Calling All UM Alums....

Now that Randy Shannon is not pictured--- Miami must make a CRITICAL choice.

Are they going to be a part of major college football or are they not?

It's as simple as that.

Miami needs to hit a home run with their next coaching hire.

This cannot be done on the cheap.

To me, the key is to tap into their NFL alumni base.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the biggest sources of pride for Canes fans--- is how many former Canes are successful in the NFL.

Every Sunday--- we see players proudly throw up the "U" sign during NFL games.

And then--- in the same breath--- we're told that the school doesn't have enough money for facilities--- doesn't have enough money to pay big name coaches.

It's a bunch of bunk.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If those NFL players are SO proud of their school--- time to put their money where their mouth is.

Take one game-check--- put it in a fund.

Guaranteed--- you'd have enough to go out and get a MONSTER coach.

Is it Jon Gruden?

I don't know.

This decision is on Kirby Hocutt.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for Randy, he wasn't a good football coach.

It's that simple.

On gameday, he was consistently outcoached.

His players didn't get better during their time at UM.

We don't know about him as a "recruiter" because--- once the guys got to campus they were never properly instructed.

So how can we know if they reached their ultimate potential?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To his credit--- Randy ran a clean program.

Players were not arrested and they received their diplomas.

That's great.

But honestly--- what's the point of running a clean program if the whole sport is dirty?

College football is as corrupt as can be.

The work-force---ie the players--- aren't paid.

Meanwhile, the schools make MILLIONS going to bowl games and coaches get fat contracts.

Miami can pretend to take the high moral ground--- or they can get in the mix.

That's the decision now for the school.

Do they want to be a major program or do they want to be mired in mediocrity?

I hope they go big.

7-win seasons don't do much for me.

Biggest Game Of His Career...

This is the biggest week of Randy Shannon's coaching life at the University of Miami.

If he doesn't figure things out quickly, his job could be in jeopardy (not pictured--- his job that is).

After a debacle against Florida State and an unnecessarily close contest against Duke, Miami welcomes Butch Davis and North Carolina to Sun Life Stadium on Saturday night.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Randy is 0 for Butch so far at Miami.

I remember being on the bus coming home from North Carolina last year, and one of the assistant coaches muttering under his breath 'I can't believe we lost to these guys AGAIN.'

It was a long, quiet flight home from Chapel Hill.

Jacory single-handedly threw that game away with several costly interceptions.

That was the game where he allegedly hurt his thumb.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perception is reality.

It might have been unreasonable for Miami fans to expect to move from the Big East to the ACC and absolutely dominate.

Maybe the standards were too high.

But, that's the way it is.

That was the expectation.

And Miami hasn't even been in the same neighborhood as dominating.

Instead, they haven't even made the ACC Championship game.

The quickest way to get fired in coaching is to fail to live up to high expectations.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The path to that Championship game runs through North Carolina.

Both teams are 2-1 in the Coastal division, trailing Virginia Tech.

A loss and Miami likely won't be able to make the ACC Championship game.

The Canes still have Virginia Tech looming.

They play Beamer ball.

It's a style encompasses great special teams and a bad-ass defense.

What is Shannon-ball?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Carolina is a basketball school.

Make no mistake about it.

During my time in the state, the goings on of the Tarheels hoops team dominated the Herald Sun, Raleigh-Durham News and Observer, and 850 the Buzz sports-talk.

No one REALLY cared about football up there.

If Miami can't get past a middle-of-the-road, basketball school in their conference, where is the program at?

This is a hurdle that Randy Shannon simply has to clear.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miami had an expression that they used a LOT last year.

It was sort of a mantra of the players and coach Shannon: No excuses.

Time to live up that mantra.

A loss on Saturday, and it's time to update the resume.

Wear A Uniform, Win A Talkshow

I woke up this morning and thought it was 1987.

I kept searching for a time machine (not pictured).

Why was Melvin Bratton on the front page of the Miami Herald sports section?

Turns out, he had some harsh words for the Canes program.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As I read it, I thought, jeez, slow news day.

Was Carlos Huerta unavailable for comment?

They couldn't reach Eddie Brown?

Perhaps Ted Hendricks had a few thoughts?

I let it go.

Later in the day, a friend asked me on facebook what I thought of his comments.

My response was: Why is Mel Bratton the spokesman for the 2010 Canes?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the local radio stations has a policy.

If you have ever worn a UM uniform, you get your own talk show.

It's an interesting giveaway.

As such, I'm inundated with Michael Irvin, Gino Torretta, Randal Hill, Lamar Thomas, and Sebastian the Ibis. (I made that last one up, though I might give them an idea--- wouldn't be the first time).

