mavericksouth
Sophomore
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2012
- Messages
- 2,299
I was inspired to make this long *** post in response to something @Cribby said in the 247 administration thread. He said no one on the BOT has vision and everyone has an agenda and there is no true leadership. Well, this is just one alum/fan's vision and thought process.
First, a big shout out to who posted the article detailing the inner workings inside the school and the athletic department from 247. Obviously, this article is a very discouraging and disappointing yet insightful article on what we all feared. The depths of Blake James' incompetence, Manny's father and clueless BOT members protecting Manny Jr., and no real direction. It's heartbreaking, but we see now why no real head coach is willing to accept this job and why we have been a dead program for 15+ years.
After the NC State game, I was bashed (I knew I would be) for posting the win was a program setback. But try to understand my logic. At this point in time, wins in a now meaningless season which gets us to a whopping 7-5/8-4 keeps the insufferable cycle going. We are not contending for anything, we remain irrelevant, and the same people responsible for the destruction of the program stay in power. The only hope is to collapse and that way Blake and Manny are forced to go, and the BOT and decision makers cannot ignore the truth any longer. Kirk Herbstreit kick started this discussion on a national level and for that, we owe him our gratitude.
It would appear that finally there is some oversight and evaluation being done on the poor job Blake James has done as the athletic director and why no big time coaches will consider us like they do our counterparts, such as LSU and USC. Can Miami fix it? Yes. Does Miami want to? That's the real question.
I am in agreement with @Cribby. There still seems to be a lack of real vision and focus from the BOT and at the Hecht. Blake James has been the athletic director for over 8 years, and we have seen a constant regression of all athletics. The Adidas mishap is one of the most inept things I have ever heard of. You were earning 7.5 million per year and had the opportunity to earn 16 million per year and you didn't catch this?!?! How is he not terminated alone for that?!? Then you talk about how we have no money for coaches, facility upgrades, etc?!?! Outrageous!!!!! This is total incompetence.
I'm equally disturbed by the insistance by some on the BOT that wants Manny to stay. Losses to FIU, LA Tech, Florida, NC (3x), no bowl wins, a losing record in year one, a current losing record in year 3, poor recruiting class currently, lack of player development, and players celebrating with chains and rings when losing games on the sidelines warrant trust and "time" now? Okayyyy. Did we all forget that this is Manny's sixth year at the school and that defense that can't tackle is his? Interesting how Manny tends to leave that part out in his press conferences when he makes pleas for patience from fans. Hmmm...
The question now is, what is the path forward? It would appear that Julio Frenk is here to stay so, now we must move a notch down. Blake James must go, NOW! It's obvious he should be terminated and quite frankly, I'm stunned this hasn't happened yet. Before, I thought maybe he can stay on and maybe break off football operations exclusively to Alonzo but no more. Blake must be purged from this program completely. My recommendation for his replacement, Gino Torretta. Savvy business mind and entrepreneur, former player, former president of the alumni association, business mind with a finance background (hello fundraising) and committed to all of the athletic programs' success. This should have already been done.
Next, you must terminate Manny Diaz. If you don't want to look at his poor results for the last two and half seasons, then he should be terminated because he is a remnant of Blake James and his inept tenure as athletic director here. Additionally, Manny serves as a reminder of what happens when incompetence runs rampant and goes unchecked and unchallenged. No more learning on the job at Miami. Alabama doesn't do it, Ohio State doesn't do it, LSU is not going to do it, USC is not going to do it. Retaining Manny shows you are not committed to excellence.
Third, demote Jennifer Strawley from deputy athletic director to associate athletic director. Jennifer can remain as program administrator for women's bb, volleyball, and women's soccer, but the football program must be removed from her control. She too has shown incompetence in the role; however, I would spare her from outright termination because I have a feeling that Blake James is a pain to work for as evidenced by his media call stunt before NC STATE.
Fourth, hire Alonzo Highsmith as deputy athletic director for Football Administration. Alonzo will effectively take Jennifer's job as the sport administrator of football with some expanded duties. He would be second in command to Gino and primarily focus on football fundraising, building a recruiting infrastructure, have a say in hiring and firing (Gino gets the final word, though), local community outreach towards football camps, and marketing the Miami brand throughout Florida and elsewhere. Keep the South Florida talent home and give the new coaching staff the tools to properly evaluate and develop recruits, at last!
Finally, conduct a complete and thorough head coach search. Mario may end up being the guy, but he should not just be gifted the opportunity. With the new regime in place, call everyone and their agents to set up interviews. From Pennsylvania to Florida to California to Indiana. College game and pro game, TALK TO EVERYONE. Those without head coaching experience need not apply. Success at a Power 5 school experience is not required but strongly preferred. As you conduct your search, it is important to market yourself as a "changed program" due to the athletic department's pathetic reputation due to Blake James' incompetence over the years. Convince the top coaches of your renewed commitment by offering up to $7 million per year on the coach and $10-12 million per year on staff and analysts.
