So much to digest right now regarding the State of Miami. Too much, actually. Like most of you, I’m still processing as I never saw this one coming. Losses happen but nothing at this capacity was expected or prepared for.
It’s been a few days since the Seminoles laid a colossal 45-17 beating on the Hurricanes and sitting unranked at 3-2, there are more questions than answers. Not the way anybody drew up their 2010 season, but this is where it’s at, so let’s start dealing and moving forward.
I’ve sat down a few times since the loss to address things, scrapping every draft until this one. I’ve read the Herald articles. I’ve rewatched the game film. I’ve perused the message boards and even went as far as listening to both the Joe Rose and Michael Irvin shows, despite my disdain for sports talk radio. I made an exception in this case, wanting to hear how Randy Shannon responded to the much deserved criticism.
The fourth-year head coach ‘owned’ the loss in the post-game presser – as he absolutely should’ve – but what does that even mean? (Like when a quarterback overthrows a pass or a wideout drops one, tapping their chest saying “that’s on me”. Of course it’s on you. Who else would it be on?)
Where is this program mid-October after a four-touchdown loss (to a team that’s supposed its mirror image) and where are things headed? Furthermore, what is the blueprint for turning things around? Whatever Shannon and staff envisioned, this thing isn’t exacting going according to plan.
The ‘Inbox’ has been flooded the past few days. Miami fans with questions. Florida State fans talking smack. Others simply curious where I stand on ‘The Shannon Experiment’. Since you asked, I’ll divulge:
>>> No, I don’t agree with firing Shannon after this loss, but do agree that the heat has been turned up from ‘medium’ to ‘high’. You don’t scrap things five games into season four. Not at 3-2 with seven good-not-great foes on deck. This is as favorable an ACC schedule as Shannon is going to see and each game is a ‘must win’ from here on out.
Is this an embarrassing loss? Absolutely. Shannon and staff definitely deserve to feel the wrath for this prime time faceplant. Has my confidence in Randy’s leadership been shaken? Again, absolutely. I understand that things snowball when not going your way, but this is inexcusable.
Still, I believe you judge the entire body of work at season’s end, not halfway through. A loss would’ve been tolerable had Miami played with passion, simply edged out by a few points – but 45-17 and getting away from fundamentals and assignment football? Unforgivable.
Just over half the season remains and how this team responds to adversity will seal Shannon’s fate. Every remaining game is winnable if this staff can get this team’s collective head on straight. Of course that ‘if’ is the million dollar question today and the fact that this fan base’s confidence is shaken is absolutely acceptable year four into this rebuild.
>>> Frustrating as this loss is, some fans really need an ounce of perspective. A month ago the same Jimbo Fisher some of you are praising today was on the losing end of a 47-17 ass kicking, courtesy of Oklahoma. A few weeks later, his team rebounded and appears back on the right track.(As good as FSU looked against UM, again let’s see how the rest of the year plays out. Who’s to say the Noles don’t trip up again?)
Miami gave up a disgusting amount of ground real estate this past weekend (298 yards) while Florida State was torched through the air in Norman (380 yards). Maddening as it is, it happens.
Ugly as the score was, Miami had 424 total yards to Florida State’s 471. Piss-poor as his play was, Harris threw for 225 yards and wasn’t intercepted until late in the game when just trying to make something happen. The Canes also ran for just shy of 200 yards.
The issue Saturday was again getting whipped in the trenches and an overall lack of toughness and passion – both of which need to be fixed in both the short and long term.
FSU fans were all over Fisher a month ago yet now thinks the man walks on water. Welcome to the week in, week out nature of the college game and overzealous fans.
Shannon has seven more games to prove himself and if he can’t, then the administration and Board of Trustees have a lot to discuss this off-season. That said, you don’t fire a guy five games into a new season unless he’s 0-5. Not with two losses.
>>> Realize that love or hate Shannon, he’s not going anywhere this year, so quit regurgitating the same old rant. No way the top brass will react in the same knee-jerk manner armchair quarterbacks do. If they did, half the coaches in the game would be jobless every Monday morning. Change isn’t an option AT BEST until the season is over, so take a deep breath and attempt to support this team for seven more games.
