Going against the grain

[cway313]

He won 2 in the pac when Utah was the 2nd best team in the conference.

It was the worst conference I've ever seen at the time.

Either way it proves nothing as the coach of Miami imo.

 

[NC_Canes_11]

The best thing that can happen for tis program is for Mario to resign. Of course, that’s not happening.

If Miami was a publicly run company, he would be fired by demand of the shareholders.

He will ultimately cost us more financially to keep him than to fire him at this point. I can’t imagine what the crowds will look like with most of the fan base done with him.

Hr’s a fantastic recruiter who played at Miami.

The shareholders are the ones with millions invested in him. If Miami was a publicly run company, it would be held by 10 people, half of which are related to him, and the other half are his best friends. Like most of corporate America, they do what they want and laugh at the opinions of their customers.

 

[Handsome Squidbum]

Brother Jumbo was a recruiting legend at AtM. The juice aint always worth the squeeze.

Very underrated post. That's exactly it. If anyone wants to see what a program looks like where a HC can recruit but can't coach, just have to look at TAMU. The "Cristobal will get enough talent that the team will be idiot proof" mantra might have worked in 2001 with a team made up of first round draft picks, but chances of that happening again are basically zero.

Jimbo was also lucky in that TAMU has essentially infinite money and can pay the suck tax for any player, no matter how high it is or how bad their record is.

Cristobal on the other hand, is saddled by the reputation of being a QB killer (even if the stats prove otherwise, that is the unfortunate perception). This might be the last year UM will be able to pay the suck tax for a good QB. Another bad season of bro style and the suck tax will be so outrageously high that getting a good QB be impossible. And once that happens, it curtains for Cristobal.

 

[IbzRlz]

What happened in the Bowl Game might be the best thing that could have happened to us. Mario prides himself on being physical and bullying opponents as part of his philosophy. Rutgers embarrassed us in this and believe our staff will hold this over our players heads for the next 7-8 months. We saw the significant strides made in our mental toughness by competing in every game closing the gap from 21 points per loss in 2022 to 7.5 per loss in 2023. To take the next step the lack of physicality was exposed by an average B10 team and believe the same way we saw the mental side improve that this will light a fire that we aren't nearly as tough as we thought we were.

Obviously, this wont' fix all of our problems but steps are necessary in a rebuild process. The improved mental toughness this year put us in every game this year and that by no means could be said last year. Still too much finesse on this team and fake tough guy nonsense that needs to be addressed and toughening these boys up would be a huge step in the right direction. Having a 5'8 RB bouncing off our guys for 14 missed tackles needs to be on repeat inside our weight room.

Yep, the old "this loss was the best thing to happen to us" theory. That 5'8" RB led the Big 10 in rushing FWIW. How about we stop trying to find moral victories in bad losses and just win some games for a change!

 

[Dude]

So he’ll double down on toughness and physicality being the missing link? Awesome…..

I get the sarcasm... but, yeah. This is a physical *** sport. We need to be more mentally & physically tough. This thing is moving at too slow of a pace though. I don't know what happens if in year 3 we see the same 6-6 type of team. Miami probably doesn't know. The only thing I do know is that no one... and I mean no one wants to be the guy that fixes it more than Mario. No one is working harder than Mario. No one.

 

[N25.45W81.21]

FWIW, the very first play of the game was a 40 yard downfield pass dropped by George. And maybe I'm wrong, but before TVD got into his own head, he seemed to have the leeway to sling it down the field. Maybe we just need a QB1 that the staff can trust to put the ball in the good guys' hands.

 

[Brains]

He beat OSU once, but OSU and Day suck according to CIS, so I am not sure what to take from that signature win....

Day is __ __ __

I'll give you a hint: it rhymes!

 

[Angry Ibis]

Very underrated post. That's exactly it. If anyone wants to see what a program looks like where a HC can recruit but can't coach, just have to look at TAMU. The "Cristobal will get enough talent that the team will be idiot proof" mantra might have worked in 2001 with a team made up of first round draft picks, but chances of that happening again are basically zero.

Jimbo was also lucky in that TAMU has essentially infinite money and can pay the suck tax for any player, no matter how high it is or how bad their record is.

Cristobal on the other hand, is saddled by the reputation of being a QB killer (even if the stats prove otherwise, that is the unfortunate perception). This might be the last year UM will be able to pay the suck tax for a good QB. Another bad season of bro style and the suck tax will be so outrageously high that getting a good QB be impossible. And once that happens, it curtains for Cristobal.

So Cam Ward needs to be our Jameis Winston…

 

[Angry Ibis]

I get the sarcasm... but, yeah. This is a physical *** sport. We need to be more mentally & physically tough. This thing is moving at too slow of a pace though. I don't know what happens if in year 3 we see the same 6-6 type of team. Miami probably doesn't know. The only thing I do know is that no one... and I mean no one wants to be the guy that fixes it more than Mario. No one is working harder than Mario. No one.

