RIP Alec Kessler (1967-2007)

Former Miami Heat player Alec Kessler died last night from a heart attack in Pensacola after playing a game of pickup basketball. He was just 40 years old. At 6-foot-11, Kessler was a former All SEC and All American player at the University of Georgia. He graduated in 1990 as Georgia's all time leading scorer with 1,788 points. Kessler was one of two first round draft picks by the Miami Heat in 1990 along with Willie Burton. Kessler was the 12th pick of the 1990 NBA Draft.

Both Kessler and Burton struggled in their Heat careers and never lived up to expectations as pros. Kessler averaged just 5.2 points 3.6 rebounds in his 4 year Heat career that spanned 210 games. But while Kessler's basketball career didn't live up to promise, his life after basketball was very successful. He graduated from medical school at Emory University in Atlanta and became an orthopedic surgeon. Kessler and had been practicing medicine in Pensacola. I would like to send out my prayers and condolences to the Kessler family. He is survived by his wife Rhea and sons Nicholas and Christopher.

Happy Birthday Bob Kuechenberg

Happy 60th birthday to former Dolphins offensive lineman Bob Kuechenberg. From 1970 to 1983, the man known affectionately as "Kooch" was a fixture on the Dolphins greatest teams. He is arguably the greatest Miami Dolphin not currently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Born Robert John Kuechenberg in Gary, Indiana, Kuechenberg grew up in nearby Hobart,Indiana--just east of Chicago. He starred at Hobart High School and later became a standout college player at Notre Dame. During his college career, Kuechenberg saw action on both the defensive and offensive lines and played for legendary coach Ara Parseghian. He played on Notre Dame's 1966 national championship team as a sophomore. His teammates at Notre Dame included college football stars Alan Page, Terry Hanratty, Nick Eddy and Rocky Bleier. By his senior year, Kuechenberg had settled as a defensive lineman with dreams of playing in the NFL.

Drafted in the 4th round by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1969 as a defensive lineman, Kuechenberg's NFL career almost ended before it began. He was promptly cut in Eagles training camp and spent the rest of the year playing semi-pro football for the Chicago Owls of the Continental Football League.

In 1970 Kuechenberg's life would change forever. Don Shula had arrived in Miami as the Dolphins new head coach and brought with him a coaching staff that included brilliant offensive line coach Monte Clark. Kuechenberg was invited to Dolphins training camp as a longshot free agent. But it was Clark who saw talent in the former Notre Dame star and molded his project into one of pro football's best guards of the 1970s. By 1971, Kuechenberg along with Jim Langer, Larry Little, Norm Evans and Wayne Moore made up the NFL's most dominant offensive line. All five players had been rejects from other teams. All five would become Pro Bowl players at sometime during their careers. Langer and Little are currently in the hall of fame. That year, the Dolphins would win the AFC title earning a trip to Super Bowl VI. The Dolphins would lose to the Cowboys, but better days were ahead.

By 1972, Kuechenberg and his fellow linemates helped open huge holes and running lanes for running backs Larry Csonka, Mercury Morris and Jim Kiick. The Dolphins would set an NFL record for rushing yardage that season and would finish the season with a perfect 17-0 record--the only undefeated team in NFL history.

Kuechenberg's finest perfomance came in Super Bowl VIII against the Minnesota Vikings. NFL Films had asked Don Shula to narrate the game's highlight video. In the video Shula went out of his way to praise and spotlight Kuechenberg, whose responsibility was to block Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page, who was Kuechenberg's teammate at Notre Dame. Kuechenberg was a master technician who dominated Page the entire game and helped fullback Larry Csonka rumble for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Dolphins victory. What's even more remarkable is Kuechenberg played with a cast after having suffered a broken arm during the season.

During the course of his 14 year career with the Dolphins, Kuechenberg was six-time Pro Bowl selection and was twice first-team All Pro in 1975 and 1978. The Dolphins made four trips to the Super Bowl and Kuechenberg started in every one of them. He played in a remarkable 196 games and was considered the leader of a line that was loaded with great players. Later in his career, he served as a mentor for another hall of famer Dwight Stephenson.

Kuechenberg has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame each of the last five years. Unfortunately, he's never received enough votes to earn this long deserved honor. A vocal leader during his playing days, Kuechenberg has continued to be outspoken since his retirement. He's not afraid to speak his opinion or criticize some of the Dolphins best players. Even players like Dan Marino and Jason Taylor haven't escaped Kuechenberg's criticism. Taylor once responded, "I think Kooch needs a hug and a hobby." But to understand Kuechenberg, you must realize this is a man who knows perfection and expects it from his beloved Dolphins.

