One thing I think we all need to think about in the midst of all this is Mario's pain. He needs to have some real soul searching going on.
There's no way he lays his head on his pillow at night and thinks "this is fine. It's all going according to plan."
This man has to be on suicide watch if he bleeds orange/green as much as we all think he does.
Put yourselves in his shoes. We all love this program. Do any of you all believe we even love this program a tenth of how much he does?
Now imagine you love this program and for 25 years it has been your dream to come back and lead it as a head coach. For 20 years you've frustratingly watched your beloved program struggle in mediocrity and stupidity. All the while you're learning and seeing the vast difference between the elite programs and your beloved program. For the last 15 years you've taken your wife away from her home and her family.. Your kids never got quality team with their extended family. You haven't seen your family since you've been traveling all over the country. You've taken job after job, traveling across the country, to hopefully one day get a shot at this dream job.
Then finally, the stars align. The culmination of everything you've worked and dreamed for aligns. Miami offers you your dream job. But not only that, they give you every demand and more to fulfill and execute at the highest level. there's no longer an excuse of "well if we had that" etc. You have the blueprint. You have the resources. You have an elite QB and the "best assistant coach" in the country. Everything is aligning perfectly just like you envisioned and planned.
And then what shows up on game day happens to be not just bad.. But possibly the worst Miami football team in 40 years. You set record after record for "worst ever". Your players have all regressed.. Your offensive line, your bread and butter, is significantly WORSE than last year. Your star QB looks sub par.. Your defense can't tackle and your players are all injured. Your team hasn't scored a TD for more than 2 complete games.
All of your alumni friends and brothers probably can't talk to you because of the shame and guilt they know you feel. Your own wife and kids, who are Miami hurricane fans, can't believe how badly you've failed. The players you coach, who you've promised every resource and commitment, can't trust you anymore.
This glorious homecoming has been nothing short of a colossal failure in every regard.. you literally don't have a single accomplishment from this season to hang your hat on.. Nothing. Everything has gotten worse.
How do you sleep at night? How do you stay motivated to keep on? Everything in your world revolves around the Miami Hurricanes. There is no escaping it. There is no silo for you to hide in. What does Mario do?
I think that's why he has this "back to work" mantra. It's all he can do. Put his head down and work and believe in the vision he's had for 20+ years. What else can he do?
