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How bad is our defense really?

Ernie McCracken

Ernie McCracken

Thunderdome
Joined
May 6, 2013
Messages
976
To me, how you judge a defense is really simple. Take the number of times the other team touches the ball, and see how many times you stopped them, how many times you allowed a field goal, and how many times you scored a touchdown.

Forget about total points allowed, and forget about yards allowed. Yards don't win a football game, and points allowed depends a lot on if your offense can stay on the field, time of posession, that kind of ****.

So if you just look at the number of times the other team has the ball per game, and how many times they score, and you adjust it to reward you more for stopping good offenses and penalize you more for letting terrible offenses score on you, how does Miami stack up?

We suck.

Footballoutsiders.com has a stat that measures that very thing, called the FEI index for anyone that's interested. Apparently, Miami's defense is ranked #82 in the country. We are THE WORST team defense in the country out of every big name team except for Tennessee, Texas A&M, Colorado and Arkansas.

Some examples of teams that objectively have better defenses than Miami:

Cincinnati
Maryland
Rutgers
Buffalo
Rice
South Alabama
Colorado State
Texas State
Marshall
Middle Tennessee
Toledo
UTSA (hello Larry Coker)
Ball State
Duke
Tulane
Tulsa
Wake Forest
Memphis
North Texas
Northwestern
East Carolina
Utah
Utah State


This is unacceptable at Miami, and I have never seen a more clear-cut case where a defensive coordinator needs to be shown the door at the end of the season. It's not personal, but we need to go a different direction, that's how it is.

Something to think about.
 
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Yeah, the defense sucks, and I don't think anyone who watches the games would argue otherwise. Yeah, the talent level isn't where it needs to be yet, and, yeah, the offense has something to with it, and, yeah, mistakes by special teams last weekend has something to do with it, too. And, yeah, Coach D and AG need to do a better job preparing, game planning, and teaching. All of that is true.

What is also true is that AG and the staff are in year 3 of a massive rebuild. They are putting in their system, recruiting the kids they want (or could get in some cases), and trying to win with what they have. They're trying to build the program and change the culture. I understand that the results aren't what a lot of this fanbase wants or expects at this point (a lot of this fanbase that won't even show up for games). I understand that the knee-jerk reaction is to start firing coaches, and that may very well end up being the solution. It could also be a huge mistake and set the program back even further.

AG has earned the benefit of the doubt in my book. If he's riding with Coach D, then so am I. If he thinks it's time for Coach D to go, then I'm fine with that, too. Having 50,000 threads about how Coach D should be fired doesn't do any good for anyone. They hired AG to run the program, not a bunch of message board posters. Just support the program, show up for games, and let them do their job.
 
sebastian91 said:
Yeah, the defense sucks, and I don't think anyone who watches the games would argue otherwise. Yeah, the talent level isn't where it needs to be yet, and, yeah, the offense has something to with it, and, yeah, mistakes by special teams last weekend has something to do with it, too. And, yeah, Coach D and AG need to do a better job preparing, game planning, and teaching. All of that is true.

What is also true is that AG and the staff are in year 3 of a massive rebuild. They are putting in their system, recruiting the kids they want (or could get in some cases), and trying to win with what they have. They're trying to build the program and change the culture. I understand that the results aren't what a lot of this fanbase wants or expects at this point (a lot of this fanbase that won't even show up for games). I understand that the knee-jerk reaction is to start firing coaches, and that may very well end up being the solution. It could also be a huge mistake and set the program back even further.

AG has earned the benefit of the doubt in my book. If he's riding with Coach D, then so am I. If he thinks it's time for Coach D to go, then I'm fine with that, too. Having 50,000 threads about how Coach D should be fired doesn't do any good for anyone. They hired AG to run the program, not a bunch of message board posters. Just support the program, show up for games, and let them do their job.
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Just write the checks and shut up, huh? Yeah....no.

Actually attendance was pretty good for the FAU game to kick the season off. People were excited. The same won't be true for the Virginia game and that's directly due to the product they're putting out there on the field.

Talent isn't an excuse. Does Buffalo have better talent than Miami? Does UTSA? Tulane? Speaking of UTSA, aren't they a brand new team that Larry Coker started from scratch? How come they have a better defense than Miami?

