Bulls On The Rampage In Texas

Northwestern receiver Tommy Streeter


They came. They saw. And they conquered. Congratulations to the Miami Northwestern Bulls on their 29-21 victory over the defending Texas and USA Today national champion Southlake Carroll Dragons. For years, it has been written in books and shown on movies how huge high school football is in the State of Texas. The book "Friday Night Lights" was a best seller. The movie also did well at the box office and a TV show based on the book and movie made its debut on NBC last year.

No program in the past decade has represented dominance in Texas better than Southlake Carroll High School. The school is located in a wealthy Dallas suburb where the average household income exceeded $185,000. Southlake Carroll head coach Hal Wasson makes over $90,000 a year and only coaches football. He doesn't teach a single class. The Dragons play their home games in a $15 million stadium and have their own indoor practice facility that would be the envy of some NFL teams. The Dragons average close to 20,000 fans per home game. They had won 49 consecutive games and 3 of the last 4 Texas Class 5A state titles.

Miami Northwestern High School is located in Liberty City--one of the most economically deprived areas in Florida. The school sits across the street from the notorious Pork & Beans Housing Project. The Bulls are the defending Florida 6A state champs. But coming into this season, the program was mired in controversy after the entire coaching staff was fired for covering up a sex crime committed by its star running back Antwain Easterling. Miami-Dade School Superintendent Rudy Crew had threatened to cancel Northwestern's season.

Enter new head coach Billy Rolle, who was hired to clean up Northwestern's program. Rolle has been a proven winner. He's the only coach in Dade County history to win state titles at two different schools. He coached Northwestern from 1997 to 2000 and won the 6A title in 1998. He later coached Killian High to the state title in 2004. Known as a strict disciplinarian and for his attention to detail, Rolle was the perfect coach to restore prestige to the damaged Northwestern program.

Northwestern's victory Saturday night came in front of more than 30,000 fans at Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Most of those fans left in shock. The game was also televised nationally by ESPN U. The Bulls had many standouts. Five of their players have made verbal committments to attend the University of Miami.

But the biggest star of the gane was a kid who had yet to make a college choice--Tommy Streeter. At 6'4 and quick as a hiccup, Streeter caught 4 passes for over 100 yards and 3 touchdowns. He repeatedly burned the smaller and slower Dragon defensive backs for big plays.

Canes fans who have been frustrated with mediocre play on offense the last few seasons can now look forward to some great talent coming to Coral Gables. Bulls quarterback Jacory Harris fired 4 touchdown passes and showed his cool in the pocket. Harris outplayed his counterpart Riley Dodge who tossed a pair of costly interceptions in the second half. Harris is one of five Northwestern players who will play their college ball for UM. Receiver Aldarius Johnson, who broke all the county records last year, also caught a touchddown pass and will be wearing the orange and green next year. Indeed help is on the way.

While it was only a regular season game,I can't emphasize how huge this victory was for Northwestern. Southlake Carroll had built a reputation of invincibility. None of the players on the Dragons roster had ever lost a football game. They were the pride of the Lone Star State. They had taken on all comers in Texas and beaten them all. But Northwestern proved to the nation what we in South Florida have known for a long time. The best football is played right here. Case closed.

Happy Birthday Dan Marino

Happy 46th birthday to former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. Marino played his entire 17 year pro football career with the Dolphins from 1983-1999 and set virtually every career passing record in NFL history. During that time he racked up an amazing 61,361 passing yards, 420 touchdown passes and 8,358 pass attempts. His 4,967 completions have since been surpassed by Brett Favre, who is also on track to break most of Marino's records.

Born Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. in Pittsburgh, he was a sports prodigy of the Steel City. In high school Marino was a Parade All American at Central Catholic High School. But football wasn't his only sport. Marino was also a standout baseball star and was drafted in the 4th round by the Kansas City Royals. Despite at tempting contract offer by the Royals, he decided to instead play football for the University of Pittsburgh.

