Canes Blow Easy Win Vs Tar Heels

This game was a tough one to watch. It's frustrating to see a team with superior talent consistently lose to inferior teams. North Carolina has Brandon Tate and nothing else on offense. I don't care if that sounds like I'm a sore loser. Fact is, UNC has limited talent and still pulled off a victory today in our home stadium after being down 14.

Sadly enough I'm not surprised. I'm disappointed, but not surprised. We seem to be cursed for some reason. Doesn't matter who we play at what position or what coach we have, our boys just fall apart. The defense today was a joke. Where was the tough play against the Gators? Our defensive backs have been just awful. Thank goodness we've been picking up some good DB recruits of late for the 09 class, because guys like Bruce Johnson need to be shown the door.

The defense cost us the game today, and Patrick Nix reverted to the offense we saw in Gainesville. Sure it looked good when Cooper was breaking long runs, but at one point Marve was 12/15 for 80 or so yards. Throw the ball downfield man! Pathetic. Then we got conservative at the end and set ourselves up for the eventual collapse.

We need improved play from the defense. It hurt not having Forston in there today, but it doesn't excuse the fact we got torn up at several intervals during this game. The defensive backs allowed way too many big plays, particularly Johnson, who needs to lose his starting job to Brandon Harris sometime soon. I don't care how young Harris is.

The final INT was just a punch to the gut. Even after blowing the lead, it seemed for a split second we would have a great final drive to be the first of many in Robert Marve lore. Instead it was overthrown by an inch or two, and Kayne simply didn't get the job done. Hate to see the game end like that.

So much for an ACC title. After the defense's performance at UF and the offense's at Texas A&M, I looked at the schedule and realized it was easy enough for this team to go 11-1. Unfortunately, I knew this wouldn't happen. Despite the fact that no team left on the schedule (and this goes for UNC too) has a clearly better team than the Canes, I knew we would have to go through the growing pains of a young squad. This team hasn't built it's killer instinct yet, but there is plenty to look forward to. Expect a 7-5 or 8-4 season, as we will be competitive in most games but will probably blow some more leads or trip over ourselves while trying not to lose the game.

What I've seen from today is that Graig Cooper has finally come around to show his true potential. Robert Marve is the real deal, despite the 2 picks. He'll have some struggles, but I expect him to be a serious contender for ACC player of the year in 2009. I don't mind Shannon keeping his promise to Jacory Harris to give him playing time, but it is clear that Marve is the man and should remain so. The receivers are young but have loads of talent. I just wish Nix would throw it to them in the open field more often.

The defense is erratic. My biggest gripe is the lack of turnovers. Do we even have an interception yet? We are 4 games through the season and I can't remember us forcing any turnovers. I want to say we got some last week, but that seems like so long ago by now. The coaches need to get guys on the field who can make plays. None of this bend but dont break mentality. The front line will need an infusion of youth, we all know that. And the DBs need some big time work.

Really this loss was something we had to expect would happen at some point this season. It's disappointing because I still hold this university's football team to high standards. Scrub teams like UNC shouldn't come within 30 points of our UM teams, much less with a 3rd string QB. But this hasn't been the first such loss and probably won't be the last before this team is back on top. We'll have to take our lumps and let other fan bases have their way with us while we lose to their teams this season. The future is a muddled one. Part of me knows the talent is there and we have much to look forward to, but the mental mistakes and lack of killer instinct is giving me 2nd thoughts about Randy Shannon and has confirmed to me that Patrick Nix is not the answer at OC.

Miami Schedules Their Favorite Whipping Boys

My personal favorite non-conference opponent to play against is the Nebraska Cornhuskers. 3 of our 6 national titles have come from playing them, including the finishing touch on the greatest team in college football history, the 2001 Canes.

It looks like it won't be that long until we once again have the chance to dominate the boys from the Midwest. The Hurricanes have scheduled a home and home with Nebraska in 2014 and 2015. Once again the series starts on the road, this time in Lincoln.

I really don't understand why recently our Athletic Directors can never get a home and home to start here. UF, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and now Nebraska. Only lower tier programs like USF and Texas A&M have even considered making the trip to Miami the first part of the schedule.

And that's if anyone will play us here at all. USC refused to play down here, asking for only one game, in LA. Michigan was especially bad, asking for both games of the series be played in Ann Arbor. Yeah, ok. And of course, Notre Dame refuses to play us at all. No big surprise there.

Here's to hoping both programs are back on top by the time the series rolls around. Despite my jabs, I have a great deal of respect for the Cornhuskers and they have never quite been the same since that Rose Bowl blasting at the hands of Ken Dorsey and Co. I also hope we get a chance to schedule other major programs to prove that we aren't scared of playing anybody. Bring back UF yearly. Take on Texas. Call up LSU and try to take some revenge for that Peach Bowl embarassment.

