Former Miami Hurricanes legend Ed Reed would like see former players involved in the coaching search for Al Golden's replacement, so much so that he said Monday even he would listen if the school wants to talk about a position with the program.

Reed laughed off the idea of him as a head coach in an interview about Miami on the Rich Eisen Show, but acknowledged that he and other former players want to figure out a way to get involved and help the Canes return to the level of greatness they experienced.

"I haven't received a call from a 305 (area code) number," Reed said with a chuckle. "I would definitely listen, would go and talk and want to know what they're looking to do. I would entertain it.

"I'm at a different place in my life right now, working out, training, coaching from afar, helping guys out, high school, college and pro alike. I definitely would entertain it."

Reed said several former players have a group chat to discuss the future of the Miami program, and that he has discussed the issue with former Miami quarterback and current Carolina Panthers assistant Ken Dorsey.

"Only person [from the Miami family tree] I've talked to was Ken Dorsey," Reed told Eisen. "Me and Dorsey have talked a great bit about coaching together, but neither one of us want to be the head coach. We argued that. I know other guys would chime in and definitely want to be a part of it in some way, help out.

"I know guys got a group chat together, trying to figure out how we can have input helping make a good decision, a football decision, for the school and for the players."

One thing is for sure: If Ed Reed were to take any position with Miami, he should have no trouble motivating the locker room.


(cbssports.com)

Many college football pundits consider the early 2000 Miami Hurricanes as some of the most talented teams in college football history.

The quarterback of that Golden Era of Canes football, Ken Dorsey, joined the Joe Rose Show this morning on WQAM to chat about his current gig as quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers, the state of Miami football, and how he nearly left the NFL for a college job this year.

“Something came up where I was close to going back to college this year,” Dorsey said. “There was some consideration there at an offensive coordinating position but obviously it’s got to be the right position.

“I think I would love to do college and everything like that. It’s great to be able to work with college players and be able to develop them.”

When Joe Rose predicted that someday we’re going to see Dorsey back in college football as a coordinator and then as a head coach, the former All-American didn’t deny it.

“That very well could happen,” Dorsey said. “You never know. I do love college football and it’s a fun atmosphere and you never know what will happen.”

Which program will be the one to give the two-time Heisman finalist a shot?


(cbslocal.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – In college, Ken Dorsey was known as a winner. He posted a 38-2 record as starting quarterback at the University of Miami and won the 2001 national title game.

In the NFL, he was a perennial backup who started three games for the Browns in 2008.

Dorsey is No. 11 on our list as we look back at all the Browns' starting quarterbacks since 1999. Here is a look at his career highlights and lowlights and what he's been doing since his Cleveland days.

Ken Dorsey, 2006-2008
0-3 as a Browns starter

Before the Browns
Dorsey hailed from Orinda, Calif., and attended the University of Miami, where he won a national title and lost just two of 40 games he started. During that time, he was twice a Heisman Trophy finalist. In 2003, he was drafted in the seventh round by the San Francisco 49ers and played there until 2005.



How he came to the Browns
In May 2006, the Browns traded Trent Dilfer to the San Francisco 49ers for Dorsey and a seventh-round pick.

Browns highlights
Dorsey has a tough go of things with the Browns when he started the final three games of the 2008 season. The highlight was Dorsey just getting one last chance to be a starting quarterback. After his 2008 season, Dorsey never played in the NFL again.

Browns lowlights
In the three starts with the Browns, Dorsey has zero touchdowns, six interceptions and was sacked five times. The Browns lost all three games and scored a total of 19 points.

The worst of the three starts was a 30-10 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16. In that one, Dorsey completed just 11 of 28 passes and threw two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown.

How he left the Browns
In February 2009, just a few months after his brief stint as a starter, Dorsey was released by the Browns.

After the Browns
Dorsey never played in the NFL again after he was released by the Browns. He spent the 2010 season with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

What he's doing now
Dorsey is currently the Carolina Panthers quarterbacks coach. He's started in the job last year after spending two seasons as a pro scout for the team.


(cleveland.com)

With the first round of the NFL playoffs complete, some proCanes were sent home packing while others continue their quest for a Super Bowl ring.

