Want to consistently win football games?
Want to compete for National Championships or go to the Super Bowl?
Then when you are assembling and building your team you must start with the most important position in football: The Quarterback.
Just look at the history of great teams and great coaches in the NFL:
The Green Bay Packers and Vince Lombardi had Bart Starr.
Don Shula was fortunate enough to have three NFL Hall of Famers when he coached Johnny Unitas with the Baltimore Colts and then Bob Griese (above) and Dan Marino (below) with the Miami Dolphins.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Chuck Knoll had Terry Bradshaw.
The Dallas Cowboys and Tom Landry had Roger Staubach.
The San Francisco 49ers and Bill Walsh had Joe Montana.
Bill Bellichek must consider himself lucky to have Tom Brady.
The top teams in college football in 2011 have some of the best QBs in the NCAA. Auburn has Cam Newton. Stanford has Andrew Luck. Ohio State has Terrell Pryor. Boise State had Kellen Moore.
The last ten National Championship winners going back to 2001 all had top-notch signal callers who were either smart or talented or both. The Miami Hurricanes had Ken Dorsey. The Florida Gators had Tim Tebow. In between Texas had Vince Young.
Since Dorsey left Miami after the 2002 season the Hurricanes have struggled mightily at the QB position. In Dorsey's wake came a steady march of average to below average quarterbacks: Brock Berlin, Kyle Wright, Kirby Freeman, Robert Marve and most recently Jacory Harris.
Each of those quarterbacks failed in their attempts to take the Hurricanes back to the promised land of college football last visited by Miami in early 2003: The BCS Title game.
Over the last 10 years recruiting, retaining and coaching QBs at Miami has been challenging at least and difficult at best. The issues have been many, the productivity has been poor and the outcomes unsatisfactory for the Hurricanes from the most critical position in football.
So, new Miami Hurricane head coach Al Golden please listen closely. If you want to win college football games you need to remember one simple thing:
It's the QB stupid!
1st
Posted by: HD69 | January 13, 2011 at 05:39 AM
Can't argue with that but QB probably has the most intangibles of any position.
Posted by: Old Skool | January 13, 2011 at 06:03 AM
as damn, awesome and damn awesome adjectives go, that's a fine write up .
I can damn near smell the Orange Bowl
Posted by: WGT22 | January 13, 2011 at 06:12 AM
Coach Gold on with Rose 560 wqam @ 8 am
he'll be very very very good
Posted by: WGT22 | January 13, 2011 at 07:01 AM
Soup youth violence is very sad :(. Most of these kids don't need discipline, most of them are crying out for one thing, LOVE!
Posted by: canechic | January 13, 2011 at 07:23 AM
I Cor. 13 - 1-13
faith n hope ... actually a pretty good movie
London 1938
Posted by: WGT22 | January 13, 2011 at 07:40 AM
WGT22...actually I think it reads:
"Faith, hope and love. These three things remain. But the greatest of these is love."
Posted by: SOUP | January 13, 2011 at 07:56 AM
Canechic...I agree 100%.
Posted by: SOUP | January 13, 2011 at 08:06 AM
That is one of the most beautiful chapters in the Bible. 1 Cor 13. If you want to know about love, go to the source, the guy who invented it!
Course, if we applied the scriptures teaching about love to the way we love the Canes, where would we find ourselves?
Posted by: Bad Bart | January 13, 2011 at 08:07 AM
he'll be very very very good
Posted by: WGT22 | January 13, 2011 at 07:01 AM
Great Interview indeed.......said he should make announcement on the OC today or tomorrow. Just wants to make sure the OC and the OL coach are a good fit.
Posted by: raizecane | January 13, 2011 at 08:20 AM
not suprised, Coach Gold was awesome
Posted by: WGT22 | January 13, 2011 at 08:20 AM
Be as dominant as you want in every position on the field but if you dont have a QB that understands the can your team is SOL
Good thing we have no worries with next years QB or the incoming QB for next year
Not to get to far ahead but I will anyway, even the QB for the recruiting class of 2012
Great article Soup
Posted by: Sebastian | January 13, 2011 at 08:25 AM
A fine read. 954 will be proud.
Sure, some teams win with a "manager" QB, even against Miami, but a great QB, the guy that touches the ball on every offensive play, helps the other 21 starters immensely.
A good linebacker doesn't help the offensive tackle anywhere near as much as a good QB helps the defensive tackle, for example.
Good QB on offense = less fear about letting the other team score and fewer short fields for the other team = more aggressiveness out of the defense = more turnovers and defensive scores.
Posted by: Ungar | January 13, 2011 at 08:41 AM
Coach Golden interview with "Big Dog" has been archived if anyone wants to listed.
