Careful What You Wish For

Hello All,

Today is not a good day, no matter how you look at it.

The Randy Shannon Era has come to an end. My body has rejected my best efforts to sleep off a hangover and therefore it is time to shatter some dreams, since I can’t have any.

Everyone seems to think that now that Randy is gone Miami is about to hire some superstar coach and win a national title next season. WRONG. (And by the way, anyone celebrating this firing like it is a holiday is a fucking carpetbagger and not a real fan. Period. If you didn't think he was a good coach, that's fine. That is an argument that definitely has weight to it and I would concede some points on. But he was a phenomenal person and gave more to this program than anyone. Any. One. Period. So to all you spoiled little rich kids from New York that think you know anything about this, do me the following: go fist yourself. You don't know anything about life in the real world and think that everything is what you read on message boards. You make me sick and sometimes a little gun shy to call myself a member of the Miami fanbase. And to the guy who flew the banner: I would love five minutes with you in an alleyway.)

Now, let’s take a further look at the situation.

Start with the salary, the main consideration of any job. Fans and Administrators can talk all they want about Miami being willing to pay top dollar, but the fact is we never have. Couple that with the expectations of titles every year and you have a bad mix. Why should I want to take a job where I will be fired for not winning big enough if I am not getting paid like an elite coach?

Go next to the expectations. First, you are expected to win big every season. And now that Randy has been fired, the message has been sent: win big right away, because we are no longer building. See, the biggest advantage Miami offers right now is its loaded roster, but it also is a disadvantage; with all this talent in place, New Hire X can’t just win the ACC next season. He better be in the BCS top 5. That is the message that has been sent. And for the low pay, that is a whole lot of stress.

Now let’s talk fan base. They talk a lot of sh*t. This is a tough media market, a pro sports town that treats its college team as such. The head coach will have every decision second guessed. At the first sign of trouble he will be thrown under the bus and the personal attacks will start. God help him if he has kids that have to go to school and hear their dad’s mental capacity challenged. All this might be understandable at an SEC or Big 10 school, where every game is a sellout. However, Miami plays its games 45 minutes from campus at an identity-less stadium and rarely manages to even come within 10,000 people of filling it. So that’s fun.

Now, recruiting. People talk about how great the recruiting base is in South Florida. It truly is where the greatest talent is, no doubt. However, it is also one of the five worst academic regions in the nation, and Miami’s administration has set acceptance standards for athletes on par with the Notre Dames and Dukes of the world (even though they expect to compete with the Alabamas and USCs). New Hire X will also have to recruit now in the shadow of Randy Shannon, Mr. Miami Hurricane, who came from this neighborhood and went to a city public school and dug himself out of a terrible situation to become what these kids are trying to be and then was fired after a winning season by the predominantly white private school down the road. Good luck breaking the ice there.

While we’re at it, let’s go through the popular “candidates” being thrown around.

Gary Patterson, TCU- Has previously turned down SEC and Big 10 money. Think he’s coming to Miami?

Greg Peterson, Boise State- See “Patterson, Gary”.

Jon Gruden, Monday Night Football- Literally just fell out of my chair laughing when I heard this one. What else, he gonna bring his buddies Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher in as coordinators?

Tommy Tuberville, Texas Tech- More realistic, but he just signed at Tech and I really doubt that Miami can outbid a Texas State University for a coach they really want.

Jim Harbaugh, Stanford- Michigan money or the NFL. Those are his two options.

So, get those guys out of your head, they ain’t coming. Now, for a more realistic list:

Mark Richt, Georgia- Former ‘Cane and successful SEC coach and recruiter…that has slowly nose dived over the last four seasons. We would be firing Randy Shannon to hire Randy Shannon Lite? This time without all the South Florida connections, however.