Thoughts on the UF Game

So I went up to G-Ville last weekend for the inevitable end of the 23-year streak. My thoughts on the game: (warning this is long)

First off, I was mildly surprised by the lack of hostility by UF fans. I think much of it had to do with the fact none of these students have seen a real UM team in action and that the rivalry has been reduced to trifling between old school fans. New fans (of which UF has many/all) don't know the history between these two teams and simply didn't think much of this underwhelming Canes team.

You could tell that they didn't care from the lack of any hostile environment at the Swamp. It was my first trip to the stadium and while it is certainly a nice enough place to play a game, it was a little overrated in terms of size and certainly didn't feel like the toughest place to play a game in the country. It could have been that the fans didn't care as much (but more likely some combination of that and the fact their team was shockingly one play away from going down in the 4th quarter). But at several points during the 3rd quarter after our defense made a big play our section would start chanting and I guarantee you could hear us on the opposite end zone.

Regarding the UF squad itself. I wasn't impressed at all. The only guy who really impressed me, and this is expected, was Tim Tebow. I hate the guy more than anyone in recent college football history, but he is a slippery fellow. I made a comment that was later confirmed in the telecast that he reminds me of a massive Doug Flutie. Figures he would unknowingly be emulating another hated rival who played 24 years ago. We had him under attack the whole game but he kept slipping out of easy sacks and completing improbable passes. It's pretty clear that without him UF doesn't stand a chance in hell against us or anyone in the SEC.

The rest of the team was blah. Louis Murphy had his words shoved in his mouth until late in the 4th, and Percy Harvin was pretty limited by his injury despite his score. The defense I'd have to give an incomplete, because despite playing very very well, it is difficult to say who is to blame for their success. The front four seemingly played excellently against the run, but Marve's jersey was spotless throughout the game.

But that of course could be because he never threw the damn ball. And here comes my lasting impression of the game. Miami could have won. The score might not indicate that, but I truly believe the Canes had a chance and Patrick Nix refused to take it. The first half gameplan was beautiful. Run the ball and keep Tebow off the field. Keep it close until late in the game where the Gators would start panicking. However, the 2nd part of that plan would be to open up the offense and strike. That never happened.

It is the general consensus that Nix ran the same five or six plays. Shotgun delay run, i-form run, Shotgun delay QB sweep, PA rollout, and the quick screen out of the no-back set. Pathetic. The shotgun delay run for 1 yard had to be the most frustrating thing to see, ever. He must have called it at least 15 times. Could have been two dozen, but I lost track. Nix had to see at some point that it was not working and that they needed to start throwing deep. There is no excuse for your longest play being 14 yards from scrimmage.

I don't care what Randy Shannon says about receivers not getting open, I didn't see a single deep post, slant, curl route. I saw nothing but flares and outs and little dump out plays. Robert Marve is a redshirt freshman, but so was Sam Bradford. If you really have faith in him, let him play and see what happens. I wouldn't blame him for throwing a couple of picks in the Swamp against a great team in his first start. But I do blame Nix for never giving him the chance. If Marve is truly great in adversity, then let him prove it on the field instead of babying him and Jacory Harris through the game.

What did Miami have to lose as a 5-7 team with no shot to win the game? All we care about is titles down here and that wasn't happening. The game has nothing to do with ACC standings, so why not throw caution to the wind? Try to WIN the game, not prevent a loss. I read someone on a board call this offense the "prevent offense," which is exactly what it was. Pathetic. We had a chance to pull off something special and simply didn't bother.

Down 13 in the 4th, they didn't change a thing and ended up getting run out of the building. Down 20 they did the same and ended up punting with 8 minutes to go. Why?! If you have already conceded defeat then so what if you don't convert on 4th and they score again. Screw it. Give us SOMETHING to be excited about. Absolutely terrible decision making by the coaching staff in that situation.

It's sad because they wasted an amazing effort by the defense. They held what was supposed to be the top offense in the country to basically 0 points going into the 4th. UF's first TD was a gift from Matt Bosher, and the special teams was to blame for that safety. Finally UF got rolling in the 4th but by then I wasn't mad. At some point they were going to get their's and the defense had to be tired and demoralized by the lack of offensive production. Regardless of the outcome, this is a Top 10 defense and is good enough to keep us in every game down the road. If Nix can get us to muster 24 points a game, which is reasonable considering the schedule, there is no reason Miami can't go 10-2 or 11-1. Unfortunately we know this won't happen and we'll go 7-5 somehow.

The result is just a sickening reality that we wasted a good chance to pull off the upset and never tried to step on the gas once UF finally solved our defense. However, I was pleased to see how well Harris and Marve played all things considered, and that our young defense is absolutely amazing. Bill Young is just sick. Sean Spence is the real deal and is the next big thing out of the real Linebacker U. He spun Tebow around like a ragdoll for a sack and Tim outweighs him by more than 30 pounds. What a player.

