Never too soon for college football chatter:
• Now that he has had time to reflect on the spring, new UM defensive coordinator Bill Young is convinced he has the talent to use all of his diverse schemes (including multiple blitz packages) that worked so well at Kansas. ''If anything, we might even be more talented that I expected,'' he said. ``We've got good speed and great size. I'm very encouraged.''
Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Patrick Nix predicts playing an inexperienced quarterback will be ''actually kind of fun'' and hopes his play-calling can be less conservative than '07.
• Among Young's postspring analysis impressions: He said defensive tackle AntonioDixon must lose more weight and incoming tackles Jeremy Lewis and Micanor Regis might help immediately. He sounds as excited, as fans do, about end Allen Bailey.
''He made a few mental mistakes, but will be an exceptional player. He's a real specimen, has the entire package.'' After watching every '07 Canes game, Young believes Eric Moncur ``can be one of the better defensive ends in the country.''
Among linebackers, he said the speed has improved -- ''I would say it's good, not great'' -- and that touted recruit Ramon Buchanan will begin as a linebacker, not a safety. He said although Sean Spence and Arthur Brown will play and are candidates to start, he has a high impression of Colin McCarthy, even though he missed spring practice recovering from a shoulder injury. And for UM fans who love to criticize Glenn Cook, know this: Young apparently values his intangibles (knowledge, experience) as much as RandyShannon does.
Young said an improved Jo-Jo Nicolas has put himself in the mix to start at safety, though most expect Anthony Reddick and Randy Phillips or Lovon Ponder to start. And Young said he is ''really, really happy'' at cornerback. He called Bruce Johnson and Chavez Grant ''excellent,'' though DeMarcus Van Dyke, incoming Brandon Harris and perhaps Carlos Armour will push them (FYI: Shannon said former receiver Ryan Hill will play safety).
UM players rave about Young's defense, predicting Miami will be more unpredictable. ''Everyone feels comfortable,'' Phillips said. Van Dyke said he's glad Young doesn't have cornerbacks jam receivers as much as predecessor Tim Walton did because ``this fits our talent. Bruce and I like playing off the man. That helps us read the quarterback.''
• Although quarterback front-runner Robert Marve used the spread offense 90 percent of the time as a high school senior, Nix -- who isn't speculating on a starter -- said UM's use of the spread will ``depend on who's playing well and what the defense is doing. If the receivers are playing better than the tight ends and fullback, then the receivers need to be playing.
''The good thing now is we have the choices to do any of it,'' he said. ''It seemed like last year at times, we had no choice but to not be in the spread because we didn't have the receivers to go spread.'' Still, questions remain. Nix has said UM is ''deeper'' at receiver, but ``I don't know if we're any better individually.''
Nix knows his play-calling, at times, ''was pretty conservative last year,'' partly because ''we didn't have the numbers. When you have only three receivers, you can't do four-receiver sets.'' (That won't be an issue now, and UM is optimistic the quarterback play will improve over last year, when its average of 315 yards a game was 10th-worst in the Football Bowl Subdivision.)
Nix said Marve, Jacory Harris and Cannon Smith ``wear me out. They want to be here all the time to learn.''
CHATTER
• No joke: At the 12 MGM Mirage hotel properties in Nevada, the odds of the Dolphins winning next season's Super Bowl have shrunk from 150-1 to 60-1 since February. That big a jump ''is unusual,'' MGM sports book manager Robert Walker said. ''People have a lot of confidence in Bill Parcells. They're plucking $10 to $20 down on Miami when they come to Las Vegas.'' The Raiders, Lions and 49ers also are 60-1, ahead of only the Chiefs (80-1) and Falcons (125-1).
• With Cameron Maybin (.235) slumping at Double A and Alejandro De Aza only now being cleared to run after an ankle injury, Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said Tuesday afternoon he will stick with struggling Alfredo Amezaga and Cody Ross in center field. The Marlins last year pursued Jacque Jones, who was designated for assignment by Detroit on Monday. The Marlins are again discussing pursuing Jones (.285 for the Cubs last year), though some internally believe he is more of a left fielder than a center fielder at this stage of his career.
• An American League executive preparing for June's draft said Tuesday UM has the ''best assembly of talent on a college team in a long time.'' Even though the hitting (20 double-figure scoring games in 45 games) and pitching are exceptional, coach Jim Morris takes pride that ''it's the best fielding team [.976]'' in his 15 years as UM . . . Morris said UM expects to be named a host for a regional and, potentially, a super-regional for the first time since 2005.
• Plantation American Heritage basketball coach Danny Herz said UM ''has a legitimate chance'' to land junior guard Kenny Boynton, the state's leading scorer the past two years and rated No. 7 nationally by rivals.com. A late-summer decision is expected.
• Point guard Marcus Banks -- whom this Heat regime has no conviction about and would like to trade if it can -- said he will stay here this summer and develop his point-guard skills because ``if these guys see me around, they'll see I'm serious.''
