Is There an Adult I Can Talk To?

This morning, David Brandon and the athletic department issued a well-written, cogent statement that addressed almost everything people reasonably expected to know in the aftermath of the Shane Morris incident while simultaneously taking an appropriate tone. We messed up, we can't let this happen again, and we're updating our procedures to address this issue.

However, the statement comes about 24 hours too late. If that statement is issued at 12:52 AM on Monday morning, there's grumbling and some side-eye. At 12:52 AM on Tuesday morning, everything has changed. Michigan has been put under the microscope on not just ESPN, but has crossed all the way over to Good Morning America. You've promised the media a "medical statement" that never really showed up, unless this is it. And you've sent your head football coach up to his press conference to stand there and look like someone's idiot cousin you wouldn't trust to run a doughnut shop, let alone a multi-million-dollar football program where young men risk their health and safety on a daily basis.

To be fair, this may be the case. Brandon's statement says that Morris was diagnosed with a concussion on Sunday. Brady Hoke didn't get in touch with his injured quarterback to ask how he's doing? Or Shane Morris didn't know he has a concussion? Neither of these seem reasonable, and one is more plausible than the other.

At the moment, I'm choosing not to believe that Hoke knew about the concussion and failed to disclose it. For some reason I'm more comfortable believing him to be incompetent than mendacious.

The whole situation has been bungled, from the initial incident through everything after. You have commentators worrying about Morris's safety BEFORE he takes a killshot to the head, then you send the kid back into the huddle for one more play, and even when he's removed no one hides his helmet and tells the coaches he's out. And after all this has happened, nobody thinks "This is going to be a major problem for us. We have to get to the bottom of this and fix what is wrong."

Even if it's somebody thinking only of the bad PR that's certain to come from it, Michigan had a small window to get in front of this. I don't expect more than window dressing from the athletic department, but when I don't even get that I just sputter with anger. How dumb do they think I am? How out of touch are they to not understand that this is a Big Deal? Concussions have been a major flashpoint for *years*. The NFL is on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars, and the settlement is still derided as insufficient. Whatever intern they have on Twitter had to have noted the explosion of rage when Morris was left in, and that has to be kicked up the food chain to someone with real authority.

At that point, it's all hands on deck. Who saw the hit? Who saw the aftermath? Was this communicated to anyone? Why or why not? Why was Morris allowed to re-enter the game? Who made that decision? How do we make sure this never happens again? Has he been diagnosed with a concussion? Do we have his permission to release his condition?

It takes a while to get answers to all these questions, to process them, and to respond to the additional questions they raise. It doesn't take 55+ hours, and you don't let your statement drop in the middle of the night. Now we're convinced you're hiding something.

We expect smoke, mirrors, and obfuscation when you talk about who's practicing well, how the team is looking, how much respect you have for your next opponent, and even run-of-the-mill player injuries. Someone's got a boo-boo, another guy has a "lower body injury." This is different. This is about ethics, not a player's condition. Craig is right; it's more akin to the dissembling about Gibbons than questions about when Funchess will be back up to speed.

Fort Schembechler is Fort Schembechler, but whether the team is any good will always be settled on Saturday. This is about governance and that nebulous thing that Fielding Yost called the "Spirit of Michigan." One of the better things about the Spirit of Michigan is that it evolves over the years and we expect an ever higher standard of the people who represent us. Yost himself was an old unreconstructed racist* and an anti-Catholic, and we certainly expect better of our leaders today.

The University of Michigan has again been named the top public university in the US, as we were reminded by the video board on Saturday. We expect to be treated like adults, at the bare minimum. We raised ticket prices because we want more money to pay higher salaries and build more buildings. We expect Michigan to compete for Big Ten championships, and we aren't playing like that kind of team. Shane Morris got hit in the head and he should have been removed from the game immediately.

This is not hard. Hard is setting regular ticket prices at the maximum level where fans still feel like more than a revenue stream. Hard is setting a price on student tickets where you get a good amount of value back while giving students an incentive to use their tickets *and* make Michigan football a habit that lasts for life. Hard is sorting through all the available candidates to find a John Beilein and to get a succession plan together when Red Berenson finally decides to hang it up. And if you bungle the easy tasks, we don't trust you with the hard ones.

*At least until Willis Ward joined the team. Yost, of course, still sat Ward against Georgia Tech. Improvement is not always continuous.