Fran
Posted by: Francis w | January 13, 2011 at 08:45 AM
I was watching film on brissett, he has the size and build for a qb. Just that he is more of a spread qb sucks. Next year bet golden tracks a top 5 qb. True thats the essence of winning games. A QB.
Miamis issues at CB can be solved..LBs are a year or two off and TE is thin. The USC guy has battled injuries and he is a senior. Ford drops simple passes and is a Sr...Cleaveland has shown promise...might be my lof come well fall.
Posted by: Zaro | January 13, 2011 at 08:47 AM
Soup,
Everything in those pictures is under 6 inches of snow with an inch of solid ice over the top. Coldest day of the year here tomorrow, single digits without adding in the wind chill factor.
Posted by: solarcane | January 12, 2011 at 11:20 PM
Remember when I said I wished I lived up there?
Nevermind.
"It's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there."
Posted by: Ungar | January 13, 2011 at 08:55 AM
It's not where you live, it's how you live.
Posted by: solarcane | January 13, 2011 at 09:44 AM
maybe old news
USC TE Blake Ayles to Miami. He will compete with Chase Ford, Asante Cleveland and Billy Sanders. He gets to play right away, no delay.
Posted by: solarcane | January 13, 2011 at 09:44 AM
It's not where you live, it's how you live.
Posted by: solarcane | January 13, 2011 at 09:44 AM
So true, but how I live works better when I have warm, uhh, how would CGNC let me phrase it... Ahhh, I will let the Beatles explain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsDFxmbjZ7I
Posted by: Ungar | January 13, 2011 at 10:09 AM
PS: Just kidding on the wouldn't want to live there bit.
I got kids, THEY can shovel the driveway.....
Posted by: Ungar | January 13, 2011 at 10:10 AM
ungar
I knew what you meant brother.
It is an eye opener to have lived in Florida 50+ years and move to where there are 4 real changes of seasons.
Sometimes I miss the excitement of South Florida, and sometimes I cherish the peacefulness of the mountains and lakes here.
Atlanta is only an hour and a bit away and Ungar that is one CRAZY city.
Come up in the summer and go on the whitewater run with us.
We are going on a less chaotic and more leisurely run this next trip.
Posted by: solarcane | January 13, 2011 at 10:19 AM
silence is golden untill you hear al golden speak. I could hear this guy speak all day.
Posted by: Lou of M | January 13, 2011 at 10:26 AM
Sorry, I can't. My vacation days have already been booked by the Boy Scouts and my wife.
Plus, I know Old Skool is gonna try to take out the new guy, the rest of you are ready for him.
8-)
Posted by: Ungar | January 13, 2011 at 10:33 AM
Yahoo News just had this unfortunate double entendre in their top stories list.
"Reporter's surprising Super Bowl pick
Ines Sainz makes a bold prediction months after an uncomfortable incident with an NFL team. ยป QB can pull it off"
I bet he can.....
Posted by: Ungar | January 13, 2011 at 10:44 AM
Incase everyone hasn't heard... Senior TE Blake Ayles from USC is transferring to Miami this season, and can play immediately.
http://www.conquestchronicles.com/2011/1/12/1931661/usc-te-blake-ayles-possibly-transfering
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | January 13, 2011 at 11:01 AM
From above article:
"Ayles met today with USC coach Lane Kiffin to inform him of his decision. One of the penalties of the NCAA sanctions is that members of the 2011 senior class can transfer from USC without having to sit out a year so Ayles will be eligible to play immediately for the Canes. His position coach will be Brennan Carroll, who recruited him to USC and was also his position coach for the Trojans during his first two years on the team."
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | January 13, 2011 at 11:03 AM
Amen Canechic. I tell mine everyday I love them!
Posted by: canesteeler | January 13, 2011 at 11:06 AM
Will Carter have to sit out a year?
Posted by: UMike | January 13, 2011 at 11:06 AM
So for USC, were all the upperclassmen able to leave even after a season is played? So they can stay a year, fill it out, then decide to leave?
I expect Kiffin to call recruiting foul against us for nabbing their TE like this. Unless he don't want to cause issues with the Carroll family.
Posted by: 360Cane | January 13, 2011 at 11:11 AM
360...any of the seniors to be in the 2011 can transfer and not sit out..it was part of USC's penalties
Posted by: UMike | January 13, 2011 at 11:13 AM
ungar,
your right i am proud
much more eloquent than I would be able to write
Posted by: 954cane | January 13, 2011 at 11:20 AM
Per Manny Navaro:
Manny_Navarro Report: Fisch to be UM's new offensive coordinator http://bit.ly/h63An4
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/colleges/um/#ixzz1AvuV6NVn
Posted by: Carol City Cane | January 13, 2011 at 11:22 AM
I know they were granted that last year, but why this year? So I guess the players can transfer even after the penalties and after they played a season under such penalties. Just doesn't make sense to me. Blog on...
