Moonman
иди нахуй
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2017
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Every year since the beginning of the milenium I've looked at the roster and tried to compare it, or match it with a team from the past to try and predict the outcome of the season. Honestly, It's a huge waste of time because rarely do the results match up, but I do it to pass the time in the off-season. Usually I'll compare the roster to one of our good but not great teams like the 1999 team. Of course that's one of my favorites because of what came after, but none have been able to match up obviously.
One example of a team that I was sure would contend for a championship was the 2010 team. We had 20 players drafted off that roster. Ultimately that team fell flat and cost Randy his job, but the talent on that roster was unmistakable.
Another example is the 2006 team. We had 15 players who ended up being drafted, including four 1st round picks from that roster. Again, that team cost the head coach his job.
I'm not expecting this year's team to contend for a championship, but I do see some resemblance to a team that won 9 games and was one play away from winning the ACC...the 2004 CANES.
For those who need a refresher, the 2004 season was our first in the ACC. The previous year's team finished 11-2 bolstered by an outstanding defense which featured six 1st round picks, but the offense was below average by early 2000's standards.
The 2004 team would finish 9-3 and ranked #11 with a win over florida in the Peach Bowl. Ranked #9 entering the last weekend of the regular season, the CANES played the #10 Hokies at home for the ACC title. With eleven minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Eddie Royal beat Antrel Rolle for a 39 yard TD to make it a 6 point game. The CANES were unable to score again and lost 10-16.
The 2004 team had 20 upperclassmen in the starting unit. Senior QB Brock Berlin led the top scoring offense in the ACC and also led the ACC in passing yards and touchdowns. Frank Gore, recently recovered from his second knee surgery, was the starting running back. He was backed up by Tyrone Moss...may he rest in peace...and true freshmen Charlie Jones, Derron Thomas and Andrew Johnson.
The receiving corps was led by Roscoe Parrish, who also led the team in all purpose yardage. Darnell Jenkins, Sinorice Moss and Lance Leggett combined to catch 60 passes and 8 touchdowns. Senior tight end Kevin Everett was second on the team in receptions. Blue chip freshman Greg Olsen was his backup.
An alien named Hester returned kicks.
The team was plagued with injuries. Several starters missed multiple games, including the team's starter at left tackle Eric Winston. Other starters on the line included Chris Myers, Rashad Butler, Joel Rodriguez, Tony Tella and Tyler McTurnstyle.
The defense was a mix of budding young stars and veterans. In the secondary, upperclassmen and future 1st round draft picks Antrel Rolle and Kelly Jennings manned the corner spots, while Greg Threat and a young Brandon Meriweather and Anthony Reddick teamed up at safety.
Upperclassmen Rocky McIntosh and Leon Williams led a deep and talented linebacking corps. Second year studs Jon Beason and Tavares Gooden started multiple games.
Juniors Thomas Carroll and Orien Harris were the anchors on the DL which featured promising young linemen Kareem Brown, Baraka Atkins and the late Bryan Pata. Future stars Calais Campbell and Eric Moncur redshirted.
So much for the trip down memory lane.
I'm not saying this 2020 team is as talented as the 2004 squad. That team had five 1st round draft picks and produced legends such as Frank Gore and Devin Hester, not to mention Calais Campbell. I'm saying that the 2020 team has similarities.
For all the talk of how the 2020 team is dangerously thin at CB, this year's group may actually be deeper if not more talented.
Rolle and Jennings were the only two healthy corners on the roster...well, that were any good anyways. Marcus Maxey played nickel, and at 6-2 195 with his skills he would probably be an ideal striker in Manny's D. Glen Sharpe sat out the year rehabbing from injury, which would ultimately cut his career short. Devin Hester would play some corner. I always thought we should have just put him at running back. The remaining bodies were freshmen Carlos Armour, Terrell Walden, Travarous Bain and George Timmins. Armour would turn out to be the only one to ever see the field at Miami. Would I trade Rolle or Jennings for Blades and/or Ivey. Of course, the former were first rounders. I do think however that Couch and/or Williams would both probably make the two deep in 2004 and I like Frierson over Maxey in the nickel/striker role.
At safety we were lucky that Anthony Reddick was able to step in and play major minutes right away beside Threat and Meriweather, because behind Reddick were cobwebs...and I guess Willie Cooper and Lavon Ponder. This year's safety group may not be very deep either, especially if Bolden is not 100%...but we're more experienced in 2020. At least Keontra Smith has been in the program for a year in case he needs to play the Reddick role.
Edit: As I was looking at stats I came across an almost impossible similarity between Reddick and Gurvan Hall. Both #26s had nearly identical statlines. Hall/Reddick TK 66/67 TFL 3.5/2.5 SK 2/1 INT 1/1 PBU 3/2. That's crazy. It's as if Hall is just Reddick 15 years later. Knock on wood that Hall stays healthy, because Reddick's career was unfortunately cut short by injury. What could have been? Smh.
