To say that Randy Shannon is changing the culture at the University of Miami is like saying that Lindsay Lohan may want to reconsider rehab. Shannon's latest move to add a team unity that was sorely lacking last season came on Monday as he announced that he was stripping the names off the backs of the team jerseys for more of a team focus. Raise your hand if you ever thought you would see Miami without names on their jerseys.....
While I grew up loving the free-wheeling, star-studded Canes teams of the late 80s - early 90s, I'm absolutely giddy about the no-name move and everything else about the Randy Shannon era. The program was in need of a complete overhaul after last season's disaster, and Shannon seems to have already achieved that by July. Shannon's culture change is just one of few reasons that this is most excited I've been about a Miami team since 2002. Seriously. Some of my reasons...
- Shannon's Culture Change - The team will take priority at the U. Outside of the no-name uniforms, Shannon has banned guns (insert joke), cell phones in class, skipping class and is requiring all students to achieve at least a 2.5 GPA to live off campus. All evidence is that Shannon isn't going to put up with anything from anyone, which will hopefully result in higher team discipline, aka less penalties and turnovers.
- New offense - Let's face it, anything will be better than last season's offense that was so predictable, center Derrick Morse said his mom knew which play was coming next. Let's hope Patrick Nix has heard that you can pass the ball on 3rd down.
- Returning Starters -17 starters are back, including Calais Campbell and Kenny Phillips, two of the top defensive players in all of the country. While last year's team was 7-6, four of those losses were by seven points or less.
- Chip on Their Shoulder - Every Cane fan knows that Miami plays their best when they feel like they have something to prove. Well this season, they have alot to prove. With everyone saying that the program is in decline, something tells me that this team will be fired up to prove all the doubters wrong.
- It's an Odd Numbered Year - 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 2001.....2007? Hey, I can dream.
8 comments:
I think Shannon will clean up the thuggery that seeped back into the program after Butch Davis left
It’s funny. Before the FIU brawl, people used to say “Well Larry Coker isn’t winning as many games, but at least he’s cleaned up the program.” After the fight, all of a sudden Miami were thugs again. I guess the thuggery was dormant, and it just took the FG holder getting planted into the field to bring it out? Hilarious.
I feel the same way about this season but I just thought this type-o (am I the only one who is always scared of misspelling type-o? Is that really how it's spelled?) was too funny to go uncommented: "All evidence is that Shannon is going to put up with anything from anyone". I don't see how Randy Shannon being a pushover is going to help things at all...
Names won't be necessary... prison intake numbers will do just fine.
Thanks for the tip Starkweather.....blogging at 3am has it's disadvantages
yeah...Who Cares??? When was the last time Miami was a TOP 15 team? Aren't they Irrelavent? 4 years???shheeeesh
in Miami-eese - Dey Be Da Suxxxorz
Jul. 18 Another top outside linebacker to the 'Canes.
ESPN 150 Watch List prospect Marcus Robinson has picked Miami-FL over Florida, Florida State, USC, Michigan, Ohio State, and Auburn, according to the Miami Herald. He registered 86 tackles and 20 sacks as a junior last fall.
First-year head coach Randy Shannon has also obtained verbal commitments from three other 150 Watch List outside linebackers, all from the Sunshine State; Ramon Buchanan (Melbourne, Fla./Palm Bay), Lerentee McCray (Dunnellon, Fla.), and Jordan Futch (Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna).
just saying.
I've always found the whole "no names on the back of the jersey to build the team concept" concept to be stupid. It just makes it tougher for fans to figure out who's who on a team.
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