Just Another Ordinary Man

At this point early in his tenure at UM, our assessment is that Miami head coach Mario Cristobal is just another ordinary man who is a slightly below average head coach. Yeah, I said it, and I am certainly not taking it back.

He has taken an average team and turned it into a mediocre mess of poorly performing players. That takes a special kind of talent, or lack thereof. At this time it appears that Mario lacks the basic skills needed to succeed in his job.

That does not bode well for Miami or its fans who know how to dominate FSU unlike Mario who just got dominated by the Seminoles at home at Hard Rock.

There was once a band named Triumph, who wrote a song just for this occasion:

Look in the mirror tell me what do you see
Or can you lie to yourself like you're lyin' to me
Do you fall asleep real easy feelin' justified and right
Or do you wake up feelin' empty in the middle of the night
You want to think you're different, but you know you never can
You're just another ordinary man

The Hurricanes finished the 2021 season at 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the conference which then resulted in former head coach Manny Diaz getting fired. Manny is now the defensive coordinator for the 7-2 and #14 ranked Penn State.

The Hurricanes are now sporting a shameful 4-5 record, are 2-3 in the ACC and are seriously at risk of not making a bowl game this season. On these facts I rest my case that this "Ordinary Man" is simply a below average coach.

Argue as you will about the roster, the coordinators, the play calling, the cheerleaders and the fans "not showing up" but I remain convinced until proven otherwise. My eyes, the team's performance and the results do not lie.

The song "Ordinary Man" ends with these lyrics, read them twice:

No such thing as easy answers
You play to win and you take your chances
Here's to health, here's to wealth
May you never doubt yourself

Comments

[KYcane]

1st

[TonyCane]

9...as in the number of players from the roster have their eligibility expire after this season.

[orange 'n green in the vein]

Notre Dame has a win over the two ACC division leaders, who you can basically presume as the champions of each half of the conference, at this juncture. So that tells me Miami's pressing issue is the banged up and bad offensive line primarily this year coupled with general roster talent deficiencies overall, which what do you know, just happens to be the head coach's specialty at improving, but that takes time even in a transfer portal era of roster management. So they'll be fine when the roster turns over more towards the halfway point of current staff recruits taking up the majority of lockers.

UM basketball team preseason expectations are as high as they've ever been for the program and the high bar of achievement to clear is now moved up to Final Four or bust, could be a tough ask of a roster that's smaller than last year even in exchange for average amounts of depth over the below average amounts available to them off the bench last year. Who will get the ball to the high percentage areas of the floor in the offensive half court and how well they can hold their own against what will often be taller and more athletic defenders trying to affect their shooting percentage is going to decide how far they can ultimately go this season.

Nice to see Beverly get some run, hope he can finish the year healthy finally. Walker is going to have to be the guy previously mentioned who raises the shooting percentage of the team by getting to the high percentage scoring areas of the floor and making the attempts against often larger defenders, don't know if he's up to the call of duty every night in and out though yet. Joseph just needs to minimize mistakes when he's running the offense and allow his athleticism to win his group's minutes on the scoreboard in relief and he'll be fine.

Omier is a grown man, his ability to hold up defensively in the post will be severely tested in conference though this year. Miller might be the team's best primary option at point guard because of the mismatch draw he'll find himself in a lot of nights in the half court. Poplar went from looking like he was a Charles Barkley starter kit last season to suddenly a Jamal Mashburn starter kit this one, which may be the less ideal set of skills they need from him by comparison as a starter every game this time around the way the roster is constructed now around him? Pack really helped me learn about LifeWallet and should open up a lot of passing lanes on the interior this season, not sure if he's an answer on his own at point guard or just part of an answer there by committee in this rotation however. Which leaves us with Isaiah Wong and what more can you say at this point? Glad he's back, he looks like he worked on his shooting form to center his wrist over his elbow on his shot's set. He looked a bit more accurate tonight to me as a result but he can still work on consistent exaggeration of his wrist flick on release. When they absolutely must have a bucket late in the game, he's going to be assigned the job of getting to the high percentage portion of the floor so his free throw shooting in the clutch is going to sink or swim that Final Four run attempt for at least this year again. He's closing in on the great John Salmons on the all time career scoring list and looks ready to hang around as a pro for just as long as John did back in his day.

Best defensive five: Walker, Omier, Miller, Wong, Joseph.
Best offensive five: Pack, Wong, Beverly, Miller, Omier.
Best five overall: probably your starters tonight.

