Manny Diaz and MORE Dishonorable BS at Miami

[DRU2012]

Far as I'm concerned, this is just more of the same old crap down there--and clearly Manny Diaz is a "perfect fit" in Coral Gables: Latest in a long line of lying, corrupt and dishonorable sleazebags who are for sale and therefore INEVITABLY attracted to and BY the most completely and irretrievably dishonest programs in college football. And given their repeatedly gaining little more than relative "slaps on the wrist" for what is by now a historical pattern of the most extreme violations of ethics, honor and outride IGNORING the supposed "RULES", what does anyone EXPECT, at this point?
This time, whatever suspicions one may have had about Diaz and his forked-tongued, self-promoting hustle in coming this far, this fast based on so little actual demonstrated-performance and/or data, this latest sequence of lies, broken promises and the ignoring of signed contracts within DAYS of making those promises and signing those contracts (not just to Temple University administrators but to players and their parents out on the recruiting trail), just in the last TWO WEEKS as he jumped from team to team, making public statements, telling bald lies and generally maneuvering himself up some greedy ladder of money and "prestige", all I can say to those loud-mouthed, gold-chained Camaro-drivers down south is you still DESERVE WHAT YOU GET--which hasn't changed much over the years since me and my friends had to roam the seedy dim gray tunnels of the Orange Bowl in alternate years of the old "Home and Home arrangement", defending elderly Gator alumni-fans late-game from packs of you spoiled idiots, just to get them safely out of the stadium near the end of those games we were usually beating y'all in.
Yeah: We "COMPETED" with FSU fans, pranked each other that last week of our respective regular seasons, mouthed off back and forth to each other back home weeks later at Christmastime after once-groups-of-friends split apart along lines of who went where... But we BOTH uniformly DESPISED 'Canes, team AND fans, for OH SO MANY REASONS--and this latest deal just embodies ALL OF IT.
YOU ALL DESERVE WORSE THAN THE WORLD OF SHIT YOU ARE HEADED FOR AGAIN--and cannot complain or claim surprise when it finally collapses on and around you once more...
If they ever give any kind of "Death Penalty" to a major college football program again (they've shied away from it after doing it ONCE, to SMU--and for less than what UM got caught in last time!), it will almost certainly be the University of Miami--and it will not just be well-deserved, but WAY OVERDUE.
As it is, I blame the oft-over-officious NCAA for cowardice and possibly politically-induced fear in repeatedly overlooking otherwise extreme violations, and "pulling their punches" when faced with inarguable, even overwhelming evidence of the worst kinds of behavior as UM's "normal everyday way of doing business", on and (even MORE so) OFF the field, having led to these kinds of problems arising again and again--if ANYTHING WORSE EACH TIME.
Sooner or later, I believe they will HAVE to properly address it ONCE AND FOR ALL--or let some complete OUTRAGE shame ALL of College Football and expose it to deep scrutiny that could unfairly soil everyone undeservedly.

 

[Escambia94]

With WWWWWiLLLLLLLie Taggart leading the Lethal Stupidity Offense at FSU and Manny Diaz being undefeated at Temple this year and heading to scUM, I think 2019 will be the year the Florida Gators win back the coveted Florida Cup! Florida is 1-5 in the Florida Cup series that began in 2002.

• 2002 - Miami
• 2003 - Miami
• 2004 - Miami
• 2008 - Florida
• 2013 - FSU

Miami leads the rivalry for what used to be the battle for the Seminole War Canoe Trophy 29-26, with Miami winning the last game in 2013. Dan Mullen was the offensive coordinator at Florida during their last victory in 2008, which was also the last year that the Gators won the Florida Cup. The next game will be played at a neutral site, Orlando's Camping World Stadium. The Gators are 3-3 against Miami at neutral site games (Jacksonville, Tampa, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Orlando). Although Florida won the 2008 contest, Miami kept the Seminole War Canoe in its hall of fame display despite a written request from the University of Florida Student Government, with Miami citing that the trophy was intended for the annual rivalry that Florida elected to not renew after going 19-19 in the Seminole War Canoe series from 1950 to 1987.

 

[Leakfan12]

Yeah, kind of felt bad for Mark Richt. I know he has been a rival since his UGA days but you're thinking that he should have gotten another year not been forced to retire (let's face it he didn't retire on his own accord) and replaced him a guy who broke his word with Temple (why does that sound familiar?). Also, Ponzi U should have gotten the Death Penalty but didn't because the NCAA paid that dirtbag lawyer and the NCAA was trying to save face.