What I've learned listening to these various hosts (besides that talk shows are for people who are you know--- broadcasters) is the following:

There is a leadership void at the University of Miami.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll use the analogy of one my other great loves, Duke basketball.

Sure, Duke is a program proud of its tradition.

But, when they lose a big game, Christian Laettner isn't ripping the current guys. We don't have to worry about Bobby Hurley going off.

Instead, the man who STEERS the tradition and who built it, Coach K is the ONE voice.

That's what leadership is about sometimes, one voice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now look at Miami football.

It's as if some of the guys haven't been told that the "U" documentary is no longer filming.

The voice of the program needs to be Randy Shannon.

He is a bridge between past, present and future.

But because 1. his team is not performing well 2. he looks at interviews as tooth extractions with microphones, there's no unified message going out to Canes nation.

900 former Canes have stepped up to fill the void.

700 of them have their own talk shows in town.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Miami program should embrace its past greatness and its former players.

But you know what's more important than that?

Not getting your ass kicked by four touchdowns at home by Florida State.

That should be a little higher on the priority list.

I don't care what the Class of 1986 has to say.

They had their time.

I'm anxious to see what the Class of 2010 is going to do.

At this point, it hasn't been much.

The Power Of Q....

This blog is brought to you by the letter "Q" (not pictured).

It's a rating used to determine the favorability of an athlete, celebrity, or politician.

This week, we learned that LeBron James' so-called "Q" rating had him as the 6th least popular athlete in America.

I will attempt break down what that means to LeBron by looking at a few other events in the news and how "Q" colors perception.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, Udonis Haslem was cleared of a pot charge.

He was pulled over, there was weed in the car, U-D said it wasn't his.

The state attorney agreed.

Throughout his legal process, however, people weren't THAT mad at him.

On one level, it was weed.

While illegal, having a little green in your possession doesn't exactly incite the moral police.

Secondly, Udonis had just lost his mother and I think people felt badly for him.

But most of all, I just think Udonis is beloved in South Florida.

He's a team captain and Mr. 305.

He's been the heart and soul of the Heat franchise for a while, and people simply liked him.

Imagine if Michael Beasley had been pulled over for the same violation?

The power of Q.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's stay with the Gators getting arrested theme.

This week, Urban Meyer had his... what is it... 30th player arrested.

Chris Rainey allegedly sent a text that read "Time To Die" to an ex-girlfriend and has been charged with stalking.

Urban Meyer has two national titles.

So while the thought is naughty-naughty, no actions are being taken.

He wins, therefore he has Q.

If Randy Shannon had 2 players arrested, there would be calls for his firing IMMEDIATELY.

Thug U would be back, and Randy would be unemployed.

Different standard because of Q (just to clarify, Gators fans like Meyer the coach, not the person. By all accounts he's a surly dude).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Derek Jeter did something shady the other day.

He was up against the Rays in a critical game.

A ball clearly hit his bat.

He acted like it hit his wrist, the Umps awarded him first base.

To me, it was sad because he's so bad these days, that's his only way to get on.

While there have been a few columns calling him "Jeter Cheater"... the outrage has been tempered by his likability.

He has enough stored up Q that while people roll their eyes, they don't REALLY care.

Substitute in Jeter for AROD?

Woody Paige's head would explode right on the "Around The Horn" set.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think you get the point I'm making.

While it's fine and even fun to be the bad guy sometimes, it puts you in a dangerous position.

LeBron James' margin for error in the public sphere is nonexistent.

The stakes are higher than he's ever had to deal with.

The sad part about reputations are they take a LONG time to make, and just seconds to lose.

Kirby's Choice

Randy Shannon's contract extension puts Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt (not pictured) on the line.

He's saying: Randy's our guy.

I'm not saying it's a bad decision. I'm just saying what *IS* pictured is how I feel about it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be fair to Randy Shannon, there are signs that the program is trending in the right direction.

Three straight years Miami has improved by two wins. That's a fact.

The Canes are performing well in the classroom. That's a fact.

The Canes are staying off the police blotter. That's a fact.

However, excuse me if I don't do cartwheels over a guy whose record at UM is 21-17 and who has exactly zero bowl wins or BCS appearances.

Not exactly a record that Jimmy Johnson or Howard Schnellenberger would envy.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the year for Randy Shannon to prove that he's laying not just a solid foundation at the U, but an elite one.

As I wrote in my previous blog "There's No U In Mediocre," I was looking forward to Shannon having a contract year.

I liked Randy going into this season without a contract.

It showed his belief in his program.

From the school's perspective, either they would have an elite coach, or they would have the freedom to go find one.

Now all that's out the window.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a Canes fan, I will say this: Now it's on you Kirby.

You hitched your wagon on Randy Shannon.

In 3 years or so, if Miami's still meandering around 9 wins, you'll be the one who everyone turns to for answers.

