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We have a loaded end of season mail bag! We cover coaching changes, the Ok State loss, hot dogs, and Nintendo. Enjoy!
@djnellz (CanesInsight): Ok, do you know anyone with a pig farm and nitroglycerin acid? You know... gotta find the BAKER's man. Second question... who would you like to see on our defensive staff, assuming Manny fires his buddy and Banda goes to Utah State?
I know a guy, has a farm about a half hour away from me with a creek flowing behind it. He doesn’t have pigs but has goats and sheep. Does that work?
There’s going to be a lot of DC names thrown out there but Charlie Strong would be my most realistic choice. Here’s a guy who’s had success being a DC and can recruit with the best of them. It also doesnt hurt that he has HC experience to assist Manny. He also seems to get the most out of his guys (as DC, not HC). To replace Banda and Rumph, I’m doing everything I can to get T-Rob as the secondary coach/Co-DC/whatever title is necessary. We have a recruiting problem at CB that he would fix and his development can’t be any worse than Rumph’s at this point.
@ClancyNoseBest (CanesInsight): You're probably not surprised to learn I'm no scientist, but I wonder if the latent effects of Covid also include the inability to catch or tackle. Your thoughts?
Sadly, some of these guys couldn’t really catch or tackle too well prior to Covid becoming a thing. Maybe Covid exacerbates those issues but to see a team tackle so poorly when your coaching staff constantly preaches it is confusing. You say in order to play, you have to be able to tackle. So why are certain guys playing that would have trouble getting my Aunt Mildred to the ground?
@Carolinacane83 (CanesInsight): What are the chances of getting a President that puts an emphasis on Football? The brand is certainly losing its luster and something needs to be done quickly if they EVER intend to turn this around.
I think we’ve actually been on a pretty strong streak of presidents who have a strong belief in football for the brand. Just look over the past few:
Trump may not seem like the athletic type, but he did own a USFL team. The generals weren’t tremendous in his time, but they were willing to spend the money to bring in a guy like Herschel Walker. Barack Obama is a lifelong fan of the Steelers despite growing up in Hawaii, so you can imagine he wants to continue growing the sport as much as possible. The recent success and emergence of fellow Hawaiian Tua as a viable franchise QB could only help in this regard. Even Joe Biden was a football player back in the day. He was supposedly a star receiver in talent rich Delaware, where I assume the skills he displayed back in the 60s are likely the same that you’d see in Delaware today.
What comes next? It really depends. If the Rock wins the election in 2024, 2028, 2032, and 2036 as most expect, then I would imagine football can take an even more prominent role in world culture. The first step would be to take the word “Futbol” back and establish “soccer” (or possibly “Footyball”) as the international branding for the other sport that involves kicking.
@ben (CanesInsight): Given the players on our roster for next season, how would YOU run our defense for 2021? (Depth chart, scheme, etc).
This is a great question and one that’s tough to answer without knowing the results of our portal fishing. Let’s say hypothetically, we get 1 DE and 1 CB who are starter level (Edit: DE Johnson has committed to the Canes). My depth chart would be:
DE: Johnson CB: Portal guy
DE: Harvey CB: Ivey
DT: Silvera Slot: Couch
DT: Harrison-Hunte
S: Bolden
LB: Flagg S: Open competition (Avantae/Hall/Balom/Williams)
LB: Open competition
Striker: Frierson
My scheme would be dependent on who we play but when we’re facing teams that like to throw, I’m having Frierson as my 2nd LB and Couch in the slot. Get as many guys that can play in space on the field at once. If it’s a more run heavy team, you can have 2 LBs and Frierson on the field. Either way, I’m staying aggressive, bringing pressure, and playing more man than zone. No more sitting back and letting mediocre QBs pick us apart for a quarter before realizing it ain’t working. I also wouldn’t care how long a guy has been in the program, the best players play and that is dictated on Greentree. If you earn a spot on Greentree but aren’t producing, welcome to the pine pony. Guys like James Williams and Leonard Taylor would have every chance to earn PT and take a starting spot if they prove it.
KJDCanefan (CanesInsight): Is there a hot seat on Blake James to get this program right?
No, this team just went 8-3. He’s having a victory cigar right now. Blake James might have the most secure position in the country.
I say that tongue in cheek but I don’t think he feels his job is in any jeopardy after the improvement from 6-7 to 8-3. The only way he’s on the hot seat is if the team is in the 7-5, 6-6 range next year.
@canethang142 (CanesInsight): Who do you see as a realistic and attainable option at DC that can get it done? What is your over/under on outgoing transfer portal guys? (Name names if you like, but I can understand if you opt not to do it).
As I alluded to in the beginning of the bag, Charlie Strong is realistic and attainable (currently an analyst at Bama). He's produced strong defenses in the past and has HC experience which is always a plus when you have a HC who's green. He's a strong recruiter and knows Florida. The only downside for him is he's probably looking to get a HC gig again so he may only be here 1-2 years.