[Terrance Sullivan]

Great Article Soupster. On A Positive Note 📝 Canes Basketball Mens and Women's Teams won their Season Opener

[Terrance Sullivan]

OGV giving excellent analysis on Tonight's Game from Watsco Center. Go Canes!

[Native]

Wheredaheckamiat?

[VA Cane]

Nice info OGV....glad hoops got it together....hope they will do well....enjoyed watching them play last year nice season.....

Cannot expect much from football this year....I dunno....4-5.....do we really want to go to a bowl.....get slapped by another 6-6 team.....dammit...its time to get back to work....

Hey however you feel you got the right...but do vote today...its important!

[HerbieIbis]

It was a great analysis and spoken in English for once.

[DallasTX Cane]

Another interesting note. Only 9 players under scholarship at Miami have their eligibility run out after this season.

Posted by: TonyCane | November 07, 2022 at 07:51 PM

So, it that good or bad? LOL Based on what I’ve seen this season, new players may be just what we need!

I’ll take the view that it’s good since previous TonyCane intel has pointed out that the overall roster talent level is on the rise, at least as rated by the “experts”. I’ll also take the contrarian view that the HC does indeed know how to be a HC as he seemed to do pretty well at his last few jobs. But of course, ask me again this time next season… and in 2024…

[HerbieIbis]

All the coaches need to refund every penny they took. We may not have a championship roster but just about everybody was back plus the portal additions and all they can come up with is this pile of BS.
Hope Mario is as smart as Manny was and realize his OC ain't IT. Enos was bad but no where near this.

[roachcane77]

The depth of our irrelevancy is immense.

[TonyCane]

What it means Dallas is that a lot of eligible players will not be back. We have 17 commitments, yet only 10 players guaranteed to leave (forgot Caleb Johnson).

[TonyCane]

Jaden Rashada just flipped to the Gators.

Evidently one more flip to come.

[HerbieIbis]

Exodus? Bye bye to Rishada to the Gators.
What QB would want to play in this bs awfence.

[TonyCane]

Exodus? Bye bye to Rishada to the Gators.
What QB would want to play in this bs awfence.

Posted by: HerbieIbis | November 11, 2022 at 01:48 AM

The fact that Gattis is fielding an offense that has not scored a touchdown in three games, and likely will not the remainder of the season is almost unprecedented in modern college football.

Even winless TEMPLE in 2005 averaged at least one touchdown in its last seven games.

[Old Skool]

Gallagher (The Sledge O Matic) RIP

[JCane]

Rumors of all kinds at the moment, including about practically every qb on the team.

[86Cane]

Rumors of all kinds at the moment, including about practically every qb on the team.

Posted by: JCane | November 11, 2022 at 06:43 PM

Garcia and Van Dyke are prolly O U T.

[86Cane]

The fact that Gattis is fielding an offense that has not scored a touchdown in three games, and likely will not the remainder of the season is almost unprecedented in modern college football.

Posted by: TonyCane | November 11, 2022 at 09:56 AM

So wait, what U are saying is that the goal of the offense is to score touchdowns? Who knew?

[HerbieIbis]

Well considering every time Brown comes into the game u got 9 men in the box, I can see where he would be banged up. There's a 85% chance he is running the football. Garcia is a sack waiting to happen or a T.O. he too is probably banged up but I doubt either one truly wants to play behind that line.
Tech 17-9. Hey we muster 3 FG's.

[VA Cane]

Its sad....we just finished our regular season at highland Springs HS....one of best in state...avg 51 a game....my D gives up 5.1....last week we beat our big rival 29-0...and UM gets smoked by FSU...won our first playoff game Thursday 49-0.....its my pride and solace....UM sucks Raiders suck....I cannot stand watching college and pro football that is so bad as UM and "Oakland"...painful...least my HS boys are making me happy...I got some fine players...I really think we could beat Miami I do....boy this season has been bad huge letdown....I cannot wait til its over....cannot be soon enough...dont want to play in a bowl...we do not need more bad pub!

[HerbieIbis]

Ole Miss, 83 Carries of 15yds or more.
Do we have one run of over 20 to 25 yds.?
Had a chance to get Kiffin and it's great that Mario is a relentless recruiter but he should of been relentless in his search for an OC. OH I forgot, it did take 2 months.

[VA Cane]

I will get the game on MASN....do I watch it at 330....Bama Old Miss better game...among others...just click back and see how bad we play....GT 24 UM 9

[YooperCane]

What the hell is goi g on with ESPN 3?

