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Manny and WQAM and other thoughts (long)

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LoungeLord said:
This should be our logo, seeing as we say it every week for 15 years.
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Don't worry. We'll go down 20 to Duke and when we fight back to loose 34-28 Manny will be talking about our resilience and how we responded. Too bad that our early mistakes cost us. I wonder without a week off if he'll blame the holiday for the preparation.
 
Jassid82 said:
Manny's sell wasn't hard. He convinced the UM admins that all he needed was a blank check to hire a great OC and offensive staff and we would be back! Even threw in that his hire would be someone from Bama and im sure the UM admins **** hear had orgasims..Talk about a plan that backfired.
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Yea and I think it sounded good to everyone including this board too

It was hard to see this bad of a season coming (loses to FIU, GT, rebuilding UNC, and an injury ridden VT team); but those 4 games showed exactly what this staff isn't capable of doing which is preparing a team to win every week
 
mcnaire2004 said:
He's talking about how a recruiting class is going to be a fix because of the mentality. Isn't that what Shaq and the rest of Goldens last class was supposed to do?
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I thought it was funny when he said, "At some point, one of these classes is going to be the class to bring it back. I know we have said it for 10+ years now but its bound to happen". Smh. Jesus, Manny. Didn't help yourself there.
 
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nvlahos said:
Yea and I think it sounded good to everyone including this board too

It was hard to see this bad of a season coming (loses to FIU, GT, rebuilding UNC, and an injury ridden VT team); but those 4 games showed exactly what this staff isn't capable of doing which is preparing a team to win every week
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****. Can't argue there. To be 0-4 coming out of a bye week (I am counting UF since we had all offseason to prepare for them and our offense looked like crap after the first series), is a fireable offense for everyone on that side of the ball. I am planning for us to be 0-5 after we lose the bowl game. Then I am expecting Manny to fire multiple assistants the next day.
 
CoachChin said:
Again I dont think he surrounded himself with a strong enough staff. His staff doesnt seem to demand or gain the respect of the players that is why so much flip flopping every week in practice.
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Well, I'm not sure how much they "respect" him either. I'm glad him and Quarterman have such a close relationship, but at times it seems like they are in the same class.

UM needs (and will not obtain) a Saban or Meyer type coach. Ones who demand perfection, scream and get in players faces when necessary....more friends won't change this cushy little environment.

We joked at the time, but Richt's mat drills, S&C / nutrition changes were LOOOONG overdue and just a kicking off point. We wanted him to come in and be the first half of his tenure at UGA, but we got caring father/grandfather once I think he hit a ceiling on what he could or was willing to do..

The U has sadly gone full circle back to Suntan U pre-Schnelly...and we now need a Schnelly type more than ever.
 
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For how good of a communicator Manny is through the press it's shocking to see how poor of a communicator he must be with the team. Part of me thinks it's his nice guy act he does with the players that must not resonate with these dumbasses -- who ARE a major problem -- we have littered throughout the team, and part of me thinks that Manny himself must've been buying into the hype of the last 3 weeks and overlooked FIU to an egregious degree. You simply do not lose to FIU for any other reason.

Either way, it's a damning indictment of Manny and the staff he put together but an even bigger indictment of our Athletic Department. I can only imagine how submitting Blake must be to his own employees. There is no way that ******* pvssy puts any pressure on the coaching staffs he oversees. And with that type of environment, it just makes the employees job that much more difficult without them even knowing it.

If Manny was out there coaching for his life game in and game out, no way he lets those lazy ******** on the team go unchecked, and no way he coasts on Baker and Enos to CLEARLY go into auto-pilot mode in gameplanning and focus for FIU.

All of this is to say that Blake not only creates a problem by continually going out there and hiring the wrong choices for HC, but he further compounds the problem by then setting the cushiest atmosphere in all of college sports.

BLAKE JAMES MUST GO.
 
That was a disappointing interview.

Nothing said about how we can improve this offense. He seemed to put it all on the players and their lack of preparation.
 
Jassid82 said:
I don't like starting threads too often unless I am just really really disturbed at something and I need a space to vent. Thank god CIS gives us that. Have no idea what we did back in the 80s and 90s after tough losses!