In college, Marino was a 4-year starter and set all the passing records in Pitt history. Pittsburgh finished in the AP top 10 all 4 years of Marino's career. During his junior year in 1981, he was a Sporting News All American and threw a school record 31 touchdown passes and led the Panthers to victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. He also finished 4th in the 1981 Heisman Trophy voting.

But due to a somewhat disappointing senior year, Marino slid to the 27th overall pick of the 1983 NFL Draft. He was the fifth quarterback selected in a draft behind John Elway, Jim Kelly, Todd Blackledge, Tony Eason and Ken O'Brien. But it didn't take long for Marino to show he would surpass all of them statistically.

After sitting behind incumbent starter David Woodley his month, Marino started his first game in week 6 of his rookie year and never looked back. He was the 1983 NFL Rookie of The Year. In 1984 he set the standard for passing excellence throwing for a record 5,084 and a then-record 48 touchdowns (since broken by Peyton Manning). That year he led the Dolphins to the AFC championship and a birth in Super Bowl XIX. The Dolphins would lose to 49ers and Marino would never return to the Super Bowl.

Blessed with one of the quickest releases the game has ever seen, a powerful right arm and remarkable pocket presence, it's unlikely Miami Dolphin fans will ever see the likes of Marino again. Since Marino's retirement, the Dolphins have used 11 different quarterbacks as starters.

Since his retirement Marino became a television analyst for CBS and HBO. He's also a spokesperson for Nutrisystem and established the Dan Marino Foundation which has distributed over $7 million to autism research, a neurological disorder which also affects Marino's son Michael. Marino and his wife Claire have 6 children and continue to live in Weston.

Marino Facts:

NFL records set by Dan Marino

(Note: This list documents records set by Dan Marino. Some of the records have since been broken.)

* Most Attempts, Career: 8,358
* Most Completions, Career: 4,967 (since broken by Brett Favre (5021) in 2006)
* Most Yards Passing, Career: 61,361
* Most Touchdown Passes, Career: 420
* Most Passing Yards, Season: 5,084 in 1984
* Most Touchdown Passes, Season: '48 (since broken by Peyton Manning (49) in 2004)
* Most Games, 400 or more Yards Passing, Career: 13
* Most Games, 400 or more Yards Passing, Season: 4 in 1984
* Most Games, 300 or more Yards Passing, Career: 63
* Most Seasons, 3,000 or more Yards Passing: 13 (1984-92, 1994-95, 1997-98) (since broken by Brett Favre 15)
* Most Consecutive Seasons, 3,000 or more Yards Passing: 9 (1984-92) (since broken by Brett Favre 15)
* Most Games, Four or more Touchdown Passes, Career: 21
* Most Games, Four or more Touchdown Passes, Season: 6 in 1984
* Lowest Percentage, Passes Intercepted, Rookie Season: 2.03 in 1983 (296-6)
* Most Seasons Leading League, Attempts: 5 (1984, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1997)
* Most Seasons Leading League, Completions: 6 (1984-86, 1988, 1992, 1997)
* Most Seasons, 40 or more Touchdown Passes: 2 (1984, 1986)
* 100 TD Passes in Fewest Amount of Games to Start Career: 44 (9/7/86 at San Diego)
* 200 TD passes in Fewest Amount of Games to Start Career: 89 (9/17/89 at New England)
* 300 TD passes in Fewest Amount of Games to Start Career: 157 (9/4/94 vs. New England)
* Highest TD-INT differential: +168

NFL records tied

* Most Seasons Leading League, Yards Gained: 5 (1984-86, 1988, 1992) with Sonny Jurgensen (Philadelphia, 1961-62; Washington, 1966-67, 1969)
* Most Consecutive Seasons Leading League, Completions: 3 (1984-86) with George Blanda (Houston, 1963-65)
* Most Consecutive Games, 400 or more Yards Passing: 2 (1984) with Dan Fouts (San Diego, 1982), Phil Simms (N.Y. Giants, 1985), and Billy Volek (Tennessee, 2004)
* Most Wins against one team: 22 against the Indianapolis Colts ( Brett Favre vs. the Chicago Bears)

