I’m sick of it. What used to be a strength has now become a weakness. It used to be the guys on the other side of the ball who were sucking wind in the South Florida sunshine and unable to last four quarters.
My how times have changed.
If you talk to Canes from the earlier part of this decade, it’s all about Swasey, as in Strength & Conditioning coach Andreu Swasey. These NFLers head back to The U in the off-season, train alongside current Miami guys and employ the practices of the Miami-bred, Carol City Cane. Swasey has run the show since 2001 but was an assistant at The U 1997, 1998 and 2000.
Whatever was in the water back then, sure ain’t the same in 2007. I’m not knocking Swasey but I’m also not buying into his hype simply based on past Canes who sing his praises. I look at the product on the field and I see a Miami team getting its ass handed to them weekly. I see other teams better conditioned than the Canes and it’s time to at least entertain a new option regarding making Miami into “Miami” again.
Actually, I want to see a new old option.
Lloyd Carr is stepping down at Michigan on Monday and rumors are swirling that LSU’s head honcho Les Miles is the top candidate on the Wolverines’ radar. Miles has deep Michigan roots and if he can get the job done for the Tigers this year, it’d make all the sense in the world to head north. Hell, even if LSU loses the rest of their games, it’d be a no-brainer move for Miles. The money, the new challenge and a chance to return home?
If and when this happens, Randy Shannon needs to get on the horn with Tommy Moffitt immediately. For those not in the know, Moffitt has been the strength and conditioning coach at LSU since 2000. Before that, he did his time at The U between 1998-1999, whooping a Butch Davis led bunch to the promised land.
Moffitt was named Big East Strength & Conditioning coach of the year (1998) and was as big a part of Miami’s return to prominence as any other coach or player on roster back then.
Some tidbits from Moffitt’s bio:
Since taking over his current position at LSU, Moffitt’s offseason program has helped the Tigers post a 70-20 mark.
Moffitt was appointed as LSU’s Strength & Conditioning Coordinator on Jan. 10, 2000. In February of 2000, Moffitt was named the 1999 Collegiate Football Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society.
In seven years with the Tigers, Moffitt has developed LSU into one of the most durable teams around by combining a program that focuses on both strength and speed. Moffitt has also incorporated a weekly karate routine in the Tigers’ offseason program. The karate program increases the player’s flexibility, while forcing the team to stay focused for a lengthy period of time.
Durability? Certainly an issue with the amount of Hurricanes injuries we’ve seen these past few years.
Flexibility? More flexibility couldn’t hurt. Especially on defense where we’ve seen a lot of stiffness and tightness at the linebacker position.
Focus? I dare someone to tell me these Canes couldn’t use a little more focus come game time.
I realize Swasey has the support of the past and current Canes, and why not? 36-year old local guy who gets down and dirty with the kids, training and working with them during the off-season and in fall. That said, where’s the innovation? The science of strength & conditioning is ever-changing. New practices need to be employed when old ones aren’t working.
Moffitt was an instant success with the Canes in the late 90s and since leaving Miami seven years ago, he’s still one of the best in the game. LSU is No. 1 in the nation, is chock full of conditioned, stud athletes and they’re in the hunt every year. Lest not forget it was Moffett’s Tigers who out-conditioned and out-hustled the Canes en route to a 40-3 beating a few Decembers ago.
You remember that one. It was the kind of beating Miami used to give other less conditioned programs.
I don’t even know if Moffitt would be interested, but with Miles heading north there would definitely be a shake up with the coaching staff in Baton Rouge. Who heads to LSU? Does Moffitt want to work for the next coach? He stuck around for the Nick Saban to Miles transition and his seven years with the Tigers is much longer than his two year stint at The U or four year run under Phillip Fulmer at Tennessee (1994-1997).
As fate would have it, Shannon and Moffitt have no history at Miami. The two years Moffitt was running strength & conditioning, Shannon was a defensive assistant with the Dolphins. That said, if I’m Shannon this is one of the first calls I make in the off-season.
Many things need to change for the Canes to be a contender again, but first and foremost is conditioning. Coach Swasey either needs to reach into his bag of tricks and come up with some new tactics regarding turning our kids into machines again or it’s time to look elsewhere and find someone ready for the challenge of rebuilding Miami.
Worst case, head over to the strength & conditioning offices and look for any of Moffitt’s old notes and files regarding the blueprint used to whoop this program back into shape a decade ago.
.:Canes305:.