Manny was on WQAM this morning. 7am sharp. I don't have the link but here are the points.

*I am starting to get the feeling (and I know its been said on here a million times) that Manny just doesn't know how to fix this "disease" he is talking about within the program. And it is bothering him. Its like having a child that acts out all the time and no matter how many times you beat them, ground them..none of it works. They just won't act right. I heard it in Mannys voice when he talked about things that he saw leading up to the game that look familiar when they came off other bye weeks (in other words, guys BSing around and not taking game prep serious). He even said that the hotel walk through was a mess the night before. So he knew this team was not prepared and prayed that they would snap out of it come kickoff. That was disturbing to hear as a fan.

*I got the feeling that even though he loves many of the upperclassmen (Shaq and Pinck included) I think he is ready for them to go. I think they just aren't the leaders that he thought and expected them to be as he is basically a "HC in training". I think he depended on the Srs to really takeover as leaders and it didn't happen like he expected. In fact, I would go as far as to say that I got the impression that maybe the Srs are the ones that are leading this wave of not taking every week serious. You can tell Manny was guarded with his words. But I was trying to read between the lines. Whenever a HC says, "The 2020 class is hyped up and they actually have a group chat. They have the mindset that none of this will happen on our watch and that's the mentality we need. At some point, there will be a class to come in and turn this around.", then you know that he is not fully happy with how this Sr class conducted themselves as a whole leadership wise.

*He didn't get to much into Xs and Os. It was more like a therapy session for him. He was really in deep thought about the season as a whole and how things got to this point to where a team this talented is 6-5. He alluded to the fact that some of the players assume that just because you have that "U" on your helmet that certain things are a given. Like beating FIU. I got the feeling that he doesn't think it is Xs and Os related but a mental thing with this team. One thing I thought was interesting was that he said that this team feeds off of Jarren. When Jarren came out flat, the whole team went into the tank. That is a good thing and bad thing I guess. Shows he is the unquestioned leader of this team but Good God man..if Jarren doesn't have his "A" game on any given Saturday, we can assume that we are going to more than likely lose??


Those are the basics of the 20min interview. Said he doesn't expect any decommits in the 2020 class. They are solid as a rock. 2021 he is expecting some guys to drop.

I'll say this, Manny isn't going anywhere this year. That 3 game winning streak saved his job at least. But I am going to need him to stay off the yachts this offseason, stay out of the jewelry store conjuring up new pieces for next season, and stop the bravado. I am hoping he is humbled and realized being the HC at UM is more then just wearing that U on your shirt and hat, it takes hard work and dedication. He needs to make some tough decisions on his staff.

He needs to study every coach that had a bad record there first year and what they did to turn it around the second season. (Nick Saban at Bama, Urban at UF, etc) I know it sounds corny, but he needs to get into the lab and study every tendency and every detail of what coaches like this did to completely turn there program around in such a short time. His job depends on it.

He needs to make the tough decision and fire Enos and Baker. Gotta start from scratch. Neither of them are good coaches are even good recruiters. Double whammy in my book.

He needs to start taking this job serious. I look back on the last offseason and realize that Manny just didn't take this serious. He thought he could walk in, give a few speeches, hire a "good OC" and just coast to 10-11 wins. That yacht ride he took to the banquet should have been a sign for us. It was cool at the time but it looks extremely foolish now.

Sorry for the long review. I know posters will hit me with the "None of this matters. Blake and Manny have to go". Well, if they don't go, doesn't mean I am turning in my O&G gear either. Now am I going to renew my season tix? Not so sure yet. That said, I am looking to see a new Manny Diaz going into Spring ball. New focus and renewed energy. Playtime is over. His HC career depends on it. Neg away. LOL.
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No problem man, well appreciated post OP
 
CoachChin said:
Again I dont think he surrounded himself with a strong enough staff. His staff doesnt seem to demand or gain the respect of the players that is why so much flip flopping every week in practice.
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Equals ZERO consistency.
 
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caneworld said:
He is over his head... we had no business hiring someone like him.
Coaches have to command respect.... put a hole through the black board if you have to... or pull some scholarships.

The QB room is a mess.. i am not talking skill wise. There are no leaders.. Jarren does not command respect and neither does Kosi. They both can leave at the end of the season... don't care either way.