With the New Orleans Saints defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, Jimmy Graham and Jon Vilma (IR) advance to the next round of the playoffs to take on the proCane-less Seattle Seahawks. Go Saints! The Eagles lost because they didn’t have any proCanes.

Two proCanes were sent home with the Kansas City Chiefs losing a thriller to the Indianapolis Colts. DL Allen Bailey and TE Richard Gordon were sent home while Reggie Wayne (IR) will continue to help his team from sidelines in their next game versus the New England Patriots who have proCane DL Vince Wilfork who is also on IR.

The San Francisco 49ers behind the solid running of proCane RB Frank Gore ended up defeating the Green Bay Packers who lost proCane DB Sam Shields in the first quarter of their defeat. The 49ers will face the Carolina Panthers who have proCane TE Greg Olsen on the field and QB Coach Ken Dorsey on the sidelines. The Packers also have scouts Glenn Cook and Alonzo Highsmith on their staff as well as Winston Moss.

The Chargers who don’t have a proCane and defeated the proCane-less Bengals (boooooring), will face the Denver Broncos with their solid proCane offensive lineman Orlando Franklin.

It's the stuff of a made-for-TV NFL dramedy: the cannon-armed quarterback with the million-dollar smile and the 50-cent sulk, joining forces with the beanpole coach with the aw-shucks grin. The two are thrown together in the pursuit of victory and the recognition both deserve yet neither is getting.

Cam Newton, meet your new position coach: Ken  Dorsey.

At first, it's a knee-slapper: as if the little boy from Newton's NFL Play60 ad grew up and became Cam's boss with the Carolina Panthers. But as with everything in life and football, it's a different story upon closer inspection.

Newton and Dorsey have at least one crucial thing in common: an undefeated college season. Newton led Auburn to a championship in 2010 and Dorsey did the same for Miami nine years before. You can make an argument that the two are the most dominant quarterbacks of the BCS era, making an allowance for Vince Young and Tim Tebow. Newton did it with all eyes on him, whether because of the unproven allegation that his family took money, or because of his unstoppable talent. He went No. 1 overall to the Panthers in 2011 and is still the franchise's present and future.

Dorsey won by vanishing in plain sight. He made nary a mistake in his time at Miami, going 38-2 as a starter, and yet attention usually fell to Clinton Portis, Ed Reed, Jeremy Shockey, or any of the other fellow future pros on his team. Dorsey came within one pass of winning back-to-back BCS titles, and Bobby Bowden once called him the toughest quarterback to game-plan against. However, Dorsey was drafted almost as an afterthought by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL draft. He went to the Cleveland Browns and then Toronto before becoming a Panthers scout. His first NFL coaching job came last January, when he was hired to train Newton. The Panthers' quarterback admitted shock when the decision was made, and most fans were just as surprised.

How would the star take instruction from a 32-year-old first-time whistle?

"When I have to get on him about something," Dorsey says, "he takes it very well."

Really? Newton is the guy who is so distraught after some losses that teammates have given him wide berth even in a crowded visitors locker room. His rep is one of petulance, not patience.

"Mentally, he's a lot different than what he's given credit for," Dorsey says, explaining that Newton's on-field awareness has grown considerably with the kind of time in the film room that Peyton Manning might appreciate. The two have worked together in the past, as Dorsey was an instructor for IMG before catching on with Carolina. Then as now, Dorsey has pushed Newton to forget the immediate past and worry about the next play or game.

"The day he was announced the quarterbacks coach, we had a long talk," Newton told the Charlotte Observer. "We challenged each other. I wanted him to make me the best quarterback he could, and I was going to accept the challenge. I was going to take coaching."

Mostly, that has meant working on mechanics, including keeping Newton's feet under him when he throws – something extra difficult for a mobile quarterback. But it's also meant an honesty Newton asked for and Dorsey isn't afraid to dole out.

Just like Newton is more of a student than most would think, Dorsey is more of a firebrand than he lets on. It was Dorsey who led the charge to get Larry Coker the Miami job when Butch Davis left for the NFL. Newton has called him "a very passionate person."

Will it work? There's reason to believe so. Newton is now a team captain for the first time, as voted on by teammates. That's a step in itself. And the departure of offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski to Cleveland has been met with some degree of relief.

