One Reader's Thoughts on the Miami Situation

Regular contributer Regan offers his thoughts about the Canes.

There is a difference between "fault" and "responsibility", but it's not one that really matters.

I actually didn't like the Miami Hurricanes when I was growing up in the 80's. I went to Clemson games with my dad, and all I knew of the 'Canes were things like this . The stories of brawls, running up the score, and thuggery were all we really heard about 'The U', and it took a long time before I actually came to understand the mentality of the program.

By the time I was looking for colleges to attend in 1995, I liked what I saw at the University of Miami and seriously considered going there. Funding issues kept me in-state, and I went to a school with no CFB team. It was a few years later during college that my interest in CFB resurged, and I started watching Miami football again. It was a totally different situation with Butch Davis having cleaned up the program. Losing by five touchdowns to FSU, a 5-6 season, massive reductions, etc. were disheartening for a program - but at least they were clean. Redeemed, if you will. I'm a sucker for redemption stories and started pulling for 'The U' like they were my own, because I didn't actually have one.

Then came 2000-2001, when the 'Canes returned to full form - this time with class. It was a wonderful story. The Michael Irvins of the past had been replaced by the Ken Dorseys; the team was stand-up and winning at the same time, after doing their time in the doghouse. The years went by and the 'Canes started a down slide - inevitable when you have so much success, but even the guys that came after were classy, good guys. People like Brock Berlin and Frank Gore were wonderful guys who could be role models for kids across America. Then, as the losses piled up, pressure was put on Coker to be fired.

The On-Field Brawl against FIU was the turning point for many, including me. Coker had to go, because that wasn't Miami anymore. The 'Canes weren't beholden to the shadows of the past, despite the fact that few seemed to notice - things had to change. When Randy Shannon took over, it was a sigh of relief at how much of a disciplinarian he was. He reigned in those kids and Miami's compliance had become a shining example of how a team could wash itself clean of it's old ways. Efforts at compliance were massive. Even when Shannon was fired, the job he'd done with the program's reputation was stellar, and when Al Golden was announced to replace him, worries were put to rest about the classiness of the program's future.

That was four days ago. Now, people are openly calling for the 'Death Penalty'. There was absolutely no warning - and I follow this sport every single day, on-season and off.

No warning that something was out there that went this deep. That hit this many players I'd built up so much respect for. And all because of what? A guy in prison for a ponzi scheme that tainted the team over eight years.

Over the last year we've seen unprecedented levels of NCAA crackdowns on teams because of improper benefits, recruiting violations, etc. If you're a fair person, you'll consider Miami innocent until proven guilty, but if you're an informed person, you'd realize at this point that there is just too much out there to be truly fair to the 'Canes.

In this down economy, we have seen many respected institutions and companies ruined by gold-digging CEO's who then jumped ship, dragging down the company's name and stock while making out like the bandits they were. The same thing is happening in College Football, but the NCAA could stop it - by updating the way it goes about enforcement.

I can only hope that the NCAA will one day figure out that the best way to punish improper behavior is to punish those individuals that behave improperly, not the kids that will play three years down the road, or the fans who in some cases see their schools penalized for the actions of a coach long gone (Lane Kiffin comes to mind). Discussions and agreements with the NFL and NBA must happen to ensure that kids that take benefits and gifts will only do so at the threat of losing down the road. Consequences for bad behavior must be borne by those who actually commit these acts, or they will continue.

Sadly, none of this will help Miami. At the end of the day, it's looking like up to six former assistant coaches were complicit, and that justifies the set of encyclopedias the NCAA will hurl at Coral Gables. Jacory Harris, Sean Spence, and anyone else on the roster who took this guy's bait need to be cut loose. Now. Golden and those who actually are clean at Miami are going to have to weather this storm with their heads held high, knowing they are staring at a tidal wave on the horizon.

And I'll still be cheering them on, and would ask others to also - because it's not their fault.

It's not even The University of Miami's "fault". But at the end of the day it is their responsibility.

And while there is a difference between "fault" and "responsibility", it's not one that really matters.

