Breaking Down the Miami Hurricanes: Manny Diaz

When Manny Diaz was officially announced as the new defensive coordinator of the Miami Hurricanes, Mark Richt said “He and our defensive staff will implement a 4-3 attacking style defense.” And while Diaz certainly will use an attacking 4-3 set at times, the previous quote narrows down a very multiple defense into only one of its many sets. Diaz has shown in the past that his defense will vary year to year as well as play to play, putting players in different positions to succeed on each individual play.

Bread and Butter

While Diaz is known for his blitz packages, his base defense does not revolve around blitzing. The schematic specifics will vary from game to game but the core of Diaz’s defense is a downhill attacking front that is built to penetrate and disrupt the opposing team. The interior of the defense attacks very aggressively with very little regard for gap integrity. The linebackers have aggressive run reads and immediately shoot gaps. Corners are called upon to be willing in run support on the edge and on outside screens. Safeties first priority is always the pass, letting the front 7 stop the run while they prevent deep passes.

Depending on the opponent, Diaz will utilize the 4-3, 3-4 and 4-2 fronts to best match up his players against the offense. Nickel sets are regularly used against 3 WR sets to match the speed on the field. He generally plays with 2 safeties deep but has shown the willingness to bring an extra defender into the box if the opponent or situation calls for it. Corner positioning constantly varies, with press man, off man, and off zone all being featured in the defense. The zone coverage is fairly simplistic, with pattern matching not being used.

A very popular phrase for the previous defense was “bend but don’t break”, which reflected the ideals of the previous staff. The number 1 priority was to prevent the big play, even if that meant giving up easy 10 yard completions up and down the field. Diaz goes to about the opposite end of that spectrum that you can. He wants negative plays even if that means giving up chunk plays to the offense. After a moderate first down run, the playbook is open for the offense. The goal of the new defense will be to get the offense off schedule. Diaz wants to force a 2 yard loss on first down which then limits what the offense can do in its remaining 2 plays to gain a first down. And when the offense is limited, Diaz is free to run his fire zone blitzes.

Fire Zone Blitz

The fire zone blitz is a very common play in football now, with many defenses running some variation of the 3 deep 3 under 5 man blitz. Where Diaz specializes is the variations of the blitz, and the execution. The fire zone blitz was used under the previous regime, but it was often obvious who was blitzing, and the blitz itself was often slow developing, allowing the QB to have easy throws against fewer defenders in coverage. Under Diaz, any 5 players on the field can be blitzing on any given play from a multitude of positions. And when they are blitzing, they do so with haste.

Just before the snap Mississippi State is in their normal nickel defense, a 3-3-5 with 2 deep safeties. Right before the snap, the right and middle linebackers creep forward showing blitz. NC State has called a shovel pass right into the teeth of the blitz.

By the time the QB gets the ball, an extra defender from the slot has come on the blitz, with the end from the opposite side dropping into underneath coverage. With the play going towards the blitz, NC State now has 2 blockers to block 4 defenders, while 4 blockers are blocking 2 defenders on the backside of the play.

The first blitzing linebacker hits the QB right before he delivers the ball to the receiver who has 3 defenders waiting for him. The combination of the extra blitzer playside and the timing of the blitz made for an easy win for the defense on third and long.

The Other Side of the Coin

While the new Miami defense will share similar looks and play designs as the previous defense, the foundation of the defense is entirely different. And with the new defense comes new positives, but also new negatives. The aggressiveness of the front 7, while exciting, can create massive holes in the run game. Part of Diaz’s teaching is for players to attack where they best think they can make a stop. This can lead to 2 defenders being in one gap, leaving a wide open lane for the running back. Miami will see a significant jump in tackles for loss going forward, but there will be times a running back will bust a huge run on a play that realistically should have been stopped at the line of scrimmage.

This becomes an even bigger issue against teams that feature quarterback runs. Simple read option plays will have 2 defenders chasing a running back with no ball while the quarterback runs into the open field in a one on one matchup against a safety 20 yards away. BYU ran for approximately 9000 yards in the game that got Diaz fired by running the simplest read option and counter plays you can draw up. It it something that can be prevented while running this defense with the right players and the right teaching, but if it is not fixed it will lose games for Miami and again cost Diaz his job.

As previously noted, a major staple of the Diaz defense is the fire zone blitz. He wants to make these complicated for the offense while making them simple for the defense. There are 11 jobs on the field that are done by different positions depending on the play, so a way he simplifies this for the defense is by having spot drops for the players in coverage. When a quarterback is hurried, these spot drops can force him into making a throw that is easy to break up or possibly intercept for the defenders. However, if the blitz does not have an effect on the QB, this now becomes 6 guys standing around not guarding open receivers. It can be overcome with intelligent zone defenders and effective blitzers, but it is another weakness in what is a very aggressive defense.

Projecting the Current Roster

Diaz’s defense shares similarities to the previous staff so there won’t be much of a transition for the current roster from a schematic standpoint. The biggest change will be mastering the complexities of the fire zone blitzes, as well as adjusting to the penetrating style of the defense. Here is how each position from the current roster will transition to the new defense.

