Get Well Soon Frankie

Hello All,

Going with the no-frills approach here. My buddy Frank, or Fran as his friends call him, is recovering from having part of his intestinal tract and appendix out. And a catheterization (word?). Ouch.

Anyway, here's something to keep you occupied and on the mend buddy. Also, if it makes you feel any better, my buddy and I got stopped in the middle of hitting on a pair of chicks the other night and got asked if we were gay...in all seriousness. Dan Stein, ladies and gentlemen.

LINEBACKERS PREVIEW

The Season That Was: Colin McCarthy and Daryl Sharpton had good seasons. However, the ‘Canes found themselves thin at the position when Sean Spence, already struggling in a new role, went down for three games in the middle of the season. Jordan Futch, promising early in the season, also found himself out for the season after the first few games, and Ramon Buchannan only rounded in to form at the end of the season. At one point, Miami found itself using Randy Phillips as a nickel linebacker. Depth is of the utmost importance at this position. That, and the ability to cover a tight end, which has been missing from the linebacking corps for years. A better push from the interior linemen will make life A LOT easier for the linebackers, most of all Sean Spence.

What Was Lost: Sharpton was a fourth round pick by the Titans, and his play late in the season makes his loss even greater. Arthur Brown transferred after being mostly a non-impact guy in his two years. And folks, again, Romeo Davis is no longer here, which merits repeating every

year.

Roll Call

Colin McCarthy (Sr.) – The captain of the defense is being looked upon for lots of production in addition to leadership. He is big enough to play middle, but the coaches like him better at weakside. He is not great in space but is a wrecking ball against the run and more athletic than he gets credit for. Probably serves the team best at middle linebacker, but his roll depends on who does what in spring behind around him.

Kylan Robinson (Sr.) – Little used fifth year senior that is being given the first crack at the middle linebacker job. He is a converted running back, which implies a certain amount of athleticism, and his experience in the program would imply leadership. However, no one has any idea what he actually is, no matter what they say. He could end up being this year’s Tervarris Johnson/Marcus Maxey that comes out of nowhere to become a contributor as an upperclassman after being written off. Or he could end up on special teams, as per usual. Fall practice will tell. On the bright side, he is always good to throw the last, meaningless block on a punt return touchdown, a skill that not enough people recognize.

Sean Spence (Jr.) – Hard to believe he is already a junior. My personal favorite defensive player

on the team struggled a bit last year with a switch to the strong side. He is ideally used as a guy that is free to roam and blitz without having to cover tight ends that he routinely gives up 30-50 lbs to. He is also the team’s most versatile linebacker; will play weakside if McCarthy is in the middle of strongside if McCarthy is in the weakside. Will definitely play in nickel situations and hopefully will blitz more.

Jordan Futch (Jr.) – Futch was a special teams monster that was beginning to impact the defense last season when he went down with an injury. He is being counted on to win the third linebacker spot and ensure Miami gets their three most talented linebackers on the field. Futch is probably the best blend of size and speed at this position group and is a star if he can stay on the field, in my estimate.

Ramon Buchannan (Jr.) – Very athletic kid (high school long jumper) that was originally a safety and is competing with Futch to keep Robinson on the bench. Would be the ideal

strong side linebacker as a big kid that should be able to cover tight ends, given his background. I thought he looked better at the end of last season than the beginning (always a good thing), and hopefully he can carry it in to fall practice. Also is in all likelihood the least talkative player on the team, which gives me even more reason to root for him. Imagine Susan Miller Degman trying to pry information out of him so she can write her next hacky, cheesy, washed up, canned story for the Miami Herald. He would give her the look that Carlos Avion gave Turtle when Turtle said he wanted to bang his God-daughter.

C.J. Holton (So.) – Another converted safety who is trying to flatten the learning curve and insert himself in to the rotation. Like Buchannan, should be a good candidate physically for the strong side. Will be a special teams contributor regardless , but if he gets the mental part down he could be special. Holton, Futch and Buchannan are the guys that will determine whether this linebacking corps is special or mediocre.

Shayon Green (R-Fr.) – Missed the season last year with a knee injury and proved in spring to not be ready for the starting middle linebacker role. Has great size and straight line speed to go with his motor. Will need to prove he can play in space and learn the playbook if he wants to win the competition in the fall. I think he is a special teamer this season that will challenge for the starting role in 2011.

