It was, for Manny Diaz, the best kind of problem to have.
As the Hurricanes defensive coordinator assessed his various position groups and evaluated the players he’d have coming back this season, he came to a stark realization: the depth Miami had managed to build at safety was going to make it hard for the Hurricanes to get all of those talented players on the field.
And so, Diaz and outside linebackers coach Jonathan Patke approached several of their veterans about the possibility of using their coverage skills at a new position they were calling the “striker.