There's so much more for me to say, but this is getting pretty long. My final thoughts are regarding the final field goal and Randy Shannon's reaction. I personally didn't care for the kick, but knew that if they went for it they would be villified anyway. Nobody would kneel in that situation. It was dumb to keep Tebow in and risk injury, but whatever. Losing to the cocky Gators was a tough pill to swallow, whether it be by 1, 20 or 23. But Randy Shannon should have kept his mouth shut.

Don't cry foul about running up the score. If your offense had any semblance of effectiveness the field goal wouldn't have been an issue. We saw teams from BYU, San Diego State, and Ohio show more offensive firepower than we did with all our stud recruits. Pathetic playcalling, because I don't think it had all that much to do with our players (although the OL was a disappointment in run blocking). That aside, we all know Urban Meyer is a slimy scumbag. The field goal doesn't make him any better or worse. Calling him out makes you look like a pansy, and now with Warren Sapp chiming in, the U sounds like a bunch of excuse makers. Take care of business and it won't happen. Simple fact.

Thankfully nobody has complained about refs, which arguably was an issue. SEC refs? Come on. Several plays went wildly in UF's favor, swinging the momentum their way. However, it wasn't so bad that it prevented Miami from doing enough to win the game. If anything it should have amped them up to stick it to everyone. No excuses.

The good news is that things look promising, pending the offense gets opened up. Assuming Nix is gone by years end and we finally break the bank for a real OC, this team will compete for a national title in 2010. No doubt in my mind. Maybe even in 2009 if players develop quickly. So far I haven't seen proof that Shannon can coach, but there is no doubting his recruiting ability. There is some impressive young talent on this squad. We'll see what happens from here. But if we can't beat down Texas A&M, then I will officially give up on the season and maybe the coaching staff.

Canes Romp in Opener 52-7

The final score of the Charleston Southern game is an interesting topic. Part of me says thats how badly we should have beaten them. A real Miami squad would always beat a cupcake by the normal 40+ point margin. So we shouldn't be too happy about that kind of result. These guys face tougher competition in practice.

However, we could have said this about many of the scheduled games we've played the past couple of years. Thanks to Coker, poor quarterbacking and general lack of talent, gimme games somehow turned into nail-biters and embarrassing losses. With Kirby or Kyle at the helm, I don't see how Miami could have scored 52 on a blind and deaf team.

So the 52 was a good sign in that regard. But it's still very dangerous to assume the offense is effective after a game like that. I'm not convinced that what I saw was enough to top the hated Gators on September 6. The defense looked good as well, but I can't promise a similar result when they face one of the best 2 or 3 offenses in college football.

Still, it was nice to see so many of our highly touted true freshmen playing. The one absent player that worried me was Arthur Brown. I'm a little concerned he will end up like Willie Williams. Not in the character sense, because Brown is an excellent individual. But because he was so good in high school, his only job was to kill the ballcarrier. Guys who are that good seem to have a lot of trouble making the transition to an organized, complex defense such as Bill Young's. To see him not play was a little disturbing, but I'm sure he'll pick it up at some point. Maybe he should even be redshirted to just learn the playbook and understand the system.

As for our chances next week, things look grim. I'm hoping Tropical Storm Hanna (now projected to graze Northeast Florida around Thursday night as of me writing this) slows down and if it must hit the area, to hit around the scheduled time for the game. If we could get this game postponed towards the end of the season, I would be thrilled. I'm not too confident about tossing in Robert Marve in his first start at UF like that. We did it to Kyle Wright at FSU and look what happened to him, he got shellshocked.

Unfortunately it doesn't look like we have a choice. Harris looked efficient, but efficient probably won't be enough to keep up with UF on the scoreboard. As much as I hate the Gators, and believe me my hatred runs deep, we were unlucky to face them this season. This team is just too young and has too many question marks to have a real shot at anything better than an 8-4 season.

However, it is a rivalry game. We've seen stranger things happen. Remember, that 2003 Gator squad wasn't that good either but it gave us a run for our money in the OB, when we had 6 first round picks on that team. So there's still a chance. I'm praying that the streak will live on, that we can rub it in the Gators face that they haven't beaten us in two decades. But I have prepared for the worst, knowing this day would come for 2 or 3 years now. A loss would hurt like hell, but I expect our boys to show some Cane pride and not let themselves get blown out of the water.

And if we win? Hell I wouldn't mind going 2-10 this season if that 2nd win was a UF victory. We all know this team can't win a title and titles are all that really count here in Coral Gables, so we'll have to settle for moral victories for now. A win at the Swamp would be one hell of a moral victory in my book.

