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Why Mark Dantonio, not Brady Hoke, should have been Big Ten Coach of the Year
Brady Hoke did a terrific job at Michigan this season. The 10-2 record, the late-season victories over Nebraska and Ohio State which may land the Wolverines into a BCS bowl game, the three-game improvement from last regular season when Michigan was coached by Rich Rodriguez.
He deserves all the credit in the world short of one thing: Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Michigan State's Mark Dantonio should have received the award. When the two teams met in October, his team was clearly better prepared, not only in regard to schematics and game management, but also emotional pitch. The Spartans were better coached for that game in every way.
It was the biggest game of the season. Had Michigan won it, they would going to the Big Ten championship game, not the Spartans.
Dantonio's team won the Leader's Division outright. The Spartans lost one fewer game than Michigan, and played a tougher in-conference schedule because the Wolverines didn't have to play Wisconsin in a crossover game. The Badgers were in the Top 5 in one of the major polls at the time MSU beat them.
Dantonio lost his two best linebackers from his 2010 team and was working with a rebuilt offensive line. He also had to replace his offensive coordinator.
This idea Hoke won with Rich Rodriguez's players and they were somehow awful and Hoke "split the fish and divided the loaves" is ridiculous. Michigan did have talent, particularly on the front seven defensively. The Wolverines just needed a coach to take advantage of it. In other words, just because Rodriguez was such a bad fit at Michigan doesn't mean the next coach is working miracles by replacing him and winning more football games.
And there is nothing about the award that states, "It goes to the coach that exceeded expectations." Or that it can't go to a coach two years in a row (Dantonio won it last year).
It's supposed to go to the "coach of the year," and based on the nonprejudicial evidence, that's Dantonio, not Hoke.
He deserves all the credit in the world short of one thing: Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Michigan State's Mark Dantonio should have received the award. When the two teams met in October, his team was clearly better prepared, not only in regard to schematics and game management, but also emotional pitch. The Spartans were better coached for that game in every way.
It was the biggest game of the season. Had Michigan won it, they would going to the Big Ten championship game, not the Spartans.
Dantonio's team won the Leader's Division outright. The Spartans lost one fewer game than Michigan, and played a tougher in-conference schedule because the Wolverines didn't have to play Wisconsin in a crossover game. The Badgers were in the Top 5 in one of the major polls at the time MSU beat them.
Dantonio lost his two best linebackers from his 2010 team and was working with a rebuilt offensive line. He also had to replace his offensive coordinator.
This idea Hoke won with Rich Rodriguez's players and they were somehow awful and Hoke "split the fish and divided the loaves" is ridiculous. Michigan did have talent, particularly on the front seven defensively. The Wolverines just needed a coach to take advantage of it. In other words, just because Rodriguez was such a bad fit at Michigan doesn't mean the next coach is working miracles by replacing him and winning more football games.
And there is nothing about the award that states, "It goes to the coach that exceeded expectations." Or that it can't go to a coach two years in a row (Dantonio won it last year).
It's supposed to go to the "coach of the year," and based on the nonprejudicial evidence, that's Dantonio, not Hoke.
posted by Pat Caputo at
11:15 AM
12 Comments:
My team would be "better prepared" as well if I had , as Dantonio did, an extra week to work on them. It seems that MSU often takes their bye week just prior to UM game
No doubt about that Hoke is coach of the year. He took a messed up team from Rich rod and turn them into national relevance again.
What a bozo! MSU 10-2 last year, and 10-2 this year. Will likely lose to Wisconsin in B-10 Champ game and get blown out in their bowl game AGAIN! Where is the great improvment? Brady Hoke not only went from 7 wins to 10 wins, but also turned the program around from last year and improved the team DURING this season. Has MSU improved since the Michigan game? No! Has Michigan improved since the MSU game? Absolutely! The award is for the whole body of work, not just for one game! Clearly Hoke was the best coach for the ENTIRE season!
What a hack. Can't believe this bumbling Spartan fanboy still has a slot on radio.
While the Spartans certainly had a good year it was expected. A fifth year quarterback and returning skilled position players from a team that shared the Big 10 title a year ago would have been a total failure not to win. And that loss to a horrible Minnesota team?
Conversely, Hoke turned a program around. The defense went from 100 something in the country to one of the top defenses in the country. They won games they were supposed to win and were competitive in their losses.
Sorry Pat - I disagree with you on this one.
Let's see beating a top 5 team, beating Ohio State and Iowa on the road and playing in the Big Ten Championship plus replacing an all-American linebacker another all-Big Ten linebacker and then replacing 4 o-linemen. Oh yeah, plus beating Michigan for a 4th straight year. Dantonio should get. All Hoke did was beat an Ohio State (which finished 6-6 not that impressed) plus it was at home. Yes he did turn things around but beating he only beat one ranked team and only won half of his games on the road.
Hey Pat,
Did you deserve all your writing awards? Thought so.
Talk about sore loser. Pot? No, maybe Kettle this time? Which do you wanna be.
GO FREAKING BLUE!!! Wait til next year!
Mark has proved himself all the way through... Have to wait for until next year for the award though!
Are you serious? You just gave the reason why Hoke should get Coach of the Year. A coaches job is to take players and make them play to their ability and Hoke did just that. These same players were terrible under RichRod and Hoke came in and look what he accomplished with those very same players.
"And there is nothing about the award that states, 'It goes to the coach that exceeded expectations.'"
No, 9 times out of 10 the coach of the year award in every sport goes to the coach of the team that exceeded expectations the most.
Any of you Michigan slappies read the blog, or did you just stop after the headline and then make a beeline to bitch in the comment box. Pat is an MSU alum and without him stating this on the radio no one would ever know it. PC is as impartial to his school as anyone I have ever encountered. Dantonio should have won B1G coach of the year for all the reasons Pat stated, go back and read the blog, there is more to a story than just a bold headline you walmart wolverines!!
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