The 2004 DL produced a couple of NFL players but beyond Campbell, who didn't play because he was still 6-8 112 lbs...there were just a bunch of guys. In fairness, Pata and Moncur showed promise before their careers were cut short...but we also had guys like Alton Wright, Vegas Franklin, Javon Nanton and Teraz McCray, who were G5 level defenders at best actually getting meaningful snaps. Simply put, the 2020 DL might be one of the best in the entire country. Certainly our starters at DE are elite, and we have waaaay more depth up the middle than in 2004. I mean it was just Harris and Brown with some guy named Santonio who may have tackled someone once in his life...idk. Baraka literally had play two positions at once by splitting himself in half like some X-Men character. BTW I just noticed we've got four guys at DT who's first names start with J, and a fourth guy who's first and middle names are fluid like Nysom's gender...which sometimes makes him the fifth guy.
The linebacking corps is where 2004 is a cut above but only because we know now that Beast and TGood would be certified goons and also because Rocky and Leon had played on championship level defenses. Let us not forget however that Glenn Cook and Romeo Davis both played and not just a little in 2004. In fact they both started a couple games each due to injuries. I guess I also have to mention WW and James Bryant, but is either really worth mentioning? I don't think there's a group I'm more excited to see play in 2020 than the linebackers. I really think this group could be special. Brooks has already proven that he is capable of stepping in and replacing Pink. I mean I think he's arguably better than Pink already. Avery Huff appears to be like this CooCooey like creature who bites the heads off children. I'm pretty sure he can conjur portals to a dark dimension that swallows ball carriers too. IDK, that's just what I've heard. In all seriousness though I'm most eager to see if Wayne Steed and Joyner are finally healthy and ready to contribute. Finally, I think McCloud's experience will help soften the blow of losing Shaq.
On offense, the QB room is uncannily similar. Senior transfer all conference level QB (Berlin/King) backed up by 4th year career backups (Crudup/Perry) with a statuesque Golden boy waiting in the wings (KW2M/TVD) and some kid from Texas (Freeman/Panocha). The outlier in 2020 is Tathan.
As for WR, I'd take 2020 over 2004 in a heartbeat.
Ok, Parrish > Harley...but I'd take Pope, Wiggins & Payton over Moss, Jenkins & Leggett. Also Moore was a big flake, Jolla had tiny hands and the Joneses (Rashaun & Khalil) didn't belong at Miami. I'm not taking any of those guys over Redding, Worsham and X.
At TE again, eerily similar. Brevin and Olsen both #1 TE in the country coming out of HS...but it's Mallory who actually reminds me of Olsen. Everett was a beast but he didn't have the level of athleticism that Brevin possesses. Aside from Everett and Olsen, 2004 just a bunch of guys. I actually like Hodges and Mammarelli a lot better than Buck Ortega and Zellner...and 2004 didn't have the Playmaker's kid so there's that.
I won't compare the 2020 OL with 2004 because frankly besides most of the starters returning both seasons, I really don't see much similarity at all. If there's one position group that scares me to death in 2020, it's the OL. I pray that Lashlee's system takes some pressure off of this group because the performance from the OL in 2019 gives me nightmares.
Aaaand finally, the running back group...yeah 2004 was better. I mean we had two of the most legendary south Florida prep running backs in history in the same backfield. Moss, god rest his soul, was a freak of nature. He rushed for 7,000 yards man! 7,000!! There's no doubt in my mind he would have left here the all-time leading rusher in Miami history were it not for the injury he suffered in 2005 and the subsequent weight gain...oh yeah and he also had to share the backfield this guy named Frenk Groe or something. No but seriously it'd be stupid of me to compare this year's backfield to one with a literal first ballot HoFer...buuuuutt. I'm gonna do it anyways because yolo. Even if DJ had come back this comparison would still have been ridiculously lopsided. I don't think we have a legitimate #1 running back on the roster. Not at this stage. TBH I wasn't a big fan of Cam's game because I have this thing about running backs who go down on first contact regularly...but I will concede that he progressed throughout the season and played well in the second half. I still think he's more of the kind of back that you put in the game when the defense is tired. Then he can run over people and break long runs because the D is already spent. I just don't think he has the juice, but I like the kid and I hope he proves me wrong this season. I haven't really seen Chaney or Knighton play aside from highlights so I don't really have an informed opinion atm. I like Burns. He's a great kid. The best we can hope for imo is that he stays healthy and is able to come in and spell whoever the starter is while gaining positive yards and not fumbling. The pie in the sky scenario is that he becomes McGahee all of a sudden. At any rate, I think the success of our running game is more contingent on our OL being adequate than anything our backs might be lacking.
