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Posted on Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 7:01 a.m.

Michigan football coach Brady Hoke's sights set on Big Ten title; 5 instant impact Michigan recruits and more

By Kaleb Roedel

Michigan football coach Brady Hoke delivered a clear message in a sit-down interview with Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News.

"If we don't win Big Ten, we've failed," said Hoke.

Hoke touched on a wide range of topics, including quarterback Denard Robinson.
 
"Denard's got a great arm, but he won't have to be featured every down, which makes you a little more dangerous as an offense," said Hoke. "And he's not gonna get the crap beaten out of him like at the end of the year. He thanked me for that."

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Comments

cutty240

Fri, Feb 11, 2011 : 9:01 p.m.

You Michigan fans may not be the SMARTEST,but you are the Most LOYAL.Never seen fans drink so much KOOLAID.I think you'd support Charles Manson.He was always a Michigan Man.

Jaysham

Thu, Feb 10, 2011 : 12:30 a.m.

Well let's see here good coaches can take any crop of kids and make a good team, something that RichRod could never do at Michigan. The reason why was his offense was a gimmick and his only sucess was a one man show named Denard Robinson with a group of receivers who will flourish in the new offense you just wait and watch. By the way I won't even mention his terrible defense that was even more terrible as each year passed. You people need to get of the Kool-Aid/Nyquil and just support the new regime cause its here to stay. Also @ Blue N TPA the # thing is 48 car by Jimmy Johnson and 88 by Dale Earnhardt Jr. We all know that wcihmf was no Jimmy Johnson driving our team car more like Danika Patrick but not nearly as pretty as her.

cutty240

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 11:16 p.m.

If he goes one game over 500,he will have a good year.The first six games at home,thats a pretty good start.He's talking a little to much trash to begin with,for me.Defense doesn't get fixed over night,i don't care who your DC is.Great Players,make Great Coaches.I see he replaced Barwis,with a Cub Scout strength coach.He does not have a impressive track record as where he's been.THIS IS A BIG DEAL TO ME.This is BIG BOY FOOTBALL.Barwis was one of the most respected Strength Coaches in the country,by Pro and College Coaches all over the Country.I guess he was to close to Rich.When your on this level of Football,you have to best you can at every position,Coaches included.

2BLUE4U

Fri, Feb 11, 2011 : 3:42 a.m.

Coaches that LOVE the school as much as any fan does can transfer that love , passion & will 2 win 2 players & U won't see them rolling over and playing dead without even making an attempt to fight like we've seen too many times recently! Lastly, when the basics and fundamentals have obviously been completely ignored, the simple teaching of those things can instantly make a WORLD of difference! And part of the basics, aside from you know, tackling, pursuing the ball, positioning, knowing responsibilities, avoiding penalties, is smart play on the other side of the ball such as using the play clock and using a running game to control the ball at least enough to give your defense some damn rest! It's true that a certain amount of talent can on go so far, but however far this group on defense can go has certainly not been tapped and we won't know how good they can actually be until they've been well coached, which will be a first for them! So if the defense being "fixed" overnight means becoming a top 5 defense then no, that's not likely to happen over night. But when you're the worst defense in the history of your school and the worst defense in the country, then getting even part way fixed, fixed halfway say, will make a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE difference! I mean, after the decimation your guy wrought on us, if we could simply improve up to a merely crappy defense that would be WORLDS ahead of where we are! With a merely crappy defense we would have only lost 3 games last year, MSU, OSU & MSU & actually might have had a fighting chance against the MSU's. Don't forget the better your D plays the more chances your O gets, so we most likely would have actually scored more in those games as well as giving up less!

