I Love Manny Diaz

TheDevilMadeMeDoIt said:
A lot of folks on here need to apologize to Murphy. Until just a few weeks ago some kept calling for Manny to play someone else at quarterback. Considering the quarterback room was pretty sparse not sure who that would have been. Quit reading chat during games several weeks ago as the comments were brutal. Some were insistent that Murphy wasn’t the guy. Now he holds the Duke record for single season touchdown passes. And surprisingly has two rushing touchdowns. Holding on to him is crucial to Duke football’s future success.
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Not only did Murphy, the non-runner, get 2 rushing touchdowns. On that last play, announcers were talking about how Murphy was calm and going through his progressions, before settling on J.Moore. This was also a criticism earlier in the season. So gotta give Murphy much credit for improving in these areas.
 
gep said:
Not only did Murphy, the non-runner, get 2 rushing touchdowns. On that last play, announcers were talking about how Murphy was calm and going through his progressions, before settling on J.Moore. This was also a criticism earlier in the season. So gotta give Murphy much credit for improving in these areas.
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I wish there was a separate chat for the super pessimists who are never happy. There is constructive criticism and mild venting and there is constantly acting like the sky is falling. I save that for my therapist. Perhaps others should do the same rather than poisoning this place with their need to always assume the worst is happening. This applies to football and basketball.

This was an incredible season by any standards, and particularly by Duke standards. I would have been thrilled with 6-6. I am thankful to Coach, his staff and the team.
 
CrazyNotCrazie said:
I wish there was a separate chat for the super pessimists who are never happy. There is constructive criticism and mild venting and there is constantly acting like the sky is falling. I save that for my therapist. Perhaps others should do the same rather than poisoning this place with their need to always assume the worst is happening. This applies to football and basketball.
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I generally avoid in-game chats for this very reason. Then, if circumstances warrant, I review the chat room after the game and have a good laugh.
 
cato said:
I think he might be an upgrade.

Perhaps Elko is a better overall coach, perhaps not. We will have to see how things play out.

But if you think back to Manny’s intro press conference at Duke, where his theme was “There’s something about Duke,” I think that maybe, just maybe, Duke has found a trio of key figures in the athletic department in King, Scheyer and Diaz who are all in on making Duke excellent across the board.

We will have to see how things turn out with the portal season and the next year to know more, but for now what a great way to end the regular season and here’s hoping we end up in the Holiday Bowl!
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I think Kara Lawson has re-elevated WBB, Marissa Young has very quickly made softball a top tier program, and Chris Pollard has elevated the baseball program to the best it has ever been. Women’s soccer and Men’s lacrosse are in really good shape, especially if the coaching successors are chosen well.
 
gillmic said:
I think Kara Lawson has re-elevated WBB, Marissa Young has very quickly made softball a top tier program, and Chris Pollard has elevated the baseball program to the best it has ever been. Women’s soccer and Men’s lacrosse are in really good shape, especially if the coaching successors are chosen well.
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Yes, and all this (plus Manny and Jon, as mentioned above) says that Nina King is a stellar AD. We are lucky to have her and the coaching staff she has assembled.

And, back to the main topic of the thread, I’ve been saying for a while now that we traded up when Midnight Mike left and Nina chose Manny to replace him. Bolting out of town in the middle of the night, without facing your team, says a lot about character. I’m a huge fan of Manny and hope he sticks around for a long time.
 
I was really worried two years ago that the Duke BOT was going to use NIL and conference upheaval as an excuse to allow football to be de-emphasized. There was even a lot of talk on DBR to the same effect. Instead, the BOT, Pres. Price and AD King leaned into bigtime football, and getting Manny and his staff was proof positive.

I feel better than ever before that Duke is well positioned if the ACC breaks apart, and frankly the loss of UNCheat, Fl. State, and Clemson doesn't seem like a death knell anymore.
 
Maged said:
I was really worried two years ago that the Duke BOT was going to use NIL and conference upheaval as an excuse to allow football to be de-emphasized. There was even a lot of talk on DBR to the same effect. Instead, the BOT, Pres. Price and AD King leaned into bigtime football, and getting Manny and his staff was proof positive.

