Northwestern wideout Eli Rogers ‘decomitted’ from the University of Miami days back, sparking rumors that his quarterback Teddy Bridgewater could be next. (Rogers has oft stated that he looked forward to catching passing from Bridgewater the next four years.)
Discussing the flip-flopping nature of recruiting over three months from Signing Day seems pointless (especially with North Carolina on deck this weekend), but the Herald’s Manny Navarro had a solid interview with Bridgewater that deserves some discussion.
>>> As of now, Bridgewater still plans on being a Hurricane, but the Florida State loss – coupled with Miami’s offense this season – have both been a disappointment.
>>> Regarding the offensive game plan against the Noles, “More can be done in the offense. I paid attention to the Florida State game. Third and 10, Third and 8, they came out unbalanced. I’m just asking myself ‘What’s going on? Why aren’t they opening the offense at this point of the game?'” (Sounds like more than just the fans critical of those third and long draws, Coach Whipple.)
>>> Regarding the criticism of Jacory Harris, “I’ve been paying close attention to that,” Bridgewater said. “That’s the one thing that stands out. It’s something to think about. The way he’s playing, the way he’s been treated, everything. He’s playing good. The wide outs have to help him also. I talked to coach. He said the past five games the wide receivers have dropped 30 passes. That will bring a quarterback’s confidence down.
“Everywhere I look, everyone on TV, the Internet, everybody is dogging Jacory. That’s something I really don’t like because he comes from the same school I play at. He’s my role model. Seeing that, seeing him go through that it makes me wonder do I want to go through the same thing. It upsets me a lot. It upsets the coaching staff, the alumni, everybody at Miami Northwestern.
“People need to keep the faith, don’t give up, don’t give up on Jacory or the team.”
>>> Bridgewater also stated that a lack of competition is hurting Harris. “From what I’ve seen, I would like to come in and play – or push Jacory at least,” Bridgewater said. “I think that’s the one thing he’s missing. I think he feels like he has no one there to push him. He might be a little relaxed or something. That’s one role I’d like to play.”
>>> Bridgewater continues being recruited as a quarterback by Florida, South Florida, Louisville, LSU and Michigan, though some project him as a wideout at the next level.
You can take a lot or a little from the comments of a high school senior, but there are some pearls of wisdom to take from Teddy B – most notably how the commentary, insults and trashing of Harris has impacted him. For every fan ready to blame Randy Shannon should Bridgewater go elsewhere, ask yourself if you’ve been a part of the problem or the solution.
Fans ripping the starting quarterback has Bridgewater questioning if he wants to go through the same thing, dealing with this same level of criticism – some warranted, but much unwarranted. (Honestly, you rarely hear about the thirty dropped passes or lack of receiver help / tight end depth when fans are ripping Harris’ production.)
I know some of you are already formulating your little argument, getting ready to type something to the effect of, “Well if that’s the way Teddy feels, then he can go elsewhere! This is Quarterback U and if he can’t handle the heat from the fans, how’s he gonna handle road crowds, the media and everything else that comes along with playing the position!!!”
Yes, it takes ice water running through ones veins to play quarterback at the highest level … but idiotic commentary from the fan base, blatant racism (as witnessed earlier this year) and the way Miami fans have treated past quarterback (and their families – just ask the Wrights) – something has to give.
Is it really worth potentially running of Bridgewater (or other recruits) with moronic comments on message boards, social networking pages and newspaper sites, simply in an effort to vent your frustrations? Why not save the banter for the drive home from the game or your nearest watering hole with your amigos?
You know, somewhere that isn’t public domain where everyone’s voice is heard and potential recruits are taken to addressing it via the local media.
Hang in there Teddy and Eli.
Great insight. My guess is that its all about winning. Sure a team not living up to its potential may have an underlying issue contributing. For example leadership, enthusiasm or cohesiveness. My point is that ultimately it just comes down to winning. Kids want to play at a school that wins its games. I agree that the negative comments dont help. Even if eveyone was positive after the FSU game and the apparrent lackluster performance against Duke I still believe high school commits will question their decision. Winning is the bottom line. I believe the next game is ironically the most important of the year. If we dont look real good your gonna see more decommits. The negative comments of a fan base collectively are the signs that things aren't right with this team.
