If you ever saw the movie Karate Kid, then you probably will remember Mr. Miagi emphatically telling Daniel early on during his karate training that:
"U must have balance Danielson!"
People, and by "people" I mean Hurricane fans, wonder why the University of Miami football team has not won more games in the past few season under UM head coach Al Golden. Well, in this article blogger TonyCane does his best to explain at least one reason that Miami has yet to right its losing ways.
U see my orange and green friends, according to TonyCane, it is mainly about recruiting failures over many years that resulted in serious roster in-balance. The in-balance he sees he describes like this...
The numbers show a lot of the factors in the irrelevancy.
If you look at the overall classes, Coker recruited well and had a very talented team. But Coker failed to recruit wide receivers and quarterbacks, and after 2004 this failure caught up with him. It doesn't matter how good the rest of your team is - if you are running a pro-style offense and you have to convert a punter (Monroe) to just have bare numbers at wide receiver, your team is set up for disaster.
The numbers tell part of the story for Shannon as well. He had one good recruiting class (2008) that was ladden with a large number of 3 star players. He followed it up with a decent 2009 class and a mediocre 2010 class that was only ranked as high as it was due to the sheer volume of players taken.
Golden's tale is the easiest to tell with numbers. His initial roster was imbalanced due to the withered 2010 class (third gone within a year) and a depleted 2011 class.
His 2012 class, while strong, saw an inordinate amount of players transfer, fail to qualify, or get eliminated from the roster. This speaks to the NCAA mess, where Miami could not be choosy and had to take what they could get.
The large number of departures from the 2012 class, coupled with the 2010 and 2011 classes led to roster imbalances that persisted until last season. This year is the first in a decade where the team is actually balanced.
Bottom line, no coach could have brought Miami back to sustained, Canes-like prominence for the entire last decade. Presume that Butch Davis or Bob Stoops had been given the job in 2006. They still would have had to contend with the Nevin Shapiro disaster that was in the making.
The coach in 2011 would potentially have inherited a stronger team and been able to recruit a bit more on recent success (USC), but the 2.5 year investigation with the death penalty being freely bandied about would still have brought the program several steps back.
As a program, Miami is coming back. It's just taking a heck of a lot longer than I or anyone else here expected or wanted.
Uno!
Posted by: 30CINCO | July 14, 2015 at 05:46 PM
CINCO sneaks in da back door!
#Shameless
Posted by: 86Cane | July 14, 2015 at 05:48 PM
Was loving the article until I saw Mario Judasbal.
Posted by: Terrance Sullivan | July 14, 2015 at 05:48 PM
that what she said!!
Posted by: 30CINCO | July 14, 2015 at 05:48 PM
LOL
Posted by: Terrance Sullivan | July 14, 2015 at 05:52 PM
GO CANEZ
Posted by: SinisterCane | July 14, 2015 at 06:09 PM
Top Ten.
Posted by: nemo2002 | July 14, 2015 at 06:24 PM
Kaaya Ocho
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 14, 2015 at 07:23 PM
Reading in Seattle.... 9
Posted by: trianglecane | July 14, 2015 at 10:02 PM
"### Asked who’s to blame for the underachieving and 6-7 record last season, he said 70 percent is on the players and 30 percent on the coaches.
“Players have to want to be great,” he said. “And last year, there were a few guys who wanted to be great, but not everyone gave their all every play.”
He said some players had to be cajoled simply “to play harder.” That lack of effort puzzled and angered some players who were giving their all and caused some friction among players, he said.
### The player said another problem is that some players didn’t study the playbook enough to learn D’Onofrio’s complex defense, which is patterned in some ways after the Seattle Seahawks system.
“It’s an NFL defense, a difficult system, and some college kids aren’t ready for it and don’t put in the time to learn it,” the player said. “It needs to be like a job, and some of the guys here don’t treat it like that. I don’t think he necessarily needs to simplify it. Some of the players just need to make it a priority to learn it and do it right.”
But he also acknowledged that D’Onofrio’s system, which he had no issue with, is simply “too much to learn for some kids. I’ve seen playbooks from other schools and ours is a lot more complicated and longer.”
### So what’s the issue as far as coaching, beyond that?
“Some of the players wish coach D’Onofrio would let them play more instinctively and attacking more, and play more man coverage. Against Florida State, we were attacking and playing a lot of man coverage in the first half. Then we got conservative and Jameis Winston picked us apart. Players want to play more man.”
### He said the other issue with D’Onofrio is that “guys are afraid of him because he can be insulting. Some players wanted to be treated more respectfully.
“Coach D’Onofrio doesn’t like when you speak up [with suggestions or second-guessing]. After the Virginia game, Anthony Chickillo asked why we ran a three-man line on fourth and goal at the two, and coach D’Onofrio snapped.”