This problem Miami finds themselves in is bad, yet fixable if someone has vision to do the right thing. We'll see..
First, a big shout out to who posted the article detailing the inner workings inside the school and the athletic department from 247. Obviously, this article is a very discouraging and disappointing yet insightful article on what we all feared. The depths of Blake James' incompetence, Manny's father and clueless BOT members protecting Manny Jr., and no real direction. It's heartbreaking, but we see now why no real head coach is willing to accept this job and why we have been a dead program for 15+ years.
After the NC State game, I was bashed (I knew I would be) for posting the win was a program setback. But try to understand my logic. At this point in time, wins in a now meaningless season which gets us to a whopping 7-5/8-4 keeps the insufferable cycle going. We are not contending for anything, we remain irrelevant, and the same people responsible for the destruction of the program stay in power. The only hope is to collapse and that way Blake and Manny are forced to go, and the BOT and decision makers cannot ignore the truth any longer. Kirk Herbstreit kick started this discussion on a national level and for that, we owe him our gratitude.
It would appear that finally there is some oversight and evaluation being done on the poor job Blake James has done as the athletic director and why no big time coaches will consider us like they do our counterparts, such as LSU and USC. Can Miami fix it? Yes. Does Miami want to? That's the real question.
I am in agreement with @Cribby. There still seems to be a lack of real vision and focus from the BOT and at the Hecht. Blake James has been the athletic director for over 8 years, and we have seen a constant regression of all athletics. The Adidas mishap is one of the most inept things I have ever heard of. You were earning 7.5 million per year and had the opportunity to earn 16 million per year and you didn't catch this?!?! How is he not terminated alone for that?!? Then you talk about how we have no money for coaches, facility upgrades, etc?!?! Outrageous!!!!! This is total incompetence.
I'm equally disturbed by the insistance by some on the BOT that wants Manny to stay. Losses to FIU, LA Tech, Florida, NC (3x), no bowl wins, a losing record in year one, a current losing record in year 3, poor recruiting class currently, lack of player development, and players celebrating with chains and rings when losing games on the sidelines warrant trust and "time" now? Okayyyy. Did we all forget that this is Manny's sixth year at the school and that defense that can't tackle is his? Interesting how Manny tends to leave that part out in his press conferences when he makes pleas for patience from fans. Hmmm...
The question now is, what is the path forward? It would appear that Julio Frenk is here to stay so, now we must move a notch down. Blake James must go, NOW! It's obvious he should be terminated and quite frankly, I'm stunned this hasn't happened yet. Before, I thought maybe he can stay on and maybe break off football operations exclusively to Alonzo but no more. Blake must be purged from this program completely. My recommendation for his replacement, Gino Torretta. Savvy business mind and entrepreneur, former player, former president of the alumni association, business mind with a finance background (hello fundraising) and committed to all of the athletic programs' success. This should have already been done.
Next, you must terminate Manny Diaz. If you don't want to look at his poor results for the last two and half seasons, then he should be terminated because he is a remnant of Blake James and his inept tenure as athletic director here. Additionally, Manny serves as a reminder of what happens when incompetence runs rampant and goes unchecked and unchallenged. No more learning on the job at Miami. Alabama doesn't do it, Ohio State doesn't do it, LSU is not going to do it, USC is not going to do it. Retaining Manny shows you are not committed to excellence.
Third, demote Jennifer Strawley from deputy athletic director to associate athletic director. Jennifer can remain as program administrator for women's bb, volleyball, and women's soccer, but the football program must be removed from her control. She too has shown incompetence in the role; however, I would spare her from outright termination because I have a feeling that Blake James is a pain to work for as evidenced by his media call stunt before NC STATE.
Fourth, hire Alonzo Highsmith as deputy athletic director for Football Administration. Alonzo will effectively take Jennifer's job as the sport administrator of football with some expanded duties. He would be second in command to Gino and primarily focus on football fundraising, building a recruiting infrastructure, have a say in hiring and firing (Gino gets the final word, though), local community outreach towards football camps, and marketing the Miami brand throughout Florida and elsewhere. Keep the South Florida talent home and give the new coaching staff the tools to properly evaluate and develop recruits, at last!
Finally, conduct a complete and thorough head coach search. Mario may end up being the guy, but he should not just be gifted the opportunity. With the new regime in place, call everyone and their agents to set up interviews. From Pennsylvania to Florida to California to Indiana. College game and pro game, TALK TO EVERYONE. Those without head coaching experience need not apply. Success at a Power 5 school experience is not required but strongly preferred. As you conduct your search, it is important to market yourself as a "changed program" due to the athletic department's pathetic reputation due to Blake James' incompetence over the years. Convince the top coaches of your renewed commitment by offering up to $7 million per year on the coach and $10-12 million per year on staff and analysts.
This problem Miami finds themselves in is bad, yet fixable if someone has vision to do the right thing. We'll see..
