You only get so many chances

DMoney
DMoney
2 min read
This one hurts deep in the soul. We had a chance for a special season and blew it. Every November feels the same for the past 20 years.

I'll dig deeper on rewatch, but my big picture view is this: Miami fell to its true level. We won games we could've lost, and we lost games we could've won. At the end, we were who we were all year.
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We have a national championship offense. We have a bad defense. And we lack discipline overall. We came into this game ranked 120th in penalty yards per game. With the season on the line, we made two of the most immature penalties in team history. That was not a fluke.

Add it all up, and you get 10-2. Do I expect major defensive staff changes? Yes. But that isn't the only area we need to improve.

Mario ultimately owns all of it. He missed a rare opportunity. Now, the ownership cuts both ways- you can't blame him for the defensive misses and then ignore the strength of the offense. We were blessed to have Cam Ward, but he also landed Cam Ward and built his supporting cast. The question now becomes whether we can improve elsewhere enough to compensate for the loss of such a unique and special player.
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This season will be remembered one of two ways: the beginning of something sustainable, or a fun, ultimately disappointing fluke like 2017. For true progress, this team needs to remake its defensive identity. You can fire coaches and recruit better DBs. But when you get bowled over by an Arena League running back with the season on the line, that's a cultural issue. When you look confused all year, it's deeper than talent. We had four NFL players in the 2022 secondary, and we looked just as lost as we did this year.

Was there progress? Of course. Should anyone expect us to build on that progress? That's a hard sell. The fanbase has every reason to be cynical. But none of us are going anywhere, so let's hope the build continues and we have enough material to tell lies this summer.

 

Comments (511)

His explanation using analytics to go for 3 @ 3:41 left in the game down 7 was another low IQ move from this Nucklehead Mario. GT all over again. Why would he not put the ball in Cams hands for a shot?
Or if you are going to get the 3 points, You must try for the onside kick because your defense are basically 11 statues and you are not going to get ball back.
 

Guidry didn’t adjust one time when Cuse was abusing Miami in man coverage. Didn’t roll the safeties or anything. That alone should have been a fireable offense. But the defense looks completely unprepared and makes me wonder do they even practice. That’s how bad the defense looks
 
This season ended up being the worst possible incarnation of a Mario Cristobal team. Its not like last year where maybe we were thinking 8-4, 9-3 would be a successful season.

Team is obviously flawed from the foundation...coach included...but this this team had nothing but green grass in front of it all year long. This should be an undefeated football team, with a BYE in the CFB Playoff. Questions, for sure...just like every undefeated or one loss Oklahoma team, the Washington team a year ago, etc. There are teams like this every year that manage to not trip on their own ****s until they play an obviously well run organization and they just lose when they are supposed to lose.

We tripped on our own ****. The fact this happened over Thanksgiving is saving us from national embarrassment because no one is paying attention because they are shopping. But Miami blowing a real shot at the playoffs on Saturday after Thanksgiving as a double digit favorite in the middle of the day, after blowing a 3 score lead on said team should lead to massive firings.

D$ is right, you can't blow it over and over again, go 2nd quarter after 2nd quarter where after your scripted plays, fall flat on your face and let teams come back on you after you jump out 21-0...thats on 🫵.

Team got worse as the year goes on AGAIN.

We blew a legit Heisman QB and maybe the #1 offense in the nation. Just blew it. We went 10-2 and won't play in a single big game this year. ******* sucks.
 
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We lost a great opportunity wasted so much talent.
Loss of talent next year
Ward
Martinez
X
George
Arroyo
carpenter
rivers
Mesidor
Barrow
Barron
kiko
Powell
Porter
Borragales

That is just the starters that doesn’t include other to leave in the portal. Mario has his work cut out for him.

I’m a Cane for life and will never stop bleeding Orange and Green but this one hurt!
Ward (is a big loss)
Martinez (is a loss but have replacements)
X (is a big loss)
George (GTFOH)
Arroyo (is a loss but have replacements)
carpenter (is a loss but have replacements)
rivers (is a loss but have potential replacements)
Mesidor (has another year. hasn't done **** in last two yrs)
Barrow (is a loss)
Barron (GTFOH)
kiko (GTFOH)
Powell (GTFOH)
Porter (GTFOH)
Borragales (is a loss)
 
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It’s not just a money thing. It’s a culture problem that Miami hasn’t been able to
Shake for over a decade. Selfish players making dumb *** mistakes that play a major part in Miami losing. Year 3 it shouldn’t be happening and should have been fixed last offseason.
It cuts across so many different coaching staffs too. I've often thought of this...what's so inherent in the culture down here that things like 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalties at the worst possible times keep happening...over and over again? Why have we seen this every year for 2 decades?
 
