Series:
Just when you finally felt normal after stuffing your face with turkey and mashed potatoes, we fill you right back up, but this time with knowledge. This week we cover the playoff rankings, the USS Texas, the interior OL, our Thanksgiving experience, and much more!
@Damiencane86 (CanesInsight): What's your final 2021 recruiting class prediction?
We currently have 21 commits but I think we drop Collins so that leaves us 20 and for the sake of clarifying numbers, we will assume that gives us 5 spots left (we did count Jarrid forward but there is some manipulation they can do to gain an extra spot). My prediction is:
@canes732 (CanesInsight): Is there any truth that Clemson needs to play FSU to be eligible for the ACC Title Game?
No. There is a thread on the main board detailing the circumstances and someone posted a link in our thread I believe, but Clemson would have to miss a couple more games to be ineligible, which isn’t likely. They hold the head to head tiebreaker over us so we will need them to lose to Pitt or VT for us to have a chance.
My turn to ask you a question, is 732 referring to your area code?
@ben (CanesInsight): Rank em: stuffing, candied yams, cranberry sauce, cornbread, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole.
I love cornbread so that’s an easy one for me. Mashed potatoes is a classic you can't go wrong there. The gb casserole has grown on me the last few years so it gets the nod over stuffing, which a lot of people struggle to make good.
@JD08 (CanesInsight): Since you probably won't post your answers until Friday, did you have a Happy Thanksgiving?
I am currently writing this on Wednesday so I will give an update before posting. I’m celebrating at my in-laws and I’m not cooking so my prediction is the food will be okay, nothing special.
Update: Food was ok, nothing special. In case my in-laws are reading this, I regret nothing. BTW, who puts raisins in gravy?? Get your act together, Carol. Nobody wants that. I don't care what pinterest told you.
@Luke Caneswalker (CanesInsight): I believe it’s vital to reestablish the run these next 3 games. If Donaldson is healthy. What is your starting 5 on the line to help make that happen?
It seems like forever ago that the OL was able to provide a consistent push and open consistent running lanes. The entire interior of the OL has been disappointing lately so let’s mix things up:
LT: Nelson- he’s playing really well lately
LG: Donaldson- can he really be worse than what we’ve seen?
C: Gaynor- Maybe we can slide Clark here but we will stay with the experience
RG: Rivers- let’s see what the young guy can do
RT: Williams- he’s been okay
@CFLCane (CanesInsight): 1. Is Climate Change Real?
2. Pumpkin or Pecan Pie?
@drat04 (CanesInsight): When will COVID-19 be over?
Hopefully soon, I’m tired of everything covid related (wearing a mask, economy struggling, people losing jobs, etc.). We do have 3 companies that have a vaccine so we shouldn’t be too far away. We are in store for a rough 2-3 months in my opinion but the vaccines will take time to distribute so my guess is by June/July covid will be over.
@drat04 (CanesInsight): who is your top 10 in the first cfb playoff rankings.
@ChicagoCane1992 (CanesInsight): 3-4 spots left in the class. What positions do those spots go to in your opinion? Do you think Collins gets dropped?
Yes, I don’t think Collins ends up in the class. 4 spots I would target are CB, CB, DE, and QB whether that’s high school or portal. Unless a stud like Maason Smith (long shot) wants in, those 4 would be my positional targets.
@yessirking (CanesInsight): Which player on the team gets the least amount of respect from the fanbase?
Interesting one as we tend to overrate our players from a fan perspective. My answer is going to be Gilbert Frierson as he’s quietly been the most consistent player on our defense and provides some much needed energy. I thought there would be a considerable drop off from Finley but one could argue we’ve upgraded at Striker, or at least have remained even. I bash Patke a lot but we have to give him credit for the development of Frierson.
@SpikeUM (CanesInsight): Lechon o pavo?
Lechon. Last week’s mail bag covered my disdain for pavo but I’m going with ham 100 times out of 100 if it’s going against turkey.
@Empirical Cane (CanesInsight): How does one pronounce pecan?
1. [pee-can]
2. [peh-cahn]
3. [pee-cahn]
Always a Turkey Day throwdown.