Tyrone Cornelius (Fr.) – Early enrollee who is very fast and athletic but also very small. Like Spence, could be a great blitzer and hitter if he is allowed to roam but will not, at his size, be effective covering a tight end. Hopefully a redshirt guy, but could play a lot on special teams depending on numbers.

Kevin Nelson (Fr.) – The Wildcard. Has talked a lot of smack to this point, and he has not yet taken part in an official team practice. No one is doubting his desire, but now it is time to see if he has what it takes to grab the middle linebacker job as a freshman or if he needs more time. I think he would be best off in an understudy role this season, seeing some game time as the games go on, unless he is clearly the number one middle linebacker in the fall. That being said, if it is a tie between Nelson and Robinson I think you play the freshman over the senior. Also worth noting that he called the Gators coaching staff grimy and essentially compared Urban Meyer to Fredo, which will score him points with Stein on the Sidelines (and hopefully all 8 readers).

Travis Williams (Fr.) – VERY talented, tall and lean. Hard hitter that can get after the passer. Great candidate for either outside linebacker spot, and has said that he likes covering tight ends (music!). Would be a missile on special teams but also could redshirt to gain weight (if he makes it in to school, that is).

Jimmy Gaines (Fr.) – Big kid who has room to put on weight and is young for his grade. Relative unknown in high school but could be groomed with Nelson as the middle linebackers of the future. Almost a definite redshirt.

Kelvin Cain (Fr.) – If he is on the roster (grades) will almost assuredly redshirt. Has the size to grow in to any of the three linebacker positions or defensive end. Long term development project, but could end up as a very good role player, which the team still needs a lot of.

Always guard the inbound passer.

Trickle Down Theory

Hello All,

Love that this title makes my blog sound like it could be about something intellectual, like economics.

Instead of watching Entourage tonight (NOTE: Written on Sunday) due to my lack of a television, I am writing a position unit breakdown. LOVE Los Angeles.

I talked last time about teams getting glamour and praise for their receivers and running backs and linebackers but being built around their offensive and defensive lines. When it comes to the d-line, I think about it as a Trickle Down Effect, only this time not undermined by the Bleeding Heart Liberals like Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd (may they both rest well).

Let’s take a look at the standard 4-3 Base Defense that Miami uses. You start with defensive tackle. If your two defensive tackles can tie up the three opposing interior offensive linemen, it frees up the linebackers to operate in space.

It also prevents the guards from being able to double on the defensive ends, which creates either one on one opportunities for the pass rushers (which they have the defense at an advantage, as the end is moving forward while the offensive tackle is sliding and moving backward in pass protection) or a necessity for the offense to keep a tackle or running back in to pick up the pass rusher, taking away a potential receiver.

This inevitably leads to short passes that are easily minimized by the linebackers who are each

free to cover 1/3 of the middle of the field, or long passes against the secondary, which gets a chance to play man without the fear of having to bring a safety up to pick up a linebacker’s assignment.

If an opponent wants to send three wide receivers out, then that means one of the defensive ends is going to be free to apply pressure and force a quick throw. If it sends four receivers out, both defensive ends are in one- on- one situations with eyes on the quarterback. The secondary will be able to prey on forced, hurried throws and will be in better position to smother pass routes, as they have less time to hold their coverage.

Last season, this was not the case. Offensive lines had their way with Miami’s front four due to injuries, a lack of depth and a seeming unwillingness to use any combination pass rush moves.

Since Miami is not fond of sending a large number of blitzes, that meant quarterbacks could sit back all day in the pocket and find a receiver running free in the middle of the field, oftentimes a running back or tight end matched up on a linebacker. In the run game, it meant that Miami’s second level often found itself taking on guards, which is a total mismatch, that resulted in opponents being able to convert 3^rd and Short opportunities.

The end result was that a soft defensive line resulted in linebackers having to execute assignments that were out of their talent level (i.e. covering C.J. Spiller for 30 yards on a wheel route) or just plain unfair (Colin McCarthy having to shed a 300 lb offensive guard to make plays in the run game).

It also made our secondary look more porous than it was (and it wasn’t great to start with) by forcing them to cover for an extended amount of time on every play. After 5 seconds, the offense has the advantage in the pass game. Period.

The solution is multi-tiered. First of all, the front four has to be healthy. Second of all, the hire of Rick Petri will help immensely when it comes to technique. Third of all, the rotation has to be able to go 8+ deep without seeing a dropoff. These are big guys that cannot play every down, with rare exception.

