When did the culture Problems start?

[DTP]

Somewhere along the way, probably around 2004-2005, Miami adopted the “NFL U” mantra. Now, having players in the league is a great selling point but it started to become our only selling point. It was no longer, “come to Miami, compete against the best of the best, win championships, THEN go league” it turned into “it you pretty please come to Miami, we’ll start you from day one and by your junior year you can go to the NFL”. Players no longer came to win, they only came to get drafted.

 

[Navy Cane]

After the Ohio State disaster...everything came crashing to the ground.

 

[For_The_U]

I feel like **** asking this question. Let's say they didn't march in and just let the school pick the new coach. Some players like ed and mckinnie and rumph said they might of left.

The Rutgers game really opened my eyes.... If they didn't call that pick 6 back, Maaaan, I don't know about that game..... No ******* way we should of been in a game with them that year. That was eye opening.

Yes, I believe those juniors would have left if Alvarez had been hired. That's why I said it was the right move for that squad. They knew they were good enough to win it all on their own. And they were right. But that set a precedent, a mind set of players being more important than staff, and that "players rule the roost" attitude carried into 2002. Well, that group was **** special too, with a lot of the leaders from the 2001 team still. It worked, and we should have won a natty again. But as 2003 and 2004 and 2005 came, the same player-run mentality had completely taken over, yet we no longer had a core of players with the mindset and work ethic of that group Ed Reed led. No, the bat signal had been sent out that Miami was where the players were king and you were already a super star who the world should cater to as soon as you put that U helmet on. As we know, that's not the case, and we haven't had a single coach who has been able to wrangle that mentality back in since that time. It seems that ever since, under several different coaching regimes now, Miami has been a group of individuals focused primarily on themselves rather than a true team that was glued together by a common goal. Hopefully Ed's presence will lead to that much needed reset. There was a reason that 2001 team was able to basically self-coach themselves to a title, and it wasn't because of their star rankings coming out of high school.

 

[NicKane]

Does anyone have any idea?

When woman like the troll, Bass and Strawley started having a say in football business. Facts!

 

[Gables Canes]

When we started losing. This culture crap is an excuse for failure. You think we’re the only team with prima donnas and social media wannabe stars?

 

[bshaw28]

Ever since Kellen Winslow's post game rant Tennessee game in 2003.

This where the saying "The U" started from. We've had 1 10 win season and haven't finished in the Top 10 since 2004.

"The U" is a curse. I'm convinced as long as people are saying "The U" instead of "Miami", we won't be good.

 

[Ice79]

Yes, I believe those juniors would have left if Alvarez had been hired. That's why I said it was the right move for that squad. They knew they were good enough to win it all on their own. And they were right. But that set a precedent, a mind set of players being more important than staff, and that "players rule the roost" attitude carried into 2002. Well, that group was **** special too, with a lot of the leaders from the 2001 team still. It worked, and we should have won a natty again. But as 2003 and 2004 and 2005 came, the same player-run mentality had completely taken over, yet we no longer had a core of players with the mindset and work ethic of that group Ed Reed led. No, the bat signal had been sent out that Miami was where the players were king and you were already a super star who the world should cater to as soon as you put that U helmet on. As we know, that's not the case, and we haven't had a single coach who has been able to wrangle that mentality back in since that time. It seems that ever since, Miami has been a group of individuals focused primarily on themselves rather than a true team that was glued together by a common goal. Hopefully Ed's presence will lead to that much needed reset. There was a reason that 2001 team was able to basically self-coach themselves to a title, and it wasn't because of their star rankings coming out of high school.

Sorry.... Never really asked my question.... My question is do u think we would we would have won the chip in 01 if people left?

 

[For_The_U]

Sorry.... Never really asked my question.... My question is do u think we would we would have won the chip in 01 if people left?

If the AD had not relented and promoted Coker, no, I think critical players from that core group would have left for the draft and we would not have gone undefeated in 2001. So I 100% believe that was all the right decision. Where the administration failed, IMO, was not having the wherewithall to recognize that the 2001 group was truly unique and if it worked for them that didn't mean it would work again for another group, and not having the foresight to have a game plan in place for 2002-forward if the 01 squad achieved what they thought they could. There was never a point in time that Coker was a good top level P5 head coach. He was simply a man that allowed the status quo to remain in 2001.

However, this is all really easy to say from the benefit of hindsight. At the time, Coker was undefeated as a HC with a natty in his first season. You're gonna replace him?!? So I acknowledge that. This is classic MMQB.

 

[MedleyCane]

I won't say I predicted our demise, but back in 2002 I attended early season game at Temple and watched a very sloppy Cane team sleep walk through much of contest. ....there was a moment where Temple's Dan Klecko sacked Dorsey....busting through interior of OL for the first allowed sack of 2002 and you had Romberg and another OLman on ground laughing their ****s off...a few minutes Romberg and co were on sidelines still guffawing over sack... I was amazed at how these guys were acting...it was if they were having a good ole time at an alumni game in spring....I venture to think JJ, Schnells, Saban and others would have found very little humor in that attitude.