We’re going to have some portal attrition, I just don’t know who yet. My guess would be 1 WR, 1 QB, 1 TE, 1 LB, and maybe 1 S. I’ll put the over/under at 4.5. I’m not going to throw names out there because I don’t want to start rumors. The free year of eligibility and not having to sit out a year is going to make a lot of guys think hard about if they want to stay. (Edit: Joyner has entered the portal)
@Mnhurricane (CanesInsight): Which dance moves do we work on during the week during the time we’re supposed to be practicing football?
I saw what looked like a backup kicker or punter doing the fist pump on the sidelines. Perhaps the team was binge watching seasons of the Jersey Shore.
@caneworld (CanesInsight): How long does mental fatigue last?
Approximately 17 days and 18 hours. That’s the time from the UNC game to the 2nd quarter of the Oklahoma State game. I was not surprised to see a deficit early knowing that Gundy was going to pick apart this defense before Baker decided to make adjustments.
@miamicanephins (CanesInsight): Will we win another off season natty?
Yes, top 10-15 recruiting class, we’ll bring in some big portal names, and make some coaching changes. We will then claim the offseason national championship, hopefully before UCF claims it since we know they like claiming nattys.
@canes732 (CanesInsight): Why does our team always look so unprepared? Like what do our coaches watch on film? Or do they just never adjust and think the schemes will work this week as to not last week?
From my perspective and we’ll start with the defense: Baker seems to prefer to play very soft in the beginning to see what the offense is doing. His hope is that we hold them to FGs or even force a punt while he figures it out. Unfortunately, it takes him a while to accomplish this. He’s terrified of giving up big plays which is why you saw the Ok State QB look like the 2nd coming of Tom Brady throwing the ball under 10 yards again and again. You blink and it’s 21-0. Same thing happened against Clemson and UNC (except Baker never really adjusted in those games). The team fought hard and had plenty of chances to win but it’s extremely difficult to overcome such large deficits.
The offense didn’t exactly light the world on fire to start the game but they at least moved the ball and flipped the field position a few times. Lashlee really needs the OL to improve to the point where we can start running the ball efficiently. He relies on the run early and since we can’t run block, it typically backfires. Once the OL is fixed, his offense will look even better than it is now. Just a quick stat (and this is before the bowl game), last year the offense was 90 something in scoring, this year was 28th. That’s a huge jump over the course of 1 season. Lashlee isn’t perfect but he’ll be a part of the solution going forward.
@Rellyrell (CanesInsight): Do the staff really know what our defensive identity is? I hear catch phrases like “we want to play fast, violent, aggressive” but that all appears for the media. The reason I ask is directly correlated to our recruiting philosophy. On paper, it looks good, but our kids often look like fish out of water come game time & we look very disorganized in trying to implement concepts on the fly.
If there’s 3 things we aren’t on defense; it's fast, violent, and aggressive. We look slow, timid, and conservative (most of the time despite our blitzes). Bolden had a chance to decapitate a WR on a TD pass but chose not to. The WR’s body was exposed so he didn’t have to go high either which would have been targeting. Our LB play has been atrocious all year with slow instincts and poor tackling. This is why a change at DC is needed because we need a new philosophy and vision for what our defense should be. I don’t care how you line up or what fancy names you have for positions, the defense needs to live up to the fast and violent mantra you’ve created for it.
@mirednmediocrity2 (CanesInsight): When we're kicked out of the ACC for Coastal Carolina, will this a-hole BOT finally mercifully shut down what they call "sports'' at this crap U? Or will they drop to a lower division?
The ACC loves having us around to taunt and make fun of. We aren’t going anywhere. The ACC hasn’t been good to us but we also haven’t lived up to our end of the bargain. We were supposed to come in and be the face of the conference and we’ve fallen in dog **** nearly every year. We start winning and the perception changes, along with more $$$, the ACC will love us.
@Paranos (CanesInsight): It's Kevin Patrick to the U as dline coach time of year?
With Todd Stroud potentially moving to an off the field role, Kevin Patrick will be a hot name to replace him and rightfully so. He’s an alum and has plenty of experience. Seems like an easy replacement as well with him currently being at NC State. That hire would have the fan base fired up. I'm a big fan of Partridge as well.
@JD08 (CanesInsight): Would this season be categorized as successful? I know we went from .462 win percentage to .727, but of our three losses, one was to Clemson, one was a humiliating defensive collapse blowout, and the last was a close loss because our defense couldn't figure out how to play for a quarter. Will we do better next season?
I would consider it mildly successful considering the improvement in record (6-7 to 8-3) and we’re finally beating the teams we are supposed to even though it wasn’t by that much most of the time. I didn’t expect to beat Clemson and I figured we’d have another loss there somewhere, I just didn't think it would be a blowout with 770+ yards surrendered. But with the defense taking 3 steps backwards, the future is concerning. We’ve fixed the offense with Lashlee and a modern scheme so I think what we saw this year is what we can expect in the future at a minimum (top 30 in scoring) with our ceiling being top 5 if we can fix the OL and find a WR or 2 that can catch the football.
