'Canes Roundup

Paul Dee needs to make his move and fire Coker now, while we have the most to gain (or rather, salvage):

There's nothing easy about pulling the trigger on a decision of this magnitude. Still, the writing is on the wall and has been for a while now. Everyone knows this is coming. Why the delay? Rip the Band Aid off. The 'slow peel' method never worked in the past and it certainly isn't the answer now, Paul. [...]

Gone are the days of calling fans spoiled or talking about Coker's 53-9 record entering 2006. 53-9 sounds good on paper, but peel thing back a few layers. Miami is now 6-5 in its last 11 games. The Canes are going to miss the BCS for a third straight season after going four straight times between 2000-2003. [...]

Here's what Paul Dee should've done this week and can do any Monday following a Miami loss in November:

>>> Clear the air. No more unknowns. Let the coaches, players, alumni and fans all know where Miami Football is headed. What's happened in 2006 will not be tolerated. Send a message to the college football coaching community that The U is in the market for a new leader and let potential recruits know that the ship is being righted for 2007 and beyond.

>>> Having Coker step down now will force the media and the bitter fan base to do an about face regarding the fourth coach in school history to bring home a title. These final four games would have people reminiscing about what Coker did between 2001-2003 and the month of November would be The Larry Coker Farewell Tour. [...]

>>> By NOT doing it, the Coker era ends with a thud. The boos and 'Fire Coker' chants will rain down this Saturday when Miami struggles with Virginia Tech and the lack of support for the Thanksgiving match up against Boston College will be beyond atrocious. [...]

>>> Had the Coker Era ended yesterday, it'd have given his players something to rally around. We all know these Canes are reeling. They never recovered from the FIU brawl and media backlash. Losing to Georgia Tech knocked them down another rung. [...]

These Canes need a rallying cry and letting Coker resign would give them that - much like our arch-rivals did in Gainesville a few seasons ago.

Michael Irvin, who would like The U to bring in Butch Davis as coach and Gary Stevens as offensive coordinator, agrees:

''I love the program, and to see it in this situation hurts,'' Irvin said. "It's unacceptable. It's time to make a change. I don't say that with any malice. Larry Coker is a great man. [...] Are we getting the most out of the talent? Someone said Coker doesn't have many first-rounders. I said, `Whose fault is that?' You have to groom them into first-rounders.''

But Miami needs to stop beating themselves and focus on destroying Virginia Tech. (Who woulda thunk that Lousiville-West Virginia would have national championship implications while Miami-VaTech is a crap matchup of an unranked and a barely ranked team?) The best we can hope for now this season is to stop the bleeding and take each game, especially this weekend's against the Hokies, as a way to win back just a little bit of pride.