 

[JD08]

There is an incredibly easy answer to this.

The tipping point was the 2004 season, because by this point you had lost a lot of the Butch recruited AND COACHED players and you also lost Chudzinski as the OC. Coker wasn't perfect, but at least he had 2 UM alums as his OC and DC and once Coker started to lose coaches from the Butch era, he didn't replace them with equal/superior guys.

Also, by this point, you had a couple of significant changes on the recruiting side. First, this was the rise of the "internet ratings systems" and the Rivals/Scout class rankings. A lot of our coaches started to recruit from the office, instead of getting out and seeing kids in person. Also (as has happened at other times in UM's history), we had a lot of recruits who came to Miami EXPECTING to go undefeated, and who didn't understand how to work hard to create their own legacies. The kids who just assumed that they would be playing for conference and national championships.

By the time that Coker realized that things were getting away from him (including having to replace Greg Mark mid-season, though there were also some personal issues involved there), it was really too late. We had entitled players, we did not have the same strong coaching staff, and we didn't have anyone who knew how to restore things the way that Butch knew how to restore things.

Also, in complete honesty...2004 was the year we signed Willie Williams. Now, I don't hate the kid, but the way that he turned recruiting into such a clown show, with no real repercussions (we still admitted him) was a serious turning point. People want to yap about "Manny shouldn't have taken JT-4 back", but it was much worse what happened with WW.

2004. Willie Williams. Dan Werner. Entitled players. Seventh Floor Crew didn't happen until 2005, but the players and attitude that led to that was already in place in 2004.

PS - 2004 recruiting class was ranked #3 by Rivals, and then 2005 immediately went down to #10. 2006 class was ranked #14. 2007 class was ranked #22. Yes, Randy got us back to #2 in 2008 with a MASSIVE signing class, and we have not been back to the Top 5 since.

That was about when "Swag" became a goal instead of a byproduct.

 

[streetja]

Has to be the hiring of Shalala.

If you discount UTSA or wherever the **** Coker ended up coaching again, we had 4 consecutive HCs spanning 18 years that will never HC again a day in their lives. Shalala was here for 15 of those years. When she came in the program was working with 20 years of momentum on its side and she allowed it to hit rock bottom before making a move. When that move finally came, it was the cheapest hire imaginable and we've never regained our footing again.

And when you combine Shalala's deprioritization of athletics with the abysmal evaluation skills of our Athletic Department, you end up with the last 20 years here.

 

[Canes659]

Drop The "U" Title, SWAG, Toys on the field...and win some dam football games consistently. Then we don't have to look stupid as fans bragging about our team at the beginning of every season.

 

[DTP]

When we started losing. This culture crap is an excuse for failure. You think we’re the only team with prima donnas and social media wannabe stars?

Not at all. However, teams with a good locker room culture and a staff that maintains it don’t allow prima donnas to drag the entire team down.

There’s plenty of examples of bad culture infiltrating “winning” teams too. FSU fans will admit that while they were winning the title in 13 and making the playoff in 14, Jimbo lost control of the locker room and just kind of let the players do whatever they wanted. They had enough talent in 2013 for it not to matter, but the cracks started to show in 2014 and Jimbo bolted not much after that. Then they made the huge mistake of hiring a pushover coach in Taggart who couldn’t command any respect. That’s how they fell off so hard. It’s not that they haven’t had talented teams (they always recruit at a high level) they just don’t have enough guys who give a ****. Similar to Miami.

 

[For_The_U]

That was about when "Swag" became a goal instead of a byproduct.

Well said, man! The origins of our downward spiral almost perfectly trace when "swagger" went from being how Miami was received by others because we were whopping everyone's *** and doing it in style, to something recruits thought came as part of the package when they signed an LOI for Miami. It's a perfect microcosm.

 

[Rellyrell]

If I saw one of my teammates do this, I would probably quit the team and transfer. It is so embarrassing.

facts; and iirc, Golden dismissed this as the guys goofing around having a little fun. That season, we started 4-3 that included a bludgeoning by Clemson of 58-0. Finished 8-5 that included a potential go ahead drive which ended w a half back pass in a blizzard. Lol

These antics, these antics being allowed is what causes culture problems. And not to go off on a tangent, but this was my biggest gripe w Diaz’s 1st yr; Antics both by him, and guys he started or allowed to come back to the team. When coaches are too busy trying to be friends, as opposed to being a coach, disciplinarian, and father figure.

 

[For_The_U]

facts; and iirc, Golden dismissed this as the guys goofing around having a little fun. That season, we started 4-3 that included a bludgeoning by Clemson of 58-0. Finished 8-5 that included a potential go ahead drive which ended w a half back pass in a blizzard. Lol

These antics, these antics being allowed is what causes culture problems. And not to go off on a tangent, but this was my biggest gripe w Diaz’s 1st yr; Antics both by him, and guys he started or allowed to come back to the team. When coaches are too busy trying to be friends, as opposed to being a coach, disciplinarian, and father figure.

Not a month goes by where I am able to escape a mention or a memory of The HB Snow Pass. smh It's still hard to believe that actuallyhappened.