I say pee-can but the correct answer is puh-kahn which I suppose is #2 but how people pronounce it may be dictated by where they live.
@Empirical Cane (CanesInsight): Who stays for next season? Who goes to draft? Who SHOULD stay for next season?
The seniors are it’s own category with the NCAA giving them an extra year but we will focus on our draft eligible Jrs and RS Sophomores. I think Phillips, Bolden, Harris and Jordan end up declaring. I think this is going to be the first year where we don’t have a complete head scratcher (like Garvin last year for example) declare.
I think Jordan and Harris should declare. I don’t think Jordan is a round 1 guy due to limited athleticism and not having elite size. He’ll go in round 2 (maybe 3) but with his injury history I think it’s best for him to just go and play for that 2nd contract because if he comes back and gets hurt again, he could slide further. Harris is a RB and his carries will only decline so he should take what he can now.
Bolden shouldn’t declare especially after this recent stretch of poor play. He has the talent to be a round 1 guy with some more physical development and production. He would be costing himself millions by leaving now in my opinion. I may catch some flak for this but I don’t think Phillips should go even if he is projected to be a 2nd rounder. This guy has top 10 potential with another year of getting bigger, stronger, and refining his technique. Top 10 money is no joke and Manny/Stroud need to sell him on that.
@423Hurricane (CanesInsight): Turkey, ham, or something else?
Something else. I don’t mind ham but I usually have that on Christmas so I prefer BBQ on Thanksgiving. This year I won’t my wish though as my in-laws are doing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Meh.
@TheOriginalCane (CanesInsight): Will F$U have 25 scholarship players next year, or 50?
Let’s just take a moment to LOLOLOLOL at FSU’s situation. What a joke that program has become. The offseason social justice and Covid issues there were the start of a much steeper decline than anticipated. Norvell hasn’t come close to righting the ship and we are now seeing mass defections, with more to come, for a program that was already struggling to bring in guys and is devoid of talent in many positional groups. Recruiting is bad and their QB commit may flip to Ole Miss. I don’t see FSU being a big time transfer destination with the state of chaos that team is in, why risk the last year of your career playing for that? But to answer your question, they’ll probably give walk ons scholarships to get that number up so probably in the 60s but I personally can't wait to watch what happens in Tallahassee.
@ClancyNoseBest (CanesInsight): Just curious - what part of the egg is the nog?
Interestingly enough, the nog is merely the vessel which delivers the egg. A nog comes from the word “noggin” which is a wooden cup. This is how the colonials drank their drinks and that’s how eggnog got its name.
@GojiraCane (CanesInsight): Barring injury, can Miami get Robert Burns more involved in the offense at strategic points? With his size he seems like someone that could be plugged in more than the occasional fourth quarter late series.
Our run game has been struggling and there’s just not enough carries to give between Cam, Chaney, Knighton, King (on his designed runs), and Burns. If the run game can be consistent enough to wear down defenses, Burns would probably be a good option later in the game at his size. Our RBs against VT had 29 carries, against NC State 23 carries, and UVA 33 carries (3 of which were Burns late). It’s unfortunate but the 4th RB just isn’t going to see carries in this offense with how we are currently operating. Next year though, if Burns stays, I can see him getting 5-10 carries a game as the 3rd back.
@JD08 (CanesInsight): What's the difference between yams and sweet potatoes? Are they interchangeable in recipes? Sweet potato or pumpkin pie?
We don't like to let others steal our thunder but @CFLCane posted an image displaying the differences between the 2. Who even knew that existed and who has the time to make that? The answer is someone from Mississippi State based on the bottom graphic headline so it all makes sense now. They are not interchangeable though as their flavor profile isn’t similar and textures are vastly different. I’m going with pumpkin pie again for this time of the year.
@GojiraCane (CanesInsight): The USS Texas, a 106 year old battleship is set to be moved soon from its berth in San Jacinto to be taken to a drydock facility many miles away to have its lower hull rebuilt. Given the increasingly fragile nature of the museum ship and that this voyage will include traveling in the open seas, how much of chance do you think that the Texas has of making it?