Panthers Finally in the Win Column

Going into last night's home opener at the Bank Atlantic Center against the New Jersey Devils, the Florida Panthers were winless in three games. But the Panthers weren't alone. The Dolphins are currently winless and FIU's football team hasn't won a game since 2005. Well now you can remove South Florida's hockey team from the ranks of the winless with a 3-0 victory over the Devils.

The Panthers got powerplay goals from Olli Jokinen and Nathan Horton and goalie Tomas Vokoun recorded the shutout. Not bad when you consider the Devils are one of the top teams in the league and goalie Martin Brodeur is one of the legends of his position. The Panthers are now 1-3. But keep an eye on this team. The Cats are no threat to compete for the Stanley Cup Finals. But there is a solid core of young players that are starting to emerge. Perhaps it won't be long before fans start showing up to the arena again with rubber rats.

Happy Birthday Cristie Kerr

Happy 30th birthday to golfer Cristie Kerr. A graduate of Miami's Sunset High School, Kerr is one of the top golfers on the LPGA tour. She recently won the U.S. Women's Open and is currently ranked the fifth best player in the world.

Born and raised in Miami, Kerr started playing golf at age eight and is arguably the most decorated amateur golfer to ever come out of South Florida. During her years at Sunset High School, Kerr was a member of the boy's golf team because the school didn't field a girls team. Not only was Kerr on the boy's team, she was the team's best player and it wasn't close. At age 16 she won the Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship and was the 1995 American Junior Golf Association Junior Player of the Year.

Kerr turned down dozens of college scholarships and turned pro at age 19. Over the years, she's made a remarkable physical transformation. Those who saw her play in her early years probably wouldn't recognize her. She initially struggled to adapt to the pro level while battling weight issues. In just the last few years, she's dropped 50 pounds and is now one of the most fit players on the tour. Kerr has come a long way since she was a pudgy bespectacled girl when she graduated from high school.

Since losing the weight, Kerr has finally started to live up to the great potential golf pundits put upon her out of the amateur ranks. She currently has 10 championship victories on the LPGA tour. In 2006, Kerr was the only American to win more than one event on the tour, winning three times. Her victory at the 2007 U.S. Women's Open was her first major championship.

In 2006 Kerr got married is currently makes her home in Scottsdale, Arizona. She's very active in fundraising for breast cancer research. Through her foundation, she's raised over $250,000 since 2004.

Trent Green Needs To Retire Now

Texans defensive lineman Travis Johnson stands over an injured Trent Green


Once again we are reminded how dangerous the game of football can be. Any given play could be your last. Just last month, Buffalo Bills tight end and former UM player Kevin Everett suffered a serious neck injury and faced the grim future of possibly never walking again. Everett's condition has slightly improved. But his road to recovery still has a ways to go. This past Sunday Dolphins quarterback Trent Green saw his football mortality flash in front of his eyes.

With that in mind, I've become a firm believer Dolphins quarterback Trent Green needs to retire immediately. As most of you are aware, Green suffered a concussion after attempting to cut block Houston Texans defensive tackle Travis Johnson. He laid motionless on the field for several minutes and was wheeled off the field on a stretcher. Luckily the injury was less severe than it initially appeared.

But the long term effects could be devastating. This was not Green's first concussion. He suffered a season ending concussion last year as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Every concussion results in trauma to the brain. It's the type of injury that could turn a perfectly fine-tuned athlete into a vegetable in a milisecond. Some of football's greatest quarterbacks including Steve Young and Troy Aikman were forced to make the difficult decision to end their careers sooner than they wanted because of this injury.

I'm in no position to tell Green what to do with his life, nor do I know him personally. But at 37 years old and his best football years behind him, Green must think of his future. He's got a wife and children to care for as well as his own well being. If he suffers another concussion, he'll face more than just the end of his football career. He may never function normally for the rest of his life.

Like any pro athlete, Green thrives on competition. Leaving the game is never an easy decision. But I think Green's decision should be simple. Life is more important than football.

By the way, I was angered to hear the NFL did not fine Travis Johnson for his classless behavior during Sunday's game. Johnson taunted Green while he was knocked out on the field. Johnson stood over Green and took pleasure in his injury. It's the most bush and pathetic thing I've seen in football in a long time.

