Thoughts from seeing the game live

[hoover437]

Now Scaife isn’t a guard he’s a center??? Last year he was our best lineman in typical Miami fashion he’s now looks like our worse! Miami where 4-5 stars go to die!!!

 

[jsy]

The problem with the dline is that the de rush up the field so fast but the dts don’t consistently push the center back so it opens up huge running lanes

our center of the line gets pushed back easily so the running lanes aren’t as big for king

 

[CanesFan93]

So we're average and the ACC is average but yet everyone goes nuts when we have battles like this.

Some are finally coming to that realization but also want to be wrong. It's a culture thing mostly so its upsetting, to me anyways, that we have the talent but can't get this sh*t together. It starts and ends with the HC.

 

[the storm]

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.

I said last week that I thought he might have an injury of some sort.

 

[Jedi Master Cane]

There is NO denying this team still needs more talent.

There is also NO denying this team isn't being prepared well enough to maximize what the talent we DO have.

The ****** crowd on this board is going to do the same ****** thing they've done for the last decade....but those of us that actually understand the sport know what we are seeing. The breakdowns in the secondary involved VETERAN players who have been IN THIS SYSTEM for more than a year. This team is exhibiting many of the signs of a badly coached team.

 

[Handsome Squidbum]

Some are finally coming to that realization but also want to be wrong. It's a culture thing mostly so its upsetting, to me anyways, that we have the talent but can't get this sh*t together. It starts and ends with the HC.

I'll **** Diaz with faint praise, but I'll say this, the team is finding ways to win, when in the past this is a guaranteed inexplicable loss. It's progress of a sort. What is missing is the desire to give maximum effort against bad teams and high quality coaching. On the effort front, we're not unique there - Bama was weak with Ole Miss, ND with Louisville, and Clemson with Syracuse. They just have so much more talent that they have a much greater margin for error. They also have superior coaching. We do not have that luxury.

One other point - I agree something is off with King. Dude broke Tebows record for consecutive games with a running and passing TD, and now it looks like he is scared to run and risk getting hit. It's kind of silly for him there's be scared with how refs protect QBs in today's game. If a defender sneezes on him too hard it's going to get flagged. I wondering what's going on with him.

 

[k9cane]

I’ll ask you the same question @The Franchise couldn’t answer: who are these complete, consistent teams?

There are four elite teams. Wisconsin looked **** good but it’s just one game. Beyond that? Oklahoma has lost twice. Penn State just lost to Indiana. Florida has one of the worst defenses in America. North Carolina lost to FSU.

Average means in the middle of everyone. It doesn’t mean “every team outside the Top 5.” I’m confident we aren’t a Top 5 team. I’m confident we‘re a Top 25 team. The next few weeks will sort out where we fit in that range.

Here's one team I really like a lot, and Ive been impressed every time Ive seen them - BYU

Really good QB's, they're physical, have speed on the outside, and compete well all the time

 

[DemCanesByke]

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.

Great point and I just want us to win out not worry about playing clemson again. I dont think we are ready for that. If we win out and clemson drags ND in the champ game let them have it

 

[JG14]

I'll **** Diaz with faint praise, but I'll say this, the team is finding ways to win, when in the past this is a guaranteed inexplicable loss. It's progress of a sort. What is missing is the desire to give maximum effort against bad teams and high quality coaching. On the effort front, we're not unique there - Bama was weak with Ole Miss, ND with Louisville, and Clemson with Syracuse. They just have so much more talent that they have a much greater margin for error. They also have superior coaching. We do not have that luxury.

One other point - I agree something is off with King. Dude broke Tebows record for consecutive games with a running and passing TD, and now it looks like he is scared to run and risk getting hit. It's kind of silly for him there's be scared with how refs protect QBs in today's game. If a defender sneezes on him too hard it's going to get flagged. I wondering what's going on with him.

I do agree with you on this team is at least finding ways to win. We are probably 2-3 right now if last's years team had this schedule

 

[Angry Ibis]

What should the D have done differently when UVA came out in the 3 QB gimmick offense and scored on the first drive losing Carter on the first play?

 

[Notsince1985]

So....why was Burns in on the last drive? He's been fine this year, but he's our 4th best RB. Just weird that his only playing time came when we absolutely needed yards and first downs.

 

[Deleted member 25284]

The goal should be to just keep winning and keep progressing towards being a consistent program. If we win at least 9 a year manny will find a way to get the talent that makes up for coaching problems imo. That’ll be the only way we take the next step

 

[Deleted member 25284]

He is, and the coaches would tell you the same thing.

He played safety the second half despite not playing a snap of safety since he stepped on campus.

He 100% is. Its evident just in the way he lines up snap to snap. He always gets to his landmark and he hides what he’s going to do very well. He also makes a lot of checks pre snap

 

[CanesFan93]

I'll **** Diaz with faint praise, but I'll say this, the team is finding ways to win, when in the past this is a guaranteed inexplicable loss. It's progress of a sort. What is missing is the desire to give maximum effort against bad teams and high quality coaching. On the effort front, we're not unique there - Bama was weak with Ole Miss, ND with Louisville, and Clemson with Syracuse. They just have so much more talent that they have a much greater margin for error. They also have superior coaching. We do not have that luxury.

One other point - I agree something is off with King. Dude broke Tebows record for consecutive games with a running and passing TD, and now it looks like he is scared to run and risk getting hit. It's kind of silly for him there's be scared with how refs protect QBs in today's game. If a defender sneezes on him too hard it's going to get flagged. I wondering what's going on with him.

You're absolutely right. The progress that's been made shouldn't be ignored. I think the tendencies we've seen over the past decade or so, poor effort and lack of good coaching as you mentioned, are still so evident which makes it difficult to acknowledge improvement.

 

[MiamiChris]

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 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 5-6 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.

gil needs to be more physical

 

[OriginalCanesCanesCanes]

The only issue is how does Manny feel about this game. If he is thoroughly frustrated, angry and deeply unsatisfied, to the point of instituting changes in himself, the coaches, and the team/players and their approach, especially during the bye week, then at least that is the right approach.

If he’s relieved, and thinks he just needs a few tweaks, he’s who we thought he was.

If he’s just happy to have won, I’d fire him on the spot.

I’m hoping it’s the first thing.

 

[GonzoCane]

“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?

 

[Samson Doyo]

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.

Great write up.
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 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 5-6 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.

Great write up. We need an attitude adjustment We don’t play like killers. 5-1 I’ll take, but as you said we better up our game.

Go Canes!

 

[ajkreider]

Outside of the W/L record, this team has not improved much since the UAB game. It’s arguable we have regressed which is mind boggling considering the amount of talent on this team. This is my biggest concern with Diaz. It’s year 5 with Diaz and our Defense is worse than our Defense in 2016. That should not be the case.

What has happened is that defenses know what to do. Stack the box and make us beat you over the top. Lashlee is probably a little too committed to the run. Hope we start using the pass to set up the run.

 

[filmcane]

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 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 5-6 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.

Great post!

and, I would add we need to get out D QB back out there - Flagg. We need flag back out there diagnosing plays and getting defensive lineman in the right alignments.