My answer would have been yes for being better next season before I saw King go down. Without him, we may revert to a 7-5 type team. Let’s say he is healthy going into next year though. Outside of Bama, there isn’t a guaranteed loss on the schedule. I would expect a 10-2 type season with the UNC game deciding the Coastal. That may feel like the same result as this year but 10-2 gets us into the Top 10 and a major bowl game where we would have a chance to show how much better we are.
@MiamiChris (CanesInsight): So a few years back I know 100% Florida coaches specifically where telling recruits interested in Miami, watch Miami’s D in 4 years because it will be trash and predictable. And this seems to be on point, and I also think this is why Florida’s D sucked because Grantham is a gimmick guy also and after a few years teams catch on and that’s why he jumps around. My question is do you think Manny will hand over D organization to a higher profile DC and sit back and run the team like Dabo or will it always be his D and hire yes men?
At the end of the day, Manny knows the defense ruined a potentially great season and that it won’t be any different next year with the same personnel minus 2 NFL DEs. If he chooses to ignore this, when the defense continues to get shredded next year, his seat will have an inferno under it from the fan base.
I think he makes the right call and hands the defense over. He’s shown throughout his time here as a DC and HC, he isn’t afraid to make changes where he needs to. Baker is his guy so that factors in but he knows what happened with Golden and what resulted so I don’t believe he puts himself in that predicament.
(Edit: Doesn't look like Baker is going anywhere. Oh well)
@SinisterCane (CanesInsight): Wiggin/Pope couldn't catch COVID in China, Why do they get so much burn at WR?
That’s the $1,000,000 question from last night and something we asked the Miami media to ask Diaz. This wasn’t an isolated bad game, those happen but this has been going on for 2 years with the same 2 guys. What could have been a huge comeback, momentum building victory heading into the offseason, fell to the ground like the balls through Wiggins’ and Pope’s hands.
I am a huge Likens and Lashlee fan but something isn’t right that these 2 guys continued to dominate snaps counts. Are the true freshmen that unprepared? Are they really not that physically ready to be on the field? My take is that if you have upperclassmen that can’t get the job done for whatever reason, you might as well throw the young guys out there to see what happens. What’s the worst that could have happened if Keyshawn Smith ran that route at the end that Pope dropped? He drops it too? There was no downside to benching Wiggins and Pope. The coaches have stuck with them time and time again and it continues to bite them in the ***. Time for change heading into next year. Go get a guy in the portal or get the young guys ready.
@Artist Formerly Known As (CanesInsight): Do you think we should have had two weeks of no practice following one of the most embarrassing losses of recent memory just behind FIU and being shutout by La Tech in a bowl game would’ve helped us overcome our emotional bankruptcy enough to not come out flatter than an anorexic’s ***?
The way in which we start games is disturbing, especially “big” games (Clemson, UNC, Ok State). These are good teams and good teams will take advantage of any weakness you have. I don’t know what the solution is but that has to be in the top 3 things for Manny to figure out this offseason. Maybe instead of coming out playing a soft zone and getting picked apart, come out with your hair on fire playing man and blitzing like crazy. That would at least have the team interested and energetic. If you get beat, you get beat.
@Baba Yaga (CanesInsight): How sustainable is relying on the portal as a safety net for quality starters/depth at key positions? I feel that our inability to evaluate/recruit/develop/retain players of our own is going to cause the bottom to fall out of this ***** sooner than later.
The portal can be used effectively to supplement positions you have unexpected attrition or missed evaluations at. That should only be 1-3 guys a year and is sustainable. As we wrote last week, the portal can’t be your primary source of talent acquisition, you’ll eventually run out of ICs and have no depth. If you can’t develop your HS recruits, you’re going to be in big trouble at some point. Hopefully in our case, the portal guys we’ve hit on bought us enough time to recruit and develop better. Next year will be telling to see where our home grown guys are at (WR, OL, DE, LB). The NCAA could change the rules which could alter my opinion but as of today, that's where I stand.
Also, what are your thoughts on ***-to-mouth before the 3rd date?
I’d definitely think twice about doing that before the third date. Honestly, I’d hate to think how that would affect the flavor of the ribs that I would order at Applebee’s.
@Hurricane818 (CanesInsight): Coaching staff question .... f$&&k, marry, kill. Who you got?
Let’s assume you’re referring to Diaz, Lashlee, and Baker. Marrying is the easy part, that’s Lashlee. His long term earning potential is much greater than the other 2. I’m F’ing Diaz, he’s got that Cuban flare to him and would tell you how great you are regardless of performance. I’m killing Baker, whether it’s marrying him or F’ing him, he’d show up unprepared and wouldn’t make any adjustments until it was too late.
FYF (CanesInsight): Anyone
yet?
