FanPost

The All-Time Miami Roster

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In my last fanpost, I set out to build the ideal coaching staff for The U, constructed exclusively of former players. This time around I’d like to up the ante and build a dream team of players. Think about it for a minute… if you were to construct a team of all-star ‘Canes at each position, who would you choose? Ray Lewis or Dan Morgan? Ed Reed or Bennie Blades? Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, or Michael Irvin? This is going to be hard.

My criterion is simple: pick the best players at every position based solely on their production at Miami, and build a roster. I legitimately think we could make an amazing three-deep roster, but part of the fun is in the debate. (Disclaimer: Apologies for inaccuracies on any of the below. The football records database is not updated for the 2014 season).

That being said, here’s my all-time ‘Canes roster.

Quarterback (1): Ken Dorsey. Sure you could go with any number of former great QB’s, but at the end of the day, I’ll take 39-1 (yeah, I know) as a starter all day long. Not as physically gifted as many others, but smart, prepared and a fantastic leader.

Other Choices: Jim Kelly. Probably the most physically gifted of all the former QB’s who played at Miami. But as stated, Dorsey gets the nod strictly on production. And then of course you have both Vinnie Testaverde and Gino Toretta as Heisman winners.

Running Back (2): Oh man, here we go. There are about 8 legitimate contenders for this spot, and all of them are amazing choices. Because I’m picking two guys here, I’d prefer they not be all that similar in terms of size and style. My choices? I’m going with Duke Johnson and Willis McGahee. We all know Duke is the all-time leading rusher in Miami history, and also proved very valuable in pass-catching and the return game. As for McGahee, because he only really had one year as the starting RB, I think people forget how absolutely unreal he was. In 2002, amassed 2,100+ all-purpose yards and 28 touchdowns. Averaged an INSANE 135 rushing yards per game. Absolutely robbed of the Heisman, which he should’ve won in a landslide with those stats.

Other Choices: You’d be absolutely fine with any combination of Alonzo Highsmith, Ottis Anderson, Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis or Frank Gore, and I’m probably leaving out a few.

Wide Receiver (4): OK, I’m probably cheating a little here going with four, but really? This is even more difficult than running back. You have three NFL Hall of Famers (as I’m already counting Reggie Wayne and Andre Johnson in) and a laundry list of other guys who were just ridiculous. What I’m looking for is three on the perimeter and one in the slot. My choices: Michael Irvin, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne and Santana Moss. All fast, physical, sure handed and absolutely dominated in their days at The U.

Other Choices: Might as well just put on a blindfold and throw darts. Randall Hill, Leonard Hankerson, Allen Hurns, Travis Benjamin, Kevin Beard, Philip Dorsett, Lamar Thomas. All of these guys are suitable candidates, but I think the four above stand out beyond the rest.

Tight End (1): Kellen Winslow. Was just an absolute beast in 2002 and 2003. The most physically gifted tight end we’ve had on the roster. Big, fast, strong and a competitor who created matchup nightmares for opposing defenses. Too big to be covered by a DB and too fast to be covered by an LB.

Other Choices: Of course Jeremy Shockey, but I’m giving Winslow the nod on sheer athleticism. This could also easily be Jimmy Graham, but he only played one season. Even though Walford is the all-time leading receiver at TE, he never had the same impact on the field as Winslow.

Offensive Line (5): I’m not going to try to get into picking guys at each and every specifc position, especially since we’ve been rotating our linemen for years. But I will indicate the following two. At Center, Brett Romberg. Won the Rimington Trophy and never allowed a sack at Center. Left Tackle is Bryant McKinnie. An Outland Trophy winner and also never allowed a sack. For the rest of the line, some combination of Leon Searcy, Orlando Franklin, Eric Winston and Joaquin Gonzalez, with a legitimate argument to be made for about a dozen more. Interestingly, when you’re discussing former greats, this seems to be the least-stacked position.

Defensive Tackle (2): Good lord this one is almost impossible. Basically you’re choosing between Warren Sapp, Vince Wilfork, Russell Maryland, Cortez Kennedy and Jerome Brown. Two guys already in the NFL HoF, another (Wilfork) who will likely get in, and Jerome Brown probably would have made it too if not for his untimely death. Pick any two, but if we’re going by production at Miami, I’m taking Russell Maryland and Warren Sapp. You think it should be Wilfork and Brown? I’m not arguing.

