18 days ’til kickoff

Two weeks from this Thursday the Miami Hurricanes welcome the FAMU Rattlers into Sun Life Stadium and the 2010 campaign will be underway.

It seems like just yesterday Miami was fading down the stretch against Wisconsin in the bowl game. In reality, it’s been eight months of hard work and gearing up to right last season’s wrongs. This program has taken steps forward each of the past few years and another one is expected year four of the Randy Shannon era.

Running this site from the left coast – and with a slew of local media and beat writers on the scene – this blog doesn’t really “cover” the day-to-day out at Greentree. We’ll get The Beast out there with mic in hand soon enough, but until then some recent write ups on practice, who’s standing out and where some of your current Canes are at less than three weeks from kickoff:

– Running back Storm Johnson gets some love via the Miami Herald. Johnson is one of eight back at UM ready to carry the load and make a difference. Across town, the Sun-Sentinel talked about running back Mike James pushing starter Damien Berry. It’s absolutely scary the depth the Canes have at running back this season, evoking memories of 2001.

These guys have a way to go before they’re compared to the Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Frank Gore and Najeh Davenport crew … but at one point all those guys were unproven, too. Give this new crew time to make a name for themselves as there’s simply too much depth and talent here to not blow up.

– Aldarius Johnson pulled a Lenny Kravitz, cutting his hair to get rid of bad energy and talks of being rejuvenated and ready for the new season. He’s also leaned up, shedding some weight after changing his diet. The Herald piece also mentions Shannon comparing JUCO tight end transfer Chase Ford to Jeremy Shockey, which fans need to keep in perspective.

Ford, like Shockey, headed east after making a name for himself on the junior college level. Small town guys who headed to the big city, looking to go next level. Shockey came around mid-2000, scoring the eventual game-winner against No. 1 Florida State. (Such an unknown, CBS announcers were referring to him as starter Ivan Mercer during the broadcast.)

The 6’6″ and 245-pound Ford is like the 2000 version of Shockey; a kid at The U looking to fill a void and have a breakout season. No one is comparing him to the current NFL standout and everyone, including Ford, knows he has big shoes to fill. Take the comparison in stride, conspiracy theorists and Shannon bashers.

Back to Johnson, Leonard Hankerson may be getting all the preseason hype, but receivers coach Aubrey Hill still falls #4 his “go-to” receiver — the guy you want out there with the game on the line. Check out Jorge Milian’s piece in the Palm Beach Post.

– A little blurb on offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland ripping into the guys, providing some motivation and Seantrel Henderson tossing around the sled like it was a toy.

The article didn’t say much, but for those who missed last week’s edition of allCanes Radio, it goes with former lineman Joaquin Gonzalez’s comments on finding motivation within and digging deep.

Check the archives and listen to #73 talk about how he and his teammates busted their asses during the summer months, building obstacle courses, pushing a truck and timing each other, turning into a contest and a way to bond.

Gonzalez was quick to point out that motivation has to come from within. Guys who are a part of building something from the ground up are different than those who hop on the gravy train looking for a free ride. As much as a guy like Joaquin would love to tell this current group of Canes how he and his guys got it done – he knows that they have to get there on their own (and believes that they are).

Another reason to check the archived interview? Hearing J.G. talk about Ed Reed’s halftime speech at Florida State in 2001. Joaquin says the clip still gives him chills and as a fan, you’ll feel it too. Check out another great interview with The Beast.

– Though the ink is a few days old, always good to see something on senior wideout Leonard Hankerson. Hank was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list – a nice feat considering a slow start to his career. After spending the past two offseason working out with former Dolphin great Mark Duper, #85 has elevated his game to that next level and is due for a huge senior campaign. Hankerson is coming off the best season a UM receiver has seen since Andre Johnson in 2002.

All the depth at running back is scary enough, but when you look at how loaded Miami is at wide receiver, it’s jaw-dropping. It’s not just the depth, either – it’s the talent and experience. The Canes have a slew of juniors ready to go as well as Hankerson, the senior.

If this offensive line can protect Jacory Harris – and if offensive coordinator Mark Whipple gets creative – this could be the most explosive UM offense in forever.

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