Yes, Rumph is rumored to be gone (nothing official yet). Banda (promotion) and Stroud (potential health issues) will not be on field coaches next year.
@ssvir (CanesInsight): WR - we haven't had an alpha in 10+ years (AR would have been). Da ****?
It goes back to recruiting and developing. We’ve missed a lot on true #1s, all you have to do is look at Alabama’s recruiting classes and see South Florida guys like Ridley, Jeudy, etc. The guys we did get never developed or weren’t put in the best position to succeed (Cager, Jeff Thomas, Coley, etc.).
In today’s game, you need dominant WRs to be elite and we haven’t been close to having those dudes. Likens is a highly regarded WR coach so we’ll see what he turns K Smith, Redding, Brinson, B Smith and George in to.
@GojiraCane (CanesInsight): Current Question: This coming season feels like a pivot point for the program. One that at best allows us to continue to steadily build our talent level through successive Top 10 classes with a 2 loss finish. At worst, Miami crashes to 4 wins, Diaz is relieved in late November, and Miami has only one or two players left when ESD comes in December. We've seen similar points in the past - 2014 for Golden, 2010 for Shannon. Am I right that this coming season either continues a slow ascent upwards, or sets everything back at least four years?
I think the setting everything back for 4 years option is a bit extreme as the right coach could make this roster be successful much quicker than that but I get your point. With what we have coming back, I can’t see us crashing into 4 win territory but a 7-5, 6-6 season would do just as much damage and Diaz would clearly be gone (or on the hot seat with our how administration likes to keep guys around). We haven’t had back to back “successful” seasons in a while so 2021 is important in building stability and getting this program right for the long haul. Hopefully Diaz makes the changes necessary for that to happen.
@GojiraCane (CanesInsight): Blast From the Past Question: Miami players leaving early have longed plagued this program, and at times their departures made huge differences. Devin Hester and Sinorice Moss both left early after the 2005 season. Miami's downfall on offense the following season was due to personnel shortages at wide receiver - we were down to 3 scholarship players by mid-season. Had both come back and stayed healthy, does Miami finish with 10 wins, and does that in turn lead to a much longer Coker run?
That 2006 team went 7-6 (coming off a 40-3 beatdown by LSU in the Peach Bowl to end 2005). The writing was on the wall for the direction the program was heading. Maybe we win another game or 2 with better WRs but the QB play was in free fall and Coker’s roster was a shell of what he had inherited. We did have some really highly regarded WRs that just didn’t develop in Ryan Moore, Darnell Jenkins, and Lance Leggett. Had they lived up to the billing, maybe they could have extended Coker’s run but there was plenty else wrong at the end of his era.
@Cajuncane (CanesInsight): Why does our heir apparent QB (at least before King committed to next year and now that he has hurt his knee) never get any run? Is he not as good as we’re being lead to believe and do you think Perry will be under center against Bama ( if King
doesn’t make it back) ?
I assume you’re referring to TVD but there are a few angles to this question. First, the only game that was a blowout that he was available for was FSU and that was early in the season. He may not have been ready or the coaches deemed it more important to get Perry reps as he is the 2nd string and would be the guy should King get hurt during the year.
The only other blow out we had in our favor was Duke and TVD was unavailable due to being in the Covid protocol. That would have been a great opportunity to get him in there in a comfortable and advantageous setting. He did get some burn at the end of the UNC debacle which was his only playing time of the year. You want to see the freshmen play and see what the future holds? The 1st and 2nd teamers need to start blowing more teams out to create chances for them.
I’m fairly confident that Perry will run out against Bama should King not be available. He earned it with his play against OSU.
@canesdogo (CanesInsight): Is coach Lashlee the QB whisperer?....who in the QB room will start against the great Nick S, and the Tide?
I’m not ready to call Lashlee a QB whisperer just yet. He has a lot to prove still on the P5 level but King had a pretty good year and will look even better next year. All reports say that King will be back by fall camp which means he’ll be starting against Alabama in September barring any setbacks.
@Artist Formerly Known As (CanesInsight): What has more gaping holes, our defense or a 3rd rate Vegas strip club during morning shift? What drops more balls, our WRs this season or an all males junior high boarding school?
The defense, with Baker’s soft zone to start the game, was porous to say the least. I consider it a crime to allow a backup QB such easy throws, BY DESIGN! You want to sit back and hope that he makes multiple mistakes to force a punt? That doesn’t happen very often on this level. And guess what? Welcome to 21-0ville, population: Miami Hurricanes. Thanks D’oBaker.
The wide receivers dropping passes was nothing new, except this time it actually cost us the game and cost Perry a chance to be the hero. I’m high on Lashlee and Likens but for them to continually trot out 2 guys that can’t catch is a red flag. I have my eye on them going forward.
@jsy (CanesInsight): Where did this idea come from that if you slurp you are a good fan and no amount of slurping is trolling? Some people here slurp so much it can’t possibly be real.
People love positivity and will always try and find the good in situations, regardless of reality. Time is the ultimate judge and history will remember which side you were on. Don’t forget, there were still people defending Enos at the end of last year.