Bailey, Harris Hurt

As if we needed more reason to doubt that Miami can make it 7 straight wins against the hated Gators, recent news these past couple of weeks have added fuel to the fire. Allen Bailey will be out the entire summer and possibly part of the season thanks to a pectoral injury (thats the worst...working out to get better and you get hurt). Hopefully he can be back in time to be the Tebow killer we need him to be.

But what's certain is that DE Courtney Harris out of the picture the whole season. That's a big loss, because Harris is a solid contributer. His injured Achilles tendon will mean that we will need huge contributions from the freshmen and from Adewale Ojomo if we plan on having a successful season. I was already skeptical that this team could win 9 games, and now I don't know if they'll make it to 7 or 8. The DL is thin enough as it is without the injuries.

The news on the recruiting front regarding the DE position isn't too great either. Oliver Vernon has gotten several other offers from prominent schools, and it has been well known for some time that he is considered a soft verbal. Nick Saban has offered to play him the in flex position that Jason Taylor does for the Dolphins and that is appealing to Vernon. Hopefully he doesn't change his mind, because people are quickly realizing how good he is despite playing for a relatively small school.

Running back Jamaal Berry is another one of the big names out there, but don't expect to see him in a Canes uniform, unless the NCAA allows schools to start trading players. With our already loaded backfield and a commitment from Bryce Brown (as well as a silent from Lamar Miller, supposedly), we have no need for Berry unless he wants to switch positions. It's a shame because the kid really wants to be a Cane, but will likely end up elsewhere, probably for a rival, and with a chip on his shoulder.

Shandel's Interviews

I'll be the first to admit I miss Omar Kelly's coverage of the Canes on the Sun-Sentinel. Ever since he was moved to the Dolphins beat and replaced by Shandel Richardson, I've felt that the quality of the coverage has dropped off substantially. Omar was closer to his readers and gave us good stuff. Shandel isn't bad, but he had some pretty big shoes to fill. On top of that, he has some stiff competition from the Herald's Manny Navarro, who often has the the latest news up really quick.

However, Shandel has recently stepped it up big time. He knows what the deal is. All we care about down here is football. The baseball team is amazing and should be poised for a title, but nobody really cares. The basketball team was a few seconds away from a Sweet 16 appearance, but they too have to step aside for football. In the South, football is king. Anyway, Shandel has responded to this by providing one on one interviews with several incoming freshman recruits from Miami's heralded 2008 class.

Here is one with Davon Johnson. I encourage you to read up on the other ones on the blog. As Bruce Feldman point out on his ESPN blog, the most interesting comment was from CJ Holton, who said he got numerous death threats about decommitting from FSU and committing to Miami. I wish I could say this sort of behavior is exclusive to Noles' fans, but I've seen some pretty nasty stuff online from Canes fans when our guys switch commitments as well.

The Streak

For 13 straight years, a Miami Hurricane has been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Some years we've barely made it, like when Kelly Jennings was the 2nd to last pick of the draft a couple of a years ago. This year we've got a projected 1st round pick and a borderline guy in Calais Campbell. Should we be concerned about the streak, and does the streak even really matter?

For one, I think the streak will remain intact for another year. Safety is becoming such an important position in the NFL today that somebody will take Kenny in the 1st round. The Steelers or Giants will probably snatch him up before the 1st round is over. If not, then I would consider taking him with the #32 pick, which while technically not in the 1st round, it would be in the first 32 picks so I would consider the streak alive with an asterisk in that case.

If not Kenny, then our only hope is Calais. And those hopes are dimming by the day. The poor guy should have left last season when he would have easily been a Top 10, maybe Top 5 pick. This season his production fell off substantially and he showed that he has a lot to work on, especially against the run. Calais has no real techniques other than the bull rush and because he is so tall, he gets knocked over easily.

Personally, I would like to see the streak continue as long as possible. We don't have the allure of a college town with a huge fanbase like other schools do. Players come to the U to play football and go to the pros. That's what Miami is: a football factory. So while it is unrealistic to expect the streak to go on forever, and if it ends it doesn't necessarily mean our dominance is over for good, the psychological damage would be done.

Even if the streak were to continue this season (which I expect it shall), I don't like the prospects for the streak go to 15 years in the 2009 draft. I don't see many potential 1st round selections from this current roster. If Jason Fox has a monster year, then he might be our best hope to go in the 1st if he chooses to leave early. Eric Moncur is talented, but would have to blow up for teams to consider drafting him in the first round. Anthony Reddick would have to return to his freshman form to even sniff the first round, and even then his long injury history would probably knock him to Day 2.

Frankly, we need a huge year from somebody if the streak is going to continue next year. Because as of right now, we have a bunch of marginal-solid NFL prospects, but no superstars that will see their names called on Day 1. Pray for a big year from the guys I listed, or something out of the blue, like a ridiculous season by Sam Shields or Colin McCarthy. Otherwise, we will have to start anew in 2010.