The final resting place itself is a good distance away, but the submerged dry dock is only about a mile away. They moved the ship last for repairs a little over 30 years ago and it took on water, but that was a 30+ mile journey, so this should be a far less daunting task even with the advanced age. It will be propped on floats and have the guns and such foamed up to be later refurbished, so it should be a slow, but effective mile. Now how they’re going to keep that thing from tipping over once they get it to the dry dock? I have no clue.
@Stylie (CanesInsight): Pop quiz hot shot. There’s a bomb on the bus. Once the bus goes 50 MPH, the bomb is armed. If it drops under 50, it blows up. What do you do?
I have thought about how I’d handle this situation many times. For hours. Sometimes for days. Pushing my family away and breaking bonds with close friends just to figure out the best possible way to combat this SPEEDy scenario.
First off, if I’m already on the bus, I find someone to drive that I know has the cojones to handle the job. No wishy-washy “I don’t think I can jump that massive highway gap” bull****. I need someone cold blooded up there.
After that, I need to figure out if the bomber is watching INSIDE the bus or just outside. Back in ‘94, the idea of him being able to check speed or position of the bus is pretty crazy, so it makes sense that one would use news coverage. Today he could have that thing tracked really easily. I’m guessing he’d have a tiny camera on the bus somewhere, so I’d do whatever I could to scramble that signal. The airport run around was a good call, and I’m sure they have the power to jam all wireless signals once I get there.
Then, I look for the bomb. I don’t know how much time I have before the bomber gets antsy with no wireless signal, so I need to move fast. If it’s going to blow the whole thing up instantly, it’s definitely near the fuel, so I’ll head under the bus. You can access the fuel tank on most buses from inside, so I’m going to pop that sucker open and look around. Sure enough, it’s attached right to the fuel tank itself.
I’ve seen enough bomb movies to know that it should be a red wire/blue wire situation at that point, BUT HOLD UP. This aint a movie, son, this is real freaking life. No way a dude who has the time to build and plant a speed-based bomb on a bus would make it so easily solvable. So what do I do? Toss the whole fuel tank. That’s right. The reason buses have that cut out is for fuel tank replacement. I tell my man to pump that bus up to about 105 and detach the tank itself.
Detach the tank, Canes Legacy? You’re crazy. Yep. Crazy as a f***ing fox. You see on most newer buses the fuel tank is located on the back BEHIND the rear axel. If that bus is going 90+ mph, once I cut the gas line and get as low as I can in fuel, we should be able to get clear of a direct blow from the bomb (which will already be lessened without the gas the bomber would no doubt have planned for). Will we take a hit? For sure, but it’s a buckle up and hold on situation at that point. Hero stuff isn’t easy.
@ddann (CanesInsight): Who should be the starting QB: Frank Costa or Ryan Collins?
You know what’s sad? All the hand wringing and threatening comments that popped up in the great debate between those two, and the best answer is “I wish there was a third guy.” Honestly, neither guy was really stellar, but Costa did a good enough job to get them close to a title opportunity. Collins had his shot and wasn’t much, if at all better. We were just chasing the guys we had over the past 15 years, but we’ll honestly probably never have a run like that every again (Kelly-Kosar-Vinny-Walsh-Erickson-Torretta, cmon now).
@GojiraCane (CanesInsight): Blast From the Past Question: How much did the school's unwillingness under Shalala to spend set back Randy Shannon and Al Golden when it came to staff, player development, and recruiting? And how much push back did they give? I recall Shannon saying that the couches in the athletic center were the same ones that he had when he was a player.
I think the lack of funding was sometimes as much a part of the culture here as winning. I think the problems were with them as individuals more than the support they got from above, though that was obviously something that kept them from making up for those issues. Tons of money could have probably made us think that either of those guys were the answer longer than we did (if we did).
@Damiencane86 (CanesInsight): What's your final 2021 recruiting class prediction?