 

[Leakfan12]

Speaking of lying douchebag that doesn't honor their word, Urban Lair won his Rose Bowl.

 

[Escambia94]

Speaking of lying douchebag that doesn't honor their word, Urban Lair won his Rose Bowl.

With his friend, Dan Mullen, back here at Florida and Urban Meyer retiring presumably for good, I can honestly say that I am ready to forgive Urban Meyer and let him into the Gator Ring of Honor in a few years. Here is his response to a Gator fan who happened to be in attendance at the Rose Bowl:
[TWEET]https://twitter.com/TheQBEngineer/status/1080299311315988481?s=19
[/TWEET]

 

[Leakfan12]

Also, Manny Diaz fired his offensive coaching staff. That's got to be awkward.

 

[Escambia94]

Also, Manny Diaz fired his offensive coaching staff. That's got to be awkward.

Smart move. That was a horrible offense. Too bad there are no more Dana Holgersen or Kliff Klingsbury caliber offensive coaches to run that Miami offense.

I think Diaz will be their version of Muschamp: a defensive coach who is good at recruiting, but not good at offense.

 

[DRU2012]

With his friend, Dan Mullen, back here at Florida and Urban Meyer retiring presumably for good, I can honestly say that I am ready to forgive Urban Meyer and let him into the Gator Ring of Honor in a few years. Here is his response to a Gator fan who happened to be in attendance at the Rose Bowl:
[TWEET]https://twitter.com/TheQBEngineer/status/1080299311315988481?s=19
[/TWEET]

"Ready to forgive"? I am not.
Am not particularly PROUD of my hardened heart in this regard ("Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" and all that--but this was a matter of honor and loyalty, and I was raised with an EXTREMELY deep-seated sensitivity to and value placed IN living UP to such promises and committments...they are NOT "just words" to me.
A couple of off-handed, late little signs after-the-fact of finally acknowledging those "ties that bind" just doesn't do much to "FIX ANYTHING" with me, for whatever THAT'S worth...I am NOT saying NEVER, for that poisons ME in the long run, hurts the HATOR more than the hated, but not yet...oh no, WAY "not yet...").
For me, more will have to happen, more time passed, more signs of realization and self-insight, more "regret" than the "convenient kind"... Life has a way of punishing betrayal and hypocracy--and this guy just hasn't seemed to even grasp his yet, let alone truly PAID for much of it in any concious way. He's still too deftly DUCKING it for MY taste.
But it all COULD be about to begin crashing IN on him... Then we may see how that plays out, and what, if anything, is learned in the aftermath.

 

[DRU2012]

Smart move. That was a horrible offense. Too bad there are no more Dana Holgersen or Kliff Klingsbury caliber offensive coaches to run that Miami offense.

I think Diaz will be their version of Muschamp: a defensive coach who is good at recruiting, but not good at offense.

I suspect the situation with Diaz now in Miami is more fraught with doom than Muschamp-to-Gainesville, personally. The nuts'n'bolts reality of the situation has its parallel, but it is the deeper, moral/ethical pitfalls that threaten him in that particular program: His ambition, coupled with a near total lack of concern for honor, principle and/or fellowship among himself and the people around him, going into that longtime bottomless pit of mutual exploitation in particular, just seems RIFE with danger of a particular kind. I just EXPECT this to eventually blow up somehow. To me, there just seems an inevitability of desperation and decay among the subtropical undergrowth surrounding the program, its history and location--and the whole mixture of what's already in place there providing a dangerous BED in which NEW corruption to take root and flourish there.

 

[Leakfan12]

"Ready to forgive"? I am not.
Am not particularly PROUD of my hardened heart in this regard ("Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" and all that--but this was a matter of honor and loyalty, and I was raised with an EXTREMELY deep-seated sensitivity to and value placed IN living UP to such promises and committments...they are NOT "just words" to me.
A couple of off-handed, late little signs after-the-fact of finally acknowledging those "ties that bind" just doesn't do much to "FIX ANYTHING" with me, for whatever THAT'S worth...I am NOT saying NEVER, for that poisons ME in the long run, hurts the HATOR more than the hated, but not yet...oh no, WAY "not yet...").
For me, more will have to happen, more time passed, more signs of realization and self-insight, more "regret" than the "convenient kind"... Life has a way of punishing betrayal and hypocracy--and this guy just hasn't seemed to even grasp his yet, let alone truly PAID for much of it in any concious way. He's still too deftly DUCKING it for MY taste.
But it all COULD be about to begin crashing IN on him... Then we may see how that plays out, and what, if anything, is learned in the aftermath.