He hired a bunch of no good assistants.. I am not sure if he has the cajones to clean house... thst is where respect starts.. when you start holding people accountable, including his coaching buddies.... and then on to the players. They have to know that they will be held accountable or they will be shown the door. Players feared Howard and JJ... enough of these dancing, pat me on the back nonsense. That works for women's soccer and volleyball... not football.
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Our overall IQ in the QB room has to be low. We not only need better coaches, we need players that can do simple math. You know, like one defender covering two guys. Advantage... oh ****, better run the other way.
 
Hard to fix a culture problem when you were on the staff where the culture problem carried over from. If Manny had the answer it would have been a non issue when he was DC.

There’s a reason you don’t hire someone that was already on staff. 3 of our last 4 hires have had the same **** problem
 
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Jassid82 said:
I don't like starting threads too often unless I am just really really disturbed at something and I need a space to vent. Thank god CIS gives us that. Have no idea what we did back in the 80s and 90s after tough losses!

Manny was on WQAM this morning. 7am sharp. I don't have the link but here are the points.

*I am starting to get the feeling (and I know its been said on here a million times) that Manny just doesn't know how to fix this "disease" he is talking about within the program. And it is bothering him. Its like having a child that acts out all the time and no matter how many times you beat them, ground them..none of it works. They just won't act right. I heard it in Mannys voice when he talked about things that he saw leading up to the game that look familiar when they came off other bye weeks (in other words, guys BSing around and not taking game prep serious). He even said that the hotel walk through was a mess the night before. So he knew this team was not prepared and prayed that they would snap out of it come kickoff. That was disturbing to hear as a fan.

*I got the feeling that even though he loves many of the upperclassmen (Shaq and Pinck included) I think he is ready for them to go. I think they just aren't the leaders that he thought and expected them to be as he is basically a "HC in training". I think he depended on the Srs to really takeover as leaders and it didn't happen like he expected. In fact, I would go as far as to say that I got the impression that maybe the Srs are the ones that are leading this wave of not taking every week serious. You can tell Manny was guarded with his words. But I was trying to read between the lines. Whenever a HC says, "The 2020 class is hyped up and they actually have a group chat. They have the mindset that none of this will happen on our watch and that's the mentality we need. At some point, there will be a class to come in and turn this around.", then you know that he is not fully happy with how this Sr class conducted themselves as a whole leadership wise.

*He didn't get to much into Xs and Os. It was more like a therapy session for him. He was really in deep thought about the season as a whole and how things got to this point to where a team this talented is 6-5. He alluded to the fact that some of the players assume that just because you have that "U" on your helmet that certain things are a given. Like beating FIU. I got the feeling that he doesn't think it is Xs and Os related but a mental thing with this team. One thing I thought was interesting was that he said that this team feeds off of Jarren. When Jarren came out flat, the whole team went into the tank. That is a good thing and bad thing I guess. Shows he is the unquestioned leader of this team but Good God man..if Jarren doesn't have his "A" game on any given Saturday, we can assume that we are going to more than likely lose??


Those are the basics of the 20min interview. Said he doesn't expect any decommits in the 2020 class. They are solid as a rock. 2021 he is expecting some guys to drop.

I'll say this, Manny isn't going anywhere this year. That 3 game winning streak saved his job at least. But I am going to need him to stay off the yachts this offseason, stay out of the jewelry store conjuring up new pieces for next season, and stop the bravado. I am hoping he is humbled and realized being the HC at UM is more then just wearing that U on your shirt and hat, it takes hard work and dedication. He needs to make some tough decisions on his staff.

He needs to study every coach that had a bad record there first year and what they did to turn it around the second season. (Nick Saban at Bama, Urban at UF, etc) I know it sounds corny, but he needs to get into the lab and study every tendency and every detail of what coaches like this did to completely turn there program around in such a short time. His job depends on it.

He needs to make the tough decision and fire Enos and Baker. Gotta start from scratch. Neither of them are good coaches are even good recruiters. Double whammy in my book.

He needs to start taking this job serious. I look back on the last offseason and realize that Manny just didn't take this serious. He thought he could walk in, give a few speeches, hire a "good OC" and just coast to 10-11 wins. That yacht ride he took to the banquet should have been a sign for us. It was cool at the time but it looks extremely foolish now.