Interesting thought. Strength and conditioning coaches are one of the least talked about and most important coaches on the team. I can’t say I don’t know good how Swassey or Moffitt is, but I do know that those guys are in a ever changing and eveloping profession. I hope that Swassey changes with the times and is getting our players every advantage he can on that end. If not, it’s time for a cnange there too. I can’t say, but Shannon needs to look at ALL area of the program after the BC game. I am still in shock that we never made the top 25 at any point this year and most certainly will not be ranked preseason next year either.
-Columbus Cane
Cane 305 Your comments and opinons are always so on point.You are like a computer minded critic that is honest and logical to the point about Miami Hurricane Football !!!!
I have often wondered does anyone have the same outlook on the U as myself. Miami is the black sheep of ncaa football. Miami is one of the top 3 ncaa football programs of all time. Numbers, facts & titles support this claim. Neither of the 3 lie!!! Only people do. Some where down the line miami personel started making the wrong moves and here we are. Shannon was a good move and fact should have been sooner . Its going to take a little time for Shannon to restart the program .If the media and rest that dont want Miami to get back to full strength dont kill the program first !!!
creative411us@yahoo.com
Id love to agree with you, but its almost irrelevant at this point. The best strength and conditioning coach in the world wouldnt have helped this program the last few years. Its the talent. Youv stated it before, but the talent that we have now is not U caliber talent. End of argument. Im not saying a S&C coach isnt important, not at all, but we have to get guys in here that can actually compete. This team is still at least 2 years away from even thinking about an ACC title, and no S&C coach will change that.
Id love to agree with you, but its almost irrelevant at this point. The best strength and conditioning coach in the world wouldnt have helped this program the last few years. Its the talent. Youv stated it before, but the talent that we have now is not U caliber talent. End of argument. Im not saying a S&C coach isnt important, not at all, but we have to get guys in here that can actually compete. This team is still at least 2 years away from even thinking about an ACC title, and no S&C coach will change that.
I hear you, but I’m talking about moving forward – not the past few years. The decline is the decline. A ton of factors went into that.
Moving forward, this team needs to be better conditioned. Swasey either needs to employ some new tactics, or someone new needs to come in. The proof is in the product on the field.
True, the talent level has dropped off big time – but conditioning is conditioning. We’ve seen too many supposedly ‘lesser’ teams come in and out-physical Miami, which NEVER used to be the case. Not even in the probation era.
Moffitt helped build the product we had on the field 2000-2001 by his efforts in the weight room 1998-1999. No mystery why we started to turn it around then. Davis was recruiting like a madman and Moffitt had these kids ready to go.
We’ll see if Shannon/Swasey can do the same, but right now I not only see sub par talent, but out of shape sub par talent.
Coach better also find someone who can work on their hearts. Because the bunch I’ve seen this season are seriously lacking any.
big pimpin
Coach better also find someone who can work on their hearts. Because the bunch I’ve seen this season are seriously lacking any.
I saw some heart out there a few times this year. They didn’t pack it in against Virginia Tech – they just weren’t good enough or deep enough to hang.
I’ve also seen a complete lack of heart. Especially against Virginia. That was pathetic.
Get the right kids in here and get into them from the get go. Start on them when they’re freshman and coach them right for four years. These kids have been done a big time disservice at Miami the past few years with the hired and fired assistant coaches and now head coaches. Time for some stability.
I also hope Nix really visits some other programs or does something different with our offense this offseason. I saw a stat on Saturday’s broadcast that our overall offense is something like 107th in the nation. That is atrocious and unforgivable! There has to be a complete staff focus on the offense this offseason, getting play-makers in here and also finding new ways to move the ball by Nix. We need some ingenuity and unpredictability. I saw things such as the direct snap to the RB’s in the AtM game and then not again. We need to get some WR’s on campus who will catch the ball and actualy do something with it after they do. I just really hope the staff makes some strides this offseason themselves, and then with the team.
-Columbus Cane
Don’t know about this one.
Swasey is universally lauded by the likes of McGahee, Portis, Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Antrel Rolle, Devin Hester, yada, yada, yada.
You know, all those guys you saw scoring TDs on Sunday.
You can only polish a turd so much. You can’t make chicken salad out of …
You get the point.
I’m sure Patrick Swayze does all he can with what he’s given to work with. If not, why would all those NFL studs come back to train with him in their offseasons?
You’re better than this. Don’t start resorting to desperate, ill-informed and idle speculation.
Leave that to ESPN. They’re experts at that sort of thing.
Don’t know about this one. Swasey is universally lauded by the likes of McGahee, Portis, Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Antrel Rolle, Devin Hester, yada, yada, yada.
You know, all those guys you saw scoring TDs on Sunday.You can only polish a turd so much. You can’t make chicken salad out of … You get the point.
I’m sure Patrick Swayze does all he can with what he’s given to work with. If not, why would all those NFL studs come back to train with him in their offseasons?
