SFbayCane - Some Chat Tidbits!

decleated

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Chat with Chris Wittyngham,Papa Cane and Susan Miller Degnan

Q:
I've heard that there will be no coaching changes... is that what you all believe?
Any opinions on our D' Coordinator? (Mark D)
I know he isn't going anywhere, (being such a close personal friend of AG... ),
but do you think he can really handle this job? (Or is he in over his head, and a weak link?)
Any concrete info on NCAA penalties? AG seems to think we're not losing any scholarships... ideas?

PapaCane:
1. How much better would this team have been if they didn't have to put up with
so many coaching changes over the last five years? - We just don't know. Coker was not a very
good team leader and talent developer/evaluator. Shannon recruited really hard his first year and
then decided to put recruiting a passive activity resulting in catastrophic results.

2. Who is looking like a real transfer away from UM and not just hearsay?
- Can't say right now. No one knows.

3. Which players are MOST likely to leave UM early for the NFLU?
- RB Lamar Miller & DE Olivier Vernon

Q:
I've heard that there will be no coaching changes... is that what you all believe?

PapaCane:
No coaching changes. No new DC, no new secondary coach, no new OL coach. Not on the first year.

Q:
I know CB and DLine seem to be areas of need for next year. However, I am worried about the QB position
for the coming years. I know you have said in the past that Dewey is a solid prospect but is there a chance
Golden goes for a top-flight prospect for 2013? Have you heard anything on Greg Olsen's brother?

PapaCane:
2013 QB Kevin Olsen, Greg's brother, is close to the top of the list based on what I have heard.
I think that UM will take 1 QB next year and possibly 2 of David Thompson goes baseball.

Q:
Al Golden and his staff have been on the road BIG time since the season ended (early) recruiting.
Where do we stand on the critical positions of DL, LB and DBs.

PapaCane:
If we take the Orange and Green glasses off, and remove the U from the players helmets, and
evaluate Al Golden, then all I can say is that what he accomplished is nothing short of a miracle.
No depth at CB and across the defense, suspensions, injuries, etc. Most other coaches would have crumbled - see Maryland.
He got the most out of the players.

Q:
I am excited about Duke Johnson (NOR). Can you discuss the future of the RB position?
I am speculating that Lamar Miller may leave early.

PapaCane:
I've been told that several folks close to Lamar Miller have encouraged him to go pro.
He's had shoulder issues since HS, and his family is not wealthy by any means.
If he can land a 1/2nd round spot, he should go.

Q:
IMHO Golden and crew left some on the table. I didn't like how the offensive line played
in short yardage situations. B-Wash should have stayed at guard. Don't rob Peter to pay Paul.
I still can't believe the play calling at the end of the KSU game. 4 tries from the 2 yard line at home and come up lame?
And the secondary really regressed. Yes they lost B-Harris but VT and Ray were atrocious and frankly McGee should have been benched in favor of Finnie.
Hopefully they can do more with "their" players. Chick and Perry played well.

PapaCane:
I strongly disagree with your comment about the secondary underperforming.
There is very little experience and depth there. Mike Williams was a 3rd stringer at Wake.
McGee has bad hips. Finnie is a rookie. Crawford is a Safety and came in top heavy. Etc.
What depth? What talent to work with?

Q:
Is there any chance of Tracy Howard coming here? CB is one of the areas of need.
I remember AG said that he had only one or two CB's when he arrived.

PapaCane:
No one knows what Tracy Howard is going to do. I was told several weeks ago (5+) by
a VERY reliable source that he was silent to FSU at the beginning of the season.
That might have changed. Coach Golden is recruiting him HARD and UM needs him.
He could start from Day 1.

Q:
Some people aren't giving our current class a ton of credit, saying Golden is reaching on
some prospects. What is your opinion of this and are we getting the players we need to put THE U back on top?

PapaCane:
We need to let Coach Golden evaluate talent and offer the first year and then opine.
He did a great job in evaluating talent at Temple (Wilkerson, anyone),
and I am confident that he will not fall in Coker's trap (Stars, stars, and more stars).

Q:
Did Al Golden get as much as possible out of the 2011 UM team or did he and his coaching
staff leave something on the table or the bench?

ChrisWittyngham:
No they didn't get the best out of the team. You can't argue that when most of their losses
were decided by one score. I don't think they figured out who their best players were until the
end of the season and I think in close games they didn't execute, particularly on defense.

Q:
Al Golden and his staff have been on the road BIG time since the season ended (early) recruiting.
Where do we stand on the critical positions of DL, LB and DBs.

PapaCane:
There are several new players that Coach Golden and his staff are evaluating right now at the DT, LB and DB position.
I expect 1 commitment this weekend - maybe we can flip that UF verbal commit DT Omari Phillips who grew up a Canes fan.

Q:
I've heard that there will be no coaching changes... is that what you all believe? Any opinions on our D' Coordinator? (Mark D)
I know he isn't going anywhere, (being such a close personal friend of AG... ), but do you think he can really
handle this job? (Or is he in over his head, and a weak link?)
Any concrete info on NCAA penalties? AG seems to think we're not losing any scholarships... ideas?

