Offensive Line is a Weakness

[Mr.Everything305]

A lot of reflection for me on the bye week. My inescapable haunting trigger are the two consecutive plays late in the first half vs Central Michigan where Zion Nelson got beat clean twice in a row. Then you add the first game vs. Florida where he is inexplicably stuck in his stance while the pass rush casually passes him bye like a statue.



Then there was John Campbell. His spacial awareness and feel for the position was so critically not in tune that he stuck out on film like a sore thumb. He thus graded out lower then any other Miami offensive lineman on Pro Football Focus vs UF and was replaced the following game. Two Freshmen. I get it.

A deep dive will show Miami ranks tied for 125th in the nation in sacks allowed (with only four games played) There are only five teams in the country who average over four sacks given up per contest:

• Old Dominion 4.0
• Tulsa 4.0
• Miami 4.5
• Akron 4.6
• USF 5.0

Not necessarily the who's who in college football and Miami is the ONLY P5 team on the list. Conversely for reference I listed the top 3 ACC schools in protecting the quarterback and it may be a surprise for some. You would figure the defending national champ would be on the list (they are) but two teams you are killing in recruiting are doing a fine job keeping their QB upright. (Duke by the way started off the year facing Alabama)

• Duke .25
• Boston College .6
• Clemson .8

Sacks allowed isn't the only metric that defines offensive line greatness but when you consider Miami is 82nd in the country in yards per rush, the offensive line is not the strength of this team. Not even close. It is not even average. But why?

So many aspects that are hard to digest but ultimately the coaching staff needs to take a little heat here for their decisions along the line thus far. Say what you will, but announcing Campbell would remain a starter after a porous week zero and wrapping it up in a bravado cape of "We are building a monster" was inexplicably tone deaf. You supplanted him the very next week and the only thing that was monstrous was the claim.

You sold the collective fan base on this year's starting left tackle being a Butler transfer that the Oklahoma Sooners wanted in Tommy Kennedy. I honestly don't think I have even seen an episode of MTV's Catfish that was this outlandish because Kennedy can't even crack the three deep at center.

Continue the miss parade as Cleveland Reed, who was once applauded by former head coach Mark Richt as a starter of the future, left the program. Currently my numbers show Miami with 74 scholarship players. 11 below the 85 scholarship mark. I have to ask though, are these sanctions self imposed? I just don't get it.

This program needs to get a sense of itself because the statement "Zion is the best we have out there" should not be true. Four games in he is playing like a true freshman who needs a couple more years in this system before he makes any kind of steadfast impact. Which is fine because I believe in his ability long term. But after last week I don't see how this staff continues to march him out there. They shouldn't be in the position that they needed him to be.

That is the reality this current coaching staff faces. You knew what you had on the roster. You tried to fix it in the transfer market and you got catfished. You let some young develop-able talent walk off under the often default guise of "We only want guys who want to be Hurricanes." This mind you is after the countless sales jobs you employ in promising kids a chance at early playing time. You are 11 under the scholarship cap and lastly, you continue to march those kids out there.

This doesn't matter what offensive system you run this time. We cannot just chip and block with tight ends or spread them out of this mess. Eventually you need to put offensive linemen on an island and expect them to do their job. An offensive system change is just masking the more systemic issue that is deep rooted in the program less visible.

This offensive line is playing like a program who is dependent on freshman. And they have proven with 33% of the season now behind us, that is exactly what they are. Manny Diaz, I am not impressed. Butch Barry, I am not impressed. Yeah as a fan I expect better roster management and a team over a 50% blue chip ratio to be much more competitive. Especially along the offensive line.

Really enjoy your posts and overall work Brother

 

[Silver King]

This staff is stuck with the hand that dealt in regards to O-line. You hope they mature and get better - just stop shuffling them around. If they can get through this year they should be much better next, and we better be recruiting O-linemen way, way better.

 

[Twhizman]

Are there things systematically you can help? Sure. I like it to Richt's first year where after 4-4 start, Miami abandoned the I formation and put Kaaya in the gun and really did a concerted effort to get rid of the ball quick. When it did, the canes averaged over 100 more yards a game rushing and that started the beginning of a winning streak.