Defensive Line:

While the primary alignment will be shifting from a 3-4 to a 4-3, the previous defense used all the alignments that Diaz will use going forward. The current NTs on the roster (Kendrick Norton, Courtel Jenkins) will play significantly less 2 gap technique from head up on the center, instead playing more a penetrating technique in the gap between the center and guard. The DTs on the roster (Anthony Moten, Gerald Willis) will primarily be playing as 3Ts penetrating the gap between the tackle and guard opposite the NT. There will be times the interior DL plays 2 gap techniques but under Diaz the interior guys will be used to penetrate the offensive line and make plays in the backfield.

The rush ends under the previous regime (AQM, Demetrius Jackson) will be playing a more traditional defensive end role, but will still be playing from a two point stance as they have previously. The strongside end position has the biggest change of the defensive line depending on what specific defensive set Diaz uses. Chad Thomas and Richard McIntosh could play a similar role previously head up or the inside shoulder of the tackle opposite the DT, or they could play a more traditional edge roll outside the tackle. If Diaz opts to use the strongside ends as edge defenders, I would expect McIntosh to play more DT than DE, with Trent Harris possibly getting snaps here.

Linebacker:

The linebackers will have the biggest transition under Diaz. The strongside linebacker (Darrion Owens, Harris) rarely played off the ball in base sets previously but will now play almost exclusively there. The reads and footwork in the new defense will be drastically different for these players. They will likely be asked to play in space over slot defenders like they have in previous years but not as frequently, as Diaz prefers to replace box defenders with an extra defensive back against spread sets. Because of Owens and Harris’ size, they are candidates to play edge positions in nickel defenses with the nose tackles coming off the field. The middle linebacker position is extremely simplified compared to the previous defense, which should greatly benefit Juwon Young. Young possesses ideal size, athleticism and tackling ability for a middle linebacker but struggles with gap assignments and positioning. Diaz asks his linebackers to read run and fly down hill after the ball. Young should excel in this defense, being able to use his strengths without having to worry about his weaknesses. The weakside backer does not see much change but Jermaine Grace should be able to further show off his athletic ability under Diaz. Grace’s versatility in the pass game will be shown, as he is by far the best coverage linebacker on the team, while possessing above average blitzing skills due to his explosiveness through gaps.

Defensive Backs:

While the DL and LB groups have some questions with regards to where players fit, the current stock of defensive backs have a clear spot in the Diaz defense. Nine of the eleven players on defense are rewarded for aggressiveness. In addition to the front seven, cornerbacks in a Diaz defense are asked to help in the run game and attack outside screen plays. Corn Elder and Sheldrick Redwine fit perfectly. Diaz has shown the willingness to let his corners play press man but with Elder and Redwine being the likely starters next year off man and zone fits their skillset better.

Safety is by far the hardest position to play under Diaz. With how downhill the front 7 plays, any breaks in that front immediately put the safeties as both the next level of defense and the final level of defense. This is in addition to them having to regularly run downfield with receivers with the corners in underneath coverages. In terms of fit, Rayshawn Jenkins should be allowed to run the deep center of the field, and as the deep middle defender in the fire zone, interception opportunities should be plentiful for Jenkins. Jamal Carter might have a tougher experience. He has improved over the years but he is still susceptible to falling for play action passes as well as losing to receivers at the catch point. His strength as a run defender and tackling ability will be needed in this defense.

The wildcard here is Jaquan Johnson. Johnson’s intelligence makes him an ideal fit at safety, but with the depth issues at corner, and Johnson’s quickness and open field tackling, he makes for a very interesting fit as a nickel defender. Johnson won’t be running step for step downfield with slot receivers, but as a zone defender and a blitzer, he should excel in this role. Every defensive back is a potential blitzer for Diaz, but the slot defender will be asked to rush the most of any of them. Johnson could have a very unique role, something that mirrors what Tyrann Mathieu did at LSU.

Ultimately Diaz’s tenure at Miami will be defined by the players he brings to Miami and how well he teaches them. The schemes and play calling with vary from year to year, the aggressiveness and the teaching is what will be a constant. Diaz’s overall playbook is not perfect. It will never be confused for Saban or Dantonio’s. It does however do its best to get out of the way of players and puts them in position to make plays where they win. It is not multiple to be multiple, it is multiple because different players excel at different things and having multiple alignments and play calls lets the players play what they’re comfortable with while making the coaches adjust to them.

Before (and even during) his stint at Texas, Diaz was one of the up and coming defensive coaches in college football. After a very ugly exit at Texas his stock took a hit but he has done well to recover it at Louisiana Tech and his second go around at Mississippi State. While still being very aggressive, Diaz has reeled the defense back some in spots, opting for organized chaos rather than pure chaos. Manny Diaz will have to continue to develop and tune his defense to find what best fits the athletes he will be coaching at the University of Miami.

The schemes and play calling will vary from year to year, the aggressiveness and the teaching is what will be a constant. Diaz’s overall playbook is not perfect. It will never be confused for Saban or Dantonio’s. It does however do its best to get out of the way of players and puts them in position to make plays where they win. It is not multiple to be multiple, it is multiple because different players excel at different things and having multiple alignments and play calls lets the players play what they’re comfortable with while making the coaches adjust to them. Ultimately Diaz’s tenure at Miami will be defined by the players he brings to Miami and how well he teaches them. After a very ugly exit at Texas, Diaz has adjusted his defense at Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State to be less aggressive in spots, opting for organized chaos rather than pure chaos. If he wants to be successful he will have to continue to develop and tune his defense to find what best fits the unique athletes he will have the opportunity to coach at the University of Miami.