2BLUE4U

Fri, Feb 11, 2011 : 3:16 a.m.

omg. Please go join the crew at Crazy Wisdom. Big boy football? When you're at this level you have to be the best at every position, coaches included? I'm sorry, what was it again that showed that anyone in the previous regime was ready for this level of football? Were we the best at any position on the field or off in the last 3 years? What exactly was the evidence of great strength and conditioning? Was it the perpetual broken tackles we gave up or the number of times receivers and backs flew by us? What specific information do you have on this "cub scout" (my god, you Rodians and your use of language is SO bizarre!)? Have you sat in on his coaching? Do you have stats on the pattern of strength gain or lack thereof under him? Have you watched his teams closely and saw them being consistently out muscled by = sized opponents and noticed that his players haven't gotten stronger at rates expected from freshmen year on? You consider Hoke's one comment that he expects a big ten title as trash talking, and that one statement as being "too much" of it? As far as your little aphorism goes, great players might make great coaches in one sense, but great coaches can get more out of players then lesser coaches could get out of the same players through, um, well, COACHING and teaching techniques and correcting mistakes and putting players in the right position and spots and schemes and in calling the right plays and by inspiring them and giving them motivation and making them believe in something, you know, like the team concept and like the pride in living up to a history and in not disappointing the players that have come before you or disrespecting the legacy of players that have passed into history or disappointed the fans and supporters that love this team or the students who only get 1 four years here to revel in great football. Coaches that LOVE the school as much as any fan does can transfer that love , passion & will 2 win 2 players & U won't

81wolverine

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 6:44 p.m.

I generally agree with the 5 freshmen expected to make an impact who are listed in the Freep article. Barnett and Wile are the most obvious choices due to the lack of depth at TE and our obviously poor kicking situation. Hopefully though, Barnett's injury will be healed enough by then. Our lack of quality depth at LB will probably mean 1 or 2 freshmen may see the field. Countess is very likely to play too, as I'm not so confident about our returning CB corp. Floyd has experience, but wasn't the best cover guy. Woolfolk will be our best player there.

Keith

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 6:21 p.m.

Recruit, Coach, Win, Repeat. Sounds like we have the main ingredients so far.. GO BLUE

Theo212

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 6:15 p.m.

Must be a typo. "If we don't win The Crystal, we've failed," said Hoke. There ya go, Kaleb. I fixed it for you. And Portage, have a great summer. Your insight and wisdom will be missed. Lorain, tater, and I will do our best to keep the conversation sane and on topic (which is Crystal, and only Crystal).

RudeJude

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 4:19 p.m.

The title of the ESPN.com article "Intra-league job hopping at an all-time high in the Big Ten" misses the mark and should read something like "Indiana the center of Big Ten job hopping," as all of the article's cited changes involve coaches leaving or joining the Hoosier staff. It seems Indiana hungers for a football revival, but they made a mistake in the firing Bill Lynch. His record was nearly on par with Coach Hoeppner's, Indiana's most successful coach since the 80s and 90s, but successfully coached the Hoosiers to a bowl game.  He also has spent more time coaching in the midwest than his replacement, Kevin Wilson, most likely making Lynch the highest-quality recruiter available to them.  The Hoosiers lost three games by a touchdown or less in 2010, one of the games being against Michigan, that could have earned them an 8-4 record and Indiana's second bowl game appearance under Lynch.  Historically, it does not get much closer than that for the Hoosiers, a team that has won only two conference titles, the last being won in the late 60s.  In 2011, Indiana will dream of a 5-7 record like they had in 2010.

rensational

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 3:43 p.m.

Of course. There's always going to be some whiner when a coach says they want to win their conference and anything less is unacceptable. What is a coach SUPPOSED to say, even if they coach Indiana? At Indiana a few years ago, it was "play 7" and they did...not focusing on more than that didn't get them more than that. They got to a bowl game like they wanted and then proceeded to get their uknowwats handed to them there. You know, I read AA.com almost daily but don't always comment...the other day, I read someone write that they believed the past few years had lowered Michigan fans' expectations/standards. I agree with that. Looking at how happy people have been over this 2011 recruiting class is one of the many reasons, though, again, I think it was amazing for Hoke to pull in/retain 20 guys in a short time...many of whom seem underrated. I still want Michigan in the top 10, though, and that's what I want to see for 2012. If I don't see that, I will be upset. Similarly, this is Michigan (TiM). I don't care where our program currently is or why--failing to win the Big Ten for Michigan IS failure. Did you all forget that over the past 3-4 years? Our we going to win it in 2011? Probably not. Doesn't change the fact that's a fairly accurate statement to make for Michigan.

rensational

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 3:46 p.m.

