Miami beat Maryland on Saturday. Freshman quarterback Stephen Morris filled in for the injured Jacory Harris and led the Canes on a game-winning drive with just over three minutes remaining. Morris made a few rookie mistakes, but showed poise throughout the day, saving the best for last.
Facing a 3rd and 11 from the Miami 49-yard line, Morris scanned the field for an open receiver, pump faked a few Maryland defenders and used his legs to pick up a much-needed first down. One play later, a perfectly placed 35-yard strike to Leonard Hankerson – hitting the senior receiver in stride, putting the Canes up for good, 26-20 after the two-point conversion.
It was the type of ending that should’ve had everyone in Cane nation celebrating, but at 6-3 and with no control of the ACC Coastal, the win still rung somewhat hollow.
Biggest reason for the frustration? The fact that fans could’ve predicted Randy Shannon immediately downplaying any “quarterback controversy”. Morris wasn’t allowed to speak with the media post-game and UM released three carefully crafted statements in the wake of the comeback win.
On the surface, keeping a player from speaking with the media is no big deal. But when taken into account with all of Shannon’s head coaching blunders, it’s another case where he misplayed his hand.
With so much negativity surrounding this program and with the head coach taking so much heat for shunning the media, here’s a chance to deflect all that by putting the well-deserved spotlight on Morris. Instead, Shannon let his own view towards the media dictate how his players interact when called upon.
Shannon even went a step further with the pissing contest, letting reporters know that any mention of controversy would be met by silence.
“Like I said (Saturday), don’t you guys all start on the quarterback controversy and this and that, because you guys will,” said Shannon. The head coach also went on to downplay his freshman quarterback’s accomplishments in his first career start.
“Two interceptions impressive?” Shannon asked rhetorically, referring to Morris’ two picks. “He had a good performance, not impressive. He had two interceptions. Don’t make it seem like he’s done some great thing.”
So let’s get this straight, Coach. Harris lays up four picks at Ohio State (11 on the season) and the blame goes on wideout Travis Benjamin being out of position, not fighting for the ball, running the wrong routes, etc. – but when a first-time starter plays the most heads up football we’ve seen out of a Miami quarterback in forever, your focus is on his two picks – not the brilliant third down run or perfect game-winning spiral delivered to Hank before getting clobbered?
And you wonder why the walls seem to be closing in.
Morris’ performance gave his coach a ‘gimmie’ opportunity and feel-good story (for a program and fan base in need of one), yet Shannon finds another way to turn a plus into a minus.
If played correctly, the Harris versus Morris debate would give a savvier head coach the ultimate win-win solution for the season-ending three-game stretch. With Harris hurt, Morris remains your starter while you continue evaluating Jacory and listing him “week-to-week”.
For once, a legitimate reason to remain ‘cryptic’ regarding the health of his player as concussions are a slippery slope. In this day and age, no one will fault a coach for protecting a player, keeping him on the sidelines and not discussing his status and progress.
If and when Harris is ready and Morris struggles, Shannon now has the option of reinserting his original starter and allowing him to play the role of ‘hero’. Should Harris falter, you can say he was rushed back too quickly and wasn’t game ready, hadn’t practiced, etc.
The only no-no with this scenario? The one Shannon chose. Attacking the media about their potential thoughts on a quarterback controversy, standing firm that Harris is your starter, refusing to give Morris credit for a solid first outing and then not allowing him to take post-game questions.
Shannon remains intent on winning the battles instead of giving up a few here and there in effort to win the war.
Georgia Tech is on deck and if Miami chooses to show up, this is a winnable game. The Yellow Jackets have their flaws and run a one-dimensional offense – one that the Canes defense should keep in check if it makes plays and puts the onus on stopping the run.
Offensively, the Canes simply need to follow their Maryland blueprint – relying on a solid ground game, wearing down an opposing defense and not asking too much out of their quarterback.
Look at the top teams in the BCS. They all run first and pass second, in some cases two to one. The run sets up the pass no matter how you slice or dice it.
As much as fans have directed the angst at Shannon, as much – if not more – should be aimed at Mark Whipple, for pushing his offensive agenda instead of tailoring a game plan for his personnel.