Can Enos chip? Sure. But Why when the tight ends you are using are weapons and you want them to do what they can to help score points. Can Enos spread you out (I prefer this based on opinion) but it is not like the offensive line won't get tested. Lots of spread teams give up sacks. UNC btw has given up 19 sacks to Miami's 18 (Searels again)

I just think that if Miami is going to be serious coastal contenders year in and year out and beyond....the roster management ESPECIALLY along the offensive line needs to improve. AND the roster retention NEEDS to improve.

this spot on Diaz and co need to make both lines a priority.thought richt messed up his first year here not making both lines a priority his first recruiting class.everything starts and ends with those big guys upfront.

 

[AHURT12]

1. That's why I called it a catfish. Because Kennedy is not even remotely an option moving forward.

2. A kid that wants to leave can leave. But at what point year after year when multiple kids leave and you fall to 74 on scholarship is it concerning? Change approach? Recruit it different? Set realistic expectations? Let offensive linemen it might be 3 years to start here? Idk... letting 50% of the 2016 class walk out the door is too high for me.

3. I'm disappointed in the offensive line play up to now ranking so low. Barry is part of it not all of it.

4. After week zero Campbell was pulled. After watching film you knew why. After last week and week zero Zion film is not pretty. Film doesn't lie. These kids need to take it as motivation

Ok I see, I honestly think we need offensive linemen from outside of Florida it seems Florida oline(not all) are just weak in strength and on the mental going forward recruiting needs to expand

 

[AHURT12]

A huge part of the offense line problem is we have so many guys that have not be in a strength and conditioning program for years the strength part is not there

 

[CaneinBroward]

Offensive line is a weakness for the University of Miami. What is next? Water is wet?

 

[MotoSniper]

I don't get the point of this post. I agree that letting Cleveland Reed walk is bothersome. But what else are you trying to say? They knew the OL needed help and tried to take a transfer, but he turned out to suck. The fact that Zion is better than campbell and Hillary and Herbert isn't on Butch Barry or Manny Diaz. Searels ****ed the OL room up.

The point is to provide conjecture and a somewhat quality analysis of the state of things along the O line...or would you rather see another "Fück Shammy Diaz Thread"

 

[citizenkane]

We have a QB that is good and getting better
We are very deep at running back position
We have the best TE possibly in the nation.
We have at least serviceable WR that could and should do more

and all of that is for nothing because the O-line is beyond bad and there is no apparent way to fix it this year

 

[NicKane]

Seriously, over the months having read your comments I originally thought you were doing a bad comedy parody.

You have not one clue about the things you endlessly babble about. There are a very, very few on this message board who truly have enormous knowledge of the mechanics of college football, you, my clueless, hate-spewing child are not one of them.

And you are are dip$hit? Give me a break old man, Ive forgotten more football then your dumb@$$ has ever known! You want proof, well look no farther then all your comments defending this abortion of a staff because anyone who defends this staff knows about as much about football as a new born in China right now. Gtfoh if you can’t spot a corch like the rest of us fans who have actually played the game At the college level or **** even highschool level can. You my friend are just like your BFF Diaz, never played the game and because that you are both watching the game blind, Diaz from the sideline and you from you couch. btw also take Enos, Barry and all the pop Warner coaches corch Diaz hired on defense with you when you take that long walk off a shot pier. It’s time to put you out to pasture grandpa! Lol

 

[The Svengali]

I hate to say it but he was hard to understand. Something seemed not quite right.

Roman, if we ever meet drinks are on me. Preach!!!

 

[NicKane]

Wow. You have real issues with Manny. It’s pretty clear. And by association, Enos and Barry. This is all from 4 games?

Not just me sir, majority of the fan base has issues with manny, Enos and Barry. The only ones that don’t, are the ones still saying randy, Al and mark still need more time to “get there payers in the program” lol

 

[Canesfan0024]

A lot of reflection for me on the bye week. My inescapable haunting trigger are the two consecutive plays late in the first half vs Central Michigan where Zion Nelson got beat clean twice in a row. Then you add the first game vs. Florida where he is inexplicably stuck in his stance while the pass rush casually passes him bye like a statue.



Then there was John Campbell. His spacial awareness and feel for the position was so critically not in tune that he stuck out on film like a sore thumb. He thus graded out lower then any other Miami offensive lineman on Pro Football Focus vs UF and was replaced the following game. Two Freshmen. I get it.