Position Changes

You might have heard about a few position changes on the UM football team. I'll go over them one by one here.

Luqman Abdallah was moved to offensive line, which is an interesting move. We are already pretty thin at DT, but I suppose with 2 more guys coming in this summer (Regis and Lewis), Abdallah was considered expendable at the position. The guy hasn't really shown all that much yet, but then again he wasn't the most heralded recruit either. It should be interesting to see if he can contribute to our line, which supposedly is looking pretty solid right now.

The Ryan Hill move is one I am grateful for. I personally thought it should have been done last year. Hill hasn't shown any promise at WR and we are hurting pretty bad at corner. The addition of Brandon Harris was crucial, but it should help to have some depth at the position. Hill is a great athlete and should he pick up the defense quickly enough, could contribute. He is probably better off because he wasn't going to see the field with this new stable of WRs coming in from the 2008 class.

As for Damien Berry being moved to running back, that is one move that baffled me. We have a great backfield right now in James, Coopers, McNeal and Chambers. I have no idea when Berry will get a carry. He ran the ball some in high school, but still this is a surprising move considering the fact we don't have a proven safety yet. Reddick should lock down one spot eventually. JoJo looks great in practice, and Ponder will probably get considerable playing time. Still, Berry was looking to contribute more at safety than at RB. Oh well.

Spring Game Thoughts

I would be a hypocrite to tell you that the lackluster offensive performance today at Lockhart means that this team is doomed. After all, I've said that all the high praise we've gotten through Spring practices aren't to be taken too seriously. We hear great things about this team every Spring, so it's not a surprise to see them struggle a bit on offense.

I wouldn't blame the QBs too much yet. I didn't get a chance to catch the scrimmage, but most of the picks were tips or desperation Hail Mary passes. However, it is a bit disturbing that our only passing offense the entire afternoon consisted of passes to the backs in the flats. Our receivers dropped a handful of balls, and Aldarius Johnson particularly had a case of the dropsies. Oh well. Hopefully the kinks will be worked out before the season starts.

We have to be excited about the defense, which featured a bunch of young playmakers in Arthur Brown and Sean Spence. The future definitely looks bright there. We should see an improvement on defense, especially now that we have an experienced coordinator running the unit.

Right now I would say the biggest concerns is the intermediate-to-deep passing game and the kicking game. Will we have a starting kicker by the time Charleston Southern rolls around? I want to know that we will be taken care of there. With a team that will likely struggle to put up a lot of points early, having a solid kicker will be a crucial need. We should also be concerned that the receivers dropped everything once the lights were on. I've heard great things about every receiver, even Sam Shields, but none of it translated to the scrimmage. We'll see if Aubrey Hill can get their heads on straight.

Adderley Moved to TE

Unsurprisingly, redshirt freshman Daniel Adderley has been moved from WR to TE. With a very talented WR class coming in this spring and summer, WR is no longer a need on this team and the move should have been anticipated. Adderley is a big body at 6-6 220ish and gives our quarterbacks a big target on 3rd downs and in the red zone.

You can tell that the coaching staff is 1) pretty impressed with our young receivers if they are moving a guy away from receiver, when the position was sorely lacking in playmakers last season and 2) they consider TE a need and are looking to get the position back to the heralded status of Tight End U.

Case in point, Miami has already gotten a commitment from Arizona TE Billy Sanders, and are looking to land another in this upcoming recruiting class, possibly from legacy Austin Fitzpatrick in Texas. There were rumors they would tinker with Jordan Futch at the position and are now moving Adderley inside. I'm not sure what that says about our current TEs Chris Zellner, Dedrick Epps and Richard Gordon. All 3 have talent and show occasional flashes of solid play, but it must be that none has stood out yet in spring practice if TE is becoming such a focus of the coaching staff.

That's not great news, but on the bright side, we have to be happy with the progress of the young receivers. It'll only get better once the rest of them enroll for the Fall. The starting QB (whoever that may be) will have plenty of options to throw to for the first time in years. The offensive line looks to be solid (though that's what we hear every year) and they have a stable of backs to rely on. If Marve or Harris can be accurate and make good decisions, I think the offense will be vastly improved. It can't be understated just how poor the QB play was last season. There's no way this team was lacking in talent enough to go 5-7.

Spring Practice and Recruiting

Check out Manny's blog to hear news straight from the players' mouths about the 2008 football team. I really got a kick out of Shannon tossing everyone out after finding out that some website posted the entire previous scrimmage online. The tough guy attitude doesn't necessarily work (see Saban and the Dolphins) if you don't have the players, but it's still nice to see some fire from the coaching staff. Coker would have probably expressed mild disappointment and let it continue.

