Mark Whipple hired as offensive coordinator

For as long as Randy Shannon has been head coach, I’ve had a fundamental issue with a portion of the Miami Hurricanes fan base. 

I’m a results-based kind of guy. The process doesn’t interest me as much as the final result. Wins will soon replace losses, but that won’t come until all the pieces of the puzzle are in place. Shannon has proven he’s a masterful recruiter but his goal of building a top-flight staff has been imperfect.

Tim Walton’s tenure at defensive coordinator lasted a year. While some chose to blame Shannon for giving the former defensive backs coach a shot at DC, I applauded the fact there was no hesitation regarding pulling the plug. One bad year was enough to show Shannon he made a mistake. A month later Bill Young is hired and ran Miami’s defense. It was a good hire, though a better opportunity at his alma mater brought Young back to Oklahoma State this past week.

Patrick Nix was Shannon’s fifth choice for offensive coordinator in early 2007 and after a failed two-year stint, again Shannon knew when to cut his losses, releasing Nix a few weeks back. The Nix Era was a bust, but the result is what matters. The lame duck coordinator was let go and the search for a new offensive guru was underway. 

Mark Whipple was hired Monday night and announced as Miami’s new offensive coordinator on Tuesday morning. His resume, impressive. Whipple spent the last year as an offensive assistant for the Philadelpha Eagles and before that, quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Aside from his five years as an NFL assistant, Whipple spent sixteen years as a I-AA coach. In a six-year span at UMass he won two conference titles and one national championship. As a player, Whipple was the starting quarterback for Brown University for two seasons.

Naysayers will downplay the hire, but those paying closer attention see exactly what Shannon is doing. It’s oft been stated that Jimmy Johnson is Shannon’s mentor and go-to guy for coaching-related decisions. This is a Jimmy move. Shannon needs to play the role of CEO, recruit like hell, bring in Miami-caliber talent and let the coordinators do their job.

Aside from offensive coordinator duties, the pot was sweetened when Whipple was named ‘assistant head coach’. On one level it’s just a title. Something that will pad Whipple’s resume when he moves on in a few years. On the other hand, it’s a key component for a program in flux, with a third-year head coach on board.

As Shannon learns how to a high caliber program like the University of Miami, he’ll get hands on experience from a veteran coach who’s familiar with running his own show. Shannon is proving he’s on a mission and isn’t afraid to learn on the job. There’s a definitely lack of ego and quest for knowledge that’s refreshing in this day and age coaching-wise.

Personally, I’m not too familiar with Whipple. I know the name, but not as well as I did a Dirk Koetter or Chuck Long. The more I read, the more I like. A year ago this time Philly brought Whipple on board and Eagles fans were digging up any ink on the new coordinator. A quick Google search shines some light on why Shannon went after this seasoned vet. 

As a college coach, Whipple developed and ran the ‘whiplash’ offense, a wide-open passing attack which drew comparisons to the West Coast offense. Based on unpredictability, Whipple is said to have a “daring, going-against-the-percentages style that causes concern”.

A quote from the Boston Globe after Whipple led New Hampshire to a I-AA national title: “He’s an offensive nut. He instructed the team to begin the game with an outrageous five-receiver flood set called “Chattanooga”. He promised the players that they would run the play to begin the game, regardless of starting position. He said he did it to ‘break up the tension’ on the sidelines”.

“Then there is Whipple’s play-calling. He likes to go for it on fourth down, even if he can feel the shadow of his own end zone. Against Lehigh, the Minutemen went for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 28. They made it.”

While I’ll agree that risky, gimmicky play-calling  has more of a place in I-AA ball than it does Labor Day night at Florida State, there’s a refreshing mindset there that’s been missing at Miami for far too long. Predictability and a reactive, not proactive mindset have kept the Canes offense at the bottom of the standings for years. 

Even when Miami was winning earlier this decade, it oft felt more like “out-talenting” than it was “out-scheming”. The Canes finally have not only a figurehead, but an offensive mind that knows how to coach up quarterbacks. Whipple helped develop Ben Roethlisberger his first year in the League and sounds like he’ll do wonders for true sophomore Jacory Harris.

Before that, he’ll have to hit the ground running as a recruiter. First order of business, convincing top-ranked recruit Bryce Brown that Miami’s offense will showcase his skills at running back. The big time recruit recently stated that the Canes’ OC hire would be the deciding factor come Signing Day.

How quickly Whipple turns things around remains to be seen. There will be an influx of offensive talent this coming season, with several offensive linemen and running backs coming on board. Add to that last year’s crop of wide receivers and Miami should soon be a scoring machine again.

That said, it’ll take time to develop some of the new talent and to implement a new scheme. Young didn’t have the horses on defense to fully run his defense last year. Where might Whipple have some growing pains year one? Talent-wise he’s working with a lot more offensively his first year than Young possessed in 2008.

Shannon might’ve landed a gem here. Unlike Nix, Whipple is said to have been Randy’s top guy in this most recent search. At 51-years old, Whipple is another seasoned veteran, like Young. Shannon is showing a trend of turning to experienced coaches when filling the most important voids on his staff.

With Young gone, one has to wonder where Shannon turns for defensive coordinator help. Rumors are flying that he’ll take over the reigns himself, but as a devotee of JJ that doesn’t make sense. You have to believe Johnson is advising Randy to focus on being a head coach, while letting position coaches do their job.

In a perfect world, ol’ Tommy Tuberville would sign on for a year or two to help his old buddy Shannon. Give back to the program that propelled him to that next level. That Auburn money is still rolling in. Spend two years putting the Canes back on the map and mentor guys like Micheal Barrow and Clint Hurtt. Keep things in the family and pass some knowledge down to the next generation of coaches.

Again, a pipe dream from the perspective of a Miami fan, but that’d definitely be a perfect scenario. Hopefully Plan B is is solid in it’s own right. Until that’s in place, celebrate this Whipple hire. A big move for the Canes today. 

OTHER NOTES AND NEWS: Another big move with the verbal from Malcolm Bunche. Miami’s offensive line recruits are piling up, making it four commitments at the position… 

… Highly-touted Marcus Hall is down to Miami and Ohio State after a recent visit to Coral Gables and while he lists the Canes on top, Mama Hall wants her boy to stay close to home. Would love to see Hall at Miami, but it’s tough to sell mom. Especially when she didn’t accompany him on a visit this week. Shannon will try to close, but this one is still somewhat of a long-shot…  

… Watched Miami fall at NC State tonight in overtime. Tough loss for the Canes. Down as much as 19 at one point, it looked like a blowout was in order. Miami got hot, tied it up and had a shot to win it in regulation, but missed their final shot at the buzzer and were outplayed in OT — their second overtime loss in as many games.

In the end, 12-of-22 at the free throw line was the difference. Seems like there’s always one aspect of the game where the Canes are off. At 14-6, Miami enters a brutal stretch that could completely derail their season – @Maryland, No. 4 Wake Forest, @No. 1 Duke and No. 6 North Carolina. 

Then again, after another crushing loss this season could already be over. Rather tragic in what was supposed to be a promising year for a team loaded with upperclassmen.

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