Maybe this was a rebuilding project but UTSA literally didn't have a football program a couple years ago and they already have a better defense than us.

That also doesn't explain the fact that our defense was BETTER under Randy Shannon, and it was BETTER Al Golden's first year here at Miami. Last year's defense was an abortion, and this years' is a slightly more pleasant shade of garbage.

Nobody's talking about firing Al Golden, but these results on defense can't be explained away by sanctions, dark clouds, Randy Shannon, youth, attendance, or any other excuse you want to come up with.

We're not the only team that's been on sanctions this year, but we have the worst defense of all those teams.

We're not the only team that's had to deal with distractions, but we have the worst defense of all those teams.

Randy Shannon's defense was better than this defense, so don't use Randy as an excucse

I can also point out younger defenses and defenses that are attached to schools with worse attendance/facilities/etc if you'd like.

It's coaching, and it's not excusable. Period.
 
Just to drive the point home, in 2010 (the year Randy Shannon was fired for) our defense ranked #14 by this metric.

We've dropped 70 spots in the D'Onofrio/Golden era.

What killed Randy Shannon's career was Jacory Harris and the fact that he loved to throw interceptions. Hopefully Mark D'Onofrio isn't Golden's Jacory Harris.
 
Was watching the game last weekend with family, my dad doesn't even watch miami and he was laughing at how bad we were. We don't even try to stop the other team with how soft we play. Torrance Gibson could walk onto Wake Forest and throw for 400 yards on us right now with the soft coverage we play. Line up 10 yards off the wide receiver letting them just throw bubble screens all the way down the field if they wanted. The only way we ever get a stop is if the other team plays bad football (drops, bad throws, penalties). Any team with a pulse can toss 10 yard crossing routes every time.
 
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Gru said:
Was watching the game last weekend with family, my dad doesn't even watch miami and he was laughing at how bad we were. We don't even try to stop the other team with how soft we play. Torrance Gibson could walk onto Wake Forest and throw for 400 yards on us right now with the soft coverage we play. Line up 10 yards off the wide receiver letting them just throw bubble screens all the way down the field if they wanted. The only way we ever get a stop is if the other team plays bad football (drops, bad throws, penalties). Any team with a pulse can toss 10 yard crossing routes every time.
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If we could trade defenses with Tulane, we would be a better team today. Tulane recruits 2 star athletes and their d coordinator is paid half of what donofrio makes.

It's a no brainer to replace him, and I'm sure it will happen after the season is over.
 
After Jacorys performance his senior year, it became clear Shannon's problem was Mark Whipple. Whipple put JH in positions to fail by not playing to his (few) strengths.

Donofrio is to Golden what Whipple was to Shannon.

Donofrio is putting his players in positions to fail:
- LBs covering receivers all the time when we have 4 capable corners
- Highsmith on the back end trying to make tackles to save big plays
- Shayon Green playing outside third in coverage

The scheme is not putting players in a position to succeed

Also we suck against spread teams, which we have seen every game except Gata and GT
 
2009-2012, our recruiting classes averaged 19 in the country. So people who are blindly following this staff of a cliff genuinely believe we should be worse than these kind of programs

Cincinnati
Maryland
Rutgers
Buffalo
Rice
South Alabama
Colorado State
Texas State
Marshall
Middle Tennessee
Toledo
UTSA (hello Larry Coker)
Ball State
Duke
Tulane
Tulsa
Wake Forest
Memphis
North Texas
Northwestern
East Carolina
Utah
Utah State
Click to expand...


We've been bad for so long it's terrifying the type of performances people are letting this staff get away with.
 
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UM fans have been gutted. We've allowed our expectations to fall to catastrophically low levels.
 
The Franchise said:
UM fans have been gutted. We've allowed our expectations to fall to catastrophically low levels.
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Its all intentional by the last three coaches we had.

Try to lose and lose a lot.
Lower fan expectations.
???????
Profit

Golden is just following the ingenious playbook left by his predecessors. Pretty soon 8 wins will look like a National Championship
 
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******* god awful

thats how bad. we have been reconditioned over 3 years of this BS defense and are numb to it to some extent. if you compare this defense to even our worst defenses in 2004, 2007, etc. it is not even close.

this defense is PUTRID and it is NOT due to talent. that is retarded. it is plainly obvious that the coaching is **** poor
 
sebastian91 said:
Yeah, the defense sucks, and I don't think anyone who watches the games would argue otherwise. Yeah, the talent level isn't where it needs to be yet, and, yeah, the offense has something to with it, and, yeah, mistakes by special teams last weekend has something to do with it, too. And, yeah, Coach D and AG need to do a better job preparing, game planning, and teaching. All of that is true.