A deep dive will show Miami ranks tied for 125th in the nation in sacks allowed (with only four games played) There are only five teams in the country who average over four sacks given up per contest:

• Old Dominion 4.0
• Tulsa 4.0
• Miami 4.5
• Akron 4.6
• USF 5.0

Not necessarily the who's who in college football and Miami is the ONLY P5 team on the list. Conversely for reference I listed the top 3 ACC schools in protecting the quarterback and it may be a surprise for some. You would figure the defending national champ would be on the list (they are) but two teams you are killing in recruiting are doing a fine job keeping their QB upright. (Duke by the way started off the year facing Alabama)

• Duke .25
• Boston College .6
• Clemson .8

Sacks allowed isn't the only metric that defines offensive line greatness but when you consider Miami is 82nd in the country in yards per rush, the offensive line is not the strength of this team. Not even close. It is not even average. But why?

So many aspects that are hard to digest but ultimately the coaching staff needs to take a little heat here for their decisions along the line thus far. Say what you will, but announcing Campbell would remain a starter after a porous week zero and wrapping it up in a bravado cape of "We are building a monster" was inexplicably tone deaf. You supplanted him the very next week and the only thing that was monstrous was the claim.

You sold the collective fan base on this year's starting left tackle being a Butler transfer that the Oklahoma Sooners wanted in Tommy Kennedy. I honestly don't think I have even seen an episode of MTV's Catfish that was this outlandish because Kennedy can't even crack the three deep at center.

Continue the miss parade as Cleveland Reed, who was once applauded by former head coach Mark Richt as a starter of the future, left the program. Currently my numbers show Miami with 74 scholarship players. 11 below the 85 scholarship mark. I have to ask though, are these sanctions self imposed? I just don't get it.

This program needs to get a sense of itself because the statement "Zion is the best we have out there" should not be true. Four games in he is playing like a true freshman who needs a couple more years in this system before he makes any kind of steadfast impact. Which is fine because I believe in his ability long term. But after last week I don't see how this staff continues to march him out there. They shouldn't be in the position that they needed him to be.

That is the reality this current coaching staff faces. You knew what you had on the roster. You tried to fix it in the transfer market and you got catfished. You let some young develop-able talent walk off under the often default guise of "We only want guys who want to be Hurricanes." This mind you is after the countless sales jobs you employ in promising kids a chance at early playing time. You are 11 under the scholarship cap and lastly, you continue to march those kids out there.

This doesn't matter what offensive system you run this time. We cannot just chip and block with tight ends or spread them out of this mess. Eventually you need to put offensive linemen on an island and expect them to do their job. An offensive system change is just masking the more systemic issue that is deep rooted in the program less visible.

This offensive line is playing like a program who is dependent on freshman. And they have proven with 33% of the season now behind us, that is exactly what they are. Manny Diaz, I am not impressed. Butch Barry, I am not impressed. Yeah as a fan I expect better roster management and a team over a 50% blue chip ratio to be much more competitive. Especially along the offensive line.

I like how you break down film it’s good and all. But you talk like you are some offensive guru. Do you even coach pee wee? High school? I’ve never seen so many wannabe coaches the last week who think they know schemes and what’s going on. If they did they wouldn’t be coaching from behind a computer screen.

This is ALL on Richt. Taking 1 offensive linemen in 2016 set this program back specifically for 2019. We should have several seniors or RS Juniors on our line but we don’t. 1 freaking oline and he’s not on the roster. Let’s keep dogging the HC and OL coach for trying to make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t.

 

[Cane passion]

I just feel like We can mask some of our deficiencies scheme wise on the offensive line. Ie.. slide protection unbalanced sets and the 3 step passing game and max protecting to name a few. Our line is not that bad if we implement some of these things IMO

 

[Hoyacane1620]

Not just me sir, majority of the fan base has issues with manny, Enos and Barry. The only ones that don’t, are the ones still saying randy, Al and mark still need more time to “get there payers in the program” lol

I am sorry to tell you but I disagree with that "majority" comment. It seems to me it's a small group who like to make themselves heard by speaking and writing very loudly. Kind of like flying banners.... As for "everyone else", I consider myself part of that group who believe nothing can be determined after 4 games. It's pretty clear there were far more issues on this team than anyone could see from the outside and they didn't happen over night. Instituting a new culture, new practice procedures, new offensive systems take time. Weeding out kids who don't buy in helps this but causes other problems, not the least of which is being thin in terms of bodies. It seems to me there were inordinately high expectations for this team based on the fact there is a new staff and a new offense. It's understandable. To most of us, a simple fix was bringing in an OC, having an actual game plan on offense while fixing the QB position. Turns out that was just the tip of the iceberg. IDK all the answers but I do believe that Manny, Enos , Baker and staff deserve the season to try and get this team on the road to recovery.