@djnellz (CanesInsight): Ok, do you know anyone with a pig farm and nitroglycerin acid? You know... gotta find the BAKER's man. Second question... who would you like to see on our defensive staff, assuming Manny fires his buddy and Banda goes to Utah State?
I know a guy, has a farm about a half hour away from me with a creek flowing behind it. He doesn’t have pigs but has goats and sheep. Does that work?
There’s going to be a lot of DC names thrown out there but Charlie Strong would be my most realistic choice. Here’s a guy who’s had success being a DC and can recruit with the best of them. It also doesnt hurt that he has HC experience to assist Manny. He also seems to get the most out of his guys (as DC, not HC). To replace Banda and Rumph, I’m doing everything I can to get T-Rob as the secondary coach/Co-DC/whatever title is necessary. We have a recruiting problem at CB that he would fix and his development can’t be any worse than Rumph’s at this point.
@ClancyNoseBest (CanesInsight): You're probably not surprised to learn I'm no scientist, but I wonder if the latent effects of Covid also include the inability to catch or tackle. Your thoughts?
Sadly, some of these guys couldn’t really catch or tackle too well prior to Covid becoming a thing. Maybe Covid exacerbates those issues but to see a team tackle so poorly when your coaching staff constantly preaches it is confusing. You say in order to play, you have to be able to tackle. So why are certain guys playing that would have trouble getting my Aunt Mildred to the ground?
@Carolinacane83 (CanesInsight): What are the chances of getting a President that puts an emphasis on Football? The brand is certainly losing its luster and something needs to be done quickly if they EVER intend to turn this around.
I think we’ve actually been on a pretty strong streak of presidents who have a strong belief in football for the brand. Just look over the past few:
Trump may not seem like the athletic type, but he did own a USFL team. The generals weren’t tremendous in his time, but they were willing to spend the money to bring in a guy like Herschel Walker. Barack Obama is a lifelong fan of the Steelers despite growing up in Hawaii, so you can imagine he wants to continue growing the sport as much as possible. The recent success and emergence of fellow Hawaiian Tua as a viable franchise QB could only help in this regard. Even Joe Biden was a football player back in the day. He was supposedly a star receiver in talent rich Delaware, where I assume the skills he displayed back in the 60s are likely the same that you’d see in Delaware today.
What comes next? It really depends. If the Rock wins the election in 2024, 2028, 2032, and 2036 as most expect, then I would imagine football can take an even more prominent role in world culture. The first step would be to take the word “Futbol” back and establish “soccer” (or possibly “Footyball”) as the international branding for the other sport that involves kicking.
@ben (CanesInsight): Given the players on our roster for next season, how would YOU run our defense for 2021? (Depth chart, scheme, etc).
This is a great question and one that’s tough to answer without knowing the results of our portal fishing. Let’s say hypothetically, we get 1 DE and 1 CB who are starter level (Edit: DE Johnson has committed to the Canes). My depth chart would be:
DE: Johnson CB: Portal guy
DE: Harvey CB: Ivey
DT: Silvera Slot: Couch
DT: Harrison-Hunte
S: Bolden
LB: Flagg S: Open competition (Avantae/Hall/Balom/Williams)
LB: Open competition
Striker: Frierson
My scheme would be dependent on who we play but when we’re facing teams that like to throw, I’m having Frierson as my 2nd LB and Couch in the slot. Get as many guys that can play in space on the field at once. If it’s a more run heavy team, you can have 2 LBs and Frierson on the field. Either way, I’m staying aggressive, bringing pressure, and playing more man than zone. No more sitting back and letting mediocre QBs pick us apart for a quarter before realizing it ain’t working. I also wouldn’t care how long a guy has been in the program, the best players play and that is dictated on Greentree. If you earn a spot on Greentree but aren’t producing, welcome to the pine pony. Guys like James Williams and Leonard Taylor would have every chance to earn PT and take a starting spot if they prove it.
KJDCanefan (CanesInsight): Is there a hot seat on Blake James to get this program right?
No, this team just went 8-3. He’s having a victory cigar right now. Blake James might have the most secure position in the country.
I say that tongue in cheek but I don’t think he feels his job is in any jeopardy after the improvement from 6-7 to 8-3. The only way he’s on the hot seat is if the team is in the 7-5, 6-6 range next year.
@canethang142 (CanesInsight): Who do you see as a realistic and attainable option at DC that can get it done? What is your over/under on outgoing transfer portal guys? (Name names if you like, but I can understand if you opt not to do it).
As I alluded to in the beginning of the bag, Charlie Strong is realistic and attainable (currently an analyst at Bama). He's produced strong defenses in the past and has HC experience which is always a plus when you have a HC who's green. He's a strong recruiter and knows Florida. The only downside for him is he's probably looking to get a HC gig again so he may only be here 1-2 years.