Posted by War Eagle Atlanta

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Week 4 Bills/Bengals: Final Thoughts, Game Balls & What Lies Ahead

On the heels of Buffalo’s first loss of the season to Cincinnati 23-20, as expected there’s plenty of emotions to go around.  Predictably, those emotions are very pretty.  It was a difficult loss to swallow.  The Bills put together two halves, one positive and one negative.  On Sunday the Bills just couldn’t get away with it on the road against the Bengals.

*  The Bills and 4-0 would’ve sounded so sweet to use them in the same sentence.  But let’s be honest with ourselves: nobody predicted or thought they’d be 3-1 after four games.  I thought after the first four games they’d be 2-2, beating Oakland and Cincinnati.  So right now, I think being 3-1 is a very good bonus.  And let’s not forget they’re tied with New England for the best record in the AFC East.

*  I think this game was probably what many expected.  The Bills put so much into the New England and it took a lot out of them finally ending a 15-game losing streak to the Patriots.  So after that, to go on the road, whether I like it or not there was some room for a letdown. 

*  That being said, this was the game the Bills needed to have because of what awaits them.  The schedule isn’t exactly favorable.  Buffalo plays Philadelphia, New York Giants, Washington, New York Jets and Dallas.  Those teams are a combined 11-9.  That might not sound impressive, but running the NFC East gauntlet will be a difficult task and facing the Jets is no picnic in the park.  We’re about to find out what the Bills are made of over the course of the next six weeks.

*  Buffalo better start to figure out to how to control the tempo of a game.   Oakland dominated and dictated the tempo throughout the first half.  New England did the exact same thing to them in the first half of their game.  And now, Cincinnati dominated the second half.  If the Bills can’t figure out a way to start to dictate to other teams how the game is going to be played there won’t be a lot of successfull Sundays and happy Mondays in the near future.

*  Let’s get to the defense.  Because the offense never found a rhythm and never got any momentum going throughout the game, the defense was out there bare faced and they got exposed.  It was shocking they gave up 454 yards to Oakland.  It was expected Tom Brady and the Patriots cranked out 495 yards.  But it was very disturbing they gave up 458 yards to the Bengals.  The week prior, Cincinnati scored eight points and converted one third down.  The Bengals more than doubled the Bills in first downs, 25 to 12.  The offense isn’t going to keep scoring at 37-point clip every week.  There will be games in which the defense is going to have to win.  This was one of them and they couldn’t get the job done.

*  For the first time in four weeks, the Bills were finally outscored in the second half of a game.

*  Somehow, as big of a no-show as they were through the entire second half and pretty much the whole first quarter, the game was there for the Bills’ taking.  But this time there was no “Fitzmagic”.  It had the look, the feel that Fitzpatrick and company were going to engineer their third consecutive game-winning drive at the end of the game.  But it just wasn’t meant to be.  They got Buffaloed.  The Bills got a taste of their own come-from-behind medicine and it was almost as worse than Robitussin.

*  For the second time in two weeks, the Bills got destroyed by a rookie wide receiver.  And that means the bad Leodis McKelvin showed up.  He was dominated by Oakland’s Denarius Moore, redeemed himself a week ago with a big interception of Tom Brady and then allowed A.J. Green to go off.  It’s easy to see why he hasn’t been able to lock down a starting job in the secondary.  Despite making a nice pass break up in the end zone against Green, McKelvin struggles when the ball is in the air.  So we’ve had bad Leodis, good Leodis and once again bad Leodis.  Maybe he’s on track to be good Leodis again next Sunday.  Either way, I haven’t seen anything that points to the contrary that would suggest McKelvin will become a consistent corner for the Bills.  I hate to use him as a whipping boy and it doesn’t fall squarely on his shoulders.  But he is making a bad habit of allowing too many big momentum changing plays particularly in the second half.

*  The Bills won the turnover battle, and in fact didn’t turn the ball over.  Plus they got a defensive touchdown off an interception for the second week in a row.  If those things continue to happen, Buffalo won’t be on the wrong side of games like they were on Sunday.

