Morgan & McCarthy : Paths Never Crossed?

It was just a little blurb in today’s Herald article by Manny Navarro, but the words jumped off the page:

“Before he played his final high school game at Melbourne Central Catholic, Colin McCarthy already was being compared with Dan Morgan.

University of Miami coaches believed McCarthy not only had the potential to be just as good as the All-American, who won the Butkus, Nagurski and Bednarik awards, they also wanted McCarthy to wear Morgan’s No. 44 jersey.

Five years later, McCarthy still has never spoken to Morgan, shaken his hand or come close to living up to those rather large expectations.”

Excuse me? All that talk about this “U Family” and band of brothers, yet two linebackers from similar backgrounds, wearing the same number have never crossed paths?

Even worse, the fact that linebacker – especially the mike – has been a troubled spot at ‘The U’ for years.

Morgan has been out of the NFL the majority of the time McCarthy has been on UM’s campus and has spent this past several months taking to the airwaves, airing his grievances with Randy Shannon and the state of the football program.

Morgan has spent a lot of time on WQAM this football season, most recently with Joe Rose, Michael Irvin and weeks back had a highly publicized spat with voice of the Canes, Don Bailey Jr.

Let it be said that the 2000 Butkus Award winner is an all time Miami great and one of the better middle linebackers to ever suit up for this program. That not opinion, it’s fact.

Morgan obviously has passion for his former program, making it harder to fathom why he’d choose to be part of the problem instead of the solution.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion on Shannon and this squad, but when you’re an all world middle linebacker and your predecessor a few years removed is struggling to hold down the position, why are you wasting time on air talking smack instead of heading out to Greentree to give some pointers?

Hell, at minimum shoot McCarthy a phone call or email. Do something. Reach out. The new No. 44’s natural position isn’t in the middle, but he moved there soon before the season opened in an effort to help his team and he’s struggling.

The kid needs a lifeline more than the program needs a tongue lashing.

McCarthy played the game of his short mike career last week at Georgia Tech and another monster effort is needed against Virginia Tech. Morgan’s Canes struggled against the Hokies in the probation era, but Dan The Man finally got a much-needed win in 2000.

Let’s hope McCarthy goes out with a similar bang in his last showdown with VT … and that Morgan actually reaches out to the kid before it’s too late.

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