You’re better than this. Don’t start resorting to desperate, ill-informed and idle speculation.
Leave that to ESPN. They’re experts at that sort of thing.
A lot of those guys – and some current ones – were also fans of Coker, thought he was doing a good job, etc.
Did the players make the program and build the NFL mystique – or did Swasey make the players? I tend to think it was the kids we had and each made the other better.
Either way, we haven’t see it as of late. Guys aren’t as durable. Too many injuries. Other teams look faster. Something has gone awry.
These kids don’t seem to respond to Swasey the way 2000-2003 did. I think our strength & conditioning program needs to implement some off-season changes in an effort to get these kids back to where they need to be physically.
If Swasey can do it, more power to him. Either way, we’ve been on the decline the past three seasons and that strength & conditioning ship needs to be righted just like recruiting as well as development of players.
I agree that Swasey needs to put in some new techniques and change his system around or hire someone new. But I’m starting to wonder how good Swaseys system is in terms of injury protection, with many of the NFL Canes going down with or missing time due to injury. I know it’s the nature of the game and injuries happen but certain players like Portis, Shockey, and Santana Moss always miss time due to injury.
Patrick Swayze..You mean Andreu
I hope you continue to do these state of the program kind of pieces such as maybe touch on recruiting in the coming months like you have in the past. It seems like some of our recruits are not solid and Shannon is saying either you want to be a Cane or you don’t. If you’re not sure, then why are you committed in the first place? If you want to take all your visits, which is your right, then why are you committed? It seems too many of these guys are back and forth playing a game. Shannon knows that we have been used and left holding the bag for the last 3-4 years with at least one prospect and I think he wants to make sure that no longer happens. It looks like he is cleaning house as you said before, of the dead weight in the program and showing some players the door. Prospects should see what he is trying to do and want to be a part of that. Look at the track record and look at what type of a program it can be with a few playmakers. You either want to be a part of the turn-around or you don’t.
-Columbus Cane
As ex-professional athlete, performance-enhancement specialist and University of Miami Fan, I’m sad every time I go the ‘OB’ R.I.P, and watch a team that is out-classed, out-worked, out-performed by an under-talented and under-traditioned team. It all begins with a Mind Set, both in competition and preparation, it doesn’t seem like it’s instilled in them. Coach Shannon, needs time to eliminate the cancers from the team (even though an athlete may be a superstar, he may or may not be a good fit for the team, and the team is what wins not the player) recruit his players, players that are 100% Committed to Winning and that can play, because at the end of the day, great athletes must first be great football players, CHP ( a term i’m stealing from UM Pitching Coach, J.D Artiega), Can He Play, right now the players are not elite caliber players, so bringing on better players is a must, however once these players are there, then what? It comes back to mindset, in needs to be instilled in them from the second they show up and everyone needs to be on the ship if not they can walk the plank! Need to be reminded about mindset, to me the secret to the new england patriots success is their mindset, ’18 straight 1 game winning streaks’ that’s the term they, as in they I mean the whole team, uses to describe their success over the last 18 games, the entire team must believe in the mindset for success to happen and they must be held accountable for their performance. Are they talented ‘Hell Yea’ but, everyone in the NFL is talented and can play the game, everyone runs mid-4 40 yard dashes, so what separates the winners from the losers? MindSet. Back to the Canes. Strength and Conditioning coach Swasey (degree in sociology, which has nothing to do with enhancing an athletes performance, but he played football so I guess that makes him an automatic professional at strength and conditioning) has been there for some time and has a great relationship with many of the top players in the NFL, who happen to be from the ‘U’, however that doesn’t mean that he produces results and at the end of the day that’s what its all about, just because he’s a good person and/or has a great relationship with players doesn’t tell me a thing about his abilities as a coach. So many times people are empowered into positions through contacts rather than through merit, do I feel that there should be a change, that isn’t up to me to decide however, if the shoe fits.
Here are a couple of links to strength and conditioning coaches who deliver the goods.
Buddy Morris, strength and conditioning coach for the University of Pittsburgh.
Watch and Learn (maybe someone at the U should learn too)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NnqwUPJTJ_4&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2912mCUpOxY&feature=related
Joe Defranco, performance-enhancement specialist, Defranco’s Training Systems, Warwick, New Jersey
http://www.youtube.com/joedefranco
Alex Gonzalez, performance-enhancement specialist. Evolution Sports Performance, Miami, Florida
http://www.youtube.com/evosportsperformance
Dave Tate, World-class Powerlifter, Founder of Elitefts.com
http://www.youtube.com/elitefitnesssytems
http://www.elitefts.com