 

[NorthEastCane]

I like how you break down film it’s good and all. But you talk like you are some offensive guru. Do you even coach pee wee? High school? I’ve never seen so many wannabe coaches the last week who think they know schemes and what’s going on. If they did they wouldn’t be coaching from behind a computer screen.

This is ALL on Richt. Taking 1 offensive linemen in 2016 set this program back specifically for 2019. We should have several seniors or RS Juniors on our line but we don’t. 1 freaking oline and he’s not on the roster. Let’s keep dogging the HC and OL coach for trying to make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t.

Don't take this as I'm a Richt guy I'm not. But 2006 was a poor example to use. He accepted the job in early December that year and relationships with most good lineman takes years to prepare. If you're going to cite anything, cite the evaluations in the 2007 and 2008 class.

Out of 8 taken we've got the most out of Donaldson, Scaife and now Gaynor. The rest (Campbell, Reed, Herbert, Hillary, Dykstra) have yet to make an impact. The miss rate is to high. We needed to hit on most of our evaluations given our roster. And how many of those projected as a tackle?

 

[UMinati]

Are you saying Holsum1 is a 3X NC OL at UM? What OL played on 3 NC teams at UM? Would've had to play on '87, '89, '91 teams. Name one UM player who has 3 rings. I can't think of one. Is he another imposter?

No Holsum was at a FCS school.

 

[gatorsSUCK!]

Since OL is aged based in terms of physical maturity and experience except for a few exceptions, we’re how many years from recovering? This group is 1-2 years in, so the next class need 3 years to be really good? So we’re realistically stuck w like four years of what we’re seeing?

 

[Canesfan0024]

Don't take this as I'm a Richt guy I'm not. But 2006 was a poor example to use. He accepted the job in early December that year and relationships with most good lineman takes years to prepare. If you're going to cite anything, cite the evaluations in the 2007 and 2008 class.

Out of 8 taken we've got the most out of Donaldson, Scaife and now Gaynor. The rest (Campbell, Reed, Herbert, Hillary, Dykstra) have yet to make an impact. The miss rate is to high. We needed to hit on most of our evaluations given our roster. And how many of those projected as a tackle?

Exactly how many are those guys are tackles. That’s ALL on Richt. I don’t want to hear he was on the job for two months. Zion Nelson was discovered in January. Let’s say you take 4 Zion Nelson’s in 2016 and 1 hits, at least you have 1 guys who’s been in the program for 4 years as opposed to starting a guy who’s been here for 8 months. Linemen is the hardest position to project that’s why it takes 2, 3 maybe even 4 years to develop. I just don’t understand how we bash our OC coach.

Does Belichek with without Brady? Does Saban win without number 1 recruiting classes(as you seen with the Dolphins no). Does Dabo win without all time great college QBs in Watson and Sunshine? But let’s go ahead and blame someone right?

 

[kryptonite]

Couple important things you missed here in blaming the staff. First, Kennedy was recruited by and catfished the previous staff prior to Manny taking the HC job. Second, if these are the best guys we’ve got, what is this staff supposed to do about it? That’s the hand they’ve been dealt.

Yeah, I'm not trying to say they're blameless, but they only have what they have. Fans seem to always think there's some better alternative, and sometimes there isn't. Sometimes Malik Rosier truly is the best you've got. We all think there's more they could do to mask the deficiencies, but the talent level isn't really on them. Yet.

 

[Dude]

Searels was really a terrible teacher of the position. Look at the CF careers of McDermott, Darling & St. Louis. He ruined their good shots at being NFL draft picks.
Barry just isnt what we needed. We needed a highly qualified big time coach. Its all hands on deck time for that OL. Bring back Kehoe as an assistant, his OLs were never this bad.