Mike Leach, Unemployment- First of all, his Air Raid offense does not fit in with our personnel, which has all the makings of the best run game in the country. Plus, does anyone think we are winning big with Jacory Harris or Stephen Morris throwing the ball 70 times a game? Second of all, this guy is a quack that had an alright time relating to kids in West Texas in recruiting…before he abused a player. Think this weirdo is going into Miami Northwestern or Miami Central or Hialeah and pulling kids? When he is following up Randy Shannon?

Brent Venables, Defensive Coordinator Oklahoma- Brilliant offensive mind...wait, that's there other guy, Kevin Wilson... with no relevant head coaching experience. So, a country bumpkin version of Randy Shannon. Pass. Although he is at the top of this list. Oh, and he just gave up 40+ in a rivalry game. Like he does in every big game.

Dan Mullen, Mississippi State- Hate his pop gun offense and UiF background. Would lead to another transitory phase and that is assuming we can beat SEC money.

Mario Cristobal, FIU- I think on paper he is a good candidate. Young, Miami born and bred, member of the family, experienced as a head coach. However, it just feels like at this point it would be better to go outside the family for the new hire, given the way we just treated Randy.

Randy Edsall, UConn- I like him. Doesn’t seem like a Miami guy though.

The best hire would be Will Muschamp from texas, but good luck out bidding Texas for their head coach in waiting.

Who else? Kevin Sumlin from Houston? Mike London from Virginia? Al Goilden from...laugh...Temple?The point is, that second group does not seem like it is much better than Randy. Think any of those guys is stepping in and leading us to a title? I know, I know, Larry Coker did it. Hate to break it to you, but Ed Reed and Ken Dorsey are not walking through that door anytime soon.

Here is the reality of the situation. Miami’s job really only comes with one perk: great talent, both already in place and in the pipeline. That perk, however, is diminished a bit by an administration that forces coaches to operate at a disadvantage (which I am not saying is a bad thing).

Randy Shannon had an ear to the ground in this community. He knew what was going on, more so than others. He had respected members of the community on his support staff. He started following these kids when they were playing optimist ball. Who else will be able to do that?

Who else will be able to keep every player in the program, a program located in the world center for night life and sports agents, on the straight and narrow?

His on-field progress definitely stunted this season. Next year would have been make or break. I think we at least owed him that make or break. Bring in a new offensive coordinator, shake up the staff a little and see what we can do with the great senior class he brought in. Instead, it will be year one of another transition.

What happens when the new guy loses a game or two? Do we start flying banners over the stadium? After all, the message has been sent: win now or go home.

What happens when the new guy starts missing out on some South Florida recruits that everyone thinks we should have had, that say something like “I had a great relationship with Randy Shannon and I would rather go play for Urban Meyer than try and start over with this guy”? After all, the message has been sent: losing recruits to UiF and FSU is unacceptable.

‘Canes fans are rejoicing over the firing of a good man. A good man that gave his life to the program. They want anyone else.

This is the same attitude that leads to us electing Barack Obama.

To ‘Canes fans, I send my own message: Careful what you wish for.

Senior Day

Hello All,

Well, this is kind of strange. We have reached the end of another season, and this one seemed to go by faster than any in history.

It is not time for final reflection yet, as there is still more football to be played.

However, I think it is safe to say that the depression that is my life for 8 months a year with no ‘Canes football has begun to set in.

Win or lose, the ‘Canes give me something to look forward to every week. Watching these kids go out and compete and grow is my favorite thing.

One of my co-workers was talking to me the other day and said “You should be glad you have your thing. You are more passionate about the ‘Canes than anyone in this office is about anything. It keeps you going. I can’t honestly say I have a thing and that is kind of sad.”

She was absolutely right. But before this turns into a cry fest, it is time for final reflection on one group of players.

Saturday is the last home game for a Miami senior class that has actually turned into The U’s best in five years.

Roll Call

Damien Berry, RB – Berry has been my favorite player for 4 years. He initially came in as a safety and played injured his freshman year, making a contribution only on special teams. After a mostly non-descript sophomore season he made the switch to running back, where most thought he would get lost on the depth chart. Instead, Berry became UM’s best runner since a healthy, in-shape Tyrone Moss and will leave as a fan favorite after two seasons of hard-nosed, take no prisoners running.

