Heart & Chemistry vs. "Gravy Train Riders"

The Orlando Sentinel ran a video earlier where Florida offensive lineman Mike Pouncey took some shots at the Gators most recent incoming recruits. When asked three questions about this year’s freshmen, he said the following:

“At the end of the day the freshmen need to just shut their mouths and just come play. They haven’t done nothing on Saturday, and most of the fans don’t even know who they are. Until they prove themselves they just need to sit back and let the older guys play.”

“That whole recruiting class is just cocky.”

“You always want to shut them up. I hate when guys come in and talk too much and don’t show nothing on the field. But with this great recruiting class all of them played good, it’s just time for them to shut up and play on Saturday.”

UF faithful quickly responded (check out some of the biased comments below vids) citing that Pouncey was obviously kidding as he was jovial during the interview.

Yuck it up Gators, but his words prove a point this blog has been making the past several months regarding chemistry and the ‘right’ type of players, versus guys who want to get on board to be part of something special. It’s something that Miami offensive lineman Joaquin Gonzalez also talked about on allCanes Radio when he sat down with The Beast back on August 11th (check the archived interview).

The kids that are signing with Florida today sound similar to those who came to Miami around 2003 and 2004. Not to paint all the players with the same brush, but you attract a different breed when you’re a program on top versus one that is trying to get there.

Similar to the Dot-com era and the folks who worked tirelessly to build a company (prior to an IPO – the ‘national championship’ of that industry), versus those who got on board when things were already cranking.

The Gators have been ‘the’ team as of late, going 26-2 the past two seasons. They’ve been all over ESPN, thanks to St. Timothy Tebow, who did just about everything but walk on water (according to the media, maybe he did that too).

This year’s freshmen have been paying attention to everything coming out of Gainesville for years. They were high school freshmen when Florida were defending their 2006 title and probably don’t remember much college ball before that.

As they enter fall ball, slap on those disgusting orange helmets and run out onto the field at The Swamp, they already feel they’re part of “it” – even though they had zero to do with building “it” – which is why there is truth to Pouncey’s comments. Gators fans too hopped up on recruiting rankings and high school highlight reels on YouTube can downplay it, but they’ll see in time – just like many other eventually have.

Miami had an insane run a few years back, going 46-4, batting for the cycle with all four BCS games, back-to-back title shots, a 34-game win streak and one national championship*.

The core of that era was the 1999 recruiting class, which proved to be one of the better recruiting hauls of the past decade. Ken Dorsey. Andre Johnson. Philip Buchanan. Vernon Carey. Clinton Portis. Jason Geathers. Maurice Sikes. Jarrett Payton. Bryant McKinnie (JUCO). These guys came to Miami a year removed from 9-3 and two years after that disastrous 5-6 season with a 47-0 bottoming out beat down at Florida State … and they STILL wanted to get on board.

Years later, that loss to the Noles served as a rallying cry for guys like Ed Reed, a true freshman for that game. Before giving his legendary halftime speech at Doak in 2001, he talked a lot that week about “FORTY-SEVEN TO NOTHING”. That loss stuck with him his whole career and fueled his fire during the most formative football years.

You can’t fake motivation. You can’t feel pain if you haven’t been crushed. As awful as it is to go through down years with a program, it’s those low moments that give you the strength and drive to get back on top.

Compare Miami’s 1999 class to the guys who rode that gravy train when the Canes were on top. The 2003 signing class was inked a month after the 34-game win streak and it paled in comparison to the hauls pulled in when in rebuilding mode.

Andrew Bain. Glenn Cook. Willie Cooper. Vegas Franklin. Dave Howell. Teraz McCray. Derrick Morse. John Rochford. Leo Waiters. Terrell Walden. Cyrim Wimbs. Alton Wright.

Kyle Wright was part of that class. A California kid looking to follow in Ken Dorsey’s footsteps. A can’t-miss five-star. A prototypical kid with a million dollar arm and the next great at Quarterback U. Not quite.

Tyrone Moss was another all star who never reached his potential. Frank Gore held the Dade County rushing record, while Moss was ‘the man’ in Broward County. These days Gore is one of the better backs in the NFL and Moss was never drafted.

