Strong on Cristobal, Miami's DNA: 'We’re Going to Build Toughness'
People hear it every year, from every team, at every level of football. “We’ve got to be tough.”
It’s a sentiment that’s become one of the gridiron’s great clichés. And it holds a fair amount of truth. The tougher, more disciplined team stands a greater chance at winning, but that grittiness isn’t something that you can just slap on a t-shirt or preach in a press conference.
It’s built through commitment and time spent going just a little further than what’s required, which, according to co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Charlie Strong, is what the Miami Hurricanes have been doing since head coach Mario Cristobal’s arrival in January.
“The moment [Cristobal] got here, that was his whole DNA: We’re going to build toughness,” said Strong during his interview this week on Canes Camp Report. “It started in the offseason, then it went to spring practice, then it went over to summer, now we’re in the fall camp. The message has been very clear, and it has not changed.”
Strong, who’s won the National Championship three times as a coach, knows what it takes for players to buy into a program’s message: Consistency.
“I think that’s the reason why that guys understand... ‘Hey, it’s going to be tough and we’re going to come out here and we’re going to work hard,’” Strong said about the team’s philosophy. “Because the only way you’re going to win games, you know those games that get you into the third or fourth quarter. You’ve got to have something to you, and you’ve got to be able to overcome the obstacles, overcome mistakes but be tough enough to go fight through it and go win the game.”
Toughness is a word that seems to find its way into every Hurricane coach's or player's interview, and it’s not by mistake. The Canes were one of the least disciplined teams in college football last year, finishing poorly in penalty yards, turnover differential, and missed tackles. Cristobal, Strong, and the rest of this Miami staff understand that expectations are high, and those kinds of mistakes could be devastating.
The Hurricanes will likely look dramatically different in 2022 than in 2021, both in personnel and scheme, but fans will have to wait until the season opener on Sept. 3 against Bethune Cookman to be sure. It’s clear Miami knows building a physically and mentally strong team is the best way to put themselves in a position to close games out. But as another old adage goes, that’s easier said than done.
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