Best in country? It only begins there

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© St. Petersburg Times
published January 4, 2002

PASADENA -- Were you watching, Warren? Were you impressed?

What did you think, Bernie? Have you ever seen anything like these guys?

How about you, Michael? Or you, Gino? Or Bennie or Alonzo or Cortez or Ray or any of the Miami football legends? Has anyone ever seen a Hurricane team this good?

They belong to the ages now, these present-day Hurricanes. They own college football, present tense and past. They are better than any team that played this year. Perhaps, they are as good as any team that played any year.

This is how you measure greatness. A team enters a game to play one opponent and, instead, winds up playing against the history books.

It happened for Miami on Thursday night in the Rose Bowl. Not only did the 'Canes turn Nebraska into, say, Texas Tech, they managed to set new standards of excellence even for a program that has lived in the clouds for two decades.

You can say it now. This team is better than any Miami team that ever broke a huddle. It is better than Kosar's team, or Brown's or Kennedy's or Sapp's. It is the most talented, most balanced, most complete team the 'Canes have seen, and they've seen some pretty good ones.

Remember the four national champions? Remember the talent-laden teams of '86 and '88?

Warmup acts, all of them.

"If you're asking me, we're the best team Miami has had," safety Ed Reed said. "I think we're better all around. Offense. Defense. Both sides of the ball."

In their biggest game in the season, in a stadium that felt like a road game, the Hurricanes were overwhelming. They ground Nebraska beneath their heels, leaving them looking outdated, one-dimensional and as dull as Frank Solich's speechwriter. By the end of the second quarter, you could imagine the 70,004 fans dressed like roses looking at each other and asking: "We paid how much for this trip?"

That crowd was supposed to be the great equalizer, wasn't it? Anyone who had ever lived in Nebraska, anyone who had ever driven through Nebraska, anyone who had ever eaten corn was here. You could have swiped the entire state and moved it on the other side of the Dakotas, and no one would have noticed.

That's something else about this Miami team. The other 'Canes teams never had to win a title in this type of atmosphere. Three of the four titles were clinched at the Orange Bowl, virtually home games. This time, the joint was all Nebraska's, but the field was all Miami's. Miami made Nebraska look so bad that by halftime, you no longer were wondering how Colorado beat the Huskers by 26. You were wondering why everyone didn't.

Forget the sloppiness of the second half. This was over as soon as it was established the Huskers couldn't run their option. In Nebraska, they still regard the forward pass as the Hula Hoop, some sort of trend that is bound to become outdated. In the Grandaddy of Them All, the Huskers still were playing Grandaddy's defense.

It is serious business, comparing a team to past teams when those past teams have the luster of the Hurricanes. There are so many great players who have added to their reputations through pro football that, to many, it may seem absurd to suggest this team is superior.

But this one measures up. Finally, Miami has a team of talent and accomplishment. Warren Sapp has said it all year. There are no weak spots here, he said. There are no flaws. Miami led the nation in scoring defense. It was first in turnover margin. It was third in scoring offense.

"I don't know if we're the best or not, but we're pretty damn good," tackle Joaquin Gonzalez said. "I think one advantage is that we have an All-American just about everywhere. Other teams may have had one great lineman, or one great linebacker. We have so much depth."

Also, so much drive. This team didn't have to rely on FSU missing a field goal to win. It didn't have to have higher-ranked teams lose. It didn't let a golden opportunity slip through its fingers.

It merely decided what it wanted.

And it took it.

No Miami team ever had an offensive line like this one. No team had a running back as good as Clinton Portis. No secondary was more complete. There have been greater defensive tackles, but perhaps no team had as many good defensive linemen as this one.

In future years, you will remember this team as something special. Give Bryant McKinnie time to polish his game, and future 'Cane tackles will hear about him every day. Give Jeremy Shockey a few years, and you'll swear he invented tight end. Watch Reed make a few more plays, and you'll forget about Bennie Blades. Wait for Jonathan Vilma and Andre Johnson and Frank Gore to mature. Only then will you appreciate the time they spent together.

Yep. In the days to come, there is no doubt about it. You will remember these guys as the darndest, most relentless team the Hurricanes ever had.

Unless next year's is better.

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