"The prior offensive coordinator really was positioning himself to just apply for that head coaching job," wide receiver Steve Smith told reporters this week. "I think our offense suffered a bit because of that. At times, we got cute."

New coordinator Mike Shula may use a more vertical offense, which not only benefits Newton's arm but also mirrors what Dorsey employed at Miami. "Cute" need not apply when your quarterback can overpower a defense with his arm or his legs.

It's a little silly how overlooked Newton has been over the past several months. The hype over the reign of young quarterbacks has focused nearly entirely on Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson. Newton was more successful than all of them in college, Newton is more physically imposing than all of them, and Newton had better rookie-year stats than all of them. He threw for more than 4,000 yards in 2011 and ran for more than 700, with 35 total touchdowns. Newton's media session pouting has stuck to him (as has the losing), even though more popular athletes would probably be given a pass for the same behavior. Dorsey isn't deeply bothered, saying Newton has a "burning desire" and explaining how "Cam even wants to win every meeting."

While the similarities get overshadowed, they indeed have a lot in common: both successful yet somehow underestimated. Shula has called Dorsey's hire "probably the best thing that has happened this year for the organization." We'll see if there are any results on Sunday, as the Panthers host Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. A win over the team picked by many to go to the Super Bowl would reawaken the Newton buzz and focus more attention on Dorsey. Newton's new mentor may not have the physical tools of the former No. 1 pick, but Dorsey had an interesting answer when asked if he's just as competitive.

"My wife would have a good answer to that one," Dorsey quipped.

If the NFL's odd couple works out, Mrs. Dorsey may start to feel like a third wheel.


(sports.yahoo.com)

When they were teammates in Cleveland, watching film in the quarterbacks meeting room, Derek Anderson always thought Ken Dorsey would wind up as a coach someday.

And while Dorsey took a bit of a non-traditional route to the profession, the early reviews on the Panthers’ new quarterbacks coach have been positive.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera called Dorsey a “hidden gem.” Offensive coordinator Mike Shula, whose promotion created the opening for Dorsey, said Dorsey’s hiring was “probably the best thing that has happened this year for this organization.”

And Cam Newton, the player who will work most closely with Dorsey, said he was rendered nearly speechless when he learned during the offseason that Dorsey had gotten the job.

“The day he was announced the quarterbacks coach, we had a long talk. We challenged each other. I wanted him to make me the best quarterback he could, and I was going to accept the challenge. I was going to take coaching,” Newton said.

“Coach Shula still has his say-so, so we’re not boxing him out by any means,” Newton added. “I think those two guys work extremely well together and push me to higher heights.”

Newton and Dorsey worked together previously. Dorsey assisted former Panthers quarterback Chris Weinke at IMG Academies in 2011 when Newton trained at the Bradenton, Fla., facility after the draft and during the lockout.

When the Panthers hired Dorsey as a pro scout in August 2011, they said the move was unrelated to Dorsey’s work with Newton – something Newton reiterated Tuesday.

“I’m not going to take any credit for him coming here – let’s get that thrown out there,” Newton said. “Ken is a very passionate person, especially looking back at his career (and) his resume, being so successful. For him, he’s done everything on his own. For our relationship to cross paths as early as it did was just an added dimension.”

Dorsey went 38-2 as the starting quarterback at Miami, leading the Hurricanes to the 2001 national championship. He twice was a Heisman Trophy finalist, finishing third in 2001 when Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch won it and fifth the following year when Southern Cal’s Carson Palmer was the winner.

Dorsey was drafted in the seventh round in 2003 by San Francisco, where he started 10 games in three seasons. He then went to Cleveland for three years, playing behind Anderson and working with then-Browns offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski.

Chudzinski, now the Browns’ coach, was the Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2011 when Dorsey joined Carolina’s scouting department. As an advance scout, Dorsey traveled to see the Panthers’ next opponent every week and reported back to the team on tendencies and personnel.

Every week was a road game for Dorsey – not that his hours now are any better.

“The big difference is I’m still here just as late, but now I have to be here earlier,” said Dorsey, who is married with two young daughters.

Dorsey said he has leaned on Shula for help in preparing for meetings and planning for practices. Shula said Dorsey has been a fast learner.