The good news is that Miami looks to have its deepest line since 2001, when we won a National Title. That team was acclaimed for going 9 deep in the front four and making life hell for opposing quarterbacks. This year looks to be a return to those days.

Good defenses usually have great linebackers, no doubt. But to anyone that thinks linebackers can do it without a strong front four, think about this: Ray Lewis had Warren Sapp. Dan Morgan had Damione Lewis and William Joseph. Jon Vilma had Vince Wilfork. The Bermuda Triangle had a bunch of great tackles. Jon Beason, who is great in the league, never lived up to his potential at The U; his best tackles were Baraka Atkins, Bryan Pata and Kareem Brown, all good players but none the type that tied up multiple blockers.

Defensive Line

The Season That Was: The defensive front suffered a ton of injuries. Eric Moncur missed most of the season, as did Marcus Forston. Adewale Ojomo missed the entire season in one of the freakiest occurrences I have ever heard of. At times, Olivier Vernon, Marcus Robinson and others were all injured. As a result of this and what was mentioned before, they ended up losing the battle of the trenches more often than not and were particularly exposed against Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. That being said, the unit showed flashes, particularly against Georgia Tech. Allen Bailey emerged as a star, although we still do not know his best position, and Vernon as a future beast in the making.

What Was Lost: Moncur, an all-time “what could have been” guy. Joe Joseph graduated; he was serviceable but should not be missed.

Roll Call

Tackles

Josh Holmes (Sr.) – Holmes is not a big time difference maker but has his utility in pass rush situations. If all goes according to plan, he will be about the 5^th guy in the tackle pecking order.

Micanor Regis (Jr.) – The unsung hero of this unit who produced when given the chance last year and is a projected starter this year. My favorite stat was that he tied for the team lead with 2 interceptions.

Curtis Porter (So.) – Emerged as a freshman at the end of the season and had a great spring. Is a load and if he can stay in shape will be exactly the type of plugger this team needs in the middle.

Marcus Forston (So.) – Will battle with Porter for one of the two starting spots opposite Regis. Was great as a freshman but looked pretty shaky last year before being injured for the season. Has the potential to be the biggest star on the team and a Jerome Brown type of defensive leader. Coaches will start him at third string in the fall and make him earn his spot.

Jeremy Lewis (So.) – Lewis looked decent down the stretch when paired with Porter last season. He has a great deal of ability but is still learning how to use it. Once, if ever, he harnesses it he will be a freak.

Luther Robinson (R-Fr.) – A lot like Lewis in that he has a lot of potential but has work to do to maximize it. Should not see the field this season.

Jeff Brown (Fr.) – Illinois Wrestling Champ will redshirt to get bigger but could be a possible impact pass rusher in 2011.

Ends

Allen Bailey (Sr.) – The star of the line will be a starter at end, but I think he is better as a tackle. He physically overpowers linemen. When he pushed them off the line at end, he is pushing them in to space. When he pushes them off the line at tackle, he is mucking up the entire offense, similar to Ndamukong Suh at Nebraska last season. And rest assured, Bailey has the ability to be every bit as dominant as Suh. Most likely plays end on balanced downs and slides in to tackle on passing downs before getting drafted as the prototypical 3-4 defensive end. Anyone that can rip off a 4.7 Forty at 290 lbs and Vert 38” with 6% body fat is going to be drafted very high.

Steven Wesley (Sr.) – Nothing spectacular, but makes more plays than people realize at end. Will be in the rotation and would not surprise anyone by winning a starting spot. One of my favorite looks is when the staff puts Wesley and Bailey inside and two speed rushers at end on passing downs.

Adewale Ojomo (Jr.) – Has the potential to be the best end on the team and a starter every week if he can stay on the field. Showed amazing promise as a redshirt frosh in 2008 but missed last season with a broken jaw. His weight is back up and his intensity will be greater than ever. This kid plays with a mean streak reminiscent of Rusty Medearis and the old school ‘Cane linemen.

Marcus Robinson (Jr.) – The best speed rusher on the team will look to start for his third straight season. Great first step similar to Dwight Freeney but needs to develop some moves, as he gets held a lot and rarely gets it called (he can thank the U in his helmet for that). Will flourish as a 3-4 linebacker in the NFL.

Andrew Smith (Jr.) – A lot like Wesley: all steak, no sizzle. Makes the plays in front of him and not much else. Solid rotation guy.

