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Herald looks ahead to 2013

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CaneTillIDie said:
At the risk of sounding like a lazy *******, can I get some cliff notes?
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You're welcome you lazy *******.





An early peek at 2013 Hurricanes; Dolphins, Canes, Heat, Marlins tidbits

SUNDAY BUZZ COLUMN

With UM’s football season ending abruptly Saturday, coaches take solace that every starter is likely returning except Mike James and Brandon McGee, unless there are transfers or juniors turning pro.

“You’ve got 10 returning starters on offense and Duke Johnson,” offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch said. “Who wouldn’t want to coach that?”

The defense? Not nearly as rosy a picture, though the youth and potential of several key players offer at least some measure of encouragement. But let's not sugercoat: This defense must improve markedly for UM to have any chance of winning at FSU, at North Carolina and at Virginia Tech next year.

An in-depth position-by-position peek ahead to 2013, with input from Fisch and defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio:

### Quarterback: Senior-to-be Stephen Morris “will have an opportunity to be among the best,” Al Golden said. “He’s going to be an excellent quarterback; he’s pretty good right now. I’ve been around Matt Hasselbeck and Matt Schaub, and Stephen’s arm is the best of all those guys. Elite arm.

“His leadership is extraordinary. He’s 208 pounds. Next year, he’ll be 218, will be able to take some punishment. He’ll run the ball better.”

Morris must improve in the red zone -- he was a dismal 4 for 22 inside the opponent’s 10-yard line -- and must boost his 58.2 completion percentage. He closed with 21 touchdowns, seven picks and an average of 279 passing yards per game.

“His footwork has to get better,” Fisch said. “If he has better footwork in the pocket, he’ll be more accurate.” But as Fisch noted, Morris has been hurt by more than two dozen drops.

Preston Dewey ended the season as the No. 3 quarterback, though Fisch insisted that Dewey and Gray Crow are “dead even” behind Morris and Ryan Williams. Prized oral commitment Kevin Olsen isn’t expected to arrive until the summer. So “Preston and Gray will get a lot of reps in the spring.” David Thompson, who redshirted after shoulder surgery, will miss spring ball to play baseball.

### Running back: With James graduating, UM hopes Danny Dillard emerges as a complement to Johnson, UM's best player. Dillard “is similar to Mike James, probably bigger,” Fisch said. “We hope he can be as good as Mike. He can be a real physical presence.” FYI: Johnson, whose carries should increase as a starter next year, finished his freshman year with 947 yards rushing on 139 carries (a robust 6.8 average).

Fisch expects Eduardo Clements (neck issue) to be ready for next season --- he had just seven carries for 16 yards --- and Dallas Crawford will get another look. Maurice Hagens is back at fullback. Two backs likely will be signed, with Ray Lewis III orally committed and UM remaining privately hopeful of landing South Plantation’s Alex Collins, even though he dropped his oral commitment.

### Receiver: Should be UM’s best and deepest position, with at least six able to make a strong case for playing time. “To have the same group, other than Davon Johnson and Kendal Thompkins, is going to be awesome,” Fisch said. “The receiver corps is going to be really good. I expect a huge jump from Phillip Dorsett. We’ll have Allen Hurns healthy.”

The top six going into the spring: Dorsett, Hurns, Rashawn Scott (back from suspension in January), Malcolm Lewis (“he was almost starting as a true freshman in week 2” before his season-ending injury, Fisch points out); Robert Lockhart (Fisch said he resembled Tommy Streeter with amazing practice catches before his injury) and Herb Waters, who came on very strong late and scored another touchdown Saturday.

Among the redshirt freshmen receivers, Jontavious Carter impressed coaches more than D’Mauri Jones, though it's hard to see either cracking the top six barring injuries. And don't discount Angelo Jean-Louis, who was UM’s highest-rated Class of 2012 receiver recruit but went to prep school because of academic reasons. Jean-Louis said he will enroll here in 2013.

### Tight end: A priority will be getting Clive Walford involved heavily in the passing game to start next season, not just in November, as was the case this year. "He can be as good as he wants to be," Fisch said. "He’s so gifted, strong, athletic and fast.”