Defensive End (2): I actually expected a bit more depth here. One side is easy – University of Miami, College Football and NFL Hall of Famer with the best nickname ever, Ted "The Mad Stork" Hendricks. Averaged 109 tackles per season as a defensive end. Think about that. Also finished fifth in Heisman voting in 1968. On the other side, Daniel Stubbs. All-American who finished his career as Miami’s career and single season sack leader.

Other Choices: I was actually thinking Calais Campbell before Stubbs came to mind. Greg Marck and Kenard Lang are also both excellent choices, but again, Hendricks and Stubbs prove a cut above the rest. It's a bit crazy to think it's been so long since we've had a truly dominant defensive end.

Linebacker (3): I don’t even want to do this one. How do you choose between Ray Lewis and Dan Morgan? Well, I’m making the (probably unpopular) case for Morgan in the middle. In my opinion, he’s insanely underrated among ‘Canes fans, and one of the best college linebackers to ever play the game. The only player ever to win the Bednarik, Nagurski and Butkus Awards. Let me reiterate… Dan Morgan won three national awards in the same season. Probably should’ve won the Heisman in 2000. Had at least 100 tackles in four straight seasons, won both conference and national Defensive Player of the Year Awards, and Miami’s all-time leader in tackles by a good margin. Good lord. For the other two, I’m going to put Ray Lewis at strong side and Jon Vilma at weak side. The reality is, you could rotate any combination of six guys here and never miss a beat.

Other Choices: When you have names like Ray Lewis, Dan Morgan and Jon Vilma, there’s no shame coming up short. Jessie Armstead, Michael Barrow, DJ Williams, Sean Spence, Denzel Perryman and Darrin Smith could all be on this list.

Safety (2): There’s room for two, but you only need one and his name is Sean Taylor. My all-time favorite ‘Cane and football player, the best pure football player I’ve ever seen, and I’ll say it with confidence, a better safety than Ed Reed in college. I’ve never seen anyone have so much of an impact on a game on the defensive side of the ball. I’ll still never understand how he didn’t win the Thorpe Award. For the second spot, how do you choose between Bennie Blades and Ed Reed? I’m going with Reed strictly for his skills in interception returns. The crazy thing is all three of these guys were two-time First Team All-Americans.

Other Choices: While there have been plenty of great safeties at Miami, none of them are in the same league as the three above. It’s not even worth discussing

Cornerback (2): Another position that I thought would be deeper. Philip Buchanon definitely takes one spot. First-Team All-American at both cornerback and returner in 2001. The second spot goes to Antrel Rolle, who also garnered First-Team All-American honors in 2004. From what I see, there’s a pretty sizable dropoff after these two, with Brandon Harris and Duane Starks being the only two other real contenders.

Returner (1): No one is going to argue for anyone other than Devin Hester. The best ever at his position, period. I was lucky enough to be a student at Miami from 2001-2005 and got to witness his absolute magic week-in, week-out. From the opening kick return for a TD against UF, to the absolutely insane pun return against Duke, and his absolute domination of Louisville in the OB. You just have to love watching him.

Other Choices: Man, there are a ton here. Santana Moss, Philip Buchanon, Duke Johnson and Willis McGahee were all studs in the return game. And of course we can’t forget about Richard Gordon

Punter: As much as I love Pat O’Donnell here, he was only with us for a year, and for that I’m giving Matt Bosher the nod.

Kicker: Carlos Huerta. Miami’s all-time leader in both PAT’s and field goals. Todd Sievers would be a good choice here as well.

And for good measure…

Head Coach: As much as I want this to be Howard Schnellenberger, my gut says it has to be Jimmy Johnson. If he never left, we would have won so many championships it would be ridiculous.

That’s my all-time ‘Canes football team folks. And I can say without any hesitation that this team would beat the snot out of any college team constructed of any players you could come up with.

What do you think? Who would you choose? Thanks for reading, and let the debate begin.

Stay tuned for my next fanpost, where I’ll be discussing current ProCanes and their chances to make the NFL Hall of Fame.


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