Randy Shannon assists USF Recruiting

[Reliable Source]

This is priceless, right in the peak of recruiting.

Shields becoming success story for Packers

Got a link from a reader to an interesting article written last week by the Associated Press about former Hurricane Sam Shields, who has gone from undrafted free agent to knocking long-time veteran Al Harris out of a job with the Packers.

Sam Shields Although Shields was blessed with tremendous speed (he was timed under 4.3 at UM), he didn't accomplish as much as Canes fans hoped for in his college career. After three years of mediocre play at receiver, Shields was moved to cornerback his senior year by UM coach Randy Shannon. Although Shields spent an entire spring and an entire season at UM at corner, apparently, he didn't learn much.

According to the article, Packers cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt was "at his wits' end when he found out that Shields had no idea how to watch film, learn defenses or prepare for games at the cornerback position." So according to the article, Whitt began at, well, the beginning.

"He had no clue. Trust me, no clue,'' Whitt said bluntly. "There was one day, I almost lost my mind."

To teach Shields, Whitt went back to an approach he used as an assistant at Louisville, where he helped turn two former offensive players - Arizona Cardinals safety Kerry Rhodes and Philadelphia Eagles safety Antoine Harris - into NFL-caliber defensive players.

"Basically, I got flash cards. I drew a formation on one side, I drew the check on the back side, just like you do in school," Whitt explained. "The next day, I come in, he has a stack of flash cards, two inches deep, and he has everything on it. And from that day on, it was a total transformation because he understood the defense from that day on because he understood how to study."

Luckily for the Packers, Shields has been a quick study. In the Packers' 45-7 victory over Dallas before their bye week, he got his first NFL interception (an acrobatic one-handed catch) and, while also responsible for the Cowboys' only touchdown, proved once again on a big stage that the job isn't too big for him. In fact, his play solidified the Packers' difficult decision to sever ties with Harris, a 13-year veteran who'd started 106 career games in Green Bay and wound up with the Dolphins.

"Back when we started training camp, not many people knew who Sam Shields was, and I didn't know much about Sam Shields. But we thought he had potential, and he's continued to make improvement," defensive coordinator Dom Capers told AP. "We've played nine games with him out there now, and that's a tough position to stick a rookie out there because everybody in the National Football League knows."

Whitt believes Shields will eventually become a star in the league.

"Write this down," Whitt said of Shields, the Packers' No. 3 cornerback in their nickel defense. "Sam is going to be one of the top corners in this league in two years."

Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umiami/2010/11/shields-becoming-success-for-packers-from-scratch.html#ixzz168OWGq6H

[Paisa el Toro]

He did only have one year at cornerback with the Hurricanes. Maybe the kid wasn't coached that well because of his position on the UM depth chart? If USF is able to land Bridgewater and Rogers, I'll be thanking Shannon for his assist on USF recruiting.  ;D

[Reliable Source]

If we beat em on Saturday, all of us will be thanking him.

[Paisa el Toro]

If we beat em on Saturday, all of us will be thanking him.

No doubt about that. Lets go Bulls!

[2000bull]

If we beat em on Saturday, all of us will be thanking him.

No doubt about that. Lets go Bulls!

+1

I have a question....there's some talk now that shannon won't be starting J Harris this saturday....does this help us with the miami northwestern kids?

[Reliable Source]

If we beat em on Saturday, all of us will be thanking him.

Sorry I forgot to thank Randy. And I also want to personally thank Kirby Hocutt for that whole Gruden, Leavitt Jay Gruden debacle, imagine that could have been us. Gruden was mentioned as a candidate after JL got canned. I am really proud of the way Doug Woolard handled our transition, especially after watching that nightmare in Miami unfold. Miami had 7 commits before the train wreck and now 2 have decommitted and at least 2 more big ones are actively looking at other options.

[SRQ]

good point BR - DW has made some excellent hires without all the drama.  the FSU scene last year also wasn't pretty.