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Diaz, Baker and Zone

HighSeas

HighSeas

Sophomore
Joined
Feb 4, 2013
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202035.7%64.3%133.64 (60th)
201940.1%59.9%119.78 (29th)
201855.7%44.3%101.39 (1st)
201748.7%51.3%116.46 (23rd)
201647.0%53.0%119.49 (29th)
Courtesy of Sports Info Solutions

theathletic.com

How Miami Hurricanes defense has differed under Blake Baker

UM has used zone coverage with Blake Baker calling the defense more than it did with Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator from 2016-18.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

The chart shows from left to right: man%, zone% and opponent QB passer rating. Miami's blitz rate has also dropped from 43.5% in 2018 to 35.5% in 2020.

How can Miami improve on defense? The simplest answer is ****can Blake Baker and return to playing predominant press-man with either 2 high safeties or single-high pressure. Miami hasn't been a good zone defense in well over a decade, the players don't like it and don't execute it. The only zone defenses that work are pattern-match schemes that shift pre and post-snap, requiring well-schooled smart veteran defenders. Diaz and his staff do not have a track record of development and the only zone they know how to run and teach is spot drop garbage.
 
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Hard to blitz and play man when your safeties suck and CB are average. That 2018 defense had NFL safeties and CB. It allowed Diaz to be more aggressive. I’m curious if its scheme or talent or what. Are we playing more zone cause Baker is comfortable with that or does Baker/Diaz not think we have the talent to blitz and play man on the back end.
 
What I'm reading here is we don't have the safeties to execute the scheme in man, which I was concerned about before the season started.

I'd have to think safety play is the worst it's been since Diaz has been here.
 
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Like I've been saying I think they want to play much more man than what they did last season, problem is our corners would not hold up we need a huge talent inflation at that position.
 
CashMoneyCane said:
This, and we don't have the dominant DT play we had with Willis and Norton/McIntosh, to me implying we needed to play more zone.

I'm no Baker apologist, nor am I a football guru, but this all seems pretty straightforward to me.
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Diaz hasnt replaced the talent or raised the talent level from what he inherited.. The neglect of recruiting top flight CB is down right criminal at miami.. How can we have Corners who cant cover and WR who cant catch at miami?!
 
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BeastMode said:
Hard to blitz and play man when your safeties suck and CB are average. That 2018 defense had NFL safeties and CB. It allowed Diaz to be more aggressive. I’m curious if its scheme or talent or what. Are we playing more zone cause Baker is comfortable with that or does Baker/Diaz not think we have the talent to blitz and play man on the back end.
Click to expand...
I don't buy this excuse. 2018 corners were Jackson, Bandy and Dean. Bandy was good that year, Jackson was ok and Dean was horrible. None of them have amounted to much in the NFL. I don't see much difference between that group and the 2020 group besides the fact that the 2020 group played most of their snaps in off-coverage on Mars. I've seen a lot of good reps in press-man from all of those guys.

Sure Ivey is slow and a liability against an NFL dude like Dyami Brown. I'm just not buying that the defense can't play press 2-man with Bolden and Hall in deep-half zone over the top. Certainly should be viable against offenses that don't have a running QB.

Man was awfully effective against OKSt but Baker was too much of a coward to run it when Wallace was on the field. God forbid you actually adjust to the opponent and shade safety help to Wallace. Instead their erratic inaccurate QB was given huge voids to throw into for 3-4 drives to start the game, and Baker made some rando freshman with no stats to his name look like Antonio Brown.
 
One reason might be the blitz is not getting home. Remember 4th and 17 against N. Carolina? Miami blitzed Carolina converted. Live by the blitz die by the blitz. A lot like throwing the ball to receivers who cant catch. Does not work well.
 
Might help if Manny “Mini” Golden and Blake Dorito could recruit and develope. See Blake’s conservative D and Doritos really not that different, though Dorito didn’t set records for sucking like his doppelgänger
 
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If you're loaded up with South Florida players at corner, safety, linebacker...I mean...why wouldn't you run man and blitz? That's all you do down here starting at age 5.

I've never been around a pop warner coach down here that isn't yelling at his defensive coordinator to "would you motherfvckin blitz you pvssy motherfvcker...send'em all!!" ...its the South Florida brand.
 
HighSeas said:
I don't buy this excuse. 2018 corners were Jackson, Bandy and Dean. Bandy was good that year, Jackson was ok and Dean was horrible. None of them have amounted to much in the NFL. I don't see much difference between that group and the 2020 group besides the fact that the 2020 group played most of their snaps in off-coverage on Mars. I've seen a lot of good reps in press-man from all of those guys.

Sure Ivey is slow and a liability against an NFL dude like Dyami Brown. I'm just not buying that the defense can't play press 2-man with Bolden and Hall in deep-half zone over the top. Certainly should be viable against offenses that don't have a running QB.

Man was awfully effective against OKSt but Baker was too much of a coward to run it when Wallace was on the field. God forbid you actually adjust to the opponent and shade safety help to Wallace. Instead their erratic inaccurate QB was given huge voids to throw into for 3-4 drives to start the game, and Baker made some rando freshman with no stats to his name look like Antonio Brown.
Click to expand...

safeties were much better and Diaz’s scheme is reliant on dominate safeties. Always has been that way. Carter is slow as **** and can’t cover in space and Hall had one of the worst years I have seen from a safety since AJ Highsmith.

not sure even Manny could have saved this defense if he took over play calling.
 
CashMoneyCane said:
What I'm reading here is we don't have the safeties to execute the scheme in man, which I was concerned about before the season started.

I'd have to think safety play is the worst it's been since Diaz has been here.
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Safety and linebacker play was easily the worst it's been
 
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skyman said:
Diaz hasnt replaced the talent or raised the talent level from what he inherited.. The neglect of recruiting top flight CB is down right criminal at miami.. How can we have Corners who cant cover and WR who cant catch at miami?!
Click to expand...

Ummmm... duh?

I really don't understand how that's a response to what I've said. We all know this.

As much as the blame falls directly on Diaz at CB, I'm willing to give some time on WR's. He didn't recruit most of the guys on the roster nor did he hire Ron "blocking is more important than catching the ball" Dugans.
 
HighSeas said:
I don't buy this excuse. 2018 corners were Jackson, Bandy and Dean. Bandy was good that year, Jackson was ok and Dean was horrible. None of them have amounted to much in the NFL. I don't see much difference between that group and the 2020 group besides the fact that the 2020 group played most of their snaps in off-coverage on Mars. I've seen a lot of good reps in press-man from all of those guys.
Click to expand...

This year's CB's are definitely worse and so are the safeties.

Dean is the worst of the group, probably not much worse than Ivey, and I'd take Jackson and Bandy over Blades and Couch right now.
 
Honestly don't care what stats say... If this scheme isn't changed Bama is gonna hang 50+ on us to start next season...
 
If it doesn't work against the likes of Clemson and NC in your conference then you have to bring in personnel that can stop people in your conference. ***** it we got a stupid *** HC, DC and scheme! Why am I wasting my time?
 
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