I'm with you there @DRU2012 and yes I know I know he won two championships in Gainesville but hard for me to overlook that he kept Aaron Hernandez after attacked a bar manager, an assistant coach who was a wife beater (not to mention keeping him around until his mentor and grandfather of the dirtbag died, and of course lying about his health and after a year break takes a job that's equally stressful if not more stressful than Florida (Ohio State). Ok maybe he was telling the truth his health but one would think he would have taken more than a year off (maybe 2,3, 5 years off) then maybe come back not a year to another big-time program. He made Steve Spurrier look great in comparison and Spurrier coached a rival division team. Granted Spurrier left for the NFL before going to the Gamecocks. I'm sure Spurrier had some baggage but not nearly as much as Meyer. Plus Spurrier looked better after he retired during the season with the Gamecocks then Meyer's half-@$$ed 2010 season. I know you would prefer a coach stays for the rest of the season but would you prefer a coach who decides I can't do this anymore and leaves during the season or a guy who heart isn't in it and continues coaching the season. Also, why is Ohio State keeping Meyer around?

 

[DRU2012]

I'm with you there @DRU2012 and yes I know I know he won two championships in Gainesville but hard for me to overlook that he kept Aaron Hernandez after attacked a bar manager, an assistant coach who was a wife beater (not to mention keeping him around until his mentor and grandfather of the dirtbag died, and of course lying about his health and after a year break takes a job that's equally stressful if not more stressful than Florida (Ohio State). Ok maybe he was telling the truth his health but one would think he would have taken more than a year off (maybe 2,3, 5 years off) then maybe come back not a year to another big-time program. He made Steve Spurrier look great in comparison and Spurrier coached a rival division team. Granted Spurrier left for the NFL before going to the Gamecocks. I'm sure Spurrier had some baggage but not nearly as much as Meyer. Plus Spurrier looked better after he retired during the season with the Gamecocks then Meyer's half-@$$ed 2010 season. I know you would prefer a coach stays for the rest of the season but would you prefer a coach who decides I can't do this anymore and leaves during the season or a guy who heart isn't in it and continues coaching the season. Also, why is Ohio State keeping Meyer around?

Spurrier's case is very different--more complicated...I've had my own problems with it AND him over the years (for example, though most Gators have been more or less willing to forgive, if not fully forget the questions and "rough edges" that dog his continued (and for him at least, convenient) veneration and restored place in Gator historical lore)...But his story is nowhere near as dark and/or shameful, neither the man nor his behavior, as Meyer's...In point of fact, we owed SS much, and though it hurt to see him turn his back on us for a time, he never outright rejected or betrayed us--and, whether self-serving or not, he has always proudly responded and participated in the honors UF has subsequently offered him.
All in all, he seems fully "back with us" now; personally, I've always liked and admired him--so all in all, in his case it is EASY to let "all the rest" slide by and settle now. Spurrier has often made me laugh; Meyer, more than anything else has mostly CREEPED ME OUT, and generally made us all cringe.
As for his health, who knows? The only thing I know from observing the man is that EVERYTHING he does and says for public consumption is ultimately SELF-serving, exagerated, twisted, bent and/or modified to suit his convenience and/or needs-of-the-moment. So however much truth OR invention characterizes what we have heard or seen regarding his health, the one thing we can be certain of is that EXPEDIENCE, his own AND that of his supporters and apologists, has, is and will continue to dictate what's out there and how it is presented. A plague upon he AND they--and henceforth and forever more ALL who blindly follow "The Poison Nuts" of Ohio State.
(...But fear not: For what it's worth I strongly suspect they are in for an inevitably LONG period of "karmic readjustment" up there...)

 

[Escambia94]

Spurrier's situation was very different. After 12 years at Florida he had seen and done everything. He missed being in the pros (remember that he coached the USFL Tampa Bay Bandits), so he brought the Fun n' Gun to the NFL Washington Redskins at a time when he had multiple Gators in the NFL. It was perfect timing. By the time he got tired of dealing with Dan Snyder with the Redskins, it did not make sense to return to Gainesville, so he took at job succeeding his friend Lou Holtz at South Carolina. It is not as if he purposefully chose an SEC East rival--he chose to follow his friend, and he enjoyed the challenge of building from scratch.

Urban Meyer on the other hand had chased away his best coaches, covered up for Aaron Hernandez and Zach Smith, and lied to the Gator Nation multiple times by the time he left Gainesville.