We’re going to have some portal attrition, I just don’t know who yet. My guess would be 1 WR, 1 QB, 1 TE, 1 LB, and maybe 1 S. I’ll put the over/under at 4.5. I’m not going to throw names out there because I don’t want to start rumors. The free year of eligibility and not having to sit out a year is going to make a lot of guys think hard about if they want to stay. (Edit: Joyner has entered the portal)
@Mnhurricane (CanesInsight): Which dance moves do we work on during the week during the time we’re supposed to be practicing football?
I saw what looked like a backup kicker or punter doing the fist pump on the sidelines. Perhaps the team was binge watching seasons of the Jersey Shore.
@caneworld (CanesInsight): How long does mental fatigue last?
Approximately 17 days and 18 hours. That’s the time from the UNC game to the 2nd quarter of the Oklahoma State game. I was not surprised to see a deficit early knowing that Gundy was going to pick apart this defense before Baker decided to make adjustments.
@miamicanephins (CanesInsight): Will we win another off season natty?
Yes, top 10-15 recruiting class, we’ll bring in some big portal names, and make some coaching changes. We will then claim the offseason national championship, hopefully before UCF claims it since we know they like claiming nattys.
@canes732 (CanesInsight): Why does our team always look so unprepared? Like what do our coaches watch on film? Or do they just never adjust and think the schemes will work this week as to not last week?
From my perspective and we’ll start with the defense: Baker seems to prefer to play very soft in the beginning to see what the offense is doing. His hope is that we hold them to FGs or even force a punt while he figures it out. Unfortunately, it takes him a while to accomplish this. He’s terrified of giving up big plays which is why you saw the Ok State QB look like the 2nd coming of Tom Brady throwing the ball under 10 yards again and again. You blink and it’s 21-0. Same thing happened against Clemson and UNC (except Baker never really adjusted in those games). The team fought hard and had plenty of chances to win but it’s extremely difficult to overcome such large deficits.
The offense didn’t exactly light the world on fire to start the game but they at least moved the ball and flipped the field position a few times. Lashlee really needs the OL to improve to the point where we can start running the ball efficiently. He relies on the run early and since we can’t run block, it typically backfires. Once the OL is fixed, his offense will look even better than it is now. Just a quick stat (and this is before the bowl game), last year the offense was 90 something in scoring, this year was 28th. That’s a huge jump over the course of 1 season. Lashlee isn’t perfect but he’ll be a part of the solution going forward.
@Rellyrell (CanesInsight): Do the staff really know what our defensive identity is? I hear catch phrases like “we want to play fast, violent, aggressive” but that all appears for the media. The reason I ask is directly correlated to our recruiting philosophy. On paper, it looks good, but our kids often look like fish out of water come game time & we look very disorganized in trying to implement concepts on the fly.
If there’s 3 things we aren’t on defense; it's fast, violent, and aggressive. We look slow, timid, and conservative (most of the time despite our blitzes). Bolden had a chance to decapitate a WR on a TD pass but chose not to. The WR’s body was exposed so he didn’t have to go high either which would have been targeting. Our LB play has been atrocious all year with slow instincts and poor tackling. This is why a change at DC is needed because we need a new philosophy and vision for what our defense should be. I don’t care how you line up or what fancy names you have for positions, the defense needs to live up to the fast and violent mantra you’ve created for it.
@mirednmediocrity2 (CanesInsight): When we're kicked out of the ACC for Coastal Carolina, will this a-hole BOT finally mercifully shut down what they call "sports'' at this crap U? Or will they drop to a lower division?
The ACC loves having us around to taunt and make fun of. We aren’t going anywhere. The ACC hasn’t been good to us but we also haven’t lived up to our end of the bargain. We were supposed to come in and be the face of the conference and we’ve fallen in dog **** nearly every year. We start winning and the perception changes, along with more $$$, the ACC will love us.
@Paranos (CanesInsight): It's Kevin Patrick to the U as dline coach time of year?
With Todd Stroud potentially moving to an off the field role, Kevin Patrick will be a hot name to replace him and rightfully so. He’s an alum and has plenty of experience. Seems like an easy replacement as well with him currently being at NC State. That hire would have the fan base fired up. I'm a big fan of Partridge as well.
@JD08 (CanesInsight): Would this season be categorized as successful? I know we went from .462 win percentage to .727, but of our three losses, one was to Clemson, one was a humiliating defensive collapse blowout, and the last was a close loss because our defense couldn't figure out how to play for a quarter. Will we do better next season?
I would consider it mildly successful considering the improvement in record (6-7 to 8-3) and we’re finally beating the teams we are supposed to even though it wasn’t by that much most of the time. I didn’t expect to beat Clemson and I figured we’d have another loss there somewhere, I just didn't think it would be a blowout with 770+ yards surrendered. But with the defense taking 3 steps backwards, the future is concerning. We’ve fixed the offense with Lashlee and a modern scheme so I think what we saw this year is what we can expect in the future at a minimum (top 30 in scoring) with our ceiling being top 5 if we can fix the OL and find a WR or 2 that can catch the football.
