No Longer The Fix, Nix Gets Nixed

University of Miami offensive coordinator Patrick Nix was fired Monday night by Hurricane Head Coach Randy Shannon.  Nix's short two year term as OC at Miami was unsuccessful and easily forgettable as he led the Canes offense to some of their worst statistical performances in the last 25 years. 

Nix was a young, inexperienced coordinator and it showed.  His lack of an identifiable offensive scheme, inconsistent play calling and poor game clock management were often questioned and criticized by the media and the fans. 

As a result, he is now probably on a midnight train to Memphis far from the bright lights of Miami.  As a consolation, while we hear the nights may be dark, the BBQ is really good. 

The news Monday night was this: Nix got nixed.  The reality is he was going, going, gone long before this balmy December night.  For many, many fans and bloggers like Carlos and Calvin the day could not come soon enough. 

The next question is who will replace him?  Join us tomorrow on "The Coaches Of Our Lives" for the answer to that burning question...

Comments

[Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer]

Great play on your own words Soup.

[Hey Yo!]

WR Screen on 1st down--- here it comes --- running play with the QB, it's coming on second down.

3rd and 9 ? No problems, lets hand it off to Cooper for a 2 yard game.

After all we need our Team MVP Matt Bosher to get his.

-The Pat Nix Philosophy-

Too Bad Matt Bosher doesn't leave for the draft early, he could be a 1st round pick.

[solarcane]

huh?

[Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer]

So let's have a show of hand for CAPTAIN DIRK. haha His first nickname and he's not even hired. lol

[SOUP]

Great play on your own words Soup.

Posted by: Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer | December 29, 2008 at 10:14 PM

Thank U sir!

[Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer]

OMG, I beat the Juice Man himself?? lol

Waht's up Solar?? Crazy times it is, no?? haha

[TonyCane]

Is Larry Coker coming back as OC?!

[SOUP]

SDSU

[hurriphin]

SOUP,

You clever son of a gun!! Where do you find the time to come up with these innovative posts??

[SOUP]

Browns

[SOUP]

Stoops Tree

[SOUP]

You clever son of a gun!! Where do you find the time to come up with these innovative posts??

Posted by: hurriphin | December 29, 2008 at 10:21 PM

I am UM educated and I work HARD!

[Hey Yo!]

Maybe that's the shocker Truth is talking about --- here's the headline ---

"Nix Fired, Bosher Upset - Considers possible transfer"

University of Miami MVP Kicker Matt Bosher declined comment. Sources say that since his punting and field goal opportunities will diminish in the coming season Bosher is considering a transfer to Duke .....

[TonyCane]

Speaking of Coker...as bad as things got over the last three years (and they did improve this season), does anyone want to harbor a guess what Miami's record in 2007 and 2008 would have been if Larry Coker had remained head coach and Olsen the OC?

[SOUP]

Tony...don't do it man!

[solarcane]

wad up chi pun?
I was sleeping at the switch lol
yea this is insane.

peace

[ANGRYCANE]

YES!!!!!!!

THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!!

[Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer]

Hurriphin, Soup definitely is both of the above.

[SOUP]

"If we win this football game, from a selfish standpoint, in six years I'll have won 10 games a year [on average] for six years," Coker said. "That's pretty good. I'd like to see you do a little study on the next six and see how much better than that the next coach does."

Larry Coker

[solarcane]

SDSU
Posted by: SOUP | December 29, 2008 at 10:20 PM

not to be mistaken with

STFU which soup has been known to toss my way

peace

[JESUS]

THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!!

Posted by: ANGRYCANE | December 29, 2008 at 10:25 PM

U ARE WELCOME MY SON...

[Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer]

Hey Yo, LMAO, that is some funny shyt! LOL.

[hurriphin]

Oh boy, I get no respect I tell ya, no respect.

(Dangerfield)

[SOUP]

Heh, heh, heh...

[Carlos]

still ecstatic over here... I swear I'd buy all of you guys a round of Triple Screw's if we were at Titanic right now.

