NFL Draft just not the same without The U

HOLLYWOOD Notice the dateline. It says Hollywood. Not Miami Beach, or wherever super-agent Drew Rosenhaus would host the draft party for a University of Miami NFL hopeful.

No, Hollywood is my residence, the UM media headquarters for the NFL Draft. Times have changed for UM football as well as for those who cover the team. Time was, this day was intense as covering the Rose Bowl or National Signing Day. I spoke today with Omar Kelly and Andrea Adelson, the two previous UM beat writers for the Sun Sentinel.

They covered the team during the glory years. The Draft was a time when they spent weeks planning coverage, deciding which players to follow. Adelson hung at Dan Morgan's house during the 2001 Draft. She also covered it in 2002 where five `Canes were taken in the first round, calling the experience "nuts."

"In 2002, I was in the office basically from the start of the draft, which was noon back then, to 10 or 11 at night," Adelson said. "...But it was a lot of sitting around, then scrambling to make calls and get guys on the phone before they took flights out to their new teams."

The only call I made today involving athletics was to my 6-year-old nephew, so he could tell me more about his T-ball debut. He went 2-for-3, and expressed his disappointment of the game not being televised.

Omar (I won't refer to him as Kelly because he's reached one-word status with most of you) said his days were spent at some draft party while also hustling on the phone to catch up with the draft picks. The day was almost the equivalent of covering a Rose Bowl or National Signing Day in terms of workload. Now, it's become more like a day off. 

Today came and went without a single UM player selected, ending the school's NFL-record streak of 14 years with a first-round draft pick. My day consisted of losing two basketball games at L.A. Fitness, running a few errands, making some turkey Sloppy Joe's and watching a few episodes of Beverly Hills 90210 (Brandon Walsh cheated on his exam).

Hardly the expected draft-day experience for someone who covers a team many used to call an NFL football factory. 

"It's real disappointing to see what's happened to the program, and not all of the blame belongs on the players" Omar said. "It's not always their fault they didn't develop."

Covering Miami the last two years has been like having a conversation with your grandfather. You know,the ones that begin, "Back when I was your age ..." Miami used to be Quarterback U. Used to be Running Back U. Used to NFL U.

Now, it's more like Remember When U.

The positive is the blocks are in place for the start of a new streak. Players such as Sean Spence, LaRon Byrd and Marcus Forston are already way ahead of the game. In time, the `Canes should be making their way back toward the top of college football and  wearing their fancy suits and baseball caps once again for Draft Day on ESPN.

(sun-sentinel.com)