His explanation using analytics to go for 3 @ 3:41 left in the game down 7 was another low IQ move from this Nucklehead Mario. GT all over again. Why would he not put the ball in Cams hands for a shot?
Mario saying he relied on the analytics is like Nikki Glazer's joke about Gronk thinking cryto was real money - in the exact voice -

Me Know Analytics Make No Sense When Defense Suck
 
Or if you are going to get the 3 points, You must try for the onside kick because your defense are basically 11 statues and you are not going to get ball back.
I wouldn't have been mad about an onside kick try at any point in that 2nd half, the way it was going.
 
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Washington State went from 5-7 with Cam Ward to 8-4 without Cam Ward. He lost a game 10-7 with them. He is not irreplaceable.
Cam at WSU played a PAC 12 schedule. WSU this year played a G5 schedule and just lost to Wyoming 15-14.
 
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Washington State went from 5-7 with Cam Ward to 8-4 without Cam Ward. He lost a game 10-7 with them. He is not irreplaceable.
That’s a little disingenuous. Check their schedule last year compared to this year. Last year they were in the PAC 12. This year they were basically playing a mountain west schedule. Definitely a drop in competition level. I’m sure playing the likes of Utah St., Hawaii, San Jose St. and Fresno St. instead of Oregon, Washington, Arizona St etc had a little something to do with it. Last I checked Miami isn’t dropping down to play sunbelt conference teams next year.
 
It cuts across so many different coaching staffs too. I've often thought of this...what's so inherent in the culture down here that things like 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalties at the worst possible times keep happening...over and over again? Why have we seen this every year for 2 decades?
I'll in part answer my own question....I strongly suspect that most of the other teams we play, with the probable exception of Florida State, are much smarter than we are. All the other guys on the other ACC teams probably do a far better job of studying and digesting tape. Our defenses in particular often seem too stupid to deal with what these other teams are doing.
 
Mario saying he relied on the analytics is like Nikki Glazer's joke about Gronk thinking cryto was real money - in the exact voice -

Me Know Analytics Make No Sense When Defense Suck
Data analytics is a joke.

It only works if you have a really good football team because EVERYTHING works.

If not I call it 50/50 hope we look intelligent.

Call me old school but I am in the “it’s too early in the game take the points or play field position” camp.

Like last night…Mario played the old school way except he isn’t smart enough to realize that has to change based on the fact you have no defense.

Data analytics doesn’t teach that.
 
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Data analytics is a joke.

It only works if you have a really good football team because EVERYTHING works.

If not I call it 50/50 hope we look intelligent.

Call me old school but I am in the “it’s too early in the game take the points or play field position” camp.

Like last night…Mario played the old school way except he isn’t smart enough to realize that has to change based on the fact you have no defense.

Data analytics doesn’t teach that.
mad gran torino GIF
 
Data analytics is a joke.

It only works if you have a really good football team because EVERYTHING works.

If not I call it 50/50 hope we look intelligent.

Call me old school but I am in the “it’s too early in the game take the points or play field position” camp.

Like last night…Mario played the old school way except he isn’t smart enough to realize that has to change based on the fact you have no defense.

Data analytics doesn’t teach that.
It is another example of the concern that the overall coaching staff does not have a smart feel for the flow of the game live.
 
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His explanation using analytics to go for 3 @ 3:41 left in the game down 7 was another low IQ move from this Nucklehead Mario. GT all over again. Why would he not put the ball in Cams hands for a shot?
This is it (if he said analytics told him to kick). Did analytics also factor in a D that couldn't stop the opponent at all - and an opponent that was playing catch in the passing game? This is the situation you pay a HC 8mm for. To use your head, your experience and your gut to make the call at a crucial point. This clown relied on "analytics". Holy ****. Just make AI the HC, **** of a lot cheaper (and no man *****!)
 
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