That should be *are* we going to win it.

Blu n Tpa

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 3:17 p.m.

"Well, I think we might win a couple of games vs the better half of the conference but with this defense and special teams any more than that would be difficult. OK team, let's get out there and try not to lose." Is that the public image you want at the head of Michigan football? No thanks! And what's all that about car #'s? The 'cupboard' is..... It's not about the cupboard, never has been. It's about COACHING the players you have, to go out and do their best. He's setting the bar, and it's high. If it's too high for you, maybe the problem is a little closer to home. You don't coach to be a little better. You coach to be the BEST you can personally. How do you think Wisconsin, Iowa and others reach conference titles every so often? They're playing their best when you are only playing. TiM Go Blue!

tater

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 2:59 p.m.

It's very lucky for Hoke that he is inheriting a well-stocked cupboard, with approximately 24 returning players who have started at least one game at Michigan, but I'm not exactly sure of the "wisdom" of publicly stating that anything less than a Big Ten championship is a "failure." That is probably the kind of goal that should stay in the locker room. That being said, it's a good goal. The part of the interview that gives me the most hope is his description of Borges as "a football junkie, a guy who understands playmakers gotta have the ball." On offense, Hoke and Borges have been handed the keys to the #48 car. If they can avoid driving it like #88, they have a good chance of achieving their goal. If, however, they don't take full advantage of the offensive machine that has fallen into their laps, it's going to be a very disappointing year.

thefuture of mfootball

Sat, Feb 12, 2011 : 4:55 p.m.

Thanks for your continuing rationality about M football for me it was not about RR himself, it was about having M football enter the most recent millenium

2BLUE4U

Thu, Feb 10, 2011 : 8:23 p.m.

An offensive "machine" is an offense that moves the ball at will. An offense that does what's needed when it's needed. An offense that can strike instantly is great, but it also needs to be able to move the ball CONSISTENTLY, it needs to make first downs, it needs to be able to get out of it's own end when it's stuck there. It needs to be able to MARCH and hold the ball to rest the D or to seal a game. It needs come through on 3rd down, it needs to not kill itself with turnovers, penalties, bad decisions or dumb plays. It needs to do those things game in and game out, ESPECIALLY against good teams and NOT only against average or bad teams! Tater, until you LEARN football, until you learn that point and yardage TOTALS don't mean SQUAT compared getting the points and yards needed, WHEN they're needed in order to WIN GAMES, you'll always be just a TATER TOT not a full grown tater!

Theo212

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 7:51 p.m.

Offensive machine. Perfect. "Big Ten title" needs to go unspoken. It's a given. We are Michigan. Conference title is an afterthought on our way to much bigger things. I hope Hoke grasps that.

Edward R Murrow's Ghost

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 7:28 p.m.

So whathisname had terrible teams because the cupboard was bare but magically, once whatshisname leaves, the team is "well-stocked". Clearly, man crushes know no logic. Good Night and Good Luck

catfishrisin

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 1:46 p.m.

Guess what Brady...you won't win the Big Ten...you failed

Ben

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 4:14 p.m.

Glad to see you support the team so well.

PortageLkBlu

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 1:11 p.m.

I like what Brady says he sounds upbeat that's real nice. So, I heard Bo and Bob Ufer have the same birthday, April 1 quite a coincidence same birthday as my dad. Well, the way I see it most of the facts, projections and disagreements for our past, present and future failures and successes have been presented including all the useless insults slung about. It's all starting to become pointless and boring so I say to all you Mich. Wolverine fans, See you in September, Adios Amigo's

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