In defense of D’Onofrio (who is a friendly, engaging fellow off the field), a lot of coaches are very tough on their players and D’Onofrio always praises them publicly.
### The player said UM players don’t have an issue with the hybrid 4-3/3-4 scheme or where they’re asked to line up and praised D’Onofrio for being “passionate and detailed. He would be a great NFL coach.”
### What about Al Golden?
“A great guy,” the player said. “He’s calm, cool and composed. But he comes across as a salesman. I wish he would be more open with us.” He said even though Golden says players can come to him about anything, “some players are intimidated by him.”
Does Golden motivate the team well enough? “He ignites us emotionally at practice. But after the Florida State game, we lost a lot of emotion. We kind of lost our mojo.”
The player blames everyone for that. He said he doesn’t have any issue with Golden’s strategic acumen or game-day decisions.
### He said the young players cannot feel entitlement and must understand they need to work to be great, which he believes some --- but not all --- do. As an example, he mentioned Chad Thomas can be “****y” but also praised his ability."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/2015/07/um-player-gives-behind-the-scenes-reasons-for-program-underachieving-heat-marlins-dolphins-chatter.html
Posted by: CaneRock | July 14, 2015 at 10:56 PM
About what I thought.
Posted by: Terrance Sullivan | July 15, 2015 at 12:05 AM
Yup!!! We have a cancer on our team and it's coach D'no!!!
Posted by: thirstybuzzardcane | July 15, 2015 at 12:19 AM
About the only game I'll say the kids laid down on, were UVA & Pitt. The rest of em' D'Onofrio was outclassed...outwitted...and out of His league.
90% Coaching
10% Players
PERIOD!
Posted by: CaneRock | July 15, 2015 at 12:50 AM
LOL what disturbs me is guys not wanting it enough. Coaches are fair game for criticism but like I thought players aren't giving their all and that's something they have to look themselves in the mirror just like the coaches do. Like I have been saying all are to blame. Any other conclusion in my opinion is fantasyland thinking.
Posted by: Terrance Sullivan | July 15, 2015 at 12:54 AM
They didn't lay down for South Carolina either. LOL at 90% Coaches fault. Pure Comedy. Might as well say it's a 100% percent Coaches. What a joke. Smdh. I will say it's 50/50 Coaches/Players but the haters gonna give the players a pass but lay blame all on Coaches. Unbelievable.
Posted by: Terrance Sullivan | July 15, 2015 at 01:17 AM
Posted by: CaneRock | July 15, 2015 at 12:50 AM
Lololol.
And the defensive bludgeoning we gave Duke, Cincy, UNC and Va Tech?
S. Carolina had what, one broken play for a TD and a short field TD after Kaaya's pick late and that's it?
The Louisville game was a very good job by the D until they were totally gassed late.
Even the UVA game wasn't the D''s fault. What did they actually give up, 17 points? The rest were by special team and offensive blunders.
Don't want to hear about the second half of the FSU game. If the offense does ANYTHING in the final 30 we win. Winston picked everyone apart. When you're up by that much you make them eat clock to score, expecting to score something and seal the win. That was the failure.
A big issue, as Tony and many of us have said over and over, has been lack of depth. Players who aren't as driven won't work as hard if they're not pushed. When you're down to basically no backups of consequence like we were by season end, those things happen.
The haters will never acknowledge that.
That's how the cloud still affects things for those who asked yesterday and the day before.
It's like Sumlin said in that quote:
"The SEC is not just a line of scrimmage league. It's a line of scrimmage and depth league." - A&M HC Kevin Sumlin
There you go. DEPTH creates competition more than anything else. We have that as much as we've had in years. We'll begin reaping the benefits of that this year.
Posted by: Go Canes | July 15, 2015 at 04:46 AM
I was a lot happier when women's tennis was in season.
That is all.
Posted by: 86Cane | July 15, 2015 at 08:03 AM
If there is a motivation problem, that is a golden problem. If there is an effort problem, that is a golden problem. If there is a staff problem, that is a golden problem. If he is so single track in his experience and knowledge that he cannot put the right system in place to fit his players, that is a golden problem. No matter how you try to read that interview, this is all a golden problem. Nothing more, nothing less. He is a failure as a motivator, a failure as a manager, a failure as a strategist. A failure as a head coach.
Posted by: SinisterCane | July 15, 2015 at 08:10 AM
Has the Seattle Seahawk ever ran a 3 down lineman set in a goal line situation?
Posted by: SinisterCane | July 15, 2015 at 08:12 AM
Exactly 86.
Posted by: Terrance Sullivan | July 15, 2015 at 08:15 AM
Posted by: SinisterCane | July 15, 2015 at 08:10 AM
Lol.
How single minded can some of you really be.