Graig Cooper, RB – Coop is another personal favorite who was derided by fans for years for no reason. He made plays, ran hard and did the best with what he was given. Sometimes he danced too much, and his speed wasn’t all that was advertised. Still, he was an all everything recruit that stuck by his ‘Cane commitment when everything was going wrong. He played hard despite being surrounded by mediocre talent for two seasons and will end up a Top 5 statistical player in the history of the program that will stick with an NFL team.

Leonard Hankerson, WR – What can I say about Hank that hasn’t already been said this season? The kid was labeled a bust after two seasons. I wrote that “there is no point in having a receiver that cannot catch the ball…move him to linebacker” back when I was writing my column in the school paper. Boy did he prove us all wrong. He committed himself through tireless work in the offseason and has now put together arguably the strongest two year statistical stretch of any receiver in program history. He still drops some easy ones but has become UM’s Go-To Guy in almost every situation and has positioned himself as a high draft pick. He will do great things and will probably be the most missed of all the seniors next season.

Allen Bailey, DL- The Freakshow seems like he just got here from his Island home in Georgia. He lost his freshman year to an ill-advised experiment at Middle Linebacker and was learning on the fly his sophomore year. After being shuttled back and forth between tackle and end for the last two seasons, it seemed like Bailey was always on the verge of a massive breakout where he put together 2 or 3 dominant games in a row. It never happened, and he is one of those guys you wish you could have for a couple more seasons. He is a member of the All Time Freak team for Miami and will be a first round pick based solely on potential. He showed glimpses throughout his career; hopefully some position stability will allow him to reach his Suh-like potential.

Matt Bosher, K/P- Bosh was the toughest kicker I have ever seen. He was also damned good. A little streaky as a placekicker but phenomenal as a punter, Bosher will forever be remembered for his willingness (eagerness?) to not only come up and tackle but also come up and lay the wood; this was important, given our coverage teams’ complete inability to cover kicks lately. My favorite moment will always be when he recovered his own onside kick in the Champs Sports Bowl (which I prefaced by saying “the only way we will recover this is if Bosh gets in there because he’s all we got”) that lead to my brother saying “If we had a sister Bosher could definitely f*ck her right now”. Others include his personal foul penalty for body slamming an FSU kick returner and his going down into the scrum to rip away an onside kick recovery in a doomed comeback attempt against Virginia this year. I never thought I would be this invested in a freakin’ kicker, but this is not a normal kicker.

Colin McCarthy, LB- If you can get past expecting him to be Dan Morgan (just because he is white and plays the same position and wears the same number) then he had a pretty damned good career. Was a little slow and not great in coverage, but the guy was mean and nasty and played with a chip on his shoulder. Also holds the current heavyweight title belt for banging slutty Delta Gammas and D Phi Es. Another likely 3rd-5th round pick that will make an impact somewhere in the league.

Orlando Franklin, T- Franklin was a three year starter at guard and then moved to left tackle. He will be a guard in the NFL, where his size will play well and his semi-slow feet can be hidden. I loved Franklin at guard but have been disappointed this year with his mental game at tackle, as he has repeatedly false started and been called for holding. Franklin will be missed more than some folks think, and he has certainly been a program leader. He will most likely be a mid round pick in the draft and will one day be saying “The U” on Sunday Night Football.

Pat Hill, FB- One of my favorites because of his unselfishness. Was very content with blasting linebackers for three years and clearing the way for other guys to get stats. Hill will be hard to replace, as was evident last year when the running game slumped after he was hurt.

DeMarcus Van Dyke, CB- A great cover corner who almost never got beat but also had NO ball skills. Is in the same camp with Coop when it comes to uncalled for personal attacks by fans. Will not be drafted but his speed will get him a shot and he might be this year’s Sam Shields if he can learn to tackle.

