Thoughts from seeing the game live

[305407cane]

Got it. Was asking in the context of how many coaching hire failures there are across the country by reputable programs.

I mean Mark Richt failed here...

Failed here?? This job nearly killed him

 

[SayWhat]

Jesus Christ you’re not in our admin are you?

Nah, but I played ball in college, you? I've always said dumb takes like those on this issue is why most players can't stand most fans.

 

[Go Canes!!]

The good/bad news is we are the unhappiest fan base of a 5-1 team.

The dozen or so mopes on here arm chair coordinating don't represent this fan base. The average fan is concerned about the overall sloppy play from the team but thrilled to be 5-1 going into the bye.

 

[Go Canes!!]

Nah, but I played ball in college, you? I've always said dumb takes like those on this issue is why most players can't stand most fans.

All of a sudden a moment of fun with a couple of guys is everything that's wrong with this team.

These mopes spend all day trying to outdo their own scorching hot takes.

Reminds me of the "practice field being replaced will doom this program" fiasco.

Until you let them know you actually played on it.

 

[mirasuegui]

Solid assessment. My biggest frustration point was the lack of playmakers making plays. Thank goodness Harley has his breakout game. Otherwise there wasn’t much to point to. And that goes back to your statement on lack of energy. Very painful game to watch.

I didn’t see the play where Steed wasn’t in position. Overall I was just happy to see him in there contributing.

actually outside of that play Steed was pretty solid, MCCloud love the kid but just let him rush the passer, sometimes he doesn't even get out of his stance, you almost feel bad for him, because I think he frustrate himself :

 

[mirasuegui]

Half of this board comes alive at any sign of struggle or weakness in the Canes programme.

You live and breathe for these snarky comments.

to be fair this has been going on for 15 plus years : one thing I give Manny credit is really improving special teams. Between our punters and place kickers it must have cost us 3 to 4 wins a year :

 

[mirasuegui]

My takeaway from the game completely based on eye test:

Pros:
- A game in the pouring rain, against a gimmicky offense with multiple mobile qbs? We've lost this game every time for the last 10 years
- King was nails yesterday. Big-time throw after big-time throw. It's a blessing to have that type of qb
- Receivers finally showed up a bit. We still had some drops and ineffective play, but they made plenty of plays yesterday, which honestly should be the expectation given that it seems receivers all across the nation are making big plays and tough catches
- Nice to see players finally develop a bit. Frierson, Chaney, Mallory, showing up on a consistent basis now, nice change from previous years

Cons:
- Why is our defense always so **** easy to play against? Backup qbs always seem to pick us apart, mobile qbs always find a way to get yards on the ground against us. Opposing running games seemingly have easier times running against us than vice versa every single week. Other teams have receivers that make tough, contested catches, they have players that break tackles. Its felt this way for the last 10 years. What is it about our defense that makes it seem this way?
- It feels like our d-line wilts when they face a mobile qb. Their aggression gets used against them, they rush upfield, run past the qb, and then the qb is free to run for 10 yards. Whereas teams with elite d-lines, they seem to collapse the pocket from the interior and right into the face of the qb. And then our d-line starts to play passive after they've gotten gouged a few times which is just as bad
- At some point we have to find an o-line group that can effectively run the ball when everyone in the stadium knows we're going to run the ball, right? Lack of creativity is hurting for sure, but we're not even getting 2 or 3 yards, its stopped dead at the line time and time again.
- Something is up with King for sure. There are a few times a game where its clear as day that King pulling it will at LEAST gain 5 yards, and likely MUCH more. Then you have the indirect threat of King pulling the ball consistently, which makes the defense hesitate for that split second which i feel like is a pretty big deal for this offense
- Going back to the defense, Blake Baker may end up being the thing that costs Manny the job here. I don't think Manny is great by any means, but if he had above average coordinators on both sides, we could win 10 games a bunch of times under Manny given our crappy schedules and be that team that's always RIGHT there and therefore we can't fire Manny. Kind of like Richt at UGA, always a game away from doing something big. And maybe you sneak into a playoff or two if things break right. But Baker is in over his head, and IDK if Manny has the balls to fire him.