Well anyways, that's my god**** rant. Like, Share, Subscribe, F*ck Off IDGAF.
Oh, I almost forgot. I think we win 9 games in 2020.
One example of a team that I was sure would contend for a championship was the 2010 team. We had 20 players drafted off that roster. Ultimately that team fell flat and cost Randy his job, but the talent on that roster was unmistakable.
Another example is the 2006 team. We had 15 players who ended up being drafted, including four 1st round picks from that roster. Again, that team cost the head coach his job.
I'm not expecting this year's team to contend for a championship, but I do see some resemblance to a team that won 9 games and was one play away from winning the ACC...the 2004 CANES.
For those who need a refresher, the 2004 season was our first in the ACC. The previous year's team finished 11-2 bolstered by an outstanding defense which featured six 1st round picks, but the offense was below average by early 2000's standards.
The 2004 team would finish 9-3 and ranked #11 with a win over florida in the Peach Bowl. Ranked #9 entering the last weekend of the regular season, the CANES played the #10 Hokies at home for the ACC title. With eleven minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Eddie Royal beat Antrel Rolle for a 39 yard TD to make it a 6 point game. The CANES were unable to score again and lost 10-16.
The 2004 team had 20 upperclassmen in the starting unit. Senior QB Brock Berlin led the top scoring offense in the ACC and also led the ACC in passing yards and touchdowns. Frank Gore, recently recovered from his second knee surgery, was the starting running back. He was backed up by Tyrone Moss...may he rest in peace...and true freshmen Charlie Jones, Derron Thomas and Andrew Johnson.
The receiving corps was led by Roscoe Parrish, who also led the team in all purpose yardage. Darnell Jenkins, Sinorice Moss and Lance Leggett combined to catch 60 passes and 8 touchdowns. Senior tight end Kevin Everett was second on the team in receptions. Blue chip freshman Greg Olsen was his backup.
An alien named Hester returned kicks.
The team was plagued with injuries. Several starters missed multiple games, including the team's starter at left tackle Eric Winston. Other starters on the line included Chris Myers, Rashad Butler, Joel Rodriguez, Tony Tella and Tyler McTurnstyle.
The defense was a mix of budding young stars and veterans. In the secondary, upperclassmen and future 1st round draft picks Antrel Rolle and Kelly Jennings manned the corner spots, while Greg Threat and a young Brandon Meriweather and Anthony Reddick teamed up at safety.
Upperclassmen Rocky McIntosh and Leon Williams led a deep and talented linebacking corps. Second year studs Jon Beason and Tavares Gooden started multiple games.
Juniors Thomas Carroll and Orien Harris were the anchors on the DL which featured promising young linemen Kareem Brown, Baraka Atkins and the late Bryan Pata. Future stars Calais Campbell and Eric Moncur redshirted.
So much for the trip down memory lane.
I'm not saying this 2020 team is as talented as the 2004 squad. That team had five 1st round draft picks and produced legends such as Frank Gore and Devin Hester, not to mention Calais Campbell. I'm saying that the 2020 team has similarities.
For all the talk of how the 2020 team is dangerously thin at CB, this year's group may actually be deeper if not more talented.
Rolle and Jennings were the only two healthy corners on the roster...well, that were any good anyways. Marcus Maxey played nickel, and at 6-2 195 with his skills he would probably be an ideal striker in Manny's D. Glen Sharpe sat out the year rehabbing from injury, which would ultimately cut his career short. Devin Hester would play some corner. I always thought we should have just put him at running back. The remaining bodies were freshmen Carlos Armour, Terrell Walden, Travarous Bain and George Timmins. Armour would turn out to be the only one to ever see the field at Miami. Would I trade Rolle or Jennings for Blades and/or Ivey. Of course, the former were first rounders. I do think however that Couch and/or Williams would both probably make the two deep in 2004 and I like Frierson over Maxey in the nickel/striker role.
At safety we were lucky that Anthony Reddick was able to step in and play major minutes right away beside Threat and Meriweather, because behind Reddick were cobwebs...and I guess Willie Cooper and Lavon Ponder. This year's safety group may not be very deep either, especially if Bolden is not 100%...but we're more experienced in 2020. At least Keontra Smith has been in the program for a year in case he needs to play the Reddick role.
Edit: As I was looking at stats I came across an almost impossible similarity between Reddick and Gurvan Hall. Both #26s had nearly identical statlines. Hall/Reddick TK 66/67 TFL 3.5/2.5 SK 2/1 INT 1/1 PBU 3/2. That's crazy. It's as if Hall is just Reddick 15 years later. Knock on wood that Hall stays healthy, because Reddick's career was unfortunately cut short by injury. What could have been? Smh.