From what I've gathered over the past few weeks, it will be a shock to see anyone but Robert Marve starting. I'm not sure I like the idea of rotating quarterbacks per se. It worked for UF in 2006 with Tebow and Leak, but this team is nowhere near a championship. There are examples of other semi-successful experiments with it (David Greene and DJ Shockley come to mind, and no it's not a white/black QB thing), but this is a young team. I'd rather have one guy back there leading them.

If we do end up going with just one quarterback, from reading Jacory Harris' quotes, it seems we won't have much of a controversy. Granted, he's saying all the right things now, but it appears young Harris has his head in the right place and is really a team player. Same goes for Cannon Smith. We heard similar talk from Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman last year, but there were still whispers about jealousy and potential transfers. We'll see how this one turns out.

I'm particularly interested in seeing who wins the two starting wideout spots. I think with the emergence of Pat Hill and John Calhoun at FB, we won't be running as many 3-wide formations out of the I as we have before. That would create a bit of a bottleneck. I would venture to say that Leonard Hankerson will take over the split end position while either McKenzie (who I'd give the edge to) or Aldarius Johnson will take over the flanker. I might be way off on this, but I haven't heard much about Sam Shields this entire Spring.

As far as recruiting goes, I don't know much about any potential commitments anytime soon. We've offered Kansas MLB Jaydan Bird (4 stars on Scout) and Rivals said he was expecting to announce early. That might be something worth watching. Most of the LBs we signed in this class will eventually end up as OLB or other positions. Despite the fact UM coaches say Spence will eventually move to the inside, landing another MLB would be great in this next class.

We've also offered Devon Kennard, 5 star DE from Arizona. Rivals mentions he is interested in the Canes, but it's not a good sign that the #5 overall player on Scout doesn't even have us listed on his list of schools. It's way too early to tell, but it might be a pipe dream to think about landing this kid. He's already attended USC's camp and is in close proximity to the recruiting powerhouse, in addition to UCLA and Arizona State. Still, we all thought Arthur Brown was an Oklahoma lock this time last year, so that's why following recruiting can be so fun.

UM Scrimmage Notes

Some news from Traz Powell, as the Canes participated in their first Spring Scrimmage of the season. Both papers wrote up some recaps of the action. Read Manny's blog here and Shandel's recap here.

From what it looks like, we actually have some good quarterbacks. Granted, when they start playing for real, we might be looking at some interceptions and bad mistakes. But it is nice to see that Marve and Harris are accurate on their passes and that they are getting some nice timing down with the receivers that are on campus.

I'm glad to see DVD bulked up a bit and is looking like our best corner. Once Brandon Harris gets in here, we will see a big improvement in our DB play. I also like the fact Anthony Reddick is in the starting lineup for the time being. Randy Phillips is a solid safety in run support, but Reddick has shown he has special skills when he is healthy.

I'm excited to see our offensive line in action. Fox, Franklin and Figueroa are all drawing raves from onlookers. I am a little concerned about the lack of a solid starting center though. That might be the most important position on the line, especially if you can't get a good snap off.

Unfortunately, it looks like Sam Shields might be left behind if he doesn't step it up. Already, McKenzie and Johnson have been drawing most of the attention in camp. Leonard Hankerson has supposedly improved tremendously, and Kayne is still a solid threat (albeit dropping an open TD from Marve).

Hopefully the MNW guys will get acclimated to the college game quickly and start making an impact sometime soon. Some of them already are, with Johnson and Spence making plays on the field.

One last note: I think we should all keep a close eye on Allen Bailey the next couple of seasons. The guy is a beast and in his first month playing DE he is already blowing people up. I can't wait to see him knock the crap out of Tim Tebow. Tough news about Josh Holmes though. There are rumors that he is done for the season.

Some Notes About UM's Pro Day

UM typically has one of the most attended Pro Day's in all of college football, but understandable this turnout wasn't going to be as high as usual with the lack of overall talent this team has suffered from of late. However, 15 prospects still worked at for NFL scouts and for the most part improved their stock.

If you want an in-depth look at how we did, read Manny's blog and the Sun-Sentinel's coverage of the workouts. Pretty much everyone who took part improved on their Combine workouts. Guys like Darnell Jenkins, Tavares Gooden, and Kyle Wright shaved a tenth or two off their 40 times.

While that's great news for our kids, I'd still take it with a grain of salt. You never know what kind of advantages our guys have at our own Pro Day, so I'm sure scouts will take note of the fact that our players had slower times on a neutral field. Regardless, improving on your numbers doesn't hurt your stock at all, so I'm happy that they all made themselves a little bit of money and/or job security for next season.

Orange Bowl Demolition Underway

A warning to those who shared in all the wonderful memories at the Orange Bowl: these pictures are hard to look at. A thanks to scejas, who posted them.

Some News From Spring Practice

If you're like me and are dying to find out more about our Canes football team, then I would suggest you read Manny Navarro's latest blog post about spring practice.