Hopefully things get straigtened out this Sat and the season can have a whole new feel. Winning is good and winning after adversity even better.Go Canes!
This makes me very nervous! As does the whole "Latwan Anderson might transfer" situation. What good is getting these kids if we are going to treat them like crap?
There's no excuse for Jacory constantly throwing hail mary's into double coverage. That's on him and him only.
Instead of roaming around on Twitter or Facebook looking for e-pissing contests like Latwan Anderson, they should STFU, dedicate more time to watching film, and improving themselves.
If a QB or recruit gets his feelings hurt because of words on a computer screen, then they should just quit football altogether because they're mentally soft anyway.
http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_college_hurricanes/2010/10/yates-revival-offers-hope-for-harris.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sports%2Fumweblog+%28UM+Hurricanes+|+Sun-Sentinel+Blogs%29
T.J. Yates can relate to how Hurricanes QB Jacory Harris probably feels.
Yates, North Carolina’s senior QB, endured intense criticism for his play last season.
He never dealt with anything as extreme as Harris receiving a racist tweet, but he did get a note with the handwriting of a young kid telling him he was no good and should quit. Getting dissed by a kid, that’s pretty bad.
“It’s kind of hard to ignore it when so much is going on and being said about you,” Yates said Monday of the criticism. “You try your best to ignore it, but you know it’s there. So not having all of that definitely lightens the load on my shoulders a little bit.”
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This article pretty much shows that criticism is everywhere and you're blog, although well-intended, is nothing more than a pipe dream. Even in a basketball school like UNC they have guys letting them know they suck. Good luck finding a Utopian football fanbase that coddles their kids when they under-perform because it doesn't exist. Wake up and stop making excuses for our players sucking and not playing Miami football.
Look, it's simple. Miami needs to start seeking kids that WANT to play football for the University of Miami. If a kid wants to commit to Miami in the spring and suddenly decommits after a couple of losses, He didn't want to play for them in the first place. If you REALLY WANT to be a CANE as a recruit, you see the state the program is in and want to come in and help fix it, make a contribution to change it for the future. You don't have a change of heart and consider decommiting 5-6 games into the season, or after a bad loss. Who's to say Whipple will be there when he touches the field?? And as far as the pressure on Jacory, What do you expect? This is the University of MIAMI!!!, not Georgia southern!! This is division 1-A football Teddy!! Not pop warner or high school. ANYWHERE YOU GO AS A STARTER, If you dont live up to the hype, you WILL BE CRITICIZED!! Ask Brantley at florida, ask Masoli, ect. Man, kids these days are premadonnas. Their level of self entitlement reaches greater heights every year.
The internet has removed a lot of the buffer that existed between athletes and Fans and if a recruit is concerned about fan criticism then they are definitely pursuing the wrong line of work. When Jacory was playing well the fans sang his praise but now that he is playing bad he wants the fans to keep praising him??? It makes zero sense. Also, I think its unfair for you to take the idiotic rant of a few fans and make it the opinion of an entire fan base. Its the internet age, anyone with fingers and double digit IQ can get on the computer and type away. Also,Teddy Bridgewater can go if he wants. So far he isn't projected to be better than Jacory so why should we shed tears if he leaves?? If I was a recruit fans wont be the reason I decommit from Miami. The lack of development of our recruits is what would turn me off. Also, Randy Shannon's approach too would turn me off. For 4 years all we heard was how Sam Shields was a head case and whatever. Guess what, that same player who Shannon castway to the bottom of the depth chart is now a Starting CB for the Greenbay packers.
This makes me very nervous! As does the whole "Latwan Anderson might transfer" situation. What good is getting these kids if we are going to treat them like crap?
Anderson didn't get into UM until days before fall practice, I believe.
Is it really treating a kid like 'crap' but not letting an inexperienced true freshman start immediately? C'mon now.
There are two sides to the story and unfortunately one side if coming via social networking from a frustrated teenager.