My Completely unanalytical take on things, and its very likely I let alcohol and 15 years of frustration leak into my perception of the game

Agree on the defense more of a worry then any other group, can't set the edge, and mobile QB's continue to hurt us: UV just wanted to control the clock, and we couldn't get them off the field. King might be hurt, because it seems the DE aren't even playing him to keep the ball they are just collapsing on the RB:

 

[Canemang]

All of a sudden a moment of fun with a couple of guys is everything that's wrong with this team.

These mopes spend all day trying to outdo their own scorching hot takes.

Reminds me of the "practice field being replaced will doom this program" fiasco.

Until you let them know you actually played on it.

Absolutely no doubt in my mind you defended Shannon, Golden, & Richt as well. You really are the worst type of fan, team/coaches do no wrong in your eyes.

Manny, just like his 3 predecessors, ******* sucks as a head coach. It’s ok to admit that and still root for the team.

 

[mirasuegui]

“The first step is beating the bye week. That's been one of Manny's toughest opponents.”

What is it about bye weeks that are so tough for Manny and Company?

whatever you are doing in the by week change it :

 

[rsa coral gables]

Our 5-1 record reminds me some of 2017, which means our record is an illusion. We should have won by 20 v Pitt and v UVA.
At one point in the game it should have been 21-10 if they hadn't covered up the TE and had intercepted the bad throw on the bubble screen. We got lucky. Real lucky.

Our offense is better than in 2017 because we have a much better QB. But our D has regressed. A lot fewer turnovers on D. Lots of mental errors.

Manny needs to replace at least 3/5 of the defensive staff.

 

[Angry Ibis]

Failed here?? This job nearly killed him

The discussion was focused on finding a coach that has it and how it may appear easy or be easy to tell from inside the program when the coach is here, but clearly hard to find the right fit when hiring.

Schools across the country are hiring and firing left and right, including USC, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, Florida State, Miami...and at Miami that included Richt who had an element of success running a program at Georgia.

My point is that if it was really easy to identify coaches to fix, elevate or make your program consistently successful those schools wouldn’t fail at it so often.

 

[NorthEastCane]

Ah, baseball. There's a big difference in wet and dry games in football. Wet games, they can go any which way and you're just happy to win. Wet games level the playing field more often than not. No excuse, but that is the truth. I always hated the rain for that reason.

Again, missing the point.

 

[Go Canes!!]

Absolutely no doubt in my mind you defended Shannon, Golden, & Richt as well. You really are the worst type of fan, team/coaches do no wrong in your eyes.

Manny, just like his 3 predecessors, ******* sucks as a head coach. It’s ok to admit that and still root for the team.

You couldn’t be more wrong. I could give two ***** if Manny, Baker and James all got fired tomorrow if it helped us win.

What I don’t do is make up idiotic, childish nicknames or make preposterous assumptions based on a single moment after a sloppy, emotional game.

That I leave to you and your arm chair crew “who really know football” and “watch the film bro” !!

Lmao, you clowns are like a retarded circle jerk trying to outdo yourselves with your beta male proclamations and cashing check theories.

 

[NorthEastCane]

Daniel Jones smacked us in a rain game 2 years ago if I’m remembering correctly. Rain is the ultimate equalizer

It may be for physical differences but not for mental. Do you think the rain affected our effort level, readiness for play, or lapses in judgement more than it affected VA. If so, that's even more damming indictment of our mental toughness than anything previously stated.

It reminds me of the Sun Bowl a few years ago, when the team was huddled around the heater on the sidelines rather than paying attention to game while Notre Dame (of all people) was pasting us.

Talk about optics.

 

[305407cane]

Lol at the rain. This is a south Florida team. The majority of our players are from Florida. They know how to play in the rain

 

[S.O.M.]

This team needs a lot of work. Tonight felt like the last two UVA slogs. We were lucky to win. UVA blew a pick-6 on a screen and committed several bailout penalties. Another performance like that is likely a loss.

But we aren't the 2002 Canes sleepwalking against Rutgers. This team isn’t good enough for fans to take wins for granted. There are four teams that should expect a blow out every game. We aren’t one of them.

