List of problems

[RightSaidFred]

The best post you’ve ever made. I agree 100 percent.

So the upshot is they need a new OC with a new scheme and new position coaches, and a beefed up recruiting department.

Oh, and replace Rumph/Bandy

 

[jkdood]

QB commit Tyler Van Dyke gets Diaz, Enos visit: "I'm not coming there just to sit & watch"

Not to undercut the great OP and the forlorn misery of disappointed fans here, but I am genuinely excited, and hopeful, about the Matocha vs. Van Dyke QB competition coming up.

There's a reasonable chance a real "complete" national caliber QB could FINALLY emerge. And with all our other shortcomings from the top-down, and there are many and changes would be good, such a development could negate a bunch of that and bring us many wins.

Mark my words; when we be yelling "We Baack" it will mostly be because finally We QBaack!

 

[RightSaidFred]

What is Donaldson's injury?

Diabetes.

 

[ssvir]

Some of your best, most realistic work, @DMoney. As I wrote to you elsewhere...

The heart of our program's issue is broader and probably deserves an entire article itself: we are currently a superficial program. We hire people who seemingly try to figure out their work on the job with limited humility or self-awareness. The result is currently a fake program.

I spent the offseason excited about the future based on offseason data points (all we could analyze and discuss then) and consistently qualifying almost each post with "if these guys game plan and coach as detailed and specific as how they communicate, market and brand," we're going to do great things. Guess what: the season came around.

@DMoney mentioned how Manny is "attuned to analytics." From everything I can see, it seems shaky. I think Manny wants to appear like he's into analytics. Going for a 2-point conversion down 14 near or into the 4th quarter is about the only real life example that stands out in my brain. The rest? It's about as far away from analytics as you can get. We were 89th in plays per game, 90th in yards per play, 130th in 3rd down conversion. We ran a 7 minute grind out drive when an opponent (FIU) was faking injuries to slow us down. So despite any basic metric saying to speed up our approach, we consistently got in plays late to an offense that could barely get going. There is nothing in evidence that backs up analytics-driven behaviors.

We market ourselves as a "cutting edge" program. Where is the evidence? Besides throwing on beach trash as uniforms and some Kinder-level extrinsic motivation and positive reinforcement with gameday jewelry, what do we do that's cutting edge? Our defense throws out some exotic blitzes, but then they become dull the 45th time we blitz a deep Safety from the boundary. Again, we want appear cutting edge without doing the work.

And, guess what happens when the entire program, because this isn't about only what we saw on the field this year, has a culture of appearance > evidence? Well, you attract people and players with similar behavioral patterns. Or, worse, you model those behaviors for impressionable young players.

Early on this season, after I saw what I needed to see post-UNC, I wrote a post about returning to substance. The whole program will continue to float around until we prioritize action over talk, evidence over appearance and work over flash. Till then, I'll hang back in incredible disappointment that I thought some offseason data points might finally carry over into what counts: what we do on the football field. Once we get back to that, I'm up for whatever dancing, jewelry, and marketing we want to do. Can't sell a fake product forever - even if the target market is desperate on hope. As we have been.

You just said nothing of substance while complaining about being a program of no substance.

 

[simplycanes]

Far too much for one coach to overcome. Looking forward to our next coaching search being less than one year away.

 

[Ethnicsands]

We suck. So this is a long list. The problem might be as simple as "Manny Diaz and the people who hired him." But someone is going to have to fix these issues, so let's address the specifics:

Lack of discipline.

Lack of leadership in the QB room.

Enos has been a bust.

The OL stinks.

No speed in the back 7.

We are too slow to offer.

We need a more consistent run game.

We have no proven WRs.

We need to get more out of our TEs.

Good start to a list. I will add some items but re your comments:

- lack of discipline is a coaching issue and is downstream from lack of solid culture and lack of leaderhsip both in the locker room and the staff and IMO in the AD. Manny’s #TNM culture spawned a talk **** and dance culture. It’s on him. It’s worse, not better than under richt. And it wasnt right under richt.