I'm not a big proponent of recruiting talk during the middle of or present season, however the FSU loss had to be big in the local (Florida) recruits eyes. If FSU beats Florida too, I can see that being a great benefit to recruiting.
I think if the Canes win on the field most of this BS will be gone.
Get that Tar Heel off your back and win against NC
"GO CANES"
Let's stop living and dying with every word that comes out of a high schooler's mouth. Nothing good can come of it. Sometimes we, as a collective fanbase, get to wrapped up in this kinda thing. I know this blog and others have touched on this topic before, but these recruiting rankings, "star" system, "commitment" lists, etc. are all fodder to sell magazines, generate site hits, or whatever else you want to call it. The fact that Rogers de-"committed" shouldn't be a surprise, because you can't be "committed" to a school until you sign on the dotted line. Bridgewater will end up being a Hurricane in my opinion not because I'm an "expert" recruiting guru, familiar with the situation, or a reporter and know any inside information, but if you listen to this kid talk, he does genuinely seem like he wants to be a Cane. Obviously that can change, but like it was previously stated, he welcomes the challenge and the competition it takes to be a successful college football player. What Miami doesn't need is a bunch of selfish guys who are worried about their stats and/or playing time. The Anderson situation is certainly troubling, because it can have an adverse effect on the locker room. You can't possibly speculate, but you would think at the beginning of the year someone would've said Anderson down and explained to him the scenario. It's pretty clear that he's not playing because to do so now would cost Miami a football scholarship that they won't have until next season. The coaching staff simply doesn't want it going to this year's total, when they can get by without it for the time being. But let's not get on these kids. A bunch of 18-22 year olds aren't always the most headstrong. Sometimes they can be young-minded, but c'mon, every last one of us thought we knew it all when we were that age.
I think the most frustrating thing that this team needs to understand is that the days of just putting on a Hurricane uniform and expecting the opponent to lay down and die are over. Not with all the parity in college football. Every team has good players and it's not enough to just expect to win anymore, you actually have to execute. I think until this team understands that it needs to be done on a consistent basis, they will continue to be simply "good", but won't take that leap to "great" and/or elite.
Yeah. I think the Latwan Anderson saga is gonna end with Randy Saying look, 'you can leave at anytime. but if you wait competition for you to come in and play is right away. B.Harris is gonna leave. DVD is a senior and Ryan Hill is a senior. leaving just Brandon McGee and 2 freshman'. come on…..he is gonna smile and say your right coach.
Hi allcanes.com! I am currently interested in pursing a major in sports journalism. I am a sophomore at the University of South Florida, and I would like to ask a few questions related to your field. Is there an email address where I would be able to contact you? Thank you for your time.
allCanes,
This is the first post of this blog in awhile that I totally agree with and I think you probably nailed exactly what's going through Teddy's mind at this point. I'd really like your opinion on two additional points:
1) Would a dual-threat QB such as Bridgewater possibly change the face of Miami's offense? I understand that Jacory is being protected from designed runs/scrambles because of the lack of depth at QB, but would this offensive scheme change with a mobile QB? I don't want to put this kid on the same level as Denard Robinson before he ever sees his first college snap, but would Randy and Whipple let him "run wild" so-to-speak a la Denard Robinson, or would we be stuck with the same pro-style offense that Shannon seems intent on running? Or would we possibly see a dual QB system again next season similar to what UF ran with Chris Leak and Tebow? And…
2) In regards to the criticism Jacory is taking that Bridgewater seems to be worried about facing: Has the title of 'quarterback U" passed UM by? Wouldn't a QB coming to play for the Canes expect to be criticized if he doesn't live up to his hype/potential? What has happened in Coral Gables to give kids the idea that this school and our fanbase will be less demanding than they've been in the past? Call me old-fashioned, but I just have trouble picturing a guy like Ken Dorsey not coming to the U because he'd be worried about the criticism he'd get for losing football games. Wouldn't the threat of such criticism ignite a fire in someone to make them play and practice harder?
