Steve Kim: Growing Pains

Published Oct 10, 2007

Growing Pains

Growing Pains - no, I'm not talking about the sitcom that starred Kirk Cameron in the 80's. But it's what Randy Shannon and the program he inherited from Larry Coker are going through right now. In the wake of Miami's disappointing 33-27 upset loss at the hands of UNC, the euphoria of the strong performance put in a few weeks ago versus the Texas A&M Aggies has subsided.

The reality is that this edition of the Hurricanes is probably closer to the 7-6 unit of 2006 than many wanted to admit. And much closer to the team that struggled against FIU and Duke than the one that spanked A&M. And folks, with games looming at FSU, Virginia Tech and Boston College, Coach Shannon's initial campaign doesn't get any easier.

I'm already hearing fans questioning the coach. I say that's patently unfair. It's not like he inherited the 2001 squad like his predecessor. Instead, he had to take over a mess left by that same coach. Quick, can you
name me any current player that would play significant snaps on that vintage team? Perhaps Kenny Phillips (and that would be in replacing the solid James Lewis, not Ed Reed), but that's about it.

To expect Shannon to turn things around in six games is ludicrous. It would be like expecting the next President of the United States to smooth over the foreign policy debacles of George W. Bush in one term. Let's be honest, this current team has more dead weight in it than a World War II battlefield. I won’t point out individual players but you know who they are. At almost every position you see players who in the past
would have been special teamers or back-ups, today either starting or getting extensive playing time. You can get away with that here and there, but not at almost every position on the field.

But beyond the material he has to work with, it is the mindset of players that Shannon must change. It's clearly an indictment of the current players - and past regime - that Shannon had to scold the team just a few days ago for what he felt was a lackadaisical effort in practice. He singled out senior guard Derrick Morse as the one 'true' Hurricane. That's one guy out of about 85. That's pretty telling. There was no excusing the effort put forth in Chapel Hill in the first half, because you shouldn't have to coach effort and hustle.

Then not practicing hard after an embarrassing loss on national TV? That's unfathomable.

But what had been ingrained - and even worse, accepted - the past few years under Coker, will not be overhauled and expunged in a mere 10 months. Hey, you don't rid cancer after one chemo session.

There's a reason why there is internet scuttlebutt that Shannon's next recruiting class will include over 25
prospects. This Cane Calvary isn't just about bringing in an infusion of talent, but a new attitude and mindset. And how will they make room for over 25 new players? Well, you can't put guys on waivers at this level, but you get the sense this roster will see some serious attrition - and not from players leaving early for the NFL draft.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but guess what? 2008 may not be any better. Shannon has an interesting decision to make: does he go with experience in Kirby Freeman or potential in Robert
Marve? And it wouldn't be out of the question to see youngsters like Aldarius Johnson, Sean Spence and
Jermaine McKenzie forced into playing immediately just as Reggie Wayne, Dan Morgan and Santana Moss were in 1997. There's an old saying amongst college coaches that for every freshman that is on the field, it equates to a loss.

Uh-oh.

Well, nobody said growing pains were easy to go through.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

- Kyle Wright is a conundrum; he can make some NFL throws in one series and make decisions that simply
shouldn't be made by fifth-year seniors the next. But the thing is, he's still playing much better than he did last year. That is an indictment in many different ways.

- I'm being dead serious - based on what I've seen, I can see at least 10 incoming freshmen being given
considerable PT next year. Especially if some of them end up coming to UM in early January and go through a spring practice.

- Anyone else get the sense that Miami simply isn't that strong at the point of attack on either side of
the ball? Does Andreu Swasey have to tweak his program? Or, again, this goes back to the culture of
the program, and does he just need harder-working, conscientious players?

- Teraz McCray has the best motor of anyone on the defensive line. And he's another reason why you can't
make too much of recruiting rankings. Of the four Miami players that came out of Ely High School in 2003, he was the least heralded, yet has become the most consistent performer of the bunch.

- OK, just what does Shannon do in the off-season if Tim Walton's defense keeps getting shredded and shows no improvement? Does he make a change, or does he chalk it up to not having the horses?

- Lost in all the hoopla of Shannon's recruiting success, early on, I hope the kicking game is addressed. Quite frankly, UM is abysmal in this department. Perhaps in other years they could get away with this, but this team simply can't afford to keep losing the field position battle every single series.

Steve Kim is a frequent contributor on CanesOverHere.com and runs his own website, Maxboxing.com. He can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com

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