- We havent had a very good qb since dorsey. It’s no coincidence that our good twams were led by GREAT qbs. A hall of famer in kelly, an nfl first round pick and 2x pro bowler and heisman finalist in kosar, Heisman Trophy winners in Vinny and Gino, walsh was first round pick, heisman finalist, all american, sammy baugh trophy winner, erickson won unitas award and golden arm award. Dorsey second in heisman, 2x finalist, all american, 2x qb of year etc. We didnt get those guys by accident. We had coaches who could recognize talent. Evaluators.

- OL - just go look at my comments in the threads last fall. I dont care about stars. we have evaluated poorly. For ages. We lack talent and depth.

- our team speed has deteriorated big time. DBs, WRs, LBs. A few exceptions but not enough. Golden then richt really took us towards a different model and it aint right for us.

- WRs. SMH. Whee have ou gone, Joe DiMaggio (Eddie Brown)? Coker destroyed the WR roster and it just aint been right since. AR should have been a great. But this aint a Miami WR room.

- Too slow to offer. Go look at my recruiting process thread from last winter. We have no plan. We are doing it wrong and have been for ages.

 

[Hurracanes]

Manny f*cked up and found himself in too many close games to play a bunch of young guys. But youre right, any recruits that are paying attention will know Manny cant sell them young guys play with a straight face... not any more than any where else.

Close games are a weak excuse for this to happen.

 

[TexasCane90]

Manny has a chance to save face here...

enos fired......... Bring in a spread OC its so overblown you can cherry pick someone from somewhere.. see Mike Gundy who keeps replacing OCs of his by doing homework on whose producing at the G5 and lower levels... check their resume and hire

Barry fired.... zero improvement at OL and OL recruiting has been nonexistent

Patke fired..... Cant coach (see Walk on playinf when Pink got hurt and Brooks wasnt ready to play) also STs was a joke besides punting as the aussie has been well coached before arriving... oh and his recruiting sucks to top it off

Banda fired..... toss up between him and Rumph but im banking that Rumph helps the safetys play on top of corners.... Banda cant recruit and we need someone who is am ACE recruiter on the defensive side to close the deal

Stroud.... demoted back to his analyst role... Bring Kevin Patrick.... Not starting Greg week 1 Tells me everything I need to know about how stroud ranks his Dline

Stubbs... Fired. Dropping Fleming apparently and also failing to get any improvement out of that room is flat embarrassing with the talent on hand... Recruiting is suspect

Baker.... demoted to patkes spot and told to worry about recruiting Texas and Louisiana...learn to close the deal

 

[Dude]

Close games are a weak excuse for this to happen.

I disagree completely.

 

[Ethnicsands]

Here are some more observations:

1. We have no strategy, no plan, no leadership, no self-awareness, no self-assessment.

This starts with the AD. The game is MUCH more complex than it used to be in terms of demands, technology, preparation, recruiting, resource deployment and management, relationships, etc. Coaches come and go. Even good ones don’t know all they need to know. And there is a learning curve. Butch talked about the relationship challenges of coaching turnover. We live that in spades. And our program will always see coaching turnover whether we are good or bad, because winners here will move on, and losers get chewed up.

So ... we need an AD that understands the program, its needs, strengths, weaknesses, resources, culture etc. We do not have that. Our AD is a vacancy in this respect. He has failed this program so obviously. The non-search flail hire of Manny is impossible to defend. But more than that, he did that because he is clueless on the program, clueless on its needs, clueless on how to hire generally, and was scared and panicked. If this institution wants a serious football team, then it needs to understand football and the team at the level of the administration. If they think it is just about picking a coach, then they will fail. If you think that, then we disagree.