When you look back at Harris’ 28 interceptions in 21 Whipple-called games and how they directly cost the Canes, you wonder what could’ve been regarding these last two seasons if more discretion was used with the offensive game planning.
Three interceptions and a pick six in an overtime loss to Clemson last year. Four picks and two taken to the house at North Carolina in nine-point loss weeks later. Both losses momentum killers for a team on the climb and looking to break through.
Earlier this season, four interceptions at Ohio State in a 12-point loss where Miami’s held its own in the trenches and buckled down in the red zone, but simply gave away too many scoring opportunities.
Hindsight is obviously 20/20 and to Whip’s credit, his game planning against North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland was solid. Miami ran the ball with some authority and less deep balls were thrown into double coverage as defenses had to respect the ground game, putting receivers in more one on one situations where they could capitalize.
The only letdown the past three outings was Miami’s run defense, especially in Charlottesville, giving up 185 yard on the ground in a loss to the lowly Cavs.
Two ACC showdowns remain and in some ways there are still more questions than answers. Nine games into the 2010 season, fans are still wondering which Miami team shows up this weekend – something fans are tired of asking a week after another much-needed victory.
Georgia Tech is more than beatable, but will the Canes have the game plan, mindset and drive to get the job done?
Will Morris be put in a position to thrive and will his line protect him?
Will this John Lovett-led defense shut down the triple option like it did last year?
Will Miami overcome the loss of both Harris and tailback Damien Berry, also out for another game? Lamar Miller and Mike James carried the torch last weekend, combining for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 32 attempts. Can they do it again?
Miami has enough in the tank to win out, but can a coach’s foolish pride, stubborn ways and repetitive team mistakes be put on the back burner long enough for this team to enjoy success?
Even more frustrating than Shannon’s media screw ups, Whipple’s not playing to his offense’s strength and Lovett’s defense not stopping the run – watching an undisciplined squad continuing to self-destruct. Miami was penalized ten times for 100 yards last Saturday against Maryland.
Brandon Harris roughed the kicker and gave the Terps new life. Ramon Buchanan had an illegal block that negated a solid return by TB3. Tyler Horn cost the Canes thirty yards alone with three holding plays as he was unable to keep his guy out of the backfield.
Miami ranks No. 1 nationally with 83 penalties this season, is missing routine extra points regularly and is still chewing through timeouts too quickly – blowing through it’s third before the fourth quarter kicked off. (One can only imagine the backlash had Morris run out of time on that comeback drive….)
For a head coach who preaches discipline, his squad is uncharacteristically sloppy. All the talent, speed and depth the Canes might have, it’s absolutely negated when these kids continue shooting themselves in the foot.
There’s no room for early season jitters having now entered the final month of football. Miami should be progressing as the year rolls on, not regressing.
That really is the crux of all the harsh Shannon critiquing as of late – the fact that rookie mistakes are still being made two-thirds of the way through year four. My case for Randy has always been centered around progress. More talent coming in annually. The win total increasing each of the past three years. Good staff turnover, in an effort to assemble the right group of guys.
For a first-time head coach learning on the job, I felt Shannon deserved time and support – four to five years to clean up the old mess, as well as the proper resources.
2010 was supposed to be a year of growth. Make a statement at Ohio State (win or lose), beat Pitt on the road and then compete for an ACC crown, starting with winning the games you’re supposed to win.
A loss to Florida State wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but a four-touchdown beating was a colossal failure and huge step back.
Same with the upset at Virginia – yet another in-conference flop.
Last year it was Clemson and North Carolina when Miami seemingly turned the corner. Two years back, a five-game win streak and gritty win over Virginia Tech was followed by back-to-back losses; clobbered by three scores at Georgia Tech and an uninspired double digit loss at NC State.
Late season skids were somewhat acceptable years one and two as this program was in full-on rebuild mode, but this is year four and the ante has been upped. Since the Ohio State loss, many have talked about “winning out”, yet Miami stumbled twice in October alone.
For most of the year it’s been a “one at a time” mentality. Right now the magic number is three. The Canes have legitimate motivation regarding the remaining foes.
Miami won last year, but Georgia Tech had this program’s number 2005-2008.
