What I like about the upcoming team

[pcitycane]

Offseason sucks. I was talking football all day at work though and it really got me thinking about the upcoming season. Anyway, with the bounce of the ball unknown thus far, alot can happen this year.

First of all, noone... and I mean NOONE including us Cane fans expect Miami to win any more then 7 or 8 games this year, and 9 is really really pushing it. However, judging by the way the schedule plays out and the utter weakness of the conference, most importantly within our own division, this team really has a chance to go to the title game. They have to take on the cliche us against the world mentality and take the fact that nobody in the galaxy expects the canes to do a **** THING and they really have to use that to drive them. It starts with Stephen Morris.


We know a little bit about Morris. He was handpicked to be the sole QB in his class by Mark Whipple, he has a CANON arm, he is inexperienced at the college level and he has already lost us a couple of games on bonehead throws (VT 2 years ago, I was there with a great vantage point... worst throw I have ever seen live, Maryland last year), and so on. Some things we dont know however such as the strides he has made from game one last year to RIGHT NOW and through the summer and fall. How well he has developed under Fisch and Golden, and how well he knows the playbook. If Morris has a very good-great year and doesnt turn the ball over, the canes could win every game on the schedule.


The Freshmen - Duke Johnson, Malcolm Lewis, Robert Lockhart, Jelani Hamilton, Raphael Kirby, Bush, Howard, Hope and so on and so on... this team is going to be very very young, but these freshmen step up and look out.


The defense - I have a real real good feeling about it. If we come out game one and our CBs are 7 yards off of the receivers, I will immediately no longer feel good about it. If we come out pressing, that means Coach D and Golden have the confidence with this D to play ball.


Special Teams game - We are going to be much improved on special teams.


This team could win anywhere from 6 games to 10... the median probably being the most realistic, but with all the down-trodden on the team and the black cloud that has been hanging over for a stretch, DONT COUNT OUT these young canes. See you guys in September.

 

[VaderCane]

QB and secondary. If these two spots play well we can have a decent season. Not a BCS season but 9 win decent. If they don't we are staring 6 wins right in the face.

 

[StateOfMiamiU]

everything starts and ends with the O and D line

 

[pcitycane]

QB and secondary. If these two spots play well we can have a decent season. Not a BCS season but 9 win decent. If they don't we are staring 6 wins right in the face.

secondary has to be better based on numbers and bodies alone. we have been so thin at corner and safety ever since the end of the 07 season. Ryan Hill (never had a fair shot, decent corner), Chavez Grant, Carlous Armour, Mike Williams, Brandon Mcgee... all not very good players who started here at the U. Demarcus Van Dyke made a living off of getting burnt. Between Howard, Bush, Grant, Hope, Davis, Lockhart depending on his side of the ball, Highsmith and Rodgers being seniors with Ray Ray and Maq... we have to be better.

 

[pcitycane]

everything starts and ends with the O and D line

Agreed. Our OL should be the strength of our team, but it should have been last year as well and we got pushed around an awful lot. Our DLINE im actually excited about if Porter can stay healthy.

 

[PGCountySoulCane]

everything starts and ends with the O and D line

Agreed. Our OL should be the strength of our team, but it should have been last year as well and we got pushed around an awful lot. Our DLINE im actually excited about if Porter can stay healthy.

+1
EXACTLY. As excited as I am about the chase for 40/10. The OLINE and DLINE should have had these numbers already with the bulk of them being upperclassmen. Fact that Seantrl is only doing about 20 reps as a junior says a lot about why we were getting pushed around.

 

[VaderCane]

Hoping now that our strength numbers are up the online will get it done.

 

[DerpaDerp]

I abhor you fake canes fans who don't think we have the talent to win the MNC and play in the BCS Title game this year. We're all set to run the table with a freshman heisman candidate and a very athletic set of guards!!! You all can just go straight to ******* ****!!!

 

[StateOfMiamiU]

ya seantrel's numbers on the bench press are dissapointing. I might be a little bias cause im a lineman but if you win the line of scrimmage you have a great chance to win the game.

everything starts and ends with the O and D line

Agreed. Our OL should be the strength of our team, but it should have been last year as well and we got pushed around an awful lot. Our DLINE im actually excited about if Porter can stay healthy.

