Ryan Tannehill is turning the corner… for Tennessee

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Maybe he just needed another seven years.

Or another month?

Either way, this is the most Miami Dolphins thing ever.

They have spent 19 years looking for Dan Marino’s replacement, so much so that executives and coaches accepted seven seasons of slightly-above-mediocrity from Ryan Tannehill, making excuse after excuse for his inconsistency, simply because he was better than some of the impostors who preceded him.

Finally, everyone, from owner Steve Ross on down, had enough. So, after Tannehill lost the last remaining argument for retention — durability — they let him walk, and he went to Tennessee ostensibly to back up Marcus Mariota. Mariota, however, has his own issues, and so Tannehill has replaced him.

And now Tannehill is 2-0, after beating Tampa Bay, 27-23, on Sunday.

Sorry, we had to get the Adam Gase mockery in there.

Tannehill, who had his best previous stretch under Gase in 2016 before getting hurt, has been sharp for the Titans.

What about the fade pattern he struggled to throw with the Dolphins?

Even our Luis Sung is impressed…

He seems to be enjoying himself, after South Florida got stale…

Look how comfortable he appears at his post game presser. He was a bit, shall we say, stiff, here.

 

And they love him in Tennessee…

So, are they getting suckered, or is this for real?

Is Tannehill, at last, on the fringe of elite?

Are we bored, during this lost Dolphins season, to be asking these questions?

The Miami Heat ended the Five Reasons curse!

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Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat may win another championship together someday.

But they will never accomplish anything quite like this.

Since Five Reasons Sports Network was born in 2018, we had 12 watch parties prior to Saturday evening. One didn’t count for our record — it was FC Barcelona against Real Madrid, and we don’t really have a horse in that fight. But the other 11 were Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins or Miami Hurricanes road games.

And we lost them all.

Every single one.

And some weren’t close. That included a Heat at Milwaukee Bucks game last season, when we gathered at Duffy’s in North Miami Beach.

So we expected the same Saturday at GQ’s Drafthouse a little further north, in Lauderhill in Broward County.

Top team in the East as the opponent.

Road game.

No Jimmy Butler — and a thin bench due to suspensions.

Then, a 21-point deficit.

So did we all just drink too much?

Or did our halftime giveaways — shirts and autographed cards — turn the tide?

Did this really happen?

Did the Heat… win? In overtime, no less?

Yeah, it happened.

It happened even with the Heat shooting free throws at an Andre Drummond clip in the last few minutes.

It happened even after Derrick Jones Jr. got hurt (groin) and Kendrick Nunn (great again) fouled out.

It happened even with me posting premature tweets about them winning.

It happened even with us all dressed horribly.

It happened, because Bam Adebayo and Justise Winslow were relentless on defense, and Goran Dragic and Kelly Olynyk were major contributors on offense.

And now can it happen again?

We have another watch party, Nov. 26 at Duffy’s in North Miami Beach for the game against the Rockets.

Yes, Harden and Westbrook. On the road.

But we’re on a winning streak.

And the Heat are different this season.

We just promise we won’t do this:

 

Miami Hurricanes name Jarren Williams QB1

Defense Responds, Williams Sparks Offense Late. Canes Win, 16-12!

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The Canes came into this game needing to win to keep their season from completely dismantling. While the hopes of playing for the ACC Championship game seem slim, there is still a slight hope that a win today could help build momentum for the rest of the season(we thought that after Virginia also). N’Kosi Perry was named the quarterback late this week ahead of today’s game against the University of Pittsburgh, but it was Jarren Williams who finished it.

Williams was still nursing an upper extremity injury during the week, which apparently led to coach Manny Diaz naming Perry the starter. While many people outside the program continue to call for Perry to remain the starter or even for Tate Martell to get a chance(Martell did not travel with the team due to a medical leave of absence), today’s game showed why Jarren Williams may still be the best option at quarterback for the Canes. Williams showed a lot of toughness on that drive and zip on the touchdown throw for the game-winning score. If you ask me, I think that the shoulder looks fine.

