Chompin' at the Bit - Vol. 2

Week 1 Preview - UMass vs. UF

By: Blair McLendon

Finally, the moment we have been waiting for the past 8 months is here... Football is back!!! This weekend our beloved Gators take on the University of Massachusetts Minutemen. This will be a 7:30p kickoff in The Swamp and will be the first match-up between the two programs. Florida comes into the season with a nation-high 26 game win streak in season openers. Look for that to be 27 after Saturday.

Offense 

Coach Mac has picked our starter to be QB Luke Del Rio as expected. I believe the offense will get into a groove early on in the game with Del Rio leading some solid drives down the field with a much improved passing game to go along with an explosive running game. It looks like my sleeper, Jordan Scarlett, will get the nod at starting RB. I am excited to see what kind of game he has; I've been hyping him up, so I hope he makes me look good.

Keep in mind that once we cross the 50 yard line we have the possibility of getting 3 with K Eddy Pineiro. Nice weapon to have, right? Word out of fall camp has been that our young offensive line has made major strides, so I am hoping that translates to the majority of our drives ending with TDs instead. WR Antonio Callaway is back in the fold fresh off of his suspension, so that will be a nice addition to a healthy WR Brandon Powell and explosive newcomer WR Dre Massey. Notable freshmen WRs Tyrie Cleveland and Rick Wells will be suspended for this game due to their offseason misconduct.

I am expecting to see a bunch of points this weekend and will be very disappointed if we see anything less.

Credit: floridagators.com

Defense 

The front seven should cause tons of chaos this game. I'm sure everyone involved in the rotation is licking their chops to get after the QB this weekend. We should see plenty of players rotate and get playing time throughout the game. You can expect LB Jarrad Davis to have a big game, as he will be all over the field making plays. It will be nice to see he and LB Alex Anzalone operating as a duo again, now that Anzalone is healthy again. I guarantee you that no offense we face is looking forward to seeing those two this year.

With the absence of All-American CB Jalen Tabor (suspended along with TE C'yontai Lewis for fighting), this will be an opportunity for our young corners to gain some game time experience, which will pay dividends down the road for us to help with depth. I am expecting the defense to cause at least 3 turnovers for the game.

Final Prediction: Florida 55, UMass 7 (1-0) 

Tidbits: 

- Our new Ambassador and Consultant for the UAA, the GOAT, Steve Spurrier will serve as the honorary Mr. Two Bits for the game this weekend. This will also be the introduction of the newly
dubbed "Steve Spurrier - Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium".

- Recruiting for the 2017 class has really taken off heading into the fall with key verbal commitments from 4 star - RB Adarius Lemons (No. 1 RB in the state), 4 star - DT Fred Hansard, and 4 star - CB Marco Wilson (brother of UF Jr. CB Quincy Wilson) just to name a few. All three will be key recruits to a stellar class that Mac and staff are putting together. The class is currently ranked No. 12 on ESPN and 247Sports.


Enjoy the long weekend and Go Gators!

Still Wade County?

          Yes, I did wait a few weeks before writing this just in case Dwyane Wade decided to have a DeAndre Jordan-like change of heart and come back to Miami. But snapchats from Chicago & photoshoots in his new Bulls uniform, it appears the dust has settled on this matter. Then reality sets in that the best player in Miami Heat history just left, not retire with Miami like we all expected, but actually left for another team. Knowing how humans are, we have to put the blame on somebody. Whether it be Pat Riley for pretty much ignoring Wade this summer, putting all his focus on getting Kevin Durant to Miami (unsuccessfully) and not giving Wade the contract he wanted; or Wade for doing the unthinkable and actually leaving with all that talk about loyalty and being a Heatlifer. In reality, Wade has been loyal to Riley and Miami for his whole career but they didn’t take care of him when the time came. As the saying goes, “don’t let loyalty make a fool out of you.” It’s rarely talked about but Wade took many sacrifices (mainly financial) to bring Miami its first three NBA championships. Wade took pay cuts to bring superstars to Miami and was never the highest paid player on this team in his career. So this time around in free agency, it could be best said that all he wanted was a reimbursement on the money he lost out on, which was estimated to be over $20 million. Riley didn’t budge so Wade left.

            Personally, as my head cleared from the bias, Wade was right to leave. From him being treated like a second-rate player the last couple of years and not getting his wishes fulfilled, it was only a matter of time. And deep down, I honestly feel like Pat Riley wanted to move on from an aging 34-year-old Wade. Whether it’s true or not the Don couldn’t give Wade no more than $40 million over two years, he is scrapping bits of the past and looking toward the future. The only question now is what’s going to happen to Bosh. Blood clots & conversations that it would be in his best interest to retire, that puts the Heat in a tough situation regarding his contract. But that is an article for another day, best wishes to Bosh on whatever he decides to do.

            Back to Wade…the Miami Heat career leader in points, assists, steals, field goals, games & minutes played, free throws, second in blocks and fourth in rebounds. Best season was arguably the 2008-2009 season where he posted career highs in points (30.2), assists (7.5), steals (2.2) and blocks (1.3), while averaging 5 rebounds a game and shooting 49% from the field. 3 NBA championships with a Finals MVP in 2006, 12-time NBA All-Star with 1 MVP in 2010, 2-time All-NBA First Team, 2009 scoring champion and a Gold Medal with Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Wade is a surefire 1^st ballot Hall of Famer. 

Now that he’s gone, Pat Riley and the Heat have to rebuild (or reload?) around the only one doing it with blocks, Hassan Whiteside. We also have young promising talent in Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson & Justise Winslow. Dion Waiters (4^th overall pick in 2012) will look to revive his career with the Heat after a slump in OKC & Briante Weber (a 3-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year) will be starting his career off in Miami after making the jump from the D-League. With the Flash out of the picture, many Heat fans are now looking past this upcoming season to the 2017 free agency race.

