Why do you think Manny failed at Texas?

[Irondawg]

I have no idea but seems it shouldn't have been lack of talent. With more and more teams going to big 12 type offenses that is a concern for me

[smootness]

Hopefully we'll never know. I do think Texas was a trainwreck at the time, and I never understood why Diaz went there. He jumped onto a sinking ship. Whether or not he should have still been able to do more is not something I have enough knowledge to assess.

[Bothrops]

Texas was a train wreck then, the program was stuck in neutral under Mack Brown. Things aren't so different now.

[nsvltndog]

I can't blame Manny for going to Texas. Mack Brown was nearing retirement and he could have coached his way into being their next head coach had the whole program not imploded. He was very unlikely to be the next MSU coach if he stuck around. Mullen might have been flirting with other programs at the time, but Hud would have been picked if Mullen had departed.

What concerns me is that if his wife truly didn't like Starkville, it hasn't changed much since she left unless she is a big fan of Buffalo Wild Wings.

[Dawg61]

Texas is stuck being one of the last Big 12 teams to go the Oregon, Baylor high retarded speed NASCAR spread. All the high schools in Texas are running the uptempo spread too so Texas was stuck with a HC that wanted and knew how to be ground and pound but everything around him was forcing him to be spread finesse uptempo. Just bad timing for Diaz.

[engie]

I have no idea but seems it shouldn't have been lack of talent. With more and more teams going to big 12 type offenses that is a concern for me

No talent and a team that had quit on Mack Brown. Easily referenced by the fact that Texas had no one drafted last year on either side of the ball. That said, he was there 2.5 years, so some of that is his own fault...

Manny's first year at Texas, they led the conference in total D by about 70 yards per game, then lost 3 guys to the NFL. They regressed in year 2 to average and he lost 2 more. They had zero defensive players drafted last year. We'll see how many they have drafted this year to get a pretty good idea about defensive talent level...

[engie]

That said, I think Diaz underperformed with the defensive talent level we learned in hindsight that he had while he was here.

[Jack Lambert]

Look every head coach gets to the point they are at their end. Things start to fall apart. Some take longer than others. It took JWS 10 years to get there. It looks like Snoops is close to being there at OK. Diaz went to Texas at the wrong time. Brown was done he just didn't know it.

By the time Diaz got there that defense was getting horrible. Thats why he got hired.

[Dawgowar]

Highly rated talent that was undisciplined, unaccountable, and not overly responsive to coaching. Mac got old. No offensive support. Too many Mac guys remained on staff with the attitude it wasn't how they do things. Mac cut his legs out from under him by bringing in a consultant and eventual replacement. Mac was in panic mode. Manny and the defense made the easier target until a mild revolution in the AD office and among the regents was completed. (All would have gone then anyway)

Strong has not made huge strides with what he inherited and he has not put up with a 10th of what Mac allowed.

Further proof it was Mac, watch how defensive he gets when the subject of his demise comes up. He points out all sorts of alleged great things about the program but he won't talk about that record.

Manny is by no means not culpable, but he was not the major reason those players failed.

[Todd4State]

The game had passed Mack Brown by and they needed a scapegoat, and Manny was one of them.

Manny has been successful everywhere else. Including Louisiana Tech last year.

[yjnkdawg]

The game had passed Mack Brown by and they needed a scapegoat, and Manny was one of them.

Manny has been successful everywhere else. Including Louisiana Tech last year.


This and one of his former players said his schemes were good, but the players didn't execute them and there was a lack of senior leadership on the defense.

[Mutt the Hoople]

I have no idea but seems it shouldn't have been lack of talent. With more and more teams going to big 12 type offenses that is a concern for me
Texas is Ole Miss-squared when it comes to recruiting and booster interference. Their fans are more interested in Stars and winning the recruiting championship than actual players that can help them. Texas players have to be handled with kid-gloves, and if you're mean to them, they'll cry to their favorite booster and the coach will get a nasty phone call threatening to not contribute to the Longhorn booster club unless you start being nice to their boy.

I'd be very excited to see Diaz' defense in 2015, especially with the Defensive we could have coming back. Heck, if by his coming back we could convince Bernardrick McKinney to hang around for another year, that would be worth the price of his hiring. As it is, I'm sick and tired of having Pro-level corners playing soft zone and getting shredded.

[Dawgowar]

I would like to see us produce a few edge rushers that were consistent threats. Those would be large men coming off the left or right side of the line and hitting the Quarterback BEFORE he throws the ball. I would like to see a lot of this. SO much of this in fact that I would lose count of how many times this phenomenon has occurred. It would be deemed a good thing to see such a massive amount of edge rushing.

Is it legal any longer?

[Dawgface]

I can't blame Manny for going to Texas. Mack Brown was nearing retirement and he could have coached his way into being their next head coach had the whole program not imploded. He was very unlikely to be the next MSU coach if he stuck around. Mullen might have been flirting with other programs at the time, but Hud would have been picked if Mullen had departed.

What concerns me is that if his wife truly didn't like Starkville, it hasn't changed much since she left unless she is a big fan of Buffalo Wild Wings.

Considering the fact Manny makes much less at La Tech, she will like S'ville better this time around.

[Todd4State]

Considering the fact Manny makes much less at La Tech, she will like S'ville better this time around.

I don't see this is as something that can't be worked around. Get a condo or something like that in Starkville for football season. Get a house in Jackson or Memphis for the rest of the year. At his salary, he should be able to do that pretty reasonably as long as he doesn't buy a mansion or a condo at Dudy-Noble Field.

[Todd4State]

Texas is Ole Miss-squared when it comes to recruiting and booster interference. Their fans are more interested in Stars and winning the recruiting championship than actual players that can help them. Texas players have to be handled with kid-gloves, and if you're mean to them, they'll cry to their favorite booster and the coach will get a nasty phone call threatening to not contribute to the Longhorn booster club unless you start being nice to their boy.

I'd be very excited to see Diaz' defense in 2015, especially with the Defensive we could have coming back. Heck, if by his coming back we could convince Bernardrick McKinney to hang around for another year, that would be worth the price of his hiring. As it is, I'm sick and tired of having Pro-level corners playing soft zone and getting shredded.

Texas is Ole Miss with something to actually brag about.

[SheltonChoked]

Texas problems were with recruiting and lazy recruiting websites. Mac Brown had the pick of anyone in Texas and gave firm offers to kids young. Like 9th grade, and if they didn't grow or develop. He kept them. And they somehow kept the Stars. Look at how many Texas guys got drafted.

In addition, Mac continually told players they "were not good enough to play X at Texas". (RG3, Jonny football, were told they were safeties at Texas).

Since Vince young, Texas has not evaluated offensive linemen well, and not utilized running backs well.

[Dawg61]

Wasn't there some rumblings of a scandal going on at Texas involving paying female students for sex? Add that to an already corroding football program and even Ditka would have some issues on defense.

[dawgs]

Sometimes coaches get stuck in a bad HC situation. Mac brown at the end was a quickly sinking ship and Diaz got paid handsomely to go down with it. There very likely isn't a successful coach out there that hasn't been fired at some point in his career.