Asante Cleveland, Dyron Dye and David Perry are back, but Cleveland simply hasn't lived up to the staff's initial expectations. Miami has oral commitments from the nation’s 11th- and 12th-rated tight ends: Tampa’s Travis Johnson and New Orleans’ Standish Dobard.

### Offensive line: From left to right, starters Malcolm Bunche, Jonathan Feliciano, Shane McDermott, Brandon Linder and Seantrel Henderson have eligibility left, though UM isn’t certain if Henderson will turn pro. If he does, Ereck Flowers can move in seamlessly. Jared Wheeler would become the top backup if Henderson bolts.

Among 2012 newcomers, Danny Isidora is ahead of Taylor Gadbois and could be a factor at guard.

### Linebacker: D’Onofrio told me he now has peace of mind with a unit that was a major worry before the season. If Ramon Buchanan gets another year of eligibility (still in question), UM will have Buchanan, Denzel Perryman (UM likely will keep him outside, but D’Onofrio said that isn’t definite); middle linebacker Jimmy Gaines (“he was the guy we were sorely missing before he came back for FSU. He’s been great”).

They’ll also have Gionni Paul (third on the team in tackles despite missing three games); Eddie Johnson (led UM in tackles for loss); and Raphael Kirby (“his skill set is really good”), plus Tyrone Cornelius, Thurston Armbrister and freshmen Gabe Terry (special-teams standout) and JaWand Blue (who redshirted).

Is it a great group? Hardly. But it could be good enough if Johnson, Perryman and Kirby keep developing. Johnson needs to get his act together; he was left home Saturday for undisclosed reasons, just as he was for the Virginia game. (He missed a team meeting before that game.)

Bottom line: The linebackers must improve both against the run and in coverage against skilled tight ends and running backs.

### Defensive end: UM had only 13 sacks as a team, and the pass rush from this group wasn't nearly good enough, though freshman Tyriq McCord (3.5 sacks) was impressive in that regard. Starter Shayon Green didn't produce a single sack. McCord could challenge him for playing time -- opposite Anthony Chickillo - but only if he bulks up. “Tyriq has long arms but needs an offseason in the weight room. He’s 218 and needs to get to 235,” D’Onofrio said. “Shayon is a 255-pounder.”

Behind those three, UM needs at least two others to emerge among Kelvin Cain (UM thought he would be more of a factor), Jalen Grimble (a disappointment was who moved over from tackle), Ricardo Williams (hasn't done much) and freshmen Jelani Hamilton, Dwayne Hoilett and Jake O’Donnell. Hamilton played less as the year went on because McCord passed him, but D’Onofrio insists he didn’t regress. Hoilett and O'Donnell redshifted, and UM needs to see more to determine if either can help.

### Defensive tackle: After Curtis Porter returned for the final four games, he and Olsen Pierre became UM’s best tackle tandem, by far, and UM hopes Porter, a junior, eschews turning pro. With those two together, UM was competent defending the run after being abysmal earlier in the season.

But two more reliable tackles must emerge among Earl Moore, who D’Onofrio said was the best of the three freshmen tackles; Luther Robinson and Corey King (UM likes his upside); and freshmen Dequan Ivery (has dropped from 327 to 302 pounds) and Jacoby Briscoe.

D’Onofrio said Briscoe has practiced some on the offensive line but will stay on defense…. UM is in the mix for at least two junior college tackles (Lavon Hooks, Toby Johnson) and Delray Beach Atlantic’s Keith Bryant remains a soft oral commitment.

### Cornerback: The group struggled Saturday and loses McGee. Freshman Tracy Howard made his first start against Duke and almost assuredly will start next year, likely opposite Ladarius Gunter, who had some good moments this season but not Saturday. Figure on Antonio Crawford, UM's fastest corner, pushing Gunter. Thomas Finnie's play was too erratic.

“Tracy has improved quite a bit," D'Onofrio said. "Antonio has excellent coverage skills, can really run. And we’re excited about Nate Dortch and Larry Hope” - who both redshirted.

