Terry Bowden wrote this column about a week ago, and I've got to say that I don't agree with his assessment on Shannon. At all. And this isn't simply because I'm a Florida fan, either; I just don't see greatness when I see Shannon or this Miami team on the field. Sure, they've got a lot of young players everywhere, but this team still doesn't look prepared when they face decent teams. Bowden writes:
The once invincible 'Canes finished 5-7, including a horrific 48-0 loss to Virginia in their last game in the Orange Bowl. Maybe Coach Shannon was just a great defensive coordinator, great recruiter and great motivator, but not a great head coach.
Miami entered the 2008 season with one of the top recruiting class in the country (Rivals.com No. 5), and Shannon wasn't afraid to play those freshmen. With new defensive coordinator Bill Young in the booth, it seems that Coach Shannon has started to find his groove as a head coach.
Found his groove how? By playing in an ACC that's even worse than it was last year? That's essentially the main difference between last year's campaign and this one's. Last year, Boston College and Virginia Tech were 10 and 11 win squads, respectively, and Virginia won nine games as well. This year, the conference is a hodgepodge of mediocre teams that are completely unwilling to actually win their respective divisions. Miami is still struggling mightily on offense, just like they were last year, and the defense--while solid--is subject to huge mental lapses, just like they were last year. They came into last night's game against Georgia Tech 19th in rushing defense; they gave up 472 rushing yards to the Yellow Jackets last night. Quarterbacks Robert Marve and Jacory Harris each threw interceptions, and the Hurricanes had to tack on a last minute touchdown to make last night's game even remotely respectable. Their biggest highlight this year is still "hanging with Florida for three quarters," despite the fact that they managed a measly 140 yards on offense, never got inside Florida's 30 yard line, and only scored 3 points. None of this is suggestive of a team on the rise, particularly when you factor in their horrendous effort against Tech last night. Miami missed tackles, played out of position, and looked as though they'd never seen the triple option before. The sad part is that we've seen this "deer in headlights" look from Miami before, whether it be their offensive ineptitude against Florida, or their blown lead against North Carolina, or their loss to an almost equally bad Florida State team. They're showing the same signs of mediocrity as they did last year.
Only this year, there aren't enough good teams in the ACC to make them pay for it.
If you want to see a coach that's got his team on the right track, look at Paul Johnson and the job he's doing at Tech this year. This is their first year learning a new offense, they've got far less talent than a team like Miami, and they showed that it doesn't matter. Why? Because good coaches don't need excuses for their wins or losses; they simply get the job done and coach their teams to wins. If we're going to heap praise on Shannon, then we need to be building statues in Paul Johnson's honor.
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