 

[DRU2012]

Spurrier's case is very different--more complicated...I've had my own problems with it AND him over the years (for example, though most Gators have been more or less willing to forgive, if not fully forget the questions and "rough edges" that dog his continued (and for him at least, convenient) veneration and restored place in Gator historical lore)...But his story is nowhere near as dark and/or shameful, neither the man nor his behavior, as Meyer's...In point of fact, we owed SS much, and though it hurt to see him turn his back on us for a time, he never outright rejected or betrayed us--and, whether self-serving or not, he has always proudly responded and participated in the honors UF has subsequently offered him.
All in all, he seems fully "back with us" now; personally, I've always liked and admired him--so all in all, in his case it is EASY to let "all the rest" slide by and settle now. Spurrier has often made me laugh; Meyer, more than anything else has mostly CREEPED ME OUT, and generally made us all cringe.
As for his health, who knows? The only thing I know from observing the man is that EVERYTHING he does and says for public consumption is ultimately SELF-serving, exagerated, twisted, bent and/or modified to suit his convenience and/or needs-of-the-moment. So however much truth OR invention characterizes what we have heard or seen regarding his health, the one thing we can be certain of is that EXPEDIENCE, his own AND that of his supporters and apologists, has, is and will continue to dictate what's out there and how it is presented. A plague upon he AND they--and henceforth and forever more ALL who blindly follow "The Poison Nuts" of Ohio State.
(...But fear not: For what it's worth I strongly suspect they are in for an inevitably LONG period of "karmic readjustment" up there...)

(Agree entirely...and one more interesting sidenote: It was Lou Holtz who was the one person I ever saw literally out-adjust and ultimately out-COACH SS in a Big Game. I believe it was in one of the big New Years Day Bowlgames in 1992, I THINK Lou was still with the Irish then--I'd have to stop and do a little googling/wiki-peda-ing here to get it all straight, and it isn't really central to tge story OR my point--and Spurrier-coached Gators went to the half up big on 'em, had Holtz' highly ranked team whipped soundly on BOTH sides of the ball... But Holtz fielded entirely, crazy-creatively reorganized squads to meet the Gator challenge from the bottom up in the SECOND half--and it WORKED. It LOOKED lije the crazy role-of-the-dice gamble it was, the kind of thing you always WISH your team might pull of/when it FINDS itself outclassed and down like that "in the Big Game". Both our offensive and defensive teams looked confused out there from then on, and never recovered. You could see that confusion on the Florida sidelines among the Coaches--and Sprurrier's OWN frustration...but by the 4th qtr his typical disgust in such unfamiliar territory had given way to a kind of strange resolve, as if he realized he DIDN'T have answers this time an KNEW IT--could only fight, try to slow down the breakdown and hold on as our once "Big Lead" steadily melted away. As a fan I think I felt what SS himself was feeling, and KNEW it too: A kind of grudging admiration. Holtz took a series of brilliant chances that together amounted to "the only way to beat a team like ours that day with that big a lead going into the 2nd half--and with NO guarantee that it would be enough--only the sole possibility that IF there were a way to come back and beat us with the team HE had, this was it--and THEN ONLY IF EVERYTHING BROKE THEIR WAY FROM THEN ON--much the way it had all broken OUR way in the FIRST half.
So he somehow was able to envision it, get his coaches and team to grasp and get ready to carry it out, then come out and PULL IT OFF. Youhad to give Holtz credit on every level--imagination, determination, organization, and BALLS.
If they weren't mutual fans and/or friends BEFORE that day, the grinning exchange of heartfelt hugs'n'handshakes at midfield after the final gun I thought even at the time was the very least the beginning of a kind of (rare for both men) private "mutual admiration society"...
And all of this came back to me the day I heard years later (a full decade, I think) that SS was going to SC (SEC), where Holtz was the AD who was intent on hiring him.

 

[Leakfan12]

It was the 1992 Sugar Bowl, also according to Wikipedia, it was called the Cheerios Bowl because some waiter told Lou Holtz that the only difference between Cheerios and Notre Dame is that Cheerios belong in a bowl. Gave old Lou some bulletin board material. Sad that Spurrier didn't come back to the Gators after Zook was fired though then again would Tim Tebow come to Florida if Spurrier was the coach? Would Spurrier bother to recruit Tebow?

 

[Escambia94]

Spurrier would never have recruited Tebow. Spurrier is very particular with his QBs. He had shown multiple times that he will take the 5th string QB or a lower ranked recruit to get what he wants.