Possible concern: Mike Canales.

[UTEPDefense]

I went back and looked at his history and our new offensive coordinator(Mike Canales) has only been a part of 1 winning season in the past 8 years. We were the worst offense in America last year(129th) in a time when it seems like almost everybody is able to spread the ball around and score these days. So we needed someone to come in and turn around the offense, yet with so many options out there, we went with a guy who has been a part of such little success recently? Is this a legitimate concern?

Not trying to bash the guy before we even see him coach one game, just asking a serious question. Also, it appears that the defense manhandled the offense in the scrimmage today which is what prompted the initial thought.

 

[Cube Jack]

Well, if our offense was worst in the nation then I guarantee he won't do worse.

 

[Roy_Bigwood_05]

It is a legitimate concern also due to the fact we didn't really upgrade our talent other than Locksley and Winston Dimel at the skill position. I expected that JUCO kid Garrett to make noise but haven't heard anything about him during the first leg of camp.

I don't like the fact I've heard we have four wildcat QB's??? that scheme doesn't work anymore unless you have a stud runner and athletic lineman, and we really don't and hearing the defense dominated today isn't encouraging. Yes, our defense is respectable on a talent level, but yeah....not very encouraging.

I like his culture overhaul and his recruiting so far and I was screaming for an air-raid system so anything negative I'm a jump on it and run my mouth, but time will tell, but I think your concern is legit, and by week three we can revisit this and see if it's the lack of talent that has plagued UTEP's offense(s) since 2010 or play calling and scheme, but I see what you're trying to say...

 

[UTEPDefense]

Well, I looked into this a little further and it get worse:

2017 - Canales was an offensive coach coach for the 124th worst offense in america.
2016 - Canales was an offensive coach for the 108th worst offense in america.
2015 - Canales was Offensive Coordinator and interim Head Coach for the 124th worst offense in america.
2014 - Canales was the Offensive Coordinator for the 79th worst offense in america.
2013 - Canales was the Offensive Coordinator for the 29th best offense in america(outstanding).
2012 - Canales was the Offensive Coordinator for the 105th worst offense in america.
2011 - Canales was the Offensive Coordinator for the 77th ranked offense in america.
2010 - Canales was an offensive coach for the 87th ranked offense in america.

Whatever offense Canales has been coaching in during the past 8 years has finished in the bottom 40% of the total offense rankings in every single year except for one. Furthermore, Canales has been a coach in an offense that has finished worse than 105 in half of the past 8 years.

Now here is where it gets even worse: Over the past 9 years, UTEP finished with a better total offense than wherever Canales was coaching in 6 out of the 9 years. That means that Canales has only coached in an offense that out-performed UTEP in 3 out of the past 9 years! That’s it. This is the guy that we brought in to upgrade our offense? It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but based on stats/past performance, I am tending to hope that Dimel keeps a lot of control/input into the offense.

 

[FiliUTEP]

Its new start for everyone. Dimel and Canales and the players from last year. I think there is talent on this team. Kugler just didnt know how to use it.

 

[KaneFan29]

What were the records of the teams Canales coached on, how were the defenses?

Just because you’re ranked bad offensively, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re bad offensively.

 

[Miners1991]

I though the OC we had last year had a decent track record before coming to UTEP but calling plays the way Kugler wanted cost him his job. I thought Natkin would have opened it up but we were still playing the same scheme that Kugler wanted. I believe Canales will do what Dimel wants to do and that’s open it up and score. He’s not talking about ball control and leading the conference in time of possession.

 

[axingfools1]

It is a legitimate concern also due to the fact we didn't really upgrade our talent other than Locksley and Winston Dimel at the skill position. I expected that JUCO kid Garrett to make noise but haven't heard anything about him during the first leg of camp.

I don't like the fact I've heard we have four wildcat QB's??? that scheme doesn't work anymore unless you have a stud runner and athletic lineman, and we really don't and hearing the defense dominated today isn't encouraging. Yes, our defense is respectable on a talent level, but yeah....not very encouraging.

I like his culture overhaul and his recruiting so far and I was screaming for an air-raid system so anything negative I'm a jump on it and run my mouth, but time will tell, but I think your concern is legit, and by week three we can revisit this and see if it's the lack of talent that has plagued UTEP's offense(s) since 2010 or play calling and scheme, but I see what you're trying to say...

