Real Los Angelenos?

Hello All,

You know what I get asked a lot?

"How the hell did you develop such stunning, magnificent pectoral muscles?"

Not really. What I do get asked a lot is why I hate the Lakers if I live in LA. Well, aside from the fact that rooting on a team just because you moved somewhere when you are 23 breaks just about every law of fandom (with the possible exception of the LMU Lions Women's Swim Team...bones), I hate them for several reasons. One is that Kobe Bryant is a bad person and yet people seem to have completely forgotten Colorado. Another is that I know that the LA fan base is the second most fair weather in the country (the first?... if you have to ask that you haven't read this blog enough). Another is that Pau Gasol averages .14 showers for every game played. Another is that purple and yellow are dumb uniform colors that have rubbed me the wrong way since I was 5. Honestly, the list goes on and on.

And the follow up question is usually something like this: "Well you can't be a true Los Angeleno if you don't like the Lakers."

My usual response, aside from laughter at the notion that I would want to be a Los Angeleno, is to state that NO ONE IN THIS TOWN IS FROM HERE. Everyone here is a transplant, either from the East Coast, the Valley, the Bay Area or Mexico (be it legally or illegally....which brings up my next question: If the word illegal is inherent to the term "illegal alien", then why all the fuss about their right to be here?). I have been here about 2 months and met literally 3 people who are actually from the Los Angeles Metro Area. 3.

What is the point of this rant?

I guess it is just to tell a story about people that have a ridiculous outlook on reality and to try and connect it to the fans of the University of Miami. For some reason, there is a disconnect between what is happening and what people perceive. People see a young team failing at times last year and assume that now, a year later with almost every key player returning, the team is doomed to the same growing pains. Are they? Maybe, but is that a logical assumption to make.

The lack of logic and constructive thought on the part of 'Canes fans right now is crazy to me. Any other fan base in the nation would be PUMPED for this coming season. A team full of young guys that all of a sudden have become upperclassmen lead by a star quarterback and brimming with young talent getting ready to face the toughest schedule in the country. THAT is exciting stuff when you take in to account the fact that this team has progressed every season and logically will do so again this season.

Maybe no group is more indicative of this than the secondary, which I will break down here. People assume they will fail again to make game saving plays. Well, logically speaking, I have to disagree with that. Just like I have to be excited for the season, even if other "fans" are already writing the epitaph for this team 4 days in to practice.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

The Season That Was: The secondary takes a lot of guff, but it is this blogger’s opinion that they actually were underrated. They did not make as many game changing plays as you would like to see, but they also were forced to cover for LONG periods of time due to the lack of pass rush generated. If you look at the four losses, the secondary was responsible for none. Virginia Tech was a full team collapse, UNC was lost (and then almost won) by Jacory Harris, Clemson was won by C.J. Spiller and Alex Uribe, and Wisconsin was won by the UW tight ends. Brandon Harris is very good opposite DeMarcus Van Dyke, who was better in coverage than he gets credit for. Sam Shields performed admirably for a guy learning a position on the fly, which is not to say that he played very well. All in all, there was promise shown by all members, and the combination of experience and a better pass rush will lead to more turnovers from this group.

What Was Lost: Sam Shields is fighting for a roster spot with the Green Bay Packers and Randy Phillips is doing the same with the Detroit Lions. Chavez Grant is gone, pursuing other career options.

Roll Call

DeMarcus Van Dyke (Sr.) – DVD is very good in coverage. Period. If you want proof, look at how many balls Brandon Harris had thrown his way, even as he kept batting them down. DVD is pretty bad in run support and lacks the playmaking bug, but he is the type of guy that you want on your side rather than the other guys’.

JoJo Nicolas (Jr.) – Injury plagued and not very productive when on the field. It is my hope that he is a special teams-only player this year, as he has taken one bad route and missed one tackle too many for me at this point.

Jared Campbell (Jr.) – Campbell made some plays last year and will be in the safety rotation if he can stay healthy. Not great in pass coverage but can support the run and blitz off the edge. Useful player that finds a way to help out.

Brandon Harris (Jr.) – All American Candidate and the leader of the secondary. Truly well spoken kid that gets “it”. Expect teams to avoid him a little more this year, which will open up some possibilities for other guys to make plays. Harris plays bigger than his size and is very well rounded, but needs to convert more deflections in to interceptions.

Corey Nelms (Jr.) – Former walk-on who has earned the chance to be more than a special teams guy. Will compete for the nickel and dime roles in addition to last year’s role as resident gunner. Track athlete who is amongst the fastest guys on the field.

Vaughn Telemaque (So.) – Has locked down one safety spot. Proved to be good in run support and now must prove to be a playmaker in the other half of the game, which everyone around the program seems to observe as a given.

Ray Ray Armstrong (So.) – Excited everyone when he lit up DeMarco Murray in the Oklahoma game. Like Telemaque, has to prove that he can be as good in the pass game as he is in the run game if he wants to hold off Jamal Reid.

Brandon McGee (So.) – Still learning the corner position but is very fast (track competitor) and will be given the first crack at the third corner/nickel back role. Also could return kicks. Some have said he was this summer’s most improved player after a rough spring game. Going up against Miami’s receivers everyday will make him better in a hurry.

Jamal Reid (R-Fr.) – Reid has emerged as a potential starter and will battle Ray Ray for his starting spot at safety. Reid is very athletic and has gone from someone that needed work on tackling to one of the secondary’s most physical players. Potential return man.

Latwan Anderson (Fr.) – Technically not on scholarship yet, but Anderson is almost a shoe-in to see the field at some point this year. The only question is when. He could play corner, safety or receiver, but will definitely be a returner.

Devonta’a Davis (Fr.) – Getting rave reviews so far in the summer, and could play either corner or safety. Tall and physical, best bet of the four true freshmen on football scholarship to get playing time as a freshman.

Kacy Rogers (Fr.) – Rogers is a good athlete from Texas that will be tried first at corner but most likely shifted to safety, according to coaches. Father is a professional coach for the Dolphins which means Rogers should have a leg up when it comes to football intelligence.

Keion Payne (Fr.) – Tall and skinny but a true cover guy, like DVD. Will have the benefit of a redshirt to put on weight, which DVD never did.

Always guard the inbound passer.