Come December if this team isn’t where you feel it should be, THEN write letters, take up donations, start petitions, fail to renew season tickets, put ‘For Sale’ signs in Randy’s yard – whatever you deem fit – but don’t waste your time or energy mid-season. Instead support the kids out there doing it on a daily basis.
Treat it like you would the war. You don’t have to be in favor of it, but you need to support the troops out there on the front line. Save the critiquing and grandstanding for when the dust settles.
>>> Losses need to be dealt with logically, not emotionally. Maddening as this past weekend was, it’s hardly the first time the Canes have crapped the bed on the main stage.
In 1998, with a Big East title on the line, the then-hated / currently-revered Butch Davis coached his squad to a 66-13 thrashing at Syracuse. It marked UM’s worst loss since 1944 and proved to be the Orangemen’s largest win over a Big East rival; worse than anything they’ve ever done to a lowly rival like Temple.
The following week Miami rebounded and upset No. 2 UCLA in the Orange Bowl and ended the season with a convincing bowl win over N.C. State.
A season later Miami opened with an upset of Ohio State in the Kickoff Classic, followed by a heartbreaker to No. 2 Penn State. From there, an inexplicable upset at the hands of East Carolina and a hard-fought loss to No. 1 Florida State.
Weeks later the Canes were 5-3 and seeking redemption at No. 2 Virginia Tech, but were sent packing on the wrong end of a 43-10 ass kicking. Miami wound up winning the Gator Bowl over Georgia Tech, setting the stage for a solid run in 2000 and beyond.
The point? There are many highs and lows during a season. Check out the college football landscape the past few weeks. Miami hasn’t been the only team on the wrong end of a beating. That doesn’t excuse this loss in the least, but things need to be dealt with accordingly and logically.
Should Miami win out, beating Florida State in an ACC title game rematch (currently a reach based on where this team’s psyche appears), it takes the focus off a disappointing October loss. Of course should the stumbling continue, proving this loss was a trend and not a fluke, again that is when you address Shannon’s future. Judge the complete body of work at year’s end – not on a game-by-game or quarter-by-quarter basis.
>>> Those of you working tirelessly on your next coach ‘wish list’, remember a few things during the process – namely, the fact that the University of Miami head coaching gig isn’t the premier job it was decades ago.
What used to be a stepping stone to greener pastures hasn’t been that since Dennis Erickson left for Seattle. Nobody was diving at the opportunity back in late 2006 when Larry Coker was fired.
Greg Schiano turned down $2M and chose to stay in Rutgers, as opposed to rebuilding UM. Having spent some time down south in the late 90s, he wanted no part of taking on the challenge Randy dove at. Same to be said for Davis, who accepted the North Carolina job weeks before the UM job reopened (even when the writing of Coker’s impending firing was on the wall).
Even Davis, who had proven success in Coral Gables, chose to start fresh at a basketball school instead of rebuilding where he had past success, at a program firmly planted in the most fertile recruiting soil this nation has to offer.
Big schools in big time college towns with stronger fan support, better facilities, on campus stadiums, huge student / alumni bases and state-funded athletic budgets — all of that outweighs, five titles and some dominance over the last few decades. The landscape has changed and there are only a small percentage of guys out there who are going to sign up to take on the challenge that is ‘The U’.
Who really wants to compete with the Dolphins and the HEAT, while playing games at an off-campus stadium, dealing with a fickle fan base and a large media market that brings heavy scrutiny when you lose and little praise when you win? Miami is a special place that requires a special coach. Few guys out there fit the bill in this day and age.
There’s a reason nobody schools like Boise State and Texas Christian have done what they’ve done as big fish in little ponds. Fly under the radar in a lesser conference. Set up schedules that work in your favor. Only get up for a few games per year, cruising while other big conference schools beat each other up and weed each other out.