I'm not a fan of the Wildcat either. Please throw it out the window.

I'm concerned too that our big upgrade at QB (Locksley) hasn't taken control of the position. I'm hoping his game time ability will take over like it did in JC.

We will have a lot upgrades to make on offense before it really kicks in. Our WR and TE positions are the same as last year. Nobody has really stepped up as a solid threat to keep opposong defenses honest. I imagine its going to be more dink and dunk for possession. There are also some new guys on the line. I'm not expecting too much this year. Our defense may keep us in a few games early. One or two big injuries will really hurt this team.

 

[Dmanminer]

I’m not expecting miracles this year. Just be competitive and give yourself a chance to win. 3 yards and a cloud dust won’t hack it this year,

 

[Minerforlife]

I’m not expecting miracles this year. Just be competitive and give yourself a chance to win. 3 yards and a cloud dust won’t hack it this year,

The offense is going to be very similar to Kugler's. It's a run based offense very similar to what we've seen the past five years.

 

[MineroFanatico]

I went back and looked at his history and our new offensive coordinator(Mike Canales) has only been a part of 1 winning season in the past 8 years. We were the worst offense in America last year(129th) in a time when it seems like almost everybody is able to spread the ball around and score these days. So we needed someone to come in and turn around the offense, yet with so many options out there, we went with a guy who has been a part of such little success recently? Is this a legitimate concern?

Not trying to bash the guy before we even see him coach one game, just asking a serious question. Also, it appears that the defense manhandled the offense in the scrimmage today which is what prompted the initial thought.

I asked this same question way back when he was hired. The jury is still out.

 

[USAFminersfan]

I haven't said much on football, but as others like Roy_B have said, we haven't really upgraded much in terms of coaching or recruiting.

We are lacking a ton of talent at multiple positions, and i haven't seen Dimel's recruiting fill near enough gaps.

 

[axingfools1]

I haven't said much on football, but as others like Roy_B have said, we haven't really upgraded much in terms of coaching or recruiting.

We are lacking a ton of talent at multiple positions, and i haven't seen Dimel's recruiting fill near enough gaps.

The jury is still out and its only fair to let them play out the season. It may take a few recruiting cycles, but some of Dimel's recruits are much more respectable so far. They had zero recruits when he took over so I was never expecting much out of this season.

In regards to the offensive style, I am concerned but I want to see how it plays out too. It may progress as our talent does. It can't get worse than Kugler's. Just Imagine if Aaron Jones never came to UTEP?

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

My question has been and always will be about our talent at WR. I hope several of these guys can step up and be a legitimate threat, along with the guys we have at TE. This offense is going nowhere if these guys can’t get open and make plays downfield.

 

[utep2step]

I'm more than willing to give the Pistol/wildcat a chance. It has limitations but UTEP had a spread offense players in early 2000's and had the personnel to run it but then again UTEP had a good defense and immediately lost the defensive coordinator and then things went wrong.

With Dimel as fullback he's going to be a load to handle and the D line is going to surprise some people. In my opinion, you have to have a legit passing game that Kugler refused to embrace because college linebackers have gone hybrid and stayed home against a Kug offense. It's the play calling against disguised defenses (What ODU did marvelously to UTEP twice) that is the kicker.

 

[jdubb66]

I haven't said much on football, but as others like Roy_B have said, we haven't really upgraded much in terms of coaching or recruiting.

We are lacking a ton of talent at multiple positions, and i haven't seen Dimel's recruiting fill near enough gaps.

I would disagree about the upgrade in coaching. At the end there, Kuglar was filing for divorce, our OC or DC or whoever was getting busted for drinking and driving. The coaches were just going through the motions. As far as support, these coaches are head and shoulders above our situation on last year's team. That can be a big lift to the players to know that they can rely on their coaches.

I was hoping, since Dimel was the OC at Kstate, that we would run a version of the RPO that Kstate runs. It has been effective for them in the Big 12 despite the fact that they don't have the top recruits everyone else has. It is a relatively simple offense that keeps defenses off balance and one that Locksley is familiar with. I'm not sure that is the case though as I haven't seen them practice yet.