That Was Ugly

It was an ugly win. The offense for 90 percent of the game was atrocious, but 10 percent was all we needed. The biggest play of the afternoon came when Jarren Williams replaced the struggling N’Kosi Perry and led them down the field and threw a 32-yard touchdown strike to KJ Osborn with less than a minute remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter.

Perry’s stat line does not look very good. He finished 10/24 for 104 yards and an interception. Williams came in for the final 2 drives and finished the day 4/8 for 50 yards including the 32-yard touchdown pass to Osborn. Osborn had a solid game finishing with 6 catches for 94 yards and the touchdown grab.

The only other guy on offense that was productive was Cam Harris, who always runs hard. He finished the game with 16 carries for 60 yards and a score. The absence of Deejay Dallas was sorely felt. The Canes hope to have him back next week.

The Defense Responds

The defense responded in a big way today, with what I believe was their best game of the season. They made big plays when they needed to and held Pitt to just 12 points on 4 field goals. Defensive end Gregory Rousseau continues to dominate for the Canes. He finished the game with 7 total tackles and 3 sacks!

The big bounceback of the game was unquestionably the play of DJ Ivey. After multiple blunders last week against Georgia Tech, including the complete whiff on the receiver during the fake punt that resulted in a touchdown, Ivey picked off the Pitt quarterback twice! He finished with 2 tackles and the 2 interceptions.

Others that played well on defense were Jon Ford, Pat Bethel, Bubba Bolden with a forced fumble and Gurvan Hall with the fumble recovery. Shaq Quarterman also had a very good game, finishing the afternoon with 12 total tackles. Guys were having fun on the sidelines today.

The Price is Right

Did the Canes find a kicker in walk-on third-string kicker Camden Price? It seems like it. Price connected on both of his kicks and as sad as this sounds, looked really good doing so. Both kicks were nothing out of this world, but the way our kicking has been, this kid looked like an All-American doing it. He connected on a 22-yard field and an extra point. Price has a strong leg and looks to be kicking with confidence. We all have seen what a lack of confidence can do to a kicker.

FSU Week is Here

Now, it’s rivalry week. It’s FSU week! The Canes go to Tallahassee to face FSU next Saturday. Game time should be announced soon. Look for it to be either a 3:30 pm or 7:30 pm start. More info as the week progresses.

 

Follow us for all your Canes info at @CaneMaven. You can also follow Jazz Santana for Canes and 5 Reason Sports news and info at @jazzsantana.

Check out the @5Rings_Canes podcast for all your Canes insider info and recruiting news!

Twitter Thread: Nekias Duncan breaks down Heat’s opening win

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The Miami Heat Opened up the much anticipated 2019-2020 season Tuesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.  Nekias Duncan (@NekiasNBA) of @miaheatbeat, Bleacher Report and Five Reasons Sports breaks down and provides commentary for some of the Heat’s best plays and sequences in the 120-101 victory.

 

Follow the thread below:

Follow the Five on the Floor and @5ReasonsSports podcast for South Florida’s the most in-depth Miami Heat coverage all year long.

New father Jimmy Butler likely out for Bucks

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Jimmy Butler’s official Miami Heat debut is still on hold.

Butler, who missed the season opener for undisclosed personal reasons — though the team hinted it was the birth of a child — was still in the hospital with the child and mother Friday and Erik Spoelstra said he probably won’t make the Heat’s road trip that starts in Milwaukee on Saturday.

(Butler could join the team in Minnesota to face his former team Sunday.)

Here’s Spoelstra on the happy news:

Also not with the Heat on Friday: Dion Waiters. He won’t make either part of this trip and will rejoin the team Tuesday at home. James Johnson (conditioning) is not traveling either.

So it appears that the Heat will start the same lineup they did in the season opener.

That’s Bam Adebayo, Meyers Leonard, Justise Winslow and rookies Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro.

Nunn had 24 in his debut, and he sounded Friday as if he expected it, saying it went about how he visualized.