ChrisWittyngham:
I believe their won't be any coaches fired, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Jedd Fisch move on to another place.
It seems like he hasn't stuck anywhere. This may be the place, but I wouldn't doubt it.
And I don't think Mark D'Onofrio had a lot to work with. As the depth of the team gets better and as they progressed
throughout the season, they got a little better. He still has to prove himself.
And I don't think they're in the clear with the NCAA stuff. But I think their level of proactivity in the wake of these
allegations has been refreshing and very important.

Q:
Why is Golden bringing in more recruits when we have limited space?

PapaCane:
Because several will not qualify - Leggett and AJL - and the same thing could happen with others.
You never know. Golden is being very strict about looking at transcripts and making sure that folks can qualify.
If they are on the fringe, expect them to be pushed aside. He knows what is expected of him.

Q:
Chris...from your point of view what were the biggest surprises (positive) and disappointments (negative) for the UM football team this season?
What has the mood on campus been by the players? How much do they interact with other students and show their fellings about the season?

ChrisWittyngham:
Big surprises were Chickillo and Perryman. They're fantastic players that will play for years to come.
But to me, the biggest surprise was Jacory. Didn't know if we were ever going to see that Jacory, but we did.
He finally made the leap to consistently solid play. Obviously the final game doesn't leave you with a good taste in your mouth,
but if you told canes fans before the year that through 11 games he'll have 5 interceptions, they would have thought you were crazy.
Disappointment was the entire defense. I don't think they were very talented, but man, they folded in every big spot in close games.
And the players are actually pretty introverted when they're not around other players. They are very understated kids.

Q:
Anyone close enough to the team to know for certain if they're hitting the weight room hard NOW?
Also, any chance of a nutritionist getting involved and having a TRUE training table & "planned" diet for our team?

PapaCane:
The players are hitting the weights like never before, and its happening now. Several of them could not move this morning.

Q:
"VT and Ray Ray flat out stunk. There's no denying it or sugar coating it. Yes there wasn't depth I admit
that and was the first to call out Shannon for that. Not Golden's fault." RR and VT were supposed to be
the strength of the D but either the new system did not fit them or they did not fit the system or they were not coached well.
Who knows?

ChrisWittyngham:
I would spend the passing plays watching ray ray and was blown away by how frequently he was out of position.
He would be a great player if he didn't "freelance" as al golden calls it. I call it being confused and not knowing where to be.

Q:
One final question... WHAT HAPPENED AGAINST BC? How could we look SO BAD against a lower tier ACC opponent?
Seemed like a major regression to end the season... Thoughts?

ChrisWittyngham:
And it was bad in all 3 phases of the game. I was blown away at how bad they were.
Just didn't execute and officially the interceptions are killer.

SusanMiller:
Coach Golden mentioned defensive back Dallas Crawford (Fort Myers) as one of the up-and-comers for the future,
as well as linebacker Eddie Johnson (Atlanta, Ga. North Atlanta, linebacker Gionni Paul (Lakeland Kathleen) and
defensive tackle Corey King (West Boca High). Hopefully, Seantrel's back won't be an issue next season, and he should shine.
Obviously, there are plenty other players who got on the field who should really improve next season.

Q:
Susan... have you gotten to see Morris vs. Williams LIVE?
Any thoughts on the QB race?

SusanMiller:
Possible sanctions, I do think UM will be hit with some scholarship losses, and probably another bowl game as well.
The allegations against the former assistants could hurt them. But I don't think it will be anything UM won't
be able to withstand and overcome -- eventually.

SusanMiller:
Haha! Regarding Papa Cane's comment about the guys going hard on the weightlifting,
WR Phillip Dorsett tweeted today that he hasn't been this sore in a long time.

Q:
Susan
Golden said when asked about possible NCAA sanctions that he felt that the worst was behind us.
I say this in reference to your feeling concerning an additional bowl ban for 2012
Is the 2nd bowl ban more of a "gut" feeling on your part or is it the feeling of admin and staff?
Thanks

SusanMiller:
I'm thinking later than February for sanction announcements. The NCAA has been very busy lately.
 
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Thanx Decleated. Much appreciated. The raw format of that chat was tough to read last nite. It was tough to tell who was saying what. This is much easier to digest. Thanx again.
 
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"And the players are actually pretty introverted when they're not around other players."

The team was becoming Randy Shannon. Got to give Golden some time.
 
"And the players are actually pretty introverted when they're not around other players."

The team was becoming Randy Shannon. Got to give Golden some time.
This. Coker recruited Cokers and Shannon recruited Shannons.
 
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"And the players are actually pretty introverted when they're not around other players."

The team was becoming Randy Shannon. Got to give Golden some time.
This. Coker recruited Cokers and Shannon recruited Shannons.

So much truth in this.
The thing that pains me is I've been saying this since 2004. I used to get flak for crapping on coker's recruiting on COH because people thought that was an excuse for his coaching (which also sucked).
 
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