There were rumors that Miami could be a potential landing spot for Russell Westbrook but at the time of this writing, he just signed a 3 year $85.7 million extension with the Thunder so that dream scenario is dead. In the meantime, with superstars LeBron James & Dwyane Wade long gone, it looks like Miami Heat basketball will fall off the relevancy map. And for those that don’t think so, this will be the first season since 2008 that the Heat will not play a Christmas game.

Some say Wade transformed Miami into a basketball town (we will always be a football town). Some say the Heat are doomed for the foreseeable future. Others, including me, say with Micky Arison & Pat Riley in the driver’s seat, we will bounce back like we always do. But a Miami Heat team without Dwyane Wade is still a crazy picture to wrap my head around. But like MJ & the Bulls, Kobe & the Lakers, Wade will always be a Miami Heat and Dade County is still Wade County.  

Real Talk : Miami Hurricanes 2016 Fall Camp Top Position Battles

By: Thierry Louis

This is a candid, uncensored-take about your Miami Hurricanes. No predisposed agendas or editor changing the tune of the article. Your sit down with your boys kind of piece where we keep it real and talk about the Canes and the start of Fall camp and what we are looking out for. So without further ado

5. Right Tackle : Sunny Odogwu vs Tyree St. Louis

The entire fan base loves Sunny doesn't it? He's charismatic, outgoing and has that personality and background that makes you want to root for him. When you  consider his physique..... we are all waiting for that "Blindside" moment where he taps into his African heritage and picks up a defensive lineman and blocks him through the goalpost right. His play at times however has been too inconsistent for the likes of some Cane fans. Whether it be whiffing on a block or a false start, he has made fans create the most unbelievable combination of curse words and throw their TVs out the window. Well I speak for myself in that matter. So enter Tyree St. Louis. Had a great spring and took full advantage of Sunny's absence. Although not as physically gifted he took full advantage of the weight room and is more natural and fluid at the position. Look for this battle to last the duration of camp.


4. Running Back: Joe Yearby vs Mark Walton

So if your a Canes fan it seems like your either a Yearby guy or a Walton guy right ? One of the morehighly debated positions on the team. Who is the better RB? I'm not going to lie....... I have my favorite and I would like to see Yearby take full control of the position as I believe he has more natural running back instincts and I just enjoy watching him cut and embarrass defensive backs. With that being said however how can anyone ignore what Mark Walton did this spring? Numero Uno wasn't messing around! He was on a mission and it appeared as if he took full control of the position and really impressed the coaching staff. The consensus scouting report in regards to Walton coming out of high school was that he was the most well-rounded, balanced running back in his class and although not elite at one specific thing he did everything really really good. That was on full display in the spring. Richt has indicated it will be running back by committee and Yearby had the majority of carries last year and ran for 1,000 yards so he is the projected starter. After the spring Mark had however I don't think anybody will be surprised if he was named the starter week 1.

3. Defensive Tackle: R.J Mcintosh Vs Gerald Willis

This day and age of recruiting is all about star rankings and even if your not a "star whore" as the message boards so eloquently call it, everybody gets excited at the arrival of a 5 star player. Cane fans have been patiently waiting to watch Gerald Willis play and are expecting big things out of him.  When I  first learned that R.J McIntosh lined up with the first team I like most fans thought nothing of it and expected as time passed for Gerald Willis to surpass him. So wasn't it a big surprise to see that by the end of spring R.J was yet to relinquish his starting spot? It only made me for example take more notice of him. He is a former defensive end so the athleticism is already there. Then add the fact that he gained considerable weight and strength and looks the part and you get it. This will be a fun battle to watch as Willis will certainly come on strong which will only make the group better.

2. #2 Cornerback: Sheldrick Redwine vs Adrian Colbert

If we did a poll on which position group most fans were worried about I would be willing to bet the majority would pick the cornerback position and It's a shame really. At a prestigious school like TheU in no way shape or form should there be a void of talent at the Cornerback position ( Thank You Al Golden). After Corn Elder the group is a bunch of unknowns and we won't really know what we have until the first couple of games.  Sheldrick Redwine had a solid spring and is the favorite to start. Graduate transfer Adrian Colbert will have something to say about that though. What We have heard about him so far is that physically he has the tools to be a very good CB. Tall at 6"1 with good speed and hips. He is certainly looking to throw his hat in the ring and expects to be the starter by the end of camp.

1. Wide receiver : Dayall Harris vs Ahmmon Richards vs Malcolm Lewis vs Darrel Langham

Losing Lawrence Cager is a big blow to this team and that opens up a spot at the #2WR position and there are a lot of candidates to fill that spot but there's only one name Cane fans want to hear..........Ahmmon Richards! So Yep that is all. The end.

Seriously though that's all most Cane fans want right lol? We all want to see the next Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley and we believe Ahmmon Richards is that guy. So far it's been rumored that he has already ran a 4.3 in pre camp testing and that he has been impressing in offseason workouts and 7on7s. We believe he will be the next great WR at TheU and only time will tell. Sam Bruce and Braxton Berrios will almost certainly occupy the slot in 3 WR sets so that leaves upperclassmen Dayall Harris, Malcom Lewis, and Darrell Langham who he must beat out.  Transfer WR Harris and Langham fit the bill of what you expect a Mark Richt WR to look like. Big, strong, lanky WRs who can go up and fight for the ball. They both have experience and will not be looking to give that open WR to anybody. What once seemed like a promising start for Malcolm Lewis was derailed by a serious injury. This is his last opportunity and he will be looking to make an impression.