I feel better than ever before that Duke is well positioned if the ACC breaks apart, and frankly the loss of UNCheat, Fl. State, and Clemson doesn't seem like a death knell anymore.
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there have been folks on the BOT for some time who are very pro football.....largely because they are informed enough to know that the entire athletic department (men and women's soccer, lacrosse, track, baseball, softball, on and on) are dependent upon TV money from football. My personal view (for what little it is worth) is that the ACC is going to hold together, but since no one knows for sure, Nina, in conjunction with Price and the BOT have been making certain that were the ACC to fail we can make a solid case for admission to another league (again, IMO, the B1G).
 
ArkieDukie said:
Yes, and all this (plus Manny and Jon, as mentioned above) says that Nina King is a stellar AD. We are lucky to have her and the coaching staff she has assembled.

And, back to the main topic of the thread, I’ve been saying for a while now that we traded up when Midnight Mike left and Nina chose Manny to replace him. Bolting out of town in the middle of the night, without facing your team, says a lot about character. I’m a huge fan of Manny and hope he sticks around for a long time.
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We learned a lot about Midnight Mike in that moment, and I'm thankful for that learning moment.
 
Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 said:
Can someone dig up the preseason thread? There were folks who were crazy optimistic calling for 5 or 6 wins. Bet they are eating crow.
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Well three years ago I did not have this on my bingo card...but Duke FB has wildly exceeded expectations THREE SEASONS in a row......and obviously that was with two different coaching staffs.

has that EVER happened at Duke?
 
TheDevilMadeMeDoIt said:
Maybe still bitter, but don’t think Elmo is the better coach. He’s good, but Manny did more with less talent. That is the sign of a better coach.
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Well, its close with me. Really impressed with both. Elko did his against a much tougher schedule IMO....and also Elko was just a few plays from having an even better record. Rips offs versus the Cheats and so on......that said, Manny's had a better coaching year this year than Elko without a doubt.
 
HereBeforeCoachK said:
Well three years ago I did not have this on my bingo card...but Duke FB has wildly exceeded expectations THREE SEASONS in a row......and obviously that was with two different coaching staffs.

has that EVER happened at Duke?
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Luckily for MM, even though Cutcliffe's performance was waning, his ability to bring in talent wasn't, so Elko didn't have a completely bare cupboard to work with. And of course MM earned his moniker, and Manny took over a program on the rise. (And thankfully worked very hard at keeping it together.)

Going back to the only other coach that Duke has had leave due to his own success, every succession has been one poor guy coming in and trying to pick up the pieces left by the last loser.

Both Duke University and us as fans owe so much to Coach Cut for not only picking his pieces up, but turning them into pillars.
 
CameronBornAndBred said:
Luckily for MM, even though Cutcliffe's performance was waning, his ability to bring in talent wasn't, so Elko didn't have a completely bare cupboard to work with. And of course MM earned his moniker, and Manny took over a program on the rise. (And thankfully worked very hard at keeping it together.)

Going back to the only other coach that Duke has had leave due to his own success, every succession has been one poor guy coming in and trying to pick up the pieces left by the last loser.

Both Duke University and us as fans owe so much to Coach Cut for not only picking his pieces up, but turning them into pillars.
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Won't argue with the MM moniker, because it was earned...and I can't say that MM built anything because he wasn't here long enough. That said he and his staff were FAR superior to "late stage Cut" and his staff at pure coaching them up. So is Diaz and his staff. Cut was getting his doors blown off for several years ....and one year later MM is just a couple of bad calls and bad bounces from ten wins. And even better in year two. The only big margins for MM were wins, not losses. Then Manny comes in with a program in disarray and even loses the interim coach (to MM).....yet he goes 9-3.

As for pillars, they don't really exist any more. It's year to year period, now. Coaching matters A LOT...maybe more than we realized, in the short term...not just program building over years. Look at Cignetti's career. When he was at Elon they beat JMU like rented mules...he went to JMU and he whips Elon every time. He goes to Indiana, tells them he's going to win, cuz that's what 'he does' - and dadgum he wins 10 and counting.

Keith Jackson used to say about Bear Bryant....."he can take hiz'n and beat your'n....and take your'n and beat hiz'n." Surely "Late Stage Cut" wasn't that.....Elko and Manny are. Also a note about MM...all I'll say is that Riley Leonard and Trooper know the whole thing through and through....and both remain very close to Elko today apparently. Just sayin........there's always more to the story.....
 
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