*  For the first time this season, the offensive line didn’t give Fitzpatrick a lot of time in the pocket.  Credit Cincinnati’s defense.  They were able to pressure Fitzpatrick and it wasn’t sporadic like the previous three games.  He never got comfortable and the offensive line never felt comfortable.

*  One of the big reasons the Bills got virtually nothing going on offense?  Cincinnati didn’t give up the big play.  Buffalo used a lot plethora of big play home run type passes that gashed Kansas City, Oakland and New England.  They had 15 pass plays of 20 yards or more, but on Sunday they had just two against the Bengals.  It wasn’t for a lack of trying.  They tried to get Steve Johnson, David Nelson, Donald Jones and even Brad Smith down the field for big gains.  But each attempt fell by the wayside. 

*  The hardest part to swallow about this game was the fact that Buffalo essentially got beat by a rookie quarterback.  Andy Dalton was 7 of 20 with two interceptions in the first half.  But Dalton was able to string together a bunch of completions in the second half and he found his rhythm with A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham.  In the second half, he completed 11 of 16 passes, threw for 186 yards , and had the game-tying touchdown on a three-yard quarterback draw.

*  So why was Dalton able to be so successful?  Because of the running game.  Cincinnati had 172 rushing yards on 32 carries.  Cedric Benson finished with 104 yards on 19 carries;  84 of those yards came in the second half.  The Bengals averaged 5.3 yards per carry  Buffalo’s run defense still has a long way to go.  Yes, Benson is the first 100-yard rusher the Bills have allowed, but it goes beyond that.  They allowed 108 against Kansas City, but allowed the Chiefs to average 6.0 yards per carry.  Against Oakland, they gave up 131 and 4.4 ypc, and against New England they allowed 108 at a 4.2 ypc clip.  Cincinnati was the best team to really gash the Bills’ run defense.  It’s gotten better, but the Bills’ run defense still has a long way to go to improve.

*  Right along with the team of their rush defense woes, the tight end continues to be an ongoing problem.  The Bills had no answer for Rob Gronkowski and Jermaine Gresham was a beast with 70 receiving yards and a touchdown.  Way too much room for Gresham to roam in the secondary.  Way too many yards after the catch.  The Bills were a step behind Gresham all afternoon. 

*  Hey, Shawne Merriman welcome to the Bills.  It wasn’t your traditional sack, but nonetheless it goes down as a sack.  Something to build on moving forward.

*  Marcell Dareus I thought was a real factor.  He got his first career NFL sack and just narrowly missed out on a two-sack performance.  The Bengals opted to play Dareus one-on-one and he made it a habit of winning those matchups.  When he becomes that dominant force we all think he can be, he and Kyle Williams along with Dwan Edwards will form a great defensive line.

*  Speaking of Edwards, I thought he was the best defensive player for the Bills.  He finished with eight tackles and his motor was working in overdrive all afternoon.

GAME BALLS

Dwan Edwards -  had eight tackles, was extremely active and closed off a lot of gaps that negated running room on his side of the line. Bryan Scott – 43 yard INT returned for a touchdown got the Bills going in the second quarter.  Scott’s INT for a TD was the second week in a row Bills returned INT for a score.Marcell Dareus -  recorded first NFL sack, finished with four tackles

What’s Next? -  Buffalo returns home this Sunday for a pivotal out-of-conference matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.  I’m sure many envisioned the Bills would be the 1-3 team coming into this game, but it’s the Eagles who have dropped three in a row and they’re a desperate 1-3 team that is going to be prepared at all costs to avoid falling into what would be a possible season ending 1-4 hole.

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Final pregame thoughts: USF-Pitt

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Final pregame thoughts: LSU-WVU

MORGANTOWN, W.V. -- There certainly is something special about night games at West Virginia. The big question is how much of an impact the crowd can have in this game.

The Tigers are used to playing night games in venues bigger in the SEC. Their own home stadium at night is a sight to see. LSU is 47-4 in night games under Les Miles, compared to 18-13 during the day. The Tigers already have won two night games away from home -- against Oregon in Texas, and at Mississippi State last week.