[HerbieIbis]

Well 99yds and a cloud of dust and no pass rush.

[HerbieIbis]

If we ever run a fast paced spread, Brown will be the man.
Garcia will transfer.
Ain't a great passer yet but once that improves, plus his running a ability, look out. Better Rb's and a better scheme to help our Wr's, maybe there is hope for us to be a scoring machine, especially in 2 years.

[orange 'n green in the vein]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/game?gameId=401411159

Keep crying dumbass, your tears sustain me yet again this year.

It's only after you lose everything, that you're free to do, anything, really showed today, offensively. Was impressed seeing how much development Brown has already shown heading into his performance in his first career start.

Next week's going to be a difficult lesson in learning what it takes to win consistently though. Pitt in the season finale is going to be a brawl too, but one week at a time in search of a winning season to circle the wagons as the year closes out.

[VA Cane]

A win is a win...too easy....we need to play hard but UM has so much $....do not play in a bowl...embarrassing to do that....we won and am gld...but we suck

[VA Cane]

we got $...dont need bowl money or to be humiliated in a bowl....recruiting already in the tank...bowl makes it worse!!!!

[Terrance Sullivan]

Find a way to beat Pitt and get to a Bowl Game and win it and Finish with a winning record and some momentum going into 2023. Go Canes!

[TonyCane]

It's only after you lose everything, that you're free to do, anything, really showed today, offensively. Was impressed seeing how much development Brown has already shown heading into his performance in his first career start.

Next week's going to be a difficult lesson in learning what it takes to win consistently though. Pitt in the season finale is going to be a brawl too, but one week at a time in search of a winning season to circle the wagons as the year closes out.

Posted by: orange 'n green in the vein | November 12, 2022 at 07:46 PM

Agreed. I'd like to see how Brown develops over the next two games. And I want that bowl game, if only for the extra practices for the younger players.

Maybe we'll have Cheney back for a bowl.

[roachcane77]

Hmmm... OK... A "W."

We show "MOMENTS" of actually being a decent team, and then we either have a a string of horrible play calling or bonehead penalties.

BTW our most recent 13 bowl games record.
2 wins, 11 losses. (Hardly inspiring "momentum.")

Coaching matters...

Thank goodness for J. Brown and K. Kinchens!🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

[GrApEdRaNk]

Can you tell me which one of you defended that stadium as an asset to UM football? It’s an abomination that absolutely contributed to the crash and burn of the program.

[orange 'n green in the vein]

"dumbass
noun

A person marked by stupidity or foolishness.a stupid person; a person who predicts a loss for a football team then continues to whine like a loser when they're wrong."

Hey, describes some of the negative nancy poster(s) on here, what do you know . . .

[CGNC]

Find a way to beat Pitt and get to a Bowl Game and win it and Finish with a winning record and some momentum going into 2023. Go Canes!

Posted by: Terrance Sullivan | November 13, 2022 at 01:02 AM

Yes sir!

[CGNC]

I will take the W. Didn't see the game. Kam Kinchens had himself a game.

This is for Sarasota: THE PHINS!!!! They make watching fun.

[CGNC]

Shooting of Virginia Football Players

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/3-dead-2-injured-shooting-university-virginia-rcna57004

[VA Cane]

Very sad....I remember the suspect from when he played at Petersburg HS...I lived in Prince George County, in Carson....just south of Petersburg.

Petersburg is a sad city of $33,500. It boomed in the 50s to 80s when retailers were there; Brown and Williamson Tobacco was a key employer; they wanted to stay and expand as its location allowed people to bus or walk to work, and the jobs were good. They wanted to buy a huge lot with a church on it, told them they build a new one....even move old one brick by brick...offered the congregation huge $....they said no, so they left. It was very controversial....so they annexed areas of Dinwiddie and Prince George...and the racial tension was really bad. Lot of back and forth lots of hate on all sides. It plunged into despair...crime drugs guns murder lot of board ups, rough neighborhoods...its was really rough. I appraise thee every so often, but not without a gun. The jobs are nil, the schools are so bad; schools not accredited....lot of kids and single moms raising kids.
This young man played on a couple teams that my Chesterfield team played in the Hopewell Bowls several years. Good player; remember him. He was a good player at Pburg HS...got a full ride UVA...Mr T Jeffersons school....very very fine school.
So sad to hear; the kids killed deserved so much better...innocent victims...and this kid will go away for the rest of his life....and the families must live with it on both sides...and it just makes Petersburg a sadder place. Very sad story; God bless all the families.

[86Cane]

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