Several thoughts regarding Manny's reports....

I really like how Allen Bailey took one for the team. I fully expect him to contribute at the DE position once he learns the ins and outs. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start towards the end of the season. If not, then he will still be part of the rotation. You simply can't have a physical freak like him off the field. He's just too good.

I was surprised to see that Glenn Cook had such harsh words about Arthur Brown's coaching. He wasn't knocking Brown per se, but he definitely took a shot at Brown's HS coaches. If it's true that Arthur has poor fundamentals, then God help anyone who has to face him on defense over the next few years, because he was an absolute monster in high school despite his "bad coaching". Imagine what he'll be like with Michael Barrow showing him the ropes.

Another surprise is that Spence is starting at strongside OLB. Thankfully he's put on a little bit of weight (as has Brown) so that he'll be able to make an immediate impact. As great as Sean was at MNW, playing at 190 simply won't do at the college level. Arthur is currently backing him up there. The battle for playing time at LOLB will be one of the more intriguing competitions on the team this season.

Finally, I don't expect Marcus Forston to stay at 2nd team DT for too long. He is just way to good to be sitting on the bench.

Reuben Randle Gets an Offer

Widely considered to be the top receiver in the nation for the class of 2009, Randle has received a written offer from the U.

I'd venture to say Miami will target him and maybe 2 or 3 other receivers next year and will look to sign only one, maybe two of them. They are already overstocked at the position, but Randy Shannon won't make the same mistake that Larry Coker made in not signing a player at that position in a given year. If it's a talent like Reuben's we can sign, then Shannon will make room for him.

Haven't heard much else about recruiting. I'm pretty sure Lamar Miller won't be phased by the Bryce Brown commitment and ultimately should be the 2nd 5-star back to sign in 2009. If not, well there is always Jakari Gore in 2010.

As for the team itself, spring practice starts soon and I'm excited to see if any of the incoming freshmen/young guys can take a starting job from underachieving upperclassmen. I fully expect to see Jermaine McKenzie or Aldarius Johnson as one of our two starting receivers alongside Sam Shields (if he gets his head out of the gutter). Orlando Franklin should be a starting guard once he gets back to speed.

The most interesting battles might be on defense though. I think Brandon Harris has a shot at landing a starting job, as does Marcus Forston. I would be very surprised if either doesn't play a lot this year. At linebacker I think that most of our guys will be redshirted or be limited to backup duty. I don't think our LB corp is the best out there, but Shannon won't want to start 2 or 3 freshmen when he has a pair of heady seniors who will be better prepared to start the season. That means plenty of Glenn Cook and Romeo Davis.

Oh, and I wouldn't buy any talk of a QB competition. This is Marve's job. Period. Unless he stinks it up, I sincerely doubt they would put in Harris. The kid needs to pack on some pounds before he goes up against Div I defenses. I'm not sure about Cannon Smith's chances either, though he has had the most game experience at a level past high school of all our QBs.

Sean Spence Video

It's been a while since my last recruiting update. For the most part, nothing substantial has been said because it is still so early in the 2009 recruiting season. The Canes have offered several dozen players and later today I'll try to write up a summary of some of the kids we are looking at for the next class.

For now, here's a YouTube clip of Sean Spence, one of the many LBs we signed this year. The kid is a flat out baller.

It's a Canes Thing

One of the mantras attached to the University of Miami football program is that "It's a Canes thing." That motto gets tossed around by fans and players alike, but rarely do outsiders stop and wonder what the meaning behind it really is.

Being a fan of this team doesn't necessarily make us special in and of itself. There is a similar level of devotion and passion for fans of most other teams around the country. What makes us different is the expectations to which we hold our program, and the belief that it is in our manifest destiny to control the college football landscape.

Whereas a program like Florida or Tennessee might be content with an SEC crown, I don't know anyone who ever counts our Big East titles amongst our accomplishments. Similarly, fans of storied programs at Notre Dame and Nebraska would like to contend for titles every year as they once did, but they gradually have become accustomed to lesser levels of success. Not here. Never here.

The University of Miami football team is a unique animal. True to its namesake, it burst upon the national landscape like a whirlwind. No program in modern history has ever matched, nor will ever match, the domination of it's competition like that of Miami's between 1983 and 1992. The sudden explosion of talent took the country by surprise, and unsurprisingly, many outside of Coral Gables were not pleased.

Over the years, the program was spun as public enemy #1 by major media outlets. Perhaps it was jealousy of our success. Maybe it was our speed-oriented defenses making traditional option-based attacks obsolete. Or maybe, just maybe, it was a long-standing, ingrained racism that still permeated throughout the nation. These cocky urban black kids were making a mockery of teams that prominently featured typical All-American corn-fed white boys.

