1st Down

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 10:14 p.m.

Something I got from a newspaper from that state down south: Shea said he heard the same thing from a friend last week, when he talked with a former teammate - New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. "I know how much Tom Brady loves Brady Hoke, and when I talked to him last week, he said we need to get this guy," said Shea, who said Brady then asked for the cell phone number of Brandon. "So people sometimes say, 'We don't see Tommy around.' Let me tell you, make no mistake, Tom Brady loves Michigan. And you'll be hearing Tommy talk Michigan a lot more."

1st Down

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 9:21 p.m.

RR "this is the system and if you dont want to play in it...leave...im only interested in the players who want to play here" Brady Hoke "D Rob is a great talent, we are going to adapt to him...this is about the players" Hmm.... we know the former failed miserably... the later will succeed...mark it down.

1st Down

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 9:21 p.m.

RR "this is the system and if you dont want to play in it...leave...im only interested in the players who want to play here" Brady Hoke "D Rob is a great talent, we are going to adapt to him...this is about the players" Hmm.... we know the former failed miserably... the later will succeed...mark it down.

bleedblue96

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 8:38 p.m.

Hopefully he brings the kids together. I remember reading one article where RichRod would have the defense and the offense in seperate lockers during halftimes. How are you supposed to be unified that way. RichRod was to stubborn to get away from his 3-3-5 scheme that I don't think he would of ever been able to change the program around. He seemed to stubborn and blamed the youth of the players. Yet he never made them man up on players just play soft coverage the entire season. Their tackling was poor throughout the season. Hopefully Hoke brings back what was when he was here on defense. Discipline and aggressiveness. The offense will be fine.

bleedblue96

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 8:38 p.m.

Hopefully he brings the kids together. I remember reading one article where RichRod would have the defense and the offense in seperate lockers during halftimes. How are you supposed to be unified that way. RichRod was to stubborn to get away from his 3-3-5 scheme that I don't think he would of ever been able to change the program around. He seemed to stubborn and blamed the youth of the players. Yet he never made them man up on players just play soft coverage the entire season. Their tackling was poor throughout the season. Hopefully Hoke brings back what was when he was here on defense. Discipline and aggressiveness. The offense will be fine.

spaceman

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 8:21 p.m.

Beat sparty and then beat the buckeyes this fall and all will be well in the Michigan football universe

spaceman

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 8:21 p.m.

Beat sparty and then beat the buckeyes this fall and all will be well in the Michigan football universe

Joe

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 8:17 p.m.

BlueGator...thanks.

Joe

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 8:17 p.m.

BlueGator...thanks.

BlueGator

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 7:54 p.m.

Joe, It's on The News and Freep web sites.

BlueGator

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 7:54 p.m.

Joe, It's on The News and Freep web sites.

Joe

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 7:49 p.m.

Did anyone else hear what Blu-Dogg said that Coach Hoke said about DR saying he is staying?

Joe

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 7:49 p.m.

Did anyone else hear what Blu-Dogg said that Coach Hoke said about DR saying he is staying?

1st Down

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 7:19 p.m.

Bluegator...i was thinking that too...and its a possibility...it appears that Hoke committed to D Rob that he is the QB and he would work the system around his talents...it appears that Hoke needs to meet with Borges first before hiring him to make sure that he shares the same committment and has the ability to do it as well.

1st Down

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 7:19 p.m.

Bluegator...i was thinking that too...and its a possibility...it appears that Hoke committed to D Rob that he is the QB and he would work the system around his talents...it appears that Hoke needs to meet with Borges first before hiring him to make sure that he shares the same committment and has the ability to do it as well.

1st Down

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 7:17 p.m.

Great video! Love Coach Hoke's interaction with the team. Also a quick 'shout out' to Bethany Andrews at the top here....welcome to AA comment board Bethany!

1st Down

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 7:17 p.m.

Great video! Love Coach Hoke's interaction with the team. Also a quick 'shout out' to Bethany Andrews at the top here....welcome to AA comment board Bethany!

BlueGator

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 6:37 p.m.

I find it somewhat intriguing that Brady Hoke has not officially named Al Borges as OC yet. I know Hoke was just appointed two days ago, but he has already named a new S&C coach, and Borges has been quoted already that he is coming over from SDSU with Brady. Could Hoke be rethinking OCs in order to better utilize Denard?

