Hurricanes coach Diaz making a lot of changes
One thing that was clear from UM coach Manny Diaz’s first meeting with players on Sunday: Things are going to be different around here.
There were bells and whistles, to be sure. Diaz had Hurricanes players run under ropes to attack tackling dummies inside the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility. The lights were darkened, an announcer blared over loudspeakers and there was a WWE-wrestling style approach to typically mundane mat drills.
But that was the style part of the evening. There was also plenty of substance.
Players emerged from that meeting believing there will be less tolerance for missteps. And players will be more accountable for their teammates’ behavior than ever before.
Some of what we’re hearing, from close associates who were briefed by players after the Sunday evening session:
Diaz named a bunch of designated leaders — primarily respected upperclassmen — and those players will look after the players that they select to join them in their groups.
Players who commit violations — tardiness and far worse — will be subject to discipline, with pushing a weighted sled the most minor of the disciplinary consequences.
The appointed leaders are expected to carefully watch over those players on their “teams,” monitor their missteps, make sure they’re not slacking in their workouts or anything else and take ownership of their groups. Ultimately, the group leader will be held accountable if there are repeated missteps by somebody in their group.
Each leader and his group of players will be situated close to each other in the locker room and, ideally, work out together.
This all feeds into the belief, held by some coaches, that the best locker rooms are the ones where players police their teammates.
It was made clear to players in the meeting that nobody has won a starting job for next season. Everything will be a competition.
These coaches are “very serious,” as one player conveyed. One UM person predicted there will be greater respect — or fear — of Diaz’s discipline than former coach Mark Richt’s.
With Diaz preaching accountability, it’s not surprising that he declined to immediately acquiesce to dismissed former receiver Jeff Thomas’ request to get back on the team, prompting Thomas to leave South Florida to enroll at Illinois.
One teammate said Thomas complained a lot last year and had a me-first attitude. A UM official said he was frequently punished last season for missteps but stopped doing the punishment — which was early morning running.
CHATTER
Meanwhile, five-star prep receiver Jadon Haselwood had some stinging words in a video in which he explained his decision to attend Oklahoma instead of Miami or Georgia or anywhere else.
“From a football standpoint, damn, how you lose to Duke, a basketball school?” he said of UM. “They got to a bowl game, and they get blistered. That ain’t men I want to play with. Some of their players just be happy with losing and they don’t have no chip on their shoulder because they lost.”
Former four-star quarterback Tate Martell, who’s looking to transfer from Ohio State, reportedly visited UM on Monday — one day after Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts visited UM. Hurts, eligible to play in 2019, is considering UM, Maryland and Oklahoma.
Martell, who cannot play until 2020 if he transfers, is considering Miami, West Virginia, Louisville and potentially others. … UM took Hurts to Prime 112 for dinner on Sunday night as part of its recruiting pitch. … Butler transfer Tommy Kennedy, UM’s likely starting left tackle, has arrived on campus and is enrolled.
Patriots de facto defensive coordinator Bryan Flores, expected to take the Dolphins’ coaching job, is poised to add former Colts and Lions coach Jim Caldwell to his staff, potentially in an associate head coach role.
Flores also is expected to hire Packers linebackers coach Patrick Graham, with whom he worked in New England from 2009 to 2015. Flores also has considered a Dolphins role for former Wisconsin and Arkansas coach Brett Bielema, who has been an assistant to Patriots coach Bill Belichick year.
Five teams are pursuing Dolphins special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, including the Packers (he met with them this week) and Jets. Rizzi hasn’t decided whether to leave the Dolphins to take one of these other jobs. … The Dolphins lost their first assistant coach of the offseason when defensive line coach Kris Kocurek joined the 49ers this week.
Though the Heat is open to trading Wayne Ellington (earning $6.3 million) in an effort to reduce its luxury tax bill from its current $9.7 million, here’s the problem: Only four teams can accept a significant salary without having to send any salary back to the other team: the Sacramento Kings (who have $11 million in cap space) and three teams with trade exceptions topping $6 million: Detroit, Denver and Charlotte. The Heat has no edict to trim salary. The luxury tax bill is set on the final day of the regular season; the trade deadline is Feb. 7.
After agreeing with righthander Dan Straily on a oneyear, $5 million deal, the Marlins are now very open to trading him if they can get decent value back in return. Straily is under team control through 2020. in the past