I've seen Teddy play and I've watched some of his film. He seems to have a bigger build than Jacory, and with a few extra pounds would probably be much more durable. I'd like nothing more than to see him and Eli both in Orange and Green next year, and keep the ties between Miami NW and the U strong. I've been critical of Randy as a coach, but never as a recruiter. I really hope he ends up bringing both these kids in.
They act as if fan criticism is exclusive to south Florida. Teddy B is aligned for an abrupt wake-up call if he thinks he won't be criticized for making mistakes at the BCS level, no matter the school or fan base.
High exposure sports such as college football receive both their fair share of positive and negative coverage. It comes with the territory.
Shannon has probably already Jacoried him the starting job, i think he still comes.
I heard there is more to the Rogers de-commit than whats reported, like character issues and grades. Whats the deal with that? Also, should TB decide to go elsewhere, are there any other QBs we have an eye on? Also, I heard, Whipple hand picked Morris, whats the deal with him, talent wise, why wasn't he more recruited? Could he step in and give a couple quality years until we can land another. This makes me really upset to hear this, especially since we didnt go after Godfrey! He's killin' it at UCF, and not just with his legs! He's got a gun, and he at the very least could have given J12 some quality competition! Your absolutely right though, all the criticism of J12 and Shannon, and now Whipple's play calling, are pointless, especially from people who prob didnt even make their JV squad which is the majority of the haters! Or idiots like Sid Rosenberg who have an axe to grind with the U bc they kicked him out!
What does it say about the former great QBs of Quarerback U that their records are about to get "destroyed" by Jacory with WR's and TE's who cant even compare to past greats! A QB who some idiot fans seem to think is the worst QB in the nation! Yet he only needs 2 TD passes to become #2 on the all times Cane QB list! Oh and he still has another year left! I cant wait to read the comments in the Miami sports section when becomes #1 TD passer! "Harris becomes Miami's alltime TD leader in only his junior year but he still threw "1" pass in double coverage….we need to put in Whipple to see what he can do!" Makes no sense and Bridgewater sees that!!
Alright so I have tried not to say anything about all this tb and rodgers deal. So here is my few cents on this.
1). First of all tb would be a welcome addition to the hurricanes and if he really thinks he needs to come in to push harris than he needs to shut up grad early and get in. For now work on leading his team then worry about the u. I agree tb harris needs someone to push him be that guy and tell ur buddy he needs to honoe his early commit and be apart of the solution and not run scared.
2). Jacorry harris is a good qb with the potential to be great. He is figuring this pro style offense out it will come to him. I think senior year we will get the jacorry we wanted all along plus he will have his guys streeter and johnson and thompkins apart of the receiver rotation next year and there is no replacing comfort with ur receivers. He has that with his nw buddies. I'm done calling for heads I am gonna back this canes team the good and the bad and I will start with j12. Lastly where is the j12 we liked with the funky shoes and hair dues. Relax kid its just football no matter what level just be yourself.
3). I have watched the highlight vids of last years team and some nw ones as well. I have watched and rewatched and now feel dumb for gettin mad at j12 for the throws he has made. He has made them all along and before he was getting away with them and now he just isnt . He has taken the big risks all along look at some throws to epps last year and graham and hank and u will see him get away with them. Look at the high school tapes he did the same thing with streeter johnson and thompkins this is what he does. He takes the big risk. Also if u watch last the thing that allowed him to was the use of a ton of square ins crossing routes and backside hitch or stop routes which pulled up safeties which allowed him to hit deep posts and go routes because he was hitting underneath routes. That needs to happen again use our speed on crossing routes and pull those safeties up. Watch the footage allcanes mr 305 and beast u will see I'm right.
Lastly shut up fairweather fans and support this team good and bad. Give randy his due he was brought us close to being back now let him finish what he started. The kids control the fate of the U not ur bitching. Get ur ass to the games and good things will happen!
C A N E S CANES
IDAHO CANE
Come on Man! If you don't play well, inspired, and with heart at the U or uf, lsu, alabama ect. you WILL BE CRITIZED! This is big boy football! The gayturds are starting to boo their team at the home games!
Teddy, Come to the U and beat out your role model or don't!!