FL Cane
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- Joined
- Aug 26, 2018
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Back in 2013, Miami finished the season 9-4 after losing in a blowout to Louisville. It was the best season Miami had had since 2009's 9-4 season (with a loss in the same bowl game). This year, Miami finished 8-3 with a much closer bowl loss to OKST. This 8-3 season was Miami's best record since 2017's 10-3 campaign.
After that humiliating loss to Louisville and a number of terrible defensive performances throughout the season, Al Golden faced a career and program defining choice: to keep or dismiss DC Mark D'Onofrio. Golden failed the test, and a season and a half later he was gone. I think we all knew then that once Golden didn't dismiss D'Onofrio after the Louisville bowl loss that it was over for him. Wasn't a question of if he'd be dismissed as HC from Miami, but when.
Now in 2020, CMD faces the exact same career and program defining choice: to keep or dismiss DC Blake Baker. If Diaz doesn't dismiss his DC and rebuild his defensive staff top to bottom he'll, unfortunately, have the same career-ending at Miami that Al Golden had. Our defense over the past two seasons has completely regressed. It bears no similarity to the defenses we fielded from 2016-2018. The only difference between 2019-2020, and 2016-2018, is the DC running our defense.
The jury is still out on whether CMD will get the job done here at Miami, but only until his choice with regard to the defensive staff is made. Once it is, we'll know whether he has a fighting chance, or whether he'll end up just like Al Golden.
Btw, if he did retain Baker, wouldn't matter if he ultimately dismissed him next season if things didn't work out. Much like Golden in 2014, everyone wanted him gone by then, and dismissing D'Onofrio would have been a decision one-year too late.
After that humiliating loss to Louisville and a number of terrible defensive performances throughout the season, Al Golden faced a career and program defining choice: to keep or dismiss DC Mark D'Onofrio. Golden failed the test, and a season and a half later he was gone. I think we all knew then that once Golden didn't dismiss D'Onofrio after the Louisville bowl loss that it was over for him. Wasn't a question of if he'd be dismissed as HC from Miami, but when.
Now in 2020, CMD faces the exact same career and program defining choice: to keep or dismiss DC Blake Baker. If Diaz doesn't dismiss his DC and rebuild his defensive staff top to bottom he'll, unfortunately, have the same career-ending at Miami that Al Golden had. Our defense over the past two seasons has completely regressed. It bears no similarity to the defenses we fielded from 2016-2018. The only difference between 2019-2020, and 2016-2018, is the DC running our defense.
The jury is still out on whether CMD will get the job done here at Miami, but only until his choice with regard to the defensive staff is made. Once it is, we'll know whether he has a fighting chance, or whether he'll end up just like Al Golden.
Btw, if he did retain Baker, wouldn't matter if he ultimately dismissed him next season if things didn't work out. Much like Golden in 2014, everyone wanted him gone by then, and dismissing D'Onofrio would have been a decision one-year too late.