Additional statistics

Regular season

* Named NFL Most Valuable Player (1984)
* Played 242 games, starting 240 of them
* Career completion percentage of 59.4%
* Career passing efficiency rating is 86.4
* Threw 252 interceptions in his career
* First QB in NFL history to have six 4,000-yard seasons (1984-86, 1988, 1992, 1994)
* Only QB in NFL history to pass for 5,000 or more yards in a single season (5,084 in 1984)
* Led 37 fourth-quarter comeback victories, second only to John Elway.
* Holds Dolphins team record for most seasons played, 17.
* Had 116 wins under Don Shula – the most by a head coach - quarterback combination in NFL history.
* Won the AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor 18 times in the regular season (and 20 times overall, including playoffs).
* Started 240 Regular Season Games and Held a 147-93 record as a starter (second to John Elway's NFL-best 148-82-1 regular season record)
* For perspective, his 61,361 career passing yards is the equivalent of having passed his way across the state of Rhode Island.

Playoffs

* Played in 18 Playoff Games and Held an 8-10 Record in the Playoffs
* Passed for 4,510 yards over career in playoff games[6]
* Threw at least one touchdown pass in sixteen of his eighteen playoff contests, throwing a touchdown pass in his first thirteen postseason contests.

RIP Adrian Ellis (1972-2007)

Former Columbus High football legend Adrian Ellis was found shot to death in his car outside an apartment complex in Homestead. He was just 35 years old. I was saddened to hear about Ellis's death after seeing an article in the Miami Herald yesterday.
I had never met Ellis. In fact, I hadn't heard his name in over a decade But I can recall reading about his exploits on the football field back in the late 1980s when he was a student athlete for the Columbus Explorers.

He was one of the most dominant defensive backs to play in Dade County during the 80s. Ellis wasn't very big at 5'9 and 180 pounds. But he was very quick and versatile. He could play virtually every skill position on both offense and defense. I remember back in the days when WLRN Channel 17 used to televise local high school football games. Ellis was one of those players who jumped off the screen and made a huge impression on me. It seems just like yesterday he was playing quarterback, receiver, defensive back and sometimes lining up at running back. He literally seemed like a one-man team.

Ellis graduated from Columbus High with a 3.15 GPA in 1990. He was recruited by virtually every major program in the South. The Miami Herald chose Ellis to its all-decade team for the 80s and named him the 4th best prospect in Dade County and the 15th best player in the state. He was All-State and a prep All American. I can remember being excited as a Canes fan when I learned Ellis had announced he would attend the University of Miami. He seemed destined for stardom.

More than 17 years later, I had never heard from him again--until now. Ellis never played a down for the Canes. He was thrown off the team by then head coach Dennis Erickson after several arrests--including armed robbery. Ellis had led a very reckless and troubled life. Ellis was arrested 13 times since he turned 18 in 1990. He spent nearly 20 months in jail before resurecting his college football career at the University of Central Florida, where he also was a backup centerfielder on the baseball team.

When his college career ended, he returned to the projects in South Miami where he grew up. He later became a community activist and a respected youth football coach for the South Miami Grey Ghosts Optimist Club--a program that has competed regularly for state championships. In an attempt to get his life back together, Ellis pursued a career in local politics. Three times he ran for a City of South Miami commission seat. But due to his extensive arrest record and troubled past, he lost in all three elections. According to the Miami Herald, Ellis chaired the Head Start Policy Council made up of parents of kids in the program, and he's been a board member for the county's Community Action Agency for the past six years.

Ellis was a man of extremes with plenty of demons. Depending on what you read, one report said he fathered 11 children from several relationships. Another article listed 15 children. His oldest child is currently a senior at South Miami High School. He also has a son Adrian Jr. who plays football at Columbus High. He lived with some of his children near the South Miami Parks and Recreation Department, where he worked as a youth football coach.

