Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

It has been 15 days since Miami last played a game, in a tough 30-28 loss to Virginia. We know how it ended. Manny Diaz played conservatively and Andy Borregales missed a potential game winner at the buzzer. Since that point, Miami learned more bad news as QB D’Eriq King was ruled out for the season with a shoulder injury. The Canes reportedly had a practice fight. There are more rumors that there are upperclassmen who want to transfer, and that leaves out the coaching rumors. What has been said for two weeks were many different catch phrases and coach speak meant to deflect from the fact that the Canes are 2-3 and not a good team. The only thing that should matter is winning games and the excuses must stop.

Manny Diaz Factor

Manny Diaz is clearly on the hot seat and the question is, can he save his job in 2021? There were multiple reports that financially Miami couldn’t afford to make a move, but Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald debunked the 8 million dollar buyout rumor. With the price tag significantly lower than originally reported, Miami can no longer sell the poverty angle when it comes to potentially making changes again. Manny is 16-13 as a head coach, and has yet to have a signature quality win in his tenure. The team comes out slow against just about everyone, and mind numbing losses far out number quality wins. At some point the rubber has to hit the road and wins have to far outweigh the losses. Manny has gotten by with a lot of offseason hype but little substance when it comes to the regular season. Fans, most notable alums and ESPN have called out the program. It has become beyond embarrassing to see Miami plastered all over most lists calling them either overrated or underachieving. Manny Diaz is the head of the snake, and for Miami to be better, either he needs to be better, or replaced. There are no other options.

Injury Excuse

D’Eriq King was a preseason Heisman front runner, and in his 6th year he was expected to lead Miami deep into the season as a ranked team. Unfortunately, King never seemed to be 100% healthy and was injured against Michigan St to effectively end his 2021 campaign. Miami was/is supposed to be better on offense but old problems popped up. The offensive line can’t sustain blocks. Wide Receivers and Tight Ends continuously drop catchable passes. 3rd down conversions continue to be a problem, and Miami just can’t score points. Most of that was with King at QB, so there doesn’t need to be an excuse made for Miami that injuries have hampered this team. Tyler Van Dyke has my full confidence, and now it’s on Rhett Lashlee to be creative and give his young signal caller chances to make plays. There are too many “playmakers” on this side of the ball to continuously look so poor.

Program Support

Does Miami support the athletic department or not? This is a question that continues to permeate throughout the conversation of many around Canes athletics. Blake James has done a poor job elevating the Canes back to the lofty perch they once were over a decade ago. Failed coaching hires, lack of funding for a quality program, and a constant resetting of expectations have made the goals seem like participation trophies. Why is the preseason #14 team sitting at 2-3, with one loss to a rebuilding team (Michigan St) and another to an average at best team(Virginia), and now recalibrating expectations to just win the coastal? Larry Coker was forced to fire his staff after a 9-3 Peach Bowl season. If Miami were to somehow win 7 in a row and get to 9-3, Manny Diaz would probably get a contract extension knowing the way this program works. The school either needs to be in, or just be out of the “championship” football business. It has been 15 years, and outside or a Mark Richt two year run in which he won 19 games, Miami has been out of the winning business.

The excuses need to stop.

Stop comparing Manny’s 1st 2 plus seasons to Dabo Swinney and Nick Saban, they are not the same.

Stop telling fans it’s our fault for not showing up to games.

Stop using ridiculous analogies about child birth, and equating that to practice fights.

Stop telling us the school is broke and can’t afford to hire better people.

Stop telling us the school president has little interest in athletics.

Stop playing less talented upperclassmen who aren’t getting the job done.

Stop losing to less talented teams.

Stop blaming injuries.

If you can’t stop making these ridiculous excuses, then find someone or some people who can rebuild Miami to the power it once was.

“Excuses are like butts, everyone has one, and they all stink”

Go Canes