BlueGator

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 6:37 p.m.

I find it somewhat intriguing that Brady Hoke has not officially named Al Borges as OC yet. I know Hoke was just appointed two days ago, but he has already named a new S&C coach, and Borges has been quoted already that he is coming over from SDSU with Brady. Could Hoke be rethinking OCs in order to better utilize Denard?

clarklaker

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 6:22 p.m.

I like Brady Hoke. This guy is a blue collar coach who preaches fundamentals and smash mouth football. How nice would it be to see our defense tackle someone with authority.

clarklaker

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 6:22 p.m.

I like Brady Hoke. This guy is a blue collar coach who preaches fundamentals and smash mouth football. How nice would it be to see our defense tackle someone with authority.

PortageLkBlu

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 6:16 p.m.

Ya, RR left him some talent and if he goes 8-4 some will say, see we told you Brady was the right man in reality I think RR was about to turn the worm. For those of us that loved the style and potential with RR this thing is going to sllllllloooooooowwwwwwww way down. I have loved Mich. football since the early 50's my first game and never looked back. I fly my M flag on Sat. out here in the desert and barbecu and live for those games and I was so looking forward to the speed of Mich. under RR and the spread. In all my years this will truly be the first black mark against that program, the way they fired RR without giving him time. Some of you disagree with me but that is my opinion and always will be. With that I say, Go Blue and good luck Brady.

PortageLkBlu

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 6:16 p.m.

Ya, RR left him some talent and if he goes 8-4 some will say, see we told you Brady was the right man in reality I think RR was about to turn the worm. For those of us that loved the style and potential with RR this thing is going to sllllllloooooooowwwwwwww way down. I have loved Mich. football since the early 50's my first game and never looked back. I fly my M flag on Sat. out here in the desert and barbecu and live for those games and I was so looking forward to the speed of Mich. under RR and the spread. In all my years this will truly be the first black mark against that program, the way they fired RR without giving him time. Some of you disagree with me but that is my opinion and always will be. With that I say, Go Blue and good luck Brady.

Blu-dogg97

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 6:03 p.m.

Was listening to the HUGE show on 107.3bblfm and Brady Hoke was on,and Huge asked Brady if he had a chance to talk to Denard Robinson,and if DR was going to stay at Michigan,and Brady's response was that he did talk to DR,and DR told Brady he is going to stay at The Blue,and wanted his degree from Uof M.. Just saying!! right from the Coach..

Blu-dogg97

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 6:03 p.m.

Was listening to the HUGE show on 107.3bblfm and Brady Hoke was on,and Huge asked Brady if he had a chance to talk to Denard Robinson,and if DR was going to stay at Michigan,and Brady's response was that he did talk to DR,and DR told Brady he is going to stay at The Blue,and wanted his degree from Uof M.. Just saying!! right from the Coach..

umgoblue47

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 5:47 p.m.

portage... agree with your post, except with what rr left i think this team could easily go 7-5, 8-4 in 2011 provided DR stays and there is not a mass exodus to the door and coach HOKE runs some type of the spread. had rr been given another year he would have gone 9-3, 10-2. the offense would be much impoved as well as the defense not to mention hart would have come and all the new defensive recruits coming in and a new DC... we have a new coach and i will support him even if takes 4/more years. but some fans will be calling for his head on a stick if it takes that long... GO BLUE...

umgoblue47

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 5:47 p.m.

portage... agree with your post, except with what rr left i think this team could easily go 7-5, 8-4 in 2011 provided DR stays and there is not a mass exodus to the door and coach HOKE runs some type of the spread. had rr been given another year he would have gone 9-3, 10-2. the offense would be much impoved as well as the defense not to mention hart would have come and all the new defensive recruits coming in and a new DC... we have a new coach and i will support him even if takes 4/more years. but some fans will be calling for his head on a stick if it takes that long... GO BLUE...

mgoblue48348

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 5:16 p.m.