Virginia Tech spanked Miami and has owned UM since both Big East defectors joined the ACC. The Hokies have three conference crowns to the Canes’ goose egg.
South Florida? Another pesky in-state program attempting to work its way into the ‘big three’ and always looking to take Miami recruits.
These Canes have a ton to play for. Pick your motivator.
Pride. Each other. For a coaching staff taking a lot of heat. For a fan base hungry for better days. For a the ghost of Hurricanes past, who have been extremely vocal this season.
Hell, how about a shot at an ACC crown? Virginia Tech shat the bed against James Madison. Who’s to say North Carolina or in-state rival Virginia don’t catch them on a bad day?
Three games. Twelve quarters. Very winnable if the right Miami comes to play. All the Randy drama? Keep tabs if you want, but save that drama for the off-season. Some big time football ahead. Get ready.
Lastly, on the Randy front – I’ve lost some faith, but I’m still rooting for the long-time Cane to turn it around. There’d be no better story for UM than a local product, former player and coordinator righting the ship, both on and off the field.
It can all be accomplished, but not solely on his terms.
Shannon needs to meet the challenge halfway and the more time that passes, I’m not sure if that’s possible.
I could not agree more, their where alot of games the Canes should have one North Carolina, Fla. State, and maybe the Virginia game if they would have had a better game plan. Shannon needs to give credit where credit is due,Morris being a freshman QB showed alot confidence and if Shannon would give him the credit I'd be willing to bet he would do a much better job than Harris. Shannon needs to loose the chip that he has on his shoulder for what ever reason…. He needs to put together a game plan that will win out the rest of the season, so they can at least have a chance at a decent Bowl game this year.. I am huge Canes fan always have been always will be win or loose.. I follow both of the Miami teams Canes and Dolphins, lived in Miami for 18 years and love both teams. I wished they both could have great years back to back..
Go Shannon! I hope he wins out while giving the media the middle finger and all is hatters the middle finger by winning out. Now that would be like the Canes of old. It really reminds me of that old school Cane attitude of us against the world and I don't care what anybody thinks on how Randy is dealing with the media. Being a west coast guy now and seeing this season from out here in LA the only problem I see is Whipple and his game management skills. Although it paid off for him big-time with that throw but honestly the safer route I thought would have been to play for the field goal. So anything can questioned. the majority of Miami fans are coming off as little winey brats that just can’t seem to deal with watching football in my opinion. Go Canes! Go Shannon! And just win out and see how many fans jump on the Cane bandwagon again. Football is fun and the Maryland win was fun to watch. Period. I am sure we could all do a better job on the sidelines but i guess that is why all of us work as armchair coach's on Saturday.
While I wish Coach Shannon had a better relationship with the media, I disagree with the notion that he's not giving credit where credit is due with Morris. I understand that you may want to paint Randy Shannon in one light, but I believe you should also consider that you may not be totally right in your assessment of how he conducted this whole "QB controversy". He did give credit to Morris by saying, "It was a big-time throw". But he also did not want to anoint him as a savior because of the two interceptions. I think you must also consider the way questions are being asked, and not solely how Coach Shannon is being quoted. And, although it's hard to know the reporters' questions, I think you should still consider that Shannon may be answering according to how the question is posed. My evidence for saying all this is Shannon's weekly show with Joe Rose. I included the link of Rose's blog, and you can hear the interview in the archives of wqam.com.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports/dolphins/joerose/2010/11/shannon_it_was_a_big_win_for_s.html
Just because people are critical of a team doesn't mean they are "whiny bandwagon fans"…some of us just expect more and don't just follow a team with blind optimsm…the people calling Miami fans "whiny little bastards" are becoming worse than the fans who bemoan every single play or call or decision by Shannon etc…
There can be a happy medium found…
While I wish Coach Shannon had a better relationship with the media, I disagree with the notion that he's not giving credit where credit is due with Morris. I understand that you may want to paint Randy Shannon in one light, but I believe you should also consider that you may not be totally right in your assessment of how he conducted this whole "QB controversy". He did give credit to Morris by saying, "It was a big-time throw". But he also did not want to anoint him as a savior because of the two interceptions.