Those clamoring for Kirby Hocutt to open the checkbook for a Chris Petersen (or some other flavor of the year guy), what makes you think he’d ever leave what he’s built in Boise to head to Coral Gables? Even if he did, what makes you so sure he’d succeed outside his own private Idaho and in this one-of-a-kind region? Look back at some past Boise State gurus and where they ended up after leaving for supposed greener pastures:
– Dirk Koetter put BSU on the map in the late 90s, going 10-3 and 10-2 back-to-back, winning the conference as well as two bowl games. From there, the golden opportunity to replace Bruce Snyder at Arizona State, where Koetter failed miserably, going 40-34 over six seasons and never finishing any better than third in the Pac-10.
– Dan Hawkins replaced Koetter and went 53-11 over five seasons in Boise, winning the conference four years in a row. Like Koetter, he too was handed a big time shot and looks to in over his head in Boulder. Hawkins went 2-10 year one and 3-9 year four, with two seven-loss seasons sandwiched between. To date, Hawkins is 19-35 at CU in just over four years on the job.
Petersen might or might not ever leave Boise, but regardless, based on past BSU head coaches’ track records, he’s still unproven in a big conference and hasn’t shown he can get his team up (against good competition) on a weekly basis. (Nor has he proven that he can recruit nationwide, not just in his own backyard.)
Petersen knows he has a good thing going and has already turned down offers to coach elsewhere. If and when the day comes to move on, expect him at a major powerhouse (with big money – an Oregon, Arizona State, Colorado, Southern Cal should Lane Kiffin fail, Oklahoma should Bob Stoops leave, etc.) or somewhere else out west, where he already has strong recruiting ties.
Like it or not, Randy is Miami’s guy for the time being. As for what the next seven games hold, I have no idea what to expect and readily admit that. Some have an opinion, but nobody knows.
There is a tremendous problem with this team’s attitude, chemistry and it’s lacking toughness and thankfully I’m not paid seven figures a year to figure out how to fix that, because the next step is a career-defining one for Shannon and every member of his staff.
Quarterback Jacory Harris doesn’t just look like an injured player; he’s coming across like a broken man. Seeing No. 12 point to the heavens, delivering the sign of the cross pregame – it wasn’t the gesture of a confident quarterback looking for a little help from the man above. It played out like sheer desperation. Every time the cameras cut to Harris, head slung low and kneeling away from his huddled teammates, it was beyond disheartening.
A kid that exuded such confidence at times last year looks completely shell-shocked as a junior.
There’s talk that Shannon and Whipple aren’t on the same page regarding Harris. If that’s the case, both need unite and figure things out immediately because he’s the key to Miami bouncing back.
Find a happy medium regarding the offensive vision. Rebuild Harris from the ground up. Rely more on the run instead of hurling it all over the field 47 times a game – especially if Harris remains banged up.
To Whipple’s credit, he’s run more lately but it still seems forced and at times, predictable. Case in point, forcing two 3rd and long draws against Florida State. Just because Lamar Miller had success at Clemson doesn’t make it a go-to third down call.
Coaches must work with Harris, getting him back to a point where he worries less about his Heisman outfit, his ‘brand’ and carrying a program (and an entire city) on his shoulders. Right now the fans would simply settle for less turnovers, more confidence, a better thrown ball and some leadership, which comes back to Randy. Baby steps for Jacory. Break bad habits and instill some positive new ones.
Shannon has done things his way from day one, working his stoic approach for just over three years and at 3-2, on the heels of a huge loss, a true leader regroups and goes back to the drawing board.
I respect the coach’s stance that these kids are playing assignment football and that guys have to stay within those assignments, making plays. If guys aren’t taking care of business, you either change the plays or the personnel. That much is understood and it’s a fine philosophy.
What Shannon hasn’t done is prove this methodology works nor has he addressed how to rally his troops and motivate in times of trouble. He may have taken a page out of Jimmy Johnson’s handbook regarding UM’s blueprint for success on the recruiting and competition front, but Shannon isn’t the master psychologist JJ was and lacks ability to excite and move players the way his mentor could.