But the same mean streets he tried to clean up as an activist and politican finally caught up with him. Police found Ellis dead Tuesday night in his car outside the Riverwalk Apartments in Homestead.

Marlins Power Surge Doesn't Bring Wins or Fans

Less than 500 fans watch the Marlins beat the Nationals Wednesday afternoon


If a tree falls in the forest, does it still make a sound? Well, maybe the same could be said for a Marlin's players when they hit a home run. The Marlins have already set a team record with 190 round trippers this season. They say chicks dig the long ball. But lately there haven't been many female or male fans admiring those home runs. Three Marlin players (Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla) are on pace to surpass 30 home runs this year, while playing in a park known as being pitcher-friendly.

But despite the lofty power numbers for the Marlins this season, the team has 83 losses--most in the National League. This is just further proof pitching and defense wins ballgames. It's no coincidence the Marlins are the worst defensive team in baseball and have a crippled pitching staff led by the less than mediocre likes of Rick VandenHurk, Sergio Mitre, Scott Olsen and Dontrelle Willis.

The bottom line is the Marlins are a bad ballclub. You can hit a ton of home runs, but horrible defense and pitching will still lead you to the basement in the standings. But the Marlins long term problems go beyond the playing field. Check out the fans in the stands--or the lack of them. Yesterday's game drew the smallest crowd to perhaps ever see a major league game. The announced attendance was 10,000. But that number was just for tickets sold. The truth is less than 500 were in Dolphins Stadium to witness the Marlins victory.

Don't look now, but the Grim Reaper is tip-toeing behind the Marlins and ready to tap the franchise over the shoulder. Baseball has always been a tough sell in South Florida. There are plenty of the excuses. The weather is too hot. It rains too much. The team plays in a football stadium. But the real truth is the team is terrible and there is no interest in baseball in South Florida.

Everybody knows the Marlins need a new stadium. The City of Miami would like to tear down the Orange Bowl and build a new stadium for the Marlins at the OB site. I don't care if they put a roof on the stadium. Fans might come out for a while, just because the stadium is new. But in the long run, baseball still won't draw. Most people who go to Marlin games are from Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Nobody is going to travel all the way down to Little Havana to watch baseball everybday. Sorry, but it's not going to happen.

Time is running out. The Marlins lease with Dolphins Stadium ends in 2010. Owner Jeffrey Loria and team president David Samson have not been able to come up with an agreement with the City of Miami, Dade County or the State of Florida on a stadium site and how to fund the stadium. Desperation is starting to set in. Just last year, Samson and Loria traveled to San Antonio, Portland and Las Vegas, pitching the idea of possiblly moving the franchise. I just don't see taxpayers agreeing to fund a baseball stadium here in South Florida.

WQAM sports talkshow host and former Miami Dolphin Jim Mandich suggested the Marlins should build a stadium near the water--simliar to San Francisco. While I think that's a great idea, unfortunately the City of Miami doesn't have such plans. That's too bad because it may be too late to save the national pastime in South Florida.

Bell's Injury Is Going To Hurt

Yeremiah Bell

When the Dolphins announced safety Yeremiah Bell would be out for the season with a torn achilles tendon, there were plenty of Dolphin players, coaches and fans feeling his pain. Don't get me wrong. Nobody hurts more than Bell. But right now, the Dolphins secondary is on life support.

Bell was the Dolphins best playmaker in the secondary and there's a huge dropoff in talent when it comes to his replacement. Travares Tillman and Cameron Worrell will now compete in practice to replace him. But none of them has Bell's ability to blitz, intercept passes and make game changing plays. The situation is so bad, the Dolphins may have to use Jason Allen, last year's first round pick who's been a collosal bust.