He gave Morris credit, but you also can't take away from what he also said – harping on the picks and you can't deny the following, no matter what the leading question may have been:
"He had a good performance, not impressive. He had two interceptions. Don't make it seem like he's done some great thing."
Randy needs to slow down when talking to the media. Take a breath and think about what his next sentence will be. He always seems like he wants to rush through it, just blurts stuff out and eventually puts his foot in his mouth.
Furthermore, whether he did or didn't give Morris enough credit, he has definitely defended Jacory Harris and cut him a ton of slack with his TWENTY EIGHT INTERCEPTIONS in twenty one games.
Shannon has blamed receivers and circumstances, but never really blamed Harris — yet Morris has one game, two picks and a bunch of heads up plays, including a beautifully-thrown game winner and he harps on the mistakes.
I am all for not wanting your kid to get a big head — but there's a fine line between that and not giving enough credit where it's due.
Stephen Morris just made his first start and the ending was as storybook as you could've asked for … and Coach is overly concerned with the big bad media making a story out of the 'controversy' that he went to far and forgot to let his kid bask in the moment.
100% agree. I feel Morris is already a better qb then J12 simply because he isn't giving games away with ridiculous throws. Give Morris the experience Harris has, and he's at the top of the conference among QB's IMO. Shannon runs things like a Nazi prison, it's time to put your "old school approach, fun sucking approach" to playing ball away and let the Canes play THEIR football!
I agree that Shannon is "coddling" Jacory. Maybe, he senses that Jacory needs that. I don't know. But, this is the problem with fans in general. Everything is a knee-jerk reaction. Morris played in 1.5 games! And he's ALREADY a better QB than Jacory. Are you serious? Look, I want Morris to be a better QB. I want Morris to win every conceivable award and lead us to National Championships every year he plays, but I'm not going to anoint him after 1.5 games! That makes no sense. And, I'm not saying you, AllCanes, are saying that. But, as you can see, a majority of our fans are so quick to make these outrageous arguments based on what you write — and that's not your fault, that's just their interpretation of what you wrote.
My thing is, people are always doggin' on Coach Shannon, and never give him credit for things on the field. I know everyone just mentions the off the field stuff in passing, and say that they don't care about that. But, when things happen in the game and Coach Shannon made a decision that is commendable, no one says anything. No one mentions that. But, when something goes awry, all the haters come out in full force. For example, remember how the first 2 years, all the Randy Shannon-bashers were saying he has poor clock-management skills? Well, if you watched the game, you noticed that during Morris' drive he had NO TIMEOUTS — which is commendable on Morris' end that he marched the team down the field with no timeouts. Well, Shannon burned the last timeout with Maryland threatening, because he didn't think the Canes were in the correct coverage and did not want to give up a TD. Well, Ray Ray Armstrong came up with a pick on the ensuing play after the timeout. No one talks about that! Do you know that if Maryland scores a TD there, it changes the complexion of the whole game? But no one wants to admit that was a good decision. All that's said is Randy Shannon's incompetent, doesn't know how to put his team in position to win, can't motivate, etc. But nowhere do I hear about the good he does. I came up with that on my own, not from any commentary on the team! And that's not right.
Yes, Randy Shannon is rough around the edges. And I will not offer up any excuses for him. He's a grown ass man, if he wants to change, he will, if he doesn't he won't. I hope he does, so he can placate those who think he should be better with the media.
But I don't think it really matters on the field, since Nick Satan is a jerk in the media, but everyone considers him such a great coach…But that's for a different discussion.
I agree Coach Shannon has been "coddling" Jacory, and I don't believe I'm the one to defend that. Maybe he believes he needs to nurture Jacory's confidence — and we've seen that he's a bit sensitive in that respect with the twitter incident. I don't know. But, my thing is I'm fine with him trying to not anoint Morris as the savior of the program. Granted, I would have put it differently, but I can see why he'd do it. The guy has played in 1.5 games! And as you can see, AllCanes, some people interpret what you say in their typical Miami fan knee-jerk way. You've got people saying Morris is a better QB than Jacory after 1.5 games! That makes no sense. Look, I want Morris to be a better QB. I want him to win every conceivable QB award and win a National Championship every year he's here, but I will not say that he's better than Jacory after 1.5 games! That's absurd!
