Stay classy, Hurricane faithful…

The word “fan” is short for “fanatic” and this past week some Miami Hurricanes enthusiasts decided to take their passion a bit too far.

In the wake of UM’s 36-24 loss at No. 2 Ohio State, a few know-it-all superfans used the information superhighway to smack-talk junior quarterback Jacory Harris. Harris threw four interceptions in the recent road loss and according to some, the issue wasn’t poor decision-making; it’s his DNA, considering the supposed fans blamed his skin color for the mistake-prone outing.

Thirteen years ago I sat through Miami’s 47-0 loss in Tallahassee with a long-time friend. Clad in UM gear, we hoped for a miracle against No. 1 Florida State. We were two lone Canes in a sea of Noles and took a ribbing all day from that rabid fan base – from kickoff until we slithered out of Doak, headed for Guthrie’s, tail between our legs.

That lack of effort and piss-poor performance was the first time in 23 years on this earth that I was embarrassed to be a Canes fan. 13 years later I’m more ashamed today thanks to the rant of two orange and green idiots.

I take my share of grief on this blog for being what some deem elitist. I’m passionate when I write and each piece I write, I build my case and spend paragraph after paragraph attempting to defend my points. I don’t feel I’m better than anybody and I’m not talking down to this fan base. I’m simply doing what I can to fight the good fight and when I see emotion besting logic and other fans trashing this program, I get defensive and speak my peace.

Those who attack a player based on skin color – you’re lower than low. Your thought process is archaic, abhorrent and you need to turn in your ‘fan card’ today. Not only is this a diverse nation, Miami is arguably the biggest melting pot of a city in this great land. If there’s one region of this country that you’d think would be accepting of every race, creed and color, it’s the hometown I still ‘claim’ having lived on the left coast the past twelve years.

Let’s get it out there. Harris waltzed into the Horseshoe two Saturdays ago and he played an awful football game. That much is fact. He took to Twitter an hour before the game, welcomed a sea of middle fingers from opposing fans and spent the days leading up to the showdown talking about the magnitude of the game. He knew as well as anyone that UM needed that win – not for redemption, but to take a giant step forward as a program. National television, performing in the spotlight and so much on the line, yet in the end he laid as big of an egg he could.

Fans buy tickets and cable upgrade packages allowing them to witness every snap. They paint their faces. They wear their team’s colors. Countless hours are spent in virtual reality, arguing with other fans and nameless faces about their beloved teams – good, bad or indifferent. The diehards can’t sleep before a game. When things go wrong in the heat of battle they curse, break things and are known to throw hands. A victory brings sheer elation while a loss could result in a week-long funk.

As bad as any fan was clamoring for a win in Columbus, do you think ANY of us wanted to come home victorious more than Harris, his teammates and his coaches?

For every shirt and cap combination in your closet, time spent tailgating or words typed on your orange and green screen – it’s nothing in comparison to the work these coaches and players put in on a daily basis. Playbooks. Weight room. Practice field. Daily camaraderie.

While fans talk the talk, players and coaches walk the walk and for any ‘fanatic’ to get this personal; you’ve got no right.

For those so focused on the skin color of their quarterback, chew on this. Three years back Miami rolled into Chapel Hill with a 4-1 record. The wins had come against weak competition (Marshall, FIU, Texas A&M and Duke) while North Carolina limped in 1-3, struggling mightily in Butch Davis’ return to the college game.

Down 27-0 at the half, the Canes rallied but still came up short, losing 33-27. Then-Miami quarterback Kyle Wright had another dismal outing, throwing for 302 yards but tossing four interceptions, each one more detrimental than the last.

The Heels led 30-20 and one minute into the fourth quarter, Wright had the Canes at the Miami 29 and tossed one into the breadbasket of Quan Sturdivant. The Heels pushed it to 33-20, content to run time off the clock, settling for three and extending their lead.