[reggaebob]

ive been pretty busy lately from exams through break but i couldnt help but come here to see carlos shoot off the fireworks.

koetter, chuck long (he was fired at sdsu, right?) chud? what are your picks?

and i know soup said no, but tonycane- he would have been 7-6, 8-4 around there. he wasnt good enough to keep this program elite, but he had a fairly well-managed staff that could keep a few good wins around the U. no, i dont want him back at Miami (hed be a good fit for a school content with that sort of record) but after seeing some of the randy-nix-marve-clock drama i kinda respect his stability (up until the 05 peach bowl)

[Carlos]

U ARE WELCOME MY SON...

Posted by: JESUS | December 29, 2008 at 10:27 PM

lol

[Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer]

TonyCane, that's a very sobering thought. lol

[Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer]

Soup, I cannot imagine that Chud would want to come back to the U when he's on the fast track to a HC gig in the NFL.

[Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer]

Carlos, who's your pick?

I thought Nix handled the situation very graciously, even with a kernel of truth in his statement.

[Hey Yo!]

Enough talk about anything Cleveland Browns Affiliated. In case anyone hasn't noticed but the Browns are awful and have been since like the late 80s.

Yeah I love Dorsey and K2 too!

[ANGRYCANE]

"U ARE WELCOME MY SON..."

Posted by: JESUS | December 29, 2008 at 10:27 PM

I will be a good Roman Catholic and start going to church, swear off women, booze, and cigars, and spread your gospil!!

FAST-FOWARD TO 2:18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k5N4KrZ0pw

[KillerBeez41]

Well I'll be dam'd no wonder Nix had all these f'd up formations. He was trying to please Randy and himself and inturn it kind of f'd the offense up. When Marve was in he was running Shannons offense and when Jacory was in he was running his offense. I think Zellner may have been used in Marve's packages and didnt know some of the calls Jacory was giving for the offense that was set up for him...and maybe why some players didnt know what the hell formation they were in because they only knew some of them?...aw hell I dont know. But what I do know is if shannon wanted to run a pro style offense thats what nix should have run not ill do it half your way and half my way. I dont know that just SEEMS like what happened, gotta do what the boss man tells you or youll get your azz waxed and axed.

[Hey Yo!]

and by the way if your Rob Chudzinski -- you always move forward never backward.

[The Truth]

Canespace beats the media AGAIN by THREE hours!!!

And it is done.

Posted by: J | December 29, 2008 at 05:50 PM

3 Hours???

3 WEEKS!!!

Hell, Yesterday I all but gift wrapped it for you. I flat out said he was GONE.

I just don't/can't elaborate on who's comin cuz that's something all of 3, maybe 4 or 5 people know right now.

I'm not one of them.

Yet.

But when I do, Canespace will be first again...don't worry. I'll keep you all filled in.

Carlos,

You think I could get one of those rounds and maybe burry the hatchet? I'd even get us a double McCallan 15 year to wash it down...

I know you're happy and if the rumors are true, it only gets better...

Swaysey is gone, too just so you know. But he's getting a better job. i think it's an excellent oportunity for him and for the University to step up its program. i would have liked for him to stay with some help but people move on on their own sometimes...

I hope Miami makes the move to get another Moffit type guy that can come in and run the show with some real expertise on strength and nutrition.

[Rashad]

So what record do the Canes need to have next season for Shannon to keep his job. Looks like the Coker situation all over again.

[Herbal Minded aka HM]

I KNOW THIS WILL LIKELY NOT HAPPEN.. BUT THOSE FANS THAT ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND FOOTBALL PHILOSOPHY PLEASE WATCH THE NEVADA BOWL GAME TOMORROW... THEIR OC SHOULD BE ON THE SHORT LIST FOR REPLACEMENT....

I POSTED THERE O STATS A FEW WEEKS BACK...(THEY RUN THE PISTOL OFFENSE) THEY ARE HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE AND IT COULD BE A HUGE BOOST FOR THE CANES..

[TonyCane]

Hi reggaebob,

I disagree on Coker. I think that the team would have been right around 5-7 last season. This year would have been the key, because our 7-6 record was built on the backs of so many freshmen. Would Coker, who recruited only 2 wide receivers and zero quarterbacks on three years, have been able to land Jacory Harris (let alone Marve the previous year), along with the flotilla of wideouts that Shannon landed? If not, it's another 5-7 or 4-8 season. The trend for Coker was always downwards.