 

[nattybry]

I haven't said much on football, but as others like Roy_B have said, we haven't really upgraded much in terms of coaching or recruiting.

We are lacking a ton of talent at multiple positions, and i haven't seen Dimel's recruiting fill near enough gaps.

LMAO, Oh really u haven't seen much from his recruiting in the less than a half year he's had to recruit? That's weird, he should be recruiting at a much higher level with all the time he's been here by now, you're right! Lol

 

[utep2step]

I see the glass half full. I was dumbfounded about the Dimel hiring but he appears to have brought in the the right players for his offense, aimed high in recruiting and brought his son in who could have easily gone to a Big XII or SEC school and Dimel has a darn good attitude and walks around town with a smile on his face. I can't wait until kickoff.

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

As much as I love Dimmel’s attitude, as well as Senter and Terry for that matter we will see what they’re made of when the season starts. If this football team takes a massive dump I want to see how they will stay positive when the crowds are dying, people are complaining, and the fans start voicing their displeasure. Kugler was all “rah, rah, rah.” the first couple of seasons. Remember he was chest bumping players and all kinds of crazy shit? By the end he looked mad all the time.

This team will have some tough times. I want to see how this staff keeps the team together so they don’t fall apart as the season goes on.

 

[USAFminersfan]

LMAO, Oh really u haven't seen much from his recruiting in the less than a half year he's had to recruit? That's weird, he should be recruiting at a much higher level with all the time he's been here by now, you're right! Lol

Half a year or not, he's still put together a Kugler level recruiting class, with the exception of about 3 decent level recruits.

But hey I'm sure the cavalry is on its way. Obviously, this staff hasn't had issues recruiting/winning at their previous gigs, so bringing that same "success" to our historically strong program should be a cakewalk. They just need another half season, I'm sure....

 

[nattybry]

Half a year or not, he's still put together a Kugler level recruiting class, with the exception of about 3 decent level recruits.

But hey I'm sure the cavalry is on its way. Obviously, this staff hasn't had issues recruiting/winning at their previous gigs, so bringing that same "success" to our historically strong program should be a cakewalk. They just need another half season, I'm sure....

Point is it's way to early to judge and quite ridiculous actually. Also 1st recruit was top JC QB... Give your same opinion after at least a full year or two recruiting Bro!

 

[JCorona]

I wasn’t happy with the Dimel hire. It would have been preferable to go with a fallen former P5 coach like Dykes. The reasons why Senter went with Dimel are clear. He has experience rebuilding a bottom dwelling team. So he can lay down a solid foundation for a successful future. He plays a similar style of football to the roster on hand. With a few tweaks and additions he might be able to win some games instantly. Most importantly he genuinely wanted to take the risk that is associated with this job. A move here for a young up and coming assistant could be career suicide. Even for proven former P5 coaches it could lead to the end of their hc career if they are not successful. I’ll be hoping this experiment works out and if it doesn’t that Senter is wise enough to move on as soon as the team shows no signs of improvement.

 

[USAFminersfan]

Point is it's way to early to judge and quite ridiculous actually. Also 1st recruit was top JC QB... Give your same opinion after at least a full year or two recruiting Bro!

Hey I've got no problems giving him a couple seasons to work his magic, I'm just not feeling the warm and fuzzies quite yet. Nothing about his initial hire made me feel good about the future of the program, and nothing has happened since that time to change my outlook. But again, we'll see in time.

Terry is a different story. He seems to have that "it" factor that players are naturally drawn to, and it shows in his ability to recruit under a similarly difficult situation

 

[minerfan_14]

Hey I've got no problems giving him a couple seasons to work his magic, I'm just not feeling the warm and fuzzies quite yet. Nothing about his initial hire made me feel good about the future of the program, and nothing has happened since that time to change my outlook. But again, we'll see in time.

Terry is a different story. He seems to have that "it" factor that players are naturally drawn to, and it shows in his ability to recruit under a similarly difficult situation

Well, I'm sure they'll be calls for the entire staff to be fired sometime this season regardless of what happens (speaking in general terms). I'll give this staff the 3-4 years that an American football team needs. 2 years gives no indication of growth, recruiting, etc.

