The Beast : Avalanche Of Negativity

When I’d travel with the team, we’d board the buses after a loss and Joe Zagacki would turn to me and say, “When we get home, we’re going to get buried by the avalanche of negativity”.

Sure enough another loss this week and the avalanche again rolled down the mountain at a thunderous level.

Some of the criticism is well-thought out and warranted, but most of it isn’t. Let’s set the record straight regarding some of what I’ve heard uttered this week:

Theory #1 – “Randy Shannon doesn’t want to win.” – I swear I heard a talk show host throw that statement out there this week. What coach on the planet doesn’t want to win? As Herm Edwards so eloquently stated, “you play to win the game”. Of course Shannon wants to win. Trust me, you’re talking about a guy who not only PLAYED on a national championship team, but was a graduate assistant for one and defensive coordinator on another. I’m pretty sure Randy took this job to get this program its sixth ring – not to be mediocre. He wants to win as much as any fan, if not more.

Theory #2 – “Donna Shalala doesn’t want a championship team. She’s be happy with 8-4, everyone going to class and staying out of trouble.” – Sorry, but gonna call bulls**t on this one too. While the medical school brings in more money than the athletic department (and also has greater impact on humanity), there’s a reason the entire university has adopted the “U” at its logo, as well as the tag line, “It’s All About The U – Academics, Life, Athletics”. The football program is know as one of the best in the land and Shalala knows how important a marketing tool it is. A winning football team leads to more university exposure and Shalala wants to win – not only because it makes for happy fans, but because it means more money to the university. Like Randy, she wants to win as much as the fans, if not more.

Theory #3 – “We can’t win unless we have thugs on the team.” – If you define “thugs” as bad asses on the field, then I agree with you. Using that theory, Ed Reed was a ‘thug’. Off the field, I don’t want thugs and you shouldn’t either. I’m not going to buy the explanation that only guys with gun charges and a 0.00 high school GPA are going to win football games. Santana Moss, not a thug. Reggie Wayne, not a thug. Jon Vilma, not a thug. D.J. Williams, not a thug. Andre Johnson, not a thug. Willie Williams … thug. You catch my drift. You can find very talented players that stay out of trouble and avoid the crime blotter.

Theory #4 – “Players don’t get better under Shannon.” – There might be some evidence to back this up. While there are some cases of guys who HAVE gotten better (Ray Ray Armstrong, Sean Spence, Damien Berry, et al), there are a lot of guys that appear to be the same player as when they got here. Sadly, it’s something I can’t explain. If you recruit what was deemed the best class (No. 1 in the nation for 2008, according to ESPN), one would expect this to be the best junior class in the land today. That hasn’t happened, it’s a valid concern and I can’t really defend the coaches on this one.

Theory #5 – “Randy’s sideline demeanor is an issue.” – I’ve never bought this one and never will. I remember taking call after call about Larry “Coach Clappy” Coker. No one seemed to mind LC when we were reeling off win-after-win. The key isn’t demeanor – it’s having the right motivational tactics and suiting them to the players you have. Maybe Shannon has decided that this group reacts better to him being more stoic, as opposed to in your face. I really don’t know, but what I will say – I have a feeling Randy is more ‘in their face’ and loud on the practice field, where it counts. In the heat of the moment, trying to be a rah-rah guy on the sideline isn’t going to accomplish anything. I’d rather the bitch-fest happen on Sunday and after a loss like this, I believe it does.

Theory #6 – “The team ha taken on Randy’s personality and can’t turn ‘it’ on for games.” – I’ll go half in on this and and will agree that the team has taken on the fourth-year head coach’s personality. In some ways that isn’t a bad thing as it means they respect their leader and are buying into his philosophy. On the other hand, my 32-month old son should be able to get up for a game against his arch-rival. Whether Randy keeps these guys restrained or not has nothing to do with them coming out flat against FSU.

Theory #7 – “We should root for the team to lose so they make an off-season coaching change.” – Are you freaking kidding me? Grow up. Are you a fan of ‘The U’ or not. If you ARE a real fan you root for this team to win every time they go out to play. Period. There are no expectations. If you want to root for a team to lose, go cheer on the Washington Generals.

A few other random thoughts … Mike Leach is not the answer. We’ve been down that road and without getting to deep in the details, let’s just say his official interview was less than stellar. There’s a reason he’s down in the Keys playing with his Captain Jack Sparrow and not coaching. Enough on that topic. … By continuing to run coaches out of town, you lessen your changes for getting a top-quality coach next time around. No one wants to take a job where the expectations are too high and the fan base is too finicky. … Bottom line, you SHOULD be rooting for Shannon to turn this thing around. Nothing would be greater for The U than Randy winning.

Don’t give up, fans. This is your team. Turn out in droves for next week’s night game against North Carolina. This team needs YOU to win, just like you need THEM to win.

IN OTHER NEWS: I want to thank all those who came out for last night’s edition of allCanes Radio and a special thanks to the new Associate Athletic Director, Chris Freet, who has gone above and beyond in helping us out. He’s also brought the athletic department into the 21st century and is doing a tremendous job regarding new media and social networking. Chris was behind last night’s interview with Associate Athletic Director for External Relations, Blake James. It was great to catch up with Blake again as he worked at ‘The U’ back in the late 90s. I always though he was one of the most intelligent guys in the department and today I think he’s a great addition to the Kirby Hocutt staff and will be a big help in trying to forward the cause.

Also, I want to thank Assistant SID, Scott Zavitz – one of he hardest working guys I’ve seen in that department in forever. He brought over women’s basketball coach, Katie Meier and forward Sylvia Bullock. Both were a delight to talk to and for all of you who only pay attention to football, you’re missing out on some great folks who get it done in other sports.

We’re lucky to have a coach like Katie on campus. She’s got a vision and with the talent that she has playing for her this year, I’m thinking it’s going to be a pretty fun year for women’s basketball. (Also, don’t forget the Women’s Basketball Fantasy Camp that takes place next Wednesday night at the practice facility. You’ll get a chance to play hoops with the girls and learn the game. For more info, call Coach Meier’s office 305-284-5801. Sylvia came all the way from Alaska to play hoops here. Smiles off the floor and a warrior on it. She was awesome to get to know and I can’t wait to see her play this year. )

Lastly, Bryan Harvey is the new baseball SID. He’s been at UM for a while, but takes over for Rob Dunning who is moving into a position as a writer for The U’s blog. Bryan was the baseball contact at Bethune Cookman a few years back so he knows the game and last night he was nice enough to have Jim Morris come over. The baseball team starts fall ball today. I went off the beaten path with “3” getting him to come up with his All Morris Team. Did he pick Pat Burrell or Ryan Braun? Listen to find out.

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