Our last championship-level defense

[Ethnicsands]

I really wish Coker would've taken that NFL job he was supposedly offered

LMAO. "Larry Coker's a great man."

--Random Grassy Posters, Circa 2003--2005

 

[HulkaCaniac]

I remember thinking we were back.

Then Kyle Wright pukes down his leg a few weeks later against GTech.

 

[Chicken_N_Roffles]

I remember thinking we were back.

Then Larry Coker pukes down his leg a few weeks later against GTech.

FIFY

 

[wushah]

I think '03 was more of a true NC quality D. That unit not getting a ring was criminal.

I was thinking the same thing. That unit was our last true NC-caliber defense. They just had no help on the other side of the ball.

 

[Larry]

LE Baraka Atkins (4th round)
DT Orien Harris (4th round)
DT Kareem Brown (4th round)
RE Thomas Carroll
SLB Rocky McIntosh (2nd round)
MLB Leon Williams (4th round)
WLB Jon Beason (1st round)
CB Kelly Jennings (1st round)
CB Marcus Maxey (5th round)
FS Brandon Meriweather (1st round)
SS Kenny Phillips (1st round)

Ten starters off the defense got drafted (all 5th round or higher), and several other backups got drafted as well (Calais Campbell, Darryl Sharpton, Tavares Gooden, Spencer Adkins).

Bruce Johnson and Antonio Dixon went undrafted, but have found homes in the NFL, and Bryan Pata (RIP) was projected to go in the first 4 rounds.

Take a look at the defenses of Texas and USC that year...those make that unit look pretty pedestrian.

 

[CanesAreAble]

LE Baraka Atkins (4th round)
DT Orien Harris (4th round)
DT Kareem Brown (4th round)
RE Thomas Carroll
SLB Rocky McIntosh (2nd round)
MLB Leon Williams (4th round)
WLB Jon Beason (1st round)
CB Kelly Jennings (1st round)
CB Marcus Maxey (5th round)
FS Brandon Meriweather (1st round)
SS Kenny Phillips (1st round)

Ten starters off the defense got drafted (all 5th round or higher), and several other backups got drafted as well (Calais Campbell, Darryl Sharpton, Tavares Gooden, Spencer Adkins).

Bruce Johnson and Antonio Dixon went undrafted, but have found homes in the NFL, and Bryan Pata (RIP) was projected to go in the first 4 rounds.

Take a look at the defenses of Texas and USC that year...those make that unit look pretty pedestrian.

I'm not saying we had the best defense in the country that year, but that defense was pretty **** stacked.

SC's defense stunk that year. I'm sure there was talent, but that '05 squad under-performed (with Jethro Franklin coaching the d-line, IIRC...)

 

[CanesAreAble]

I think '03 was more of a true NC quality D. That unit not getting a ring was criminal.

I was thinking the same thing. That unit was our last true NC-caliber defense. They just had no help on the other side of the ball.

The '03 squad was better, but the '05 squad also lost two regular season games because of horrific offense.

They lost to FSU 10-7, and to GTech 14-10 (and gave up like 16 in those games).

 

[Larry]

Didn't Miami's '05 D finish in the Top 5 nationally?

 

[CanesAreAble]

Didn't Miami's '05 D finish in the Top 5 nationally?

Think so.

They were like #1 or #2 before the Peach Bowl.

 

[Ethnicsands]

Didn't Miami's '05 D finish in the Top 5 nationally?

I have those 'rankings.' Way too context-specific. It was a good D, but that team was fully Cokerized. I can't start singing their praises.

 

[Larry]

Didn't Miami's '05 D finish in the Top 5 nationally?

I have those 'rankings.' Way too context-specific. It was a good D, but that team was fully Cokerized. I can't start singing their praises.

For sure.

You get no arguments from me.

Even looking at the list of players in the OP, it doesn't scream great D...Beason is the only "great" player on the list and he wasn't great at Miami...he ended up being a great pro. Then you have some "good" pros like Meriweather, Rocky and Phillips. But no one "great"...especially at the collegiate level.

 

[CanesAreAble]

Didn't Miami's '05 D finish in the Top 5 nationally?

I have those 'rankings.' Way too context-specific. It was a good D, but that team was fully Cokerized. I can't start singing their praises.

For sure.

You get no arguments from me.

Even looking at the list of players in the OP, it doesn't scream great D...Beason is the only "great" player on the list and he wasn't great at Miami...he ended up being a great pro. Then you have some "good" pros like Meriweather, Rocky and Phillips. But no one "great"...especially at the collegiate level.

It wasn't a defense for the ages, but I think having a ton of "good" guys on defense equals a great defense.