### Safety: The safety play wasn't nearly good enough this year, but UM believes Rayshawn Jenkins/Deon Bush can be its best safety tandem in several years if both freshmen keep improving. “Jenkins is a tremendous talent, has all the skills to be a big time safety,” D’Onofrio said. Kacy Rodgers, who had numerous breakdowns, and AJ Highsmith likely move into backup roles.

### Matt Goudis will replace senior kicker Jake Wieclaw and potentially, senior punter Dalton Botts.

CHATTER


Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/#storylink=cpy
 
CaneTillIDie said:
At the risk of sounding like a lazy *******, can I get some cliff notes?
Click to expand...

We might be good, we might not? Seriously, it's potential, potential, potential. Fisch really excited about offense, and on defense guys just have to grow, literally and figuratively. Also, Ramon Buchanan might be back for a 6th year.
 
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CaneUfeelMe said:
Would porter get drafted?
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The draft gurus always say it's all about potential, and he's got that. Looking at it the way so many of the kids in the last 5 years or so do: If you're Porter's dad, would you advise him to come back next year and risk another injury? I'm trying to take off my orange and green glasses and look at it as objectively as possible. When he plays, he has produced. He has the size to play in the NFL, and this may be enough for someone to draft him in the 6th round. He hasn't been able to play more than 4-5 games in any year, in college, and another injury could set him back. Then again, a big senior year means he gets a lot more money. I don't know his background well enough to know if he needs to make a living for his family (parents, kids, wife/girl friend). I still say it's a bad idea, but I'm not in his shoes.
 
We have a real issue with our Dline. We need Porter to come back and stay healthy. We need real depth there and not just bodies so that we can rotate in more often. We have nothing at DE. We have a run-stopper and a guy who brings little. Shayon Green didn't have 1 sack. McCord at 235 is better but really needs to be at 260-270. That won't happen for another 2 years. We need some JUCO beasts. Even good HS guys on the DLine rarely make an impact for about 2 years.
 
Xd45hurricane said:
Morris 4 for 22 inside the 10.. that's got to change
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It should have been publicized all season. I was aware of it. Morris is so bad at fades and back shoulder throws that I couldn't believe Fisch kept insisting on them near the goal line. As I posted in another thread, Morris has developed some touch in the 15-25 yard range. But he can't vary pace and loft in tight quarters. We also made a mistake of rolling him out near the goal line early in the season. The plays were blown up and Morris seemed to be impatient inside the 10 as a result. He'd gun it instead of waiting the extra half count for the route to unfold.

Granted, last season we had a terrific red zone target in Streeter. Nobody came close to filling that role this year. I think Fisch didn't realize it was Streeter making the plays more than the calls were good.

One of the few successes Morris had near the goal line was the quick dart to Mike James for the equalizing touchdown in the final seconds at Georgia Tech.
 
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Xd45hurricane said:
Morris 4 for 22 inside the 10.. that's got to change
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What should be glaring to you there is we must get better at running the ball down there. Defenses didn't respect the run and could defend Morris and the passing game. Look at the top 4 teams in the polls and all of them have a power running game. I don't see us playing for championships until we get back to that mentality.
 
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i hate say, how can we not be better? we return 20 of 22 starters and you can make an argument that duke is a starter. plenty in the 2 deep on both sides got tons of playing time.
how can our offense not be better, if not one of the best offenses in college football? how can our defense not be better?
plug in a couple of true freshmen from the '13 class as depth and we have to be better.
 
Glad Fisch emphasized Morris' footwork. I've been clamoring about it for a bit. He overstrides. When he's balanced in his stance, he's basically a different QB.

The DEnd position is terrifying.
 
LuCane said:
Glad Fisch emphasized Morris' footwork. I've been clamoring about it for a bit. He overstrides. When he's balanced in his stance, he's basically a different QB.

The DEnd position is terrifying.
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Can't be worse than it was this season, right?
 
Anything else think this season felt exactly like 2008? Hopefully this staff has more success than the previous at taking individual players and the team to the next level.
 
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