Joel Figeuroa, OL- Good guy, good run blocker, that’s about it. Wish him well.

Ryan Hill, CB- This was the ultimate company man. Moved from DB to WR as a highly touted frosh because we needed bodies. Made some big catches but was too inconsistent, so switched back to DB halfway through his career. Worked for two years and finally got on the field for his senior season, where he won a starting spot and…gasp…made some plays on the ball. Also, as an aside, was a very nice guy and my roommate Graham’s favorite player.

Josh Holmes, DT- Role player who really never lived up to his potential as an inside pass rusher. Most of his time was spent as a body in the rotation, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Kylan Robinson, LB- Came in as a record setting running back but could not gain any traction and was moved to linebacker. Career highlight was starting this year’s season opener. Really, that was about it.

JoJo Nicolas, S- He might be back next year, I am just putting him on here as wishful thinking. Nothing personal, he’s just not good at all and takes minutes from young guys for some reason.

Richard Gordon, TE- Freak show that looks like Tarzan and plays like Jane. Was a good run blocker but looked about as coordinated as a giraffe trying to take a piss while walking on a frozen pond when going out on a pass route.

Jared Campbell, S- Not sure if he is a senior but this was a guy who maxed out his minimal talent (which still didn’t lead to much production) and was a benefit to have on the scout team.

Corey Nelms, DB- Walk on special teams guy who made an impact with some big hits over his career and shows the value of working in conjunction with the track team.


To each of them, I thank you for your time in a transitory phase of the program and wish you the best of luck.

Quick Picks (Doing these early Friday morning):

‘Bama over Auburn
West Virginia over Pitt
Nebraska over Colorado
Oregon over Arizona
Ohio State over Michigan
Michigan State over Penn State
Kansas over Mizzou (Upset Special!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Arkansas over LSU
The SAT over UiF and FSU
Utah over BYU
Wisco over Northwestern
Clemson over The Real USC
Oklahoma over Oklahoma State (BEDLAM!!!!!)
The Meteor over Notre Dame and USC (I can hope, right?)

Virginia Tech Preview

Hello All,

Well, after harping on consistency last week, I am going to go ahead and stay consistent with my lack of a breakdown for the game again Vagina...errrr, Virginia...Tech. Which is actually Virginia Polytechnic Institute, which is abbreviated as VPI. And yet, The Hokies (still not sure what a Hokie is) are commonly referred to as VT. And yet I digress.

This is a weird week for Miami fans. It is a rivalry game that Miami has to win in order to stay alive in the conference race and have any hope of playing for the conference title...so in that sense, it is huge.

There is a feeling of impending doom though. Even if we win this game, which is a coin flip (more on that in a second), VPI would still have to lose to Virginia the following week. Not bloody likely. VPI is really good (and yes, they did lose to James Madison) and Virginia sucks something awful (and yes, they did beat Miami). Which means as 'Canes fans, if we win hell will be raised...after all, this team lost to JMU so they can't be very good/were overrated/are possibly behind the JFK assassination attempt; if we lose, the next week will go something like this: VPI comes out flat against the Cavs, who outplay the Hokies at the outset only to fail to capitalize fully...you know, go up 10-0 when it could have been 21-0, something like that...and then fall during a 3rd quarter blitz featuring two highlight reel plays from Tyrod Taylor and touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams for the Hokies. Final score: VPI 42, UVa 17.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that Miami put itself in yet another bad situation in which we have to rely on an inferior team to clean up our mess (this year it is Virginia, last year it was Duke) because we could not take care of business ourselves.

As much as it pains me to say this, at this point it is time to start looking toward next season. To get some momentum to carry into the spring, it would be nice to win out and send the message that this team really is able to batten down the hatches when necesarry. In doing so, the 'Canes might catch a break. Virginia might rise up again. But that would just be gravy at this point. The rest of this season serves one purpose: win out and shut some people up.

Win the bowl game.