How bad is Jason Allen? The Dolphins have been doing everything they can to keep him off the field. You get the feeling defensive coordinator Dom Capers is scared to death to give Allen any playing time. The team has shuttled Allen back and forth from safety to cornerback and now back to safety, hoping Allen can show the ability to play somewhere with a least a bit of competance. The only reason he's on the team right now is he was a first round pick and only in his second year. Right now, Allen makes Jamar Fletcher look like Rod Woodson.

Bell was the type of player you can't help but root for. He's the anti Jason Allen. He was a walk-on at Eastern Kentucky and a 6th round pick back in 2003 when Dave Wannstedt was head coach. Bell paid for college while working in a Kentucky steel mill. He's the only player from the Dolphins 2003 draft class still with the team. Plus whenever he makes a great play, Joe Rose sings, "Yeremiah was a bullfrog and he was a good friend of mine." With Bell out of the lineup, there will be fewer interceptions by the DBs and less singing in the broadcast booth.

The Return of Kyle Wright

Canes QB Kyle Wright

I'd like to think UM head coach Randy Shannon has been reading my blog. Afterall, it was just a couple of weeks ago I stated Kyle Wright would somehow return to the starting lineup. I never once thought Kirby Freeman would play well enough to keep the starting job. Everytime I watch Freeman, he looks like a high school quarterback playing college football. With less than 100 yards passing in his first two starts this season, Freeman's performances have been an insult to high school quarterbacks everywhere. He struggles just to complete short screen passes. He can't read a defense to save his life. He often tucks the ball to run after making his first read and he has no accuracy whatsoever.

Well, today Shannon made it official and announced Wright will start this Saturday against FIU. If you watched the Canes 51-13 loss to Oklahoma, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Wright did a better job of moving the offense. That's not saying much. The Canes looked like a Pop Warner team while playing a superior Sooner squad. But his touchdown pass to Ryan Hill marked the only time the Canes offense reached the end zone.

Let me make it clear that I've never been a huge fan of Wright. He has a lot of bad habits like holding on the ball too long and his instincts for the game are severly lacking. But I'm glad to see him get another chance to redeem himself. He's a 5th year senior and sitting on the bench is no way for Wright to exit UM. Like it or not Cane fans, Wright is the best passer UM has. (Freshman Robert Marve has yet to play a down) Wright's always had great physical tools--size, arm strength and athleticism. Let's hope it's never too late to realize that potential.

Changing the subject, I'm glad Randy Shannon finally saw the light and moved cornerback Randy Phillips to safety. Just this past Saturday, Phillips was burned for 3 touchdowns by Oklahoma receiver Malcolm Kelly. In defense of Phillips, Kelly is going to beat a lot of cornerbacks. But Phillips has been the constant target of every opposing quarterback that plays the Canes. Even though UM starts a true freshman DeMarcus Van Dyke at the other corner, teams still prefer to pick on Phillips.

I just could never understand why Shannon has kept Randy Phillips at cornerback so long. Phillips was a highly recruited safety coming out of Glades Central High School in Belle Glade. He never played cornerback until he arrived at UM. At the time, UM was lacking depth at the cornerback position. But he's just too slow to play corner. Now it's two years later and Phillips needs to move back to the position that best suits his talents.

Happy Birthday Ed Reed

Happy 29th birthday to former University of Miami safety Ed Reed. Reed, who currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens, was a 2-time All American and a 4-year starter for the Canes from 1998-2001. He was the defensive captain on the 2001 national championship team.

A native of St. Rose, Louisiana, Reed intercepted a UM record 21 passes in his career and returned 5 of them for touchdowns. His most memorable play came when he converted a Boston College turnover into a long touchdown, preserving a UM victory that helped keep the Canes unbeaten in 2001. Reed was also a member of the UM track team and was a Big East champion in the javelin. He was a Louisiana state champ in the javelin at Destrehan High School in the New Orleans area.

Reed was the Ravens first round pick in 2002 and has been one of the NFL's best safeties since his arrival in the league. In 2004, he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year and is a 3 time Pro Bowl selection.