Portagelakeblue Hoke is gonna get the five years required to install his program because he belongs to the Lloyd Carrtel and the rest of us who know how long it takes a team to progress will sit on our hands and give him the time we all wanted Lloyds bunch to give Rodriguez. Look at any anti Rich Rodriguez post today they always end with he will win somewhere but he was a bad fit here. I just hope the Bo players will forgive these malcontents and praise the team win lose or draw with the rest of us.....GO BLUE!!!

mgoblue48348

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 5:16 p.m.

Portagelakeblue Hoke is gonna get the five years required to install his program because he belongs to the Lloyd Carrtel and the rest of us who know how long it takes a team to progress will sit on our hands and give him the time we all wanted Lloyds bunch to give Rodriguez. Look at any anti Rich Rodriguez post today they always end with he will win somewhere but he was a bad fit here. I just hope the Bo players will forgive these malcontents and praise the team win lose or draw with the rest of us.....GO BLUE!!!

PortageLkBlu

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 4:45 p.m.

@tulsatom, in case you missed my estimate of time he needs to turn the program around I will say it again just for you, 4-5 years. You see I'm a realist and believe RR would have turned Mich. around in4-5 years. It would be ludacrist for me not to give Brady Hoke at least 4-5 years. While Brady needs 4-5 years at least don't forget the other programs are not standing around waiting for Mich. to catch up and Illinoise among others are improving also. This won't be easy and if I sound negative about the guy in reality I wish him the best but, I'm not a fool to think that it will take less than 4 years, actually I'm trying to be fair in my assessment. Brady does not strike me like the kind of coach that will be an overnight success, he strikes me as the type that will be a strong slow build. There is nothing wrong with that in fact sometimes it creates a strong base to success year after year. If Brady mixes up the offense with spread and Pro style I can see some real opportunity for success. One of RR pitfalls was that he wouldn't budge when necessary. If we're just going back to that pro style just because Mich fans and alumni want to re visit the good ol days then I think we will set the clock back and it could be years to recover and be nationally competitive again. Right now Brady says all the right things with sugar on top. This is where I split with some over my impression of him. He's taking an approach of tell them what they want to hear and they will love me. A little bit of that goes a long way. Our program is a mess at present so I like the sugar but I like the cold hard facts to. I had cancer, I guess I just like the facts without the sugar.

PortageLkBlu

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 4:45 p.m.

@tulsatom, in case you missed my estimate of time he needs to turn the program around I will say it again just for you, 4-5 years. You see I'm a realist and believe RR would have turned Mich. around in4-5 years. It would be ludacrist for me not to give Brady Hoke at least 4-5 years. While Brady needs 4-5 years at least don't forget the other programs are not standing around waiting for Mich. to catch up and Illinoise among others are improving also. This won't be easy and if I sound negative about the guy in reality I wish him the best but, I'm not a fool to think that it will take less than 4 years, actually I'm trying to be fair in my assessment. Brady does not strike me like the kind of coach that will be an overnight success, he strikes me as the type that will be a strong slow build. There is nothing wrong with that in fact sometimes it creates a strong base to success year after year. If Brady mixes up the offense with spread and Pro style I can see some real opportunity for success. One of RR pitfalls was that he wouldn't budge when necessary. If we're just going back to that pro style just because Mich fans and alumni want to re visit the good ol days then I think we will set the clock back and it could be years to recover and be nationally competitive again. Right now Brady says all the right things with sugar on top. This is where I split with some over my impression of him. He's taking an approach of tell them what they want to hear and they will love me. A little bit of that goes a long way. Our program is a mess at present so I like the sugar but I like the cold hard facts to. I had cancer, I guess I just like the facts without the sugar.

tulsatom

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 4:09 p.m.

Portage, Starting out, Brady Hoke has my vote of confidence just like RR did. First year will be the honeymoon and lots of benefits of the doubt given. Second year should start seeing signs of improvement. By third year the team should at least be in the upper tier of the Big Ten and not setting all-time records in negative categories. I have faith until the coach proves otherwise.

tulsatom

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 4:09 p.m.

Portage, Starting out, Brady Hoke has my vote of confidence just like RR did. First year will be the honeymoon and lots of benefits of the doubt given. Second year should start seeing signs of improvement. By third year the team should at least be in the upper tier of the Big Ten and not setting all-time records in negative categories. I have faith until the coach proves otherwise.

PortageLkBlu

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 3:49 p.m.