Posted by: Go Canes | July 15, 2015 at 09:02 AM
I wonder if he's starting to come across as a "salesman"??
@ESPNRittenberg: Agree with @mitchsherman. Harbaugh’s offseason antics, while entertaining, are starting to feel contrived. http://t.co/uJkm44mrTNI'm
Posted by: Go Canes | July 15, 2015 at 09:09 AM
How single minded can some of you really be.
Posted by: Go Canes | July 15, 2015 at 09:02 AM
Is there any mistruth to what I said? Theses are ALL Golden's players, any ills with the team its his job to cure them. If Golden fails this yr. it's pretty safe to say UM wont be firing the players
Posted by: SinisterCane | July 15, 2015 at 09:17 AM
Go Canes, even with the recruiting and retention issues we had more talent than many of the teams we played. Our guys don't get better at the U, but then get drafted and stand out at the next level.
No matter how folks think we got where we are, the more interesting question for me is how many more years Golden gets. The U is cheap and owes him 5 more years so that suggests he is here for 3-4 more years no matter how dismal the performance.
On the other hand, if you are an optimist you first think Golden's record will improve dramatically. And if it doesn't, the new admin may, just may, buy out more years than I ever thought possible here.
Posted by: Mountain Cane | July 15, 2015 at 09:54 AM
JUCO Football Frenzy @JUCOFFrenzy
BREAKING: per @NJCAA , Former @ArmyAllAmerican & #LSU BB DT Travonte Valentine is transferring to Arizona Western CC
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 15, 2015 at 10:13 AM
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 15, 2015 at 10:13 AM
---------------------------------------------------
92.6% Golden's fault
Posted by: 30CINCO | July 15, 2015 at 10:29 AM
Clash, can you quantify your " That does take some time" comment? How many MORE years before we make a change unless results change dramatically?
Results are what matter. If your playbook is too complicated, the players aren't motivated or whatever it needs to be changed.
Guilty with an explanation does not = innocent.
Posted by: Mountain Cane | July 15, 2015 at 11:04 AM
His average wins per season is 7
#Blametheplayers
Posted by: SinisterCane | July 15, 2015 at 11:10 AM
Good Article on Brad
http://athlonsports.com/college-football/brad-kaaya-miami-hurricanes-next-star-quarterback
Posted by: SinisterCane | July 15, 2015 at 11:39 AM
Mountain can you give me examples in the last few years of guys who weren't good to excellent then blew up in the pros?
Posted by: Go Canes | July 15, 2015 at 11:40 AM
If there is a motivation problem, that is a golden problem. If there is an effort problem, that is a golden problem. If there is a staff problem, that is a golden problem. If he is so single track in his experience and knowledge that he cannot put the right system in place to fit his players, that is a golden problem. No matter how you try to read that interview, this is all a golden problem. Nothing more, nothing less. He is a failure as a motivator, a failure as a manager, a failure as a strategist. A failure as a head coach.
Posted by: SinisterCane | July 15, 2015 at 08:10 AM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: thirstybuzzardcane | July 15, 2015 at 11:43 AM
Season Started Yet??
EA Sports is talking about bringing back NCAA Football....
Posted by: RCCF | July 15, 2015 at 11:59 AM
Mountain can you give me examples in the last few years of guys who weren't good to excellent then blew up in the pros?
Posted by: Go Canes | July 15, 2015 at 11:40 AM
Olivier Vernon
Posted by: Sinistercane | July 15, 2015 at 12:04 PM
Mountain can you give me examples in the last few years of guys who weren't good to excellent then blew up in the pros?
Posted by: Go Canes | July 15, 2015 at 11:40 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allen Bailey
Posted by: thirstybuzzardcane | July 15, 2015 at 12:06 PM
Mountain can you give me examples in the last few years of guys who weren't good to excellent then blew up in the pros?
Posted by: Go Canes | July 15, 2015 at 11:40 AM
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sam Shields
Posted by: thirstybuzzardcane | July 15, 2015 at 12:07 PM
Go, how many you need?
Others not mentioned yet---
henderson, B Washington, Chase Ford, calais Campbell, Ray Ray
Posted by: Mountain Cane | July 15, 2015 at 12:19 PM
I've always viewed Sam Shields as a success of our coaches. The kid came in as a WR with tons of potential but had no hands. At all. Credit to Shannon for not giving up on the kid and switching him over to defense. We can talk about the shortcomings of coaches all day, but I never understood why we considered Sam Shields to be one of them.
Posted by: TLuv | July 15, 2015 at 12:21 PM
Shields was undrafted. The Packers commented at the time about how raw he was.
You seem pleased it only took the staff 3 years to get him in the right position.