We currently have 21 commits but I think we drop Collins so that leaves us 20 and for the sake of clarifying numbers, we will assume that gives us 5 spots left (we did count Jarrid forward but there is some manipulation they can do to gain an extra spot). My prediction is:
- Pat Payton DE
- Markevious Brown CB
- Portal CB
- Portal DE
- Portal QB (if King leaves)
@canes732 (CanesInsight): Is there any truth that Clemson needs to play FSU to be eligible for the ACC Title Game?
No. There is a thread on the main board detailing the circumstances and someone posted a link in our thread I believe, but Clemson would have to miss a couple more games to be ineligible, which isn’t likely. They hold the head to head tiebreaker over us so we will need them to lose to Pitt or VT for us to have a chance.
My turn to ask you a question, is 732 referring to your area code?
@ben (CanesInsight): Rank em: stuffing, candied yams, cranberry sauce, cornbread, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole.
- Cornbread
- Mashed potatoes
- Green bean casserole
- Stuffing
- Cranberry sauce (not a fan)
- Candied yams (not a fan)
I love cornbread so that’s an easy one for me. Mashed potatoes is a classic you can't go wrong there. The gb casserole has grown on me the last few years so it gets the nod over stuffing, which a lot of people struggle to make good.
@JD08 (CanesInsight): Since you probably won't post your answers until Friday, did you have a Happy Thanksgiving?
I am currently writing this on Wednesday so I will give an update before posting. I’m celebrating at my in-laws and I’m not cooking so my prediction is the food will be okay, nothing special.
Update: Food was ok, nothing special. In case my in-laws are reading this, I regret nothing. BTW, who puts raisins in gravy?? Get your act together, Carol. Nobody wants that. I don't care what pinterest told you.
@Luke Caneswalker (CanesInsight): I believe it’s vital to reestablish the run these next 3 games. If Donaldson is healthy. What is your starting 5 on the line to help make that happen?
It seems like forever ago that the OL was able to provide a consistent push and open consistent running lanes. The entire interior of the OL has been disappointing lately so let’s mix things up:
LT: Nelson- he’s playing really well lately
LG: Donaldson- can he really be worse than what we’ve seen?
C: Gaynor- Maybe we can slide Clark here but we will stay with the experience
RG: Rivers- let’s see what the young guy can do
RT: Williams- he’s been okay
@CFLCane (CanesInsight): 1. Is Climate Change Real?
2. Pumpkin or Pecan Pie?
- Climate change is real and the history of the earth has proven that. The climate is always changing but I have a feeling that’s not exactly what you are asking. The science shows that people have a negative impact on the environment over time and there will be consequences. What the solution is and how we go about changing it is up for debate.
- Pumpkin for me with whip cream. I don't dislike pecan, but I like pumpkin on Thanksgiving.
@drat04 (CanesInsight): When will COVID-19 be over?
Hopefully soon, I’m tired of everything covid related (wearing a mask, economy struggling, people losing jobs, etc.). We do have 3 companies that have a vaccine so we shouldn’t be too far away. We are in store for a rough 2-3 months in my opinion but the vaccines will take time to distribute so my guess is by June/July covid will be over.
@drat04 (CanesInsight): who is your top 10 in the first cfb playoff rankings.
- Bama
- ND
- Ohio State
- Clemson
- Cincinnati
- BYU
- Texas A&M
- Northwestern
- Florida
- Miami
@ChicagoCane1992 (CanesInsight): 3-4 spots left in the class. What positions do those spots go to in your opinion? Do you think Collins gets dropped?
Yes, I don’t think Collins ends up in the class. 4 spots I would target are CB, CB, DE, and QB whether that’s high school or portal. Unless a stud like Maason Smith (long shot) wants in, those 4 would be my positional targets.
@yessirking (CanesInsight): Which player on the team gets the least amount of respect from the fanbase?
Interesting one as we tend to overrate our players from a fan perspective. My answer is going to be Gilbert Frierson as he’s quietly been the most consistent player on our defense and provides some much needed energy. I thought there would be a considerable drop off from Finley but one could argue we’ve upgraded at Striker, or at least have remained even. I bash Patke a lot but we have to give him credit for the development of Frierson.
@SpikeUM (CanesInsight): Lechon o pavo?