This isn’t so hard and is just management 101. You could take someone from strategy at a good organization and they’d figure it out. It’s stunning that UM’s BOT and AD haven’t. Start with a clear assessment of what our assets and liabilities are, and what the cfb competitive landscape looks like, now and near-term. This is basic strategy. What are the table stakes and how can we get them? Where can we differentiate? Coach and scheme play in here. But if you do not understand your competitive dynamic and need state, you cannot pick a leader. Growth CeoS are not turnaround ceos. Just as an analogy. What are we looking for ... and why? How does the local recruiting dynamic fit in? What personalities will work? How do we set, build, fix culture. Recruiting is a 3 year and out thing these days, which is hard when we change coaches every 4 years. We are a hot mess, and it flows from a clueless AD and infrastructure.

Also, you like to point out that our recent HCs dont get rehired as Hcs. Truth. So ask yourself how we go about picking them. If those choices are so awful, why? What are we doing wrong? Picking greatness may be hard. Avoiding woatness shouldn’t be so hard.

2. Our past is causing distraction - we need to move on.

It isnt about our past. We need to get over that. The clinging to our past is a result of an admin that has no clue about football or how to win. So they imagine it’s luck or magic and just want to associate with someone who was part of prior success. It‘s absurd. Winning in cfb is hard work. We won because we had GREAT coaches and GREAT athletes and a culture of effort. If we can win again, it will not be because of JJ and Irvin. It will be because we got the right kids and coach and scheme and culture for the future.

3. Culture.

Since Coker, we have failed to restock for competition at the scout team level. So often I have heard we didn’t need a kid in some recruiting class because we had a couple other guys on the roster or we got a kid the past cycle or we expected a kid a year out. All evidence of the same failing. Great kids are gone after a couple seasons. injuries happen. Competition matters a lot. Depth matters. Any wonder our STs have stunk when our roster depth as terrible and we didnt even have 85 scholarships filled?

You (D$) consistently point to the nfl to say we have had great talent, but it’s a flawed view. We have had some good kids, but our rosters have been massively flawed, unbalanced, deficient at key position groups, weak on the lines, etc. we dont keep 4th and 5th year players well enough. We dont redshirt enough. We have not been serious even about filling the roster prior to manny.

4. Recruiting.

I go back the discussion last winter. We need a permanent infrastructure at Um to maximize our one real differentiated strength given coaches come and go. We havent hit the junior colleges nearly well enough. I suspect that is a UM admin issue but whatever it is, it must stop. Transfers and pwos take resources. Our overall recruiting resources are too thin and we spread them too thinly on top of that. We exhibit no prioritization, no sense of self-awareness.

Explain to me how many posters on UM boards have had a much better understanding of what kids were going to do than our own staffs hafe had, going back to Coker. It’s insane. We’d recruit better if gogeta, lce and fish were our recruiting coordinators. This happens because our AD is clueless and our cosches and staffs change too often.

I will add to this list but here’s a start.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

Is that his sister?

Mom on left, sister in the middle.

 

[NC_Canes_11]

If your Manny Diaz this is a pivotal moment in your career.

This will show if he has the knowledge to make the right hires, or at least consult the right people to do so.

Who if you are Manny, do you consult? Former players? Coaches? Jesus?

This is his career. If he gets fired in year 2 bc he keeps Enos or blows the next OC hire too, I don’t see him ever getting another shot at being a HC.

 

[Eric The Midget]

But what's the 40 times OP??? First round pick in 3 years???

 

[Ethnicsands]

Honestly, I thought our special teams were decent this year aside from the terrible kicker. But that's a big issue.

I would look at Jose Borregales from FIU as a grad transfer.

I said Last summer we should be recruiting a kicker this cycle and got told it would be a waste because we got a kid in ‘21.

We should recruit our roster needs EVERY cycle.