One other note: LSU has won 35 straight nonconference regular season games. So a daunting task awaits. But the West Virginia crowd is beyond fired up. A sea of gold will greet the Tigers tonight, with fans furiously waving gold towels. In fact, the stadium was mostly full 45 minutes before kickoff. West Virginia observers say this is the loudest the stadium has been in years.

Fans put on a great show for College GameDay this morning. Some camped out as early as Thursday in anticipation of the game. Now it is finally here. That sea of gold in the stands will be matched with a sea of gold on the field -- West Virginia will wear all gold tonight.

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Post Game Thoughts on Ravens Beating of the Steelers

Wow.

I’m still shocked at how the Ravens utterly dominated the action today in Baltimore but perhaps no one is more stunned that their opponents today. This was a huge statement game from the purple and black as they drew first blood in the race to the AFC North title.

Here are some other thoughts rattling around my head after today’s shellacking.

I guess the Offensive Line didn’t need to practice together after all.  They allowed Joe Flacco to get quite comfortable with his progressions and were more than solid in the run game. (170 Total Yds. Rushing) That meant that my biggest concern with this match-up was rendered null and void.My second worry was turnovers and that was taken care of as Baltimore’s defense pounded away all day at Pittsburgh to cause seven total while the Ravens did not give the ball away once. There’s your ball game.Baltimore has 20 new players on the roster and they all had a hand in some way in today’s win. The new vets especially, as Bryant McKinnie seemed to swallow up blockers, Vonta Leach was always pushing forward and Bernard Pollard was laying hits in the backfield.

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Bay Area Sports Thoughts

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If you haven't read my last post, I ask/beg that you please DON'T! In that post I predicted that Burrell would come up big in game three and well, if you watched, you know that he did quite the opposite. Burrell went 0-4 with 4 strikeouts but was successful at one thing, making me look like a fool. It's alright, everybody is wrong once in a while and I can laugh at myself with the best of them. There will be no predictions for tonight's game however, as I have learned my lesson. It's amazing how just one game can change the complexion of a series. Just think what would happen if the Giants lose tonight...it would almost be like losing two and falling behind 3-2 in the series because let's face it, no matter who we have on the mound, beating Cliff Lee twice in a row is a monumental task in the postseason. I have just one question.....Can Matt Cain pitch every game of this series? Please.... read more

October 31st, 2010 at 07:46 pm

By now, if you have ever read this blog, you probably know how much I like to give my predictions(heavily favoring the Giants). Sometimes they are research based and very educated, but every so often I have no basis for these predictions. This is one of those times, I'm simply following my heart on this one. I'm going on record to say that Pat "the bat" Burrell will have a breakout game tonight. He has struggled so far in the playoffs, but tonight will be his night. Of course, the outcome of the game still depends on Jonathon Sanchez. Will he pitch deep into the game or implode once again after just two innings? I have no idea and frankly, am scared to death to even try and predict what he will do. So come on Pat, go out and have yourself a game to remember, we need you....Go Giants!!!!!!! read more

October 30th, 2010 at 04:56 pm

Matt Cain takes the mound for the San Francisco Giants tonight in what will be the biggest start of his young career. Through his first two postseason starts, the young right hander has not allowed an earned run, and yet nobody seems to be taking notice! Avoiding the spotlight has become second nature for "Big Daddy" Cain, but after tonight, the world will know just how good he is. What's the reason for my confidence? Well there are a few factors that could help Cain tonight. First, he is a high ball pitcher, and tonight's ump usually features a high strike zone. Second, Cain's fastball and change-up are both excellent and underrated pitches. Lastly, no young pitcher (Cain is younger even than Lincecum) has shown as much poise through multiple years of no run support as has Matt Cain. You can bet that tonight will not feature 18 runs like last night. The first inning should be very telling for the stoic Cain, and I believe with all my heart that he i read more