I’ll take 5-1. Most teams would. Am I saying Manny’s the guy? Of course not. Last year was one of the worst seasons in Canes history. There’s a lot of ground to make up. But we asked for a modern offense and consistent wins against inferior ACC teams. So far, we’ve gotten what we’ve asked for.

The real test is November. That's where Miami seasons go to die. The first step is beating the bye week. That's been one of Manny's toughest opponents.

On to the specifics of the game.

- One of our problems on the OL is that we have three centers on the interior. Scaife lacks the anchor strength of a guard. He is someone who can play a solid T in college and is best long-term as a C. That was his evaluation out of high school and remains true today. Donaldson should be motivated to get his body right because he has a huge role waiting for him. Jalen Rivers also shuffled in on a 4th down play (it was aborted because of a bad sub) and may be more of a factor going forward.

- With that said, our OL was not that bad pass blocking. King had some nice pockets, even when Virginia brought pressure. Some of the busted plays were due to coverage or King not making quick enough decisions.

- The run game is a different story, as there is both a lack of push and a lack of imagination. This bye week is a good time to add some wrinkles there.

- Something is definitely up with King's running. He is either hurt or protecting himself. It's not only the read-option. From the stadium view, there was a ton of green grass on those scrambles if King takes off earlier. He's still an excellent college QB (322 yards, 70% in the air) but he's not going to win out without the running element of his game.

- Happy to see Harley step up. This is what I expected out of camp. He's nowhere near a #1 but he is the best receiver on this team. Pope is still not there but is moving in the right direction. Wiggins has no confidence and is a liability right now.

- This offense lacks a run-after-the-catch WR. Lashlee's offense works much better when he has a playmaker on those quick screens. Hopefully that is solved with the '21 class. When Brevin comes back, I would have him and Mallory running those plays on the same side. They are our two best RAC guys and our two best perimeter blockers.

- Jaelen Phillips lacks a plan as a rusher. He is all effort and explosive power, like a young Olivier Vernon. The pass rush has been an overall disappointment and needs to get going down the stretch. We miss those Rousseau-at-DT alignments that everyone complained about. The team's sack percentage has dropped from 11.03% (2nd in nation) to 6.10%.

- Virginia is not good, but they are better than 1-4 with Armstrong at QB. This reminded me of the Clemson/UVA game with UVA's veteran OL slowing down a more athletic front. Clemson won by 13 more points, which reflects the current gap between the two programs.

- Gilbert Frierson is one of the smartest players we've had in a while. He made a key third-down stop early in the 3rd when UVA brought #99 across the formation and Frierson sniffed it out the whole way. He also played safety in the second half with zero college experience just to help the team. I would give him a gold star if not for his poor tackling on #13's long catch-and-run. He grabbed at the waist like a sixth-grade slow dance. Overall, we need to clean up our tackling technique when runs reach the third level. It hurt us against Clemson and UVA.

- Don Chaney's TD was an example of a superior talent imposing his will. People have been forecasting a Chaney growth spurt for years (his dad is 6'6, 350) and now we've seen it. He looks like Todd Gurley. This is the biggest reason for optimism: Miami is starting to land elite-tier physical talents like Chaney, James Williams and Leonard Taylor instead of letting them leave home.

- Charles Snowden was the best defensive player on the field. A lot of his plays were superior individual efforts. Glad he's gone.

- The defense made two inexcusable mental errors on the drive to make it 19-14. Steed was barely lined up for Armstrong's long 4th down run and got stuck in no-man's land. Blades fell asleep on the long TD, and from the stands you could see he lacked urgency before the snap. Virginia, on the other hand, was very aware in taking away plays (like the 2-point conversion) and generally had better energy.

- I didn't love Manny's demeanor after the game. Relief is fine because it is hard to win. But there was an effort issue in the first half and a focus issue on UVA's last TD drive. Those habits need to be called out and corrected. Is he just building up a 6-7’s team’s confidence, or is he too nice?

