Copyright clutchpoints
Mario Cristobal has been hammering discipline, and not just in the penalty column. During his Monday availability earlier this month, he called Miami’s football team flag problem “unacceptable,” noting how penalties disrupt rhythm and can be fatal against good teams. With a bye-week window to reset, the message was about cleaning up details and accountability from the top down, per On3’s Grant Stubbs. The point was clear: avoidable mistakes can’t be part of the journey. “We felt Akheem was really close,” Cristobal said. “We felt all week he was gonna be there, and then sometimes you can present yourself with an opportunity to play a player, and then the medical staff has to calculate what type of risk is involved. Can we set him back? Is this a guy who can be a full-speed player with another couple of days?” The head coach laid out the decision-making process that kept defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor from suiting up against Stanford, deferring to medical guidance on reinjury risk and whether the veteran could operate at full speed with added rest, per On3. Cristobal’s explanation tracks with the broader emphasis on precision and process. The choice to sit Mesidor wasn’t about caution for caution’s sake; it was about not turning a “really close” status into a setback and making sure that when he returns, he’s a full-speed contributor. In the same way Miami football team has stressed eliminating self-inflicted wounds, the staff treated availability as a strategic variable, not a gamble. Leadership optics around the program have been in the spotlight, too. After a loss to Louisville, former NFL MVP Cam Newton cautioned Miami quarterback Carson Beck about postgame comments that referenced miscommunication and a receiver running the wrong route. Newton’s on-air advice was to take the high road and avoid throwing teammates under the bus, pointing out that public messaging matters when you’re the face of the offense. Beck had thrown for 271 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions that night and described the play as a “perfect” call derailed by a route mix-up, per CBS Sports. Taken together, the Miami football team’s recent notes tightening discipline, managing health conservatively, and minding the message reflect the same core principle Cristobal keeps repeating: control what you can control, and don’t beat yourself.
