Question about a former Offensive Coordinator

[outsider]

Hello,

I'm a University of North Texas fan and was wondering if you could give me some opinions or shed some knowledge on our current and your former OC, Mike Canales?

Mainly I was wondering if his offense ever got stagnant or predictable? This was his third season as our OC and the more plays he calls, the more predictable they become. Granted, he is a bit handcuffed due to our less than average/non-mobile QB, but the play calling is very bland these days. Back when he was hired I thought I read somewhere from some of your fans that he had worn out his welcome here for this very reason.

Thanks for your help in advance!

[Danm1983]

He was very predictable. He was able to get away with some things because of our mobile QBs Matt Grothe (and partially BJ Daniels in 2009), and the ability to make it a sandlot style play where they ran around and eventually someone would be left wide open for a huge gain.

Play calling in certain situations were really predictable. Other teams used a LB as a "spy" on the QB and as long as they were disciplined and stayed home, it took away the dual threat and forced the QB to throw, and if you had decent defensive backs, it would stall us. We didn't have a power running game.

I think the frustrating part was that they had plenty of plays. They would call certain plays that would work like clockwork, but they'd rarely call them. Perhaps they only worked so well because they WERE rarely called and thus the other team didn't expect us to ever run that play?

We definitely ended up in some crappy down and distance plays, and would spread it out and throw on first down or have a no-gainer QB keeper. They'd end up in third and long. And the team under Leavitt was a bit undisciplined, so there would be drives killed by a penalty.

Edited November 26, 2012 by Danm1983

[Paisa el Toro]

Hello,

I'm a University of North Texas fan and was wondering if you could give me some opinions or shed some knowledge on our current and your former OC, Mike Canales?

Mainly I was wondering if his offense ever got stagnant or predictable? This was his third season as our OC and the more plays he calls, the more predictable they become. Granted, he is a bit handcuffed due to our less than average/non-mobile QB, but the play calling is very bland these days. Back when he was hired I thought I read somewhere from some of your fans that he had worn out his welcome here for this very reason.

Thanks for your help in advance!

Yup, sounds like Chico Canales hasn't changed his ways much. Grothe and Daniels, to a certain extent, had the most success improvising.

[Bull Martin]

I doubt anyone here was disappointed with Chico's departure. He wasn't a bad Passing Game Coordinator and OC, but he wasn't spectacular. He's a likable enough guy and capable, but not a homerun must have assistant.

As with letting go any coaches, can North Texas get someone better if they let him go? Take a competent, albeit predictable, guy and replace him with someone unproven. It doesn't always work out (See Jim Leavitt and Skip Holtz).

[No_Willie_Jokes_Yet]

I HATED CHICO and was happy to see him go. He used that philosphy that we are going to line up, see what the defense is doing, then the QB will look to the sideline and the coach will audible and then we run the play. The only problem was we were very predictible and the other teams coaches would line up the defense one way, we would audible and they would then switch the defense long before our play started. I always thought some good defensive coordinators were out strategizing him into audibling right into what they wanted us to do. That and we use to call out the plays based on down and distance. Slow RB Draw, Slow RB Draw, poor pass play/slow QB draw. Ugh...

[Orlando Bull]

Wasnt he only our OC in 2009 after Gregory-squared departed?

I honestly don't have an opinion since he lost his 4-year starter at QB and was left with a freshman who complained about being asked to run (that year BJ was very vocal about wanting to be a pocket passer).

So... you probably know more about his play calling than I do. I know that the players liked him. With a statue for a qb, I'd imagine that his offense is difficult to run.

[Bull Martin]

Wasnt he only our OC in 2009 after Gregory-squared departed?

I honestly don't have an opinion since he lost his 4-year starter at QB and was left with a freshman who complained about being asked to run (that year BJ was very vocal about wanting to be a pocket passer).

So... you probably know more about his play calling than I do. I know that the players liked him. With a statue for a qb, I'd imagine that his offense is difficult to run.

The year prior Chico was the passing game coordinator. Meaning he was pretty influential in the play design and route combos. He didn't pick when the plays were called, but he had a fair amount of input with Gregory

[E.T.]

Believe his wife had health issues, how is she?

[snarling Bull]

Chico was our offensive coordinator, left and came back.

[Mike Stuben]

Not meant as an insult to any other coaches, in my opinion he was clearly the best O-Coordinator we have had as a program. Take a look at his resume, position coach in the NFL, coordinator at Arizona, QB coach for Philip Rivers at NC State. Also see that he ran different styles of offense here to match our talent and skills. He was coordinator when we were a pro style offense with Chad Barnhardt, and a totally different offense with the spread we ran with Grothe/Daniels.

One thing that we as fans always forget to account for, coaches spend 20 hours a week at practice. As fans we often call for plays or players that don't have the skills or knowledge to do something, and coaches will often know that. We had a qb in the past (not one anyone will think of, who I won't name) that I would hear fans ***** that we always ran the same plays over and over. What the fans didn't realize is that the qb just wasn't able learn many plays and to avoid stupid mistakes we had to run the same few plays ... and because of talent he was our best option at that moment, even without a full playbook.

Now on a personal note, if I had a son who played football, I would want him to play for Mike Canales. His character is all quality. He lost his job here through no fault of his, a new head coach is never going to keep the former coach's coordinators (unless he came from that staff too).

Edited to note that the profanity filter took out the name one might call a female dog and replaced with stars.

Edited November 27, 2012 by Mike Stuben