What is also true is that AG and the staff are in year 3 of a massive rebuild. They are putting in their system, recruiting the kids they want (or could get in some cases), and trying to win with what they have. They're trying to build the program and change the culture. I understand that the results aren't what a lot of this fanbase wants or expects at this point (a lot of this fanbase that won't even show up for games). I understand that the knee-jerk reaction is to start firing coaches, and that may very well end up being the solution. It could also be a huge mistake and set the program back even further.

AG has earned the benefit of the doubt in my book. If he's riding with Coach D, then so am I. If he thinks it's time for Coach D to go, then I'm fine with that, too. Having 50,000 threads about how Coach D should be fired doesn't do any good for anyone. They hired AG to run the program, not a bunch of message board posters. Just support the program, show up for games, and let them do their job.
Click to expand...

this is all lobotomized brain washed coach speak. you are gone my dude.

the answer is very simple and obvious:

the whole defense needs to be blown up and all coaches fired. bring in a real DC that plays aggressive defense like Miami should. turn the keys over to him. AG can be a CEO/recruiter.

that is the ONLY way that AG is gonna be successful here. his defensive philosophy, implementation, etc SUCK DONKEY ****
 
I just LOL at anyone that is still giving AG/D'No "time" to get it right.

just pathetic. the VT game is to AG what the 2010 FSU game was to Randy.

if AG doesnt turn over the defense RIGHT NOW, he will be toast.
 
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Those teams also do not play the same schedule, prior to the last two weeks we were MUCh higher on that list. But you didnt seem to find those stats when we were 7-0....hmmmmm

Sooo, some of you dudes are actually saying fire AG? WOW, hope you weren't any of the guys that just two weeks ago paid to fly a banner thanking the guy, cause then that kinda makes you look like the fuggin idiot!
 
frostycane said:
Those teams also do not play the same schedule, prior to the last two weeks we were MUCh higher on that list. But you didnt seem to find those stats when we were 7-0....hmmmmm

Sooo, some of you dudes are actually saying fire AG? WOW, hope you weren't any of the guys that just two weeks ago paid to fly a banner thanking the guy, cause then that kinda makes you look like the fuggin idiot!
Click to expand...

I have been saying that this defense sucks donkey **** since last year.

I'm not saying fire AG. I'm saying that he needs to abandon this BS defense and turn it over to someone competent.

IF he does not, it will eventually be the end of him at Miami
 
It's AG's head on the line. I'm quite certain that he'll do whatever he thinks is necessary. If he fails, he'll be gone, and it isn't up to us when or if that happens. There's no point in digging up a bunch of stats or making stupid comparisons to other teams to 'prove' how bad the defense is playing right now. Any idiot can see how bad they're playing. Either he fixes it, and a bunch of message board porsters look like idiots, or he doesn't fix it and gets canned, and a bunch of message board porsters will crow about how right they were (and still look like idiots). Either way, we'll still have a bunch of message board porsters, Miami will still have a football team, the 'fans' will still not go to the games, the backup QB will be the best player on the team, and the coaches will suck and need to be fired. The more things change, the more they'll stay the same.
 
Bigtip said:
frostycane said:
Those teams also do not play the same schedule, prior to the last two weeks we were MUCh higher on that list. But you didnt seem to find those stats when we were 7-0....hmmmmm

Sooo, some of you dudes are actually saying fire AG? WOW, hope you weren't any of the guys that just two weeks ago paid to fly a banner thanking the guy, cause then that kinda makes you look like the fuggin idiot!
Click to expand...

I have been saying that this defense sucks donkey **** since last year.

I'm not saying fire AG. I'm saying that he needs to abandon this BS defense and turn it over to someone competent.

IF he does not, it will eventually be the end of him at Miami
Click to expand...

Its his defense...

So you were down for flying a banner over Sunlife thanking our incompetent coach is what I'm gathering from this.
 
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