Lechon. Last week’s mail bag covered my disdain for pavo but I’m going with ham 100 times out of 100 if it’s going against turkey.
@Empirical Cane (CanesInsight): How does one pronounce pecan?
1. [pee-can]
2. [peh-cahn]
3. [pee-cahn]
Always a Turkey Day throwdown.
I say pee-can but the correct answer is puh-kahn which I suppose is #2 but how people pronounce it may be dictated by where they live.
@Empirical Cane (CanesInsight): Who stays for next season? Who goes to draft? Who SHOULD stay for next season?
The seniors are it’s own category with the NCAA giving them an extra year but we will focus on our draft eligible Jrs and RS Sophomores. I think Phillips, Bolden, Harris and Jordan end up declaring. I think this is going to be the first year where we don’t have a complete head scratcher (like Garvin last year for example) declare.
I think Jordan and Harris should declare. I don’t think Jordan is a round 1 guy due to limited athleticism and not having elite size. He’ll go in round 2 (maybe 3) but with his injury history I think it’s best for him to just go and play for that 2nd contract because if he comes back and gets hurt again, he could slide further. Harris is a RB and his carries will only decline so he should take what he can now.
Bolden shouldn’t declare especially after this recent stretch of poor play. He has the talent to be a round 1 guy with some more physical development and production. He would be costing himself millions by leaving now in my opinion. I may catch some flak for this but I don’t think Phillips should go even if he is projected to be a 2nd rounder. This guy has top 10 potential with another year of getting bigger, stronger, and refining his technique. Top 10 money is no joke and Manny/Stroud need to sell him on that.
@423Hurricane (CanesInsight): Turkey, ham, or something else?
Something else. I don’t mind ham but I usually have that on Christmas so I prefer BBQ on Thanksgiving. This year I won’t my wish though as my in-laws are doing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Meh.
@TheOriginalCane (CanesInsight): Will F$U have 25 scholarship players next year, or 50?
Let’s just take a moment to LOLOLOLOL at FSU’s situation. What a joke that program has become. The offseason social justice and Covid issues there were the start of a much steeper decline than anticipated. Norvell hasn’t come close to righting the ship and we are now seeing mass defections, with more to come, for a program that was already struggling to bring in guys and is devoid of talent in many positional groups. Recruiting is bad and their QB commit may flip to Ole Miss. I don’t see FSU being a big time transfer destination with the state of chaos that team is in, why risk the last year of your career playing for that? But to answer your question, they’ll probably give walk ons scholarships to get that number up so probably in the 60s but I personally can't wait to watch what happens in Tallahassee.
@ClancyNoseBest (CanesInsight): Just curious - what part of the egg is the nog?
Interestingly enough, the nog is merely the vessel which delivers the egg. A nog comes from the word “noggin” which is a wooden cup. This is how the colonials drank their drinks and that’s how eggnog got its name.
@GojiraCane (CanesInsight): Barring injury, can Miami get Robert Burns more involved in the offense at strategic points? With his size he seems like someone that could be plugged in more than the occasional fourth quarter late series.
Our run game has been struggling and there’s just not enough carries to give between Cam, Chaney, Knighton, King (on his designed runs), and Burns. If the run game can be consistent enough to wear down defenses, Burns would probably be a good option later in the game at his size. Our RBs against VT had 29 carries, against NC State 23 carries, and UVA 33 carries (3 of which were Burns late). It’s unfortunate but the 4th RB just isn’t going to see carries in this offense with how we are currently operating. Next year though, if Burns stays, I can see him getting 5-10 carries a game as the 3rd back.
@JD08 (CanesInsight): What's the difference between yams and sweet potatoes? Are they interchangeable in recipes? Sweet potato or pumpkin pie?
We don't like to let others steal our thunder but @CFLCane posted an image displaying the differences between the 2. Who even knew that existed and who has the time to make that? The answer is someone from Mississippi State based on the bottom graphic headline so it all makes sense now. They are not interchangeable though as their flavor profile isn’t similar and textures are vastly different. I’m going with pumpkin pie again for this time of the year.