Finish off this recruiting class and put the inconsistencies of this season in the rearview.

Establish an identity going forward: We are going to run the ball and play smashmouth d. If you don't like it, there's the door. And that goes for coaches too.

No breakdown of this game is necesarry or even really worthwhile. The teams are pretty even talent wise. VPI has been more consistent this season, but Miami at its best wins this game. The stats don't matter here; VPI may be ranked 65th in run d, but until I see us gash them a little I will assume they are the same Tech D that shows up every year and hits us in the mouth. They play intense, borderline dirty football. Every yard will be a fight.

I look forward to it, and if I were a player with any sort of desire to lock down some stature heading into the offseason, so would I. That's what these final games have become: a proving ground.

Other Picks

Last Week: 2-6
Season: 42-31 (2-7 in Upset Specials)

LSU over Ole Miss
-Seriously guys, think of a better name than "Magnolia Bowl". Like "Battle for the Prize Double Wide"! Kidding. Seriously Bill, kidding.

Nebraska over TAMU

Iowa over Ohio State (the rankings say I am supposed to care about this one)

Miss St. over Arkansas
-That joke I made about the Magnolia Bowl? I immediately regret not using it here. Damn it.

Baylor over Oklahoma (Upset Special)
- I have noticed that I have certain trends I stick to with these picks. Early, I had a hunch on FIU...let's not talk about it. I think I have picked Baylor in this space 4 seperate times. I have picked against Auburn twice. And my record is 2-7, so you know this is great strategy. And yet, I keep doing it...

Always guard the inbound passer.

Rapid Reaction

Hello All,

About to sit down and watch the UNC- Vagina Tech....errrrrr, Virginia Tech...game and decided to rattle off the quick response to today's beat down of Georgia Tech.

What I liked the most about it was the consistency.

It was multi-fold.

First of all, the gameplan was great. Pound the rock against the worst run defense in the conference with a deep stable of running backs. Take pressure off your freshman quarterback and let him work out of playaction. Attack the option and force Georgia Tech's green quarterback to make plays to win the game.

The most remarkable thing about this pretty standard game plan was that Miami stuck to it consistently, for a full game. 4 different running backs scored touchdowns, and the success in the play action and quick hitter passing games (both set up by the running game) lead to big plays.

Secondly, the players finally put together a consistent MENTAL game. There were few penalties. The refs taking another score off of the board did not send them in to a shell. There were mental mistakes, but no glaring mental errors that lead to points or big plays. Penalties were kept to a minimum. This was all offset by two forced turnovers when backed up in the opponent's red zone and a knack for coming up big when it really mattered on offense. All in all, this was a big effort for 4 quarters.

That is what I asked for heading into this week. 4 quarters of consistent effort in a winning cause. We caught a glimpse for the first time since UNC of what this team can become on any given Saturday. Next week, we will see if we can put this type of effort together two weeks in a row for the first time this season. The potential for it to be a playoff game would obviously add to the environment;it would make it the biggest game of Randy's tenure, as a matter of fact. But even if the Hokies beat UNC today (which i think they will) it will be an important game. It will give this team a final chance to prove that they aren't soft, they aren't weak and they CAN get the job done.

Here's to hoping they get the chance to prove it in a game that would mean a trip to the title game, because otherwise I will be mad I skipped my upset special pick coming true over on the other channel in order to watch a game in which I hate both teams...

Long Time Due

Hello All,

Finally found some time to sit down and write something useful, so here we go.

Last week's Maryland win was the most aggravated I have ever been after a loss.

First, there is the obvious. Miami got jobbed by the refs the whole game, arguably turning a game they should have won by at least a couple scores against a decent team into a game they had to steal in the final minute.

The team once again showed a lack of discipline, getting called for multiple false starts; this was particularly frustrating when taking into account that the guys getting called were upperclassmen like Orlando Franklin (the unit's leader) and Harlan Gunn (still love the name though).