Here’s the clip:

Make sure to join us at GQ’s Crafthouse in Lauderhill starting at 5pm, for a watch party.

Free food, and t-shirt giveaways.

We’re 0-11.

Jimmy being out doesn’t help that. But at least we’ll be drinking.

Hurricanes morale being tested in Manny Diaz’s first season

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The rare five game homestand concluded with a very disappointing overtime loss to Georgia Tech and now back-to-back road games against Pittsburgh and Florida State awaits them.

According to expectations, the Miami Hurricanes were supposed to win all five home games and be well positioned for a spot at the ACC Championship Game. Instead they went 3-2 including a win against a ranked Virginia team.

“Last week, we just lost our focus,” said safety Gurvan Hall Jr.

Due to the losses to Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, the criticism and skepticism towards first year head coach Manny Diaz is beginning to mount. Some on social media even went as far as to suggest that he should be fired and replaced with a big name coach. Saying “this is a rebuild” in his most recent postgame press conference set off fans and media alike due to it being contrary to the offseason hype that was “The New Miami.”

So far the players still support him.

“He’s still the head of the snake,” Hall said. “I mean, he coached the defense last year. We all believe in him. We all trust him.”

“There’s going to be criticism wherever you go,” said senior defensive tackle Pat Bethel, who went through three years of having Diaz as defensive coordinator before this season. “It don’t matter if you’re a meter maid. It don’t matter if you’re a doctor. It don’t matter if you work on the powerline. It’s going to be criticism regardless, and that’s just the way it is. We got to put our mindset and put our tunnel vision on so that we can do the job at hand. We can’t be worried about the outside world.”

Why does Bethel or the rest of his team still feel like Diaz is the right guy to lead them?

“He just is,” he said. “He’s a guy you’ve got to be around. He brings the same energy every day. He knows how to run the system. He knows how to coach. He knows exactly what he’s doing, so we trust him fully, and we’re all in for him.”

For better or for worst, the Hurricanes are stuck in the Manny Diaz experiment. It takes a lot of money to hire a head football coach and it takes just as much to fire him prematurely. Diaz has been with the team for three years as Mark Richt’s defensive coordinator prior to becoming the head coach so these are also his guys. 

With road games against Pitt and Florida State coming up, Diaz may not afford to return to Miami empty handed.

Suddenly Surging Panthers Must Keep Early Momentum

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The surging Florida Panthers (4-2-3, 11 points) seek their third straight win Thursday when they visit the Calgary Flames.

Florida now has points in six consecutive games, led by Jonathan Huberdeau who has points in four out of his last five outings.

 

Huberdeau had a goals and and assist in Florida’s 4-2 win Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (3-2-2, 3.75GAA, .878SV%) hasn’t had the best start in new surroundings but had a solid outing against Pittsburgh, stopping 23 of 25 shots and allowing just two goals.

The Panthers begin a four game trip through Western Canada with stops in Edmonton and Vancouver before ending the trip in Colorado.

Calgary (5-5-1) has been up and down so far and are coming off a 5-3 loss against the Washington Capitals. They are a middle of the pack team that doesn’t stand out in any one area.

Center Elias Lindholm leads the Flames with six goals while left winger Johnny Gaudreau paces the team with nine points (six goals, three assists)

Florida will need someone to help Huberdeau carry the scoring load, after a hot start Mike Hoffman has struggled of late.

After goals in three of four games to open the season, Hoffman has zero goals and a single assist in his last five outings.

Captain Alexsander Barkov is still looking for his first goal of the year but does lead the team with eight assists. Barkov added two helpers in the win against the Penguins and has five assists in his last four games overall.

Florida’s power play is off to a slow start (20%, 14th overall) but they have only had three chances in their last two wins, converting once.

The penalty kill has been excellent, ranking 6th overall league-wide at 87%. Meanwhile the Flames have struggled with the man advantage, ranking 22nd in the NHL with just a 16.7% success rate.

This is one clear advantage the Panthers can hopefully capitalize on.