Shannon took to the airwaves Monday morning talking about guys needing to step up and lead. He mentions a handful of potential leaders being on the cusp, but again if they’re not there yet, Shannon must figure out how get them there – quickly. It’s “go” time in Coral Gables and it’s nearing disaster mode as far as this season is concerned. The time is now and if guys aren’t hearing Randy’s words, they need to see some action from their leader.
Drop the guard a little bit. Loosen up even more. Employ some new motivational tactics. Open up.
As Shannon attempts to grow as a head coach, it’s time he steps even further out of his comfort zone and his personal way of doing and dealing.
You can get away with an indifferent attitude regarding the media or remain stoic with players if you’re winning (see Bill Belichick), but act that way when you’re losing and you lose credibility and become an instant target for criticism.
Randy doesn’t have to turn into the ultimate rah-rah guy overnight, but don’t be afraid show these kids how badly you want to win. Let them know how much you love what you do, that this is your dream job and that nothing would make you happier than succeeding at your alma mater and coaching there forever.
Young men instinctively want to impress and make a father figure-type proud. Especially in our late teens and early twenties. A ‘job well done’ or pat on the back goes a long way. The more Randy shows these kids, the more they’ll show him and the harder they’ll work for him. But somebody has to flinch first and the onus is on the highly-paid, forty-something leader – the teacher is held to a higher standard than the pupil.
Miami played soft and was manhandled by Florida State. Did Miami come out flat or did a lack of success drive after down suck the life out? No one knows, but neither is acceptable in a rivalry game against your biggest rival. Shannon could’ve coached from the parking lot and these kids should’ve been juiced and good to go.
Deep down, I don’t believe these kids are as soft as they played. This is a talented team with its share of tough local kids, yet somehow it’s developed a fragile psyche. Again, Shannon must channel his “inner Jimmy” and figure out what makes his kids tick. That in itself is as important to the coaching profession as Xs and Os and recruiting. Get the most out of your kids. Find a way to make them respond as they should.
Every Herald article has quotes from players, talking about their anger, frustration and embarrassment regarding the loss – so make Duke pay. Exact some revenge on North Carolina for three straight losses. Take advantage of lesser competition with Virginia and Maryland on deck – instead of playing down to the level of competition. Remember what Virginia Tech did to you up in Blacksburg last September and rise to the challenge when the Coastal berth is on the line late November.
At 4-1 there would’ve been some breathing room. At 3-2 – and more importantly, how that second loss was attained – Shannon took a mighty step back in a year of growth. It shouldn’t cost him his job, but the ante has bee upped. Change needs to occur and based on the remaining schedule, “ACC title game or bust” has become the new reality.
Duke without Thad Lewis, a depleted North Carolina squad, a Virginia program in rebuild mode, a bad Maryland team, a Georgia Tech bunch that looks a lesser version of last year’s conference champs and some filthy Hokies who crapped the bed against James Madison. Miami’s toughest games are at home and the meat of the schedule is in the rearview. All that preseason “no excuses” banter? Time to live up to it, Canes.
Winning the ACC should never be ‘expected’ but year four and based on Miami’s level of talent combined, the home schedule and the lack of national power conference-wise, Shannon will never have an easier road than he does this year.
From day one I called this a four- to five-year rebuild and my belief in Randy came from his success as a man, a player, as an assistant, as a local product and what I saw as annual constant improvement since taking over. The win total got better each year he was here, as did the level of talent. I made it clear that as long as Shannon and his Canes were getting better, I was on board – but should things start backsliding, I would gladly reevaluate. 45-17 was most definitely a step in the wrong direction, hence the questioning and bold stance.
Last Saturday was only one game, but it was a giant blow to the rebuilding project.
Randy and staff my full support these next seven games but if the Canes aren’t on the right track by year’s end, I’ll be right there with many others voicing my displeasure and calling for change. We still won’t know the right direction even if the administration chooses to cut bait, but at least the bleeding will stop if this year winds up a colossal failure.
Make these next seven count, Coach. Your dream job hangs in the balance and opportunities like this don’t come along everyday.