Relive All the Magic of the Canes' 7-6 Season

• Appreciate the mention, Kyle. Shannon still has to prove himself. I get where you're coming from. Two schools of thought here; folks can either believe in the guy or not buy into him. I trust in Shannon's vision. He's recruiting well, he's assembled a solid staff and he's not afraid to cut bait, as we've seen with past assistants who didn't get the job done (and weren't necessarily his first choices). Those who aren't buying into Shannon, I preach the same gospel; take an good, honest look at the program he inherited in late 2006. Completely void of talent (as seen by the lack of Canes in the upcoming NFL Draft), lacking depth and without quality players at the skills positions. It takes time to rebuild. Larry Coker didn't ruin things overnight and Shannon can't rebuild that quickly either. When he signed on we knew this was a 4-5 year project. Three years into it, this could be an exciting year. The schedule is brutal, but the addition of Mark Whipple calling plays, stability at quarterback, new blood at running back and what should be a decent offensive line (with some new additions) -- as well more depth on the defensive line and at linebacker. Secondary is still spotty, but if the front seven can make plays, that'll take some pressure off. If you can't "find a reason" to be a fan of Randy Shannon, you're not trying hard enough. You probably also missed Gary Smith's piece on him a few years back -- http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/ncaa/09/04/shannon0910 Even if you're not a Canes fan, it's hard not to be a fan of Randy, solely based on what he's overcome and his attitude after doing so. allCanesBlog.com

• Harry, I wasn't taking a shot at AllCanes. I hope a couple of people pick up the dvd because of this post, and he's right that the team has a lot of talent. Just really can't find a reason to be a fan of Randy Shannon.

• AllCanes (formerly All Sports) are good folk. They've been around forever and they're part of the U Family. Great crew they have there. I've shopped with Harry and staff since as long as I can remember. Sort of bush league for the New Times to take a shot here. You have the AllCanes folk who live and die with UM and you have a local paper who doesn't really care much for sports, giving their opinion that Shannon isn't the guy. Call my crazy, but I'll take the advice of the folk closer to the program - who live and breathe it - before I listen to the New Times and their two cents on Randy.

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