Puck drops from the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary at 9PM EST.

 

 

Josh Richardson Claps at Heat Fans in Postgame Presser

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On Wednesday the Miami Heat opened their season with an impressive home win without Jimmy Butler.

His former team the Philadelphia 76ers did the same, dispatching the Boston Celtics 107-93.

Josh Richardson had 17 points and six rebounds in his debut for Philly, but his performance afterwards garnered more attention.

It seems like no matter the sport, when higher profile athletes leave Miami it doesn’t always leave them.

Now Heat fans catch a lot of, well heat, for punctuality and that one time in the playoffs something happened.

Miami time is a thing. So is South Florida street gridlock.

However make no mistake, Heat nation shows up night after night.

And the kids will be alright.

Philadelphia is an incredible basketball area on all levels, that should be stated.

That being said, it seems like J-Rich is already starting to trust a process that has yielded zero conference finals since his team was all in diapers.

If you follow the NBA and its players on social media, Twitter in particular, you know there is no love lost between these two organizations.

The difference is, one actually has the culture and the banners.

While the other has a process of playoff elimination annually.

Follow @5ReasonsSports and subscribe to the 5 on the Floor podcast for exclusive Miami Heat content all season.

Catch the 5 Reasons crew at their next watch party this Saturday ( yes, we know) when the Heat travel to Milwaukee to face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

 

 

Get Used to Kendrick Nunn

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You’ll have to get used to Kendrick Nunn.

Maybe we’ve been hyping the wrong rookie.

Well, not entirely. Tyler Herro is 19. He will have much better nights than he did in Wednesday’s season opening 120-101 win for the Miami Heat against the Memphis Grizzlies, when he was often squeezed off his spots and tried to do much creating to compensate.

But it was his summer league backcourt mate, the one who has appeared polished in every game he’s played for Miami — Las Vegas to preseason to now the regular season — who shined the most.

Kendrick Nunn is 24 already. And the guard — snatched from Golden State on the last day of last season — matched his age with his scoring in his Miami Heat debut, a debut that came as a surprise starter. Not a substitute starter. That was Herro, in for Jimmy Butler, who missed the game with a personal issue (nothing to worry about). Nunn was supposed to start all along.

Think about that.

Nunn, who wasn’t drafted, who wasn’t valued enough by a thin Warriors team to be kept safe from poachers, who was an afterthought heading into the offseason, was given the starting job between Butler and Justise Winslow for the season opener at home. Ahead of Herro. Ahead of Dion Waiters, before Waiters’ complaining and IG stalking got him suspended.

Eric Reid, who has called 31 seasons of Heat basketball, tried to tell you on the Five on the Floor we posted just prior to the opener:

As Reid noted, this promotion wasn’t just about that 40-point game, mostly against Houston’s starters, in the Heat’s preseason finale. It was about the steady approach Nunn has shown for months now. His hesitation dribble is elite. He does not rush. He switches comfortably between both guard spots. He competes on defense. And he’s not afraid to pull up and launch when he sees some space.

The Heat have a long history of unearthing point guards. Anthony Carter, now on the staff, and Mike James had long NBA careers after no team really wanted either. But Nunn is a combo of the two. He shoots much better than Carter. And he’s more versatile and polished than James.

Also, the attitude.

Listen here:

 

 

Jimmy Butler out for Season Opener

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The Miami Heat announced late Wednesday afternoon that Jimmy Butler would be out for the season opener against Memphis.

 

The exact reason for the absence has not been specified, NBA writer Tim Reynolds had this from head coach Erik Spoelstra.

 

This obviously throws a monkey wrench into not only the starting lineup, but the entire rotation along with defensive assignments on the perimeter.

Justise Winslow and Tyler Herro among others will be asked to carry more of the offense, it will be interesting to see who Spoelstra opens and closes with tonight.

Tip off from the American Airlines arena is 7:30pm EST

Check back for more updates as we learn more.

Follow @5ReasonsSports for the latest Miami Heat news.