A lot of folks have their theories as to why Miami hasn’t been “Miami” these past few seasons.
Coaching. The ACC. A drop in recruiting. Check out any Canes message board and you’ll see at least a dozen topics on each, any given day.
Another key reason? Leadership – on and off the field. Who is the next Ed Reed? When will someone say and do all the right things like Ken Dorsey?
I nominate Jon Beason.
I flat out like how The Beast is handling himself – on and off the field. Anything we lacked in leadership these past few seasons, I think that’s over with. Beason is primed to be the closest thing to a Reed-like, on the field vocal leader as Miami has seen in half a decade.
Look how he’s handled life since the Peach Bowl.
At the beginning of summer workouts, Beason got in his teammates’ ears about, 40-3. He reminded them that Miami native with the last name “Highsmith” snubbed The U for Baton Rouge and got the better of them.
After the Tigers waxed the Canes, Highsmith held up that sign which read, “I’m Glad I’m Not U.”
It was a knock on Miami. The program. The decline. It was a defining moment which shouldn’t be forgotten.
Beason drove it home; that game was in the record books. It was history. It couldn’t be erased. He let his teammates know there was only one way to even the score.
Bring home the National Championship.
Miami is Linebacker U. To hell with Penn State. Maybe in the ‘leather helmet’ era, but not now. (No disrespect to Paul Posluszny. The kid can play.)
Tiger Clark. Maurice Crum. Micheal Barrow. Jessie Armstead. Darrin Smith. Ray Lewis. Nate Webster. Dan Morgan. Jon Vilma. D.J. Williams.
Those are some big shoes to fill. Year in and year out, Miami linebackers are a household name.
Until the past two years. The Canes have struggled to fill the void left by Vilma and (D.J.) Williams. Entering 2006, that’s going to change.
Many expected Willie Williams to be ‘the man’ entering this season. Instead, he’ll suit up at West Los Angeles Community College on September 2nd, while the Canes prep for the Noles.
Williams bailing The U, proved to be another opportunity for Beason to step up and lead. When questioned about Williams possibly returning to Miami after missing all of summer practice, The Beast didn’t hold back:
“As far as gelling, guys coming together, playing for one another, the love, the family, it’s not going to help us because it’s going to be a big step back,” Beason said.
“There won’t ever be a point where we say, ‘Hey, Willie, it’s okay, man. You’re a part of the team now. We can chill.’ “
No way does a high profile player just waltz back into the picture, after snubbing his teammates for several months. Bonds are formed during the summertime heat. You respect the guy next to you if he’s working as hard, or even outworking you.
Come gametime, how can you respect someone who wasn’t in the trenches with you? Can you trust them? Will it cause a rift between those who want him back and the others who don’t?
Why even bother going there? Just cut out the cancer, heal up and press forward.
Both Beason and Kyle Wright made it abundantly clear; this team was going to move on without Willie Williams.
For those who don’t know, a few dozen current Canes have their own MySpace pages. I was online today, working on the allCanes page and I checked out Beason’s page.
The kid is focused, has character and gets his point across well. I shot him a note and posted a pic of our new “Respect It!” shirt design. It’s a Cane running out of the smoke and throwing the “U” hands.
Thinking nothing of it, I shot Jon some words of encouragement. Much to my surprise, a few 
hours later, he fired a post back our way.
One line stood out more than the others.
“I will die before I leave the field without a victory on September 4th.”
Forget a cliche, worn-out term line ‘swagger.’ Beason sounds like a throwback Cane with a comment like that. It’s more than ‘swagger’ – it’s a Hurricanes’ pride.
Miami had its manhood taken by LSU. Not because the Tigers were that much better. They rolled because the Canes quit in Atlanta. After the game, Beason’s cell phone has a few less than pleasant messages from Vilma and Williams.
At Miami, you don’t want the old schoolers on your ass for not carrying out the tradition. No team wants to be remembered as the one who suffered the worst bowl loss in school history. An outcome like that and the program better right the ship quickly. Get out there against Florida State, roll some heads and prove that 40-3 was a fluke; not a trend.
This team knows that and if any of them forget it, Beason will be in there ear with a friendly reminder.
Leadership took Miami to Pasadena a few years back and it’ll take a similar effort to set the tone early in 2006. The Canes need a leader to help them get the nation’s respect back.
Beason knows that.
“You earn your respect and I feel like we’ve let that slip a little bit,” he said recently. “So being the hunters instead of the hunted is fine by me.”
That’s what we like to hear. Accept the preseason #11 ranking. Feel snubbed. Remember the 40-3 beatdown. Let that chip in the shoulder develop and weigh heavy.
Then come Labor Day, take it all out on Florida State and send a message to the nation that the sleeping giant has been woken.
.:Canes305:.