Johnson's reasoning was he felt Green's attempted block was a cheap shot. First of all, Green's block was legal. He was also in front of Johnson. Green did not come up from behind and hit Johnson. Anybody who saw the replay should have enough sense to know Green couldn't block Johnson without going for his lower body. Johnson is 300 pounds. There's no way Green could physically block Johnson by taking him on high. Bottom line, there was no malicious intent on Green's part. He didn't go out of his way to hurt Johnson. On the other hand, Johnson went out of his way to humiliate an injured player. That's as low as you can go.

Dolphins Booted Out Of Houston

Houston's Kris Brown kicks a 57 yard field goal to beat the Dolphins


Bad teams find ways to lose games. Now sporting a record of 0-5, there's no question the Dolphins are a bad team. But Miami's 22-19 loss to the Houston Texans was not the result of the Dolphins blowing the game. This time I'm going to give credit to the Texans for winning it.

How could you not? The simple fact is Texans kicker Kris Brown was the best player on the field. It's rare that you can say this about a kicker. But the facts don't lie. Brown kicked five field goals--three of them were beyond 50 yards. He kicked the game winner from 57 yards yards away. Oh and by the way, he didn't miss any kicks the whole game. There's nothing you can do as a Dolphin player or fan but tip your helmet to Brown and the Texans.

Now I know a lot of Dolphin fans are still upset with Cam Cameron's decision to punt the football in Houston territory with about a minute left to play and the scored tied 19-19. First of all, I'm not a Cameron apologist. I've never really been a huge fan of his as a coach. But I believe he made the right decision to punt. Sure hindsight is 20/20 and the Dolphins defense was not able to stop Houston's offense when it mattered. But I can honestly say if I were in Cameron's shoes, I would have done the same thing.

It's easy to play the result. But Cameron did the right thing by playing the percentages. Had the Dolphins attempted the field goal, kicker Jay Feely would have been forced to attempt a 58 yard kick. And although Feely has not missed a field goal this year, none of them have been that far away. Miami's defense did a good job limiting Houston's offense all day. I don't fault Cameron with putting faith in his defense. The Texans scored only one offensive touchdown and began their final drive inside their own 10 yard line. Zach Thomas's return to the lineup was a huge boost to a defense that couldn't stop Huggy Bear's son (Raider running back Justin Fargas) from rushing over 100 in one quarter last week. But when it was crunch time and the Dolphins defense really needed a stop, they couldn't deliver.

Aside from Brown's heroics, this game will always be remembered for Trent Green's concussion after he tried to throw a block on Houston defensive tackle Travis Johnson to free receiver Ted Ginn on an end around. Green was wheeled off the field on a gurny after he laid motionless for several minutes. Shortly after the play, Johnson taunted Green while his was knocked out on the ground. For this, I just want to say Travis Johnson is an absolute piece of crap who should be fined by the NFL. It's one of the most unsportsmanlike gestures I've seen on a football field. I'll get into this incident a little more on another blog entry.

For now Cleo Lemon is the Fins starting QB. I'm all for playing the the quarterback who gives the team the best chance to win. But the Dolphins have made a huge investment in John Beck and I can't emphasize how important it is for him to start playing and contributing. I can understand the philosophy of bringing Beck along slowly and letting him learn in practice. But nothing can prepare you more than playing in an actual game. You can't completely simulate game situations in practice. The speed of the game and pressure can't be duplicated on the practice field. So while Cleo Lemon has now been given the keys to the car, I expect John Beck to be unleashed sooner than originally anticipated. Stay tuned.

Butch Davis Schools Randy Shannon

Going into yesterday's game between Miami and North Carolina, Randy Shannon tried to his best to convince the media to downplay the coaching matchup between himself and Butch Davis. But after watching North Carolina beat the Canes 33-27, you'd have to say the Tar Heels were clearly more prepared and were better coached than UM.

Most college football fans are aware of Davis's history at UM and how he cleaned up the Hurricane program when he arrived in Coral Gables 1995 and returned the Canes into a national power. Shannon's entire football career has been somewhat in Davis's shadow. Back when Shannon played at UM, Davis was there as a defensive line coach. When Shannon played for the Dallas Cowboys, again Davis was there on Jimmy Johnson's coaching staff. When Davis was hired as UM head coach, Shannon was an assistant on his staff. So, it's fair to say there's not a coach in the country who knows Randy Shannon better than Butch Davis. And don't think for one minute that didn't help Davis and his North Carolina prepare for the Canes.

