After the recent debacle in Norman, OK one thing is certain. They say any team with two quarterbacks doesn’t really have one. Randy Shannon has oft said that the Canes have two gunslingers worthy of the starting gig. News flash – he doesn’t. Miami has one quarterback, a back up and a highly-touted, injured freshman.
After seeing what I saw against #4 Oklahoma this past weekend, Kyle Wright is Miami’s lone option behind center. I don’t question the heart of Kirby Freeman – I question his God-given skills-set. As bad as Wright has looked in the past, he’s never looked as out of place as Freeman against the Sooners.
Which brings us to the main point of this rant – burn the redshirt of Robert Marve. Once the super frosh gets healthy, get him in the game and get him some reps. Freeman isn’t the guy now and certainly isn’t the guy for 2008 when Wright is gonzo. This needs to be Marve’s squad come next fall, so let the kid cut his teeth here in 2007 and really compete for the starting gig next year.
There are no more Oklahoma-caliber teams on Miami’s schedule. Texas A&M needed 3OT to beat Fresno State. Florida State is 1-1 and struggling. Virginia Tech was exposed by LSU, though they’ll still be tough at home late November with the ACC crown on the line. Georgia Tech is the toughest ‘team’ left on the docket.
Wright is the Canes best option from here on out. I don’t care how good Freeman supposedly looked in practice. I saw how he looked on game day against Marshall and Oklahoma and simply put, the kid doesn’t have ‘it’ to be a starter at The U. Many will say Wright underachieved and didn’t live up to the hype, but he’s still eons better that Freeman. Wright at least looked the part of an underachieving five-star recruit on Saturday. Freeman looked like a ‘deer in headlights’ back up quarterback.
Start Wright. Get Marve ready. Assign Freeman to back up duty and the occasional wrinkle in the playbook where his mobility will help pick up yardage or confuse a defensive coordinator. Marve needs to be used like Tim Tebow was in Florida last season. Get his feet wet so that 2008 isn’t a baptism by fire. This also sends a message to incoming recruits that freshman do play at Miami and that all jobs are open to the best player willing to fill them.
Anything other than that and we’re looking at a very long season, my friends.
In other news, I read the best summary of the game online last night. It was a post from Steve Kim (K9Cane) and his thoughts after returning home from Norman.
Any message board lurkers have seen his comments over the years. Solid insight and knowledge of the game. Logic bests emotion. Calls it like he sees it. He definitely hit the nail on the head again this time around. Allow me to summarize:
Called Freeman “a square peg in a round hole” and pointed out that there’s no real power running game with his ability to not play under center or jibe with the system. From a ‘fan in the stands’ perspective K9 said you could see the team and fans dejected upon his return in the third quarter. I couldn’t agree more.
He wisely called out our fan base who is trashing Patrick Nix this early in the process. Again, I agree. Nix is working with what we have. Time to give this offense an identity. He asks if we’re a power running team or “Scrambleball/Spread”?
Building on what Kim said here, I think we bring back Wright, instill the power running game and focus on our two most talented offensive players – Javarris James and Graig Cooper. This line can run-block and those RBs can make plays. Establish a strong ground game and take the pressure off of your quarterback.
Defensively we’re down. Kim points out that outside the offensive issues, when Vegas Franklin is getting a lot of snaps, we’re light up front. He’s right. Miami had good defensive line rotation against Marshall, but against an Oklahoma-caliber offensive line, this defensive line was manhandled. The Canes need to make sure Marcus Fortson is a lock for 2008 and expect him to immediately have an impact on the defensive line.
Shannon inherited a team with a lot of holes. We all can agree on this point. All this talk about a strong secondary was off-base. Willie Cooper and Lovon Ponder aren’t getting it done. Anthony Reddick is sorely missed. At corner, Randy Phillips is struggling big time and needs to move to safety. Glenn Sharpe needs to get healthy and help a depleted secondary. DeMarcus Van Dyke can be a good one, but a true freshman won’t cut the mustard at OU.
Kim pointed out the kicking game woes and like the rest of us, is baffled at the fact Daren Daly couldn’t reach the end zone with his leg. Oklahoma had stellar field position all day. How can Miami not recruit stronger-legged kickers to get the job done? This has to be a priority moving forward.
And as for Richard Gordon on special teams, safe to say that gimmick needs to be retired. Not once did Gordon impress against an opponent with a strong special teams. Ryan Hill needs another returner back there. A second threat who can actually do something other than block. Throw Coop or another burner back there already.
Kim called Miami the third best team in the ACC and called Saturday a wake up call for Shannon. Again, I agree. I’ve oft stated that all this undefeated talk was off-base. Kim says the Canes are three years away. I think we’re good to go in 2009 if Marve and some other recruits pan out.
Either way, it’s time to re-prioritize. This season is not lost, but two games into 2007 these Canes already need an overhaul of sorts. The ACC is hardly a top conference this year and can work in Miami’s favor. Last year’s Canes didn’t take advantage of a soft schedule. This time around, the program needs to capitalize on the weaknesses of others and find a way to win some ball games. Again, there are no more Oklahomas on this schedule.
Right the ship and set the sights on the ACC crown this year. Cut the dead weight who isn’t producing and get the freshman some reps. Without naming names, some upperclassmen seem too far gone to save. Get in the heads of the youngsters. The future of this program is in the youth and the few Larry Coker leftovers who ‘get it’ and see the light.
Start building for tomorrow today.
.:Canes305:.