Just to add to the long list of questionable/idiotic/inexplicable/predictably stupid/baffling and totally inexcusable coaching decisions, I would like to offer Lashlee's call on 3rd and 4 where a 1st down basically ices the game. How many of you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was going to call that play to Mallory? I did and I would venture to guess most posters here did as well in addition to FSU's entire defensive coaching staff. Why? It was easy money that Lashlee was going to go to that as we have had success with it recently in similar situations and that is exactly what made it such a horrendous call in that situation. Any coach with a brain knew that play was our "It's crunch time late in the game, we have a 3rd and less than 5, we have a lead and need a 1st down in order to keep possession and win the game by running the clock out" go to play. So of course we run it to the boundary side.
How many of you knew that it was literally carved in stone that we would go 3 and out on our next possession following the FG that cut our lead to 28-23? I knew. How did I know you ask if we had been successful the last 2 weeks in identical situations? See above plus the feel and atmosphere of the game at that point. This is something else that Diaz has absolutely no feel for. Getting a 1st down on that drive was absolutely crucial and anyone with even an iota of feel for the game knew that. From the beginning of that drive Lashlee called the game as if he was trying to set up 3rd and manageable which anyone who has been paying attention would have seen coming a mile away. Again this is the play not to lose philosophy that permeates every aspect of this football team and the reason why despite a 3 game winning streak that Diaz will never ever ever ever win anything of any consequence. His rank incompetence has metastasized through every single aspect of this programs culture. This is clearly visible by observing the totally undisciplined, unfocused nature of his teams.
As someone said earlier arrogant yet unprepared is the best way to describe a Diaz coached squad. Not only is this man a total abortion of a head coach, this man has become an utter embarrassment to this program and the plug must be pulled as soon as humanly possible. I have not even gotten into the sheer level of incompetence required to allow a conversion on 4th and 14 against a quarterback who had never thrown for 200 yards before playing us. The sheer incompetence required to leave the middle of the field wide open on that 4th and 14 with no pressure on the QB and most of your secondary literally giving up the line to gain. This is something that any defensive coordinator worth anything would successfully defend against that FSU team and QB. I'm not even mentioning Diaz not calling a timeout before that 4th and 14 with the game and his job on the line.
Lastly I honestly never thought that I would see something so indefensible, so outrageously idiotic, so incompetent and so insanely flabbergasting that I would go so far as to question the man's sanity because I thought that I had seen it all. Well, Manny Diaz somehow managed to make what I consider to be the most unforgivably retarded and indefensible coaching decision that I may have ever seen. I'll spare the details because everyone knows. To actually think that you would win the game on a goal line stand from the 6 inch line and to gamble everything on that instead of letting FSU score and get the ball back with 50 seconds left for an offense fully capable of getting well into FG range and the unquestionable strength of your team is something that not only should of gotten Diaz fired seconds after the game but is something that should ensure that he never ever gets a job as a head coach on any level ever again.
