Left tackle Jason Fox, he of 47 career starts, will miss the Champs Sports Bowl after season ending knee surgery. While Fox is not exactly 1st round draft material, he still will be drafted, and if he ends up a respectable starter in The League, perhaps like Chris Meyers, there is nothing wrong with that. This season Fox has graded out admirably.

Through 11 games, Fox graded out at 96 percent with 20 pancake blocks and 15 lumberjacks and allowed just one sack on the season. He helped Miami rack up more than 4,500 yards, which is the most since the 2004 season (4,593 yards) as the Miami offense is in line to become just the eighth team in school history to gain 5,000 yards in a season. He graded out at 95 percent or higher in 10 of the 11 games.

The stat that really hit home was this year’s offense has the most yards since the 2004 squad. As in, wait a second, Brock Berlin was the QB that year, wasn’t he horrible? Most Hurricane fans forget, or refuse to acknowledge, that Berlin was actually very good his senior season.

2003 season (Junior): 2,419 yards, 12:17 TD:INT ratio

2004 season (Senior): 2,680 yards, 22:6 TD:INT ratio

As a stand alone year, Berlin’s senior campaign is not earth shattering. Compared to his 2003 debacle, however, and you have to be impressed at his progress. I think we forget how great and efficient Berlin was in 2004 because it was the first year in the ACC, and we all expected Miami to go undefeated in conference play. In reality, it was the beginning of Larry Coker’s inability to recruit and develop players, thereby depleting the depth of the team. You can beat the Big East with no 2nd string quality, but not the ACC. Did Berlin have bad games his senior year? Of course. The de facto ACC title game at home against Va Tech when the offense laid a 10 point egg definitely comes to mind. Nonetheless, three whoosh, whoosh cheers to Brock Berlin for going unrecognized for his high quality senior year play. A halfway decent coach wins 11 games that 2004 season with an offense that played better than this year’s unit.

Three Miami Hurricanes players were made available to the media for the first time since the spring game. In Coral Gables this past week, upperclassmen Jason Fox, Graig Cooper, and Randy Phillips all answered questions from the media regarding UM’s 2009 prospects. Because I am not the media and because I am too lazy to drive down to Coral Gables, I decided to ask Max Cherry, my personal UM insider source, to give me the real scoop.

Cherry was Howard and Jimmy’s bail bondsman of choice during the notorious lawless years of the 80’s. Get pinched after midnight on South Beach? “I ain’t saying nothing. I’m calling Max Cherry.” Instigate a ruckus at Dadeland Mall? “Where’s that card Jimmy gave me with that cracker Max Cherry’s number?” Cherry was able to parlay this fame into a starring role as himself in the 1997 film Jackie Brown. I was able to stop by his office recently. Lets see what he thinks of the Hurricanes’ upcoming 2009 season.

Anton: What do you think of the talent level in Coral Gables this year?

 Max Cherry: They’re pretty good.

Anton: How do you feel the infusion of two new coordinators will benefit the team this year, especially in the first month of the season?

MC: They’re pretty good.

Anton: What do you think of Head Coach Randy Shannon’s ability to recruit?

 MC: That’s what Randy does. He finds people that don’t want to be found.

Anton: What do you say to your critics who came out of the woodwork after you used your fame in the 1980’s helping out “Thug U,” getting players get out of jail, to playing yourself in a movie?

MC: Is white guilt supposed to make me forget that I’m running a business?

Anton: Did you see the article about Randy Shannon being one of the most fit collegiate coaches?

MC: I’ll bet, besides maybe an afro, he looks exactly how he did at 29.

Anton: Well, I think his ass isn’t the same.

MC: Bigger?

Anton: Yeah, I would say so.

MC: Ain’t nothing wrong with that!

Anton: What would be a typical scenario when one of Jimmy’s players would get in trouble? 

MC: You’re not my client until you get busted and I bond you out.

Anton: So the program kept you on a retainer?

MC: Because they wanted me to know what a slick guys they were. They had stewardesses bringing me fifty grand.

Anton: So what would the players say once you took over the situation? Their excuses?

MC: Now you want me to speculate on what they do. My guess is they’re in the drug business, except the money’s moving the wrong way. Whatever they’re into, you seem to be getting away with it, so more power to you.

Anton: So you never felt like you were crossing a line between right and wrong?

MC: I’m 56 years old. I cant’ blame anybody for anything I do. 

Anton: This is as good a time as any to wrap thinks up. Agreed?

MC: Yeah.

Anton: There ain’t nothing you want to tell me before I leave, is there?

MC: No.

Anton: Last chance, motherfucker. You sure?

MC: Yep.

Anton: You still listening to the Delfonics?

MC: They’re pretty good.

Anton: By the way, you ever speak with Jackie Brown? How is she doing?

MC: Could I excuse myself? Come back in about a half an hour. You can let yourself out.

 

♫♫ I was the third brother of five

Doing whatever I had to do to survive

I’m not saying what I did was alright

Trying to break out of the ghetto was a day to day fight… ♫♫