“Even though he hasn’t coached, he understands what we are doing and has a fast mind and just a really good way about himself,” Shula said.

Dorsey, 32, is only two years older than Anderson, his ex-teammate and the Panthers’ backup quarterback. But both said Dorsey’s new role hasn’t made things awkward.

“When he and I played together, he helped me. He and I would watch film together, we would do things together. So it’s not that different,” Anderson said. “(Dorsey is) kind of stepping away from being the laughy, joker, helper-guy to the coach, and making sure he commands our attention in meetings. And so far it’s been good. I think he’s going to be one heck of a coach.”

Because IMG’s clientele ranged from middle school to NFL players, Dorsey had to start with the basics when working with the younger quarterbacks. That’s been helpful in his development.

“Sometimes I think you fall into a lull in the NFL. You focus so much on the Xs-and-Os, you forget the mechanics of it sometimes,” Dorsey said. “In the fourth quarter, when guys are just dog-tired and you’re fighting to win a game, that’s what you’ve got to fall back on.”

As for Newton, Dorsey said he’s been working with him to keep his legs under him when he sets to pass.

“He’s got such great arm strength,” Dorsey said. “When he gets his legs and his base into the throw, it’s a huge difference.”

Dorsey praised Newton for taking a “blue-collar approach” this year.

“I always expect good things for Cam. The guy obviously is physically put together,” Dorsey said. “But also mentally, he’s made tremendous strides. I’ve been really excited about the way he’s worked this training camp and this whole preseason.”

Anderson expects good things for Dorsey, as well.

“He always kind of had that coach perspective,” he said. “When we were in Cleveland, he and Chud did a lot of game plan and stuff toward the end of his career. He kind of stepped into that role and he was working, scouting and all that. … He has it in his blood.”


(charlotteobserver.com)

Carolina Panthers quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey, back, looks on as Cam Newton, front, runs a drill during an NFL football training camp practice in Spartanburg, S.C., Tuesday, July 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

CHARLOTTE – When Ken Dorsey twice was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, Cam Newton was a kid just beginning to find his way in life.

But when Dorsey started three games in place of injured quarterback Derek Anderson for the Cleveland Browns in 2008, Newton was a college football player, one destined to become the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

"I kid with him all the time that he's not too far removed from being in the league himself," Newton said of Dorsey, the Panthers' first-year quarterbacks coach who last played in the NFL in 2008. "He understands a lot of the things we're feeling. Sometimes we're down, sometimes we're up, and he's the equalizer to help us focus and get the job done."

Dorsey is quick to point out that he didn't have nearly the success that Newton has enjoyed in the NFL, but as an NCAA champion like Newton and a five-year veteran of the NFL wars, Dorsey knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed.

"It's great to have that experience that I can look back on to help understand what he's going through on the field," said Dorsey, who compiled a 38-2 record as starting quarterback at the University of Miami. "I understand what Cam is looking at and why he doesn't do something where some people might be asking, ‘Well shoot, why didn't he just do this?' It's not always that easy.

"I understand that when you drop back and the bullets are flying, it's not always going to be pretty, but at the end of the day you've got to find a way to get the job done."

That's exactly what the 32-year-old Dorsey tried to do as a player and what he is now trying to do in his first full-fledged coaching role. He may officially be new to this, but in reality he's been preparing for this moment for years.

"When I was playing, I did a lot of work with the coaching staff," said Dorsey, whose playing days ended as a backup for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League in 2010. "I was in the game-planning meetings with the coaches in Cleveland and Toronto, helping them out with breaking down defenses and things like that.

"I'm incredibly lucky because I can't see doing anything else. This to me, it's not a job. It's what I love to do."

Unlike seemingly so many in his shoes, Dorsey isn't the son of a football coach, but his father still played a big role in Dorsey working to get to where he is today. Tom Dorsey, who died at the age of 65 in February, was Ken's biggest fan.

The feeling was mutual.

"My dad wasn't a coach, but I took a ton away from him," Dorsey said. "He had to work two jobs a lot of times, but he never let us as kids really see when times were hard. He was the hardest worker for the betterment of his kids, and I couldn't have asked for anything more. That's the approach I take to coaching.