Work smarter…not harder…

 

[Dude]

Work smarter…not harder…

Sometimes yes. Other times you have to embrace the hardest of hardest work if you want to be the best at something. We need this locker room and this fanbase to understand this coach isn't going anywhere, so get physical or get out of the way. Those weights ain't gonna lift themselves. Mario wants to be as UGA-like as possible. Miami is trying to give him everything to be as UGA-like as possible. Personally? I've never thought it was a wise strategy, but here we are, invested. We can't have a bunch of quitters just because it's hard. We've seen lots and lots of team physical their way to lots of wins. I get it, it's been 20 years for us... it's a story we are all sick and tired of.

 

[SWFLHurricane]

Thing that irks me about Mario...he doesn’t learn from past mistakes. Excellent recruiter, and OL Coach. Was an excellent GA under Butch from 98-2000....but Cot **** his blunders as a HC are cringe worthy.

 

[HardCane]

Because he is running up and down, clueless on the sidelines...
...Bobby Bowden in his last years had more awareness of what's going on..

****

 

[Angry Ibis]

Thing that irks me about Mario...he doesn’t learn from past mistakes. Excellent recruiter, and OL Coach. Was an excellent GA under Butch from 98-2000....but Cot **** his blunders as a HC are cringe worthy.

This. It’s the failing to learn from mistakes and being slow to adapt. Saban adapted. Georgia will adapt twice for every time Mario thinks about adapting…

 

[caneworld]

Larry Coker was crucified here and labeled one of our worst coaches ever. Despite all that he took a team to the championship and won a national championship. No one can argue that he did that with probably the best team ever. Why can’t Mario build a team and do the same? In 2000 Coker was the OC the brawl and shalala castrated the program under Coker’s watch. Mario has a plan of what he believes through recruiting etc can win And despite any short comings he also has to contend with NIL the portal and high school prima Donna’s.

But even Coker knew when to kneel and when to use TOs..

 

[aelmiami]

Very underrated post. That's exactly it. If anyone wants to see what a program looks like where a HC can recruit but can't coach, just have to look at TAMU. The "Cristobal will get enough talent that the team will be idiot proof" mantra might have worked in 2001 with a team made up of first round draft picks, but chances of that happening again are basically zero.

Jimbo was also lucky in that TAMU has essentially infinite money and can pay the suck tax for any player, no matter how high it is or how bad their record is.

Cristobal on the other hand, is saddled by the reputation of being a QB killer (even if the stats prove otherwise, that is the unfortunate perception). This might be the last year UM will be able to pay the suck tax for a good QB. Another bad season of bro style and the suck tax will be so outrageously high that getting a good QB be impossible. And once that happens, it curtains for Cristobal.

Maybe. Dabo & Coach O are the other sides of that coin. Mario needs good coordinators to be successful. Jimbo wanted to be his own OC until he was 95% cooked at TAMU. Which I believe was Jimbo’s biggest problem.

I do agree Mario needs to figure this QB problem out or it doesn’t matter what classes or coordinators he hires. He’s gotta do it separately from Herbert. He was given Herbert and just kinda maintained it. He either has to develop his own QB, which he doesn’t have time for, or show marked improvement on a transfer. Which I’m skeptical would happen.

 

[harphong]

I said allll year I expected 6-6 as the ceiling, with the progress marker being close loses with no quit. Was back n forth with some posters I respect on this.

In my feels right now on what possible progress there is bc I wanted to be wrong about this year.

 

[90scane]

If we want to go against the grain:

Rutgers was 6-6 and Miami 7-5. Miami didn’t play with a ton of NFL bound kids, a 3rd string QB, along with portal kids gone…yet had a chance to win it in the end. Now look at OSU with a 3rd string QB, look at FSU with a 3rd string QB.

That is the glass is half full view since college bowl games are so tough to watch with a ton of players opting out and hitting the portal.


The mope side, we lost because of Mario’s weaknesses. Penalties, turnovers, special teams, conservative offense.


My bigger concern:
Mario is having kids leave early that could have been the foundation of a CFP run in 2024. Cohen, Lee, Young, LT, JWill, Kam. This has been an ongoing issue for Miami for 20 years. The great teams find a way to keep those kids for one more year.

 

[We'retheBoss]

if we're going against the grain, the grain would be favored by 3

 

[Miami[]_[]Smoke]

Unfortunately that’s my fear. As I watched that game I kept thinking that Rutgers performance was only reinforcing his own thinking of what we should look like.

Especially considering it was against his mentor…his ego is severely bruised when he gets beat at his own game, which makes him that much more determined to do it his way

 

[RBradleigh]

Mario can recruit all he wants but he will always be out coached in any playoffs he makes. That’s the problem.

Did you really put playoff in there? Good lord at this point I’d throw a f’ing parade if this team coached by that man made the playoff. Even with the 12 team expansion being in the cesspool ACC you have to be the Conf champ to get in. No way the ACC manages to get 2 in there.

Results based this team with that man is a long shot. I’ll avoid the light years away hyperbole.
Who is our QB?