Reasons I believe Al Golden remains coach of Miami and does not take the Penn State job:

• (Relative) Stability at UM. UM will take a shot on the chin for the Shapiro infractions, however, at least AG and UM have some sense of the threat. President Shalala and AD Eichorst have already made a swift, resolute move to self-impose a bowl ban for this season. More NCAA sanctions are likely to come down but having the current team serve one of the post-season bans will probably be attractive from the perspective of a new recruit.
  
• Chaos at PSU. Compare the above to PSU where new allegations pop up daily--allegations that are much more serious than some free drinks and boat rides. There is a leadership vacuum in State College and the current members of the administration are scrambling to protect things much bigger than the football program. It will probably be years before the criminal trial and civil suits are settled.
  
• Championships. Thats the word AG repeated at his first presser. Let's say PSU's new prez and acting AD do manage to give AG enough comfort to come to Happy Valley, does AG see a path to the top? Today, PSU has a shot to win the B1G conf championship while UM is 6-5. But UM sits in the middle of one of the country's most fertile recruiting grounds. Also, would you rather your path go through Urban Meyer and Mark D'antonio, or Jimbo and Dabo?
• One year already in the bank. Like any coach out there, AG is big on his core values and changing the culture of the program. This is a herculean task. I get tired just watching AG talk about it on the youtube videos. The Raising Canes videos give a glimpse of some of the challenges of taking over a program, but it also shows the slow progress made when the new culture is embraced and takes root. Would AG want to start from square one at a new program now that he is finally seeing some of his hard work at UM pay dividends?
• Al Golden's ultimate ambitions. I don't think AG is a CFB lifer. I think he is more Al Groh than Joe Paterno. I think he would take a shot at the NFL if he had the opportunity. I believe that UM (even with sanctions) is a better launch pad to the NFL than Penn State. Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson, and Butch Davis all went to the NFL from UM (and Howard left UM for the USFL). How many coaches from the Big10 have jumped to the NFL? Does Jim Tressel count?
  

With all that said, there are two huge areas of concern for me:

• C.R.E.A.M. Ohio State is rumored to have enticed Urban Meyer with a 7-year $35M deal. That would mark the dawn of a new era of spending in the Big10. Some say Penn State will never join the arms race, especially now with the scandal. But on the other hand this scandal may have them feeling desperate and put them in the position to pull out all stops to get the guy they want. I don't think AG would be offered (nor would he deserve) Urban dollars--that pay-grade comes with two NCs on your resume. But could PSU dangle a comp package worth 1.5 or 2x what he makes at UM?
• He was a team captain for Pete's sake. As an outsider I would call it a career suicide mission to run into the burning building that is Penn State, but I'd also give credit to AG for having incredible loyalty and a sense of duty to his alma mater.
  

My hope is that the little dustup with Al's agent was simply the opening salvo to a round of contract negotiations that are still ongoing. Hopefully AG really wants to be at UM and is simply leaving the PSU door open with his comments to retain negotiating leverage until a raise and extension are finalized at UM.

One more note: this is also assuming that Penn State even wants Al Golden. Other commentators have suggested Penn State wants a fresh start with a coach that has no prior ties to the program. "Outsider" names thrown around have included Virginia's Mike London and Harvard's Tim Murphy.

depending on where he expects to go in the draft.   If he is likely to go in the first round, he will go according to Miami Herald.  Tommy Streeter on the other hand will be here next year, according to his dad.  Annnnd  apparently next year AG will have use of all available scholarships.  While that is good on the surface, it just may mean that the NCAA's decision will not be final until after NSD in which case any scholly sanctions would come in to play the following season.

As it stands right now, the only Regional site on SB Nation that covers any teams from Florida is SB Nation Tampa Bay. I don't think it's fair to focus solely on Tampa Bay, though, as there are a number of sports teams all throughout the state, so I've decided to expand SB Nation Tampa Bay into a larger, more general Regional site: SB Nation Florida. We've expanded our team coverage to include the Gators, Seminoles, Jaguars, and Marlins, and we're looking to continue to grow.

But if we want to grow, we're going to need more writers. We are currently looking for writers interested as serving as our site editors for the following teams:

• Miami Dolphins
• Miami Hurricanes
• Florida Panthers
• Miami Heat
• Orlando Magic
• Florida Gators
• Florida State Seminoles

Basically, if you follow Florida sports teams and would like to write for a sports news site, we can probably find room for you. Our team editors essentially serve as our "beat writers." They are responsible for covering games -- writing game previews, recaps, and (occasionally) in game updates -- and for writing a weekly feature/column. They are also expected to help with covering breaking news regarding their team, and to contribute other articles at their discretion.

Essentially, these editors are given lots of freedom to make our site's coverage of their team as comprehensive as they desire. If you're interested, please contact me at my email address, include the team you are interested in covering, and provide a writing sample (could be anything, doesn't have to be sports related).

In 2010, University of Miami wide receiver Leonard Hankerson had arguably the best statistical season by a wide receiver in Miami history, becoming just the third player in program history to record a 1,000-yard receiving season and the first to have 2,000 yards for a career and 1,000 in a season. His 22 receiving touchdowns rank third all-time at Miami behind Michael Irvin (26) and Lamar Thomas (23) and he’s one of only three players in school history with back-to-back 800-yard receiving seasons (Irvin, Andre Johnson). Now, as a rookie who’s rarely been active for the Washington Redskins, he’s experiencing a new reality as the competition has elevated significantly.

