Hoke Dislikes Criticism Of Gardner: 'He's A Kid ... Not A Professional Athlete'

By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak

CBS DETROIT - Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner threw three picks and fumbled twice Saturday against Notre Dame, and head coach Brady Hoke does not appreciate the criticism Gardner has received in the wake of the team's 31-0 loss.

"I don't worry about myself or the staff because people are going to have opinions and think what they want ... and that's fine," Hoke said. "But when your quarterback takes some criticism that might be unjust because of things that transpired, I think that's - I guess the way that we are [in] society now, but at the same time, I don't know if that's called for.

"He's a kid," Hoke added. "He's not a professional athlete."

The coach said Gardner's performance Saturday had some bright spots, despite the turnovers.

"I think there's a lot of things he did well," Hoke said. "I said the other day he made some really great throws in there. He checked us to the right plays. Was he perfect? No. He wasn't 100 percent. Do we want to be perfect? Yes."

Some improvement could happen as Gardner and the rest of the players grow more familiar with the team's new scheme, which is orchestrated by new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, who replaced Al Borges after last season.

"The longer you could have a guy within your philosophy, your program, either offensively or defensively, I think the more there's a comfort level," Hoke said. "I think there's more there where they feel better and more confident in maybe seeing what he's seeing on the field."

While Hoke gave no indication the Wolverines are considering an imminent benching of Gardner, he acknowledged that backup quarterback Shane Morris - who performed reasonably well in Michigan's bowl game last season - is up to speed in the new system and could be used if needed.

"We're confident in him," Hoke said. "We're very confident in him."