Miami was a 7 point favorite going into the game. There's was little question the Canes were considered the more talented team. The Canes entered with a 4-1 record. The Tar Heels were 1-4. Miami had a fifth year senior Kyle Wright starting at quarterback. North Carolina's starting QB T.J. Yates is a freshman. All logic points to an decisive Canes victory. But as Lee Corso would say, not so fast my friend.

Don't underestimate the importance of coaching in college football. The most important aspect of coaching is preparation. I believe games are won or lost by how you practice and prepare going into a game. Just watching the first half of the game, North Carolina's staff did a vastly superior job getting their athletes ready to play. The Tar Heels dominated on offense, defense and special teams racing to a 27-0 lead at intermission. While the Canes made a strong comeback in the second half, they couldn't overcome the huge halftime deficit.

How did the Tar Heels do it? North Carolina took advantage of just about every weakness of UM's team. The Tar Heels used new formations and plays they hadn't shown in any of their previous five games. For example, UNC used a lot of running plays that involved pulling and motion from its offensive line. Rarely did the Tar Heels use these plays in their previous games. They were also prepared for every defensive look the Canes gave them and called the right play at the right time. A perfect example was receiver Brandon Tate's 54 yard touchdown run on a reverse. Again, this was a play UNC had not shown all year. It also didn't help that Miami made so many mistakes both mentally and physically. North Carolina's domination during the first 30 minutes was as close to perfect football as any team has ever played against the Canes. Don't think for one minute Davis's familiarity with Shannon and the UM program didn't help.

I'm going to use a quote that has been used in just about every cheesy kung fu movie. We've all heard it. "And now the student has become the teacher." I'm convinced Randy Shannon will be a good coach for the Canes. He's already significantly improved the recruiting over his predecessor Larry Coker. But it will take time to build the program back to elite status. It's also going to take time for Shannon to become a great head coach. There's a huge difference between being a defensive coordinator and running and entire football program. Right now Shannon is performing on the job training. Indeed the student has a ways to go to master his teacher.

Here are some other observations from the UM vs. UNC game:

*This game was a microcosm of Kyle Wright's career. He threw for 302 yards and 2 touchdown passes. But he also threw 4 interceptions and all of them hurt the team badly. Wright has a propensity for throwing interceptions in the end zone. This is the third game this year he's made the same mistake.

*Miami's special teams were absolutely awful. Kicker Francesco Zampogna missed a 33 yard field goal and an extra point. Meanwhile, his North Carolina counterpart Conner Barth made four field goals including a 51 yarder. You can argue UNC's huge advantage at the kicking position was the difference in this game. Miami kick returner Lee Chambers showed horrible judgement trying to advance out of the end zone and was tackled at the 8 yard line. Canes punter Matt Bosher also had a punt blocked setting up a UNC score.

*The Canes have zero playmakers in their secondary. Cornerback Carlos Armour was exposed as the weak link all game long. On North Carolina's first touchdown, Armour missed a tackle that allow Tar Heel running back Anthony Elzy scored on a 39 yard run. Armour was also torched left and right by quarterback T.J. Yates and his receivers. In fact, I can't remember the last time a Miami cornerback has intercepted a pass. Safety Kenny Phillips is the only player who makes any positive plays. But even Phillips is a bit overrated. He's not the game-changer that Ed Reed or Sean Taylor were. To be fair, not many players in the game are.

*Other than his long TD against FIU, receiver Lance Leggett has been terrible. He struggles to get open. When he does get open, he doesn't have reliable hands and his route running is abysmal. On the flip side, senior Darnell Jenkins has been a pleasant surprise and has really stepped up his play. Jenkins had a 97 yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. Sam Shields is the most talented receiver on the team. But after missing two games with suspensions, you have to wonder about his dedication to the team.

*What has happened to Javarris James? James has yet to rush for 100 yards in a single game. He is below his pace of his freshman year last year. Against North Carolina, James carried 10 times for just 27 yards. Graig Cooper clearly has surpassed James as Miami's best running back.

*Injuries are become a big problem on defense. Linebacker Colin McCarthy and defensive tackle Antonio Dixon left the game with injuries and did not return.