[DFDubCane]

Isn't there a Shula boy on staff already? Gotta wonder if we get Mike now.

[Herbal Minded aka HM]

PLEASE NO SHULA!!

[The Truth]

I dOU think it's a rumor that isn't so secret but The TrOUth is the only REAL people that know aren't saying crap.

The rest is simply speculation, albeit by people who would know...

[Carlos]

Carlos,

You think I could get one of those rounds and maybe burry the hatchet? I'd even get us a double McCallan 15 year to wash it down...

I know you're happy and if the rumors are true, it only gets better...

Swaysey is gone, too just so you know. But he's getting a better job. i think it's an excellent oportunity for him and for the University to step up its program. i would have liked for him to stay with some help but people move on on their own sometimes...

I hope Miami makes the move to get another Moffit type guy that can come in and run the show with some real expertise on strength and nutrition.

Posted by: The Truth | December 29, 2008 at 10:44 PM

I thought we did that already ;-)

I love me some Scotch...take a rain check on that one...regarding Swasey, I think Shannon told him to find another job because he's tight with him...again, that's JMO.

[joe cane atl]

Well chud is out of a job with romeo crennel getting an axe . So there is always hope
besides chud there is no guarantee he' ll get an head coaching job o an oc position n the NFL next year its not like clevelands offense lit it up this year even when anderson and quinn were playing.

[321canes]

Many people do not know that nix contract was for 2 years, well 2 years is up and if he was to come back it would be a 5-6 year deal with UM, and you all know that he does not deserve that...

Outside looking in...Mcgriff and maybe Swasey,

Keep a watch out!

[Carlos]

Carlos, who's your pick?

I thought Nix handled the situation very graciously, even with a kernel of truth in his statement.

Posted by: Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer | December 29, 2008 at 10:39 PM

Definitely someone that's PROVEN, not a PROJECT. We need results. NOW! Funny how the talk of the team going into this season was the Offensive Line and look how they ended up. We have the weapons at WR, RB, QB, & TE.

No Excuses in '09 (for real this time, lol)

[Herbal Minded aka HM]

F NIX LEAVES MIAMI SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT NEVADA OC Chris Klenakis. NEVADA RUNS THE PISTOL OFFENSE WHICH IS NOW BEING COPIED BY MANY SCHOOLS, U'LL SEE FLORIDA AND TEXAS RUN A FEW PLAYS OUT OF THIS FORMATION. COACH K WOULD BE IN OUR PRICE RANGE AND ADD A NEW AND FORMIDABLE OFFENSE.. HERE'S A BREAKDOWN ON THE PISTOL OFFENSE..

Strategy of the Pass Game

Neveda Head coach Chris Ault developed the Pistol offense in 2004 as a way to level the playing field by getting one-on-one matchups with receivers on the perimeter and having his undersized offensive linemen block people in space. While the foundation of the run game is being able to mix the inside zone (slice) play and the outside zone (stretch) out of different formations, the backbone of the Pistol pass offense is running the play action off both of those plays.

The equalizer in the Pistol scheme is the alignment of the quarterback and the tailback. With the tailback being directly behind the QB, it provides instant deception to the defense – particularly for the linebackers who are trained to key the tailback. In fact, the popularity of the zone read play has changed LB’s reads to keying the offensive tackle to the side of the back. But in the Pistol, often times those LB’s can’t see the back because their sight is distracted by the motion of the quarterback. “It’s a lot easier to run play action out of the Pistol because of where the back is,” says offensive coordinator Chris Klenakis.

“Nowadays because of the zone read, when you’re in a traditional Shotgun alignment you will always have a backside end who is taught to never close on that tackle’s down block. So it makes running naked plays at him very difficult. With the Pistol, you don’t get that problem. Especially if you’re giving a good dose of inside and outside zone schemes.”

While over eighty percent of the success of the Wolf Pack pass game relies on setting up the run, Klenakis is not afraid to pull the trigger on early downs. “There’s nothing wrong with calling a first down play action pass game scheme, especially when you’ve been running the ball effectively,” says Klenakis. “I like the play action stuff best on second and medium because it’s a give or take down.”