My argument is simply that people are always doggin' on Coach Shannon. No one ever gives him credit for things on the field. They'll acknowledge the off the field stuff in passing, saying they care about what goes on the field more. But they never credit him for the good, but only come out in full force for the bad. Case in point, the Maryland game. Morris had NO TIMEOUTS for his final drive — which is commendable on his end. Now, everyone criticizes Shannon for having poor clock management skills. But you know where that last timeout went? Shannon burned the final timeout when Maryland was threatening and sensed that the Canes weren't in a good coverage to defend against giving up the TD. On the ensuing play, Ray Ray Armstrong gets the INT. No one says anything about that! Check all the articles, no one will comment on that. No one will give him his due! They're always talking about how Shannon is in over his head, not capable of leading the team, etc. But never give him the credit he deserves.
Look, Randy Shannon is admittedly rough around the edges. Do I want him to be better with the media? Yes, so that he can placate some of his critics. But, he's a grown-ass man. If he wants to change, then that's cool with me. If he doesn't want to change, then it's also cool with me. I mean, Nick Satan is a jerk with the media, no one talks about that….
(3/3)Look, Randy Shannon is admittedly rough around the edges. Do I want him to be better with the media? Yes, so that he can placate some of his critics. But, he's a grown-ass man. If he wants to change, then that's cool with me. If he doesn't want to change, then it's also cool with me. I mean, Nick Satan is a jerk with the media, no one talks about that….
(2/3)My argument is simply that people are always doggin' on Coach Shannon. No one ever gives him credit for things on the field. They'll acknowledge the off the field stuff in passing, saying they care about what goes on the field more. But they never credit him for the good, but only come out in full force for the bad. Case in point, the Maryland game. Morris had NO TIMEOUTS for his final drive — which is commendable on his end. Now, everyone criticizes Shannon for having poor clock management skills. But you know where that last timeout went? Shannon burned the final timeout when Maryland was threatening and sensed that the Canes weren't in a good coverage to defend against giving up the TD. On the ensuing play, Ray Ray Armstrong gets the INT. No one says anything about that! Check all the articles, no one will comment on that. No one will give him his due! They're always talking about how Shannon is in over his head, not capable of leading the team, etc. But never give him the credit he deserves.
(1/3) I agree Coach Shannon has been "coddling" Jacory, and I don't believe I'm the one to defend that. Maybe he believes he needs to nurture Jacory's confidence — and we've seen that he's a bit sensitive in that respect with the twitter incident. I don't know. But, my thing is I'm fine with him trying to not anoint Morris as the savior of the program. Granted, I would have put it differently, but I can see why he'd do it. The guy has played in 1.5 games! And as you can see, AllCanes, some people interpret what you say in their typical Miami fan knee-jerk way. You've got people saying Morris is a better QB than Jacory after 1.5 games! That makes no sense. Look, I want Morris to be a better QB. I want him to win every conceivable QB award and win a National Championship every year he's here, but I will not say that he's better than Jacory after 1.5 games! That's absurd!
I have to agree with George. While I think Morris looked amazing and showed much more potential than JHarris, fans LOVE the back-up QB. JHarris was anointed the savior when he came in and played well against Duke in 2008. Now Morris has done pretty much the same thing, and he's the newest chosen one. Shannon certainly has his issues with the media, and I don't quite understand his infatuation with JHarris, but it's probably smart to temper some of the expectations regarding Morris.
Hey allcanes,
I am a student at the U and I support Randy. But if he were to be replaced, who are our choices?
p.s. I hope the fans of the football team realize that Shalala will NEVER be fired. She is extremely important to the future of the school, not just its football.
Has anybody realized that the U has not had a 3 game win streak nor a losing streak going back to several games last season? WWL, WWL, WWL. I actually hoped this wouldn't be true but the surprise loss to UVA proved I was Wright. If the pattern continues, we beat GTech and lose to VTech, but win against USF and the toilet bowl game.
Another article where you hit the nail on the head! This team is soo inconsistent soo unpredictable, soo maddening to watch. 7 years and counting and we haven't even played for the ACC Championship. I really thought this team was going to be better but there is way too much regression. Very upsetting.