Hope you're happy with your selection.

There's No "U" In Mediocre...

Can't get clean.

Scrub as I might, I wash and rewash. I try the bar-soap, I try the hand-soap, I try the liquid gel. I resort to using Pert Plus.

I can't seem to wash the smell off of me.

Did the dog secretly drop a deuce in the bathroom that I can't see?

I couldn't possibly smell that bad.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The year is, well, about any year between 1984 and 1994.

I've just come from another lopsided Canes victory at the Orange Bowl.

I forced my mother to drive me two-hours early to the game, and wouldn't leave until I saw each touchdown of the absolute obliteration.

Those games were just like watching a Tyson fight.

Just like Tyson had the knockout before the opening bell, the Canes usually knocked out their opponent the second they ran out of the smoke.

We wait an hour for the car parked directly in front us. Yeah, our "no blockie" spot FINALLY clears out.

And just like that, we leave Little Havana.

To top it off, I need to hear the locker room show, just so I could listen to the guys revel in their latest annihilation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
But back to the shower, you could spend hours in there.

You could call in a team of NASA scientists, washing off the smell of the Orange Bowl was a task above anyone's paygrade.

God I miss section U, Row 65. God I miss that smell.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And that's the perspective from which I'm going to write this particular blog.

I'm going to throw off my "journalist" hat and speak as a fan.

A fan who watched too many consecutive wins at home, a fan who once drank out of the dip-cup of a stranger who was wearing overalls, a fan who listened to loonatics chant "AH-OH" at any female who had the audacity to walk back to her seat, a fan who was thrown into the garbage can by linebackers and taken out by the kicker (thanks Greg Cox).

So yeah, 9 win seasons don't make me happy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I love that Randy Shannon (not pictured) doesn't have a contract after this season.

I think it's the best scenerio for Randy and I think it's the best scenerio for the University of Miami.

Right now, Randy Shannon is Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire.

He's betting big on himself.

I like that.

Either he's right about what he's built here and stands for a monster payday.

Or...

He's wrong, and thanks for playing.

You have to respect that.

Randy's got stones and Kirby's smart.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know it's early May.

So why am I talking about University of Miami football?

I just feel like it.

During the off-season, fans like to kick around the "we should beat them," "that's going to be a tough one" emails.

I think it's all non-sense.

I have friends who sat with me in section "U," die-hard Canes fans, who are scared of games like Pittsburgh and Clemson.

I refuse to accept that.

If the University of Miami is afraid to play a Wannstedt-coached team, then they're not a real Canes team.

I don't care what the rankings say.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We've been told for so long that Randy Shannon is an expert recruiter.

Perhaps that's true.

But, we haven't seen it, yet.

Doesn't mean it's untrue.

But we can't say that we've seen it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kick this one around Canes fans.

I asked this to a friend on the phone today.

How many players from last year's team, would have played a SINGLE DOWN on the 2001 National Championship team?

We're talking 10 years ago.

And I'm not talking based on potential.

I'm not talking based on the eye-test (Aldarius Johnson LOOKS like an NFL Pro Bowler).

But based on what they've shown.

A single down.

My answer: 1.

I think Allen Bailey would've found his way onto the field.

That's it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
If Randy Shannon is going to get a BIG contract offer from Miami, we need to revisit that question in 8 months.

If we don't say at least 5, Randy likely won't be here.

I'm not saying the potential isn't there.

I'm just saying, I want to see it now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are areas to give Randy a LOT of credit for.

He did change the culture at Miami.

I can't remember the last Cane to get into trouble with the law.

The sheriff up in Gainesville must have Urban Meyer on speed-dial.

Two dozen plus arrests in the last few years.

So it's nice to lose the "thug U" reputation. (a reputation that wasn't particularly fair given the way Miami was graduating players back in the day).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the other beautiful part of Randy's no contract situation.

Let's say Randy is right.

Let's say this turns into a BCS-caliber team.

Let's say Jacory gets invited to New York for the Heisman and the Canes are awesome this year.

Randy can tell the school to shove it.

He can leave and take a big job elsewhere.

If he gets the big payday, who could say he hasn't earned it?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know that Sun Life Stadium is an antiseptic building.

It's lovely with its great suites and sightlines.

There's ample parking and the smell is like fresh potpourri.

But just because I can't get that Orange Bowl funk on me, doesn't mean the Canes can't return to greatness.

The first step is to stop accepting mediocre.

There's no doubt that Randy has improved the Canes from 5 wins to 7 to 9.

But the next jump has got to be even bigger.

I refuse to get excited about 4th round draft picks.

I refuse to applaud overtime losses to ACC opponents.

I'm sorry, I'm more afraid of Justin Bieber than I am of Dave Wannstedt.

Canes fans, don't accept average.