The 2004 DL produced a couple of NFL players but beyond Campbell, who didn't play because he was still 6-8 112 lbs...there were just a bunch of guys. In fairness, Pata and Moncur showed promise before their careers were cut short...but we also had guys like Alton Wright, Vegas Franklin, Javon Nanton and Teraz McCray, who were G5 level defenders at best actually getting meaningful snaps. Simply put, the 2020 DL might be one of the best in the entire country. Certainly our starters at DE are elite, and we have waaaay more depth up the middle than in 2004. I mean it was just Harris and Brown with some guy named Santonio who may have tackled someone once in his life...idk. Baraka literally had play two positions at once by splitting himself in half like some X-Men character. BTW I just noticed we've got four guys at DT who's first names start with J, and a fourth guy who's first and middle names are fluid like Nysom's gender...which sometimes makes him the fifth guy.
The linebacking corps is where 2004 is a cut above but only because we know now that Beast and TGood would be certified goons and also because Rocky and Leon had played on championship level defenses. Let us not forget however that Glenn Cook and Romeo Davis both played and not just a little in 2004. In fact they both started a couple games each due to injuries. I guess I also have to mention WW and James Bryant, but is either really worth mentioning? I don't think there's a group I'm more excited to see play in 2020 than the linebackers. I really think this group could be special. Brooks has already proven that he is capable of stepping in and replacing Pink. I mean I think he's arguably better than Pink already. Avery Huff appears to be like this CooCooey like creature who bites the heads off children. I'm pretty sure he can conjur portals to a dark dimension that swallows ball carriers too. IDK, that's just what I've heard. In all seriousness though I'm most eager to see if Wayne Steed and Joyner are finally healthy and ready to contribute. Finally, I think McCloud's experience will help soften the blow of losing Shaq.
On offense, the QB room is uncannily similar. Senior transfer all conference level QB (Berlin/King) backed up by 4th year career backups (Crudup/Perry) with a statuesque Golden boy waiting in the wings (KW2M/TVD) and some kid from Texas (Freeman/Panocha). The outlier in 2020 is Tathan.
As for WR, I'd take 2020 over 2004 in a heartbeat.
Ok, Parrish > Harley...but I'd take Pope, Wiggins & Payton over Moss, Jenkins & Leggett. Also Moore was a big flake, Jolla had tiny hands and the Joneses (Rashaun & Khalil) didn't belong at Miami. I'm not taking any of those guys over Redding, Worsham and X.
At TE again, eerily similar. Brevin and Olsen both #1 TE in the country coming out of HS...but it's Mallory who actually reminds me of Olsen. Everett was a beast but he didn't have the level of athleticism that Brevin possesses. Aside from Everett and Olsen, 2004 just a bunch of guys. I actually like Hodges and Mammarelli a lot better than Buck Ortega and Zellner...and 2004 didn't have the Playmaker's kid so there's that.
I won't compare the 2020 OL with 2004 because frankly besides most of the starters returning both seasons, I really don't see much similarity at all. If there's one position group that scares me to death in 2020, it's the OL. I pray that Lashlee's system takes some pressure off of this group because the performance from the OL in 2019 gives me nightmares.
Aaaand finally, the running back group...yeah 2004 was better. I mean we had two of the most legendary south Florida prep running backs in history in the same backfield. Moss, god rest his soul, was a freak of nature. He rushed for 7,000 yards man! 7,000!! There's no doubt in my mind he would have left here the all-time leading rusher in Miami history were it not for the injury he suffered in 2005 and the subsequent weight gain...oh yeah and he also had to share the backfield this guy named Frenk Groe or something. No but seriously it'd be stupid of me to compare this year's backfield to one with a literal first ballot HoFer...buuuuutt. I'm gonna do it anyways because yolo. Even if DJ had come back this comparison would still have been ridiculously lopsided. I don't think we have a legitimate #1 running back on the roster. Not at this stage. TBH I wasn't a big fan of Cam's game because I have this thing about running backs who go down on first contact regularly...but I will concede that he progressed throughout the season and played well in the second half. I still think he's more of the kind of back that you put in the game when the defense is tired. Then he can run over people and break long runs because the D is already spent. I just don't think he has the juice, but I like the kid and I hope he proves me wrong this season. I haven't really seen Chaney or Knighton play aside from highlights so I don't really have an informed opinion atm. I like Burns. He's a great kid. The best we can hope for imo is that he stays healthy and is able to come in and spell whoever the starter is while gaining positive yards and not fumbling. The pie in the sky scenario is that he becomes McGahee all of a sudden. At any rate, I think the success of our running game is more contingent on our OL being adequate than anything our backs might be lacking.
Well anyways, that's my god**** rant. Like, Share, Subscribe, F*ck Off IDGAF.
Oh, I almost forgot. I think we win 9 games in 2020.
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