If you pair that defense with a legit offense, that's a squad that can win a title.

Sad thing is, we haven't come anywhere close to that defense since, but I love what Golden is cookin'.

 

[Larry]

Until Golden and Corch D get that D-Line right, the D will end up middling. Excellent D-Lines in college make everything else easier.

 

[Pennmed Canefan]

That unit was beast. I don't know about who was supposed to be "great" or what not but that unit was outstanding. They were experienced and had more available to them than the 2003 unit. Brandon Meriweather for instance might not qualify as "great" but he was a better defender than anybody in the 2003 secondary minus Taylor because he had great flexibility and commanded that defense fully. He was as valuable as a defender as Taylor honestly because he played both corner and safety and ran the whole show--the second level falls apart without him. The defense did not have a Vilma or DJ but they understood that Glenn Cook was a well-suited nickel defender and Rocky was beast-mode that year. Thus they played Beason and Cook and Willie (some) and LWilliams (some) and the interchange was fairly seamless. Had they been fully-motivated (Peach Bowl was meaningless to them), they had every capability of finishing #1 in the country. It was 100% a national-title caliber defense. The sum was greater than any one individual and the coaching was outstanding.

Didn't Miami's '05 D finish in the Top 5 nationally?

I have those 'rankings.' Way too context-specific. It was a good D, but that team was fully Cokerized. I can't start singing their praises.

For sure.

You get no arguments from me.

Even looking at the list of players in the OP, it doesn't scream great D...Beason is the only "great" player on the list and he wasn't great at Miami...he ended up being a great pro. Then you have some "good" pros like Meriweather, Rocky and Phillips. But no one "great"...especially at the collegiate level.

 

[wushah]

Can't agree with that. That 2003 squad had Wilfork, Vilma, Williams, Taylor, Rolle, and Sikes, and that's just off the top of my head, and you're coming back with Merriweather as being better than anyone Taylor? Rolle was a monster in college. Both LBs went first rd. Wilfork was dominant. Merriweather was a backup on that squad. If I recall, we had Santonio Thomas as well playing next to Wilfork. There is no way the 2005 defense was better than 2003. No way.

 

[Pennmed Canefan]

I said "in the secondary." I didn't say he was better than Wilfork. And I definitely think that 2005 Meriweather was a better defender than 2003 Rolle because of his versatility and what he did for that defense. He ran the back of that defense from the slot and safety position not unlike Brandon Harris was later forced to do solely from corner--in a defense that was far more difficult to run due to their adjustments to crossers. I didn't say 2005 was better than 2003. I'm not sure how you read my post and got whatever you are saying.

Can't agree with that. That 2003 squad had Wilfork, Vilma, Williams, Taylor, Rolle, and Sikes, and that's just off the top of my head, and you're coming back with Merriweather as being better than anyone Taylor? Rolle was a monster in college. Both LBs went first rd. Wilfork was dominant. Merriweather was a backup on that squad. If I recall, we had Santonio Thomas as well playing next to Wilfork. There is no way the 2005 defense was better than 2003. No way.

 

[hawaiicane]

lol. 2005 defense great for piling up stats. But no team or unit that quits as pathetically as it did in the Peach can be called "beast". It's one thing to get outplayed and dominated because the other team is just flat better than you - it's another thing to just turn into a puss*ified little bit*h and get your manhood handed to you because you quit and don't feel "inspired" to play.

That unit was beast. I don't know about who was supposed to be "great" or what not but that unit was outstanding. They were experienced and had more available to them than the 2003 unit. Brandon Meriweather for instance might not qualify as "great" but he was a better defender than anybody in the 2003 secondary minus Taylor because he had great flexibility and commanded that defense fully. He was as valuable as a defender as Taylor honestly because he played both corner and safety and ran the whole show--the second level falls apart without him. The defense did not have a Vilma or DJ but they understood that Glenn Cook was a well-suited nickel defender and Rocky was beast-mode that year. Thus they played Beason and Cook and Willie (some) and LWilliams (some) and the interchange was fairly seamless. Had they been fully-motivated (Peach Bowl was meaningless to them), they had every capability of finishing #1 in the country. It was 100% a national-title caliber defense. The sum was greater than any one individual and the coaching was outstanding.

Didn't Miami's '05 D finish in the Top 5 nationally?

I have those 'rankings.' Way too context-specific. It was a good D, but that team was fully Cokerized. I can't start singing their praises.

For sure.

You get no arguments from me.

Even looking at the list of players in the OP, it doesn't scream great D...Beason is the only "great" player on the list and he wasn't great at Miami...he ended up being a great pro. Then you have some "good" pros like Meriweather, Rocky and Phillips. But no one "great"...especially at the collegiate level.