On the ensuing possession, Wright’s arm and Javarris James’ legs took the Canes 72 yards in 11 plays. With a 1st and goal from the UNC 8 and all the momentum in the world, Wright threw a perfect pass … to Charles Brown. Interception number four in the books. Miami eventually scored in the final minutes, but lost by a touchdown in a game where Wright’s poor decision making did his team in.

Wright rolled into Coral Gables at 6’4″, over 200 pounds, blond-haired, blue-eyed and with a rocket arm. He was the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2003 and was your prototypical drop back passer who was supposed to make everyone forget the name Ken Dorsey.

In Wright’s defense, he arrived at The U right as the dynasty began to crumble. During his tenure, four offensive coordinators, two head coaches and a fraction of the talent his predecessors had to work with. Wright may have been a bust, but that blame can be spread around many different ways.

As strong as Wright’s arm may have been and as tough as a kid he was, the mental game did him in. His performance at North Carolina was one of many head scratching moments for Miami fans and helped paint a less than stellar legacy.

Wright was as white-as-the-day-is-long and made as many mistakes as any up and down quarterback. Same for his counterpart Kirby Freeman, so in over his head at times (1-of-14 in a loss to NC State in ’07 comes to mind) it had fans actually longing for Wright’s return.

Brett Favre chucked three interceptions in Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins. It had nothing to do with skin color or age and everything to do with his style of play. Favre is a ‘feel’ player – as ESPN reminds us daily. He’s a kid out there playing backyard football, pulling out miracles while also turning the ball over in ways you wouldn’t expect a twenty-year vet to do so. (498 touchdowns to 321 interceptions since joining the League in 1991.) It’s just the kind of player he is.

Harris is interception-prone, like a lot of good quarterbacks over the years. It’s something he needs to work on, but to his credit, he has shown he can follow up a bad drive or boneheaded play with sheer brilliance.

Mid-fourth quarter, in a three-interception performance against Clemson last fall, Harris did the following on back-to-back plays; threw a pick-six from deep in UM territory, followed by a 69-yard touchdown strike to Travis Benjamin moments later. Harris is a gamer. He’ll make a mistake, he’ll put it out of his brain and he’ll get out there a drive later with a clean slate. Other quarterbacks let turnovers turn them into head cases. To his credit, Harris plays like he has amnesia.

Miami is two years into Harris’ second season as a starter and yes, the Ohio State loss is a huge blemish for a junior quarterback with Heisman hopes. That said, don’t bury the kid yet. A lot of football is left to be played and Harris has what it takes to rebound and respond. Especially if Mark Whipple can earn his keep as a quarterbacks coach, helping the junior to see the err in his ways.

The racist and moronic mindset that “Miami doesn’t want a black quarterback” (paraphrasing the message sent to Harris on Twitter) – pardon my French, but that’s straight up bullsh*t. This city wants a winner and could give a rat’s ass if the quarterback was black, white, yellow or polka-dotted. Miami is a proud, brash town with some serious bravado and when the losses start piling up, this collective fan base (1) takes a lot of heat from opposing fans and (2) finds itself embarrassed and ashamed in the role of ‘loser’ as we sure know how to talk big and puff out our chests when the wins pile up.

A decade ago UM message boards were the place to be. The Canes were in the midst of a 34-game win streak, four straight BCS games and back-to-back title games. The only thing fans had to fight about was coaches not running up the score or narrow victories. It was a perfect utopia.

Years later, things unraveled and there’s still complete dissension amongst the fan base – which is the way it will remain until winning ways resume or the Randy Shannon era comes to an end.

The spirit and passion of this fan base is appreciated and understood, but a line was crossed this past week and hopefully it forces a little self-reflection amongst all Miami fans. While most haven’t crossed that line, putting on their racist cap – they’ve pushed boundaries in other ways.

Time to take a step back and to remember that this is just a game played by kids, all of which who are busting their asses day in and day out for a program we all love.

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