What really had me hot and bothered was the holding calls, however. I have discussed this before, but let's get real. Holding is a subjective call. It happens on every play. It is only called on a few (or if you are Miami, quite a few...ba dum cha!). That means the referee decides when to throw it and when not to subjectively. Which also means that in order for it to be fair, there should be some semblance of balance in how many each side gets called for. I refuse to believe that Miami's highly talented offensive line can't stop other teams less talented defensive lines without holding 5 times a game and yet other teams have less talented offensive lines that just magically stonewall the Miami defensive front, one of the top ten units in the nation, game in and game out. Call me crazy. This has been going on for years, but reached a bit of a tipping point against the Terps. And if you need an example, watch Marcus Robinson every game. There are five times a game he gets held. There are zero times a game it gets called.

We don't need to really go into the phantom facemask called on Sean Spence that almost gave the game to Maryland. However, if you can explain to me how a guy getting runover on a play by a tight end while the quarterback could not even finish his three step drop before getting strip sacked (meaning it took maybe a full second) gets called for a facemask I will buy you a beer.

However, there were positives for the game. The team fought the whole game and din't have any moments where it seemed to check out. Stephen Morris and Lamar Miller showed they have a little old school 'Cane in 'em, making good on opportunities to play due to injuries. It used to be said that the 'Canes feared getting hurt, not because of the pain but because of the near guarantee that someone would Wally Pipp them. Jacory has not lost his job yet, but nothing bad can come of having a very talented backup to compete with every week.

I liked the power run game, and it should serve the 'Canes well this week against a Georgia Tech team that cannot stop the run. People fail to realize that Maryland sends an exotic blitz on 80% of its defensive plays and was #1 in the ACC against the run going into the game, and yet Miami piled up 500+ yards of total offense. If not for penalties, both legitimate and illegitimate, Miami should have won that game by 21.

And that brings us to the Jackets. I am not doing a position breakdown, there is no point. Miami has the edge everywhere. Tech is playing without their starting, all conference QB in Josh Nesbitt and their star receiver (which is a relative term this year for Tech) is also hurt. Their defense is in the midst of a changeover from a 4-3 to a 3-4. Last year's Miami D, which was nowhere close to as good as this year's, shut down this very same rushing attack when it was equipped with better personnel. The game is going to be at noon, so unless it is raining there is now way the 'Canes can complaing about the conditions. Really, the table is set for a blowout.

That is not this team's problem, however. The problem is that it is never the same team from quarter to quarter, much less game to game. I predict this one to be close, but not for any reason other than I need to see the 'Canes come out with some killer instinct just one time before I will pronounce them any sort of favorite at this point. Miami is still alive in the ACC race, but fans are forgetting that in order to stay alive they have to take care of business. I love this team to death and think that they mean well. But until I see them put together a few quarters, stretched over a few games, of consistent good football I will feel uneasy.

And here are my other picks for the week:

Last Week: 6-4 (40-25 on the season, 2-6 in upset specials)

FSU over Clemson

UiF over The Real USC

Ole Miss over Tennessee

Northwestern over Iowa (Not an upset)

K State over Mizzou (Not an upset)

Utah over Notre Dame (Chuckles)

Ohio State over Penn State (In this week's "Threw Up a Little In My Mouth" Game)

'Bama over Miss State

Baylor over TAMU

Texas over Okie State (They just always...how should I say this...blow it)

Georgia over Auburn (Upset Special!!!!!)

Haven't Given Up

Hello All,

So, this is going to have to be quick. I don't really have time this week to write up a preview worth anything, thanks to a series of shakeups in my division at work.

I have not given up the faith, although admittedly the 'Canes have nothing left to play for but pride. I know that there is always a chance to back into the ACC Title Game, but really, what about this season makes you think that is going to happen?

Anyway, I am keeping the torch burning, but just can't sit down and write about it this week. Go 'Canes, Beat Maryland.

Gone in body, there in spirit.

-Dan Stein