 

[Ice79]

We need more talent... Everyone else always saying we have enough talent to compete.. But I don't see it.... We have maybe 3-4 guys who are talented.... But the rest.... That's why we have been trash going on 15 years

 

[TallyCane]

Offense staff changes won’t effect anything big picture. Manny is in over his head. Manny talks about accountability but he doesn’t hold his coaches or players accountable. How many times do I need to see 5TH YEAR SR Scott patchan have to make a personal foul penalty and still play. He made one in the CMU game and what do you know he is out there the next series.

 

[TheOldU2002]

That's because I realistically understand the entire staff won't be fired so I rather stay out of fantasy land. I would want to see sweeping changes starting from the administration level of blake james/jen strawley gone but that won't happen so here we are.

but asking for and then being satisfied with some assistant firings just buys diaz more time.

if you want a real Miami team then Diaz has to go, period.

 

[TheOldU2002]

You're a ******* tool who thinks he is profound by using the word "slurper".

Manny won't be fired. The players respect him, but there is NO SECOND STRING to allow any sort of accountability.

Manny can fire his assistants, though. When Manny was DC, his unit had results, he got a promotion (even if some will argue it was too much, too soon). There is nothing controversial or "blame" oriented in firing Coordinators who do not produce. Fire Bill Miller, hire Greg Schiano. Nothing new.

You are a buffoon, talking about "they" so that you can pretend to know what the players are thinking. None of the players lack respect for Manny because he was headed to Temple, and those players love the turnover chain (though they would love it more if they got to wear it more).

Your conclusions, as well as your trolling, are obviously stupid and ill-informed. You joined the board right after UM (I'm not going to use the word "we" with you) lost to the Gaytors. You can delete your account now.

"The Old U 2002". What a joke you are. I'm a UM alum from the 80s and 90s, when we could easily survive a few penalties by subbing in the next man up. You are an obvious Gaytor troll running a long con.

Wow Manny has his nuts fully in your mouth.

The “results” he got as DC were nothing special, and certainly didnt earn him the job as head coach here.

You are completely fabricating the idea of the players respecting him, and if there is no “second level” thats bc Manny is such a joke he couldnt hire any legit people to work under him.

People like you are why this school is horrendous. You value this guy probably bc of his ethnicity when he is the worst coach and least deserving of this job in the last 50 years.

Poooor poooor manny the coaches he hand picked for the last 4+ seasons arent running the program for him. Poor poooooor Manny that the players recognize his staff that he 100% hired are a bunch of amateurs.

You tribalists make me sick.

 

[TheOldU2002]

Manny has a chance to save face here...

enos fired......... Bring in a spread OC its so overblown you can cherry pick someone from somewhere.. see Mike Gundy who keeps replacing OCs of his by doing homework on whose producing at the G5 and lower levels... check their resume and hire

Barry fired.... zero improvement at OL and OL recruiting has been nonexistent

Patke fired..... Cant coach (see Walk on playinf when Pink got hurt and Brooks wasnt ready to play) also STs was a joke besides punting as the aussie has been well coached before arriving... oh and his recruiting sucks to top it off

Banda fired..... toss up between him and Rumph but im banking that Rumph helps the safetys play on top of corners.... Banda cant recruit and we need someone who is am ACE recruiter on the defensive side to close the deal

Stroud.... demoted back to his analyst role... Bring Kevin Patrick.... Not starting Greg week 1 Tells me everything I need to know about how stroud ranks his Dline

Stubbs... Fired. Dropping Fleming apparently and also failing to get any improvement out of that room is flat embarrassing with the talent on hand... Recruiting is suspect

Baker.... demoted to patkes spot and told to worry about recruiting Texas and Louisiana...learn to close the deal

LOL so the entire staff has to be replaced after one year and thats Manny “saving face”? Hes been here four years and he had no clue what the team needed to be successful.

Firing his staff is a political move to fool simpletons into thinking he’s “a savage”. He needs to be fired. Period.

 

[duke4heisman]

Far too much for one coach to overcome. Looking forward to our next coaching search being less than one year away.

Hopefully the entire process takes more than a regular work day...smh