Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Marve to Purdue


With reports that former UM quarterback Robert Marve has finally chosen to transfer to a school-Purdue-I think it's time to once again examine the domino effect that he may have on the University of Miami.

Randy Shannon has two seasons left on his current contract. AD Kirby Hocutt continues to act cryptically towards the issue of a long-term extension for his football coach. In public, Hocutt supports his coachh with glowing praise, but there's been no talks, or even a timetable towards extension talks. Now eeople close to the situation have told me Hocutt really does love Randy Shannon. Outsiders still believe UM is playing out the string, before dumping him for say, Kirby Hocutt's former coach Jim Leavitt.

My opinion is Shannon's future at the U will be tied to his decision to pick Jacory Harris over Robert Marve.

Now to me, Harris over Marve was the right decision. I think Jacory Harris was and is the better quarterback. And more importantly, on a school still going through wholesale rebuilding, Jacory possesses the much higher ceiling. He seems like a naturally cerebral quarterback, and willing to put in the hours to improve on and off-the field.
Quite a contrast to Marve who for me, was not a pleasure to deal with at all. Very abrupt and terse with the media, thinking he was for lack of a better term hot shit. On the field, he had the propensity to continually start running anytime his first read wasn't open, rather than go through progressions. It's one thing when a freshman or first-year quarterback does that in Game 1. But falling into the same habits by Game 12? Smells of a guy letting the cockiness overshadow putting in the work needed to get better. And his off-the-field transgressions(allegedly breaking a windshield, fleeing from cops, suspended for the Emerald Bowl for missing class) upholds all of this.

Still, it's Randy Shannon's job to decide whether he needs to pick one, or try and win with both. He chose Option A. So going forward, it's very simple to me: If Jacory Harris becomes the best UM QB since Kenny D, the Canes should be able to return to at the very least, the top of the ACC standings, and maybe even the title picture by 2010/2011. If that happens, Randy Shannon is the long-term answer in Coral Gables.

But if Harris flops in the same way the more heralded Brock Berlin and Kyle Wright did, and Marve flourishes at Purdue, then Randy Shannon gets tagged as the guy who can't develop his own talent, just like his predecessor Larry Coker. And just like Larry Coker, Randy Shannon will likely be out of a job in a couple years.

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