With Terry, you're right. That "it" factor has me me worried he'll leave in 2-3 years. Can't blame him if he lays a solid foundation.

 

[MinerInWisconsin]

There are some similarities to KSU's situation and UTEP's. Both are historically low in the recruiting rankings in their conference for one. But KSU wins with those lower end recruits and UTEP does not. The RPO spread that Dimel will use will make a difference. To run that offense well enough to move the chains and score enough to win some games, he needs mobile QB's. He brought in a very good one in Locksley and Metz is better when he is allowed to move around and extend plays. The misdirection in Dimel's run game is a very different way to move the ball then Kugler's power run game. I expect to see a much better and more competitive team this year. Can't wait.

 

[kickballpro]

You don’t become the OC at Tennessee without knowing your stuff. He’s a good dude who is super smart. I spent a week at practices during the spring and can tell you that he’s legit. Plus he’s a really good guy.

 

[minerproud]

WOW!!!!
I'am going against some of you who think Canales was a mistake of a hire.
We should at least give him chance to prove that he can coach and let's all watch the season before we make any erroneous judgement's about him.
I highlighted all of his accomplishments below and I think he is going to take this offense to a whole new level.
Anything is going to be better than to run the ball on 3rd and 10 up the middle. I think we are going to see some exciting football this season and I think with all of his experience, he is going to be a better coach than he was before.

1.> Altogether, Canales coached five different quarterbacks that have earned All-America recognition and been a part of teams that have appeared in eight bowl games.

2.> Canales, most recently, served as the University of Tennessee’s quarterback’s coach during the 2017 season. He spent one season with the Volunteers as Canales mentored three different field generals during an injury-plagued season. Three different quarterbacks made starts during the campaign. WOW!!!!

3.> North Texas saw much success under Canales when he served as the associate head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for six seasons (2010-15). He also spent portions of the 2010 and 2015 seasons as an interim head coach for the Mean Green. During his six seasons in Denton, he mentored 20 offensive players who earned all-conference honors, while helping the program win just its third bowl game in school history – defeating UNLV 36-14 at the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Jan. 1, 2014 following the 2013 regular season. The 2013 offense scored 414 points, the second-most in school history, at the time, and the most since 1951. North Texas averaged 31.8 point per game, topping the 30-point mark for only the third time in school history. The Mean Green reached over 4,000 yards of total offense during Canales’ first four seasons, including 5,336-yard output in 2013. Under Canales’ guidance in 2013, North Texas quarterback Derek Thompson ranked second-best in school history for single-season passing yards (2,896), completions (251), completion percentage (64.4) and total offense (3,053). During the 2012 season, Thompson set the school single-game record for completion percentage (89.3) against Kansas State when he completed 25-of-28 passes.

4.> He directed a USF unit in 2008 that led the Big East Conference in scoring and finished second in total offense. He helped the Bulls reach a national ranking as high as no. 2 during the 2007 season and no. 10 during the 2008 campaign. Under his leadership, South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe became the Big East career leader in total offense.

5.> Canales spent three seasons (2004-06) as the offensive coordinator at the University of Arizona.

6.> Canales put time in the NFL as he served on Herm Edwards’ staff with the New York Jets in 2003 as the wide receivers coach. He tutored Santana Moss, who finished among the top 15 NFL receivers that season with 74 receptions for 1,105 yards and 10 touchdowns.

7.> From 2001-02, Canales was the passing game coordinator and quarterback’s coach at North Carolina State, where he helped develop NFL All-Pro quarterback and first-round pick Philip Rivers of the Los Angeles Chargers. Rivers was a two-time All-ACC honoree and a Heisman Trophy candidate. NC State finished 11-3 and ranked 12th in the final AP Poll in 2002, averaging 392.0 yards on offense. The offense featured a 3,000-yard passer in Rivers, a 1,000-yard receivers in Jerricho Cotchery and a 1,000-yard rusher in T.A. McLendon.

 

[UTEPDefense]

Unfortunately, your response actually could be interpreted more as a negative towards Canales than a positive. Because the problem is that 6 of your 7 strengths regarding him all took place more than 8 years ago. He had the one outlier of success in 2013, but then every other year in the past 8 years has been either below average or outright bad.