Olivier Vernon (So.) – Intensity that rivals Ojomo’s was on diplay last season. Vernon is fast, quick and agile and loves to hit the opponent in the mouth. Draws your eye every time he is on the field. Along with either Ojomo or Robinson will serve as perhaps the best set of backup ends in the nation and will see heavy playing time if healthy.

Dyron Dye (R-Fr.) – Dye looks to weigh about 260 lbs right now with plenty of room for more on his frame; he actually is beginning to look like a combination of Bailey and The Predator. Will most likely only see mop up duty this year but is a future linchpin of the group.

David Perry (Fr.) – The next freak in line. At 6’7”, 220 lbs he has a lot of room to grow without sacrificing superior athleticism. Will redshirt (if qualified) and is a couple of years away from playing, but could be a great one with his long arms and natural ability.

There you have it. Of the 15 players listed, 11 have a chance to make an impact this season, with the core group of 9 all being extremely talented. If they play tougher this season, so will the rest of the defense. And with Whipple’s offense sure to put up points in Year 2, a scary Miami defense is the LAST thing opponents want to see.

Always guard the inbound passer.

Hello All,

First of all, I would like to advise anyone here that has not yet viewed "Shit My Dad Says" on Twitter or in book form should do so immediately. Needing to kill a couple hours the other day at Barnes and Noble I decided to crack this one open and it did not disappoint. In that vein, just got a phone call from my own dad. It went something like this: "Just wanted to let you know I just capped a God damn armadillo with a .22. Wait 'til I see his sister. I feel like Tony Soprano!" And you guys wonder where the Stein brothers get this shit from. Also, great lead in to my preview for the offensive line, or as we like to call them, Big Uglies.

Anyway, we have talked about Jacory. We have talked about the guys lining up behind him in Miami’s deepest backfield in years. We have talked about his fleet of stud receivers to throw to. While that is all well and good, what we haven’t talked about yet is the big uglies in the trenched. The guys that people don’t stick around to see while the credits are rolling.

If a football team were a movie production, then the offensive and defensive linemen would be the camera crew, the key grips and the set builders…except, I guess, that key grips and architects don’t sign for millions of dollars as first round draft picks…and yet, I digress. No one really cares what their names are until they don’t do their job. But there is a reason that left tackle is the second highest compensated position group in the NFL.

As Miami fans have seen for years now, your offense is only as good as your offensive line. Ditto for the defense. And while these names are not as sexy as the receivers and running backs that

put the ball in the end zone and get their picture in the paper, you will quickly learn how important they are the first time Jacory gets sacked and you see the entire season flash before your eyes.

After all, Jacory is probably the single most important player in college football to his team’s success this season, and these guys are responsible for keeping him healthy.

The Big Uglies

The Season That Was: All things considered, the line showed improvement last season. Jacory got sacked a lot, but at least a quarter were his own fault for holding the ball and trying to force a play rather than throwing the thing out of bounds and living to fight another play. Jason Fox

was the unit’s best player for the season, and he is now playing for the Detroit Lions as a result. When Fox was injured, Orlando Franklin and Brandon Washington had one good game (USF) and one bad game (Wisconsin) as the new left side of the line.

What Was Lost: Fox is in the league. A.J. Trump, the starting center, is also gone. Matt Pipho, the right tackle, is off to med school. I applaud his effort, but the fact he is gone is probably a

good thing. Ditto for Ian Symonnette’s transfer.

Roll Call

Orlando Franklin (Sr.) – Franklin will be the starter at left tackle after playing three years at guard. He definitely has the size you want, but his feet looked slow to me at the end of the season. Whether that was unique to the games I watched or a symptom of a larger trend remains to be seen. Miami better hope he doesn’t take too long to work in, because every team Miami plays will be sending the house after Jacory; Franklin needs to be ready right away. Also, you gotta love when your left tackle is 6’8”, quite possible cross eyed and kicked Bryce Brown’s bitch ass out of the Miami locker room two springs ago.

Joel Figueroa (Sr.) – Figs is a lot like Lee Chambers. He has been impressive at times but

always seems injured. I think he is one of the five best linemen in the run game and is who I would run behind if I needed 2 yards on 3^rd Down. That being said, I look for him to become more of a rotation guy at guard this year as Harlan Gunn, Brandon Washington and Malcolm Bunche take some minutes. Also has the closest sounding nickname on the team to something out of “Goodfellas”. Which reminds me, guess who I sold shoes to the other day. Paul Sorvino and his granddaughter. You can bet I will be telling my grandkids that story. Or not. Either way. Alright. Say hello to your mother for me.