- The key drive was the 13-play drive that resulted in a FG. I think we pull away if that's a TD. Instead, it was a FG and the game was a struggle to the end. Lashlee had a tough decision: do you ride the hot hand with Chaney or use his threat to set something up? He's going to need to thoroughly evaluate his red zone offense during the bye week.

- Overall, it's a good week for a bye. Get guys back from COVID, make some adjustments offensively and heal up. It's a good thing us fans are still emotionally invested and frustrated. That means the games still matter.

Excellent post.

 

[Telituesday]

We have played our toughest first 6 games in a long time and are 5-1. I could be wrong but don’t think we have been losing in any game (outside clemson) since uab went up 7-0 on us. We are number 7 in strength of record and 17 in game control (surprisingly good considering Clemson game). Vegas and sp+ have us as a top 20 team. For those comparing us to 2017 ( our best team in years), we haven’t had anything near the luck/ close games that team had. That team beat FSU and gt at the buzzer,lost to Pitt by multiple scores, won off a late fumble to a terrible unc team, was losing in 2h to uva, and beat Syracuse by one possession despite forcing 4 turnovers (similarly competitive game to uva 2020). Don’t ya think there’s some reason to not be furious just yet?

 

[TheMatador]

- Few things would be more "Miami" than Phillips leaving early. He needs work and film. He may leave early to be someone's 3rd-4th round pick, or this staff can convince him the risk is worth the reward. We probably know how that will end up.

- I'm not sure people complained about the Rousseau-at-DT alignments when they were novel. Most of us noted that, once teams gameplanned for Rousseau lined up over the center, they became far, far less effective and, at some points, a liability. And, I think that's a bit of what we see overall on defense. We do something well. We fail to anticipate the opponent will change. We pay the consequences. Is it 6 weeks in a row where our head coach, who is also a former D-Coordinator, says "they're doing something we didn't see on film." Is the implication that we predominantly prepare for what teams show on film? We'll be forever ******* surprised, I guess.

- With you on Manny's demeanor and overall approach. The "too nice" thing is a common board thing because of some comments over the past couple weeks, but I've been saying this since last season: the substance/hype thing is far more concerning (see picture).

View attachment 134328

I would give Manny a pass on the stuff “we didn’t see in film excuse.” Oklahoma gave us fits in the first half in the ‘85 Oklahoma game with Troy Aikman passing like crazy against us. Oklahoma was a traditional wishbone team and UM didn’t expect so much passing from a wishbone QB. As JJ was coming off the field for halftime, the network sideline reporter stopped him and he said they had not prepared for Oklahoma’s passing. (I remember the interview.) The staff made adjustments at halftime, Jerome Brown crushed Aikman’s ankle, and we won, in Norman.

I have to give Manny a pass at that one—a lot of good coaches would have had trouble with the crazy offense we faced. Especially when we have to play with so many young players at LB.

 

[MikeCane18]

I agree with most everything you wrote. It's important to be comfortable saying things are not good enough, without going the other way and saying everything is trash.

I hadn't seen my nephew in a while and he stopped by yesterday after getting out of the military. He asked how the Canes were doing and I said they've only lost once, and it was to Clemson. He replied, "that's a really good season for them after last year. I mean, everyone loses to Clemson so that's not a surprise."

To me, that was a good reminder that the team is where we could've hoped, it's just the natural roller coaster of being a fan. Gotta see if anything has actually changed by how we close the season. I think with tie breakers we would still miss the ACCCG even if we win out, if Notre Dame only loses to Clemson, or UNC only loses to us, but that has time to shake itself out.

For now, focus internally and try to clean up what can be cleaned up.

Wouldn't UNC be out if we run the table and beat them head to head? Also, UNC lost to FSU so 2 losses would have them done. We have to win out of course, but ND is the one that likely edges us out in a tie-breaker if/when it comes down to it.

 

[TheMatador]

D$ I saw King last Sunday morning right after the Pitt game at First Watch near the airport after he had breakfast. He was walking with a noticeable limp. I asked if he was ok but brushed it off as nothing but I figured it was the day after....I remember always being sore af after a slugfest.

Thought he limped a bit on the field. Don’t know how significant that was.