Miami and Al Golden couldn’t have dreamt up a worse case scenario ten quarters ago when leading the Seminoles by double-digits at the half. Now the fourth-year head coach is dealing with the reality of a 6-6 regular season and 28-21 overall record; one loss shy of predecessor Randy Shannon.
This Hurricanes program is deflated and unfortunately there’s no immediate fix. Reaching the post-season and extra practices for the Whatever.com Bowl won’t get the juices flowing. Not after a three-game skid and some serious backsliding as a program. Nor will the actual bowl game itself—something Miami hasn’t emerged from victoriously since 2006.
Even fan-desired firings and new hirings will take some time to find a groove and produce.
Golden and this Miami program are spiraling down and the national support that once surrounded the man who resurrected a Temple program is understandably fading.
FOX Sports columnist and “Cane Mutiny” author Bruce Feldman recently shared some thoughts regarding Golden being a “bad fit for “The U”—suggesting names with some long Miami ties in Mario Cristobal and Rob Chudzinski, as well as two-year defensive coordinator Greg Schiano.
National recruiting analyst Jamie Newberg is taking Feldman’s comments a few steps further, stating Tuesday morning that both Cristobal and Schiano could be replacement options, hinting that there could actually be change at the top this off-season as the disappointment in a six-loss season is not sitting well.
CaneInsider’s Brian “The Beast” London also shared some interesting tidbits regarding Board of Trustees members having final say over off-season coaches changes—with “at minimum” a push for some heavy staff upgrades.
Months back it was the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson quoting an anonymous NFL personnel man who felt Golden was a better fit building a program from the ground up with overachiever types, opposed to a place like UM, where highly-talented kids require a different approach.
“I just don’t see enough kids getting significantly better there,” said the league exec.
Hard to argue when you look at the setbacks former five-star cornerback Tracy Howard is having this season. Same for the once-explosive Stacy Coley, who’s looked a shell of himself on both special teams and offense since September, as well as others up and down the roster.
Aside from the player-development issues on the physical side, the mental aspect isn’t faring much better. Once as hard-ass a program you’d find—this year’s post-Florida State collapse is unfathomable and legitimate cause for alarm.
To put on a two-half display against the defending national champions—showing what the Hurricanes were truly capable of when “on”; it further underscores the degree of this most-recent collapse, pushed around by a four-win Virginia squad and steamrolled by five-win Pittsburgh.
Miami possessed twice the talent to beat both, but only half the heart and proved mentally soft. A program that once held up the traditional “four fingers”, signaling a final-quarter takeover—long gone. These days, new levels of weak as the Hurricanes simply can’t finish.
Not a game. Not a season. Not a rebuild.
Miami is now 11-13 over the final month and a half each of the past four years. In 2013, a 2-4 run after tearing off a 7-0 start and rising to No. 7 in the nation. One of many ‘greatness’ moments not seized, causing a full-blown unraveling.
A year later, more of the same as “The U” is now a bowl loss away from completing an unthinkable 0-4 skid year four under the guy hired to make everything all right.
Where players mirror the image projected by a head coach; top to bottom, this entire Hurricanes program has gotten too comfortable living in a “process”—treating it as some suspended-in-time place where real progress can’t take place until all circumstances are once again fully optimum.
Top to bottom, present-day Miami is way to accepting of being “disappointed” instead of motivation-through-anger, demanding more of itself and achieving the victory it’s told by its coach that it “deserves”.
Players and coaches now sounding one-in-the-same post-game, blaming execution, mental errors and mistakes, week after week—a full-blown buy-in of an accepting-failure culture that will never breed next-level winning.
Even more more of a predicament for the University of Miami, Donna Shalala retiring in spring, spawning a new era as UM preps to hire its sixth president in school history.
Shalala performing an out-the-door firing of a coach she’s loyal to; thankful for his efforts regarding an NCAA investigation that blindsided everyone—it seems far-fetched.
UM’s only hope is that some recent rumblings are true; that this is a Board of Trustees decision, putting this coaching decision on some football-minded shoulders, opposed to an outgoing president or young athletic director like Blake James, yet to face a career-defining firing or hiring.
A lot of mythical B.O.T. talk always springs up from “sources” times like this, yet it rarely bears any fruit. Not to say that isn’t the case here, but emergency meetings and behind-the-scenes conversations seem more like fan fodder and wish fulfillment, opposed to reality.
Should Golden find himself with one more year to get it right, his best path to progress; making the staff changes that should’ve been dealt with this time last year.
Four years in things simply aren’t working and without big time staff changes, this ride is over. Back to square one career-wise.
Stop churning out meaningless stats and defensive behavior, instead addressing all facets of a failing defense. It’s also time to bring someone aboard to turn special teams into the beast it once was, opposed to the disastrous unit rolled out this season, with Golden at the helm.
Without that and more, Golden is pushing his entire stack of chips towards the center of the table—all-in on the shaky hand he’s holding.
Outside of that innovate-or-die approach regarding the state of this current staff, there remains a wild card option that warrants mention; running for the hills.
Going back to the quote from the NFL exec who mentioned success with overachievers, versus cultivating and motivating next-level talent—Golden is certainly wired differently than many of his counterparts who are building legitimate contenders.
When launching a business, one of the first questions that needs answering; how big does one aspire to be? Is the goal to launch a $2-million dollar company? $20-million? $2-billion?
