Sorry for responding so late fellas, been running around all day.
So after practice Diaz and staff held a clinic. Diaz spoke, followed by Enos, followed by Baker and finishing up with Feely.
*Diaz spoke about the "New Miami" and how it's not just a catchy hashtag, but a legit new way of doing things around there. The energy, tempo, competition, hard work, etc.
*Enos was awesome IMO. He spoke about the creative ways he uses motion to create the leverage and advantages that he wants. There was some really exciting stuff, especially when you envision it being applied to our athletes.
*Baker spoke about "void pressures" or "void zone blitzes". Basically it's a 3-deep/2-under concept where we're blitzing/sending 6 guys and you void a zone. Pretty scary stuff at times, and I don't mean that in a good way. He did admit that running these blitzes "get a little dicey" versus spread formations though, particularly 2x2 formations. It's not really something that Miami is going to rely on though, just a way to create pressure and hopefully make big plays. The concept is predicated on you getting to the QB, so you're not too worried about a void.
*Feely obviously spoke about S&C. I didn't get too many details because they fed us ribs, chicken, baked beans and potato salad prior to the clinic and I had drop a mean deuce...and I **** sure wasn't gonna miss Enos or Baker. I will tell you this, Feely is exactly what you want in an S&C coach. Dude is a spark plug, full of energy. He showed some creative ways to improve flexibility and core strength.
After Feely the coaches split up into "break-out" sessions. I went with Baker and Patke in the LB group. The dopest thing about the clinic is how "intimate" it was. Basically just a few coaches sitting in front of a dry-erase board talking football. It was basically a Q&A format and they weren't withholding any information. (most clinics aren't structured like that) Baker and Patke are two cool a$$ down-to-earth dudes. Just a couple of "guys guys" from Texas. One interesting thing that they shared was that 74% of the time Miami is either blitzing or running some type of DL movement/stunt. They want to disrupt and confuse OL's blocking schemes.
We also spoke about the DL's emphasis on "getting vertical" and disrupting offenses in the backfield. Our DT's technically don't have a gap, but more-so a landmark. (in the backfield) So basically, if I'm in the B-gap and the Offensive Guard cuts me off, I don't fight to get back into the B-gap, I just back-door him and get into the backfield. (McIntosh and Willis did this a lot) The Linebackers play the same way. The LB's don't have specific gap responsibility, they shoot through daylight.
Statistically...and visually at times...guys like McIntosh, Norton and Willis played like first rounders. As we found out, 2 of the 3 are not as talented as we might've thought they were. So I asked Patke, would it be fair to say that their "first round" production can be attributed to all of the stunting/movement? Without taking too much credit and giving me a "yes", he simply said "perhaps".
I'm inclined to believe that that is the case.