The majority of Nevada’s offensive formations are run out of 11 personnel – one tight end, one running back and three wide receivers. However, the great disguise is how many different formations Nevada could come out in utilizing the same personnel. Klenakis has over thirty different formations in his playbook using 11 personnel, which obviously makes it difficult for defenses to match up with them.

The Play Action

Nevada’s most productive play since installing the Pistol has been the slice play which is the inside zone play to the tight end side that American Football Monthly profiled last issue. So it makes sense that the Wolf Pack’s number one play action scheme is the Zone Pass Boot.

The Zone Pass Boot is a naked play action scheme, meaning the QB – after making the run-action fake – gets out on the opposite perimeter with no lead blocker. The offensive line’s main responsibility is to ‘sell’ the inside zone. Klenakis preaches low hat/low pad level in order to deceive the second level defensive players who often read helmet leverage on the snap. While the line zone blocks away from the direction of the play, the wingback ‘slices’ across the formation to block the backside C gap, just like he would on the inside zone run play. “Except this time the wing will take somewhat of a different path, aiming for the outside hip of that backside end. Sometimes we’ll have him log the end, so the QB can get around or we’ll release him to the flat right away,” says Klenakis. “It’s a great goal line play. It depends how aggressive that player is. If he’s up the field often, we’ll get the wing to the flat right away. If he slow plays it, we’ll log him.”

After the QB opens, just as he would on the slice run play giving the ball fake to the tailback who is downhill immediately, he carries the fake for two more steps past the handoff, pivots and works around the opposite end with the ball on his hip. “He should anticipate that backside end being in his face immediately, particularly if the wingback releases to the flat. It is a two-man route with those two backside receivers. Our most common route if we’re getting some form of cover three is running number one on a takeoff to get the corner out of the area. We would then have the slot break on a 14-yard out against the flat defender, usually a LB and a mismatch (See Diagram 1). Another option is running number one on a curl at 14 yards and number two on a wheel route. Either way the QB looks high to low on his delivery.

In order to provide a spark to the pass game, Klenakis does draw from a three step package in the Pistol. When he does, it’s usually the Y Option route. It’s a four man route with the focus predominantly on the release of the tight end. Keeping the 11 personnel intact, Klenakis’s favorite formation to run this is out of the tight/trips set. The offensive line slide protects with the tailback filling for the releasing tight end. To the trips side, the Z receiver will run a clear out route, with the slot receiver on a 14-yard out route and the tight end on an option route – one that can break outside or inside. The single receiver away from the play can run either a hitch, fade, or slant depending on the pre-determined call.

Posted by: HM | December 09, 2008 at 01:45 PM

NEVADA WAS RANKED 11TH IN THE NATION ON OFFENSE IN 07..

http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2007&div=4&rpt=IA_teamtotoff&site=org

Posted by: HM | December 09, 2008 at 02:01 PM

IN 08 NEVADA O RANKED 13TH
http://www.wageronfootball.com/bostats/ncaa-offensive-rankings.html

Posted by: HM | December 09, 2008 at 02:06 PM

[The Truth]

Not so far from the truth Carlos. But not really in "he wasn't getting the job done" kind of way. More like a "this schools ain't gonna pay for two of you and what you excell at ain't makin us better"

I know Shannon helped him get the gig too.

Swasey is quite good at what he does. The problem is, miami needs to get BIGGER and STRONGER and that ain;t Swasey's forte

[hurriphin]

So Nix wanted to attack, and Shannon was the one wanting to play Big10 ball...........

Man, now I feel bad.

[Herbal Minded aka HM]

Definitely someone that's PROVEN, not a PROJECT.

THE PISTOL, BRINGS RESULTS
CLICK THE LINKS ABOVE

[The Truth]

HM,

Not going to happen.

The only hint you all needed steer you correctly into the direction of the offense Shannon wants to see is what you saw formation wise Saturday Night.

Down to 1 TE and STILL ran out of the I a good deal of the game with a lot less shotgun than we've seen.

The pistol ain't comin to Miami