You mention in fact #2 that he used multiple QB's last year as a positive, but his multiple QB system resulted in the 124th worst offense in America. Then if you read about it further, then you will see that he actually entered last season with the plan of wanting to use a 2 QB system. This has a lot of scary similarities to what he plans to do again this year. Here is just one article talking about him entering last season using a 2 QB system:

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/t...s-vols-possibly-using-two-quarterback-system/

I truly hope he does well here and he is getting a clean slate. I always want the best for UTEP. I have absolutely nothing against him and I hope that he does well, but the fact is that he has not been a part of success in 7 of the past 8 years and 90% of his coaching success took place beyond 8 years ago. I think we can all also agree that college football has changed over the past 8 years and that means that college football has changed an awful lot since the last time that Mike Canales has had any "consistent success". Tim Floyd also had a lot of success before the game changed on him too and he couldn't adjust. Canales has yet to show that he can produce consistently in the current variation of today's college football. I hope he figures it out, but I think this is a legitimate question to ask as we enter the new season.

So this is my concern and the reasons for my concern, but I genuinely hope that a few weeks from now, we will have seen our offense play for the first time and we are all able to feel more at ease/positive about what we saw.

 

[minerproud]

Unfortunately, your response actually could be interpreted more as a negative towards Canales than a positive. Because the problem is that 6 of your 7 strengths regarding him all took place older than 8 years ago. He had the one outlier of success in 2013, but then every other year in the past 8 years has been either below average or outright bad.

You mention in fact #2 that he used multiple QB's last year as a positive, but his multiple QB system resulted in the 124th worst offense in America. Then if you read about it further, then you will see that he actually entered last season with the plan of wanting to use a 2 QB system. This has a lot of scary similarities to what he plans to do again this year. Here is just one article talking about him entering last season using a 2 QB system:

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/t...s-vols-possibly-using-two-quarterback-system/

I truly hope he does well here and he is getting a clean slate. I always want the best for UTEP. I have absolutely nothing against him and I hope that he does well, but the fact is that he has not been a part of success in 7 of the past 8 years and 90% of his coaching success took place beyond 8 years ago. I think we can all also agree that college football has changed over the past 8 years and that means that college football has changed an awful lot since the last time that Mike Canales has had any "consistent success". Tim Floyd also had a lot of success before the game changed on him too and he couldn't adjust. Canales has yet to show that he can produce consistently in the current variation of today's college football. I hope he figures it out, but I think this is a legitimate question to ask as we enter the new season.

So this is my concern and the reasons for my concern, but I genuinely hope that a few weeks from now, we will have seen our offense play for the first time and we are all able to feel more at ease/positive about what we saw.

Point well taken!! Good Points Utep Defense!!!
I'm trying really hard to be optimistic...

 

[USAFminersfan]

WOW!!!!
I'am going against some of you who think Canales was a mistake of a hire.
We should at least give him chance to prove that he can coach and let's all watch the season before we make any erroneous judgement's about him.
I highlighted all of his accomplishments below and I think he is going to take this offense to a whole new level.
Anything is going to be better than to run the ball on 3rd and 10 up the middle. I think we are going to see some exciting football this season and I think with all of his experience, he is going to be a better coach than he was before.

1.> Altogether, Canales coached five different quarterbacks that have earned All-America recognition and been a part of teams that have appeared in eight bowl games.

2.> Canales, most recently, served as the University of Tennessee’s quarterback’s coach during the 2017 season. He spent one season with the Volunteers as Canales mentored three different field generals during an injury-plagued season. Three different quarterbacks made starts during the campaign. WOW!!!!

3.> North Texas saw much success under Canales when he served as the associate head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for six seasons (2010-15). He also spent portions of the 2010 and 2015 seasons as an interim head coach for the Mean Green. During his six seasons in Denton, he mentored 20 offensive players who earned all-conference honors, while helping the program win just its third bowl game in school history – defeating UNLV 36-14 at the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Jan. 1, 2014 following the 2013 regular season. The 2013 offense scored 414 points, the second-most in school history, at the time, and the most since 1951. North Texas averaged 31.8 point per game, topping the 30-point mark for only the third time in school history. The Mean Green reached over 4,000 yards of total offense during Canales’ first four seasons, including 5,336-yard output in 2013. Under Canales’ guidance in 2013, North Texas quarterback Derek Thompson ranked second-best in school history for single-season passing yards (2,896), completions (251), completion percentage (64.4) and total offense (3,053). During the 2012 season, Thompson set the school single-game record for completion percentage (89.3) against Kansas State when he completed 25-of-28 passes.