+1
EXACTLY. As excited as I am about the chase for 40/10. The OLINE and DLINE should have had these numbers already with the bulk of them being upperclassmen. Fact that Seantrl is only doing about 20 reps as a junior says a lot about why we were getting pushed around.

 

[RepTheGables]

I abhor you fake canes fans who don't think we have the talent to win the MNC and play in the BCS Title game this year. We're all set to run the table with a freshman heisman candidate and a very athletic set of guards!!! You all can just go straight to ******* ****!!!

Nobody here said anything close to that. Drink a cup of chamomile tea and listen to some Bach.

 

[Staybon]

everything starts and ends with the O and D line

Agreed. Our OL should be the strength of our team, but it should have been last year as well and we got pushed around an awful lot. Our DLINE im actually excited about if Porter can stay healthy.

+1
EXACTLY. As excited as I am about the chase for 40/10. The OLINE and DLINE should have had these numbers already with the bulk of them being upperclassmen. Fact that Seantrl is only doing about 20 reps as a junior says a lot about why we were getting pushed around.

He's not bench press strong, but don't see him getting pushed around very often. Basic physics take over to an extent. Plus guys with arms as long as him tend to bench press less than other guys. What did McKinnie bench coming out of here?

 

[Canesfan1899]

everything starts and ends with the O and D line

Agreed. Our OL should be the strength of our team, but it should have been last year as well and we got pushed around an awful lot. Our DLINE im actually excited about if Porter can stay healthy.

Agreed, thought the OL would be dominant last year, with another years experience in U tough we should be stronger at the point of attack and able to push DL's off the ball.

 

[Marcelo2988]

We are going to be young but very talented. QB play and the O-line/D-line are going to have to be great for us to get anything more than 7-8 wins IMO.

 

[jandman514]

QB and secondary. If these two spots play well we can have a decent season. Not a BCS season but 9 win decent. If they don't we are staring 6 wins right in the face.

secondary has to be better based on numbers and bodies alone. we have been so thin at corner and safety ever since the end of the 07 season. Ryan Hill (never had a fair shot, decent corner), Chavez Grant, Carlous Armour, Mike Williams, Brandon Mcgee... all not very good players who started here at the U. Demarcus Van Dyke made a living off of getting burnt. Between Howard, Bush, Grant, Hope, Davis, Lockhart depending on his side of the ball, Highsmith and Rodgers being seniors with Ray Ray and Maq... we have to be better.

DVD actually was pretty good his sr year and rarely got beat deep. Also Highsmith and Rodgers are JRs.....

 

[Spidercane]

Offseason sucks. I was talking football all day at work though and it really got me thinking about the upcoming season. Anyway, with the bounce of the ball unknown thus far, alot can happen this year.

First of all, noone... and I mean NOONE including us Cane fans expect Miami to win any more then 7 or 8 games this year, and 9 is really really pushing it. However, judging by the way the schedule plays out and the utter weakness of the conference, most importantly within our own division, this team really has a chance to go to the title game. They have to take on the cliche us against the world mentality and take the fact that nobody in the galaxy expects the canes to do a **** THING and they really have to use that to drive them. It starts with Stephen Morris.


We know a little bit about Morris. He was handpicked to be the sole QB in his class by Mark Whipple, he has a CANON arm,
I don't think Morris was handpicked by Whipple. I think we struck out on our first 7 prospects and settled on Morris. Don't get me wrong Morris has all the intangibles he's just a turnover machine just like Berlin, Wright, Freeman, Marve and Jacory. The bad thing about Morris was that he was forced to play too early. I think that may have stumped his growth a little bit, but at the same time he did gain some valuable experience in the process so it's a toss up. I really hope Fisch can bring out the best in him, it's going to be tough with our pedestrian receivers at least early on.

he is inexperienced at the college level and he has already lost us a couple of games on bonehead throws (VT 2 years ago, I was there with a great vantage point... worst throw I have ever seen live, Maryland last year), and so on. Some things we dont know however such as the strides he has made from game one last year to RIGHT NOW and through the summer and fall. How well he has developed under Fisch and Golden, and how well he knows the playbook. If Morris has a very good-great year and doesnt turn the ball over, the canes could win every game on the schedule.