Sorry for the long review. I know posters will hit me with the "None of this matters. Blake and Manny have to go". Well, if they don't go, doesn't mean I am turning in my O&G gear either. Now am I going to renew my season tix? Not so sure yet. That said, I am looking to see a new Manny Diaz going into Spring ball. New focus and renewed energy. Playtime is over. His HC career depends on it. Neg away. LOL.
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I listened, as well—and sounds to me like he believes the disease gets fixed through recruiting the right kids moving forward; the type of guys who want to be part of a rebuild—which is contrary to the type of me-first athlete the exists today in abundance.

From the sounds of what he said, he feels a lot of these foundation-type kids are in the 2020 class, as well as a lot who stuck around and signed on for 2019—which means a small step forward in 2020 and a measurable one in 2021, most likely.

Completely agree with the sentiment about 55 and 56 not being the vocal leaders this program needed—but both (especially 55) were lead-by-example types and we're important part of this year's team. That said, they're both part of the old regime and not the type of player Miami needs moving forward. (Go listen to 55's coachspeak when talking about the loss to FIU. Very robotic. Zero passion, frustration or anger.)


Fully agree the issue is mostly mental—but from his post-game presser, I got the sense that he's not thrilled with Enos' play calling—when he gave his "everything under investigation" quote. Curious to see how that plays out. Personally think Enos is a bad fit and that he needs someone else in there. Curious how willing he is to pull the trigger there year one.

Definitely a baptism by fire this year for Manny and he underperformed. That said, he deserves at least three years to get this done—and is saying enough of the right things to show that he knows where he wants to take this; but hasn't yet proved he knows how to get it there—hence the next two years to see if he can pull it off.

Disagree with the other poster who said Shannon said the same things. As someone who had to listen to literally every one of Randy's pressers to write about the program, the difference between Shannon and Diaz as head coaches with a vision is night and day. Randy was absolutely lost from 2007 to 2010 when taking over this team; a teacher's assistant type who was promoted to professor and simply wanted to go back his assistant role—proven by his career trajectory since Miami—a position coach for years before even getting another crack at defensive coordinator again.

Manny has the right traits for the job. Time will tell if he's able to get it done. More "ready" guys have failed on the big stage, as knowing what to do an executing are two vastly different things. Hope he can pull it off.
 
mjackson6 said:
Hard to fix a culture problem when you were on the staff where the culture problem carried over from. If Manny had the answer it would have been a non issue when he was DC.

There’s a reason you don’t hire someone that was already on staff. 3 of our last 4 hires have had the same **** problem
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Lincoln Riley was on Bob Stoops' staff.

Dabo Swinney was a wide receivers coach on Tommy Bowden's staff when the keys were turned over upon Bowden's exit.

Ryan Day coached under Urban Meyer. Ed Orgeron was under Les Miles.

The list goes on.

Miami's problem wasn't promoting guys from the previous staffs—it's who the promoted.

Nothing about Larry Coker or Randy Shannon had "head coaching material" written all over them. Both were last ditch efforts for different reasons; Coker to keep things rolling in 2001, Shannon because they struck out on Schiano and no one else wanted the job going into 2007. Jury is still out on Manny, but he was hired away to take over at Temple—a program that sniffed out Matt Rhule and found marginal success with Geoff Collins.

Meanwhile, Shannon has barely climbed back to DC after his time at Miami; a position coach for years after—and Coker got a charity HC position at UTSA when they needed a name to launch a football program from scratch.
 
We should have just hired Butch, let him stock the roster, and live with whatever record he compiled for three or four years.

We should have kept an eye on Manny at Temple and let him learn the ropes at a place where nobody cares. Whether he can be a good head coach or not, getting thrown in the grinder of UM before he was ready may have destroyed any chance of succeeding at his “dream job”.

Butch is long in the tooth and if Manny proved his worth at Temple, he would get his shot sooner than later.

But maybe jumping the gun on Manny and being humiliated by the commuter school everyone turns their nose up at is the catalyst for forcing the administrative changes so desperately needed.

The last 30 plus years of goofiness outside a few strong a.d.’s makes that seem like a pipe dream,but we can hope.
 
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