Oct/02/08 11:34 PM Filed in:
Vernon CareyVernon Carey is a proud, card carrying member of the NFL's biggest and baddest fraternity.
He's a Hurricane, one of the 44 University of Miami players presently in the NFL, continuing the school's reign as the college program that has the most pro players running with the big boys.
Florida State is a distant second with 37 members, and Ohio State, Michigan and Georgia each have 36.
That achievement, and UM's 14-year streak of consecutive first-rounders (which likely comes to an end in 2009 if DE Eric Moncur doesn't have a monster season) is something the Hurricanes and its alums take a great deal of pride in despite "the U" falling on hard times.
Despite Miami's NFL dominance, UM's struggles have hit the school's pros hard. Most rarely watch Saturday's games these days. They can no longer boast and brag when cocky alums of other programs start talking smack. That's why the first thing Carey warned me when he agreed to do this unfiltered is that he didn't want to talk about UM. Fortunately, he agreed to talk on the touchy subject when I wouldn't let him off the hook.
The lifelong Miami native was at last week's disappointing North Carolina loss with his son, and when you check out this unfiltered you'll feel his pain.
During this unfiltered - which I'm sad to announce will be one of the last of it's kind because "The Man" is clamping down on what we do on the video end - you'll hear straight from Carey where he thinks the Hurricanes, and the Dolphins are headed, and what they need to do to turn things around.
He also addresses the adjustment he made back to the right side, where he's under attack playing next to new starter Ikechuku Ndukwe, who knows he's being scrutinized and is working to handle the challenge. And Carey touches on why he and his agent aren't pushing for a new contract from the Dolphins, the team he grew up wanting to play for.
I toughed on that last topic during the recent Q&A, but it's always good to hear straight from the player or coaches mouth, which is what these unfiltered interviews are - or were - all about.
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