Posted by: 360Cane | January 13, 2011 at 11:24 AM
"Fisch's offensive rankings at Minnesota: 109th in total offense (last in the Big Ten), 100th in scoring (also last in the Big Ten), 75th in passing and 111th in rushing offense."
So we're hiring this guy why again?!?!?!
Posted by: CanesFanStuckInCali | January 13, 2011 at 11:34 AM
Great article Soup
Although I don't think I would put Brock Berlin anywhere near J12, KW, or KF. Brock was pretty clutch in most big games.
Posted by: TLuv | January 13, 2011 at 11:35 AM
@Manny_Navarro
Despite the ugly stats ('09) at Minnesota, Jedd Fisch is highly recommended by NFL's Shanahan, Billick, Carroll #UM
Posted by: Jer | January 13, 2011 at 11:37 AM
That melee that Solar posted can happen anywhere. "Nothing good happens after midnight" right? But nothing good also happens when you have a mixture of young people and booze out after midnight. I've been through Ocala, and Ocala is the only place that somebody has shot me the bird when me and my family were getting on the entrance ramp on a major American freeway. Now is that an indictment of Ocala, no, I just attribute that to being young and misguided...
Posted by: CaneRock | January 13, 2011 at 11:40 AM
Wonder why billick isnt getting coaching jobs
Posted by: Zaro | January 13, 2011 at 11:42 AM
Here's a lot more info on the hire than the one-sided story Manny posted:
http://minnesota.scout.com/2/939707.html
Posted by: CanesFanStuckInCali | January 13, 2011 at 11:44 AM
And here's some more info on Fisch, this time in bullet-point style:
http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=3651313
Posted by: CanesFanStuckInCali | January 13, 2011 at 11:45 AM
The old ball coach introduced him to coaching... not bad... i tink we got ourselves a bunch of christian coaches...if it is so its only good.
Posted by: mi@mic@ne | January 13, 2011 at 11:55 AM
Could any of us be a good coordinator at Minnesota? You have to play with the cards you're dealt and at Minnie those cards aren't to high.
As far as the Qb's are concerned, it might help if we would ever get a qb coach. You might be able to bring a Brissett in and redshirt him and teach him how to play under center. It might take a couple years but it can be done. Pryor has made pretty good strides in that department, for OSU. I still would rather have a kid that has been exposed to the pro-style in High school.
Lastly, I don't care what kind of QB you have, you better have some studs on the O-Line that can block or they'll end up like Jaboney; Gun shy!
Posted by: herbieibis. | January 13, 2011 at 11:56 AM
Interesting, he left Minnesota despite a 450,000 contract for his second year...maybe he saw how bad the Gophers were after his first year...?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/327310-jedd-fisch-are-the-minnesota-gophers-fighting-to-keep-him
Posted by: Texascane | January 13, 2011 at 12:05 PM
If his specialty is coaching receivers then this might be the same kind of success that Spurrier has with his passing game.
Posted by: mi@mic@ne | January 13, 2011 at 12:06 PM
Telling...
"Fisch's system was criticized as being too difficult for college kids to pick up."
OOOOPS...
Posted by: Texascane | January 13, 2011 at 12:07 PM
Maybe Whipple's system was to difficult too, that's why we dropped so many passes, we had to much to think about! Plus this is Miami, We have smart kids here or at least we are ranked high in grad. rates and GPA.
Posted by: herbieibis. | January 13, 2011 at 12:11 PM
Sorry, I can't. My vacation days have already been booked by the Boy Scouts and my wife.
Good for you ungar!
As a former Scoutmaster, SoFl BSA Commissioner, New River District Round Table Commissioner, and Wood Badge instructor my hat is off to you.
Posted by: solarcane | January 13, 2011 at 12:16 PM
So we're hiring this guy why again?!?!?!
Posted by: CanesFanStuckInCali | January 13, 2011 at 11:34 AM
The resume is not that impressive to me. But I trust Golden so we shall see what happens. Then again, Whipple had a great resume and you see how that turned out. Hopefully, this will be a good system for him (and us).
Posted by: raizecane | January 13, 2011 at 12:23 PM
Maybe the coolest thing I have ever seen...our new D Line coach...say what you want about Pete Carroll...he knew how to have fun...
Be sure and watch the video...
http://www.totalprosports.com/2009/10/15/slip-and-slide-determines-usc-trojans-scrimmage-winner/
Posted by: Texascane | January 13, 2011 at 12:33 PM
CAN SOMEONE HELP ME HERE? Why do we bring a kid in from out of state for an official visit, if we're not making him an offer? I don't get it.
Posted by: 2002nemo | January 13, 2011 at 12:37 PM