My answer would have been yes for being better next season before I saw King go down. Without him, we may revert to a 7-5 type team. Let’s say he is healthy going into next year though. Outside of Bama, there isn’t a guaranteed loss on the schedule. I would expect a 10-2 type season with the UNC game deciding the Coastal. That may feel like the same result as this year but 10-2 gets us into the Top 10 and a major bowl game where we would have a chance to show how much better we are.
@MiamiChris (CanesInsight): So a few years back I know 100% Florida coaches specifically where telling recruits interested in Miami, watch Miami’s D in 4 years because it will be trash and predictable. And this seems to be on point, and I also think this is why Florida’s D sucked because Grantham is a gimmick guy also and after a few years teams catch on and that’s why he jumps around. My question is do you think Manny will hand over D organization to a higher profile DC and sit back and run the team like Dabo or will it always be his D and hire yes men?
At the end of the day, Manny knows the defense ruined a potentially great season and that it won’t be any different next year with the same personnel minus 2 NFL DEs. If he chooses to ignore this, when the defense continues to get shredded next year, his seat will have an inferno under it from the fan base.
I think he makes the right call and hands the defense over. He’s shown throughout his time here as a DC and HC, he isn’t afraid to make changes where he needs to. Baker is his guy so that factors in but he knows what happened with Golden and what resulted so I don’t believe he puts himself in that predicament.
(Edit: Doesn't look like Baker is going anywhere. Oh well)
@SinisterCane (CanesInsight): Wiggin/Pope couldn't catch COVID in China, Why do they get so much burn at WR?
That’s the $1,000,000 question from last night and something we asked the Miami media to ask Diaz. This wasn’t an isolated bad game, those happen but this has been going on for 2 years with the same 2 guys. What could have been a huge comeback, momentum building victory heading into the offseason, fell to the ground like the balls through Wiggins’ and Pope’s hands.
I am a huge Likens and Lashlee fan but something isn’t right that these 2 guys continued to dominate snaps counts. Are the true freshmen that unprepared? Are they really not that physically ready to be on the field? My take is that if you have upperclassmen that can’t get the job done for whatever reason, you might as well throw the young guys out there to see what happens. What’s the worst that could have happened if Keyshawn Smith ran that route at the end that Pope dropped? He drops it too? There was no downside to benching Wiggins and Pope. The coaches have stuck with them time and time again and it continues to bite them in the ***. Time for change heading into next year. Go get a guy in the portal or get the young guys ready.
@Artist Formerly Known As (CanesInsight): Do you think we should have had two weeks of no practice following one of the most embarrassing losses of recent memory just behind FIU and being shutout by La Tech in a bowl game would’ve helped us overcome our emotional bankruptcy enough to not come out flatter than an anorexic’s ***?
The way in which we start games is disturbing, especially “big” games (Clemson, UNC, Ok State). These are good teams and good teams will take advantage of any weakness you have. I don’t know what the solution is but that has to be in the top 3 things for Manny to figure out this offseason. Maybe instead of coming out playing a soft zone and getting picked apart, come out with your hair on fire playing man and blitzing like crazy. That would at least have the team interested and energetic. If you get beat, you get beat.
@Baba Yaga (CanesInsight): How sustainable is relying on the portal as a safety net for quality starters/depth at key positions? I feel that our inability to evaluate/recruit/develop/retain players of our own is going to cause the bottom to fall out of this ***** sooner than later.
The portal can be used effectively to supplement positions you have unexpected attrition or missed evaluations at. That should only be 1-3 guys a year and is sustainable. As we wrote last week, the portal can’t be your primary source of talent acquisition, you’ll eventually run out of ICs and have no depth. If you can’t develop your HS recruits, you’re going to be in big trouble at some point. Hopefully in our case, the portal guys we’ve hit on bought us enough time to recruit and develop better. Next year will be telling to see where our home grown guys are at (WR, OL, DE, LB). The NCAA could change the rules which could alter my opinion but as of today, that's where I stand.
Also, what are your thoughts on ***-to-mouth before the 3rd date?
I’d definitely think twice about doing that before the third date. Honestly, I’d hate to think how that would affect the flavor of the ribs that I would order at Applebee’s.
@Hurricane818 (CanesInsight): Coaching staff question .... f$&&k, marry, kill. Who you got?
Let’s assume you’re referring to Diaz, Lashlee, and Baker. Marrying is the easy part, that’s Lashlee. His long term earning potential is much greater than the other 2. I’m F’ing Diaz, he’s got that Cuban flare to him and would tell you how great you are regardless of performance. I’m killing Baker, whether it’s marrying him or F’ing him, he’d show up unprepared and wouldn’t make any adjustments until it was too late.
FYF (CanesInsight): Anyone
Yes, Rumph is rumored to be gone (nothing official yet). Banda (promotion) and Stroud (potential health issues) will not be on field coaches next year.
