Miami’s Diaz couldn’t stand it anymore so he got a new defensive coordinator: himself
The Miami Hurricanes are no longer laughing around their defensive coordinator, no longer making jokes or being unfocused.
That’s what happens when your defensive coordinator is the main man — and your first opponent at 3:30 p.m. Saturday is No. 1 Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“I mean, he’s the head coach,’’ UM starting safety Bubba Bolden said of Manny Diaz, who in February announced he would take over as defensive coordinator, reclaiming the job he held at Miami from 2016 through 2018. “Every time you’re around him you’re going to be serious no matter what. With a defensive coordinator you can actually be somewhat chill. When you’re around the head coach who is the defensive coordinator it’s a different ballgame.”
Bolden snapped his finger.
“Everything is serious,’’ he said. “Everything is on point. You see how he holds himself. This year, with Coach Diaz, there’s no slipping up. It’s very different. There’s no laughing, no giggling, there’s none of that. And I feel last year there was a lot of that.’’
And a lot of missed tackles and missed assignments and wrong angles and just getting stomped on by the end of the season. Diaz had to feel nauseated watching his Hurricanes disintegrate against North Carolina in the final regular season game last season, when the Tar Heels bludgeoned the Canes with 778 yards — their 554 rushing yards the most ever by a UM opponent.
On Tuesday, Bolden spoke to reporters about Alabama, which lost starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Mac Jones, starting receiver and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, starting running back Najee Harris, receiver Jaylen Waddle and three starting offensive linemen — including Outland Trophy winner Alex Leatherwood — to the NFL. Jones, Smith, Harris, Waddle and Leatherwood were all first-rounders.
Former five-star quarterback Bryce Young, a second-year freshman who played in nine games last season and completed 13 of 22 passes (59.1 percent) for 156 yards and one touchdown, has replaced Jones.
“They’ve got good guys coming up,’’ Bolden said. “Bryce Young is a good quarterback — a young guy. I actually know him from LA. He was committed to [Bolden’s former school] USC before, so I know him. They got some transfer receiver [Jameson Williams] from Ohio State — he’s a pretty good guy. I mean they’re always going to have good guys. That’s college football. That’s Alabama.
“We just gotta match up well and go out there and play hard. That’s what we’re going to do.’’
Diaz acknowledged Tuesday in a WQAM interview that the Crimson Tide “have a lot of unknowns on offense.’’
“You know they’re all super talented kids, all the highest rankings and so on and so forth, whatever that means,’’ the coach said. “You know they’re going to have a great looking team, you know they’ll be well coached, you know they’ll l be well organized. To be honest, we’re way more concerned about us and how we perform.’’
And the way the Canes performed in that unforgettable 62-26 loss to UNC showed Diaz more than enough to realize he was what UM needed to try to repair the damage.
Bearing responsibility
“I did not recognize the football team I saw on the field and I bear the responsibility for that,’’ Diaz said after the game. “We do not have to be defined by this here, but we damn sure better learn a lesson from it.’’
UM’s defense got considerably worse overall in 2020, finishing 67th in total defense compared to 13th in 2019, 76th in rushing defense compared to 17th in 2019 and 65th in passing yards allowed compared to 18th the previous season. Miami did rank an impressive No. 4 nationally in tackles for loss, matching its 2019 ranking.
The Canes have a revamped defensive coaching staff and a daunting task replacing Miami’s NFL Draft picks Jaelan Phillips (Miami Dolphins) and Quincy Roche (Pittsburgh Steelers) with new starters Zach McCloud and Jahfari Harvey; as well as playing two linebackers (weak-side Keontra Smith and middle Corey Flagg) getting their first college starts.
“Pressure, man,’’ said McCloud, a sixth-year senior who said Diaz wants focused, smart players. “Diaz, his coaching style, you can’t have any nonsense. You can’t beat yourself. He says, ‘Don’t be a line in a piece of paper.’ We’re learning how to adjust to every situation, how the little details make a difference during the play.”
Carter said Diaz “gets after” the players, “that we strain to the ball, keep leverage.
“He does put a little chip on your shoulder, as he should.’’
Diaz is known for being aggressive and fairly simple on defense. Attack but know your responsibility. Don’t do someone else’s job.
Is he sometimes tempted to get more sophisticated?
More sophisticated?
“Sometimes the sophistication isn’t necessarily the volume of more calls,’’ Diaz said. “It’s the depth of understanding how we’re maybe going to take things away and getting more complex in the way you match up routes. Ultimately what you want more experienced guys like Bubba Bolden to to do is understanding what the offense is doing. It’s not just knowing your defense. It’s understanding the offense.
“When I’m young I’m just trying to know my job. The offense could be holding up a sign saying, ‘We’re running the ball right at you’ and they wouldn’t see it.”
Diaz said his trust in offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee makes it easier for him to focus on the defense, but he doesnt want his players thinking, “Oh, you’re just the defensive head coach.’’
“The players have been around me enough that they know I can wear both hats. It’s fun to compete again, but It’s not about me and my fun level. It’s about what’s best for our football team. And I just felt there was a level of accountability that our players needed. To me defense is all about accountability and trust. When you have it that’s where special things happen on defense. If you don’t, it can look pretty bad.
“We didn’t have our standard defense a year ago and I felt like it wasn’t a matter of me having manageable play calls but you can’t have any more accountability than coming from the head coach’s front door.”
▪ Starting left tackle Zion Nelson was back practicing during a 20-minute media viewing Tuesday.
▪ Veteran defensive back Al Blades, listed as a cornerback on the depth chart, practiced with the safeties during media viewing.
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 3:56 PM.