October 28th, 2010 at 06:49 pm

Let me make this short and sweet for you: I think that the Giants can and will beat Cliff Lee. Once you stop laughing, I will explain why. Now I know that his postseason numbers are outstanding, and he put up those numbers against much better offenses than the Giants'. With that said however, the Giants are a different style of offense. Lee can throw the ball wherever he wants to at any time, his command is second to none. For this reason, patient offenses seem to have much more trouble against him because after taking 2 pitches they are already down in the count 0-2 and by that point it's all over. If you have seen the Giants this season though, you know (and have probably been frustrated by the fact) that they aren't exactly patient. I mean, not even their leadoff hitter seems to take more than 1 pitch. Just watch Uribe, he sure doesn't have "patience" or "walk" on his mind. The man wants to hit! No, the Giants won't be patient against Lee, which means they won't fall beh read more

October 27th, 2010 at 06:20 pm

After watching the Giants beat the Braves twice in Atlanta and then seeing them finish off game 1 in Philadelphia, I think it is time for baseball fans to start showing this club its due respect! Last week, it was Atlanta fans telling me that the Giants had no shot to win the series after they lost game 2 in SF because the Braves were so good at home and the Giants wouldn't be able to win a game in Atlanta...well what happened with that Braves fans??? Now this week all I had been hearing was how the Giants didn't have a shot to win in Philly because of that rough and rowdy crowd. Well, how about all the naysayers just shut up and watch the games. Nobody knows whats going to happen, not even those wannabe analysts on ESPN! Respect the Giants and Fear the Beard (even though the beard always seems to give me a heart attack especially in the postseason)! Giants v Rangers.....Giants in 6. read more

October 16th, 2010 at 10:15 pm

Please go show some love to your 2010 San Francisco Giants here: http://supportyourlocalgiants.com. Four more wins and we are in the World Series! I know I know I'm getting a little ahead of myself but I can't help it anymore. This club has been amazing to watch all season long and this group of guys deserve it. Show some support! read more

October 15th, 2010 at 01:38 pm

read more October 12th, 2010 at 09:59 pm

The San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 today to take a 2-1 series advantage. And let's get one thing clear: this was as lucky as they come and the Giants did not deserve this win. I suddenly cringe whenever I see Romo begin to warm up in the bullpen, much like the first half of the season. I simply would not use him again in this series, no matter what. With that being said, the they did get the victory and I believe learned a couple things about key components of the team in the process. Sanchez: This year has been a different Sanchez and we all know that. What we didn't know is how he would do in the postseason. I for one, had no clue as to which Sanchez would show up and whether or not he could handle the pressure. Well, he handled it all right, and now we know that the big 3 (Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez) can and will perform under the intense pressure of the postseason. Phew. I had complete confidence in Lincecum and Cain and now that I can throw Sanchez into that m read more

October 10th, 2010 at 08:45 pm

Thank goodness for the San Francisco Giants. Last weekend would have been disastrous and depressing for all Bay Area sports fans if not for Matt Cain and his teammates. Cain is the ace of this staff, no more questions. He is the one I want starting any game 7, with Lincecum a close second and nobody else on the staff even being considered. Speaking of Timmy, I just can't understand why Bruce won't switch him and Zito, because we all know that the division is going to come down to the final weekend. Why not send out your best three in Lincecum, Cain, and Sanchez? No matter what the order, we must keep pitching as every game is getting bigger and bigger. Unfortunately it looks as if Sanchez doesn't have any control tonight...(Update, I was very wrong, which happens sometimes) B2B Business read more

October 5th, 2010 at 05:36 pm

During the 9th inning of today's giants game, a weekend ruining defeat, I got caught up in the moment of the Giants near comeback and began to think about the last time I had been this excited over baseball. The answer was 2002. A season that ended so painfully I have yet to this day let myself dwell on it for more than a few minutes at a time. I will also admit as a man that I shed a tear after that World Series. But anyways, that's not the point. The point is, that this year's Giants have an opportunity to heal that old wound once and for all, before it becomes infected like a Cubs fan of over a century. Another question soon came to mind as I intently watched Jose Guillen's game ending at-bat. What if he actually does it and goes deep right here to end the game and the race to the playoffs. The goosebumps swept over my arms as I recalled the biggest moment that I myself have ever seen....Joe Carter's Series ending home run in 1993 as the Blue Jays defeated the Phillies. That moment read more

October 2nd, 2010 at 09:27 pm

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