Posted by: Mountain Cane | July 15, 2015 at 12:29 PM
Well he had only played DB for a year so that always made sense to me. He came in as a highly regarded WR. He had tons of speed and quickness, and we had no depth at WR then. Most fans had all but given up on the guy. I mean yea, you can be upset that it took them 3 years to switch him, but it seems like you don't want to admit that there are many coaches who might not have switched him at all, who would've kept trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. It works both ways.
Posted by: TLuv | July 15, 2015 at 12:37 PM
T-Luv...Shields wasn't entirely Shannon's decision. I forget the DB coach's name at the time, but He said He had to practically beg Shannon to let Him switch to D. But I feel ya' though, I had all but given up on em'.
And one other thing about Shields, IMO, He was the best gunner to ever come through UM.
Posted by: CaneRock | July 15, 2015 at 12:46 PM
Right Rock Shields was the best Gunner Ever at UM.
Posted by: Terrance Sullivan | July 15, 2015 at 12:49 PM
CR I forgot how awesome he was on ST. Good call.
Posted by: TLuv | July 15, 2015 at 12:52 PM
We've been talking about the current regime. Aside from Vernon playing a few games after his suspension and Seantrel who played great when he wasn't suspended , none of those guys played for Golden.
The staff has done a great job developing talent, they've done a mediocre to poor job having it translate to game day.
Posted by: Go Canes | July 15, 2015 at 01:15 PM
I think if you look back you will see far more Shannon recruits who "blew up" than Golden. I specifically remember one poster in 2010 quoting an NFL source who said at that time that the Canes staff did the worst job in college football of developing their players. Great way to view it...when did the 2008 class have their best years under Shannon? 2008. Ray Ray is all Shannon, he never played for Golden. Henderson you can argue about, but it seems that was his doing. Name me four players outside of Chikillo that Golden recruited who have gotten worse over a three year span. I can easily do that with Shannon...Harris, A Johnson, Ray Ray, Streeter. I'm not saying that Golden is Saban...but we had three first rounders this year. That speaks to some development.
Posted by: TonyCane | July 15, 2015 at 01:20 PM
I think Golden has done a pretty good job getting guys ready for the pros. A really good example is Brandon McGee. The only reason Al hasn't had more success is that he had been to stubborn to change his schemes. He's really in the So FL recruiting game now, that took a little longer than we all wanted, but Al wasn't a splash hire and the school had uncertainty around it. It's all about gamedays and Mark. His two biggest flaws.
Posted by: Dude on a Pale Horse | July 15, 2015 at 01:35 PM
Go, not sure how you conclude that Golden has done a great job at developing talent (or anything else for that matter) but mediocre to poor on game day.
Here's my translation. Results are all that matters and his results stink.
How many years do you give him if he continues to produce 6 or 7 wins per year (2 to 3 of which are gimmes)?
Golden's ACC regular season record over 4 years is 16-16. And it was 3-5 last year, so there's no story that it is getting better.
If you like mediocre, he's your guy.
Posted by: Mountain Cane | July 15, 2015 at 01:36 PM
Other than go cane and several other Cane fandom. Tony Cane is the TEXTBOOK Golden APOLOGISTS. So his brief note is biased in a SUSPECT sort of way.
Oh. One more thing. I guess those FIVE losses to opponents which ended up having LOSING SEASONS can be blamed on that Onion Head. LOL
Yes, the Hurricanes happen to lose to five squads the past four seasons. Which MYSTERIOUSLY had sub-par .500 seasons.
Again, Tony Cane is a DIE HARD Golden loyalist. Nothing more and nothing less.
Posted by: TheeMackJones | July 15, 2015 at 01:39 PM
Al is still learning on the job for gameday, but the recent change to implement a 1 gap system has me interested. The jury is still out on Coley, he still does wierd shit too. Like running Gus east and west and giving the ball to Duke at the goal line. He also did a poor job getting the ball to weapons down field, both Al and James needed to take the handcuffs of Brad, but with the Ryan Williams injury, let's just say this isn't Urban Meyer's staff, for better or worse.
Posted by: Dude on a Pale Horse | July 15, 2015 at 01:39 PM
Terrance Sullivan
They didn't lay down for South Carolina either. LOL at 90% Coaches fault. Pure Comedy. Might as well say it's a 100% percent Coaches. What a joke. Smdh. I will say it's 50/50 Coaches/Players but the haters gonna give the players a pass but lay blame all on Coaches. Unbelievable.
Posted by: Terrance Sullivan | July 15, 2015 at 01:17 AM
At the end of last season everybody on here knew that AG deaerved to be shown the door, and that's really our point.
Posted by: 1mg of Epi | July 15, 2015 at 01:43 PM
Mack,
No one here thinks TC is a Golden appologist but you man. Just being real.
Posted by: Dude on a Pale Horse | July 15, 2015 at 01:44 PM