Shannon Makes The Right Choice

Today's announcement of starters for the 2007 season was very well handled by Head Coach Randy Shannon. Regarding the most controversial and talked about choice, of Kirby Freeman to start over Kyle Wright, Shannon made the right choice. I'll be the first to admit that I am not at practice every day and don't see how the QB's play in the drills which coaches consider critical to playing the position. However, I have watched enough live game action for both QBs, and to me the choice based on game performance is a no-brainer.

Since Kyle Wright arrived at Miami in 2003 we have been hearing about how he has all the tools and how he is possibly the best athlete to ever play QB at Miami. But what I have found about Wright is that he has proven time and time again that he lacks the mental fortitude to play Quarterback in this system. Could Wright have been a better fit somewhere else, like Southern Cal or Texas where he was also highly recruited? Likely, so. Miami's offensive line has been a mess the past few years and Wright is uncomfortable with play action which has been for years a staple of Miami's offense. Besides, Wright seems to lock onto receivers and to go into a bunker when things begin to go wrong. These are not the type of attributes you want from your leader.

Kirby Freeman is far from the ideal QB for this system. In fact, Freeman probably would be better off at a place like Texas A&M or Florida where option components are meshed into the system, unlike at Miami. But the bottom line is that Freeman is a gutsy competitor and can make things happen with is feet when the pocket collapses. Freeman, is no doubt more mistake prone than Wright, but he is also much more capable of making the big plays that win you ball games. With Miami (irrespective of some of the blabber coming from the fan sites) in a full blown rebuilding mode with a new coach, it makes sense to play the QB who has more eligibility remaining and is more capable of the spectacular, than the QB who has failed time and time again when under pressure.

Congratulations to new Head Coach Randy Shannon, and Offensive Coordinator Patrick Nix. They have made the right choice at QB, a choice that makes what was looking to potentially be a lousy season a little bit brighter.