4.> He directed a USF unit in 2008 that led the Big East Conference in scoring and finished second in total offense. He helped the Bulls reach a national ranking as high as no. 2 during the 2007 season and no. 10 during the 2008 campaign. Under his leadership, South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe became the Big East career leader in total offense.

5.> Canales spent three seasons (2004-06) as the offensive coordinator at the University of Arizona.

6.> Canales put time in the NFL as he served on Herm Edwards’ staff with the New York Jets in 2003 as the wide receivers coach. He tutored Santana Moss, who finished among the top 15 NFL receivers that season with 74 receptions for 1,105 yards and 10 touchdowns.

7.> From 2001-02, Canales was the passing game coordinator and quarterback’s coach at North Carolina State, where he helped develop NFL All-Pro quarterback and first-round pick Philip Rivers of the Los Angeles Chargers. Rivers was a two-time All-ACC honoree and a Heisman Trophy candidate. NC State finished 11-3 and ranked 12th in the final AP Poll in 2002, averaging 392.0 yards on offense. The offense featured a 3,000-yard passer in Rivers, a 1,000-yard receivers in Jerricho Cotchery and a 1,000-yard rusher in T.A. McLendon.

I think you spent a whole lot of time finding random "accomplishments", because there aren't a whole lot of great things you can find on the guy (at least in recent years). Much of what you listed could just as easily be credited to any number of staff members on his previous teams.

I'm not trying to crap all over your research, I'd simply feel better if we didn't have to drum up so many obscure successes stories from him

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

I’m no coach, but I can’t see the benefit in a two QB system. You’re splitting valuable reps in practice and neither guy is in the flow of the game. Let’s pick one and go with them.

 

[picks up]

I’m no coach, but I can’t see the benefit in a two QB system. You’re splitting valuable reps in practice and neither guy is in the flow of the game. Let’s pick one and go with them.

I don't remember where I heard this but it always stuck with me:
"if you have two quarterbacks then you don't have one"

 

[develman]

I don't remember where I heard this but it always stuck with me:
"if you have two quarterbacks then you don't have one"

Little google search I found out a Rice head coach in the 1960's coined the phrase.

 

[MinerManiac]

I’m no coach, but I can’t see the benefit in a two QB system. You’re splitting valuable reps in practice and neither guy is in the flow of the game. Let’s pick one and go with them.

Count me among those who doesn't like a two QB system. I will always believe that in '99, which was Bailey's last year and a year in which we went 5-7, that we would have made a bowl game if offensive coordinator Gary Nord would have stuck with one QB. I don't care which QB, Stuckey or Perez, as long as he would have made one the full time starter. I don't know how many games one of those guys would develop a really nice rhythm in one quarter, only to be benched in the next, as that was Nord's game plan. No one will ever convince me that we wouldn't have won an extra game or two if we had just stuck with one of those guys.

I don't mind having a QB come in during certain situations to provide a change of pace. I have seen that work. But I have never seen it work well when two guys play nearly equal minutes at the position. I really hope that Canales picks a single starter.

 

[minerfan_14]

Count me among those who doesn't like a two QB system. I will always believe that in '99, which was Bailey's last year and a year in which we went 5-7, that we would have made a bowl game if offensive coordinator Gary Nord would have stuck with one QB. I don't care which QB, Stuckey or Perez, as long as he would have made one the full time starter. I don't know how many games one of those guys would develop a really nice rhythm in one quarter, only to be benched in the next, as that was Nord's game plan. No one will ever convince me that we wouldn't have won an extra game or two if we had just stuck with one of those guys.

I don't mind having a QB come in during certain situations to provide a change of pace. I have seen that work. But I have never seen it work well when two guys play nearly equal minutes at the position. I really hope that Canales picks a single starter.

Canales won’t pick the QB, Dimel will. Said so here around the 1 min mark