Why does he hate the media???? Can you guys in the know share any insight to this??
I agree that Shannon is "coddling" Jacory. Maybe, he senses that Jacory needs that. I don't know. But, this is the problem with fans in general. Everything is a knee-jerk reaction. Morris played in 1.5 games! And he's ALREADY a better QB than Jacory. Are you serious?
George, no offense but where the f**k did I say that Morris is better than Harris?
I pointed out the following:
– That Morris played heads up, clutch football in his first start.
– That Shannon chose to harp more on Morris' mistakes than that clutch play, which seemed off after he's protected Harris and has laid no turnover blame on him.
– That Shannon misplayed what could've been a good media opportunity and feel good story with Morris stepping in and helping Miami get a much-needed win.
Randy Shannon wants to be a leader of men, talks of integrity, rules, discipline, et al and he doesn't often practice what he preaches.
There is no reason to hide players from the media – just because he's been burned in the past. Teach them to face the music, win or lose.
Every coach in the game would've dealt with "quarterback controversy" type comments after a starter goes down and the back up leads the team to victory. Welcome to being a head coach.
Deal with the media like an adult. Not like a six-year old. Period. Randy is digging his own grave.
… and as for Jacory possibly needing to be 'coddled' – how does that fit in the criteria of being a University of Miami football player? When did this program start coddling anyone?
Get out there, be a man, play the game, toughen up, own your mistakes or prepare to get beat out. It's that simple.
Look, Randy Shannon is admittedly rough around the edges. Do I want him to be better with the media? Yes, so that he can placate some of his critics. But, he's a grown-ass man. If he wants to change, then that's cool with me. If he doesn't want to change, then it's also cool with me. I mean, Nick Satan is a jerk with the media, no one talks about that….
No offense bro, but no one cares if it's cool with you. You're one person.
Let's put it in more realistic terms.
If Randy Shannon DOESN'T want to change, then he's most likely going to find his ass out of his dream job because what he's doing isn't working. Twenty losses in 3.5 seasons won't fly.
If he DOES change, he can save his job, win more games, win over the media and be a better example to his players. No one gets anywhere being stubborn and sticking to their guns when their blueprint is failing.
And as for Nick Saban, you can be a jerk when you won two national titles at two SEC programs in a seven-year span — the most recent coming last season.
Winners write the rule book. Losers have no wiggle room.
No one cares that Bill Belichick is a jerk with the media either – again, because he just coached the team of the decade and won a handful of Super Bowls.
How many jerks are coaching major programs while paying barely-over-.500 football?
I've been a UM fan my entire life. I live and die for every UM game. I'm a season ticket holder (mind you I live in NYC) and I go out of my way to make it to games to support the team.
While Randy Shannon has not done the greatest job in the world (measured by wins and losses) I think it is safe to say he has given his all and continues to do so day in and day out.
Ultimately, the biggest issue I see with this team is confidence. By definition confidence is derived from success and I think this 2010/2011 team was never the same after the OSU game, especially Jacory Harris. The lack of talent from 06/07 put too many players from the class of 08 in a position to have to play early / before they were ready and I think it has hurt their development.
What I mean is that too many of our potential playmakers have been put on the big stage before they were truly ready (j12, fortson, robinson, etc) and trying to live up to expectations they were not adequately prepared to live up to. Don't understimate the value of having a redshirt year to learn from others and build confidence on the practice field before doing it on ESPN (ex. Lamar Miller).
With that said, the most frustrating thing for me has been the absolutely horrendous support the UM fans / community offer this team. Strong fan support is actually a huge contributing factor to a lot of the nations elite programs (Bama, Florida, LSU, USC, etc). Packed stadiums and positive media help give the players and the program a boost (i.e. confidence).
If you're going to be a UM fan, than support the team. Otherwise, stop wasting your time and more importantly, quit tearing down MY team with all your negative energy. In my opinion when it comes to sports (as with many things in life that involve loyalty) either you're with a team (good and bad) or you're not it's really that simple.
allCanes.com said…
Look, Randy Shannon is admittedly rough around the edges. Do I want him to be better with the media? Yes, so that he can placate some of his critics. But, he's a grown-ass man. If he wants to change, then that's cool with me. If he doesn't want to change, then it's also cool with me. I mean, Nick Satan is a jerk with the media, no one talks about that….