An incomplete inventory of Brady Hoke's Office Bookshelf

Based on this video
An incomplete, but hopefully accurate list Things on Brady Hoke's Bookshelf: 

• A replica of a Navy SEAL Trident
• A copy of The Big House: Fielding Yost and the Building of Michigan Stadium by Robert M. Soderstrom
• A copy of the Michigan Football Vault
• A copy of Jim Brandstatter's Tales from Michigan Stadium
• A photo of Charles Woodson's LEAPING Interception vs. MSU 1997 
• A photo of a real wolverine in the wild
• A photo of the Rose Bowl marquee
• A copy of Michael Rosenberg's War As They Knew It
• A photo of the offensive line in the trenches vs. MSU (year unknown)
• An Under the Lights stadium poster
• A photo of Charles Woodson with Heisman Trophy
• A photo of Desmond Howard in Heisman pose
• A photo of Jake Long
• A replica helmet from 1950
• A replica Ron Kramer helmet from 1956
• A replica Don Moorhead helmet from 1969
• A replica 1997 helmet 
• An original redwood seat from Michigan Stadium 
• A photo of his daughter 
• A poster of the 1/2/98 Detroit Free Press front page 
• A Personalized Michigan license plate that says THETEAM
• A photo of Charles Woodson's INT vs WSU in Rose Bowl
• A photo of Jerame Tuman
• A 100th Game Game Ball from OSU 2003
• A paper cutout of the Michigan helmet wings, side view
• An additional game ball
• 1997 National Champions hat (navy blue)
• A copy of the Sports Illustrated 1997 National Champions commemorative issue.
• A copy of the Alabama Game Week plan.

In addition, photos on the wall adjacent to the bookshelf, Team 133 congratulating Brendan Gibbons after his Sugar Bowl winning kick, a sea of helmets picture, and some others.

I will say, Brady Hoke's office is like the dream version of what I would want my office to be.

Brendan and Brady's Downton Abbey Marathon

What is a 'week end'? What is 'nightmare fuel'?

BRENDAN GIBBONS knocks on the door to BRADY HOKE's office in Schembechler Hall.

Hey coach, I need some academic help.

Sure thing, son. What can I do for you?

I'm taking a history course on Edwardian England this semester, and with the Sugar Bowl and the celebrations and all the girls wanting to celebrate Mardi Gras with me, I'll already way behind on my reading. I need a tutor to help me get caught up!

Lucky man, Brendan! You don't need a special tutor. I can get you caught up lickety-split. Just come by my house on Monday night and be prepared to take notes.

Monday night? Isn't that the BCS national championship?

Yes it is, but as obscure blog The Hoover Street Rag points out, both LSU and Alabama are dirty recruiters, so it really doesn't matter who wins. I was going to start scouting out Alabama for our game in September, but now I figure there's no point until we know who's going to wind up in St. Saban Memorial Hospital. Don't worry about the BCS. I've got a much more entertaining and informative evening in store for you, son!

Yes sir, Coach Hoke! I will be there on Monday!

Michigan Defense Theater Experiment 1112: Brady Hoke Conquers the Buckeyes

THEME SONG

In the not too distant future, Saturday A.D.

There was a guy named Jordan, not too different from you or me

He worked at Schembechler Institute, just another face in a maize jumpsuit

He did a good job cleaning up the place, but his bosses kinda liked him so they made him play in space

(Curse you GERG!)

We'll send him speedy runners, the best we can find

He'll have to stop, tackle them all as we monitor his mind

Now keep in mind he can't control when the games begin or end

He'll try to keep his sanity with the help of his D-Line friends...

D-LINE ROLL CALL!

Martin! (I'm Captain!)

Heininger! (Left side!)

Van Bergen! (Where've you been?)

Rooooooooooooooooh! (I'm sophomore!)

If you're wondering how he eats and breathes and other science facts

He's got a meal card and it's set on earth so you can really just relax

For Michigan Defense Theater 3000.

FADE IN TO:

INT. SATELLITE OF YOST

JORDAN

Hi, everyone. It's just a regular Thursday in most of Windsor, but it's Thanksgiving here at the Satellite of Yost. I'm Jordan Kovacs and the D-line and I are counting the things we are thankful for.

ROH

I'm thankful for Coach Hoke and Coach Mattison for finally teaching me how to play defense. And I'm thankful for Coach Borges for improving the offense to the point where we don't have to carry them anymore.

JORDAN

Roh, I'm not looking for sarcasm right now! We should be genuinely grateful for Coach Borges and the offense, who help us out when we're not at our best. Although, admittedly, it's been a while since we haven't been at our best.