Same can be said for the different levels coaching success. In theory, everyone wants to win a national championship—but who truly desires it, goes after it and does everything it takes to attain one, two, three, etc.?
All that heavy lifting, opposed to not laying the proper mental and physical groundwork, while constant relying on stat-padding and process-talk. There needs to be a cocksure attitude towards the end game and a set goal of achieving the highest success the sport has to offer.
For some, victory is holding up a trophy at season’s end. Those guys are nationwide and will be playing for something of value this championship weekend. For others, the “win” could simply be building something out of nothing.
Taking a 3-31 program like Temple, about to shut it’s doors and turning it an 8-4 “contender”—that in itself celebrated as a “championship” for a program with low expectations and a just-happy-to-be-invited attitude towards bowl season.
There are no rights or wrongs here—it’s simply a matter of being honest with oneself and the core values of the coach in line with the expectations of the program.
The pressure cooker that is both the University of Miami and City of Miami—it could all certainly be more challenging than Golden originally anticipated, leaving him searching for answers and inevitably, a way out.
What if last January’s discussions with Penn State were less-fueled by a once-in-a-lifetime dream job and instead viewed as a safe place to land and a less pressure-filled gig? A football alum who revered the disgraced long-time face of the program, rolling in to save the day?
It certainly fits that underdog- and overachiever-fueled narrative in line with Golden’s resume and the “win” would come in the form of the process. Joe Paterno won two national championships over a 45-year span as head coach of the Nittany Lions. Consistently winning it all isn’t necessarily expected in Happy Valley.
While no Disney-type, rags-to-riches type coaching scenario exists this off-season, there might be an option for one of those better-fit type job—echoing the bad-fit sentiments Feldman shared via his podcast last week.
“They’re struggling to get to seven wins. Whenever they play anyone remotely good, they get pushed around,” Feldman said, days before the loss to Pittsburgh. “I think Al Golden has proven to be a bad fit at Miami. I think at a lot of other places, he’d probably be fine.”
With Nebraska firing Bo Pellini after seven seasons, by way of former Miami athletic director Shawn Eichorsrt—could that put Golden on his former AD’s short list? Depends if the Huskers are content playing a Big Ten brand of football and want a good ambassador and CEO, or if this program wants to revert back to their championship roots.
Nebraska aside, if Golden is looking for a soft place to land and easy-out, there could be some proper fits this off-season. While his current contract runs through 2019 and is guaranteed money, fact is another bad season could end this current run, resulting in a step back to a coordinator’s fate.
Despite any issues with his coaching style, Golden is no dummy. Masters in psychology, with a pitch and platform built on motivational tactics. He knows his stock may never again be higher than it is right now, despite a .500 season. Don’t discount that.
Four years at Miami and a year removed from NCAA trouble is still sellable. Struggles after five or six years as this narrative gets changed completely.
For the Hurricanes as a program, it’s certainly another pivotal crossroads-type moment that will play out over the next year, or so. Fact remains the sport is changing and if Miami displays zero sense of urgency regarding keeping up, it could soon leave things irreparable.
The Hurricanes changed the game in the 1980’s, by way of fast and attacking defenses.
The aggressive style did away with once-effective wishbone and option offenses, paving Miami’s way to four national titles and twice as many championship games, all over a nine-year span while everyone else was merely playing catch-up.
Three decades later, offensive innovation is the new super-fast-defense. Whereas good programs were once built upon defensive-minded head coaches reeling a solid offensive coordinator, the opposite is now proving true.
Baylor, West Virginia and TCU are airing it out in the Big XII while traditional powers like Oklahoma and Texas figure out how to keep up.
Ole Miss and Mississippi State both topped the polls this year; once perennial doormats, both programs sports offensive-drive head coaches in Hugh Freeze and Dan Mullen—both mentioned regarding the recent opening at Florida, thought it looks like the Gators are set to go with Colorado State’s offensive-minded Jim McElwain, who spent four years as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, prior to taking over the Rams.
Regarding the Crimson Tide, Alabama topped Auburn in the highest-scoring Iron Bowl in history—the Nick Saban-led defense giving up 44 point, but still winning by double digits due to Lane Kiffin and his offensive play calling.
At Florida State, Jimbo Fisher calling all the offensive shots, finally getting over the hump when a winning quarterback showed up as the missing link. Rich Rodriguez—shamed at Michigan, but a Pac-12 South winner at Arizona his first year in conference; his offensive style an ideal fit for today’s game.
Look at the recent run at Auburn. Gene Chizik building a program, Gus Malazhn coming on and offensively leading the Tigers to a national championship (2010).
Five losses a year later, Malzahn gets the Arkansas State head gig in 2012, while Chizik’s squad goes 3-9 and the head coach fired two years after winning it all.
Malzahn taking over at Auburn in 2013, back in the saddle with a team he won with and helped build, Auburn made another championship run, coming up short—but a new-style blueprint laid.
If Miami wants to rebuild a winner, the time is now. Get busy, or get left (even further) behind. Changes should’ve been made end of last year, weren’t and the Hurricanes are paying by way of a disastrous late-season collapse.
An even worse premise, just starting to properly deal with next December—at best—if not further down a disastrous path? Without the proper attention, leadership and some football-centric decisions—for Canes it could spell the end of the world as ‘U’ knew it.
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