What Happened To Our Miami Hurricanes?

Once upon a time, the Miami Hurricanes ruled college football. There was once a time, where wearing the U on the side of your helmet meant something, it was a privilege to be apart of the most recognizable brand in all of college sports. Imagine a time, when the Canes running through the smoke at the Orange Bowl was one of the great traditions in America, when opponents knew they were going to lose even at pregame warm-ups.

Five national championships, countless All-Americans, and most of all the ability to change college football with the way they played the game. The University of Miami, when they won, they did it in a fashion that was different from the rest of the country. Nobody could win like the Canes.

Fast forward to 2019. Miami is 3-4, and currently the laughing stock of not just the pathetic ACC conference, but of the entire country. A program that once boasted a 58-game home winning streak, has lost two games at home just this season.

What pisses me off the most, and trust me there’s plenty to be pissed off about, but what makes it that much more maddening, is the fact that some of the players on this team simply don't really care. UM is just another stepping stone on their path to the NFL, as opposed to building something special while they’re at Miami, carrying on the tradition of the U.

You do have current players that embody what a Miami Hurricane is and what the U represents. Guys like DeeJay Dallas, Brevin Jordan, Cam’Ron Harris, Romeo Finley, and I know I'm missing others, but it’s so blatantly obvious that these players CARE about this program, they CARE about the team, they CARE about winning. They’re not worried about what they’re going to post on Instagram the next day. They’re concerned about winning.

Where’s the passion? Where’s the heart? When Ed Reed came back for his senior season in 2001, and screamed at his team when they weren’t performing up to Miami standards against FSU, while Reed had a separated shoulder mind you, did he do that for publicity? The Canes were winning that game at halftime when Reed made that speech, but they weren’t winning by enough, that’s why the now Hall of Famer was that upset.

Last season, when senior safety Jaquan Johnson delivered a half-time speech, also against FSU, do you think he was posting highlights of it the next day on Instagram?

If social media was around in the 1980’s, do you think you’d see Michael Irvin or Jerome Brown putting their plays on Instagram after their loss in the Fiesta Bowl? Would Sean Taylor be retweeting his interception, or Kellen Winslow his touchdown even though they lost to Ohio State?

It was said that Alonzo Highsmith was crying on all fours uncontrollably after the 1986 loss to Penn State. At least in those days, even if they lost, their passion for the program was on full display. Nowadays, you have highly-touted recruits calling out current players being ok with losing to Duke at home.

If you’re going to talk the talk, show up to the games in these expensive suits, pose for the camera after getting the Turnover Chain or Touchdown Rings, actually back it up and win games, how bout that?

I’m fine with Trajan Bandy putting on the Chain when you’re demolishing Notre Dame, or Malik Rosier hyping up the opposing crowd before throwing a game winning touchdown to beat FSU. That is called swagger, that word which is so synonymous with Miami. Swagger is being cocky, being confident, but the most important about swagger is winning.

That 1986 team by the way that lost to Penn State, after wearing fatigues the week leading up to the game, yes they lost that season, and then came back and won the national championship the following year.

Swagger is the competitiveness at Greentree every single day, where these players would push each other to the point where defensive backs and receivers wouldn't even talk to one another, that’s how fierce it was.

You know what isn’t swagger? Losing at home to a 1-5 team in front of your home crowd. It’s missing 29 tackles, giving up on a play, or laughing at former players when they come and try and give you advice on your techniques.

This is what happens when there’s no accountability for over 15 years, it creates a culture of selfishness and a me attitude instead of a we attitude. Players are more concerned with their individual stats instead of the teams success, and it’s so sad to watch.

The U means so much, to so many people. It doesn’t just represent a football team, but it represents a city, a culture, a tradition of excellence. Let’s turn the page, and play like Miami Hurricanes should.