The Freshmen - Duke Johnson, Malcolm Lewis, Robert Lockhart, Jelani Hamilton, Raphael Kirby, Bush, Howard, Hope and so on and so on... this team is going to be very very young, but these freshmen step up and look out.

Never a good sign when you are hoping/praying/expecting true freshman to have to step right in and give you big time minutes. Can they do it? Of course that's a possibility but history shows that very very few frosh can come in and play at a high level.

The defense - I have a real real good feeling about it. If we come out game one and our CBs are 7 yards off of the receivers, I will immediately no longer feel good about it. If we come out pressing, that means Coach D and Golden have the confidence with this D to play ball.

The defense improved? I'll believe it when I see it. Watching last years Bethune Cookman game on DVR right now and WOW did we suck on defense against a 1AA team. A lot of question marks on offense and defense. Our DB's couldn't cover guys in a phone booth last year. Year 2 in the system should help. How good is that system though? Is coach D the DC to bring us back? Jury is still out. No rose colored glasses or O & G Kool aid drinking here.


Special Teams game - We are going to be much improved on special teams.

Every season we score on a punt usually against Duke, FAMU or some other sacrificial lamb. Haven't blocked a kick since George Washington was president. Our coverage was better last season. Bringing in so many athletic guys at LB especially will help our coverage teams. I really hope we can get back to blocking some kicks/punts again FINALLY!


This team could win anywhere from 6 games to 10... the median probably being the most realistic, but with all the down-trodden on the team and the black cloud that has been hanging over for a stretch, DONT COUNT OUT these young canes. See you guys in September.

I don't believe we will win 6 games. I think we can/will win more but like you said depending on our QB play. ACC is a bum conference. The only teams we play next season with equal/better talent are FSU, VT, and maybe ND/KSU. Our coaches and players got to start finding a way to get over the hump and win these tough games. I want our guys to play hard, cut down on the god **** penalties and turnovers. I want our coaches to play to our strength's not just implement a system that we don't have the personnel for.

One last thing everything goes out the window if the NCAA hammers us (moral will be low) or if we have major injuries.

 

[UMFarArcher]

I though it was against the Rules and Conditions of membership here to mention out loud anything about potential "injuries" - to prevent tempting the Injuries gods who may have forgotten us until this was mentioned.

So, if we get a bunch of injuries - we can all thank Spidercane.

And don't worry about the NCAA. Another few weeks, and we'll self-impose nine or ten scholarships over three years to pre-emptively remove all sting from the NCAA. Contrite, and self-flagellation. They love that **it.

I don't care what we've been doing in past years. Those personnel are largely gone and we have a fresh crew with a fresh attitude.

don't think we'll win 6 games . . .
BS!

 

[pcitycane]

"The defense improved? I'll believe it when I see it. Watching last years Bethune Cookman game on DVR right now and WOW did we suck on defense against a 1AA team."



The D improved a great deal from the 1st half of the season to the 2nd half. Our D was probably 2nd worst in the ACC the first 6 games, but we played a whole **** of alot better in the 2nd half. To me that says the coaching was working. The first full offseason with Golden, D'Nofrio, and a seemingly freshly motivated Swasey as well as the insertion of some REAL CORNERS will show tremendous stride, IMO. I look for our D to be the strength of the team, IF we can get pressure with our front on a consistent basis which remains to be seen.

 

[UMFarArcher]

Before Golden, we got worse and worse as the games went on.

We went so far as to quit.

pcitycane is right. The second half adjustments were made, and the second half of our schedule got better.

And who's fault was that?

 

[pcitycane]

Before Golden, we got worse and worse as the games went on.

We went so far as to quit.

pcitycane is right. The second half adjustments were made, and the second half of our schedule got better.

And who's fault was that?

Showing improvement in the 2nd half is probably right on track with the coaches expectations. This takes time. I feel like we will win our first ACC championship and Al Golden will be a big reason why. Probably wont be this year, mabye not even next year... but its coming.

 

[Bennubird]

Seantrel's issues have been more between his ears than from the neck down besides he's been injured quite a bit as well. This is his money year. If he plays well he can write his own ticket.