Darnell Jenkins did the most with his skills set, but wasn’t the next Andre Johnson. Jon Beason came in as an athlete and was projected as a defensive back, yet made the Pro Bowl as a NFL linebacker last year.

You can blame being ‘off’ with recruiting needs, a lack of player development, coaching turnover (which really did Wright in as the quarterback had four offensive coordinators over his UM career) as well as young men who probably didn’t want it bad enough, simply expecting it to come easy.

Same way a kid from the streets usually has more grit than a kid born with a silver spoon, guys who built the powerhouse from the ground up are cut from a different cloth than guys looking for a free pass to the NFL and an easy path to BCS games and national championships.

Miami still went 11-2 in 2003, with enough leadership and talent (and arguably the program’s best defense of the last decade), but guys deemed “football soft” were still signing letters of intent and not holding up their end of the bargain, regarding keeping this machine rolling.

In 2004 it was guys like Rhyan Anderson (problem child, kicked off team) … Carlos Armour … James Bryant (lack of character, kicked off team) … Tyrone Byrd … Romeo Davis … Kirby Freeman … Kellen Heard (ended up de-committing late) … Dwayne Hendricks … Andrew Johnson (transferred) … Charlie Jones (transferred) … Khalil Jones … Rashaun Jones (kicked off team) … Joe Joseph … Lance Leggett … Tyler McMeans … Lovon Ponder … Chris Rutledge … Jonathan St. Pierre … Derron Thomas … George Timmons (quit football) … Bobby Washington (didn’t qualify) … Willie Williams (no comment).

Some of the aforementioned names were rated highly coming out of high school, but their talent didn’t translate to the collegiate level, for one of many reasons.

Blame the coaches. Blame their character. Blame the lack of development. Blame their youth. Or just blame the fact that sometimes you simply aren’t going to work hard and go balls out if you don’t feel you have to.

As mentioned before, this is the beauty of the college game; the cyclical nature. The ebb and flow. The way youth can both work in your favor or bite you in the ass, depending on how mature and ready a kid is. Sense of entitlement is the worst thing that can enter a winning, dominant program.

Florida fans will brush off Pouncey’s comment because the Gators are a few months removed from back-to-back 13-1 seasons — blinded like many fans are when their team is on a roll. Miami fans had that same sense of invincibility early last decade and didn’t truly realize the wheels were coming off until the car was on blocks.

When your veteran players are knocking the work ethic, attitude and entitlement of the new guys, someone on that end better start paying attention as things will slowly erode from within.

Entering 2010, Miami is seeing the opposite. This year’s seniors got on board back in 2007- Shannon’s first year. They endured 5-7 and no bowl game. A year later, another disappointing season (7-6) and 9-4 last year, with a few signature wins that gave them a taste of the good life.

Like Reed a decade ago, the Canes have a guy like Orlando Franklin on board this year, setting the tone. Willing to play wherever the coaches need him on the offensive line, Franklin switched to left offensive tackle after spending the past three years at left guard. He’s also dropped to 310 pounds after ballooning up to 345 at one point during his Miami playing days.

Franklin took his dedication to the next level this summer, leaving his comfortable off-campus apartment and moving into an on-campus dorm for fall ball. Beyond bettering himself, he’s out to set an example for the younger guys. The majority of UM’s offensive line are either first- or second-year players and this is a way to not only make those guys accountable, but to show them that everyone is working hard and sacrificing. Running back Damien Berry took notice.

“That means he’s really committed,” Berry said. “It goes a long way that he would stay in something as uncomfortable as the dorms. Shows a lot of guts and good intentions for this team.”

When not on the field, Franklin reads his playbook or gets his rest for the next day. When told he’s projected as a late first rounder, he’s quick to state “you can’t be listening to stuff like that”.

There’s no better motivation than losing, which is why Frankin is going balls out to get to that next level while Pouncey is playing tongue hockey with his brother on Draft day, ripping the new guys and already counting down to next year’s pay day.

Their fans can deny it all day long, but Florida is fat and happy and Miami is on the mend. Actions will speak louder than words. Wait and see.

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