VAN BERGEN

I'm thankful for Jim Delany and Don Beebe, who have worked together to make the Big Ten bigger and better than ever.

HEININGER

I'm thankful for the 100,000+ fans that come out and support us every home game. I'd name every one, but we do need to play a game on Saturday.

JORDAN

Indeed you should thank them, Heininger. And I'm even thankful for the Mads, who have furnished the Satellite of Yost with a fabulous stuffed animal collection. Hey, they're calling right now.

JORDAN pushes the red button.

Get Back

[Author's note: This column was written under the influence of muscle relaxers and pain killers.  While some authors are inspired to greatness by altered states, I am not.  This is the best it's going to get for this week.  Sorry.]

October 18, 1995

It's not a game day, if you're wondering (Michigan had a bye that weekend). It was a Wednesday actually. But October 18, 1995 is the reason I want Brady Hoke to be a stunning success at Michigan. I cannot promise that he will be, no one can, but I know he has the first, most important step in being a success with Michigan football; he's the head coach. Woo-hoo! Living the dream!

I don't like to be too personal on here, because it's not a style that suits me well, but Brady Hoke today struck a chord when he said he would have walked from San Diego if it meant being the new head coach at Michigan. It struck a chord because I believed him. I not only think he meant it, I sincerely think he would have figured out a way to do it. It struck me because I am pretty sure I know the exact feeling Brady Hoke had today. Mine came on October 18, 1995, the day I got my fat envelope from the University of Michigan admitting me as a part of its next freshman class. All of the joy, all of the hard work, all of my effort and energy that I had put in to a goal that I had set for myself in third grade had finally paid off. I was in at Michigan. It was the place I wanted to be more than anything in the world and now it wanted me.

There were bumps along the way. I wasn't great in my accelerated math classes. I probably could have put in a little more effort there, done a little better, made it a little less of a question as to whether Michigan would want me. I distinctly remember crawling under my computer desk in my parents' basement for several hours after I got my first ACT score back, knowing it was under the magic number and worried that it wasn't going to happen and mentally working on the Plan B Dearborn-->Ann Arbor route. That fear of failing, of coming close, but not getting what I wanted, I knew that might fall on me, might haunt me, and it pushed me to do better, to be better, because the goal was important.

If you ask anyone who knows me, even a little, to describe me, one of the first five things they might mention is "huge Michigan fan". They're right, it probably is one of the five things people know and note about me, and I wear it like a badge of honor, in good times and in difficult ones. If it helps define who I am, if it makes it easier for people to get a sense of me, I'm all for it. The things I believe about what Michigan is are things I strive to be. Michigan doesn't always get it right, it's not perfect, but it aims high and works to live up to the idea of being "the leaders and best."

Which brings me back to Brady Hoke. Do not misunderstand me when I say that I think Hoke will be successful in no small part because he is passionate about being at Michigan, that there is nowhere else in the world he wants to coach, that this is his dream job. Passion and desire can only get you so far. But I also get the sense that Brady knows in his heart that while Michigan, the university, may believe in him at the moment, to hand over the keys and say "We trust you, don't scratch it.", he knows he has to convince a number of skeptical people that he deserves it. There are a few ways a person can handle that. One is to ignore it, trust your instincts, brush it off with something along the lines of "haters gonna hate" and trust that you'll win them over and if you don't, it doesn't matter what they think. The second one is to put everything you have into showing them that you are worthy, that you deserve it. From the things I have read, Brady Hoke seems like he is many things: genuine, humble, earnest, emotional, and passionate. Does this mean that he has the best defensive schemes in all of college football? No, but it does mean that he knows he has a hill to climb and he's going to find the right people to climb it with him. Does this mean he thinks Michigan will go 14-0 next season simply by showing up? No, but I think it means he's going to find a way to convince this team, his new family, that they can be successful if they play with passion, intensity, and intelligence. Does this mean he is going to get all of the best recruits in the land? No, but I think he is going to look for players who fit his vision of a Michigan football player, who know that they're good, but they can be better, and that if you want to be a part of something special, something larger than yourself, Michigan just might be the place to do that.*

Winning football games is not a Tinkerbell problem. Simply wishing it to be so, believing really hard, and clapping your hands does not put more points on your side of the scoreboard. But today, Michigan introduced a coach who believes, with everything he has, that he will give everything he has to be a worthy successor to legends like Yost, Kipke, Crisler, Oosterbaan, Schembechler, and Carr. If Coach Hoke's results match his passion, Michigan is in good hands.