Enjoy your moment in the sun Brady it won't last with the fickle fans of Mich. if you don't come out winning. 4-5 years!

PortageLkBlu

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 3:49 p.m.

Enjoy your moment in the sun Brady it won't last with the fickle fans of Mich. if you don't come out winning. 4-5 years!

Blu-dogg97

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 2:38 p.m.

Brady is what we needed at Michigan, players coach,demanding excellence,accountability,and a smash mouth Defense..He got a standing O without a word,and Bethany said it best "He's Hoke!! btw we need more posters like Bethany!! Michigan is building their own Vest!! just happens to be a XXL and its BLUE!! Anybody that doesn't want to strap the pads on and play for this guy,probably shouldn't be at Michigan in the first place.. Hail Hail...

tulsatom

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 2:23 p.m.

Lorain, I agree about the DC being real important and think all of the folks you mentioned have good qualifications. Like Papabear said, I think Hoke naturally gravitates toward the defensive side of the ball so I think he will be able to get a qualified DC in place that he and the players are comfortable with. Until then, he can serve in that capacity until he hires someone.

Papabear151

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 1:56 p.m.

Lorain Steelman, I agree that finding a solid DC may prove difficult however Hoke has kinda been the Defacto DC before and was at Ball state. Certainly he's got a lot more to focus on especially with a transitional period in the offense, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. Of course there always is the worry of over focus (RR - Offense), but I think Brady Hoke has his act together more than a lot are giving him credit for. Personally I'm psyched about Hoke, I was pleasantly surprised when I read up on him but the presser completely won me over. One other great thing is the support he's getting. RR's fault or not The Big House was a divided house and this seems to be unifying people. This team is gonna have support like it hasn't had in a while. Hopefully this new support will be something the players can use to electrify their on the field performances. There was a lot of intensity from the players early in the 2010 season, go back and watch the UCONN highlights. Somewhere in their they lost their swagger. I think RR was doing enough to mentally prepare these kids, they werent in it late in the season; by all accounts Hoke has been fantastic at motivating kids to play their hardest... I'm pumped. again.. welcome back Coach Hoke and GO BLUE!

Lorain Steelmen

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 1:51 p.m.

tulsatom. We agree on the need to bring in STRONG assistant coaches. I understand Hoke is bringing his OC, whom I do NOT know about. I understand that his DC is staying behind to take over SDSU. So Hoke has a DC problem similar to Rodriguez. I am thinking some former UM coaches may be interested. I thought of, Mike Trgovac, who is currently with the Eagles as a DC. It's a stretch, but this is much more important than a lot of people think. Also Fred Jackson, Scott Loeffler, Eric Campbell at their respective areas,might be candidates. A secondary issue, is for Hoke to build a succession plan, similar to the one Bo set up, with Mo.

paperstreetsoap

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 1:24 p.m.

@michboy what 'haters' are you referring to? Haters in general or rr haters? I was and still am a richrod hater, always will be. But he is gone now so I am not a hater, i'm a lover baby ya. Thanks Austin.

michboy40

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 12:46 p.m.

Strange, the trolls seem to have disappeared. Could this be a sign of things to come? No more haters and trolls coming here to tell us how unethical our coach is?...or how pathetic we are? I guess we get the offseason to ourselves, but I suspect they will be back come September...or if we poach one of "thier" guys in the next couple weeks.

I love Michigan Football

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 12:10 p.m.

I see good things to come for the University of Michigan football team. You see a genuine coach with good character and positive want to win for us. Brady Hoke will do everything in his power to make Michigan the best program in the country. I'm excited and know we have the best man for the job. Go Blue!

tulsatom

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 12:09 p.m.

I'm cautiously optimistic about this guy. He has a reputation of being a players' coach, a genuine guy, and demanding, which are all good things. He carries himself well. The key will be getting good assistants and getting the players to buy in to his program and leadership. If that happens, U-M will start getting its share of top recruits again. I feel confident Hoke will get the players to play to their best. We just need more talent, especially on defense. Hopefully he is working hard on the recruiting trail.

Smiley

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 11:53 a.m.

I like this guy a lot! Looking forward to the Fall. GO BLUE!!

Ben

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 11:39 a.m.

I'm so pumped! Go BLUE!!

Bethany

Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 11:01 a.m.

He's HOKE!