Harlan Gunn (Jr.) – Gunn fires off the ball and now has three full years in the program under his belt. It is time for him to make an impact and do something with all his strength. And I still love his name. If Miami is serious about getting their five best linemen on the field, they may want to consider trying Gunn at center; he can definitely move a nose guard out of the way.

Tyler Horn (Jr.) – Ended spring as the starter at center but will have to beat out Shane McDermott (again), Brandon Linder, Gunn and whoever else the staff tries at center. The coaches feel like I did with my girlfriend in my first semester of senior year. I thought she was great, but with all the talent around me I found any small flaw to be bigger than it was. I found I was looking for reasons to find someone else. I was comfortable on the exterior, but internally I was looking for other options. And that is how the coaches feel about Horn. SIDENOTE: In hindsight, definitely should have kept that girl around. She was already a smokeshow with an amazing body and a superior intellect that liked to bake. About a month after we broke up she figured out she was allergic to gluten…which got rid of her mood swings. Now she is dating someone else and I live in Los Angeles, poor and lonely. Dan Stein, ladies and gentlemen.

Brandon Washington (So.) – Washington is a mauler whom I love at guard. He moves people off the ball and is easily one of the 5 best linemen on the team. ‘Nuff said.

Ben Jones (So.) – Hard worker and a good athlete who will compete for the starting spot at right tackle. One of the Northwestern 7; will at worst be a rotation guy.

Jermaine Johnson (R-Fr.) – Odds-on-favorite to start at right tackle. Very athletic; I got destroyed by this guy several times in pick up basketball and was amazed that someone his size was moving faster than me on the court. Also helps that he is already 4 years out of high school and still developing. By the time he is an upperclassmen, the man will be 24 years old. At that point, he will literally be a man against boys.

Jared Wheeler (R-Fr.) – Wheeler is a versatile kid who will most likely get a shot at all three interior positions. He is big and smart enough, the question is will he be nasty enough.

Corey White (R-Fr.) – White got huge during his redshirt season and looks like a college tackle. Now the question is whether he can play like one. Still (hopefully) a couple of years away from seeing the field for serious minutes. Or, as my good friend Justin put it, maybe he’ll just be cut. Because that makes a lot of sense.

Stephen Plein (R- Fr.) – Plein is a lot like White in that he is an undersized developmental type. He is not as big as White and not as close to seeing the field, but he might end up back at tight end if the numbers don’t work out and he doesn’t get heavier in the pants.

Malcolm Bunche (Fr.) – Bunche is huge and needs to get in better shape if he is going to contribute as a freshman in the guard rotation. He is also a workout warrior and strong as an ox. Very bright future for this kid and is one of the few freshmen that will have a chance to play right away.

Shane McDermott (Fr.) – Struggled in the spring game but is Horn’s main competition at center. That being said, he is very undersized at this point and would struggle against guys like Marvin Austin that Miami will see week in and week out. He is smart enough to use his athleticism and leverage, but a redshirt would do wonders.

Brandon Linder (Fr.) – The most talented lineman in this recruiting class (I know what you’re thinking, but I refuse to acknowledge any “Seantrel Henderson to Miami” rumors until he is on campus. It is like when I get my hopes up for interviews over and over and over to no avail. Does this make me sound really nerdy? I just realized this as I was typing. And somehow I have managed to stay single…). Will get a shot at center but is also projected as a tackle. Will definitely be a player two or three years down the line.

Jon Feliciano (Fr.) – This kid should be what Figueroa could have been; a nasty, BAMF interior lineman who plays with a mean streak. Because of numbers the coaches can definitely redshirt him this year and then watch him take off starting next year. Maybe the most underrated recruit in the entire class.

Tavadis Glenn (Fr.) – Should not be included in this group at all. 95% sure he is headed to prep school, and most see him coming back in the spring as a defensive tackle. Including him here is like including the WNBA in a conversation about legitimate business and sporting enterprises.

Jermaine Barton (Fr.) – Is a definite redshirt. Hard working with great measurable but limited experience playing the game and very rough technique. Like Billy Stein in the backseat. Hey-O!

And there you have it. We finally are starting to get the numbers and quality depth back. The problem is that it is mostly young. Most championship teams have something like 100 combined starts amongst their offensive linemen. This team will have something like 50. Whether they can buck the trend remains to be seen.

Always guard the inbound passer.