"My dad always dreamed of me coaching. Before he passed, I was able to see him in the hospital just after I had been promoted to quarterbacks coach. I was able to tell him, and he lit up. He was so excited."

Tom closely followed his youngest son's transition from player to coach. Ken worked with a couple of high school programs in Florida in 2011, and that same year he got an opportunity from former Panthers quarterback Chris Weinke to work with aspiring quarterbacks at IMG Academy in Bradenton. Dorsey worked primarily with high school athletes, though he did meet a college athlete training for the draft named Cam Newton.

Their relationship grew – as did Dorsey's understanding of coaching – when Dorsey spent the past two seasons as a pro scout for the Panthers. Dorsey spent significant time around the players and coaches in the role, relaying information about upcoming opponents.

"It helped a ton, just being around these guys. They know me, and I know them, so now it's not a complete stranger coming in," Dorsey said. "It's about building trust. Cam understands the time I put in the last two years to help this team win, and I understand the time and work he put in. Having that understanding makes all the difference in the world.

"My whole goal is to do everything I can to make him the best possible player and teammate he can be. Fortunately for me, he makes that job easy because of the amount of work he puts in and the dedication he has."


(panthers.com)

The Carolina Panthers just announced three moves to their coaching staff.

They’ve hired Ken Dorsey as quarterbacks coach, Jim Skipper as running backs coach and Al Holcomb as linebackers coach. Skipper previously spent nine seasons (2002 through 2010) with the Panthers and was with the Tennessee Titans the last two seasons. Holcomb spent the last four seasons with the New York Giants.

But the most significant hire might be Dorsey. He’ll be Cam Newton’s position coach.

Mike Shula was in that role the past two seasons. Shula was promoted to offensive coordinator after Rob Chudzinski left to become the head coach in Cleveland.

This will be Dorsey’s first job as an NFL assistant. He spent the last two seasons as a pro scout for the Panthers. Dorsey played quarterback for Cleveland and San Francisco for seven seasons and also played for Toronto in the Canadian Football League.


(espn.com)

If the Panthers are looking for continuity when it comes to their offense, then their smartest move came in filling the position of quarterbacks coach, vacated when Mike Shula was promoted to offensive coordinator, with Ken Dorsey.

It was Dorsey who worked with quarterback Cam Newton during the 2011 lockout, teaching Newton the Rob Chudzinski offense.

In fact, when the lockout ended and the Panthers hired Dorsey as an advance scout, the Panthers legitimately were nervous about potential allegations that Dorsey had been working directly on behalf of the Panthers during the lockout.

Regardless, it worked.  Newton was able to hit the ground sprinting for the Panthers, thanks in large part to the work of Ken Dorsey, who with Chris Weinke got Newton ready.  (Actually, Weinke was more involved in the lockout work with Newton than Dorsey.)

Newton’s ongoing development will hinge on the ability of Dorsey to do what he, along with Weinke, did two years ago in establishing a rapport with Newton and getting him ready to play.

In his second season, Newton didn’t seem to be as ready to do much of anything, especially early in the year.  And there have been lingering whispers of Newton not listening to coaches, and of a general lack of energy on offense with the team in 2012.  While Shula was part of that in 2012, Dorsey was part of the critical efforts to get Newton ready for one of the best rookie seasons for any quarterback in NFL history.


(profootballtalk.com)

The Panthers again are staying in-house to fill a coaching position.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera is expected to hire Ken Dorsey, one of the team's pro scouts, as his quarterbacks coach, a source with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday.

Dorsey, 31, joined the scouting department two years ago after working with former Panthers quarterback Chris Weinke at IMG Academy, where they trained Cam Newton during the lockout before Newton's rookie season.

Dorsey is the winningest quarterback in University of Miami history, posting a 38-2 record and leading the Hurricanes to the 2001 national title. Dorsey, drafted in the seventh round by San Francisco in 2003, was 2-11 as a starter with the 49ers and Cleveland. He also played with Toronto in the CFL in 2010.

The Panthers promoted three assistants last week – offensive coordinator Mike Shula, receivers coach Ricky Proehl and special teams coordinator Richard Rodgers. They also re-hired running backs coach Jim Skipper, who was on John Fox's Panthers' staff for nine years before spending the past two seasons with the Tennessee Titans.


(charlotte.com)