No offense bro, but no one cares if it's cool with you. You're one person.
Let's put it in more realistic terms.
If Randy Shannon DOESN'T want to change, then he's most likely going to find his ass out of his dream job because what he's doing isn't working. Twenty losses in 3.5 seasons won't fly.
If he DOES change, he can save his job, win more games, win over the media and be a better example to his players. No one gets anywhere being stubborn and sticking to their guns when their blueprint is failing.
And as for Nick Saban, you can be a jerk when you won two national titles at two SEC programs in a seven-year span — the most recent coming last season.
Winners write the rule book. Losers have no wiggle room.
No one cares that Bill Belichick is a jerk with the media either – again, because he just coached the team of the decade and won a handful of Super Bowls.
How many jerks are coaching major programs while paying barely-over-.500 football?
8:14 AM
>>>>> You know things are taking a turn for the worse when the author of this site is beginning to turn and become very critical of Shannon. For as long as I've been reading this blog (since 08) AllCanes has been a voice of reason, patience, and understanding, way moreso than the typical UM fan, so to see him becoming staunchly critical of RS must signify that something is indeed wrong. Randy has shown me that he is not HC material, and I would like to see someone come in who can do a better job of leading this team to where it needs to be. With that said, do I think he will be fired anytime soon? No, so I will continue to support my team and hope we can win out. Nothing irks me more than those fans who question another fan's level of commitment simply because they are critical not of the program itself, but certain personnel/pieces which may prove to not be the right fit. I have been a Shannon supporter from day one, but that is quickly fading as I am seeing more and more that he is simply not HC material, of course I hope I am proven wrong.
You know things are taking a turn for the worse when the author of this site is beginning to turn and become very critical of Shannon. For as long as I've been reading this blog (since 08) AllCanes has been a voice of reason, patience, and understanding, way moreso than the typical UM fan, so to see him becoming staunchly critical of RS must signify that something is indeed wrong. Randy has shown me that he is not HC material, and I would like to see someone come in who can do a better job of leading this team to where it needs to be. With that said, do I think he will be fired anytime soon? No, so I will continue to support my team and hope we can win out. Nothing irks me more than those fans who question another fan's level of commitment simply because they are critical not of the program itself, but certain personnel/pieces which may prove to not be the right fit. I have been a Shannon supporter from day one, but that is quickly fading as I am seeing more and more that he is simply not HC material, of course I hope I am proven wrong.
ATL – As you noted, I've supported Randy from the get-go.
He wanted a job that few others wanted, the program was a wreck and he's a former player, grad assistant and coordinator FROM Miami, that knows the culture and the city.
All of that combined made him 'the guy' and based on where UM was at going into the 2007, I felt he deserved 4-5 years to turn things around.
We are now 2/3 through year four, so it's time to start being more critical. No more time for rookie mistakes. No more not knowing how to deal with the media. No more losing to mid-tier or lesser ACC schools in a year when Miami was supposed to compete for a conference crown.
There was solace to be taken from moral victories the last few years, but not now.
The biggest issue I'm having with Shannon right now is (1) him not practicing what he preaches and (2) a lack of growth in certain areas.
He wants his players to 'man up' and preaches discipline, yet after a loss doesn't force them to face the music with the media — because he doesn't care for the media due to personal reasons.
You can't whoop it up and talk big after beating UNC and then hide out because you don't want questions about UVA. That's cowardice and goes against everything he's preached for years.
Furthermore, the penalties … the lack of player development at certain positions … the fact Miami still doesn't have the answer at MLB … the fact that he is handling the Morris/Harris quarterback controversy so poorly … the ass kicking by Florida State … the embarrassing, heartless loss at Virginia.
All of that is unacceptable year four. Especially leading the nation in penalties for a coach who preaches discipline and accountability.
This was supposed to be the year where this program took a big step forward and at best it's treading water and could actually take a huge step back if the Canes don't win out.