Bro, this whole notion that Manny was a lazy hire needs to end. Immediately. If you or anyone for that matter thinks about it logically, if will be made clear to you why he wasn't. The university knew EXACTLY what they were doing when they hired him. As was the case multiple times during the last 20 yrs, they ended up hiring the safest & cheapest option possible.
1.) Even with paying a 4 million buyout to Temple, hiring Manny was by far the cheapest option at the time, because it meant not only keeping the same Defensive philosophy in tact, but also the entire Defensive staff with the exception of Baker. If they didn't hire Manny, the university would've had to fire staffs on both sides of the ball, in addition to buying out the next HCs current contract. This forum has a love-hate relationship with Cristobal, but what was his buyout at the time @ UO? In case you forgot it was in the ballpark of 10 mil. So the pt that I'm trying to make is that the reason why there wasn't a thorough HC search, is because the budget constraints ended up limiting the options. The University has always known that Blake James does not possess the best football acumen, that is why before Richt was hired they allowed him to pay top dollar for a search committee. Whether you perceive Richts tenure as a success or failure, If the University didn't make the next hire from his staff, it would essentially mean the money that was spent on his search was also wasted.
2.) Regardless of what influential boosters have told you about their willingness to pay top dollar for a HC & staff, after the last 20 yrs none of these individuals have earned the benefit of the doubt. Time & time again during the last 20 yrs, this university has chosen to make bargain bin hires when it comes to its football program. These individuals are trying to control the narrative, that this University has resources, and a willingness to spend. The problem is the facts of the situation just don't support their ridiculous claim. That in of itself is a much bigger issue for this program, than Blake James's perceived incompetence. So you are right when you say that Manny is not the disease but a mere symptom. But either is Blake James. Its high time this delusional fanbase accept that reality, so they can finally begin to target their frustration at the right place.
Well thought out post. You are right. There are a multitude of ways the hire could have gone, sure, but the truth of the matter (supported by history) is the school took a known quantity, who had a bunch of really good years at the school to that point, and took him at arguably a discount.
It's a private school remember... there isn't some hiring criteria or transparency required. They could give a **** less, I am sure. I am also so tired of hearing about it.
Year one, he got his **** packed in. Made some changes.
Year 2, did pretty well, still underperformed. Made more changes.
Year 3, lets see. Trajectory to this point pushes up even further.
I know the cribby's of CIS and the FMD crew (**** Manny Diaz) wanted Mario or Butch or any of these names with history to the program, on a second go around, but Richt as a big time college coach coming to Miami should ALWAYS be viewed as an outlier to traditional UM coach hiring.
It has always been a diamond in the rough, or one with limited success elsewhere. Go down the ******* list for **** sake:
Howard- Coordinator and 1 yr as a NFL HC before being ****canned and sent to the fins as an OC
Jimmy- Coached at Oklahoma St, limited success, still lost 4 games a year there
Erickson- HC of no name west coast schools until Miami
Butch- NFL Coordinator before Miami
Coker- You know the drill
Shannon- Same deal
Golden- Same deal, but pedo
Richt- ONLY OUTLIER
Manny- Same deal
There will never been another Richt here, it will always be a young hire, and to be honest, I will be fine with that. This year for Manny is make or break. Its 10 wins or bust, thats for sure. But please stop with the crybaby **** over coaching search, previous experience 'big name hires'. There will never be a big name Miami hire. Ever.
Lets see what Manny does with a full house.