Probably a lot more running than passing so more tackles by LBs, particularly in space where they are showcased. Agreed that LB was a “star” position. Everyone could name the top ones. Maybe Lester Hayes did that for CBs?
Watched buffalo in their bowl game and they have a stud backer.
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He is really good.
Miami fixed their defensive back room.
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How?
They added some very good players through the portal. I believe they are not done in the portal. They also brought in a solid DB class.
I like the class we have brough in and this Ethan kid, too. However, the one kid, Khantley (sp?) is still raw and a project. That’s all fine IF you have some studs on the team where he can be groomed. We don’t seem to do a good job of grooming.
He doesn’t move on “quickly”…The hiring process takes a ridiculously long time considering who he ends up with.
On defense it was a combination personnel/coaching issue imo. And what you saw just wasn’t in the bowl game.
Also, Rivers is gone
All in all I’m a Mario supporter. But his stubbornness is glaring and he will never improve on game day. Imagine kicking a FG with 4 mins left or whatever it was Syracuse. To go down fucking 4. Complete idiot move.
I think Mario is doing his usual excellent job recruiting, and to date, has strengthened demonstrably our defensive backfield. Looking forward, we have two more hurdles to vault, which are finding another QB and hiring a formidable defensive coordinator. As a coach, Mario’s strongest suit is recruiting. Now that we have NIL and the portal, Mario’s recruiting skill should not be underappreciated
While I enjoyed this year’s team, especially being led by the best QB in the nation, I have some thoughts on how Mario can improve the team. On offense, we need greater deception. There needs to be .more players in motion and better QB ball concealment. We need to do a better job of selling misdirection rushing plays. When you exhibit backfield executional poise, ofttimes even cameramen are fooled about who has the football. Having executional poise means curtailing illegal motion and procedural penalties. Miami had way too many penalties this year, attributable to coaching failure.
With Ward, we did a great job on third down conversion. With Ward gone, it would be great to have a mobile QB. I find in today’s game, a QB’s rushing ability is vital in securing 3rd and 4th down conversions. In finding a QB, I would hope Mario investigates potential QBs who are playing in the lower division schools. I like QBs who have basketball skills. You’ll recall that Joe Burrow, who was discarded by Ohio State was an All State point guard in high school. The role of a point guard is passing the ball to players who are constantly in motion. That skill, I think, transfers well to that of a football QB. As to passing game strategy, I think the first concern is mastering the short passing game establishing ball control and the ability to mount long drives winning time of possession. The successful short passing game helps the QB into a rhythmic mode and better able to complete longer passes.
In the red zone, I’d like to see more three man backfields, even if one man is a tackle used for blocking or if he has hands as a receiver. I despise formations without any RBs.
On defense, I agree with Elite80. We need someone with greater foot speed on the dline. We need a fast interior LB, one of those 6’4" inch guys like they have at Alabama. We need more deception on the dline, shifting on each play to disguise our pass rushing strategy. Such movement often results in procedural calls against the opposing offense. We need a killer safety with exceptional foot speed to wreak havoc on blitzes.
What a good feeling it was this year actually being in contention. Shame the bubble kind of burst at season end. Can’;t believe we blew it in the Pop Tart fiasco game.
Locked on Canes has some good podcasts, I think.
Last night I heard the recent episode that Bruce Warren was on, he stated how hard it is to land coaches at Miami because no one stays and they use it as a stepping stool to get elsewhere.
Any opinion on how Joe Salave’a moving on impacts the team? Going back to his alma mater and could have been irked by Taylor’s presence. No clue but lure of going back to where you played in college is probably big.
I don’t think losing Joe is a big deal, IMO. I think it’s a good overhaul on our D. I would suspect that Taylor may take over all DL duties?