Who knows the real reason why this team came to be hated so. Certainly the players did little to help their image on and off the field, but it's undeniable that they were singled out from a fairly large crowd of deviants. The result? Fifteen years after the end of our Decade of Dominance, this team is still labeled "Thug U" despite near spotless arrest records and admirable graduation rates. The media continues to take shots at our program for the slightest mishap, even when the team has sunk into irrelevance.

So what does it mean to be a Canes fan? Let me be so bold as to make the following analogy. We all live in a country that is misunderstood by the rest of the world. Many would replace the word "misunderstood" with "vilified". For many reasons, people can't seem to accept a relatively new nation's dominance over the rest of the world and it's established civilizations. And as Americans, we have the rooted belief that the destiny of those around us is and should be managed in part by our own actions.

Our great country certainly has had it's fair share of questionable policies and ill-fated wars. We've made more mistakes in our past than we care to count. However, even as the years go by and the impact of said mistakes begins to fade, there is almost no willingness to forgive on the part of the rest of the world. No matter what we do from here on in, the United States will always be hated for what it has done in the past.

Similarly, the Hurricanes are a relatively young program when compared to traditional powers at Michigan and USC. At best, this should have been a middle-of-the-road team that bowed before the Nebraska's and Oklahoma's of the world. Instead, the program came to define excellence on the field and in turn has become as isolated as the nation it resides in.

If you travel, people will be as likely to mock you for being a Canes fan as they are to show you disdain if you are an American in a foreign land. That isolation gives rise to the U. That "U" on our helmets signifies many things, but I believe above all it stands for Unity. Together, our players stand alone against the rest of the country. Their brotherhood is envied by those who don't have it, and shunned upon by those who don't understand it. When those kids take the field, they literally are living the "us against the world" mentality.

The bond they share as brothers is the irresistible force that compels Canes fans to devotion. It's the underlying element of Kellen Winslow's famous "All about this U" rant that nobody besides us seems to understand. There is a certain feeling of pride when you walk into the room and everyone hates you for being the very best. That is why the disappointment of recent seasons at Miami has run so deep, and why the University chose a former Hurricane to run the show. Only a man like Randy Shannon could fully appreciate what it means to be a Hurricane.

Our success has produced a unique expectation that is difficult to find anywhere else for an extended period of time. Some teams in different sports may expect a championship for limited periods of time, knowing full well that these things are cyclical. Miami is unique in that we full expect to compete for the national title every year. Anything less is unacceptable.

Do you know why it still hurts to much when thinking about the 2003 Fiesta Bowl? It's because something was taken away from us. Not just something that was earned, but something that belonged to this team. It belonged to them from the start. It belongs to them at the beginning of every season and only is relinquished to someone else when we fail to live up to our own expectations.

Call it hubris. Call it arrogance. Call it what you will. If you can't understand it, then that's probably because it's a Canes thing.

Tommy Streeter Video

Here's a 4 minute reason why landing Streeter on Signing Day was so important. The kid is a big play threat and has the size of a Dwayne Jarrett. Despite rumors, I doubt he'll be moved to TE.

A Few Canes Notes

Not all that much happening since Signing Day, but still a few things are worth mentioning.

First off, congratulations to to Clint Hurtt and Michael Barrow for getting consideration from Rivals as two of the top recruiters in the ACC. Hurtt's involvement in the recruitment of 8 players landed him the top spot amongst assistants in the conference. Not that they really care what a recruiting website thinks of them, but it's always nice to be recognized for your efforts.

Next is the news of two position changes on the UM roster. Incoming linebacker Jordan Futch has been slotted as the 3rd string TE for the Canes. My guess is that there is so much depth now at LB that his skills might be better off used at the TE position. Not to say Futch couldn't play ahead of Spence or Brown, but there's nothing wrong with moving guys around to see what works.

UPDATE: Interestingly enough, Manny contests that this is a permanent switch. Futch is apparently going to be given a chance to try both positions.

Additionally, Allen Bailey has finally been moved to DE. He came in as a 260 pound MLB recruit and signed with the Canes under the impression he would be allowed to stay a linebacker. However, he has grown way too much to play that role and I have to assume he and Randy Shannon had a conversation about his long-term future in the business and that putting his hand on the ground would be best for all parties. I'm glad Allen acquiesced to the decision rather than throwing a fit and transferring elsewhere. He should be a monster for the D, especially now that we don't have much DL depth.

As for recruiting, it's still pretty early in the game. USC did get a 9th commitment for the 2009 class, but it's next to impossible to compete with them at this point. We are early front runners for many South Florida stars, and should have no problem landing a Top 10 class next year.

Austin Fitzpatrick, son of former Hurricane defensive tackle Tony Fitzpatrick, has us as his top choice entering his senior year. He is an athletic TE out of Texas, so landing him will be a big deal for the future class considering the lack of bonafide threat at the position right now.