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Miami: Tight End Tech

The position has died off on many teams, but the 'Canes teach ends to punish opponents.

By BOB HARIG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 10, 2002

CORAL GABLES -- The big game is approaching, and Eric Winston can't wait. He viewed the Miami-Florida State rivalry from afar, recognized it as one of the top matchups in the country. Now he gets to stand on the Orange Bowl sideline Saturday, perhaps even participate.

Winston, the top tight end prospect in the country last year from Midland, Texas, chose the Hurricanes even though another player with outstanding potential, Kellen Winslow Jr., figures to occupy the position for the foreseeable future.

He chose Coral Gables over Austin, Texas, even though he could be starting Saturday for the Longhorns against Oklahoma in Dallas.

For Winston, the decision was not difficult.

"There are not many programs that have better situations for tight ends than Miami," he said.

In an era of wide-open offenses in college football, with three- and four-receiver sets and multiple formations, the tight end often is left out.

But not at Miami, where the No. 1 Hurricanes (5-0) have used the position to perfection, creating mismatches for opponents and putting talented players in the NFL.

Ask Florida State, which was burned two seasons ago by Jeremy Shockey for a game-winning 13-yard reception in the waning seconds for UM's first victory in the series after five straight defeats. Shockey caught another touchdown pass in last season's victory over FSU. Shockey, a first-round draft pick, now plays for the Giants. "That's the kind of guy you want," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. "They're hard to find, to be honest with you. A tight end who can block and catch the football and run with it, that's hard to find. Miami recruits them and Miami plays them and Miami works them into their system, and yes, Miami will use their tight end as effectively as anyone in the country."

So far Winslow has stepped nicely into Shockey's shoes -- and he came a long way to fill them. Winslow is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow, who played tight end for the Chargers. The younger Winslow was a prep star in California.

At 6-5 and 233 pounds, Winslow, a sophomore, is the perfect complement of size and speed for blocking and receiving. He leads Miami with 16 receptions for 183 yards and three touchdowns.

"A player like Kellen, you can sometimes get a mismatch," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "Do I put an extra defensive back or do I use a linebacker? It causes some defensive problems. It would cause problems on defense."

Coker, who was Miami's offensive coordinator before becoming coach last season, said he has always believed in making the tight end an important part of the offense. He did so in stops at Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Ohio State.

"Defenses aren't getting slower," said Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey, who has thrown for 1,044 yards and 14 touchdowns. "They're getting faster, too. You've got to try and find mismatches. It's just one more guy for them to have to honor. We love having the tight end stretch a defense and make big plays for us.

"That's been the trend nowadays, to go to a more wide-open offense. But we like our style of football. It's been working for us. We feel like that's our best opportunity to win. When we have tight ends who can do the job for us, that's when we've been successful."

It helps the tight end's cause that offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski played the position for the Hurricanes from 1987-90.

And it certainly doesn't hurt that Miami has a history of sending tight ends to the next level. Bubba Franks was a first-round pick of the Packers in 2000. Ivan Mercer (Redskins) and Mondriel Fulcher (Raiders) are other 'Canes in the NFL.

The position is so highly regarded that Shockey, a junior college transfer, accepted a scholarship without visiting Miami's campus.

"Tight end is a very underrated position," said Winston, 6-5, 260 pounds. "We do a lot of things. We create a lot of mismatches for the defense. When there's not a tight end in the game, it's kind of hard to run the ball. We keep them honest, almost, having a tight end in there.

"Having versatile tight ends like Kellen Winslow and Jeremy Shockey, guys who can run and catch the ball and block just as well ... it creates a lot of big problems for the defense. That's why I picked Miami."

-- Times staff writer Brian Landman contributed to this report.

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