@GojiraCane (CanesInsight): The USS Texas, a 106 year old battleship is set to be moved soon from its berth in San Jacinto to be taken to a drydock facility many miles away to have its lower hull rebuilt. Given the increasingly fragile nature of the museum ship and that this voyage will include traveling in the open seas, how much of chance do you think that the Texas has of making it?
The final resting place itself is a good distance away, but the submerged dry dock is only about a mile away. They moved the ship last for repairs a little over 30 years ago and it took on water, but that was a 30+ mile journey, so this should be a far less daunting task even with the advanced age. It will be propped on floats and have the guns and such foamed up to be later refurbished, so it should be a slow, but effective mile. Now how they’re going to keep that thing from tipping over once they get it to the dry dock? I have no clue.
@Stylie (CanesInsight): Pop quiz hot shot. There’s a bomb on the bus. Once the bus goes 50 MPH, the bomb is armed. If it drops under 50, it blows up. What do you do?
I have thought about how I’d handle this situation many times. For hours. Sometimes for days. Pushing my family away and breaking bonds with close friends just to figure out the best possible way to combat this SPEEDy scenario.
First off, if I’m already on the bus, I find someone to drive that I know has the cojones to handle the job. No wishy-washy “I don’t think I can jump that massive highway gap” bull****. I need someone cold blooded up there.
After that, I need to figure out if the bomber is watching INSIDE the bus or just outside. Back in ‘94, the idea of him being able to check speed or position of the bus is pretty crazy, so it makes sense that one would use news coverage. Today he could have that thing tracked really easily. I’m guessing he’d have a tiny camera on the bus somewhere, so I’d do whatever I could to scramble that signal. The airport run around was a good call, and I’m sure they have the power to jam all wireless signals once I get there.
Then, I look for the bomb. I don’t know how much time I have before the bomber gets antsy with no wireless signal, so I need to move fast. If it’s going to blow the whole thing up instantly, it’s definitely near the fuel, so I’ll head under the bus. You can access the fuel tank on most buses from inside, so I’m going to pop that sucker open and look around. Sure enough, it’s attached right to the fuel tank itself.
I’ve seen enough bomb movies to know that it should be a red wire/blue wire situation at that point, BUT HOLD UP. This aint a movie, son, this is real freaking life. No way a dude who has the time to build and plant a speed-based bomb on a bus would make it so easily solvable. So what do I do? Toss the whole fuel tank. That’s right. The reason buses have that cut out is for fuel tank replacement. I tell my man to pump that bus up to about 105 and detach the tank itself.
Detach the tank, Canes Legacy? You’re crazy. Yep. Crazy as a f***ing fox. You see on most newer buses the fuel tank is located on the back BEHIND the rear axel. If that bus is going 90+ mph, once I cut the gas line and get as low as I can in fuel, we should be able to get clear of a direct blow from the bomb (which will already be lessened without the gas the bomber would no doubt have planned for). Will we take a hit? For sure, but it’s a buckle up and hold on situation at that point. Hero stuff isn’t easy.
@ddann (CanesInsight): Who should be the starting QB: Frank Costa or Ryan Collins?
You know what’s sad? All the hand wringing and threatening comments that popped up in the great debate between those two, and the best answer is “I wish there was a third guy.” Honestly, neither guy was really stellar, but Costa did a good enough job to get them close to a title opportunity. Collins had his shot and wasn’t much, if at all better. We were just chasing the guys we had over the past 15 years, but we’ll honestly probably never have a run like that every again (Kelly-Kosar-Vinny-Walsh-Erickson-Torretta, cmon now).
@GojiraCane (CanesInsight): Blast From the Past Question: How much did the school's unwillingness under Shalala to spend set back Randy Shannon and Al Golden when it came to staff, player development, and recruiting? And how much push back did they give? I recall Shannon saying that the couches in the athletic center were the same ones that he had when he was a player.
I think the lack of funding was sometimes as much a part of the culture here as winning. I think the problems were with them as individuals more than the support they got from above, though that was obviously something that kept them from making up for those issues. Tons of money could have probably made us think that either of those guys were the answer longer than we did (if we did).
