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Ward to the league...or maybe not...who the **** knows...but seriously...what the **** else better do you have to do?

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RVACane said:
It’s crazy. Everything Barry Jackson reported today, I was told in almost real time off the record for the past few weeks by some people assailed on here by the ingrates.
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Agreed.

We got Mims'ed.

And you recall I used his name to you and others a couple of weeks ago.
 
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mavericksouth said:
Well, I hope our insiders and experts learned a valuable lesson. As I said, a deal is not a deal until it's a deal. Humbling experience for Cribby, DMoney, etc. But, we all make mistakes so I won't beat you guys up too bad. It happens.

That said, it was VERY CLEAR that this young man did not want to be at Miami and was willing to stay in college ONLY if a Ohio State or USC came along. As a business man myself, I could see this fu*kjob coming from a mile away. Miami had no leverage this entire ordeal and got played like chumps. Total botch from Mario and his staff. Other very good qbs came off the board playing around with this kid. My next question is, if the qb whisperer, Lincoln Riley, looked at Malachi Nelson and decided to get a portal qb or role with Miller Moss as opposed to Nelson, why do we think that this staff can and will develop an unproven kid like Nelson and make him QB1 next year when they looked at him and sought other options?
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He’s better than what we have and he has a few years left. This staff may not be good on offense this far but they need someone regardless. Dawson has done well with QBs in the past. The staff is what it is and we need someone with abilities.
 
dodaniels said:
You think Mario was going to improve his draft stock?
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Why are people so binary and simple about this?

First, his draft stock isn't great right now. I have CONSISTENTLY pointed out Ward's small hand-size and how that impacts the turnovers, both picks and fumbles. The best thing a draft PROSPECT can do to raise HIS OWN STOCK is to display evidence that a problem has been addressed. To do that, Ward needs another season, not a great Pro Day or Combine.

Second, Mario is not the QB or OC. Mario can provide Ward with an excellent O-Line and the WRs and RBs and TEs to display his skills. I'm not sure why people keep repeating and repeating and repeating the F$U talking points that a head coach is going to perform a miracle of development in 11 months on a kid who has already played for four full years. It would have been up to Dawson to call the right formations and plays for Ward to shine, not Mario.

Ward needed another year in college to play and to show that his weaknesses can be minimized. He will likely be drafted, but the lower you are drafted, the less chance that an NFL team will give you reps or wait on you to show what you can do.

Being drafted high as a QB is not "just" about money, it's also about the confidence a team has in you, and whether they will call on you for anything more than emergency third-string reps.
 
Can someone explain the while declaring for the draft but not signing with an agent yet
 
TheOriginalCane said:
Why are people so binary and simple about this?

First, his draft stock isn't great right now. I have CONSISTENTLY pointed out Ward's small hand-size and how that impacts the turnovers, both picks and fumbles. The best thing a draft PROSPECT can do to raise HIS OWN STOCK is to display evidence that a problem has been addressed. To do that, Ward needs another season, not a great Pro Day or Combine.

Second, Mario is not the QB or OC. Mario can provide Ward with an excellent O-Line and the WRs and RBs and TEs to display his skills. I'm not sure why people keep repeating and repeating and repeating the F$U talking points that a head coach is going to perform a miracle of development in 11 months on a kid who has already played for four full years. It would have been up to Dawson to call the right formations and plays for Ward to shine, not Mario.

Ward needed another year in college to play and to show that his weaknesses can be minimized. He will likely be drafted, but the lower you are drafted, the less chance that an NFL team will give you reps or wait on you to show what you can do.

Being drafted high as a QB is not "just" about money, it's also about the confidence a team has in you, and whether they will call on you for anything more than emergency third-string reps.
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Serious follow-up - if the knock on the kid is small hands, what's another year in college going to do to address that specific deficiency? If his draft grades came back and talked about his decision-making, or accuracy, or even S&C I could see the kid being like "yeah another year might help." But if it's *just* small hands that are giving him a low grade (don't know that's true, just addressing the point) - his hands won't get any bigger next year so why not get the pro career started now and bet on himself to ball out enough to make it to that second contract?

My frustration is why didn't we (coaches) assume this was his thinking much earlier and move on? Was Ward's camp just pumping that much BS about staying in school that it fooled every grown man in our admin? It falls on Mario of course but where was Dawson? Where was Zo The Great And Powerful? Nobody saw this coming??
 