With the assistance of Brian Tinsman, who works in the front office for the Washington Redskins and owner Dan Snyder as team's chief blogger, I was able to speak with Hankerson to discuss his transition from UM into the pros.

Q: Tell me about the transition from being one of the leading receivers in Miami Hurricanes history to the pros and the Redskins?

Hankerson: It was a very tough transition for me. We hadn’t had any communications with the coaches or staff as a result of the lockout so it was really tough. We essentially had to come in, learn the plays on the fly in training camp, so I found myself just trying to make plays and give it my best.

Q: Did you struggle?

Hankerson: It was hard trying to simply make plays. Plus, I was dropping balls, which made the transition even harder than it should have been.

Q: Looking back on it, what was the toughest aspect of your transition?

Hankerson: Trying to adjust to the speed, the quarterbacks’ arm strength, the ball getting to you quicker than I was used to. It was all really tough.

Q: Overall, what was the biggest difference between UM and the pros?

Hankerson: It was actually coming in and out of your breaks and adjusting to the ball being on you right then.  The quarterbacks’ arm on this level is so much stronger and as soon as you turn your head, the ball is right there. That was the biggest adjustment for me – getting my head around quickly to see the ball and catch it.

Q: How have the defensive backs on this level impacted your play vs. college DB

Hankerson: The DBs are smarter on this level and can anticipate what you are going to do before you even leave the line of scrimmage. They end up in your hip pocket and their speed makes the game much harder.

Q: So what have you done to adjust to the stronger, faster DBs?

Hankerson: Really just trying to listen to my coach. Keenan (McCardell) played in the league 15 or 16 years. He knows all the tricks of the trade to get it done. He teaches us how to release and so I’ve been trying to use my hands well to just get off the line.

According to CBS's Dennis Dodd:

The agent for Miami coach Al Golden told CBSSports.com Tuesday there have been “overtures made” by the school about adjusting his client’s contract in the wake of the current NCAA scandal.

Golden had expressed frustration about not being told about the full scope of the scandal involving former booster Nevin Shapiro. Brett Senior, Golden’s long-time representative, said at least one Miami official has reached out to Golden specifically about the contract.

Golden is in the first year of a reported five-year deal worth $10 million.  

“I’ve got the feeling they’ll [Miami] do the right thing,” said Senior who has represented Golden since he came out of Penn State in 1991.

Asked about an escape clause in the current deal that would allow Golden to leave Miami based on the severity of NCAA sanctions, Senior added: “I will say this. We’ve got options available to us.”

The other week Miami got "tar" stuck in their "heel" as they stepped all over North Carolina.

Last week Miami swatted some "bees" at Georgia Tech.

Tonight.  Will Virginia lose their "cavalier" attitude on ESPN?

In all seriousness.  I'm looking forward to a great ACC game and a big win for Miami.  A big key tonight is that Harris needs to keep his head and limit passing mistakes in order to win.  Miami could also use a good 100 plus yard running game from Miller who could easily have a 2000 yards season (in my opinion).  I think if The []_[] can pull a win out tonight.  It will officially help put an end to all the off the field NCAA BS that put a dark cloud over the team this past year. 

The irony of all this is the fact that Miami for a long time and not that long ago.  Were known for having a "cavalier" attitude.  They seem to have been humbled by the NCAA and the addition of head coach Al Golden.  Fear the tie!

no not the Ozzie Osbourne kind.  According to SI's Power Rankings we resemble Iron Man.  Although it is nice to be included in their Top 25, the comparison to Iron Man leaves me with  that  creepy image of Mickey Rourke in that movie.  Anyway it is a fun, if not irrelevant read, that gives super hero attachments to 25 teams. Enjoy while you wait for tomorrow night's celebration of the 2001 National Championship Team while we host the Cavaliers.

"I want to make sure I'm clear. When I'm talking about [the lack of] production at the left tackle spot, we've had Fig over there, we've had Bunche over there, we've had now Seantrel over there. Sometimes you need a second guy to push your first guy so you're playing with your best five," Golden said.

"I don't know what the best five are. Certainly Brandon is in the best five right now. He didn't lose his job yesterday. We're trying to create competition at every spot. I know he doesn't like it. But again, what I want to do is make sure is it doesn't become personal in the media. Okay, it's something I've talked to him about. We're both on the same page. It has nothing to do with the North Carolina game. It has to do with his body of work and our want to get Seantrel better, Bunche better going into the game.

Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umiami/2011/10/brandon-washington-named-starter-at-left-tackle-golden-wants-more-all-around.html#tp#ixzz1bFgB6dzR

Another great video by 3 Penny Films.  While Coach Golden is right, there are no moral victories, Brandon Washington stood up and challenged the team before going back out in the second half. Also interesting in this video is that all the players interviewed are on offense (wonder why).  tomorrow we play North Carolina while the Seminoles play just down the road at Duke.  Here is to hoping that both teams win

Let's Go Canes

Ed note: This is a FanPost that I've upped to the front page, but due to it basically being one huge image, all of the content is after the jump.

Continue reading this post »