*-A strange coda, but one I feel compelled to make. I liked Coach Rodriguez, a lot. I still like him as a person and I want him to be successful in his next coaching stop. I wanted him desperately to succeed not just because I wanted Michigan football to be great again, but because I genuinely believed that he was a guy who was trying to do the right things and everything he tried seemed to make things worse. He was like the Mr. Bean of college football coaches during the last three years. It is so easy, in retrospect, to dismiss the last three years as having no value. It would be a shame if we did. There are far too many lessons we need to take from the Coach Rodriguez era, both as fans and as people. One day, when Michigan fans conclude their own Rogers Commission investigation into the Rodriguez era, we may find the reasons that Michigan did not succeed during the past three seasons. For now, all we are left with are the known knowns, and we are left to speculate on the unknown knowns, the known unknowns, and the unknown unknowns of the era. We will speculate, piece together, connect dots, and hurl accusations and invective because, more than anything, the end of the Rodriguez era demands of us that we understand what the last three years have meant, and we are compelled to ask ourselves the simple question "Were they worth it?" You look around and the obvious answers point to no. But the obvious answers aren't always the best answers. Beneath the surface, there is a lot more to the last three years than a losing record, and we'll need to sort that out. We've got time, new evidence will surface, new pieces will be able to be put in to place. We'll know more. When we do, we'll make decisions from there.

But the reason this coda is here is because I want to remind people of two key points. 1). When you invest heavily in something and said thing ends, there is a grieving process. 2). Not everyone grieves on your timetable. So please be nice to your fellow fans. Let them take their time to find their way and realize that many of us are we're living in hope, of things unseen, because in the absence of evidence the alternative is fear and for many of us, it's way too cold to sleep in the long shadow it casts. We're a family, we'll be here.

The Wisdom of Michael Jagger and Judge Harold T. Stone

It's kind of funny, today reminds me of the last five minutes of the pilot episodes of two very disparate television series.  In the opening episode of House, fictional Michigan alumnus Greg House reminds fictional Michigan alumnus Lisa Cuddy of the words of the philosopher Jagger, who said "You can't always get what you want".  Later in that episode, Cuddy reminds House of the second part of that kernel of wisdom, which is "But if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need."

That's what I think about the coaching search of 2011 and the resulting hiring of Brady Hoke as Michigan's head coach; he's not necessarily what people wanted, demanded, or thought they were going to get when Michigan decided that Rich Rodriguez was not the right way to go as Michigan's football program headed into the future.  But Harbaugh was always going to have one eye on the NFL, and Les Miles comes with some baggage, the likes of which it would have taken some serious whistling past the graveyard to overlook with a "Michigan man" straight face.

So here we have Brady Hoke.  In Brady Hoke, we have a coach who wants to be the head coach at Michigan and probably never, in a million years, thought he would have a shot to be the head coach at Michigan, but well, he was on the list.

(You've got to skip ahead to 3:50 for the relevant phrase)

Say what you will about that list, no one can deny the fact that Brady Hoke was on Dave Brandon's list, even if he was at the bottom of it.  When Dave Brandon called, he not only listened to Dave Brandon, Brady Hoke said yes.  Which brings me to a serious question: Don't you want someone at Michigan who wants to be at Michigan as much as we want to cheer for Michigan?  Don't you want someone leading Michigan who gets glowing reviews from virtually every former player who offers one?  

Isn't that what we want out of our head coach, someone who brings players to Michigan, who steeps them in the tradition of being a part of the fabric of Michigan's history, who understands that Michigan is a special place to those of us who call it alma mater or those of us who have chosen to bear the colors of Michigan on our shield.  Someone who takes those players and leads them to victory.

And I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration
If we don't we're gonna blow a 50-amp fuse"
Sing it to me now...

The entire last four years feel suboptimal, there is no doubt.  Every fan has their own issues with what has happened in the last four seasons or four off-seasons, but the reality is, none of us is very happy.  We lash out, we express our anger, our dismay, our frustration at each other because we have nowhere else to direct it.  Were I a snarky MSM writer, I might suggest that we have gotten what we deserved and we need to accept the new reality of our football lives.

But, in the absence of results on the field, I'm choosing to believe that Brady Hoke is the right choice for this particular moment in Michigan football.  I'll be critical when and where criticism is warranted.  But if Coach Hoke represents a new beginning, or perhaps a restoration after a misunderstood interregnum, then we need to look at it with the fresh eyes that a new beginning deserves.

You can't always get what you want.  You can't always get what you want.  You can't always get what you want.  But if you try some times, you just might find....you get what you need.