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RVACane said:
He’s better than what we have and he has a few years left. This staff may not be good on offense this far but they need someone regardless. Dawson has done well with QBs in the past. The staff is what it is and we need someone with abilities.
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How do you know that he's "better?" Star rankings? What he did in high school? He has never started a college game when we need a proven starter for next season. Lincoln saw him in practice every day and decided they needed someone else as evidenced by talking to Howard. I was under the impression we were trying to win big next year with a proven guy under center. To be clear, I'm not being flip with you, but I'm annoyed with the staff and not being able to see that they were getting played all along. Now we are here in 2024 with no clear upgrade available in the portal. Pure incompetence.
 
ghost2 said:
Serious follow-up - if the knock on the kid is small hands, what's another year in college going to do to address that specific deficiency? If his draft grades came back and talked about his decision-making, or accuracy, or even S&C I could see the kid being like "yeah another year might help." But if it's *just* small hands that are giving him a low grade (don't know that's true, just addressing the point) - his hands won't get any bigger next year so why not get the pro career started now and bet on himself to ball out enough to make it to that second contract?

My frustration is why didn't we (coaches) assume this was his thinking much earlier and move on? Was Ward's camp just pumping that much BS about staying in school that it fooled every grown man in our admin? It falls on Mario of course but where was Dawson? Where was Zo The Great And Powerful? Nobody saw this coming??
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Think Kenny Pickett with small hands and all! Coming back a year helped him move into the first round of the draft and he certainly didn't grade that high going into his senior year.
 
mavericksouth said:
How do you know that he's "better?" Star rankings? What he did in high school? He has never started a college game when we need a proven starter for next season. Lincoln saw him in practice every day and decided they needed someone else as evidenced by talking to Howard. I was under the impression we were trying to win big next year with a proven guy under center. To be clear, I'm not being flip with you, but I'm annoyed with the staff and not being able to see that they were getting played all along. Now we are here in 2024 with no clear upgrade available in the portal. Pure incompetence.
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Yes. Malachi Nelson > current Miami QB roster.

Way more upside than Emory.
 
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RVACane said:
Yes. Malachi Nelson > current Miami QB roster.

Way more upside than Emory.
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Next season isn't about upside. Next year is year three for Mario. Sink or swim. He needs a proven qb that can run that offense and has track record of success. We know nothing about Nelson at the college level. If that was the case, why not take Moore. He at least had some starting college qb experience. Point is, they have totally botched this situation.
 
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dk72 said:
This draft is deeper than next years for QB and Ward is a marginal draft pick who could use another year and make his 2 mil while doing so. The narrative that Mario would hurt someone's draft stock is way overblown and overplayed.
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Not anymore I fear.
 
ghost2 said:
Serious follow-up - if the knock on the kid is small hands, what's another year in college going to do to address that specific deficiency? If his draft grades came back and talked about his decision-making, or accuracy, or even S&C I could see the kid being like "yeah another year might help." But if it's *just* small hands that are giving him a low grade (don't know that's true, just addressing the point) - his hands won't get any bigger next year so why not get the pro career started now and bet on himself to ball out enough to make it to that second contract?

My frustration is why didn't we (coaches) assume this was his thinking much earlier and move on? Was Ward's camp just pumping that much BS about staying in school that it fooled every grown man in our admin? It falls on Mario of course but where was Dawson? Where was Zo The Great And Powerful? Nobody saw this coming??
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Another year is not going to help him, but it's a huge payday that's guaranteed. Now, he's going into a situation that is totally unknown. If he doesn't end up making the active roster for '24, he'll be regretting this decision for the rest of his life.
 
ghost2 said:
Not anymore I fear.
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Eh. Not like Ward didnt have other college options, yet ultimately if he were to stay in school we were the likely destination. He simply had his heart set on the NFL. If it were about the "Mario ruins QBs" nonsense he could have just gone to USC or Auburn, who was recently reported to be in touch with him.
 
mavericksouth said:
Next season isn't about upside. Next year is year three for Mario. Sink or swim. He needs a proven qb that can run that offense and has track record of success. We know nothing about Nelson at the college level. If that was the case, why not take Moore. He at least had some starting college qb experience. Point is, they have totally botched this situation.
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You answered your own question on Moore as highlighted in red. Mario waited around on Ward like he did on Candle so we are left with what we have at the buffet table towards the end of dinner service.

I think if they improve next season by 2 wins with a young QB, it would keep the trajectory going upwards.
 
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