@ssvir (CanesInsight): WR - we haven't had an alpha in 10+ years (AR would have been). Da ****?
It goes back to recruiting and developing. We’ve missed a lot on true #1s, all you have to do is look at Alabama’s recruiting classes and see South Florida guys like Ridley, Jeudy, etc. The guys we did get never developed or weren’t put in the best position to succeed (Cager, Jeff Thomas, Coley, etc.).
In today’s game, you need dominant WRs to be elite and we haven’t been close to having those dudes. Likens is a highly regarded WR coach so we’ll see what he turns K Smith, Redding, Brinson, B Smith and George in to.
@GojiraCane (CanesInsight): Current Question: This coming season feels like a pivot point for the program. One that at best allows us to continue to steadily build our talent level through successive Top 10 classes with a 2 loss finish. At worst, Miami crashes to 4 wins, Diaz is relieved in late November, and Miami has only one or two players left when ESD comes in December. We've seen similar points in the past - 2014 for Golden, 2010 for Shannon. Am I right that this coming season either continues a slow ascent upwards, or sets everything back at least four years?
I think the setting everything back for 4 years option is a bit extreme as the right coach could make this roster be successful much quicker than that but I get your point. With what we have coming back, I can’t see us crashing into 4 win territory but a 7-5, 6-6 season would do just as much damage and Diaz would clearly be gone (or on the hot seat with our how administration likes to keep guys around). We haven’t had back to back “successful” seasons in a while so 2021 is important in building stability and getting this program right for the long haul. Hopefully Diaz makes the changes necessary for that to happen.
@GojiraCane (CanesInsight): Blast From the Past Question: Miami players leaving early have longed plagued this program, and at times their departures made huge differences. Devin Hester and Sinorice Moss both left early after the 2005 season. Miami's downfall on offense the following season was due to personnel shortages at wide receiver - we were down to 3 scholarship players by mid-season. Had both come back and stayed healthy, does Miami finish with 10 wins, and does that in turn lead to a much longer Coker run?
That 2006 team went 7-6 (coming off a 40-3 beatdown by LSU in the Peach Bowl to end 2005). The writing was on the wall for the direction the program was heading. Maybe we win another game or 2 with better WRs but the QB play was in free fall and Coker’s roster was a shell of what he had inherited. We did have some really highly regarded WRs that just didn’t develop in Ryan Moore, Darnell Jenkins, and Lance Leggett. Had they lived up to the billing, maybe they could have extended Coker’s run but there was plenty else wrong at the end of his era.
@Cajuncane (CanesInsight): Why does our heir apparent QB (at least before King committed to next year and now that he has hurt his knee) never get any run? Is he not as good as we’re being lead to believe and do you think Perry will be under center against Bama ( if King
I assume you’re referring to TVD but there are a few angles to this question. First, the only game that was a blowout that he was available for was FSU and that was early in the season. He may not have been ready or the coaches deemed it more important to get Perry reps as he is the 2nd string and would be the guy should King get hurt during the year.
The only other blow out we had in our favor was Duke and TVD was unavailable due to being in the Covid protocol. That would have been a great opportunity to get him in there in a comfortable and advantageous setting. He did get some burn at the end of the UNC debacle which was his only playing time of the year. You want to see the freshmen play and see what the future holds? The 1st and 2nd teamers need to start blowing more teams out to create chances for them.
I’m fairly confident that Perry will run out against Bama should King not be available. He earned it with his play against OSU.
@canesdogo (CanesInsight): Is coach Lashlee the QB whisperer?....who in the QB room will start against the great Nick S, and the Tide?
I’m not ready to call Lashlee a QB whisperer just yet. He has a lot to prove still on the P5 level but King had a pretty good year and will look even better next year. All reports say that King will be back by fall camp which means he’ll be starting against Alabama in September barring any setbacks.
@Artist Formerly Known As (CanesInsight): What has more gaping holes, our defense or a 3rd rate Vegas strip club during morning shift? What drops more balls, our WRs this season or an all males junior high boarding school?
The defense, with Baker’s soft zone to start the game, was porous to say the least. I consider it a crime to allow a backup QB such easy throws, BY DESIGN! You want to sit back and hope that he makes multiple mistakes to force a punt? That doesn’t happen very often on this level. And guess what? Welcome to 21-0ville, population: Miami Hurricanes. Thanks D’oBaker.
The wide receivers dropping passes was nothing new, except this time it actually cost us the game and cost Perry a chance to be the hero. I’m high on Lashlee and Likens but for them to continually trot out 2 guys that can’t catch is a red flag. I have my eye on them going forward.
@jsy (CanesInsight): Where did this idea come from that if you slurp you are a good fan and no amount of slurping is trolling? Some people here slurp so much it can’t possibly be real.
People love positivity and will always try and find the good in situations, regardless of reality. Time is the ultimate judge and history will remember which side you were on. Don’t forget, there were still people defending Enos at the end of last year.
