this year in RR's second year than Hoke had in his 3rd year at Michigan. To say that RR ignored or did not care about defense was never accurate.

I also don't think that Martin was looking to change Michigan's style in his hire (though some fans may have felt that was needed). He was looking to get the best available coach and he thought he did that. As mentioned Alabama had unsuccessfully gone after RR the year before. At that time Harbaugh was much less proven than he was the next time around and it appears that Mary Sue would have nixed him in any case.

'shoes

the artist formally known wrote:

I honestly think Bill Martin sent Michigan football Back 10 years with his Coaching search. Tried to change the face of Michigan football to an unaccepting fan base, and a team that the coaching style didn't fit, but Billy boy thought that he was getting such an offensive genius that they fans would, Hold ole Billy boy as a GOD, it didn't happen forcing another coaching change back to the way Michigan wants to be. Hence the situation we are in now...

In all fairness it was Lloyd Carr that first contacted RR. They had a 15 min phone conversation. Then Lloyd put the name RR into Bill's head and the rest as they say is history.

sandyeggo_blue wrote:

the artist formally known wrote:

I honestly think Bill Martin sent Michigan football Back 10 years with his Coaching search. Tried to change the face of Michigan football to an unaccepting fan base, and a team that the coaching style didn't fit, but Billy boy thought that he was getting such an offensive genius that they fans would, Hold ole Billy boy as a GOD, it didn't happen forcing another coaching change back to the way Michigan wants to be. Hence the situation we are in now...

In all fairness it was Lloyd Carr that first contacted RR. They had a 15 min phone conversation. Then Lloyd put the name RR into Bill's head and the rest as they say is history.

That was when Lloyd was desperately looking for alternatives to Les Miles and given that his preferences of English or Debord had already been nixed.

'shoes

As shoes says Lloyd only called RR to cut the legs from under Miles, then he went about sabotaging RR

wshoes wrote:

RR walked into a bad situation talent wise and addressed the offense first which was in the worst shape. You don't have unlimited scholarships. The offense improved dramatically over 3 years. He had shifted (recruiting-wise) attention to defense in his last year with something like 65 percent of his recruits on that side of the ball.

As we have also discussed Mich would not even pay 2/3 of what they paid for Mattison to get RR's DC of choice.

Arizona had a better defense than Michigan this year in RR's second year than Hoke had in his 3rd year at Michigan. To say that RR ignored or did not care about defense was never accurate.

I also don't think that Martin was looking to change Michigan's style in his hire (though some fans may have felt that was needed). He was looking to get the best available coach and he thought he did that. As mentioned Alabama had unsuccessfully gone after RR the year before. At that time Harbaugh was much  less proven than he was the next time around and it appears that Mary Sue would have nixed him in any case.

'shoes

Good grief is this dead on. I think losing RR will go down as a huge mistake. He was a winner in WV and I think he will have Arizona humming in a year or two.

as much as I agree with you. I think they are 2 totally different situation. Arizona is in a warm weather conference that pretty much plays wide open offense. While Michigan plays in a smash mouth conference, that will have more game in the 40 degree range than the 70 degree range. I for one think Hokes offense will work better here, than RR (my opinion) I did think that RR offense was more viewable than Hokes.

I loved RR's offense, and think he was a good coach as far as that goes. If his defense was only half-way competent,...Really, the Illinois game is what turned me. At that point, the defense was hopeless. If only...

shoes,

(I think I may have asked this before) What do you think Michigan would be like if RR was still the coach? You guys are actually making me start to miss him....

Pure guess (but based hopefully on some logic) and I think it depends on who we get as DC if he stayed. I'll assume we paid up for Jeff Casteel when we got a second chance at him.

2011- He would not have topped Hoke's 11-2 and may not have matched it. I'll say 10-3 or 9-4.

2012- Still a tough schedule but he would not have been relying on Bellomy as the back-up when Denard was hurt. I'll say 9-4.

2013 10-3 or 11-2. (and we beat either MSU or OSU and annihilate Akron, Uconn and PSU, beat Iowa and/or Neb ).

If he had stayed and been given meaningful support, recruiting would have ticked up for him. He would not have gotten all of the same guys but the overall rankings would have been close. We would have had Sammy Watkins for instance.

No way to prove any of this of course, but that is my guess.

'shoes

Guess thinking back I f RR would have left a lot of his country syrup at home. and had a better defense he would still be here. So in that regard I totally agree with shoes . The loses to PSU and Iowa were a total melt down, and we inexcusable, Finishing the season with a 2-4 record was intolerable. That alone had the fan base up in arms.