Cristobal: Discipline and Physicality Will Be The Identity for Miami
“Discipline and physicality are always at the forefront. Playing smart, being intelligent,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said during his interview on the ACC Network Gramlich & Mac Lain show this Monday. “Playing with discipline and understanding that teams that have discipline and teams that are well conditioned typically win every single ball game they play.”
Under Cristobal, the Miami Hurricanes are retooling the way they approach the game. It goes without saying that a football team needs to be physical to be successful, and disciplined too, but that isn’t something you can just speak into existence.
“We’re a power spread…In everything we do, we want to be physical, and you can’t tweak that. You can’t proclaim that or slap it on your t-shirt and think it’s gonna work,” continued the Hurricanes’ head coach, “We gotta get busy working at that. We’ve taken steps in that direction, and I think that the growth and development of our offensive line played a major role in us being more effective at the line of scrimmage in the spring.”
Cristobal, a former Canes offensive lineman himself, is a firm believer that this kind of mentality shift will start up front.
“Without those guys up front, not much happens,” said Cristobal of his front five, “[We expect] the offensive line as well, to take that next step from a physicality standpoint. Not only protecting the quarterback but being able to control the line of scrimmage in big games. “
They’ll have to step up from that perspective in 2022 after allowing 2.5 sacks per game last season. From everything that’s been seen and heard out of the Hurricanes camp so far though, it sounds like a vastly improved unit, especially from a technique and chemistry standpoint.
“This whole thing, it depends on each and every one of us…And the entire focus is on Miami,” Cristobal went on to say, “It’s about being where our feet are right now and understanding that for us…nothing but our very best is going to be good enough. That’s the expectation...Everybody has good players. Every single team has good players and if you’re not at your very best, there’s a pretty good chance you’re gonna get beat.”
Cristobal and the rest of his staff seem excited about the upcoming season and the players seem truly on board with the program. It’s a culture shift that’s palpable and can be felt anytime someone brings up the Canes. The aura of Miami has gone from flashy, in-your-face, and at times outright gimmicky [see: each variation of the turnover chain] to a refined professionalism that’s more about taking care of business than making waves.
“Our capacity is growing. We’re starting to understand the importance of physicality and technique and fundamentals and eye discipline,” Cristobal concluded, “Now, we got a slew of defensive linemen coming in to add to the guys that we already have coming off a couple of procedures. So, we expect to take another step in improvement at the defensive front as well.”
When asked what he anticipates for this season, he gave a classically Cristobal-ian response.
“This team’s gonna look like the best team that the Miami Hurricanes can possibly be.”
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